Chapter 2780: Opportunity to Breathe

In the starry sky, silence descended in an instant. The emperors of various clans, who had been ready to howl like wolves and bark like dogs, stood with their mouths agape, unable to utter a sound. The millions-strong army of the Honghuang Clan was also frozen in place.

Had they run? Had the two of them escaped?

Yes, they had escaped, pulled into a spatial black hole by some unknown person.

"Dammit."

In the next moment, roars shook the stars. It was a rare opportunity to trap Ye Chen, and even rarer to see him so weakened. Unable to use the Heavenly Dao or cast forbidden laws, this should have been a perfect ambush, but another twist had occurred.

Now that they had escaped, killing him would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. With his Saint Body at half-step completion, he could slaughter even emperors. Who in the Honghuang Clan could stand against him?

Pfft! Pfft!

In the depths of the silent black hole, two sounds of vomiting blood echoed. It was Ye Chen and Ji Ningshuang, who could no longer stand steady. They each spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and collapsed weakly.

Pfft!

There was a third sound of vomiting blood as well.

Upon closer inspection, it was Tian Zhi, the princess of the Seven-Colored Peacock Clan.

It was she who had dragged Ye Chen and Ji Ningshuang into the black hole, exhausting all her pupil power in the process and suffering backlash. Her Peacock Immortal Eyes had saved the two young emperors of the various heavens.

"Thank you."

Ye Chen smiled wearily, blood constantly overflowing from his lips. Mixed in the blood were faint traces of dark light—killing intent from both the Calamity Demon Emperor and the imperial weapons, still wreaking havoc on his Saint Body.

"Thank you."

Ji Ningshuang's smile was equally pale and feeble. Her injuries were no lighter than Ye Chen's. The most astonishing female young emperor of the various heavens now lacked even the strength to stand.

Tian Zhi smiled in response, not daring to accept such thanks.

Without Ji Ningshuang destroying the demonic pillar or Ye Chen slaying the emperor, the various heavens would likely still be struggling in the flames of war, in a state even more miserable than imagined.

After that exchange, the three sat cross-legged, each mobilizing their origins to erase the killing intent within their bodies. From Ye Chen, pills emerged one after another—all eight-patterned golden pills. They exploded in succession, dividing into three portions: one merging into his body, one into Yao Chi's, and the third flying toward Tian Zhi.

This battle had been far too brutal.

The silent black hole fell into quietness once more.

Glancing into Ye Chen's inner world, Ye Ling's body occasionally flickered with faint traces of seven-colored light.

It was the Zhuxian Sword, seemingly making a difficult decision: to break out and kill Ye Chen.

However, that thought was quickly dismissed. Ye Chen and his companions were severely injured, but the sword was even more so, weakened to the extreme. It could unleash a killing blow, but whether it could finish them off was uncertain. If it failed, the consequences would be awkward.

Moreover, Ye Chen was not unguarded.

Looking at the Chaos Cauldron, the Chaos Fire, the Phoenix Zither, and the four Wordless Heavenly Books, any one of them would be extremely hard to breach. The chances of surpassing them for a kill were terrifyingly low.

And so, it settled back into silence, lurking within Ye Ling's body as a sanctuary. As long as it remained hidden, no one could find it. In the future, it would present Ye Chen with a grand gift.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

While the black hole was silent, the starry sky was in chaos.

Explosions rang out continuously. The Honghuang army that had been surrounding Ye Chen and Ji Ningshuang finally dispersed, charging toward all directions to continue their slaughter. Unable to capture Ye Chen, they turned their fury on the various heavens, heading straight for Da Chu with clear coordination.

Countless Honghuang Clan members followed, and the various heavens suffered defeat after defeat, retreating into Da Chu, You Ming, and Xuan Huang to hold their ground.

What the various heavens needed was a chance to breathe.

The Honghuang Clan understood this as well, pursuing relentlessly as if intent on conquering the entire various heavens in one go—an opportunity not to be missed.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Amid the bloody smoke of battle, more cultivators of the various heavens fell, not dying on the battlefield against the heavenly demons' invasion, but mercilessly slaughtered by the Honghuang Clan.

Corpses littered the starry sky, along with wandering rivers of blood, severed limbs, fragments of magical tools, and bloodstained banners floating everywhere.

"Quickly, quickly!"

Shouts echoed in Xuan Huang, Da Chu, and You Ming, with a steady stream of wounded pouring in, collapsing upon arrival. Their injuries ranged from severe to even worse.

"Quickly, quickly!"

The alchemists of Dan City streaked through the sky like divine rainbows, scattering pills everywhere that fell into the bodies of the wounded. They held nothing back, having not joined the battle themselves—their task was to replenish the vanguard.

"Activate the recovery barriers and reinforce the defenses."

Amid the calls, imperial weapons rose into the sky from all three sides, forming the foundations of great arrays. A massive protective barrier expanded, with imperial patterns flowing across it.

It proved that leaving behind living forces earlier had been a wise decision, anticipating the Honghuang Clan's chaos and ensuring they wouldn't be left without defenders for the city walls.

"Honghuang Clan! Well done."

The Sheng Zun laughed bitterly, filled with grief and anger. Unable to catch his breath, he spat out fresh blood. Having survived the great waves of emperor-slaying, he had nearly died at the hands of these vermin.

The other supreme quasi-emperors shared his sentiments. It was fortunate they had escaped quickly; if the Honghuang Clan had wiped them out, the loss to the various heavens would have been incalculable.

"Don't curse. Focus on healing."

Donghuang Tai sighed wearily, already sitting cross-legged.

If cursing were effective, the Honghuang Clan would have been exterminated countless times over.

Yan Luo took a deep breath, though he still wanted to curse, he swallowed his words. Truth be told, he lacked even the energy to insult anyone—that's how severe his injuries were.

At that command to heal, all the quasi-emperors sat cross-legged.

Turning to Da Chu, nearly every mountain peak, every inch of land, and every stretch of void had figures sitting in meditation—some covered in blood, others in yuan spirit form. They had fought the heavenly demons and calamity demons to utter exhaustion, only for the Honghuang Clan to exploit the gap. This battle was nothing short of frustrating.

Like Da Chu, Xuan Huang and You Ming were in the same state. The unwounded and lightly injured manned the city walls for defense, while the severely wounded focused on healing without wasting a single second.

"Kill! Kill for me."

The Honghuang army arrived like a vast ocean, surrounding and attacking from all sides into the Xuan Huang Star Sea, as well as assaulting You Ming and Da Chu with overwhelming momentum.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Extreme Dao imperial weapons ascended, followed by thunderous booms. They bombarded with all their might, aiming to shatter the barriers and turn those inside into lambs for the slaughter. The Honghuang army could then sweep through unimpeded and conquer the various heavens in one breath.

Unfortunately, their wishes were mere fantasies, and reality was far from it.

Though the various heavens were weakened, they still had surviving forces and defenses. Dreaming of taking Da Chu, Xuan Huang, and You Ming in one fell swoop was pure delusion.

Listening to the booms, the cultivators of the various heavens paid them no mind. They just needed a little time—three days would suffice. Once they recovered, they would hammer the enemy to death.

The spatial black hole remained as silent as ever.

Ye Chen had cleared the killing intent from his body, and a hint of color finally returned to his face. More healing pills exploded, seeping into his body through every pore, restoring his magical power and mending his wounds. His battered Saint Body healed at a visible speed.

Beside him, Ji Ningshuang and Tian Zhi's recovery was equally formidable—one enveloped in divine radiance, the other in immortal light. Having erased the killing intent, they healed the bloody gashes across their bodies, with their depleted magical power steadily replenishing.

Buzz! Buzz!

At some point, the Phoenix Zither trembled, and the Chaos Cauldron hummed. A layer of annihilating halo spread from both, extending infinitely in all directions.

It was a form of intimidation.

For in the surrounding darkness, more than one pair of eyes were watching—belonging to the Calamity Demons and Black Lotus Heavenly Demons, who had somehow detected the trio's presence.

Yet, they dared not approach, their eyes gleaming with a greenish, sinister light, filled with wariness. They feared Ye Chen, or more precisely, his ancient Saint Body, which had slain a mid-tier emperor. The imperial killing aura within him was even more terrifying than that of an imperial weapon, making their souls tremble.

In the end, they retreated, farther and farther, content to watch from afar without daring to attack.

"If you come any closer, I'll kill you."

The Chaos Cauldron cursed loudly, expanding massively like a mountain, with the Escaping Armor Heavenly Characters circling and arranging themselves. Chaos energy overflowed like a waterfall, accompanied by the resounding echoes of the Great Dao.

It had plenty of confidence, especially with an extreme Dao imperial weapon hovering nearby—Donghua Empress's life-bound tool, which Ji Ningshuang had used earlier to shatter the Heaven-Supporting Demonic Pillar.

"If you come any closer, I'll kill you."

The Chaos Fire was equally lively, no longer a mere flame but a vast sea of fire, with towering waves guarding Ye Chen and his companions.

Heavenly Thunder, though unable to speak, took human form, one hand holding a thunder god bow and the other a thunder god arrow, ready to strike at any moment. Any heavenly demon or calamity demon stepping into this forbidden zone would face its attack.

The four Wordless Heavenly Books were not idle either. Though wordless, their pages flipped rapidly, manifesting principles with a strong aura of killing intent. Having spent time with Ji Ningshuang, they seemed to have gained some intelligence, knowing to protect their master.

"I've heard your master is an emperor."

"Do you have a partner?"

"How about we give it a try?"

The Chaos Cauldron was restless, trying to get close to the Phoenix Zither, chuckling and occasionally brushing against it with its body. If it had hands, it would be even more eager.

Indeed, this thing was flirting with an imperial weapon, its shameless demeanor just like Ye Chen's.

Buzz! Buzz!

The Phoenix Zither vibrated, seemingly producing a sound, though it couldn't speak. It was expressing displeasure, as if saying, "If you brush against me again, I'll kick you to death."

"What's with these four books having no words?"

"Is your master and my boss a couple?"

"How about we get together?"

The Chaos Fire was just as unruly, with tendrils of flame darting around the Wordless Heavenly Books, chuckling away. Its thick-skinned nature was a perfect match for Ye Chen's.

The Wordless Heavenly Books trembled lightly, their pages flipping even faster, their moods thoroughly irritated—especially one of them, which was the most furious.

It remembered when Ye Chen had regressed to childhood, he had urinated on it. Even as reserved as it was, it couldn't help but form a single word for Ye Chen: "Scram."

"Let's chat!"

"I'll teach you to speak."

One cauldron and one fire—one utterly shameless, the other completely brazen—one flirting with an imperial weapon, the other with heavenly books—achieving legendary feats.

It was fortunate Ye Chen was healing and cut off from the outside world; otherwise, he would surely curse: "You two old-timers, with me injured this badly, you still have the mood to flirt?"