# Chapter 2106: The Strongest Stone Emperor
On the sea surface, five Bone Clan venerables, under the protection of the bronze seal, fled in panic behind the three Bone Clan emperors.
Although they had saved their lives, they were in a miserable state, their bone bodies severely damaged. Even the leading Eight-Armed Venerable had lost three arms. If the three Bone Clan emperors had been a step slower, none of them would have escaped disaster.
The Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror flew back, hovering before Zhang Ruochen. Ripples spread across its surface, reflecting the three Bone Clan venerables who had been trapped inside.
"Ah."
Miserable screams rang out as the three Bone Clan venerables fell into a purgatory, enduring the burning of demonic flames.
Hearing the screams, the three Bone Clan emperors and the five escaped venerables radiated overwhelming fury, wishing they could tear Zhang Ruochen into pieces on the spot.
But in the end, they held back and did not act rashly. The existence of the Dragon Fiend Emperor made them feel a great threat.
Through the brief clash just now, the three Bone Clan emperors had truly sensed the Dragon Fiend Emperor's power. If they set foot on the island, they would certainly gain no advantage and might even suffer a great loss.
As Zhang Ruochen injected a powerful spatial force into the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror, the screams of the three Bone Clan venerables abruptly ceased.
The next moment, three wisps of saint souls flew out from the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror and entered the spatial treasure bottle Zhang Ruochen had taken out.
Seeing this, the Eight-Armed Venerable immediately roared, "Zhang Ruochen, the Bone Clan will never rest until you are dead!"
He was the leader of the Bone Clan's twelve venerables. Since entering the True Dragon Island, he had witnessed seven venerables being killed, yet he could not intervene to save them. This filled him with maddening hatred.
The three Bone Clan emperors all radiated terrifying killing intent. Diamond Force surged, and the bronze seal became as massive as a mountain, seemingly about to crush the heavens.
"Boom."
A large area of the sea surface collapsed rapidly, forming a huge whirlpool as seawater surged violently.
Zhang Ruochen dared to kill three venerables that the Bone Clan had painstakingly cultivated right before their eyes. This was a blatant provocation and an insult to the Bone Clan that could not be forgiven.
Each Bone Clan venerable, even if not destined to become a god, at least had the potential to become a top-tier Great Saint. Entering the True Dragon Island, seven had been lost in succession—this was an immeasurable loss.
In all these years, the Bone Clan had never suffered such a great loss.
"Roar."
The Dragon Fiend Emperor roared, its wings slowly fluttering as it gathered vast divine power, staring at the three Bone Clan emperors with an extremely ferocious gaze.
"Zhang Ruochen, come out of the island and fight!" the Soul-Slaying Emperor shouted coldly.
Zhang Ruochen said calmly, "Why don't you come onto the island and fight me? One-on-one, life or death."
He was not foolish. The three Bone Clan emperors were all top-tier experts at the level below Great Saint, wielding Diamond Force and able to coordinate with each other, multiplying their combat power. Dealing with all three at once was no easy task.
The Soul-Slaying Emperor's aura surged. Diamond Force seals appeared on his dark golden bone body, and a terrifying aura locked onto Zhang Ruochen, as if he truly intended to strike.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was calm. He grasped the Abyssal Ancient Sword in his hand, countless time imprints and space imprints swirling around him, making him seem as if he were in another dimension.
"Whoosh."
Zhang Ruochen swung the Abyssal Ancient Sword, casually slashing out a sword strike.
Numerous time imprints and space imprints merged into the sword light, causing the space within a small area to warp, then shatter, revealing the pitch-black void space.
Seeing this, the Soul-Slaying Emperor immediately struck, using Diamond Force to condense a matchless fist seal, shattering space as it met the sword light.
Diamond Force was said to be indestructible. When unleashed by the Soul-Slaying Emperor's strength, it could shatter even the most top-tier ten-thousand-pattern sacred artifacts into pieces.
"Crack."
Incredibly, the Diamond Force fist seal was split open by the sword light.
Although most of the sword light was worn away by the Diamond Force fist seal, it still continued slashing toward the Soul-Slaying Emperor.
"Boom."
The Soul-Slaying Emperor suddenly punched out, shattering the fading sword light.
However, during this process, several time imprints entered the Soul-Slaying Emperor's body.
The Soul-Slaying Emperor let out a muffled groan, his aura fluctuating slightly. He had clearly suffered a minor loss.
With the improvement of his mastery over the Way of Time, Zhang Ruochen's application of time power had become more exquisite. Even those who wielded powers that could rival the Nine Eternal Paths might not be able to withstand it.
The three Bone Clan emperors were indeed strong. Together, they could defeat the Son of Darkness, but individually, they were slightly weaker. Zhang Ruochen was naturally unafraid.
"I look forward to you setting foot on the island again."
Leaving these words, Zhang Ruochen directly rode the Dragon Fiend Emperor away.
This battle clearly could not continue, so there was no need to waste time here.
It was somewhat regrettable that the intervention of the three Bone Clan emperors had prevented him from completely wiping out the Bone Clan's venerables.
"Damn Zhang Ruochen, this blood feud will never be settled!" the Eight-Armed Venerable could not help but roar up to the sky.
The other four venerables remained very silent, radiating a strong sense of sorrow.
Once, the Bone Clan's twelve venerables had been renowned, shaking the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Court's various realms. When the twelve venerables appeared, even top-tier experts below Great Saint had to retreat. What glory that was.
But now, all that glory and honor were gone, becoming stepping stones for the rise of Zhang Ruochen, Xiao Hei, and others. It was truly pitiful.
"Everyone underestimated the potential of the Heir of Time and Space. Allowing him to truly grow up, it's now difficult to restrain him. In the near future, he may be able to rival Yan Wushen," the Soul-Slaying Emperor said solemnly.
Hearing this, the Abyss-Splitting Emperor and the Annihilation Emperor both radiated extremely grave auras.
If Zhang Ruochen truly reached Yan Wushen's level, then even if the three emperors joined forces, they might not be able to do anything to him.
Now, they had to admit that this heir of Xumi Saint Monk was indeed a great enemy of the Hell Realm. His growth rate was too terrifying, so much so that the Hell Realm had not been able to react in time.
It did not take long for the True Dragon Island to return to calm. The Hell Realm's strong ones had either died or fled, almost completely swept clean.
At the same time, the armies of several ancient civilizations and the Heavenly Dragon Realm also withdrew from the True Dragon Island. Massive warships lined the sea surface, riding the wind and breaking waves.
This time, the ancient civilizations and the Heavenly Dragon Realm had suffered considerable losses, mainly caused by the mysterious and unpredictable Mother Ancestor.
Especially during the period when divine power erupted on the True Dragon Island, the Mother Ancestor's true body had moved, driving a large number of evil children, causing many strong ones from various sides to fall.
But compared to the Hell Realm, their losses were nothing.
"Boom."
Outside the main building of the Dragon God Hall, a fierce battle was underway.
The two sides fighting were the Sword Emperor and the Mother Ancestor. Both had truly ignited their fury, seemingly determined to settle the matter.
The Sword Emperor wielded his sword, its cold light shining across the nine heavens, unstoppable.
Meanwhile, the Mother Ancestor released numerous thick arms, each able to extend infinitely, either stabbing or entangling. At the same time, she released terrifying spiritual power, trying to drown the Sword Emperor's will.
"Waa, waa."
Around the Mother Ancestor, thousands of evil children gathered, all letting out piercing cries, using their cries to evolve the terrifying scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
A thousand miles away, Zhang Ruochen and the Dragon Fiend Emperor converged their auras, merging with the surrounding space, concealing themselves perfectly.
"The Mother Ancestor has obtained a large number of children this time, greatly increasing her power. The Sword Emperor might be in trouble," the Dragon Fiend Emperor said, his gaze condensing.
Zhang Ruochen could naturally see that although the Sword Emperor was strong, facing the combined force of the Mother Ancestor and the many evil children, he was showing signs of falling into a disadvantage.
Yet even so, the Sword Emperor showed no intention of retreating. Instead, his battle intent grew stronger.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes flickered with a strange light. "It seems the Sword Emperor wants to achieve a major breakthrough through his battle with the Mother Ancestor. These two are fighting so fiercely, yet the Stone Emperor hasn't shown himself at all."
The Dragon Fiend Emperor was silent for a moment, then said, "The Stone Emperor's true body is a piece of strange stone that once bathed in the blood of multiple gods. Because of this, the intelligence it gave birth to is extremely chaotic. In fact, the Dragon Emperor and I have the same problem. That's why most of the time, we are in a state of slumber."
"Only the Sword Emperor and the Mother Ancestor are quite special. The Sword Emperor inherited the will of that Sword God from the Kunlun Realm, while the Mother Ancestor inherited the will of that god from the Darkness Temple. Therefore, their intelligence is very pure. Their struggle can be considered a continuation of the medieval divine war."
"As for me, it was only after being attacked by my master's treasure that I was able to fuse my chaotic intelligence into one."
For the Dragon Fiend Emperor, being suppressed by the God-Defying Stele was actually a blessing in disguise.
Clear intelligence was the only hope for further advancement and becoming stronger.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. He knew that the Dragon Fiend Emperor was condensed from four types of divine power, each containing a terrifying will that was difficult to truly fuse together.
As for the Pill Emperor, it was nurtured from part of the essence of an emperor-grade pill. But in this process, it must have been eroded by dark divine power, so the intelligence it gave birth to could not be pure either.
"Let's go. We're going to find the Stone Emperor," Zhang Ruochen suddenly said.
The Dragon Fiend Emperor was momentarily stunned, then a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, vaguely guessing Zhang Ruochen's plan.
Without any hesitation, the Dragon Fiend Emperor immediately moved. He was naturally very clear about where the Stone Emperor's lair was.
Bypassing the battlefield of the Sword Emperor and the Mother Ancestor, Zhang Ruochen and the Dragon Fiend Emperor entered the main building of the Dragon God Hall.
In the past, the Dragon God Hall had been sacred and glorious, attracting countless cultivators to come and pay homage. Now it was dilapidated, with broken walls and ruins everywhere.
The Stone Emperor had one thing in common with the Mother Ancestor: both had built their lairs underground, and neither had built passages, because they could both freely shuttle through the earth.
If someone tried to force their way in, it would undoubtedly alert them immediately.
However, this was not a problem for Zhang Ruochen.
Using Spatial Displacement, Zhang Ruochen took the Dragon Fiend Emperor and silently infiltrated into the underground space.
The layout of the underground space was extremely simple. Although it was dim, Zhang Ruochen instantly locked onto the Stone Emperor's location.
The Stone Emperor was currently sitting cross-legged on an ancient stone platform, eyes tightly closed, breathing steady, seemingly unaware of anything around him.
With a thought, Zhang Ruochen took out the God-Defying Stele, mobilized his own sacred dao rules, and injected them into some of the ancient characters on it, then pressed it down toward the Stone Emperor.
Having successively suppressed the Dragon Fiend Emperor and the Pill Emperor, doing this kind of thing now was clearly a matter of experience.
But the moment he struck, the Stone Emperor suddenly opened his eyes, erupting with extremely terrifying fiendish aura and releasing vast Great Saint power.
"Suppress!"
Zhang Ruochen shouted softly, pressing his hand against the incomplete God-Defying Stele and moving straight forward.
Wherever he passed, the fiendish aura and Great Saint power rushing toward him dissipated, returning to the natural world.
This was the power of the God-Defying Stele, able to dissolve the power of the sacred dao and the divine dao into nothingness.
Zhang Ruochen had once heard from the sapling of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree that the God-Defying Stele had an astonishing origin, seemingly originating from the Heavenly Court and belonging to a taboo. If recognized, it would bring great trouble.
The Stone Emperor's eyes burst forth with terrifying light, like two sharp knives, extremely fierce. He suddenly punched out, condensing vast Great Saint power, striking the God-Defying Stele solidly.
"Boom."
A terrifying force transmitted, causing Zhang Ruochen and the God-Defying Stele to fly backward simultaneously.
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed slightly, secretly shocked: "It can actually resist the power of the God-Defying Stele. Just how strong is the Stone Emperor?"
He had long known that although the God-Defying Stele was miraculous, how much power it could unleash was closely related to his own cultivation level.
Even if the God-Defying Stele truly had the power to defy gods, it was absolutely not something he could activate at his current level.
"Kill!"
The Stone Emperor growled, radiating overwhelming killing intent.
At this moment, the Stone Emperor was like a Shura walking out of hell, extremely dangerous.
Clearly, being suddenly attacked had fully triggered the Stone Emperor's negative will, filling his heart with a thirst for slaughter.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen truly saw the Stone Emperor's form clearly. He was one zhang tall, with six arms, his body a green-yellow color, faintly revealing many strange patterns, naturally formed.
"The Stone Emperor's true body is actually a piece of Xuanhuang Stone!" Zhang Ruochen was deeply shaken.
Xuanhuang Stone was one of the most precious strange stones in the world. Only a major world with a powerful origin could nurture it. In the hands of a god, it could evolve into a small world.
For example, the nine Realm Son seals refined by Empress Chi Yao had Xuanhuang Stone added to them.
Xuanhuang Stone was the hardest. Even if a god struck it, it would be difficult to shatter.
Seeing the Stone Emperor actively pouncing over, Zhang Ruochen quickly injected all his sacred dao rules into the ancient characters on the God-Defying Stele.
"Boom."
The Stone Emperor's fist struck the God-Defying Stele again. Although Zhang Ruochen took a step back, he managed to block it.
"Such strong power. If it were a bit stronger, even the God-Defying Stele would not be able to suppress it," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
The Dragon Fiend Emperor was also shocked. It had been a long time since he had fought the Stone Emperor. He had not expected the Stone Emperor to have become so powerful, arguably the strongest among the five overlords.
Fortunately, the Stone Emperor's intelligence was chaotic. The wills from different divine bloods had been in constant opposition, forcing the Stone Emperor to frequently fall into slumber. Otherwise, the other four overlords might have been in big trouble.
The Stone Emperor kept attacking, unwilling to be suppressed by the God-Defying Stele. But as time passed, his Great Saint power was continuously dissolved, making it difficult to shake the God-Defying Stele anymore.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to press forward and suppress the Stone Emperor, the Stone Emperor suddenly transformed, returning to his true form—a Xuanhuang strange stone nearly one meter in diameter.
Such a huge Xuanhuang Stone would cause even gods to fight fiercely over it.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze locked onto the Stone Emperor's true body, condensing slightly.
On the Xuanhuang Stone before him were imprinted six profound divine pattern marks, each completely different, all emitting strange divine light, interweaving to form a special protective barrier.
Even with the God-Defying Stele pressing down on it, this divine light barrier did not disappear.
Of course, this did not mean the God-Defying Stele had lost its effect. It was just that its effect was greatly weakened, unable to truly damage the Stone Emperor's foundation.
"The Stone Emperor's ambition is so great! He has completely absorbed the divine blood of six gods and inherited some of their abilities. Once his own will shatters and fuses the wills of the six gods, his cultivation and power will inevitably surge to an astonishing level," the Dragon Fiend Emperor said in surprise.
But then he shook his head and said, "The will of a god is not easily shattered and fused, especially the wills of six gods. By doing this, the Stone Emperor is likely to bring about his own utter destruction."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's gaze suddenly became sharp: "Abilities belonging to gods? No wonder he can resist the God-Defying Stele. But how long can you resist?"
He had decided to fight the Stone Emperor to the end, to see who could outlast whom.