Chapter 881: Slaying the Heavens

Yu Fuli's triumphant laughter reverberated across the world, stirring up indescribable fervor within every living soul.

"Yu Fuli pinpointed the heavens' main body? Was his earlier show of weakness merely a ploy? Excellent strategy," the Superior murmured.

More and more heart specters continued to surge into the Sieve of Heaven, but everyone now knew that they were unable to do anything against him.

Indeed, golden light burst forth from the Sieve of Heaven with a thunderous roar. The incoming heart specters were repelled by the light and scattered in all directions. Golden brilliance burned through them, reducing many to ashes amidst agonized wails.

"Wonderful!" shouted countless spectators, exhilarated by Yu Fuli's reserves of strength.

They were overwhelmed by his sudden victories.

At that moment, a new celestial body emerged from the Sieve of Heaven, a blazing radiant sun. It shone with blinding light as it incinerated the remaining heart specters with its fiery rays.

"What's this moonlight? No, this is sunlight! What sort of technique is this?" The heavens' voice carried an uncharacteristic note of surprise.

The radiant sun ascended alongside the violet moon. Their combined light radiated across earth and sky alike, reigniting hope in the hearts of all.

Yu Fuli's voice rang out once again. "Rulers and Immortal Emperors, hear my decree! Lend me all the fortune your empires possess!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

In Yongding, Xiao Nanfeng's avatar proclaimed, "Let the fortune of Dazheng be given to the Imperial Court for the Heavenly Emperor's use!"

In Shenfeng's capital, the Divine Emperor proclaimed, "Let the fortune of Shenfeng be given to the Imperial Court for the Heavenly Emperor's use!"

In Dajing's capital, Liu Miaoyin proclaimed, "Let the fortune of Dajing be given to the Imperial Court for the Heavenly Emperor's use!"

Similar pronouncements echoed across the world. Everyone watched expectantly, hopeful for the Heavenly Emperor's victory.

The empires' fortune surged toward the Imperial Court.

Before long, the influx was complete. A deafening dragon's roar reverberated through the skies.

"Heavens, you've had your turn. Now, it's mine!" Yu Fuli proclaimed.

A powerful wind arose as energy gathered at the Sieve of Heaven from all directions, forming a colossal eidolon so massive it could be seen across the world.

It was Yu Fuli's eidolon, an embodiment of his might. The purple moon became its right eye, and the blazing sun its left eye.

The hand of the world became its right hand, and the skeletal hand of his Jade Emperor's Frame became its left hand.

Yu Fuli's eidolon beheld the sun and moon, and its hands took on the very fabric of the heavens. It stood astride earth and sky, radiating an invincible majesty that matched the heavens' overwhelming presence.

The heart specters swarmed and clawed at Yu Fuli's eidolon, but were powerless against it.

"A chaotic body?" the heavens exclaimed, astonished.

"Indeed, a chaotic body. On behalf of this realm, I shall reclaim the dignity of the world, annihilate the heavens, and erase the shame of ages past. Now, die!" Yu Fuli roared.

Yu Fuli's eidolon shot into the air, its colossal hands forcing the heavens back. With a thunderous crash, it caused countless clouds to dissipate as it forced the heavens' enormous face back into the void.

In an instant, Yu Fuli's eidolon, the heavens' face, the colossal hands, the heart specters, and the heart swords all vanished.

The world fell eerily silent, save for the darkened skies that bore witness to the heavens' invasion.

"Where did they go?" someone asked, bewildered.

"Perhaps the Heavenly Emperor forced the heavens' presence into the void to prevent collateral damage to the world."

"No, I think the Heavenly Emperor must have found the heavens' true body and is pursuing it to finish the battle there."

"Whatever the reason, this battle will decide everything. The Heavenly Emperor will surely emerge victorious!"

"The Heavenly Emperor will surely emerge victorious!"

Despite their analyses, there simply was too little information to figure out what was going on.

All people could do was wait in anticipation.

Dark clouds covered the sky, occluding sight of any celestial battle that might be taking place. Some cultivators flew into the clouds, only to find a golden membrane that covered the world.

"The Heavenly Emperor must have left it in place for the good of the world. Don't try to break out of it, lest you distract the Heavenly Emperor!" someone shouted.

Surprisingly enough, that shout spread throughout the world, causing those who attempted to bypass the barrier to stop what they were doing.

No one dared to distract the Heavenly Emperor. Even if any saints dared to appear now, the whole world would rise up against them.

Time passed little by little as everyone waited impatiently.

The wait lasted an entire day.

Then, a beam of golden light pierced through the clouds and descended onto the Sieve of Heaven with a resounding boom.

"Is that the Heavenly Emperor?" many exclaimed in shock.

"To the Sieve of Heaven! Hurry!" someone cried out.

Countless strong cultivators rushed toward the Sieve of Heaven, eager to discover what had happened.

Xiao Nanfeng joined them.

When they arrived, they found the Sieve of Heaven in ruins. Once-majestic floating islands had fallen to pieces, mountains had collapsed, rivers had run dry, and the land was fractured.

Mt. Kunlun was relatively intact, but the Heavenly Palace was largely ruined.

Perhaps this had been caused by the invasion of the heart specters, or because Yu Fuli had extracted all the power from his Sieve of Heaven, leaving it with no reserves of energy.

Countless cultivators rushed toward the remains of the Heavenly Palace.

A single golden throne stood intact amidst the wreckage. Seated upon it was Yu Fuli, though his form was faint and ethereal, like a fragile spirit on the verge of vanishing.

The sight struck fear into the hearts of the assembled warriors. Had he been defeated?

"We greet the Heavenly Emperor!" the crowd chorused from a distance. Even the most powerful emperors and hierarchs treated Yu Fuli with the utmost respect.

Yu Fuli was the undisputed hegemon of this era, who had gone against the heavens for the good of the world. The whole world had seen him serve as vanguard against the devastating forces of the heavens.

Yu Fuli didn't speak. He glanced up at the dark clouds in the sky, a serious look on his face.

Xiao Nanfeng stood among the crowd, glancing worriedly at Yu Fuli.

"Senior, how's the Heavenly Emperor doing?" Xiao Nanfeng asked his spiritual moon.

The Superior paused for a moment. "He's dead."

"What?" Xiao Nanfeng gasped.

"This is merely a sliver of his truesoul, a fragment of his consciousness that has returned to the world," the Superior said.

Xiao Nanfeng blanched. The weight of this revelation left him reeling.

Though everyone was confused and concerned about what was going on, no one dared to interrupt Yu Fuli.

After four hours, as more and more cultivators gathered around the Heavenly Palace, Yu Fuli finally turned to them all.

He surveyed the gathered cultivators and smiled. "I'm not in the best of shape right now. Who among you can help me amplify my voice to the world? I have something to say."

"Allow me to help, Your Majesty!"

"Allow me to help, Your Majesty!"

Numerous cultivators stepped forward to offer their assistance.

Yu Fuli nodded, then began, "People of the world, this is Yu Fuli. The battle against the heavens has just ended."

His voice, carried by a mysterious power facilitated by the supreme cultivators of the world, resounded across the continents.

All eyes turned to the heavens, filled with a mix of hope and dread.

"I bring both good news and bad news."

The world listened in silence.

"The good news is this: after a grueling fight, at the cost of my life, I succeeded in slaying the heavens."

"What?" Gasps of disbelief rippled through the crowd, followed by an eruption of jubilant cheers.

Liu Miaoyin, the Divine Emperor, and the cursed kings across the world, former hegemons of their own era, glanced up at the sky in shock. They had hoped that Yu Fuli would deeply wound the heavens and render it incapable of doing anything for some time; that Yu Fuli had slain it was beyond their wildest imaginations.

Yu Fuli would hardly joke about such matters. If he claimed that he had done so, then he surely must have.

"Are the heavens truly dead...?" Countless cultivators felt certain that they were in a dream.

In the depths of the world, the saints shuddered in fright. They knew that Yu Fuli boasted overwhelming strength, to the point that they were forced to cower in the darkness throughout the era, but even they didn't anticipate that he would be strong enough to take on the heavens. Was he truly a mortal?

The monarchs who had been tempted by the saints shivered as they thought of what a calamitous mistake they had almost made. It was only thanks to the Covenant of All Under the Heavens that they were now safe.

"Long live the Heavenly Emperor! The Heavenly Emperor is invincible!" cheered cultivators all across the world.

They wouldn't have to die. They wouldn't have to die!

After the initial elation, Yu Fuli continued, "Now, the bad news."

The world fell silent once more.

"Before the heavens perished, they left a message behind: 'Next time, your celestial realm will be destroyed.'"

"What? Next time?"

The ominous proclamation chilled everyone to the core.

"I have three possible interpretations. First, like cursed effigies, the heavens may revive after their death."

Everyone gasped. Could the heavens truly revive? If that were the case, they would be done for. From the looks of it, Yu Fuli wouldn't be around to save them a second time.

"If that happens, I trust you will unite to defeat it again," Yu Fuli said. "If it could be killed a first time, then it can be killed a second time as well."

Everyone braced themselves for the possibility. There was solace in Yu Fuli's reassurance. If Yu Fuli had been able to do it, they who were hegemons of their respective eras ought to be able to succeed as well.

"My second interpretation: the heavens have an avatar. This is essentially equivalent to the first interpretation. At any rate, you will all have to work hard together," Yu Fuli said.

The supreme cultivators nodded. The first interpretation was more frightening than this second one.

"The third, and most concerning interpretation, is the possibility that the heavens are not a singular entity, but rather a collective."