Chapter 932: Revealing Everything

"When the Heavenly Demon charges the Seven Evils, it will be the time for all immortals to war against the heavens!" Ye Chen revealed. "During my slumber, that phrase echoed in my mind like a curse, repeating over and over."

"You were asleep?"

"Those three years of confusion and disorientation."

"The Blood Successor Boundary is already a heaven-defying sign, and now this boy is dreaming of the Heavenly Demon charging the Seven Evils? Is this a prophecy?" Tai Xu Gu Long muttered to himself. He had been about to leave, but because of Ye Chen's words, he sat back down, his eyes flashing with profound meaning.

"You still haven't answered my question." Ye Chen looked quietly at Tai Xu Gu Long. "What is the Heavenly Demon charging the Seven Evils?"

"It's a kind of omen." Tai Xu Gu Long spoke slowly. "The Heavenly Demon Seven Evils is a greatly inauspicious sign, foretelling a catastrophe where no realm in the heavens will be spared, plunging the entire world into a dark era."

Hearing this, Ye Chen's brows furrowed deeply. He never imagined that the phrase he heard in his dazed state actually existed.

He felt lost, unsure why he kept hearing those words, repeating endlessly each time he slept. It was like a nightmare that haunted him night after night, filling him with inexplicable dread.

"You mentioned earlier that your confusion came from the intertwining of illusion and reality, causing chaos, right?" Tai Xu Gu Long looked at Ye Chen with eyes full of deep intent.

"That's correct."

"You're hiding something from me." Tai Xu Gu Long's gaze was sharp as a torch; even though Ye Chen showed no flaws, he saw through it instantly. "If you want to unravel this mystery, I need you to tell the truth."

"As you suspected, I have been hiding something." Ye Chen took a deep breath. "Before I was forced into the Wu Wang Great Marsh, I had already voluntarily discarded my Six Paths Immortal Wheel Eye."

"You discarded the Immortal Wheel Eye?" Tai Xu Gu Long's dragon eyes narrowed into slits. "A heaven-defying immortal eye, discarded just like that? I'd like to know what could have led you to such a decision."

"This matter is not to be spoken of; it's my personal affair." Ye Chen replied calmly, not wanting to involve Chu Xuan Er in the discussion. After all, how could he tell Tai Xu Gu Long it was because Chu Xuan Er feared the Immortal Wheel Eye?

"If you don't want to say, I won't press." Tai Xu Gu Long returned to his usual demeanor. "Since you discarded the Immortal Wheel Eye before entering the Wu Wang Great Marsh, how did you escape from that place of death?"

"The Wu Wang Great Marsh replicates everything without discrimination." Ye Chen explained slowly. "That forbidden ground is a pitch-black sea that constantly erodes my true essence, vital energy, and even my lifespan. As for the indiscriminate replication, it means anything foreign is copied exactly."

"So the Wu Wang Great Marsh created another version of you?"

"As you said." Ye Chen continued without holding back. "He was identical to me in strength, divine abilities, secret techniques, principles, and origin. Even the puppets, avatars, and clones I summoned were all replicated perfectly. The only way to escape was to kill the copied version of myself."

"Everything identical, and still suffering the constant erosion of the Wu Wang Great Marsh—how did you manage to defeat the other Ye Chen?"

"I have everything he has." Ye Chen sat down. "But there's one thing I have that he doesn't."

"What is it?"

"Emotion."

"Emotion?"

"Yes, the Wu Wang Great Marsh can replicate any external thing, but it can't copy my emotions. The other me it created was essentially an emotionless puppet—that was my trump card to turn the tide."

"Even if you have an extra emotion, how does that help?"

"I used emotion to summon people from illusion into reality. Anyone I've interacted with and exists in my memories was called forth. This included you. Though the summoned individuals were only a fraction as strong as the real ones, their sheer numbers made up for it, giving me the upper hand in the final decisive battle."

By now, Tai Xu Gu Long's expression had changed completely.

Or rather, it had changed even before Ye Chen finished speaking. The way he looked at Ye Chen was filled with shock and horror.

Seeing Tai Xu Gu Long like this, Ye Chen was extremely surprised. From the time they met until now, this was the first time he'd seen such an expression on the ancient supreme of the dragon clan. What could have shocked him so deeply?

"I think I know why you became so confused and disoriented." After a long while, Tai Xu Gu Long finally calmed his shocked emotions.

"Why?"

"Emotion is illusion, and people are reality. By using emotion to manifest people, you recklessly connected illusion and reality, touching upon a forbidden realm. That's an ultimate emperor technique, a heaven-defying divine ability among heaven-defying divine abilities." Tai Xu Gu Long's tone was extremely solemn. "Even great emperors dare not easily venture into that forbidden domain, and not just anyone can control it. Your confusion happened because your mind and memories were backlashed in the interplay of illusion and reality. This side effect will gradually emerge over time, and if you're not careful, you'll get lost in the cycle of illusion and reality, becoming a mindless walking corpse."

"So that's what happened." Ye Chen suddenly understood. He had no idea that by sheer accident, he had stumbled upon something so heaven-defying. After hearing Tai Xu Gu Long's explanation, a chill ran through his entire body.

"In that case, it makes sense that you could hear that phrase." Tai Xu Gu Long sighed lightly. "By touching the forbidden, you caused a disorder in the hidden laws, like a loophole in the interplay of illusion and reality. Through that loophole, ineffable information leaks out—it could be a secret or perhaps a prophecy."

"So, that phrase wasn't just random?"

"It's most likely a prophecy."

"Then, in your memories, have you ever encountered the omen of the Heavenly Demon charging the Seven Evils?"

"No." Tai Xu Gu Long shook his head gently. "It's just an ancient legend; no one has truly seen it. Perhaps only beings at the great emperor level could deduce anything about it."

"Since even your memories have no record of it, the Heavenly Demon Seven Evils must be something extraordinary." Ye Chen pondered aloud.

"Don't dwell on this matter for now." Tai Xu Gu Long said leisurely. "And as for that ultimate emperor technique of illusion and reality, never touch it lightly again—at least not until you've fully comprehended what the Dao is. Don't provoke it."

"I understand that. I don't want to end up confused again."

"It's not just about you being confused anymore." Tai Xu Gu Long looked at Ye Chen with utmost seriousness. "By touching the forbidden, you've interfered with the heavenly mechanisms. The predestined paths in the hidden realm could be altered by your recklessness. If you deviate too far, it could lead to massive disasters, affecting far more than just one or two people."

"So, what you said before about no one in the Ancient Sacred Body lineage ever awakening the Blood Successor Boundary—does that count as touching the forbidden?"

"It does." Tai Xu Gu Long answered firmly. "You've blazed a new trail and touched another forbidden realm. This will also influence the predestined paths in the hidden realm. Whether it's a blessing or a curse remains to be seen."

"What exactly do you mean by the predestined paths in the hidden realm?"

"You can think of it as the will and laws of heaven." Tai Xu Gu Long replied. "In the hidden realm, heaven has already ordained all worldly matters, like a wheel rolling along its fixed course. The forbidden is like a hand that knocks that wheel off its track."

"I get it." Ye Chen took a deep breath. "In essence, I've challenged the will of heaven."

"You can see it that way." Tai Xu Gu Long pulled out his wine flask again and took a sip before saying meaningfully, "I don't oppose you fighting against heaven, but you need to prepare for heavenly retribution."

"I'm not afraid."

"Don't think it's that simple." Tai Xu Gu Long glanced at Ye Chen. "Heavenly retribution isn't aimed at you alone—it affects those around you, like Chu Ling and Chu Xuan Er. You can view it as a heavenly tribulation, where everyone close to you will passively face the calamity and suffer potential retribution at any moment."

At these words, Ye Chen's brows furrowed tightly. He wasn't afraid of heaven or its retribution, but he feared it would drag down those around him.

"That's why people who fight against heaven, even if they win in the end, often end up alone." Tai Xu Gu Long sipped his wine unhurriedly. "It's like being a lone star of calamity—while resisting heaven, you're also bringing misfortune to others."

"I understand." Ye Chen inhaled sharply, feeling afraid once more—not of heaven, but of his loved ones suffering retribution.

"The Ancient Sacred Body lineage is full of unyielding spirits, and you're no exception." Tai Xu Gu Long chuckled softly. "Now, you can tell me which Ancient Sacred Body's origin you inherited in the Shen Cavern."

"I think it was called Chen Zhan."

"No wonder—I often see his shadow in you." Tai Xu Gu Long sighed.

"You've met Senior Chen Zhan?" Ye Chen asked tentatively, looking at Tai Xu Gu Long.

"There aren't many people our clan remembers." Tai Xu Gu Long said with a touch of nostalgia, his eyes filled with reminiscence, as if recalling events from the ancient era. "At the end of the Ancient Era, the heavens and myriad realms were in turmoil, with another chaos of gods and demons. Chen Zhan was the last Ancient Sacred Body of that era and a fully realized one. In those times, there were no great emperors or other heaven-defying bloodlines like the Chaos Body. He was undoubtedly the top figure across the realms. The great war of gods and demons was forcefully quelled by him, but he died in that battle. His death marked the end of an era— the year he fell signified the close of the Ancient Era and the beginning of the Primordial Era."

"A mark of an era." Ye Chen felt a deep reverence. What an honor that was!

"The Ancient Sacred Body lineage is full of admirable figures!" Tai Xu Gu Long remarked as he stood up once more and stepped out of the pavilion.