With Quan Su supported as a puppet palace lord by Ye Ling, the invasion of the inner universe by the outer universe officially came to an end.
Following this battle, the status of the inner universe soared.
Now, all cultivators from the outer universe began to fear the inner universe, regarding it as a forbidden land.
Earth, Jiang City.
Ye Ling hosted a banquet at his estate, inviting all his friends from the Three Realms to celebrate the inner universe's survival of the world-ending crisis.
After this, the Remnant Evil race was annihilated, and various forces from the outer universe dared not covet the inner universe again. This meant the inner universe had completely overcome the crisis and no longer had to worry about invasions from the outside.
The burden on Ye Ling's heart was thus somewhat lifted.
Previously, the crisis from the outer universe had been pressing Ye Ling, preventing him from ever truly relaxing.
The pressure from the outer universe and the Remnant Evil race had kept Ye Ling's spirit like a taut string, always on the verge of snapping.
Ye Ling's hosting of this banquet, besides being a celebration, was also a way for him to relax and enjoy life.
In the estate's courtyard, Ye Ling sat at the head of the table, with Ye You and Su Ruoxue seated on either side of him, attending to guests from all directions.
In a corner of the courtyard, Yue Qingning leaned against a pillar, drinking alone while casting sidelong glances at Ye Ling.
Tai Yuan walked over to Yue Qingning with a bottle of wine and asked with a smile, "What? Drinking alone here?"
Yue Qingning shot Tai Yuan a glare and replied grumpily, "None of your business?"
Tai Yuan did not seem offended. He glanced at Su Ruoxue not far away and said, "I heard from others in the Demon Palace that that girl is a childhood friend of the Emperor, and is devoted to him. She's a good girl."
Upon hearing Tai Yuan's words, Yue Qingning's eyes suddenly dimmed, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled, "Why are you suddenly saying this?"
Tai Yuan said, "I'm just reminding you that some things need to be fought for. While the Emperor is incredibly talented in cultivation, he's quite slow in other aspects. Some opportunities, once missed, are gone forever."
Yue Qingning seemed unbothered. "My lifespan is almost infinite, so I have plenty of time to wait... I'm not in a hurry for this."
"Besides, the outer universe now knows that the Tian Qing Dao Palace and the inner universe are on good terms, and our position is quite stable. I'm not in a rush to find a successor either."
Hearing Yue Qingning's words, Tai Yuan couldn't help but sigh, "You're just stubborn. I'm telling you this because we are friends."
Yue Qingning smiled, "Regardless, I thank you for your good intentions. But you didn't come to talk to me just about this, did you?"
Tai Yuan chuckled awkwardly, then said, "I do have something I need to ask of you."
Yue Qingning raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"
Tai Yuan fiddled with his hands and said, "Could you ask the Emperor to help me out? Have him visit my Chaos Divine Clan. We've run into a bit of trouble..."
"Trouble?" Yue Qingning frowned, "Can't you just tell Ye Ling yourself? You've helped the inner universe a lot. Given Ye Ling's personality, he wouldn't stand by if you were in trouble."
Tai Yuan said sheepishly, "When the outer universe invaded, I retreated early... Although the Emperor was grateful, I really can't bring myself to ask him for help. How about you do me this favor... consider it a debt I owe you."
Seeing Tai Yuan's earnest plea, Yue Qingning sighed slightly, "Alright, I'll mention it to him after the banquet."
Tai Yuan quickly said, "It can't wait until after the banquet! Time is of the essence, the sooner the better!"
Yue Qingning couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say it was just a small problem? Why the rush?"
Tai Yuan said with some embarrassment, "Perhaps... the trouble isn't that small. Please, do me this favor... If you ask, the Emperor will definitely go immediately! My Chaos Divine Clan is counting on you!"
Yue Qingning looked at Tai Yuan's unreliable demeanor and couldn't do anything about it. She agreed, "Fine, I'll help you with this. But I'll say this in advance: if it turns out to be something trivial, I won't let you off!"
Tai Yuan exclaimed, "Thank you! Thank you! I'll always remember your kindness!"
Yue Qingning sighed softly, but still transmitted a message to Ye Ling, "Ye Ling, Tai Yuan has encountered some trouble and needs your help."
"Tai Yuan is asking me for help?"
Hearing Yue Qingning's transmission, Ye Ling was taken aback, "Why did he ask you to tell me?"
Yue Qingning replied grumpily, "He said he felt a bit embarrassed, and that the matter seems quite urgent, possibly requiring you to go to the Chaos Divine Clan immediately."
"No problem, we'll leave right away." Ye Ling readily agreed.
Yue Qingning hadn't expected Ye Ling to be so agreeable and asked in surprise, "What about your banquet? You're the host, and leaving suddenly might seem impolite."
Ye Ling was indifferent, "It's fine. All the guests today are familiar faces, and Ye You and Ruoxue are helping me host. They are the two people I trust the most, so there won't be any issues."
Yue Qingning: "..."
Ye Ling didn't notice Yue Qingning's change in mood. After briefly explaining the situation to Ye You and Su Ruoxue, he proactively left his seat and walked towards Yue Qingning and Tai Yuan.
Tai Yuan glanced at the silent Yue Qingning. Although he wanted to say something to comfort her, he couldn't afford to at the moment. He quickly said to the approaching Ye Ling, "Emperor, I am immensely grateful that you are willing to help my Chaos Divine Clan!"
Ye Ling waved his hand, "You could have just told me directly if you were in trouble. There was no need to trouble Qingning. I would have helped regardless."
"Let's not talk about that for now. Tell me first... what trouble has your Chaos Divine Clan encountered?"
Tai Yuan glanced at the lively courtyard and said to Ye Ling, "Emperor, this is not a suitable place to discuss this. Let's find somewhere else."
"Alright."
Ye Ling nodded slightly and directly teleported Tai Yuan and Yue Qingning to a secret chamber in the Demon Palace.
After Ye Ling constructed a rune barrier around them and implemented shielding measures, he asked Tai Yuan, "Tell me, what exactly is the trouble that makes even a Chaos Sovereign like you so secretive?"
Tai Yuan said, "Actually... I don't know the exact situation, but things are extremely bizarre right now."
"Bizarre?" Ye Ling's brow furrowed. "Tell me about it?"
Tai Yuan continued, "My Chaos Divine Clan has a shrine that can connect to all clan members with Chaos Divine Clan blood. As the patriarch of the Chaos Divine Clan, I am intimately familiar with the situation of every clan member."
"However, not long ago, I suddenly discovered countless new bloodlines appearing in our shrine. When I tried to contact those bloodlines through the shrine, I found that beyond the outer universe, there exist countless continents of the Chaos Divine Clan!"
"Moreover, I can even see countless reflections of myself in the shrine! In other words, countless 'me' have suddenly appeared in the universe!"
Upon hearing Tai Yuan's words, Ye Ling instantly understood what Tai Yuan was trying to convey and explained, "I know why this is happening."
Tai Yuan was startled, "The Emperor knows?"
Ye Ling did not conceal anything. He told Tai Yuan and Yue Qingning about how he had dealt with the Lord of Remnant Evil, and how the dark power had merged the river of time into a giant water ball.
The immense amount of information continuously impacted Tai Yuan and Yue Qingning's nerves, and the secret chamber fell into silence.
Tai Yuan took a long time to recover, and asked Ye Ling with disbelief, "So... you killed the Lord of Remnant Evil, and the river of time was shattered by some unknown power, causing all timelines to merge together?"
Ye Ling nodded, "Yes, that's the current situation... However, I've also discovered something peculiar. Logically, there should be countless inner and outer universes... But I was returning from the river of time, and I found that there is only one inner universe and one cosmic barrier, but countless outer universes."
"This means that besides the inner universe, there are now not only countless Chaos Divine Clans but also countless Tian Qing Dao Palaces in the universe. This is all normal."
"Normal..."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Tai Yuan felt a throbbing pain in his head and couldn't help but rub his temples. "This is too much information, I still can't quite accept it."
Yue Qingning's mind, however, was more active. She quickly accepted the matter and said to Tai Yuan, "Since those additional Chaos Divine Clans are from other eras, you should be able to resolve this trouble yourself. Shall we go back to the banquet?"
"No, no, no..."
Tai Yuan, however, shook his head repeatedly and said to Ye Ling, "After hearing what the Emperor said, I suddenly feel that the situation has become more serious..."
"More serious?" Ye Ling frowned.
"Yes." Tai Yuan nodded solemnly. "To be honest... I have also transported those clan members from other eras to my clan's territory... I discovered that quite a few of them have been contaminated by the dark power that merged the river of time, as you mentioned, Emperor!"