Two supreme existences gazed at each other in the void, their expressions calm. The Martial Emperor had come to kill, so naturally, he was not flustered. Daoist Suppressing Heaven knew he would be killed but was not in a hurry. With his hands behind his back, his jet-black robe slightly fluttered, and the sun, moon, and stars on it faintly flickered. He chuckled and said,
“Hundreds of thousands of years have passed, and your obsession has grown deeper. This is not a good thing; it affects you too much.”
“So I need to resolve this obsession,” the Martial Emperor replied.
“Resolve the obsession? I think you want to end this era, to end the practitioners of the myriad realms.”
The Martial Emperor shook his head and softly responded,
“It’s just about equalizing the world. What about you? What is your obsession? As the second supreme being after me, you’ve schemed for so many years, making Ancestor Zhu the source of life in the myriad realms, having Dao Ancestor guard the tower, using the opportunity to merge with the Great Death Realm, and setting Chen Xia against me. What exactly are you after?”
“I just want to win against you once,” Daoist Suppressing Heaven calmly replied. He flicked his black sleeve, standing in the deep void, with a faint smile on his face, and said,
“Today, killing me is not a simple matter. The difference in our strength is not that great, and my escape techniques have already been fused across the myriad realms, so I’m quite curious—what makes you so certain you can kill me?”
“Because I am invincible,” the Martial Emperor replied with a confident smile.
His golden eyes glowed more intensely, as if igniting the entire void. He clenched his fist abruptly, and golden martial glory burst from his body. He no longer spoke, and for the first time, a tangible killing intent emerged.
The void began to tremble, the high heavens shattered, and even the dormant Heavenly Dao started to stir, as if sensing the clash of the two supreme beings.
Endless martial glory began to burn, and even the farthest star domains glowed with a martial brilliance.
The most intense and fierce battle in this era, the pinnacle of combat strength, was about to begin.
In Treasure Ring Scale State,
The Lord of the Divine Realm had already relinquished the central mountain range, allowing Chen Xia to commune with it. Because of the boost from East Jia State, Chen Xia’s progress was swift. The veins had extended, and he was nearing the stage of fusion, after which he could gradually merge with the Dao, a natural progression.
The group from Heaven Pill Gate had been meditating during these days, worried about Chen Xia but not wanting to add to his burdens. They were waiting to return to the Blue Sky Sword Sea, freeing Chen Xia from worrying about them.
Emperor Capital sat dejectedly on a bench, occasionally sighing, feeling troubled because he couldn’t help Chen Xia. He shook his head and lamented,
“I’ve already become an emperor, yet I still feel so powerless. What’s the point of earning this emperor title? It’s better not to have it, so I can accept that I’m just a useless letdown, unable to help Chen Xia. My heart might feel better.”
“Forget it, don’t think too much. Chen Xia is an unparalleled genius; he’s on a different level from us. It’s normal that you can’t help, and none of us can either.” Qiu Li comforted him.
“Don’t compare us mere quasi-emperors to me, an actual emperor. I’m so capable that it’s actually sad,” Emperor Capital retorted, his expression changing like a chameleon.
Qiu Li’s face twitched; he was utterly speechless and just shook his head, deciding not to engage.
Big Yellow Dog sat on the high ground of Heaven Pill Gate, his head high but his brows furrowed slightly, revealing a hint of worry. His Four Daos were unstable, and he couldn’t participate in the top-tier battles that Chen Xia was engaged in. His Four Daos were no different from Emperor Capital’s emperor status—both could only watch from the sidelines. Pushing him to exclaim in frustration,
“F***!”
Well, his manners definitely need improvement.
Aside from the group from Heaven Pill Gate, the entire Immortal Realm had entered a stable period, with fewer and fewer practitioners.
The emperors who dared to remain in the Immortal Realm now fell into three categories:
1. Restricted for various reasons, unable to leave.
2. Deeply attached to the Immortal Realm, unwilling to depart.
3. Confident in their strength, like the Lord of the Divine Realm, who was a five-path emperor.
Other than that, most emperors had long since moved to other realms, avoiding the chaos unfolding in the Immortal Realm.
In the current Immortal Realm, even five-path emperors could perish. These regular emperors were as insignificant as stray dogs, easy to kick aside with a mere two feet.
Emperors were accustomed to their lofty status and naturally didn’t want to become stray dogs, so they fled to various realms, continuing their reign as prominent emperors.
In Treasure Ring Scale State, however, practitioners had noticed significant changes in recent years. The once-shattered Treasure Ring Scale State began to repair itself, and the opportunities for cultivation had increased, especially benefiting practitioners below the Sage level.
This situation lasted for hundreds of years before another change occurred. Treasure Ring Scale State experienced an anomaly in the sky, with the entire sky turning gray-white, as if forming a wide, long river.
Any knowledgeable elder practitioner would recognize this as the River of Time. Remarkably, this River of Time was now suspended above the entire Treasure Ring Scale State!
Moreover, all the dragon-blood species in Treasure Ring Scale State experienced a boon, as if benefiting from the ancestral dragon, with various breakthrough opportunities.
Next, swordsmen received benefits from the Sword Dao, thunder hung in the sky, and even alchemists gained unique opportunities. Even those who had no affinity with these Daos could benefit from the influx of spiritual energy and gain some insight into the Dao.
This was a transformation of the entire Treasure Ring Scale State, even more significant and intense than the changes in East Jia State.
A thousand years later, Treasure Ring Scale State had undergone a complete metamorphosis, becoming the richest and most powerful state in the Immortal Realm, with practitioners at the highest levels. The location previously occupied by the River of Time now faintly revealed a massive silhouette.
This was the ruler of the River of Time, the Emperor of Time of this era.
Thirteen hundred years later, a new emperor emerged in Treasure Ring Scale State—a rare Hydraulic Dragon species, with traces of thunder, making its combat strength even more formidable.
Seventeen hundred years later, a second emperor appeared—a human practitioner who had comprehended half of the Sword Dao and half of the Thunder Dao, combining them in a way to occupy both domains. A clever fusion that, while not particularly strong on its own, together held some interesting potential.
Two thousand years later,
Chen Xia opened his eyes, sitting in the central mountain range, surveying the transformed Treasure Ring Scale State. He exhaled a breath of turbid air.
He had begun to understand the illusory Heavenly Dao of the fifth path, grasping the basics of its essence, understanding "heaven" itself, and holding onto some of its essence.
But comprehending the Dao was certainly insufficient, let alone forming the illusory heaven.
He slowly stood up, shaking off traces of the Dao’s remnants from his blue robe. He turned his head slightly, looking toward the side of Treasure Ring Scale State.
Then, with a single step,
The River of Time in the sky stirred faintly.
He was already standing high above Cloud Crossing State, slightly lowering his gaze, tapping his finger. Waves arose in the sea, each one carrying endless sword intent, surrounding Treasure Ring Scale State. He addressed the sovereign with a voice like heavenly decree,
“You may return to your sovereign realm. This place is now mine.”
His voice echoed like a divine proclamation, resounding without end.