# Chapter 1823: Dragon Emperor Returns to His Realm
The Dragon Emperor returned to the Dragon God Realm. The moment he appeared, his aura, which he did not deliberately conceal, instantly alarmed all the dragon gods.
"Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor, you have finally... finally returned!"
"...The Northern Divine Realm's strength is terrifying beyond imagination. The Eastern Divine Realm suffered a complete defeat. The Zhou Tian Divine Realm was stained with blood. The Yue Shen Realm was annihilated. The Fan Di Divine Realm knelt to the demon race to protect itself..."
"Yun Che's current strength is already comparable to a Divine Emperor!"
"Over on the demon race's side, there are three extremely terrifying old monsters. The two former emperors of the Fan Di Divine Realm, Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu, have both appeared in this era and are standing with the demon race! The news that the Fan Di Divine Realm secretly possesses the Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal can now be confirmed beyond doubt! Moreover, they have clearly found a way to activate the Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal."
"After the Eastern Divine Realm, the Nanming Divine Realm was destroyed in a single day. The Southern Divine Realm was also frightened out of its wits. The Canglan, Xuanyuan, and Ziwei realms all bowed their heads and knelt without resistance."
"Hui Jin was killed! Big Brother was injured by the Demon Empress and has not yet recovered..."
"Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor, Fei Mie... is too ashamed to face you!"
"All realms of the Western Divine Realm are already in a state of combat readiness. They are only waiting for Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor's guidance and command..."
.........
.........
The divine sound transmissions of the eight dragon gods rang in his ears one after another—excitement, agitation, guilt... unprecedented chaos, revealing the severity of the situation.
But the Dragon Emperor did not respond to a single one. Even his expression and the ripples in his eyes did not stir in the slightest.
His footsteps moved unhurriedly and slowly, soundless against the ground. As the supreme being of the present age, he seemed to fear disturbing something.
After a long while, his footsteps stopped.
Ahead was a sealing barrier that released terrifying draconic aura, cutting off all things including aura, light, and sound. Any living being that approached within a thousand miles of this barrier would instantly have its body convulse in terror, its soul trembling in fear, and would never dare to take another half step forward.
Because this was a barrier personally set by him. The draconic aura flowing on it came from the Dragon Emperor's own breath.
It was not only forged from his draconic aura but also infused with a sliver of his dragon soul. If anyone attempted to forcefully break through or destroy the barrier, unless they were in the Tai Chu Divine Realm, he would instantly sense it from any corner of the present world.
Without a doubt, in all these years, this barrier had never shown signs of being touched by anyone.
In this world, people often slay dragons, but no one dares to touch the Dragon Emperor's inverse scale.
And no one knows what the world behind this barrier looks like now.
The Dragon Emperor silently raised his hand. The barrier ahead parted like water ripples, revealing a gap one zhang high.
He took a light breath and slowly walked inside. Behind him, the gap disappeared, leaving no chance for any living being to peek even for an instant.
Inside the barrier, the Dragon Emperor stared at the white light in his vision and stood frozen for a long time.
That was the barrier of the Reincarnation Forbidden Land, which had existed for a very, very long time. For over two hundred thousand years, it had always been so quiet, always so pure and flawless. The white light it emitted, clearly of supreme power, carried not a trace of soul-shaking majesty, only a purity that could instantly penetrate and cleanse the hearts and souls of all living beings.
But now, it had changed.
It had become exceptionally thin. In just a few short years, it had nearly dissipated, leaving only a layer as thin as mist and smoke, as if it would scatter at the slightest touch.
It took a full half hour before Long Bai finally lifted his foot to move forward.
The surrounding world had completely changed.
The elements were no longer gentle. The air was no longer fresh and soul-cleansing. The wind was no longer soothing. The scent of the earth was no longer intoxicatingly pleasant.
The lingering mist and clouds had vanished. There were no longer bird songs or butterfly dances in his ears. The playful whispers of thousands of grasses and countless flowers were gone... Even the spiritual flowers and immortal herbs that once filled his vision were now nothing but a withered landscape.
The Reincarnation Forbidden Land was originally the location of the silent Reincarnation Well, and was never a paradise.
Shen Xi's presence had turned it into a paradise.
Now that Shen Xi was no longer there, all that remained was a rapidly withering land and an eternally silent dead well.
For these two hundred thousand years, no matter what major events occurred, as long as he came here and looked at her, he would feel endless joy and satisfaction.
But everything had changed. Everything was gone.
"Long Bai... you... listen... if Xi'er suffers any harm..."
"I will abandon the light... turn into a demon... and make you taste every torture in this world!"
"I will scatter your blood and your ashes... to every corner of this divine realm... so that you will be trampled by all spirits for eternity!"
Long Bai raised his head, his eyes tightly shut, his face twitching in pain.
Shen Xi's words back then—the curse filled with tears and resentment—echoed through his heart and soul countless times every single day.
Especially the way she had looked at him then, like the cruelest poisonous blade in this world, piercing his heart at all times... never pulling away for a single moment.
No one knew how much time had passed before he finally arrived at the center of the Reincarnation Forbidden Land, the place where Shen Xi had once lived.
The once bamboo hut had turned into a patch of withered bamboo.
A wisp of pure spiritual energy wafted slowly. Long Bai turned his gaze, and in his sight, a large cluster of exotic grasses and spiritual flowers was swaying in the clear wind.
Once upon a time, such spiritual flowers were merely the lowest existence in this place. Now, they were exceptionally eye-catching and dazzling.
Long Bai's eyes and heart beat violently together. He quickly moved over. As he approached, his foot suddenly lost its strength, and he staggered, falling to his knees. His knees, which had never bowed to anyone, pressed down on a small patch of flower leaves, sinking into the soft soil.①
In the middle of the flower cluster was a patch of dried bloodstains. After all these years, they still emitted a faint aura of light... the aura that belonged exclusively to Shen Xi, engraved in every corner of his soul.
He reached out his hand, his five fingers trembling in an uncontrolled sway. Just as they were about to touch the bloodstains, he suddenly withdrew them. Then, his upper body suddenly bent forward, his head hanging deeply, his nostrils flaring as he desperately breathed, like a dying fish thrown into a dry pond.
If not seen with one's own eyes, no one could imagine that the supreme Dragon Emperor would reveal such a shameful... almost disgraceful posture.
After inhaling wildly for a long time, he suddenly stopped, then collapsed onto the ground, his entire body curled up. Only his right arm slowly raised, his five fingers trembling as they flexed and extended.
Back then, it was this arm that had struck Shen Xi.
Thirty thousand years of acquaintance, over two hundred thousand years of dreams... completely shattered.
In his life, there was no longer Shen Xi.
"Dragon Empress... where are you... where are you..."
"I know... you must still be alive... but why... no matter how I search, I can't find you..."
"As long as you come back... I will agree to anything..."
"Your child, I will definitely save her at all costs, raise her as if I were her biological father... As long as you say the word, she will be the future master of the dragon race..."
"As long as you come back..."
"Ah... hmm!"
His eyes were vacant, murmuring to himself, bloodstains dripping from his mouth, yet he was completely unaware.
"This hand..." He looked at his right arm, his dragon pupils actually filled with deep hatred and disgust: "This hand that harmed you, I will sever it forever... But first, I must temporarily keep it..."
"Kill Yun Che!"
When the word "Yun Che" slipped from his lips in a low groan, the Dragon Emperor's gaze suddenly changed. The killing intent so intense and extreme nearly solidified into substance.
"My Dragon Empress... no one in this world is worthy of her... that beast Yun Che dares to defile..."
"He must die... must die!"
"I will tear him apart... shatter him... cut him into pieces... grind his bones to dust!!"
Crack!
His five fingers clenched, the sound of bones shaking the ears and trembling the heart.
As much as Yun Che hated the Dragon Emperor, so did the Dragon Emperor hate Yun Che.
When attacking the Eastern Divine Realm, the Dragon Emperor was a variable that Chi Wuyue did not want to involve. But Yun Che could not wait to face him early, directly sacrificing the Divine Source and using the power of Divine Ashes to tear him apart.
And Long Bai... his madness toward Yun Che was even more intense!
At this very moment, deep in his pupils, the shadow deeply embedded was the image of Yun Che... not the demon race of the Northern Divine Realm.
In the shadow, a poisonous flame burned. Over the years, he had been waiting for Yun Che to appear, knowing that he would definitely return.
Now he had returned, far earlier than he had anticipated.
In just four short years, his strength had stepped into the Divine Emperor level, and he commanded the entire Northern Divine Realm... What terrifying progress and achievement. What a dark yet lofty status.
But he forever... forever... was not worthy, should not have defiled his Dragon Empress!
In order to torture and kill Yun Che as soon as possible, this supreme being of the divine realm would also burn with a madness unimaginable to ordinary people!
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Southern Divine Realm, Ten Directions Canglan Realm.
Chi Wuyue suddenly stood up, her seductive eyes sinking.
"What is it?" Qianye Ying'er quickly asked.
"..." Chi Wuyue slowly sat back down and said calmly, "The Dragon Emperor is back."
"Oh?" Qianye Ying'er showed a surprised expression: "Wasn't he supposed to stay in the Tai Chu Divine Realm for at least another two months? By my count, only half a month has passed."
"That's exactly the point," Chi Wuyue frowned in thought. "No matter how reliable the information, it can never outweigh variables." She mused: Could the unease I've felt these past few days be due to Long Bai's early return?
It shouldn't be...
Her Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul was at an excessively high level, giving her a subtle, transcendent perception that allowed her to produce faint, hard-to-define soul warnings before a crisis arrived. In principle, it was quite different from Shui Meiyin's Stainless Divine Soul.
"Hmph, isn't that just perfect?" Qianye Ying'er said. "Yun Che can't wait to personally kill Long Bai. Although it would be an excellent opportunity to trample the Dragon God Realm and dismantle the Western Divine Realm while the Dragon Emperor is away, this might actually be good news for Yun Che."
"Another four days and he'll come out. Just in time."
"..." Chi Wuyue remained silent.
"Are you worried?" Qianye Ying'er glanced at her sideways. "If the Dragon Emperor returns, the momentum of the Dragon God Realm and its ability to command the various realms of the Western Region will naturally increase greatly. But conversely, if Yun Che really has a way to forcibly kill Long Bai, it will cause the Western Divine Realm's spirit to collapse directly. All of this was already considered. What else are you worried about?"
"Good question." Chi Wuyue half-squinted her seductive eyes: "I'm also asking myself, what exactly am I worried about?"
"Or to put it another way," Chi Wuyue tapped her lips with her finger, deep in thought, "under the current circumstances, what kind of situation could catch me off guard?"
"Hmph," Qianye Ying'er snorted disdainfully. "Unless Long Bai can directly bring the entire Dragon God Realm down from the sky."
What Qianye Ying'er said purely as a joke made Chi Wuyue's face suddenly change color.
Yun Che was currently in the Zhou Tian Divine Realm and would not come out for nearly four more days. If the Dragon God Realm truly led the core forces of the Western Divine Realm down from the sky, then without the Demon Lord personally sitting in command, the Northern Divine Realm would surely be thrown into disarray and panic. Without his Calamity Demon Calamity Heaven, the core combat power of the Northern Region would also suffer a major blow.
Thus, just a single Dragon God Realm would be almost impossible for them to match. Let alone the vast Western Divine Realm.
And there was an even more serious point: Before entering the Zhou Tian Divine Realm, Yun Che had repeatedly stressed that during its opening, it must not be disturbed by external forces, not even moved... Otherwise, it could easily trigger the collapse of the Zhou Tian Divine Realm.
The Zhou Tian Divine Realm was a special divine realm with independent time laws. If it collapsed, it would most likely cause a distortion of space-time, with unimaginable consequences. It was not even impossible for Yun Che and Shui Meiyin to be annihilated by it.
In other words, they could not even retreat.
Chi Wuyue's reaction made Qianye Ying'er inwardly surprised. She narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "Judging by your expression, do you actually think something like this could happen? Ha, even if that Long Bai gave the order immediately without a moment's rest, simply consolidating the forces of the Western Divine Realm would take several days. Then, traveling from the Western Divine Realm in full force, no matter how fast, it would be about ten days later at the earliest."
Chi Wuyue's eyes opened wide, and she said in a deep voice, "In this world, what can strike you the heaviest blow is inherent perception."
"The Dragon God Realm doesn't know we have the Primordial Mystic Ark. Likewise..." Her voice sank another degree: "Could it be that the Dragon God Realm possesses something similar, something beyond our perception?"
"After all, that is the Dragon God Realm! The oldest, most profound, most powerful Dragon God Realm that has dominated the entire history of the divine realm!"
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①: Jie Yuan is excluded.