Chapter 2277: Gathering Pupil Power

Boom! Rumbling!

In the vast starry sky, violent tremors shook the expansive star domain, filled with the light of annihilation and divine radiance. Amidst the rumbling sounds, it was on the verge of collapse. The attacks of the imperial artifacts overturned the world's order, eliminating the laws of yin and yang, turning everything into chaos until the heavens shattered and the earth split.

"Boom, give me boom," the Lü Tian Zu Huang roared, now serving as the new commander of the third alliance army. Clad in golden armor and wielding a golden immortal sword, he pointed toward the You Ming Continent.

This fiend had reached the brink of madness. Originally from the first alliance army, he had led his forces over upon learning of the Di Zi's execution. Rage had clouded his mind, and he was prepared to be dragged into the black hole by Ye Chen, even if it meant depleting Ye Chen's divine power or disregarding his own life. All he wanted was to shatter the protective barrier and slaughter the people of the Heavens on it.

Kill!

The Hong Huang army surrounding the You Ming Continent, from the highest quasi-emperor commanders to the lowest Huang Jing soldiers, had all gone berserk. Not only were the imperial artifacts bombarding, but they were also attacking with all their might—blade lights, sword shadows, fist seals, killing formations, and magical tools—all unleashed endlessly toward the You Ming Continent.

Due to the Hong Huang's frenzy, the You Ming protective barrier had manifested cracks multiple times, buzzing and trembling violently. Even the revered peak-level imperial artifacts could no longer withstand the consumption, teetering on the edge of collapse.

"Hold on," the Sheng Zun's words rang out firmly, shaking the immortal dome.

The Heavens' various quasi-emperors burned like fire—this defensive war had entered a difficult phase. At this rate of bombardment, the You Ming Continent's barrier would not last a day.

"He's not appearing now, so his divine power must be depleted," Di Lao gritted his teeth, his hands holding up the sky, his old face pale, and his mouth occasionally spilling fresh blood.

"That's nonsense," the Sheng Yuan Huang scolded, also coughing up blood. "He moved over four hundred Ancestral Emperors—it's impressive he's still alive, let alone has divine power left."

"Dragging four hundred Ancestral Emperors is his limit," Cang Long Huang wiped the fresh blood from his mouth, his condition extremely poor. "We need to prepare for a bloody battle."

These words truly boosted morale, and no one needed to be told—everyone had already readied themselves to fight to the death. Ye Chen had worked tirelessly to support You Ming for so long, and now that he couldn't hold on, it was their turn. A single Great Saint could drag four hundred Ancestral Emperors, so these old veterans couldn't let the younger generation look down on them. It was just a matter of dying.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

In the silent black hole, things were quite lively. Looking from afar, there was a golden divine light, dazzling and radiant, adding a splash of splendor to the dark black hole. Behind the golden divine light were over four hundred streams of immortal light, of various colors, carrying the aura of Hong Huang and forming a massive formation.

No need to say—it was Ye Chen and the over four hundred Hong Huang Ancestral Emperors.

While the outside battle raged fiercely, these unfortunate brothers weren't idle either, chasing and killing Ye Chen desperately. As always, with Ye Chen's divine power depleted, this was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

Unfortunately, these Ancestral Emperors as quasi-emperors had underestimated Ye Chen.

He was truly slippery—no more than three or five instants, and with just a momentary distraction, he would vanish. After chasing him for over eight million li, not only had they failed to catch the little Great Saint, but they had been left far behind by Ye Chen. They couldn't even land a hit.

"This is too aggressive—have the guts for a one-on-one."

"Over four hundred quasi-emperors chasing one Great Saint—have you no shame!"

"If you can catch me, I'll take your name."

To say Great Chu's tenth emperor had style was an understatement. While fleeing, he didn't forget to hurl insults nonstop. That mouth of his never stopped—if the situation weren't so dire, he would have halted to point at those Ancestral Emperors and curse them out, just like he scolded Great Chu's quasi-emperors.

"We must kill you." The various Ancestral Emperors gnashed their teeth, stifling a surge of internal injuries.

Ye Chen paid it no mind, drifting elegantly toward the depths of the black hole.

While cursing, he was also desperately restoring his divine power.

Unfortunately, he had underestimated the Six Paths Samsara Eye. Its divine technique was overwhelmingly powerful, and divine power was precious—restoring it would take time. Besides, the Heavens couldn't hold out that long.

"Forcing me to swallow the Blood Wheel Eye." Ye Chen waved his hand and took out the Blood Wheel Eye from the Lü Tian one. This immortal eye was on par with the Six Paths Immortal Wheel Eye. If he fused its essence with the Samsara Eye, he could gain some divine power, though the amount would be quite limited.

"Where do you think you're going?" In a moment of distraction, the Qiong Qi Ancestral Emperor caught up. This guy had gone all out, burning his own essence to boost his speed, even catching Ye Chen off guard.

"Destroy him for me." The Qiong Qi Ancestral Emperor bellowed, releasing a red immortal light treasure from his body. It was a divine mirror, red in color and stained with fresh blood, from which eerie ghost wails could be heard—it had clearly devoured many lives.

Buzz!

The divine mirror vibrated, unleashing thousands of blood lights that carried the aura of Hong Huang. Each ray was laden with annihilation killing intent and immense weight, forged from special immortal materials, far from an ordinary Great Saint weapon. The blood lights were fiercely dominant, piercing even the ancient Saint Body and creating several bloody holes.

"Get lost!"

Ye Chen snorted coldly, unleashing his pressure and smashing the divine mirror with a swing of his staff.

Pfft!

With his natal magical tool severely damaged, the Qiong Qi Ancestral Emperor spat blood and staggered back.

In that instant, the over four hundred Ancestral Emperors arrived, unleashing their killing techniques.

Ye Chen smirked cunningly and immediately used Position Exchange. Before the Qiong Qi Ancestral Emperor could steady himself, Ye Chen swapped their positions.

What followed was a bloody scene. The pitiful Qiong Qi Ancestral Emperor was nearly obliterated on the spot. To his credit, he was tough—surviving the attacks of over four hundred quasi-emperors, though his divine body exploded, leaving only half his soul intact.

"See you later." Ye Chen stepped away and vanished in an instant.

"Stay!" The Bi An quasi-emperor shouted coldly, also mastering the Position Exchange technique. As soon as Ye Chen escaped, he was swapped back.

"Exterminate him." The Kui Ba Ancestral Emperor charged in, delivering a destructive sword strike.

Pfft!

Ye Chen was hit, his back slashed by the sword, nearly splitting him in two. Through the gruesome bloody gash, his radiant spine bones were visible, with golden blood flowing shockingly.

"Suppress!" Another Ancestral Emperor roared, ascending to the ninth heaven and pressing down with a palm. The thousand-zhang hand seal was as heavy as a mountain, engraved with ancient seal scripts.

Pfft!

Ye Chen stumbled again, propping up his Overlord outer form and shattering the palm strike.

Zing!

A sword's ring echoed as the Xue Yao Ancestral Emperor ambushed like a ghost. Though it sounded like a sword technique, it was actually a dominating finger strike carrying destructive power, crushing all in its path.

Well, Ye Chen had become the unlucky one—his chest was pierced, and golden blood sprayed out.

"Seal!"

In the same moment, the other over four hundred Ancestral Emperors formed seals together, deploying the Heaven Sealing Great Formation. It consisted of ninety-nine copper pillars forming a cage, connected by law chains, each pillar etched with mysterious immortal patterns specifically for sealing.

Ye Chen steadied himself but felt binding forces closing in.

This seal from over four hundred Ancestral Emperors was no simple matter—it carried not only sealing power but also extermination and devouring forces, nearly suppressing him.

"Break!"

With Ye Chen's roar, a world-shaking dragon's cry erupted as the Eight 部 Celestial Dragon suddenly manifested, eight divine dragons swinging their tails in perfect formation and smashing the so-called Heaven Sealing Great Formation to pieces. The Eight 部 Celestial Dragon fared no better, exploding after destroying the array.

Pfft! Pfft!

The various Ancestral Emperors grunted and retreated, those with weaker foundations spitting blood on the spot.

Pfft!

Ye Chen was no exception, vomiting blood wildly. This head-on clash was truly mutual defeat, and clearly, he was more severely injured—his Saint Body was cracked, and his limbs and bones were shattered in countless places. Still, this strike was bold enough to repel over four hundred quasi-emperors, something no ordinary Great Saint could do, especially in a direct confrontation. A typical Great Saint would have died a thousand times over.

"Come on, keep going." Ye Chen cursed as he turned and fled. His idea of "keep going" meant continuing the chase and kill, casually leading the group of Ancestral Emperors on a stroll—it was quite enjoyable.

"Stay!" The Kui Ba Ancestral Emperor raged, instantly using a forbidden technique to catch up in one step.

"You're asking for it." The fleeing Ye Chen suddenly spun around, swinging his staff and sending the Kui Ba Ancestral Emperor flying. It wasn't his fault—the guy had charged right into it. A clan's emperor had his head smashed, with blood and bones scattering in a gruesome light.

Due to that momentary pause, the Xue Yao Ancestral Emperor struck again, still with that extermination finger.

Pfft!

This time, the blood was exceptionally red, but the one injured wasn't Ye Chen—it was the Xue Yao Ancestral Emperor. The finger had missed, or rather, Ye Chen had used Flying Thunder God. During the earlier battle, he had imprinted a Samsara mark on the Xue Yao Ancestral Emperor.

Thanks to Flying Thunder God, he dodged the finger and, in that instant, teleported behind the Xue Yao Ancestral Emperor. That staff strike was fiercely powerful, nearly blasting him apart.

After repelling the two major Ancestral Emperors, Ye Chen's movements became exceptionally swift, stepping through space to escape thousands of zhang and narrowly dodging the various Ancestral Emperors' killing blows.

"Chase!"

The various Ancestral Emperors roared in fury, their faces twisted with rage to the point of internal organ rupture. The Qiong Qi Ancestral Emperor was the most ferocious among them—he was the strongest but also the most injured, his physical body destroyed, reduced to just his soul.

Normally, in such a situation, Ye Chen would press the advantage, but the battle conditions didn't allow it. Even a two-breath pause would lead to a group beating.

And so, Great Chu's tenth emperor was leading the pack on a chase through the black hole again.

"Kill!"

The various Ancestral Emperors pursued relentlessly, like dog-skin plasters that couldn't be shaken off. A Great Saint realm cultivator being this fierce—if he advanced to quasi-emperor, it would be unthinkable. He had to die.

Ahead, Ye Chen took out another Blood Wheel Eye essence, feeling a pang of heartache.

In the end, he imprinted the Blood Wheel Eye essence into his Samsara Eye.

Immediately, the dim Samsara Immortal Eye flashed with radiant light, and his depleted divine power was replenished, though just as he expected, the amount was extremely limited.

If outsiders saw this, they would surely sigh in amazement—using a Blood Wheel Eye to supplement divine power was sheer wastefulness! A Blood Wheel Eye was so precious, yet it was being used just for divine power.

Not only outsiders thought so—Ye Chen felt the same, his heart aching terribly.

He had no choice; he was forced into it.

This was war, and if needed, he could even abandon the Six Paths Samsara Eye.

After absorbing the Blood Wheel Eye, his speed surged instantly.

After circling around, he returned to the original black hole, seemingly preparing to leave—alone, of course. As for the over four hundred Ancestral Emperors, they could stay and have tea.

"Heavenly Dao, open!"

With a cold shout, he escaped the black hole, making the over four hundred Ancestral Emperors spit blood on the spot. After chasing for so long, it was all for nothing—Ye Chen had escaped again.

Ye Chen reappeared not in the starry sky, but on the You Ming Continent. Perhaps due to heavy consumption, he nearly stumbled upon landing.

Seeing his return, the people of Heavens brightened up. Great Chu's tenth emperor was truly a marvel—he had moved over four hundred Ancestral Emperors and still escaped the black hole.

"Kid, you're really something!" Kui Niu Huang grinned.

"I almost got wiped out." Ye Chen wiped the blood from his mouth and looked toward the protective barrier, which was cracked in many places and buzzing unsteadily. At this rate, it wouldn't last half a day.

"Quickly recover—we're going all out." Dong Huang Tai Xin murmured softly, waving her hand to send a pill into Ye Chen's body. This pill was no ordinary item, a peak-level eight-pattern golden pill refined by the former Pill Venerable, containing vast essence and powerful restorative energy. It rapidly circulated through Ye Chen's body, instantly stabilizing his faltering aura.

"This pill is good." Ye Chen examined his Saint Body and glanced at Dong Huang Tai Xin, rubbing his hands with a chuckle. "Do you have more? Give me a few more."

"Think it's food?" Dong Huang Tai Xin scolded.

"I dragged away over four hundred quasi-emperors—I'm a great hero!"

"How about I sleep with you to reward you?"

"That works." Ye Chen laughed heartily.

"We're in a war—focus." Sheng Zun kicked him. "If anyone's sleeping, it's me."

"Don't mess around—I'll sleep first."

"Get lost—I'll sleep first."

The many improper old quasi-emperors, like Sheng Yuan Huang, Kui Niu Huang, Tian Lao, Di Lao, and others, kicked off their shameless mode, turning the topic of sleeping into something lively. Those in the know realized it was about the Kun Lun Divine Woman, but outsiders might think otherwise.

Dong Huang Tai Xin's beautiful eyes blazed with fire, her immortal face marred by dark expressions. If not for the ongoing war, she would have grabbed an imperial artifact and beaten these scoundrels one by one.

"If not for the war, I'd scold you all." Ye Chen said earnestly.

As soon as he spoke, he received Dong Huang Tai Xin's murderous glare.

"It wasn't me who said it." Ye Chen pouted and stepped into the sky, sending a message with his soul power: "I need special eye pupils."

His words echoed across the You Ming Continent.

"The Saint Body wants them—take them." A female quasi-emperor smiled and gently waved her hand, extracting her Heavenly Eye essence and sending it as an immortal rainbow into the void.

Like her, countless others raised their hands without hesitation, offering their special eye pupils—Heavenly Eyes, Divine Eyes, Immortal Eyes, and more, in various types.

Everyone knew Ye Chen needed divine power and that these special eye pupils could help him restore it. The divine technique of the Samsara Eye was even more dominant in his hands, amplifying its power. In a sense, Ye Chen alone was worth a million troops.

From afar, countless eye pupil essences flew toward the void, in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, painting a magnificent scene across the sky.

Ye Chen said nothing, turning his two Samsara Eyes into vortices that devoured the incoming eye pupil essences. Their levels varied, so the divine power they provided differed, mostly little but occasionally more. As his divine power recovered, the immortal light in his eyes grew brighter.

He had truly underestimated the Heavens' potential—seeing it now was shocking. So many eye pupils exceeded his expectations.

"The Kun Lun Divine Eye is yours." Once Ye Chen had absorbed all the eye pupil essences, Dong Huang Tai Xin waved her hand, generously offering her Divine Eye essence.

"How could I?" Ye Chen coughed, saying so but quickly seizing it with his hand. Without time to examine it, he fused it into his Samsara Eye.

Indeed, Dong Huang Tai Xin's Divine Eye was powerful, providing more divine power than the Blood Wheel Eye. He didn't know its full strength, but it was certainly no weaker than the Blood Wheel Eye.

With his divine power restored, Ye Chen slightly lifted his head, golden light shooting from his eyes.

This time, he wasn't looking at the Hong Huang army, but at the Hong Huang's imperial artifacts.

A crazy idea had taken root in the black hole: to move the Hong Huang's imperial artifacts into the black hole.