Chapter 1783: One Versus Eight

The eight Honghuang Emperors all moved, attacking from all eight directions toward the center. Their bodies were as heavy as mountains, causing the vast heavens to tremble with each step. The Emperor Dao principles danced through the air, each strand transcending the Dao itself.

Qulin Emperor was the fastest, stepping as if crossing the river of time. His Emperor Dao seal covered the sky, shrouding the boundless earth.

With one palm, he could destroy heavens and extinguish earth. Before it even landed fully, the azure sky collapsed, shattering inch by inch.

"War!" Ye Chen roared, his vital energy surging as he charged against the heavens. Grasping the universe and manipulating yin and yang, he threw a peerless punch that shattered everything in its path, blasting through Qulin Emperor's seal.

In a direct clash, Qulin Emperor was forced back, while Ye Chen's golden fist became a bloody mess, corroded by the Emperor Dao principles.

In the blink of an eye, Taowu Emperor arrived. With an Emperor Dao finger strike, he pointed at Ye Chen from across the sky, infused with imperial laws and divine might that spanned eternity, even reversing the flow of time.

Ye Chen showed no fear, advancing instead of retreating. He used the Shrink the Ground to an Inch technique to dodge the finger, then swung his hand like a divine blade, slashing toward Taowu Emperor.

But before his palm could land, he was struck by Tianxie Emperor's sword, sending his entire body flying sideways.

This didn't stop his momentum, as Guiji Emperor and Jinni Emperor closed in, their palm and fist nearly exploding Ye Chen's sacred body.

Ye Chen soared into the sky to escape, only to collide head-on with Qiongqi Emperor.

Qiongqi Emperor's eyes shot lightning directly at Ye Chen's primordial spirit, ignoring his divine protective arts.

Ye Chen's primordial spirit was wounded, his sea of consciousness buzzing, his skull feeling like it would split apart.

The eighth, Taotie Emperor, charged in with a seemingly ordinary palm.

Yet, this unassuming strike held world-ending power. The Emperor Dao immortal laws and divine abilities had reached a state of returning to simplicity, overturning the universe and disrupting yin and yang.

Ye Chen's bloodline trembled as he raised both hands to the sky, barely withstanding the palm, though his legs buckled under the pressure.

He felt as if he were holding up not a palm, but an entire mountain range, cracking his sacred body apart.

But as if leaks in a roof bring night rain, he hadn't even caught his breath when Jinni Emperor struck again. A devastating finger pierced through his chest, creating a bloody hole.

Sacred blood sprayed everywhere, each drop dazzling. Though the eight Honghuang Emperors were manifestations of principles, their coordination was nearly flawless.

This was the unspoken understanding between emperors, their Emperor Dao principles dancing in unison, outlining ancient visions of a primordial land.

Ye Chen's expression grew grave. From this brief clash, he realized the overbearing nature of emperors. Even at the quasi-saint king level, they had the right to overlook eras, or they wouldn't have risen against the heavens to become emperors.

He dared not underestimate them. Anyone who could become an emperor was no ordinary figure, their brilliance matching the Great Dao itself.

In fact, they often surpassed the Great Dao. Great Emperors stood at the peak of the Dao, invincible beings.

"Eight Great Emperors—how are we supposed to fight this?" Inside the bronze furnace, Kui Niu cursed loudly. "This is damn well a dead end."

"Damn the heavens above, they won't stop until they've ground the sacred body to dust." Li Changsheng's face was grim as he grumbled.

"Have faith in his undefeat." Compared to the two, Xi Zun was much calmer, casually sipping from his wine jug. "He's slain two emperors in his lifetime—how could mere manifestations of eight emperors wear him down?"

"That's true, I... eh?" Kui Niu started to speak but stopped, peering over the furnace rim.

His bovine eyes gleamed brightly as he gazed into the distance, through the haze, spotting Xiao Yuan Huang and Nan Di and their group.

At that moment, those lively figures were holding memory crystals, imprinting the scenes of the battle against the Dou Emperor, watching intently.

"Monkey, old Kui Niu is back." Kui Niu didn't dare shout, fearing he'd disturb Ye Chen, so he sent a divine sense message.

But Xiao Yuan Huang seemed not to hear, or at least showed no reaction.

"You son of a... are you deaf?" Kui Niu swore, nearly climbing out of the furnace to kick him.

"It's no use." Xi Zun chuckled and shook his head. "This realm is sealed by Emperor Dao principles. Divine sense can't get through."

"If only Ye Chen had let us three out first." Kui Niu shook his large head, clearly frustrated. He could see his old friends and brothers, yet couldn't speak to them—it was maddening.

"I say, the boss's situation doesn't look good at all!" As the two talked, Li Changsheng swallowed hard.

Hearing this, Kui Niu turned his gaze back to the sky in a panic.

What he saw was Ye Chen plummeting from the void, utterly battered. His body was covered in wounds, with no fewer than ten bloody holes, and the most horrifying sight was his back—his spine was broken and exposed, stained with blood, a shocking scene.

The three furrowed their brows, even the usually composed Xi Zun losing his calm, his eyes full of worry.

"Continue!" Ye Chen hit the ground but roared as he shot back into the sky.

In the heavens, the eight emperors shone like suns, dazzling and radiant, while Ye Chen charging up was like another sun, even brighter.

One youthful Archaic Sacred Body against eight youthful Great Emperors—nine blazing suns illuminated the Ximo, radiating glory in all directions.

The battle grew even more ferocious. Ye Chen, facing eight alone, remained dominant, unleashing world-shaking divine abilities one after another. Bathed in the fresh blood of the Emperor Dao, he fought like a madman.

Or perhaps he was a madman, absolutely suppressed yet still attacking, forcing the eight emperors to retreat at times.

For this, he paid a heavy price—his sacred body was blown apart repeatedly, only to reform each time, in an endless cycle.

This was an extremely unequal war. From the start, he was at a complete disadvantage, barely holding on through the fight.

As they spoke, the eight Honghuang Emperors closed in together, unleashing their divine abilities.

Visions of stars crumbling and suns exploding manifested one after another, as if representing the will of the heavens to exterminate Ye Chen.

Ye Chen soared through the skies, traversing the nine heavens, countering with secret arts. He deployed every skill he had, landing heavy blows on the eight emperors more than once.

He had found the mindset he used against the Tianmo Emperor, but his opponents weren't just one emperor—they were eight, all shaking history and illuminating the ages, undefeated in their lifetimes.

The war escalated, making the heavens and earth quake. The eight Honghuang Emperors were like supreme immortal kings, each strike fused with Emperor Dao principles.

They stood at the peak of the Dao, more distant than myths.

Ye Chen fought like a blood-soaked war god, battling furiously. His sacred blood boiled, his essence burned, and his Chaos Dao laws were pushed to their limits, surpassing the Dao in several moments.

The battle was bloody and chaotic, overturning the universe. The eight Honghuang Emperors were overwhelmingly strong, completely suppressing Ye Chen and shattering his sacred body time and again.

"Emperor Dao divine punishment—will it only end after slaughtering the eight Honghuang Emperors?" The cultivators from all sides looked pale, swallowing hard.

"Those who defy the heavens must face heavenly tribulations to destroy them." The older cultivators took a deep breath. "Provoking eight Emperor Dao manifestations— this tribulation was destined to be against the heavens from the start."

"The world always has new talents emerging. That junior called Chen Ye has already surpassed Ye Chen." Jiu Xiao Zhenren said thoughtfully.

No one refuted this. In terms of achievements, Chen Ye couldn't compare to Ye Chen, but in talent, Chen Ye was undoubtedly superior, beyond doubt.

No one knew what expression the cultivators of the realms would have if Ye Chen revealed his true face now—utter bewilderment, for sure.

"Die! Die!" Compared to the realm's cultivators, the eight Honghuang clans looked especially ferocious and sinister.

Every time Ye Chen bled, they grew excited to the point of madness, hoping he'd turn to ash under the eight emperors' heavenly tribulation.

In the midst of the discussions, Ye Chen was wounded again. Qulin Emperor severed one of his arms, and as he teleported away, he couldn't escape Jinni Emperor's sword. His beating heart was pierced by a finger.

Before he could recover, the other six emperors arrived, their Emperor Dao divine abilities dominating ancient and modern times, tearing his powerful sacred body to pieces with blood and bones flying.

Ye Chen staggered, barely able to stand. Every bloody gash on his body was tainted with Emperor Dao principles, eroding his sacred essence and sealing his Chaos Dao laws.

He was far stronger than when crossing the Saint Tribulation, but the problem was, that tribulation only involved four emperors.

Now, it had doubled—eight emperors surrounded him, all from the Honghuang era, crushing him in bloodline, origin, and numbers.

He felt a sense of powerlessness. Even with countless secret arts, he couldn't withstand the eight emperors' assault and nearly perished.

Still, his gaze remained firm throughout.

This was his tribulation, with no retreat. To survive, he had to fight on, perhaps carving out a path through the deadly crisis.

They weren't true Great Emperors, just manifestations of tribulation principles. He couldn't harbor fear, or defeat was certain.

This was a dead end. As the one undergoing the tribulation, there was no way out—only by fighting desperately could he find a chance to turn the tables.