Chapter 2259: Imperial Fall [Final Chapter of This Volume]

To truly express yourself, you must first live authentically.

Throughout his journey, the clone always felt the urge to show off, but he himself never indulged. The rare times he did so were merely to better express himself. Deep down, he had always been that humble, reserved, down-to-earth, innovative, and practical honest man.

This realization brought a sudden clarity to his mind. The sword techniques he had previously understood also underwent a transformation. If his previous sword techniques — Thousand Knots, Filial Piety's Grief, Candle Waxes to Ash, and Wind Unceasing — had been characterized by their lingering quality, now, with his changed mindset, they became more brilliant, imbued with an unstoppable forward momentum and a proud defiance.

Loved ones need protection, but one must not become a slave to that need. Just as it's right for an adult to earn money to support their family, they shouldn't be bound by life, merely living for the sake of living. Instead, one must forge ahead and live authentically. When one's strength and capabilities are sufficient, what one wishes to protect will naturally be safeguarded. Without such power… at worst, they would simply die together. What was there to be conflicted about?

With the knot in his heart untangled, Zhang Xuan looked forward once more. The battle between the two sides was still ongoing. The clash between the two supreme powerhouses left the onlookers completely silent, not daring to even breathe.

"So powerful..." The Little Yellow Chick trembled slightly, its eyes filled with disbelief. "To have cultivated to this level in just over forty years, Emperor Tianzong is truly a genius among geniuses..." Having lived for countless years and even experienced reincarnation, it was clear that his own talents pales significantly in comparison, demonstrating the other's extraordinary gift. It had reached a level that could induce despair.

After sighing, he looked at the young man beside him and couldn't help but shake his head again. It seemed this young man's talent was in no way inferior to the other's... perhaps even surpassing it. Perhaps he could reach such a realm in even less time than the other, completing it in just a few more years...

"To possess such power in just over forty years is indeed admirable... However, I have one final move. If you can break it, I will die! If you cannot, you will die!" Sheathed her sword and stood, Luo Ruoxi looked over, her voice cold and indifferent.

"I also have a move," Master Kong said, looking over, his gaze still unperturbed. "If I die, I hope you will honor our previous agreement!"

"Rest assured!" Luo Ruoxi nodded. "If I die, I also hope you will adhere to our agreement."

"Naturally!" Master Kong nodded.

"Let us begin!"

Having made their decision, the two no longer wasted words. Their bodies flickered, and they moved at the same instant. An immensely powerful sword intent diffused outwards, a staff hovered in the air, and power roared. In a blink, the moonlight was eclipsed by their collision. The clash of two peak emperors caused the moonlight to dim.

"What is that?"

"I don't know..."

"It looks like the decisive battle between Emperor Zizaitian and Emperor Tianzong!"

"A decisive battle on the moon?"

"So it's said. Otherwise, who could create such a commotion?"

At the same time, countless people in the God Realm looked up at the sky. A beam of light, as bright as a scorching sun, emanated from the moon.

Beneath the dazzling light, a long river of time seemed to emerge before Master Kong's staff. Countless figures flowed within it, representing thousands, even tens of thousands of years of history, from ancient times to the present. In each segment of history, there was a Master Kong: some enraged, some benevolent, some joyful, some sorrowful… These myriad versions of Master Kong united, like the wheels of history, crushing down irresistibly. His most powerful ultimate move: Spring and Autumn! With one stroke for spring and another for autumn, it connected past and present. All versions of Master Kong, all their intentions from ancient times to the present, converged. In an instant, his power surged, as if multiplied a hundredfold, a thousandfold. The entire moon seemed unable to withstand this immense pressure, threatening to fall from the sky. On the ground, rocks, eroded by the river of history, turned from dark gray to pale white, and then… shattered. No one, however strong, could stop time.

"Luo Ruoxi..."

Zhang Xuan, filled with tension at the unexpected profoundness of time within Master Kong's move, hastily looked towards the girl. He saw her bright eyes glance at him with a hint of longing, before her delicate brows lifted. "I've been waiting for this move of yours..."

Her long sword trembled, and a sword intent sliced across. The sword appeared to remain still, not extending forward, yet its intent instantaneously pierced through eternity, spanning all of history. The linear progression of history... Humans are three-dimensional and can evade danger, but history is a single line; there is no chance to change it, no choice to make, and no way to dodge it. Luo Ruoxi's sword precisely targeted this weakness of the "Spring and Autumn" move, traversing it with a single strike, making it impossible for the figures within history to dodge.

The sudden shift left Zhang Xuan's face ashen. He had just been thinking that Luo Ruoxi would surely be unable to withstand the historical weight of "Spring and Autumn," yet he never could have anticipated that with a single strike, history itself would crumble. The past is the past; it cannot replace the present or the future!

"It's from the Master Teacher Continent; she obtained the Spring and Autumn Grand Codex and thoroughly researched it..." His body swayed. This move was clearly designed specifically to counter Master Kong's ultimate technique. Centered on herself, she used an ethereal power to pierce through history... piercing through time itself! Without having obtained the Spring and Autumn Grand Codex, she certainly couldn't have created it... And by entering the Master Kong Temple and obtaining the Codex, he had greatly helped her... This meant that if Master Kong were truly killed, he would effectively be an accomplice...

He hastily looked towards Master Kong, hoping he could dodge the sword or find a way to counter it. Instead, he saw Master Kong not only make no attempt to resist, but even lower the staff in his hand.

"No..." With a desperate cry, Zhang Xuan tried to rush forward, but felt his shoulder tighten as the Little Yellow Chick pulled him back.

"His historical self and his present self are merged. If he is killed in history, he cannot escape in reality... This is the greatest flaw and loophole of this move; it cannot be saved..." The Little Yellow Chick explained urgently.

"But..." Tears streamed down Zhang Xuan's face. He knew the other was right. History was a single line; once one's historical self was killed, their real self would also vanish... "Spring and Autumn" was indeed powerful, but it would amount to nothing if one possessed the power and means to pierce through history.

"Don't forget what you promised me..."

As he grieved, Master Kong's faint voice echoed in his ears. Zhang Xuan looked and saw Master Kong's tall figure slowly collapsing backward. Beneath the whistling sword qi, the long river of history collapsed, and the figures within it exploded one after another. In reality, Master Kong, before even hitting the ground, also disintegrated with the explosive force, turning into a cloud of mist. Immediately, a rule imbued with the power of the Heavenly Dao abruptly emerged from the mist and shot towards the sky. Luo Ruoxi reached out and seized it mid-air. The mist was held firmly between her fingertips, unable to escape.

A thunderous roar! All of this transpired in an instant. Only then did the light from their battle dim. The violent power, unable to dissipate, coalesced into dark clouds in the sky, and torrential rain immediately poured down. It was as if the heavens themselves were weeping.

Two emperors clashed; one fell! Master Kong, fallen!

P.S. Volume 17: Emperor's Fall concludes here. The next volume, Volume 18, will be the final installment, revealing the origins of the Library. The story of the Heavenly Dao has been written for nearly three years, and it's time to bid farewell. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the novel will be completed in September. As for whether Master Kong has truly died, there have been hints throughout the previous chapters, and all will be revealed later. Rest assured, it is not a tragedy.