The Eight Saints' Mission, the Ultimate Showdown

With the foundation of the grand array in place, there was no need to rebuild it from scratch. All that was required was to add and fuse spirit stones into it.

Chen Xia summoned his avatar and instructed it to guard the Azure Sky Sword Sea Ruins. This way, even if the White Emperor were to suddenly arrive again, they would be able to detect and block him immediately.

Chen Xia himself took charge of adding spirit stones to the Dead Star Region array, incorporating all the spirit stones sent by other saints into the formation.

This was a troublesome task that would take some time. So Chen Xia issued orders to several saints.

Hu Linye had spent 30,000 years cultivating in disguise within the Star Region. His network was vast, and he knew countless figures. Chen Xia tasked Hu Linye with seeking out other elders from the Azure Sky Sword Sea, aiming to bring back as many survivors as possible.

Hu Linye naturally had no problem with this. He enjoyed cultivating in disguise, so he immediately donned a hood and walked out of the small house, waving to Chen Xia with a smile.

"Wait for my good news."

This was Hu Linye's assignment.

The other saints had plenty to do as well. Qiu Li was responsible for leading the forces under the various saints to set up arrays using the Mysterious Dao throughout the Star Region. This would provide a counterattack option if the Star Region were invaded.

However, establishing an array covering the entire Star Region would inevitably face opposition from other saints and great saints. Therefore, Li Yang and Li Yue were tasked with reasoning with these saints and great saints.

If they could be reasoned with, all well and good. If not, fists would do the talking.

If they truly couldn't win a fight, they were to return and inform Chen Xia, who would go personally to settle matters.

Emperor Capital, Chi Yu, Jia Bai, and Huang Can had an even heavier task. They were responsible for reasoning with all the saints and great saints in the Star Region.

And there was only one point to be made:

Chen Xia was about to unify everything.

Chen Xia had realized that to resist the dark invasion, the Star Region needed to be united. Otherwise, many would surrender before the battle even began.

This was unacceptable, so he planned to unify the Star Region after restoring the Azure Sky Sword Sea, returning to the situation of the previous great era when the Azure Sky Sword Sea ruled supreme.

With their tasks assigned, the saints departed to carry out their duties.

Chen Xia continued to set up the array while simultaneously entering the Great Death Realm with his divine sense to converse with his heart demon.

"Brother, how about giving me some substantial trump cards? Like a divine ability that can kill a great emperor with a single strike?" Chen Xia asked his heart demon with a frown.

The heart demon glanced at him. "Don't you already have one?"

"I do?"

"The past and future law."

"That one doesn't just kill the great emperor, it kills me too," Chen Xia said worriedly.

"Then there's no solution unless you can lure the great emperor into the Great Death Realm. I could give him a good thrashing with a couple of slaps," the heart demon replied.

"Ah, never mind," Chen Xia shook his head. "Let's be serious. I'm already expanding the array, starting with at least ten million spirit stones. How much power will you be able to manifest when you descend?"

"Great Emperor level power is no problem, but it's still a cross-realm battle, from the myriad realms to the Great Heaven. So killing a Great Emperor would be challenging," the heart demon answered.

Chen Xia's face lit up. "No worries, I'll increase it to hundreds of millions of spirit stones!"

The heart demon was slightly taken aback, frowning. "Are you trying to overclock me?"

"Is that not okay?" Chen Xia asked.

"It's possible, but I'm worried your Star Region won't be able to withstand my descent. With hundreds of millions of spirit stones, I could bring 30% of the Great Death Realm with me," the heart demon replied.

"Can you kill a Great Emperor for sure?" Chen Xia pressed.

The heart demon didn't reply directly. Instead, it pointed upward and asked, "What's that?"

"The sky," Chen Xia answered.

"Even if that came down, I'd give it a couple of slaps!" the heart demon boasted.

"Of course, whether I'd win is another matter, but escaping wouldn't be a problem," it added.

Chen Xia nodded, his face delighted. If this were the case, his trump card could be considered extremely powerful.

The heart demon crossed its arms, its crimson eyes blinking slightly as it offered a suggestion.

"Regarding the array, you can build it in three tiers. Ten million spirit stones for one tier, fifty million for another, and finally hundreds of millions."

"The difference is that with ten million spirit stones, I can descend multiple times. With fifty million, two to three times. With hundreds of millions, only once, otherwise the Star Region won't be able to bear my weight and will crumble and disintegrate."

Chen Xia nodded, "Evolution, super evolution, and ultimate evolution. I understand."

"More or less," the heart demon nodded, then continued.

"Also, that No Xi Great Emperor came to me again. I used the Great Death Realm's interface will to give him some minor opportunities, and he told me some things about Xu Zhen."

"What things?" Chen Xia asked.

"Xu Zhen is fine, just going into seclusion for 6,000 years until reaching the quasi-emperor realm."

"Seclusion is good, it's safe," Chen Xia nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. He then waved to the heart demon.

"I'm off."

"Mm."

There were no lengthy farewells.

I conversing with myself, we understood each other implicitly.

Under the heavenly dao's reckoning, amidst the dark invasion.

A majestic golden light shone, a dazzling golden streak flashed through the densest darkness, surging from the bottom to the highest point, then plunging back down, making a round trip through the dark invasion!

Boom!

A tremendous sound.

The golden streak fell to the ground, revealing the supreme figure within.

Chen Jiu stood with his foot on a Great Emperor filled with dark energy, his face disdainful.

"After cultivating for tens of thousands of years and becoming a Great Emperor, why are you still so spineless?"

The dark-energy-filled Great Emperor struggled frantically, looking at Chen Jiu with extreme hatred, and shouted.

"Isn't it you supreme beings who have angered the will of heaven? Why else would there be this great reckoning of the heavenly dao? Everything is just your conspiracy!"

"Nonsense," Chen Jiu said expressionlessly. Ancient golden patterns flashed on his foot as he crushed the Great Emperor's body to dust with one step. Then he looked up.

The heavenly dao was only a foot away from him.

"Now you remember to target me?" Chen Jiu sneered.

Drip.

A sound like water dropping.

Splash.

The sound of water droplets bursting.

Boom!

Chen Jiu's body suddenly flew backward, passing through countless star regions, from the Great Heaven to the myriad realms, then down to the lowest planes.

With a clang.

He seemed to have fallen to the very bottom of heaven and earth, sinking into endless void, his body covered in blood, cracked all over, seemingly lifeless.

This was the scene of the first three breaths.

The next three breaths.

Chen Jiu stood up as if nothing had happened, the corner of his mouth still curled in a disdainful smile.

This was one of his great daos.

The Immortality Dao.

Unaffected by any external force, any dao, or even the heavenly dao.

It was simply about not dying, existing almost on the same level as the heavenly dao.

He clenched his fist and struck his own chest. Golden ancient patterns immediately spread across his entire body, his martial fortune condensing, shining with golden light. At the same time, he laughed.

"Next supreme being, I'll hold it off for another 5,000 years for you!"

His body shot upward, heading once again towards the highest point of the myriad realms and heavens, plunging into the dark invasion, charging towards the heavenly dao at the summit to do battle.

Now there is a divine golden-bodied guest, single-handedly holding off the heavenly dao for 5,000 years!