Chapter 1278: Ancestors Manifest!

"The interest of the nation must come before personal ambitions..."

Tian Chen was taken aback to hear that. He looked at his half-brother and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity. Since they came of age, the two had been in constant conflict, both openly and in secret.

They were locked in a bitter struggle where only one of them could survive.

He had never expected that his elder brother would stand by his side at this critical juncture.

No, that wasn't quite right. His brother wasn't standing by his side, but rather he was standing by the side of the Heavenly Tomb Empire.

Tian Chen's eyes flickered with a complex emotion, and he sighed to himself.

As the phantom took shape, an overwhelming pressure swept across the surroundings, suppressing everything in its wake.

A middle-aged man appeared before everyone's eyes.

The middle-aged man was Emperor Tian Zhao, the Founding Ancestor of the Heavenly Tomb Empire. He was a terrifying existence worthy of eternal reverence.

He founded the Heavenly Tomb Civilization amidst chaos by rising to power as a commoner and swiftly conquering all opposition to unify the entire civilization. At its peak, the empire was so powerful that a single decree from him could wipe out an entire Tier Eight Civilization.

After Emperor Tian Zhao's departure, the Heavenly Tomb Civilization gradually declined. Internal strife further weakened it, leading to a fractured landscape where various factions vied for control.

At this moment, many of the cultivators from the Heavenly Tomb Civilization revealed complicated expressions and felt deeply shamed in the presence of their founding ancestor.

Tian Chen looked up at Emperor Tian Zhao in the sky and clenched his fists tightly. His expression was filled with excitement, and his eyes burned with determination.

To become a ruler like Emperor Tian Zhao was his lifelong aspiration! It was his goal!

Emperor Tian Zhao turned to look at the Supreme Great Dao and frowned.

Just then, Tian Xing spoke with great respect, "Founding Ancestor, please assist Young Master Ye."

Emperor Tian Zhao slowly turned to look in Ye Guan's direction. When he saw Ye Guan being surrounded by enemies, he was stunned.

"He's..." Emperor Tian Zhao muttered.

The onlookers were puzzled. Had Emperor Tian Zhao recognized Ye Guan.

Emperor Tian Zhao turned to Tian Xing and asked, "His surname is Ye?"

"That's what I heard, but I'm not sure if that is his true surname..."

Emperor Tian Zhao then looked back at Ye Guan, and with a wave of his sleeve, the cultivators in the Dao Transformation Realm surrounding Ye Guan were blasted away.

Everyone was shocked.

The founding ancestor is actually that strong?

The Supreme Great Dao, who was still busy with its Great Dao Evolution, turned to face Emperor Tian Zhao with hostility.

However, Emperor Tian Zhao paid it no mind. Instead, he looked at Ye Guan and asked, "Your Excellency, do you know Sword Master Qingshan?"

Amidst the chaotic world, Ye Guan stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Emperor Tian Zhao.

"You know my grandfather?" he asked.

Grandfather! Hahaha!

Emperor Tian Zhao suddenly burst out into a peal of laughter, leaving everyone bewildered. After a while, he pointed at Ye Guan and declared, "No one is to touch him!"

Emperor Tian Zhao's booming voice echoed like thunder. With that, he stopped forward and instantly appeared right in front of Ye Guan. After studying him for a moment, he smiled and said, "Young Lord Yang, I've finally found you."

Young Lord Yang! Everyone was confused and lost.

Just then, Emperor Tian Zhao noticed that Ye Guan's fleshy body and soul were being consumed by the Great Dao Evolution. Without hesitation, he raised his right hand and placed it on Ye Guan's shoulder.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Boom!

A golden light surged into Ye Guan, and a golden dragon engulfed him.

As if sensing something, Emperor Tian Zhao pointed at the seal between Ye Guan's brows.

Boom!

A burst of blood-red light blasted Emperor Tian Zhao back hundreds of meters away. To make matters worse, his figure became illusory, seemingly about to fade away.

Emperor Tian Zhao was stunned, and shock flashed across his eyes. "T-the power of the Evil Dao! How could it be so powerful?"

"Emperor Tian Zhao!" the Supreme Great Dao shouted coldly, "We've always minded our own business. Do you really want to become my enemy just for an ant like him?"

The Supreme Great Dao was somewhat wary of Emperor Tian Zhao. In the vast expanse, not everyone walked the righteous Dao. Emperor Tian Zhao was not one of those walking the righteous Dao, yet his strength far surpassed those who did.

The Supreme Great Dao was unaware of Tian Zhao's Dao, but Emperor Tian Zhao hadn't done anything outrageous, at least for now. It was precisely for this reason that both sides had never really interfered with each other.

Emperor Tian Zhao turned toward the Supreme Great Dao and calmly asked, "Did you not hear what I just said?"

A direct confrontation!

The Supreme Great Dao was instantly enraged by Emperor Tian Zhao's blatant disregard. A surge of fury shot from the soles of its feet to the top of its head. "Let me make things clear to you. This ant will die today, and no one will be able to save him!"

The Supreme Great Dao raised its hands high, revealing a world. Shockingly, the world was disintegrating between its hands.

At the same time, the chaotic world where Ye Guan was located at the moment started burning away like a piece of paper.

However, Emperor Tian Zhao was unfazed when faced with the Supreme Great Dao's fury. He took a step forward, and a golden light emanated from his feet, spreading outward in an instant.

The chaotic world was engulfed by the golden light.

He was forcibly resisting the Great Dao Evolution!

After a brief silence, a dragon's roar suddenly erupted from within the chaotic world. Soon, the chaotic world began to fade away.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the chaotic world shattered, and a streak of golden light shot out from within—it was Emperor Tian Zhao.

Ye Guan was right beside him, and he was in a dire condition. The Great Dao Evolution had intensified the power of the Evil Dao seal, and his willpower could no longer fight it.

However, Ye Guan was still desperately holding on.

Although Emperor Tian Zhao had taken Ye Guan out of the chaotic world, even he himself had become blurrier. He wasn't in his true form, so fighting directly with the Supreme Great Dao was difficult for him.

The Supreme Great Dao looked on with a dark face when he saw that Emperor Tian Zhao had brought Ye Guan out of the chaotic world.

"You Dao Defiers should all die."

The Supreme Great Dao trembled and transformed into a vast Dao river that swept toward Emperor Tian Zhao like a massive tidal wave. The power of the Great Dao surged forward.

the heavens and the earth began to disintegrate.

Emperor Tian Zhao took a step forward and pointed at the tsunami. A golden light surged from his fingertips and transformed into a massive golden shield in front of him.

Boom!

The Supreme Great Dao crashed into the golden shield. The shield shattered instantly, and terrifying shockwaves exploded outward, sweeping across the surroundings.

Emperor Tian Zhao's figure became even blurrier.

In stark contrast, the Supreme Great Dao's aura grew increasingly powerful. Moreover, the Supreme Great Dao could draw on an endless supply of power, as it was within its territory.

Within its domain, it was invincible, unless one had the power to obliterate a Tier Nine Civilization.

The Supreme Great Dao loomed over Emperor Tian Zhao, looking down on him.

"Let's see how long you can hold out," it said. Then, it trembled and created a chaotic world, forcefully pulling Emperor Tian Zhao into it.

Upon entering the chaotic world, Emperor Tian Zhao furrowed his brows. In his current state, his power was less than a tenth of his true form. He wasn't even a clone; he was just a phantom—an illusion!

Before he could think any further, a terrifying wave of energy swept toward him. He spread his right hand and pressed down. Waves of golden dragon energy erupted from him, sweeping outward like a raging tidal wave in an attempt to shatter the chaotic world.

Just then, a myriad of star fields manifested around him.

Boom!

A deafening explosion resounded as the chaotic world turned pitch-black.

A world had imploded!

The golden dragon energy vanished into nothingness, and the chaotic world was consumed by darkness.

Tian Chen turned pale at the side.

The Founding Ancestor died just like that?

Just then, a dragon's roar suddenly echoed from the pitch-black void. Moments later, a golden light manifested. Almost immediately afterward, an illusory hand struck down, extinguishing the golden light.

"Stall!" A faint voice drifted out from the void. It was Emperor Tian Zhao's voice.

Stall?

The experts of the Heavenly Tomb Empire were stunned. They understood what Emperor Tian Zhao was trying to say. He was instructing them to hold the enemy off.

But the problem was how they were going to do that?

The Supreme Great Dao was overwhelmingly powerful.

Tian Chen clenched his fists, and a hint of ferocity flashed in his eyes, but it was soon replaced by helplessness. The ancestral dragon energy had returned to him, but his dantian was shattered. He no longer had a cultivation base.

He was powerless.

Even if he were at his peak, he would still stand no chance against the Supreme Great Dao.

Just then, Tian Xing suddenly grabbed Tian Chen and turned to flee.

Tian Chen was completely bewildered.

Soon, Tian Xing dragged him in front of a great hall. The hall had already been destroyed, but there were still twenty-three ancestral plaques within it.

They were forged from special materials and reinforced with formations, making them incredibly durable. They represented the ancestors of the Heavenly Tomb Empire across generations!

Tian Xing immediately pulled Tian Chen down to kneel before them. He kowtowed deeply and respectfully said, "Honored ancestors! The Heavenly Tomb Empire is facing a great calamity. Please manifest and aid us!"

The twenty-three ancestral plaques remained motionless.

Tian Xing quickly turned to Tian Chen. "You do it! Hurry!"

Tian Chen hesitated briefly before kowtowing solemnly. "Honored ancestors! The Heavenly Tomb Empire is facing a great calamity. Please manifest and aid us!"

There was no response.

Boom!

All of a sudden, the twenty-three ancestral plaques within the Ancestral Hall trembled violently, and twenty-three beams of golden light shot into the sky.

Every single ancestor had responded to Tian Chen's call!

Tian Xing kneeling beside Tian Chen watched this scene unfold with a complicated light in his eyes. Then, a bitter smile tugged at the corner of his lips.