Chapter 2226: Just Like This

Boom! Rumble!

The boundless dark void was filled with thunderous roars, shattering the ancient silence.

Pfft!

Amid the Tian Jie, blood sprayed forth as Han Jiang reshaped his golden body for what seemed the umpteenth time, exploding and reforming repeatedly. He was incredibly tough, enduring endless lightning strikes without perishing—the second-ranked Di Zi of Honghuang, with depths of power that astounded all.

Have they all left?

Ye Chen moved through the Tian Jie, his radiant eyes flashing as he peered through the black hole at the various heavens. Apart from the Han Jiang clan, the other Honghuang races had already fled or escaped.

He remained relaxed, glancing at the outside world while occasionally swinging his staff to strike Han Jiang. He couldn't let this guy off easy—after all, attacking his wife came with a price.

Compared to Han Jiang, Ye Chen's condition was excellent. He had faced his share of lightning strikes, but they only tempered his sacred body. Even the most domineering Tian Jie couldn't break him, and Han Jiang's was far inferior.

Buzz!

Deep in the black hole, Ye Chen waved his hand again, knocking Han Jiang down.

He saw everything happening outside clearly. The experts of the various heavens had hidden in the void and now surrounded the Han Jiang clan completely—this was a full encirclement!

Just like that!

Ye Chen laughed, grabbed Han Jiang with one hand, and dashed out in a precise direction.

Boom! Rumble!

The once quiet starlit sky was engulfed by thunder once more. The remaining Han Jiang clan members were caught in their own Di Zi's Tian Jie, scattering chaotically across the stars.

Retreat! Retreat quickly!

The Han Jiang clan emperor howled, fleeing desperately in all directions. The clan members weren't fools; they didn't need orders—they scattered faster than rabbits.

Kill!

The experts hidden on all sides surged forth, forming a massive encirclement. Killing formations, magical artifacts, Di Bing, and secret techniques were all primed and ready, sweeping down from every direction. The fleeing Han Jiang clan members were blasted apart one group after another.

The Han Jiang clan emperor's face turned pale with shock.

He had been focused entirely on his Di Zi and hadn't realized they were already surrounded by the various heavens. Even as strong as his clan was, they couldn't stand against the entire heavens. The number of Di Bing and the overall combat power were absolutely overwhelming—this was a catastrophe that could wipe out his clan!

Retreat! Retreat quickly!

The Han Jiang clan emperor roared, using his Di Bing to carve a path through the encirclement, leading his people in a desperate breakout. If they didn't leave now, there would be no chance.

Kill!

Shen Jiang Tianjiu snorted coldly, his imperial artifact hovering above as he chased the Han Jiang clan emperor.

Kill!

The experts of the various heavens didn't hold back, forming groups of three or five to pursue the scattered Han Jiang clan members. Their coordination was seamless, picking them off one by one.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Fresh blood stained the star domain, filling the starry sky with cries of battle and wails of agony. The brilliant starlight was obscured by blood mist, a horrifying sight.

Save my clan!

The Han Jiang clan emperor bellowed, using secret techniques to send out a call to the other Honghuang clans.

But there was no response, no clan came to their aid.

It was the same reasoning as before: the tribulation frenzy wasn't over, so it wasn't time for all-out war. Once this fire ignited, it would engulf the entire starry sky.

In the midst of it, those still undergoing their tribulations would all be destroyed.

This very concern led the Honghuang clans to sit back and watch the fight.

To justify it, they even came up with a heartfelt excuse: it wasn't that they wouldn't help, but the timing wasn't right. Or, in their view, whether the Han Jiang clan was there for a full war with the heavens didn't matter much. The Honghuang forces could absolutely crush the various heavens, and losing one or two clans wouldn't make a difference. Besides, when dividing territory after the war, they'd have to give up an extra share, and no one wanted that. Might as well let the heavens handle the Han Jiang clan.

Damned!

The Han Jiang clan emperor's eyes were blood-red with rage, his insides churning. What about the promised unity? What about the idea that if one falls, the others are next? Is this how you all unite?

At that moment, if the Teng She clan and the Tao Wu clan were still around, they would surely be laughing heartily.

You Han Jiang clan have this day too?

Back when our clans were surrounded and destroyed, we begged you for help, for your clan to lend a hand. But what happened? Not a single soldier or weapon came to our aid, leading to our clan's extinction.

Heaven has its cycles; who can escape fate? Now your Han Jiang clan walks the same path of disaster. This is karma, pure karma. You all love to watch the show, so watch it to the end!

Ah!

The Han Jiang clan emperor roared in fury, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood as he narrowly escaped being slain by Shen Jiang into the starry void.

Ah!

Han Jiang's Di Zi roared just as fiercely.

That guy was extraordinarily resilient, still surviving in the Tian Jie without being reduced to ash.

His sheer endurance made even Ye Chen feel a bit reluctant to continue fighting.

In terms of combat power, Han Jiang was far inferior to him; in terms of sheer vitality, Ye Chen had to admit he was outmatched. Any other Di Zi might have defeated Han Jiang but couldn't have killed him.

Boom! Rumble!

Amid the thunder, accompanied by the bloodbath, the Han Jiang clan experts suffered devastating blows. This wasn't a war—it was a massacre, a one-sided slaughter by the various heavens.

It was unclear when the rampaging thunder finally began to fade.

Looking at that stretch of starry sky, Ye Dasha was full of vitality, completely unscathed. Faint traces of electricity lingered on his body, not from his own Tian Jie, but tempering his form.

As for Han Jiang, he was in a wretched state—blood flowing, bones exposed, every wound smoking with a scent like roasting meat.

Yet, the Tian Jie wasn't over.

In that starry sky, a graceful figure materialized—it was a woman, peerlessly elegant, standing at the edge of time, both near and unattainable. She was stunningly beautiful, untouched by worldly smoke or dust, pure and flawless.

Donghua Nüdi!

The cultivators of the various heavens brightened their eyes, surprised but not overly shocked. Han Jiang was the second-ranked Di Zi of Honghuang, so his Quasi-Emperor Tian Jie could naturally summon an imperial Dao law body. What surprised the world was that it had summoned a great emperor of the heavens, and a female one at that.

In the crowd of the various heavens, Zixuan's eyes were full of tears, her call choked with emotion.

In that instant, Di Huang in the underworld aged visibly, his radiant eyes flickering with tears. How many ages had passed? After ten thousand years, he saw his supreme beloved again, even if it was just an imperial Dao law body—it was still the form of Donghua Nüdi.

It felt like a lifetime ago!

Ming Di took a deep breath, his expression wistful, though he felt an urge to pull out his treasured collection, perhaps to compare the Donghua Nüdi in it with this imperial Dao law body.

Fortunately, Di Huang was too focused on Donghua Nüdi to pay him any mind; otherwise, they might have had a serious talk about life's ideals.

In the starry sky, it wasn't just one imperial Dao law body of a female emperor—there was a second one, because Ye Chen was still within the Tian Jie's range. One belonged to Han Jiang, the other to him.

Ye Chen was solemn, his eyes full of reverence—that was for Donghua Nüdi.

He had encountered her imperial Dao law body before; when he advanced to the imperial realm, the first one he drew was Donghua Nüdi.

That time, he had nearly perished. Her brilliance was unmatched in all eternity.

Glancing at Han Jiang, he could barely stand at the sight of the imperial Dao law body.

That was an imperial Dao law body, a youthful emperor from his era. Even at his peak, Han Jiang might not have been able to fight her, let alone now when he couldn't even muster thirty percent of his strength.

But that wasn't the main issue—the key was that Ye Chen was still watching him, and the various heavens' imperial artifacts were locked onto him. They wouldn't give him a chance to continue his tribulation.

He wished someone could protect him, but there was no one.

His Han Jiang clan experts had already been wiped out in the assault by the various heavens' cultivators. What could protect him? An imperial artifact? Sheer determination?

Defeated!

In that moment, Han Jiang's Di Zi laughed, his laughter laced with resentment and unwillingness. Unwilling to have drawn the Quasi-Emperor tribulation without the power to overcome it; resentful that Ye Chen had shattered his heaven-defying opportunity, cutting off his path to life.

He also resented the other Honghuang clans—if they had truly united, how could he have ended up like this?

But mostly, he felt despair.

Yes, he should despair. In this era, there was such a terrifying sacred body, strong enough to make his soul tremble. His Dao, his beliefs—all crushed to pieces. Not only had he shamed the Han Jiang clan's glory, but he had also tarnished his father's reputation.

It's over!

Ye Chen approached with his staff, his expression cold, his words as curt as ever.

Buzz!

The Lingxiao iron staff fell with overwhelming force, smashing Han Jiang in a single blow.

As blood mist scattered, the second-ranked Di Zi of Honghuang became nothing but historical dust. In Ye Chen's hands, another Di Zi's life was claimed. He was the awe-inspiring Archaic Sacred Body, the ender of Di Zi, his heaven-defying path paved with the blood and bones of emperors.

With Han Jiang's Di Zi destroyed, the two female emperor law bodies dissipated as well.

Which clan's Di Zi is the biggest pitfall? Honghuang's great clans, go find Han Jiang!

The people of the various heavens showed no pity, but Tian Zhu and Di Mie stroked their beards thoughtfully. That pitfall of a Di Zi—who's the strongest? From Honghuang's great clans, it's Han Jiang! He provoked Ye Chen's wife and couldn't beat Ye Chen himself. Defeated is defeated, disgraced is disgraced, but he just wouldn't give up, insisting on another Tian Jie. Carelessly, he dragged down the entire Honghuang clan and his own inheritance.

Who knows if Han Jiang the Great Emperor, up in the heavens, would crawl out of his coffin: I sealed you for endless years, and you pull this on me? Not striking means not striking, but when you do, you wipe out the whole Han Jiang clan. You wasteful brat—if I had known, I would've strangled you back then instead of sealing you.

"Come on, line up, one by one."

"Don't hide, go all out. That jerk can take a beating."

"Don't move, I'll go first."

"Get lost, I'll go first."

The vast starry sky wasn't calm. The talents of Da Chu, led by Xie Yun, Xiong Er, and Situ Nan, had gathered toward Ye Chen. You could see that each of them carried some kind of weapon—mallets, iron staffs, all sorts.

This was the special welcoming ceremony of Da Chu's heavens' gate. Over the years, only Da Chu's tenth emperor had this honor. No way around it—who else could take a beating like him?

Facts proved that Da Chu's tenth emperor wasn't just tough; he was also a formidable fighter.

The group of talents charged forward aggressively, but before they even got close, Ye Dasha swept them all down with a single staff swing. Every time they saw him, they wanted to beat him up. Was he really that punchable?

Wails of ghosts and wolves echoed through the entire starry sky.

Da Chu's talents knelt without disappointing expectations, turning into a bunch of improper old fogies. Guys like Gu Santong, Wu Sanpao, and Taiyi Zhenren didn't dare step closer.

Not to brag, but when Ye Chen got angry, he didn't spare family—he'd hit anyone except his own wife. It was safer to keep their distance.

What followed was quite emotional.

How could it not be emotional?

All his wives were crying with teary eyes.

Then, Ye Dasha's waist gave out—perhaps from missing him too much, the women hugged him with incredible force. Even his Archaic Sacred Body cracked and popped, bones snapping one after another. It wasn't just painful to endure; just hearing it hurt like hell.

"Actually, you could be a bit gentler."

Under everyone's gaze, Ye Dasha clutched his waist, coughing up blood in large mouthfuls. His fight with Han Jiang hadn't made him cough blood.

"We didn't beat you, that's already good."

The women turned from tears to laughter.

"Showing off affection again, how annoying."

Xiao Yuan Huang scratched his monkey fur.

"If you've got the guts, show it off yourself."

Kui Niu scoffed.

"What are you saying? As if you have a wife. Got the nerve to criticize me?"

"That's no way to talk to your big brother; I'm not happy about it."

"Hey, you there, help me up."

Long Jie chimed in, also clutching his waist and staggering—he'd been hugged by his wife and was half-paralyzed.

"Alright, let's get to business."

Shen Jiang cleared his throat.

At the mention of business, the cultivators of the various heavens perked up. They knew exactly what this "business" meant. Many Han Jiang clan experts had escaped, likely back to their ancestral lands. They couldn't let that slide, and besides, the Han Jiang clan's treasures were surely abundant.