Chapter 2719: The Emperor's Dao

"Too late."

Just as Jin Ni Huang finished speaking, Dong Huang Tai Xin let out a cold snort. After so many years, he was utterly disappointed in the Hong Huang clans. Bloody examples were everywhere, leaving no trace of pity.

"Blood debts must be paid with blood."

Chu Huang roared loudly and immediately activated the Di Jian Xuan Yuan.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

In that instant, the Feng Huang Qin, Kun Lun Jing, Kai Tian Fu, Xian Wang Ta, and over a dozen other supreme Di Bing rushed into the vast void, radiating their most brilliant emperor light. Like rounds of blazing suns, their devastating divine power gathered to its peak, unleashing a supreme strike.

Boom!

The emperor light struck the Jin Ni clan's barrier, causing a thunderous roar. To the surprise of the cultivators from all heavens, the combined force of over a dozen emperor artifacts, empowered by countless Quasi-Emperors, failed to break through the barrier.

The Quasi-Emperors halted their attack, all narrowing their eyes as they stared at the peak of a mountain in the Jin Ni territory.

On that mountain peak, a figure appeared, clad in a purple-gold divine robe. His form flickered between illusion and solidity, as if standing on the river of time, ancient and weathered. Surrounded by supreme Dao principles and accompanied by emperor Dao visions, the pressure he exuded made all living beings tremble.

"Di Zhi Shen Nian Shen?" Di Lao frowned.

"More precisely, it's Di Zhi Dao Nian Shen," Yue Huang said softly.

"What's the difference?"

"One is of the spirit, the other of the Dao. What they share is the ability to unleash the power of an emperor."

"No wonder we couldn't break the barrier."

The Quasi-Emperors murmured among themselves. It was clear that the Di Zhi Dao Nian Shen was sustaining the Jin Ni barrier, serving as its central anchor. Otherwise, a single strike would have shattered the immortal array's defense.

Boom! Boom!

The Jin Ni ancestral land rumbled, with mountains shaking and lightning flashing. It seemed unable to withstand the emperor Dao pressure, and even this vast star domain was affected, trembling in waves.

"Da Da Di?"

The cultivators from all heavens were shocked, their expressions changing abruptly as their hearts quaked. Those with weaker cultivation felt an urge to kneel. This fearsome pressure was even greater than that of a supreme Di Bing.

"It's not a true emperor, but a Di Zhi Dao Nian Shen."

The elder cultivators spoke calmly, without fear. As long as it wasn't a real emperor, it was manageable. Though the Dao Nian Shen was powerful, the heavens were not defenseless, and many could slay a Di Zhi Dao Nian.

"How interesting!"

"In the past, the Teng She had an emperor body, and Qiong Qi had a divine thought. Now the Jin Ni clan hides a Dao Nian Shen. The foundations of the great Hong Huang clans are truly formidable, living up to their inheritance of the emperor Dao."

"With this trump card, they hid during the Tian Mo invasion."

There were sighs of admiration mixed with criticism. Every time they wiped out a Hong Huang clan, some surprise always emerged. If not seen with their own eyes, no one would know that the human realm's power could be this overwhelming. Unfortunately, the Hong Huang brought out the Dao Nian Shen not to fight the Tian Mo, but to intimidate the heavens.

Ye Chen watched quietly, his cold laugh laced with irony. The Hong Huang clans had such strong foundations, yet they never helped during the Tian Mo invasion. But when attacking the heavens, they pulled out all their trump cards.

"Can we handle it?" Xiao Yuan Huang tugged at Ye Chen's sleeve.

Ye Chen said nothing, but his pair of transcendent Chaos Eyes provided the best answer. At half-step Dacheng, he was invincible below a great emperor, and even a Di Zhi Dao Nian Shen was no match.

"This time, we retreat, and our two sides will not interfere with each other."

Jin Ni Huang roared hoarsely, gaining some confidence from his clan's Di Zhi Dao Nian Shen.

"No rest until death."

Ye Chen said indifferently, then gently closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his Chaos Eyes had transformed into Six Dao Wheel Eyes. He executed the Great Wheel Reincarnation Heavenly Dao, vanishing in an instant and reappearing in the Jin Ni ancestral land.

"You..." Jin Ni clan's emperor staggered back a step.

Ye Chen ignored him, charging straight at the Jin Ni Dao Nian Shen, his golden Qi and blood sweeping across the eight directions.

Perhaps sensing the threat, the Jin Ni Dao Nian Shen turned its gaze.

Facing it was a golden fist that pierced through the vast cosmos, its power dominating heaven and earth.

The Dao Nian Shen's consciousness revived, stepping forth to shatter the skies and striking out with a palm.

Boom!

Fist met palm, and the explosion echoed through the nine heavens. A destructive halo expanded infinitely across the four seas and eight wastelands. Wherever the halo passed, mountains collapsed one after another, and countless Jin Ni clan members were obliterated into ash, even Quasi-Emperor level ones struggling to survive.

In the battle, Ye Chen stood firm without moving.

In contrast, the Jin Ni Dao Nian Shen retreated step by step, each footfall crushing the void. Its hand bones shattered, and blood overflowed from its mouth. In the fight against the Sacred Body, it was utterly defeated in one exchange.

"Impressive."

Seeing Ye Chen gain the upper hand, the people of the heavens erupted in excitement, their cheers shaking the skies. The heavens were not without heroes—though Sacred Body Di Huang had left, there was now half-step Dacheng Ye Chen to hold the line.

"Impossible." Jin Ni clan's emperor could hardly believe it, and neither could the Jin Ni people. That was an emperor's Dao Nian Shen, capable of emperor-level combat, yet it was defeated in a single round.

But they had no idea that Ye Chen at the ninth heaven could already slay a Tian Mo emperor.

Now, at Quasi-Emperor peak and half-step Dacheng, he was just half a step from the supreme level. Not to mention a Dao Nian Shen, even if Jin Ni Da Di himself appeared, Ye Chen could trade blows.

Boom! Boom!

Thunder rumbled again as the Dao Nian Shen raged, its body enveloped in divine glory. Beneath its feet, a vast immortal sea emerged, with even more destructive emperor Dao principles, draining all color from the world.

But this seemed futile. Ye Chen charged forward aggressively, striking with the Nine Dao Eight Wastelands.

Pfft!

The Dao Nian Shen's newly reformed hand was blasted apart by Ye Chen's punch.

This time, it retreated further, coughing up blood in large mouthfuls.

Before it could steady itself, it unleashed an emperor Dao vision. A vast immortal realm appeared, with mountains and rivers intertwined and immortal Qi swirling, all formed from the emperor's Dao essence. Ethereal heavenly sounds echoed through the cosmos.

Bang!

Ye Chen shattered the skies with a step, not even needing his Chaos vision. He plunged into the vast immortal realm, his attacks swift, decisive, and domineering. A single punch pierced through the realm, sending the Dao Nian retreating.

The Jin Ni Dao Nian Shen's emperor eyes flashed with cold light as it halted abruptly, using one hand to manifest an emperor Dao immortal technique. It formed a rampaging sea of thunder that engulfed the heavens and earth, instantly swallowing Ye Chen.

"Break!"

Ye Chen roared, shaking the immortal dome like a true dragon leaping forth, and struck down with a palm from the air.

Pfft!

The Jin Ni Dao Nian Shen spat blood again, its legs bending under the palm's force as it sprayed fresh blood wildly. Its divine body cracked open, with emperor blood spurting from the fissures.

It was exceptional enough to withstand the palm strike, surging upward like divine light.

Ye Chen's eyes blazed like torches, sweeping forth with overwhelming killing intent, piercing straight into the heavens.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

In the ethereal void, the Great Dao Supreme Heaven unfolded, an emperor Dao battlefield created just for them. The great battle erupted, with explosions shaking the nine heavens. Blood rained down from the skies, all from the Jin Ni Dao Nian Shen. From the start, it had been suppressed by the Ancient Sacred Body, beaten from the eastern void all the way to the western expanse, bleeding repeatedly.

An emperor's Dao Nian was no match for half-step Dacheng. Even with emperor immortal techniques and Dao essence, it couldn't withstand the Sacred Body's assault. All its divine abilities paled against Ye Chen's golden fists.

"That might just be the legendary fist that breaks all laws."

Tian Lao sighed, his eyes gleaming. Any divine ability or immortal technique seemed illusory before Ye Chen, who hammered the Dao Nian into constant retreat, unable even to stand steady.

"The Sacred Body is domineering."

Witnessing Ye Chen pummel the Di Zhi Dao Nian, the people of the heavens roared even more excitedly, their blood boiling. As they said, the heavens were not without heroes—the Ancient Sacred Body lineage was overwhelmingly dominant.

"I can't imagine how heaven-defying he'd be if he reached Dacheng."

Sheng Zun clicked his tongue, and the four peak sword cultivators eyed Ye Chen warily, all respecting the tenth emperor of Great Chu.

He would undoubtedly be heaven-defying. If he achieved Dacheng, even Di Huang might not compare.

"This presence is just like Di Zun's."

The Fifth Shen Jiang laughed, his eyes dazed at Ye Chen's display. Because of Ye Chen, he saw the shadow of Di Zun—equally domineering and equally heaven-defying.

"Beat him! Beat him to death!"

Xiao Yuan Huang jumped three feet high, and Kui Niu was like a frenzied beast. The younger generations of the heavens shouted loudly, venting the pent-up frustration from the battle.

Compared to the heavens, the Jin Ni clan's eyes were filled with despair.

From the emperor down to the lowest soldiers, their bodies tensed. If the Di Zhi Dao Nian won, the Jin Ni clan still had leverage for negotiation. If it lost, the entire clan would be wiped out.

With each spurt of blood from the Dao Nian Shen, their so-called hope turned into ridiculous despair.

The Di Zhi Dao Nian was defeated, utterly crushed. It hadn't harmed the Sacred Body at all and was nearly obliterated. Its blood-soaked body was a stark sight, with emperor bones stained in emperor blood, scattered across the Supreme Heaven.

"Break!"

Ye Chen roared, his fist infused with his Dao and invincible will, piercing through the vast skies.

Pfft!

Splendid blood flowers bloomed in the Supreme Heaven, like fiery red flames. The Jin Ni Da Di's Dao Nian Shen was obliterated by Ye Chen's punch, its body collapsing and its consciousness buried.

That moment was worth remembering.

In the past, Dacheng Sacred Body Di Huang had slain the Qiong Qi divine thought.

Today, half-step Dacheng Ye Chen had slain the Jin Ni Dao Nian.

The Ancient Sacred Body lineage was this dominant, living up to their fame alongside emperors.

Boom!

At the same time, the Jin Ni clan's barrier was forcefully shattered by the heavens' Quasi-Emperors.

Boom! Boom!

The heavens' army surged in, advancing like a raging torrent, an ocean swallowing inch by inch of land. Wherever they passed, mountains crumbled, palaces exploded, and swaths of Jin Ni clan members were slaughtered into ash. Fresh blood splattered the ancestral land, and scarlet mist filled the cosmos.

Ah!

The Jin Ni clan's screams were heartrending. With the Di Zhi Dao Nian destroyed, even the strongest emperor Dao inheritance couldn't withstand the heavens' assault. This was no longer a war but a one-sided massacre, and the Jin Ni clan was the side being slaughtered. They were destined to be eradicated by the heavens, their lineage severed, unless an emperor rose among them to turn the tide.

"Kill!"

The heavens' cultivators roared, showing no mercy.

Once, the heavens had been slaughtered like this. This battle was repaying blood debts with blood.

It was an inevitable war with an inevitable outcome.

From the moment the heavens' army entered, it took no more than a quarter of an hour to exterminate the Jin Ni clan. Not a single one escaped; the entire race was wiped out, even Jin Ni Da Di's statue blasted to pieces in the passage of time.

Buzz!

The Jin Ni clan's supreme Di Bing soared into the sky, trembling with a buzz, its hum carrying grief. The emperor was gone, but it lived on, guarding the emperor's inheritance through heartless ages. Sadly, it couldn't save the Jin Ni clan or protect the emperor's bloodline.

Its escape was not blocked by the heavens.

A supreme Di Bing determined to flee was hard to stop. Even if they could, it would be useless—no one could refine an emperor artifact, not even a great emperor, and it would require at least two Di Bing to suppress it.