Chapter 998: The Ruthless Great Emperor Arrives

Chapter 999: The Ruthless Emperor Arrives

In the outer reaches, Ye Fan was facing a catastrophic disaster, a peril that threatened his very existence and spiritual dissipation. No one could possibly defeat nine young Great Emperors; such a feat had never been accomplished throughout history, as they represented the pinnacle of power.

"If I can eliminate even one, this tribulation won't be in vain!"

Ye Fan's hands trembled simultaneously as he slowly moved them, manifesting his Taiji Dao Mark. A naturally formed golden divine realm appeared, enveloping him; this was his divine form!

Form and formlessness, existence and non-existence, all resided within a single thought.

He cast aside all distractions, his mind becoming tranquil. Transcending his current state, he evolved his own Dao trace. All was peaceful; his myriad thoughts returned to the divine, free from worry, his entire being transforming into the Dao.

"Boom!"

The nine young Great Emperors would not give him time. They attacked mercilessly, their sole purpose to kill Ye Fan, unleashing their Emperor Fists in unison.

However, this time Ye Fan did not confront them directly. Instead, he abruptly soared skyward, striking at the source of the heavenly tribulation, deep into the ancient firmament, directly attempting to break through the tribulation.

"Hum!"

The ethereal forms of the nine Human Emperors trembled. As nine humanoid lightning bolts descending from the heart of the thunder sea, they were all shaken, and their attacks immediately paused.

It was impossible for Ye Fan to hold them back with this. He had to move again, stretching his body and transforming into a winding dragon-shaped Dao Mark, bringing his Taiji Divine Circle to perfection.

Simultaneously, cracking sounds emanated from within him. Ancient scriptures resounded from his Five Secret Realms—Wheel Sea, Dao Palace, Four Extremities, Dragon Transformation, and Immortal Terrace—vast and boundless. His entire body, along with the golden circle, became densely covered with symbols and Dao Marks, radiating world-shaking divine light.

"Break free! Give birth to a Dao Self, a true self!" he cried out in his heart. Numerous ancient scriptures merged, intending to unite the five secret realms and forge them into his own Saint Dao!

Beneath the sky, within the sea of thunder, various scriptures, symbols, and Dao Marks intertwined. Ye Fan, encapsulated within, radiated immeasurable light, his golden circle rising and falling, dazzlingly bright.

Above his head, a cauldron hovered, similarly interwoven with various patterns, merging with him as if an inseparable part of his life.

At this moment, he, the divine sea of lightning, and the nine Great Emperors all ascended, approaching the nine mysterious stars suspended horizontally in the sky.

"Give birth to the Dao Self!"

Ye Fan roared. He had cultivated the profound mysteries of several ancient scriptures within him for years, tirelessly striving to unify them, stringing them together with himself as the dragon's backbone. Yet, he had never succeeded.

Today, pushed to such a critical juncture, he burned his bridges, determined to fight to the death. He forcibly integrated the various scriptures he had been refining for years, melting them within his body's furnace.

"Ah..."

Ye Fan cried out. The might of the nine Emperors was unbearable. They jointly unleashed a palm strike; even someone as powerful as him could not withstand it. Even if it were Wu Shi, Ruthless, or Fuxi, they would similarly be annihilated.

"Pfft!"

The golden circle shattered, its various runes obliterated and quickly fading. His true body exploded once more. However, at that very moment, a dazzling light burst forth from his skull.

Another Ye Fan leaped into the air, identical to himself. This was the "Dao Self" forcibly breaking out of its shell, its black hair flowing freely, eyes flashing with cold lightning, merging several ancient scriptures into one furnace to strengthen itself.

His leap was unstoppable. Embracing the cauldron, he broke free from the encirclement of the nine Great Emperors, charging directly towards the nine mysterious great stars.

The Dao Self Ye Fan found these nine stars exceptionally strange. How could they appear horizontally in the sky, defying astronomical laws, like nine suns suspended there?

He unleashed a punch. The power of this strike originated from his entire body: his Wheel Sea boiled, his five internal organs glowed, his limbs sparkled. The energy then surged up his spine, a great dragon, towards the Immortal Terrace. With a single thought, it underwent nine transformations, unifying several scriptures for his use.

As the punch landed, the starfield paled. The great star above bore the brunt, trembling instantly and emanating an overwhelming Emperor's might that swept down.

"I knew something was wrong!"

Ye Fan understood that these were the sources of the Dao Marks produced by the nine Emperors. Rather than killing the nine Emperors, it was better to directly shatter the great stars; they were the root.

"Boom!"

The Dao Self Ye Fan, fueled by indignation, unleashed a strike whose might naturally shook the starfield, dimming all suns, moons, and stars. In this vast outer region, only he remained.

"Cauldron strike!"

The cauldron above his head shot up, striking the great star just like his fist. This was a devastating blow. The mysterious star flickered, and a humanoid lightning bolt flew forth to obstruct the destruction, but it was ultimately a step too late.

"Bang!"

The great star shattered, transforming into a terrifying rain of light that riddled the Dao Self Ye Fan with holes, nearly obliterating him. The charging humanoid lightning bolt also dimmed.

The so-called Nine-Star Alignment was the ruthless source giving birth to nine types of Dao Marks. They were like nine gates, capable of summoning the various exquisite techniques of the nine young Great Emperors.

Ye Fan destroyed one gate, naturally causing one young Great Emperor to vanish, no longer able to exist within this thunder-sea space.

Moreover, the remaining eight great stars became chaotic at this moment. Because they were aligned in a straight line, restraining each other, the loss of one made their trajectories unstable.

The other eight humanoid lightning bolts swayed due to the eight great stars. They did not attack further, merely isolating Ye Fan, preventing him from approaching more.

"The Heavenly Dao is flawed!"

Ye Fan muttered to himself that nothing in creation was perfect; flaws could always be found. Destroying the vision of cutting off the path would dismantle the pressure brought by the nine young Great Emperors.

However, just as this thought arose and his mind had not yet calmed, another brilliant great star appeared out of thin air, even more resplendent!

The nine stars were complete, aligned once more, forming another wondrous spectacle, suspended horizontally in this starfield, a mystery that would baffle even astronomers.

A woman of unparalleled grace appeared, stepping out in a single stride, like an ancient goddess descending upon the world. Her divine might was immense, and the entire starry sky trembled for her.

Ye Fan could not discern her true face, obstructed by the aura of the Great Dao. He could only see her peerless divine body, standing proudly above the mortal world, exuding an extraordinary demeanor.

This was a woman who, though female, looked down upon the world. Her eyes, when they gazed, seemed to disregard all Emperors, as if she alone was supreme, transcending the world.

At that moment, Ye Fan shivered. The Ruthless Emperor had also arrived. She truly was a woman, and above her head hung the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Pot!

Throughout her life, the Ruthless Emperor contended with the heavens, possessing talent that astonished the ages, capable of slaying gods beyond the nine heavens. Yet, she did not seek eternal life, only to wait for "you" to return in the mortal world.

Ye Fan's head throbbed. He had just seen one Great Emperor off, only to invite the most ruthless one. His hairs stood on end. His karmic ties with this Ruthless Emperor were profound; even the cauldron above his head belonged to her. Facing her like this now was truly not a good omen.

The Ruthless Emperor, with her unparalleled elegance, descended in a single step. Although a humanoid lightning bolt, merely a trace of the Great Dao, she seemed subtly different from the others.

"Am I really meant to kill the nine young Great Emperors? Just destroying the nine ancient stars is useless; it will only draw in even more ruthless ones!" Ye Fan murmured to himself.

"Boom!"

Just then, the Ruthless Emperor, who could overlook all heavens, descended, and something very strange occurred. She landed, carrying ten thousand feet of immortal light, merging with an unknown young Great Emperor and completely dissolving him.

"She killed one? She slew a young Great Emperor?!"

Ye Fan was shocked. These humanoid lightning bolts were too bizarre. What was going on with the Ruthless Emperor? How could such a thing happen? She truly was an astonishing figure among Emperors, slaying a Great Emperor!

"Is she going to help me?" He was startled.

Boom.

The Ruthless Emperor attacked him. With a single pointed finger, the Flying Immortal Art illuminated past and present, splitting this universe asunder. She showed no mercy, aiming to shatter him.

Ye Fan remained calm, quickly counterattacking. The opponent was merely a trace of Dao; how could it possibly help him? It wasn't a sentient being. He could only resist.

"This is bad!"

The Dao Self Ye Fan was startled. He had just forcibly integrated several ancient scriptures, melting them into one furnace, but now a major problem had arisen: his Dao Self was on the verge of disintegrating.

At the same time, the Ruthless Emperor's attack arrived. He hastily used the cauldron to shield himself. Yet, at that very moment, Wu Shi also attacked, blasting towards him.

"They're all tough customers!"

The Dao Self Ye Fan gasped in astonishment. Being attacked simultaneously by these two heaven-defying existences was truly a unique experience. When he saw Emperor Fuxi also make a move, he wisely made a choice.

Allowing his Dao Self to disintegrate without resistance, his primordial spirit emerged, embracing the cauldron. The golden figure cut through the stagnation of time, as if reversing time itself, bursting out of the encirclement and merging with the distant shattered bones and blood clots of his true self, rapidly reassembling.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!..."

Two humanoid lightning bolts inexplicably vanished, not from damage by others, but by retreating on their own. Their corresponding great stars also dimmed.

"Could it be that the young Great Emperor just now wasn't killed by the Ruthless Emperor, but simply ran out of time?" Divine light blazed in Ye Fan's eyes; he saw hope!

"Yes, it must be so. They are all Great Emperors, the strongest of all time. No one could kill another with a single strike!" he muttered to himself.

He saw hope for severing the Dao. Just as human power had limits, so did the heavens. The Great Dao was flawed. To fight so many and persevere to the end would be an unprecedented feat, capable of severing the Great Dao itself.

"I will fight until the heavens can no longer unleash any more heavenly punishments!"

"Boom!"

Amidst Ye Fan's hope, three great stars suddenly blazed brilliantly, appearing in the sky, and the nine stars were aligned once more.

A monk in monastic robes stepped out. Ye Fan was momentarily stunned. Who else could be a Dao-proving monk? It had to be Amitabha Buddha!

On the other side, a person holding an incomparably sharp dragon sword, whose killing intent permeated all ages, so dense it couldn't dissipate—that was the Taihuang Sword. The identity of the newcomer was beyond doubt.

The third person was glowing all over, more intensely radiant than the sun itself. Every inch of his body was wreathed in fiery light, making him impossible to look at directly. Seeing him like this, Ye Fan vaguely guessed that this was the Saint Emperor of the Sun!

He had seen off a few, but several more arrived. Had all these individuals once visited this end of the starry sky? A chill ran through Ye Fan's heart. How could he resolve this?

"There's no other way. Only if my own Dao surpasses all other Daos can I succeed!"

Ye Fan harbored no illusions; he could only rely on himself. The Human Demon of the Primordial Era had once told him on the ancient planet Yinghuo that accumulating and mastering numerous scriptures was beneficial, but if they couldn't be melted into a single furnace, great trouble would ensue.

For the past few years, he had been diligently assimilating several ancient scriptures, absorbing the essence of various Emperors, and forging his own Dao. He was well-prepared, having accumulated much, yet the Dao Self he had just birthed had encountered a problem.

"I must break free! I must succeed! Beyond the divine form, I will create my own Dao!"

The approaching nine young Great Emperors presented an unimaginable trial for Ye Fan, forcing him to once again transform and give birth to his Dao Self.

"My..."

On this day, Ye Fan endured unimaginable suffering. His body was shattered dozens of times as he gave birth to his Dao Self, severing it from his true form.

Repeated failures, repeated restarts—his life essence was nearly completely depleted, all so he could transcend all Daos and never yield.

Finally, he even awakened his Past Self, as if a god had appeared within him!

His Past Self, True Self (also known as the Original Self), and Dao Self rotated, as if there were three versions of him: one born in the past, one seated in the present, and one standing in the future. All sorts of wondrous phenomena emerged.

When Ye Fan was killed once more, time seemed to freeze. His Past Self silently recited scriptures for his current life, his True Self's body existed in the present, and his Dao Self sat observing the Dao in the future.

His True Self's physical body shattered. Golden blood, snow-white bone fragments, and torn flesh scattered everywhere, not immediately reassembling.

Between heaven and earth, within the sea of thunder, his Past Self, Original Self, and Dao Self simultaneously recited scriptures and comprehended the Dao. Every piece of flesh, every broken bone, every drop of golden blood began to shimmer.

In a trance, his flesh, bones, and blood continuously disintegrated, transforming into countless ancient stars. There were dazzling star rivers and magnificent great stars, forming a breathtaking spectacle!