The Legendary Son-in-law of the Emperor Chapter 1701 - 1698: Old Acquaintances of the Empty Ancient City

A somber mood settled over Ye Xuan as he contemplated the recent revelation.

This was grave news indeed.

The fact that the Burial Emperor Lord was not only aware of his excursion into the Desolate Realm but actively involved in it meant he was currently lingering directly under her gaze.

"So, she has finally tracked me down..."

Ye Xuan let out a soft, internal sigh.

Though he had long anticipated that this moment was inevitable, he had not expected it to arrive with such haste. During the twilight of the Mythical Era and the dawn of the Wilderness Era, Ye Xuan had lived a life of constant flight, desperately trying to evade the reach of the Burial Emperor Lord. Only after he finally shook her off did he begin orchestrating elaborate stratagems to effectively stymie her ambitions. The prospect of falling back into those clutches filled him with uncertainty; he truly did not know what would become of him. He simply could not fathom the depths of her intent.

It was a stroke of fortune that his Emperor Soul had successfully returned to his physical vessel, or he would have been utterly finished. Regardless, remaining under the constant surveillance of the Burial Emperor Lord after his resurgence was, without question, an alarming development. Her ability to traverse the vast expanses of time and space to seize his Life Soul proved that she possessed power capable of covering the heavens with a single hand.

Reflecting on their encounter in the Netherworld Ancient Land, Ye Xuan remembered the warning from the Old Ghost Liu Tree regarding the Burial Emperor Lord’s awareness of his movements. Had she been watching him even while he was deep within the Desolate Realm? As for her motive in remaining veiled and absent, perhaps his own words to the Old Ghost held truth; the timing for their inevitable clash had simply not yet matured.

Ascending the Emperor Road had become an urgent necessity. Originally, the activation of this path was tied to the complete lifting of the Heavenly Dao Suppression, but with the rapid shifts in the celestial order, its arrival might be accelerated. Therefore, directly engaging the Double Emperors before the path fully manifested was out of the question, unless he chose to storm the Heavenly Domain immediately. Even so, his current cultivation was insufficient to overcome the Double Emperors; the power gap remained staggering. Relying purely on the strength of his Emperor Soul was far from enough.

The common wisdom that the Great Emperor is not the final step, but the absolute pinnacle of any given era, was no mere jest. It was a sentiment rooted in reality. A Great Emperor who held the Tian Ming was virtually immortal, a truth Ye Xuan understood better than any living soul. A Great Emperor could only fall at the hand of another, or if their destiny was forcibly severed. Yet, aside from the ‘Heavenly Dao’ itself, what force could possibly snap the threads of a Tian Ming? It was an intangible, elusive reality.

"Is there anything else you desire to know?" The Old Immortal Xuanming asked, breaking the long silence. "If you have nothing further to add, I believe I shall hold my tongue."

Ye Xuan composed his thoughts and remarked with cold detachment, "I refuse to believe the concurrent disturbances across multiple Forbidden Lands are a mere coincidence. If it were isolated, perhaps, but with the Dao Chu Ancient Land, Desolate Realm, Inverted Sky, Death Netherworld, and Qingming Cave all fluctuating simultaneously? It strains credulity."

The Old Immortal Xuanming puffed thoughtfully on his tobacco pipe, exhaling rings of gray smoke. "This matter is complex. Hard to say, indeed."

Ye Xuan shot a sharp, irritated glare at the gray-clad figure resting on the rocking chair. "If it is so difficult to articulate, then hand back my Ancient Void Coin."

The Old Immortal glared back, shaking his pipe before retorting, "The Desolate Realm is off-limits. Why not investigate the Death Netherworld instead? You may not be close with the Master of the Netherworld, but you are acquainted with others—like the Curse Tree, for instance."

Ye Xuan stared at him, his silence speaking volumes as he narrowed his eyes.

The Old Immortal lifted an eyebrow. "Uninterested? Then my hands are tied. Perhaps you might test your luck in the Inverted Sky? Though, I would strongly advise against it. Your familiarity with the Xuanhuang Nine Prohibitions is great, but certain taboos, if triggered within your current state, will surely invite calamity upon your own soul."

"Forget it."

Ye Xuan rotated his head, accompanied by the sharp sound of snapping bones, and stated quietly, "I have no intention of visiting those places. I am setting my sights on the Endless Sea."

The Old Immortal Xuanming seemed genuinely startled. "The Endless Sea? What brings you there? There has been no anomaly reported in that region."

Ye Xuan merely offered a cryptic grin, keeping his true reasoning hidden.

"I am leaving now."

With those words, Ye Xuan rose and walked away. The Old Immortal’s gaze grew intense, following Ye Xuan’s retreating form with newfound depth. Suddenly, Ye Xuan glanced back over his shoulder, adding with eerie calm, "I truly hope that when the time comes, we find ourselves standing on the same side."

The Old Immortal offered no reply, continuing to puff on his pipe as if he had heard nothing at all.

Stepping out of the shop, Ye Xuan reflected on his relationship with the old man. To be candid, he held no illusions of genuine camaraderie. Their connection was purely transactional. While he was aware the old man took orders from Youwei, the specifics remained a mystery. Conversely, intelligence gathered from Bai Ze suggested that the Old Immortal’s Dao and Immortal Bridge had been obliterated by someone specific—a detail that could prove to be a potent bargaining chip in the struggles ahead.

Without realizing it, his path led him to the Tian Jie Residence on North Street. He had stood here before, having engaged in a rather trivial scuffle with the depleted remnant of the Heavenly Termination Ancient Emperor. That encounter had been meaningless in terms of outcome, but it had provided him with a vital lesson regarding the Forbidden Power permeating the Empty Ancient City, even leading to the imprisonment of the Heavenly Termination Ancient Emperor for three days. Passing by again, he noticed the nameplate had been replaced; it was now titled the Nine Universe Residence.

"Ha, it seems that after the incident, Little Jiu seized the property from Heavenly Termination," Ye Xuan remarked with a light chuckle.

During their prior confrontation, his display of raw power had inevitably drawn the scrutiny of the other Great Emperors occupying North Street. In the Empty Ancient City, owning a residence was a privilege strictly reserved for those who possessed the strength of a Great Emperor. Naturally, once the Heavenly Termination Ancient Emperor had been exposed as vulnerable, the others had circled like sharks. It was common knowledge that the Nine Universe, Gu Tu, and Vajra Great Emperors had all suffered greatly in that fallout, making the Nine Universe Great Emperor's retaliation against his defeated peer entirely predictable.

"Little Jiu, are you not going to invite me inside for a drink?" Ye Xuan called out, his voice echoing clearly outside the gates.

Inside, the Nine Universe Great Emperor felt his stress mounting. Why was this man always lurking about like a vengeful specter? "Great Emperor, what is our course of action?" his two subordinates asked, clearly anxious. They were terrified of the possibility that Ye Xuan might simply smash his way through their defenses.

In the Empty Ancient City, no one dared to openly antagonize Ye Xuan, save for the Old Immortal perhaps. The ability to command the City Soldiers meant that regardless of one’s status as a Great Emperor or Quasi-Emperor, one became nothing more than a powerless mortal in the face of the city’s inherent Forbidden Power. In this place, the title of Great Emperor held no weight.

"Ahem, so it is Emperor Ye! Please, forgive my lack of hospitality—I was merely catching a quick nap," the Nine Universe Great Emperor said, bracing himself as he hurried to push open the gates.

Ye Xuan observed him with narrowed eyes. "Did you finish off the Heavenly Termination entity?"

The Nine Universe Great Emperor spoke with practiced sincerity, "Certainly not. It was just that the fellow was remarkably foolish to hinder Emperor Ye. I thought it only right to do you a small favor and drive the nuisance away. He is currently hunkered down in the courtyard at the far end of North Street."