Chapter 2472: The Universe Collapses

The ancient battlefield roared and trembled violently.

Another Tian Mo Di appeared, a genuine peak emperor titled Hui Mie, known as the Hui Mie Mo Di. He was not only stronger than Zang Mie Mo Di but also more demonic, like a sovereign overlooking the world. His imperial eyes held only contempt and destruction.

Boom! Rumble!

The heavens and earth shook, unable to withstand the pressure of two great accomplished sacred bodies or two peak emperors. Yin and yang vanished, and the Qian Kun utterly shattered.

"Capture them alive." Hui Mie Mo Di let out a dark laugh and charged directly at Di Huang, unleashing a palm strike that covered the sky.

"Simple enough." Zang Mie Mo Di smirked slightly, his gaze fixed on Hong Yan. He struck with an imperial immortal technique, his finger beam destroying everything in its path, capable of piercing through all existence.

Di Huang and Hong Yan said nothing, their auras instantly reaching their peak.

Capture them alive? Where does your confidence come from? Do you really think my sacred body lineage is just for show? Even if we are not in the myriad heavens, we fear no peak emperor. If it's war you want, then let it come.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The imperial battle erupted instantly, with deafening rumbles echoing across the eight directions.

Two great accomplished sacred bodies battled two peak emperors, a two-on-two lineup with no suppression of power—it was the ultimate clash. Every strike against each other shattered the heavens and destroyed the earth.

Clearly, the fight was evenly matched.

Neither the two sacred bodies nor the two emperors could gain the upper hand.

Hui Mie Mo Di was incredibly strong, but Di Huang was no pushover.

Zang Mie Mo Di was terrifying, yet Hong Yan, with her heroic spirit, was his equal.

"How is this possible?"

The two Tian Mo Di wore icy expressions, finding it hard to believe. They had truly underestimated these two sacred bodies—not only could they hold their ground, but they fought fiercely. As peak emperors, they couldn't even take them down.

On the other side, Di Huang and Hong Yan remained solemn.

Especially Di Huang, who had slain peak emperors in the myriad heavens before. However, the unrestrained Hui Mie Mo Di was far beyond the Cai Jue Mo Di in power—truly overwhelmingly strong.

Boom! Rumble!

The battle between the great accomplished sacred bodies and the emperors was even more brutal than imagined. The sacred bodies were bathed in imperial blood, and the emperors in sacred blood. Blood rain fell like a shower of light, staining the Qian Kun.

The vast and profound starry skies of the myriad heavens stretched endlessly.

In the haze, a faint golden light could be seen flickering, the immortal light of Ye Chen's tribulation response.

Since his burial in the Northern Sacred Tomb, three to five days had passed, yet he had still not entered the world.

Ren Wang watched, Ming Di watched, and Dao Zu watched. Among the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity, only these three could see it. They sat cross-legged on mountain peaks, hands clasped, observing Ye Chen's tribulation immortal light as it wandered about. It seemed as if it wouldn't stop until the end of time.

"Does he really have to respond to the tribulation with his memories?" Ren Wang muttered, his face bruised and swollen—it wasn't the first time he'd said this. In the inherited memories of the human emperors, there were secrets about such tribulations, unlike any ordinary ones.

Since even he thought so, Ming Di and Dao Zu had basically confirmed it. The tenth emperor of Great Chu was about to set a new precedent, responding to the tribulation with his memories and rampaging through the human world.

At that moment, Ye Chen was the most bewildered of all.

His mind was still in the realm of consciousness, wearing a look of utter confusion. It was his first tribulation, and he truly had no experience. He felt as though he had already entered the world to respond, but as for where that was, he had no idea. His entire consciousness was adrift, like he was dead or dreaming—everything felt unreal.

"What a talent." Ming Di took a deep breath; he had muttered those words countless times. Di Huang was an outstanding individual, and Hong Yan was equally exceptional. Everyone in the sacred body lineage was downright monstrous.

Boom!

No sooner had Ming Di spoken than a rumble shook the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity.

Ren Wang, Ming Di, and Dao Zu all rose to their feet. The two great supremes and one supreme remnant soul gazed together toward the vast void, their eyes narrowing, brows furrowed with a sense of impending doom.

"Another change?"

Even peak quasi-emperors heard the rumble, many standing on mountain peaks and gazing into the distance. Numerous juniors were also startled, their hearts trembling.

Boom! Rumble!

Following the first boom, the rumbles grew more frequent, making the three realms quake. It was as if a great battle was raging, each rumble like a death knell tolling for all living beings.

"What's happening?" The Great Chu quasi-emperors gathered on the mountain peaks, all looking to Ren Wang.

"The ancient Hong Huang." Ren Wang replied calmly, without a hint of jest.

The crowd of quasi-emperors frowned. In recent years, the rumbles from the ancient Hong Huang had occurred every so often, growing more frequent with time. But this time was different from before, instilling a deep sense of dread in their hearts, as if a great catastrophe was approaching. That unknown feeling was the most terrifying.

"Could Di Huang and Hong Yan have met with an accident?"

In the Tian Xu forbidden zone, the Tian Wang murmured while gazing at the vast sky, a hint of worry in his eyes.

To put it bluntly, the two great accomplished sacred bodies were the vanguard of the myriad heavens, much like the Di Zun of the past. No one knew what mishap befell Di Zun in the ancient Hong Huang—he must have encountered some dreadful existence, resulting in one emperor's death and the annihilation of a million divine generals.

Now, Di Huang and Hong Yan, the two sacred bodies, might follow in Di Zun's footsteps.

"Should we bring Ruoxi back to the forbidden zone?"

Lian Yu Tian Wang sent a message.

"The time isn't right; she must stay in Great Chu." Tian Xu Tian Wang replied flatly.

"Don't worry, as long as Tian Di doesn't appear, no one can kill her." Wang Chuan Tian Wang said.

"Of course, we're not worried about her safety." Ming Tu Tian Wang took a deep breath. "What we fear is that the Zhu Xian Sword might control her. One misstep, and our Heavenly Court's eternal schemes will all be for nothing."

"It's better to bring her here." Huang Quan Tian Wang stroked his beard.

Tian Xu Tian Wang said nothing, his fingers twitching in his sleeve as he secretly divined. His aged eyes were profound; though his heaven-altering divine ability wasn't as strong as Ren Wang's, it still defied fate.

Unfortunately, in this era of imperial changes, the future he calculated was a chaotic blur, constantly shifting rather than fixed. Whether it brought fortune or disaster, it was impossible to tell.

Boom! Rumble!

As they spoke, the booms intensified. Even the five great Tian Wang felt their hearts tremble, a sense of foreboding enveloping them. They were certain a world-shaking battle was unfolding in the ancient Hong Huang.

"Hope they hold out until a new emperor emerges in the myriad heavens."

Ming Di and Dao Zu said gravely. Without needing to calculate, they knew there was turmoil in the ancient Hong Huang—it had to be a great battle involving Di Huang and Hong Yan. As for their opponents, it was still unknown, but likely Tian Mo, and at the emperor level.

The rumbles of the imperial conquest faded away at some point.

The ancient battlefield was empty, with no sign of Di Huang or Hong Yan, nor of Hui Mie Mo Di and Zang Mie Mo Di. Only lingering blood mist drifted, stained with imperial and sacred blood.

This battlefield was truly fortunate.

Ten thousand years ago, one emperor and a million divine generals had clashed in a bloody battle with the Tian Mo, both sides having emperors, and one even a Tian Di. Ten thousand years later, it continued that glorious legacy—a two-on-two lineup of two great accomplished sacred bodies against two peak emperors.

It had witnessed two epochal battles, truly an imperial battlefield.

In some unknown corner, a graceful figure stumbled along, clad in blood-soaked battle armor and holding a dripping sacred sword. She was bathed in the glow of doomsday, swaying as if she might collapse at any moment. With every step, she left a bloody footprint. Her watery eyes had grown dim.

Who else could she be but Hong Yan?

She had fought an emperor and suffered severe injuries—not because she was weak, but because peak emperors were too formidable.

Di Huang was no longer by her side.

The battle ended in a draw, but the supreme-level conflict had disrupted the Qian Kun, causing the heavens and earth to turmoil. Whether it was Di Huang and her, or the two peak Tian Mo Di, they had all been backlashed by a mysterious force and swept to unknown places.

She had no idea where she was, where Di Huang was, or even if she was still in the ancient Hong Huang or on the way there.

The path stretched on endlessly.

The two sacred bodies had been separated. The exhausted Hong Yan cut a lonely figure, her expression growing hazy. She had gone to great lengths to enter the ancient Hong Huang, but now that she was here, an unknown fear crept in. The road ahead was uncertain, making her yearn for the myriad heavens.

Hee-hee!

As she walked, a sinister laugh echoed from ahead.

Hearing it, Hong Yan halted abruptly.

Before her eyes, rolling black mist surged, carrying hordes of demons—all Tian Mo. Their eyes were fiercely terrifying, their fangs bared and gleaming menacingly. Leading them was a Tian Mo Di, an entry-level emperor wielding a jet-black battle spear, his aura overwhelming. His imperial eyes swirled with violent light as he laughed darkly at Hong Yan.

Hong Yan staggered slightly, steadying herself, and glanced back.

Behind her, more Tian Mo appeared, led by another Tian Mo Di with blood-red hair, commanding countless Tian Mo soldiers. Their numbers were incalculable, surrounding her like an ocean, with her at the center, like a single grain in a vast storehouse.

She still didn't know where all these Tian Mo on the road to the ancient Hong Huang had come from—many were at the emperor level, and even the Tian Mo soldiers were at least at the saint level. The formation was extraordinarily massive.

"A female sacred body? Today will be a great harvest." The blood-haired Mo Di chuckled darkly, licking his scarlet tongue. In his violent gaze, a hint of lust emerged.

Hong Yan said nothing, wiping the fresh blood from her mouth.

In an instant, she sacrificed her lifespan to restore her injuries as much as possible and forcibly gathered her combat power. She could ignore the Tian Mo soldiers, and the two entry-level emperors weren't much of a threat, but what she feared was her wounded state without peak power. If another peak emperor showed up, she would be doomed.

"She's barely hanging on—grab her alive." The Tian Mo Di laughed.

At his command, the Tian Mo soldiers surged like a tide from all directions, their faces twisted in ferocity as they unleashed torrents of demonic energy, devouring the heavens and earth, instantly engulfing Hong Yan.

A phoenix's cry rang out as eight golden phoenixes emerged from the flames, manifestations of the female sacred body's divine repository, similar to the Eight Heavenly Dragons. Though they lacked the dragons' sweeping tails, they possessed destructive power. Any touched by the phoenix immortal fire were obliterated in droves, including peak quasi-emperors.

This sight made the ferocious Tian Mo soldiers show expressions of horror.

"I underestimated you."

The blood-haired Mo Di sneered, stepping across the Qian Kun to attack.

Hong Yan didn't even glance at him. Her sacred sword rang out, carving a brilliant immortal river with one strike. The blood-haired Mo Di, who had just arrived and hadn't stabilized himself or unleashed his attack, was flung back by the sword, his imperial body crashing heavily and collapsing the Qian Kun.

In that same instant, the other Tian Mo Di struck, his finger beam piercing her sacred body.

Hong Yan snorted coldly, striking back with her crystalline jade hand and sending the Tian Mo Di flying. Dragging her blood-drenched sacred body, she fled into the sky.

"Not so fast!" The two Tian Mo Di snarled viciously, one pursuing from the left and the other from the right.