Chapter 1636

"Senior, wait for me to return." Ximen Wudi murmured softly, turned away, and left—he went to seek a treasure; only after acquiring an Emperor Weapon would he attempt the Tribulation, for then he would become a Great Sage, and even if he failed the Tribulation, he could still escape unscathed.

After he left, his figure only then manifested—it was none other than the Emperor Weapon, the Immortal Martial Emperor Sword.

At this moment, where was her former grace? Her body was covered in wounds, her face as pale as paper, strands of blood staining her robes; her beautiful eyes brimmed with sorrow and guilt, yet could not hide the unquenchable hatred.

She was an Emperor Weapon, an Emperor Weapon nearing infinite proximity to the pinnacle, possessing emotions just as mortals do; she was an Emperor Artifact, the sovereign among Emperor Weapons, the supreme ruler—yet due to personal vengeance, she deceived Ximen Wudi, causing her and her senior brother to be imprisoned for ten thousand years.

She had not failed to attempt resistance, but alas, that forbidden zone was too mysterious—even she could not escape its doom.

Ten thousand years of imprisonment had long extinguished her fighting spirit; she only wished for peaceful days—but who could have foreseen Ximen Wudi's arrival, and alone at that, having fought his way from Da Chu all the way into this Primordial Forbidden Zone, defying heaven again and again? Any ordinary being would have perished long ago; yet Ximen Wudi was an exception—his flesh was unbearably hard, peerless in his realm, and challenging higher tiers was as routine as breathing.

Alas, ten thousand years had sealed her power so tightly that even if she restored her peak state, she still could not match Ximen Wudi—this was fate, destined to be her end.

Boom! Crack!

As she pondered, the thunderous roar erupted again; a bolt of Lei Ting tore through the heavens, crossing the barrier of Canglan Realm, heading straight for Nan Chu—its target unmistakable: Hengyue Sect.

Seeing this, Ximen Wudi abruptly halted, fists clenched, teeth gritted; though he had not seen the man's face, merely from the trajectory of the lightning, he recognized its master—a young man.

His name: Kui Niu.

Ximen Wudi did not need to guess—he knew Kui Niu was of the Kui Niu Clan, the nephew of Kui Niu Emperor; in tracing history, he had once glimpsed the scenes within the forbidden zone and had seen Kui Niu's figure before.

A lineage of Emperor Dao, an ancient great clan—yet they were accomplices of the Primordial Ones; the lingering will of an Emperor Son, the shattered soul of an Emperor Weapon—these two merged, sending chills down the spine; it was an unbearable past, and that clan was the primary culprit.

Now, Kui Niu had reappeared in the world; he was not surprised—but he was stunned that Kui Niu had come to Da Chu, and directly toward Hengyue, seeking to annihilate the entire Hengyue Sect.

Boom! Crack! Boom!

Kui Niu's Lei Ting continued, obliterating all before it; wherever it passed, space shattered, Zhao Qiankun collapsed, a scene of world-ending destruction—the so-called forbidden zone trembled beneath its assault, the dark starry sky itself quaked.

The gate of the 1417 Forbidden Zone was sealed.

"What's going on?" The Heavenly Court's people looked up at the sky, all faces filled with shock.

"Has something happened in the Forbidden Zone?"

"Not just the Forbidden Zone—its gate has changed too. It seems someone opened that gate, and forcefully so." Many looked up at the starry sky; the Forbidden Zone's gate had always been sealed, and anything emerging from within was never ordinary—perhaps a great calamity was coming, possibly even spilling over into Da Chu.

"Retreat quickly!" Many shouted, fleeing in all directions.

"The people of the Forbidden Zone are truly audacious!"

"Don't panic—we've got your backs!"

As the crowd fled, howls of wolves echoed; one star after another exploded, and three figures ascended into the heavens, blocking the path before the people of Da Chu. Only upon close inspection did they realize: one giant, two elders, and a child.

The giant had a tiger's back and bear's waist, clad in golden armor, his blood qi surging like an ocean; the two elders wore purple and silver robes, holding feather dusters, exuding immortal grace; the child was plump and adorable—just one glance revealed these three were no ordinary beings.

They were none other than Ximen Wudi, Zhao Yun, and Situ Nan—the rulers of Da Chu's imperial realm; all three had become pseudo-Emperors. Though their cultivation was unremarkable, they were stubborn to the core—even if they died here, they would not retreat, determined to defend their homeland even if only a final breath remained.

"Pseudo-Emperors?"

"Three pseudo-Emperors?"

"Has the Da Chu Imperial Realm come to reinforce them?"

The Da Chu cultivators were overjoyed, halting in midair, staring dumbfounded at the heavens.

"Great Chu Sovereign?" The people of the Dark Earth also showed a gleam in their eyes, scanning all directions. They had indeed heard of figures like Great Chu Sovereign—a band of madmen, each one a ruthless character daring to challenge an Emperor. Their fame overshadowed the heavens, but it was a pity that the Heavens had been destroyed, and the people of Great Chu could not possibly have survived. Yet today, they had actually run into one.

"You… are doomed." The three imperial rulers spoke in unison, their icy words ringing out with the weight of pseudo-Emperor aura.

As they spoke, the vast sky was filled by a colossal heavenly array, etched with divine runes, depicting Emperor Dao immortal arts; strands of array patterns intertwined, manifesting Emperor Dao laws, enveloping all four directions and the eight wastes.

This was the Emperor Dao array—the exclusive immortal art of the Da Chu Imperial Realm, infused with pseudo-Emperor-level Dao essence, its array diagram activated by an Emperor Weapon, concentrating the full majesty of an Emperor.

This was an Emperor-Path grand formation, an immortal art exclusive to Great Chu Sovereign, imbued with the Dao essence of a Quasi-Emperor. The formation diagram it empowered was further driven by an Emperor Weapon, gathering the might of an Emperor.

Instantly, the torrent of lightning vanished into the array diagram.

"You…." Kui Niu's Lei Ting was crushed into fragments, and even his physical form was affected—a deep gash appeared, electricity crackling across it, nearly severing his arm.

"Pseudo-Emperors? You seek death!" Other Emperor Sons snorted, leaping like dragons, charging toward the three—each one an Emperor Son, their bloodline brutally dominant; the wrath of an Emperor Son could shatter heaven and earth.

"Get lost." Ximen Wudi stomped, shattering the void, smashing one Emperor Son with his staff; then, with Zhao Yun and Situ Nan, he attacked Kui Niu from left and right.

"Scram." Ximen Wudi shattered the void with a single step, smashing an Emperor's Son aside with his staff. Then, alongside Zhao Yun and Situ Nan, he attacked Kui Niu—one on the left, one on the right.

As swords were drawn, another streak of Lei Guang slashed through the void—it was a divine blade, piercingly sharp, aimed at the three.

Seeing it, Ximen Wudi frowned slightly and instantly dodged.

Seeing this, Ximen Wudi's brows furrowed slightly, and he dodged the attack with a flash-step.

The other two were far worse—slammed into the earth by the divine blade, their yuanshen unable to escape, instantly annihilated.

Kui Niu cursed, stomping his foot and collapsing the void.

The 1418 Secret Art is Supreme

Yet it was not over—the third Emperor Son acted, unleashing the Supreme Secret Art: an illusion technique, slapping forth a realm of another dimension, attempting to trap Ximen Wudi and the others within. Such illusions could deceive even Emperor Weapons, let alone three half-baked pseudo-Emperors.

Ximen Wudi snarled coldly, summoning the Emperor Sword and pointing it across the heavens.

But before he could strike, he was thrown back by a force, then swept into the illusory realm—Kui Niu, too, unprepared and caught off-guard, was dragged inside.

However, before he could draw his sword, he was repelled by a surge of force, and then swept into an alternate spatial realm. Kui Niu was no exception; neither of them had been on guard, caught off guard, and were sent inside.

The void trembled violently; two Emperor Son-level artifacts unleashed their full power, piercing through the illusory realm's barrier, smashing it open and bursting out.

Clearly visible: Kui Niu was drenched in blood, a chilling knife wound across his chest, piercing his holy body; on the other side, Ximen Wudi fared even worse—his ribs exposed, blood staining his robes, white hair flying, his once imposing figure knocked to the ground, blood dripping from his lips, nearly reduced to a fool.

As could be seen, Kui Niu was drenched in blood, with a ghastly blade wound across his chest that had damaged his Saint Physique. As for the other side, Ximen Wudi's situation was even worse—his ribcage was exposed, fresh blood dyed his garments, his Bai Fa hair flew wild, and his once-imposing frame was sent crashing to the ground. Blood kept spilling from the corner of his mouth; he nearly got smashed stupid.

Had it not been for the Emperor Dao array's barrier, those two would have been dead—after all, they were Emperor Sons; how could ordinary pseudo-Emperors hope to resist? No pseudo-Emperor artifact was needed—just those two Emperor Son-level Emperor Dao immortal arts could sweep this world flat; beneath the Emperor, all were ants. This saying did not hold true in the Celestial Realms—even Emperor Dao artifacts could not reverse fate, for the existence of an Emperor ensured this battle had no uncertainty.

Were it not for the Emperor-Path grand formation blocking them, those two would undoubtedly have died. After all, they were at the Emperor's Son level—how could ordinary Quasi-Emperors contend with that? They needed no Quasi-Emperor artifacts to aid the fight; just those two Emperor's Sons' Emperor-Path immortal arts alone could sweep across this entire realm. "All beneath Quasi-Emperor are ants"—that saying did not apply in the Heavens. Even Emperor-Path artifacts would struggle to reverse the situation, for the existence of an Emperor sealed the outcome of this battle beyond any suspense.

Kui Niu roared like a frenzied beast, unleashing a Fire Qilin Seal.

Ximen Wudi and Zhao Yun struck simultaneously—one swung his staff, the other raised his sword, each unleashing their ultimate killing techniques.

Ximen Wudi and Zhao Yun moved in tandem, one swinging his staff, the other gripping his sword, each unleashing their killing blow.

Heaven and earth trembled; the combined assault of a pseudo-Emperor and a Great Sage was devastatingly brutal—even Kui Niu was forced to stagger backward.

Heaven and earth trembled as a Quasi-Emperor and a Great Sage joined forces in their assault—how overwhelming their combat prowess was. Even Kuiniu was forced to stagger backward step after step.

His inner state was one of shock—he never expected three quasi-Emperor-levels to block his Lei Ting; what a feat, to directly withstand an Emperor Son!

Yet, in an instant, he regained clarity—he was no weaker than a quasi-Emperor, but Ximen Wudi and the other two were equally formidable, and with a quasi-Emperor-level formation added, he alone was no match; without aid, he would surely bleed out.

Thinking of this, he suddenly lifted his head, gazing toward the Netherworld's direction; a pair of crimson eyes blazed with savage light, like a primordial beast, its ferocity overwhelming.

Immediately, a spear pierced the void, thrusting straight into the Netherworld, its target clear: the Ninth Hall's Yama of the Netherworld.

"I say, bullying a cripple like this is a bit too much!" A chilling laugh echoed; a man clad in Jin Jia stepped forth from the Netherworld, his eyes gleaming brilliantly, a primordial demonic mark carved into his brow—he was a Demon Lord, one rank higher than Ximen Wudi and the other three, the Sixth among the Nine Demon Lords of the Netherworld, Ming Jue, an Emperor Son and a Peak Great Saint of immense power.

Puh! Puh!

No sooner had he spoken than the Kuiniu in the void spat blood; only then came the boom—a Emperor Son was blasted away, falling downward.

Puh! Puh!

At the same instant, Situ Nan and Zhao Yun from the Netherworld also spat blood, each collapsing, caught by Ming Jue.

"Such a lively scene—why didn't you call the old man along?" The Fifth Netherlord's voice drifted down from the void heavens.

"Who the hell are you trying to trick?" Ximen Wudi cursed, spitting blood as freely as the Kuiniu.

The Fifth Netherlord said nothing, holding a lantern in hand, swaying lazily, watching the three Emperor Sons with clear curiosity—as if he recognized them—but he did not speak.

1419 illegally intruded upon our Netherland

"I don't care about your grudges—I only know you broke the rules, illegally intruding into my Netherland, disturbing my slumber," Ming Jue sneered. "You've got balls, coming here to cause trouble."

"It was my master's order," the Kuiniu wiped blood from his mouth, teeth clenched, his gaze at Ming Jue filled with hatred—he, a Kuiniu Clan Emperor Son, beaten like a dog, humiliation everywhere he turned.

"Oh? Your master." Ming Jue raised an eyebrow. "Which elder? I've never heard of him."

"My elder."

"Sorry, my elder passed away long ago," Ming Jue shrugged.

"You—"

The Kuiniu erupted in fury, but was stopped by Ximen Wudi. "Let's settle this after rescuing Shaoyu."

Saying this, Ximen Wudi seized the Kuiniu and dashed eastward, toward a starry region where a blazing sun hung, burning with black flames—that was the Emperor Dao altar, the ancient array once used to seal Emperor Sons; once triggered, reinforcements would arrive.

"You idiot, don't run wild!" Situ Nan and Zhao Yun chased after him, shouting loudly. "That's an Emperor Son-level array—if you make the slightest mistake, we'll all be annihilated!"

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing," the Kuiniu snapped. "Once we're clear of that star region, I'll kill them both."

"We'll see," Situ Nan and Zhao Yun both snorted, understanding the urgency, they followed the Kuiniu without recklessness.