223: Chapter 223 Peace After Calamity - The Emperor's Name Remains Immortal

Time flowed, and the years were like a blade.

In the blink of an eye, a Kalpa had passed.

The Great Wilderness had returned to peace.

That earth-shattering Chaos war from back then had long since ended; the coalition had disbanded, and the various powerhouses had returned to their positions.

The Undead Race governed the continents, while the Hongmeng Race ruled the starry skies; they kept to their own affairs, and there was no more war.

Although much time had passed, the living beings still often spoke of that battle—spoke of the man who ended everything: Samsara Emperor Venerable.

It was he who personally quelled the catastrophe.

It was he who extinguished the Chaos with a single thought.

His name had become a myth.

It was rumored that Samsara Emperor Venerable had transcended life and death and attained the Eternal Dao, which was why he could so casually annihilate the Chaos Fiendgods.

But some did not believe it.

If he had truly reached the pinnacle and mastered the myriad Daos, why would he let go of such a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity?

The catastrophe had ended, and the Heavenly Dao was weak; it was the perfect moment to force it to submit and unify the Great Wilderness.

Yet Samsara Emperor Venerable had withdrawn, ignoring the common people and the disputes.

Even when the Four Great Corpse Kings joined forces with the Three Pure Ones and personally went to the Imperial Palace to request battle, he kept his doors closed, as if all worldly affairs had nothing to do with him.

Had he... truly attained the Dao? No one knew.

In the far west of the Great Wilderness, the Sea of Blood surged into the sky.

Jiang Chen stood upon the waves of blood, his black robes fluttering, his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sinking into that abyss of churning crimson.

Nüwa and Houtu stood quietly behind him, watching that lonely figure, their hearts feeling as if they were being tightly gripped by something.

Since the end of the Chaos war, when they returned to the Great Wilderness, they had sensed it—Jiang Chen had changed.

In the past, although he was cold and stern, he was not heartless.

When he was with them, there was always a faint smile on his lips, and his eyes were as gentle as the moon.

Now, there was only dead silence.

He felt no sorrow or joy, and his heart remained unmoved.

No matter how they teased or flirted, he only watched quietly, as if separated by an invisible barrier.

What was even more chilling was the indescribable sense of isolation radiating from him, as if he came from a wasteland before the Eternal Chaos, unapproachable and unconsolable.

"Husband, what exactly... did you experience at Mount Buzhou?" Nüwa finally couldn't help but speak, her voice trembling slightly.

Houtu bit her lip and whispered, "He has something on his mind, but he is unwilling to tell us."

"We understand that Husband does not belong to this epoch." Nüwa stepped forward, her gaze gentle.

"After you entered Mount Buzhou, you must have glimpsed some truth.

If you do not mind, can you tell us?

We just want to understand you."

Jiang Chen sighed softly, his voice so faint it almost dissipated with the wind.

"Even if I said it, what would it matter?"

"Of course it has meaning!" Nüwa said anxiously.

"We want to know where you came from, why you suddenly attained the Dao, and why you have become so indifferent... These mysteries weigh on our hearts, heavier than the heavens!"

Jiang Chen turned around slowly, his gaze sweeping over the two of them.

His lips moved, but in the end, he remained silent.

"Does Husband have something difficult to say?" Houtu asked softly.

"It is not that I do not want to say it, but that I do not know where to start."

He shook his head, a trace of fatigue flickering in the depths of his eyes.

Should he tell them—that he was the beginning of all laws, originating from the Void Realm of the Non-Existent Great Void?

That he was the lingering echo from before this epoch was born?

But even if he told them everything, would that loneliness, deep in his marrow, dissipate?

Nüwa suddenly walked closer, took his hand, and smiled gently.

"If you don't want to say it, then don't.

But promise us—don't leave again."

Houtu also leaned in, resting her head lightly on his shoulder, her voice like a whisper.

"I can feel your loneliness... I just don't understand where it comes from."

In that instant, the frost in Jiang Chen's eyes quietly melted by an inch.

He looked down at the two in his arms and finally uttered, "Let's go.

Let's go see the Great Wilderness."

"Alright, we will listen to Husband."

In the western part of the Great Wilderness, there was the Immortal Demon Valley.

This place was personally created by Dugu Baitian one epoch ago and possessed over a hundred Dao-attainers; it was one of the top forces of the human race in the Western Region.

Inside the Immortal Demon Hall, golden light flowed.

Dugu Baitian sat in the main seat, with Chen Nan and the Demon Lord on either side.

"Although the great calamity has been quelled and the Chaos Fiendgods have been slain, there are still nine Great Demon God Worlds in the depths of the Eternal Chaos.

There must be remnants hiding within them.

The Holy Emperor and the Holy Teacher have decided—we will send troops to clear them out, cutting weeds and eliminating roots to prevent a resurgence."

His voice was not loud, but every word sounded like thunder.

The Demon Lord nodded.

"His Majesty's foresight is profound.

The Chaos Fiendgods once bullied our Great Wilderness to the extreme.

Although they were slaughtered by the Holy Father, their roots are intertwined, and it is hard to guarantee there are no hidden hands left behind."

"In this battle, all major forces of the Great Wilderness will participate, and our Immortal Demon Valley cannot be absent."

Chen Nan raised his eyes.

"When shall we set out?"

"To prevent any variables, it is set for one Kalpa from now," Dugu Baitian said.

"In this battle, the First Emperor and the Holy Teacher will not take action; it will be left to the younger generation to gain experience.

The commander will be the Lord of Wu'an, Bai Qi."

His gaze fell upon Chen Nan.

"You will represent the Immortal Demon Valley and lead our valley's young talents into battle."

Chen Nan stood up abruptly, cupped his hands, and bowed, his voice like cast iron.

"This child accepts the order!"

On Mount Sumeru, at the War God Hall.

Tongtian stood on a high platform, overlooking Meng Tian below, a sharp smile curling the corners of his mouth.

"Although the Great Wilderness is vast, it is ultimately finite.

What is truly vast are the nine Great Demon God Worlds in the endless Chaos."

"This battle is the opportunity for our War God Hall to rise."

He paused, his gaze like lightning.

"Meng Tian, although you are a famous general of Great Qin, you are even more so the Young Hall Master of my War God Hall."

"This battle—you must go."

"The nine Great Demon God Worlds are a piece of fatty meat dripping with oil.

As long as the War God Hall takes one of them, destiny will roll in, and we will soar to the top!

You understand my intention, right?"

Meng Tian knelt on one knee, his back straight, and said in a deep voice, "Disciple swears not to fail Master's high expectations!"

At the summit of Mount Buzhou, inside the Immortal Venerable Sect.

Yuanshi sat on a cloud bed, his eyes like an abyss, his voice indifferent but filled with unquestionable authority.

"The Great Wilderness is full, and there is no room for further expansion.

If our Immortal Venerable Sect wants to advance further, the only way out—is those nine Great Demon God Worlds in the Eternal Chaos."

"In this battle, Wang Jian will lead the younger generation of our Immortal Venerable Sect to set out.

Other forces will surely fight for it, and we... will never back down."

Wang Jian cupped his hands, his gaze like a blade.

"Master, rest assured.

In this battle, I will definitely carve out a new world for the Immortal Venerable Sect!"

The news spread, and the Great Wilderness shook.

The expedition order for the nine Great Demon God Worlds swept across the eight wildernesses, and major forces mobilized their troops and generals, with undercurrents surging.

However, everyone knew that those nine worlds had long since declined and no longer possessed the power of the Demon Gods of the past.

This expedition was not a life-and-death battle, but a mission to seize territory and plunder resources!

A Chaos-level world, no matter how ruined, was still a mountain of gold and silver—heavenly treasures walked the earth, and Great Dao laws filled the sky.

Who would let that go?

If one could occupy a world, destiny would be added to one's body, and one's foundation would skyrocket!

Furthermore, the Chaos race had once invaded the Great Wilderness, owing a debt of blood; this battle was a reckoning and also revenge.

Besides this, the major top powerhouses had reached a consensus: to head to the Eternal Chaos and open up new worlds.

The Great Wilderness had now reached its limit—living beings were multiplying, destiny was strained, and Dao-attainers were emerging one after another; even this Eternal-level world could barely hold on.

If this continued, it would collapse sooner or later.

Therefore, all the supreme powerhouses at the Dao-attainer level and above would all leave for the Chaos to open up the heavens and the earth, and establish a new order.