Chapter 3183: Cosmic Diplomacy

Boom! Rumble!

Tai Shang bled once, causing the entire Tai Shang Tian to shake violently, and it even affected the heavens and the lower realms. This god must have been furious. How many years had passed? This was the first time he had been wounded by mere ants. The gods of the world trembled in their hearts. He was injured; that god had actually been harmed, even if it was just a minor scratch, but he had indeed shed blood.

"So, he is not invincible after all."

Ye Chen steadied himself, his shattered sacred body reconstructing inch by inch, blood continuously overflowing from his mouth. Zhao Yun was in a similar state, fortunate that Yongheng was strong enough to withstand it. In that instant, a certain divine light around them shone to its utmost brilliance, as radiant as the sun.

Tai Shang had bled.

If he was the dark night, then that strike of Yongheng had torn open a glimmer of light. The hope of Yongheng was ignited.

Ye Chen and Zhao Yun were both filled with boundless fighting spirit, knowing they could not kill Tai Shang, yet unafraid to battle on.

"Fight."

The two shouted in unison, charging against the heavens, becoming two brilliant streaks of Yongheng amid the darkness.

"Ants."

Tai Shang's desolate eyes reflected utter destruction, gleaming with contempt.

In an instant, Ye Chen arrived, thrusting a sword of Yongheng. Tai Shang raised his hand, and chaotic light surged forth, each ray carrying the power of doomsday.

"Instant: Yongheng."

Zhao Yun snorted coldly, now taking on a supporting role, unleashing a divine ability similar to Nian Yongheng.

The universe was frozen in place, and Tai Shang halted abruptly. Ye Chen's body was enveloped in laws, allowing him to cross the river of time that lay between him and Tai Shang.

Splash!

The Yongheng sword struck true, adding another streak of blood to Tai Shang's dao heart.

"Be gone."

Tai Shang roared in anger, black light emanating from his body and spreading across the four seas and eight wastelands.

Splash! Splash!

Ye Chen and Zhao Yun both spat blood, knocked back by the halo, their Yongheng nearly extinguished. Before they could steady themselves, a chaotic river surged toward them, its waves towering and terrifying.

This was no ordinary river; it was formed from the essence of time, a rule set by Tai Shang himself. As it rolled forth, a faint wisp of its aura fell upon a god in the world below.

In an instant, that god aged and turned to ash.

"This..." The gods of the world were horrified, fleeing one after another.

Tai Shang's divine abilities were too frightening. A river evolved from time was overwhelmingly dominant; just a trace of its aura had wiped out a living god.

So, it was wise not to get too close while watching the spectacle, to avoid the aftermath. That god who had turned to ash was a bloody example, not even managing a scream.

Looking toward Tai Shang Tian, Ye Chen and Zhao Yun had been engulfed by the river. The rules of time were destructive; within it, their hair turned from black to silver, their once-glorious dignity now marked with wrinkles, and their radiant divine bones eroded of their light.

No one knew how much of their lifespan had been consumed. The onlookers felt their hearts shudder; even one breath in there was like this—if it lasted a few moments longer, the two would surely crumble to dust.

"Perish."

Ye Chen shouted resoundingly, summoning the Yongheng Immortal River, while Zhao Yun cast a spell to bolster their immortality.

Boom!

Both rivers surged wildly, illusory light flashing—a complete time against an incomplete Yongheng, a clash of rules and a contest of dao, evenly matched.

In the end, time withered away, while Yongheng endured.

That scene made even the supreme gods sit up straight; they had truly underestimated Yongheng.

Not just them, even Tai Shang furrowed his brow. A complete time had been defeated by an incomplete Yongheng, far beyond his expectations.

"Something's off."

Tai Shang narrowed his divine eyes, gazing at Ye Chen's Yongheng Immortal River with unusually profound depth.

"So that's it."

After observing, Tai Shang revealed a cold smile and extended a hand from the void.

"Fight."

Ye Chen and Zhao Yun advanced along the immortal river, simultaneously unleashing Yongheng attacks in the same instant.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The divine battle erupted again, with countless rays of law light bursting forth, each one like a divine sword cleaving the heavens and earth.

Ye Chen and Zhao Yun coordinated perfectly, alternating as the main attackers. The fusion of Yongheng was truly miraculous; in those few instants, the divine power they wove together made even Tai Shang frown slightly—that power was no ordinary force; it could truly wound him.

Still, blood rained down.

But this time, besides the blood of Yongheng, there was also Tai Shang's blood, falling and transforming into dragon shapes that clashed with each other, a battle to the death until one side was obliterated.

"Those two Yongheng wielders—how are they fighting even more fiercely?"

The gods of the world watched in stunned expressions; Tai Shang was absolutely overwhelming them, yet they were still lively and kicking.

"The ruthless ones who destroyed the forbidden zones aren't just talk," someone said.

"Maybe they really can defeat Tai Shang; that Yongheng fusion is more bizarre than imagined."

"It's best to stay far away."

Discussions rose and fell as the gods all retreated. Though the battlefield was in Tai Shang Tian, the aftershocks still ravaged the world; every wisp of blood energy, every ray of divine light, carried the killing intent to destroy heavens and earth.

"Not enough, far from enough."

The supreme gods shook their heads; Yongheng was astonishing, but it couldn't defeat Tai Shang, let alone annihilate him.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Under the watchful eyes of all, the three gods in combat transformed their forms.

Tai Shang became a illusory Chaos Dragon.

That dragon was enormous, every roar like a mountain, its body shrouded in chaos and entwined with various laws; its majestic form coiled through the void, crushing the universe to pieces.

Zhao Yun turned into a white tiger, radiating Yongheng light.

Ye Chen transformed into a qilin, its glory spanning across Tai Shang Tian, the illusory Yongheng becoming tangible.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

One dragon, one tiger, and one qilin battled to the highest peaks of the ethereal realm, pushing toward the very end of time.

Indeed, time had lost all meaning.

The war was brutal; Ye Chen's qilin and Zhao Yun's white tiger shattered repeatedly, unable to match Tai Shang's Chaos Dragon. Each collision brought a rain of blood and waves of destruction.

This battle lasted nine days and nine nights.

At least, in the divine realm, day and night had cycled nine full times.

However, in Tai Shang Tian, no one knew how many seasons had passed. The supreme gods saw it clearest: the laws of time were in chaos, no longer aligned with the outside world.

"We truly underestimated them."

The supreme gods all sighed; by "them," they meant Ye Chen and Zhao Yun. Those two juniors had actually fought Tai Shang for so long.

If even they felt that way, the gods of the world were beyond shocked. A heaven-shattering battle lasting nine days and nine nights—if it were any ordinary god, they wouldn't just be destroyed; they'd have been drained to a dried corpse by now. Yongheng's immortality and inexhaustibility were no exaggeration.

Hm?

Just then, the supreme gods frowned in unison, glancing toward a section of the void.

There, dreamlike light flickered. Within the dream, a vague silhouette appeared, visible yet more distant than a dream itself.

If Ye Chen saw it, he would surely recognize it.

It was the female emperor of the ancient heavenly court, who knew what divine ability she had used, but she could not truly descend.

"Fellow daoist, you have overstepped."

The supreme gods spoke indifferently, many stroking their beards, as if aware of what was happening.

"Is this bullying the weak with the strong?"

The female emperor parted her lips slightly, her form still in the ancient primordial chaos, projecting only a shadow. Though she wished to descend into this universe, the rules suppressed her; as an outsider, she had to follow the host's ways and could not seize control.

Even as a Huang Emperor, she could not reverse it. After all, this universe had more than one Huang Emperor; united as the heavenly dao, they exerted absolute suppression.

The female emperor's words made the gods all cough dryly. Indeed, it was bullying the weak with the strong; as part of the heavenly dao, they were merely silent observers.

Yet, the rules dictated it so. They could not interfere, and supreme gods from outside universes had no right to either. Wherever they came from, they should return there.

The female emperor ignored them, reaching out from the ancient primordial chaos, trying to grasp Ye Chen and pull him back.

"Do you take us for decorations?"

The supreme gods snorted coldly, using the power of mastery to erase the female emperor's projected shadow on the spot.

Splash!

At the peak of the ancient mountains, the female emperor spat a mouthful of fresh blood, her figure staggering, nearly tumbling from the summit.

The god venerable hurried forward, placing a hand on the female emperor's shoulder.

Her face was deathly pale, her expression gravely serious; this grand gamble had unforeseen variables. She could not seize Ye Chen back. Not even with a mere shadow; even if her true form arrived, it would be nearly impossible.

"You do not represent this universe."

The holy demon chuckled eerily; he was the executor of the heavenly dao. If talks with other universes were needed, it was his role, not the female emperor's. Other universes' supreme gods recognized only the heavenly dao, not anyone else.

The female emperor fell silent, offering no rebuttal. If she were the heavenly dao, she would have the qualification; she could likely retrieve Ye Chen without fighting.

This was the diplomacy between universes—exchanges between heavenly daos.

As for her, even if she surpassed the heavenly dao or sealed the upper heavens, other universes would not acknowledge her.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The battle in Tai Shang Tian raged on, its destructive light reaching the farthest ends of time.

The gods of the world were lost in a daze. Nine days and nine nights—this god-versus-god war was extraordinarily prolonged.

Splash! Splash!

It was not until the tenth day that two blood flowers bloomed in Tai Shang Tian, both enveloped in Yongheng light. They were from Ye Chen and Zhao Yun.

They had lost. The Yongheng qilin shattered, the Yongheng white tiger exploded, and both returned to human form.

Amid dim light, the two plummeted from Tai Shang Tian. As they fell, the Yongheng light faded, revealing their battered, bloodied bodies, like shedding a luminous cloak.

The sight made the world's hearts tremble. It was utterly tragic; both were unrecognizable, covered in wounds with exposed blood and bones, and their hair had turned white as snow. They must have sacrificed their lifespan during the fight.

As for Tai Shang, he still stood at the highest peak of the ethereal realm, like a ruler overlooking the world. He, too, was stained with fresh blood. Those two Yongheng wielders were fierce enough; no one would believe he was unharmed.

Nevertheless, he had won. From the moment of that initial slash, he had defeated Yongheng and shattered the myth of immortality.

Boom! Bang!

Accompanied by two thunderous crashes, a star domain in the divine realm collapsed from the impact of Ye Chen and Zhao Yun.

The halo spread, knocking over countless gods. After all, the two still carried Tai Shang's killing intent—a force of utter destruction.

"Defeated."

Zhao Yun rose, his voice hoarse, swaying unsteadily from exhaustion.

"Defeated."

Ye Chen also stood, staggering, his eyes dulled and lifeless, barely able to keep his footing. The defeat was devastating. Even with all their might, countless forbidden laws, and the fusion of two Yongheng, they could not overcome Tai Shang.

Buzz! Buzz!

Suddenly, two black war spears shot toward them, hurled by Tai Shang.

Splash! Splash!

The still-wobbling Ye Chen and Zhao Yun were both pierced through, impaled by the spears and flung toward the edge of the universe.

At the same time, two divine steles rose from the ground at the universe's border. The two Yongheng wielders were nailed to them, one on the left and one on the right.