Chapter 1617: The Demon Emperor Appears Again

In Da Chu, the world was shrouded in darkness, just as it had been before, with no light to be seen. The vast army of Tianmo undead blocked out the sky and covered the earth, like a vast, black ocean that intended to devour heaven and earth.

They were all devoid of reason, driven only by bloodthirsty slaughter.

Like a tidal wave, the Tianmo surged toward Nan Chu, continuing the unfinished mission from their lives—to breach the city walls and raze Zhutian Gate.

An elder quasi-emperor from Tianxuan Gate suddenly drew his sword, pointing it toward the city outskirts, and shouted with a resounding voice,

"All troops, heed my command—attack!"

At once, the one hundred thousand Xutian Absolute Killing Arrays activated in unison.

Countless beams of annihilating divine light swept out, like a rain of radiance.

The oncoming Tianmo fell in droves, wiped out in waves, their dark blood staining the ground black.

Yet, even so, the Tianmo continued their frenzied assault, charging forward relentlessly, heedless of the cost in casualties.

The pressure on Nan Chu's city walls intensified. Though the Tianmo were not at their peak, their sheer numbers utterly overwhelmed Da Chu.

Without the suppression of the cycle of reincarnation, over ninety percent of the Tianting cultivators could not join the battle, with the strongest among them only reaching the Saint level—they would be nothing but cannon fodder.

In the past, the ninety thousand Da Chu expeditionary forces, equivalent to ninety thousand quasi-emperors, had invaded Bei Chu, only to be nearly wiped out.

This showed just how immense the Tianmo army's numbers were.

"Damn it all, this is so frustrating!" Xie Yun cursed loudly, his fists clenched so tightly they bled, his eyes bloodshot.

"If I had quasi-emperor cultivation, I'd beat them all to tears one by one." Situ Nan was yelling too, seething with pent-up rage.

All the Da Chu cultivators felt the same way. The enemy had reached their doorstep, yet they could only watch helplessly, powerless to fight.

In Bei Chu, the Nine Emperors, Jian Shen, Donghuang Taixin, and the other quasi-emperors were still engaged in battle, as were Ye Chen and Chu Xuan.

They remained in Bei Chu to search for a way to break the curse. If they could find the source, the Tianmo could be eradicated.

"When all else fails, the Moling Curse Seal is in the north." As everyone was at a loss, a faint voice echoed from Tianxuan Gate.

It was the Ren Wang, his tone weak—perhaps from divination, he had suffered backlash again, his aura fading, his condition dire.

Yet his words pointed the way for Ye Chen and the others.

Chu Huang was the first to move, striding through the void as he charged forward.

The Eight Emperors followed, along with Jian Shen, Jiu Jianxian, and the others, without any delay.

Ye Chen and Chu Xuan advanced together, clearing the path with their supreme Dao emperor weapons.

Ahead, demonic aura billowed to the skies, and two figures materialized side by side, emerging from the demonic mist with overwhelming presence.

Upon closer inspection, they were Tianmo Jun and Tiannv Mo Jun.

These two Mo Jun were the strongest under Tianmo Di, and coincidentally, both had been slain by Ye Chen.

As Mo Jun, they possessed some intelligence, especially Tianmo Jun, whose face twisted ferociously at the sight of Ye Chen.

As for Tiannv Mo Jun, she stiffly turned her neck, her wooden eyes flickering with a hint of confusion.

She had an inexplicable connection to the past A Li, but Ye Chen had directly eradicated her back then.

"The seniors can go destroy the Moling Curse Seal. We'll handle these two." Ye Chen and Chu Xuan charged straight at the two Mo Jun.

"Ye Chen!" Tianmo Jun roared, lunging at Ye Chen.

Chu Xuan faced off against Tiannv Mo Jun, their battle shattering the heavens and earth.

The Nine Emperors did not stop, joining forces to carve a bloody path.

Midway, more Mo Jun appeared. Among the heavens and earth elders, Feng Mo Jun and Lei Mo Jun were intercepted, while Dan Zun took on Di Mo Jun.

Whenever a Mo Jun emerged, someone stepped up to engage them.

All of this was to clear the way for the remaining quasi-emperors. The Moling Curse Seal was like the ancient Qingtian Magic Pillar, its implications vast.

At the rear, Ye Chen clashed with Tianmo Jun across the vast expanse.

The two of them were bound by endless karma. Three hundred years ago, Tianmo Jun had been slain by Ye Chen, and now they faced off again.

What was the same was that neither was at their peak now.

"Kill!" Tianmo Jun's eyes were blood-red, his face grotesque like a demon. Though an undead, he retained his intelligence and remembered the events of the past.

"Then I'll slay you once more." Ye Chen was overwhelmingly dominant, wielding Xuanyuan Sword and delivering a heavenly strike that nearly split him in two.

On the other side, Chu Xuan, aided by an emperor weapon, displayed unmatched combat power, completely suppressing Tiannv Mo Jun in their two-on-two matchup.

The northern heavens were in utter chaos. The Tianmo undead sensed the threat and madly obstructed the Da Chu Nine Emperors and Jian Shen.

Among them were quasi-emperor level beings. Though their strength was inferior to Da Chu's quasi-emperors, their vast numbers provided absolute suppression.

Many were left behind to block, but only Jian Shen pressed on toward the north, like a peerless divine sword, dominating all in his path.

The heavens exploded as Tianmo Jun plummeted into the void, his head severed by Ye Chen, his demonic body crushed underfoot.

On Chu Xuan's side, the battle ended as well. Tiannv Mo Jun dissipated, not slain by Chu Xuan, but dissolving on her own.

Before vanishing, she cast a bewildered glance at Ye Chen.

Chu Xuan wiped out a swarm of Tianmo and regrouped with Ye Chen.

Ye Chen stood in the void, motionless like a statue, using only the power of his emperor sword to destroy the incoming Tianmo.

His gaze, however, seemed fixed on the north, his mind trembling inexplicably, as if sensing a terrifying presence.

Chu Xuan noticed it too, her delicate brows furrowing as she looked toward the north.

Under their watchful eyes, more than a dozen figures flew backward from the northern void, all battered and bloody. The weaker quasi-emperors turned to ash mid-flight.

Then came Dan Zun, the heavens and earth elders, Donghuang Taixin, Jiu Jianxian, Jian Shen, and the Da Chu Nine Emperors—over a dozen quasi-emperors—all retreating from the north, their bodies covered in blood.

When they finally steadied themselves, each one shattered a section of the void. Without a word, they spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood, their expressions gravely serious as they stared north, their killing swords trembling.

"Tianmo Di has arrived," Ye Chen said, his lips quivering.

No sooner had he spoken than a thunderous boom echoed, lightning flashing.

Then came a pressure that made the heavens tremble, like an invisible hand spreading across the four seas and eight wastelands.

Amid the rumbling, a vast primordial demonic land emerged, with emperor Dao laws dancing about, each strand capable of collapsing eternal blue heavens.

A majestic figure manifested in the world, clad in armor, overlooking all living beings and dominating the nine heavens and ten earths, devouring the vast universe. His true form was indiscernible, until visions of suns, moons, and stars destroying themselves appeared in his eyes.

Who else could it be but Tianmo Di, reappearing in the mortal realm?

He was the one who had repelled Jian Shen and the Nine Emperors.

All the Da Chu cultivators, the Tianxuan Gate quasi-emperors, and everyone in Da Chu paled, their faces ashen. He was an emperor!

Thumping booms rang out, which, upon listening closely, were the sounds of footsteps—Tianmo Di's, his body heavy as mountains, each step shaking the heavens and earth.

He came from the north, his emperor eyes not dull but clear, meaning he possessed full intelligence.

The Da Chu Nine Emperors gathered, their expressions indifferent as they wiped the blood from their mouths. Even facing an emperor, they did not lose their imperial dignity.

The same went for Jian Shen, Jiu Jianxian, and Donghuang Taixin.

Earlier, they had been caught off guard and defeated individually.

Tianmo Di had arrived, but he was not at his peak—lacking his emperor origin, he was half-human, half-undead.

Or rather, Tianmo Di was not a complete emperor. For the quasi-emperors to unite and destroy him was not impossible.

"A long-lost feeling," Tianmo Di said with a soft laugh, his voice soft yet like ancient thunder, capable of shattering eternal skies.

His eyes surveyed the heavens, glancing at the Da Chu Nine Emperors and the various Jian Shen, before settling on Ye Chen.

Seeing him again, his laugh carried mockery and anger—for it was Ye Chen who had slain him in the past.

Ye Chen gripped Xuanyuan Sword tightly, meeting Tianmo Di's gaze across the sky.

His expression was calm; even locking eyes with an emperor, he did not diminish his own presence. In the past, he had slain Tianmo Di, giving him the capital to look down on all realms.

"You shall all be buried with my subjects," Tianmo Di snorted coldly, collapsing half the sky with his voice, infused with supreme demonic power that made hearts quake.

"Are you under the delusion that the heavens are undefended?" A resounding voice came from the nine heavens, like thunder, shattering another sky.

Before the words faded, nine figures arrived from a distant era, as if treading the river of time, ancient and weathered.

"They are..." Tian Lao and Di Lao both murmured.

"The nine great divine generals under the master's command," Jian Shen said with a smile, as did Jiu Jianxian, their eyes filled with a sense of antiquity.