"The Battle Saint King!?"
The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins' expression changed slightly. He clearly saw that beneath the Heavenly Emperor's phantom, the figure of the Battle Saint King was also manifesting.
His figure slowly overlapped with the Heavenly Emperor's shadow, ultimately merging into one, as if he were the Heavenly Emperor himself, seated upon the supreme throne, lofty and aloof, overlooking all heavens throughout the ages, proudly dominating the Chaos Sea.
One could sense that from the deepest part of his being, supreme auras capable of suppressing countless epochs were continuously emerging.
At this moment, he was like the Supreme Heavenly Emperor, spanning the heavens, suppressing all ages, piercing through time and space, invincible and peerless!
"No, you are not the Battle Saint King. You are the Heavenly Emperor's phantom, but didn't I shatter it by force in that fierce battle earlier?"
The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins frowned deeply. Earlier, he had fought the Heavenly Emperor's phantom within the Huangji Lingxiao Hall, paying no small price to finally shatter the Heavenly Emperor's remnant shadow.
In fact, he also knew it wasn't really a fierce battle at all. The Heavenly Emperor's phantom could not last long; it had only struck three blows before ultimately dissipating, yet it had still succeeded in blasting him out of the Huangji Lingxiao Hall.
How could he have imagined that the Heavenly Emperor's phantom would appear again, and even merge with the Battle Saint King?
For some unknown reason, he had a bad premonition.
Upon the supreme throne, Ye Chen slowly raised his head. As his eyes opened and closed, they appeared so wise, so unfathomably deep, like bottomless abysses. His face was expressionless as he said, "You have disappointed me."
It still sounded like Ye Chen's voice, but the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins knew it was the Heavenly Emperor speaking, as if residing within Ye Chen's body and using it to speak.
After a long moment of contemplation, a smile suddenly bloomed on the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins' ordinary face, appearing exceptionally relaxed, as if liberated. He laughed, "The victor is king, the vanquished a bandit. Heavenly Emperor, you miscalculated. This Emperor was never the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins. Although I bear the imprints of your Pangu Emperors, I also bear the imprints of the Emperors from my Ancient Universe. Moreover, you must not forget who I was in those years—the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor!"
The voice within the Huangji Lingxiao Hall also spread out, shaking the Ancient Heavenly Realm and even the Eight Realms of the Myriad Worlds.
All who heard it were horrified to the core.
The Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor!
The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins was actually the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor!?
The various Mythical Emperor Clans were all terrified, while the alien race was elated, including Dao Shishi, who laughed heartily, "Senior Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor is still alive! As expected, Senior Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor is peerless throughout the ages. How could he be so easily slain by the Pangu Universe? He must still be alive."
Who was the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor?
The strongest Emperor of the alien race, a colossus among Supreme Ones, and one of the major enemies who led the alien army's invasion of the Pangu Universe during the Mythical Epoch.
In those years, the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor led the alien army, broke into the Pangu Universe, advanced deep into its territory, even pierced through the Ancient Divine Realm, and fought all the way into the lower realms, causing endless carnage and the destruction of countless heavens and worlds.
He made the Pangu Universe pay an unimaginable, bloody price.
However, during the Great Mythical Cataclysm, the Pangu Universe also made the alien race pay a heavy price, with many alien Emperors falling.
Among the fallen alien Emperors was this colossus of the ages, the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor, who was slain within the Pangu Universe, his Emperor's remains suppressed by the Mythical Emperors.
The world now understood. The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins' will had not only been polluted by the suppressed remains of the alien Emperors, but more terrifyingly, it was polluted by the will of this colossus of the ages, the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor.
To this day, the residual will of the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor still dominated the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins' primary will. In a sense, the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins was the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor.
No wonder he was polluted; it was the will of this Divine Chaos colossus.
Ye Chen sighed lightly, but the light in his eyes grew even colder and more ruthless. At this moment, he was no longer the Heavenly Emperor but himself. He said faintly, "Originally, I did not intend to kill you, as you were formed from the collective will of the Pangu Mythical Emperors. But since you have been polluted by the wills of the alien Emperors and are dominated by the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor, I have no choice but to personally erase you."
"Is that so?"
The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins sneered. The Supreme aura on his body rose steadily, then surged mightily, filling the entire Huangji Lingxiao Hall. He said slowly, "Battle Saint King, This Emperor would like to know where your confidence comes from, daring to claim you can erase This Emperor."
"Right or wrong, we'll know after trying."
Ye Chen also spoke. The Heavenly Emperor's phantom completely merged into his body. At this moment, he seemed to undergo an incredible transformation, faintly becoming another person, as if turning into the legendary Heavenly Emperor in his youth—peerless and brimming with heroic spirit.
At this very moment, the Heavenly Emperor's phantom entered Ye Chen's body, taking control of his physical form.
"The power of the Heavenly Emperor? Battle Saint King, as an Eternal Quasi-Monarch and also the legendary Ten Tribulations Great Perfection Supreme Genius God King, you are the same as the Heavenly Emperor of old. In that case, you can indeed bear the Heavenly Emperor's power."
"Good, very good. This Emperor is very curious to know how powerful the Heavenly Emperor was during his Supreme One period."
"After all, This Emperor was once a colossus in my time. During my Supreme One period, I was no less impressive, suppressing all Supreme Ones of the heavens before ascending to become a colossus. Today, I shall battle you, to settle the regret of not having fought the Heavenly Emperor back then. Let us see the outcome."
The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins laughed heartily, his fighting spirit soaring.
Faintly, the demonic intent in their eyes grew even more intense, as if about to burn the heavens.
"Don't worry, you'll see soon enough, and you'll be disappointed in yourself." Ye Chen said calmly, or more accurately, it was the Heavenly Emperor speaking.
*Hum—*
The Heavenly Dao Sun trembled slightly. Then, a beam of primordial light passed through the Huangji Lingxiao Hall and slowly condensed into a three-foot-three-inch Emperor's sword in Ye Chen's palm, inscribed with ancient, extremely special patterns.
Faintly, it seemed stained with the blood of all heavens, as if it had once severed the Heavenly Dao.
The Heavenly Emperor's War Sword—the Heavenly Punishment Ancient Sword!
Of course, this was not the true Heavenly Punishment Ancient Sword, but one condensed by the Heavenly Emperor's phantom using the primordial essence of the Heavenly Dao Sun. However, anything personally condensed by the Heavenly Emperor could not be ordinary.
Facing this Heavenly Punishment Ancient Sword, the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins' expression gradually darkened, showing such a gloomy, wary look for the first time.
He naturally knew the legends of the Heavenly Punishment Ancient Sword. It was said that in ancient times, the Heavenly Emperor used this sword to punish the heavens, severing the ages with a single stroke, slaying countless Emperors, Sovereigns, or Supreme Immortals. It could be called the ultimate weapon.
Reportedly, several colossi of the ages had also fallen under this sword.
Ye Chen, resembling the Heavenly Emperor in his youth, stood majestic and heroic. The Chaos Ancient Qi vanished, replaced by a vast, majestic Emperor's light.
"Slash!"
With a light shout, he swung the Heavenly Punishment Ancient Sword, unleashing a sword radiance.
The sword radiance was not long, merely three feet three inches, like the ancient sword itself.
Everything seemed so ordinary, as if it were just a sword radiance unleashed by a mundane, post-natal martial artist—utterly unremarkable.
But the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins' expression changed drastically, filled with intense terror. "Impossible!"
He distinctly sensed the peculiar nature of this sword radiance. It could sever time and space, traverse all Daos, with nothing able to block it. It also contained an unprecedented, terrifying power that made even his Supreme One body feel as if it were about to explode.
The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins directly unleashed the supreme aura belonging to a Supreme One and roared. Countless heavenly phenomena manifested before his eyes, submerging everything, obscuring the ages. He unleashed a true Supreme One strike, whose sheer momentum far surpassed Ye Chen's single sword stroke by an immeasurable degree.
Yet, such a Supreme One strike was easily cleaved in two by the Heavenly Punishment Ancient Sword's single blow.
The layers of sky-obscuring phenomena, the boundless strike capable of annihilating the ages, appeared so fragile, shattered as easily as rotten wood.
*Whoosh—*
This sword ultimately landed on the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins. The armor formed from Emperor's light was pierced with a *pfft*, easily cleaved open, while Supreme Emperor Principles flickered.
Blood light splattered. The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins was cut in half at the waist, split into two.
But soon, the upper and lower halves of the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins rejoined, though he coughed up blood continuously, clearly severely injured.
The world was horrified.
The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins, comparable to a Supreme One, was actually so weak before Ye Chen.
But observant individuals noticed that the Emperor's light on Ye Chen's body had dimmed considerably.
Clearly, unleashing that previous strike was not without cost.
The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins coughed blood incessantly, yet felt genuine admiration from the depths of his heart. He sighed, "Heavenly Emperor, This Emperor must admit, you are indeed strong, so strong as to be unimaginable, truly comparable to the Primordial Ancestor and the Universe Emperor. This Emperor is far inferior to you."
It was the residual will of the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor speaking, marveling at the Heavenly Emperor's stunning, peerless brilliance, and sighing at the terror of such individuals, who could be called colossi among colossi.
He felt himself far inferior to the Heavenly Emperor.
Between true powerhouses, the outcome is often determined within a few moves.
Ye Chen, or more accurately, the Heavenly Emperor, said softly, "Divine Chaos, since you have already fallen, why cling to this lingering existence? Better to return to dust, to earth!"
"Yes, I have fallen."
Hearing this, the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor also felt a trace of sorrow, his gaze somewhat dazed, as if reminiscing about something.
But soon, the dazed, slightly dim gaze reignited, becoming countless times more intense than before, carrying a great will capable of breaking through the shackles of heaven and earth. His entire imposing aura also began to rise steadily within this realm. He said solemnly, "Heavenly Emperor, you were willing to sacrifice everything for the Pangu Universe, even daring to stand alone against the supreme horrors from various epochs. But This Emperor, for my Ancient Universe, can also sacrifice all."
"Back then, your Pangu Emperors suppressed This Emperor and the remains of other Emperors from my Ancient Universe, sealing them beneath the Huangji Lingxiao Hall and within the Heavenly Dao Sun. Originally, This Emperor thought that by entering the Huangji Lingxiao Hall, I could seize the heaven-defying fortune you left behind. But since your phantom remains, This Emperor abandons that thought."
"However, while This Emperor's will lingers, it is not without use. Today, I shall break open this Huangji Lingxiao Hall that suppresses the remains of my realm's Emperors, shatter the Heavenly Dao Sun, let the Emperor's remains pollute the Eight Realms of the Myriad Worlds, let darkness corrode the universe's foundation, and let the Pangu Universe completely fall into darkness and corruption, hahaha—"
As his words fell, the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins' figure *swished*, breaking through the barrier of time and space, leaving the Huangji Lingxiao Hall and appearing outside.
Simultaneously, an endless aura surged from within him—the infinite power of an Ancient Great Emperor, both his own and the billions upon billions of faith power collected over endless years, now vigorously burning.
"Billions of years of sealing, an epoch of suppression—it is time for it to end. Return, fellow Daoists of my Ancient Universe!"
*Boom—*
The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins, carrying the majestic power of a Supreme One, violently crashed into the Huangji Lingxiao Hall, causing this main hall of the Ancient Heavenly Court to tremble violently, almost toppling over.
Upon the supreme throne, "Ye Chen's" expression remained unchanged, without the slightest shift. He merely sighed softly, though it was unclear whether it was Ye Chen or the Heavenly Emperor speaking. "Very well, it is indeed time."
"Since the key person has arrived, then my phantom need not continue to exist."
"Today, I shall also contribute the final power left by my phantom."
The Heavenly Emperor's phantom, now much more blurred, walked out from Ye Chen's body, turning to face him. Though the shadow was indistinct, one could still see a gentle smile on his face.
"Senior Heavenly Emperor!"
Ye Chen bowed respectfully, serious and reverent—showing respect for this number one figure of the Pangu Universe throughout the ages, and reverence for his numerous great deeds of the past.
"The key person, successor of the Battle Saint lineage, Chaos cultivator, traveler of the Eternal Path, and master of the Primordial Universe."
The Heavenly Emperor smiled slightly, having long since discerned all the mysteries on Ye Chen's body, without a trace of greed, only a sense of relief.
"With you here, the Pangu Universe has hope. Even a blood-soaked future has hope."
"Do not worry, your child is fine, but he is not the one I have been waiting for. You are."
"Within the Huangji Lingxiao Hall, I have left a specific opportunity for you, belonging only to you. I hope you can also grow faster. Time waits for no one."
Then, with a slight sway, the Heavenly Emperor's phantom actively walked out, leaving the supreme throne, leaving the Huangji Lingxiao Hall, and arriving upon the Heavenly Dao Sun.
Looking down from above, he gazed upon the figure of the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins. His palm descended from the sky as he said softly, "Vanish. Everything must ultimately dissipate."
That voice was gentle and calm, yet it contained the most majestic power in the world.
*Boom—*
The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins' figure trembled violently. Within him, the wills of the Mythical Emperors shook fiercely, as if one Ancient Emperor after another manifested, illuminating the heavens.
One Emperor Dao ancient character after another appeared, circling his body, appearing so dazzling and conspicuous.
*Boom boom boom boom boom boom—*
The next moment, these wills of the Mythical Emperors and the various Emperor Dao ancient characters all soared into the sky, separating from the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins' body, completely breaking away, then one by one merging into the Heavenly Emperor's phantom.
The Heavenly Emperor's phantom gradually became clearer.
"Heavenly Emperor!"
The Lord of the Heavenly Ruins, dominated by the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor, pupils contracted sharply. He felt significantly weakened within, yet remained calm, because the foundation of his strength was still the faith power gathered over endless years, contained within his body, allowing him to still display the boundless majesty of a Supreme One.
He said, "Heavenly Emperor, you cannot stop me."
The Heavenly Emperor's phantom said faintly, "Divine Chaos, do not think you have truly mastered the faith power of all living beings. You must understand, this realm is not your alien race's, but my Pangu Universe's. The living beings also belong to my Pangu Universe and naturally cannot be controlled by your alien race."
"Come forth, the thoughts of all living beings."
Following his light shout, the Lord of the Heavenly Ruins' figure began to tremble violently.