Chapter 3258: Can't Leave Now!

Over three years, Ye Chen had recovered some of his memories. One day, he stood at the gate of Hengyue Shan, gazing for a long time. Everyone knew he was searching for fragments of his past, so no one disturbed him.

"Everlasting Hengyue."

After countless ages, he lifted his feet and walked forward, just as he had on his first visit. He followed the stone steps at the mountain gate, climbing step by step in a daze, not even realizing he was retracing his old path.

When he passed by the small spirit garden, he suddenly stopped. In the garden were Hu Wa, Zhang Fengnian, and a little eagle chirping away.

"Big brother."

Hu Wa stood up, as honest as ever.

Zhang Fengnian's smile was always so gentle.

Ye Chen smiled and quietly continued on his way. He became like a traveler, wandering through Hengyue Zong, observing everything along the path. It was as if ancient scenes were vividly replaying before his eyes. Everywhere he looked, there seemed to be traces of his own shadow, etched with the passage of time and the weight of hardship, all turning into eternity.

"Drawing a little blood from him should still be fine."

In the shadows, people were following him, including Situ Nan, Xie Yun, and Xiong Er.

"Come on, look over there."

Pang Da Chuan pulled the three of them and pointed toward Yunu Feng.

After that, the trio slipped away without a trace. Yunu Feng was a great place, and the people there were all beautiful. At that moment, they were all staring at them, their lovely eyes blazing with intensity. If they didn't run, they'd get beaten.

"He's here."

As soon as Ye Chen stepped into Lingdan Ge, he saw Xu Fu smiling and coming to greet him.

How to put it? A hug wouldn't be too much, right?

Ye Chen raised his hand and casually pushed the welcoming Xu Fu aside.

It was truly awkward.

Xu Fu's face darkened. Why didn't he give him any face at all?

Ye Chen said nothing, only looking at Qi Yue.

The memories from the previous epoch hadn't fully returned, but the recollections from his second life were gradually, bit by bit, engraving themselves into his consciousness.

"In my lifetime, I will expand the frontiers and establish an eternal dynasty."

That was the most ambitious statement from his second life.

And the woman he was looking at now was his empress from that life.

"You're back."

Qi Yue smiled radiantly.

"I remember when you married me, you were only fifteen."

Ye Chen reached out, gently brushing aside a strand of Qi Yue's hair and caressing her cheek. She was exactly as in his memories—so beautiful.

This was so confusing.

Xu Fu was a bit stunned. What era was this from?

"His wife is already at Hengyue, right? Flirting like this isn't good!"

Xiao Ling Wa muttered on the rooftop, glancing toward Yunu Feng in between.

"Flirting with girls is his specialty."

The wives of the Shengti family were just spectators, propping their chins in their hands as they watched their husband charm another woman. They were open-minded about it. They had said countless times before: They didn't care how many women Ye Chen had, as long as it was him.

As long as he was safe and sound.

The past was too full of suffering; they couldn't bear to lose him again.

"Fifteen years old?"

Qi Yue's lips parted slightly. Xu Fu didn't know about it, and neither did she.

Did I... marry you?

When was that?

Did we have a destined marriage in some bygone year and month?

Ye Chen smiled and took her hand.

Qi Yue was stunned, foolishly following along, not daring to upset him.

Wow, he's just whisked her away like that?

Xu Fu raised an eyebrow. Now that he was Tian Dao, even stealing brides was done in a whole new way.

No one knew exactly when Ye Chen returned to Yunu Feng.

But he had turned into a puppet, like a statue, standing motionless there. His expression was somewhat dull, and his empty eyes occasionally flashed with confusion. From start to finish, he never let go of Qi Yue's hand.

"Excuse me for intruding."

Qi Yue struggled a bit, wanting to turn and leave. This situation was too awkward.

But she couldn't pry Ye Chen's hand loose no matter what.

"Once you enter Yunu Feng, you can't leave!"

Shangguan Han Yue giggled.

The other women stepped forward and pulled Qi Yue back.

If there wasn't a deeply etched story, why would Ye Chen be so reluctant to let go, even in his dazed state?

That night, Ye Chen sat under the old tree.

He was still like that—silent and speechless, reminiscent of the mortal six paths.

He sat there for three years.

Through three springs, summers, autumns, and winters, his eyes grew deeper and clearer.

The night was peaceful.

He silently rose and walked out of Hengyue step by step.

No one followed.

His wives understood; there was a journey that belonged only to him.

"An old man like me calculates that when he returns, he'll bring another one."

In the shadows, who knew how many old folks were stroking their beards thoughtfully.

Ye Chen appeared again in Chunqiu Ancient City.

There, a woman was sitting under a peach blossom tree, painting.

She was painting Ye Chen.

How deeply must she be haunted by him to capture his likeness so vividly?

She was Su Xin Er.

There was a story from the past: He had pursued the mad daughter of the Xuan Huang, and she was bathing in the lake when Nanming Yu Shu struck him with a palm, sending him into that very lake.

Their enmity began there.

Yet, their connection seemed even older.

It was tied to reincarnation.

In his third life, he was a notorious villain, a complete scoundrel. On a dark and windy night, he dragged a helpless woman into a shadowy forest. Her desperate cries were a tragic elegy of sorrow.

Now, he had come again.

Like a ghost, silent and unseen.

"Holy Lord."

Su Xin Er quickly stood up, hastily hiding the painting in the chaos.

Ye Chen said nothing, stiffly raising his arm and stiffly taking her hand.

"See? Another one."

"So, keep an eye on your own wives."

"Don't let him take them away."

Whispers rose in the darkness, one after another. In the dead of night, there were always a few insomniacs, chatting across the void even without gathering.

What was once a solitary journey now became two silhouettes.

Su Xin Er was bewildered, following wherever Ye Chen went without knowing why. She wanted to leave, but his hand was stronger than iron clamps.

"Once you enter Yunu Feng, you can't leave!"

Under the old tree on Yunu Feng, there was more laughter and another addition.

Ye Chen remained the most wooden one, though this time he stood at the peak, like a stone-carved statue. The brilliant starlight reflected his eternity.

Another three years passed.

In the fourth year, he finally stepped down from the peak, walking step by step through the air.

"A mortal walking on air—he's the first."

"A mortal Tian Dao is still Tian Dao; his will is the will of heaven and earth."

"Listen to me, watch your wives closely."

The unserious elders gave another warm reminder.

But few paid attention.

Though Ye Chen was wooden, the women he sought all had their stories.

No one disputed that.

The third woman, and their story, was known throughout Zhutian.

It was Nian Wei.

In the previous epoch, she belonged to Xingyue Gong. After reincarnation, she became the granddaughter of Tian Zhuque and, in a way, the sister of reincarnated Xie Yun. When Ye Chen advanced to Quasi Emperor, she and the Tai Chu Shen Huo offered themselves in sacrifice, helping him forge the Chaos Fire and achieve a heaven-defying breakthrough. Later, she joined Tongming Di Huang in suppressing the chaos in Honghuang.

Like Su Xin Er, his bond with Nian Wei also stemmed from reincarnation.

In his fifth life, he was a true scum, an utter playboy. As the top scholar in high school, he forgot his roots, leaving a woman waiting under a peach tree for a full sixty years, never to return.

Their ancient fate was delayed by over ten thousand years.

Yu Hua Xian Wang smiled, and Jiutian Xuan Nu smiled too.

That sacrifice—they were both witnesses. One protected Ye Chen, the other was controlled by Zhu Xian Jian to kill him. In that realm, two love stories were forged.

Petals scattered in the wind.

Ye Chen and Nian Wei's figures were incredibly warm.

"If Nian Wei were already married, wouldn't that be awkward?"

"It's fate, bound by blood and tears; they're destined."

"Xie Yun, your sister has been taken."

In the middle of the night, there were still plenty of sleepless people.

"Once you enter Yunu Feng, you can't leave!"

After Su Xin Er, another woman's cheeks flushed with a rosy glow.

Another three years.

Ye Chen's eternal radiance illuminated all of Zhutian.

His immortal heavenly sound echoed through three cycles of time.

This time, he traveled far.

His footprints were left in many places across Zhutian, with no one disturbing him.

At Zhuque Star, he silently stopped.

"Little fox, he's come to take you."

Fan Tong laughed.

In the end, the fox immortal cut off her tail, with no regrets through nine lives.

In the end, the fox immortal planted her feelings, remembering only his name through nine lives.

That nine-life blessing was already carved into his soul.

Ten thousand years had passed, and he had come.

Ten thousand years had passed, and her eyes were tearful.

From then on, for a full hundred years, Ye Chen didn't leave the mountains. He lay quietly on a cloud, sleeping peacefully. Every few days, a supreme being would come to check on him. This mortal-level Tian Dao seemed to be sleeping a bit too long.

But no one could see through it.

Even Huang Di couldn't decipher his Tian Dao.

However, changes in the universe continued.

This mortal Tian Dao must have some subconscious awareness, subconsciously repairing the cosmos. Though he couldn't fix the original scars, the marks from the great battle with Tian Dao were gradually healing—slowly, but steadily.

The awkward part was that for a hundred years, no one advanced in cultivation.

In the eyes of Shen Zun and the female emperor, it seemed Tian Dao was suppressing all beings.

But it wasn't Ye Chen's intention; he lacked any conscious awareness.

Another hundred years ended, and all living beings grew accustomed to Ye Chen's slumber. It brought an unprecedented peace. As Tian Dao, whether immortal or mortal, his presence was a source of faith, silently protecting the entire universe.

The night sky was profound, with shattered stars like dust.

Tonight's moon was exceptionally bright, and Yunu Feng under the moonlight was dreamlike.

The women's white hair had all returned to its original color.

However, the sleeping Ye Chen showed no sign of waking.

"This shouldn't be."

"It feels like there's a lock on him."

"What could it be?"

Di Dao F4 gathered at Hengyue, but they didn't go up to Yunu Feng.

After thinking for many years, they finally figured it out.

And this guess was affirmed by Shen Zun and the female emperor.

Indeed, there was such a lock.

More precisely, a terrifying curse—the curse of the previous Tian Dao.

That Cang must have hated Ye Chen to the core.

Its curse was too dreadful, ignoring the great cycle of Tian Dao. That was why it took Ye Chen over ten thousand years to revive. But it had underestimated the will of all beings, who sacrificed to pull Tian Dao back to the mortal world. Even so, the curse's existence couldn't be hidden. No one could detect it; only Ye Chen remained in a daze.

His current state was like that of a living corpse.

"Ah!"

"No choice, use the special product!"

"Your skin itching again?"

There were always restless people who wanted to feed Ye Chen the special product.

Whenever this came up, it always led to a scolding.

The wives of the Shengti family weren't joking around; they really would fight!