The Way of Heaven was vast and mighty, while the roars of the dark remnants echoed ceaselessly, sounding quite loud.
Emperor Tianhe stood on the frontline wall, his expression slightly solemn, as he spoke to the elderly man beside him.
"These saints have ultimately been tainted by darkness, losing their sanity and becoming mere bloodthirsty killing machines."
The elderly man, with eyebrows like a galaxy, nodded in agreement, then disdainfully added, "Those who cannot become true cultivators end up like this. They were ordinary saints to begin with, yet they chose to immerse themselves in darkness. They lack the skills but have plenty of delusions, and this is the fate they deserve."
Ordinary saints lack the means to resist the corruption of darkness, and eventually, they all end up in this state.
The emperors stood on the wall, watching the dark remnants emerge one after another, their hearts devoid of fear. They were only pondering how many dark remnants they needed to slay to justify their status as emperors.
The Four Judicial Emperors of the Left Frontline had not appeared. They were stationed in the void above, serving as a crucial defense against the Way of Heaven's reckoning.
With one person shielding against the Way of Heaven's judgment, the other emperors could unleash their full might in the slaughter.
This would be another extremely long battle, and quite possibly, the last one.
On the frontline wall.
Chen Xia stood at the forefront, sword in hand, with four great saints from the Blue Sky Sword Sea following behind him. Further back were the saints who often frequented the chess house on the wall.
Muttering conversations broke out, but no one was afraid. Instead, they discussed how many dark remnants they needed to kill to make it worthwhile.
One wouldn't be enough; saying that would be embarrassing.
At least two saint-level dark remnants would be required.
Emperor Capital was particularly excited, his hands trembling with anticipation as his gaze fixed on the sky. Having ascended to great sainthood through the Star Dao, he finally had the chance to demonstrate his prowess.
Chi Yu stood with his arms crossed, his aged face solemn, but his eyes brimmed with murderous intent.
Li Yang and Li Yue were similarly charged, with Li Yue even joking, "Even if I die here, I'll make sure to kill enough before I go, saving face for our Blue Sky Sword Sea."
She was indeed a great saint of the Blue Sky Sword Sea, and by common consensus, the most talented among them, having caught up to their centuries-old progress in just a fraction of the time.
Emperor Capital laughed heartily in response, "Exactly! I won't let Chen Xia down. You all just watch—I'll be the one killing the most, and maybe I'll even tame a few dark remnants!"
The atmosphere among them was lively.
Chen Xia remained silent. He didn't want anyone to die. With sword in hand and a profound gaze, he stood ready, the Time Dao flowing within his eyes.
The slaughter was about to begin.
The saint-level dark remnants, having lost their sanity, roared and charged forward like beasts hunting their prey, their minds consumed by frenzied killing intent.
Buzz!
A resounding sword cry echoed.
Chen Xia charged at the forefront, his sword cleaving through the enemy formation, instantly slaying a wave of saint remnants. He then plunged directly into the heart of the dark remnants, beginning the slaughter.
"Let's go!"
Emperor Tianhe let out a light shout, transforming into a heavenly white crane that soared into the sky, following Chen Xia's sword light into the fray.
The galaxy-like elder stepped onto a river of stars, using the stars as steps, pressing forward with the momentum of the cosmos.
Thus, three emperor-level combatants led the charge.
Tian Sen the Great Emperor, the middle-aged emperor with the sun and moon on his shoulders, and the Waterfall Temple Master remained on the wall, guarding the city.
The Four Judicial Emperors had already ascended to the higher realms, joining the top emperors of other frontlines to resist the Way of Heaven's reckoning.
The dark remnants were merely a minor crisis; the true danger lay in the Way of Heaven's reckoning above, which was what the top emperors truly feared.
If it were only the dark remnants, the top emperors, working together, could easily wipe them out.
Chen Xia and the three emperor-level combatants charged into the dark remnants, and the other saints were not far behind.
Emperor Capital, in particular, picked up a chessboard and hurled it down, smashing it in fury as he roared, "Damn it, you dare to gang up on my Chen Xia? I'll fight you to the death!"
"Blue Sky Sword Sea's Great Saint, Emperor Capital, is here!"
He transformed into a meteor, hurtling from below toward the dark remnants.
"I'm coming too," Chi Yu softly added, moving silently into action.
Following them were Li Yang and Li Yue, whose sun and moon dao seemed to merge, with countless tiny stars swirling around them.
Then the other saints joined in, each displaying their unique abilities.
At this moment, three thousand saints, unconcerned with life or death, focused solely on the slaughter.
At the forefront, a solitary sword light dominated, each swing drawing blood and felling a dark remnant.
Chen Xia was like the most efficient killing machine, combining the Time Dao with his swordsmanship, making him unstoppable. The Time Dao enveloped past and future, leaving no escape, and with his Immortal Sword, capable of beheading emperors, slaying saints was a trivial matter.
He alone killed more dark remnants than all others combined.
The onlookers, new saints who had only heard of Chen Xia's prowess in battle but had never seen it firsthand, were astonished. They had long known of his skill in alchemy, but his combat abilities were truly terrifying.
They began to question whether "saint" was the right title for him. To them, he seemed more like an emperor.
Li Yang, having slain a saint remnant, looked up at the dazzling sword light ahead. His usual pride was replaced by a wry smile as he shook his head.
Li Yue charged forward, effortlessly crushing a quasi-saint, then laughed as she asked Li Yang, who was still smiling wryly, "What are you looking at, Auntie? Dreaming of becoming as powerful as Chen Xia?"
Li Yang shook his head, still smiling, "No, I was just wondering if I could withstand a single strike from him."
In Chen Xia's presence, all prodigies lost their spirit. Perhaps, as Emperor Capital suggested, they should regard Chen Xia as a senior.
While it was a self-deceptive thought, it did ease their dao hearts somewhat.
Shaking off these distractions, Li Yang returned to the fray.
Suddenly, the sword light at the top paused, then disappeared.
Where Chen Xia had been standing, a gray, dim space formed. From the outside, one could faintly see Chen Xia's figure.
The saints, startled by this sudden change, dodged the dark remnants' attacks and glanced up at the dim space, anxiously watching Chen Xia.
Chen Xia, in his green robe and holding his sword, looked calm. Surrounded by darkness, he couldn't see the outside. Turning his head, he asked, "An emperor?"
"Heh, no wonder you're the renowned Chen Xia. Not a trace of panic—impressive."
A voice praised him. A figure, his face shrouded in dark corruption, emerged. This figure was strange and slightly transparent, with sharp, golden light in his eyes.
When he appeared, the saints below saw him and grew tense, worried for Chen Xia.
"A Second Tier emperor?" Chen Xia asked again.
"Good eye," the emperor chuckled, then replied, "I am Emperor Void Light. You may not have heard of me, but I've heard of your exploits. A Fourth Tier great saint equal to a Second Tier emperor, and you've slain many emperors."
"The last time two emperors ambushed you, you nearly killed both. Achieving such combat power as a saint is truly frightening."
Chen Xia smirked and retorted, "If it's so frightening, why dare you face me alone?"
Emperor Void Light shook his head and smiled, "My skills are modest, but my two dao paths are somewhat formidable, and I excel in one-on-one combat. So, I thought I'd test your true abilities."
Chen Xia remained silent.
"Of course, we have a second option," Emperor Void Light added with a smile.
"Since I've already immersed myself in dark corruption, I value my life and don't wish to engage in true peril. So, let's just stay in this space peacefully. No one will know if we fought or not. We'll coexist without harming each other. What do you say?"
Before Chen Xia could respond, the saints below grew even more anxious.
It was clear to everyone that this was a tactic by Emperor Void Light to sow discord, but if Chen Xia agreed...
They dared not think further, dodging the dark remnants' attacks while nervously watching.
Emperor Capital was so tense that sweat trickled down his face, repeatedly muttering under his breath, "No, Chen Xia, no, no..."
Chen Xia gently touched the surrounding space and nodded.
"Not bad, Space Dao."
"Still a bit inferior to Chen Xia's Time Dao," Emperor Void Light chuckled.
Chen Xia then grinned and asked, "So, what's your choice?"
“You also know that you are inferior to me, so why do you think you can trap me in this space?”
“I didn’t run away, but waited for you to invite me in. To catch a fox, one must use some bait.”
“Now that the fox has invited me into its den, it’s time for me to unsheathe my blade.”
The flying sword was raised.
Chen Xia’s smile gradually widened.