Chapter 433: Triumph

In the courtyard, when Ji Chen arrived, Gu Hao and the others were drinking and chatting at their leisure.

Ever since they came to Divine River City, it had been a long time since they enjoyed such idle hours.

“Yo, has our Dust Emperor finally come?” Ye Yunge laughed heartily, teasing him thus.

Though the Ji Chen of today was truly no longer the man of the past, having reached a height they could only look up to from afar, the bond between them had never changed.

No matter whether Ji Chen was a Saint or an Emperor, the friendship between them would never alter because of such things.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had such leisurely moments.”

Ji Chen sat down in a circle with everyone, picked up a wine jug from the ground, and could not help letting out a long sigh.

During this period of time, he had gone through much, having walked to the front of Stone Gate Pass several times, so to speak.

Fortunately, he had endured through the most difficult hours, and now it was as if everything had dispersed the fog and revealed clear skies.

“So? We’re not leaving until we’re drunk?”

Ning Bufan spoke up. After this gathering, they would also be leaving Divine River City, either returning to the Celestial Emperor’s Mansion or going back to the Daoxuan Star Realm.

With the Yu Realm defeated in war, everyone had at last relaxed greatly regarding cultivation. They meant to properly unwind for a while, to go and do the things they themselves wished to do.

Henceforth, it would be nearly impossible to have a day like today again, with everyone gathered together at one table, drinking freely and talking at length. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

“Not leaving until we’re drunk.”

Ji Chen smiled, raising the wine jug first in a toast toward everyone, then tilting his head back and drinking in great gulps.

Laughter rang through the courtyard; that night, they spoke of many things.

Ji Chen recalled all manner of experiences from these years and could not help finding it somewhat unreal. Clearly, even he himself had never imagined that he would, in such a short span of time, grow to his present Realm and become the contemporary supreme Reincarnation Emperor Realm powerhouse of the Desolate Realm.

…

It was not until deep into the night that the gathering dispersed; everyone was dead drunk and left one by one.

Ji Chen, however, sat cross-legged in the courtyard, carefully meditating, sensing the Laws and Power of the Dao within heaven and earth.

After attaining Emperor Realm, he could now even more clearly feel that a certain calling toward him, hidden within the heavens and the earth, had grown far stronger.

“Is it the Immortal Realm…”

He murmured to himself, unable to draw any definite conclusion.

Until dawn arrived, a ray of sunlight falling upon Ji Chen’s body.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze looking off into the distance.

Within Divine River City as it was now, there hung in midair a vast Teleportation Array Platform.

Over the past few days, those powerhouses of the various great forces who had rushed from the Nine Great Star Domains to Divine River City to prepare for war had also been using this Teleportation Array Platform, departing one after another and returning to the places that were originally theirs.

Ji Chen slowly rose to his feet without hesitation; he merely took a light step forward, and his entire figure vanished from where he had stood.

When he appeared again, he was already in the city’s great plaza.

Ning Bufan and the others were already waiting here. This would be their final meeting before Celestial Gate’s departure.

“You’re going back to the Celestial Emperor’s Mansion?”

Ji Chen looked at Gu Hao, the Dragon Heir, and the others. During their drinking the previous night, he had heard of this from their mouths.

Gu Hao nodded. “Though the great war is over, I still feel we must keep working hard in cultivation. After all, you, Brother Ji, have already become an Emperor. As your friends, we can’t be too much of a disgrace to you, can we?”

“In that case, take care.” Ji Chen cupped his fists.

After the final farewells were made, he and Ning Bufan, Huang Shuying, Si Ruyan, and the others together swept into the Transmission Channel hanging above, about to return to Daoxuan together.

…

In the blink of an eye, a few more days passed.

Daoxuan, Celestial Martial Star, in the skies above a certain great mountain of Beiyou.

The space there quivered lightly, and then several figures appeared in succession—it was Ji Chen, Huang Shuying, and the others.

“We’re finally back. Ever since we left that year, it’s been several years since we last returned to Celestial Martial.” Si Ruyan said.

During that time in the Celestial Emperor’s Mansion, her heart had always been quite attached to Kunlun.

“Do you need me to escort you?”

Ji Chen spoke, his gaze sweeping over them.

Huang Shuying only smiled. “That would be far too troublesome. Our cultivation may be far inferior to yours, but we’re all Saint Realm at least. Our speed is not slow; we can go back on our own.”

“In that case, until next time.”

Ji Chen clasped his fists. Saying little, he made a simple farewell, then flew alone toward the distant sky, soon disappearing from their sight.

…

Beiyou, Profound Domain, Chu Kingdom.

Not long after parting from Si Ruyan and the others, Ji Chen returned here.

Yang City, the Chu Kingdom Imperial Capital of today.

Compared to back then, the city’s development was already on quite a grand scale, having become virtually the most prosperous place in all of Beiyou.

The news of Divine River City’s great victory in war had long since spread across the Nine Great Star Domains, including every corner of Celestial Martial; by now, it was known to all.

At this moment, Yang City was draped everywhere with red lanterns, appearing particularly festive.

This was the common folk celebrating the victory of this war.

In the south of the city, upon a vast plaza.

It was noon, and though the sun burned overhead, many people were still gathered here.

Everyone stood with eyes closed in reverent offering, facing a colossal stone statue at the very center of the plaza.

Looking closely, one could see that the statue depicted a young face, vividly lifelike.

Dust Emperor, Ji Chen!

This stone statue was none other than Ji Chen.

Back when the news of the great victory returned, the Chu Kingdom had mobilized the strength of the entire nation and, at the fastest speed, carved out this statue within a mere two days.

By now, the name of the Dust Emperor was known to all.

Especially in the Chu Kingdom, regardless of age or gender, whenever anyone mentioned the name Ji Chen, an expression of pride would unconsciously surface on every face.

Simply because the Chu Kingdom was the homeland of this Dust Emperor whose name shook the world!

“Is it true? That wastrel Young Sect Leader of years past has now become the Guardian of our Desolate Realm…”

“Dust Emperor Ji Chen—his age is not yet even thirty. It’s really hard to believe.”

“They say that in that war, the three Emperors of the Yu Realm descended together. At the critical moment when Divine River City was on the verge of falling, it was the Dust Emperor who stepped forward, proving the Dao amidst battle and entering the Reincarnation Emperor Realm, single-handedly reversing the tide and, beneath the starry sky, slaying the Yu Realm’s three Emperors alone!”

Such tales were being spoken not only in Yang City; now, throughout the Nine Great Star Domains, in every Major Sect, clan, and ancient city, there were people discussing him.

Passing through the skies above Yang City, Ji Chen merely released his Divine Thought a little, and everything within the city was laid bare before his eyes. Naturally, he also heard these sorts of remarks.

But he paid them no heed. After pausing for just a few breaths of time, he stepped forward in midair once more, his figure instantly vanishing into the distance, heading toward Lingyun Sacred Land.