Chapter 460

Chapter 460: The Heavenly Emperor’s Transcendence (Part 2)

The moment his past self and present self appeared, a wave of irritation arose in Martial Emperor Lingxiao’s heart.

Had he been alone, with Li Ruoyu’s Innate Dao Body alongside the present and past selves, he would have been no match for Li Ruoyu.

"This enemy’s progress in strength is far too rapid," Martial Emperor Lingxiao said, his forehead creased in a frown.

Li Ruoyu remained calm and composed, his expression unchanged even if Mount Tai were to crumble before him.

Since he had discovered the creation of the Tianyuan and, following the example of the Mad Daoist, prepared two contingency measures, he had no further worries and could press forward courageously to attempt the strongest Transcendence Method.

Martial Emperor Lingxiao was nothing more than a clown in his eyes.

"Come!"

All three Li Ruoyus spoke. Their gaze, movements, and expression seemed perfect copies of each other.

"Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist!"

"All Laws Return to the Source!"

"Ultimate Great Luo Heaven!"

Simultaneously, the three Li Ruoyus unleashed their supreme divine abilities. The Great Dao of Reincarnation and the Great Dao of space roared into operation. Heaven and earth twisted, annihilating the primordial chaos as they met the Immortal Emperors head-on.

"Li Ruoyu, we have long grasped your weakness!"

Martial Emperor Lingxiao sneered. The thirty-three Great Daos erupted within his domain as he struck at Li Ruoyu’s Innate Dao Body. Thirty-three sword energies, like roaming dragons, shook heaven and earth, each one embodying a Great Dao.

Boom!

This sword strike fell upon the Ultimate Great Luo Heaven, instantly shattering Li Ruoyu’s spatial magic. It pierced through his chest with a single thrust.

"Perish!"

Martial Emperor Lingxiao snarled. Terrifying power exploded from the Lingxiao Sword, attempting to shred the Innate Dao Body.

"Master, you truly have presented us with an immense conundrum…" Li Ruoyu sighed.

The flaws in his divine abilities and techniques had been perceived by Martial Emperor Lingxiao. With the level of the Innate Dao Body’s cultivation, resisting was truly difficult.

Bang!

The Innate Dao Body shattered. The thirty-three Great Daos locked onto each piece of flesh, the surging sword energies determined to completely annihilate Li Ruoyu’s Innate Dao Body.

However, this Dao Body was forged from the Innate Dao Seed and the Ziwei Spirit Root, making it a treasured object in itself. Even the Lingxiao Sword could not obliterate the Innate Dao Body in a short time.

Bang!

The Immortal Daoist thrust his palms. The yin and yang Great Dao broke through the Six Paths of Reincarnation, exploding Li Ruoyu’s present self into fragments.

Gathering his magic power, he caused a pitch-black bronze coffin to fly forth from his Purple Palace.

"The Undying Heavenly Coffin?"

The eyes of the Immortal Emperors lit up.

The Undying Heavenly Coffin was a divine weapon ranked eighth on the divine weapons list, possessing astonishing might.

Boom!

Immortal Daoist prodded his divine weapon. The coffin lid flew open as a terrifying force of absorption surged forth, drawing Li Ruoyu’s present self into the Undying Heavenly Coffin, seeking to refine him.

Though the cultivation level of this present self fell short of Li Ruoyu’s true form and his Innate Dao Body, it still contained immense power comparable to that of an Immortal Emperor of Daoist Qing Xuan’s tier.

At that moment.

The sound of the zither, ethereal and faint, gradually became soothing and melodious, like a soft drizzle traversing the River of Time, piercing into Li Ruoyu’s past self’s Purple Palace.

Upon entering the mind, the zither sound transformed into towering sword qi, instantly fragmenting the Purple Palace. In a flash, the past self lost the bulk of its combat strength.

The past self and present self were both incarnations severed from the main body, lacking the support of potent primordial spirit power. The Qin Emperor exploited this weakness, employing a primordial spirit divine art to launch a fierce assault on the primordial spirit.

The strike proved effective.

"Your Majesty!"

Immortal Emperor Taisu cried out in alarm. The Five Innate Elements Divine Mountain abruptly soared, the Five Innate Elements Great Dao activating around him like a complete universe. In an instant, it crushed the Sword Master’s magnanimous sword qi.

But just then.

A colossal divine tree, vast enough to blot out the sky, descended. The Chaos Immortal Emperor held the divine tree aloft. With its roots anchored deep within the chaos, the Chaotic Tree ceaselessly drew upon the boundless power of chaos, its strength seemingly inexhaustible.

Bang!

The branches of the Chaotic Tree lashed out like sacred chains of the Great Dao, striking the Five Innate Elements Divine Mountain with brutal force. It nearly shattered the Five Innate Elements Great Dao and injured Immortal Emperor Taisu.

"What a splendid treasure!"

Sword Master said with envy.

"The Chaotic Tree?" Immortal Emperor Taisu’s eyes flickered. He recalled hearing from Li Ruoyu that the Chaotic Tree had been bought at great cost by the Chaos Immortal Emperor, but he hadn’t anticipated it being used against him.

It must be known, the Chaotic Tree was one of the nine great Spirit Roots, a treasure of the same supreme grade as the Five Innate Elements Divine Mountain.

The Chaos Immortal Emperor’s strength was superior to his own; wielding the Chaotic Tree was like adding wings to a tiger.

"You cannot save Li Ruoyu!"

The Chaos Immortal Emperor sneered coldly. "These Five Divine Mountains are also rare treasures. For them to remain in your hands is utter desecration. Deliver them to This Emperor as well!"

Boom!

The Chaos Immortal Emperor activated his Great Dao of Chaos. Billions of miles of surrounding chaos condensed within the palm of his hand.

He pressed his palm down, like a collapsing sky, sending Immortal Emperor Taisu hurtling into the deepest abyss of chaos.

Swish!

Sword Master pressed his advantage. He unleashed his Absolute Sword, drawing all the righteous energies of heaven and earth unto himself. His blade swept towards Immortal Emperor Taisu – a stroke without adornment, yet containing all variations and capable of subduing any change.

"Five Innate Celestial Domain!"

Immortal Emperor Taisu shouted fiercely. The five divine mountains aligned in a mystical pattern. The Great Daos of Taiyi, Taichu, Taishi, Taisu, and Tai Chi manifested like dragons, head to tail forming a circuit.

The space around him transformed into a miniature universe.

In that instant, Taisu became the Sovereign of the World.

Harnessing the power of the Five Innate Elements, he gently raised a pale hand. A palm strike deflected the Sword Master’s Absolute Sword and collided head-on with the Chaotic Tree.

KABOOM!

The Chaotic Tree was actually sent flying by that one palm.

"Thud!"

The tremendous impact sent violent tremors through the Emperor Taisu’s internal organs, his complexion instantly paling.

Born a deity from the Taishi Divine Mountain, he possessed innate sanctity yet remained shackled by the Great Dao of Taisu. This prevented his mastery of the Great Daos of Taiyi, Taichu, Taishi, and Tai Chi within any short span.

Here, he drew upon the inherent bond linking the Five Innate Elements Divine Mountain to barely unleash a fraction of its might.

He held sway over the Five Innate Elements Divine Mountain, yet command of the Five Innate Elements Great Dao eluded him—that remained the mountain’s profoundest essence.

Swoosh!

After repelling the Sword Master and Chaos Immortal Emperor with a single strike, Emperor Taisu soared toward Li Ruoyu. The Taiyi Divine Mountain tore free from his form, now swelling, now shrinking, brimming with infinite transformations as it hurtled toward Martial Emperor Lingxiao.

Wham!

Martial Emperor Lingxiao had fully dedicated his strength to suppressing Li Ruoyu’s Innate Dao Body. How could he foresee Emperor Taisu freeing a hand to assault him?

Caught off guard, he was flattened like meat paste.

"You dare ambush this Emperor?" bellowed the enraged Martial Emperor Lingxiao. Channeling his magic, his form gradually restored itself. He’d never regarded Emperor Taisu as noteworthy.

"You’re wounded?"

Freed from Martial Emperor Lingxiao’s thirty-three Great Daos suppression, Li Ruoyu’s Innate Dao Body slowly revived. Staring at Taisu, Li Ruoyu furrowed his brow.

"Sire, this place invites peril. We must depart!" declared Emperor Taisu.

Their adversaries had pierced their every weakness.

Remaining meant certain death.

Li Ruoyu shook his head.

Others remained ignorant, but his awareness was crystal clear.

His true self stood poised at the most critical juncture. Holding out just slightly longer would grant that self the opening to sever the future embodiment—achieving immediate transcendence.

Once transcendent, every threat would dissolve.

"This Emperor has awaited this moment for tens of millions of years. How could all effort now be abandoned?" Li Ruoyu stated solemnly.

Emperor Taisu’s elegant brows knitted tightly.

He understood Li Ruoyu’s reasoning.

If they retreated now, Li Ruoyu’s true self would inevitably face retribution.

Accumulation spanning tens of thousands of generations would flow away eastward.

"Daoist friend Heavenly Emperor, your past self and present self stand suppressed," snickered Immortal Daoist, dangling Li Ruoyu’s present self like an empty vessel. "Grant me this present self for refinement, and my own power shall ascend another tier."

The Qin Emperor alighted nearby, Li Ruoyu’s past self gripped in his grasp—equally soulless and lifeless.

"Daoist friend, your pursuit of transcendence we do not oppose," said the Qin Emperor lightly. "Yet your gravest error was plundering our ancestral grounds…slaughtering our brethren."

"This tribulation was destined. You shall not escape it."

"Hahaha…"

Li Ruoyu laughed heartily.

"It is indeed a destined calamity."

Since he was listed as number one on the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings, Li Ruoyu had long anticipated it.

Even if he hadn’t ravaged the six great universes, there would have likely been a human tribulation.

"Perish now."

Qin Emperor plucked the zither strings, and the zither music, like a gurgling stream, was pleasing yet directly targeted Li Ruoyu’s primordial spirit.

"If you want to destroy my primordial spirit, you’re not quite skilled enough!"

Li Ruoyu sneered, standing motionless and letting Qin Emperor act.

The primordial spirit divine ability attacked Li Ruoyu’s Purple Palace, but he remained unshaken.

"The Ziwei Spirit Root is truly remarkable."

Qin Emperor’s eyes gleamed brightly.

His Three Lives Zither contained three forces—past, present, and future—and specialized in attacking the primordial spirit, yet it couldn’t overcome Li Ruoyu’s Innate Dao Body, proving the potency of the Ziwei Spirit Root.

"Cut the nonsense."

Immortal Daoist activated the Undying Heavenly Coffin, and the dual paths of Yin and Yang, nimble as coiling dragons, assaulted Li Ruoyu.

At that moment.

Sword Master and Chaos Immortal Emperor arrived one after another.

Sixteen Immortal Emperors, including five elite powerhouses from the top ten of the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings.

"No need for words."

"Send him off to his death!"

The group gave Li Ruoyu no chance to catch his breath.

Without any surprise, he would be annihilated in an instant.

Li Ruoyu still showed not a hint of panic.

Instead, Immortal Emperor Taisu summoned the Five Innate Elements Divine Mountain, shielding himself and Li Ruoyu.

Bang!

In the blink of an eye.

A terrifying tremor emanated from Mu Fanyin’s direction.

Mu Fanyin held a command token covered in bronze rust, radiating a mystifying, ancient, and boundless aura as if it harbored a universe—deeply unfathomable.

"This… is this Heaven’s Machine Order?"

Yi Daoist’s face changed abruptly, and the Cosmic Chessboard instantly manifested. Its grid resembled time and space, with each chess piece exuding an Immortal Emperor-level presence.

Those pieces were forged from the primordial spirits of Immortal Emperors.

Ranked third on the divine weapons list, it lived up to its name.

Mu Fanyin activated Heaven’s Machine Order, and wondrous symbols fluttered out. They faintly coalesced into a vast domain, drawing all the Immortal Emperors into Heaven’s Machine Order’s power.

Between heaven and earth, countless threads crisscrossed endlessly.

That was the power of the Great Dao of cause and effect.

At that instant.

Everyone’s hearts raced with dread.

Their primordial spirits and physical bodies were wrapped in threads of causality, held in Mu Fanyin’s grasp. A mere tug seemed enough to split their bodies and spirits, dooming them to a death without burial.

"How did the top divine weapon end up with her?"

The crowd trembled in inexplicable terror.

Heaven’s Machine Order was the foremost divine weapon ranked number one on the divine weapons list.

"This Heaven’s Machine Order is no Immortal Emperor-tier treasure."

"This…"

Yi Daoist finally showed a flicker of panic. "This is a transcendent’s artifact!"