Chapter 748: Despair Gives Birth to the God of Hope

“You have done very well.”

The God-Emperor was covered in blood, and for the first time, his expression showed weariness. Clearly, he too was nearing the end of his strength.

Drip, drip, drip!

Blood droplets, like vivid, crystal-clear dewdrops, rolled across his fair, jade-like skin, tracing a path down to the earth. They resembled brilliant meteors, striking deep into the ground. It was as if countless falling stars adorned the God-Emperor's body, a sight of exquisite beauty.

“Throughout history, you are the first to push me to such an extent,” the God-Emperor spoke indifferently. “Had this been a few eras earlier, you might have already slain me.” His expression was indescribably calm, his slender and handsome body like a perilous black peak, stifling all who faced him.

“Regrettably, while your numbers have steadily increased with each passing era, my combat strength has also progressed. Everything is reciprocal.”

The four individuals before him were on the verge of collapse. Their eyes were empty and lifeless, devoid of spirit, filled only with blood and darkness, as if they were mere walking corpses about to fall at any moment. They were truly exhausted.

Even after recovering from the ancient Avici Hell and rekindling their world-shattering might from yesteryear, their battle had been incredibly arduous. Their blood had run dry. Their bones were broken. Their souls burned, their consciousnesses fractured, and by the end, they were fighting purely on sheer will, battling to the death.

Within them, countless Great Sages wailed, choked, and whimpered, “Why? Why is this happening? Just as hope appeared, it was extinguished again. Hope was clearly within reach…” They stared blankly at the ultimate mythical being bathed in blood before them—the God-Emperor.

Indeed.

Perfected divine abilities! Perfected body, perfected soul! Every aspect had been refined to ultimate perfection. It was as if all the cultivation techniques and systems of the myriad heavens and realms had converged upon him. How could such a terrifying being's endurance and recovery not be perfected?

“Not a single part of him is imperfect; we should have anticipated this,” choked countless Great Sages throughout the world.

Never before had an era been so filled with hope, with a glimmer of dawn breaking at the edge of darkness. It had opened the path to immortality for them, ignited their fierce fighting spirit, and achieved unimaginable results compared to previous eras! It was the first time the God-Emperor had been injured, the first time he bled, and the first time he was exhausted. Nor had they ever fought so tragically.

All the heroes, past and present, of this shattered primordial universe were bleeding and fighting fiercely. The peerless Emperors and Kings resurrected from ancient times had nearly run out of blood. The entire history, past and present, had pooled all its might for this battle, an unprecedented feat. Yet, it had also exhausted all their reserves. At this moment, the world was plunged into darkness; no glimmer of dawn could be found, only blood and despair remained.

A profound silence.

In the sky, a dead silence hung. The crimson earth was riddled with scars, transformed into the most ancient and sorrowful battleground of blood-soaked myth. Only five figures stood isolated upon it.

The God-Emperor remained standing still, not yet making a move.

Pfft! The four figures opposite him, however, could no longer hold on. They instantly shattered into fragments.

Bang! They dispersed, dissolving back into the hundreds of heroes from past and present. Their faint, weakened forms almost crumpled to the ground, utterly devoid of any strength for a final stand.

Suddenly, one of the scattered ancient Great Sages could no longer bear the fear. He turned and stumbled away, fleeing. “We've lost, we've still lost. It was never possible to win.”

“There's no hope left; it's all destiny. Why did we ever pursue the path to immortality? This world was never meant to have immortals...”

“When I was not a god, there were no gods in the world!”

Another Great Sage turned and fled, weeping tears of blood that streamed down his face. “Why do we struggle?” he cried. “We are destined to become immortals only by following the God-Emperor. When he is not yet an immortal, waiting peacefully to grow old and die is also a beautiful and fulfilling life.”

No one tried to stop them.

Suddenly, Lord Youshan, with a tragic expression, roared and wailed at the desolate, blood-red sky, “You! All of you from this era, are you still not going to act? Beings cannot have no bottom line! You have lost even the dignity of strong individuals, merely watching us throw ourselves into the frontline of battle like moths to a flame! Now, when the God-Emperor is exhausted, it is the best opportunity, yet you are still afraid?!”

Across heaven and earth, there was no sound. Previously, it seemed that only a portion of the Great Sages had chosen to merge with Lord Youshan, while the rest had left, unwilling to get involved.

The blood-soaked Lord Yun could not help but sneer, raising his head to roar, “You beasts, you are Great Sages in vain! In the era of the Deva Path, how united were we? We collectively fought the Emperor! Yet you are so timid, succumbing to inner demons, awe, and fear as strong individuals. Even if the path to immortality opens, you are destined never to become immortals!”

The All-Slayer raised his blood-stained blade, pointing it skyward, “Hahahaha! In this final moment, you are still fleeing! You were once formidable figures, yet you're terrified like street rats! If I were still at full strength, I would surely slaughter all of you first, then fight the God-Emperor!”

The mocking words echoed throughout the blood-red world, shaking the entirety of the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Throughout heaven and earth, countless ordinary people, hundreds of millions of common folk, heard the sounds and sensed all that was happening in the Beast Path. They knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly and crying out loudly, “Wuwuwu... To intercept and kill the ancient God-Emperor who governs the Underworld and the order of heaven and earth... How can mortals fight against the heavens? If even the ancient Emperors and Kings are to be defeated, where will this era lead? The eras are too vast. In recent times, only Emperor Yun is remembered. Before him was Jue Wushen, and beyond that... their names are even unknown. So many peerless heroes!”

The common people wailed, feeling utterly miserable, unable to stop their tears. This era was too sorrowful. All their gathered might still could not prevail, unable to change the fate of all eras. Ultimately, they could only halt before the God-Emperor.

Some Great Sages, who had been timid, had initially left, and were unwilling to merge, now moved among the common people, hidden. As they listened to the public's sentiments around them, their calm expressions gradually became complicated, showing a hint of emotion.

Finally, streaks of golden meteors pierced the sky, returning once more after having previously departed from the merged bodies.

Boom!! Dozens of meteors, like fiercely burning asteroids, trailed long fiery tails as they descended upon the blood-red earth. The sky churned with red clouds, blurring the distinction between day and night.

“Kill! The God-Emperor is already exhausted; both sides are wounded. Slaughter him, and we can reach the peak!” A Great Sage roared, his figure like a sharp blade thrusting towards the blood-soaked God-Emperor. Instantly, he was sent flying back, like a ruptured blood-bag.

The Great Sages who had just arrived were instantly horrified. “How is this possible?” “He still possesses such astonishing combat power!” “This cannot be!” They had clearly sensed that the God-Emperor's aura was depleted to the extreme, his vitality withered, even feeling on the verge of death. Yet, he was still so powerful? Even in his weakened state, he possessed such unbelievably formidable combat power. It was hard to imagine what astonishing strength the four terrifying figures who had just besieged him, attacking the God-Emperor at his peak, must have wielded. Perhaps even ordinary immortals could not defeat him?

“A wounded tiger cannot be slain by ants,” the God-Emperor's voice was hoarse. Still drenched in blood, he staggered as if his body might collapse at any moment, yet no Great Sage dared to act rashly. He spoke faintly, “Even exhausted and covered in wounds, I am not someone you can contend with. You are merely a scattered group of stragglers. Your main combatants are utterly depleted. Those with the merging talent have no strength left to rise and absorb your power to fuse. What good are you, a group of unorganized individuals, even if you were at full strength?”

“The outcome is decided,” the God-Emperor said leisurely.

Hahahaha!

“The outcome is not decided!” At that moment, Lord Youshan burst into laughter, struggling to support himself. “You Great Sages who fled then, unwilling to merge with us, have, in the end, proven yourselves to be courageous individuals, returning once more... You are willing to fight for the world, for the path to immortality, for all of history, past and present! You, at last, possess your own true spirit!”

“For the sake of all living beings in this land, the mighty ones will surely be grateful to you.” Hearing this, the Great Sages were overcome with shame.

One of them raised an eyebrow and asked, “Lord Youshan, you understand human nature. You knew that even if you cut off the path for those with talent, you could only compel those talented Great Sages, while most of us ordinary Great Sages would leave. Could it be that our return now was also part of your plan?”

“Precisely!” Lord Youshan replied, his expression gentle.

Everyone was utterly delighted. Lord Youshan's wisdom was almost demonic, beyond description! To create miracles, he had already engineered many impossibilities.

The first miracle was that, by his own power, he managed to incite and persuade the talented Great Sages of the world, cutting off their retreats, setting the stage for them, and outlining the possibility of victory. This ultimately compelled them to believe in the chance of triumph, thus resisting the God-Emperor. Achieving this alone was already astounding.

The second miracle was a gamble that Li Sansheng and others could enter the death realm alive, and using the time gained by distracting the God-Emperor, rescue all the heroes of past and present, gathering their full strength for a single decisive battle!

And now, before them, there was even a third contingency? The activation of this latest contingency depended on those Great Sages who had previously left, gambling on their return? So, he had just roared at the entire Six Paths to provoke them into action?

What a plan! Truly, what brilliant scheming! Everything was still within Lord Youshan's scheme, a chain of interconnected moves, an utterly astonishing plan to slay the God-Emperor! No wonder it aimed to create an unbelievable miracle!

A Great Sage, his confidence bolstered, eagerly asked, “Then, Lord Youshan, is there a way for us to gather our combat talents and fight the God-Emperor again?”

“Precisely so. In fact, I mentioned it at the very beginning; there was already a hint,” Lord Youshan replied. “We still have one ancient Great Sage hidden, one capable of merging all talents, who has not yet made a move.”

“What hint?” a Great Sage asked.

Youshan's eyes gradually turned cold as he slowly bowed. “To strike down the Heavenly Dao, one must first strike down their own path! Great Sages, I ask you to embrace death!!”

The faces of the surrounding Great Sages instantly contorted in shock.

Whoosh— A chilling gleam pierced the world. A figure, emanating pervasive killing intent, suddenly soared forth from among all the weakened ancient Great Sages. An ancient poetic epithet now made its official debut:

“When all beings of the peerless world ask my name, I am the first upon the Godless Throne.”

The incomparably domineering epithet resounded throughout heaven and earth. The Sages suddenly turned their heads, watching Jue Wushen, who was already wielding a Heaven-Slaying Blade and rapidly sweeping towards them. They were utterly terrified!

“Run!” a Great Sage exclaimed, his face contorting in shock. “Lord Youshan tricked us!”

Pfft! A brilliant head flew into the air, its expression frozen, hovering in the sky with eyes wide in disbelief.

“Run!” Another Great Sage's blood ran cold, and he roared uncontrollably, “No wonder he didn't merge before! Because each Great Sage has a different merging method, and Jue Wushen's method is to kill people! That's why he wasn't used earlier, allowing other Great Sages to merge!”

Another Great Sage broke into a sweat, retreating in terror. “Now, he's lured us here! To kill and merge with us Great Sages who are still at full strength, because killing exhausted Great Sages wouldn't yield any power!”

“Everyone, this is his obsession,” Lord Youshan said slowly. “This is a terrifying fiend, no less formidable than Emperor Qitian and the others, yet he is an extremist. Jue Wushen, whose name means 'the ominous god born from despair who brings forth hope,' will first kill mortals, then slay the heavens. Only... by being 'peerless and godless'... can one slay the heavens! His combat strength increases under very specific and harsh conditions: by killing in despair and fighting with one's back against the wall. He won't be stronger than the previous four; they are equally matched. However, facing the God-Emperor in his current exhausted state, a fifth person at full strength is enough to reverse the entire situation...”

From despair, hope is born? Peerless, and Godless!

So... that's what his name means? A Great Sage's head flew through the air, his last thought being this realization. His face, etched with extreme hatred, fear, venom, regret, and complexity, finally settled into a serene detachment.

“Jue Wushen!!! I have always fled, never daring to advance!!” The flying head wept uncontrollably, screaming hysterically, “Then I beg you, please use my power, use it freely, end this ultimate destiny, and open the ancient path to immortality!”

“Open the path to immortality, you say?” Jue Wushen's blood-stained blade swept through, never pausing, incredibly steady, as heads, one after another, flew amidst wails.

In the distance, the God-Emperor stepped forward. The group of Great Sages, now utterly weakened, let out a roar. They all took a step forward, their faces filled with immense resolve, transforming into an unyielding, impenetrable wall.

“I won't let you take another step forward!”

“Nor will I!”

“Jue Wushen needs ten breaths of time. Then let us, these hundreds of exhausted Great Sages, fill that void!”

The God-Emperor, covered in blood, halted and gazed at them. In that instant, the final battle erupted.

“Finally, is it my turn to save everything again, to open the path to immortality?” In the distance, Jue Wushen moved with extreme speed. He had never truly expended his strength, remaining at full power, waiting for this very moment. “An era that requires my presence means a black despair where no hope can be seen. How truly lamentable this is.”

His blood-red battle intent grew ever stronger, like an endless sea of slaughter engulfing the entire land. He recalled the very first image that came to mind: a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, seemingly a memory from ancient times.

Finally, he had slain all the Great Sages and now struck straight towards the God-Emperor. It was as if that scene from his memory was replaying once more.

“You don't need to block him anymore; let me handle this!” He roared, his brilliant might splitting open the dark universe. “I shall reverse the Six Paths and attain true godhood, and it shall be today! Through the long ages, dormant since prehistoric times, waiting until today, to finally usher in a brilliant grand era. In this life, allied with the contemporary prodigies, we are determined to seize the true name of reincarnation, fighting only for this existence, not for the next life... This epoch shall not fall again!” His roars echoed endlessly throughout heaven and earth, filled with world-defying spirit.

He spoke the very words people first heard from Jue Wushen, the exact scene everyone had witnessed back in the arcade hell of the Underworld, for players and denizens alike. It replayed at this moment, filling everyone with bitterness.

“God-Emperor!!”

Argh!!! “Everything has returned to this moment, as if by destiny!!” He threw his head back and roared with all his might, his crimson hair flying wildly, like an unknown, blood-crazed beast. He raised his blood-stained blade, brimming with endless slaughter and resentment, and charged straight towards the blood-soaked God-Emperor, instantly plunging into the most perilous close-quarters battle.

Clang, clang, clang! Their weapons clashed.

“Open the gate to the path of immortality for me!!!”

The two figures collided violently, countless blood-red obsessions erupting completely. Jue Wushen, carrying the ancient obsessions of countless eons, surged towards the indifferent figure of the God-Emperor.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!!! The terrifying figures fully clashed.

In the live stream, countless netizens roared. Within the Six Paths of Reincarnation, countless beings, common folk, and even scholars from various sects roared.

“Is it finally going to succeed?”

“Lord Youshan is too powerful; only he could create such a miracle!”

“Jue Wushen, your obsession has traversed a thousand ages. You are the ominous god who gives birth to hope from despair, the god of destruction who slaughters all beings, the Peerless Godless! Kill him!”

“You won't lose! The God-Emperor is already utterly exhausted; it's your turn to finish him off!!”

“Don't let all the desperate efforts of the peerless heroes, past and present, go to waste! Damn it!!”

Voices like collapsing mountains and roaring tsunamis thundered, their passionate blood surging, swirling, and drifting to the clouds, as they watched Jue Wushen repeatedly pierce the God-Emperor's body, sending him flying again and again, their excitement reaching a fever pitch!