Ye Chen's injuries were not apparent as he bathed in brilliant golden radiance, his might shaking the starry sky, causing the myriad heavenly stars to tremble. At this moment, he seemed even more powerful than a Heavenly King.
This was the might of the Invincible Saint Body, the vast divine might of having broken through the shackles of laws and reached the absolute pinnacle of cultivation.
He was truly worthy of being the bravest of the current era.
At the very least, on this Ancient Emperor Continent where Heavenly Kings did not appear, he was invincible under the heavens. Only the two Imperial Sons, Shen Rong and Di Wuming, could pose a threat to him.
Ye Chen did not leave immediately. Instead, he continued to stand tall in the starry sky, turning his head to look back. His gaze fell upon the sun star, and then upon the other nine heavenly suns.
His eyes held only an unfathomable depth, with Dao talismans flickering within them, profound and inscrutable, piercing through all falsehoods. It seemed as if many mysterious phantoms were rapidly flashing by, allowing him to see much.
Then he looked towards a more distant direction, at the three Bright Moons, massive and not inferior to the sun star. Phantoms also appeared within his eyes.
He then turned his gaze deeper into the starry sky, towards the distant reaches of the Ancient Emperor Continent, and towards the Chaotic Sea.
Standing at his peak state, he saw far too much. In that glance back, it was as if a glorious yet ultimately fallen and decayed ancient history was read in a short span of time.
Regarding the mysterious Ancient Emperor Continent, he understood enough at this moment.
At this moment, Ye Chen was strong, having reached the absolute pinnacle of two lifetimes, surpassing his past self by far too much. Some obscure sensations from before had now become many times clearer and more distinct.
He could feel it: within the vast world of the Ancient Emperor Continent, some astonishing transformation had already begun to occur in secret, continuously and persistently.
This transformation was very obscure, very difficult to detect. If not for Ye Chen's keen perception, anyone else, even a Heavenly King, would find it hard to sense.
He had a premonition that the occurrence of this heaven and earth transformation would change the current state of affairs far too much.
It might even change the entire landscape of the Ancient Emperor Continent before him.
Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, the Divine Realm's rule of law within the Ancient Emperor Continent would cease to exist. The mysterious Divine Realm and the Ancient Emperor Continent would be thoroughly connected, just like in the Primordial Times era of the myriad gods. Heavenly Kings, those lofty Divine Spirits, would be able to freely travel between the two realms.
One could understand the Divine Realm, see the Immortal Heavenly Pass, and also see the mysterious ancient gate where the Twin Sovereigns, who had fallen with Tai Sheng Huang, ultimately vanished and went into seclusion.
Ye Chen naturally also understood that at that time, it would very likely be the moment the Heaven and Earth Chessboard was fully unveiled. The true great conspiracy of the Primordial Times would surface. Some people from the Ancient Emperor Continent's past who should have vanished would reappear, such as the Primordial Demonic God Teng Snake.
Everything, everything, would ultimately change.
Moreover, he began to feel a connection with the Ancient Orchid Great World. This was not only due to his own cultivation having reached the absolute pinnacle but also related to this heaven and earth transformation. It seemed the perception of the outside world was no longer as obscure as before.
This discovery made his expression grave, for at this moment he thought of many things: the Heaven and Earth Chessboard, the ancient Sacred Lands of the outside world, those ancient Great Sages... he thought of many things.
One after another, event after event flashed through his mind. Some aspects were clear, others still vague, requiring continued understanding.
He felt that the unfolding of this Heaven and Earth Chessboard might be a spectacle unprecedented in ancient or modern times, drawing out too many unexpected major figures, even surpassing the times of the assault on the Immortal Heavenly Pass.
That would be a peak event that would shake the Ancient Emperor Realm and even the myriad realms, involving far too many mysterious objects and events.
However, at the same time, it had been several years since he left the Ancient Orchid Great World. Back then, the Ancient Lan World and the Tian Du Continent were merging, estimated to be basically fully merged within seven years.
Now, it was about time, reaching the final stage. When the true fusion occurred, endless laws and profound mysteries would manifest. The insights Ye Chen originally lacked would be completely filled, allowing him to charge towards the Heavenly King realm at that moment.
That day would not be too far off, not exceeding a year, perhaps even sooner.
Ye Chen's thoughts raced through a thousand and one possibilities. He saw much and thought of enough.
Whoosh—
He strode forth, like an Emperor descending upon the mortal world. In but an instant, he traveled from the sun to the side of the crowd hundreds of thousands of miles away, fast to the extreme, unbelievable.
This was peerless immortal speed, something even a Heavenly King could not hope to match.
"Qian Yue—"
"Battle Saint King—"
A group of people surged forward, filled with joy. Yet, at this very moment, Ye Chen suddenly coughed lightly, golden, brilliant blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. He had coughed up blood.
This caused panic and confusion. What was going on? Hadn't he fully recovered? Why was he still coughing blood? Could it be he wasn't completely healed, harboring hidden injuries?
Seeing the worried expressions of everyone, especially the Three Immortal Maidens, Ye Chen smiled faintly and said, "It's nothing. Just a bit of Dao injuries that I suppressed. I didn't expect them to suddenly flare up. But it won't affect me; they will heal completely."
Boom—
A great Dao melody sounded within his body. The Saint Body Regeneration Art operated continuously, golden light surging, and this bit of injury also vanished.
"Little Brother—"
"Yue Brother—"
"Qian Yue Brother—"
The next moment, the Goddess, Chen'er, and Yi Wu—the Three Immortal Maidens—disregarding everyone else, rushed forward and tightly embraced Ye Chen, their faces wet with tears.
Ye Chen enjoyed the blessing of having all these beauties, a sight envied by others but not provoking jealousy, for he possessed the strength and confidence to warrant it.
"I'm sorry. After being apart for so many years, I've finally found you."
Ye Chen held the Three Immortal Maidens, speaking softly. Feeling their familiar auras, their enchanting fragrance assailing his face, a surging wave of emotion naturally arose within his heart. A gentleness different from his usual forceful demeanor appeared in his eyes, a look he only revealed when facing these women.
This was rare in the past. One must know that even when facing the siege of nine supreme powerhouses, it was difficult for much emotional fluctuation to appear on him.
The crowd naturally felt awkward disturbing the lovers' reunion and unanimously left, leaving this stretch of heaven and earth to them.
Ye Chen and the Three Immortal Maidens had been apart for many years, even missing an entire Samsara cycle, a full several decades.
One must know that back when they learned the news of Ye Chen's past life, Qian Yue, having fallen, the women cried until their hearts were broken, shedding tears under the moon night after night. Even the most innocent Chen'er took a long time to emerge from her sorrow.
It was only in this lifetime, within that Starry Land beyond the Immortal Heavenly Pass, that the Goddess learned Qian Yue was still alive, having reincarnated as a human, becoming the prodigy Ye Chen of this era. Only then did the women truly brighten up.
Unfortunately, they always missed each other. The three of them had long entered the Ancient Emperor Realm, gone for many years.
Some people, some things, once missed, become an entire Samsara cycle.
But some people, some people, even if they miss an entire Samsara cycle, will ultimately reunite once more.