Since antiquity it had always been thus: never had two great emperors been seen to meet. If both these men were truly emperors, this was absolutely a miraculous event without parallel across all of past and present!

Did an ancient emperor from the primordial era slumber beneath the Qinling dragon veins?

“I don’t believe it. This must be an illusion. Someone with great power has caused everyone to hallucinate.” Some people flatly refused to believe it.

The Demon Emperor stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his cyan robes billowing around him. He looked young, bearing himself with heroic and imposing dignity, appearing so tranquil — yet there was an intangible great emperor’s might radiating from him.

The Crimson Dragon Daoist and the Peacock King — supremely powerful as they were — could not help but tremble. The Chaotic Green Lotus in their hands swayed, its wisps of chaotic mist curling and floating, resonating with the cyan-robed great emperor.

At this moment, they simply could not endure. They could no longer hold this emperor’s weapon — and both knelt down. The Green Emperor had not suppressed them. It was simply the presence of a primal aura that they could not withstand.

This was the Demon Emperor of the demon race. Even standing there perfectly still, calm and plain — the mightiest demon lords of the current age could only gaze up at him in awe, trembling from the very depths of their souls.

From a distance, Ye Fan’s heart was shaken. What manner of might did the Demon Emperor possess? Recalling his brilliant and extraordinary life, one could only feel reverence and awe.

It could well be imagined: even in his youth, the Demon Emperor had certainly been a powerhouse who looked down upon all of past and present. In those times, he must have caused all peers to despair, none able to compare with him.

“Clang—” “Clang—”…

Ten thousand swords cried out in unison. One enormous pillar of light after another shot straight toward the sky — each one like a great mountain — all emitted by the Supreme Emperor’s Sword as threads of its pressure aura naturally flowed outward.

These were not sword energy and not sword radiance — merely some of the energy fluctuations that naturally flowed as it stirred to life. Yet even this alone was already on the verge of breaking through the sky.

One could imagine: once the emperor’s weapon fully awakened, what terrifying, peerless power it would possess. No wonder not even the entire great destiny of Central Province across ten thousand ages could oppose it.

The Supreme Emperor’s Sword was stirring. All of this was caused by the man who called himself the undying emperor of Central Province. He was drawing upon this sword, attempting to take it for himself and use it to oppose the Demon Emperor of the demon race.

Yet the Supreme Emperor’s Sword had after all been partially awakened — it possessed its own life. At its mightiest, its power equaled that of a reborn human great emperor. Though it was still far from being fully alive, it was not so easily taken by anyone.

“Clang—” “Clang—”…

The Supreme Emperor’s Sword rang softly. The Demon Emperor flicked a finger, tapping it lightly. The sword immediately fell quiet, subdued by the one unrivaled existence of the demon race across a generation.

“Hiss!”

From a distance, everyone drew a sharp cold breath. The Green Emperor was far too powerful. Like this — with such plain, casual ease — he took the Supreme Emperor’s Sword, causing this immortal sword acclaimed as possessing unmatched offensive power throughout all of history to not dare even struggle.

“You wish to take this sword into your own hands?” The Demon Emperor asked calmly.

Not far away, atop the ancient war chariot, that existence — like a divine spirit — blazed with radiance from its entire body. It stood there motionless, having sensed a pressure aura.

“Then take it.” The Green Emperor flicked a finger. The Supreme Emperor’s Sword rang out in a trembling cry, transformed into a great dragon, and flew forward — baring its fangs and claws, supremely sharp.

“Clang!”

Atop the ancient war chariot, the divine spirit-like existence raised a hand and gripped the Supreme Emperor’s Sword. The entirety of its aura elevated by a great measure in an instant, and the full expanse of a million li of the Qinling Mountains trembled all at once.

Every bird and beast within it let out a mournful cry. Even those at the farthest reaches of the sky all prostrated themselves flat — not the slightest capacity to resist, bowing down in reverence again and again.

Those present on the scene, so close at hand, felt it all the more deeply. Without exception, all were terrified. Nearly every person knelt down, their entire bodies trembling and shaking like a sieve.

Except for those behind the Green Emperor where it was calm and undisturbed, every other area was like a terrifying great wave — lurching and shaking violently. Only those in his shadow could stand.

“You are too arrogant!” The undying emperor of Central Province opened his mouth, cold and merciless. In his hand, the Supreme Emperor’s Sword rang out clearly — and a world-piercing sword energy was unleashed, instantly boring through heaven and earth.

In this moment, many great powers with long legacies throughout Central Province were shaken. Even separated by tens of millions of li, all of them sensed an unusual aura.

“Boom!”

The Supreme Emperor’s Sword continued to blaze, transforming into a great dragon that in one instant pierced through the sky, shooting into the star domain, disappearing into the darkness and cold of the cosmos within.

“Boom!”

In the eternal and desolate star domain, a meteorite flying past was pulverized to powder by that massive sword radiance. Another region of a meteor field was swept through and reduced to dust.

This was the power of the Supreme Emperor’s Sword being wielded in someone’s hand — not yet fully awakened, yet already displaying a horrifying might that inspired dread in all who heard of it.

A person standing upon this stretch of great earth — capable of cutting down a meteorite flying through the outer heavens — this was nearly like a myth. Power so supreme and absolute that it brought all powerful figures to the brink of collapse.

“What manner of power is this?”

“Even divine spirits could not possess offensive power like this, surely!”

All the sect masters changed color, their faces incomparably bleak. This manner of might — even if they cultivated for a hundred lifetimes, they could not attain it.

“And this is only an emperor’s weapon that hasn’t fully awakened. Were it truly alive — or had a true great emperor wielded it — what power would it possess?!”

“The legends say that an ancient great emperor standing upon the earth and wielding an emperor’s weapon could effortlessly cut down stars from the cosmos, no matter how far away — it seems that is true!”

When people recalled this legend, everyone trembled. Such might was far too terrifying — destroying this entire world would present no problem whatsoever.

“No wonder — from ancient times to now, great emperors have always been a taboo. While he lives, others are already dead. When he dies, only then are others born. Two emperors can hardly meet…”

“Hum!”

Atop the ancient war chariot that had survived to the present from primordial times, the supreme powerhouse wearing the great emperor’s crown and ancient imperial holy garments exclaimed in admiration again and again, saying, “Good, good, good!”

He continued to wield the Supreme Emperor’s Sword, exerting force in a tremor — and an even more massive beam of sword radiance penetrated deep into the cosmic star sea. The spectacle was horrifying to the extreme.

In this moment, certain living fossils upon the land of Central Province were startled enough to open their eyes. They looked up in disbelief toward the vast and boundless firmament above.

“The might of a great emperor!”

“Someone is fully activating an emperor’s weapon — an ancient emperor’s weapon from the primordial era is being revived. How is this possible? What manner of incomprehensibly powerful force is required to accomplish all of this?!”

The Supreme Emperor’s Sword, driven by a supreme power, was on the verge of being fully awakened. The most powerful figures of Central Province all felt a faint and subtle resonance — all of them were jolted.

Especially the four great undying divine dynasties — they were all the more unsettled. They perceived: the Supreme Emperor’s Sword was being revived. Who was orchestrating all of this? What exactly did they intend to do?!

By the Transformation Immortal Pool, the Green Emperor remained unmoved — perfectly still. He watched what lay before him in silence, his eyes filled with the cycling of stars and the myriad mysteries of a cosmos being born, all flowing and turning together.

“Green Emperor, you are far too arrogant. Do you truly think I don’t know your true situation? I will send you to liberation — to vanish from this world forever!”

Atop the ancient war chariot, the undying emperor let out a great shout, suddenly wielding the emperor’s weapon in his hand and sweeping it forward in a strike that carried a world-extinguishing aura.

This sword strike was incomparably vast. If it fell, never mind the Transformation Immortal Pool — even a million li of the Qinling Mountains would be destroyed, never to exist again!

The Green Emperor gave a light, regretful sigh. He said nothing at all — only extended two fingers and pinched forward. He arrived in an instant.

“The World in the Palm!” A divine monk from the Western Desert was shaken.

A grain of sand holds a world — the hand of a Buddha can evolve a great realm of stars, possessing boundless divine powers. This is a secret technique that the Buddhist teachings do not pass on. And yet the Green Emperor could perform it with effortless ease.

“Ding!”

A light sound. The Green Emperor’s two fingers stretched out for more than ten li and pinched the Supreme Emperor’s Sword — whose might defied all measurement — effortlessly stopping it. Even this emperor’s weapon, on the verge of full awakening, could no longer move, unable to cleave downward.

“Just now it cut down meteorites from outside the heavens — yet now it cannot overcome two fingers!”

People’s hair stood on end. Just how powerful had the Demon Emperor of the demon race grown? There was truly no way to measure it.

“Demon Emperor — worthy of being the foremost person across a hundred thousand years, who opened the prosperous age of the later post-primordial era!” The undying emperor atop the war chariot said.

“I gave you a chance…” The Green Emperor opened his mouth calmly.

“You… gave me what chance?” This existence — like a divine spirit — retreated. The ancient war chariot rumbled loudly.

“Lending you the Supreme Emperor’s Sword was not to let you kill me — it was to let you use it to cut down your own evil thoughts and leave behind an invincible benevolent heart.” The Demon Emperor shook his head.

“Stop putting on the airs of a great emperor. Don’t think I don’t know your true situation. You died ten thousand years ago — the you of today is nothing like the you at your peak!”

“You are about to become a holy spirit — nine apertures fully open to spiritual awareness, requiring several hundred million years to fully form. It was not easy to reach this point. Heaven itself would hold it against me to kill you, and ordinarily I would not wish to take life — but now I have no choice but to strike again.” The Green Emperor said.

Everyone was astonished. So this so-called undying emperor was not a true great emperor at all — only an existence on the verge of becoming a holy spirit, with still a stretch of road ahead to walk.

“You yourself are nothing more than a strand of killing intent — you are already no longer the you of those days. What can you do to me?!” This creature — nearly comparable to a holy spirit — roared loudly.

People were shaken yet again. It was truly too unexpected — even the Demon Emperor was not truly reborn. He was only a strand of killing intent.

At this point, people finally understood. A single era — how could it possibly produce two great emperors? It turned out neither of them was, and there were hidden circumstances within.

“As I thought — it is him. The Green Emperor’s strand of killing intent that had persisted in this world for the sake of killing the ancestor of the Cai Clan.” The ailing elder murmured to himself.

Ye Fan was suddenly enlightened. Earlier he had heard a piece of hidden history: before the Demon Emperor had entered his final stillness, he had released a killing intent in the Eastern Wasteland — to put to death the red-furred humanoid creature that had brought calamity to the Qinling Mountains. But at that time the great Qinling dragon had moved and sunk underground, and the third-generation Source Heavenly Master had vanished from the surface of the earth — no trace had been found.

The Green Emperor’s cultivation had reached the very boundary of creation. Once his killing intent was released, as long as the target was not slain, it would persist forever — automatically drawing upon the essence of heaven and earth to replenish its power.

“Taking root upon a green copper piece, transforming into a small green lotus, sinking into the place of his original birth…” Everyone awakened, working out the full sequence of cause and effect.

“But that green copper piece…” Many people’s eyes lit up with greed. Since the Green Emperor was a strand of killing intent, he would inevitably disappear — and the green copper piece would naturally become an ownerless object. This was undoubtedly a supreme treasure.

“Entering the divine emptiness, passing through the Southern Heavenly Gate, leaping through the Celestial Palace — beneath the undying flat peach tree there, I once slew two true holy spirits. Now I did not wish to kill a third one — yet neither do I wish to see you bring catastrophe upon the world.” The Green Emperor opened his mouth in measured calm.

Hearing these words, everyone’s scalp went numb. Just how powerful was the Demon Emperor? By the sound of his words, slaying two true holy spirits had apparently presented no great difficulty at all.

“Two true holy spirits within the divine emptiness, one of the seven great zones of life forbidden to enter in the Eastern Wasteland — were killed by you?!” The creature’s voice became very unnatural.

“Nine apertures fully open to spiritual awareness, gestating for several hundred million years before truly taking form — to reach this point, one must be someone Heaven itself has cherished and loved. Ordinarily I would not raise the blade of slaughter. But leaving you alive means you will certainly bring calamity upon the world. You have no benevolent heart. If Heaven holds grievance, I will with the power of an emperor dissolve it all!” The Green Emperor’s bearing became solemn and majestic.

People were seized with dread. It was said that killing those who carried Heaven’s great destiny would bring down boundless calamity — one would suffer Heaven’s punishment and die without question.

Every holy spirit had gestated and evolved over several hundred million years before fully taking form — one could say they had accumulated all the great destiny of Heaven above. Killing them would bring infinite catastrophe.

From ancient times to now, only human great emperors had ever dared to do so — capable of dispersing Heaven’s disasters through their own power alone and smelting Heaven above.

“Boom!”

This existence on the verge of becoming a holy spirit simultaneously swung the Supreme Emperor’s Sword and seized the Chaotic Green Lotus — intending to wage battle against the Demon Emperor with two emperor’s weapons in hand.

Yet the Green Emperor was utterly unconcerned. He allowed his old weapon, the Chaotic Green Lotus, to fly away, and only said plainly, “I am a great emperor. Without an emperor’s weapon in hand — do you think I cannot kill you?”

In this moment, he slowly raised his hand and pressed it gently downward. There was no radiance, no terrifying fluctuation. Yet the two emperor’s weapons that came slashing in were both locked in place.

“Boom!”

The great hand fell. The holy spirit-like existence let out a great cry. Its body crumbled inch by inch, burned inch by inch, and together with the ancient war chariot transformed into a sheet of light — and was evaporated dry.

An existence that — upon becoming a holy spirit — would have been able to contend with a great emperor was thus easily obliterated. The shock within everyone’s hearts was beyond all measure!

“Ding!”

A light sound rang out. A green copper piece descended to the ground. The Demon Emperor’s silhouette faded, grew faint, and then vanished entirely — as though it had never appeared.

Upon the ground, only a piece of rust-mottled green copper remained to attest that everything before had been real.

“Green Emperor!”

“Ancestor!”

Various voices rang out. Many people cried out in alarm.

“Whether alive or dead — what does it matter? From chaos one comes, to chaos one returns. A single lotus across the ancient blue heavens that endures through all ages…” A distant, ethereal voice reached them one last time — and then everything grew still and silent. Nothing remained.