Chapter 1731: Return

"Many war divisions could no longer hold back. They cried out in sorrow across the heavens and earth, urging us to declare war, to lead quasi-emperors to slay those Overlord Blood experts, to eliminate several Forbidden Zone Sons, and to avenge our fallen brethren!"

In former years, how glorious was the Heavenly Court! Wherever its grand army advanced, powerful enemies would be reduced to ashes. Who dared to resist?

But now, after disbanding, they were still being attacked at their doorstep. This was a disgrace, an immense humiliation. Many would have preferred to end their lives in the glory of their former years, dying in battle, rather than endure this.

"I know the brothers are frustrated and feel wronged, but the Heavenly Court has long been thoroughly analyzed. If they dare to attack like this, I believe they must have powerful contingency plans. Remember, those people come from the Forbidden Zones; they possess Emperor artifacts and divine formations, just waiting for us to leap out so they can catch us all in one swoop!"

The Black Emperor said with a grim face. He had followed a Great Emperor, and no one knew better than him how terrifying such individuals truly were. Now that these people had allied, how could it not be astonishing? It was doing its utmost to gather all sorts of contingency plans and power.

"If there's truly no other way, let Nannan go out!" Yang Xi said fiercely. He was a warmonger, eager to fight until the world was turned upside down.

At the mention of little Nannan, a deeper shadow appeared in the Black Emperor's eyes. It sighed and shook its head in denial.

Before leaving, Ye Fan had held nothing back, telling it about the sliver of the future he had seen, evolving it for the Black Emperor, and urging it to be extremely cautious.

Although the future trajectory had shifted and changed, it had not been entirely overturned; otherwise, the Old God would not have died.

In that glimpse of the future, little Nannan had made a move, but it had provoked more than one ancient supreme being, who sought to devour her, treating her as a supreme Dao fruit to be consumed.

This had triggered an unprecedented war, the brutality of which could not be described with words. The universe had collapsed, experts had fallen, and little remained of life-bearing stars or traces of powerful beings.

The future Ye Fan had seen ultimately… had no Nannan.

After learning this, the Black Emperor's heart trembled with fear, and it no longer dared to truly send the little girl out. It feared a tragedy would unfold, that it would be irreversible.

"Master, you must return!" Little Song whispered.

Only one year remained until the deadline, yet Ye Fan had not even passed a single major tribulation. By now, almost everyone believed he faced a grim fate, or he would have appeared much earlier.

The situation remained unchanged. Occasionally, Heavenly Court generals were still killed. Despite the Black Emperor's strict orders for everyone to hide and not gather, some were still found and died in the starry sky.

Finally, the Human Demon could no longer bear it. He took that quasi-Emperor artifact made of stone and went on a killing spree, but the outcome was bitter.

As expected, those from the Forbidden Zones were prepared and got serious. This time, Emperor-level formation patterns were brought out, and some even brought artifacts of that caliber to encircle and annihilate the Human Demon elder.

Had his profound cultivation not been peerless and his recent progress immense, he would certainly have died out there. Even so, he returned severely wounded, covered in blood.

"Don't go," the Human Demon elder said with a grim face. "I almost stumbled into an Emperor-level killing formation. These people have prepared more than one trump card!"

This result silenced everyone.

"Damn it, they'd better not push me to madness!" the big black dog growled fiercely.

"Uncle-master, what other contingency plans do you have? Use them all. If they can destroy them, deploy them as soon as possible!" Hua Hua said.

"They can be destroyed, but this Emperor will also vanish, and you will never see me again. Do you wish for that?" The Black Emperor revealed its large, white teeth as it looked at him.

"No!" Hua Hua shook his head.

As dark clouds gathered over the Heavenly Court, various major events unfolded in the outside world.

The Three Gods of the Outer World found traces of the Chaos Body and pursued him, but unfortunately, they only saw his back, which they recorded with a Heaven-Reflecting Crystal.

The appearance of the Chaos Body somewhat diverted the attention of the Forbidden Zone Sons, who also pursued him to clarify the situation.

This was of great significance. In the Mythological Era, the Chaos Body was considered the most transcendent bloodline, rumored to become invincible once it appeared.

In a sense, this person's appearance dispersed the pressure on the Heavenly Court.

Many in the world speculated that since the Chaos Body had reached the Quasi-Emperor realm, it was impossible for him to remain silent for so many years. He must have undertaken trials, and someone should have seen him.

"It's him, we've seen that person!" Little Heavenly Master Zhang Qingyang exclaimed in surprise.

Within the Heavenly Court, people were also discussing the Chaos Body. Even the Black Emperor admitted that perhaps only the Innate Holy Body Dao Fetus could be considered on par with the Chaos Body in the world.

"When we came to the Heavenly Court back then, we saw him undergoing tribulation, chasing and slaying creatures like ten-thousand-mile-long Azure Dragons and transformed snakes. Chaos energy boiled, terrifying beyond compare," Long Yuxuan added.

That day, they had traversed the galaxy with Zhang Wenchang on their way to the Heavenly Court and had caught a glimpse of a young man undergoing tribulation along the way—it was also his back.

Now, comparing it with the image from the Heaven-Reflecting Divine Crystal, they recognized him as the person they had seen that day. The man's spiritual perception was terrifyingly keen; he had even pursued them then. Had they not been within a spatial tunnel, the three of them would surely have perished.

Unfortunately, even they had not seen the man's face; he was too far away and indistinct.

"This person's realm should not be as high as Master's, and he has not yet been sensed by a Supreme Being, but if he undergoes another tribulation, it might be soon."

The emergence of the Chaos Body, combined with the turmoil surrounding Ye Fan, gave the starry sea a sense of an impending storm, always making people feel that a world-shaking war was on the horizon.

Several days later, the Chaos Body reappeared. One of the Three Gods of the Outer World pursued him, leading to a massive clash, which resulted in the "god" being severely wounded.

This outcome caused an uproar.

The universe reeled; this person was indeed formidable, defeating even one of the unfathomable Three Gods of the Outer World, who was no match for him.

Moreover, this battle clearly confirmed that he was indeed the Chaos Body, not a mere rumor.

Overnight, the Chaos Body shook the cosmos, his prestige soaring. People felt his immense power and boundless potential; he was clearly another young Great Emperor rising on the path to emperorship.

Within a century, two individuals faced different destinies. Ye Fan, originally just as brilliant and bestowed with endless hopes by many, now remained a mystery of life or death, having not appeared, his light gradually dimming.

The other person, however, soared through the chaotic era, seemingly poised to tear through the sky, drawing the gaze of the entire universe.

"Haha, is this fate? I had high hopes for you, but it's a pity you haven't returned. Now another person has appeared, shining so brightly. If the Chaos Body truly achieves the Dao, perhaps he could contend with the Emperor Venerable?"

Outside the Underworld, a young man sat cross-legged, alone, facing the vast black Netherworld. Though he had a baby face, he now showed signs of old age, his hair snow-white.

Years had passed, and he had returned here, deterring the Nether Emperors within the Underworld. Facing one of the most ancient and powerful forces alone, this was indeed a peerless display of might.

Unfortunately, his life was finally reaching its end. His life flame was about to extinguish, and he felt some regret and sadness, gazing far into the depths of the starry cosmos.

"It's time for my curtain call..."

The Chaos Body was a fleeting presence, disappearing shortly thereafter and never reappearing, having completely shaken off the pursuit of the Forbidden Zone experts. Yet, discussions about him persisted, as did his divine aura.

With his disappearance, the pressure on the Heavenly Court doubled again. The Forbidden Zone Sons and those from the Overlord Bloodline were all still pursuing his traces, aiming to eradicate him.

"Black Bear Saint has fallen in battle!"

"What?! Old Bear was killed? Damn it, I'll fight them to the death!" The Dragon Horse roared in a frenzy. Of the original Twelve Saints, few remained. Such deaths fueled its raging battle blood.

"The only fortunate thing is that the various war divisions are no longer restless; they have all endured and dispersed throughout the cosmos. There shouldn't be too many casualties now," said Killer Saint Qi Luo.

Even so, the Heavenly Court's followers felt immense heartache. Many had died after all, and a fiery rage burned in everyone's heart, wishing they could immediately go on a massive killing spree.

"If Ye Fan dies, this Emperor will risk everything, lead the brothers on a massive slaughter, shatter this universe, and avenge our fallen brethren!" In the end, the Black Emperor declared, staking its life on it.

Casualties decreased, but the turmoil never ceased.

Those Forbidden Zone Sons ran rampant through the universe, openly declaring they would wipe out the Heavenly Court and give them no chance.

"Indeed, the Heavenly Court must be destroyed!" This was their proclamation and their resolve.

It was an egregious provocation. They ruthlessly slaughtered the Heavenly Court's followers and acted so brazenly, unrestrained in the starry sea, completely disregarding the Heavenly Court.

Everyone sighed, acknowledging that the most powerful forces in this world were indeed the Life Forbidden Zones, unparalleled. Who could resist them?

The Overlord Bloodline was even more direct, never pausing, not even sparing Heavenly soldiers. During this period, they unleashed all their power to hunt down and slaughter the Heavenly Court's followers.

Their brutality and the blood on their hands surpassed even that of the Forbidden Zone Sons, making them even more hateful. Only when it became difficult to find anyone from the Heavenly Court did their pursuit finally slow down.

The world was in chaos, the scent of blood growing stronger. A great upheaval was imminent, and the disaster of achieving Dao was approaching. Even the Forbidden Zones were restless, making people feel as if they were suffocating.

At the edge of the universe, on a chaotic stone, the weakened figure stirred. He slowly rose and sat up. Though his youthful years were gone, his eyes still shot out two cold, astonishingly sharp bolts of lightning.

He had not died; instead, it was as if he had awakened from some state of enlightenment. The blade of time had etched indelible marks upon his face, but his spirit remained undiminished.

"A century rushes by, yet it feels as long as ten thousand years..." he murmured to himself.

The next moment, he took a step, leaving the edge of the universe and entering the depths of the vast starry sea, heading towards one ancient land of life after another.

"People with Overlord Blood flowing in their veins?" He heard some rumors along the way and frowned. As his eyes opened and closed, astonishing beams of light erupted, eclipsing the sun and moon.

"Hmm, old man, be careful. You can't go to that starfield ahead. I heard there are Heavenly Court members hidden there, and the Overlord Body lineage is currently sweeping through and hunting them down."

The white-haired man paid no heed. With a single step, he vanished from his spot, directly disappearing into the starry river ahead.

"Huh, wait a minute, that person just now looked a bit familiar. Oh heavens, could it be him? Damn it, I couldn't have been mistaken, could I?!"

Beneath the starry river, powerful beings from the Overlord Body Ancestral Star were stationed, with countless armies marching towards this area, seeking out the several war divisions hiding in this starfield, intent on a complete purge.

"Who are you?" someone shouted, followed by a group of warriors rushing forward.

The white-haired man's gaze became blazing, instantly illuminating. He glared forward, and something terrifying happened: these individuals shattered as if struck by the furious slash of an Immortal King, turning into blood and bone.

Ahead, the great army was shocked and roared, charging towards him. But the white-haired man's blazing gaze swept across them, and vast swathes of people directly turned to ash and smoke, exploding in the universe, becoming blood mist and turning into dust.

This person was simply like a god descended to the mortal realm, looking down upon all beings. Every movement, every wave of energy, even a mere glance, could cause the world to collapse.