Chapter 2746: Tearless Foundation

Buzz!

The starry sky trembled once more as the Zhuque clan's experts activated their emperor artifacts, their eyes bloodshot with determination, refusing to stop until the Naihe Bridge was shattered.

Buzz!

Wulei City also hummed to life, radiating a magnificent halo that spread across the vast seas and wild lands, toppling even quasi-emperors in waves. Those with weaker cultivation were flung far into the distance, and countless stars exploded.

The Zhuque clan was powerful, but Wulei City was even more so. Hundreds of brilliant lights shot up from the city, each one an extreme Dao emperor artifact, hovering in the ethereal void like brilliant suns, illuminating the boundless world.

Gulp!

Onlookers gazing upward collectively swallowed hard, their eyes wide with disbelief and astonishment.

Not even Ye Chen could hide his shock. Were those emperor artifacts? Hundreds of extreme Dao emperor artifacts?

"This..."

The Zhuque clan's experts staggered back a step, their faces turning pale in an instant. Those were emperor artifacts—hundreds of them! If they descended from the sky, not only they, but the entire Zhuque clan would be wiped out.

Boom! Rumble!

The ethereal void thundered with lightning and thunder as the hundreds of emperor artifacts buzzed, their extreme Dao emperor might cascading down and painting a scene of destruction. Not just the universe, but even the laws of the world were frozen in place.

"How could it be this strong?"

The older generations were horrified, their hearts trembling. It was their first time seeing a female cultivator cross the Naihe Bridge, their first time witnessing an emperor lineage attack the bridge, and their first time beholding the terrifying depths of Wulei City.

Wulei City was not just strong—it was overwhelmingly so, to the point of despair. Even if all the emperor artifacts from the Xuanhuang Realm were combined, they might not match Wulei's arsenal. No wonder they acted so boldly.

"Do not act rashly again."

A ethereal female voice echoed from Wulei City.

It was the city lord of Wulei City, her words cold and desolate, carrying supreme authority like a monarch's decree, leaving no one in attendance with the will to defy it.

"With such power, where were you during the heavenly demon invasions?"

Zhuque Princess snorted coldly, glaring angrily at Wulei City.

This was a question on everyone's mind. During the several heavenly demon invasions, the heavens had fought so fiercely, with such heavy losses, yet Wulei City—with its vast array of emperor artifacts and terrifying depths—had never once joined the battle.

"Is Wulei's immortal city only imposing toward the common people?"

Zhuque Princess questioned again, her voice filled with grief and fury. Her beautiful eyes brimmed with tears, her anger directed at Wulei, and her indignation for the heavens. How many battles had been fought, how many heroic souls lost?

For a long time, there was no response from Wulei City.

Yet, its emperor artifacts remained, suppressing the entire universe. If they pressed down from above, most of those present would be annihilated. The destructive power of emperor artifacts was world-ending, let alone hundreds of them.

"An old man suggests that if heavenly demons invade again, we shouldn't fight."

"That's right! Why should we risk our lives while those who think they're above it all just show off?"

"Let's not beat around the bush—I want to curse the Honghuang."

"You reminded me—Wulei City and Honghuang seem no different."

"Exactly, they're all tough on their own kind. But when heavenly demons come, they hide better than anyone."

Zhuque Princess's words struck a chord with the masses, sparking a chorus of agreement from cultivators of all ages across the three realms. They traded barbs like performers in a comedy routine, satirizing Wulei City with unbridled eloquence.

Still, Wulei City offered no response.

No response didn't mean they couldn't hear. The city lord of Wulei City's mind blurred into a haze once more. Zhuque's questions and the people's mockery left her speechless.

Wulei meant no tears, no emotions—it was the cruel rule she had to follow, even if it meant enduring eternal infamy. Everyone who stepped onto the Naihe Bridge had to abide by it.

Who would choose to be without tears or emotions if they had a heart?

Ye Chen stood silently, unmoved.

Today, he had truly witnessed the depths of Wulei City, and it was no surprise that even Di Huang and Hongyan dared not provoke them lightly. Who knew how powerful Wulei City truly was?

Honestly, he wanted to curse them too.

Imagine if Wulei City had joined the fights, how much stronger the heavens would have been. Or, at the very least, they could have lent their extreme Dao emperor artifacts. With hundreds guarding the front, the common people wouldn't have suffered so terribly.

In the end, though, he held his tongue.

At this critical moment, he maintained a shred of clarity. Wulei City's non-participation must have its reasons—perhaps like the forbidden zones, they were guarding some mysterious entity and couldn't act recklessly.

"The path I chose means life and death are up to fate."

Zhuque Queen's words suddenly rang out, directed at her clanspeople. She turned her back to the starry sky and to the Zhuque clan. From the moment she stepped onto the Naihe Bridge, she had cast aside everything. Whether she lived or died was her destiny alone—she didn't want her clan involved.

"Aunt..."

"Life, death, no resentment, no regret."

Zhuque Queen said softly.

With that, she lifted her foot again, stepping down with a thunderous boom on the Naihe Bridge. It wasn't that her steps were heavy, but the pressure was immense, as if she carried a mountain on her back. Each step drew another spurt of crimson blood.

Zhuque Princess wept, her eyes blurred with tears.

Ah!

The Zhuque clan's experts sighed, suddenly turning away, unable to watch any longer, and no longer trying to stop her.

Back then, if they hadn't held her back, Zhuque Queen might have already rushed onto the Naihe Bridge and perished with him.

Unexpectedly, years later, she remained just as steadfast. They could stop her for a moment, but not for a lifetime. She had forsaken everything for love.

Ah!

The people sighed too, unsure whether to call her foolish or deeply devoted. He had died long ago—why cling to this obsession, fight so desperately? Was it worth it?

"The senior's state of mind, I understand."

Ye Chen murmured to himself. It wasn't that she was foolish; love was just that strange.

Yet, in the human world, there was emotion, while Wulei had none. The Naihe Bridge, spanning the starry river, connected emotion and emotionless like a thread—a beautiful, sorrowful line of mortal dust.

Pfft!

Zhuque Queen spat out blood again, her elegant immortal robes stained with another layer of red. Her legs trembled as she knelt down involuntarily. Each step left a bloody footprint, and her desolate figure was etched with age and dusted with the passage of time.

The people fell silent, no longer cursing or sighing, only watching quietly. Unless something unexpected happened, that devoted woman would meet her end on the Naihe Bridge.

Unless she could awaken a bloodline limit.

Sadly, she had no such luck. Her immortal body had turned to blood mist; only her primordial spirit remained, and it hadn't entered that indestructible state.

On the Naihe Bridge, she paused again, her illusory primordial spirit frozen under the immense pressure. The next step might scatter her soul forever.

That foot, she never lifted—or rather, she couldn't. The terrifying pressure pinned her in place.

"Retreat."

Wulei City's city lord said faintly, her voice cold and emotionless.

"Retreat!"

The people called out too. For a long-dead lover, for a woman without tears or emotions, it wasn't worth it.

Zhuque Queen said nothing, forcing her primordial spirit to hold on, her dim eyes still clinging to that obsession.

Back then, her lover had stopped right here. The spot where she stood was where he once stood. In her hazy vision, she seemed to see his silhouette—desolate and lonely, ancient and weathered.

She, like him, was foolish, refusing to fall, refusing to turn back, all for that single word: love.

Ah!

Ye Chen sighed and finally moved, stepping steadily upward until he reached the head of the Naihe Bridge.