Chapter 384: Thirteen Holy Lords

“This is going too far!” Jiang Yun roared, his voice echoing through the Divine City and reaching everyone’s ears.

He had to be furious. Many powerful figures had come together to kill the old Divine King, clearly determined to prevent Jiang Taixu’s revival and to carry out an extermination.

“If time were to rewind four thousand years, who would dare challenge our clan’s Divine King? Now, taking advantage of his old age, desolation, and critical condition—what kind of supreme masters does that make you?”

Jiang Yun’s voice was cold, his murderous aura surging like a tide.

“Time ages all, and the Divine King should pass away. Why are you doing this? You can’t protect him; he has no chance of revival!” a low voice retorted.

“Boom!”

In the shadows, an unknown Great Emperor’s Sacred Weapon revived, like an ancient fierce beast opening its maw, swallowing and exhaling the world. It instantly drained all the spiritual essence from within the Divine City and powerfully resisted the Hengyu Divine Furnace!

Its terrifying fluctuations surged like a vast ocean, as if an ancient king had been born, or a god was looking down upon all living beings.

At the same time, a phoenix cry resonated through the heavens, clear and distant, echoing in everyone’s hearts. Supreme divine might burst forth, causing the entire Divine City to tremble.

A divine phoenix spread its wings, immense beyond compare, instantly eclipsing the night sky and covering the ancient city. It suppressed the unknown Sacred Weapon below, and the aura of an ancient Great Emperor permeated the air.

That night, everyone wished they could escape immediately; the Divine City was suffocating!

Around the Dragon Transformation Pond, it seemed as if many eternal divine furnaces were burning, with streaks of qi and blood, like great dragons, piercing through heaven and earth, nearly boiling.

Supreme masters approached from all directions, their vital essence surging like tsunamis within them, like erupting volcanoes linked together, stirring the firmament.

The sky swayed, the earth trembled, and hearts palpitated. The Divine City was filled with a chilling murderous aura, endless fear and oppression, making it impossible to breathe. Many cultivators had already collapsed to the ground, unable to bear it.

“Unleash the ultimate divine might!” Jiang Yun shouted, making this decision with cold determination.

His voice, cold and ruthless, seemed to come from the Nine Nether Hells, audible to all cultivators in the Divine City. Everyone felt a chill run down their spines, and cold sweat drenched their bodies.

The revival of a Great Emperor’s Sacred Weapon was already this terrifying; who could withstand it if it were truly unleashed?

No one could remain calm; they all screamed in terror. If the Sun Sacred Furnace were unleashed, the Divine City would surely cease to exist, and no one would survive.

“Are you... truly going to unleash it?” the voices of some Jiang family elders trembled.

“Unleash it!” Jiang Yun’s voice was icy.

Beside him, Ye Fan’s heart was far from calm. He hadn’t expected things to reach this point. What would he do if it were him? He would probably have to unleash it too; there was no other choice.

“Om!”

The Sun Divine Furnace blazed with boundless light, turning night into day. Phoenix blood shone like the sun, and the vibrant mists were almost tragically beautiful as a blood-stained phoenix soared.

This world was on the verge of shattering. The Hengyu Sacred Furnace was almost fully revived, and terrifying fluctuations instantly erupted. The firmament trembled, and the earth shook.

The Great Emperor’s Sacred Weapon, dormant for many years, was about to unleash a devastating strike, eradicating all life on this land, like an ancient deity being born!

But at this crucial moment, the void suddenly became stagnant, as if an endless quagmire had appeared, and the Sacred Furnace sank into it.

“We can’t unleash the Sacred Furnace!” several Jiang family elders cried out in alarm, as they were controlling the ultimate weapon.

“What happened?” Jiang Yun could no longer remain calm. Numerous Saint Lord-level figures had attacked, also wielding Great Emperor divine artifacts, and the Sun Sacred Furnace was their only reliance.

“In this world, there are incomplete array patterns of a Great Emperor, connecting the Hengyu Furnace with that other Sacred Weapon. The Great Emperor’s Sacred Weapons are suppressing each other and cannot be activated,” the Jiang family elders explained with extreme anxiety.

Jiang Yun’s expression changed. The enemy had come prepared, having devised such a method. The Great Emperor’s Sacred Weapons were restraining each other, making it impossible to separate them quickly. This was a disaster for them!

“Slay the Divine King!”

“Sever Jiang Taixu’s head!”

“Send the twilight Divine King on his way!”

Around the Dragon Transformation Pond, voices echoed, one after another, cold and ruthless. All were Saint Lord-level figures, each a supreme master dominating their respective regions.

Their voices were not loud, but they resonated throughout the Divine City, heard by everyone. Cold and cruel, their low words struck hearts like divine hammers.

“The Jiang family can’t hold out! The Divine King is at his end; he can’t escape death!”

“The enemy has come with ancient Great Emperor weapons, no weaker than the Jiang family’s. With the two Sacred Weapons neutralizing each other, the Jiang family is powerless to reverse the situation.”

“No matter how strong the Jiang family is, they cannot stop an alliance of so many supreme masters. The number of Saint Lord-level figures is simply incomparable!”

Inside the Divine City, some older figures were horrified, unable to help but whisper amongst themselves. With such a battle occurring, the Jiang family would likely suffer heavy losses, perhaps even having their ultimate Sacred Weapon seized.

“Boom!”

Above the underground palace, one of the many Saint Lord-level figures made a move, smashing the ground with a palm strike, shattering it into pieces. Stones flew through the air, and entire palaces turned to dust.

“Crack!”

Another struck, his palm causing the earth to collapse, huge fissures erupting one after another, creating a massive chasm. The underground palace was now exposed.

All these individuals were cold and merciless, their identities unknown to each other. Each was enveloped in thick mist, making them impossible to see through; no one revealed their true form.

The powerful murderous aura caused the underground palace to crumble. They poured in, one after another, without a word. The murderous aura surged silently like an ocean, making the underground space as chilling as an ice cellar.

So many terrifying figures appearing together was extremely rare. All had come solely to kill a dying old man, and each was filled with a chilling, murderous presence.

“My clan’s Divine King’s life, the Nine Secrets’ ‘Dou’ character, the secrets of the Great Emperor Wushi of Purple Mountain—which of these do you truly want, that you launch such a massive invasion?” Jiang Yun calmly faced these individuals.

“All of it!” one tall old man, shrouded in black mist, rasped, his voice conveying endless murderous intent.

“To gain all of this, you need our Jiang family’s Divine King to revive so you can learn it. You are too impatient,” Jiang Yun said, sweeping his gaze over them.

“No need for revival!”

“Soul-searching will suffice!”

Two others spoke separately, their words brief and powerful, unwilling to waste a single syllable.

“In that case, you’ll have to step over my corpse first!” Two divine lights shot from Jiang Yun’s eyes. He stood his ground, a battle-halberd in his hand and an ancient pagoda appearing above his head.

“If you wish to die, we shall grant it.” Two figures slowly advanced, causing the underground palace to tremble as if on the verge of collapse.

Above Jiang Yun’s head, the ancient pagoda floated. His battle intent soared as he stood alone in the underground palace, his black battle-halberd gleaming with a cold sheen, pointing forward and blocking everyone.

“Buzz!”

The two Saint Lord-level figures who had stepped forward suddenly staggered backward with difficulty. Each step they took caused a major tremor, as if they had exhausted all their strength and were nearly trembling.

“Great Emperor’s array patterns!” they exclaimed in unison.

At the same time, Jiang Yun made his move. The battle-halberd in his hand slashed out a dark light, tearing through the void and sweeping across the chests and abdomens of the two, intending to sever them.

“Clang!”

The two changed color, their hands shaking simultaneously as they resisted the black iron halberd. Yet, their footwork remained steady as they retreated rhythmically.

Their large hands—one as clear as jade, the other as red as blood—interwove to form a power of laws, tearing through the void and fending off the battle-halberd.

“Boom!”

Jiang Yun moved like lightning, charging forward with his black battle-halberd, thrusting it. Simultaneously, the ancient pagoda above his head rapidly enlarged, pressing down.

“Bang,” “bang,” “bang”... The underground palace shook. The three clashed with dazzling speed, tearing the void apart. The two mighty figures struggled to withdraw from the array pattern’s location, one with blood streaming from his shoulder.

“Ancient Great Emperor’s array patterns!” they cried out in unison once they had retreated to a safe distance, seemingly still shaken.

“The Jiang family produced Great Emperor Hengyu, so there must be array patterns left behind. But it’s impossible for them to restore such heaven-defying patterns,” someone beside them said indifferently.

“These array patterns are less than a tenth complete; they are so heavily damaged that they can only delay us for a moment!” another person added.

Figure after figure advanced, thirteen individuals in total standing at the front, joining forces to break open the incomplete Great Emperor patterns, unwilling to give the Jiang family any more time.

This was an incredibly terrifying force. So many Saint Lord-level figures joining hands were enough to sweep across the world. If an ancient sage didn’t appear, who could stop them?

“Crackle!”

They all struck simultaneously, causing the earth to collapse as they sought to destroy the innate Dao patterns and everything else there.

However, the dim imprints did not vanish; they remained etched in the void, isolating them and preventing them from truly breaking through.

“Indeed, ancient Great Emperors were terrifying. Just a fragment of their incomplete array patterns can stop so many formidable figures,” Ye Fan marveled inwardly.

At the same time, he felt that something was seriously wrong. He had thought he’d found a clever strategy by hiding here, believing that no one in the Divine City could find him.

Little did he know, he had escaped one perilous situation only to enter another. The Dragon Transformation Pond was even more dangerous than other parts of the Divine City, with numerous incredibly powerful figures arriving to slay the Divine King, and he had been unwittingly drawn into it.

“Crack!”

The thirteen great figures struck, working together to erase the Dao pattern imprints in the void. They attacked repeatedly with astonishing divine power, and finally, their efforts gradually showed results.

“These are just incomplete array patterns. If you could set up even a tenth of the full array, we wouldn’t be able to break through!” one of them stated, his voice ringing with metallic force.

The area in front of the Dragon Transformation Pond was crowded. The Jiang family’s powerhouses gathered there, all frowning. The Hengyu Divine Furnace was still unusable, locked in a stalemate with another Great Emperor’s Sacred Weapon.

In the milky white pond water, the essence blood coughed up by the True Dragon Divine Medicine—nine small dragons—had already been refined, with six having merged into Jiang Taixu’s body. His withered flesh was no longer so dry, and faint traces of vitality appeared.

However, there was still no sign of him awakening or reviving. He lay silent and still in the pond, and everyone began to feel a sense of dread.

Could it be that even after refining all nine small dragons, the Divine King still wouldn’t revive?

“We cannot let them break the array patterns, otherwise, if these people rush in, all our efforts will be in vain!”

Over a dozen Jiang family elders stepped forward, their qi and blood surging to the heavens, their bodies brimming with spiritual essence. They strode to the edge of the array patterns, resisting the powerful foes.

“Boom!”

Even separated by the array patterns, it was difficult to withstand the tsunami-like divine power. Both sides struck fiercely, but the disparity in strength was immense.

“Thump,” “thump”... Almost immediately upon engagement, four elders were pulverized into a bloody mist, leaving nothing behind.

It wasn’t that greater age meant greater strength. These elders were Supreme Elders of the Jiang family, of unknown age, but they were no match for Saint Lord-level figures.

“Come back!” Jiang Yun roared. He didn’t want his family members to die in vain; they couldn’t stop these people or even delay them for a moment.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, with a final strike, the thirteen mighty figures obliterated the patterns etched in the void. The incomplete Great Emperor Dao patterns completely vanished.

“Jiang Taixu, I have come for your head!”

“Divine King Jiang, you have dominated an era long enough; there’s no need for you to revive!”

“Since ancient times, how many have managed to slay a peerless Divine King? Today, to have the fortune to stain our hands with divine blood is a great joy in life!”

The thirteen Saint Lord-level figures advanced, causing even the firmament to tremble. Their words spread throughout the Divine City, and everyone’s expressions changed. The assassination of the Divine King was about to succeed!

The thirteen terrifying great figures strode forward, and the Divine City shook. Who in this current age could stand against them united?

Even if ancient sages were to reappear, they would likely frown in concern!

Boundless killing intent surged as the thirteen super-powerful figures advanced with cold sneers, on the verge of annihilating the Divine King.

“Whoosh!”

Suddenly, two cold streaks of lightning shot out from the Dragon Transformation Pond, like primordial divine light tearing through the void, causing people to involuntarily tremble and feel an urge to prostrate themselves.

“Jiang Taixu... he’s alive!”

All thirteen Saint Lord-level figures’ expressions changed, and they were startled into retreating!

This was the might of a peerless Divine King!

Even after four thousand years, his revival still shook hearts, startling back even the many Saint Lords standing together.