Chapter 1801

"Finally here." The Zhutian Zhundi all breathed a sigh of relief, knowing without asking which force had arrived—the guardian deity of Dachu, also the guardian of Zhutian.

"Finally here." Jiuchen, sitting on his small stool, stood up and blew on the emperor weapon, Tieshen.

"Finally here." The group of dizi all smiled slightly, acknowledging that Dachu's giants had the most commanding presence.

The cultivators of Zhutian were thrilled, their eyes flashing with brilliant divine light, aware that Dachu's reinforcements had arrived—undeniably powerful and domineering.

Back when the gates of Zhutian returned, the nine emperors of Dachu were furious, seeking vengeance for the heroic souls by waging a war that darkened the heavens and shook the earth.

That battle remained vivid in memory: the Fenghuang Clan was wiped out, the Shen Clan was exterminated, the Yao Clan was destroyed, the Mo Clan was annihilated, and the Ximo Lingshan was razed, leaving mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.

Recalling it now still filled people with lingering fear; the dominance of Dachu's nine emperors had become a nightmare for an entire generation.

The emperors of Dachu were a symbol—silent until they acted, then shaking the myriad domains and deterring all challengers.

In contrast to Zhutian, the faces of the Honghuang Zu turned alarmingly grim, for they had come face-to-face with a formidable group, one even the great Honghuang clans approached with great caution.

Under the watchful eyes of all, the vast sky suddenly collapsed.

A dazzling river of light appeared, crossing the void and extending toward them, revealing nine shadowy figures to the world.

They seemed to come from a distant era, ancient and weathered, striding along the river of time, causing the flow of ages to reverse.

They were Dachu's nine emperors, standing in a row, each bearing an extreme dao emperor weapon. Their emperor aura was overwhelmingly powerful, making the heavens rumble.

Behind the nine, figures like Zhutian Jian Shen Jian Fei Dao, Dan Zun Qi Ye, Kunlun Shen Nü Donghuang Tai Xin, and Ren Wang Fu Xi were present. The men were clad in battle armor, the women in war garments; the men resembled peerless war gods, the women like supreme rulers, their presence dominating the four seas and eight wastelands.

The world fell still because of them—the floating leaves and howling bloody winds froze in that instant.

Billions of thunderbolts roared, as if heralding a world-spanning divine punishment, with destructive visions weaving a scene of apocalypse.

On the peak of Tianxu Jinqu, Di Mie furrowed his brow. "Have all the Zhundi and emperor weapons of Dachu come? That means the gates of Zhutian are unguarded. If the Tianmo exploit this gap, won't it bring catastrophe?"

"Clearly, Dachu's giants are forcing the forbidden zones to join the battle," Tian Zhu said with a shake of his head and a smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Di Mie raised an eyebrow, looking at Tian Zhu in confusion. Having lived so long, his mind wasn't as sharp anymore.

"It means that if the five great forbidden zones of Xuanhuang don't deal with the Honghuang Zu, Dachu won't mind revealing their location."

"Is this some kind of all-or-nothing gamble?" Di Mie's mouth twitched, his expression a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"There's no choice. Even with Dachu's help, Zhutian still can't match the Honghuang. To stand against them, we need the forbidden zones. This move by Dachu and Zhutian is out of desperation."

"Serves them right," Di Mie muttered darkly. "Dachu guards the gates of Zhutian, yet the Honghuang bullies their juniors. Might as well lure the Tianmo here and let the Honghuang get a taste of it."

The two exchanged thoughts through divine sense, and only after did they turn to the Tianxu Tianwang before them.

The Tianwang remained silent, his brow furrowed.

Dachu had brought all their emperor weapons, making their intent clear: if the forbidden zones didn't help clean up the Honghuang Zu, then prepare to fight the Tianmo instead. Do as you please, help or not.

He wasn't afraid of the giants throwing a tantrum; he feared ruthless people playing tricks.

Dachu's maneuver had caught him completely off guard.

This was pressuring the five great forbidden zones to enter the war—either fight the Honghuang or face the Tianmo; choose for yourselves.

As they spoke, Dachu's nine emperors and hundreds of Zhundi from Zhutian had already stepped out of the light river, landing on the battle platform below Zhutian Mountain.

Each of them exuded an aura that swallowed the heavens, far beyond ordinary Zhundi. They had once slain lands and carried the killing intent of emperors in their bones.

The Zhundi ignored the Honghuang Zu entirely, all turning their gaze to Ye Chen. Even with their Zhundi-level composure, their eyes collectively welled up with emotion.

It was him—Ye Chen, the ancient holy body Ye Chen. His glory was etched deeply into their souls.

In the two previous Tianmo invasions, it was he who fought bloody battles against the great emperors. The holy body lineage had never disappointed the myriad domains.

He was still alive, the peerless war god returned to the world. Once buried in the starry sky, now here to continue his legend.

They had thought him dead, but here he was, still in the mortal realm. In that moment, the Zhundi seemed to grow younger.

They remembered how tragically he had fallen into the starry sky back then. Seeing him alive now brought only joy.

"Junior Ye Chen pays respects to the predecessors of Dachu." Ye Chen bowed deeply, his voice choked with emotion, his eyes brimming with tears.

This junior's courtesy had been delayed by a full great cycle of reincarnation, longer than ten thousand years, weathered by the passage of time.

Having died once and now reunited with the emperors of his homeland, his emotions were beyond words—like a lost child finally returning home.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." The nine emperors stepped forward, helping Ye Chen up, overcome with excitement, tears streaming down their aged faces.

"I told you this kid would come back." Ren Wang Fu Xi nudged with his hands, the most unreliable of the group, acting like a thief with none of a human king's demeanor.

"At least you know to come back." Donghuang Tai Xin shot him a glare, though her beautiful eyes couldn't hide their delight.

She had witnessed Ye Chen's rise firsthand; from the day he began cultivating, this young man had shouldered a heavy destiny.

"It's a long story." Ye Chen smiled, his expression laden with the weight of years.

The Zhundi fell silent. Though Ye Chen spoke lightly, the marks of time on him were unmistakable.

They could imagine the hardships he endured to return home, much like their past searches for reincarnated souls.

All around, people watched in silence, giving the reunited kin time to catch up, no one daring to interrupt.

"Come on, let's go home." The Chu Emperor laughed heartily, full of boldness, taking Ye Chen's hand to lead him back to their homeland.

"You may leave, but he must stay." A cold snort rang out, from Taotie Zhundi, his voice gritted and sinister.

At his words, the entire Honghuang Zu stepped forward, blocking all directions. Ye Chen's talent was too heaven-defying; if allowed to grow, he would be a disaster for the Honghuang.

For someone like him, they needed to nip it in the bud, and today was the perfect opportunity—not to be missed.

"Can you stop us if we want to leave?" Zhan Wang glanced at the sky, his domineering aura exploding forth.

"What audacity." Qiongqi Zhundi thundered, his Honghuang aura rampaging, enhanced by emperor might, echoing through the nine heavens.

"Think Qiongqi is that impressive?" Zhan Wang roared, stepping into the sky and wielding the Pangu Kaitian Fu, charging straight at Qiongqi Zhundi. He cultivated the path of war, and his nature was fiercely aggressive.

Qiongqi snorted coldly, suspending his emperor artifact as he rushed toward Zhan Wang.

As a member of the Honghuang, in terms of seniority, bloodline, and origin, he crushed human cultivators, holding unshakeable confidence in his invincibility.

With the two Zhundi about to clash, the people of Zhutian and the Honghuang Zu retreated, clearing a battleground for them.

This wasn't a full-scale war but a duel between two Zhundi, more accurately a warm-up before the greater conflict.

As they fought, Qiongqi Zhundi struck first, gripping his emperor weapon battle halberd and slashing out a starry river that split the heavens.

"You're far from it." Zhan Wang rebuked, his body erupting in flames and thunder. With a single axe, he severed the starry river and sent Qiongqi Zhundi flying thousands of zhang.

"I will kill you." Qiongqi was furious, inscribing divine patterns on his brow, his combat power surging as he swept in with a vast blood sea.

"With you?" Zhan Wang's shout shook the heavens and earth as he charged into the blood sea, surrounded by war dragons that roared mightily.

The battle erupted, shattering the skies and cracking the earth, overshadowing the light of time.

On one side, Qiongqi Zhundi was like a barbaric god, his power covering the eight wastelands. Honghuang secret techniques flew forth, bolstered by extreme dao emperor weapon laws, each strike fracturing the vast sky and destroying the world.

On the other, Zhan Wang was like a war god, his golden thunder and flames dazzling and radiant. Strands of divine light flowed from him, each as heavy as a mountain, making the vast heavens rumble.

Blood splattered and fell into the void—some from Qiongqi Zhundi, some from Zhan Wang. As it dropped, the blood transformed into dragon shapes, still locked in combat, slaughtering each other.

It was clear that Emperor Zhan Wang held the absolute upper hand, relentlessly driving Qiongqi into retreat, his physical form exploding repeatedly.