Seventeen Great Emperor heads now hung on the frontline city walls.
Although they no longer possessed divine consciousness, they still looked terrifying, and remnants of their Dao still lingered. Lower-level cultivators who gazed upon them might lose their mental balance, allowing the remnants of the Great Emperor's Dao to invade their minds.
Fortunately, there were no lower-level cultivators on the frontline city walls now.
In fact, there might soon be no cultivators left at all.
Haha.
Cultivators were dying too quickly, mostly in exchange for the lives of remnants of the Dark Invasion. Saints traded for Saints, Grand Saints for Grand Saints, and those at the Patching Heaven level just went to fill in the numbers.
Despite the high death toll, no cultivator feared death, as they believed that exchanging their lives was not a bad deal.
At least by killing a cultivator of the same level, they proved themselves.
The rotation of the Great Emperors also constantly changed, with three Great Emperors going out to battle and three guarding the city.
Injured Great Emperors would return to rest and heal, taking on the relatively easier task of defending the city.
Initially, things were fine, and each Great Emperor could fully recover before rotating again. But as the fighting intensified, there was little time left for rest.
Especially for Chen Xia, who had to make frequent trips between the logistics department and the frontline to refine medicinal pills, making him even more exhausted.
The Great Emperors of the Dark Invasion seemed to be on a suicide mission, pulling the six Great Emperors of the left frontline into a relentless battle.
Chen Xia later killed another Great Emperor remnant, but after that, he couldn't kill any more.
He was targeted by a Three-Path Great Emperor.
This Three-Path Great Emperor seemed to have received some order, focusing solely on killing Chen Xia. Whenever Chen Xia left the city walls, he would be pursued by this Three-Path Great Emperor until Chen Xia returned to the city walls or died.
There were two instances where Chen Xia was so angered by the pursuit that he almost called upon his inner demon to deal with the Three-Path Great Emperor together.
But the Three-Path Great Emperor was clever and didn't press the attack too hard, always leaving himself an escape route.
His Dao was also cunning, possessing a "substitute path" that was different from the "outer incarnation path." This substitute path couldn't be used for combat but could absorb damage.
When Chen Xia's immortal sword struck him, the damage would be absorbed by the substitute, and less than ten percent of the killing force would actually land on the Three-Path Great Emperor.
The Three-Path Great Emperor didn't seem to have the intention of truly risking his life to kill Chen Xia. During the pursuit, he even engaged in light conversation with Chen Xia.
"Chen Saint, slow down a bit. I'm your fan."
"You're a damn what?" Chen Xia, holding his immortal sword and using the Light Yin Dao to twist his body, turned back and cursed.
The Three-Path Great Emperor shook his head and laughed.
"That's not how you should talk. I'm pursuing you out of necessity. There's a Five-Path Great Emperor above me forcing me to do this, and above that, there's the Heavenly Dao driving me. Sigh, it's tough. Why don't you join the Dark Invasion? It's actually quite good."
Chen Xia's figure flashed, and with a horizontal swing of his immortal sword, a roaring sword aura, like a sudden flash of white light, slashed towards the Three-Path Great Emperor's head.
The Three-Path Great Emperor reached out and grabbed the white light sword aura, nodding.
"No matter how many times I experience it, I'm still amazed. It's truly a magnificent sword. If Chen Saint becomes Chen Emperor, I might not be able to block this flying sword."
"Soon, soon. I'll make sure to hang your head on the city walls too." Chen Xia retorted, then turned his body with the sword, casually killing a Saint-level remnant of the Dark Invasion, and quickly escaped while the Three-Path Great Emperor wasn't in pursuit.
The Three-Path Great Emperor crossed his arms, now showing no intention of chasing Chen Xia. Instead, he looked higher up, towards the pinnacle of the Heavenly Dao Reckoning.
The Heavenly Dao Reckoning seemed to press down on the entire Great Heaven, aiming to revert the Great Heaven back to a chaotic state, essentially restarting it.
Some Great Emperors believed that the will of the Heavenly Dao couldn't be defied and chose to join the Dark Invasion under the Heavenly Dao Reckoning, becoming servants of the Heavenly Dao to preserve their lives.
There was nothing shameful about this, as it was the Heavenly Dao.
Other Great Emperors refused to submit to the Heavenly Dao, wanting to defy the will of the heavens and protect their own star domains. This was understandable.
There was no right or wrong, only which side was stronger.
But with the Heavenly Dao Reckoning looming and the highest beings not showing themselves, could the few Great Emperors of the Great Heaven really hold out?
The Three-Path Great Emperor shook his head, not thinking too much about it, and then chased after Chen Xia's figure, laughing.
"Chen Saint, stop killing. Wait for me!"
Chen Xia, taking the rare opportunity to kill two Saint-level remnants, saw the Three-Path Great Emperor approaching and frowned in annoyance. He didn't want to waste time with him and decided to return to the city walls to refine medicine.
Seeing Chen Xia leave, the Three-Path Great Emperor smiled and walked back towards the Dark Invasion, muttering to himself.
"Time to clock out."
He was the type of Great Emperor who strictly followed a clock-in, clock-out routine, seeking only survival and ease.
The Heavenly Dao Reckoning didn't offer him any additional benefits, so why would he risk his life?
Chen Xia stood on the city walls, waved his hand, and said helplessly, "Change shifts."
Emperor Tianhe then replaced Chen Xia on the battlefield, patting Chen Xia's shoulder and softly comforting him.
"It's okay."
Even Emperor Tianhe, who was usually serious and unsmiling, offered comfort, which was indeed a rare sight.
Chen Xia nodded in response, "Don't die either."
"Mhm," Emperor Tianhe replied, stepping forward and transforming into a stream of light that shot straight ahead.
Flowing Water Temple Master sat nearby, looking at Chen Xia and shaking his head. "Chen Saint, it seems you're being pinned down by that Three-Path Great Emperor!"
"It's fine. Chen Saint attracting the attention of a Three-Path Great Emperor is no small feat," replied the middle-aged Great Emperor, Sun Moon Star Lord, who carried the Sun and Moon on his shoulders.
"Damn," Chen Xia frowned and discussed with the two, "Why don't the three of us set a trap and take down that Three-Path Great Emperor?"
"Uh..." Flowing Water Temple Master chuckled awkwardly, waving his arm, which was still injured, and said, "My injuries haven't healed yet. You two go, I'll cheer for you, haha."
Chen Xia frowned and then turned his gaze to Sun Moon Star Lord.
"My injuries haven't healed either. Let's just forget it. Chen Saint, you go alone, and we'll cheer for you together."
They weren't afraid of death, but they didn't want to die for no reason.
Moreover, to be honest, the Three-Path Great Emperor's killing intent wasn't strong. Each time he pursued Chen Xia, he never went all out, more like passing the time.
Some things Chen Saint had to bear alone.
This was the responsibility that came with great power!
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
