Chapter 816: Nine Emperors' Divine Punishment

Chapter 816: Jiu Huang Shen Fa

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The void trembled as the figure formed from gathered thunder continued to approach Ye Chen at a steady pace.

His steps were firm and powerful, his figure as unyielding as a mountain. His black hair cascaded like a waterfall, stirring without wind. His eyes were as still as ancient wells, seemingly encompassing the entire world, exuding the majesty of an emperor.

Above his head floated a divine diagram, etched with mountains, rivers, and grand peaks. It radiated dazzling divine light and intertwined with the laws of the Dao, shining like a star.

The heavens and earth fell silent upon his appearance. Even in the midst of battle, Xing Wang and Dao Huang paused, their eyes narrowing as they stared at the thunder-formed figure.

"Xuan Chen."

Xing Wang's eyes narrowed into slits, his voice filled with shock.

"Shifu, that person is..." Though Chu Ling'er and Yang Dingtian knew they couldn't be wrong, they still turned to Hengyue Zhenren and the others for confirmation.

"Our three sects' founder, Xuan Chen," Hengyue Zhenren replied, his breath coming in gasps.

"How could it be Chen Huang? What's going on here?" Gu Santong and the others stared blankly at the void, their faces full of confusion.

"Dragon Grandpa, what's happening?" Among everyone, Ye Chen was the most astonished. The approaching figure was undoubtedly the three sects' founder, Xuan Chen, as he had seen Chen Huang's statue standing in Hengyue Sect many times before.

"That's not the real Xuan Chen," Taixu Gulong responded. "More precisely, it's Xuan Chen's Dao imprint."

"What do you mean?" Ye Chen scratched his head.

"Your heavenly tribulation divine punishment has touched upon Xuan Chen's Dao imprint, causing him to manifest in this form," Taixu Gulong explained. "As you might guess, this is also part of the heavenly tribulation divine punishment."

"There's such a thing as heavenly tribulation divine punishment?" Ye Chen's expression turned quite colorful.

" Kid, you've stirred up big trouble," Taixu Gulong said hastily. "The divine punishment from a supreme being's Dao imprint is even higher than that of divine beasts or spirit beasts. This kind of punishment is the hardest to overcome, its terror far beyond your imagination. In a sense, you're going to have to fight against the emperor, Xuan Chen."

"Damn, they play it like that?" Ye Chen couldn't help but curse.

Buzz!

No sooner had he spoken than the divine diagram above Chen Huang Xuan Chen's head trembled, shooting out a scorching divine light straight toward Ye Chen. The light seemed ordinary but was overwhelmingly powerful.

Ye Chen quickly drew his Tian Que Jian and held it in front of him.

Boom!

The scorching divine light struck the Tian Que Jian dead on, sending Ye Chen flying backward.

"That's the Jiu Zhou Xuan Tian Tu, also known as the Jiu Zhou Shen Tu. It's Xuan Chen's natal artifact," Taixu Gulong transmitted. "Like Xuan Chen, it's a Dao imprint, not the real thing. But even so, you need to be extremely careful. If you're heavily wounded by Xuan Chen's Dao laws, the consequences will be severe. Back in the day, I took quite a loss from this Jiu Zhou Shen Tu."

"Is this meant to make me fight an emperor?" Ye Chen had barely steadied himself, his voice trembling as he spoke.

Whoosh!

From the opposite side, the figure vanished in an instant with a single step.

Ye Chen hurriedly retreated.

But he was too slow. Xuan Chen had already appeared within three zhang of him and struck with a massive palm strike, like a falling monument. It looked simple but contained dozens of divine abilities and variations of laws.

Ye Chen was sent flying on the spot, his powerful holy body physique breaking over a dozen bones.

"Fight him head-on. The weaker you are, the stronger he gets," Taixu Gulong reminded.

Buzz!

Ye Chen immediately summoned his Chaos Shen Ding, reviving its world-shaking divine power. It collapsed the void as it collided with the Jiu Zhou Shen Tu above Xuan Chen's head.

Boom! Bang! Clang!

The cauldron and the diagram clashed fiercely in the void. The cauldron was like a great mountain, the diagram like a galaxy, both gleaming with divine light and weaving heavenly Dao sounds. It was a contest of two Dao laws, spilling out brilliant divine radiance.

Fight!

Ye Chen charged forward, stepping across hundreds of zhang in one stride. His Ba Huang Fist fused with various secret techniques and carried an invincible will as it attacked Xuan Chen.

Xuan Chen did not retreat. With one hand, he manifested heaven and earth, transforming it into Qian Kun Yin Yang, then merged it with Wuji Taiji, pushing out a palm that neutralized Ye Chen's Ba Huang Fist and sent him tumbling through the air.

Pfft!

Ye Chen spat out blood on the spot, and several of his unhealed bones shattered again.

"The Dao imprint, a body of heavenly tribulation, can actually use secret techniques and divine abilities." Ye Chen wiped the fresh blood from his mouth, his eyes full of gravity. Though it was heavenly tribulation divine punishment, he felt as if the three sects' founder, Xuan Chen, standing opposite him was truly the ancient emperor, Chen Huang.

Again!

Ye Chen charged once more, his fighting spirit soaring. Since it was heavenly tribulation divine punishment, he would not fear it.

If it were the real Chen Huang, that would be one thing—he wouldn't even think of resisting, let alone have the strength. But this was just a true body formed from Dao laws, so he had no fear.

However, before he could reach Xuan Chen, a world-shaking divine light descended from the sky, entwined with thunder. Its power could split heaven and earth.

Damn!

Ye Chen hastily raised his Tian Que Jian.

Boom!

The absolute sword strike landed hard on the Tian Que Jian, forcing Ye Chen to his knees, blood spraying from his mouth.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Footsteps echoed again. From the thunderous black mist, a second figure emerged, tall and imposing as a mountain, exuding imperial majesty and laws.

"Yuan Hong Shen Jian." Voices of shock came from all sides as people stared in disbelief at the second figure after Xuan Chen. "He... he's Xuan Huang?"

"Kid, you're on your own now!" Taixu Gulong coughed dryly, as if unable to bear watching, and closed his dragon eyes.

"Two emperors." Ye Chen's voice trembled. Even though they weren't the real emperors, the pressure on him was immense.

But it wasn't over yet. After Xuan Huang, the void rumbled again. From the surging black mist, another person walked out, holding a great halberd and wearing armor, also carrying imperial majesty.

"Father... Father!" Xiao Chen's body shuddered at the sight, tears welling in his eyes.

"Xiao Zhan." Not far away, Xing Wang clenched his fists until they bled, his eyes bulging with bloodshot veins. He never imagined that, after eons, he would reunite with his former great enemy in this scenario.

"Is... is that Zhan Wang?" Voices echoed from below, trembling with emotion.

"Three emperors." Ye Chen's face turned pale and bloodless.

Wait, there's more.

After Zhan Wang, the heavens shook with the sound of bells, deep and resonant.

Under everyone's gaze, a fourth figure appeared from the thunderous black mist: tall and imposing, with black hair like a waterfall, surrounded by thunder, and a great bell hovering above his head, radiating imperial divine might.

"Dong Huang." Ye Chen instinctively stepped back. He didn't know Dong Huang, but he had seen the Dong Huang Bell.

Buzz!

As Ye Chen was in shock, a scorching flame poured down from the sky like a fiery waterfall. After Dong Huang, another person emerged, with a bronze furnace above his head, burning with flames and entwined with imperial laws.

"Tian Zang Tong Lu? That... that's Tian Zang Huang?" Someone exclaimed in shock.

"Tian Zang Huang." Ye Chen's body trembled, and he stepped back again, warily eyeing the surging black mist. In the thunder and lightning, a seventh figure slowly walked out.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Like the previous emperors, this one was tall and robust, bare-chested with dragon-shaped runes on his left arm. His body was as heavy as a mountain, each step making the void rumble. Above his head hovered a treasure pagoda, radiating brilliant divine light and weaving imperial Dao laws.

"Qian Kun Shen Ta." Someone trembled. "That's Tai Wang."

"Another emperor." Ye Chen panted heavily and stepped back again, his face turning deathly pale.

Boom!

The void rumbled, black mist surged, and though no one was seen yet, a heavenly umbrella flew out, slowly rotating and entwined with splendid divine radiance and laws.

"Fu Mo Tian San?" Someone cried out, staring fixedly at the thunderous black mist. "The next one should be Yue Huang."

Indeed, as everyone watched, a graceful figure slowly emerged, stepping lightly with a mesmerizing posture and peerless elegance. Her three thousand strands of hair flowed like water, each tinged with divine glow.

"The peerless Yue Huang." Ye Chen opened his mouth in awe. He didn't know Yue Huang or the Fu Mo Tian San, but she looked exactly like Qian Shang Yue.

"Will Yan Huang appear next?" The experts of Yan Huang began to breathe heavily. The Great Chu Nine Emperors had already produced seven, appearing in order, so the next must be Yan Huang, the founder.

Sure enough, amid their hopeful gazes, a majestic figure appeared: black hair fluttering, aura swallowing mountains and rivers, with a world-shaking presence and divine might that suppressed the heavens. Above his head hovered a divine stele, entwined with golden dragon energy and Yan Huang's imperial laws, exuding supreme divine might.

"It's really Yan Huang." Zhong Jiang and the others had tears in their eyes. In the past, they had only seen Yan Huang's statue, but today, they beheld the living one.

"Honestly, I don't really want to see you, senior." Ye Chen swallowed hard and stepped back again.

"The last one should be Chu Huang." As Ye Chen swallowed, voices rose from below.

And as expected, from the thunderous black mist, a ninth figure slowly walked out, with Tai A Shen Jian hovering above his head. Each step made the void rumble. His aura was no different from the other emperors.

This was a peerless emperor, the first to unify this land. The name Great Chu came from him, and his legends were myths.

After Chu Huang, though the black mist still surged, no one else emerged.

Thus, the Great Chu Nine Emperors were all assembled, standing in a neat row. Though not the true emperors, their pressure was overwhelming, turning the void into a chaotic realm with spatial black holes appearing from time to time.