Chen Xia's fifth technique was rarely used, but when it was, it always had a spectacular effect.
This was the technique he relied on for survival: the Call for Backup Path.
The Three-Path Great Emperor hadn't yet realized the gravity of the situation. His head was covered by Chen Xia's palm, blocking all senses and preventing him from seeing any changes in Chen Xia.
He was still reaching out to grab Chen Xia's head.
He managed to grab it.
But who would live and who would die was still uncertain.
"Why would Chen Xia be so reckless as to trade his life for mine? That doesn't make sense," the Three-Path Great Emperor wondered aloud.
He speculated, but he was wrong. Soon, he was shocked.
Because the hand gripping his head suddenly exerted an immense force, a force strong enough to crush his skull, as if an entire realm had been compressed into it!
The Three-Path Great Emperor let go of Chen Xia's head and immediately mobilized all his spiritual energy, trying to pull back and create distance.
But it was too late.
Boom!
His head exploded, and his body was lifted by Chen Xia. Chen Xia's blood-red eyes showed no joy, only a slight frown as he murmured softly,
"A decoy."
He shook his head in dissatisfaction, raised his immortal sword, and obliterated the decoy. Then, looking up at the encroaching darkness, he spoke calmly but with firm conviction,
"Next time, I'll cut you down."
The heart demon couldn't cross realms and traverse such vast distances for too long.
He returned to the Great Death Realm.
Chen Xia's eyes regained their clarity. Pointing at the encroaching darkness, he also issued a warning,
"Next time you dare to chase me, I'll definitely take you out!"
The Three-Path Great Emperor, hidden within the Dark Invasion, was breathing heavily, his mind still reeling from the shock.
He had truly felt the threat of death earlier. Fortunately, he had been cautious and used half of his vital energy to create a decoy within the Dark Invasion, which had saved his life.
However, he now had another puzzle. Just now, Chen Xia had been incredibly powerful, so much so that he didn't seem like a Three-Path Sovereign at all. He had felt as if an entire super realm was bearing down on him, even more powerful than a Four-Path Great Emperor.
There was something terrifying about Chen Xia!
He confirmed this and decided not to pursue Chen Xia so recklessly next time. It was better to just circle around and avoid direct confrontation.
Joining the Dark Invasion didn't offer much benefit anyway. Why risk his life?
The battle between Chen Xia and the Three-Path Great Emperor was unclear to the lower-level cultivators. They only knew that after a fierce exchange, the Three-Path Great Emperor had escaped using a decoy. No one knew exactly what had happened.
Today's battle ended here, and Chen Xia returned to the city walls.
In fact, by now, large-scale battles had decreased significantly. Most of the cultivators and Dark Invaders were dead. Even if cultivators went out to fight, they might not find any opponents. It was a situation of drawing a sword but not knowing where to strike.
Now, it was the battlefield of the Great Emperors. The true high-end combatants would determine the outcome. If they won, they could temporarily ease the Heavenly Judgment. If they lost, the Heavenly Judgment would accelerate its descent.
The six Great Emperors on the left frontline no longer defended the city but actively engaged in battle with the remaining Dark Invaders. Their strength was evenly matched, and after several battles, there was still no clear victor.
Perhaps due to the impending Heavenly Judgment, the frontline experienced day and night cycles, alternating roughly every three days.
The night wasn't pitch black but had a faint glow.
Chen Xia enjoyed sitting under this light, gazing into the void.
This was the highest point of the Great Heaven, or perhaps the most remote.
"Longing for the mortal world after living in the heavens," Chen Xia muttered softly, shaking his head.
"Chen Xia, you have a good mood, able to recite poetry and enjoy the scenery," a familiar voice chuckled. It was the Three-Path Great Emperor.
"You still dare to come? Didn't you get enough of a beating last time?" Chen Xia asked calmly, not flustered.
The Three-Path Great Emperor nodded honestly. "I was indeed scared, so this time I prepared many escape methods before coming."
"Why come at all?" Chen Xia asked again.
"Just to chat. There's no one in the Dark Invasion. It's quite boring," the Three-Path Great Emperor said with a laugh. Then he added,
"Let me introduce myself. I am Yan Zi. Yan as in 'day and peace,' Zi as in 'son of Laozi.' I've forgotten how many years I've lived, but I'm quite an old-timer among the Great Emperors. If it weren't for this Heavenly Judgment, I probably would have never emerged."
"You're quite afraid of dying, aren't you?" Chen Xia commented.
"Most cultivators are, I think," Yan Zi admitted, then continued, "Actually, there's no need for us to be so tense. We see each other all the time. It's better to get along."
Chen Xia frowned and retorted, "Do you think it's appropriate to say that? You've been chasing me down every day. You're really something else."
"Fighting leads to friendship. First time's awkward, second time's familiar. That's how it works," Yan Zi explained with a smile, then shook his head, his expression somewhat melancholy. He said softly,
"Actually, the Great Emperors who joined the Dark Invasion don't want to fight either. But to survive, there's no other choice. We wait for the lower-level saints to die out, and when there's no one left to kill, we have to step in and fight ourselves."
"I really don't want to fight, but what can I do? There are Four-Path Great Emperors above us, and the Heavenly Path forcing us. Not fighting means death."
Chen Xia asked, "Then why not switch sides and join us in resisting the Heavenly Path?"
Yan Zi quickly shook his head.
"No way, no way. The Heavenly Path's collapse is not something mortals can resist. Even the strongest, the Supreme Warrior Emperor, couldn't stop it. We'd just be throwing our lives away."
"You should know how the frontline resists the Heavenly Path. It's by constantly sacrificing cultivators, using their deaths to temporarily appease the Heavenly Path."
"Once the saints are gone, it's the Great Emperors' turn to die."
"Both sides are at risk of death. I'd rather bet on the Heavenly Path having a higher chance of survival."
Chen Xia shook his head. "That's where our paths diverge."
Yan Zi nodded and waved his hand.
"Yes, that's it. Talking to you like this is quite interesting, though. It's much better than staying in that gloomy Dark Invasion. Thanks for the chat, Chen Xia. Goodbye."
His figure flickered and disappeared from the city walls.
The night was gradually giving way to a faint white dawn.
Chen Xia stood up on the city walls.
Day had broken.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
invincible power, Gu Changge transmigrates into a fantasy world, bound to a sign-in system that grants him cultivation rewards and various peerless treasures daily. While others struggle desperately to break through their cultivation realms, he has long since reached the pinnacle of the Great Dao, becoming a reclusive Emperor whose true strength even he himself cannot fathom. Originally planning to lie low and retire peacefully on Purple Bamboo Peak, the system suddenly issues a new task — take on disciples. With no other choice, Gu Changge casually picks up a few disciples: The eldest disciple, born with a War God Constitution, is thrown a copy of "War God Stratagems" by him, and ends up conquering the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, becoming a peerless War God who sweeps across the cosmos. The second disciple, possessing a Chaos Sword Body, can break all techniques with a single sword, his swordsmanship unmatched throughout history. He points his sword at the heavens: "My master said, the sword and the man stand together. If the sword perishes... my master will give me another one." The third disciple, a reborn Empress who returns to her throne, her elegance and grace overshadowing all beings. And without anyone noticing, his own sect, the Qingxuan Sect, has become the number one sect on the continent. Looking at these unbelievably formidable disciples, Gu Changge, holding the "Primordial Purple Qi" he just signed in for, falls into deep thought: — Wasn't this supposed to be a peaceful retirement? How did I become the ultimate master?!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
