Chapter 1471: How Many Heroes Are Buried in Foreign Lands

The white crow was in a tragic state, its body torn into four, white feathers scattering. It was on the verge of being devoured by... a pack of large black dogs! It already harbored immense disgust and hatred for that black dog. Now, to its dismay, it wasn't just one black dog, but a whole pack that had surrounded it. Nothing could be more miserable. Its feelings of loathing and resentment multiplied dozens, even hundreds of times, as the dogs encircled and overwhelmed it. The white crow instantly found itself engulfed in a black sea of dogs.

In that moment, it descended into purgatory, torn and gnawed by the dogs, its suffering boundless.

"Woof!" "Woof!" Dog barks and snarls echoed everywhere, from all directions. The white crow felt its brains would be shaken out, its ears long since deafened. Blood streamed from its seven orifices, and it was filled with immense terror. It was truly terrified, surrounded by a pack of large black dogs, its body covered in horrific bite wounds. It shrieked, letting out a loud caw one moment, then a mournful meow the next.

"My white wing!" In an instant, one of its wings was gone, ending up in a dog's mouth. Before it could finish its pained cry, one of its claws vanished. Soon after, it felt a draft near its left flank, its abdomen having been hollowed out. Covered in blood, it constantly lost parts of its body if it wasn't careful, the dog teeth marks clearly visible on its wounds. "Ah..." The white crow shrieked, its body on the verge of being gnawed clean and consumed entirely, once more.

How many times had it died now? It was utterly horrified. Even its Nine-Lives Cat Clan's immortality technique wouldn't be enough; it was guaranteed to die more than nine times in a short while. It wasn't that it wasn't strong enough; who could withstand being bitten by hundreds of ferocious large dogs? This was still a result of the distant ghoul army absorbing some of the damage; otherwise, even more black dogs would have surged forward.

The ancient crow made its move, setting its sights on the Dog Emperor! With a hum, the void exploded, and the entire battlefield shook violently. It was like a colossal white sun streaking across the sky, incredibly dazzling and magnificent. Instantly, boundless energy boiled. Where it stood, it seemed to become eternal, tearing space apart and sending time splashing like ripples. In that moment, the ancient crow was awe-inspiring.

It appeared directly before its target. Near its trajectory, energy intensified and massive explosions occurred, with endless mushroom clouds blooming behind it, causing the entire battlefield to convulse and roar. Around the terrifying white sun, ancestral dao matter boiled and divine particles surged like a sea, burning as it collided with the black Dog Emperor. The impact was incredibly fierce! Both were overwhelmingly dominant, their eyes wide with fury. They fought relentlessly, refusing to retreat, locked in a life-and-death clash that shattered the void. Their physical bodies were tearing apart, staining the heavens and earth with blood.

There was nothing left to say; they immediately launched into a brutal, no-holds-barred confrontation. The area instantly became clear. Apart from the two combatants, all the ghouls, red-haired monsters, and spiritual entities, no matter how powerful, had melted away. The dense ancestral dao matter and a sea of divine particles between them, combined with their fierce struggle, made it impossible for any other creatures to approach. It was terrifying beyond belief.

This collision instantly alarmed all corners of the myriad realms. At this moment, the outside world was in chaos. Countless celestial domains rumbled, the firmament cracked, and blood continuously dripped down. In some regions, even more astonishing phenomena occurred: scenes of ancestral dao masters' corpses falling from the sky, and Immortal Kings perishing en masse. Furthermore, the Soul River appeared, stretching across the sky, intimidating all living beings! Everywhere, powerful individuals gasped, utterly horrified. Was this a realm war?

"Are major realms colliding, bringing their full might to a life-and-death struggle, fighting to the bitter end?" In other worlds, ancient monsters awoke with startled expressions, sensing that the prelude to the bloody war of the heavens had likely begun. Today was undoubtedly a special day, most likely to be recorded in history. Was another epoch coming to an end? This battle had profound implications and was of immense significance. It was likely the beginning of another era of decline, where the entire world and all the myriad realms would plunge into darkness.

"Prepare for battle!" "Awaken the ancient ancestors! This day has finally come again; we cannot escape it after all!" Various sounds emanated from different celestial domains. There were cries of unwillingness, low murmurs, voices of lost fighting spirit, and roars of boiling battle blood. Such were the myriad states of humanity, each with their own distinct will.

Within the Soul River's inner world, the battle grew even fiercer. Just moments into the fight, the black dog was already covered in blood. Several large cracks almost severed its body, extending from its shoulder to its abdomen, exposing its internal organs. The ancient crow was in no better shape; one wing drooped, a part of its skull was caved in, feathers flew everywhere, white light burned, and blood splattered constantly. They were sworn enemies with boundless hatred, each wishing to flay the other alive. Their eyes turned red with murderous intent the moment they met.

However, while both yearned to kill the other, there was also a rivalry based on pride. After many years, each wanted to see if they could suppress the other with their own strength. Thus, they had not yet resorted to any auxiliary means. "If you have the guts, don't use the Emperor's Bell. Let's see what we can do with our own power first!" The ancient crow shrieked, its cry echoing through the heavens and earth. Its white feathers, like a rainbow, bristled and shot towards the black dog. "I, the Emperor, will surely kill you! I'll crush you like a tiny sparrow! Go to hell!" the black dog roared. New grievances mingled with old hatreds; the boundless blood feud between them was utterly irreconcilable.

Back then, the Soul River had massacred the world, and the ancient Netherworld had loomed... Too many ominous and bizarre events had occurred, plunging all realms into terror. Had it not been for a few Celestial Emperors leading their forces to battle, nothing would have remained. In those days, they fought their way to the banks of the Soul River, reaching the ultimate frontier. It was incredibly brutal, unleashing too many entities, some of which were simply unimaginable monsters. Some monsters had not emerged for many epochs; even excavating all ancient ruins yielded no records of them. Yet, in that war, they appeared, fighting with extreme ferocity. Suns and moons fell, and one universe after another became a desolate wasteland. Moreover, major realms disintegrated, vanishing like bubbles, as if they had never existed, leaving behind no records, no fragments, no ruins.

The enemies were too terrifying. The entities that crawled out of the Celestial Emperor's Burial Pit were too mysterious, and the monsters that wandered from the Four Extremes Floating Earth were unimaginably powerful. Consequently, even Celestial Emperors bled heavily, paying an immense price. Otherwise, had there been no war, had all the heroes lived, how brilliant would that era have been? Countless heroes and prodigies emerged together, shining alongside the sun and moon, illuminating the eternal starry sky—an era of extreme prosperity and unparalleled glory. But after that war, what was left? The Celestial Emperor's former forces scattered; some vanished, some died, some were maimed. Many old friends were buried in foreign lands, perishing far from home, never to be found again.

"Roar!" The black dog howled, its head thrown back, capable of devouring suns and moons and tearing apart star seas. Boundlessly vast, it charged at the ancient crow. It recalled too much: old friends, now gone forever; everything had ended. Only it and a select few others barely endured, living a difficult existence. Now, even an old general like itself was fading, and all traces of the past were hard to preserve.

"Boom!" The Dog Emperor's brow glowed, a vertical eye abruptly appeared and opened, unleashing an unparalleled beam of light that slammed into the ancient crow. The ancient crow's body was pierced and then shattered, blood mist appearing. It shrieked, its white feathers across the sky rapidly converging and reforming. To be instantly crippled in such a short time left its face dark with fury. "You are old after all, and failing. If this were back then, that attack would have cost me a true life!" the ancient crow said indifferently. Then, its entire body of feathers glowed like raging flames, burning forth boundless divine chains of the Grand Dao, interweaving to form a "Heavenly Dao Net" that spread forward. The two fought, repeatedly clashing. The black dog also sustained heavy injuries, its fur torn off in bloody chunks by the terrifying Heavenly Dao Net. However, neither retreated; they fought to the death, not caring that they were covered in blood and their physical bodies were disintegrating. They fought to the death, refusing to yield!

"Kill!" The ancient crow was naturally very powerful, a formidable and ruthless character in its prime. It also had other defensive measures now; otherwise, it wouldn't dare approach the black dog, who possessed the Emperor's Bell. Its insistence on a battle of pure strength was mainly due to an unresolved grudge: the Dog Emperor had once eaten half of its body! During the frenzied battle at the ultimate frontier of the Soul River, both sides would eat anything that could replenish their energy. This alone illustrated the extreme brutality of that war, rarely seen throughout history. Everyone truly went mad, even the Celestial Emperors, who raged that day, howling in bloody combat against the various giants. That battle was a colossal humiliation in the ancient crow's life. Who was it? A remarkably powerful being in the Soul River, yet it was eaten as food by the black dog. How could it endure such an indignity? Therefore, today, it was determined to exact revenge for that past humiliation, intent on forcing the Dog Emperor to bow, suffer a crushing defeat, and exhaust it until it could no longer fight.

Divine rainbows blossomed, and time flowed like a knife. Various rules between them bloomed like dazzling flowers, layer upon layer, causing even the Emperor Battle Platform to hum softly. The black dog grunted, one of its front paws severed, leaving a horrific wound. Yet, only a small amount of residual blood flowed out, and its luster was neither crystal-clear nor vibrant. "A decaying body, an aged physique! You are no longer fit to fight me. Your body has rotted, and your vitality has dried up!" the ancient crow sneered. Although it also bore injuries, its origin having been pierced by the Grand Dao and suffering severe wounds back then, it had recuperated for many years in the ultimate frontier of the Soul River, making its condition much better than the black dog's.

"Roar!" The black dog stood upright on two legs, moving so swiftly that no afterimage could be seen. It was terrifying; time itself became chaotic and seemed to flow backward because of it. "A Celestial Emperor's ultimate technique?!" The ancient crow's expression changed, and it retreated frantically. This dog had cultivated that Celestial Emperor's ultimate technique to its pinnacle, elevating it further. It was a form of footwork and movement, culminating in the domain of time. Further sublimation built upon this, encompassing even broader aspects, with all myriad daos resonating with it, and the might of all heavens empowering it. At this moment, the black dog's movements were untraceable. It was employing supreme secret techniques, traversing all realms, impervious to all laws, as a terrifying aura permeated the air. It tore the ancient crow apart, breaking it into two pieces. This speed surpassed ultimate sublimation, disrupting time itself, and completely shattering and destroying the ancient crow's physical body. Furthermore, the Dog Emperor dived towards the ancient crow's soul light, intending to eliminate it directly.

The ancient crow was horrified. Fortunately, this was the Soul River, where it had ample confidence. In an instant, myriad waves surged, and endless soul matter boiled and rushed over, enveloping it. It then shifted its position, using a supreme forbidden technique to evade the fatal blow, reconstituting its true form in the distance. "You dog, you're really pushing yourself! Daring to exhaust your vitality by continuously performing three Celestial Emperor techniques in such a weakened state? Do you have a death wish?" The ancient crow watched it eerily, absorbing and expelling energy with considerable effort, having almost lost a true life just now. Those were the Celestial Emperor's offensive techniques, the result of elevating a lifetime's insights and secret methods after achieving the supreme Celestial Emperor Dao Fruit. They were truly peerless and infinitely profound. Several of these techniques had accompanied that Celestial Emperor in his early years. Later, he re-derived them, effectively re-creating them to a degree. They had long surpassed the scriptures he had initially acquired by countless levels, becoming unfathomably profound.

"Dead duck, I must kill you!" The black dog panted heavily, its bell-like eyes staring ahead. This time, it held the clear advantage, almost eliminating its opponent. Yet, only it knew that its physical body was truly decaying and could not withstand such an expenditure. In the distance, the bloated, decaying strongman sighed. How proud they had been in their prime, only to fall to such a state. In that era, they were immensely prosperous and powerful. But now, even a slight use of a killing move during combat left them nearly exhausted; their bodies had major problems. Back then, a group of brothers went to war, suppressing the chaos of the Soul River and subduing the powerful beings of the ancient Netherworld. Of so many people, in the end, some died, some were maimed, and only a few remained. Those who barely survived now were in such poor physical condition: some rotting, some with dried-up vitality, unable even to maintain their forms. It was quite tragic. If they were still in their prime, with surging vitality, how could they struggle so much today?

"Big Black, hold on!" the decaying corpse sighed. At that moment, he too went mad, unleashing a sky-full of rotting aura and corpse mist that obscured the heavens, blasting it forward. In his hands, he wielded two special weapons. He held a pickaxe in his left hand and a shovel in his right, as if digging the earth, or perhaps carving out the long river of history, breaking through everything and leveling everything. "Your grandpa here has even leveled your master's grave! Why would I be afraid of you little brats? Grandpa has ventured deep into the ancient Netherworld; what are you to me?!" he roared. Ahead, vast numbers of ghouls and countless Soul River beings exploded, all blasted into dust by him.

However, this was the Soul River. How could the ancient crow be the only powerful entity here? Not far away, a humanoid monster covered in golden scales, with black blood dripping from its mouth and an aura of decay, fixed its gaze chillingly, like a celestial blade, instantly unleashing an ominous aura that seemed even stronger than the ancient crow's! "Kill!" The bloated man barked, his rotting flesh trembling as he charged forward with his pickaxe, immediately launching an assault! "Boom!" A fiercely intense battle erupted here as well!

On the other side, Jiu Dao Yi roared and shrieked, his grey hair flying wildly as if he had become a demon. He had encountered an enemy who had been terrifying even in those ancient times. This being was incredibly powerful. The energy it now emitted caused all realms to tremble slightly, startling ancient monsters in some major realms, who awoke from their slumber with their hair standing on end. Across from Jiu Dao Yi was a fierce bird shrouded in mist, very much resembling a peacock! When it spread its tail feathers, it displayed an invincible aura, making it incredibly difficult to contend with. Anyone else would surely have been instantly killed. Even a powerful being like Jiu Dao Yi, an exceptionally ancient entity, was now struggling immensely, having encountered a peerless formidable enemy.

"The Peacock Soul Mother's younger brother?!" He recognized this being. Its title alone indicated how terrifying this creature was; for its sister to be called "Soul Mother" was truly defying heaven, and as her sibling, it naturally couldn't be weak, in fact, it was unimaginably powerful. Indeed, at this moment, this Soul River creature was incredibly intimidating. With a sweep of its tail feathers, all of Jiu Dao Yi's precious techniques were repelled, making it impossible for him to get close. Furthermore, it bore a shield, which it constantly refined, to guard against Jiu Dao Yi's mysterious spear. That shield was astonishing, absorbing all energy, even devouring space and time. It was so eerie that it made one suspect it was related to the weapons of the supreme beings deep within the Soul River. Most dauntingly, when the peacock spread its tail feathers once more, a pattern resembling an eye appeared at the tip of each feather, eventually transforming into actual eyes. Sss! Sss! Sss! All the eyes opened, emitting terrifying beams of light. Was this the Peacock Soul Mother's unparalleled forbidden technique? Her brother could use it too!

"I'll slaughter you, you wild pheasant!" Number Nine raged, his disheveled hair flying, like a demonic overlord. His pupils transformed, one inky black, the other chillingly white. Then, they manifested Yin and Yang, and with a thunderous roar, a Yin-Yang diagram flew out, suppressing everything! The battle here was horrific and incredibly shocking, escalating to a fever pitch. "Peacock Soul Mother's brother, my foot! I'll kill you!" Amidst the light and dazzling runes, Jiu Dao Yi went berserk, charging forward. He lunged at the tail feathers, using the Yin-Yang diagram to counter the opponent's myriad eye-beam attacks, regardless of the cost, to quickly eliminate this formidable enemy. He was concerned about the decaying corpse and the Dog Emperor. Both of them were severely aged and lacked vitality, and he feared an accident, worried they might perish there. Even though those two had come prepared to die, long intending a final struggle, he still didn't want to see them leave with regrets. The Celestial Emperor's remaining methods alone might not be enough. After all, this was the Soul River, and there were still living supreme beings slumbering, who had not yet emerged! In truth, Jiu Dao Yi's own condition wasn't great either. After all, he was merely nine shed skins. Could a battle fought by human skins last? Jiu Dao Yi grabbed a handful of peacock feathers, and several horrific bloody holes were pierced into his own body. Yet, he still roared, determined to tear this fierce bird apart. "Kill!" The peacock's five-colored divine feathers burned with world-shaking energy. "I'll blast you to pieces!" Number Nine roared, intent on tearing the fierce bird apart. A bloody battle to the death unfolded here!

At this moment, everyone fought with bloodshot eyes. Even Tai Yi was fighting desperately, charging through the army. The Martial Lunatic was truly going mad, wielding temporal techniques to sweep away endless hordes of ghouls around him, fighting to the point of frenzy. Now, no one retreated; all were fighting to the death. Regardless of past grievances or animosities, no one was holding back their own side. A fight to the death: only advance, only eliminate the enemy!

"I'll swallow you whole!" the black dog snarled, still fighting fiercely and desperately with the ancient crow. It truly refused to accept its old age, recalling how this ancient crow had once been its food, to be held down and gnawed upon. How could it retreat now? It was genuinely unwilling to resort to external measures, to use the Emperor's Bell. It wanted to prove that its generation was still alive, still capable of battle, and had not yet reached the moment of fading and disappearing entirely from the world. "I, the Emperor, once went to war with a Celestial Emperor, sweeping through all realms! Today, can I not kill you, this dead duck? I will kill you!" it roared, its aged body glowing. Standing upright, it fiercely engaged its opponent, unleashing the Celestial Emperor's Fist, shattering many interwoven divine chains of Dao order on the battlefield and obliterating all obstacles.

The ancient crow's body was torn apart, blasted into pieces once more. This time was brutal; its soul light scattered, and it lost a true life. Had it not been for the supreme forbidden technique empowering it, it would have died. However, for a creature as powerful as it, true lives were extremely precious; they were literal lives, and it possessed at most only a few. Having died before and now suffering another loss, it too went mad. The ancient crow reformed its flesh and soul light, then shrieked in the distance, uncontrollably enraged. Its boundless killing intent surged forward. The Dog Emperor was jolted awake and communicated with the Emperor's Bell. It felt that the ancient crow would likely break the rules now, abandoning their prideful contest and their so-called battle of strength. Naturally, it wasn't one to suffer a disadvantage and prepared to strike first!

The black dog roared, standing upright as it charged forward furiously, looking as if it intended to launch a massacre and fight to the bitter end. The ancient crow, glowing, preparing a major attack, and ready to counterattack, suddenly felt an intense pain in the back of its head. Its vision blurred, and its body became weak and powerless. It had been ambushed; its head was blasted into pieces! Who was it? It was practically going insane. Who the hell had launched this sneak attack? Someone had struck it from behind, and despite its immense power, it hadn't detected anything beforehand. This was an unparalleled humiliation. It was too furious; it wanted to shriek and howl, seething with anger. It hated itself for not sensing it earlier and resented the enemy for being unscrupulous and somewhat shameless. The Dog Emperor was also stunned. It hadn't expected someone to secretly intervene in its duel with the ancient crow. Such stealth and concealment abilities were truly astonishing; this was definitely a... professional. Ordinary strongmen simply couldn't achieve this. Then, it saw the professional. A streak of dark light, so black it made the ancient crow panic.

Li's sneak attack was absolutely merciless. He had been hidden on the side, waiting for an opportunity for a long time, finally launching a fatal blow and successfully striking the ancient crow's back of the head with the Myriad Mother Golden Seal. A successful headshot! "Black kid, you live up to your name, very professional!" the Dog Emperor howled with laughter. "Roar!" At the same time, it wouldn't miss such an opportunity and immediately lunged forward. Li, naturally, did not hold back. At this moment, he unleashed at least ten peerless wondrous techniques, all raining down on the ancient crow. The ancient crow was in a terrible state; it was killed again, losing another true life. It was starting to get nervous, feeling immense terror. If this continued, it was absolutely doomed to perish, body and soul. True lives were limited, after all, and losing one was catastrophic, a huge lifelong loss.

"You rule-breaking dog thief!" the ancient crow shrieked in furious indignation after reappearing in the distance. The black dog retorted coldly, "Who are you to act so self-important? What were you hiding in your wing just now? Don't think I don't know; you were the first to break the rules, trying to use external power to strike a killing blow against me. I've been on guard against you all along." Within the dark light, Li appeared very "rule-abiding," saying, "That's right, I, Li, simply couldn't stand it and decided to intervene for justice. Blasting your head was non-negotiable!" "Ah..." The ancient crow shrieked in rage. A very short, broken but terrifying sword blade appeared from its wing. It was the faint trace of killing intent from this very blade that the Dog Emperor had detected earlier. This was a formidable killing weapon! There was nothing more to say. The black dog, clutching its great bell, charged forward, intent on annihilating it. "Do you think I'm afraid of you? I'll destroy you all!" The ancient crow shrieked, conjuring the sword blade. Instantly, a brilliant light shot into the sky, tearing through realm barriers. All realms felt its presence; it was undoubtedly one of the highest or near-highest level weapons, utterly astonishing. "Clang!" The black dog rang the bell, unleashing boundless bell waves that swept forth. Countless ghouls and spiritual entities exploded, purified into nothingness. However, the sword blade was indeed extraordinary; it barely protected the ancient crow, allowing it to retreat rapidly and hide at the edge of the battlefield. The ancient crow conjured two golden orbs, instantly tearing the void. It was using external objects to refine the sword blade.

"Hm? You dare!" The black dog instantly flared with rage, its eyes turning red. It recognized them: a pair of eyes with golden pupils, the legendary Fiery Golden Eyes. It even sensed a familiar aura, seemingly from an old friend! The ancient crow brought forth this pair of golden eyes, using them as a sacrifice to the sword blade, intending to unleash the sword's most powerful might. Seeing a pair of familiar Fiery Golden Eyes, and then witnessing the ancient crow use them as a sacrifice, the black dog went mad. Its eyes turned bloodshot, and it roared skyward, appearing utterly deranged. Whose eyes were those? After careful identification, it confirmed they belonged to the bloodline of its brother, the Sacred Emperor—the eyes of the most outstanding descendant of the Battle Race! From the moment of recognition, the Dog Emperor was overwhelmed with sorrow and boundless rage.

Back then, it had cared for that child of the Battle Race as its own nephew, teaching him diligently. After growing up, the child indeed possessed boundless combat power. Yet, ultimately, it was heartbreaking. Back then, that child—in its eyes, the peerless strongman of the Battle Race in others' eyes—had still died, perishing in battle in the Soul River! And now, the Dog Emperor saw his eyes again... still bright. It couldn't believe that this ancient crow, to provoke it, would bring out such a relic, the sacred eyes of an old friend. This filled it with such rage that its blood boiled, and its killing intent surged like a tide.

"Kill!" the black dog roared. Scenes from yesteryear replayed: how many heroes had gone to war, fighting to their deaths; how many old friends had perished in that battle. It was too regrettable, filling it with heartbreak and desolation. Many figures instantly appeared before its eyes. The ancient crow sneered, "What's there to be sad about? They're just relics of the dead. This is the difference between us. The Grand Dao is ruthless; how can creatures trapped by their own emotions ever win? Therefore, your side is destined to fail, to suffer a crushing, devastating defeat!" "I'll slay you, you ominous fowl!" The Dog Emperor rang the bell, its boundless waves like monstrous tsunamis, ten thousand surging tides, crashing forward. The ancient crow remained indifferent, holding the pair of golden eyes before it as a shield, continuing the sacrifice. The Dog Emperor's hand trembled; it truly did not want to destroy the remnants of that child's body. At that moment, the face of the Battle Race's little sacred ape appeared before its eyes: its childhood innocence and playful energy, and its grown-up, indomitable, heaven-defying demeanor. Everything... seemed as though it was still close by. But he had died!

As these thoughts came, hot tears welled in the Dog Emperor's eyes. It thought of those old friends, their descendants, those peerlessly talented children, the most outstanding offspring of the Heavenly Court—all gone. At this moment, it felt waves of heartache. Although some of those children had been sent away, some had also been left behind. Those who remained had grown up but had died too early. They should have inherited their fathers' banners and supported an even vaster sky, yet they perished prematurely. This was the tragedy of the Heavenly Court. And when it thought of old friends of its generation—those few overwhelmingly powerful individuals who, though not Celestial Emperors, were equally peerless in demeanor, all having fallen bloody into the abyss—the black dog's heart ached even more fiercely. Hot tears finally streamed down; this was a wound from its very soul. It was rare to see it display such emotion.

"I swear, I will strive to live until the day I see the Soul River leveled. Otherwise, I will not rest in peace. I do not live for myself; I live for all my old friends, to see it through for them. Now... I will stop at nothing to utterly destroy you all!" The black dog swore, blood tears welling in its ancient eyes. Moved by the sight today, seeing the Fiery Golden Eyes of that young ape from the Battle Race, how could it not be hurt, how could it not feel pain? That grand era had ended, but some vendettas remained unavenged, and the battle had still not concluded; it was ongoing. In this life, everything would recur. There were sorrows it no longer wished to witness, experiences it did not want to relive. In this life, it would rather have died in battle than bid farewell to loved ones again; separation by life and death wounded the living heart most deeply. But now, it had changed its mind. It would live, it would be the eyes of those old friends, seeing that day for them.

"Pity, but you won't see it either. We won't let you live. You're all destined to fail!" the ancient crow declared. As it spoke, it activated the sword blade, and the two Fiery Golden Eyes glowed, still being used as sacrifices. The black dog charged forward, fighting fiercely. The bell waves shattered the sword blade, and it extended its claw, trying to seize the two golden eyes. The ancient crow rapidly retreated, once again using the sword blade to defend itself, and chanted incantations, summoning power from the ultimate frontier.

Boom! Suddenly, the heavens and earth fractured, and a monster with three heads and six arms, but severely mutilated, emerged. Its eye sockets were hollow, without eyeballs. "You... little monkey, child!" The Dog Emperor's body trembled. It stared at the red-haired monster, riddled with holes, severely incomplete, its flesh decaying and emanating a strong ominous aura. This was the owner of the Fiery Golden Eyes. It was unimaginable that his body had also remained, yet in such a desolate state, his soul gone, his body left in the Soul River, badly damaged. "I will kill you all!" The black dog's eyes turned blood-red, and the sparse fur on its body bristled. Holding the great bell, it began to swing it, smashing it forward. It was fighting with its last vestiges of life. Even though its vitality was low, almost depleted at this moment, it fought like a madman, its withered blood burning, generating boundless terror. At this moment, its combat power was astonishing, as if it had returned to its peak state from back then, fighting alongside a generation of heroes.

"Little monkey!" At this moment, the decaying corpse, the mysterious strongman whose entire body was rotting, also spoke with immense sorrow, whispering from a distance. This descendant of the Battle Race was covered in corpse fur, blood-red and infused with an overwhelming ominous substance. He had died here years ago and was now being exploited in this manner. The Dog Emperor went mad, charging forward to kill. "Go fight!" the ancient crow commanded indifferently, ordering the grotesquely transformed sacred ape's corpse to do battle. The Dog Emperor was consumed by sorrow and fury! Could the Celestial Emperor's remaining tactics level this place? It felt it would be difficult, as there were still living supreme beings slumbering here.

The black dog howled skyward, "How many heroes are buried in foreign lands? How many strong individuals met a desolate end? In that era, nothing was left. Who can fight alongside me in the Soul River now?! Is there anyone left from the Battle Race? Sacred Emperor, you were the Celestial Emperor's brother, so powerful and defying heaven; how could you die so early, perishing? Where is your soul now? Do you see? Your own child, my most beloved nephew, died in the Soul River, trapped here, unable to find peace even after death, being used by others. My brothers, where are you? Are there any old friends left, anyone alive to come out and fight beside me again?!"

The black dog, consumed by grief, roared, striking with all its might, charging forward to kill! Yet, it also tried its best to avoid the mutilated three-headed, six-armed corpse; that was the last form and trace left by its nephew.

At this very moment, from a certain unknown minor world, an earth-shattering roar erupted, filled with boundless rage, sorrow, and unwillingness! In the Human World, all members of the Six-Eared Macaque Race were startled. Mi Tian gasped in shock, "It's the world where the ancestral land is! What's happening?"

"Roar!" A massive iron staff pierced through the heavens and earth, breaking through. It was so colossal, capable of crushing suns, moons, and stars. It swept out, then surged towards the Soul Light Cavern. "Who or what is that?" Many within the Six-Eared Macaque Race trembled, and young Mi Tian was even more astonished, his Fiery Golden Eyes emitting dazzling light. "That is the world where our ancestral land resides," said the old Six-Eared Macaque. "There's a path connecting our clan to it, but it's not easily opened. That is our ancestor's burial ground, and his weapon has flown out!" "Who is our ancestor?" "You should know by now. Besides the true blood of the Six-Eared Macaque, there is also half of an even stronger blood in our bodies. We come from the Holy Battle Race!"

In a trance, a sacred ape could be seen, wielding a great staff, standing tall against the heavens and earth, commanding the winds and clouds. With a single stride, it reached the horizon. With a thunderous boom, he directly shattered the Soul Light Cavern, then severed the Soul River, and finally blasted open the gate, entering the world beyond.

"Roar!" An earth-shattering roar, shaking all the myriad realms! The colossal iron staff swept across thousands of armies. With a crash, countless Soul River creatures on the Emperor Battle Platform shattered. Even the ancient crow couldn't evade it and exploded, another true life reaped.

"Brother!" the black dog cried out, barely able to believe it in that moment, tears streaming from its eyes as it roared, "Is it you? Or is it just your weapon, awakened and come to fight? Brother, where is your soul? I truly want to see you again, to fight beside you once more!" "Monkey!" In the distance, the decaying corpse also trembled, its eyes turning red.