“My true self has returned!” Nangong Baixue declared, her voice cutting through the air.
Taichen Old Ancestor and the others froze, their expressions a mixture of shock and disbelief. Qin Wang, too, emerged from the depths of the stone statue space, a tremor of perverse excitement running through him. Ancestor Liu Ruyan was truly returning!
“Ancestor… is she truly returning?” Taichen Old Ancestor stammered, his voice thick with emotion.
Nangong Baixue’s gaze was dismissive. “It is not her main body, but an avatar of Ancestor Liu Ruyan—a Seven-star Supreme! And let me be clear: never refer to her as an ‘old woman.’ Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Why?” Taichen Old Ancestor gasped, along with the others. “A Seven-star Supreme! That’s utterly terrifying! Can this realm even bear such power?”
Nangong Baixue’s lips curled into a faint, cold smile. “My true self is even more youthful than I am. Furthermore, no matter our age, we women are forever maidens. Dare to call her an old woman, and you’ll incur my wrath as well.”
Taichen Old Ancestor and the others exchanged bewildered glances, wisely saying nothing further.
Nangong Baixue swept her hand, a gesture of absolute authority. “This battle will fundamentally reshape the entire Tai Chu Realm.”
A chill ran through everyone present, and they respectfully withdrew.
Nangong Baixue turned her gaze towards the Supreme Path, a shimmering silver river that stretched from the highest heavens, piercing the very fabric of the realm to reach the boundless Starry Sky beyond. “Ye Chen,” she murmured, a possessive glint in her cold eyes. “You are mine! Even if I cannot match you, Ancestor Liu Ruyan’s avatar can crush you with ease.”
Beside her, Qin Wang coughed awkwardly. “Baixue, you… you wouldn’t actually get involved with Ye Chen, would you?”
Nangong Baixue didn’t even dignify him with a glance. A swift kick sent Qin Wang sprawling, crashing heavily to the ground. “Don’t ask such foolish questions!”
Within Nangong Baixue’s Sea of Consciousness, a sliver of the Starry Sky’s grandeur unfolded, shared directly from Ancestor Liu Ruyan. Her delicate frame trembled, an unprecedented shock rippling through her. Was this truly the world beyond their realm? Countless stars shimmered like a cosmic ocean, while four colossal Star Rings, like divine halos, stretched across the void, breathtakingly beautiful yet brimming with lethal intent.
She witnessed hundreds of Cloud Ships, ancient vessels etched with cosmic inscriptions, tearing through the spatial gales and leaving trails of Dao patterns, all hurtling towards the Tai Chu Realm. The lead ship bore the imposing characters: ‘Cloudrise Holy Land!’
Nangong Baixue was stunned. The auras emanating from the cultivators on those Cloud Ships were overwhelmingly powerful, crushing her with an endless sense of pressure. So many Supremes!
Yet, Ancestor Liu Ruyan’s avatar was moving with a speed that eclipsed even the Cloudrise Holy Land fleet. She would arrive first.
“True self,” Nangong Baixue projected, “these people?”
Ancestor Liu Ruyan’s voice, cold and distant, echoed in her mind. “Ignore them. My purpose here is Dao Yi, and to uncover the hidden secrets of the Tai Chu Realm. Cloudrise Holy Land is beneath my notice.” She continued, “They are merely backed by the Tianchen Empire from the Third Star Ring; my Charm Sect fears no such power. However, the secrets of the Tai Chu Realm appear to involve the Ancient Ancestor Realm, and I intend to monopolize them.”
She had no intention of contacting Cloudrise Holy Land. She would descend upon the Tai Chu Realm first.
“Just await my arrival,” Ancestor Liu Ruyan instructed Nangong Baixue. “I will not contend with you for that Ye Chen.”
Nangong Baixue nodded, her form receding back into the stone statue space.
Deep within the space, Dao Yi’s physical body, long since imbued with a strange sentience, stirred. His eyes, like twin black holes, pulsed with an eerie, profound excitement. His entire form trembled, a silent testament to his awakening. He had sensed Ancestor Liu Ruyan’s approaching aura.
“Ruyan… Ruyan…” Dao Yi’s corpse rasped, his voice a guttural, almost desperate whisper. “I miss you so much…”
Qin Wang, observing from the side, felt a complex mix of emotions. A profound tremor resonated within his own heart. He was, after all, the very fragment of Dao Yi’s obsession with Liu Ruyan. Yet, he found himself unable to abandon Nangong Baixue. His prolonged subservience had twisted into a perverse form of devotion. He had no idea what fate awaited him.
Nangong Baixue, meanwhile, settled into a lotus position. Her cultivation surged, divine splendor radiating from her as a new, alluring charm, a manifestation of Rule Power, began to coalesce around her. This explosive growth was a direct result of Ancestor Liu Ruyan’s avatar drawing nearer, creating a powerful resonance with the inherited power and actively channeling energy into Nangong Baixue. Her cultivation soared, impacting the Three-rotation Quasi-Dao Supreme realm.
A faint, cold smile touched Nangong Baixue’s lips. “I will never forget those slaps in Qingcheng, Ye Chen… My beloved, why did you do that to me?”
Meanwhile, on the Supreme Path, Ye Chen’s white robes billowed, agitated by an unseen force. A prickle of crisis ran through him. In the Southern Wilds, few could still pose a threat. This could only mean one thing: Supreme-level enemies.
He stood in a league of his own, far outstripping everyone else, divine radiance flowing around him as the Desolate Heaven Art surged through his veins, his Martial Dao Seed blooming with brilliant light. He was but a single step from attaining the Supreme Realm. Yet, Ye Chen deliberately suppressed his breakthrough, pushing his potential to its absolute limit. After all, his Eldest Senior Sister and several Junior Siblings had already reached Supreme. There was no rush for him. He still hadn’t even met his Fifth Junior Brother, Wuwu.
Just then, a thunderous boom ripped through the Starry Sky, followed by a shattering crack. The void itself tore open, and several colossal demons emerged from the gaping rift. Their terrifying demonic power, vast as an ocean, cascaded across the heavens, threatening to drown the world.
At their vanguard was Feng Wanshan, the Old Ancestor of the Xuan Gui Race. The group of great demons swiftly encircled Ye Chen.
“Ye Chen, your final day on the Supreme Path has arrived!” Feng Wanshan sneered.
Ye Chen slowly disengaged from his cultivation, a faint, confident smile playing on his lips. He simply chuckled.
Across the Supreme Path, countless divine senses and spiritual perceptions flared, all fixated on Ye Chen and his demonic assailants. Shock rippled through the observers. How could the Demon Court dare to challenge Ye Chen now? Even without the White Robe Supreme’s intervention, Ye Chen was already an invincible force on the Supreme Path! What audacity had driven the Demon Court to this? Even their Demon Lord wouldn’t be Ye Chen’s match!
At that very instant, a boom echoed, and the Demon Lord’s aura, like a capsizing sea, surged forth, engulfing the surroundings. Titan Ape Ancestor Tian Nu descended, his true form revealed. His colossal body, like a small mountain, was forged through countless trials, rippling with indestructible Dao Rhyme. This was the new Demon Lord, for the previous one had already been slain by Lu Xuan!
Ye Chen regarded Demon Lord Tian Nu with an unperturbed expression. “I’ll give you a chance,” he stated calmly, a hint of challenge in his voice. “Come at me all at once!”
A wave of profound humiliation washed over the Demon Court demons. Their faces twisted in fury, but they knew the truth: even united, they were no match for Ye Chen!
Demon Lord Tian Nu’s face contorted into a ferocious snarl. “Who said we are your opponents? Your true challenge is our Old Ancestor! To die by his hand will be your greatest fortune!”
As his words faded, a series of earth-shattering booms erupted! The Supreme Path itself ripped open, and an endless torrent of violent Star Sea power cascaded through the gaping fissure. From within, a gargantuan figure emerged—the Old Ancestor of the Titan Ape lineage!
Immediately, the oppressive aura of a Three-star Supreme erupted, surging like a cosmic tide. The sheer, overwhelming pressure alone sent Ye Chen hurtling backward! The entire Supreme Path was stunned into silence. A Supreme Old Ancestor of the Demon Court had actually descended!
Then, another Supreme figure materialized: the Supreme Old Ancestor of the Giant Insect Race!
And then, a third: the Supreme Old Ancestor of the Xuan Gui Race!
Three Great Supremes!
The Titan Ape Supreme gazed down at Ye Chen, his eyes filled with contempt, as if he were merely an ant. “Call out that dog-shit master of yours!” he commanded, his voice echoing with absolute authority.