Chapter 1083: The Day Apart, Looking at Each Other

The sigh carried a mix of regret, emotion, and a touch of envy. But quickly, He realized His thoughts were amiss; after all, that individual had once been His enemy. He should never feel envy towards an enemy.

“Good riddance if he died; but having to die twice? That's truly unique.”

Yu Liuchen snorted coldly, withdrawing his gaze from the distant sky.

“However, in this era where true gods are rare and divine lords are asleep, your story is about to end, and my story… is about to begin.”

On Wanggu Continent, the eastern sky was now empty. Of the four Profound-tier Sacred Lands that once floated there, three had collapsed under the Sword-Wielding Emperor’s blade. The only remaining Demonic Feather Sacred Land was also brought down by the Sword-Wielding Emperor’s wave of a hand and given to the Empress. Only the Demonic Feather Emperor escaped, disappearing without a trace.

Then, the Sword-Wielding Emperor strode towards the southern sky. The Empress and Xu Qing followed behind. What was an endless distance seemed to shrink under the Sword-Wielding Emperor's astonishing aura. In just the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he led the two across various regions, appearing in the southern expanse of Wanggu.

In the distance were three gleaming Sacred Lands. The southern battlefield, unlike the east, lacked array protection. The Scarlet Earth Great Luo Clan, situated in the south, had transformed the entire southern region into a sea of flames. Fire was their natural environment. By using fire as a sea, the Scarlet Earth Great Luo Clan could unleash their full combat strength. And during this period, their war with the Sacred Lands had been extremely intense.

Standing in the sky, Xu Qing could see the land, permeated by the sea of flames, was filled with charred corpses, countless collapsed buildings, and fragments of magical artifacts. Some originated from the local tribal lands, while others… were from the destruction of a Sacred Land.

In the south, one Sacred Land had been destroyed and an Emperor slain. This left only three of the original four Sacred Lands. The Sword-Wielding Emperor's arrival immediately drew the attention of both sides. The cultivators of the Scarlet Earth Great Luo Clan's pupils constricted, and under the decree of their clan's deity, they retreated like a receding tide. As for the Sacred Lands, their protective arrays were fully activated, and the three Emperors within dared not show themselves.

The events in the east had long been perceived throughout the land. Facing someone who clearly possessed the combat power of a "Xia Immortal," not only were the Sacred Lands extremely wary, but the Scarlet Earth Great Luo Clan was also on high alert. However, for the Sword-Wielding Emperor, the vigilance of the Scarlet Earth Great Luo Clan was irrelevant. His current task was to impart his sword techniques.

Thus, as his gaze fell upon the three Sacred Lands, the Sword-Wielding Emperor's voice echoed in the minds of the Empress and Xu Qing.

“The second form of the sword technique I comprehended is called…”

“Sky-Rend!”

The Sword-Wielding Emperor spoke calmly, raising his right hand and gently pressing it towards the three heavily guarded Sacred Lands in front of him. With this press, as the Scarlet Earth Great Luo Clan's minds churned, as the sky dimmed at that instant, and as the fiery sea on the ground extinguished instantly… the three Sacred Lands floating in mid-air, along with a vast surrounding area, suddenly blurred.

A terrifying force seemed to descend from thin air, settling upon that area and isolating it from the outside world. Then, this force erupted, as if draining all essence from that region! Meanwhile, the Sword-Wielding Emperor's profound voice continued to explain this particular sword form.

“This sword form was created by me when I fought for the Ancient Emperor against myriad races, designed for large-scale enemy annihilation. It needed to retain immense destructive power while covering a vast area… thus, its principle is to extract all essence from a region.”

“Turning that place into a vacuum.”

“Using the compressive and crushing force of the vacuum itself, it shatters the void and everything within it. The traces of their shattering are the sword marks.”

“These boundless sword marks, when converged, form the Sky-Rend Sword!”

As the Sword-Wielding Emperor's words reverberated, the three Sacred Lands and the surrounding isolated area abruptly collapsed. As all essence was drawn away, the compressive force fully erupted, and with the added will of the Sword-Wielding Emperor, the expressions of all beings within that region drastically changed.

The first to show cracks were the protective arrays of the three Sacred Lands. Under the vacuum's compression, the arrays violently shook, and cracks multiplied on their surfaces until they could no longer withstand the force, shattering into pieces and collapsing. Consequently, an even greater vacuum compression force erupted within the three Sacred Lands. An indescribable horror filled the air. Yet, the wails of despair could not escape, confined within the isolated space.

Only the powerhouses of these three Sacred Lands, such as Emperors and Sovereigns, had bloodshot eyes in that instant, unleashing their ultimate techniques in an attempt to resist. But… it was futile. The collapse continued, and more cracks appeared. The appearance of those cracks transformed into sword marks. Until finally, countless sword marks rose, converging into a world-shaking sword. Within that isolated vacuum, sword light expanded, sword qi obliterated all, and sword intent suppressed heaven and earth.

After a long while, the isolation dissipated, and countless fragments of the Sacred Lands scattered across the ground. There was no flesh; accompanying the fragments were merely the dust of life. And all life force became nourishment propelling the Sword-Wielding Emperor forward, surging into his body and causing his combat power to surge once more at that moment. Under the sweep of this aura, even the deities of the Scarlet Earth Great Luo Clan chose to retreat, unwilling to contend.

“Unless a true god emerges, we cannot resist a Xia Immortal.”

After a while, when the Sword-Wielding Emperor had departed with Xu Qing and the Empress, a calm voice slowly emanated from within the Scarlet Earth Great Luo Clan.

Simultaneously, the destruction of multiple Sacred Lands and the fall of several Emperors spread like a storm throughout all of Wanggu. This left countless clans in Wanggu shaken, and many deities chose silence. At this moment, the former glory of the Human Race resurfaced in the minds of myriad races.

Meanwhile, for the Profound-tier Sacred Lands that had descended upon western and northern Wanggu, this storm brought immeasurable terror and shock. Consequently, the Sacred Lands in these two regions, having contacted each other, fully activated their defenses and, on the other hand, sought help from the starry sky beyond Wanggu. At the same time, they unhesitatingly chose to immediately leave their current locations, intending to converge. Having arrived in Wanggu, they found themselves unable to depart. The only path before them now was to band together. Only by combining the strength of multiple Sacred Lands could they possibly hold out and await the arrival of Earth-tier Sacred Lands, or even the sole Heaven-tier Sacred Land, from beyond the starry sky.

However, their actions would not proceed smoothly. The Nether-Origin Bone Clan in the west and the North Destiny Royal Clan in the north, having been engaged in battle with the Sacred Lands that had descended upon their territories, naturally seized this opportunity with full force. Thus, in the next instant, the wars in the west and north erupted even more fiercely. Cultivators from both clans were fully mobilized, obstructing the Sacred Lands from leaving their respective territories.

And so, as the sounds of slaughter from this interception battle reverberated in all directions, the Sword-Wielding Emperor's figure appeared in the western sky of Wanggu.

“The third form of the sword technique I comprehended…”

“Is called Heavenly Palace.”

“This form was comprehended by me during the wars against myriad races, before the Mysterious Nether Ancient Emperor's unification. Its intent to kill is excessive, and its methods are brutal, targeting only cultivators, harming the Heavenly Harmony… hence, after the deities descended, I never used it.”

The Sword-Wielding Emperor gazed at the Sacred Lands ahead and spoke softly. Then, he raised his hand and waved it forward. With that wave, a scene that made Xu Qing's eyes constrict abruptly appeared. Although Xu Qing was shocked by the previous collapse of the eastern and southern Sacred Lands, he had never been affected to this extent before. Indeed… the Heavenly Palace Sword was precisely as the Sword-Wielding Emperor described: it ruthlessly targeted only cultivators, harming the Heavenly Harmony.

Because… this so-called Heavenly Palace was not a palace in the sky, but rather the Heavenly Palace cultivated within every cultivator at the Core Formation stage and above! In that instant, all their Heavenly Palaces collapsed as if controlled, transforming into illusory swords that burst forth from their bodies!

The scene was utterly gruesome. Countless wails of agony arose. Like an ultimate killing technique, they continuously converged, forming a sea of swords that roared through heaven and earth, engulfing all Sacred Lands in the west. This was a catastrophe for cultivators at or above the Core Formation stage. As for those below Core Formation, escape from death was even harder; all were shattered under the sweep of this sea of swords. Even the Sacred Lands themselves shattered under the destructive power of that sword sea.

All things collapsed, and all life was extinguished. Only the Sword-Wielding Emperor's voice broke the silence, echoing in the ears of Xu Qing and the Empress.

“Using the enemy's Heavenly Palace as a sword—this is the Heavenly Palace Sword.”

“As for the next, the fourth sword…”

“Its name is Star Radiance!”

The moment these words were uttered, the sky rumbled as if tearing open. Daylight vanished at that instant, giving way to night. In the darkness, countless stars shone brightly. Innumerable star-lights appeared across heaven and earth, forming beams of sword light and long swords that scattered across the world. The Sword-Wielding Emperor stepped onto a beam of starlight, bringing Xu Qing and the Empress with him, and descended upon the northern ice plains of Wanggu, utilizing the star-light. Against the backdrop of endless white snow, the starlight shimmered brilliantly, reflecting off the snow, radiating splendor, and engulfing the Sacred Lands there. From a distance, a gigantic vortex of starlight appeared, consuming everything.

At this point, Wanggu fell silent. Myriad races were silent; deities gazed intently. The Sword-Wielding Emperor, at this moment, became the most dazzling star in all of Wanggu, rising from within that starlight vortex. Amidst the influx of countless life forces, his aura continued to surge, propelling his combat power towards the peak of the Xia Immortal tier.

The sky trembled, and the earth rumbled. However, the death qi on his body also intensified to its extreme at this instant. His voice, too, became hoarse.

“As for the final sword… I will save it for that place.”

The Sword-Wielding Emperor raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the firmament, looking far beyond the starry sky. At this moment, within the starry sky above Wanggu Continent, five awe-inspiring Sacred Lands had already arrived. At the forefront were four. In terms of both size and aura, they far surpassed the Profound-tier. They were Earth-tier Sacred Lands. And the last one… shaped like a gigantic heart, pulsed with an indescribably terrifying power that surpassed all others. That was… the sole Heaven-tier Sacred Land!

Upon this Heaven-tier Sacred Land, on an ancient tower, stood an old man in a black robe. With his hands behind his back, his face full of wrinkles, and an aged expression, he seemed to have traversed countless years, witnessed all of history, and now returned. His gaze fell upon Wanggu. His eyes met the Sword-Wielding Emperor's, gazing across the heavens.