The fighting on the city walls wasn't particularly intense these days.
It was always the same few Emperors clashing, and since there was no real life-and-death struggle, they were practically old acquaintances by now.
Whenever Chen Xia made an appearance, Yan Zi would step forward to confront him. But the two of them couldn't really produce any spectacular results.
Yan Zi would even take the opportunity to chat with Chen Xia during the chaos, "Chen Xia, take a break, relax a bit. You're putting too much effort into this; you can't kill me anyway."
And that was the truth.
But Chen Xia didn't slow down the pace of his sword swings; instead, he fought harder, unleashing all the power of his Three-Path Emperor status. Yet, in the end, it was just a stalemate.
Since Yan Zi didn't want to fight, even with Chen Xia's Three-Path Emperor strength and summoning his inner demon, he couldn't defeat him. Yan Zi's doppelgänger technique might not be great at much else, but it was excellent at staying alive.
These days, it was rare to see Saints on the city walls; they were pretty much all gone, leaving only the Emperors to guard the walls, watching the cycles of heaven and earth, and occasionally venturing out to clash.
Most of the alchemists from the logistics department had also returned to their respective star realms, as they had produced too many pills, far more than were needed.
Emperor Xinguan, a Four-Path Emperor, hadn't been seen on the city walls for a long time, and no one knew whether he had managed to fend off the reckoning of heaven or not.
Chen Xia didn't care much about these things anymore. He sat on the city walls, even studying the game of Go, preparing to enter a new realm.
The situation was unfavorable, but the mindset was positive.
The fighting was exhausting, with no real life-and-death struggle, so they just kept dragging it out.
On quiet nights without any fighting, Yan Zi liked to come and talk to Chen Xia, discussing with him, "Chen Xia, Chen Ge, how about we make a deal? You don't use your great divine abilities, and I'll just pretend to fight you. What do you say?"
"No, I still need to kill other Emperors," Chen Xia replied, shaking his head and then frowning as he asked, "Why are you even more afraid of dying than I am?"
“Because you really can kill me,” Yan Zi replied, also frowning with distress.
Both of them were straightforward people and didn't beat around the bush.
Perhaps feeling the weight of the life-and-death struggle was too heavy, Yan Zi changed the subject, smiling lightly, "Actually, with your talent, you could totally run off to the myriad realms and wait for heaven to descend. You might even become a Supreme being."
"I can't run," Chen Xia shook his head. "I can only run away by myself, but there are still many people behind me waiting for me to save. As the leader of a sect, I have to do my duty."
"Luckily, I'm a lone wolf," Yan Zi chuckled, then sighed, "But being a lone wolf isn't all that great. It means I have to come find you just to have someone to talk to."
"By the way, do you know what the Supreme Martial Emperor looks like?" Yan Zi asked curiously.
"Human-like," Chen Xia replied.
Yan Zi rolled his eyes.
"As if anyone isn't human-like. I've heard the legends of the Supreme Martial Emperor for a long time and wanted to see him for myself. The last time he fought against heaven, it was so shocking that I didn't get a good look. What a pity."
“There will be opportunities later. Maybe the Martial Emperor will pass by and punch you to death?” Chen Xia comforted.
Yan Zi was stunned. After thinking about it, he realized there was indeed a possibility, and he frowned, asking Chen Xia, "Do you know the Martial Emperor?"
"A little bit of camaraderie," Chen Xia answered.
"Then when the Martial Emperor passes by and almost punches me to death, can you plead for mercy for me?" Yan Zi asked again.
"No," Chen Xia shook his head, then smiled, "But I can help you with your funeral arrangements."
He was genuinely quite cheerful.
Yan Zi left, feeling sullen.
The fighting dragged on for a few more days. Then, when the Flowing Water Temple Master went out to fight,
Heaven suddenly shot down a divine light, more brutal than any divine technique or spell, like the most supreme of the Great Dao, firmly landing on the Flowing Water Temple Master.
No one reacted in time.
The Flowing Water Temple Master's body instantly plummeted, smashing into the frontline city wall, which was built from the accumulation of dozens of star realms. Even the city wall's star domain was shattered by half.
He lay there, his chest bleeding profusely, his face pale, his pupils beginning to scatter, his consciousness already fading.
He was going to die.
A sword light instantly appeared in front of the Flowing Water Temple Master. Chen Xia waved his sleeve, pouring large amounts of medicinal pills into the Flowing Water Temple Master's mouth.
Other Emperors also arrived one after another, silently watching from the side.
Until Emperor Tianhe spoke, shaking his head, "It's no use. This is heaven's wrath, a reckoning against him alone. Even imperial pills can't save him. Let it go."
Chen Xia stood there in a daze, the medicinal pills slipping from his palm.
Indeed, it was impossible to save him.
Because the Flowing Water Temple Master was already dead, killed by heaven.
All the Emperors felt unwilling, but what could they do?
Chen Xia shook his head, returning to the city walls helplessly, continuing to study the game of Go.
The Flowing Water Temple Master's remains were transported back to the rear star realms, said to be returning to his hometown.
The sudden reckoning of heaven reminded all the Emperors present that heaven was beginning to get angry, pushing for its descent.
That night was very dark.
Chen Xia sat alone on the high point of the city wall, looking at the empty walls, feeling that there were some things he couldn't say. The bloodstains on the walls were deeply engraved and couldn't be washed away.
You can't truly empathize without experiencing war yourself, and that saying certainly held true.
Chen Xia suddenly turned his head. He heard other movements and thought it was Yan Zi again. He waved his hand, saying, "No idle chat today."
"I think you should still talk to me," a vigorous voice sounded, and a handsome man walked up to Chen Xia.
Chen Xia recognized him.
It was the Martial Emperor.