"I have wronged the three of them, and Yu Qing."
Ye Chen sighed inwardly, his heart filled with bitterness, but even more so with guilt. The heartache his beloved ones had endured during this period made him feel truly ashamed to face them.
Yaya looked at his expression with heartache, her flawless, jade-white delicate hand gently grasping his palm as she whispered softly, "Father, you don't need to feel guilty. If Mother and the others knew you were still alive, they would be overjoyed."
Wang Ming also sighed lightly. "Qian Yue, you must understand that Chen'er, Sister Jingruo, and the others care for you deeply. Knowing you are alive will surely bring them great happiness, dispelling the sorrows of these many days. This is good for both you and them. Why carry this guilt? None of this was your fault."
"Perhaps," Ye Chen said with a trace of bitterness. But given his current state, how could he still have the face to see them?
Yaya placed both hands on his face, their eyes meeting. Her clear gaze stared fixedly at him, as if able to see through everything, pressing him. "Father, could you really bear to let Mother and the others wait forever? They all love you. Could you bear to let their youth fade to white hair, to end their lives in loneliness, or to watch them turn to embrace others?"
Ye Chen's heart trembled. How could he bear to let them live out their lives in loneliness and sorrow? As for watching them become the cherished companions of others—that was something he absolutely could not endure. He could not withstand either outcome.
He realized he could no longer afford to be weak. His expression now turned resolute, and he said solemnly, "Alright. I will see them. Yaya, go back and tell them the news that I am alive. But seeing them is not for now."
"Why?" Yaya was taken aback. Ye Chen should return to see the mothers at the first opportunity.
Wang Ming and his disciple Wang Shan were also stunned.
Ye Chen's gaze grew firm, shining like divine lamps, remarkably striking. After letting out a soft breath, he slowly said, "I once gave them an eternal promise, one I have never fulfilled. But now, before that promise, I add another: on the day I marry them, it will be the day I achieve the status of Supreme Human Sovereign. I will make them the most dazzling, the happiest beings between heaven and earth."
At this moment, Ye Chen made a vow to the heavens, swearing never to betray the feelings of his beloved ones. One day, he would return in the most glorious posture to defy the heavens across the myriad realms, and on that day, he would marry them, making them the happiest in the world.
The hearts of those present trembled. Only with immense determination would Ye Chen dare to make such a vow.
The position of Human Sovereign—not to mention in this era—has always been fraught with endless difficulty in every past era's struggle. Even supreme powerhouses like the Immortal True Kings could not necessarily seize the imperial throne by defying fate, because every era's Human Sovereign position never lacked such supreme powerhouses. There would always be a few, at most among the most powerful, several who could rival each other, restraining one another, making absolute invincibility impossible.
Especially this era was extraordinary. Because the hope of achieving Emperorhood, passed down from ancient times, had appeared, leading many ancient forces to have deduced this long ago and sealed away Ancient Prodigies, to be unsealed and emerge in this era.
It was a grand gathering of prodigies from thousands of past eras, with generation after generation of ancient talents sealed away, preserved until this era, all for the sake of contending for the Human Sovereign position.
Moreover, in this era, the myriad Daos of heaven and earth were erupting. Boundless spiritual energy was surging forth, nourishing the world, giving birth to numerous talents and prodigies continuously, with Kings appearing together.
One could imagine the intense collisions that would occur with so many prodigies and talents erupting in this era, bursting forth with the most brilliant sparks.
Even the Immortal True Kings of the past generation—the Sun God, Yuan Yao Divine King, Feng Wu, and others—could not dare claim absolute invincibility, because the younger generations of prodigies that followed would also grow up.
The further one progressed on the path of cultivation, the slower the advancement. Perhaps a single realm's bottleneck could restrict one for hundreds or even thousands of years. And Samsara was one of the greatest restrictions. One might awaken and transcend in a single day, or perhaps never transcend at all. This was the best time for the new generation of young prodigies to grow.
The struggle for the Human Sovereign position would certainly not end in mere decades or a century, especially in this era. It might even last for ten thousand years. Numerous prodigies would fully mature, ultimately contending to seize the ultimate divine throne.
To seize the final Human Sovereign position was too difficult. In the end, only one person could succeed. Others, even Immortal True Kings, would not suffice. If they did not withdraw, they could only become powerful bones lining the path of the new Human Sovereign's ascension to Emperorhood.
The Human Sovereign contention was just that cruel. It could be said to gather the fortune of all prodigies onto that one person, allowing him to achieve the status of Myriad Domains' Supreme Human Sovereign.
And the hope of achieving Emperorhood in this era might not only be the fortune of this era's myriad domains but also the great fortune of numerous great eras throughout history, all converging onto that final person, granting him the qualification to shatter that barrier—unbroken since the Mythical Era—and achieve the eternal, immortal position of Emperors and Sovereigns!
Even if Ye Chen was an Immortal True King, achieving this would be extremely difficult. Becoming Human Sovereign in this era was too arduous, a thousand times harder than in past eras. But they suddenly remembered Ye Chen's other identity—Forbidden Supreme One!
The first since the Mythical Era to achieve the Tenth Heaven, a heaven-defying Supreme One, a Battle Saint of the Forbidden Lineage. With these two peerless, matchless identities, perhaps he truly had the possibility of achieving the final Human Sovereign position.
Yaya tightly wrapped her arms around Ye Chen's neck, nodding heavily. "Father, Yaya will tell Mother and the others. They will definitely wait for you."
Ye Chen nodded. This path was destined to be incomparably difficult, but he had to succeed no matter what. He could no longer fail those beloved ones who had given him their hearts, and her.
He lightly tapped his glabella, silently uttering two words—Yu Qing!
"Wang Ming, please tell me about the current situation of those old friends." Ye Chen didn't know much about this aspect, only that they were all doing well. The few peerless Great Powers who had targeted him and caused his fall back then had not targeted them, which was a relief to him.
Wang Ming recounted the situations of some old friends. As expected, the old friends Ye Chen had associated with were all Kings of their generation. Like Wang Ming, they all possessed extraordinary talent, were familiar with each other, helped one another, and many had become Saints years ago, beginning to stride boldly towards the direction of Samsara.
They were all doing very well. In fact, a significant portion of them had always believed he had not died, that he might be reborn, and had been striving all along. Now their guess was correct—he, the reincarnation of Qian Yue, had been reborn and returned.
Wang Ming said, "Qian Yue, although it's not convenient for your current identity to be exposed, you need not fear the major powers of the world. We have all made names for ourselves across the world, possessing sufficiently powerful strength and influence. We do not fear even Immortal Sacred Lands. Within the supreme Sacred Lands, as long as the Great Powers do not emerge, we can roam freely. We will all support you. If you have anything to say, say it. If you encounter any trouble, speak of it. Don't face it alone. Remember, behind you stands the support of us all. No one can target you. If anything happens, just call out, and we will come from all directions to aid you."
Ye Chen nodded heavily. His old friends from the past were all prodigies of their generation. Like Wang Ming, who became one of the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky; War King, Peacock King, and Tai Su, who had become peak Saints, ready to take the final step into Samsara at any time.
Several of his beloved ones were even connected to supreme Sacred Lands. Others were also doing well, all overlords of their regions, many at the Saint Lord level, capable of overlooking great domains. Now, even Immortal Sacred Lands had to be wary of them. They had all reached considerable heights and possessed powerful influence.
It could be said that Ye Chen, who originally had no background, now invisibly possessed an astonishingly terrifying background and force. His old friends and beloved ones from the past were his greatest background and backing, with astonishing depth. As long as he did not expose his true identity and provoke those peerless Great Powers from back then, he possessed absolute confidence to roam freely across the myriad realms, fearing nothing.
Even facing a supreme Sacred Land, he would not fear.
Although relying on others might seem somewhat contemptible to some, stubbornly abandoning such support and foolishly insisting on rising again solely by oneself, as some wished, would be nothing but irredeemable stupidity.
If Ye Chen wanted to quickly restore his past realm, these forces were indispensable. Moreover, he never considered this a disgrace, because many of these old friends were earned through exchanging his life in his past life. Their bond was genuine. Why let a mere psychological barrier cause trouble?
"Also, you must be careful. I have obtained top-secret information through special channels. You should know that the Immortal True Kings from the past, like Yuan Yao Divine King, have all stepped into Samsara, right?" Wang Ming said, though his expression was very grave.
Ye Chen frowned, a very bad premonition suddenly arising in his heart. "What about them?"
Wang Ming said with a heavy expression, "We all suspect that these Immortal True Kings may have already awakened within Samsara."
Ye Chen was shocked. Awakened so quickly? That seemed rather fast.
But upon careful thought, when he fell in his past life, these Immortal True Kings had already reached the Saint Lord level—referring to realm here. In terms of strength, they surpassed Saint Lords. Even if Saint Lords were not at the ninth peak of the Saint Treasury Realm, they were close. With the terrifyingly immense potential of these Immortal True Kings, cultivating for one year could match a century for others. Stepping into Samsara probably happened within ten years after that.
Awakening within thirty years was truly terrifying.
"Have they all transcended Samsara and stepped into the Heavenly King realm?" Ye Chen asked, his expression grave. If so, it was indeed cause for concern. He had originally intended to catch up to these Immortal True Kings before they transcended Samsara, because Samsara was too mysterious. Aside from the strongest Emperors and Sovereigns, no one knew the mysteries of Samsara.
Awakening could only rely on oneself. Even Immortal True Kings faced the danger of never awakening. History had recorded True King powerhouses who fell forever into Samsara, never awakening, perishing within it.
If Yuan Yao Divine King and the others had truly transcended the Reincarnation realm, it would be truly difficult for him to catch up.
"No, something even more fearsome than that," Wang Ming said, his expression incomparably grave. "We all suspect that although they have awakened, they are intentionally cultivating anew for another lifetime. Do you know why?"
Ye Chen shuddered, comprehension dawning on him as he slowly said, "To shatter the ninefold barrier and achieve the Tenth Heaven!"