Ripples and Resolve

On the outskirts of Mount Annihilation, the atmosphere was heavy and solemn.

The barriers erected by the Ye Clan's experts shimmered, sealing that shattered, deathly silent land off from the outside world. Several Ye Clan elders who arrived afterward were outstanding even among Immortal Kings. Working together, they sent streams of divine light into the void, like the most precise weaving shuttles, mending the faint spatial ripples caused by the earlier tremors.

Ye Chen stood quietly beside Emperor Xuanwu, his gaze seemingly wandering casually over their surroundings. In truth, the penetrating power of his double pupils had silently reached its limit, locking firmly onto the transparent fissure hidden in the core of Mount Annihilation.

The fissure seemed alive, twisting faintly beneath the winds of annihilation, flickering in and out of sight. The "strange" aura it emitted was exceedingly faint. Had Ye Chen not possessed the Primordial Immortal Body, with perception far beyond others of his level, and the Nameless Fragment as a guide, even he would likely have struggled to detect it.

Truly mysterious... Ye Chen mused. Even Uncle Xuan and these Immortal King elders haven't noticed it. Whatever lies behind this fissure must be extraordinary.

He could sense that the primordial purple qi within him felt both an instinctive aversion toward the fissure and a trace of indescribable... longing? It was as though something existed beyond it that was utterly unlike the Great Dao of this universe, yet shared its origin and coexisted with it.

Just then, an invisible pressure descended silently, gentle yet impossible to resist.

Every Ye Clan expert present, including Emperor Xuanwu, grew solemn and bowed. "Clan Leader!"

The void rippled faintly, and Heavenly Emperor Ye appeared soundlessly before them. His features remained indistinct, Dao resonance swirling around him, but when his eyes swept across Mount Annihilation, the entire turbulent space seemed to freeze for an instant.

"Father." Ye Chen gathered his thoughts and respectfully offered his greetings as well.

Heavenly Emperor Ye nodded slightly. His gaze did not linger on Ye Chen, instead turning directly toward the depths of that shattered land. His divine sense spread like invisible mercury, seeping into every inch of space through every possible opening as he examined it carefully.

A moment later, he withdrew his gaze and looked at the elders responsible for guarding the area. "What is the situation?"

The leading elder in blue robes answered respectfully, "Clan Leader, the tremors have completely subsided. Our preliminary investigation found some instability in the spatial structure, but no signs of outside intrusion or internal collapse. The disturbance just now was more like... a natural fluctuation of spatial tides, only particularly violent this time."

"A natural fluctuation?" Heavenly Emperor Ye's voice was level, betraying neither pleasure nor anger. "Mount Annihilation has existed for countless epochs. Its spatial structure may be unstable, but it follows its own patterns. A 'tide' this violent is a first."

His gaze brushed almost imperceptibly toward Ye Chen, but he revealed nothing.

Ye Chen's heart stirred. Has Father noticed something? With his cultivation, detecting that fissure shouldn't be difficult. But why hasn't he mentioned it?

"Strengthen the seals and double the rotating guard. Without my orders, no one is to approach within a hundred li of the core region," Heavenly Emperor Ye commanded, his tone carrying unquestionable authority.

"Understood!" the elders answered in unison.

Once the arrangements were complete, Heavenly Emperor Ye finally turned toward Ye Chen and Emperor Xuanwu. "Chen'er, why are you here?"

Ye Chen had already prepared his explanation. His face showed just the right measure of curiosity and lingering fear. "Father, I was choosing cultivation techniques in the Myriad Laws Abyss when I suddenly felt heaven and earth shake. I was curious, so I begged Uncle Xuan to bring me here to take a look from the outskirts. I never imagined it was a disturbance in the forbidden grounds that had alarmed you and the ancestors."

Heavenly Emperor Ye gave him a long, searching look, as though his gaze could pierce all falsehood and reach the very source. Ye Chen struggled to keep his expression natural, but his heartbeat involuntarily quickened.

Fortunately, Heavenly Emperor Ye did not press him. He merely said calmly, "This place is dangerous, not somewhere for you to amuse yourself. Now that you have seen it, go back."

"Yes, Father," Ye Chen answered obediently.

Heavenly Emperor Ye said nothing more. His figure slowly faded, vanishing as though he had merged into the void. The supreme pressure enveloping everyone dispersed with him, allowing them all to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Let us go, Young Master." Emperor Xuanwu also sighed in relief. He had genuinely feared that Ye Chen would get a sudden whim and insist on going inside for a look.

Ye Chen nodded, casting one final glance at the fissure deep within Mount Annihilation that only he could clearly "see," then turned and left with Emperor Xuanwu.

Back in his own Chen Hall, he dismissed the attendant maids, leaving only himself and Emperor Xuanwu inside.

The lazy, casual look on Ye Chen's face vanished instantly, replaced by an expression mingling excitement and gravity.

"Uncle Xuan, do you believe that was merely a natural spatial tide?" Ye Chen asked.

Emperor Xuanwu pondered before answering, "If the clan leader said so, he must have his reasons. Mount Annihilation is, after all, the remnant of an ancient battlefield. Its space is strange and unpredictable. Occasional abnormalities are only natural."

"Natural?" Ye Chen scoffed, turning his hand over and taking out the Nameless Fragment. The transparent ball of light hovered above his palm, still giving off no fluctuations. "Then what about this? Mount Annihilation stirred just after I obtained it. Uncle Xuan, do you think that was a coincidence?"

Emperor Xuanwu looked at the fragment, a trace of uncertainty appearing on his honest face. As an Immortal Emperor, he naturally did not believe in pure coincidence, especially when it involved a young master like Ye Chen, who possessed the Primordial Immortal Body.

"What are you suggesting, Young Master?"

"That fissure is anything but simple." Ye Chen's eyes blazed. "I can feel it 'calling' me. Or rather, calling this fragment in my hand and the Primordial Immortal Body within me."

"Calling?" Emperor Xuanwu's expression shifted slightly. "Young Master, this is suspicious. It may be a trap. Even the clan leader ordered the area sealed, which shows that the dangers within remain unknown. You must not act rashly!"

"I know it's dangerous." Ye Chen paced through the hall. "But Uncle Xuan, don't you think this is precisely the 'variable' we've been waiting for? The Ye Clan has been invincible for too long—so long that everything has settled into fixed patterns, with nothing new left. But this fissure, this fragment, represents the unknown! Possibility!"

He stopped and looked at Emperor Xuanwu, a resolute light shining in his eyes. "I must go and see."

"Young Master!" Emperor Xuanwu grew frantic. "If a deathtrap lies beyond that fissure, or even some ancient snare aimed at our Ye Clan, the consequences of recklessly entering would be unimaginable! This old servant cannot allow you to risk yourself!"

"Which is why we can't force our way in." A sly smile curved Ye Chen's lips. "Father only ordered us not to approach within a hundred li of the core region. He never said we couldn't 'pass through' somewhere else."

Emperor Xuanwu froze.

Ye Chen continued, "Besides, Father and the ancestors seem somewhat... ambiguous about this matter. They must have discovered that fissure, yet they kept it secret and merely tightened the blockade. What does that tell us? Perhaps they're watching and waiting too. Or perhaps the fissure's appearance was already within their expectations or divinations?"

He recalled that searching look his father had given him before leaving. There had seemed to be little surprise in it. Instead, it had felt more like... confirmation?

"Think about it, Uncle Xuan. Why didn't this fissure appear earlier or later? Why did it appear precisely on my thousandth birthday, after I obtained this fragment?" Ye Chen's voice carried a hint of persuasion. "Perhaps I am the key to opening this 'door'?"

Emperor Xuanwu fell silent. He had followed Heavenly Emperor Ye through countless years of war and knew well how far ahead the clan leader and the ancestors planned. If this truly was a trial or arrangement intended for the young master, forcibly stopping him might instead ruin something important.

Seeing Emperor Xuanwu waver, Ye Chen struck while the iron was hot. "Don't worry, Uncle Xuan. I won't gamble with my own life. We'll prepare thoroughly and bring enough protective treasures, then conduct only a preliminary investigation. If things prove impossible, we'll retreat immediately. With your cultivation and the lifesaving items I carry, we should be able to escape safely, so long as several Immortal Emperors of your level don't surround us and attack all at once."

Emperor Xuanwu weighed the matter again and again. Looking at the unquestionable resolve in Ye Chen's eyes, he finally let out a long sigh. "Alas, this old servant knew he couldn't stop you. But Young Master, we must agree on three rules!"

"Name them!" Ye Chen said readily.

"First, you must follow my instructions in everything. You cannot take risks on your own."

"Second, we will investigate only the outskirts. We must never venture deep into unknown territory."

"Third, the moment I judge that there is danger beyond our ability to handle, we must withdraw immediately, without hesitation!"

"No problem!" Ye Chen agreed at once, smiling like someone whose scheme had succeeded. "Then it's settled! We'll make our preparations and go 'passing through' tomorrow!"

Watching Ye Chen rub his hands together, eager to begin, Emperor Xuanwu shook his head helplessly. Yet he, too, began to feel a trace of curiosity about that fissure, which even the clan leader treated with such profound secrecy.

Perhaps the young master is right. After being invincible for so long, the Ye Clan has become a pool of stagnant water. It truly needs a little "variable" to stir up some ripples.

But no one knew what towering waves those ripples might eventually become.

Outside the hall, the starry sky remained brilliant, unchanged since time immemorial. Ye Chen's heart, however, had already flown toward that land of annihilation, filled with the unknown and with possibility.