Chapter 1801: Killing Ziwei

“Nothing is impossible.”

Ye Qing slowly raised his hand while the Earthly Sovereign Bell floated above his palm and buzzed out a clear, melodious chime. “Today is the day the Purple Star falls!”

“The arrogance!” Ziwei Emperor roared as the starlight surrounding his body swelled like never before. He mustered all of his power and attacked Ye Qing once more.

Fearless, Ye Qing wielded the Earthly Sovereign Bell and met him at the center.

And so the duo fought an earthshaking war inside the Purple Star Imperial Palace.

Every punch struck flesh, and every move was deadly. Each time they clashed, terrifying energy shockwaves would wash out and shake the surrounding stars like fruits.

Although Ye Qing managed to forcefully increase his power to the third level of the Sage-stage by consuming the immortal peach, it was ultimately not his power. Not only that, its corruptive qi was severely corrupting his mind.

As time passed, the immortal peach’s power began to wane, but the backlash from the corruption was only getting stronger.

Right now, Ye Qing felt like he was walking on a knife’s edge or treading on thin ice. One misstep, and he would be consumed by the corruption and transformed into a walking corpse.

However, he could not retreat.

Feng Qingyou and White Robe Demon Master were behind him, so he must win. Only by killing Ziwei Emperor could he protect them!

Ye Qing bit his tongue to keep his mind clear and continued to fight while keeping the corruption at bay. At the same time, he mustered his energy to the max.

The Profound Yellow Heaven of Freedom cycled wildly, the Earthly Sovereign Bell vibrated non-stop, and the fist intent of Annihilation Hammer was utilized like never before.

BOOM—!

Yet again there was a deafening impact, and this time both Ye Qing and Ziwei Emperor were blown back while blood spilled out of his lips.

Staggering, Ye Qing dropped to one knee when he landed on the ground. His complexion was as pale as a sheet, and tendrils of black blood trickled down the corners of his mouth. It was a sign of the corruption’s advance.

Ziwei Emperor did not look much better. The fist imprint the Earthly Sovereign Bell had left on his chest was still spreading. His starlight was dim, and his aura was weak. He was obviously seriously injured.

“Again...”

Ye Qing did not know how much longer he could endure. He could only force himself to get up and throw more Annihilation Hammers at his enemy. Each punch was faster and stronger than the last, and every punch sought to end Ziwei Emperor where he stood.

Ziwei Emperor had no choice but to be pushed back by the torrent of Annihilation Hammers. His shield of starlight looked like it might falter at any moment.

“Earthly Sovereign Bell!” Seizing his chance, Ye Qing produced the Earthly Sovereign Bell.

Thump!

A bell chime rang, ancient and echoing throughout the cosmos.

The Earthly Sovereign Bell unleashed a sun’s worth of profound light. They combined into a golden flood before crashing down on top of Ziwei Emperor.

The Earthly Sovereign Bell possessed the power to suppress all heavens and restrict all arts. Wherever the chime traveled, time, space, and all things came to a standstill.

Even a terrible entity like Ziwei Emperor had abruptly slowed down like he was wading through a quagmire. Movement became extremely difficult to him.

The flood of profound light had engulfed him completely.

“Argh...”

Ziwei Emperor let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain and despair.

The Earthly Sovereign Bell’s suppressive power was terrifying to say the least. Not even Ziwei Emperor could withstand it without trouble.

When his shield of starlight collapsed completely, the flood of profound light struck his body squarely.

The next moment, Ziwei Emperor’s body shattered inch by inch like porcelain. It eventually disintegrated into powder and disappeared into the void.

Ye Qing let out a long, murky breath. Then, he put away the Earthly Sovereign Bell and looked around him.

The Purple Star Imperial Palace was an absolute mess right now. Walls had fallen, starlight was dim, and destruction and desolation were everywhere.

He didn’t know if Ziwei Emperor was dead yet, but the crisis was temporarily resolved.

Ye Qing’s complexion didn’t look good though.

The power of the imperial peach was astounding, but the corruption it contained and the backlash it unleashed were just as scary.

Already, the corruption was beginning to rampage inside his body. It was eroding his flesh and contaminating his mind.

Terrible pain assaulted his senses once more, and it was more intense and painful than ever before.

“Pwack!”

Unable to hold it in any longer, Ye Qing abruptly spat out a mouthful of black blood. He staggered on his feet as his aura plummeted like crazy.

In fact, his cultivation level was plummeting as well.

Know The Way...

Abode...

Ascension...

In just the blink of an eye, he had fallen all the way to the Ascension level.

As if that wasn’t enough, the corruption was still invading his mind. Already, his consciousness was starting to grow blurry.

“Joyless!” Feng Qingyou exclaimed in shock as she rushed over to his side and caught him. Her usually cool eyes were full of worry.

White Robe Demon Master and the rest of the Sages surrounded him with grave expressions as well.

“I... I’m fine...” Ye Qing forced himself to say, though his listless voice sounded anything but convincing.

Before he could finish, the entire Nine Glory Purple Star Heaven started shaking violently.

Crack... crack...

Cracks started appearing in the surrounding void. It looked like a shattering mirror, and it was horrifying to say the least.

The Nine Glory Purple Star Heaven was breaking apart!

Chaotic streams of space began flooding in from every direction. Like rampaging dragons, they devoured and ripped everything apart.

“This is bad. We need to leave, now!” Elder Furnace cried out in shock and terror.

However, the chaotic streams had already cut off all of their escape paths before they knew it. There was simply nowhere for them to escape.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The group was in despair when suddenly, a beam of light shot out from the depths of the void and enveloped them instantly.

The light was warm and gentle. It also dispelled the violent energies of the chaotic streams of space. It whisked them away from the shattering Nine Glory Purple Star Heaven instantly.

An indefinite amount of time later, Ye Qing slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was puffs of purple qi and celestial mist.

Celestial cranes were flying, spiritual beasts were crying, and extraordinary flora were engaging each other in a competition of life.

The air was filled with a refreshing scent. It cleared the mind and soothed the body.

Several grand and luxurious palaces and towers could be seen in the distance. They looked like buildings fit only for gods and celestials.

At the farthest end of his vision, he saw a floating island where purple qi was pouring endlessly down the edges like waterfalls. It looked fantastical and dreamlike.

There were ancient trees that scratched the sky, clear streams and waterfalls, and ephemeral curtains of celestial qi on that island. It looked like paradise.

He could even hear melodious bell chimes when a breeze blew across the area. It was soothing to the ear and refreshing to the heart.

The joy of having survived a fatal crisis and the shock at suddenly being inside a celestial paradise blended together into an indescribable kaleidoscope of emotions. They burst out like a river that had just unfrozen itself during spring and washed away everyone’s fatigue and terror.

The relief that followed was absolute. They did not feel the need to be on their guard whatsoever. Like an infant lying in their mother’s embrace, all they felt was safety, warm, tranquility, and calm.

“Where... Where are we?” Elder Furnace looked around, flabbergasted. “Did... did we escape the Nine Glory Purple Star Heaven?”

“We have.” Feng Qingyou nodded. A hint of relief had crept into her cool voice.

“The ambient spiritual energies of this place are incredibly rich!” Ye Qing sucked in a deep breath of sweet, refreshing air. He felt it dispelling the corruptive qi plaguing his insides and washing away his fatigue completely. Not only that, the air contained some sort of mysterious energy that repaired his wounded body and mind as well.

The group was still confused when a bright, clear voice resounded beside their ears. “Welcome to the Taiqing Daode Heaven, Dao Friends.”

The voice was warm and kind like a gust of spring wind. It put them all at ease.

When the group traced the source of the voice, they saw a figure slowly stepping out of a purple bamboo forest.