In the midst of his endless escapes, Ye Chen amassed countless fortuitous encounters and endured unimaginable hardships. During one such escape in a newly discovered secret realm, he encountered Ji Lingxian, who was also on the run.
When Da Zhou fell, an elder of the royal family had sent Ji Lingxian away as a "seed" of the royal bloodline, along with a few other prodigiously talented members of the Da Zhou royalty. At the time of their encounter, Ye Chen's talents were still undeveloped, and his physique remained dormant. In the secret realm, his insufficient strength led him into grave danger, leaving him severely injured until Ji Lingxian came to his rescue. Since that day, Ji Lingxian held a permanent place in his heart.
Ye Chen had always harbored a desire for revenge—not just for himself but for Ji Lingxian as well. He fought for his life and eventually gained a mysterious nine-layered ancient tower. With this artifact, he finally discovered the truth behind his inability to cultivate: he was no "born waste," but rather his rare, ancient physique had been sealed.
His physique was the legendary War God Physique, a combat-based, battle-hardened gift allowing him to be unrivaled among his generation.
After awakening his War God Physique with the tower's help, Ye Chen grew powerful quickly, eventually becoming a human emperor by age thirty, shaking the Qingyun Realm to its core. Fueled by rage, he annihilated those responsible for his father's death and crushed Da Xia, the dynasty that had once dominated Qingyun, establishing his own domain. Yet, even then, he couldn't find Ji Lingxian.
But Ye Chen wasn't satisfied. He knew that Qingyun Realm was but one among countless realms in the Ancient Immortal Domain. In a universe where his title of human emperor meant little, Ye Chen was determined to leave his mark in the Upper Realm.
At that time, he had no idea that Ji Lingxian had already ascended, transported through an ancient portal while he was still cultivating at the Divine Mansion stage.
Through a twist of fate, he eventually learned of Ji Lingxian's whereabouts. Now a princess of the Da Zhou Immortal Court in the Upper Realm, she was held within the ranks of one of the greatest powers in Tianzhou Province. Ye Chen had hoped to improve his strength before going to her, but plans have a way of changing.
Rumors reached his ears that Ji Lingxian was to be wed off by Da Zhou Immortal Court. Enraged, Ye Chen, now at the sixth level of the human emperor realm, stormed the Immortal Court on the wedding day, relying on his ancient tower to grant him the power to rival Half-step Heavenly soverign Master
His assault humiliated Da Zhou Immortal Court, a well-respected power in Tianzhou, and they refused to let his actions go unpunished. A force of dozens of Half-step Heavenly soverign Master and one true Heavenly soverign Master was sent to hunt him down. Ye Chen fought hard, but the difference in strength was insurmountable. In the end, he narrowly escaped, using the ancient tower.
But the Heavenly soverign of Da Zhou Immortal Court, captivated by the tower's potential, began to pursue Ye Chen with even more fervor. In a final move, he threatened Ji Lingxian's life, swearing to kill her if Ye Chen didn't surrender.
With no choice left, Ye Chen once again stormed the Immortal Court in a desperate bid to save her. But this time, his luck had run out. Within the court, a trap lay in wait. Although Ye Chen managed to kill a few Half-step Heavenly soverign, he was ultimately mortally wounded.
Seeing the Heavenly soverign ready to strike Ji Lingxian, Ye Chen gave up his final chance of escape. He fought desperately, and upon witnessing his sacrifice, Ji Lingxian wept and took her own life rather than watch him die.
Her death drove Ye Chen to his limits, prompting him to activate a forbidden technique to drag the Heavenly soverign Master down with him. His last memories were of the ensuing chaos and his world turning dark—until he awoke, inexplicably, back in his childhood body.
"If the heavens have given me a second chance, I'll make sure that none of my regrets remain."
Ye Chen's confidence was unshakable. Now, he knew exactly why he couldn't cultivate, and soon, he would awaken his War God Physique.
This life, he would rise further than he ever had before.
Creak.
The door opened, and a woman in courtly attire entered, her gaze warm and kind as she looked at Ye Chen.
"Chen , are you feeling better?"
Her voice was soft and full of care.
"Mother, I'm fine," Ye Chen said, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked upon his mother's face, one he hadn't seen in so many years.
In his youth, he had been rebellious, worrying his parents constantly, especially his mother.
"Mother, I promise I'll never make you worry again."
"Good, very good. Chen is so thoughtful. I'll go prepare some soup for you; rest here a while."
Lady Ye gently stroked his hair before leaving with a soft smile.
As the door closed, Ye Chen lay in bed, mentally replaying the events of the past few days. Then, something dawned on him, and his eyes widened.
"Da Zhou's War Emperor survived the Ancient Desolate Forbidden! Not only did he survive, but he also returned with rare medicines."
A cold sweat formed on Ye Chen's brow. He strained to recall long-forgotten memories, finally confirming that Da Zhou's fall had occurred shortly after the War Emperor perished in the Ancient Desolate Forbidden.
When he awoke this time, it had been the eve of his coming-of-age ceremony, right before Da Zhou was to fall. He knew that his ceremony had always been a prelude to Da Zhou's total defeat by the Da Xia Dynasty.
"Why is it different this time? Has my rebirth somehow changed everything?"
A thread of doubt grew in his mind. If his rebirth altered future events, the chances and encounters he relied on for rapid progress might not exist anymore.
This was serious—it could impact his entire path to greatness.
After a while, Ye Chen's brow furrowed as he sorted through his memories. He realized that everything else, including events in Da Zhou's history, seemed unchanged.
"Could it be... him?"
A single face appeared in his thoughts, someone he didn't recall from his past life—a mysterious young man from the Upper Realm.
Ye Chen was certain that such a figure had never existed in his first life. So why did this mysterious person from the Upper Realm now walk among them?