Meanwhile, Ye Chen was currently unaware of the various events outside the Nine Colors Emperor Star. With the help of the Mystic Dao Elder, he had taken Abenue and departed atop the cauldron, swiftly traversing through the endless spatial turbulence at an extreme speed.
Even upon the Chaos Great Cauldron, faint glimmers of time and space seemed to flow and circulate.
At this moment, he sat cross-legged upon the Chaos Great Cauldron, his aura withered and weak.
Although he had broken through, it did not mean his divine power had fully recovered. On the contrary, that had merely been an immediate surge of divine power, which had been completely exhausted after unleashing the Chaos Three Styles. Now, his divine power was depleted, leaving him quite feeble.
However, Ye Chen was no ordinary individual after all. A black hole manifested above his head, stirring up a boundless storm within the endless spatial turbulence, drawing in vast amounts of frenzied divine energy.
This divine energy, which even Great Power experts would consider berserk, poured into the black hole. There, a cluster of Chaos Dao Fire emerged, refining and incinerating the wildly turbulent divine energy, transforming it into a stream of pure and abundant Great Dao divine energy that surged out and entered Ye Chen's body.
Gradually, Ye Chen's weak and withered aura began to slowly grow stronger.
One day, two days, three days...
And so, half a month passed. Ye Chen had been continuously traversing the endless spatial turbulence, ceaselessly devouring the boundless frenzied divine energy. His aura steadily strengthened with the passage of time.
Abenue remained by his side, constantly protecting him, her vigilant gaze always sweeping across the endless spatial turbulence to prevent anyone from emerging and threatening her master.
Half a month later, Ye Chen opened his eyes, shooting forth strands of brilliant light imbued with ancient Chaos aura. His entire being did not leak the slightest trace of aura; on the contrary, he appeared perfectly natural and complete, his Great Dao returning to simplicity.
Great Power Fivefold Heaven!
Not only had Ye Chen recovered from his injuries, but his realm was now completely stabilized at the Great Power Fivefold Heaven level, smooth and flawless as if formed by nature.
Finally, he too had stepped into the Fivefold Heaven realm.
Twenty-five years of enlightenment, a life-and-death battle—he had ultimately taken that final step.
Yet he felt no joy. On the contrary, all of this was merely a natural progression, nothing worth celebrating.
Moreover, his ability to escape from the Jiuyan Imperial Clan was entirely due to the Mystic Dao Elder. Had the elder not personally appeared, shattered the Imperial Clan Heavenly Curtain, defeated the Longevity Sword God, and blocked the Nine Gods Sovereign, Ye Chen would never have been able to escape.
The initial plan had ultimately been somewhat naive.
It was a pity that mastering the Emperor's reincarnation body would still require some time; otherwise, he wouldn't have been reduced to such a sorry state.
He also wondered how the Mystic Dao Elder was faring now. Although the Mystic Dao Elder was powerful, having defeated the Longevity Sword God at the Nine Tribulations realm, his opponent was, after all, a genuine Ancient Monarch, a peerless powerhouse who stood above the Nine Tribulations realm. One could not afford to be truly careless.
Not long after, Ye Chen and Abenue left the endless spatial turbulence. Both concealed their Dao auras and entered a life-bearing ancient star named Chu Xia Star.
Chu Xia Star was also quite powerful, having given birth to Great Power-level experts who left behind ancient, enduring Dao legacies. It could be considered prosperous and, within the context of the entire ancient cosmos, quite formidable.
Therefore, Chu Xia Star also had experts who ventured into the starry sky, interacting with the cosmos and able to learn much information.
For instance, the true identity of the Mystic Dao Elder was actually the Battle Saint King's guardian, and there was also some information about the Ultimate Ancient Path. However, there was little information regarding the Nine Colors Emperor Star, and no one knew that Ye Chen had once infiltrated the Jiuyan Imperial Clan, throwing the entire clan into great disarray.
Naturally, there was also little information about the Mystic Dao Elder.
This couldn't help but make Ye Chen's heart sink. Without needing to think much, it was clear the Jiuyan Imperial Clan had sealed off all information. Yet precisely because of this, it was impossible to learn about the current status of the Mystic Dao Elder, which was the most worrying part.
"I wonder how Senior Mystic Dao is doing now."
Ye Chen was filled with worry, his sword-like brows furrowed. After all, given the Mystic Dao Elder's cultivation at the time, leaving the Nine Colors Emperor Star would have been easy, but he had stayed behind to stop the Nine Gods Sovereign. Ye Chen naturally felt a sense of guilt.
"Master, you need not worry excessively. Senior Mystic Dao is immensely powerful. Even if the Jiuyan Imperial Clan wished to detain him, it would be very difficult," Abenue comforted Ye Chen, though her beautiful eyes also held a trace of worry.
Ye Chen fell silent. After pondering for a long time, he finally made a decision.
"Abenue, you stay here for now. I will go to the Nine Colors Emperor Star to investigate," Ye Chen said, startling Abenue, who immediately expressed extreme reluctance, firmly insisting on following her master's steps and fearing that Ye Chen was going to his death.
But Ye Chen's intention was firm. He refused Abenue, saying, "Alone, I am enough to roam freely below the peak of the Great Power realm. There's no need to worry. Moreover, I'm not foolish enough to enter the Nine Colors Emperor Star itself. I'll merely observe from afar across the star domains."
Abenue no longer insisted. She understood that even if she followed, it would be useless. While her cultivation was indeed very powerful—she was a super Great Power and a variant insect race Mother Queen—compared to an undying imperial clan possessing an Emperor's legacy, the gap was vast, far beyond her ability to contend.
If she followed Ye Chen, she would likely become a burden.
"Master, please be extra careful," Abenue said.
Ye Chen nodded, then drifted away, stepping onto the Chaos Great Cauldron and traversing the star domains. He journeyed without rest and finally arrived, ten days later, in a star domain a full nine star domains away from the Nine Colors Emperor Star.
He dared not get too close, for the Nine Gods Sovereign had awakened. The nearby star domains were likely enveloped by the Sovereign's divine sense; even the slightest fluctuation might alert this ancient colossus.
Whoosh—
He opened the Eyes of Heaven, profound as a Chaos sea, gazing across several star domains at that Imperial Star wreathed in imperial aura and majestic presence. He could perceive an unrivaled, supreme Great Dao aura reviving, like a dragon from the Ninth Heaven coiled and looking down, intimidating the experts of myriad domains.
Ancient Monarch!
The Nine Gods Sovereign had indeed fully revived. The Sovereign's aura rippled across the Imperial Star, and boundless Sovereign divine sense perpetually enveloped the star domain where the Nine Colors Emperor Star resided.
Ye Chen could not see anything within the Nine Colors Emperor Star. The Imperial Clan Heavenly Curtain isolated it, and the Sovereign's Dao aura disturbed the heavens and earth. Even with the Eyes of Heaven, it was difficult to observe the situation on the Imperial Star from across several star domains.
However, Ye Chen could sense that just outside the Imperial Clan Heavenly Curtain, remnants of the Sovereign's aura lingered. Dao marks still flickered there to this day, the aura enduring undying, quite astonishing.
"Could it be that Senior Mystic Dao was captured in anger by the Nine Gods Sovereign and imprisoned within the Imperial Star?" Ye Chen felt worried, yet he could not possibly enter the Nine Colors Emperor Star.
Thinking of this, Ye Chen felt a pang of guilt. If that were truly the case, he would be indebted to the Mystic Dao Elder. Although he had requested the elder to guard his Dao for thirty years, it was not meant to be like this.
If anything happened to the Mystic Dao Elder, he would never be able to forgive himself.
"Senior Mystic Dao!"
Ye Chen clenched his fists, inadvertently releasing a cold, ruthless aura from his body. His eyes shot forth strands of brilliant light, carrying a chill as he gazed distantly at the Nine Colors Emperor Star. If anything were to truly happen to the Mystic Dao Elder, he would not let the Jiuyan Imperial Clan off lightly.
Boom—
Suddenly, from the distant Nine Colors Emperor Star, a vast fluctuation erupted, immense enough to shake the starry heavens.
Ye Chen was startled. Oh no! Could it be that his unintentional release of aura just now had been detected by the Nine Gods Sovereign?