Chapter 1718: Empress

How could anyone remain calm at this sight, this scene? A pristine white jade foot rested on the Divine Blade, standing against the cosmic gale, an unparalleled vision of grace.

This magnificent yet awe-inspiring scene remained etched in people's hearts for many years, impossible to erase.

It was the Undying Heavenly Sovereign's weapon, yet it was pinned down like this, almost mythical. Such a feat made hearts race and blood surge, inciting a desire to cheer alongside.

"Roar..."

Suddenly, the Divine Blade emitted a human-like roar, like a tempest from the deep sea striking the heavens, terrifying all who heard it. Its aura surged, and with a thunderous boom, it shattered the surrounding area.

Laws of destruction tore open the cosmos, transforming the area into a desolate wasteland, fragmented and overflowing with chaos, as if struck by a great catastrophe.

The Divine Blade vanished. The Empress moved, soaring away. The abyss-like void did not swallow her; she simply shifted her position, her robes still fluttering, remaining transcendent above the world.

A celestial river streaked across the sky—the Undying Divine Blade reappeared, manifesting in another starfield, stretching across it, its murderous aura terrifying the human realm. It was beyond furious. What was it? A weapon revered among its kind, yet it had never suffered such humiliation, to be trodden underfoot today.

This was unprecedented. Such a blemish could never be erased, not in this lifetime.

To wash away this disgrace, it had to slay the woman before it. Only then could it escape the recent humiliation, or else the shame would haunt it forever.

The Divine Blade swayed, and a host of gods and devils appeared around it. With another flicker, a rain of light emerged, also imbued with the power of Ascended Immortals and surrounded by Arctic Immortal Light.

Everyone was astonished. Had the Divine Blade reached immortality? Legend had it that these were artifacts from the path to immortality, and it had absorbed so much, now releasing it.

Boom!

To the left and right of the Divine Blade, a hundred thousand gods and devils roared. These were the prodigies it had slain, now transformed into demonic souls. They served it, embodying its laws and Dao, dancing alongside it to amplify its murderous intent.

People were awestruck. This Imperial Weapon had long since mutated, becoming almost human-like, capable of understanding and deploying various secret techniques for grand confrontations.

"Boom!"

A mighty army galloped forth as the Divine Blade, wielding supreme divine power, attacked. All its laws and secret techniques erupted simultaneously. This was an assault meant to shatter the heavens and witness imperial blood.

The Empress waved her hands, and starlight danced, forming the bodies of numerous powerful beings before her. With a flick of her feathered sleeve, a million-strong army surged out.

Each figure contained a wisp of supreme law. It appeared to be scattering stars to form soldiers, but it was far more than that. This was a method she had created specifically to counter the "Soldier" character secret.

Indeed, as she moved her hands again, the Divine Blade vibrated violently, pulled by a terrifying force, on the verge of being dragged towards her.

Simultaneously, the million figures rushed forward, slaying gods and devils, slaughtering the mighty, scattering immortal light, and shattering everything in their path.

People witnessed another side of Empress Ruthless: though possessing unparalleled grace, her attacks were incredibly sharp and ruthless, her methods terrifying. With a single strike, she obliterated the gods and devils, her murderous intent immensely heavy.

*Crack!*

The blade light emitted by the Undying Divine Blade bloomed and shattered, breaking free from the Empress's control. It finally did not fly closer, instead hovering at a distance, refraining from attacking for a long time. It was pondering.

This weapon was abnormally powerful. It began to wonder if it was the Heaven-Swallowing Pot or a Great Emperor defying the heavens and returning to life.

"I am destined to evolve into an immortal weapon. Why are you so powerful as well? Could it be that the person behind you is still alive after all these years, constantly refining you to transform you into an immortal artifact? But even so, you shouldn't surpass me!"

Its arrogance was evident in the Divine Blade's words. It refused to believe there was any Imperial Weapon stronger than itself in the world, for it had an extraordinary origin.

"I fused with more than one Imperial Dao artifact to achieve this. What gives you such power?" It stared at the Empress.

"Boom!"

Its reply was a Flying Immortal Art, a rain of light scattering, making the cosmos brilliant, like the most dazzling fireworks blooming in the end times, becoming eternal.

With a resounding clang, the Undying Divine Blade was sent flying, nearly shattering. It continuously retreated across the void, struggling to neutralize the strike.

This time, it was even more deeply shaken. Its entire body glowed intensely as it speculated, saying, "You... are you truly not a weapon, but a Great Emperor?"

The Empress remained silent, walking forward with bare jade feet, ethereal and transcendent, yet possessing immense destructive power. How many across all ages could withstand her?

She clasped her hands together, forming the shape of holding a treasure vase, like an immortal descending to the mortal realm. Wind stirred the Ten Desolations, and as soon as she raised the vase, a cosmic-crushing wave diffused outwards.

The Grand Dao Treasure Vase reappeared, hovering above her head, its mouth aimed at the Divine Blade. A terrifying beam of light burst forth, fierce and formidable, without peer.

The Divine Blade was sent flying, struck directly. Its light instantly dimmed to its lowest point, and at that very moment, a crisp sound echoed, as a crack appeared on its surface.

Everyone was horrified. The Empress was truly invincible, having almost shattered the arrogant Undying Divine Blade. What immense power was needed to destroy it?

"Hum!"

The Divine Blade trembled, teleporting across half a starfield to stand in the dim firmament. It was enraged. This was a disgrace impossible to erase for eternity; it truly was no match.

Five-colored immortal light flashed, and the crack slightly diminished but did not vanish.

"Unrivaled divine consciousness, gather the strength of all beings! In the name of the Heavenly Sovereign, command all past wills and undissipated consciousness to return!"

The Divine Blade roared, glowing once more. But this time, it did not approach the Empress. Instead, it employed an ancient secret technique, utilizing a forbidden power from a distance.

This was connected to the power of faith, condensing past seas of consciousness, drawing in the spiritual power of those who still worshipped and believed in the Heavenly Sovereign in the present age, re-gathering their convictions.

The Undying Heavenly Sovereign was the supreme deity of old, worshipped by all races. Naturally, many believed in him and still invoked his name. At this moment, his forbidden secret art took effect.

Boom!

Endless spiritual power converged, astonishing in its magnitude. This was the collective might of all beings. The Divine Blade wasn't merely summoning it; the Undying Heavenly Sovereign had once created specific spells and divine abilities for this purpose, terrifying and unparalleled.

The spiritual power reorganized, arranging itself according to specific rules, forming a peerless Dao principle. It then condensed onto the blade light, transforming into a celestial river that cleaved forward.

This sound was like thunder shattering the heavens, like blazing lightning tearing the earth, annihilating this universe.

This was the application of spiritual power, pushed to its absolute limit.

It was hard for people to imagine that a Divine Blade, merely an Imperial Weapon, could wield various laws and secret techniques unendingly, just like a Great Emperor. It was truly astonishing.

The Empress's forehead glowed, emitting astonishing auspicious light through her bronze mask, which cascaded outwards.

Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat. This was a divine art similar to the "Fore" character secret, specializing in cultivating the soul. For a weapon to unleash it was truly strange. Even if it was an Imperial body, it shouldn't be like this. Was it really just an Imperial Weapon?

This light was very special, spreading throughout the cosmos. All the power of faith was ignited. Even though it had transformed into a Heavenly Dao rule, surpassing its original strength, it could not resist.

With a thunderous crash, the combined might of numerous powerful races and endless beings proved insufficient. They were completely scattered, disintegrated, and incinerated by the light emanating from the Empress's forehead!

"Impossible, you... you are not a weapon, you're alive!" the Divine Blade cried out. It represented the pinnacle of Imperial Dao artifacts; how could it be defeated like this? Upon seeing the light from the Empress's forehead, it realized its previous assumption was entirely wrong. This was a living being!

Ye Fan also stared at the Empress, observing intently, his mind filled with questions.

"Calculating heaven and earth, deducing the Dao fruit, let me see what you truly are," the Divine Blade murmured to itself, unwilling to accept such a defeat.

Because the Heaven-Swallowing Pot's current performance seemed to rival immortal cauldrons and immortal bells, utterly incomparable.

Everyone was shocked and astonished. The Undying Divine Blade was also exceedingly unique, like a living supreme being, understanding various secret arts and methods, unlike a mere weapon.

With a clang, the Divine Blade trembled violently. Two more cracks appeared successively on it, but the blade's surface also reflected a blurry image that flashed and vanished. It exclaimed in alarm, "There is indeed something strange! Your true body is still alive, and though you are an old form, you possess partial vitality. You are a living dead!"

As these words were uttered, not only was the Undying Divine Blade itself shocked, but the entire universe quaked and trembled three times, unsettling everyone's heart and soul.

What kind of news was this?

Empress Ruthless was still alive? Over two hundred thousand years had passed, and she was still in the mortal realm. Where was she now?

Everyone was deeply shaken. This news was too astonishing. Recalling her life, people couldn't help but tremble. The Empress truly kept her word!

"Not to become an immortal, but to wait for your return in the mortal world."

Her persistence, her conviction, her vow—they had not dissipated. Standing at one end of the starry sky, within this mortal world, what kind of obsession was this?

It was too shocking. Everyone felt their blood boil and their souls tremble.

Only Ye Fan remained relatively calm. Over the years, he had already gained some insight into Empress Ruthless, so this outcome was not entirely unexpected.

However, for the rest of the world, this was undoubtedly earth-shattering. Had Empress Ruthless achieved true longevity?

After discerning the truth, the Undying Divine Blade was first silent, then relieved. Not being defeated by a mere Imperial Weapon was its greatest comfort.

Yet, it also felt a chill run through it. The Undying Heavenly Sovereign had rivals! Now, besides the Peerless Great Emperor Wu Shi, there was also Empress Ruthless, undoubtedly a powerhouse of the same caliber.

"Flee!"

This was its immediate decision after realizing the secret. The Heaven-Swallowing Pot had revived due to special circumstances, allowing the Empress to be half-alive and reign over the mortal realm. It could not possibly be her opponent.

However, Empress Ruthless cut off its escape path, preventing it from fleeing.

"Array of World Annihilation!" the Divine Blade roared, as a vast array pattern emerged. This was an Imperial Dao Grand Array, a Dao pattern left by the Undying Heavenly Sovereign.

The world trembled, for this was a complete array formation. Who, besides a Great Emperor, could break it?

The Empress did not disappoint. Without hesitation or deduction, she made a powerful move. As she stepped forward, immortal light flickered, and a line of Empresses appeared, a full nine additional figures!

Everyone was dumbfounded. What was happening?

Ye Fan was astonished. Could this be a supreme secret art created to counter the "All" character secret?

"Boom!"

The nine figures were unstable; they only unleashed a single strike before vanishing. The complete Heavenly Sovereign's Grand Array was shattered instantly.

It was not a perfectly complete secret art, nor did it truly mean ten people attacking at once, but it was still incredibly terrifying, stunning everyone.

If this secret art were fully mastered, one person transforming into ten Great Emperors... the mere thought made people tremble and feel a chill run through them. This was a true immortal art, utterly defying the heavens!

"Crack!"

Although the Undying Divine Blade had evaded the previous storm and impact, it was struck by the Empress's true body. Its blade shattered, transforming into dazzling cold light.