Chapter 2380: Source of Power

Chapter 2380: The Source of Power

Buzz!

The eastern starry sky trembled with a buzz, as the ultimate Dao principles manifested and slowly formed into human shapes. It was not just one, but three, standing side by side. All three appeared as women, each possessing unparalleled elegance, like distant dreams that could be admired but never attained.

No one needed to ask; it was clear who these three female emperors were: Hong Lian Nu Di, Dong Hua Nu Di, and Yao Chi Nu Di. They had been seen before in Ye Chen's heavenly tribulation, and everyone knew them well.

Gazing at the three emperors, Mo Yuan, Chen Yi, and the later-arriving Zi Xuan all felt a sense of daze. Though not from emperor Dao inheritances, they were all connected to female emperors, evoking endless thoughts of the passage of time.

Buzz!

Accompanying a tremor in the western starry sky, eight beams of emperor light appeared, transforming into human forms.

Upon closer inspection, they were Shen Di, Mo Di, Yao Di, Wu Clan Da Di, Ling Clan Da Di, Cang Long Da Di, Gu Clan Da Di, and Man Clan Da Di, standing like eight massive mountains.

No wonder they were said to belong to the ancient eight clans; these eight emperors had perfect coordination.

At the same time, from the northern direction, other emperors manifested, all from the southern region's myriad clans: Qi Lin Da Di, Xuan Wu Da Di, Bai Hu Da Di, Qing Long Da Di, and Zhu Que Da Di. These five emperors stood like five monumental steles, their ultimate emperor might shaking the universe.

Boom!

The southern starry sky also stirred with great activity, as five emperors descended.

This time, they were no ordinary figures: the strongest of all, Xuan Yuan Di; the longest-lived, Yan Di; the shortest-lived, Dou Zhan Sheng Huang; the first emperor of the heavens, Pan Gu; and the ancestor of the Zhou Tian, Ren Huang.

The five emperors' might was overwhelming, eclipsing the sun and moon. The very fabric of that starry sky became illusory, overturning the laws, with strands of emperor Dao immortal light forming the most brilliant radiance.

"Twenty-one emperors already."

Kui Niu licked his lips.

"This time, there won't be Father Emperor."

Feng Yu, Li Feng Qiu, and Zi Yu's group of emperor sons murmured. They had appeared during Ji Ning Shuang's Saint King tribulation and wouldn't show up in the Quasi-Emperor tribulation. Even so, the emperor sons still held hope, yearning to see him.

"Perhaps Emperor Zun is here."

The nine venerable kings whispered softly. Whenever a prodigy-level tribulation occurred, they were usually present, only wishing to witness Emperor Zun's divine form again. Unfortunately, it had never happened.

Those from emperor Dao inheritances tensed up, eager to see their ancestral emperors.

Buzz!

As the world hoped, more emperor Dao principle bodies appeared in a neat row: six great emperors—Xian Yu Da Di, Heng Yu Da Di, Shen Tian Da Di, Luo Tian Da Di, Xuan Gu Da Di, and Zhan Gu Da Di. These six emperors were in no way inferior to the others, standing as if on the river of time, ancient and weathered. At the end of the ages, their silhouettes must have witnessed the changes of seas and mulberry fields.

With twenty-seven emperors now present, the starry sky's buzzing had not ceased.

In the ethereal void, shrouded in chaotic mist, Hun Dun Da Di manifested once more, still a hazy blur, his imperial dignity unseen, only a vague silhouette visible.

Following him came Chi Tian Da Di and Gui Di, arriving together.

After them, Tai Xu Long Di made his entrance, once a creator of myths, his emperor Dao inheritance having dominated the primordial era for millions of years. Even as a principle body, he remained fiercely dominant.

Then, Han Jiang Da Di and Meng Hui Da Di appeared simultaneously.

Boom!

No sooner had the two emperors manifested than a thunderous boom shook the entire star domain.

This lineup of emperor Dao bodies was truly overwhelmingly powerful.

A total of thirty-one emperors emerged, positioned across the starry sky in all directions, without exception, all from the primordial races. The world had seen them in Ye Chen's Quasi-Emperor tribulation and could call out their titles. Grievances aside, the divine forms of their ancestors commanded deep respect, and no one dared to desecrate them.

Thus, sixty-four emperors had all appeared.

Many sighed, like the nine venerable kings, who had not seen Emperor Zun even now.

Boom! Rumble!

Amid the rumbling, that vast universe of starry sky collapsed inch by inch, unable to withstand the emperor Dao pressure. The intertwined ultimate emperor might gathered into a terrifying force, with frequent manifestations of destructive visions. Stars were destroyed, suns collapsed, and the so-called fabric of the world was overturned. Yin and yang reversed, reflecting the glory of doomsday, leaving all who watched in a trance.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Emperor weapons hummed once more, some from the heavens, others from various domains, as if sensing their masters' principles. Whether in excitement or agitation, they all burst forth with the most brilliant emperor light.

Surrounded by the sixty-four emperors, Ji Ning Shuang felt her heart trembling. The battle had not even begun, yet her primordial spirit ached, and her true body felt icy to the bone, as if she had fallen into Jiu You.

"Keep your Dao heart alive, and your body will not perish."

Ye Chen hurriedly transmitted his voice.

He had experienced this lineup of sixty-four emperors before—it was a calamity of ten deaths and no life. Even a moment of mercy could lead to body and soul destruction, for the heavens were too jealous.

Ji Ning Shuang nodded, etching an immortal mark on her brow, instantly unleashing her full combat power.

At her peak, she stunned those of the same level, even making the emperor son-level Quasi-Emperors show awe. Even Ye Chen felt a surge of surprise—his wife's aura was overwhelmingly strong.

Boom! Bang!

The sixty-four emperors moved in unison, each body immensely heavy, cracking the starry sky with their steps. At the same moment, they unleashed emperor Dao immortal techniques, all lethal killing arts.

Ji Ning Shuang said nothing, vanishing in an instant and perfectly evading them. The myriad emperor Dao attacks filled the sky, yet none hit her, instead blasting the starry sky to pieces inch by inch.

"Flying Thunder God Art?"

Xie Yun raised an eyebrow, glancing at Ye Chen.

"It's Dream Return to Ancient Times."

Ye Chen replied calmly, seeing it most clearly.

After ten years of seclusion, Ji Ning Shuang's comprehension of the dream Dao had deepened with many new insights. She entered dreams in an instant and exited in another, sharing similarities with the Flying Thunder God Art, yet even more profound, using dreams as marks for shuttling back and forth.

Unfortunately, among the sixty-four, there was Meng Hui Da Di.

He was the progenitor of the dream Dao, his comprehension far surpassing that of Dong Shen. Though Ji Ning Shuang evaded one emperor Dao kill, he shattered her Dream Return to Ancient Times.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The true tribulation began. Even someone as strong as Dong Shen Yao Chi struggled to hold out. A single wave of emperor Dao attacks nearly obliterated her. Facing sixty-four emperors, she was utterly outmatched.

Fortunately, her foundation was deep, and with additional support, she had undergone a transformation when she slew the heavenly Dao demon statue, merging her emperor Dao essence with the Dao of all things.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Under the world's gaze, Ji Ning Shuang was repeatedly wounded. Her sacred immortal body was stained with fresh blood, dyeing the starry sky red. Before truly falling, she was ground to ash by the emperor Dao might.

It was brutal; the battle scene was too savage and bloody.

Sixty-four emperors against one—what a lineup. Even Dong Shen could not withstand the onslaught. Bloody gashes and marks covered her body, each infused with emperor Dao dim light, eroding her vital energy. Not only did the wounds not heal, but they also spread outward.

The bloody scenes pierced the eyes, and many could not bear to watch.

In the eyes of the world, this heavenly tribulation was no longer a divine punishment but an emperor Dao war. The starry space had collapsed, the fabric of the world shattered, and the vast star domain was enveloped by visions of destruction. It was the supreme Dao, also Dong Shen's Dao, manifesting as Dao forms.

The spectators, now retreated to the star domain's edge, fell silent.

Even peak Quasi-Emperors could not hide their shocked hearts, feeling the same as when watching Ye Chen's tribulation. A single Quasi-Emperor tribulation was this terrifying—what would an emperor tribulation be like?

Pfft!

Under the world's watch, Ji Ning Shuang spat blood again, the crimson blood flowers both tragic and splendid.

The emperor Dao attacks destroyed heaven and earth, leaving her teetering on the edge of life and death at every moment. Her immortal body exploded repeatedly, only to reform each time, bathing in emperor blood as she fought against the heavens.

In that instant, Xuan Yuan Di struck.

The attack of the strongest great emperor of the heavens was devastating, sending Ji Ning Shuang flying with a sword. Before she could steady herself, the other sixty-three emperors closed in from all sides.

In an instant, sixty-four emperor-level seals descended from the air. Ji Ning Shuang, who had just stabilized, was suppressed on the spot, her immortal body's essence and bloodline being utterly extinguished.

At that moment, the hearts of the world grew half cold.

This was not just one emperor, but sixty-four. They wielded emperor-level seals, and unless something unexpected happened, Dong Shen would be suppressed and refined to the point of soul scattering.

The Quasi-Emperors of Da Chu all looked grave.

Indeed, the emperor Dao principle body tribulation was full of variables, each emperor a variable. Once caught and sealed by emperor Dao, it meant death.

Chu Xuan and the others paled, their jade hands in their sleeves trembling uncontrollably. Even Xiao Luo Xi's eyes brimmed with mist, her Quasi-Emperor-level heart frightened to the point of wanting to cry.

"Keep your Dao heart alive, and your body will not perish."

Ye Chen's eyes were bloodshot, not transmitting for the first time. There were moments when he nearly rushed in to fight the emperor Dao for Ji Ning Shuang, but he could not—it was not his tribulation.

Ji Ning Shuang stood firm, one step at a time, slightly tilting her head back to silently gaze at the sixty-four emperors.

They were like rounds of suns, their light illuminating the world.

But they were not true emperors; they carried the will of heaven, executing those who defied it.

And she was that defier, a rebel against heaven, whether in her past life or this one, never submitting to it. Precisely because of that, she and Ye Chen had created Ye Fan.

Perhaps no one knew that from the start of this battle, she fought as a mother, battling the heavenly tribulation and emperor Dao, all for her child.

Her son Ye Fan had endured heavenly punishments night after night for countless days and years.

And the culprit was that damned heaven, its merciless heavenly punishments causing her Ye Fan to cry out in pain in his dreams, calling for his mother.

Mother, it hurts!

That cry had echoed in her ears for centuries, like cruel knives gouging her heart. That young life had suffered hardships from the very beginning.

It was that cry that reignited the dim light in her eyes, fueling her resolve.

In the darkness, a boundless power seemed to awaken, adding a new Dao to her Dao of all things—that of invincible will, the Dao of invincible war.

And now, as a mother, she would use this Dao to settle accounts with heaven.

In an instant, another immortal mark appeared on her brow, her divine treasury fully opened.

In an instant, her hair turned snow-white, her combat power reborn. Using her Dao to attack the emperor Dao, she broke the seal, transforming into a phoenix and reborn in the ethereal void through flames.

She was not of the phoenix clan; this form was merely an outer manifestation of her Dao.

Roar! Roar!

Immediately, dragon roars echoed as the sixty-four emperors all turned into divine dragons of various colors, coiling upward and striking the nine heavens, intent on completely erasing that reborn phoenix.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The rumbling resumed, shattering the vast star domain. One phoenix and sixty-four divine dragons clashed with their Daos, from the eastern starry sky to the northern firmament; from the northern firmament to the western ethereal void; and from the western ethereal void to the southern starry heavens.

Wherever the battle raged, chaos ensued, bathed in light of destruction and doomsday.

The phoenix's cries and the divine dragons' roars intertwined with the rumbling, composing a funeral song, or perhaps a death knell—who it was for depended on who won this tribulation.

"Once again, Dao against Dao—which is stronger?"

Yue Huang murmured softly, gazing upward quietly.

No one could answer. After all, it was sixty-four emperor Daos; if Ji Ning Shuang lost even once, it meant body and soul destruction. This heavenly tribulation had been a trial of ten deaths and no life from the start.

Looking at Ye Chen, his bloodshot eyes were brimming with hot tears.

She was his wife, and as her husband, he understood her heart—she fought for Ye Fan, pitting herself against emperor Dao and heaven itself, seeking justice for her child.

Never before had Ji Ning Shuang's figure in his eyes been so clear: a phoenix reborn from the flames, carrying her lifelong conviction.

That conviction was motherly love, the source of boundless power.

"Fan Er, are you seeing this?"

Ye Chen murmured lightly, filled with guilt. He was not a qualified father, but Ji Ning Shuang was an exemplary mother.

"She has the upper hand."

Xi Yan said excitedly, interrupting his thoughts.

When they looked back at the void, Ji Ning Shuang's phoenix glowed with immortal light. In contrast, the sixty-four emperor Daos, though their dragon bodies remained, had their surrounding emperor light gradually dimming.

This proved Ji Ning Shuang had gained the advantage, even absorbing the sixty-four emperors' Daos.

"No wonder they're a couple; their tactics are so alike."

Sheng Zun sighed.

Those who had seen Ye Chen's Great Saint tribulation understood: Ye Chen had devoured emperor Dao with chaotic Dao, while Ji Ning Shuang, by a different path, absorbed the sixty-four emperor Daos with the Dao of all things.

The kings drew a deep breath; the outcome of this tribulation was clear. Unless something unexpected happened, Ji Ning Shuang would be reborn and break through, defeating the emperor Dao to become a sealed Quasi-Emperor.

The divine generals straightened their backs; the most difficult period had passed, and light now shone upon the world.

No one knew when the rumbling finally faded.

Gazing into the void, the battle scene was gone; the phoenix had reverted to Ji Ning Shuang.

The sixty-four emperors had also returned to human form, each like a primordial spirit state, nearly transparent, their emperor Dao principles faded, and the once brilliant emperor Dao immortal light extinguished to the extreme. They had lost; even sixty-four emperors together could not execute this junior.

In the same instant, the sixty-four emperors turned their gazes, all looking at Ji Ning Shuang with the smiles of great emperors—that was their satisfaction and recognition of this junior. The era forges heroes, and this young woman of the later generations was also a hero, her spirit undaunted by men.

"I respectfully see off the ancestors of past generations."

Ji Ning Shuang stood firm, cupping her hands and bowing deeply to the sixty-four emperors, showing utmost respect. Regardless of grievances, they were all ancestral emperors, and as a junior, she owed them this courtesy.

"I respectfully see off the ancestors of past generations."

Everyone present cupped their hands, without a hint of jest, all with eyes full of reverence.

The sixty-four emperors smiled as their bodies slowly dissipated into the void, leaving the world with only ancient, weathered silhouettes and segments of immortal myths.