Chapter 2104: Emperor's Path Thirty-Two

Amidst the rolling thunder, the terrifying Tian Jie grew even more violent. Devastating lightning bolts ripped through the vast starry sky, leaving behind craters that took an age to heal. Blood mist swirled, obscuring the vision of all who watched.

For the first time, Ye Chen stood his ground, no longer recklessly pursuing the Hong Huang forces.

In the end, this was his divine punishment, and with the sudden intensification of the Tian Jie, even he had to be exceptionally cautious. A Great Saint-level Tian Jie possessed destructive power capable of burying him at any moment.

Seeing that Ye Chen was no longer in pursuit, the Hong Huang warriors finally stopped. From Quasi-Emperors to Saints, they were in utter disarray, with numerous Yuan Shen forms floating aimlessly, their physical bodies already obliterated by the Tian Jie.

It was a humiliation, an absolute disgrace.

The roars and howls from the Hong Huang side shook the nine heavens. Their eyes were blood-red, as if about to burst, their faces contorted like demons. Being chased and beaten by a single person was an unprecedented shame in Hong Huang history.

Since Ye Chen had stopped pursuing, they remained in place, blocking the surrounding starry skies. They waited only for the Tian Jie to dissipate before joining forces to annihilate him. Even if he had advanced to Great Saint, they would reduce him to ashes.

Boom! Boom!

Ye Chen's Tian Jie became even more savage, the sea of lightning expanding to more than double its size. It surged and rolled, sweeping across inch after inch of the starry sky and completely engulfing Ye Chen.

Ye Chen remained silent, his eyes filled with killing intent. He tore through the sea of lightning and defiantly charged toward the heavens, summoning his Chaos Cauldron to also undergo the Tian Jie's baptism. His natal weapon needed to undergo Nirvana.

This action nearly scared Yang Xuan to death.

"Take it easy."

Ye Chen didn't respond. Bathed in thunder, he fought his way upward, obliterating bolt after bolt of lightning. Even billions of thunderbolts couldn't destroy him; instead, they tempered his Saint Body, making it shine with a golden radiance.

The cultivators from all directions watched in heart-pounding awe. If it were them, they would likely have already perished.

Boom!

With another thunderous roar, a bolt of pitch-black lightning struck, flinging Ye Chen down from the void.

This black lightning was no ordinary strike; it even shattered Ye Chen's dominant Huang Gu Saint Body.

"You cannot destroy me." Ye Chen's roar echoed the same words as he steadied himself and charged back toward the heavens. He was like a war god, his aura dominating the eight wastelands. Billions of thunderbolts couldn't stop him, as if the will of the heavens was merely a facade, powerless against this insignificant ant.

He fought with complete abandon, disregarding wounds and exhaustion. Every pore in his body exhaled the essence of his Saint Body blood, igniting into flames that enveloped him. His Dao principles resonated with his divine treasures, and his origin fused with his bloodline, weaving together a dominant force to aid his assault against the heavens.

Pop!

In the depths of the void, a faint sound rang out from his eyes—it was the Six Paths Reincarnation Eye, sealed for one hundred and seventy years, finally purging its curse under the Tian Jie.

The heavens' divine punishment, this terrifying ordeal, was also a supreme fortune. In the midst of lightning, he tempered his body; in the midst of calamity, he transformed. It was like a whetstone, forging this rusted iron into a peerless divine sword. This was the accumulation of the Dao, with every bolt of lightning bearing Dao marks.

Then, in a hazy void, the Tenth Emperor of Da Chu charged forth powerfully. He fused his divine abilities with Dao principles in a single punch, blasting through the chaotic mists, and stamped the figure into historical dust with one kick.

Only then did the rampaging lightning gradually dissipate into nothingness.

Ye Chen descended, his body so heavy that it caused the starry sky to collapse under his feet.

His dominant Huang Gu Saint Body was battered, with blood and bones exposed, nearly crippled and unable to stand steadily. Every gash on his Saint Body still flickered with lingering electricity, draining his vital energy.

The starry sky fell silent as everyone gazed at him. Though he was as insignificant as an ant, he shone brighter than the blazing sun. Looking at him was like beholding a fully realized Saint Body, a rising Great Emperor.

"The Tian Jie is over—kill him." The brief tranquility was shattered by a furious roar, from the Qiong Qi Quasi-Emperor, his teeth gritted and face savage, his killing intent unstoppable.

"Hold on." A Qiong Qi Great Saint intervened, blocking him. "The Tian Jie isn't finished yet."

These words made the Qiong Qi Quasi-Emperor's body tremble, as if he had realized something, and he dared not act rashly.

It wasn't just him; the other Hong Huang races felt the same. Having paid a steep price in blood, each clan had grown wiser. The lightning tribulation might have ended, but the true Tian Jie had not.

At that moment, cultivators from the various heavens sharpened their eyes, staring fixedly at the starry sky without blinking. If their guesses were correct, what would manifest next was the Emperor Dao Law Body—this had become a pattern in Ye Chen's previous tribulations, and this time was likely no different.

"It can't really be thirty-two emperors, can it?" Too many people murmured, their voices trembling.

"For the Saint tribulation, there were four; for Quasi-Saint King, eight; for Saint King, sixteen. Following the pattern of doubling, the Great Saint tribulation should have thirty-two." The elder generations in the heavens stroked their beards as they spoke.

"Will there be an Emperor Zun among the thirty-two emperors?" The Fifth Divine General, Tian Jiu, muttered to himself.

It wasn't just him; all the Emperor Dao inheritances harbored hopes, yearning to see their own ancestors.

As for Ye Chen, he stood quietly, rapidly circulating his Saint Dao to heal the wounds from the Tian Jie. His aura of slaughter and killing intent had not faded; instead, it grew thicker, causing the starry sky to tremble. As the one undergoing the tribulation, he knew best that the true Tian Jie had only just begun.

Under the watchful eyes of all, a figure manifested in the eastern starry sky, shrouded in immortal light, its true face obscured. Only its back was visible, towering like an eternal monument, with supreme Emperor Dao might flowing forth and Emperor Dao principles dancing in the air. It was ancient and profound, as if standing on the river of time.

This was the first emperor, yet it left the people of the heavens frowning, unable to recognize which emperor it was. The years were too distant; they needed to see the emperor's features to identify it, but alas, it remained unclear.

"Father Emperor." Mu Yang choked with emotion, tears welling in his eyes. Though he couldn't see the face clearly, the emperor's back was enough to confirm it—a silhouette etched deeply into his soul.

His call made everyone in the heavens understand.

Clearly, it was the Zhu Tian Great Emperor, the first emperor of the Huang Gu era, shaking antiquity and illuminating history.

"The second emperor has manifested." Someone called out a reminder.

Immediately, all eyes turned to the west, where another figure wove into existence.

It was a youth, enveloped in immortal light with Emperor Dao principles swirling around him.

Above his head hung a precious seal—more precisely, an Emperor Seal: Tian Que Emperor Seal.

"Father Emperor." Li Fengqiu wept, tears streaming down his face. How could he not recognize that figure? In his ancient memories, it was his father who had personally sealed him away. Time had turned seas into mulberry fields, and even the emperor had fallen, yet he still lived, reuniting with his kin in this form.

Now, there was no need to ask; the second emperor was undoubtedly the Tian Que Great Emperor.

Legend had it that the Tian Que Great Emperor's true form was a divine stone fallen from the heavens, which after countless years transformed into human shape. He rose triumphantly, ultimately dominating all domains and ruling over myriad spirits.

In three thousand realms of life and death, he sought only to mend the heavens with his bare hands. He, too, was a dazzling emperor.

In an instant, the southern starry expanse quaked as the third figure manifested.

It was another youth in green robes, standing leisurely. At first glance, he seemed like an ordinary mortal. His Dao principles were concealed, his eyes indifferent yet encompassing the heavens and earth, with endless Dao insights evolving on their own. Occasionally, a strand or two of Emperor Dao principles flickered subtly.

"Father Emperor." Feng Yu smiled through tears, recognizing his father at a glance.

"Is that the Qing Emperor?" The people murmured, lost in a trance. The Qing Emperor in his youth was truly like a figure from myth—ethereal and unmatched, like a timeless pine tree standing through the ages.

In the span of three breaths, the northern starry sky saw the fourth emperor take form.

At first sight, he appeared as an immortal, standing gracefully and distantly beyond reach. His figure was both real and illusory, with strands of Emperor Dao divine principles seeming to expound the Dao. Listening carefully, one could hear the heavenly sounds of the Great Dao, bringing clarity to all who heard.

"The Wu Ji Great Emperor." An elderly man suddenly choked up, tears streaming down his aged face. Leaning on his cane, he knelt shakily. "This humble servant, Zhou Cang, pays respects to the Great Emperor."

This act of kneeling drew looks of reverence from the world. It was easy to discern that this old Quasi-Emperor must have followed the Wu Ji Great Emperor in the past, fighting alongside him across the lands. Alas, time had taken its toll, leading him to self-seal until this era, where he could once more behold his former emperor.

Equally tearful was Zi Yu—this was his father emperor. When he was sealed, the Wu Ji Great Emperor had already reached his twilight years, perhaps knowing his end was near, and thus sealed him in advance.

As they spoke, the fifth emperor descended.

This time, it was a blurry figure, its features unseen, only vague and profound phenomena swirling around it, with Emperor Dao principles rampant. Each thread crushed the eternal blue skies, its Dao ethereal and supreme, evolving to heights above the Great Dao itself.

"Father Emperor." Jiu Liu choked, her eyes brimming with tears, instantly recognizing that form. Their bloodline connection made it intimately familiar, even if it was merely a Law Body derived from her father.

"Is that the Yu Kong Great Emperor?"

"Since the Yu Kong Emperor's child calls him father emperor, it must be the Yu Kong Great Emperor." The elder generations of the heavens spoke, already retrieving memory crystals to imprint the emperor's image. Unfortunately, the imprints were all formless—perhaps due to the emperor's essence, even in death across eternity, no traces remained.

"The sixth emperor has emerged." Someone reminded, drawing gazes once more.

The sixth figure was clearly visible, with an ordinary face, standing in the starry sky in fluttering purple robes, his expression calm and emotionless. His principles were in no way inferior to the other five emperors, weaving Dao insights and heavenly sounds, with ethereal supreme Emperor Dao might suppressing the eternal immortal firmament.

With this emperor's appearance, many eyes turned to the emperor's child, Yang Feng—so strikingly similar.

No need to say it; the sixth emperor was the You Ming Great Emperor, from the mid-Huang Gu era.

Yang Feng's eyes flickered as he silently called out "Father Emperor" in his heart. Time had slipped away, and after so many ten-thousands of years, through countless vicissitudes, he finally saw his father emperor manifest in the mortal world once more.

"Is this a family reunion gathering?" Yang Xuan coughed dryly from within the cauldron.

"Why isn't my old man a Great Emperor?" Tang San Shao grumbled to himself, drawing meaningful looks from the others. You little black fatty, your ambitions are quite something—do you want to be an emperor's child too?

In the outside world, Ye Chen remained silent, glancing at the six emperors before shifting his gaze elsewhere.

At this look, three figures appeared simultaneously—one like a demon king, one like a demon sovereign, and one like a divine ruler. Standing side by side, they were like three majestic mountains in the vast starry sky, their supreme Emperor Dao might spreading and Emperor Dao principles dancing, sketching profound scenes.

"Demon Emperor? Yao Emperor? God Emperor?" Someone exclaimed in surprise.

"It's really them—the great emperors of the demon race, yao race, and god race."

"Unfortunately, their inheritances have been wiped out."

"I wonder what expressions these three emperors would have if they had consciousness." People sighed, glancing toward the Yue Huang and Dong Huang Tai Xin. Back when Da Chu returned, they had furiously exterminated the four races, including these three Emperor Dao inheritances, erasing them entirely.

"Nine emperors now." Most in the world scanned the surroundings, anticipating the tenth emperor, especially the Emperor Dao inheritances, including the Hong Huang races, all harboring hopes of seeing their ancestral emperors.

Under the gaze of all, the starry sky trembled.

Then, twenty-three beams of Emperor Dao immortal light manifested one after another, shaping into human forms. Each back was imposing, their Emperor Dao principles carrying an undeniable Hong Huang aura—ancient and profound. Various Emperor Dao phenomena were etched in the air, accompanied by the resounding heavenly sounds of the Great Dao, expanding infinitely from this starry center to the eight corners of the universe, stirring hearts with awe.

"Heavens! Twenty-three Hong Huang Great Emperors?" The human cultivators of the heavens cried out in shock.

Now, it was the Hong Huang races' turn to be excited. The twenty-three Hong Huang races collectively prostrated in the starry sky, each kneeling before their own emperor. This trip had been worthwhile; they had the supreme honor of beholding their ancestral emperors. Though the emperors were gone, their Emperor Dao Law Bodies represented them still.

"Now, that's thirty-two emperors." The human cultivators' gazes converged on Ye Chen.

"Even sixteen emperors nearly buried him—can he withstand thirty-two emperors surrounding him?"

"He's Ye Chen—he will prevail." The human cultivators' eyes were unyieldingly firm, believing in the Saint Body lineage to defy the heavens once more. His path had always been legendary, forging countless myths.