Chapter 2261: That's Necessary!

Chapter 2261: That Must Be It!

The night in Dàchǔ was shattered by chaos, with the thunderous roars of battle echoing across the four seas and eight wastelands.

The fierce clash between the Huānggǔ Shèngtǐ and the Bùmiè Xiāntǐ was not only bloody but also immensely destructive, affecting a vast area. It started in the eastern skies, moved to the western void, then shifted to the southern heavens, and finally reached the northern mists.

The conquest of these young emperor-level figures left destruction in its wake, turning magnificent mountains and rivers into ruins amid annihilation, disrupting the universe and inverting the laws.

By now, the two had fought their way to the Nányán Great Marsh, both summoning their divine weapons.

Yèchén hovered with the Hùnlún Dǐng above his head and wielded the Língxiāo Iron Stick in one hand, while Lù Tián held a pair of immortal swords. Each collision stirred up massive waves and storms.

More people from Dàchǔ gathered, and many in seclusion were awakened by the commotion. As they gazed at the scene, their hearts raced with shock. A Great Saint-level battle had escalated to the scale of Quasi-Emperor warfare.

"The battles of young emperor-level figures are truly unmatched in dominance," said Mò Wáng Kuíyú Jiāng with a grin. As a Great Saint himself, the gap between him and Yèchén or Lù Tián was vast—more than a hundred thousand miles apart. The other kings felt the same awkwardness, for even among Great Saints, strength varied greatly.

"From what I can tell, that guy could slap me until I cry," Wú Sānpào coughed.

"A lively Bùmiè Xiāntǐ like that—if we chop it up and stew it in a pot, it could feed us for years," said Tàiyī Zhēnrén, stroking his beard with a serious expression.

"We're all civilized folks, so let's not get too bloody," Niú Shísān remarked meaningfully. "If you ask me, grilling it would taste better. Just add plenty of cumin and chili."

"It's a rare sight to see a living Bùmiè Xiāntǐ—quite the spectacle."

"Make sure to stock up on Dàchǔ specialties. Don't even think about leaving without eating your fill."

The people of Dàchǔ, whether in groups of three or five, crowded the four directions of the sky and the eight corners of the earth. From a distance, they looked like a dense black mass, like a dark curtain blotting out the world's light. They chatted away, their words reflecting their fierce spirit.

It was clear that everyone held some kind of weapon—be it a kitchen knife or a club—all gleaming brightly, blocking Lù Tián's escape routes completely.

This setup showed they had no intention of letting Lù Tián go, and they certainly wouldn't.

Even casual visitors to Dàchǔ, whether elders or juniors, often ended up with a surprise blow to the head. So, for a Hónghuāng emperor's son like him, letting him escape would betray their fierce traditions.

Pfft! Pfft!

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, both fighters spilled blood. Yèchén's sacred body was pierced by a sword, creating a bloody hole, while Lù Tián's head was nearly smashed by Yèchén.

Fight on!

Neither seemed to cool their tempers—one like he had been injected with stimulants, the other like he had swallowed gunpowder. Without a break, they charged into the mists, unleashing attacks to the extreme, with blood and bones scattering across the skies.

Lù Tián's face twisted slightly with ferocity, his eyes barely hiding his shock.

Yèchén's strength far exceeded his expectations—the overwhelming vital energy, the dominant assaults, even Lù Tián struggled to counter them. Yèchén's comprehension of the Dao was especially startling, and his supreme battle intent even surpassed Lù Tián's.

The myth of the Huānggǔ Shèngtǐ being unbeatable at the same level was no exaggeration; Lù Tián was witnessing it firsthand.

On the other side, Yèchén's battle intent soared, his brilliant golden eyes radiating dazzling immortal light.

While Lù Tián was shocked, Yèchén felt the same. The supreme Bùmiè Xiāntǐ was indestructible and impervious to all laws, dominating through the ages. After hundreds of exchanges, Yèchén had yet to inflict fundamental damage on Lù Tián. This bloodline was terrifying, with its overpowered recovery that could only be called heaven-defying. Even as the Huānggǔ Shèngtǐ, Yèchén couldn't sustain the drain—there was no comparison.

In short, Lù Tián in his current state was like someone with a bloodline limit, unkillable and immortal. For Yèchén to eliminate this Bùmiè Xiāntǐ with his current power would be extremely difficult.

Fortunately, Yèchén's path of cultivation had touched many taboos, with countless rebirths through nirvana. His understanding of the Dao had penetrated to the bone, and his battle mindset against supremes far outmatched Lù Tián's. Lù Tián had his advantages, but Yèchén had the formidable backing of the Shèngtǐ.

"Yèchén is unbeatable under heaven, beating Lù Tián until he's like a dog!"

The people of Dàchǔ erupted in a chorus of jeers, perfectly timed and earth-shaking, even drowning out the thunderous booms. Though their combat strength fell short, their voices were unmatched.

Lù Tián's expression turned a shade colder, and he glanced briefly at the surroundings. People always said the folks of Dàchǔ were all lunatics, and today confirmed it.

That glance only fueled the Dàchǔ crowd's energy, making their jeers louder and buzzing in his ears. Was this some kind of tactic?

"How dare you get distracted," Yèchén snarled, swinging the Língxiāo Iron Stick from the heavens.

Lù Tián snorted coldly, blocking the iron stick with his sword, then flipped his weapon to drive Yèchén back.

By this point, the two had clashed for five hundred rounds, with no clear winner.

Even someone as strong as Yèchén was covered in fresh blood, his bones exposed in multiple places. Every wound was tainted with immortal light from the Bùmiè Xiāntǐ, dissolving his essence and preventing healing. His spine had even been severed, a gruesome sight.

Lù Tián looked equally battered, his body covered in scars. Each gash lingered with Yèchén's killing intent, slowing his recovery. The bloody hole in his chest was the most striking, for even the Bùmiè Xiāntǐ's dominant healing couldn't overcome such damage.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Amid the battle, the heavens suddenly hummed. One supreme Dao emperor artifact after another rose into the sky, like brilliant suns illuminating the world. There were over a dozen, all unleashing their supreme emperor aura and forming an emperor-level barrier that sealed off the battlefield entirely.

The one who acted was the Zhǔndì from Tiānxuán Mén, blocking all directions.

At this, Lù Tián halted his attacks and stood in the void, eyeing the emperor artifacts. This was an emperor-level ambush, targeted at him.

With Lù Tián stopping, Yèchén did the same, his killing intent icy cold.

"Lù Tián, the emperor's son, has rarely visited Dàchǔ—why not stay a while longer?" Dōnghuáng Tài Xīn said with a smile, gracefully standing in the void, her voice clear and ethereal.

Lù Tián couldn't help but sneer. "With this setup, are you Zhūtiān Mén planning to gang up on me?"

"Coming from you, that sounds ridiculous," Tiān Lǎo replied, stroking his beard. "In the grudges between Hónghuāng and Zhūtiān, when have you not used numbers to your advantage? You cower when the Tiānmó invade, then emerge to cause chaos after they're gone. Why should we bother with honor against your Hónghuāng clan?"

"I am fighting the Shèngtǐ fairly—do not interfere," Lù Tián snorted coldly.

"You have no leverage to make demands," Dì Lǎo said flatly.

Lù Tián smirked slightly, ignoring the surrounding Zhǔndì and looking only at Yèchén. "Is this your intention as well?"

"The Shèngtǐ lineage never fears battle," Yèchén said with a smile. "But not today. If you want to fight, we'll have a fair one another day. For now, please stay in Dàchǔ for a time."

"So, you plan to use me as leverage against Hónghuāng?" Lù Tián asked with a playful laugh.

"That must be it!" Yèchén shrugged.

Lù Tián almost laughed at the bluntness.

I'm just that straightforward, Yèchén's expression seemed to say. Why run here of all places? It's like delivering yourself on a platter. If we don't take you, we'd be letting heaven down. Capturing you could extort a hefty sum from Hónghuāng—they were already planning to flatten our Zhūtiān, so words are useless.

"Enough talk," Shèng Zūn snapped coldly, striking immediately with a palm that covered the sky and earth, grabbing for Lù Tián. What was a mere Great Saint hopping around for?

Lù Tián ignored it completely, not even glancing over.

Only when Shèng Zūn's palm was about to land did Lù Tián open a third eye on his forehead, blood-red and dripping, with a strange blood wheel mark etched in the pupil.

"The Liùdào Xuè Lún Yǎn," Yèchén said, his face changing instantly.

"Another day, I will kill you," Lù Tián said with a slight curl of his lips, activating the Xuè Lún Tiān Dào and vanishing into a black hole.

"Damn it," Yèchén growled, immediately using the Dà Lúnhuí Tiān Dào to chase after him.

Everything happened in a flash.

Shèng Zūn's palm didn't stop just because Lù Tián and Yèchén had disappeared; it slammed down, carving a massive five-finger imprint into the ground.

"Damn it," the Zhǔndì's faces darkened in an instant. They had calculated everything but never anticipated Lù Tián's Liùdào Xuè Lún Yǎn, let alone that he could activate its Tiān Dào. It was a complete surprise.

"That Liùdào Xuè Lún Yǎn of his should be a pair with the one from Hánjiāng that day," Yuè Huáng murmured.

"Which poor soul had their Xuè Lún Yǎn split between two Hónghuāng emperor's sons?" Dì Lǎo frowned deeply.

"This is awkward—truly embarrassing."

"All our schemes, yet one oversight ruins it all," Dōnghuáng Tài Xīn said, her jade hand clenched tightly, turning pale and bloody.

A shadow fell over the heavens and earth. Whether the Zhǔndì or the people of Dàchǔ, everyone's faces were grim. Letting the top-ranked Hónghuāng emperor's son escape would bring endless trouble. If Lù Tián advanced to Zhǔndì and reached its peak, it would be a massive disaster for Zhūtiān.

"Too humiliating," many muttered, rubbing their brows.

Humiliating indeed—on Dàchǔ's territory, with all these Zhǔndì and over a dozen supreme emperor artifacts, their forces absolutely dominant, yet they let him slip away.

If word got out, Dàchǔ would lose all face—though they never had much to begin with.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

In the misty void, thunderous sounds echoed, their source unknown.

Everyone knew where the booms came from—it had to be the spatial black hole. Lù Tián could use Tiān Dào, and so could Yèchén; only they could enter. They must be battling inside.

And that was exactly what was happening.

In the desolate black hole, devoid of any light and normally calm, roars now filled the air due to Yèchén and Lù Tián's fight.

Yèchén fought like a madman, attacking relentlessly without defense, unleashing moves without regard for his life. Every pore on his body exhaled the essence of the Shèngtǐ; he was no longer just a person but a blazing flame. He activated the Dà Lúnhuí Tiānzàng and layered on various forbidden techniques, boosting his power to its absolute peak without limit.

His urgency was clear: he wanted to slay Lù Tián in the shortest time possible and prevent him from returning, or it would spell catastrophe.

"You can't kill me," Lù Tián said with a faint smile. Yèchén could activate Dà Lúnhuí Tiānzàng for a tenfold power boost, and so could he. Yèchén had many combat-enhancing forbidden arts, and Lù Tián had even more.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The battle, a continuation of the outside world, raged in the spatial black hole, even more ferocious. The scattered brilliant bones and blood stood out starkly in the darkness.

It was obvious that Yèchén's plan for a quick kill was just a pipe dream.

He was strong, but the Bùmiè Xiāntǐ was no joke. Slaying Lù Tián in such a short time was impossible—not because Yèchén wasn't powerful enough, but because the Bùmiè Xiāntǐ was too fearsome.

For someone like Lù Tián, only overwhelming force could truly eliminate him.

Thus, this battle was doomed to have no resolution.

By the hundredth round, Lù Tián escaped—not because he was outmatched, but because continuing was pointless. He couldn't kill Yèchén, and Yèchén couldn't kill him.

Yèchén couldn't stop his escape; as the top-ranked in Hónghuāng, Lù Tián's power was supreme, and his evasion techniques were unmatched through the ages. If Lù Tián wanted to flee, no one at his level could block him.

And so, Yèchén chased for over eight million li without catching up.

"Another day, I will kill you," came a desolate and icy voice from the depths of the black hole, carrying annihilating killing intent and supreme demonic power. Even Yèchén felt a moment of daze.

Yèchén said nothing, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, perhaps too hard, as his nails dug into his palm. Golden sacred blood dripped from his fingers.

Lù Tián's Xuè Lún Yǎn and its Tiān Dào were beyond his expectations. What should have been a perfect capture turned into a laughable twist because of that.

When Yèchén returned to Dàchǔ, he was the center of attention, his body drenched in blood, making hearts tremble.

His face was as black as charcoal, his brilliant golden eyes sparking with fire as he stared at Dōnghuáng Tài Xīn and the others. He looked over each Zhǔndì one by one.

The Zhǔndì coughed awkwardly, each one evasive, glancing around rather than meeting his gaze. Even the usually unruly demons stared up at the endless void.

"Can't deny it—we were really careless this time," Dì Lǎo said, embarrassed.

"Careless my ass," Yèchén finally exploded, his outburst bold and unrestrained.

"That day, when you sealed my Tiān Dào, you were all acting so high and mighty."

"Today, how did you let him escape? Where are your secret arts? Your sealing techniques?"

"So many Zhǔndì, so many emperor artifacts, and you let him slip away. You played a winning hand straight into the gutter."

"You go all out on your own people, but choke at the critical moment."

"I'm not one to hold back—if you're all so improper, then you're just a bunch of shameless old fogies!"

The tenth sovereign of Dàchǔ was furious beyond measure, like a war god possessed—or one pumped with stimulants and gunpowder. He pointed at the Zhǔndì's noses, scolding them with spit flying everywhere, each word fresh and unrepeated.

Not exaggerating, he kept it up for half an hour straight without pausing.

That mouth of his worked better than a Gatling gun, never jamming once.

The little companions of Dàchǔ were stunned, mouths agape and eyes wide.

No wonder they said Yèchén was bold—he dared to curse the Zhǔndì like this, utterly lawless. Anyone else would have been sipping Mèng Pó soup by now.

But thinking about it, with so many Zhǔndì and emperor artifacts, letting a Great Saint escape—who wouldn't be raging? Yèchén was just venting it out.

As for the Zhǔndì, they were thoroughly embarrassed, heads down from the scolding. Some restless ones tried to interject, only to be shut down by Yèchén's tirade.