The battle in Treasure Ring Scale State dragged on without conclusion, and the entire Treasure Ring Scale State was on the verge of collapsing due to the clash of four Five Paths Great Emperors.
The reason for this stalemate was that apart from Emperor Witch, no one was willing to risk their lives. The Lord of the Divine Realm was still putting forth effort in the battle, as Treasure Ring Scale State was his own territory.
The Sovereign and the Star Lord, however, were blatantly coasting. Together, they were less effective than half of the Lord of the Divine Realm, and on several occasions, they nearly fled when the situation looked dire. Only when they saw that the Lord of the Divine Realm could hold his own against Emperor Witch did they return half-heartedly to the fight.
The Lord of the Divine Realm was somewhat exasperated with the two. He had thought he had enlisted two enforcers, but instead, he had gotten two pretenders.
He had no time to berate them, fearing that if he angered them, they would stop pretending altogether and simply run away. Furthermore, the Lord of the Divine Realm was currently preoccupied with the pressure from Emperor Witch.
The Sovereign and the Star Lord were shrewd. With a glance between them, the Sovereign let out a roar and charged fiercely at Emperor Witch, appearing full of killing intent. After exchanging a single blow with Emperor Witch, the Sovereign's body plummeted, crashing into Treasure Ring Scale State.
This crash caused the Sovereign to vanish for half a day.
The Sovereign and the Star Lord took turns in this manner, each requiring half a day to recover from a single strike.
By the time the Lord of the Divine Realm was battered and bleeding, the two had only accumulated a layer of dust on their bodies and were already discussing how to escape.
In truth, the Lord of the Divine Realm was as much their enemy as Emperor Witch. Eliminating the Lord of the Divine Realm would increase their chances of reaching the ultimate pinnacle.
Emperor Witch aimed to become the ultimate being, but they didn’t seem to have any reason to compete with him, as there were multiple paths to the ultimate pinnacle.
As long as they could perceive the heavens and earth, they had a chance to achieve the ultimate.
Moreover, after the Lord of the Divine Realm and Emperor Witch clashed, Emperor Witch would enter a period of exhaustion, giving them an even better opportunity—like the "hidden bird" in the saying "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the hidden bird behind."
Perhaps they could even use this chance to eliminate Emperor Witch.
In summary, they were indifferent to the outcome.
As for oaths and promises, they didn't apply here. Their actions were far from betrayals; they were still aiding the Lord of the Divine Realm in the battle.
BOOM!
Another huge explosion resonated from the sky.
The Lord of the Divine Realm crashed to the ground, sinking a piece of land in Treasure Ring Scale State. His clothes were torn, his aged face gloomy, and he shouted at the Sovereign and the Star Lord.
"Do not hold back! Join me and together we can kill Emperor Witch and seize the ultimate opportunity!"
"We’re not holding back; we’re giving it our all," the Sovereign replied.
"Indeed, indeed," the Star Lord nodded, leisurely rising from a crater.
The Lord of the Divine Realm didn't respond, as Emperor Witch was already standing before him. Both were injured, but Emperor Witch’s wounds were slight, with only a bit of fragmentation on his left side and blood seeping from the gap.
"Why must you push to the bitter end? Can’t you sense your own heavenly domain and let us live in peace, each pursuing our own path to the ultimate?" the Lord of the Divine Realm demanded of Emperor Witch.
"Live in peace and achieve the ultimate?" Emperor Witch tilted his head and asked mockingly. His laughter rang out, echoing across the sky before suddenly stopping. Then, with derision, he said,
"The ultimate is not something you can achieve by staying safe! I want to be unique, supreme, and unparalleled. If the ultimate could be achieved through safety, would it still be the ultimate?"
"Only by eliminating all of you and leaving the path to the ultimate unchallenged will I truly be the ultimate."
The Sovereign frowned and mumbled, "What an unanswerable logic... and so arrogant."
"Indeed, indeed," the Star Lord nodded.
Despite this, they still weren’t willing to risk their lives in the battle, still hoping to exploit the situation.
"Then I give you two choices," Emperor Witch finally declared.
"One, die in Treasure Ring Scale State. Two, abandon the pursuit of the ultimate and retreat to the Divine Realm, continuing your dream of achieving the ultimate through safety."
The Lord of the Divine Realm's eyes flickered, and he exhaled softly, tearing off the remains of his tattered shirt to reveal his aged body. His gaze became firm as he declared,
"Then I will die in Treasure Ring Scale State."
"Good," Emperor Witch nodded, appearing in front of the Lord of the Divine Realm. His left hand rose, casting a shadow over the Lord of the Divine Realm’s body. Death was revealed as the most ferocious killing intent in the world burst forth. This hand was the pathway to hell, smashing down without hesitation.
Crimson Arts, Deadly Strike!
BOOM!
The Lord of the Divine Realm withstood the blow, his body crashing into the sea below, causing the ocean’s surface to surge as if it would submerge Treasure Ring Scale State.
At the Ninth Mountain.
The ruler of the nine mountains stood atop the peak, his defeated eyes quietly observing the battle, filled with complex emotions.
"What are you thinking?" A voice came from beside him. An elderly man in white robes, holding a cane, softly inquired.
"I’m thinking... dying for one’s dream might not be so bad," the ruler replied, his hands behind his back.
The white-robed elder nodded. "Your ambition and dream have always been to rise to the top, to be the best in the world. That’s why you’ve reached this position. You’re a proud person, so why compromise now?"
"For the entire immortal realm, for the Ninth Mountain, for the past that once was," the ruler replied softly, slightly bowing his head.
His obsession remained pure, but he himself was no longer so.
Perhaps he no longer deserved to compete for the ultimate.
I am the Taishang Elder of the Ninth Mountain and have accompanied you for a long time. I believe I understand you. If you truly have an obsession and feel resentment, then go ahead and try. Having lived for hundreds of thousands of years, you should live for yourself.
"And what about you?" the ruler turned and asked.
"I fear nothing, including death!" the Taishang Elder declared loudly.
"..." The ruler fell silent for a moment, then softly said,
"Let’s see what happens first."
He wanted to observe when the Lord of the Divine Realm would be defeated by Emperor Witch to gauge their strength.
Though Emperor Witch was powerful, he wasn’t in a position to completely dominate. The fight with the Lord of the Divine Realm was somewhat balanced, slightly favoring Emperor Witch, mainly because the Sovereign and the Star Lord were too uncommitted. Otherwise, the three could have turned the tide against Emperor Witch.
Emperor Witch seemed to understand that the three wouldn’t fully cooperate, so he became even more unrestrained in his attacks against the Lord of the Divine Realm, unleashing all his deadly moves, causing the entire immortal realm to tremble.
As the battle dragged on, the Lord of the Divine Realm gradually couldn’t hold out, shedding large amounts of blood and nearly being driven to hallucinations.
The Heaven Pill Gate’s disciples also stood atop a mountain, using great divine powers to protect the East Jia State from the repercussions.
The more they watched, the more they realized the invincibility of the Five Paths Great Emperors.
Even the usually arrogant Emperor Capital began to suggest, "Maybe we should pack up and return to the Blue Sky Sword Sea; it’s safer there."
"Aren’t you the most arrogant one?" Qiu Li curiously asked.
"What am I supposed to be arrogant about without Chen Xia around? With Chen Xia, of course, I’d be arrogant," Emperor Capital replied, crossing his arms with an air of certainty.
He had clearly grasped the essence of "dog relies on its owner’s might."
By now, Treasure Ring Scale State had sunk by half. The Lord of the Divine Realm, gasping for breath, had given up on the Sovereign and the Star Lord.
Judging by their behavior, it seemed the two had already colluded with Emperor Witch, aiming to have the best of both worlds.
Now, he could only rely on himself.
He pounded his aged chest and declared in a low voice, "For the ultimate in my heart, I will not retreat even one step!"
Hum.
A soft sound echoed as Emperor Witch, though lightly injured, appeared before the Lord of the Divine Realm. His hands were in a drawing bow position, aimed at the Lord of the Divine Realm’s head, his eyes flickering with black light. He declared,
"Dead Arrow."
He released his bow hand.
Whoosh!
A real arrow sound pierced the air, slamming into the Lord of the Divine Realm’s forehead.
BOOM!
A twisted black arrow was embedded in the Lord of the Divine Realm’s brow, stretching his body into a line, then condensing into a single point. His body seemed sucked into a chaotic space, instantly reaching the outermost edge of Treasure Ring Scale State, bursting with countless black rays.
The explosion coalesced into a dark sun, its radiance carrying a heavy aura of death.
The Lord of the Divine Realm hadn’t lied; he truly hadn’t retreated, just flown a bit too far.
Any living creature that approached the dark sun died instantly, leaving a lifeless area stretching thousands of miles.
The Lord of the Divine Realm struggled in the center of the dark sun, several attempts to pull out the black arrow from his forehead failed. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his eyes slightly vacant.
It seemed Emperor Witch now had an invincible demeanor.
Was he truly going to become the ultimate...
The Lord of the Divine Realm couldn't help but sigh in resignation. Suddenly, his expression froze, and he thought he heard footsteps, like a phantom echo, beside his ear. A hand appeared at his forehead, and the azure cuff sleeve fluttered for a moment, grabbing the black arrow and pulling it hard.
A teasing voice reached his ears.
"Old folks really do have great sleep quality, even lying on the ground can be considered a rest."
Chen Xia held the black arrow in his hand, pressing down hard.
Boom.
The entire arrow shattered, and the dark sun instantly dissipated.
The Lord of the Divine Realm stared blankly at the azure-robed figure in front of him, his entire body so stirred up that he couldn't speak, his eyes brimming with tears.
Damn it, the real heavy-hitter has finally arrived!
The Star Lord and Emperor Witch's expressions were complex as they observed from where they stood.
Chen Xia nudged a pebble in front of him, waved his hand at Emperor Witch, and said with a polite and gentle smile.
"Hello."