Chapter 1566: The Ultimate Captivating Elegance

A snow-white, crystalline palm emerged from the river of time, striking from that silent, desolate land beyond the heavens. It appeared beautiful and delicate, yet its power was unfathomable, its dao charm unparalleled. Even the chief sacrificial priest's expression changed when it descended.

The Empress's palm descended, completely engulfing the chief sacrificial priest, making him disappear. With a thunderous boom, it was as if the myriad great daos from across eternity resonated, all converging on the priest.

Originally, the chief sacrificial priest was terrifying beyond compare, looking down on all ages. He strode outside the myriad worlds, overlooking the thirty-three heavens, transcendent and fearsome. When his gaze swept across the myriad realms, it was as if he was creating heaven and earth, splitting the world barriers and unleashing turbulent primal chaos.

But now, with a bang, he was sent flying diagonally, having been struck by a palm.

He grunted, his body becoming increasingly indistinct, receding into the sacrificial ground.

This was beyond his expectation; someone dared to suddenly attack him, and with a solid slap to his physical body.

This was truly astonishing; even he couldn't dodge it, being struck violently like a tattered target.

If it had been anyone else, not only would they have been injured and spitting blood, but they would likely have exploded, vanishing into thin air, perhaps even their sacrificial world collapsing.

After all, this was an attack from the Empress.

However, he was ultimately a creature from the true source of strangeness, an unparalleled existence from one of the clans at the culmination of their path, awaiting sublimation. Otherwise, how could he be the chief sacrificial priest of this epoch?

He was the being presiding over the grand sacrifice in this era.

Amidst dazzling brilliance and infinite showers of ascending immortal light, that crystalline palm, having traversed countless great worlds, slammed down outside the myriad realms.

The Empress was unparalleled, seemingly intending to instantly kill the chief sacrificial priest.

This was truly insane. Since her recovery and decision to act, she hadn't uttered a single word, immediately striking at the unimaginable existence within the sacrificial ground.

The crystalline palm possessed peerless power. Ten thousand daos resonated, transforming into tangible runes, submitting from afar. As the palm print struck, eternal time was stirred, unleashing a massive explosion beyond the world.

Fortunately, this was not within the heavens, otherwise, nothing would remain; everything would have been shattered and utterly annihilated.

The chief sacrificial priest was coughing blood. He was repeatedly engulfed by the palm print, resembling a ferocious beast trampled by a celestial immortal. Though malevolent, he had lost the initiative and was being beaten terribly, disheveled, with true blood of an "end-of-path" level being splattered.

People were stunned, scarcely daring to imagine that such a woman would appear, say nothing, and immediately attempt to beat the chief sacrificial priest to death.

This was truly both shocking and exhilarating, a display of beautiful brutality. Wielding a great dao with the force of billions of tons of lightning, she was decisive and fierce. Once she acted, her dominance was awe-inspiring.

Though a woman, she was more astounding than the most powerful figures in ancient history, peerlessly graceful and with explosive destructive power.

It was at this moment that many shook their heads violently, as if waking from some nightmare.

Because, shortly before, they had been subjected to an unknown erosion, only now recovering and finding their bodies covered in white hair, trembling with fear to their very souls.

A moment ago, everyone had been exposed to strange radiation.

Everyone was affected, certain "thoughts" or "concepts" in their minds dissipating.

The instant the chief sacrificial priest approached the present world, he exerted a certain influence over the entire world and its beings.

The chief sacrificial priest was quite malicious, intending to cut off the Heavenly Emperor's retreat by erasing his traces from this world, preventing all beings across the heavens from thinking or remembering him.

The chief sacrificial priest wanted to erase the Heavenly Emperor's presence from existence.

This was undoubtedly terrifying.

If the Heavenly Emperor himself were unharmed, it wouldn't matter how the chief sacrificial priest tried to sever heaven, bury the earth, or slaughter the beliefs of all beings; it would be utterly useless.

But if the Heavenly Emperor were damaged, on the verge of death, his own great dao about to extinguish, and at an extremely perilous juncture, then the chief sacrificial priest's method would appear incredibly insidious.

Beings at the "end-of-path" level are difficult to kill. Even after countless tribulations and losing their souls, it's hard for them to truly perish completely. As long as someone still remembers and thinks of them, there's a possibility of their return.

Furthermore, even after countless ages, even if they have fallen for multiple epochs, if a future generation unearths a stele recording them and softly speaks their name, it could cause them to manifest again.

Therefore, the chief sacrificial priest acted ruthlessly, aiming to inflict severe and adverse trouble upon the Heavenly Emperor, who might have suffered an accident and fallen into a death realm, intending for him to truly perish in the long, thoughtless, silent expanse of time.

However, with the appearance of the suspected Empress, this process was disrupted.

As everyone was in a daze, their minds having some thoughts erased, the Empress, her snow-white robes fluttering, manifested vaguely beyond the myriad realms, recovering from nothingness.

That crystalline palm was too terrifying, piercing through all obstructions.

This was a grand confrontation outside the myriad worlds, with blood from an "end-of-path" level being flying. It was extremely terrifying; that someone dared to attack the chief sacrificial priest with such overwhelming force, inflicting pain upon him, was truly shocking.

Most importantly, this person originated from within the heavens—it was the legendary Empress.

This scene stirred the hearts of all who witnessed it.

For so many years, especially in the current era, all races had been threatened by ominous beings, facing impending doom, feeling frustrated and terrified, yet powerless.

Now, someone so powerful, saying they would strike and intending to kill, though a woman, unleashed an overwhelmingly dominant assault.

This made people's hearts surge and blood boil. Though they knew they were incomparable to beings of that level, they were still incredibly excited, wanting to let out a long cry.

"Well struck! Beat that grandson!" the Dog Emperor howled.

The Corrupted Corpse's emotions fluctuated, feeling disbelief. That woman had actually returned today.

Was it truly her, completely unharmed?

One must remember, in the battle back then, too many unforeseen events occurred. Even someone as powerful and peerlessly graceful as this woman, despite her profound attainments, met with an accident.

Ultimately, if not for dire circumstances and being forced by the situation, why would she have set out alone on that ancient bridge, a path of almost certain death?

Yet, today, she had powerfully revived, emerging alive from that vast, boundless land of certain death!

Throughout history, countless supreme experts, top figures from various epochs, had attempted to cross that death bridge, only to fail.

Even the Burial Pit, which stood alongside the Underworld and Soul River, was merely a somewhat larger "earth pit" before that death bridge, with even more terrifying areas beyond.

Many had believed the Empress died on that ancient bridge, falling into some deep pit or abyss. Today, she presented a surprise and shock, reappearing powerfully and alive.

"Roar!"

The chief sacrificial priest was enraged. As powerful as he was, having been invincible throughout heaven and earth for countless epochs, today he was repeatedly slapped, sent stumbling backward, his true blood splattering.

Having lost the initiative and being on the defensive, he seemed to make one mistake after another. His true body had been pierced multiple times.

If he weren't an "end-of-path" level being, eternally indestructible, he would truly be in danger; a slight weakness might have meant death.

He was sent flying once more, his body actually covered by the crystalline palm, developing cracks with a boom. He was disheveled and covered in blood.

"Enough!"

He let out a low roar, his entire body glowing. Even the sacrificial ground behind him became clearer, seemingly approaching the heavens, nearing the present world.

Powerful aura surged, causing the skies of the myriad worlds to actually crack. It was as if the world was about to be destroyed, about to be burst apart and collapse by a ferocious, ancient and modern-shaking behemoth.

This was truly terrifying; as the chief sacrificial priest approached, even wisps of his aura were enough to destroy the myriad worlds.

Even time became unstable, no longer continuous. The entire ancient history seemed about to vanish into emptiness, returning to nullity.

The only fortunate thing was that he was truly too far from the myriad heavens. It would be very difficult for his true body to arrive immediately, posing considerable challenge.

The Empress's response was a fierce strike, transforming into a shower of light, into the great dao, into ancient and modern time, manifesting ultimate supreme power. Her fingers, held like a sword, thrust forward.

This strike was not aimed at the chief sacrificial priest himself. It was as if she pierced a bubble, striking the sacrificial ground, causing a large portion of that special area to explode, on the verge of destruction.

This was catastrophic.

Even someone as powerful as the chief sacrificial priest blanched, his heart trembling. He spun around abruptly, swiftly protecting the ancient sacrificial ground, fearing an accident.

Even so, his face was slightly pale.

Because he felt an unchanging, eerie aura, like someone murmuring, or a faint beast's roar, giving him goosebumps.

Deep within the distant area behind him, spirit tablets were swaying, trembling, on the verge of falling.

"Boom!"

He risked his own damage, covering the area with his supreme great dao to protect the spirit tablets, enduring the Empress's strike head-on.

With a bang, he and the sacrificial ground rapidly retreated and moved away. He himself opened his mouth and coughed up blood, continually spitting true blood.

"Unbelievable," the chief sacrificial priest shrieked, his eyes gleaming with ferocity, "that someone who walked that dead end, stepping onto the death bridge, could still be alive, reaching the 'end-of-path' realm, powerful to this extent!"

His gaze split the firmament of the myriad worlds, looking directly at the mysterious far side of the death bridge.

However, no one could see through to that place. The Burial Pit, which was frightening enough, was merely a somewhat larger "earth pit" beneath the bridge.

The far side of the bridge was utterly unfathomable.

"I believe that even if you've become an 'end-of-path' level Immortal Emperor," the chief sacrificial priest sneered repeatedly, "you probably can never return. At the very least, you can't walk back alive. That bridge has no retreat."

A thick fog permeated the air, and faintly, a bridge appeared, with no end in sight, no distant shore. It seemed to vanish into the boundless reaches of the heavens.

That place was a land of death, a desolate and despairing realm. No living beings existed there, and even if one did manage to reach it alive, it would be impossible to return.

Vaguely visible, on the far side at the end of the death bridge, was a white-clad figure in secluded cultivation. For the recent attack, she had only moved one hand.

"There seems to be some situation there," the chief sacrificial priest said chillingly. "You can never turn back, let alone kill me here."

Undoubtedly, he was making a final stand.

Earlier, he had an agreement with the owners behind the three Emperor artifacts to grant the heavens a sliver of hope. Now, he seemed to no longer consider it.

His true body moved again, intending to approach the present world.

However, just as the chief sacrificial priest unleashed his domineering targeting and spoke coldly, the white-clad Empress moved again.

What did people see? Endless light rain scattered. She was ascending like an immortal, standing in mid-air, having crossed the death bridge, and charged towards the chief sacrificial priest.

"Impossible!"

Outside the boundless world, "end-of-path" level beings exclaimed, and the chief sacrificial priest was incredulous.

The white-clad woman carried infinite power, surrounded by boundless light rain. She was like a leap to the culmination of a path, sublimated, about to plunge into the present world.

Her peerless demeanor indicated she was going to kill the chief sacrificial priest.