The successive deaths of the two Heavenly Kings from the Ancient Divine Palace in the starry sky had an enormous impact, causing the morale of the Ancient Divine Palace powerhouses within the imperial palace to plummet, dealing them a severe blow.
How could the impact on others not be great when even the strongest among them had been slain, with Heavenly Kings falling?
With this side losing its most powerful Heavenly Kings, and the imperial clan's side having a formidable Heavenly King return, the previously deadlocked battle instantly turned into a one-sided rout. The imperial clan's powerhouses swept forward, crushing the Ancient Divine Palace forces who were utterly defeated. Many were slain on the spot, their blood staining the imperial capital.
In the imperial palace, after a final roar of unwillingness, Meng Ao was killed by Lin Tian, meeting his end.
Lin Tian, covered in blood, had slain his enemy and avenged his grudge. He seemed to have grown even stronger.
With Meng Ao killed, his blood splattering the palace, it was predictable that the Meng Family, which had been at the peak of its power in the imperial capital not long ago, would be implicated and vanish into the river of time due to choosing the wrong side.
Seizing the opportunity, Lin Tian led the Lin Family's powerhouses and his army to swiftly occupy the imperial palace, rooting out all rebel factions and purging them completely, stabilizing the palace.
Furthermore, he located the imprisoned imperial clan members deep within the palace. They had been confined in a heavily sealed space at the deepest level, their Dao Power sealed, unable to speak.
In truth, the so-called coup back then had been secretly orchestrated by the Ancient Divine Palace powerhouses through coercion and inducement. Only now, with those Ancient Divine Palace powerhouses in the palace slain, did the full truth finally come to light.
The space was difficult to break open. In the end, Tianxu Heavenly King was summoned. With a tremendous roar, the numerous imprisoned imperial clan members soared into the sky, then knelt together before Tianxu Heavenly King, weeping bitterly and bowing their heads in shame, apologizing to Tianxu Heavenly King and the others. They felt they had nearly become eternal sinners, almost allowing the ancient imperial dynasty to fall into others' hands—their greatest fault.
"Children, rise. It is not your fault. It was also my miscalculation. I never imagined the Ancient Divine Palace would be so despicable, striking at that time," Tianxu Heavenly King bid the imperial clan members to rise, not blaming them. In fact, he knew it was all because he had led away a portion of the dynasty's core strength.
The remaining imperial clan members, though strong, could not resist a Heavenly King, even with their so-called heritage, especially when facing the most fearsome Ancient Divine Palace. Any resistance would have been a one-sided slaughter.
Waiting for their return was the best course, preserving vital strength.
On this day, the imperial capital underwent a bloody baptism, akin to a river of blood, with heavy casualties. The stench of blood permeated the entire city.
Some old powers were wiped out, while new ones rose.
Some rejoiced, others grieved.
Naturally, without a doubt, the greatest victor this time was undoubtedly the Lin Family. Their gamble succeeded, betting the entire Lin Residence's fate correctly. Stepping forward at the critical moment was like sending charcoal in snowy weather. The Tianxu Imperial Clan was deeply grateful.
Undoubtedly, the Lin Residence's status would be greatly elevated in the future, receiving the Tianxu Imperial Clan's favor, soaring to the heavens in a single step.
Just as Lin Ke'er had said, they would thoroughly become a renowned and prestigious clan within the Tianxu Imperial Dynasty, standing at its very peak.
Seeing this, other forces in the imperial capital were filled with regret, never imagining the Lin Residence's gamble would actually pay off. Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret now; the situation was set.
However, no matter how remorseful they felt, the various major forces now had to step forward, sending their powerhouses to aid the imperial clan in rooting out the rebels within the palace. Inaction would be seen as siding with the rebels and lead to their elimination.
Some forces even eagerly pursued and killed the Ancient Divine Palace powerhouses and their adherents within the capital, firmly placing themselves in opposition to the Ancient Divine Palace. They had no choice; from now on, they were bound to the Tianxu Imperial Dynasty, tied to the same boat.
Some, upon seeing the imperial clan, hurried to welcome them, explaining that the earlier battle between the two sides had been too intense. Considering their own limited strength and the rapid escalation of the conflict, they had been stunned and only now reacted, a bit slow, begging the imperial clan's forgiveness.
"We understand your sentiments, but we hope your reactions can be quicker in the future. After all, sometimes decisions wait for no one. Adding flowers to the brocade is never as good as sending charcoal in snowy weather," Tianxu Crown Prince and the other imperial clan members nodded indifferently, their expressions neutral, speaking these words.
These forces were fence-sitters. Earlier, when they should have acted, they remained on the sidelines, observing which side was stronger, unwilling to offend either.
Now, seeing the scales of victory tip toward the imperial clan, they emerged unhurriedly, merely adding flowers to the brocade—something the imperial clan did not favor.
But at least they had not heeded the Ancient Divine Palace's call; otherwise, the imperial clan would have been enraged and launched a bloody purge.
Regarding the imperial clan's attitude, the major forces breathed a sigh of relief, as they were not eliminated. However, they also showed bitter expressions.
After this battle, the imperial clan would likely find it difficult to trust them again, and their status within the dynasty would plummet drastically.
These bitter fruits, no matter how unwilling they were, they had to swallow, for they were the result of their own choices.
Simultaneously, news arrived from various places across the Ancient Divine Continent. The other eight great imperial dynasties had also erupted into fierce battles, clashing intensely with the powerhouses occupying the Ancient Divine Palace.
The imperial clans had returned, reclaiming the dynasties' authority. However, not every dynasty had an Ancient Divine Palace Heavenly King stationed there. Even if they did, it was only one. The situation of having two Heavenly Kings stationed occurred only in the Tianxu Imperial Dynasty.
Because of Ye Chen's return, the Ancient Divine Palace's occupation across the nine great imperial dynasties suffered a complete collapse, utterly unable to resist.
After a series of intense, bloody battles, all imperial clans regained control of the nine ancient imperial dynasties.
Surprisingly, during this period, the Ancient Divine Palace's headquarters in the distant Divine City made no moves. Even the Divine City itself was sealed off.
This shocked the world. Could it be that even the Ancient Divine Palace feared the Battle Saint King?
After the nine great imperial dynasties quelled the bloody chaos, the Heavenly Kings from the nine dynasties gathered from all directions, arriving by Ye Chen's side, standing respectfully behind him.
On this day, Ye Chen rose from the heavens, gazing toward the very center of the Ancient Divine Continent, and softly said, "You were wise. Unless you, Gu Changsheng, personally appear, anyone else who shows up will only be killed by me lying in wait."
If this were spread, it would cause a massive upheaval across the world.
The reason the Ancient Divine Palace did not resist or send troops during this period was entirely due to their fear of Ye Chen. They all knew of his supreme invincibility and worried that any powerhouses they dispatched would be intercepted and killed by him midway.
Ye Chen gently flicked his sleeve. "Let's go."
On this day, the Battle Saint King and the nine imperial dynasty Heavenly Kings departed. With Stars Shift, Heavens Turn, without needing a spatial gate, they swiftly arrived at the very center of the Ancient Divine Continent—
the Divine City.