Chapter 2931: Forbidden Sedimentation

Boom! Rumbling echoed endlessly.

The human realm buzzed with activity, the thunderous sounds never ceasing.

Apart from the three emperors, no one knew what was happening. The world only sensed that something new had appeared in the ethereal void, faintly carrying the aura of an emperor.

At the summit of Yu Nü Peak.

Ye Chen had finally stopped, ending his efforts for the first time in a hundred years.

Gazing into the void, gazing at that gate, he smiled wearily.

As Dao Zu had said, the gate he was carving differed vastly from the true Di Dao Men, like heaven and earth. But this was a good beginning; with more polishing over the years, he could forge the real Di Dao Men.

"Even if you forge it, it might not hold."

"Even if it holds, you might not cross it."

"Even if you cross it, you might not attain the Dao."

"Even if you attain the Dao, you might not become an emperor."

The two emperors, Tian Ming and Ming Di, bantered back and forth like performers in a comedy routine, their exchanges flowing seamlessly.

Yet, their words rang true.

Ye Chen had only taken the first step. Any mishap in the process that followed could turn it all to nothing.

The absence of emperors among the holy bodies was no accident.

"Ninth Mother, what are you looking at?"

Below, little Ye Ling tugged at Yao Chi's sleeve.

"Hope."

Yao Chi smiled gently.

That illusory Di Dao Men was indeed a hope—for Ye Chen's path to enlightenment and emperorship, and for his very survival.

Ye Ling seemed to understand vaguely, as did Nan Ming Yu Shu and the others.

On another side, Ye Chen had descended from the peak.

As for that illusory Di Dao Men, its existence was real. As long as Ye Chen lived, it would not fade. The marks of reincarnation he had etched would accompany him until the holy body truly perished.

He still needed to comprehend the Dao, to grasp the Dao of the forbidden domain, and continue carving the Di Dao Men. The remaining years would be for the sedimentation of the Dao.

In the days that followed, he rarely left Yu Nü Peak.

During this time, many elderly cultivators visited Da Chu, coming to pay respects to the female emperor and the holy body, seeking guidance on certain Dao-related puzzles.

Ye Chen and Yao Chi were generous in their responses.

The visitors included not only them but also Xing Yue Sheng Nü, Hong Chen Xue, Qian Shang Yue, and the wives of the nine Dao bodies.

They came to see Ye Chen—or rather, every so often, they would visit, sometimes appearing openly, sometimes watching from afar, hoping to catch a glimpse of their loved ones in him.

Ye Chen did not disturb them. He remembered all those connected to him, whether Ye Xing Chen, Shen Xuan Feng, Hong Chen, or the nine Dao bodies.

If he could attain enlightenment and become an emperor, he could manifest Ye Xing Chen and the nine Dao bodies again. As for Shen Xuan Feng and Hong Chen's six paths, they were different.

"Aunt."

Di Xuan heard Ye Ling's call every time she visited.

Di Xuan was a regular at Yu Nü Peak, often accompanied by the Fourth Divine General and Jian Shen.

They came for Di Zun, hoping to see his manifestation.

Unfortunately, reincarnation was unstable, and Ye Chen dared not attempt it lightly. A misstep could lead to his destruction, and Di Zun might never return to the world.

That night, Ye Chen ascended the mountain peak again. With reincarnation force swirling around his fingertip, he carved stroke by stroke into the void.

After much refinement over time, the cumbersome Di Dao Men gradually became more refined. At least, at a glance, it was clear it was a gate.

Spring, autumn, winter, summer—the cycles repeated endlessly.

This long process was accompanied by the passage of time and more sedimentation.

The illusory Di Dao Men took shape, gaining an even stronger emperor's aura.

In that instant, Ling Xiao Hall trembled.

Within the hall, Ruoxi opened her eyes for a moment, glanced at the Di Dao Men at the peak of the ethereal void, and then slowly closed them again.

"Ye Chen."

Later, a voice echoed from the hall—it was Chu Xuan and Chu Ling, calling to him in their subconscious. Since being drawn into Ling Xiao Hall centuries ago, they had not touched his face.

Ye Chen could hear their call.

That day, he arrived but could not enter the hall. He stood outside for a long while. They had merged and were sleeping quietly.

"If your life force is depleted, will you abandon your bloodline?"

Dong Huang Tai Xin arrived, accompanied by Jian Shen.

Ye Chen shook his head lightly; he had long accepted this resolve.

Abandoning his bloodline would mean bowing to the heavens.

The lineage of the ancient holy bodies had always chosen to die standing; they would never live on their knees. This belief had been etched into his soul long ago. He would not disgrace his ancestors' legacy.

Either attain the Dao and become an emperor, or die of old age.

Those were his two paths; there was no option to abandon his bloodline.

"You and my master are so alike."

The silent Jian Shen suddenly spoke, his eyes distant.

Ye Chen smiled and gently waved his hand.

Zheng!

A sword cry rang out as an immortal sword, formed from reincarnation, sliced through the ethereal void, crossed the cosmos, left Da Chu, and vanished like a fleeting shadow—yet it carried the power to destroy heaven and earth.

Pfft!

Then, a figure exploded into a spray of blood in the starry sky.

It was an emperor, a Tian Mo emperor. One moment, it had fallen from a rift; the next, it was obliterated by that single sword.

That emperor must have died in confusion. It had stepped into a pit on the ancient road, fallen into the rift without knowing where, and while still disoriented, it was struck down by the sudden sword.

The cultivators in that stretch of starry sky were left wide-eyed in shock.

They were witnesses—to the Tian Mo emperor's fall and its instant annihilation. They hadn't even had time to cry out.

"The great accomplishment of the holy body is too overpowered."

"A full-fledged emperor, slain in an instant."

"The ruthless one who once fought nine peak emperors alone is no joke."

"Still, it's not quite on par with Di Zun."

The starry sky was filled with murmurs, but also a sense of security. With Dong Huang female emperor guarding and the great accomplishment holy body defending, along with the many hidden foundations of the heavens, the human realm in this era was as solid as a fortress.

They should feel grateful to live in this peaceful age. Push back a few centuries, and it had been true darkness—war and smoke, all drenched in blood, engulfing the human realm.

"In these past few centuries, he hasn't wasted his time."

Ming Di murmured, taking a deep breath. Just from that reincarnation sword of Ye Chen's, he could roughly gauge his strength.

Fusing eight great reincarnations was no empty claim.

Ming Di was certain that, without using time manipulation, he might not defeat Ye Chen and could even end up being thoroughly beaten.

That young man was growing more outrageous on his path of exploits.

What a promising successor.

These four words captured the current sentiments of Tian Ming and Ming Di.

Nine days later, Ye Chen entered the heavenly realm.

Dao Zu had already prepared ancient tea—the same bitter kind that even Xian Wu Di Zun had found hard to swallow.

Ye Chen came to drink tea and discuss the Dao.

While Dao Zu might not match him in insights on reincarnation, in the realm of time, Dao Zu surpassed him by light-years.

Reincarnation was forbidden, and so was time.

With his lifespan dwindling, he had no time to comprehend new forbidden laws.

Fortunately, he had some foundation in the time domain. Mastering the laws of time would allow him to forge the Di Dao Men more solidly.

This discussion spanned realms and eras.

The two supreme beings set up a game of chess, which lasted a hundred years.

Where there were players, there were observers.

The Chaos Body was a spectator, still as a statue. As Dao Zu and Ye Chen played for a century, he watched quietly for a century.

Compared to this match, his own game with Ye Chen back then had been mere child's play. Ye Chen's current combat prowess and Dao comprehension could stand shoulder to shoulder with his master.

As a Chaos Body in this era, it was truly awkward.

Pa!

Ye Chen made his final move, and the entire chessboard shattered. The game that had stretched a hundred years ended in that instant.

"Have you gained any insights?"

Dao Zu smiled and set out the tea utensils, brewing personally.

"A few gains."

Ye Chen lifted the teapot and poured a full cup for Dao Zu.

"Keep pretending."

Ming Di stood with hands behind his back, able to see the heavenly realm's scene, and thought to himself that Dao Zu was probably figuring out how to get his treasures back from Ye Chen.

Just as he did every day, pondering how to beat Ye Chen.

That day, Ye Chen left and entered the underworld.

To grasp insights on time and space, he needed Ming Di—not that time and space were superior to time, but a deeper understanding made any of them formidable.

Ming Di was not as elegant as Dao Zu. As soon as Ye Chen sat down, his consciousness was pulled into a time-space realm.

In that realm were Ming Di's insights on time and space—only his insights. How much Ye Chen comprehended or which path he chose was up to him.

Ye Chen became like a statue, sitting cross-legged at the peak of Ming Mountain.

This process was no shorter than his game with Dao Zu.

From the time he entered the underworld, a hundred years passed without him emerging.

To Dao Zu, this was an unbearable century to witness.

Ye Chen's mind was in the realm, but Ming Di did not enter.

A lively great emperor like him had to find some entertainment. For instance, beating Ye Chen.

Over those hundred years, Ye Chen was beaten countless times—every few days a thrashing, every so often a hammering. He spilled sacred blood who knows how many times. That emperor was full of tricks.

When Ye Chen awoke again, he could barely stand steady.

Pain wracked his entire body, especially a certain spot where an emperor's thunder curse had been stuck, ready to explode with a bang.

"How much have you comprehended?"

Ming Di asked with a profound expression, stroking his beard seriously, like a seasoned senior.

"Not much."

Ye Chen replied, scanning his sacred body. It was covered in blood gashes, and he felt a bit anemic. His clothes were tattered, his hair disheveled—as if he'd been mauled by a dog.

Glancing at Ming Di, he looked calm and composed, as if nothing had happened.

Not to boast, but this had been Ming Di's most comfortable century. He'd grown tired of his hidden collection, but beating Ye Chen never got old. Another five hundred years, and he could keep going.

"Thank you for the generous gift, senior."

Ye Chen said, then turned and left.

How to reciprocate had already crossed his mind.

Half a month later, he returned.

Accompanying him was Dong Huang female emperor.

That day, the underworld descended into chaos. The domineering ancient holy body and the stunning Dong Huang female emperor left a certain great emperor battered and hung on the most conspicuous tree in the underworld.

Before leaving, Ye Chen hung a sign on him. The sign itself wasn't the point—the eye-catching part was the writing: "I am a fool."

From that day, the people of the underworld began to question life.

Dao Zu, from that day, looked at the couple with new respect.

For three months, Ming Di swayed in the wind.

When he awoke, he cursed at the heavens and the human realm for a long time.

At the summit of Yu Nü Peak, Ye Chen stood tall.

A hundred years in the heavenly realm, a hundred years in the underworld—whether time or time and space, he had gained some insights. The Dao was endless, and so were the forbidden paths.

Two hundred years later, he raised his hand again, using time as his carving knife and time-space as his brush, etching sacred Dao patterns on the Di Dao Men and outlining forbidden laws.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The Di Dao Men hummed. Each stroke added a trace of emperor's aura; each line added a hint of emperor's essence.

Unfortunately, the Di Dao Men remained illusory.

Ye Chen had pondered that, besides the forbidden paths, it lacked something—perhaps the framework of the Di Dao Men.

He still hadn't figured out what was missing.

Time flowed on, another hundred years.

In a hundred years, Ye Chen never left the peak. From the moment the illusory Di Dao Men formed, it had already undergone four hundred years of sedimentation.

The sacred Dao patterns on it were vivid.

The emperor's aura it exuded was destructive.

"Just call me Chaos; it's a cool name."

Under the old tree, the Chaos Cauldron buzzed incessantly. After centuries, its consciousness had revived, as chatty as ever.

Unaware of it, the Chaos Fire and Chaos Thunder were there too.

The three of them surrounded the Dong Huang Emperor Sword.

This emperor weapon was elegant, bathed in radiant immortal light. As Dong Huang female emperor's life weapon, if it had a gender, it would be female, much like its owner—quiet and not very lively.

"Don't be afraid, little sister; we're all good people."

"Your master and our master are a couple."

"We'll take you to the heavens sometime!"

The Chaos Cauldron, Chaos Fire, and Chaos Thunder were all chatterboxes. They kept coaxing the Emperor Sword, occasionally sidling up for a touch—typical flirts.

The scene was like three hoodlums cornering a schoolgirl in a back alley.

"How interesting."

Ren Wang stroked his chin, watching with great interest. He had come to find Ye Chen but ended up seeing this captivating sight.

"What has he been up to these past few centuries?"

Zao Hua Shen Wang stood with hands behind his back, ignoring the Chaos Cauldron and focusing only on the peak of Yu Nü Peak, that gate—visible only to great emperors.

That night, the two departed.

Soon after, Ye Chen descended from the peak, his beard unkempt, his face slightly pale, showing more signs of age. His comprehension of time and space wasn't deep enough, so forging the Di Dao Men with them was taxing.

A hundred years had left him exhausted.

The path of the emperor's Dao was longer and harder than he imagined. No one could guide him; he had to grope through the darkness alone, extending that broken road.

In the morning, the aroma of food filled the air.

The scene on Yu Nü Peak was quite warm.

"Dad, what are you really doing?"

At the table, Ye Ling lifted her little head more than once.

Not just her; Nan Ming Yu Shu and the others felt the same.

"Hope."

Ye Chen's answer mirrored Ji Ning Shuang's.

Boom! Rumbling!

As he spoke, the ethereal void suddenly erupted with thunder.

Ye Chen and Yao Chi turned their heads in unison, glancing over before rising.

Dao Zu and Ming Di also turned, glancing over before standing.

The four supreme beings all looked into the void.

Brilliant colors burst forth from the ethereal heights, streams of radiant light intertwining to form a galactic waterfall cascading from the nine heavens. Ancient visions materialized, and faint Dao sounds echoed, as if some existence was about to break its chains.

"The signs of an emperor's emergence."

Dao Zu and Ming Di murmured, exchanging a glance before looking back at the void. They would not mistake it; these were indeed the portents of an emperor's birth.