Chapter 2658: Five Steps, Five Heavens

Bang!

Under the watchful eyes of all, Tian Zun crashed heavily to the ground. The demon god from the Xiu Luo Jie had his soul scattered and dispersed; though he wasn't originally from this universe, he died in it after being reborn, unable to escape the vast workings of heaven and earth, which prolonged the tragedy of his previous life.

Ye Chen rose to his feet and staggered forward. The word "go" still echoed in his ears, but he didn't leave. With each unsteady step, he approached Xiu Luo Tian Zun, his eyes brimming with tears.

In the midst of the crowd's gaze, the dense ranks of heavenly soldiers and generals, the myriad immortal venerables and immortal lords, and the entire assembly of the Heavenly Court immortals all watched in silence, no one daring to attack.

Compared to them, the figure of Da Chu's Tenth Emperor seemed frail, stumbling and barely able to stand, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

Eventually, he reached Xiu Luo Tian Zun's side.

The once-dominant demon god had breathed his last, his primordial spirit fire extinguished, lying quietly on the ground. His bloodied and mangled face still bore traces of exhaustion and world-weariness, carrying the weight of his life's story.

Buzz!

The emperor artifact Da Shen Bian hummed again, its ultimate emperor aura enveloping the surroundings and suppressing that stretch of heaven and earth, as well as Ye Chen himself. Hui Mie Xian Zun had not killed him.

Or perhaps, it was Yin Ming who forbade it. The ruler of the Heavenly Court still had lingering excitement and hadn't had his fill yet; he wanted to capture Ye Chen alive and make him suffer a fate worse than death, thus quenching the great hatred in his heart.

Ah!

Many immortals sighed, unable to bear watching any longer.

With Tian Zun dead, Ye Chen's fate was sealed to be miserable. He would be taken alive by the Heavenly Court, used by Yin Ming as a plaything, and tormented until death.

"Look! I still won."

Yin Ming chuckled sinisterly, spreading his arms like an artist listening to a divine melody, savoring the wonderful rhythm. His expression was one of utter contentment.

Ye Chen said nothing, pinned in place and unable to move, his face impassive. There was no roaring to the skies, no raging fury—his calm was eerily unsettling.

Suddenly, a chilling wind swept through the heavens and earth.

It was a killing intent. From the highest immortal venerables to the lowest heavenly soldiers, all who felt it shivered involuntarily, their souls trembling, as if a god of slaughter had awakened.

Glancing at Ye Chen, his form had changed.

His dim eyes no longer showed pupils, like two black voids; his snow-white hair, strand by strand, turned crimson; the blood flowing through his body lost its original color, becoming inky black. On his forehead, an ancient divine pattern etched itself, and around him, rolling demonic aura surged—cold, violent, and bloodthirsty, filled with an irresistible demonic nature.

"Is that... bloodline limit?"

An elderly immortal lord exclaimed in surprise, well-versed in knowledge and recognizing this state. It was an undying, immortal condition, with everything elevated to near perfection.

"I underestimated him."

Hui Mie Xian Zun said calmly, his eyes filled with astonishment. He hadn't expected Ye Chen to activate his bloodline limit under the suppression of the ultimate emperor artifact.

But for him, it was irrelevant. Even with the bloodline limit activated, even if undying and unharmed, Ye Chen was still only at Quasi-Emperor Level Three, and under his absolute power suppression, everything was futile.

"What a strong killing intent." The heavenly soldiers and generals trembled, unable to help but retreat, their eyes filled with terrified premonitions that were now coming true. The supreme god of slaughter had awakened.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The Da Shen Bian hummed intensely, all because Ye Chen was forcibly withstanding the emperor aura and slowly rising. The bloody gashes on his body had vanished, his injured primordial spirit fully healed, and his damaged Dao roots reformed once more.

"Must you continue this futile resistance?"

Hui Mie Xian Zun stepped forward, standing in the void like a sovereign, looking down at Ye Chen as if he were an ant, his eyes full of disdain.

Ye Chen remained silent, rising step by step into the sky.

With his first step, scriptures enveloped his body, making him like a Buddha, his Buddhist light illuminating the world. His Quasi-Emperor Level Three cultivation advanced to Level Four.

With his second step, the Buddhist light faded, demonic light rampaged, turning him into a demon king with surging demonic energy. His Quasi-Emperor Level Four cultivation advanced to Level Five.

With his third step, the demonic light dissipated, immortal splendor emerged, making him like an immortal emperor with radiant immortal light. His Quasi-Emperor Level Five cultivation advanced to Level Six.

With his fourth step, the immortal splendor vanished, divine glory appeared, turning him into a divine lord with overwhelming divine might. His Quasi-Emperor Level Six cultivation advanced to Level Seven.

With his fifth step, the divine glory disappeared, demonic aura soared to the heavens, making him once again a demon god with surging demonic energy. His Quasi-Emperor Level Seven cultivation advanced to Level Eight.

Boom!

Only then did he steady himself, standing firm and facing Hui Mie Xian Zun across the vast sky. Perhaps his body was too heavy, causing the universe to collapse under his feet, with demonic aura pressing the void to shatter and obscuring the sun and moon.

In that instant, the heavens and earth seemed to fall into eternity.

Everyone, including Hui Mie Xian Zun, the supreme rulers, and the heavenly soldiers and generals, stared at Ye Chen in stunned disbelief.

He was originally a demon, yet in one step he became a Buddha, in another a god or demon. In just five steps, he advanced through five levels, from Quasi-Emperor Level Three all the way to Level Eight, overturning all known understandings.

"Activating the bloodline limit with five steps to five heavens—this is just too..." The immortals swallowed hard in secret, having seen the extraordinary before, but never anything like this.

"How did he achieve one level per step?" Many immortal venerables murmured to themselves. Such rapid advancement was overwhelmingly dominant.

"One more step, and it's Level Nine. After Level Nine comes the peak—surely he won't go all the way to the Great Emperor realm!" Many people muttered blankly.

Boom! Boom!

Thunder rumbled as demonic aura surged to the skies, lightning flashed, and thunder roared. Yin and yang reversed, the universe turned chaotic. That darkened realm became the domain of the demon god, with countless destructive visions intertwining and manifesting—stars were destroyed, blazing suns collapsed, and a chaotic world suddenly expanded, where every mountain, river, plant, and tree was filled with spirituality and inscribed with supreme demonic power.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ye Chen moved, stepping through the heavens one foot at a time, each step making the universe tremble.

The banging sounds were like funeral bells from hell, slow and rhythmic, turning the faces of the Heavenly Court's experts pale and making their souls quiver uncontrollably.

Buzz!

As he walked, the Ding Hai Shen Needle flew to him, landing once more in his hand and humming intensely. It was tainted with its master's demonic nature and revived its own ferocity, its towering rage dancing with its owner's killing intent, ready to carve out a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood alongside him.

"Incredible."

Hui Mie Xian Zun murmured, his mind slightly dazed. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed such a monstrous being existed in the world. Though only at Level Eight, Ye Chen's momentum actually surpassed his own.

"Kill! Kill him for me!"

Yin Ming stumbled backward, his earlier sinister smile gone, his face now etched with fear. Even with the ultimate emperor artifact guarding him and countless experts protecting him, he was still terrified. He could sense the aura of death from Ye Chen, as if being stared at by a god of slaughter, making his entire body and even his soul feel ice-cold.

He was afraid again, truly afraid, wanting only to destroy Ye Chen quickly and end this nightmare. Ye Chen was his nightmare—too terrifying.

Buzz!

The Da Shen Bian hummed and descended like a divine ray, falling into Hui Mie Xian Zun's hand, its emperor aura flowing and enhancing his Dao principles.

"In the Level Eight realm, I regard you as the strongest."

Hui Mie Xian Zun said indifferently, the emperor artifact in hand making him like a deity descending, with dazzling immortal light scattering across the world.

"You are nothing but a joke."

Ye Chen replied flatly, gripping the iron staff and advancing through the sky, his expression still devoid of joy, anger, or hatred.