Shrouded in drifting mist, the sacred palace looked just like a place where the gods resided. It was immensely big and fully surrounded by streaming star rivers.

On the huge square at its front, there stood a mysterious and ancient bronze pillar engraved with dense dao runes and strands of taboo tribulation law power.

The loud, alarming cry had come from a fiery red Vermillion Bird with a handsome and divine appearance.

It had been practicing cultivation in this palace while also acting as the steward since time immemorial.

Today, the taboo tribulation law power coiling around the bronze pillar began to scatter a little and seemed spiritless as though they had lost all vitality!

This meant that the existence in charge of taboo tribulation on the other end of the cosmos had very likely run into trouble!

“Stupid creature, why are you making a ruckus?!” resounded a loud shout, along which a hundred-foot-tall figure emerged from thin air.

It was a young-looking man who had fair skin and eyes like deep abysses. His whole body radiated ripples of arcane dao light.

Beneath his feet were vaporizing clouds of lightning law power, which made him look like a fierce deity who came from Heaven.

Despite being a peerless, divine flying creature who would be deemed an unseen legend on the Ancient Nebula Road, the Vermillion Bird was shaking like a leaf as it prostrated on the ground when faced with the young man.

“Reporting to my Lord, the…the Taboo Pillar has just displayed a drastic change. The master who is in charge of the taboo tribulation power on the other end of the cosmos is most likely in trouble.”

Swish!

The youth's eyes were like lightning as they immediately locked onto the huge bronze pillar which was the Taboo Pillar. As long as this pillar stood tall, then the source of the taboo tribulation power would not dry up.

In that instant, the youth's pupils also shrunk with shock. “There are still people in that lowly, fallen place who can actually defeat Ninth Granduncle even when he wields the power of taboo tribulation?”

Thinking of this, the youth teleported into the palace behind the square.

“What?! People on the other side defeated Ninth Granduncle?”

“Looks like they’ve transcended the Emperor Ancestor Stage, which allowed them to have the power to break out of the cage.”

“That's impossible! The taboo tribulation lightning power our clan has at its disposal is sufficient to exterminate all heretics on that Ancient Nebula Road who dare to violate it! Combined with Ninth Granduncle's cultivation, it's possible for him to kill even experts above the Emperor Ancestor Stage.”

“Don't forget that before Ninth Granduncle traveled to that Ancient Nebula Road. Quite a few powerful characters not any weaker than him had emerged from that side.”

“Indeed, I also remember a fellow known as Sword Emperor Taixuan who was incredibly strong. As soon as he arrived in our world, he demonstrated astonishing might.”

“But…Ninth Granduncle has been in charge of the taboo tribulation lightning power covering the Ancient Nebula Road for tens of thousands of years already… How could he…be defeated now?”

All sorts of bewildered voices resounded inside the palace.

This was indeed a shocking turn of event that had caught everyone off guard!

The power of the taboo tribulation encasing the Ancient Nebula Road was under their clan’s control. Since it had been born from the taboo lightning origin, it was also known as the taboo tribulation lightning power.

Ninth Granduncle was a high-ranking elder of their clan, who had left hundreds of thousands of years ago to cross the cosmos and arrived at the Ancient Nebula Road.

He had brought with him the taboo tribulation lightning power to the other side of the cosmos, the place that they all regarded as a lowly and fallen realm.

No accidents had ever occurred during those long millenia.

Today, however, credible news came out that their Ninth Granduncle had fallen, leaving the taboo tribulation that had been under his control unchecked. How could the clansmen not be horrified?

Right in the midst of the uncertain atmosphere, an old voice came out from the depths of the palace, “What are you panicking for, has the sky fallen? It’s nothing more than a little change in the tiny Ancient Nebula Road. Why are you acting like it can shake the foundation of our clan?”

All the people in the great hall were silenced.

“Hmph, I actually want to see how many flies from the Ancient Nebula Road will come to our realm after this!” an ice-cold, ruthless voice broke the silence, causing the hearts of the people in the hall to tremble again.

“After I finish my secluded session in three months, I shall travel to the Ancient Nebula Road in person. The taboo tribulation power must not remain outside our control like this,” echoed a hoarse voice.

“Very well. Since Sixth Brother is taking action, we will learn who the murderer of our Ninth Brother is very quickly. I will only say this: this revenge must be repaid a thousand fold!”

“Well said. Executing the murderer alone is far from enough; their entire family must go down with them!”

On this day, the terrifying expert who was called Sixth Brother by this clan's old fossils and Sixth Granduncle by the descendants, had made a decision to set out for the Ancient Nebula Road three months later!

Apparently, Sixth Granduncle was going to be the next Nameless Esteemed Emperor that the golden cicada youth had mentioned!

On the huge platform surrounded by divine auras outside the palace, the Vermillion Bird was lying flat on the ground listlessly.

Staring fixedly at the Taboo Pillar, she whispered in her heart,

Miss, you must be careful on the Ancient Nebula Road… Do not let them capture and take you back…

……

On the Ancient Nebula Road.

One day had passed after the end of the heavenly showdown. News about it was sweeping like a hurricane through all the worlds, triggering major upheavals.

Countless people trembled in fear, and many were scared to half death.

During the entire game, forty-seven Emperor experts had fallen!

In the eyes of normal beings, the Emperor Stage was a realm of supreme lords who possessed the power to shake heavens and roam the void.

Yet, they had fallen into oblivion so easily in that heavenly game!

How could the nebula not be shaken by this?

Meanwhile, what truly terrified the great organizations about this was the death of those Emperor Ancestors!

Emperor Ancestor was a title for those who had mastered a dao path. This represented the most supreme power on the Ancient Nebula Road that utterly outshone that of the average Emperors.

Despite that, many Emperor Ancestors of Heaven and Earth, Primordial, Panwu, All-Demon Dao Courts as well as of the Great Ten Battle Clans and various Ancient, Primeval Imperial Clans had gone down one after another, leaving behind not even a shred of their souls!

Some people had made statistics and counted as many as twenty-three Emperor Ancestors who were known to have died!

This was an appalling number enough to drastically change the power structure of the entire nebula!

The great courts of Heaven and Earth, Primordial, and Panwu suffered the heaviest casualties. Since they had lost so many Emperor Ancestors, their shaky foundations would very likely send them into a dire situation.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“How can those wandering ghosts of Fangchun Mountain be so terrifying?” Many were astonished as the name Fangchun Mountain was etched in their memories.

In the ancient era, the Fangchun Mountain Lineage had been destroyed. Its base had crumbled, and its disciples had been hunted down everywhere while being contemptuously regarded as ‘remnants.’

In the past one hundred thousand years, any information on Fangchun Mountain had been almost wiped off.

Not even in their dreams had anyone expected that the long-destroyed dao lineage would display such horrifying power in an epic game of chess!

They had killed Emperors like cutting grass and executed Emperor Ancestors like slaughtering chickens!

This completely overturned people's perceptions and imaginations.

For a time, discussions on Combat Emperor, Ruo Su, Li Xuanwei, Pu Zhen, Xue Ya, Blazing Jun, and the other members of Fangchun Mountain were making clamors in every corner of every world, and it only intensified with time.

For behemoths like the Great Six Courts and Great Ten Battle Clans, there was only one thing that truly sent chills down their spines – the Nameless Esteemed Emperor had also been defeated by Fangchun Mountain!

This was like horrible news that prevented them from carrying on with their daily lives. They were in constant fear that the winner of the game, Fangchun Mountain disciples, would proceed to come and trample down their doors.

Even though such a thing never happened as those disciples had already left for the other side of the cosmos, the taste of panic and despair was still imprinted on the hearts of those major powers like a shadow.

Similarly, the news about the taboo tribulation power losing its controller and the reappearance of the path to the other side of the cosmos also spread and caused an uproar.

The shackles that had bound down the Ancient Nebula Road for countless years had been broken, revealing the hope of reaching the other side. This was a sky-shattering change!

Indeed, for all beings in the nebula, the heavenly game of chess was the same in nature as the primeval Dao War of Ten Directions and the ancient Dao War of Emperors.

The only difference was that this time, it was Fangchun Mountain who had won!

Without the control of the Nameless Esteemed Emperor, the prison of taboo tribulation had opened up and caused the entire world to change.

“After this change…what kind of turmoil and calamity will come to this Ancient Nebula Road next.” The older generations were generally worried.

“This Ancient Nebula Road has witnessed a shocking change every one hundred thousand years, and this time is no exception. Now that the Emperors have journeyed to the other side of the cosmos, I wonder who here will be able to take the lead and make a splash.” Some were satisfied, thinking that this shocking change would lead to a new power structure!

In particular, the departure of many Emperor and Emperor Ancestor veterans one after another was tantamount to a sharp decrease in forces to feel deterred or apprehensive about!

To many organizations and experts, this meant an opportunity to go up!

In the vast nebula full of variables, who would rise and dominate?

Countless people kept a tight watch in either anxiety, anticipation, or secret preparedness.

In Mythical Huang Dao Court, Sect Master Taishu Hong's brows furrowed with worry.

Mythical Huang Dao Court had stayed out of the heavenly game and suffered no damage. Thus, it had suddenly become the most prosperous and powerful one among the great powers.

However, only Taishu Hong knew that the current situation was still full of uncertainties.

One instance was the matter with the Nameless Esteemed Emperor. Now that this one had been defeated, when would the next appear, and what would become of the Ancient Nebula Road?