Chapter 1034: Defend with Blood

In the dim night, shrouded in sorrowful gloom, the entire Nan Chu was enveloped in despair, and everyone's eyes were dimmed with hopelessness.

Their holy lord, Ye Chen, had failed in his breakthrough to Zhun Tian perfection, and their hopes had vanished along with it. In this dark world, they could see no light at all, for it was like a hell on earth.

Ye Chen arrived, walking with heavy steps up to the walls of Nan Chu.

His long hair was snow-white, and he could hardly bear to meet anyone's gaze, for he had shattered all their hopes.

Ye Chen stood silently, a trace of fresh blood still spilling from the corner of his mouth, as he quietly looked toward the north, as if he could see through millions of li to the Tianmo Great Emperor lounging idly on his throne.

"Huanggu Shengti, I, the emperor, give you one chance: surrender to my Tianmo Domain."

Suddenly, a ethereal yet majestic voice echoed over Nan Chu, reverberating endlessly above the land.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes turned to Ye Chen.

Not only the cultivators of Da Chu, but also the Tianmo army preparing for another assault heard it.

Everyone understood the implication— for a great emperor to extend an olive branch to someone at Zhun Tian level was an extraordinary honor for Ye Chen.

"My words stand forever."

Under the watchful eyes of all, the Tianmo Great Emperor's voice echoed once more.

"You are also a great emperor who rules a realm. Have you ever seen anyone from the Shengti lineage born on their knees?"

Ye Chen replied calmly, his expression unchanging even in the face of a great emperor.

"Very well."

The Tianmo Great Emperor chuckled softly, then closed his eyes slightly, slipping back into a state of feigned slumber.

"Continue the slaughter."

No sooner had the Tianmo Great Emperor spoken than the Tianmo army surged forward, like a dark tidal wave crashing toward the walls of Nan Chu.

Zheng!

Ye Chen immediately drew his killing sword, standing firm on the Nan Tian Men walls like an unyielding monument. His actions told everyone that, even without any chance of victory, he would lead the Da Chu cultivators in fighting to the very end.

The Da Chu cultivators took a deep breath and gripped their killing swords tightly, stepping up onto the walls once more.

Though hope was lost, they had not yet been defeated. Da Chu still had the strength to fight, and they would defend this land with their fresh blood. Those who stood there had long since accepted the possibility of death.

Hong! Bang! Hong!

The Tianmo army's Xutian killing formations were locked onto Nan Chu, and the great battle was about to erupt.

On the Nan Chu walls, tens of thousands of Xutian killing formations lined the sky, sweeping out wave after wave of divine light.

Pu! Pu! Pu!

Fresh blood splattered as Tianmo soldiers fell in droves.

Yet, despite this, waves of Tianmo continued to charge up the walls. In less than a quarter of an hour of combat, a breach was opened in one section of the wall.

"Kill!"

"Slay the Huanggu Shengti, and claim a strand of emperor's blood!"

Even more Tianmo generals rushed toward the Nan Tian Men walls, drawn by Ye Chen's presence, for the allure of emperor's blood was too great.

"Want my life? Trade it with your blood!"

Ye Chen roared resoundingly, stepping forward in an instant and appearing before a general. Before the general could react, the divine glow of Shen Shang pierced through his divine sea, and his head was severed on the spot, the general slain outright.

"Die!"

Another general charged in, suspending a bronze furnace overhead that collapsed half the sky.

Ye Chen said nothing, flipping his hand to shatter the furnace with a palm strike. The general was sent stumbling back, and as he barely steadied himself, a crimson killing sword pierced through his brow.

Behind him, three more generals attacked, each with their weapons at the ready.

Ye Chen whirled around, unleashing his demonic path, even more ferocious than the generals. A torrent of demonic aura mixed with the Swallowing Heaven secret art swept through, leaving no other demonic soldiers within a thousand zhang except those three generals.

"Suppress!"

The three generals closed in, activating their weapons.

But before their weapons could unleash their power, they were crushed by the Chaos Great Cauldron that flew from Ye Chen's brow.

The three generals staggered back, but Ye Chen was already upon them. With one slash, he split the first general in half, then with a sword thrust, he extinguished the second. As for the third, he was the most unfortunate, stomped into a bloody pulp under Ye Chen's foot.

Pu!

After slaying five generals in succession, Ye Chen suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. It wasn't from the generals' wounds but from his Dao injuries flaring up, causing his vital energy to dissipate instantly and his aura to become highly unstable.

"Kill!"

Hordes of demonic soldiers swarmed the walls, their faces twisted with bloodlust, their target clear: Ye Chen.

No one knew what gave them the courage to attack him—perhaps the Tianmo Great Emperor's words were too enticing, spurring on the generals and soldiers alike, making them forget Ye Chen's immense power.

"Wan Jian Chao Zong!"

Ye Chen swung his sword abruptly, and thousands of swords rang out, forming a sword formation that swept away wave after wave of Tianmo. While ineffective against the generals, it worked well against these soldiers.

"Quickly, save Zhong Tian Men!"

A voice came from the direction of the Heavenly Court headquarters—it was Chu Xiong's, amplified through a sound-transmitting divine stone.

Currently, only the nine generals from the mortal realm were in the Heavenly Court grand hall. They had quickly grasped the situation in Da Chu and learned how to view the Taigu Star Sky. Now, the Taigu Star Sky showed that Zhong Tian Men in Nan Chu city had been breached, with countless Tianmo pouring in.

"Xiao Feng, hold Nan Tian Men!"

Ye Chen had just cleared a swath of Tianmo from the walls when he left those words behind and shot off like a golden divine light toward Zhong Tian Men.

After he left, Xiao Feng, the master of the Heavenly Court's first sub-branch, took his place. As a Zhun Tian level cultivator and a seasoned warrior, he was capable, but he lacked allies to coordinate with, since Da Chu's peak forces had been deployed to the expeditionary army, leaving few usable fighters.

Pu! Pu! Pu!

Ye Chen charged through a sea of demonic aura and blood, cutting a path from the walls, with many Tianmo already on the walls being swallowed by the demonic blood sea along the way.

However, he had no time to clear the walls completely, for Zhong Tian Men was in greater peril. As the second most important gate in Nan Chu after Nan Tian Men, if it fell entirely, reclaiming it would be nearly impossible.

"Kill!"

"Fight!"

At Zhong Tian Men, the shouts of battle shook the heavens.

The invading Tianmo army was uncountable, blanketing the ground.

"At any cost!"

Gu Santong and Wuya Daoist roared in fury, leading thirty thousand Da Chu cultivators in a desperate encirclement of the invading Tianmo.

"A bunch of ants!"

A general wielding a battle spear charged straight at Gu Santong, while another with a blood-red divine blade targeted Wuya Daoist.

Pu! Pu! Pu!

The remaining Tianmo generals began their rampage, felling Da Chu cultivators in droves.

Da Chu lacked Zhun Tian level fighters; only Gu Santong and Wuya Daoist were present, with the rest at most at Kong Ming peak. With the two tied up, the other generals faced no opposition, turning Da Chu cultivators into blood mist wherever they went.

"Bullying Da Chu when we have no one?!"

A fierce shout rang out as Man Shan, Wu San Pao, and Niu Shisan led their cultivator forces into the fray.

"No matter how many come, it's useless!"

Three generals charged out, engaging Man Shan, Wu San Pao, and Niu Shisan respectively.

Zhuge Laotou and Fu Ling arrived as well, and upon landing, they joined forces to slay one general instantly.

"Seek death!"

Four enraged generals swung their battle spears, pairing up to face Fu Ling and Zhuge Laotou.

Hong! Bang! Hong!

Though Zhong Tian Men gate was held, waves of Tianmo still surged onto the walls.

Tianxiao!

A divine rainbow streaked across the sky, and with one sword, it exterminated a swath of Tianmo—it was Hong Chen Xue.

"Ants dare block me?"

A red-haired general bellowed in anger, swinging a battle halberd as he charged.

This was a powerful general, at the peak of Quasi-Emperor in Tianmo Domain, the first divine general under the Tiannu General. At his peak, he could battle a Mojun, and he was widely regarded as the most likely candidate for Tianmo Domain's twelfth Mojun.

With ten of the eleven Mojun under the Tianmo Emperor already fallen, conquering Da Chu would surely elevate him to that rank.

Hong! Bang!

Hong Chen Xue clashed with the red-haired general, their fight shaking the heavens and earth.

It must be said that Hong Chen Xue was at a clear disadvantage—not because her combat prowess was lacking, but due to the relentless battles of recent days, which had left her injured. At her peak, she might not defeat the red-haired general, but she wouldn't be so utterly suppressed.

Pu! Pu! Pu!

Fresh blood stained the walls, and for ten thousand li around Zhong Tian Men, figures engaged in combat everywhere.

The number of invading Tianmo soldiers and generals was overwhelming, and on other sections of the Nan Chu walls, no reinforcements came, for Xi Tian Men had also been breached, drawing most Da Chu cultivators there.

The most troubling issue was the five major domains of Nan Chu, with unknown numbers of transmission gates appearing and Tianmo infiltrating.

The battle was brutal, with descendants of emperors and forces of past kings doing their utmost to slaughter the invaders, yet Tianmo still slipped through, spreading to other regions of Nan Chu and the mortal realm for wanton killing.

In the Tianxuan Men grand hall, a deathly silence hung as everyone stared at the illusionary water curtain, their faces pale and ashen.

Many among them had collapsed to the ground, their eyes dim and filled with self-mockery. They saw no hope left, yet Da Chu's cultivators continued to resist with all their might.

"Die!"

A thunderous roar drew some of their gazes.

It came from Zhong Tian Men, where Hong Chen Xue, her essence burning and hair turned white, had her life soul severed by the red-haired general's halberd.

Hong Chen Xue plummeted from the sky like a falling leaf, drifting downward, her every drop of blood starkly vivid. Her face was weary, but she smiled beautifully, without a trace of fear in death. In her hazy eyes, she saw familiar scenes and figures.

Weng!

The red-haired general swung his halberd again, aiming to finish her off completely.

But at that moment, a golden divine light shot in from afar, carrying a roaring sea of demonic aura and blood, fueled by towering rage.