However, as the colossal hand approached Ye Chen, a terrifying gale-force wind blew his hair upward, but it did not truly descend.
Because in the instant it drew near, it had created an unprecedented, fearsome spectacle. Inside and outside the Endless Heaven Realm, everything became illusory visions.
Even the River of Time displayed eerie scenes—gods falling, blood staining past and present, and more.
It was utterly bizarre.
Through the unseen workings of fate, the sky-shrouding hand sensed a fluctuation of causality, one that was actually targeting it.
Without a doubt, acting against this Supreme Heavenly Venerate from another era would have immense repercussions.
"What's the matter? Don't dare to strike?"
Ye Chen looked at the sky-shrouding hand, a trace of disdain coloring his expression.
The sky-shrouding hand was indeed wary and dared not strike. Its voice rumbled like heavenly thunder, "It is not that I dare not strike, but rather I do not wish to pay the corresponding price for you."
As the words fell, the sky-shrouding hand swatted toward the Endless Heaven Realm.
Its purpose here was merely to annihilate the Endless Heavenly Clan. There was no need to incur the targeting of causality across past, present, and future because of a Supreme Heavenly Venerate from another era.
Yet, Ye Chen targeted the sky-shrouding hand.
Once again, he stood before it, denying it the opportunity to continue its swat.
"You seek death!"
This time, the sky-shrouding hand was thoroughly enraged. It swatted down directly, disregarding the causal punishment across the ages.
"Hmph, who seeks death remains to be seen!"
Ye Chen's incarnation snorted coldly. Boundless, blazing chaotic light erupted from his body, isolating the vast gulf of time and space as he clashed head-on with the sky-shrouding hand.
BOOM—
Heaven collapsed and earth shattered, as if everything had plunged into absolute annihilation.
Even space-time became disordered!
The impact was immense!
Everything in the surroundings began to turn illusory, as if on the verge of being completely erased from this era.
From the unseen depths, a special Power of Karma manifested, descending upon both the sky-shrouding hand and Ye Chen.
"Karma taking form?"
Ye Chen frowned, but chaotic light blossomed from his body, beginning to counteract the Power of Karma.
However, Ye Chen's incarnation was ultimately not of this era. Acting in this manner undoubtedly had massive consequences.
His figure was forced back, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth; he had sustained some injury.
Ye Chen sighed lightly, "After all, I am not of this era. Otherwise, how could I be injured?"
Simultaneously, countless cracks appeared on that sky-shrouding hand. Drops of blood oozed from the fissures, falling down and staining the collapsed Endless Heaven Realm crimson.
This collision had injured them both!
However, it was clear the sky-shrouding hand's injuries were more pronounced. Multiple cracks surfaced, crisscrossing the entire colossal hand as blood continuously streamed down.
Ye Chen said, "By forcibly acting to annihilate the Endless Heavenly Clan, you have already suffered a massive backlash of causality. Yet you still dare to strike against me? You are doomed to destruction!"
He naturally knew this was the causal punishment upon the sky-shrouding hand for its act of annihilating the Endless Heavenly Clan—a severe one, also involving three Ancient Great Venerables.
Now, the backlash of causality acted upon the sky-shrouding hand itself.
The sky-shrouding hand fell silent, speaking no more.
Ye Chen ascended into the heavens. He no longer attacked the sky-shrouding hand. In his view, by forcibly acting against beings of this era, the backlash of causality would grow increasingly terrifying over time. What they saw now was merely the beginning. When it fully erupted later, the master of the sky-shrouding hand would inevitably pay a tremendous price.
There was no need to pay it further heed.
The sky-shrouding hand sought to stop him, but a fearsome heavenly battle erupted between them.
Yet, their conflict was confined to a certain range, not affecting the outside world. However, both were Supreme Heavenly Venerates and not from the same space-time. Undoubtedly, the impact was still terrifying.
Fortunately, although isolated by the vast gulf of time, Ye Chen was, after all, the Chaos Heavenly Venerate. Having achieved the Eternal Heavenly Dao through the Chaos Great Dao, even when subjected to fearsome causal backlash, part of it would be offset by the Chaos Eternal Heavenly Dao. The backlash was not as terrifying as one might imagine.
In the end, the sky-shrouding hand nearly exploded. Ye Chen ascended further, arriving upon the blood-stained River of Time.
Before arriving, from the corner of his eye, he saw an Ancient Great Venerable expend his last shred of strength to send that peerless youth away, out of the Endless Heaven Realm.
A section of the River of Time was dyed red, a vast expanse of crimson.
Upon the river floated densely packed fragments of time, imbued with the aura of the Space-Time Heavenly Dao.
Without a doubt, these were the fragments of time left behind by the Endless Heavenly Venerate, floating upon the long river.
And the Endless Heavenly Venerate was nowhere to be seen.
Ye Chen stood upon this blood-stained River of Time, gazing into the distance, seeking the figure of the Endless Heavenly Venerate.
But the River of Time was not only stained with blood; it was also eerily shrouded in a mist that could block even the perception of a Supreme Heavenly Venerate.
It was rules, it was causality, and it was also the power of Supreme Heavenly Venerates exerting influence.
Here, Ye Chen felt a tremendous resistance manifesting, hindering his further progress.
The sky-shrouding hand also returned to the blood-stained River of Time. Coldly facing Ye Chen, it said, "Return. You are not of this era. Though you are powerful, if you seek to intervene in this era, you will inevitably pay a heavy price."
Though it was persuasion, it was also born of wariness.
Even the sky-shrouding hand, powerful enough to annihilate the Endless Heavenly Clan, was wary of Ye Chen. Moreover, terrifying events surely existed upon this blood-stained River of Time, and the sky-shrouding hand did not wish for Ye Chen to become involved.
As it spoke, even more cracks appeared on the sky-shrouding hand—dense, countless fissures. Drops of blood fell, making the sanguine glow upon the River of Time even more intense.
In some places, even bone could be seen. One could imagine the causal punishment it was suffering for forcibly intervening in this era.
Ye Chen paid it no mind. His body radiated chaotic light as he mobilized the Heavenly Dao might of the Supreme Heavenly Venerate level, tearing through layer after layer of obstruction, searching for the figure of the Endless Heavenly Venerate.
Layer after layer of mist dissipated, but terrifying causality descended, accompanied by peerless thunderbolts—Heavenly Dao calamities, no less formidable than the Eternal Calamity of yore. They fell from the sky, overwhelming, flooding the River of Time before him, billions upon billions of them bombarding Ye Chen.
Each causal thunderbolt calamity was sufficient to slay a supreme expert.
Ye Chen showed no fear. Swinging his Chaos Heavenly Emperor Fist, he shook the space ahead, blasting countless causal thunderbolt calamities into dust.
But the causal thunderbolt calamities seemed endless, billions upon billions descending without cease.
Ye Chen swung his fist, punch after punch shattering the boundless thunderbolts as he strode forward.
During this process, even one as powerful as him finally sustained some injuries. Blood trickled from his mouth, his chaotic blood brilliant, circulating the Ten Thousand Daos before dissipating here.
With no other choice, Ye Chen expanded his Chaos Domain—his exclusive Chaos Eternal Heavenly Dao field, a Heavenly Venerate's domain—warding off all causal calamities outside.
Just as he traversed the multiple layers of causal thunderbolt calamities, suddenly, ahead appeared one terrifying figure after another, obscuring past, present, and future, emanating auras of world-destroying, immeasurable terror. Moreover, an unimaginable battle was taking place!