Chapter 2297: The Great Chu Barrier Breaks

"Boom, break it for me."

In the vast starry sky, such thunderous roars shook the entire star domain.

Gazing into the distance, the Honghuang army stretched like an endless ocean, a dark mass that blocked out the brilliant starlight and surrounded the gates of the heavens without a single gap.

Compared to Honghuang, Da Chu's forces were like a fragile leaf adrift, flickering with faint light, on the verge of being swallowed whole at any moment.

The booming sounds grew even louder, signaling that Honghuang's attacks were intensifying.

The Da Chu barrier hummed and trembled, on the brink of shattering at any time.

Far away, on a desolate star, five figures stood tall, all clad in ancient dao robes, silently gazing toward Da Chu, their brows furrowed and expressions grim.

These were the five heavenly kings of the forbidden zone, who had already returned and come to this ancient star to observe the battle.

"Da Chu's defenses are strong, but they can't hold off Honghuang's assault forever," Wangchuan Heavenly King said leisurely.

"This is only thanks to their ten imperial artifacts; otherwise, it would have fallen long ago," Huangquan Heavenly King sighed.

"Having survived one calamity, now they face an even greater one," Mingtu Heavenly King said with a helpless shake of his head.

"That damned Zhuxian Sword, what immense power it has," Jingyu Heavenly King snorted coldly. He had a fiery temper, and his ancient, profound eyes gleamed with fierce killing intent, so intense that it caused the surrounding star space to freeze inch by inch with ice. This killing intent was directed at the Zhuxian Sword, as well as at Honghuang.

Tianxu Heavenly King remained silent, his eyes filled with unmistakable helplessness.

From the moment they returned, they knew this war was one they could not join.

Or rather, this war had come at the worst possible time. Even if the forbidden zone wanted to help, they lacked the strength. The ten imperial artifacts were already the maximum aid they could provide. Whether they could withstand Honghuang's attack now depended on the heavens themselves—they were powerless to intervene.

Ah!

With a collective sigh, the five turned and walked away, stepping into the void and gradually fading into the distance.

Along the way back, they occasionally glanced into the emptiness, as if they could see through the boundaries of the human and nether worlds, to Jieming Mountain and the two supreme beings at its peak.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The roaring in Da Chu did not stop because of their departure; instead, it grew more thunderous than ever, shaking the mountains and rivers, and disrupting the balance of yin and yang.

The cultivators of the heavens fell silent, each focused on their duties, guarding their respective territories.

At Nantian Gate Mountain, Ye Chen's wives remained a striking sight. From the beginning, they never looked back, their robes billowing in the wind. Since the day they ascended the city walls, they had no intention of descending. As wives, they possessed a resolute determination to hold the line for their husband.

Like them, the cultivators on the city walls stood firm, ready at any moment to face the invading Honghuang forces. No one felt fear, and no one shied from battle.

"Please, submit to him."

On one side of the wall, Nianwei, clad in battle armor, lowered her head and gazed into her dantian sea with eyes full of hope, looking at the purple Taichu Divine Fire. Her tone was filled with plea.

However, the Taichu Divine Fire remained unresponsive, though it had acknowledged her as its master, it did not truly obey her. Perhaps the proud flame had not fully accepted her; its heart still belonged to its former owner, and the reason it stayed with Nianwei was due to that ancient connection.

"Are you truly going to stand by and watch?" Nianwei's gentle demeanor shifted, now laced with a sharp rebuke.

Unfortunately, what responded was not the Taichu Divine Fire, but a bolt of lightning streaking from the sky.

Indeed, the barrier of this realm had been blasted open with a crack, only two or three zhang long, but it allowed extreme dao imperial might to surge in, transforming into devastating lightning that poured down from the heavens.

Nianwei's expression changed as she instantly retreated.

But the lightning was too fast and seemed to have a will of its own, as if targeting her specifically, hurtling straight toward her with terrifying imperial might.

In a flash, the Taichu Divine Fire surged out, forming a shield of flames.

Clang!

The sound of metal colliding rang out. The fearsome lightning failed to pierce the shield, only sparking bright flashes across it.

However, the Taichu Divine Fire fared no better; the purple divine light surrounding it dimmed considerably, and it wilted back into Nianwei's dantian sea in a hurry.

"Step aside, girl."

The quasi-emperors of the heavens had already gathered from all sides, working together to deploy a formation and seal the crack.

Boom! Bang!

No sooner had they sealed that crack than another appeared elsewhere. Each crack unleashed bolts of lightning, and anyone below who lacked sufficient foundation risked being obliterated in an instant.

"Quickly, seal the cracks!"

Such shouts echoed everywhere in Da Chu.

The Da Chu barrier was weakening, with more cracks being blasted open across the northern and southern regions and all major domains. The invading imperial killing intent was world-shattering, manifesting as bolts of lightning that bridged heaven and earth, rampaging through the realm.

This day was another of great calamity.

Due to the frequent cracks, countless people perished, and many formations collapsed.

Fortunately, the cultivators of the heavens were resilient enough to hold on.

In contrast to the thunderous chaos in the north, the borderlands of southern Chu remained eerily quiet.

On the mountain peak, Ye Chen's pale face had regained some color, but he sat there blankly, lost in thought. His previous forced breakthrough had caused terrifying backlash, and this time, he had truly learned his lesson, no longer daring to act recklessly. If he suffered a few more such setbacks, he wouldn't need to seek enlightenment—he'd be destroyed body and soul.

Da Chu's tenth emperor had considerable talent, but he still needed stepping stones to advance.

Nightfall descended quietly once more.

In silence, he entered a state of enlightenment again.

Meanwhile, Honghuang's bombardment paid no heed to day or night; they were unrelenting, their persistence almost maddening. They had underestimated the strength of the gates of the heavens, which proved far more formidable than the Youming Continent.

Formidable as it was, they would still break through—it was just a matter of time.

Due to their persistence, the ceaseless attacks repeatedly engulfed Da Chu.

The booming sounds were like funeral bells tolling for the heavens.

The roars of the common people were like dirges, sung in advance to honor the fallen heroes.

That night, calamities continued. What was being blasted open was no longer just cracks, but gaping holes. The lightning surging in was no longer isolated bolts, but vast swaths like galactic waterfalls pouring down. Ordinary formations struggled to seal them, and only the strongest peak quasi-emperors could step in, using imperial dao formations to block the way.

In the distant borderlands of southern Chu, Ye Chen sat in meditation like a statue, utterly still.

Bathed in a dim starlight, his brows furrowed slightly, for his heart suddenly ached.

This pain came from Nantian Gate.

Chu Xuan had been injured, with a shocking bloody gash on her body, wound entwined with destructive lightning essence that was eroding her vital energy, causing the injury to not only fail to heal but also spread outward.

Her injury was no accident; earlier, a crack had suddenly appeared, and if she hadn't reacted quickly, Ye Ling might have been obliterated, for that lightning had been aimed at Ye Ling.

Ye Chen's wife was incredibly resolute and never once glanced south.

The same went for Chu Ling and Ji Ningshuang and the others; even a single look back might disturb Ye Chen's enlightenment. Distance was no issue—they were certain he could see them.

As it turned out, Ye Chen could not only see but also feel it. Fresh blood overflowed from the corners of his mouth, causing fluctuations in his enlightenment state and making his dao heart unstable, hard to settle.

This scene drew sighs from the Ming Emperor and Di Huang.

It was truly difficult for Ye Chen to seek enlightenment in such circumstances; staying calm was a challenge. The more urgent the war, the more unstable his dao heart became, and the less likely he was to find a breakthrough opportunity.

Fortunately, Ye Chen's willpower was strong enough. Since Chu Xuan and the others did not look back, he did not open his eyes. Amid the chaotic thoughts, he entered a state of meditation once more, with Chu Xuan's injury, Da Chu's wounds, and the heavens' suffering serving as an invisible driving force. He was determined to achieve quasi-emperor status, even if it cost him his life.

The deep night was shrouded in darkness, and Da Chu's mountains and rivers lost all light, even the glow from the illuminating spirit pearls appearing increasingly dim.

Da Chu was already in ruins.

Looking down from the void, the so-called protective barrier was in tatters, patched up everywhere, its defensive power a far cry from its peak.

"At most, two days, and the barrier will surely break," Chu Huang said, gazing into the distance.

"This time, we'll fight to our heart's content," Zhan Wang said, cracking his neck with a fierce aura surging forth, his war dragon's roar deep and resonant, faintly echoing.

The people of Da Chu did not fear battle, and neither did its emperors.

Like them, the divine generals, Sword God, Jian Zun, and other peak quasi-emperors showed no fear. So what if Honghuang invaded? Even if the heavens fell, they would make Honghuang pay in blood.

The ancestors were not despairing; even in despair, a glimmer of hope remained.

At such times, they all glanced toward the south, looking at Da Chu's tenth emperor.

Ye Chen could feel their gazes.

Chu Xuan was injured, and he hadn't opened his eyes then, but this time, he did.

Amid the booms, he lifted his head and looked into the distance.

As he watched, he subconsciously stood up, his brows furrowed and his face darkening to an extreme.

It wasn't without reason; Honghuang had reinforcements.

These reinforcements weren't many, just a few hundred, but they were all quasi-emperors—more precisely, all Honghuang clan emperors.

Indeed, these clan emperors were the ones Ye Chen had previously sealed into the black hole, and now they had all emerged. Not only them, but six Honghuang imperial artifacts had also come out.

This was all thanks to the Zhuxian Sword, which had cleared a path for the Honghuang clan emperors and imperial artifacts, helping them escape the spatial black hole.

Ye Chen was unaware of this, but the two supreme beings in the nether world saw it clearly.

A few hundred clan emperors were insignificant; the real threat was those six Honghuang imperial artifacts.

The heavens were already at a disadvantage in terms of extreme dao imperial weapons, and their forces would be completely suppressed. With the Da Chu barrier already crumbling, how could they withstand six more Honghuang imperial artifacts joining the fight?

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Crisis after crisis arose today. Besides those six Honghuang extreme dao imperial artifacts, three more imperial weapons charged in from the depths of the stars.

These three imperial artifacts also belonged to Honghuang, from the Tengshe clan, Taowu clan, and Hanjiang clan.

In the past, those three clans had been wiped out, but their imperial artifacts had escaped to hidden places. Now, with the great war raging, they had been summoned to aid Honghuang in conquering the heavens.

"They've come at the perfect time—let's break the barrier in one go," the Honghuang clan emperors laughed wildly without restraint.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

No sooner had the words fallen than the newly arrived nine Honghuang imperial artifacts rose into the sky together, collectively unleashing their extreme dao imperial might, shining like nine suns. Imperial dao laws flowed forth, carrying destructive power.

Buzz!

At the same time, the other Honghuang imperial weapons also radiated with light, their auras linking together to enhance the devastating imperial dao, crushing the star space inch by inch.

"Retreat quickly, fall back to southern Chu," Chu Huang's resolute words, empowered by his primordial spirit, echoed throughout northern Chu. Ye Chen could see it, and as Da Chu's first emperor, how could he not? With nine more Honghuang imperial artifacts, the Da Chu barrier was doomed to break.

The order was given, and domain gates opened one after another as the cultivators of the heavens surged like a tide toward southern Chu. If the barrier couldn't hold, neither could northern Chu. The only remaining defense was the southern Chu city walls.

"Retreat, retreat now!"

Such commands resounded across southern Chu, from peak quasi-emperors to minor heavenly realm cultivators, all withdrawing. The barrier was lost; they could only fortify the southern Chu city walls to buy precious time.

"Break it for me."

Outside Da Chu, the Honghuang clan emperors swung their killing swords in unison, pointing toward Da Chu.

Buzz!

Dozens of imperial artifacts hummed, each sweeping out immortal light. These dozens of lights fused together, forming a single, devastating extreme dao immortal beam capable of shattering any defense. Before the beam even fully descended, the star space collapsed, the cosmos reversed, yin and yang inverted, and all manner of destructive phenomena manifested, freezing time itself, leaving only that terrifying assault.

Boom!

With a massive explosion, the Da Chu protective barrier shattered completely.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

This explosion reduced countless heavens' cultivators to blood mist and collapsed mountains and peaks. Those who hadn't fully retreated to southern Chu were wiped out in droves, with the devastating lightning claiming even more lives, as blood flowers bloomed across the heavens and earth.

Buzz!

The heavens' imperial artifacts moved, streaking like immortal beams into the sky to intercept the Honghuang imperial artifacts. Even the Lingxiao Iron Rod and the White Jade Dragon Chair joined the battle, along with the remnants of Wuya's and Beisheng's imperial artifacts, all charging forth.

Buzz!

The Honghuang imperial artifacts descended from above, holding an absolute numerical advantage, with many in two-against-one formations.

The battle of the imperial artifacts did not take place in Da Chu but in the starry sky.

The heavens' imperial weapons were intelligent enough not to clash with the Honghuang ones in Da Chu; the mere aftermath would be unbearable for the people of the heavens.

The Honghuang imperial artifacts rumbled as they pursued relentlessly, intent on destroying their opponents completely.

"Kill!"

The Honghuang army roared, surging into Da Chu—some soaring on clouds, some on flying swords, some in war chariots—covering the sky like a dark tide, carrying the overwhelming aura of Honghuang as it swallowed the once-beautiful mountains and rivers. Everywhere they passed, no palace remained intact, no peak stood tall; all were trampled into ruins under the demonic iron hooves.

No need to look to know the expressions on the Honghuang invaders were savage, licking their blood-red tongues in frenzied excitement and bloodlust, their eyes glowing with sinister light. After so long, they had finally breached Da Chu's defenses.

Taking Da Chu meant taking the heavens.

This was Honghuang's obsession, one that would be accompanied by mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"Kill!"

The battle cries shook the universe, turning the Honghuang army into a horde of demons.

Ye Chen's enemies were the most ferocious, grinding their teeth in anticipation—they had waited too long for this day. They would raze Da Chu and slaughter everyone connected to Ye Chen, using their blood to quench Honghuang's raging fury.

"Seek enlightenment in peace!"

On the southern Chu city walls, the cultivators of the heavens spoke as one.

This was directed at Ye Chen; he need not join the fight, only continue his enlightenment.

"I will not fail this mission."

Ye Chen said, slowly closing his eyes and standing on the mountain peak like a statue.