Chapter 2886: Who Will Transcend the Emperor's Tribulation?

Boom! Rumbling thunder!

Tianhuang trembled, the vast sky roaring with tribulation clouds gathering thickly, lightning flashing and thunder crashing. A pressure that made the entire starry sky shudder erupted suddenly—it was the will of the heavens, cold and majestic, with rampaging thunderbolts like writhing serpents, tearing through the universe and carrying utter destruction.

Beneath the tribulation clouds, Ji Ningshuang stood quietly.

She still had a wooden expression, her eyes vacant, like a puppet devoid of human emotions or intelligence. As the great tribulation approached, she showed no reaction.

Her tribulation would surely end in death.

This was the conclusion reached by the Tianming Emperors.

On the Taigu Road, that person from the Zhutian had shown emperor anomalies before drawing the Emperor Tribulation.

But Ji Ningshuang was different; there were no signs of becoming an emperor. Without such signs, she could not attain the position of Great Emperor. Failing to prove the Dao meant death—not everyone could be like Shengzun or Diji, surviving rebirth even without becoming an emperor.

Given her current dazed state, her demise was already a foregone conclusion. With the Emperor Tribulation arriving and her lacking any self-awareness, she would be utterly destroyed by the thunderbolts, her soul scattered.

The more this was the case, the angrier the two emperors became.

Their fury was directed at the Zhuxian Sword.

Ji Ningshuang had clearly suppressed the Emperor Tribulation and could have avoided it while still aiding the Zhutian in battle. But now, forced into tribulation by the Zhuxian Sword, not only would the Zhutian lose a powerful ally, but it might also expose the Zhutian's location—a double blow.

Boom!

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, the Emperor Tribulation arrived. A bolt of pitch-black lightning pierced through the universe.

Pfft!

Blood sprayed suddenly as the wooden Ji Ningshuang staggered, her delicate body stained with blood.

Yet, she did not fall.

The two emperors had already turned their gaze elsewhere, but seeing this scene, they both looked back, their expressions filled with surprise.

How strong must this young girl be to withstand a strike from the Emperor Dao thunder and not be destroyed on the spot?

As they watched, the wooden Ji Ningshuang finally reacted, stiffly lifting her face, her vacant beautiful eyes staring emptily at the vast sky.

Boom! Rumbling thunder!

Her upward gaze seemed to provoke the heavens, drawing countless lightning bolts that intertwined into a waterfall, pouring down from the sky and engulfing her, intent on obliterating this defier of heaven.

In the raging sea of thunder, she was no longer visible. Vaguely, one could only see a blurry figure stiffly waving her jade-like hands. Each time she struck, a swath of lightning withered away.

Mingdi furrowed his brow, and Daozu did the same.

They had truly underestimated this young girl. Even in her dazed state, she knew to resist the Emperor Tribulation—or rather, her subconscious was fighting against the heavens, refusing to submit.

She, too, was a heaven-defying one marked for punishment.

Boom!

At the heart of the Emperor Tribulation, within the sea of thunder, visions of all things manifested around her. Mountains and rivers, trees and plants—all possessed spirituality. That essence could not be erased even by the Emperor Tribulation; it seemed to appear on its own, aiding her against the lightning tribulation. Time and again, it was destroyed and reborn, using the Emperor Tribulation to temper the visions and the visions to counter the tribulation.

All of this occurred while she was in her dazed state. If she were conscious, she would undoubtedly be even stronger.

Boom! Rumbling thunder!

The thunder intensified, with more Emperor Tribulation lightning striking from the sky in shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, forming multicolored waterfalls. Though dazzling, they were also devastating.

The fluctuations of the Emperor Tribulation spread across the entire Zhutian.

Everyone who sensed it—whether Tianmo, E'mo, or Zhutian cultivators, whether emperors or peak experts—all turned their gaze toward Tianhuang at the same moment.

The great battle across the Zhutian came to a halt.

The expressions on both sides were different.

For the Zhutian, their faces were grave. Triggering the Emperor Tribulation at this critical juncture could expose their location and invite more invasions.

For the Tianmo and E'mo, they smiled with amusement, their pairs of blood-red eyes flickering with a sinister gleam.

Someone from the Zhutian was undergoing the Emperor Tribulation—it was truly a gift from heaven. It wouldn't be long before the Zhutian's position was revealed. Even if only a part was exposed, the Tianmo Domain would detect it.

Then, more demonic pillars would descend, bringing even greater reinforcements. If their current forces weren't enough to conquer the Zhutian, they would send more—enough to leave the Zhutian with no chance of turning the tide.

“It’s not from Honghuang; it’s someone from our Zhutian.”

Da Chu’s Ninth Emperor, locked in battle with the First E'mo Emperor, confirmed it. Though the distance was vast, some intuition was still sharp. He just didn't know who was undergoing the tribulation or why they chose to do so amid the Zhutian’s great war—it was like adding insult to injury.

“Emperor Tribulation?”

The Nine Divine Generals, fighting the Second E'mo Emperor, strained their eyes to gaze into the distance, as if they could see through the endless void to the lightning shrouding the dim stars. Unfortunately, they couldn't make out who was undergoing it.

“This is bad!”

The Ten Yama Kings, battling the Third E'mo Emperor, had faces etched with extreme gravity. Under normal circumstances, a tribulation was nothing, but now, it was a catastrophe.

“Who is undergoing the tribulation?”

In the ethereal realm, Ye Chen, fighting the Futi Demon Emperor, subconsciously turned his head.

“It’s your ninth wife.”

A divine sense message entered his sea of consciousness; the voice belonged to Renwang. Tianxuan Gate had the Illusionary Heaven Water Curtain, which could peer into vast expanses of the starry sky. Having once revealed the entrance to Taigu Honghuang, Tianhuang was under close watch, with restrictions set up many years ago.

“Ji Ningshuang?”

Ye Chen furrowed his brows deeply, truly surprised. If his guess was right, Yaochi should still be in the chaotic time streams. When had she emerged, and how? After several hundred years in the streams, had she comprehended the laws of time and space? Using that as an opportunity, had she touched the barrier of the Emperor Dao?

That was his tentative assumption.

But why at this crucial moment?

His ninth wife might not be the sharpest, but she wasn't foolish. With the Zhutian in a great war and the human realm in chaos, she should know what the Emperor Tribulation implied.

“There must be some incident.”

Ye Chen murmured, his brows furrowing even deeper.

He understood Ji Ningshuang better than anyone in the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity.

He was certain it wasn't Yaochi actively drawing the tribulation. If she had a clear mind, she wouldn't have triggered the Emperor Tribulation.

This proved one thing: she was being controlled, or in her dazed state, she had no self-awareness.

Buzz!

In a momentary daze, the Futi Demon Emperor arrived, hurling a pitch-black war spear— a supreme Dao Emperor Weapon adorned with flowing Emperor Dao divine patterns.

Pfft!

Ye Chen was pierced through, nailed to the void by the spear.

“Die!”

The Futi Demon Emperor followed swiftly, his hair disheveled and face twisted in ferocity, delivering a heaven-shaking palm blade toward Ye Chen's head.

Ye Chen snapped back to his senses, abruptly pulling out the spear and wielding it like a staff, swinging it to knock the Futi Demon Emperor flying. Before the emperor could steady himself, Ye Chen charged again, condensing thousands of forbidden laws into a single finger that pierced the emperor's skull.

Ah!

The emperor howled, forcibly channeling his Emperor Dao divine power and origin, casting an Emperor Dao immortal technique. A layer of dark, destructive halo spread from his emperor body, sending Ye Chen hurtling back.

But because of this, his Emperor Dao momentum plummeted instantly. Without the support of the towering demonic pillars, every bit of origin used was lost and hard to recover—not just for him, but for all Tianmo and E'mo in the Zhutian, including the emperors.

After all, this wasn't their territory.

Ye Chen stabilized himself abruptly, offering his essence blood as sacrifice and burning his sacred blood to gain immense combat power, launching another assault. His expression was somewhat frenzied, intent on slaughtering this Futi Demon Emperor in the shortest time possible.

“Ants! All below emperors are ants.”

The Futi Demon Emperor roared, summoning his Emperor Dao vision—a demonic land where lightning flashed above and mountains of corpses lay below, like an endless hell. One could hear the sounds of the Great Dao and the wails of vengeful ghosts, each filled with powerful demonic force. Those with weak minds would have their consciousness devoured upon hearing it.

“Break!”

Ye Chen shouted, his strikes fierce and domineering. A punch shattered the Emperor Dao demonic land, and he stepped inside, his foot like a descending mountain, stomping the land into a thunderous collapse.

Pfft!

The Futi Demon Emperor spat blood, suffering terrible backlash, staggering back step by step. Each retreat crushed a section of the void, and with every step, his emperor body exploded once more.

Ah!

The Futi Demon Emperor roared madly, activating another Emperor Dao forbidden law, etching ancient demonic patterns on his brow. His emperor body instantly grew over a thousand zhang tall, his Emperor Dao pressure growing even more tyrannical. Every wisp of aura emanating from him could crush the universe, shattering the entire ethereal realm.

Pfft!

Ye Chen, who had just arrived, was swatted away by a palm. That strike was overwhelmingly powerful; even Ye Chen's ancient sacred body cracked open with fissures, sacred blood spurting out, brilliant and piercing as it stained the starry sky.

“Suppress me!”

Before Ye Chen could steady himself, the Futi Demon Emperor was upon him again, unleashing a palm that covered the sky, inscribed with Emperor Dao seal scripts and entwined with lightning—a truly world-ending palm.

Ye Chen held his ground, enduring the Emperor Dao might, forcefully activating his Overlord Body manifestation, followed by the Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragons. The ten-thousand-zhang golden dragon coiled through the nine heavens.

Bang! Pfft! Boom!

The Futi Demon Emperor suffered greatly. Unable to suppress Ye Chen, he was struck by eight divine dragon tails, his thousand-zhang emperor body exploding on the spot. Black emperor bones, stained with black emperor blood, scattered across the bloody void.

In the fall, the fused emperors separated once more, plummeting as Yinmo Emperor, Yangmo Emperor, and Xingmo Emperor, their Emperor Dao levels all dropping to the initial stage of Great Emperor. Already wounded, their separation after fusion left them not only bloodied but also severely injured.

“It’s over.”

Ye Chen’s words were icy and desolate. He used Flying Thunder God to reach Xingmo Emperor first. Among the three demon emperors, Xingmo was the most gravely wounded and the slowest.

Strike while the iron is hot.

Xingmo Emperor’s face changed drastically as he tried to flee.

But Ye Chen’s Dao sword was already upon him.

Pfft!

Emperor blood sprayed brightly as Xingmo Emperor’s head rolled, his origin soul destroyed along with his shattered emperor body, which Ye Chen crushed underfoot into bloody pulp.

At the sight, Yinmo and Yangmo Emperors trembled, turning to flee without a second thought, fear etched on their faces. That quasi-emperor sacred body was too terrifying; even a mid-tier emperor after fusion was no match. Now, as two bloodied initial-stage emperors, fighting further meant certain death.

Pfft!

As they fled, more blood sprayed.

The escaping Yinmo Emperor was beheaded, struck by Flying Thunder God as Ye Chen instantly appeared and severed his head. The emperor’s origin soul was obliterated by a spatial-temporal slash, and his ruined emperor body was stomped into a mist of blood.

“Save me! Save me!”

Yangmo Emperor howled, not daring to look back as he fled, erasing the reincarnation mark Ye Chen had placed on him. He cried for help along the way, hoping other emperors would rescue him—he could already smell the scent of death.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Ye Chen instantly appeared again, his sword of wind and gods infused with reincarnation power, spatial power, temporal power, spatiotemporal power, sacred body origin, and chaotic principles—it was his peak strike, piercing from Yangmo Emperor’s back to his chest, leaving no path for survival. It not only impaled the emperor body but also extinguished his origin soul.

“I... I can’t believe it.”

Yangmo Emperor’s mouth overflowed with blood as he stiffly lowered his head, staring at the bloody sword tip protruding from his chest. He was an emperor! How could he be slain? And by a mere quasi-emperor at that. His emperor dignity was utterly gone.

Pfft!

Ye Chen withdrew his Dao sword and stamped out Yangmo Emperor with a foot.

Thus, the three emperors who had invaded the Zhutian via the demonic pillar were all slain. In their final moments, they felt infinite regret. As a set of triplets and three supreme beings, they had come together and now departed together. Ironically, they weren't killed by an emperor's hand but by a small sacred body—truly delivering their heads on a platter.

“Hurry to Tianhuang and protect her ascension.”

Renwang’s message arrived, his tone urgent. That weak fighter had also entered the battlefield, currently on the walls of Nanchu City, battling Tianmo and E'mo.

Ye Chen didn’t respond; he had already opened an Emperor Dao portal, rushing straight to Tianhuang. He wasn’t afraid of Tianmo or E'mo attacking Ji Ningshuang—they would want her to draw the Emperor Tribulation to expose the Zhutian’s location.

What he truly feared was the damned Honghuang clan. They wouldn’t dare fight Tianmo and E'mo but were experts at striking the Zhutian—they wouldn’t let Ji Ningshuang undergo her tribulation unhindered.

“Protect her to become an emperor.”

Through the portal, Ye Chen heard the call.

It came from Donghuang Taixin, her hair now snow-white—she had used some forbidden law, sacrificing her origin soul and offering her essence blood. The four peak sword cultivators and Yaochi Xianmu with her had done the same. From the moment they faced the E'mo Emperor, they had no intention of returning alive. Whether they could slay the emperor or not, their fate was sealed.

“Protect her to become an emperor.”

The rulers, divine generals, Yama Kings, Honghuang Qilin, Shengzun, Diji, Sheng Huang—all the peak experts battling emperors—sent their words. It was their final instruction to Ye Chen as seniors.

“Protect her to become an emperor.”

The Zhutian emperor progeny’s transmissions were filled with hope and obsession. They hoped Ji Ningshuang would prove the Dao, and that obsession was directed at the E'mo Emperors. They had sacrificed everything and would perish together with the E'mo Great Emperors.

They had all driven themselves to the brink. From the moment they attacked the emperors, they had offered their lifelong achievements. Each one dragged their broken bodies into a bloody fight against the emperors, fully aware that they would die, their Dao extinguished, and their souls destroyed, taking the emperors down with them.

“Protect her to become an emperor.”

This call came from the myriad domains' common people—it was a roar, a soul-deep howl. Regardless of whether she could prove the Dao, they would stand before her without hesitation, willing to shatter themselves for that hope.

Ye Chen said nothing, like a divine ray speeding toward the other end of the portal. Through the passage, he could see the outside scene: peak experts bathed in blood, fighting fiercely; Zhutian cultivators struggling to the death. The once magnificent mountains and rivers were now shattered in the war.

“Hold on.”

Though filled with reluctance, those were the only pale words he could offer.

Even a sacred body was human, with selfish desires. He wanted to protect the myriad domains' people, but even more, he wanted to protect his wife.

“Hold on.”

Ye Chen closed his eyes, pushing his speed to the peak he had ever achieved in his cultivation path.