Chapter 2868: Interest of Honghuang

Countless Honghuang powerhouses lifted their gazes, straining their eyes to the utmost to peer through the vast and ethereal void, as if they could glimpse those five figures. The imperial radiance pierced straight into their souls.

"Retreat! Retreat at once."

The Honghuang clans howled in panic, no longer daring to besiege Zhutian. They discarded their armor and fled in utter disarray.

It was a deeply ironic sight.

The first beings of the world, who prided themselves on their nobility and superiority, had acted arrogantly toward the people of Zhutian. Yet, at the sight of the Tianmo Di, they scattered faster than rabbits, turning into cowering turtles.

"Damn it, where did these Tianmo Di come from?"

The emperors of the Honghuang clans turned pale as death, fleeing faster than anyone, glancing back repeatedly. There was no mistaking it—it was the Tianmo Di, a full five of them.

Without their arrival, the Honghuang could have flattened Zhutian today. But plans never survive contact with change. With five Tianmo Di descending, there was no point in fighting anymore.

Boom! Rumbling!

The vast starry sky turned chaotic from the Honghuang clans' escape, like receding oceans whose momentum shook the stars.

In the desolate star domain, the five Tianmo Di stumbled slightly before steadying themselves. All were drenched in blood and battered bones, clearly having just endured an epic battle.

Now, their expressions were strangely uniform, each furrowing their brows as they scanned their surroundings.

"Is this... Zhutian?"

The first Tianmo Di raised an eyebrow.

"After breaking through iron and blood, we've found no escape."

The second Tianmo Di chuckled, his doubtful gaze shifting to one of playful malice. He licked his crimson tongue, his imperial eyes brimming with savagery and bloodlust.

"What pure vital energy."

"It's perfect for healing us."

The third Tianmo Di sprang into action, gazing across the misty star domains at the retreating Honghuang clans. He stepped across the cosmos in an instant, landing where another star domain collapsed. Centered on him, a pitch-black vortex emerged, spinning with the power to devour heavens and earth. The Honghuang people in that domain were sucked in en masse, their bodies and spirits obliterated in an instant. The pure essence and life force they yielded fused into his imperial form.

Ah!

The Honghuang wailed in agony, their cries piercing the air. From quasi-emperors to saints, none could resist the imperial vortex. Those who were too slow had been targeted by the Tianmo Di.

"Not bad, truly not bad."

The third Tianmo Di gave a sinister laugh, closing his eyes slightly, his face full of contentment and pleasure. Having devoured countless Honghuang people, the bloody wounds on his imperial body healed rapidly.

"Ants, tremble!"

The fourth Tianmo Di moved as well, descending on another star domain where Honghuang people lingered. He opened his mouth wide, swallowing them whole along with their spirits. With the influx of essence, the wounds on his imperial body sealed, and the flowing imperial blood reversed back into him.

"Can you escape?"

The fifth Tianmo Di sneered menacingly, targeting a Honghuang clan with an imperial lineage. He stepped into the sea of people and stamped down, obliterating a million-strong Honghuang army with one foot. Another pitch-black vortex formed, devouring everything in sight.

Ah!

The Honghuang screams grew even more harrowing.

Not every race had time to retreat to their ancestral lands—the five Tianmo Di had arrived too suddenly, catching the Honghuang off guard. Those stranded outside were constantly at risk of being targeted.

That wasn't just one emperor—it was five!

In this war to invade Zhutian, they were both winners and losers. Without the five Tianmo Di, they could have crushed Honghuang; but with them, Zhutian was beyond reach. The Tianmo Di didn't care whose side you were on—they killed indiscriminately.

They had been tricked—not by Zhutian, but by the Zhuxian Jian.

Without the Zhuxian Jian, they would still be hidden away securely, making it hard for the Tianmo Di to find them. Now, they had revealed their full strength, failed to destroy Zhutian, and collided head-on with five Tianmo Di. This trap was deeper than any Zhutian had dug.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The Zhuxian Jian hummed with excitement, overjoyed beyond measure.

By the heavens, it hadn't intended to trap the Honghuang clans—the sudden arrival of the five emperors was a surprise to it as well.

But since they were here, the Honghuang could be done away with. Their fate meant nothing to the Zhuxian Jian.

The Honghuang's wails evoked no pity from Zhutian.

After so many Tianmo invasions, it was Zhutian's turn to fight, and the Honghuang should pay some interest.

"How... how could this be?"

Fu Ya's divine body trembled as he watched through the water screen. Without seeing the towering demon pillars or the Tianmo armies, five Tianmo Di had suddenly appeared. It wasn't just the Honghuang caught off guard—Zhutian was equally unprepared.

It was as if their worst fears had materialized. With Zhutian already weakened, dealing with Honghuang chaos was bad enough, but now five Tianmo Di had descended.

"We're done for."

Too many from Zhutian lowered their arms unintentionally, unsure if they were addressing the Tianmo Di or the Honghuang. It didn't matter who they spoke to.

Over ninety percent of Zhutian's peak forces had vanished, their whereabouts unknown. Zhutian couldn't even handle the Honghuang, let alone five Tianmo Di. Who would fight them? Who even could?

The five emperors united could sweep through all of Zhutian, dooming both them and the Honghuang clans.

"Where did these Tianmo Di come from?"

Situ Nan's words came out trembling.

He didn't know, but the Tianming and Liangdi emperors understood clearly.

It must have been a massive imperial battle on the Taigu Road, with such turmoil that it reversed the cosmos and collapsed the Taigu Road, creating a massive fissure.

Those five Tianmo Di had fallen out from the Taigu Road, landing right in Zhutian by sheer coincidence.

Even without the towering demon pillars, they were still emperors, still supreme, and not ordinary Tianmo Di at that. Their ability to devour the Honghuang's essence and life force without backlash was proof enough.

The Tianmo race had many branches, and a few stood out, like the Black Lotus clan's Tianmo, who could survive in Zhutian without support from the demon pillars.

This wasn't a planned invasion—it was pure chance. But this chance would push Zhutian to the brink of destruction.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In the starry sky, steady bangs echoed, rhythmic and heavy.

These were the steps of emperors, each one so weighty that it shook the cosmos. Every thunderous boom made the hearts of all beings pulse in unison.

"How dull."

The third Tianmo Di smirked slightly. He had devoured countless Honghuang people, and now the starry sky was empty of them—most had hidden away, and hidden well.

As for him, he had no interest in searching. Compared to the Honghuang, there were three places teeming with people, saving him the trouble of roaming.

"Weak, far too weak."

The second Tianmo Di looked down with utter contempt, scanning around without spotting anyone worth his notice. Creatures like these could be wiped out with a single palm, offering little amusement.

"Oh, Holy Body! We beg you, return!"

In the face of catastrophe, the cries of the common people rose again. If the vanished peak quasi-emperors didn't come back, Zhutian would be buried. Who could stand against the five Tianmo Di?

Boom! Bang! Bang!

Four thunderous booms shook the starry sky as four Tianmo Di landed outside Da Chu, while the fifth headed to the nearer Xuan Huang Continent.

"How intriguing."

The four Tianmo Di's gazes deepened, their earlier contempt giving way to a glimmer of interest upon seeing Da Chu.

It was because they couldn't see through Da Chu.

Or rather, something imperial within it had caught their attention.

"Keep sleeping soundly for now. After we deal with them, we'll settle accounts with you."

The four Demon Emperors sneered, withdrawing their gazes from Tianxuan Gate and turning toward the Zhutian cultivators who had retreated into Da Chu. Those faces of despair were quite pleasing to behold.

"Do we... still have hope?"

The people of Zhutian murmured softly, their hands gripping weapons trembling, their pale faces drained of color, their bodies shuddering as their souls quaked.