Chapter 1345: The Might Of Great Destruction (1)

"Interesting." The golden-robed figure's lips curved into a faint smile as he sensed the formidable will emanating from Wu Yuan.

This encounter had been a long time coming. Wu Yuan exhibited no fear, only excitement, and even eagerness in his stance and gaze.

"Saint Yuan, you dare remain arrogant before the Heavenly Imperator? Surrender the Xuanhuang Dao Treasure at once!" Imperial Majesty Nan Guang roared from atop the golden light, his voice sharp with anger.

Wu Yuan's cold glance cut through the void. "Nan Guang? I'm speaking with the Heavenly Imperator. What right do you have to interrupt? Have you forgotten your crushing defeat at my hands? Do you truly believe Ming Jian and I couldn't end your existence?"

"You..." Imperial Majesty Nan Guang's teeth ground together, hatred flickering in his eyes. He had indeed been thoroughly defeated by them.

During that battle, he'd sensed that Dao Zenithel Ming Jian was holding back, not fighting with his full power. Otherwise, escape would have been impossible. Now, with Wu Yuan wielding another offensive Xuanhuang Dao Treasure, his might would only have grown more terrifying.

As Nan Guang prepared to retort, the Heavenly Imperator turned, giving him a slight, silencing head-shake. Nan Guang immediately fell silent, lowering his gaze in deference.

"Saint Yuan, there's no need to quarrel with Nan Guang." The Heavenly Imperator's voice resonated through the void, cool and detached. "I hear Dao Zenithel Ming Jian accompanies you. Why don’t you both show yourselves?"

Though the Heavenly Imperator made no overt attempt to intimidate, his aura projected inherent dominance. Its destructive, corrosive nature made one's heart tremble involuntarily, as if he embodied annihilation itself.

"Very well." Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

A white-robed figure materialized beside Wu Yuan, his presence ethereal. His calm gaze settled on the Heavenly Imperator.

"Oh?" The Heavenly Imperator's eyes flickered with light upon seeing the white-robed figure, as if discovering something remarkable. "Dao Zenithel Ming Jian... Saint Yuan... Impressive indeed! You have my admiration!"

He said nothing more, as though content merely to observe Dao Zenithel Ming Jian in person.

Wu Yuan's pupils constricted as numerous thoughts raced through his mind.

Did the Heavenly Imperator find something noteworthy about Dao Zenithel Ming Jian?

Nan Guang wondered silently.

"Saint Yuan," the Heavenly Imperator said with a measured smile. "I have no wish to make things difficult. However, this Realm of Destruction belongs to my Immortal Court...Surely Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu informed you of this?"

"She did not." Wu Yuan's denial was swift and decisive.

He couldn't be certain if Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu had any agreement with the Heavenly Imperator, but he truly hadn't been told. Besides, even if he had known, what difference would it have made? When it came to a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure and becoming an Original Sword Archon, giving up was unthinkable. He made no promises to anyone.

"Fine." The Heavenly Imperator nodded. "You seized the Saber of Oblivion, but understand that Nan Guang spent countless ages searching for this artifact. He detected it first, yet you took it by force..."

Wu Yuan frowned, cutting him off. "Heavenly Imperator, save your words. If you want this artifact, you'll need to kill me first. If you're unwilling to fight, Ming Jian and I will depart."

Wu Yuan's gaze burned intensely as he stared at the Heavenly Imperator.

He hadn't fled immediately for two critical reasons. First, the Heavenly Imperator demonstrated far superior speed to him; fleeing would only delay the inevitable confrontation. Second, he yearned to witness the Heavenly Imperator's strength firsthand.

Throughout his long cultivation journey, Wu Yuan had heard endless legends of Hong, the founder of Frostheaven Peak, the Origin Saint, the Azure Saint, and other Grand Supremes...but those existences belonged to bygone eras.

In this age, it was the Heavenly Imperator who dominated the cosmic sea. Wu Yuan had grown up hearing tales of his exploits: born human, yet at the helm of the Immortal Court's rise, becoming the Eldritch Court's great nemesis until he stood supreme over the entire cosmic sea. Truly a legend.

"Good." The Heavenly Imperator's faint smile returned. "Saint Yuan, I have no desire to be your enemy. However, I sense your eagerness. Just as you're curious about my Dao, I'm curious about yours.

"So, I hope you won't disappoint me."

Before his words faded, an explosion of pure golden light erupted silently with the Heavenly Imperator at its core. This golden radiance devoured everything—lightning bolts, wisps of black mist, even spacetime itself, transforming all into more golden light.

Trillions of li of spacetime transformed into a world of golden brilliance, enveloping all visible realms and closing in on Wu Yuan.

Hiss~

Infinite golden light attempted to invade Wu Yuan from all directions but was barely held at bay by his Chiaroscuro Domain.

After years of cultivation, Wu Yuan's domain, empowered by his immensely powerful ether, had reached astonishing levels of might. Yet the Chiaroscuro Domain that easily suppressed Imperial Majesty Nan Guang could only control a radius of a hundred thousand li.

"You can withstand the pressure of my Dao." The Heavenly Imperator's lips curved upward. "Within the Realm of Destruction, you're the second to accomplish this."

The second? The first must have been Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu. This meant Great Emperor Yan Tuo, who had also faced the Heavenly Imperator here, had been directly crushed by this move.

The pressure of his Dao?

Wu Yuan's heart raced.

Has the Heavenly Imperator not even imbued mana into this technique?

Through the endless golden light, Wu Yuan glimpsed the Heavenly Imperator's Dao. It was destruction in its purest form, without even a trace of impurity. It caused one's heart to tremble, domineering yet not evoking malevolence.

Such pure destruction should, by all rights, instinctively repulse people, inspiring fear. Yet the Heavenly Imperator's Dao created the illusion that "destroying everything is righteous", that destruction was the true path.

This sensation was something even Great Destruction within the Primordium couldn't instill.

The Heavenly Imperator's Dao of Destruction has faintly surpassed the Primordium, truly embodying a Grand Supreme's Dao.

Wu Yuan realized.

This reminded him of the Dao imprint of the young Heavenly Imperator he'd witnessed as a sempiternal lifeform. Back then, the Heavenly Imperator's Dao remained confined within the Primordial Rules. Now, he had not only embraced the Primordium's destructive aspect but subtly transcended it.

"Withstand three of my moves," the Heavenly Imperator stated calmly. "If you easily endure them all, it proves I cannot kill you, and I will let you leave."

"Three moves?" Wu Yuan's voice turned glacial. "Even if you unleashed thirty thousand, I could block them all. Heavenly Imperator, set aside your arrogance."

The Heavenly Imperator merely smiled, saying nothing more.

In a fluid motion, he stepped forward, instantly growing to hundreds of millions of li tall, sprouting nine arms. Nine identical divine swords appeared in his hands, each one golden and emanating a terrifying aura.

"These nine divine swords were born from my Eternal Realm's essence, nurtured by the Immortal Court Universe itself," the Heavenly Imperator explained. "Each represents the pinnacle of Chaos Treasures."

"When I faced Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu, I had forged only eight of the same source. Now, I have nine." His smile widened. "You are the first to witness this."

Nurtured by the Immortal Court Universe?

Wu Yuan's pupils constricted.

The legendary Heavenly Imperator Swords... and a ninth has been forged?

The Eldritch Court's intelligence records detailed the Heavenly Imperator's weapons. The Imperator Mountain was a Xuanhuang Dao Treasure with both offensive and defensive capabilities. Besides this, the Heavenly Imperator wielded eight Heavenly Imperator Swords, all from the same source.

These eight swords, each rated at the pinnacle of Chaos Treasures, formed an offensive artifact set second only to Xuanhuang Dao Treasures when combined. With the Imperator Mountain, they had earned the Heavenly Imperator his reputation for possessing the highest attack power in the endless cosmic sea, something even Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu couldn't match.

Wu Yuan never imagined that, unknown to all, the Heavenly Imperator had nurtured a ninth sword. Nine divine swords of the same source, each at the limit of Chaos Treasures? Their combined power would be unimaginable, likely rivaling Xuanhuang Dao Treasures.

The Heavenly Imperator moved, his nine arms wielding nine divine swords simultaneously. The swords emitted a mysterious fluctuation, frantically devouring the surrounding golden light.

With a rumble, the golden light that had enveloped heaven and earth vanished into the nine divine swords in a single moment.

Though the golden light dissipated, its pressure remained. Trillions of li of spacetime transformed into pure darkness. Only the Heavenly Imperator and his divine swords remained visible, their golden forms dazzling against the void, as if they had become overlords of infinite darkness.

Wu Yuan, standing distant in the void, appeared frozen in shock.

...

Has the Heavenly Imperator’s Dao grown even more powerful?

Imperial Majesty Nan Guang thought in awe.

This Dao Intent seems far too perfect.

He had witnessed the Heavenly Imperator in action many times. In the past, the Heavenly Imperator occasionally unleashed power greater than this, but that was only when wielding the Imperator Mountain at full strength. Now? With just nine Chaos Treasure divine swords, he possessed the power to annihilate everything.

Can Saint Yuan withstand this? Will Dao Zenithel Ming Jian intervene?

Nan Guang pondered, eyes fixed on Ming Jian. If Dao Zenithel Ming Jian stepped in, he too would join the battle. A Full Dao Zenithel had the power to influence battles at the level of beings like Heavenly Imperator and Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Saint Yuan?

Imperial Majesty Nan Guang suddenly started, staring in shock.

...

The Heavenly Imperator struck. Nine dazzling golden rays erupted, instantly surging to a hundred thousand times the speed of light and faster still. In a moment, the nine golden rays permeated infinite spacetime, multiplying from nine into countless beams, encompassing past, present, and future. All of spacetime and possibility fell under the golden rays rushing toward Wu Yuan.

There’s nowhere to escape.

Wu Yuan realized instantly.

Even if I retreat, I'd still be hit, and my Dao Heart would be suppressed instead.

At their level, combat was no longer a simple clash of power but a confrontation of self-created Daos. Only the strongest will, the fiercest resolve, could persevere till the end.

It may look like trillions of sword lights, but in truth, there is only one.

Wu Yuan's Dao cultivation had reached such heights that while he couldn't avoid the attack, he could discern its core principles.

In that instant, Wu Yuan moved, swinging the Saber of Oblivion alongside eight other Chaos Treasure battle sabers.

Nine dazzling blade rays instantly merged to form a single, terrifying blade ray, cleaving directly toward the sky full of golden sword silhouettes. Black and white intertwined, destruction and creation coexisting.

Ultimate technique, eighth move—The Primordium In A Thought.

Silently, countless golden sword lights crashed into Wu Yuan's body. Only the single sword light hidden among the myriad golden lights, containing the most terrifying power, was blocked by Wu Yuan's strike.

Layer upon layer of golden light was extinguished as invisible spacetime ripples annihilated all light and darkness. Such terrifying aftershocks momentarily made it difficult for Imperial Majesty Nan Guang to perceive the profundities at the battle's core.

The clash between Wu Yuan and the Heavenly Imperator had clearly transcended the Full Dao Zenithel level, both approaching an even higher level.

Wu Yuan stood firm in the endless void, enduring the onslaught of countless golden lights without wavering. These golden rays were mere feints, utterly incapable of shaking one who possessed the Creation Origin Armor.

As the aftershocks subsided, Imperial Majesty Nan Guang stood astounded.

The Heavenly Imperator's ultimate move, unleashing all nine Heavenly Imperator Swords at once, yet he can't even suppress Saint Yuan?

His estimation of Wu Yuan rose dramatically. Wu Yuan had withstood this attack not through superior defense, but by truly matching it blow for blow.

In that moment, in Imperial Majesty Nan Guang's heart, Wu Yuan had thoroughly surpassed Great Emperor Yan Tuo.

Whether friend or foe, at their level, strength was strength and weakness was weakness. What they respected most was power! With great power, regardless of reason, was the currency of respect.