Boom—
Tai Sheng Huang, the Battle Saint Ancestor, and the Defying War Lord were unable to stop it, for they too were being held back by other alien Giants. They could only watch helplessly as that colossal finger pointed toward the Pangu Universe.
"Ah—"
War Sovereign roared, wielding the Supreme Scepter and unleashing the combat power of a colossus from antiquity to block it.
Boom—
However, under that colossal finger, ordinary colossi from antiquity were far from being a match. War Sovereign's indestructible battle body exploded, and the Supreme Scepter shattered as well, demonstrating the power of that finger.
If it landed on the origin of the Pangu Universe, the entire Pangu Universe would likely suffer unimaginable, massive destruction.
Within the Pangu Universe, all the Emperors and Supreme Ones joined forces, unleashing one Emperor-level divine ability after another, bombarding the colossal finger. Yet, they were all shattered one by one, achieving little effect.
"Is the Pangu Universe truly going to perish today?"
Everyone was in despair!
Boom—
Suddenly, an ancient heavenly stele, as tall as the heavens, descended from the sky. Its entire surface was inscribed with endless ancient characters, all Emperor characters, and stained with much Emperor blood. It stood in front of the colossal finger, blocking its path.
When the colossal finger struck the ancient heavenly stele, instead of knocking it away, it was actually blocked.
One must know, that colossal finger was a finger from Shidai, a peerless finger capable of easily shattering colossi from antiquity!
"The Heaven-Burying Stele!"
At this moment, someone finally recognized it. That ancient heavenly stele was none other than the Heaven-Burying Stele, the stele belonging exclusively to the Heavenly Emperor.
"The Heaven-Burying Stele has appeared. Could it be—" an Emperor exclaimed with joy.
Rumble—
At this moment, the River of Time manifested once more, and a missing segment reappeared.
Moreover, a faint, indistinct figure, peerlessly majestic and mighty, emerged, reversing his return from the vanished region of time.
He was peerlessly heroic, suppressing all eras past and present, his shoulders capable of bearing the myriad heavens.
"The Heavenly Emperor!"
When the onlookers saw the newcomer, Giants from all sides couldn't help but exclaim in shock. It was the peerless Heavenly Emperor—not the Chaos Heavenly Emperor like Ye Chen, but the Heavenly Emperor who had dominated throughout all ages. He was gradually walking back along the River of Time, descending from the heavens, each step spanning an epoch.
"The Heavenly Emperor has returned!" The faces of the three alien Half-Step Overlords, including Aoyuan, turned extremely grim. That was the Heavenly Emperor, a legendary, taboo existence in the Chaos Sea, akin to a myth from antiquity. No one expected him to return.
Shidai also lifted his gaze, looking at the Heavenly Emperor, and said, "Heavenly Emperor!"
The Heavenly Emperor looked at Shidai and said, "Shidai!"
The two peerless overlords from the early days of the Chaos Sea now faced each other.
Even if it was merely a meeting of gazes, it still counted as a clash between the two overlords of the Chaos Sea across space. Instantly, the River of Time trembled and surged, nearly boiling over as if about to explode.
"Impossible! The Heavenly Emperor was clearly trapped there. How could he return?" The alien Giants paled, unable to believe it.
To restrain the Heavenly Emperor, the Alien Ancient Universe had paid an unimaginably enormous price. Now, the Heavenly Emperor had actually returned.
One must know, the Heavenly Emperor was one of the five peerless overlords of the Chaos Sea, possessing matchless strength, invincible throughout history, with no one able to surpass him—at most, they could only be his equal.
Now, with his return, the Pangu Universe had hope.
Tai Sheng Huang coldly declared, "The true purpose of our entry into the Eternal Unknown Land back then was to facilitate the Heavenly Emperor's return. Now, the plan has finally succeeded."
The Eternal Unknown Land led to a mysterious, unknown place. Some rumors said it was a Chaos Sea realm that had fallen from the Land of Origin; others said it was a realm opened by the sole eternal Pangu in ancient times. It was filled with unknowns; even first-generation Giants who mistakenly entered never returned.
Throughout the ages, the only ones who had returned were Tai Sheng Huang, the Battle Saint Ancestor, the Defying War Lord, and the Flame Emperor—four individuals.
How they returned was unknown to anyone, but now, the reason for their entry into the Eternal Unknown Land was finally revealed.
To rescue the Heavenly Emperor!
In the past, the Heavenly Emperor was trapped on a tributary of the River of Time, facing alone the most terrifying group of enemies from all eras—at the very least, they were at the Supreme One level, including Quasi-Giants, colossi from antiquity, first-generation Giants, and even Half-Step Overlords. There were more than two or three, all targeting the Heavenly Emperor alone.
Moreover, with the Heavenly Emperor's abilities, he could have retreated at any time. Why had he never left?
It was because, after each great enemy perished, their blood stained that tributary of the River of Time, and it contained unique properties that would rush toward the future Pangu Universe.
If the Heavenly Emperor left, this blood would rush toward the future Pangu Universe, wreaking havoc across the entire universe and annihilating countless living beings.
That was all blood from beings at the Supreme One level and above. Every drop contained boundless power. Even with the isolation of the River of Time, it was still incredibly terrifying, enough to destroy the entire Pangu Universe.
Therefore, over the years, the Heavenly Emperor had been killing enemies while simultaneously preventing their blood from tainting the Pangu Universe, which was why he could not break free.
Otherwise, if the blood of numerous Giants, even Half-Step Overlords, rushed down, carrying absolute killing intent, aside from the Heavenly Emperor, a peerless overlord, no one could withstand it. Not even Ye Chen, the Chaos Heavenly Emperor, could—he was ultimately not a peerless overlord, merely a relatively powerful Half-Step Overlord.
However, how they rescued the Heavenly Emperor, enabling him to smoothly leave that tributary of the River of Time, was something that left people utterly bewildered.
Once the Heavenly Emperor left, what about the enemy blood of all those foes?
Even if all the great enemies were killed, refining all that enemy blood was not so simple. Even peerless overlords were not truly omnipotent.
Of course, people were still puzzled about how Tai Sheng Huang and the others rescued the Heavenly Emperor within the Eternal Unknown Land. After all, what that place was truly like remained fundamentally unknowable.
Beside them, the Flame Emperor sighed, carrying a touch of profound sorrow. "It's a pity about Little Chen. If he could have held on a little longer until the Heavenly Emperor returned, he might not have died."
Mentioning this was a regret for everyone.
Ye Chen, hailed as the Chaos Heavenly Emperor, though not equal to the true Heavenly Emperor, anyone could see his boundless, infinite potential. It would not be surprising if one day he became the Heavenly Emperor's equal.
However, the Battle Saint Ancestor shook his head. "He may not necessarily have perished. At our level, as Half-Step Overlords, how could we be killed so easily?"
The Flame Emperor was startled. "You mean he might still be alive?"
The Human Emperor said gravely, "It's not certain he's alive, but it's also not certain he's truly dead."
These words left many people rather confused.
However, only those who had truly reached this level understood how difficult it was to truly kill a Half-Step Overlord existence. Even if four Half-Step Overlords attacked, or even if a true peerless overlord like Shidai attacked, it was not certain they could definitely succeed.
Colossi from antiquity could be called eternally indestructible existences, let alone Half-Step Overlords who far surpassed ordinary colossi from antiquity.
Ye Chen, hailed as the Chaos Heavenly Emperor, was also incredibly young—less than a million years old, still in the prime of his human life. He was a key figure of the Pangu Universe, had cultivated the Chaos Great Dao to perfection, and was proficient in multiple techniques.
Killing such a Half-Step Overlord was exceedingly difficult.
It was possible that a few strands of Ye Chen's soul were still scattered throughout the world. One day, he might be able to revive.