Chapter 3266: Human Realm

This was a Taohua Yuan, with petals scattered everywhere.

Deep within the peach blossoms, mist swirled in a hazy veil, concealing graceful figures—some gently plucking strings on a lute, others dancing lightly, all as beautiful as a dream.

They were all Ye Chen's wives.

No one knew in which year Ye Chen had returned.

No one knew in which year they had left Heng Yue and come to this Taohua Yuan.

They cleared three mu of land for rice fields and planted peach blossoms across ten li.

They ignored the affairs of the mortal world and the ways of cultivation.

They worked at sunrise and rested at sunset.

The long-held wish from the previous era was finally fulfilled in this one.

The women occasionally glanced sideways at a spot not far away.

There, Ye Chen was busy at the stove, humming a tune as he showed off his cooking skills.

He was an outstanding family man.

Beneath the stove, a row of little heads lined up neatly—the boys were sturdy and lively, the girls like tiny sprites, all with bright, sparkling eyes. They were plump and rosy-cheeked, Ye Chen's little ones. The kids were mischievous, always sneaking a grab of something to eat the moment Ye Chen turned his back, moving with quick, nimble hands.

"We can't keep the pot boiling anymore."

"Take you kids and sell you at the market."

"That should fetch a good price."

Ye Chen looked at the little ones and flashed a set of pearly white teeth.

Well, that sent the kids scampering off, toddling away on unsteady feet to find their mothers, afraid their unreliable father might really drag them away to sell.

"Stop scaring them all the time."

Xi Yan shot him a glare and tossed a peach his way.

"Having kids really changes you." Ye Chen sighed, shaking his head. "I remember when you first entered Heng Yue, you were so well-behaved."

"It's all your good teaching, always tricking me into stealing our master's undergarments."

"You can't blame me for that—Chu Xuan and Chu Ling were the ones who brought me up."

"Putting special items in the food was our teaching too?"

Chu Xuan and Chu Ling turned to him, giving him a collective sidelong glance.

"You're stirring up old trouble."

"Some people even tried to force themselves on others."

"I heard they got beaten badly."

Whenever they teased Ye Chen, this group of beautiful women banded together exceptionally well, dredging up his glorious deeds that could go on for eight hundred years without end.

Ye Chen didn't mind at all.

Face was a good thing, but sometimes it could be discarded.

As for him, his proudest achievement wasn't destroying the heavens, but making everyone on this land full of energy, with pleasant speech and impeccable manners.

Dinner was still very warm and cozy.

The family sat together, chatting and laughing, full of affection.

After the meal, Ye Chen lay back in a lounge chair, gently rocking it as he gazed at the stars.

Far from the hustle and bustle, in peaceful serenity.

No disturbances, no deceit.

This perfection was something he had experienced before.

It was just like the Renjian Dao in the six paths of reincarnation.

That had been a regret.

He didn't know if it was because the Renjian Dao was played out too realistically or because he had immersed himself too deeply.

Every time he recalled it, his heart ached.

The tears of his wife.

The reluctance of his wife and children.

It was like an eternal scar, deeply branded on his soul.

Fortunately, time hadn't faded.

The regrets of the Renjian Dao were mended in the mortal world.

The women were there too, each with a hand propping up their cheek, quietly watching the stars, still occasionally glancing at their Ye Chen. Each one smiled foolishly.

"Mother, I want to hear the story of you and Father."

The little ones nestled in their mothers' arms, speaking in their soft, childish voices.

"We met in the alchemy furnace."

"Mother was your father's master, and back then, he was quite the troublemaker."

"It was your father who pulled Mother back from hell."

"The blessing of nine lifetimes is an ancient legend."

"We once forgot each other in the rivers and lakes; it was a chaotic romance."

This was a series of stories from long ago.

The women's eyes grew dreamy and entranced, as if telling tales of their past. Scene after scene felt as vivid as yesterday.

In some year, some month, they had met a man named Ye Chen.

A dream that was both sorrowful and beautiful unfolded with the passage of time.

The night grew deep.

The little ones seemed tired, drifting off to sleep in their mothers' arms.

The women kept talking, their smiles soft with tenderness.

The past had been so bitter, yet like a poison, it had addicted them.

"It's getting late; let's wash up and sleep."

Ye Chen stood up, waving a hand to summon a cloud. He gently took each child from the women's arms and placed them on the cloud, showing a touch of fatherly warmth.

This father wasn't exactly dedicated.

He just didn't want the little ones awake, interrupting his time connecting with his wives.

Tonight, with flowers blooming and the moon full, something had to happen.

The tone shifted.

What had been the women's youthful memoir now had a hint of mischief because of him.

"Come on, line up."

"Get lost."

The women each scooped up their children and left, each kicking him on the way out.

Couldn't he be romantic for once?

You ruined the atmosphere completely.

In the morning.

The gentle sunlight bathed the earth, draping the new day in a layer of harmony.

Taohua Yuan had visitors.

It was Xiong Er, the little fatty. He hadn't grown taller, but his rolls of fat were stacked one on top of another. From a distance, he looked less like a person and more like a ball.

"Time is truly a pig-slaughtering knife."

"Thinking back, we were so innocent back then."

"Do you remember that auction?"

Xiong Er looked wistful, coming here to get sentimental, but his eyes darted around restlessly. He said he was here to catch up with Ye Chen, yet after arriving, he barely glanced at Ye Chen and just stared at his wives. It had been a while since he'd seen them, and they looked even more stunning.

People like him visited every few days.

Like Xie Yun, Situ Nan, Huo Teng, and Xiao Ling Wa—they never missed a beat.

Don't doubt it.

We're just here to see the beauties... er, to catch up with you.

Ye Chen always welcomed them warmly.

As a Dan Sheng, he had plenty of stock.

They'd come all this way; how could they leave without eating their fill?

Xiong Er and the others had full families, and as an emperor, Ye Chen's contributions were undeniable.

Even so, some people never learned their lesson.

Another night with peach blossoms everywhere, Taohua Yuan was like a dream.

Tonight, Ye Chen wasn't lying in the lounge chair but quietly gazing up at the vast sky.

Chu Xuan approached. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing." Ye Chen smiled faintly.

In this simple exchange, there seemed to be deeper meaning. As his wife, she understood. These days, Ye Chen had been acting unusually. His deep, boundless eyes hid a secret unknown to others, even to them.

Precisely because they couldn't see through it, they were afraid.

That night, Ye Chen fell into a deep sleep.

He slept for many years. The women watched him every day, noticing most of all the furrowed brow on his face, as if he were having a terrifying nightmare.

"What is it?"

Shen Zun murmured more than once, always gazing into the void in the dead of night.

From some point on, a sense of foreboding arose.

This feeling was shared by the other Tian Dao as well. There were moments when they felt a deep unease.

The common people knew nothing of this.

The new era was a time of peace and prosperity, with harmony enveloping the entire universe.

Boom!

This eternal peace was shattered by a thunderous roar that shook the world. The whole universe trembled violently, and all light dimmed.

In broad daylight, the sky suddenly turned black.

Or rather, it was covered by a massive hand, plunging everything into darkness. That hand was enormous, shrouding the vast heavens and earth. Etched between its fingers were ancient runes, carrying destructive power as it descended from the distant void, intent on erasing the mortal world.

"What is that?"

All living beings paled, even the Zhi Zun feeling a tremor in their souls.

For that hand blocked out all light in the world.

How many years had it been? This new era's universe had never been so dark.

No one moved.

More accurately, no one could move. The devastating pressure immobilized them, not just the people, but even the Five Tian Dao. The hand's pressure surpassed that of a Huang Di level, freezing the heavens and locking the rules.

Is this the end of the world?

Too many murmured, their hearts quivering.

Darkness.

Despair.

This state of mind mirrored the time when the Tian Dao destroyed the previous era.

Boom!

In the midst of the crisis for all living beings, an eternal light pierced the sky.

It was Ye Chen, finally awakening.

His single sword was the sword that saved the world, splitting apart the destructive hand.

In that instant, he was bathed in blood.

From the time he became Tian Dao and shed it, this was the first time the common people had seen him wounded. The blood was dazzling, his eternal body covered in gashes. He staggered in the void, every drop of blood from his lips carrying a trace of destructive light.

In that instant, he also glimpsed a gate.

It was likely the legendary Gate of Eternity, the portal to the Eternal Immortal Realm.

"I underestimated you."

A faint voice echoed through the heavens, unknown who spoke it, but it was desolate and cold, like a divine judgment, carrying an undeniable authority.

"Yong Heng Tian."

Ye Chen spoke calmly, as if he knew who it was.

"Renjian Dao?"

"A joke."

The icy words gradually withered the entire heavens.

"You fear it too."

"You fear the Renjian Dao."

"You fear the common people."

Ye Chen's words remained calm, and as the heavens withered inch by inch, they began to revive inch by inch because of him. The shattered mountains and rivers regained their eternal vitality. He might not be the commander of the Renjian Dao, but he would uphold an ancient mission, igniting the final splendor for all living beings before the darkness enveloped everything.

"Overreaching."

Once again, a hand of destruction descended from the void.

"The fate of the heavens endures forever."

Ye Chen's sword of eternity struck again, cleaving through the vast universe. Gripping the Eternal Sword, he charged like an immortal light, piercing through the mysteries of heaven and earth, crossing the cosmic wilderness, and shooting toward that gate more distant than dreams.

He had to fight, and he must fight.

Not just for an answer, but to protect the beautiful world behind him.

He remained the most brilliant light in the heavens.

It was he who tore through the universe's darkness and granted light to all living beings.

"If I die, then it's up to you."

Ye Chen murmured, his imperial body burning inch by inch. In that eternal moment, he glanced toward a certain direction, as if he could see through the endless illusions to a still-gawky martial cultivator. If he fell in battle, that person would be the hope.

"Ye Chen."

The hoarse cry was heart-wrenching.

It was from his wives.

Still that Taohua Yuan.

Still those graceful figures, holding their children, tears streaming down their faces.

In the end, he had to leave.

The farewell of the Renjian Dao would ultimately play out once more in the mortal world.

Ye Chen turned back for a moment, giving a final weary smile to his wives and children, to Taohua Yuan, to Heng Yue, to Da Chu, to the heavens, to all living beings.

"Eternity... farewell."

The End