Chapter 1565: Empress Also Returns

Breaking through the mists and braving the relentless currents of the river of time, the majestic figure of the Heavenly Emperor descended beyond all worlds, into an unfathomable space!

A punch shot forth. The Heavenly Emperor, piercing through past and present, tearing through all heavens and myriad realms, arrived at an inconceivable place to confront that mysterious being. He seemed to have traversed all of ancient history, coming from the past to reach the far shore of the future, truly transcending all existence, engaging in a confrontation with a creature beyond ordinary imagination.

The power of the Heavenly Emperor's Fist reigned supreme across heaven and earth, scattering the light of ages and disrupting the rivers of time from past to present. All worlds became restless, and even the heavens seemed on the verge of being shaken down. This was the mark of that being's fist, illuminating past, present, and future — utterly overbearing and unparalleled, a truly invincible fist print.

At this moment, throughout all heavens and myriad realms, everyone trembled. Countless ancient monsters, who had lived for unknown eons, shivered uncontrollably, feeling an urge to prostrate themselves. Even True Immortals trembled at this juncture, their faces deathly pale, many feeling their legs buckle.

"It's him! The Heavenly Emperor from the end of the Immortal Path! He has punched through eternity, as if returning from the primordial era, emerging from ancient history!" some exclaimed, their words incoherent with excitement. Even the ancient ancestors of many monstrous races trembled, their lips quivering in awe. To witness the Heavenly Emperor today! This transcended all mortal imagination, leaving everyone inexplicably shocked. Their souls and bodies convulsed, and even ultimate powerhouses felt both reverence and terror.

The Heavenly Emperor's fist print, unmatched in the world, pierced through all obstacles! The deafening sound was the tremor of the Dao, the murmur of heaven and earth's order, the subservience and homage of all heavens to that Emperor, with myriad realms prostrating before one being.

Boom!

Throughout all heavens and myriad realms, that figure simultaneously appeared, striking fear into all beings from ancient times to the present. As expected, the Heavenly Emperor's Fist was invincible. Even when facing an inconceivable existence, he remained utterly overbearing, blasting that figure until it was blurry and indistinct, as if on the verge of being erased from existence. Everyone was startled and terrified. That was undoubtedly an existence capable of contending with the Heavenly Emperor, yet it was now suppressed by that majestic figure, about to be obliterated by his imperial fist?!

A low, suppressed roar echoed, shaking hearts. That being, which had nearly faded away, seemingly on the brink of complete annihilation, resurrected in an instant. Was this the terror of an existence that had reached the end of the road? Even when struck down, it could withstand the pressure and return amidst the destruction of the Grand Dao, its true self eternally imperishable. This sight sent shivers down spines. One must know that its Grand Dao had just shattered, and its very being had become ethereal, yet it instantly reappeared — truly terrifying.

At this moment, countless people's eyes bled, shedding tears of blood. Even across myriad realms, the struggle unfolding beyond all worlds, seemingly blocked by the long river of time, still allowed terrifying wisps of its power to escape, filling people with dread. Everyone knew this was the result of the battle being isolated; the true fight was too distant, taking place beyond the world, otherwise, all who witnessed it would perish! People's hearts throbbed. This was the result of the Heavenly Emperor's manifestation, his extraordinary phenomena appearing, which was why people could see it. Had he intended to conceal it, no one would have been able to witness any of this.

What kind of place was that? Clearly not the Little Netherworld's Earth, but a realm transcending all heavens, a retreat for end-of-the-road beings. Perhaps even its place of origin!

With another low roar, people finally caught a blurry glimpse of the creature's appearance: its entire body was covered in thick, long fur, completely obscuring itself. One could feel that it was enormous and incredibly fierce. A supreme being, its path concluded, the Grand Dao ahead obscured, yet it possessed such an appearance? Although it was blurry and distant, many True Immortals still gasped. Far from being serene, that end-of-the-road being was unexpectedly so ferocious? This was completely different from what they had imagined! In people's understanding, end-of-the-road beings were eternally imperishable and transcended time. Even if not in the form of an immortal sage, they shouldn't be disheveled and covered in thick animal fur, right? What had happened to it? This was highly abnormal!

Finally, the Heavenly Emperor, cloaked in primal chaos, moved with sweeping power, causing the Dao principles and order of all heavens to resonate, bow in submission, and then, with unstoppable momentum, he struck. That figure grunted, then exploded!

Hot tears welled in Dog Emperor's cloudy old eyes. It was incredibly agitated, its withered old blood seemingly boiling. It felt as if it had returned to the primordial era, once again seeing the Heavenly Emperor of old, that grand age, and fighting alongside him against all great enemies across heaven and earth! The Heavenly Emperor's demeanor remained unchanged; even as just a wisp of his thought, he was still unparalleled, supremely domineering, and peerless in the world. Both Dog Emperor and Corpse King's chests heaved as they gasped for breath.

"Ah..." The shattered figure roared, reshaping itself amidst the myriad Daos, reappearing in its true form. Indeed, it was indestructible. However, the Heavenly Emperor struck furiously, blasting forth, vowing to utterly obliterate it. This touched the Heavenly Emperor's bottom line: someone dared to perform enactments in his homeland, tampering with his birthplace, trapping that ancient land in a temporal loop of endless cycles. Clearly, this blurry figure harbored immense schemes.

Just as Jiu Dao Yi and Chu Feng had speculated, this enigmatic entity was exceptionally interested in the old land of the Little Netherworld, where two Heavenly Emperors had been born. It sought to recreate that environment, attempting to cultivate "Gu" to see if it could once again foster Heavenly Emperor seeds! Chu Feng had always been hesitant to return, constantly plagued by worries and fears that the shadowy manipulator behind Earth's temporal cycle harbored sinister intentions. Now, a wisp of the Heavenly Emperor's lingering obsession had awakened, shattering the mysterious veil outside Earth. Following that essence, it broke through heavenly and earthly barriers, piercing myriad-world obstructions, locating that individual, and intending to settle scores with the dark manipulator. Chu Feng was naturally invigorated and pleased. If this great menace could be eliminated, he would be rid of a major worry, able to dispel the shadow that had hung over his heart.

Evidently, the Grand Dao of an end-of-the-road being was broken, with no path forward, yet its own being was eternally imperishable, standing on the precipice of the Dao, transcending and indestructible. Therefore, such a being was exceedingly difficult to kill. People saw that as the two powerhouses collided, time itself splashed. That realm beyond all worlds seemed to have passed through hundreds of millions of years, time itself behaving abnormally, constantly washing over them, creating a sensation of ancient history being fractured. For an existence of this level, all Daos become void; its own being surpasses the Dao. Order is merely a roadside flower, blooming and then withering. Let the long river of time cleanse all, in the end everything is illusion, only the self is eternal, the sole truth.

The river of time surged endlessly, roaring beyond eternity, causing myriad realms to tremble, as if on the verge of shattering at any moment. On this day, the Heavenly Emperor's Fist roared, blasting that being apart! The majestic figure was valiant and invincible, striking down all opposition!

Once again, that being exploded and did not reappear for a long time. Had a truly... end-of-the-road powerhouse been killed? Impossible! No one dared to believe it. If beings of that level were so easy to kill, they wouldn't be revered as eternally imperishable existences. Indeed, something was amiss. In a flash, that being reappeared, blurry and terrifying, its entire body covered in dense, long fur, like a frightful humanoid beast.

However, it did not attack again. Instead, its form grew increasingly faint, and it began to burn, intent on self-annihilation. "It's not... its true body? Just a thick, furry hide left behind from countless eons ago?" Finally, people saw clearly what it was: a humanoid pelt. Yet even as just a pelt, it was indestructible by heaven and earth, impossible to bury, existing eternally beyond all worlds. This was simply too terrifying. Just a hide, yet it could possess sentience, enact Earth's temporal cycle, desire to cultivate "Gu," and observe the Heavenly Emperor's homeland – its methods were heaven-defying!

Where was this being's true body? Had it become void upon reaching the end of the road, disappearing completely? Or had it been wounded, killed by someone, leaving only this hide?

With a tremor from the Heavenly Emperor's fist print, that pelt ultimately dissolved into the Dao, disappearing completely, into eternal silence! The Heavenly Emperor stood there, faint strands of light shooting from his eyes, reversing causality, searching for that being's true body. However, if an end-of-the-road being intentionally avoided the world, or had truly died, leaving only a hide, it was indeed incredibly difficult to trace! Especially since the Heavenly Emperor was not in his true body; he hadn't even left behind a human skin. He was merely a residual thought, and an incomplete one at that.

Shortly after, he returned from beyond all worlds, gazing at Earth, at the homeland of his birth, remaining silent for a long time before finally turning and resolutely departing. Then, he dissolved back into the heavens and earth, becoming a pair of fist prints, scattered like stars throughout all realms. He... was merely a trace left by the Heavenly Emperor's fist print, a wisp of thought, which now dissipated!

Tears welled in Dog Emperor's eyes as it murmured, "You must still be alive; you haven't dissolved into the Dao, nor did you just return for a final look. I believe we will reunite in the future!"

Suddenly, a chilling sigh emanated, malevolent and ruthless. "Has the path ended, or has it died in eternal silence?" That ruthless voice echoed through all heavens. Though not loud, it terrified everyone. Through the haze, people saw a figure, and behind him, a magnificent and ancient sacrificial ground appeared! The High Priest?! How could he appear? How had he returned? Wasn't there an agreement between him and the supreme being behind the three Imperial Artifacts, granting the heavens a glimmer of hope? Yet now, he had reappeared!

"A pair of fist prints, burning with end-of-the-road aura. Interesting. Have you truly died, or have you leaped through the void from the long river of time?" The High Priest muttered to himself from infinitely distant realms. Then, a cold light shot from his eyes, and he declared, "To not think or remember can not only prevent end-of-the-road beings from returning, but even more, when everything about you is erased, and no one thinks or remembers you, then you will truly be dead." His words were truly shocking. If the true body of an end-of-the-road being suffered an accident, would it only truly die when everyone no longer thought of it, no longer remembered or mentioned it?!

"I will erase your aura! Your fist prints dare to remain in this world? Annihilate!" The High Priest spoke with extreme severity, then made his move. He intended to obliterate everything about the Heavenly Emperor: first, the traces he left behind, then to sever his shadow from everyone's hearts, truly achieving a state of no thought, no memory, where no living being would ever think of the Heavenly Emperor again. He acted swiftly and decisively. Though he had not descended upon the Yang Realm, he was still across infinitely distant time and space, seemingly still above the heavens! However, as he pointed a finger, the long river of time itself threatened to change course, reversing causality, aiming to obliterate the Heavenly Emperor, who might be alive or might have long since perished.

Yet, amidst the unexpected, another astonishing turn of events occurred. An inexplicable Dao rhyme emerged. On the path leading to eternal silence and the unutterable realm, a bridge appeared. It was said that many Emperors had walked this path, only to perish beneath the bridge. Then, from the great mist on the opposite shore of the boundless, deathly silent ancient bridge, a rain of light suddenly bloomed. Amidst fluttering white robes, a crystal-clear palm revived from death, and then slapped directly towards the sacrificial ground. Crossing time and space, separated by several ancient histories, that peerless palm struck through eternity, directly enveloping the High Priest!

"Awooo!" Dog Emperor howled, its old eyes wide. It knew who that was: the Empress! "She actually appeared! This is her... true body! She has revived!"

The Three Leaders