Chapter 996: Clash with the Ancient Great Emperors!
In the distance, a swarm of meteorites flew in. The Human Sacred Body was severing the Dao, and heavenly phenomena descended—but this was only the beginning!
This was a cluster of meteors, hundreds in number, emitting brilliant light that shone with a radiance cutting through the ages, arranged in a line as they charged forward.
The smallest was several hundred zhang long, while the largest could be as big as half a small moon, carrying the might of thunder, swaying with dazzling, long tails of light, filled with world-destroying power!
Ye Fan’s expression changed. He knew that severing the Dao might bring phenomena, but he never expected that hundreds of meteors would appear right at the start. This was a terrifying, wondrous sight.
They all came rushing from the depths of the universe, filled with a mysterious, vast power. Each meteor was as blinding as the sun.
“They don’t shine from friction; they contain inherent force within.”
Ye Fan swung his fists, struggling within the heavenly tribulation, striking forward. Instantly, a torrent of sacred radiance erupted, because every inch of his flesh was shrouded in lightning light.
The heavenly tribulation moved with him, meeting the meteor swarm. He stretched his arms, unleashing his full strength, smashing into the meteor cluster. This was a great cataclysm—myriad rays of light, thunderbolts like ten thousand jun—all the meteors turned to dust.
Even a single thread of tribulation light was destructive, equivalent to another person’s great heavenly tribulation, more than enough to shatter mountains and great rivers.
Ye Fan’s pores opened wide, with thousands upon thousands of strands of tribulation light entering and exiting. His flesh autonomously breathed in and out this sea of lightning divine light; his blood, flesh, bones, and organs all breathed.
“Hum~”
The void trembled. A dragon stele flickered, ancient and grand, taller than a celestial mountain, pressing down toward Ye Fan. On it were various trigram diagrams, mysterious and eerie.
This was lightning shaped like the Fuxi Dragon Stele, with immense power. Ye Fan had already been struck several times, nearly breaking his bones and tendons. Each time it fell, it was like an ancient star exploding.
He had doubts. Why were there lightning bolts shaped like ancestral artifacts, so astonishing and terrifying, with such immense power? What was the relationship between them?
“Could it be the Dao marks left by past Dao attainers?” Ye Fan thought of many things. Was the Great Dao reproducing the divine rule imprints of the former strongest? Manifesting in the world?
“Boom!”
For now, he couldn’t think too much. Various ancestral artifacts transformed into lightning appeared together, pressing down with boundless divine power. The aura emitted by the Fuxi Dragon Stele and others was vast and limitless.
“To sever the Dao in reverse is to defeat the Dao that already exists in this realm at this stage, to truly break free and rise above them!”
Ye Fan’s eyes sharpened, like two divine lamps shooting out flame-like light, especially dazzling and awe-inspiring in the depths of this celestial void.
“Boom!”
He began to swing his fists, shattering all obstacles—whether the Fuxi Dragon Stele or various ancestral artifacts—breaking them one by one, battling the established Dao!
The vast sea of thunder, boundless and endless, he alone roamed beyond the heavens, fighting many ancient sacred Daos, enduring a tribulation beyond ordinary imagination.
If it were someone else, they would only need to endure the heavenly tribulation to be considered successful in crossing it. But he had to soar upward, destroy all tribulation punishments, until the heavens had no tribulation left to send.
It was precisely because of this that his heavenly tribulation far surpassed everyone in history, incredibly vast. A single strand of it was enough to shatter other Dao severers.
At this moment, the thunder tribulation in the void intensified. The dragon stele was destroyed, the stone platform split into four, but they quickly reassembled. Human-shaped lightning appeared, and several of them at once.
At the same time, even more weapons appeared, their power shaking this star domain, making even Ye Fan’s hair stand on end. Several times, his bones broke and tendons snapped, golden blood splattering.
“What am I seeing?” He could hardly believe his eyes.
“Boom!”
In the distance, a blazing light shot over, piercing through his chest, raising a wisp of green smoke, emitting a scorched smell.
That was a majestic figure, hard to see clearly, but the ancient mirror in his hand was unmistakable—it was the Void Mirror!
“This is the weapon of Emperor Void, no mistake!” Ye Fan had once faced it while carrying the small bronze coffin. The patterns on the ancient mirror were identical. He was seeing it here at this end of the stars.
Emperor Void had come to this ancient star, perhaps fought here, leaving some Dao marks in the Great Dao, imprinted by this heaven and earth.
In that instant, Ye Fan gained a new understanding of the Great Dao and heavenly tribulation. The established Dao, recorded and carved, could be reproduced!
“Am I dueling Emperor Void?”
His voice trembled, and he couldn’t help muttering to himself. He had encountered human-shaped lightning before, seen similar scenes in the Big Dipper Star Domain, but this time was different.
Before, it was purely human-shaped lightning, striking down various tribulation punishments. Even if there were Dao principles, there weren’t this many. But now, the human-shaped lightning wielding the ancient Void Mirror could unleash various supreme Dao techniques, terrifying and boundless!
“Fortunately, it’s not imperial might, but merely a trace carved by the Great Dao of heaven and earth!” Ye Fan could only console himself like this; otherwise, he would surely die.
This Dao mark was only aimed at Dao severers, not a sage tribulation, let alone an emperor tribulation. Otherwise, this entire star domain would be destroyed.
Ye Fan let out a clear cry, charging through the thunder sea. He summoned his own cauldron, crashing it into the Void Mirror, unleashing a vast might.
“Bang!”
They tangled together, fiercely battling. Ye Fan had an illusion—he felt like he was facing a young Emperor Void, dueling his true body.
“Boom!”
A torrent of flames poured down. A massive furnace descended from the sky. Though made of lightning, it seemed forged from Phoenix Blood Red Gold. Above it stood a towering figure, pressing down toward him.
“The Eternal Universe Furnace… that’s… Emperor Eternal Universe!”
Ye Fan was shocked again. Another ancient Great Emperor appeared. The Heavenly Dao had also left a wisp of his imprint, with divine might that shook the world!
He dodged the Void Mirror’s beam but was solidly struck by the Eternal Universe Furnace. His back split open, bones nearly breaking inch by inch, suffering severe injury.
Another Great Emperor from the Big Dipper Star Domain had also come to this shore. Now, as the Dao principles emerged, they were unmatched in the world, nearly making Ye Fan fall in regret.
He finally understood the consequences of severing the Dao in reverse. This was a dead end, with no hope of survival. The Daos of the strongest who had appeared under this starry sky would all manifest. Transcending them was incredibly difficult.
But Ye Fan refused to yield, did not give up. His eyes turned fierce, the light in the depths of his pupils blazing even brighter, burning like two torches!
“This is a rare opportunity. I’ve always longed to fight a young Great Emperor at the same realm, but never had the chance. Today, I’ll settle the score with you!” Ye Fan gritted his teeth.
It wasn’t arrogance or disrespect toward the ancient Great Emperors, but he was pushed to this point with no other choice. He had to fight to the death against the ancient emperors at the Dao-severing stage.
The most terrifying battle erupted. Ye Fan was nearly beaten to death, because the young Emperor Void struck, and the young Emperor Eternal Universe showed no mercy.
They displayed various wondrous techniques, collapsing heaven and earth. Though formed from lightning, they carried the Dao principles of the past, equally terrifying and boundless. This was a killing strike.
“Boom!”
An Immortal Tear Green Gold pagoda appeared, shaking the eternal void, crashing into Ye Fan. Even the Human Sacred Body couldn’t withstand it. Over a hundred bones broke, and he was sent flying.
The Western Emperor of Yao Chi had appeared!
Ye Fan faced a great crisis, narrowly escaping death. Being able to contend with young Great Emperors of the same realm was his dream, helping him understand the Dao.
However, encountering a group of young emperors was a disaster. Even if an immortal were reborn at this realm, they would die.
“Boom!”
A thunderous sound erupted. Billions of strands of lightning light filled the sky. Another disheveled man stepped forward, striking with grand, sweeping moves, possessing the bearing of an invincible world ruler.
Emperor Fuxi had struck!
Ye Fan shouted, forgetting any reverence for ancestors. His thick black hair flew wildly as he fought in the lightning, battling the young Dao bodies of these supreme beings.
This was a difficult duel. He was indeed strong enough, but contending with such existences was too demanding.
Who were these people? Each was the strongest of their historical era, with divine arts that suppressed the ages, invincible in the universe!
These people had never met each other, but they all shared one trait: they were Great Emperors, defeating everyone in their respective eras, truly invincible under the stars, standing at the pinnacle of all beings, overlooking past, present, and future!
Ye Fan needed powerful enemies. At his level, in this age of declining Dharma, it was hard to even seek a defeat. But this time, it was too absurd.
One would have been enough to temper him into brilliance, but so many appearing at once left no path to survival.
“Ancient Great Emperor”—these four words were enough to crush the universe. Such people were the most dazzling, not just in name. For Ye Fan to sever the Dao and fight even one would be a remarkable achievement.
Now, this was not tempering but a killing strike, giving him no hope. This was the consequence of wanting to sever the Dao in reverse: facing the slashes of all Daos that had appeared on this ancient star throughout history!
Ye Fan fought bathed in blood, his bones shattered. Never had he been so brutal as today, but he did not yield. He gritted his teeth and persisted, battling four ancient emperors at once.
“Pfft!”
Finally, he couldn’t avoid it. The Void Mirror shone on his back, the Eternal Universe Furnace smashed into his shoulder, the Western Emperor Pagoda pressed down on his head, and Emperor Fuxi struck with a palm.
Ye Fan was covered in blood, bones broken, golden blood splattering, staining the void. Beyond the heavens, his body burst apart, flesh and viscera scattering.
Since his emergence, he had never been so embarrassed and miserable, trapped in a dead end, with little time left.
He was a man, not an immortal. The ancient Great Emperors each dominated their eras, the most dazzling few under the entire starry sky, each the protagonist of heaven and earth!
In the world, if one could be compared to a young ancient Great Emperor, able to contend with a young emperor, then it could be said they would surely be remembered in history.
To find someone who could single-handedly fight four young emperors—perhaps never in history had such an absurd miracle been believed!
Even if Ye Fan could attain the Dao, he would only be one of them, the protagonist of this era. But now, he was fighting four at once, opening an unprecedented event in history!
He was beaten until his bones shattered, golden flesh flying everywhere, suffering severe injury. But his entire spirit and energy remained, even sharper.
“Boom!”
The vast golden blood energy spread. Ye Fan activated the “Presence” secret, merging flesh and broken bones, reassembling his body with cracking sounds, restoring his true form.
Ye Fan had long lost any reverence. This was an unprecedented heavenly tribulation. Facing these human-shaped lightning forms of the ancient emperors, his eyes were fierce, with only one belief: kill them all!
“Boom!”
He unleashed a wondrous technique—Laozi’s One Qi Transforms into Three Purities—manifesting a Dao body identical to himself, with equal combat power, to duel these four young emperors!
The battle reached a boiling point. Two against four still had no chance of victory, incredibly difficult. He was covered in golden bloodstains, and soon the Dao body’s time ran out, being slashed back.
Fighting four alone, he could only perish. Ye Fan struggled in blood, unwilling to give up, refusing to bow before the ancient imperial Dao.
“Facing four young emperors, I will surely die. What do I do?” Ye Fan asked himself.
If anyone learned that he was dueling four young emperors at the Dao-severing stage, they would be shocked to the extreme, perhaps not even believing it.
This was a glorious battle record that defied the ages! Even persisting for a moment would be worth eternal boasting, enough to be recorded in history. Yet he was still thinking of severing the Dao in reverse.
“Boom!”
In the sky, nine suns blazed, their light illuminating the dark depths of the universe in an instant. Another phenomenon of Dao severing appeared.
And at that moment, five more human-shaped lightning figures appeared in the thunder sea. Now, nine young emperors stood together, about to jointly slay Ye Fan!
Ye Fan drew in a cold breath, feeling a headache, because he recognized one of them. Above his head hung a chaotic great bell. Though his true face was unclear, it was undoubtedly Emperor Wu Shi!
Severing the Dao, encountering the nine strongest enemies of all time. All emperors manifest their true forms, descending to protect the Dao. If you have any offerings, please send them to aid the divine artifact.