Chapter 2996: A Tiny Magical Artifact

"Damn it."

As the Tianmo attacked, all the Shenjiang ascended to the heavens in a single step, forming a straight, orderly line that stretched across the vast sky.

It was truly a case of bad luck piling on top of more bad luck.

Now, the Nüdi was separated, the various emperors were in a pitiful state with no combat ability, and yet the Tianmo had to come charging in.

"Up!"

Zaohua Shenwang shouted resoundingly, spreading his five fingers wide and pointing them downward.

Immediately, the earth began to rumble.

Then, a majestic city wall rose from the ground, towering ten thousand zhang high.

The other Shenjiang were not idle either.

Countless people cast their spells, raising city walls from the flat ground, one after another, stretching nine million li north to south.

There was no choice; all the emperors were weakened, so they had to fight on their behalf.

This city wall was their final barrier. If they held it, there was hope; if not, it would mean total annihilation. The demon soldiers and generals weren't the real threat—what was terrifying were the three Tianmo Emperors. If they reached this realm, it would mark the end of fate. In their current condition, the emperors couldn't even fight, let alone move.

"Son of a bitch."

Kui Niu cursed loudly, grabbing his battle axe and donning an ancient suit of armor.

Like him, all the Shenjiang did the same.

Regardless of gender or age, they all put on their battle armor, and even the Chaos bodies, which had been in seclusion to accumulate emperor essence, awakened. Given enough time, they could have defied the heavens to prove their dao, but with the Tianmo invasion, they had no choice but to go to war. Their already fragile opportunities were further damaged by this upheaval.

Boom! Rumbling!

The heavens trembled and shook repeatedly. There were too many demon soldiers and generals, their auras merging into one, surging forward with killing intent. Amid the demonic shadows, twisted and hideous faces could be seen, with pairs of blood-red eyes dripping like fresh blood, and tongues licking their lips as they eyed their prey.

"Never thought the dim Taigu Road would have so many ants."

The first Tianmo Emperor chuckled sinisterly, gripping his black war spear and gazing toward the horizon at the city wall.

"Something's off. There are great emperors."

The second Tianmo Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, as if peering through the haze to the other side of the wall.

He was looking, and so was the third Tianmo Emperor.

At this sight, they both shuddered. Was that the Heavenly Court Nüdi? And there were two Saint Bodies, emperor-level Desolate Ancient Saint Bodies, plus four emperors. Such a lineup was utterly intimidating!

"The Nüdi is separated, and the six emperors have no combat power. This time, it's destined to be a great harvest."

The third Tianmo Emperor grinned viciously, baring his white teeth. Better late than never, as the saying goes.

It was a nest of big fish!

The other two Tianmo Emperors also had flashes of excitement in their eyes, nearly driven mad with greed.

Boom!

The first Tianmo Emperor moved, stepping forward and shattering the sky, crossing the vast void.

Buzz!

Before he could approach the city wall, the Chaos Divine Cauldron flew out, its massive and heavy form colliding with the Tianmo Emperor and sending him flying sideways. It was Ye Dadi's life-bound emperor weapon—absolutely ferocious.

"A mere magical artifact dares to attack me."

The first Tianmo Emperor steadied himself, his expression turning even more grotesque, his eyes red and sinister.

But then, he was knocked over again.

The second and third Tianmo Emperors arrived late. Before they could even show off, they saw the first Tianmo Emperor flipping through the air from the east, looking completely baffled. After glancing at each other, they turned to look back. That majestic emperor's body was now cracked, with fresh blood spurting out. And what had struck him down? A massive cauldron.

Not just them, but the demon soldiers and generals were also stunned, all craning their necks to watch.

The Chaos Cauldron buzzed, its body covered in cracks yet radiating divine light. On one side was Chaos Fire, on the other Chaos Thunder, blocking the way outside the city wall. Their master was dead, but they remained, determined to hold the line for him.

That scene was particularly striking.

Including Renwang, everyone seemed to see Ye Chen's shadow on the Chaos Cauldron and its companions.

The Shenjiang wept, tears streaming down their faces.

An army of a hundred thousand Shenjiang, six great emperors, and one heavenly emperor, yet they were so weakened that Ye Chen's life-bound weapon had to charge ahead.

This grand expeditionary force of the heavens was facing its most tragic battle.

Behind them, Wulei suddenly awakened, staggering as if to climb the city wall, but after a few steps, he collapsed unsteadily. Yexi, who had also risen, fell in the raging wind.

Chuxuan and Chuling managed to stand, but they were so frail they could barely stay upright.

Dihuang had opened his eyes once, only for his sacred body to explode; Hongyan's immortal body was bathed in fresh blood.

Distracted by the Tianmo, they had nearly been destroyed.

If even they were like this, there was no need to mention Zhanshen and the others, all teetering on the edge of life and death.

"Trigger the emperor tribulation and strike them down!"

Xiao Yuan Huang cursed loudly, his iron staff buzzing and his fur standing on end like steel needles.

The Chaos bodies remained silent, as did Sheng Huang, the Shenjiang, and Mozun.

Even if they triggered the emperor tribulation, it wouldn't break the deadlock. The Tianmo Emperors wouldn't stand still and let themselves be struck—they'd bypass the tribulation and attack the emperors directly. Moreover, those undergoing the tribulation could be killed by the emperors at any moment.

After all, they lacked powerful protectors.

In short, triggering the tribulation would likely lead to total annihilation.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

On the opposite side, the three Tianmo Emperors had arrived. The second and third were fine, but the first looked like a raging ghost, his face twisted in fury. A majestic emperor like him had been knocked over twice by a cauldron—utterly humiliating and hateful. What was once playful had turned into thunderous rage.

Boom! Rumbling!

The Tianmo army also arrived, like a black carpet spreading across the earth.

On the city wall,

The Shenjiang's expressions were graver than ever. This wasn't the heavens, where they had innate suppression. Whether it was the Tianmo Emperors or the demon soldiers, they were all at full strength, leaving no advantages for them.

"First, slaughter the emperors."

The second Tianmo Emperor said calmly, his mind clear on priorities.

Boom!

It was still the first Tianmo Emperor who moved, sweeping forth with overwhelming demonic energy and crossing the sky in a single step.

As he moved, so did the Chaos Cauldron.

"Get back." The first Tianmo Emperor snorted coldly, slapping down from the sky.

Clang!

The Chaos Cauldron was incredibly dominant, charging straight at him and repelling the Tianmo Emperor with a head-on clash.

Buzz!

Before the first Tianmo Emperor could stop, it attacked again, its mouth facing downward to swallow the heavens and earth, actually sucking that emperor into the cauldron. It was hard to block a full emperor, so the only option was to trap him inside.

"Open! Open for me!"

The first Tianmo Emperor's roar was filled with fury, followed by booming sounds as he tried to break out. However, he had underestimated the cauldron's sturdiness and resilience. It was inscribed with eternity, Chaos marks, and killing formations. Not only could he not escape, but he couldn't even stand steady.

The Chaos Cauldron struggled bitterly to hold on, pouring all its power into suppressing that emperor.

"Interesting."

The second Tianmo Emperor chuckled darkly, not planning to rescue the first one. He wouldn't escape quickly, and he wouldn't die right away. His original intent unchanged, he targeted the emperors—eliminating them would settle everything. As for the small fry on the city wall, they could be ignored; the Tianmo army could crush them flat.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Chaos Fire and Chaos Thunder charged forward, one turning into a sea of fire and the other into a sea of thunder. The two seas merged into a sea of thunderfire, surging wildly and submerging the second Tianmo Emperor in an instant.

"Trifling fire and thunder dare to trap me?"

The second Tianmo Emperor's roar shook the heavens, tearing open a rift and soaring out.

"Get back here!"

From the sea of thunderfire came the clanking of chains—one a Chaos Fire order chain, the other a Chaos Thunder order chain. One bound the Tianmo Emperor's left foot, the other his right. The emperor who had just escaped was dragged back into the sea. He wanted to go for a stroll? No chance.

"Open! Open for me!"

The second Tianmo Emperor lost his mocking demeanor, his angry howls echoing through the nine heavens. Just moments ago, he had mocked the first Tianmo Emperor, but now he had followed in his footsteps, trapped by fire and thunder. Every time he tried to break out, a wave of thunderfire would roll over and pull him back. The first couldn't stand steady, and neither could he. He had truly underestimated the thunder and fire—Chaos level was indeed powerful.

"Impressive."

The Shenjiang murmured softly. Even after their master had fallen, the Chaos Cauldron and its companions were still so dominant. Two great emperors! Trapped just like that. If Ye Chen were alive, the three of them would be even more terrifying. His life-bound weapon, fire, and thunder were no joke—they were truly bringing honor.

"Good stuff."

The third Tianmo Emperor laughed mockingly, his lips curving into a playful arc. He glanced at the Chaos Cauldron, then at Chaos Fire and Chaos Thunder. They were absolutely heaven-defying treasures. What kind of existence could their master have been to forge such immortal relics? Even emperors couldn't escape. Once the battle was over, they needed to be studied.

With that, he withdrew his gaze and stepped forward through the sky.

His eyes were full of contempt, truly looking down on everything, as if no one could stop him.

"Battle!"

The fourth Shenjiang shouted resoundingly, wielding his immortal sword and charging first. Joining him were the Chaos bodies, Chujiang Wang, Sheng Huang, Mozun, Yuhua Xianwang, Zaohua Shenwang, and over a dozen other peak powerhouses. This was on the Taigu Road, where a dozen peak-level experts might not even match a Tianmo Emperor.

"Overestimating yourselves."

The third Tianmo Emperor sneered coldly, slapping Tun Tian Mozun away with one palm, piercing Chujiang Wang with a flip of his hand, and surging with demonic energy that engulfed Zaohua Shenwang and Sheng Huang, nearly devouring the two quasi-emperors.

Clang!

The fourth Shenjiang arrived, his sword devastating and carrying destructive power.

Unfortunately, the Shenjiang was far from enough.

Though his sword was dominating, it was easily caught between the Tianmo Emperor's two fingers. No matter how hard he pushed, it wouldn't advance an inch. Both he and the sword were shaken away, his arms and body exploding repeatedly.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Blinding blood light erupted one after another. The other peak powerhouses fared no better; none could withstand an emperor's strike. Over a dozen peak experts were all drenched in blood and fallen from the sky in just three breaths.

A flawless emperor was beyond what quasi-emperors could handle, even at the peak level.

The third Tianmo Emperor didn't pause, each step booming like thunder. He had no time to waste on small fry.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The crowd of peak powerhouses arrived again, all dragging their blood-soaked bodies, determined not to let the Tianmo Emperor pass.

"Forcing me to fight desperately!"

Renwang hovered with his Bagua Mirror and charged out of the city wall, followed by Xiaoyaozi, Donghuang Taixin, Zixuan, Long Ye, and Dihuan. The lineup of peak powerhouses had now swelled to twenty. But as before, this was not the heavens—it was a flawless emperor.

"Seeking death."

The third Tianmo Emperor wielded his emperor sword with wide swings, and each strike left a Shenjiang bathed in blood.

"Kill!"

Below, the Tianmo army also moved, like a black ocean surging with waves, pressing toward the city wall.