Chapter 1657: Star Always Bright, Eternal Poem

Chu Feng felt cursed. He had been an invisible figure, discreetly collecting corpses on the battlefield, but now he was like a blazing lighthouse, successfully drawing hordes of enemies.

Without hesitation, he decisively threw the old man to a temporarily safe area, then began to break out on his own.

This was merely a brief interlude; the true decisive battle was taking place on the Ancestor Battlefield, its outcome determining the ultimate fate.

"Huang, Ye, you are arrogant, believing you can take us with you even in death? Ridiculous! Today, we will show you what true invincibility is! Sacrificing the Grand Dao and trampling all paths underfoot does not mean returning to primitiveness, nor does it mean a lack of infinitely profound offensive means. Come, let us cut you down!" an Ancestor roared.

This time, they did not merge into one, but instead shone on their own, interweaving dazzling radiance. Simultaneously, the plateau behind them violently shook, emitting an ominous, dense fog that enveloped them and resonated with the ancient coffins behind them.

The Ancestors interwove beams of light, merging and connecting. Though ten individuals were in different positions, their movements were unified, forming a single entity. It was as if one being was attacking, every gesture perfectly synchronized. The ten Ancestors resonated with each other, seemingly forming a mirror, with themselves as the ten most brilliant runes upon its surface.

At this moment, each of the ten Ancestors raised their weapons—all identical, terrifyingly black long blades—and simultaneously slashed towards Huang and Ye. Backed by the plateau, the ten coalesced into a mirror, wielding inconceivable power. Blade lights erupted, like Sacrificial Path-transcending flames bursting from an ancient mirror. The past and present worlds became discontinuous, utterly shattered! Dazzling light sliced the past, present, and future into segments, aiming to utterly annihilate Huang and Ye from the very source of ancient history and the foundation of the current era.

Emperor Huang roared, his power surging. At this moment, merely by relying on his invincible physical body, he unleashed an ocean of vital energy, like surging waves crashing against the heavens, stirring the past, present, and future! His vital energy was incredibly immense. Behind him, numerous figures appeared, all of him, coalescing into an even more boundless Emperor Huang, standing tall in the human realm, overlooking countless worlds and immeasurable universes, with his vital energy manifestations everywhere.

Almost simultaneously, Emperor Ye's vital energy surged forth, overwhelming, penetrating the upstream and downstream of time. Behind him, a massive Taiji Yin-Yang diagram appeared, enveloping the myriad worlds. Emperor Ye's black hair danced, his eyes like cold lightning. His blood, deep crimson, surged towards the strange Ancestors ahead, wielding boundless, terrifying power.

The two Heavenly Emperors stood shoulder to shoulder, their blood-red radiance illuminating the human realm. With their immense vital energy alone, they filled the shattered ancient and modern timelines. Their presence was ubiquitous, from ancient history to the present, a vibrant red brilliance, suppressing the ten Ancestors. Simultaneously, their thunderous fist-prints, their sword-lights, and their Primordial Qi of All Creation all blasted forward.

The world beyond boiled, unleashing power that shook the roots of ancient history, and terrible light that threatened the existence and stability of the present. Everything was on the verge of destruction, and all things would return to their origin.

With a crash, the interconnected beams of light among the ten Ancestors snapped, and their long blades shattered. They were covered in blood, resembling vengeful spirits even more, and the ancient mirror flames they had conjured, which almost surpassed the Sacrificial Path realm, were collapsing. Only at this moment did the energy fluctuations, which were about to destroy the myriad worlds and infinite universes, dissipate and cease.

Huang and Ye were also in a bad state, covered in cracks, on the verge of exploding. After breaking through the Ancestors' methods, they did not stop but surged forward rapidly. With a thunderous roar, the Thunder Pool and the Primordial Qi Cauldron resonated. Instantly, half of the Ancestors disappeared, drawn into the Thunder Pool and the Primordial Qi Cauldron, temporarily sealed within and unable to escape.

Huang and Ye concentrated all their power, blasting forward, intending to first suppress and kill the several Ancestors in front of them. Terrifying runes, endless thunder, dazzling sword-light visible even in future realms, and fist-light illuminating ancient history—all poured forth endlessly, engulfing the Ancestors ahead. Moreover, the two Heavenly Emperors focused on their targets, each primarily attacking one individual, aiming to concentrate their full power to eradicate their opponents from the source, attempting to make it impossible for even the plateau to revive them. Because, through countless attempts, they had come to believe, based on experience, that when attack power continuously erupted and reached an incredible extreme, it might truly be possible to eliminate an Ancestor.

Finally, before Huang's sword-light, an Ancestor turned into a mist of blood and instantly died. Huang, enduring attacks from other Ancestors, enveloped that area with his sword-light, continuously unleashing destructive power, aiming to shatter the plateau's myth and utterly obliterate him! Infinite power surged, reducing everything there to its primordial state. After the creation of heaven and earth, followed by grand prosperity, it then devolved into great destruction—in an instant, it was as if countless epochs had passed.

On the other side, Emperor Ye also unleashed extreme power, suppressing and killing an Ancestor. His hands traced inexplicable trajectories, covering the area, continuously blasting, aiming to break eternity and doom the Ancestor to eternal silence!

Alas, in the end, they fell short. After the two Ancestors were killed, they ultimately revived on the plateau and walked out once more. Their expressions were grim. If not for the plateau, they would have truly died completely from their very origin! One must know that even beings at the Path's End level are hard to extinguish, let alone Ancestors?! At this level, they were almost unkillable, yet just now, they had indeed been struck down!

However, when these two walked out from the plateau, both Huang and Ye, as well as the other Ancestors, noticed something abnormal: the two were slightly weaker. Huang and Ye were also covered in cracks, heavily wounded.

"Today, an Ancestor is destined to fall!" Huang declared.

"Can you deduce how many Ancestors will perish?" Ye's gaze was intimidating, staring down all the Ancestors.

Several Ancestors' expressions were cold. One of them spoke, "You are still destined to fail. You cannot kill us. Even if we are severely weakened after this battle, we will just return to the plateau to recuperate for some time."

Another Ancestor gazed at Huang and Ye even more coldly, saying, "Huang, I know that as long as your Thunder Pool remains, you still harbor the thought of resurrecting that woman named Willow Deity. Today, after we obliterate you, we will completely destroy the Thunder Pool, leaving you with regret even in death! And Ye, back then, besides manifesting and resurrecting Ye Qingxian in the cauldron, you also prepared another path for her, correct? Regarding your and Huang's kin, we have deduced everything. In the past, Ye Qingxian built a bridge between you and Huang. You two spared no effort to protect her, leaving a drop of her blood in the river of history, ultimately placing that drop of blood into the lineage of a descendant, hoping for her to awaken one day. But you are destined for disappointment; our gaze has crossed time and space, seeing the future: she is on the distant battlefield and will be killed today!"

The great battle erupted again. The two Heavenly Emperors had nothing to say; such words could not disturb their minds. However, at a crucial moment, terrifying roars came from the Thunder Pool and the Primordial Qi Cauldron. They violently shook, almost destroying the two weapons. Eventually, silence fell. The Ancestors sealed inside preferred to kill themselves once rather than continue to waste time fighting within. They simply went dormant, and were then revived by the inscrutable plateau. Even through the Thunder Pool and the Cauldron, the plateau could achieve this!

These Ancestors were decisive, ferocious towards their enemies, and sufficiently ruthless towards themselves. They did not hesitate to harm themselves in such a way, just to emerge early and kill Huang and Ye, unwilling to delay further, fearing unexpected events. Huang and Ye's situation became even more precarious. The most tragic battle reached its climax.

In the distance, people felt choked with emotion. They could no longer bear to face that direction. Even across infinite time and space, far beyond the world, no one could sense anything, only light and blood surging forth, manifesting in the skies of all great universes, a deep, shocking crimson. Was that the blood of the two Heavenly Emperors? Many couldn't help but wish to weep. Those were the invincible Emperor Huang and Emperor Ye; yet today, their situation was so dire, they were on the verge of falling, but even taking down one enemy proved difficult.

Emperor Huang, Emperor Ye, many called out in their hearts, struggling to accept such an outcome. Mentioning those two names was synonymous with invincibility; how could their end today be so desolate? Even their brilliant radiance was being covered by ominous mist, unable to emit its rightful splendor, causing sadness and heartache, filling everyone with bitterness and anguish. But what could they do? They were completely unable to help, unable even to reach that battlefield.

On the Dao Ancestor Battlefield, Heavenly Horned Ant roared. His race possessed extremely powerful physical bodies, few could compare, but now his body was turning into blood mist inch by inch, his flesh and blood gradually disintegrating, on the verge of completely scattering. A strange Dao Ancestor, wielding a Path's End level weapon brought from the Land of Misfortune, arrived. It was an ancient, verdigris-stained mace, which was swung violently, crushing the Heavenly Horned Ant's body, causing it to explode inch by inch. He, who shook the world with his physique, could not withstand an Immortal Emperor weapon; his body shattered piece by piece, on the verge of death, about to completely vanish from the human realm.

"Huang is right there, call out! Let him help you!" The Dao Ancestor wielding the Emperor weapon said coldly, trying to force Heavenly Horned Ant to disturb Huang's state of mind.

Heavenly Horned Ant allowed his flesh and blood to be ground away, clamping his mouth shut, not uttering a word. He let himself explode into blood mist inch by inch, never speaking, never opening his mouth. How could he cause his brother pain? He would rather die than interfere with Huang now. He only murmured to himself, "Huang, my brother, I've followed you all the way since I was young. Too many long years have passed; I am so tired, I truly can't keep up with your pace anymore. My good brother, I hope you live, you must preserve yourself. I don't want you to die in battle. I... am gone. Farewell!"

With a *pfft*, Heavenly Horned Ant's flesh and blood disintegrated, his soul-light extinguished, all turning into dust. From beginning to end, he made no sound, sent no sliver of divine thought. He only glanced one last time at the direction of Huang's battle; he did not want to interfere with his dearest brother.

"Heavenly Horned Ant... you stubborn child!" Patriarch Meng witnessed this scene, feeling unbearable heartache. Although he rushed desperately, it was already too late. He stretched out his hands, receiving only the last speck of ash that drifted down. He was shocked, enraged, and grieved. Seeing Heavenly Horned Ant's refusal to utter a sound even in death, his heart twisted as if cut by a knife, and old tears rolled down uncontrollably.

"Uncle Heavenly Horned Ant!" Huang's Son cried out in sorrow. Although his own body was growing increasingly blurry, he still charged forward recklessly, wishing he could instantly kill that Dao Ancestor of the strange race.

"Heavenly Horned Ant!" Many cried out in grief, suppressing their voices, not shouting, but making the death of that figure even more heartbreaking.

How could Huang not perceive? He turned back, then discovered Heavenly Horned Ant's final internal whisper from the fragments of time. There was endless pain in his eyes. The sword-light in his hand surged, a supremely brilliant light illuminating all epochs, cleaving through all tangible matter. He advanced, carrying the Thunder Pool. Huang strode forward. With a crash, the world beyond exploded, and blood rained down!

On the Immortal Emperor Battlefield, the Empress, Luo, the Dark Immortal Emperor, and Wu Shi all fought with all their might, almost madly, engaging in a fierce, bloody battle with the remaining nine Emperors. They fought to the point of madness! However, the mysterious plateau continuously resurrected the fallen Immortal Emperors. The strange beings at the Path's End level also went mad. Discovering that these few were difficult to kill, they fought with no regard for cost, choosing mutual destruction, engaging in a desperate struggle with the four Immortal Emperors.

Ultimately, Luo, who was already pale, unstable in her origin, and had nearly died in the battle against Heaven, was heavily wounded multiple times. Her origin gradually disintegrated, being continuously and repeatedly eroded, on the verge of an Emperor's fall! The Empress fought with surging fury, killing Immortal Emperors multiple times, but still could not change Luo's fate. The mysterious plateau could continuously resurrect the strange Immortal Emperors. They had first targeted Luo, determined to bury her by sacrificing their own origins against hers.

"Kill!" All battlefields were incredibly tragic, blood raining down as the fighting reached its final moments.

The beings from the Land of Misfortune possessed immensely profound foundations. Over countless ages, they had shattered an unknown number of great worlds, holding grand sacrificial rites every epoch. From ancient times to the present, the tragic "Emperor's Fall" had occurred countless times, naturally leading them to acquire more than one Immortal Emperor-level weapon. Now, on the battlefield, there were both broken Emperor weapons and the strange race's own complete Emperor weapons. Several were unleashed simultaneously, suppressing and killing Dao Ancestors from all realms, making the battle incredibly tragic.

"Ye Zi, farewell. Let us meet again in the next life!" Pang Bo exploded. A supreme Dao Ancestor had targeted him and blown him apart. Although he had entered the Dao Ancestor realm, he was still far inferior compared to these peak beings, who were infinitely close to Immortal Emperors. Within the same grand realm, if there was too great a disparity in power, one could naturally be completely killed and obliterated by a supreme expert. Amidst the scattering blood and bones, Pang Bo's blurry figure appeared. He tried to reform his body, but his opponent gave him no chance. A glowing red blood-hand pressed down forcefully, crushing him down, causing him to dim.

In his final moments, Pang Bo difficultly turned his head, struggling to look towards where Ye Fan was fighting; that was his dearest brother. By accident, they had been carried away by the Nine Dragons Coffin Pull, journeying into the starry sky together, cultivating together. To keep up with his good brother Ye Zi's pace, he had even resorted to chewing on the coffin lid of the Undying Emperor. In the years that followed, he was equally resolute and persistent, with Ye's guidance and his own unimaginable sacrifices, he reached this point today.

"Ye Zi, farewell!" With a *pfft*, Pang Bo's final, faint soul-shadow also exploded. Light particles scattered across the sky, leaving nothing behind. Even amidst the life-and-death battle, Emperor Ye's body trembled slightly. Sadness appeared in his eyes, reflecting Pang Bo's figure—the brother who had shared life and death with him, his only living confidant from their homeland, who had journeyed with him since youth. But now he too... had died, vanished forever!

"Uncle Pang Bo!" Ye Yishui roared. He knew how precious the friendship between this uncle and his father was, sharing years together, only for him to spill his blood across the sky today, never to be seen again. How could his heart not ache? Ye Yishui's hair stood on end with fury. Filled with grief and sorrow, he swore to kill that Dao Ancestor, to avenge Pang Bo!

"Kill!" The battlefield boiled; desperate fighting raged everywhere.

That strange old man—the God of Decline—did not dodge when faced with the sweeping Emperor weapon, letting out a final sigh. "I was already dead, the grass on my grave a zhang high. Someone nostalgic allowed the Heavenly Emperors to manifest me to guard the gates of the Heavenly Court. In this life, I should depart. Everyone, farewell!" The strange old man disintegrated, entering eternal silence.

At this moment, countless people fought with bloodshot eyes, fearless of death, sparing no thought for themselves. Chu Feng's eyes burned. In this tragic atmosphere, he couldn't bear it, forgetting everything else. Wielding the stone zither and the Time Furnace, he continuously blasted away. Though not strong enough, he would unleash all his power even if it meant death. In a very short time, he saw too many people die: old soldiers of the Heavenly Court, and familiar acquaintances from the past.

His eyes reddened, and he spoke to the woman of the pollen path: "What exactly do you value by staying by my side? Take it all, as long as it can kill the enemy! Is it the seed, the stone jar, or something else? Or my blood and soul? As long as it's useful, send it all into the battlefield, give it to those who need it—to Huang, to Ye, to the Empress. I'm not strong enough; if those things can help them, I don't mind sacrificing myself!"

"None of those. You cannot change anything," the woman of the pollen path sighed softly.

Huang's Son, though his body was dim, was divinely courageous and invincible on this battlefield. Ignoring his increasingly blurry and problematic body, he fiercely battled the Dao Ancestor wielding the broken Emperor weapon, intent on avenging Heavenly Horned Ant. With a *pfft*, myriad blade-lights flashed. He used unparalleled techniques to hack down his opponent, utterly annihilating the enemy.

On the other side, Shi Yi of the double pupils, holding a special bronze coffin, fiercely fought against another supreme Quasi-Immortal Emperor who wielded an Emperor weapon. With a *boom*, he finally used the bronze coffin to smash his opponent into a pulp of blood, their soul-light exploding, directly obliterated! Ye Yishui also avenged Pang Bo, but their situation was extremely grim.

Huang's Son, Ye Yishui, Shi Yi, and others were unable to seize the enemy's Emperor weapons. These were weapons that the strange race had refined for countless ages, and they instantly fled, falling back into the enemies' hands. For a time, battle cries shook the heavens. Enemies poured endlessly from the Land of Misfortune; all strange beings had fully mobilized, rushing to kill here. There were simply too many enemies. The cultivators on the side of the heavens were powerful, but eventually, they were exhausted, especially under the suppression of the Emperor weapons, feeling waves of powerlessness.

"Kill!" The Empress, peerlessly elegant, usually detached and serene, could be described as cold, rarely speaking. But today, she cried out "Kill!", her white robes completely stained with enemy blood. Seeing the Emperor weapons emerge from the Land of Misfortune, she several times wanted to backhand slap the Dao Ancestor battlefield. However, the opposing Immortal Emperors directly stated that if she moved, they would certainly choose mutual destruction and obliterate all realms. "Though Emperor weapons have been unleashed, we Immortal Emperors have not yet personally intervened!"

Furthermore, the Path's End level strange beings also fought like madmen, continuously choosing mutual destruction. They targeted Wu Shi; several times consecutively, three of them surrounded him, detonating their origins together, seeking to send him to eternal silence. By now, the Empress also felt a profound sense of powerlessness to turn the tide. No matter how strong she was, facing enemies who could revive after being killed, she felt helpless; this situation was unsolvable.

"Even if I die, I will take one opponent with me!" Wu Shi declared, aiming to condemn an Immortal Emperor to eternal silence, to truly die.

"I never thought I would fall in the end," the Dark Immortal Emperor sighed lightly. He had long since abandoned his carefree demeanor, his heart now heavy. He used all his strength, wishing only to truly kill an Immortal Emperor and prevent his resurrection.

On the Dao Ancestor battlefield, the slaughter shattered all things. Everyone was covered in blood, roaring in despair, engaging in the most tragic fight to the death, swearing to shed their last drop of blood.

"Patriarch Meng!" Someone cried out in sorrow. Patriarch Meng died, suppressed and killed by an Emperor weapon. Nine Dao One was grief-stricken. He led some old brothers in desperate attacks, but only light particles slipped through their fingertips. The old man finally nodded to them, leaving nothing behind.

"Patriarch Meng!" Huang's Son roared, holding a long blade, invincible wherever he went, traversing heaven and earth, fighting from east to west. Enemies constantly fell at his feet. He didn't know how many opponents he had killed, utterly extinguishing their soul-lights. A natural prodigy like him, who had once almost stepped into the Immortal Emperor realm, even with severe bodily issues now, still fought like a tiger in a wolf pack. However, as blood stained his entire body, his form grew increasingly faint, half of his body gradually disappearing. He was about to transform into Dao under the long sky! He had never truly and perfectly revived; his flesh and blood body had not solidified!

"Imperial Son!" Many cried out. Huang's Son attracted too many opponents; countless rushed to kill him. Especially since the enemy also had experts of a special level, very close to Immortal Emperors, who had accumulated countless years of power and possessed unfathomable foundations, not necessarily much weaker than him. Several of them began to attack him with full force. The Imperial Son's body was fading, about to completely disappear!

"Whoever wants to kill my nephew must pass through me first!" Shi Yi of the double pupils roared. In the most intense battle, Shi Yi's double pupils glared, opening up heaven and earth, continuously burying surrounding enemies in terrifying beams of light. However, there were simply too many opponents. Beings infinitely close to the Immortal Emperor realm, just like him, wielded Emperor weapons and came together to suppress and kill him! He had killed many opponents earlier and was now truly exhausted. After killing two more powerful enemies, his furious double pupils shattered, and fresh red blood flowed from his eye sockets, forming two shocking trails of blood. He stumbled, reeled back, and then could no longer stand steadily. The bronze coffin in his hand was even knocked away. He was utterly spent, especially now that his double pupils were destroyed.

"Great Uncle!" Huang's Son roared, supporting Shi Yi. Then, uncle and nephew together surged against the sky, facing all opponents. Amidst the brilliant light particles, the two once again blasted apart three enemies, then themselves disintegrated, turning into light filling the sky!

"Brother, Great Uncle!" Huang's youngest child cried out, rushing into the enemy ranks, and was soon overwhelmed. "Imperial Son!" Countless people roared, rushing to kill in this direction, but it was already too late. They couldn't get close; each person had multiple opponents by their side.

"Junior Brother!" Someone cried with bloody tears in their eyes—it was Red Dragon and Mu Qing, both disciples of Huang. Allowing blades and swords to pierce their bodies, they fought their way to that battlefield. They were covered in Grand Dao injuries, desperately reaching towards that sky, but touching nothing. There were too many enemies. Huang's Son was divinely brave, constantly relieving pressure for various forces. Red Dragon and Mu Qing simply couldn't keep up with his speed. Nine Dao One, leading his old brothers and the surviving members of the Eight Hundred Old Soldiers, continuously charged, roaring, their eyes splitting, blood and tears streaming. But they couldn't get close. In the end, even these old soldiers fell, one by one, their blood staining the battlefield, leaving no trace in the human realm.

"I hate it, I hate it!" The Corpse Roared, covered in cracks, swaying as he fought through enemies. Seeing Huang's direct descendant die, and then Nine Dao One fall, he hated himself for being too weak, for being unable to break into the Immortal Emperor realm, for being unable to kill all opponents to avenge them.

Powerful fluctuations continuously erupted. Ye Yishui's body exploded multiple times, only to reform. He swayed precariously, on the verge of collapse. He had killed countless enemies, but his own origin was also nearing depletion. Even though several of Emperor Ye's disciples were by his side, attacking alongside him, they gradually couldn't withstand the overwhelming numbers of enemies. Saint Body Yang Xi had already fallen in battle. Xiao Song, half of his body turned into light particles, still fought. The bald man, Huahua, exploded again and again, yet repeatedly charged at opponents, about to vanish!

More than one Emperor weapon slammed down. Powerful as Ye Yishui was, even after unleashing his special bronze coffin, he himself was shaken, covered in cracks, his body on the verge of exploding. His flesh and blood withered, fighting until his origin was depleted.

"Kill!" But he did not yield, still charging forward, using the bronze coffin to sweep aside the Emperor weapon, and domineeringly slaying another powerful enemy. However, he truly could not hold on any longer. He fell, his body tearing into pieces.

Xiao Song surged skyward, carrying Ye Yishui's fragmented body, battling enemies desperately, coughing blood with every step. His remaining half-body also began to explode inch by inch. But he said nothing, never letting go of Ye Yishui, wishing to send him away. Just like years ago, when Emperor Ye also had his low points, once gravely wounded and dying, Xiao Song had carried him, fighting his way out, fleeing all the way. His own Dao source was pierced, his cultivation destroyed, transforming back into his squirrel true form. Now, carrying Ye Yishui, protecting his master's lineage, he once again did his utmost, just as he did back then, striving to save the one on his back.

"Senior Brother Xiao Song, don't exert yourself anymore!" Ye Yishui shook his head with difficulty, telling Xiao Song to put him down, not to go on. He saw that with every step Xiao Song took, his body disintegrated, gradually disappearing, and his heart twisted with pain.

"I just want you to live, to leave a bloodline for Master," Xiao Song whispered, his mouth full of blood foam, most of his body gone.

"Senior Brother, let's not go on. Let's die here, with them, with everyone!" Ye Yishui wanted to wipe away Xiao Song's bloody tears. But when he reached out, he touched nothing. Xiao Song had actually evaporated into a rain of blood. Only a light silhouette remained, looking reluctantly at Ye Yishui, then towards the direction of Emperor Ye's battle. Time seemed to flow backward. Xiao Song's past was reflected: he was originally an ordinary little squirrel, but was taken in by Emperor Ye, embarking on the path of cultivation, and later even becoming his disciple. Finally, Xiao Song's light silhouette reverted to his childhood state, becoming an innocent little squirrel. Its big eyes were flawless, incredibly pure, smiling innocently. In its eyes, Emperor Ye's