Chapter 1280: Emperor of Battle

Not Zi Xuan!

Ye Chen’s dazed expression instantly cleared, his dim eyes once again radiating divine light.

The woman in white looked exactly like Zi Xuan, but she was not Zi Xuan. She was the Donghua Nüdi, or more precisely, the imprint of the Donghua Nüdi’s Dao in the Beidou Star Domain.

Zi Xuan was the remnant soul of the Donghua Nüdi, which was why they shared the same appearance.

Ye Chen asserted that the Donghua Nüdi from ancient times must have visited the Beidou Star Domain, inadvertently leaving her Dao principles imprinted in this starry sky. Even after countless ages, they still endured.

He was utterly astonished, and his heavenly tribulation was overwhelmingly powerful, touching upon those supreme Dao principles and summoning the manifestation of the Donghua Nüdi’s Dao.

This humanoid heavenly tribulation was identical to the Nine Emperors’ Dao body he had encountered when advancing to the Tianjing realm—both were forbidden divine punishments, accessible only to someone as defiantly heaven-defying as him.

No choice but to fight.

Ye Chen forcibly condensed his vital energy and blood, activating his demonic path, with his combat power surging.

Since this was a manifestation of the Donghua Nüdi’s Dao, the only way to survive the heavenly tribulation was to defeat her.

The empress’s expression was indifferent as she lightly waved her jade arm, her crystalline jade hand descending from the heavens. Though the strike appeared ordinary, it fused imperial Dao laws and numerous profound divine abilities, making it a palm strike capable of world destruction.

Ye Chen gripped his divine ability and threw an Eight Desolations Fist at the Donghua Nüdi.

Their clash shook the starry sky.

Ye Chen’s fist exploded, his sacred body trembled violently and began to crack, with sacred blood gushing out.

In contrast, the Donghua Nüdi’s crystalline jade hand turned into mist but reformed in an instant.

She's incredibly strong!

Ye Chen wiped the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression turning grave.

She was not the true great emperor, merely a Dao imprint manifestation at the Huangjing level—the Donghua Nüdi at his own rank. In a sense, they were beings from the same era.

Yet, even so, she was overwhelmingly powerful.

The ancient great emperors were all ruthless figures; otherwise, they could not have dominated their generation and achieved the supreme imperial throne.

Again!

Ye Chen burned his essence blood, reformed his sacred body, and charged once more.

The empress struck with the same palm, her crystalline jade hand sweeping across the starry sky and shattering Ye Chen’s sacred body again.

Fight!

Ye Chen’s battle intent soared to the heavens. To battle a young great emperor from the same era was the ultimate glory. Moreover, this was only the Donghua Nüdi at his level—the outcome was still uncertain. He had slain the Tianmo Great Emperor, and he could do the same to the Donghua Nüdi. This was the supreme confidence of the Archaic Saint Body.

The empress stepped through the sky, ethereal as a dream, using one hand to manifest secret techniques, with sun, moon, and stars illusions forming in her palm.

Reversal of Worldly Reincarnation!

Ye Chen dared not slacken, unleashing his ultimate killing move, a reincarnation seal mark forming in his palm as he struck at the empress.

The great battle erupted, the scene magnificently vast.

The Donghua Nüdi trod upon the Immortal Sea, a Phoenix Zither hovering above her head, the Nine Nether Immortal Melody echoing through the starry sky. Her phenomena formed an entire world, making her seem like a peerless queen of unparalleled elegance standing within it.

Ye Chen shone with golden light, his feet on the Star River and the Chaos God Cauldron above his head, supporting a massive Chaos phenomena. Standing within it, he resembled an Eight Desolations War God, every fist carrying invincible battle intent.

A young Saint Body against a young great emperor—this was the true peak confrontation.

This scene was truly moving.

In the past, the Donghua Nüdi was the supreme beloved of the Saint Body Di Huang. To protect Yue Shang’s ascension to emperor, Di Huang had single-handedly battled five great emperors of the Tianmo Domain, a myth still celebrated across the myriad realms of the heavens.

Now, he was not the complete Saint Body, and she was not the true empress, yet the two fought in the starry sky in this form. If the empress and Di Huang were still alive, seeing this sight, what would their state of mind be? Back in ancient times, they might never have truly determined who was superior.

Blood stained the starry sky, every drop strikingly vivid.

Both Ye Chen and the Donghua Nüdi were drenched in blood, evenly matched, neither able to overcome the other.

Onlookers were filled with shock, their gazes mostly fixed on the Donghua Nüdi.

They did not know who she was, nor that she had been a great emperor ruling over all spirits in ancient times. They only knew she was extraordinarily powerful, able to fight the Archaic Saint Body at the same level to a standstill.

The experts of the Daluo Sword Sect grew restless again.

The starry sky now lacked any lightning; the ten-thousand-zhang expanse held only Ye Chen and the Donghua Nüdi in battle. They could seize the opportunity to capture Ye Chen and prevent further complications.

Thinking of this, a Saint suddenly stepped forward, entering that stretch of starry sky.

However, before he could act, a bolt of lightning inexplicably appeared, striking him and sending blood and bones flying everywhere.

At the sight, everyone’s hearts trembled.

The heavenly tribulation was not over yet.

The empress battling Ye Chen was part of the tribulation. As long as she had not dissipated, the tribulation continued, and anyone rashly entering that starry sky would be drawn into it.

That Saint, struck and left in a bloody mess, was a grim example. He fled back in a sorry state, reduced to just his Yuan Shen, his physical body obliterated by the lightning, nearly perishing in that space.

This made the Daluo Sword Sect experts who had been ready to attack Ye Chen behave themselves.

Especially the Quasi-Saints and Huangjing experts—even a Saint had nearly fallen, let alone them minor players.

Perhaps fearing the lightning tribulation, many instinctively retreated a step, afraid that Ye Chen and the Donghua Nüdi might fight their way over. After all, a Saint Body’s heavenly tribulation was incredibly domineering.

Thud!

As everyone retreated, Ye Chen was injured again, struck by the immortal light from the Donghua Nüdi’s Phoenix Zither, nearly split in two, his brilliant golden bones exposed. The wound was entwined with inexplicable immortal light, not only preventing healing but also threatening to expand.

Looking at the Donghua Nüdi, she was also badly wounded, heavily damaged by the Chaos God Cauldron, her body of immortal light partially extinguished and entangled by reincarnation forces, restricting her Dao and preventing her from exerting peak power.

Again!

Ye Chen’s battle intent surged, his entire body burning with golden flames—the external manifestation of the Saint Body’s origin.

The Chaos God Cauldron flew out on its own, resonating with the Great Dao’s heavenly sound as it clashed with the Donghua Nüdi’s Phoenix Zither. Both supreme artifacts bore their respective Dao imprints, each collision making the starry sky tremble.

Weapon against weapon, general against general.

The Chaos God Cauldron faced the Phoenix Zither, while Ye Chen faced the Donghua Nüdi, with myriad sword winds devastating all in their path.

The Donghua Nüdi formed sword seals with her hands, fusing Dao principles and numerous secret techniques to unleash supreme immortal light, carving a bloody gash on Ye Chen’s sacred body. In turn, she was pierced through by Ye Chen’s sword.

By this point, the two had fought over eight hundred rounds, yet still could not determine a true victor.

Ye Chen’s battle was extremely grueling. He had already been reduced to half his life by the lightning tribulation, and now he faced not an ordinary opponent, but the Donghua Nüdi at his own level—this fight had been unfair from the start.

However, in this battle, he also gained supreme opportunities.

It was enlightenment of the Dao; he clearly felt his Chaos Dao evolving, with the Donghua Nüdi serving as a whetstone, honing his crude sword blank into a peerless divine sword.

In the end, he persevered until the dawn light arrived.

The Donghua Nüdi’s figure began to fade, the heavenly tribulation’s power weakening.

Time had reached its predetermined limit. She dissipated amid scattering petals, but in the instant before vanishing, she smiled gently at him—an emperor’s smile, not for him, but for Di Huang.

Even after eons, even as just a strand of Dao, she still remembered Di Huang, that war god who had protected her ascension, though he had turned to dust in the ages, he remained etched in her memory forever.

Farewell to the empress!

Ye Chen steadied his staggering form and bowed respectfully to her. She was an emperor and a senior.

In this battle, they ultimately could not decide a winner.