Chapter 2995: Don't Come Any Closer

Boom!

Di Sha was obliterated, Can Zhou self-destructed, and the heavenly barrier on the Taigu Road collapsed with a tremendous rumble.

The two Shengmo were likely filled with regret before their demise; their deaths were truly frustrating. It's fortunate that the first-generation Shengmo wasn't there, or he would have cursed up a storm. His two top generals didn't even die in battle—one self-destructed his primordial spirit, and the other was erased by the void. It was a disgrace to the eons of favor he had shown them. As for Ye Chen, he had weathered countless storms, only to meet his end in such an insignificant mishap.

Such events were anomalies within fate's design.

Di Sha's obsession turned into a demonic barrier, driving him to slay Ye Chen at the same level to seize the opportunity to advance to Quasi-Huang Emperor.

And what about Can Zhou? He was no different.

Slaying the Heavenly Court Empress would also be an opportunity, perhaps helping him reach Quasi-Huang Emperor.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

Can Zhou couldn't kill the Empress, and Di Sha couldn't eliminate Ye Chen, leading to this bloody catastrophe.

Boom!

With the Heavenly Court Empress's separation, the eternal heterospace was also destroyed.

That stretch of heaven and earth was drenched in blood.

Chu Xuan and Chu Ling were covered in blood, as were Wu Lei and Ruo Xi; all had fallen into unconsciousness. Di Huang, Hong Yan, Xing Tian, Hou Yi, Jian Shen, and Jian Zun were in utter misery—two emperor bodies were half-ruined, two physical forms were blasted apart, and two were left with only the flames of their primordial spirits. Each one was weakened to the extreme.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry."

Chaotic shouts echoed as the gods and generals of the various heavens emerged from the Chaos Cauldron.

"Don't go over there." Ren Wang roared hoarsely.

However, his warning came too late. Many gods and generals had already rushed forward, but as soon as they set foot in that heaven and earth, they were crushed by the lingering Shengmo killing intent on the emperors' bodies. Some were even completely destroyed, body and soul.

Witnessing this, the crowd of gods and generals halted abruptly.

The blood-red heaven and earth within a radius of ten thousand zhang had become a forbidden zone. No one below the level of a great emperor could enter—it wasn't that they weren't strong enough, but Can Zhou's residual killing intent was too terrifying, carrying the power of destruction.

Looking at Di Huang and the others, each was in a dire state.

The killing intent was the least of their worries; they could endure it. The real threat was the Shengmo blood seal, which could devour them at any moment.

One had to say, Can Zhou was tenacious even in death.

Not only did he force the Empress to separate, but he also left the six revered emperors of the heavens without any combat ability. At least for the short term, none of them could stand, and they all faced the risk of being erased.

The faces of the gods and generals remained pale.

This paleness was not just for the emperors, but also for Ye Chen. He was a hero who had sacrificed himself to restrain the Heavenly Emperor Shengmo, perishing in the void. Without him, they would likely have been wiped out entirely.

It was a brutal war, far more savage than imagined.

They had thought too optimistically, believing that with the emperors holding the line, they could march all the way to the Taigu Honghuang.

But reality was cruel.

This was a miraculous path, yet also a blood-soaked journey. As the Empress had said, everyone present might meet their end on the road ahead, including her, and Ye Chen as well.

The Taigu Road was eerily silent, with no one speaking.

That stretch of heaven and earth remained inaccessible, and the emperors' conditions were still wretched.

Sigh!

Zao Hua Shen Wang let out a sigh, taking out a wine flask and pouring a libation—it was a tribute to Ye Chen.

The other gods and generals did the same.

A thick wave of sorrow enveloped the entire heaven and earth. Too many people were weeping, and even more were shedding tears.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The Chaos Cauldron trembled lightly, its body covered in cracks, surrounded by Chaos Fire and Chaos Thunder. The three hid in a corner like injured lions, quietly licking their wounds, their grief impossible to hide.

In the void outside the Taigu Road, the ethereal vastness stretched on.

There were no traces of Di Sha or Ye Chen anymore, not even the blood that had once splattered was left; it had all turned to ash.

"Ye Chen."

In the depths of the void, a faint call seemed to echo, sounding somewhat like Zhao Yun, the voice faint and intermittent.

"You bastard, stop calling out."

"I'm just curious—how did you survive back then, you indestructible cockroach?"

"Are you that bored? Keep looking for the space-time."

A few simple exchanges, and the void fell silent again, the stillness almost frightening.

And so, many years passed.

At some unknown moment, a hazy light flickered in the depths of the void, as tiny as a speck of dust—so small that even a Heavenly Emperor might not notice it. It drifted through the nothingness on the winds of fate.

That was Ye Chen, or more precisely, his consciousness.

Just like the first time he fell into the void, his indestructible will had become an indestructible consciousness. Though his body was destroyed, a trace of consciousness remained, like a ghostly light wandering with the waves.

Here, there was no concept of time or space.

In the void, no one knew how many years his consciousness had wandered or how far it had drifted. All that was known was that his light of consciousness was growing on its own, now about the size of a grain of rice.

"Am I... still alive?"

The light of Ye Chen's consciousness flickered, emitting a weak murmur, tentative in tone. He wasn't even sure himself; without a form, his thoughts were chaotic, unable to distinguish reality from illusion.

His question was destined to go unanswered.

The Taigu Road remained just as quiet, with all the gods and generals still there, each lost in silence. Perhaps a hundred years had passed in the void, but here, it was likely only half a day. Many had gone to the eastern horizon, standing at the end of the Taigu Road, shouting again and again in hopes of a response from Ye Chen. Unfortunately, there was none.

"This road is more terrifying than I imagined."

Xiao Yuan Huang hung his head, his once brilliant eyes now dim and lackluster, perhaps due to his extreme age.

No one refuted his words.

When they left the various heavens, they were full of confidence, thinking that with the Empress and Ye Chen leading, no disaster could stop them. But now they realized that this path to the Taigu Honghuang might also be a road to the underworld.

Many recalled Xian Wu Great Emperor.

Ten thousand years ago, he and his million gods and generals had been completely wiped out—it was inevitable; death was their fate.

"Don't get any closer; are you trying to die?"

Ren Wang's roar sounded every so often, as there were always some who tried to enter that heaven and earth, including Zi Xuan and Dong Huang Tai Xin. The two had already been wounded by the killing intent, their faces covered in scars, yet they still wanted to check on Di Huang and Jian Shen. Each attempt left them more injured than the last.

"Going over there won't help; they have to rely on themselves."

Long Ye cast spells to heal Zi Xuan and Dong Huang Tai Xin. His words were true; everyone present was at the Quasi-Emperor level, and no one could assist. That wasn't ordinary killing intent or blood seal—it came from a Heavenly Emperor Shengmo.

Whenever this happened, the gods and generals would glance at the Chaos Bodies and others.

If those who had touched the emperor's path barrier could defy heaven and prove the Dao to become emperors, perhaps they could help.

But due to this upheaval, their opportunities were disrupted, and they needed time to stabilize.

Even more people watched the Heavenly Court Empress—or more accurately, Chu Xuan, Chu Ling, Wu Lei, and Ruo Xi. The four of them bore no Shengmo blood seals, yet they were gravely injured. Even if they awoke, they might not be able to merge again. Each separation wounded them more severely, and it was getting worse.

"This is bad!"

Zao Hua Shen Wang stared at Jian Shen and Jian Zun; among the six emperors marked by the Shengmo blood seal, these two were the most wretched. In their form as flames of the primordial spirit, they swayed precariously, on the verge of extinction at any moment.

After all, they were newly ascended emperors, not as resilient as Di Huang and the others.

That's why Dong Huang Tai Xin couldn't sit still; the slightest lapse, and she would try to enter that heaven and earth.

"It's chaotic enough already; don't add to the mess."

Over a dozen veteran gods and generals joined forces to suppress Dong Huang Tai Xin. Zi Xuan was suppressed along with her. Too many gods and generals stood guard around that heaven and earth, encircling it so no one could enter.

Buzz!

The Chaos Cauldron hummed, dragging its battered body to hover above Jian Shen and Jian Zun.

Then, strands of Chaos Qi and eternal light descended.

As an emperor artifact at the peak of the great emperor realm, its master might have perished, but its divine power remained. While the gods and generals couldn't enter, it could, enduring the killing intent and reigniting the dim flames of the two emperors' primordial spirits.

But this was ultimately external aid.

To survive, Jian Shen and the others still had to rely on themselves. If they could hold on, they might reshape their emperor bodies.

And so, three days passed quietly.

The scene of devastation showed no improvement; the Empress hadn't awakened, and the emperors' states remained dire.

In the void, Ye Chen's light of consciousness had grown to the size of a small fingernail.

As consciousness ignited, his clear mind began to recover, and he finally confirmed that he was indeed alive.

His current situation was strikingly similar to before.

The first time he entered the void, it was also as a light of consciousness that formed a conscious body. After many years of comprehending eternity, he had managed to reshape his golden body. As long as consciousness persisted, there was hope; he could revive again.

"It's truly the life of a cockroach."

Ye Chen's laughter carried a hoarse edge. Thinking back to the desperation of his self-destruction and comparing it to his current state evoked a sense of emotion. He didn't know if Di Sha had returned to the Taigu Road or if the Empress had slain Can Zhou. All he knew was that in the short term, he couldn't find his way back—after all, he wasn't the Empress.

Ah!

Suddenly, a piercing howl made his consciousness tremble; it was a roar from the depths of the soul.

"Di Sha."

Ye Chen's light of consciousness shook violently; he could tell whose voice it was.

Clearly, Di Sha was still alive.

And that guy was also in the void, though Ye Chen didn't know where or in what form.

Without time to think more, Ye Chen immediately concealed his consciousness.

This was a method of self-preservation—who knew if Di Sha was searching for him? If he were found, it would be a disaster. A great emperor sacred body against a Heavenly Emperor Shengmo, he was no match.

On the fourth day, the sky over the Taigu Road grew even darker.

Many had already summoned illuminating spirit pearls, suspending them in the void to cast light.

"I feel the path ahead is utterly dim."

Kui Niu hung his head, occasionally glancing around, devoid of any spirit.

"If your sisters-in-law knew, how heartbroken they would be."

Xiao Yuan Huang also lowered his head, still thinking of his seventh brother, the great war god buried in a foreign land.

"Fate—this is all fate."

Ren Wang tucked his hands away, sitting on a rock, his demeanor aged and worn. He had tried to divine Ye Chen's fate, but the emperor's upheaval made it impossible. Even without that, he couldn't divine it, for Ye Chen was a great emperor, beyond his reach since the moment of ascension. Not even Ren Huang could do it.

Boom!

No sooner had he spoken than a thunderous boom shook the entire Taigu Road.

The gods and generals turned their gazes toward the western heavens.

In their sight, dark demonic aura surged and rolled, spreading like a vast canopy of clouds.

"Tianmo."

The gods and generals' expressions changed drastically, looking extremely grim. It seemed a crack had opened in some corner of the Taigu Road, allowing outer domain sovereigns to invade. They could see three Tianmo Emperors—one wielding a black war spear, one a blood-dripping demonic blade, and one a resounding killing sword—accompanied by countless demonic soldiers and generals.