Chapter 1852: Seventeen Stars Conjunction

Chapter 1852: Sixteen Stars in a Row

The sixteenth emperor was also from the human race, more precisely, a Buddha. He wore a *kasaya* robe and held a Zen staff, enveloped in radiant Buddha light that exuded peace and splendor, with a dignified and majestic aura.

One could see golden *swastikas* circling his Buddha form, and behind his head, a halo bloomed with countless rays of Buddha radiance.

Listening carefully, one could hear the sounds of Buddha chanting echoing like grand bells, resonating through the starry sky. These sounds carried the principles of the emperor's path, infused with endless Zen intent, and also bore an irresistible magical power.

This Buddha required no introduction; everyone recognized him as *Da Ri Rulai*, known as the Buddha Ancestor, and historically referred to as the *Fo Di*.

The Buddha Ancestor, the progenitor of Buddhism, was the most enigmatic among the 130 emperors of *Xuan Huang*. He spread the Buddha dharma widely, condensing the faith of all living beings for his own use, providing an endless and inexhaustible source of power.

This was the enigma of *Fo Di*—what people often said was that as long as *Fo Di* remained in the world and people held the Buddha in their hearts, he would be everywhere, hidden in the secular world, guiding and saving all sentient beings.

Everyone's expressions turned solemn, filled with wariness toward *Fo Di*, for he had forged karmic ties with all living beings.

Such karma was fearsome, as it could subtly transform one's seven emotions and six desires, turning one into a devout follower of Buddhism without realization.

*Xi Zun* gazed in a daze, his expression growing complex. He had already grown long hair and was no longer the holy son of Buddhism.

Yet, in the instant *Fo Zu* manifested, Buddha light once again enveloped him, as if he had become a Buddha once more.

Once tied to Buddhism through karma, it was impossible to break free. He had long understood that he would inevitably return to the Buddhist path under its doctrines, unable to resist or escape—this was fate.

*Ye Chen*'s brows furrowed even deeper, his wariness of *Fo Di* surpassing that of *Xuan Yuan Dadi*, for *Da Ri Rulai* was far too enigmatic.

His karma with Buddhism originated in his past life and ended there, stemming from *Da Ri Rulai*'s curse and concluding with the Five Finger Mountain.

But he also knew that even after one cycle of reincarnation, that karma would entangle him again upon *Fo Di*'s manifestation.

A breeze swept by, and the sixteen emperors all moved, advancing toward him with slow steps that carried the essence of the Dao, causing the starry sky to tremble violently. Strands of emperor's path principles outlined scenes of destruction.

These sixteen emperors had once each ruled over all spirits and were invincible existences, standing shoulder to shoulder with the supreme Dao.

In one era, there could be no two emperors, yet today, they appeared together in this form—sixteen emperors manifesting solely to eradicate this heaven-defying individual.

*Ye Chen* had no way to retreat; he had only to fight. Burning his essence, he healed his ancient holy body, instantly elevating his combat power to its peak.

As he expected, this heavenly tribulation of his involved sixteen emperors, eight more than when he advanced to quasi-saint king.

Advancing to emperor realm, he faced *Dong Hua Empress*; advancing to quasi-saint, it was *Dou Zhan Sheng Huang* and *Tai Xu Long Di*; advancing to saint, it was *Jin Wu Dadi*, *Kun Peng Dadi*, *Xuan Wu Dadi*, and *Qi Lin Dadi*; advancing to quasi-saint king, it was the eight *Hong Huang* emperors, doubling each time—one became two, two became four.

No need to think or calculate; when he advanced to great saint, it would surely be thirty-two emperors, and to quasi-emperor, sixty-four emperors, still multiplying exponentially.

He should have realized that this ruthless heaven intended for him to face all 130 emperors of *Xuan Huang* one by one.

In plain terms, heaven wanted to kill him completely, to serve as a warning to the world that defying the heavens would turn one to ashes in the calamity.

*Chiyang Zi* sighed, "One against sixteen—*Ye Chen* is likely to fall this time! The lineup is too terrifying."

"Each of these emperors is an invincible powerhouse in their realm. With sixteen of them ganging up on him, it's no surprise if he crumbles," the old quasi-emperor said, clutching his hands as his heart pounded wildly.

"If the holy body survives this, I'll take his surname," many old figures declared confidently.

"Sixteen emperors! Even our *Xian Wu Di Zun* in his prime wasn't this heaven-defying," the nine divine generals sighed.

"What are the odds of victory with such a lineup?" the quasi-emperors of Great Chu asked, their bodies tense and expressions extremely grave.

Amid the discussions, *Ye Chen* activated the Great Mercy Reincarnation Heavenly Burial, boosting his combat power tenfold.

However, to his despair, as his power surged tenfold, the combat strength of the sixteen emperors also increased tenfold.

In other words, the sixteen emperors' power was determined by his; whatever strength he had, they matched it.

"Truly forcing me to my death?" *Ye Chen*'s expression turned grave, facing the immense pressure of battling sixteen youthful emperors alone.

As he spoke, *Cang Long Dadi* and *Qing Long Dadi* attacked. One struck with a palm that descended from the sky, while the other pointed from afar, a divine beam piercing everything like a lethal technique.

*Ye Chen* stepped through the nine heavens, dodging *Qing Long Dadi*'s finger, and swung a punch to repel *Cang Long Dadi*.

Then, he instantly retreated, evading *Kui Niu Dadi*'s axe, only to be struck staggering by *Wu Clan Dadi*'s spear.

Before he could steady himself, *Hong Lian Empress* arrived, her red lotus karmic fire blanketing the starry sky and engulfing him. Strands of crimson flames assaulted his primordial spirit and trapped his true form.

The karmic fire of *Hong Lian Empress* incinerated the gods of the eight directions, incredibly domineering, with a power that was even more terrifying, evoking sheer dread.

"Break!" *Ye Chen* shouted lightly, shattering the red lotus restrictions, only to collide head-on with *Yao Chi Empress*. She swung her sword, cleaving heaven and earth, nearly splitting his domineering holy body in two.

This was not over yet—*Zhu Que Dadi* arrived, her palm like a divine blade, overwhelmingly powerful, severing one of *Ye Chen*'s arms.

*Yan Di* and *Xuan Gu Dadi* charged in; one wielded an emperor sword, the other held the *Kunlun* Mirror above his head, unleashing world-shaking attacks.

*Ye Chen*'s holy body shattered, his radiant bones stained with blood that splattered across the starry sky, each drop glaringly vivid.

Before he could halt his momentum, *Xian Yu Dadi* was upon him, using emperor's path principles to manifest the *Xian Wang* Tower, a colossal structure shaking the universe as it swallowed him whole.

"Open for me!" *Ye Chen* roared, unleashing his external domineering body, forcibly breaking through the *Xian Wang* Tower and bursting out like a dragon.

*Man Clan Dadi* descended from the void, his body towering like a mountain, his palm pressing down from the heavens and collapsing *Ye Chen*'s domineering external form.

*Ren Huang* arrived, with a wave of his hand summoning the nine palaces and eight trigrams, enhanced by *Zhou Tian*'s power, trapping *Ye Chen* in the starry sky.

"Open!" *Ye Chen* snorted coldly, countering with *Zhou Tian* himself, breaking *Ren Huang*'s restraints, and dragging his wounded body to escape into the heavens.

*Xuan Yuan Di* charged in, sword in hand, slashing out an immortal river that split the starry sky—a strike worthy of world-ending destruction.

The attack of the strongest emperor was more domineering than the others; *Xuan Yuan*'s single blow lived up to his title as the mightiest.

*Ye Chen* was hit, sent flying thousands of feet, a bloody gash carved across his chest. Through the gruesome wound, one could see his bones and throbbing heart, a scene of utter bloodiness.

The one he feared most, *Da Ri Rulai*, now launched his attack.

It was a golden Buddha hand, its palm engraved with a *swastika*, heavy as a mountain and crushing the starry sky inch by inch.

*Ye Chen* had just stopped when he was pressed down, his legs bending, his hand and leg bones fracturing as holy blood sprayed across the stars.

History repeated itself; *Fo Zu*'s palm seal was like the Five Finger Mountain of old, intent on suppressing him.

"Rise!" *Ye Chen* roared, raising both hands to the sky and forcibly lifting *Fo Zu*'s palm, leaping free.

All sixteen emperors had struck, and in just one exchange, they nearly obliterated him, his holy body drenched in fresh blood.

Onlookers felt their hearts race; for *Ye Chen* to survive the assaults of sixteen emperors spoke volumes of his prowess.

Such destructive scenes made even watching them heart-wrenching; if it were any of them, they would have long turned to dust in history.

The holy body was invincible in its realm, but so were the sixteen emperors.

Each had an immortal legacy; otherwise, they could not have risen against the heavens to become emperors. Their strength was unmatched at the same level.

The sixteen emperors attacked again, giving *Ye Chen* no chance to breathe, their moves all emperor's path immortal techniques sweeping with imperial might.

*Ye Chen* went mad, his vital energy surging and origin essence roaring, every pore on his body drawing in bloodline power. He was like a blazing flame, illuminating the vast starry sky.

Having endured such tribulations before, he knew how terrifying this one was.

With sixteen emperors' lineup, he clearly could not kill them, nor was it possible. All he could do was endure.

Once the time limit passed, the emperor's path principles would dissipate on their own.

He no longer clashed head-on, instead using his profound evasion techniques to flee desperately.

The sixteen emperors surrounded him; no matter how fast *Ye Chen* was, they matched him. Each strike caused the starry sky to collapse.

Cultivators from all sides pursued relentlessly; a holy body facing sixteen emperors was a battle unseen in eons, absolutely stunning.

From afar, the seventeen figures resembled seventeen stars, radiating billions of divine lights that illuminated the myriad domains of the starry sky. It was a glorious sight, with none outshining the others.

One holy body and sixteen great emperors—*shiqi xing lianzhu*, a phenomenon rare throughout history, forging a new immortal river in the annals.

This battle, regardless of victory or defeat, would be recorded in the history books and praised by future generations. It was a legend and a myth.

In a stretch of starry sky, *Ye Chen* plummeted, his bloodied holy body smashing a star to pieces, shaking the cosmos.

He tried to escape but was blocked and driven back; the sixteen emperors were too strong, covering every domain, their formation utterly overwhelming.

From the rubble, *Ye Chen* burst out, dragging his blood-and-bone-drenched body to flee again. In same-realm combat, he feared no one, but his opponents were sixteen great emperors.

In such a battle, even he had to temporarily avoid their edge; direct confrontation meant death, while evasion offered a chance at life.

The emperors advanced once more, silent except for their world-shaking divine abilities.

*Ye Chen* fled time and again, only to be beaten back each time; his holy body healed repeatedly, only to be shattered again.

This was a heavenly tribulation and a trial of life and death; even a moment's distraction could lead to eternal doom.

"Is that the world-shaking prowess of youthful emperors?" Many elders murmured, lost in a trance at the sight.

"Emperors shake the ancients and illuminate the present; their youthful forms already reveal their imperial demeanor," many sighed, naturally feeling inferior.

"We should thank the holy body; without him, we'd never witness this peak showdown or the elegance of youthful emperors," *Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren* said, his heart stirred with waves.

Figures like *Jiang Tai Xu*, *Mo Yuan*, *Ren Wang*, and those from the emperor's path inheritances all forgot about time in that moment.

All connected to emperors, seeing this scene, they didn't know whether to feel emotional or melancholic. They could no longer see the real persons, only glimpse the past through the emperor's path principles.

"If this continues, *Ye Chen* is surely doomed," *Yan Huang* said gravely. "Even if he doesn't die, he'll be worn down."

"It's thanks to *Ye Chen*'s deep foundation," *Chen Huang* added. "If it were an ordinary saint king, he'd have been buried long ago."

"Precisely because of his deep foundation that heaven grows jealous," *Shen Jiang Tian Yuan* sighed. "An ordinary saint king wouldn't trigger such a tribulation. He's already surpassed *Di Zun*."

"Sixteen youthful great emperors—heaven is truly going all out, not stopping until he's dead!" the quasi-emperors of Great Chu all rubbed their brows.