Chapter 471: Not Yet Jiemie

Just as Ye Jinghong reveals the Ye Clan's secrets to Ye Wuque, deep within the most central forbidden zone of the Ancestral Land where only the will of the Supreme Ancestor can manifest, in an ancient Divine Hall that seems to have existed since antiquity, its whole body forged from Chaos Qi and immortal divine gold, a dialogue that seems to span endless ages is proceeding calmly.

The interior of the Divine Hall is empty and simple, with only two vague halos floating in the center.

In the left halo, a figure slowly solidifies, exactly the Supreme Ancestor as known to the contemporary Ye Clan, that is, the Supreme Ancestor among the Three Great Ancestors!

In the right halo appears the youthful form of Ye Beichen.

He stands with his hands behind his back, relaxed in posture, a signature faint smile at the corner of his mouth that seems to see through everything.

The Supreme Ancestor looks at Ye Beichen, a gentle yet complex smile on his face, and says, "You rascal, you finally had the heart to return. Do you know that your golden cicada shedding its shell, deceiving the heavens and the seas, almost fooled us old ones? After the great war, your life imprint faded, Causality was nearly severed, and we all thought you truly …"

Ye Beichen hears this, lets out a light laugh, waves his hand, and in a casual tone yet with a composure forged through countless calamities says, "Heh, you still can't be fooled by your Supreme Law Eye. Still, it was unavoidable. In my previous life, the Dao path, after walking it to the end, ultimately revealed an irreparable flaw; the Dao Foundation could not reach the flawless, perfectly unified state I envisioned. Forcing a breakthrough can indeed reach higher levels, but it is not the path I seek."

He pauses, his gaze becoming deep and distant: "Moreover, that battle… was indeed horrific and terrifying, its impact reaching too high a level, which gave me a perfect chance and cover to act opportunistically, to break and then reestablish. So I chose to die more completely, severing most of the Causality ties from my previous life, leaving only a core True Spirit imprint, entering Reincarnation, and walking the cultivation path anew."

These words, lightly brushed, nonetheless reveal a shocking truth!

Ye Beichen's re‑cultivation of a life was not solely due to being forced to fall and reincarnate by that terrifying war; more so, it was a self‑initiated grand gamble to pursue a higher, perfect Dao Foundation.

His spirit, his decisiveness, his ruthless resolve toward himself are simply beyond comprehension!

The Supreme Ancestor's eyes flicker with a tremor; he knows how astonishingly extraordinary Ye Beichen's cultivation was in his previous life. Such a being, because he deemed the Dao Foundation flawed, resolutely abandoned everything, re‑entered Reincarnation, and started over! This heart toward the Dao, this obsessive pursuit of perfection, even he feels a genuine admiration.

"You do this… is the price perhaps too great?" the Supreme Ancestor sighs, his tone tinged with regret, "You must know, back then your strength still surpassed mine… now you are almost starting from scratch, with all the peril, variables, and the long blank years in between… is it worth it?"

Ye Beichen's expression remains calm and unruffled, as if speaking of a matter unrelated to himself: "The price? Indeed quite large. The cultivation, insights, contacts, resources accumulated in the previous life… almost all wasted. Plus the risk of Reincarnation and the various accidents that may arise this life. But—"

He shifts his tone, and in those clear eyes suddenly erupts a light sharp and steadfast enough to pierce the mists of eternity:

"Do you know what I feel this life? I sense that the Tiandao of this world has become more active, filled with more… possibilities! This is an unprecedented, special era that may nurture the ultimate creation! Darkness is surging, light is also being birthed; a great calamity approaches, and brilliance may also be born alongside it!"

"This life is my, Ye Beichen's… the most hopeful, indeed the only hopeful chance to mend the previous life's shortcomings, to build the supreme perfect Dao Foundation, and truly step onto that legendary level!"

Ye Beichen's tone carries a decisive, unyielding resolve and boundless yearning.

For this chance, he believes any price is worth it.

The Supreme Ancestor remains silent for a long while, then slowly speaks, his voice carrying a hint of emotion and sincere admiration: "Hearing you say that… I actually begin to believe, you crazy fellow, perhaps there is that sliver of possibility… to reach that step. Not everyone has such courage, such decisiveness, and such… madness."

He knows Ye Beichen too well; this fellow may appear carefree and unrestrained, yet in his bones he is prouder than anyone and more devoted to the Dao than anyone.

The path he has chosen, even if strewn with thorns and destruction, he will walk without hesitation.

Ye Beichen shakes his head, seeming unwilling to linger on the topic, and asks, "Enough about me. Tell me about you; after all these countless years wielding the Supreme Heavenly Dao, have you truly taken that step yet?"

The Supreme Ancestor hears this, a faint bitter smile appearing on his face, that smile carrying deep helplessness and a barely perceptible yearning: "That step… heh, Beichen, you should know better than I do how tenuous, how inconceivable that realm is. Throughout history, across the Zhutian Wanjie, across the Endless Era, how many have truly set foot? Even you see flaws ahead, willing to reincarnate and retrain to seek it; how could I dare speak lightly of treading it?"

He pauses, his tone growing heavy: "Moreover, the situation across the Zhutian Wanjie now is turbulent, far from peaceful. Deep within the Space-Time River, that forbidden land called Zang Dao Gu Yu has shown frequent recent disturbances, highly abnormal. I have a premonition it may be linked to the legendary No Return Path reopening, possibly triggering a new round of ominous great calamities… plus, the madmen of the Other Shore World have been acting larger lately, border wasteland fires reigniting… internal and external troubles, a mountain storm about to break."

Hearing the terms Zang Dao Gu Yu, No Return Path, ominous great calamity, Ye Beichen's relaxed expression fades, his gaze becoming exceedingly deep and solemn.

He nods slowly: "I have already sensed it. This life… is indeed not simple. Extreme darkness is brewing, yet simultaneously it will also give birth to the most dazzling light; boundless sorrow and calamities may descend, but will also forge an unprecedented, eternally shining infinite brilliance… this is an epochal node where danger and opportunity coexist, destruction and rebirth."

The two Ancestor-level beings share a startlingly identical foresight of the future.

The Supreme Ancestor suddenly asks, "By the way, Zhetian… how is his condition? Have you had any news of him these years?"

He is asking, of course, about the last of the Three Great Ancestors, the most mysterious… the Zhetian Ancestor.

Ye Beichen remains silent for a moment, as if sensing something, then slowly shakes his head: "His thoughts have always been as deep as a abyss, scheming across the ages; even I cannot fully fathom them. Since that battle, he has not sent me any explicit information. However…"

He looks up at the Supreme Ancestor, his tone certain: "What I can tell you is that he… has not completely Jiemie. His life imprint has not fully vanished within the Space-Time River. It is just… his state may be more special, more inscrutable than we imagine."

"Not completely Jiemie… that's good, that's good!" the Supreme Ancestor hears, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes, and he lets out a long sigh.

For beings like them, as long as they have not fallen completely, no matter how bizarre or dire the condition, there remains hope of return.

This is already the best news.