Chapter 1603: Extreme Sublimation

Endless great stars shattered into fragments, and galaxy after galaxy permanently turned to dust. Numerous ancient domains crumbled, becoming stellar ruins, while many star systems lay devastated and destroyed.

Emperor's blood was scattered across the cosmos. Although no one knew the specifics of that battle, many legends survived, recounting the glory and tragic song of Gai Jiuyou, the Human Race's Supreme, for countless years.

Some say that in his final moments, he achieved enlightenment and became a Great Emperor, only to then fade at the absolute zenith of his power. Like fireworks, he blazed brilliantly before vanishing into darkness.

Others claimed to have seen the Supreme Being, forced into ultimate sublimation during the dark turmoil, engulfing that entire star system.

Still others reported seeing a cluster of immortal flames burning, obliterating all traces of the Dao throughout the heavens, and consuming everything, leaving nothing behind.

Gai Jiuyou, a hero of his generation, vanished from the world after that battle, never to reappear. He left behind an unending sense of sorrow and melancholy that echoed through the ages.

In the depths of the universe, immortal melodies drifted mournfully. A woman in white, her face streaked with tears, sadly played the Calamity Crossing Immortal Melody alone, her music filled with profound grief as she bade farewell to her master. She was Xia Jiuyou.

On the cosmic battlefield, the fight continued, but only Ye Fan remained. All hope was lost, and the entire world was steeped in gloom and a desolate stillness.

By now, who could possibly contend with the Stone Emperor and Abandoned Heaven Supreme? There were no opponents left.

Ye Fan was covered in blood, his body shattered and his divine energy depleted from battle, leaving him with no fighting strength. Witnessing this outcome, he felt a profound sense of helplessness, unwillingness, and indignant grief.

An Emperor Armament exploded, shattering into pieces, but it also unleashed a powerful shockwave that covered half the bodies of the two Supremes in blood, nearly crippling them.

Hope vanished, replaced by despair. The Emperor Armaments' frenzy reached an extreme, intent on mutual destruction. This was an incredibly dangerous sign for the two Supremes.

Only the two of them remained. A total of five Emperor Armaments belonging to the Ancient Supremes had been destroyed. Facing the wrath of these Emperor weapons, they would be in mortal peril.

"Clang!" From the distant heavens, a sword cry resounded. A killing sword, radiating monstrous bloody light, arrived—a new Emperor Armament had joined the fray.

It was one of the Heavenly Venerate Lingbao's Killing Swords!

Next, a second immortal sword flew in, its bloody radiance sweeping away stars. Spanning an unknown number of light-years, it broke through cosmic restraints to arrive in an instant.

The Black Emperor roared and, opening his mouth, spat out a third killing sword. Its blade bore the bloody imprint of "Immortal Slaughter," causing the entire universe to tremble.

From the depths of the starry sky, a monkey strikingly similar to the Holy Prince rose to its feet and released its grip. A killing sword, whose aura was akin to his and had already merged with him, soared into the heavens, transforming into an eternal beam of light and striking forth.

All four killing swords arrived simultaneously. They spun, erupting with brilliant light, slashing downwards and augmenting the power of the existing Emperor Armaments.

Moreover, in that very instant, from a vast ocean in a distant galaxy, a Dao diagram rose, accompanied by resonant chanting, appearing right after the four killing swords.

This was an array diagram forged from immortal materials, imprinted with the supreme Dao marks of Heavenly Venerate Lingbao, and united with the four swords. It was not merely an ordinary formation but a true, formidable weapon capable of harming Supremes.

Instantly, the four swords took their positions, forming an unparalleled killing formation. With a resonant hum, they unleashed a brilliant burst of light that struck the Stone Emperor, producing clanging sounds and igniting fierce resistance.

At this moment, other Emperor Armaments also joined the formation, poised to deliver the ultimate blow.

The Stone Emperor and Abandoned Heaven Supreme's expressions truly changed. If they couldn't regain their absolute peak state, they might face a blood catastrophe.

Streaks of fresh blood flew from their bodies. This was no longer the original killing formation; with the addition of numerous Emperor Armaments, it had become far more potent!

Both had no choice but to fight desperately, engaging in a final, bloody struggle.

"The creator of the Secret of Word Arrangement constructed a prime example of a supreme killing formation. It's truly terrifying. Unfortunately, Heavenly Venerate Lingbao is not personally presiding over it, and no one understands the most complex immortal script and Dao marks, so its power cannot reach its maximum potential."

Although severely wounded, the Stone Emperor stabilized himself. Without its true master to direct it, he did not believe he was in a death trap and thus launched a counterattack.

With a raise of his hand, an equally terrifying killing formation appeared, its malevolent aura soaring to the heavens. This was a blood formation cultivated by devouring myriad spirits; he actually had another trick up his sleeve.

At this moment, blood energy surged, boiling and roiling, engulfing the entire star field.

Furthermore, he raised a hand and grabbed at Ye Fan, who was severely wounded and half-crippled from fighting. The Peerless Sutra, without blood augmentation, could no longer unleash Emperor Dao laws.

"Blood sacrifice for my formation!" the Stone Emperor declared.

Ye Fan did not resist. Only when the Stone Emperor was close did he declare, "I'll offer myself for your sacrifice!"

He was extremely resolute, directly causing his body to explode, intending to take half of the Stone Emperor's life with him. Moreover, a power of Dao transformation was spreading; he wanted his blood to burn to ashes, leaving no life essence behind for his foe.

The Stone Emperor grunted, his arm cracking and nearly exploding off. Meanwhile, Ye Fan was already torn into pieces, heading towards self-destruction amidst the light rain of Dao transformation.

"You want to die? It's not that easy. You die only when I let you die; you live only when I let you live. Your life and death are mine to control!" the Stone Emperor declared with a cold expression. He repaired his arm, and auspicious light bloomed from his glabella. Then, he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, which surprisingly extinguished the light rain of Dao transformation.

Then, with a raise of his hand, he brought Ye Fan's shattered body back together, threw him into the blood formation, and declared, "I'll spare your life, to suffer in this sea of blood."

Ye Fan gave a bitter laugh. His attempt to self-detonate hadn't even fully succeeded, merely injuring one of the Stone Emperor's arms. His primordial spirit wasn't strong enough, and without Emperor Dao laws, he was indeed too far outmatched.

In a sense, he truly was just an ant. Even if he crawled into the body of a giant dragon, he couldn't defy the heavens.

He knew his life was short and that he would soon depart from this world. Joys and tears, all the people and events from his past, surfaced in his mind, scene by scene, moment by moment.

He did not want to give up like this. If there was still a chance, he would choose mutual destruction, using the power of his shattered body to make his opponent's blood splatter sky-high.

In the distance, Laozi and Sakyamuni rushed back from the depths of the endless star fields, throwing several incomplete Great Emperor formations into the center of the battlefield!

The battle intensified, clearly spiraling out of control. The situation had severely worsened, causing both Supremes to frown in concern.

In the depths of the distant starry sky, on a meteorite, Duan De was covered in blood. Next to him lay a tattered sutra, from which blood-stained array patterns extended. He had almost sacrificed himself in the process. Gritting his teeth, he lamented, "This poor Daoist painstakingly refined this Heavenly Venerate's true blood, and it had only just begun to materialize, but now it all must be offered up. What a colossal loss! Not even excavating several Great Emperor tombs could compensate for this!"

He wailed, feeling immense heartache.

He was performing a blood sacrifice. The Heaven-Devouring Demonic Lid floated within the array patterns extending from the tattered sutra, as mysterious runes and power formed from the bloody light called for it to awaken.

This was not the revival of an Emperor Armament in the usual sense, but rather the awakening of its inner subconscious!

Because this was no ordinary Emperor Armament; it was formed from the head of the astonishing and brilliant Empress. What Duan De sought to revive was not the Emperor Armament itself, but the Empress's subconscious and potential!

Finally, he sacrificed half of the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Lid, roaring, "Supreme Empress of Heaven, this poor Daoist has sacrificed half his life! Please return to unity and go!"

He muttered incantations, his spells thundering and shaking the starry sky. Half of the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Lid flew up, soaring towards the depths of the universe. At that very moment, the other half resonated and flew over in an instant.

With a thunderous boom, the two merged, and faintly, a female figure radiating awe that suppressed the heavens and earth indistinctly emerged!

This was the most peculiar Emperor Armament in all the heavens and earth, forged from the very flesh and blood of a Great Emperor, who used her own body as immortal material to create an unparalleled Emperor weapon.

And she herself had extracted a divine embryo from it!

Buzz! It surged into the cosmic battlefield, not at all like a mere weapon. It was more like a truly living Great Emperor, arriving in an instant.

Amidst the tremendous fluctuations, Abandoned Heaven Supreme was sent flying horizontally. He wore an incredulous expression, his body covered in cracks. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with difficulty, he muttered, "Is it an Emperor Armament, or a person? This is a bit strange!"

Abandoned Heaven Supreme struck, thrusting his palm forward. However, after the demonic pot merged, a blurry female phantom truly appeared. Her divine might was boundless; with a single stomp, the surroundings collapsed, causing his body to tremble.

"Just an Emperor Armament, can it truly defy the heavens? It's not like she's personally here!" Abandoned Heaven Supreme roared, rapidly boosting his battle strength. However, from the glabella of the woman before the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Pot, brilliant light shone, emitting streaks of radiant energy that actually neutralized his power.

Boom! Most importantly, the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Pot glowed, and a massive killing formation appeared, vast and overwhelming, engulfing the entire area.

Coupled with the incomplete formations sacrificed by Laozi, Sakyamuni, and others, this place became a death trap. The Dao marks of various Great Emperors surged together, becoming terrifying to the extreme.

The Peerless Sutra, which had originally become calm, was stained with the blood of Void, Hengyu, and several other Supremes floating nearby. It glowed once more, turning to a mysterious page, as array patterns intertwined to construct another grand formation.

"They are just weapons, yet they want to assassinate an Emperor? You cannot defy the heavens!" both Supremes roared. However, the situation was many times more severe than they had imagined.

Every Emperor Armament began to glow, utilizing the massive fluctuations in this place to summon various residual Great Emperor formations throughout the universe, all converging to suppress them.

Some incomplete formations, long buried and unable to reappear in the world, now, at this moment, due to the roaring of so many Emperor Armaments and the spread of immeasurable might, successively revived, rising from the ground to press down upon this location.

"Roar!" Abandoned Heaven Supreme could no longer bear it. With no retreat and no other choice, he underwent ultimate sublimation at this moment. His Dao rapidly ascended, reaching an absolute peak and radiating immortal brilliance.

The surrounding incomplete formations all shattered, unable to suppress him!

Even the Stone Emperor's blood formation collapsed, its materials inadequate to withstand such overwhelming pressure. The entire universe trembled as countless great stars exploded one after another.

Abandoned Heaven Supreme made no attempt to conceal this divine might, as if he could crush the entire primordial universe with a single stomp!

Abandoned Heaven Supreme despaired. He hadn't expected to be forced to this extreme even before the feast of slaughter truly began. He had undergone ultimate sublimation, transforming into a peerless Ancient Emperor whose advance no one could now stop. However, this also meant that soon he would self-destruct in the most brilliant light.

Ye Fan didn't know whether to feel relieved or to sigh. This Supreme was destined to die, but the cost was simply too great.

"Abandoned Heaven Supreme, you're sacrificing so much, while the Stone Emperor merely waits for you to undergo ultimate sublimation. Don't you feel any regret?" Ye Fan spoke.

A pair of cold eyes swept across, causing numerous star fields to dim. This was the true, peerless Emperor Dao law, without any flaws. Abandoned Heaven Supreme's expression was as cold as an ice sculpture.

However, he did not attack the Stone Emperor.

By this moment, apart from the array diagram of Heavenly Venerate Lingbao, the array diagram constructed by the Peerless Sutra, and the array diagram unleashed by the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Pot, all other formations were destroyed.

The fluctuations of Ancient Emperor laws swept across the eight directions. Numerous Emperor Armaments floated within the array diagrams, but the incoming beams of light could no longer truly harm him!

Who in this world could contend with him?

A true Ancient Emperor had emerged, with no rivals left in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. All living beings in the world gasped for breath, trembling in this suffocating atmosphere, utterly devoid of hope.

"Mutual destruction!" A divine roar erupted from an Emperor Armament on the verge of shattering. A venerable old man manifested, Dao light flowing from him as if his blood were burning. He was the first to charge, then self-detructed, unleashing a Great Emperor-level fluctuation.

"Boom!" Abandoned Heaven Supreme's majestic body swayed, but killing him proved incredibly difficult, utterly hopeless. Not even a single drop of blood splattered from him.

This was the might and power of an Ancient Emperor, surpassing everything in the mortal realm, truly unparalleled and invincible. As long as he existed, no force could kill him.

"To live in humiliation is worse than to die in glory!"

Another Emperor Armament sublimated, becoming entirely transparent and incredibly crystalline. It chose death, allowing itself to bloom like fireworks for a final, desperate struggle.

This was not a broken Emperor Armament, but a complete one, yet it too embarked on this path.

"Boom!" The Emperor Armament flew forward, shattering into countless pieces and being completely obliterated. Its brilliance illuminated past, present, and future, shocking the entire universe, as it transformed into a massive torrent that surged forward, assailing the Ancient Supreme.

However, Abandoned Heaven Supreme had recovered to his peak. Though he shook violently, he ultimately remained standing after the light dissipated. Despite his finite life, at this moment, he was peerlessly invincible!

His entire body was covered in divine chains of order, sweeping across the cosmos as he battled desperately against numerous Emperor Armaments.

"The dark turmoil has left no hope, no dawn. Is this our fate?" Ye Fan let out a soft sigh, devoid of sorrow or anger. In the previous great explosion, he had already escaped the blood formation.

His expression was serene as he watched the tragic and heroic scene of Emperor Armaments exploding. Like an outsider, he whispered, "Let my soul and bones be buried here too."

Taking one last look at the depths of the universe, he resolutely and decisively ignited himself, using the formation constructed by the Peerless Sutra to block the Stone Emperor's approach. Then, his body transformed into an immortal torch.

This was the Great Accomplished Holy Body burning. Then, his forehead bone shattered, bursting forth the most vibrant natal blood flower, which in turn caused the Dao Evolution Immortal Robe to collapse with it. It bypassed the array patterns constructed by the Peerless Sutra and charged towards the Stone Emperor.

There was no sound in this world. Although the most brilliant light was blooming, Ye Fan could no longer see it. The natal blood flower scattered, flowing into his eyes, obscuring everything. He disintegrated, and the light formed from his blood and shattered bones struck the Stone Emperor.