Chapter 2852: Emperor's Status Plummets

Boom! Rumbling!

The black hole rumbled with tremendous force, affecting the entire Zhu Tian. Countless people looked up in awe at the vast sky.

"There’s a great battle in the black hole."

The eyes of the older generations were the most profound, yearning to enter and see for themselves, but they lacked the capability.

"Is this an Emperor Dao assault?"

"Perhaps one side is the Sheng Ti."

This notion resonated with many. Across all of Zhu Tian, the only one capable of launching an Emperor Dao assault was the Tenth Emperor of Great Chu. Even before advancing to full Dacheng, his half-step Dacheng combat power was formidable. He had once slain a mid-tier Da Di, a ruthless figure whose name alone made hearts tremble.

Buzz!

In Great Chu, the Hunlun Ding let out a buzz and shot into the sky with overwhelming dominance. It shattered the invisible barriers and entered the space black hole.

"Impressive."

Many people clicked their tongues in amazement; that ding was truly divine.

"Is it really Ye Chen?"

Upon seeing the Hunlun Ding enter the black hole, the Quasi-Emperors at Tian Xuan Men gathered together. Using their heaven-defying immortal arts, they forcibly opened the black hole and rushed in en masse, eager to witness which mighty being was causing such massive disturbances.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The battle within the black hole raged on fiercely.

The Sheng Ti and the Da Di, both masters of offense and defense, had transformed into dragons, charging and fighting relentlessly. They were locked in a deadly struggle, unwilling to stop until one was destroyed. Emperor blood and Sheng Ti blood, both glowing with divine light, adorned the universe.

In that darkness, only the Sheng Ti and the Great Emperor remained. The Zhu Xian Jian and the Dharma Body were gone—or rather, the Zhu Xian Jian had fled, and the Dharma Body was in hot pursuit.

Crack!

At some point, a crisp and pleasing sound echoed from the depths of the darkness.

It was the unfortunate Zhu Xian Jian, which had another section of its sword body severed. If it hadn’t escaped quickly, the Dharma Body would have reduced it to ashes.

"Boss, I can’t hold on."

The Dharma Body spat out blood wildly, swaying unsteadily and barely able to stand. The original body’s Dao wounds had affected it, greatly reducing its time limit.

It dissipated, and the fragment of the Zhu Xian Jian it held fell into the darkness. It had tried to teleport it, but the fragment’s level was too high to be teleported. In its final moments, it managed to add a seal.

Buzz! Buzz!

The Zhu Xian Jian fragment vibrated, struggling to break free.

The escaped Zhu Xian Jian, sensing the Dharma Body’s dissipation, doubled back. It needed to retrieve its fragment; it couldn’t let Ye Chen take it. If it were refined again, it would mean another devastating blow.

Buzz!

Accompanied by a rumbling buzz, the Hunlun Ding arrived. It rammed into the Zhu Xian Jian and, at the same time, swallowed the fragment into itself, sealing it once more.

In that instant, the Zhu Xian Jian must have felt deeply melancholic. The Hunlun Ding had fused with parts of its sword body, which it could sense, making full recovery impossible. Moreover, this great ding was no longer what it used to be—it had reached Dacheng. That collision had been excruciatingly painful!

"A one-on-one fight."

The Hunlun Ding surged with chaotic energy, roaring domineeringly. After all these years, it finally had the qualifications to face the Zhu Xian Jian head-on.

It was eager to fight, but the Zhu Xian Jian dared not. In the moment it was flipped over, it turned and fled, its sword body trembling with rage. It had returned to retrieve the fragment, but now it had failed and suffered even more injuries. It truly was an unlucky soul, getting beaten wherever it went.

"Someday, I’ll swallow you whole."

The Hunlun Ding cursed loudly but didn’t pursue. It knew it couldn’t destroy the Zhu Xian Jian, so it wasn’t worth the effort. Instead, it flew toward the other side, more concerned about its master.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

That patch of darkness was enveloped in annihilating divine light, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring. Ye Chen and the black-robed Da Di had fought to the point of madness.

Neither the Emperor nor the Sheng Ti retained their human forms anymore. They had started strong, but now they were growing weaker with each exchange. The Da Di was weakening by the moment, and the Sheng Ti was suffering constant backlash. No matter who won, it would end in mutual defeat.

"Why won’t you die?"

The black-robed Da Di howled from his soul, thrusting spear after spear in a frenzied assault, driven to madness as he couldn’t kill his opponent.

This young Sheng Ti was more tenacious than he imagined, with an unyielding life force. He had been struck down time and again, yet he refused to die.

This scene reminded him of ten thousand years ago, when they besieged the Emperor Zun. That Emperor’s resilience was still fresh in his memory—his imperial body shattered repeatedly, yet he couldn’t be taken down. So many Da Di had attacked, only for him to slay a Heavenly Emperor.

The name of Emperor Zun had become his nightmare, haunting him for ten thousand years. That shadow lingered, preventing him from reaching the pinnacle of the Great Dao, for deep in his heart, he feared that Emperor.

And Ye Chen bore the shadow of Emperor Zun. He needed to slay Emperor Zun’s ninth life to end the karmic ties from antiquity with a bloody conclusion.

"You cannot extinguish me."

Ye Chen was covered in blood, fighting back relentlessly. He was knocked down repeatedly, only to rise and strike the black-robed Da Di each time. His Sheng Ti body was in tatters, and the Dao wounds on his primordial spirit had split open further. Even his consciousness was blurred, sustained only by one obsession: the will to slay the Emperor.

"Perish for me."

The black-robed Da Di roared, hurling his imperial weapon, the war spear, from across the sky. It pierced Ye Chen’s Sheng Ti body, nailing him into the darkness. The sight was gruesomely terrifying.

Ye Chen gritted his teeth, gripping the spear and yanking it out forcefully.

Buzz!

The war spear vibrated, exuding a fearsome aura.

Seeing this, Ye Chen’s expression changed drastically.

Boom!

In the next instant, the imperial weapon war spear exploded violently.

The black-robed Da Di was truly ruthless, even self-destructing his life-bound imperial weapon. Even the Ming Di clicked his tongue in astonishment—such an ultimate Dao imperial artifact, refined over endless years, destroyed in an instant. That Emperor’s resolve was extraordinary.

Pfft!

Golden blood shimmered brilliantly.

The self-destruction of an imperial weapon was no joke. Ye Chen’s already mangled Sheng Ti body was instantly blown apart on one side, sending him tumbling away. If not for his profound foundation, he would have been sent straight to the gates of the underworld.

Pfft!

The Da Di also spat blood. That was his life-bound weapon, and its destruction caused him severe backlash, shattering half of his imperial body.

However, Ye Chen was injured even more gravely.

"Die!"

He strode through the darkness and thrust a finger of divine light straight at Ye Chen’s primordial spirit—a killing blow that would ensure death upon impact.

"Greater Wheel of Reincarnation Heavenly Dao!"

Ye Chen tried to invoke the Heavenly Dao through gritted teeth, but he failed. The Emperor’s finger had locked onto him, disrupting the mystical laws and reversing the Wheel of Reincarnation Heavenly Dao.

Bang!

The expected scene of Ye Chen being utterly destroyed didn’t occur. Instead, there was a resounding bang.

The Hunlun Ding had arrived, blocking the path in front of Ye Chen. Its massive body barely withstood the Emperor’s finger, nearly being pierced through and having its consciousness wiped out.

Zing!

Seizing the moment to breathe, Ye Chen summoned the Nine Divine Tragedies all at once, merging them into a single primordial spirit killing sword. With devastating force, it slashed into the black-robed Da Di’s divine sea.

Pfft!

The black-robed Da Di was sent flying again, his skull splitting open. That finger, forcibly gathered from his remaining power, hadn’t slain Ye Chen, and his momentum plummeted.

The black hole fell silent in that instant.

The Hunlun Ding teetered unsteadily, its immortal light dimming.

Ye Chen was in worse shape, leaning on the Hunlun Ding and unable to stand firmly.

Opposite them, the black-robed Da Di steadied himself, a sword mark on his brow gushing Emperor blood. His primordial spirit had suffered a heavy blow. If he were at full strength, it would be insignificant, but as a flawed Emperor without Dao roots or life source, this strike was a major setback.

"Damn it."

The Emperor’s eyes were blood-red, his pupils bulging.

Variables, once again variables.

Twists, once again twists.

Without that ding, Ye Chen would have been slain.

"Come on, keep going."

The Hunlun Ding buzzed, forcing itself to hold steady.

Pfft!

The black-robed Da Di spat blood—not just from injury, but from rage. His already weakened aura dropped further, his mid-tier Emperor cultivation falling to the initial tier.

"Boss, quite the unexpected bonus, huh?"

The Hunlun Ding trembled lightly.

"Unexpected."

Ye Chen was stunned for a moment. A mid-tier Emperor dropping a level—wasn’t that an unexpected bonus?

Though they spoke, neither attacked; both were barely holding on. He was at his limit, and so was the Hunlun Ding.

"In the future, I will slay you."

The black-robed Da Di left those words and fled unsteadily, coughing up blood with every step.

This scheme had ended in utter defeat. He was half-crippled, his life-bound imperial weapon destroyed, and even his Emperor position lost. It would cost him immense divine power, and recovery would take many years.

All because he lacked Dao roots and a life source.

Pfft!

Behind him, Ye Chen spat blood and collapsed, exhausted and filled with regret and unwillingness. If not for his Dao wounds, he could have slain the black-robed Da Di.

Overall, though, he had won a great victory—not only crippling a Da Di but also damaging the Zhu Xian Jian.

"What a pity!"

The Ming Di sighed, having secretly exerted much effort to no avail.

In the black hole, Ye Chen sat cross-legged, swallowing handfuls of pills to erase the Emperor Dao killing intent.

Crack! Crack!

The Hunlun Ding wasn’t idle either, devouring an unknown number of Ye Chen’s treasured artifacts to replenish its energy. After all, the black hole was fraught with dangers.

"Heavenly Dao, open."

At some point, Ye Chen invoked the Heavenly Dao and escaped the black hole, stepping onto an ancient star to heal in peace. As for that formation connecting to the primordial Taigu Honghuang, he would retrieve it once his injuries were healed.

"Where is he?"

In the black hole, a large group gathered at the spot where Ye Chen had vanished, looking around. It was the divine generals and the sovereigns, who had entered to investigate. Just moments ago, they could still sense Ye Chen’s aura, but now it was gone.

"Could he have left the black hole?"

The Quasi-Emperors glanced at each other, and as they did, their corners twitched awkwardly. They had managed to enter, but getting out was another story. They hadn’t found their target and had stranded themselves here.

"Emperor Dao aura—there’s an Emperor in the black hole?"

Chu Jiang Wang narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings.

"Such massive disturbances must involve an Emperor."

The four divine generals took a deep breath. From the lingering energy, it was undoubtedly an Emperor—and not just any ordinary one.

"Don't scatter; wait for him to return to the black hole."

The several dozen peak powerhouses formed a circle, weapons at the ready, vigilantly watching all directions. They had been too slow and missed the battle, but this black hole was more dangerous than they imagined. Who knew how many unknown entities lurked in the darkness—perhaps even another Emperor.