Chapter 1697: The Ultimate Battle

Di Huang sighed and withdrew his divine ability. He had suppressed it to its absolute limit, and could no longer maintain that balance—his fate had arrived.

As he retracted his hand, the two sets of memories completely collided.

The memories surged with power, rapidly destroying Dan Mo’s spiritual sea.

This power then consumed his Yuan Shen, his demonic body, and even his long hair, turning everything into ashes in the destruction.

“Respectfully seeing you off, senior.” Ye Chen stepped forward and bowed with his hands clasped.

“Thank you.” Dan Mo smiled wearily, his face aged and worn, showing no fear of his soul scattering. Instead, he faced it with complete composure.

At last, he was truly free, no longer clinging to life as a heavenly demon in the mortal world.

He departed with a smile, free of pain, only filled with nostalgia, carrying his longing for his homeland as he dissolved into a wisp of flying ash on the wind.

Ye Chen waved his hand and collected Dan Mo’s ashes into a jade jar.

Since Dan Mo wished to return to his homeland, Ye Chen would take him back there.

The reality was utterly cruel. They had found the heroic spirit of Da Chu, only for it to be a heavenly demon with an immense blood debt to the heavens.

And now, Ye Chen had to personally send that heroic spirit on the path to the underworld.

A profound sorrow overwhelmed his mind, and even the blowing yin wind carried a touch of melancholy, leaving behind endless scars and pain in the world.

He stood silently for a long time, like a statue, unmoving, clutching the jade jar tightly—it felt heavier than a mountain.

“The six paths of reincarnation have opened.” Seeing Ye Chen’s deep sorrow, Di Huang spoke gently, trying to shift his pain.

What good was being a Great Accomplishment Sacred Body? What good was once battling five emperors alone?

Di Huang was not all-powerful; there were times when he was powerless, like witnessing the heavenly demons’ two invasions and being able to do nothing but watch.

In moments like these, he felt that being a supreme being was nothing but a joke.

His words indeed made Ye Chen’s dim eyes spark with divine light. After waiting so long, that day had finally come.

Di Huang waved his hand and vanished, with Ye Chen following suit and disappearing.

When Ye Chen opened his eyes again, he found himself in a vast starry sky, or rather, a massive spatial realm that resembled a true starry expanse.

Since arriving in the underworld, this was his first time seeing the stars.

It was truly dazzling, with stars twinkling and shining, reminding him unconsciously of the heavens—the two were remarkably similar.

“Is this the six paths of reincarnation?” Ye Chen asked, looking at Di Huang.

“No.” Di Huang smiled. “Just wait quietly.”

Ye Chen understood and said no more. He didn’t know why Di Huang had brought him here, but he had a growing sense of unease.

Soon, two more figures materialized in the starry sky.

One was Ming Di, and the other was unexpectedly Zhao Yun.

Ye Chen was stunned, and Zhao Yun was equally taken aback. As their eyes met, that uneasy feeling intensified.

“You two—only one may leave.” Ming Di said calmly.

At those words, both Ye Chen and Zhao Yun furrowed their brows deeply. The ominous premonition had become reality.

“This place is your battlefield. The victor leaves.” Di Huang’s voice was steady, carrying a hint of supreme authority.

“Indeed, you and I were bound to fight eventually.” Zhao Yun shook his head with a smile. “I never imagined this day would come so soon.”

“What’s meant to come will come.” Ye Chen sighed.

“My homeland is waiting for me. Even in death, I must return.” Zhao Yun’s deep eyes flashed with unyielding determination.

“The same goes for me.” Ye Chen smiled, his gaze equally resolute.

With that simple exchange, both men’s auras surged to their peaks.

On one side, Zhao Yun’s black hair turned golden, a divine pattern etched on his forehead. His vital energy burned like fire, his eyes encompassing the heavens and earth, with thunder coiling around his body and strands of Dao principles weaving in the air.

A golden immortal domain emerged, revealing vast rivers and mountains clearly visible, with him standing within it like a supreme immortal king.

On the other side, Ye Chen’s white hair also turned golden as his Hegemonic Body activated. His golden vital energy surged like torrents, each strand as heavy as a mountain. His sacred body seemed forged from gold, and his pair of golden eyes shone brilliantly.

The chaotic realm of the outer path was summoned, outlined by chaotic Dao principles, with him standing within it like a war god of the eight desolations.

Both knew the other’s full power, so from the start, neither held back—it was their most peak state since cultivating the Dao.

This battle was not a spar; it was a true fight to the death.

It was not for fame or honor, but solely to return to their homelands. Each had their own obsessions, and former friends would now decide superiority here.

He was a saint, and so was the other—a genuine clash of equals, both undefeated in their ranks.

“Battle!” Ye Chen roared, stepping into the sky. Without any weapon, he simply swung his arm, merging the Nine Dao and Eight Desolations Fist into one.

This punch fused hundreds of secret techniques, chaotic Dao principles, and the power of reincarnation, piercing through the vast starry sky.

“Battle!” Zhao Yun roared in response, clenching his golden fist tightly.

This punch made yin and yang, heaven and earth revolve in his palm, with golden runes engraved on his fingers, also infused with Dao principles.

Fist met fist, and a halo of light spread infinitely.

Ye Chen’s fist bones shattered, his sacred bones splattered with fresh blood flying out, each drop of sacred blood strikingly vivid in the vast starry sky.

Zhao Yun’s fist also exploded, blood splattering and spraying across the stars.

In this first clash of heaven-defying prodigies, it was an even match. Their domineering regenerative abilities restored their fists in an instant.

“Battle!” Zhao Yun charged through the nine heavens, descending from above with a palm strike that blocked out the sky, causing space to collapse inch by inch.

Ye Chen showed no fear, charging upward and punching through the palm print.

At the same time, Zhao Yun swooped down from midair, a divine ray from his finger piercing Ye Chen’s chest, sending radiant bones flying.

Ye Chen was undaunted, closing in and slashing open Zhao Yun’s body with a palm, breaking several of his ribs and causing blood to flow profusely.

By the second move, their fight had become extremely bloody.

The golden immortal domain clashed with the chaotic realm, both crumbling as their Daos contended, yet neither could overcome the other.

“Taixu Dragon Seal.” Ye Chen formed a seal with one hand, unleashing the forbidden art of the Taixu lineage, summoning a cage to trap Zhao Yun.

“Break!” Zhao Yun shattered it with a palm, then flipped his hand to deploy a grand formation, suppressing Ye Chen.

It was another sealing array, similar in essence to the Taixu Dragon Seal, with intricate patterns that made one’s scalp tingle.

Silencing forces shot out, along with clanging chains of thunder.

Ye Chen was no pushover; he blasted through it with a Rising Dragon Palm.

Zhao Yun’s attacks came again, a thunderbolt bursting from his forehead—a technique targeting the Yuan Shen—piercing the starry sky with devastating power.

Ye Chen countered with Divine Mourning, merging the nine paths into one, overwhelmingly dominant.

The thunderbolt and Divine Mourning collided, creating another golden halo.

Where the halo passed, stars crumbled one by one, turning into streams of sand drifting through the starry sky.

As each other’s strongest opponents, the two fought with perfect synergy.

In their exchange, every move and technique was evenly matched, their blood pulsing with surging essence.

“Battle!” Both roared, their invincible battle intent soaring.

The fight escalated, growing even more brutal. These two heaven-defying prodigies bombarded each other in the starry sky with unparalleled secret techniques.

Ye Chen’s sacred body was domineering and tough, while Zhao Yun’s body was indestructible like diamond.

Ye Chen bathed in Zhao Yun’s blood, and Zhao Yun in Ye Chen’s sacred blood. The battle was savage, the scene shocking to behold.

Fist against fist, palm against palm, each fueled by an unyielding will.

As blood fell, it transformed into various visions, clashing and attacking each other until they dissipated.

“Prodigies from two universes—truly evenly matched.” Ming Di remarked leisurely, his imperial eyes flickering with light.

“This era is extraordinary.” Di Huang smiled slightly.

The two supreme beings stood in the starry heavens as mere observers, their hearts stirred by the brilliance of these juniors.

Watching them was like seeing their younger selves.

In their youth, both had dominated their generations, undefeated at the same level, forging legendary names.

Talented individuals emerge in every era, and now these two supreme beings were growing old.

The rise of these later geniuses surpassed even them, heralding a golden age of imperial struggles, even more intense.

One day, these two successors would eclipse them.

Legends and myths would be rewritten by future talents and passed down through the ages.