Chapter 565: Star Emperor and Lady Xuan Yue's Fate

Three-Bend River System.

On a barren star, hidden by a formation, there was a cave dwelling where Xuan Yue Niangniang's outer realm true body lived in seclusion and cultivated.

"Whoosh."

Sitting on a mountaintop, Xuan Yue Niangniang felt incredibly comfortable as a gust of cold air entered her body with each breath. She had chosen this barren star precisely because it was perfectly suited for her cultivation. In the outer realm, the comprehension of laws was much clearer, unlike in her home world where she could only perceive its inherent laws.

"Meng Chuan?" At the exact moment Emperor Peng was captured and Meng Chuan's identity was revealed—

Xuan Yue Niangniang also saw a white-haired man appear before her.

"Hmm?" Xuan Yue Niangniang froze slightly, her eyes widening as she recognized the white-haired man as Meng Chuan!

The white-haired Meng Chuan calmly gazed at her.

Xuan Yue Niangniang immediately lost consciousness.

At the same moment, Emperor Xing He, who was leading his subordinates in exploring a ruined relic, also found a white-haired man appear before him.

"Emperor, this ruin has been discovered multiple times before and thoroughly scoured. There are no treasures left," his Venerable subordinates were saying.

Emperor Xing He, however, stood motionless, frozen in place, his thoughts completely halted.

The white-haired man walked up to him, ignored the other Venerables nearby, and with a wave of his hand, collected Emperor Xing He.

Demon Race World.

"This is bad."

"We're in trouble."

Emperor Xing He and Xuan Yue Niangniang, in their home world, rushed to Emperor Peng's palace as fast as possible.

"Emperor Peng."

"Emperor Peng." Both of them were terrified and desperate.

They soon saw Emperor Peng, seated alone on his throne in the main hall, already waiting for them.

"Emperor Peng, save us."

"Meng Chuan appeared and directly captured our outer realm true bodies," Emperor Xing He and Xuan Yue Niangniang pleaded anxiously.

Emperor Peng, looking down from his throne, was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "My outer realm true body was also captured."

Emperor Xing He and Xuan Yue Niangniang were stunned into silence.

He was captured too?

They were merely ordinary emperors, so being captured was one thing. But Emperor Peng was captured too?

"What exactly is his strength?" Emperor Xing He asked anxiously. "Didn't they say cultivation slows down significantly after reaching the Tribulation Realm? Even if one creates a powerful ultimate art or possesses a strong bloodline, they usually only reach the Third Tribulation Realm in a short amount of time."

Emperor Peng nodded slightly. "I initially guessed he was in the Third Tribulation Realm, but meeting him this time, I realized I was incredibly mistaken. I had no power to resist him... The disparity in strength is too vast. Even against a Fourth Tribulation Realm mighty one, I could put up a fight. Meng Chuan must have already reached the Fifth Tribulation Realm."

"How long has he been cultivating?" Xuan Yue Niangniang couldn't believe it.

On the path of cultivation, the gap between the First and Second Tribulation Realms isn't significant. Although the Third Tribulation Realm is difficult, if one creates a powerful ultimate art, such as the 'Cloud Mist Dragon-Serpent Movement Technique' when mastered to the Emperor level, that alone is enough to reach the Third Tribulation Realm. With bloodlines like the 'Golden-Winged Great Peng,' 'Dark Peacock,' 'Eight-Headed Star Devouring Serpent,' or even impure dragon and phoenix bloodlines, one can generally reach the Third Tribulation Realm quickly. The Third Tribulation Realm can be reached relatively quickly and is considered common among Tribulation Realm mighty ones.

The Fifth Tribulation Realm?

It's more than a hundred times harder to reach than the Third Tribulation Realm! In an entire river system, there might not even be one Fifth Tribulation Realm mighty one in the same era.

"I saw him and couldn't put up any resistance before being captured," Emperor Peng stated calmly. "His strength must be at the Fifth Tribulation Realm."

"How is that possible?" Emperor Xing He and Xuan Yue Niangniang murmured, terrified and desperate.

"Perhaps Meng Chuan had a unique encounter, or maybe it was a fortunate opportunity left by Patriarch Cang Yuan that allowed Meng Chuan to enter some mysterious secret realm," Emperor Peng said. "In those secret realms with extremely fast time flow, it might seem like Meng Chuan has cultivated for a short time, but he could have actually been cultivating for tens of thousands of years. Regardless of the speculation, his strength is now beyond our ability to resist. As for the two of you... no one can save you."

Two ordinary emperors, even hiding in their home world, could not withstand an attack from a Fifth Tribulation Realm mighty one delivered through causality. Facing a pursuit from a Fifth Tribulation Realm mighty one, perhaps only a Seventh or Eighth Tribulation Realm existence could protect them. However, for them and Emperor Peng to meet a 'Seventh Tribulation Realm mighty one,' they would likely only be able to so in their dreams.

"No one can save us?" Xuan Yue Niangniang murmured, looking up at Emperor Peng. "Why did he capture our outer realm true bodies, Xing He's and mine? Does he not intend to kill us, or does he have another purpose?"

"He told me."

Emperor Peng said, "He will kill both of you today."

Xing He and Xuan Yue's faces drastically changed.

Emperor Peng sighed inwardly... Meng Chuan stating directly that he would kill Xing He and Xuan Yue today was surely meant to instill even greater fear in them.

"Did he capture us because he doesn't want us to die too easily?" Xing He and Xuan Yue exchanged glances, their expressions grim.

"How could I let you die so easily?"

Cang Yuan Realm, at the Demon Saint Passage.

The white-haired Meng Chuan stood beneath a willow tree, gazing towards the Demon World on the other side of the Demon Saint Passage.

"Be afraid. Feel the helplessness in the face of death," Meng Chuan murmured softly.

If he had killed them directly through causality, Emperor Xing He and Xuan Yue Niangniang would have felt no pain, simply turning to dust. That would have been far too lenient. The war of over nine hundred years had inflicted too much damage on humanity. City-defending soldiers alone died in the hundreds of millions, and countless ordinary citizens perished. Darkness, despair, madness, hysteria... too many things had happened. Meng Chuan's experience of the demon invasion in his youth was already considered quite ordinary; at least his father protected him, and the prestigious 'Meng family' supported him, ensuring he never lacked food or clothing. Far more tragic fates befell countless others, hundreds or thousands of times worse than his. Meng Chuan had witnessed too much with his own eyes, and he had long ago sworn to make these culprits pay the price.

Meng Chuan believed there would be no miracles for Xing He and Xuan Yue at this point. Protection from a Seventh Tribulation Realm mighty one? In the Divine Maiden River System, Witch Ancient River System, and many other surrounding river systems, there were no Seventh Tribulation Realm mighty ones in this era! If Emperor Peng and the others could somehow gain the patronage of a Seventh Tribulation Realm mighty one, that would be a miracle truly seen only once in the entire River of Spacetime. It would be an absolute absurdity if it happened.

"Senior Dongning."

"Senior Dongning."

Two voices echoed faintly through the Demon Saint Passage.

The Demon Saint Passage, over a hundred li long, allowed Meng Chuan to easily view the vast landscapes of the Demon Race World. On the other side, he saw Emperor Xing He and Xuan Yue Niangniang kneeling respectfully on the ground.

"We know we brought too much disaster to the Cang Yuan Realm," Emperor Xing He said, prostrating himself. "Now, Xuan Yue and I only beg for our lives. We don't know what we must do to survive. Senior Dongning, please name your terms."

"Senior Dongning, please name your terms," Xuan Yue Niangniang also said, prostrating herself.

At this moment, their postures were incredibly low, begging only for their lives.

Meng Chuan stood on the other side of the Demon Saint Passage and said calmly, "Feeling desperate? The demon race never cared about humanity's despair during the invasion. I'm telling you now: both of you will die today. You have one more hour until your deaths. After that hour, I will sever your causal links and kill you both."

Emperor Xing He and Xuan Yue Niangniang looked up at Meng Chuan. Their eyes met.

"It seems there's no way out," Emperor Xing He and Xuan Yue Niangniang both thought, a hint of madness in their eyes.

Emperor Xing He and Xuan Yue Niangniang suddenly slumped to the ground, silently.

On the other side of the Demon Saint Passage, Meng Chuan watched from afar. "I gave you one hour. Did you think it was for you to make arrangements for your afterlife? Wrong. This hour... is for you to truly experience the suffering that the people of the Cang Yuan Realm once endured."

As a Primordial Spirit Tribulation Realm mighty one, he was extremely skilled in illusions. The 'Primordial Spirit World' was the most terrifying illusionary world; altering consciousness and weaving memories were effortless tasks. After Meng Chuan captured Xing He and Xuan Yue's outer realm true bodies, he cast an illusion on them. Through causality, the illusion directly descended upon all of Xing He and Xuan Yue's avatars.

The disparity between them was too vast! Even through causality, Meng Chuan's illusion caused all of Xing He and Xuan Yue's avatars to instantly fall into an illusionary realm.

One hour in the outside world.

In the illusionary realm... it was exceedingly long.

He inflicted many of humanity's sufferings upon them, one by one.

After one hour, Xing He and Xuan Yue regained consciousness, but their eyes were somewhat vacant.

"No, no..."

"Don't..."

Even as demon emperors, they had never experienced so many terrifying things. Their mental states completely crumbled. Such was the terror of a Primordial Spirit Tribulation Realm mighty one.

"Boom."

Then, saber light descended.

The saber light struck their outer realm true bodies and, through causality, descended upon each of their avatars. In every location where an avatar existed, the 'saber light' penetrated their physical bodies. Although its power was diminished by several levels, it still caused all avatars to instantly and utterly vanish.

Emperor Xing He and Xuan Yue Niangniang completely turned to dust, utterly vanishing.

He said he would kill them today, and he did!

"They're dead."

In Emperor Peng's palace, Emperor Peng sat on his throne, his gaze piercing through the void to see Emperor Xing He and Xuan Yue Niangniang turn to dust before the Demon Saint Passage. Emperor Peng remained expressionless.

"I must become stronger," Emperor Peng murmured to himself. "The stronger I become, the less threat attacks delivered through causality pose to me."

Inside the Demon Prison.

Emperor Peng, bound and imprisoned by chains, stared at Meng Chuan before him.

"They are both dead. Only you remain," Meng Chuan said calmly. "Don't worry, your day will come soon enough."

"Oh really? If you're so capable, kill me through causality then," Emperor Peng challenged, glaring at Meng Chuan.

Meng Chuan looked around. "Do you know what this place is?"

Emperor Peng looked confused.

"This place is called the Demon Prison," Meng Chuan said casually. "As a prison, it's very skilled at tormenting prisoners. For your time here, let me first give you a taste of the Demon Prison's torment."

Bolts of lightning surged through the chains into Emperor Peng's body. Emperor Peng's entire body began to tremble, shuddering.

"Killing Emperor Peng isn't that easy," Meng Chuan knew this well.

A Fifth Tribulation Realm mighty one can generally kill a newly ascended Tribulation Realm cultivator through causality. A Sixth Tribulation Realm mighty one has a high probability of killing a Third Tribulation Realm cultivator through causality, but not absolute certainty. A Seventh Tribulation Realm mighty one has absolute certainty in killing a Fourth Tribulation Realm cultivator. An Eighth Tribulation Realm mighty one? Their methods are unfathomable. Killing a Fifth Tribulation Realm cultivator is effortless, and they can even threaten a Sixth Tribulation Realm cultivator to some extent through causality. However, an Eighth Tribulation Realm mighty one... a Seventh Tribulation Realm mighty one might not even see one in their lifetime, and in the same era, there might not even be an Eighth Tribulation Realm mighty one in the entire River of Spacetime.

"Killed two, captured one alive." Meng Chuan felt a lightness in his heart.

"Next, I'll thoroughly explore this cave dwelling."

Meng Chuan looked ahead. "I've captured Emperor Peng, so the Snow Jade Palace Master behind him should now know of my existence."

Then, with a single step, the phantom of Meng Chuan's Primordial Spirit World effortlessly suppressed the strong winds, allowing him to easily continue deeper into the lair.