Chapter 1786: Trampling
The fierce battle at Nanming Imperial City had ceased, with an overwhelming dragon might pressing down upon every trembling heart. They looked up at the firmament, at the grey-white dragon body, the ancient dragon prestige... it belonged only to one race, a dragon race that, in their cognition, should never manifest in this space.
“The... Primordial... Dragon Clan!?”
Qianye Bingzhu and Qianye Wugu murmured in unison.
As peerless experts at the Divine Lord level, most had challenged the depths of the Tai Chu Divine Realm at some point.
But even those who had reached the pinnacle of the Divine Lord realm rarely dared to touch the inverse scales of the Primordial Dragon Clan.
Because that was the supreme overlord of another world, an ancient race so old that those of the present age could no longer trace its origins.
And this existence from another era, this ancient dragon clan that should only dwell and dominate the Tai Chu Divine Realm, had now, at this moment, appeared in the skies above the Nanming Divine Realm, accompanied by a full hundred Divine Lord-level draconic mights.
In the appalled silence, the space suspended above the Celestial Wolf Sacred Sword still had not vanished. At that moment, a grey-white dragon claw suddenly reached out. In an instant, the dark clouds dispersed, and the hundred Divine Lord dragon shadows all descended together, their dragon heads bowed low, as if welcoming their emperor.
Qianye Ying'er’s eyes sharpened: “Could it be that...”
BOOM...
The space exploded like a balloon unable to bear the pressure. The alien space opened by the Celestial Wolf Sacred Sword was instantly annihilated, replaced by a ten-thousand-zhang dragon shadow that looked down upon the heavens and the earth with supreme arrogance.
The massive grey-white dragon body seemed to cover the entire world beneath its wings, and its dragon eyes released a divine radiance that burned the soul more fiercely than the blazing sun.
Those who looked up at it, who found themselves beneath its dragon might, even if they had never witnessed it and had only heard of its existence, would have no hesitation in their hearts as they uttered the supreme name belonging to another world.
“Primordial... Dragon Emperor...” Nan Guizhong looked up and murmured, unable to believe it.
“What’s going on... what is this...” Nan Wansheng breathed heavily, constantly doubting whether what he saw might just be an illusion born from the extreme chaos of his blood and soul.
The Primordial Dragon Clan... along with the Primordial Dragon Emperor himself, had appeared here!
The Primordial Dragon Clan was an ancient dragon race that had existed in the Tai Chu Divine Realm since time immemorial, the well-known overlords of the Tai Chu.
They had never left the Tai Chu Divine Realm, and in everyone’s understanding, it seemed they would never leave it. But... if the Primordial Dragon Clan truly left the Tai Chu Divine Realm and entered the God Realm, even the lowest-ranked Primordial Dragon, with its special ancient dragon breath, would certainly be detected by the God Realm immediately.
Yet here, a full hundred Divine Lord-level dragons, along with the Primordial Dragon Emperor leading the entire Primordial Dragon Clan, had appeared out of thin air, without any trace of aura, sign, or omen...
Even if the entire Dragon God Clan, including the Dragon Emperor himself, had appeared before them, it would not have been a thousandth as shocking as this.
The dragon group parted, and the figure of the Primordial Dragon Emperor slowly descended with vast imperial might. Amid countless dumbfounded gazes, he stopped beneath the multicolored-clad young girl, allowing her lightly hanging, dainty toes to step upon his dragon head, which looked down upon all the worlds.
A Star God maiden and the Primordial Dragon Emperor... this scene shattered even the cognition of several Divine Emperors.
The Celestial Wolf Sacred Sword slowly lowered, a thick layer of black aura coiling around the blade, releasing a dark demonic intent that should not belong to the Celestial Wolf Star God.
The sword tip tilted, pointing straight at Nanming. Her tender lips, like pearls covered in powder, parted, and what emerged was the darkest nightmare of Nanming:
“Annihilate!”
With one command, the Primordial Dragons, who had never had conflict with the God Realm, suddenly charged toward the Nanming Imperial City, already shrouded in calamity. Their ancient claws, innocent of worldly strife, unreservedly unleashed the primal power of destruction and disaster.
A hundred Divine Lord-level dragons—what concept was that?
The Divine Lord realm could be a king in an upper star realm, and the foundation of a king realm's stability. Even as strong as the Nanming Divine Realm, at its peak, the number of Divine Lords had never exceeded a hundred.
As the strongest race in the Tai Chu Divine Realm, these Primordial Dragons alone, having broken through the boundary, were enough to crush Nanming Imperial City... and that was not even counting Yun Che's group, nor the fact that Nanming had already suffered heavy losses under the Abyss God Cannons.
When the dragon shadows pressed down like the firmament itself, Nan Guizhong and Nan Wansheng, who had been fighting desperately moments before, tasted utter despair in the very first instant.
Destructive force descended from the heavens, instantly tearing open millions of cracks in the space over Nanming Imperial City, creating countless destruction vortices, each more terrifying than the last. At this moment, all the Nanming profound practitioners felt with overwhelming clarity that this was a force the current Nanming absolutely could not resist... not even the slightest possibility!
ROAR————
Under the dragon roar, all heavens trembled. In Nanming, from the Abyss Gods at the top to the profound practitioners who swore to defend to the death, their battle intent and morale were almost shattered and crushed in an instant, their souls plummeting into the endless dark abyss.
“...This is quite interesting.” Qianye Ying'er looked at Cai Zhi, who stood atop the Primordial Dragon Emperor, and let out a slightly dazed mutter.
Nan Guizhong's face twitched. His gaze did not look down; with a hundred Primordial Dragons, he could imagine the terrible calamity the Nanming Imperial City below was suffering. He narrowed his eyes, fixed them on the Primordial Dragon Emperor, suppressed his aura, and growled lowly:
“Primordial Dragon Emperor, my Nanming... acknowledges that we have no enmity with your ancient dragon clan. Even our sect's canon warns that when exploring the Tai Chu Divine Realm, one must never offend the Primordial Dragon Clan. Why then, today... have you invaded my Nanming!”
Nan Guizhong's voice was deep and boundless, each word like the tolling of a heavenly bell. But anyone could sense a faint, heavily suppressed anger and sorrow within it.
The Primordial Dragon Emperor’s response was the sudden descent of his grey-white dragon claw.
In terms of pure strength, the Primordial Dragon Emperor was inferior to Long Bai, who possessed the Dragon God bloodline, but his ancient imperial might was in no way less. The moment the dragon claw descended, a ten-thousand-mile area became a vacuum, and all living beings trembled in terror.
Although Nan Guizhong had never fought the Primordial Dragon Emperor, the instant he touched his dragon might, he knew with utter clarity that his strength was in no way inferior to the Crimson Extinction Dragon God, the head of the Nine Dragon Gods of the Dragon God Realm.
Before the dragon might arrived, light suddenly vanished. The young girl atop the dragon head plummeted straight down, her delicate, frail figure releasing astonishing dark demonic aura. The Celestial Wolf Sacred Sword, which bore memories yet was entirely different from those memories, let out a wolf howl that seemed both joyful and resentful, smashing straight toward Nan Guizhong's crown.
Everything today was so surreal. Before he could recover from one nightmare, the next followed on its heels.
Nan Guizhong raised both hands to the sky, his eyes bulging as if they would split. Around him, a golden halo, blazing and blinding, spread out, clashing head-on with the powers of the Primordial Dragon Emperor and the demonized Celestial Wolf... And at this moment, Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu, who in memory and cognition would never deign to join hands with others, also struck. Their two aged palms brushed toward his heart in his turbid pupils.
CRACK!
The former Emperor of Nanming—no one doubted that his strength ranked at the pinnacle of the current world. But the Primordial Dragon Emperor, the demonized Celestial Wolf, and two Brahma Ancestors... this was a force that even two of him could not possibly face head-on.
BANG!
The golden halo contracted violently and shattered in a single breath. The powers of Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu struck home. Nan Guizhong's chest caved in heavily, countless bones broken, and then his vision went dark...
The Celestial Wolf Sacred Sword, carrying dark demonic aura, smashed heavily onto his crown.
BOOM————
In an extraordinarily brief instant, he glimpsed the girl's eyes... cold enough to freeze the soul. Then his world of consciousness shattered, dissolving into chaotic, flying white and darkness.
Like a piece of wood without consciousness, his entire body shot downward.
BANG!
With a sound like the sky collapsing, Nan Guizhong's body split the earth, smashing deep into the ground below.
“FATHER!!”
Nan Wansheng's eyes split at the corners. But his roar had barely left his mouth when it turned into a low growl of rage and hatred, because the ghost claw that clung to him like a persistent shadow was already grabbing straight at his skull.
“Little brat, worry about yourself first! Hee hee hee hee hee!!”
Yan San laughed wildly. His heart and soul, twisted for hundreds of thousands of years, reveled in the pleasure of brutal torment... especially since he was torturing the invincible Nanming Divine Emperor.
“AAAAHHHH!!”
Nan Wansheng was mad with rage, but heavily wounded and with his aura in turmoil, he had nearly lost his reason and could barely take care of himself.
All around, the vast Nanming, the imperial city he had proudly ruled for ten thousand years, now had not a single person who could aid him.
“Hee hee, as expected of Master, to have such a hidden card up his sleeve. Nanming brats, wail to your heart's content in the darkness! Hee ha ha ha ha!”
Yan Er laughed wildly, his already ugly face becoming even more savage and ferocious. Opposite him, the four Abyss Gods, already at a disadvantage, had their spirits shattered and were left with no strength to fight back. Their hearts were gradually filled with only fear, despair, and... flight.
Flight—this was a will that had never appeared and should never appear in an Abyss God.
But soon, they realized with even greater despair that, after the arrival of the Primordial Dragon Clan and the Yan Mo legions, even fleeing had become almost a luxury.
When Cai Zhi and the Primordial Dragon Clan appeared, Yan Tianxiao had been scared out of his wits, his nerves taut to the breaking point. But immediately, his shock turned to ecstasy, and then into boundless reverence and fervor.
The Demon Lord had already created countless astonishing miracles, and he still had such a shocking trump card! The Demon Lord was truly the reincarnation of the ancient Demon God, his methods and schemes as deep and unfathomable as an endless source of demonic power... utterly unfathomable!
How laughable that he had once tried to contend with the Demon Lord—truly the height of stupidity.
In his boundless worship and excitement, Yan Tianxiao's voice became even more passionate: “Yan Mo disciples, beneath the Demon Lord's palm, this so-called Nanming is nothing but a flock of chickens and dogs. Kill to your hearts' content! Let this filthy Nanming land, as the Demon Lord wills, become barren of all life!”
As Yan Tianxiao roared, Nanming Imperial City had already turned into a sea of blood shrouded in darkness... Indeed, he suddenly realized that he, the Yama Emperor, had no need to lift a finger.
Before coming to the Nan Divine Domain, Yan Tianxiao was half excited, half nervous and anxious. Because Nanming was the number one king realm of the Nan Divine Domain. Back when he was emperor in the Bei Divine Domain, even accidentally hearing the word “Nanming” would bring a suffocating, intangible pressure.
And now, he stood in the sky above Nanming Imperial City. In his sight, the city was collapsing and breaking apart. The four remaining Abyss Gods were being bloodily tortured by Yan Er alone. The once world-dominating Nanming Divine Emperor was having dark holes punched one after another into his divine emperor body by Yan San. And Nan Guizhong, who had just reappeared in the world, had been beaten to the point that even his own mother probably wouldn't recognize him after just a few moments of showing off.
A group of Nanming elders at the Divine Lord realm, along with countless Nanming experts who had risked death to rush in, were being mowed down in droves before they could even approach, crushed under the power of Qianye Ying'er, Gu Zhu, and the Primordial Dragons.
Not far away, three Southern Domain Divine Emperors were trembling.
Yan Tianxiao clenched his finger bones. The slight pain made his vision blur... All of this was really real. I, the Bei Divine Domain, am ruthlessly trampling on the Nanming Divine Realm!
He looked at Yun Che, his gaze like that of a god.
That calm, indifferent face clearly showed that everything was under his control... but Yan Tianxiao had no idea that at this moment, Yun Che was in a state of utter bewilderment.
Cai Zhi...
That red light...
Could it be...
“Hee, die!”
Yan Er shrieked with laughter. As his five fingers spread, a giant ghost claw grabbed at an Abyss God who was about to flee with all his might. The claw tightened, clamping firmly around his throat.
The Abyss God's whole body surged with black aura. His pupils rolled white, then suddenly turned gold. His blood essence burned in desperate rage. With a mournful roar, his blood energy exploded, and just as his throat bones were half-shattered, he managed to break free from Yan Er's grip.
But before he could take half a breath, a spear shadow twisted with dark spatial ripples struck from behind, piercing straight through his body.
The Yan Mo power that erupted within him turned into countless dark torrents, rampaging through his Abyss God body, which no longer had the strength to resist.
“Young Master... escape...”
In his final moment of consciousness, he managed to spit out only three words, then had no more breath.
The spear shadow flicked, flinging away the fallen Abyss God, revealing Yan Wu's figure.
“Ancestor,” Yan Wu said to Yan Er, “stop toying with the enemy. Slaughter them quickly to fulfill the Demon Lord's wish.”
As she spoke, Yan Wu had already thrust her spear at Nan Qianqiu, whose face had long lost all color.
Yan Er was about to retort that this little girl Yan Wu dared to lecture him, her ancestor, when he saw where Yan Wu's demonic spear was aimed. He shook all over in fright and screamed, “That brat—the Master wants him alive!”
Yan Wu's aura faltered slightly, but the spear body, wrapped in Yan Mo black light, still thrust straight at Nan Qianqiu.
Another tenth-rank Divine Lord... Nan Qianqiu's face had not a trace of blood. Every part of his body trembled violently uncontrollably.
Just how many tenth-rank Divine Lords did Yun Che have under his command!
The Northern Divine Domain, suppressed by the three divine domains for a million years, not daring to show its head—why did it have so many monsters!
This was completely different from what his father had told him, completely different from the Northern Divine Domain of the records!
Nan Qianqiu had already had nearly half his life beaten out of him by Yan Er. With his will crumbling, he barely managed to raise a hand before Yan Wu's spear pierced through his body.
The other two Abyss Gods were also covered in wounds. Watching Nan Qianqiu being impaled by the spear, they moved their lips, wanting to go forward and save him, but their bodies only felt a heavy weakness.
Demonic energy entered his body, instantly severing countless of Nan Qianqiu's meridians. Then Yan Wu flung him far away with her spear, sending him flying toward Yan Yi.
“Father... save... me...”
Yan Yi reached out, his five fingers like eagle talons grabbing Nan Qianqiu's head. Overbearing and unparalleled Yan Mo power poured straight through his entire body, sealing all his strength.
Nan Qianqiu's whole body went rigid, then hung limply, dangling from Yan Yi's hand like a dead man. Apart from occasional breaths, he made no further movements.
Yan Yi remained motionless, holding Nan Qianqiu. With him standing at Yun Che's side, no one dared approach even half a step.
“Qian... qiu!” Nan Wansheng screamed hoarsely, but in his distraction, Yan San's claw tore through his chest, shattering his organs once again. He had nearly bled dry.
“You two, still going to act?” Cang Shitian looked sideways at the Xuanyuan Emperor and the Ziwei Emperor. His expression was barely calm, but his eyes flickered chaotically.
The Xuanyuan Emperor and the Ziwei Emperor's palms were trembling uncontrollably, sweat pouring down their foreheads like a waterfall.
“The Primordial Dragon Clan... how could...” the Xuanyuan Emperor muttered over and over.
“If you still want to help Nanming, I will not stop you. For example, you could try to snatch their Young Master back from that old monster. I'm sure the Nanming Divine Realm and the future Emperor of Nanming will remember your great kindness... if they survive today, hehehe.”
Cang Shitian let out a low laugh, then suddenly flew up, charging straight at Nan Wansheng.
Nan Wansheng was drenched in blood, his body mangled beyond recognition under the devouring force of Yan Mo power. In his desperate situation, he suddenly sensed Cang Shitian's approach. His chaotic heart and soul cleared momentarily, and he shrieked, “Help me! Ungh—”
The power from Cang Shitian did not cut off Yan San's force. Instead, it smashed heavily into his back, then burst through his chest, spraying out large amounts of blood rain and bone fragments.
“...” Nan Wansheng slowly turned his head. In his dispersing vision, he saw Cang Shitian's face, full of a smile... a smile without the slightest guilt, but instead carrying a hint of undisguised satisfaction.
“In this world, nothing is more important than a wise choice.” Cang Shitian said with a grin. “I'm sure you, Nanming Divine Emperor, understand that better than anyone, right?”