The deeper Ning Changqing delved into the Undying Nether Emperor's growth, the more astonished he became. Throughout history, there had been only one such existence. A bold idea formed in his mind—he wanted to refine that terrifying corpse.

Just as Ning Changqing prepared to take action, he suddenly stopped. Without turning around, his voice sank low. "Di Chen!"

Though the aura had been extremely well hidden, Ning Changqing still guessed the intruder's identity.

Behind him, an unparalleled figure materialized. It was Su Chen.

"Ning Changqing, it seems we meet again," Su Chen said with a smile.

He was delighted. Ning Changqing was shocked. It was truly a surprise.

Ning Changqing was puzzled. He had clearly set up heaven-shaking arrays outside the Undying Nether Emperor's ruins. How had there been no warning at all?

"Did you break the arrays I set up?" Ning Changqing asked. He still searched for a third presence, but after looking for a long time, he had to accept the truth. There was no third person here—only him and Su Chen.

Su Chen did not attack immediately. He spoke as if greeting an old friend he had not seen in a long time. "I only have a slight understanding of arrays."

Su Chen remained calm.

Ning Changqing decisively activated the Wheel of Time.

Su Chen's voice echoed through the small world. "Don't you already have the answer in your heart?"

Ning Changqing's hair stood on end as he sensed a great terror between life and death. The entire small world shook violently, as if an ancient existence was about to awaken.

Under Ning Changqing's incredulous gaze, the Undying Nether Blade slashed through time and space, piercing his body and tearing apart his divine soul. The change happened far too suddenly. Even with the Wheel of Time, one of the Nine Innate Supreme Treasures, Ning Changqing could not reverse the injury. Even time itself had been severed.

A figure stepped through the netherworld, reversing the flow of time, and stood before him.

Ning Changqing laughed bitterly. "Are you Di Chen… or the Undying Nether Emperor?"

He had his suspicions, but it was already too late.

Su Chen did not deny it. He said indifferently, "Ning Changqing, you should never have touched something you were not meant to touch."

Su Chen had not wanted to kill Ning Changqing so soon, but the latter had come into contact with the Undying Nether Emperor. That was his taboo.

"What a fine Undying Nether Emperor. What a fine Di Chen!" Ning Changqing laughed loudly. His divine soul had already been torn apart by the Undying Nether Blade.

"I, Ning Changqing, underestimated the heroes of the world. I thought that as the reincarnation of the Heavenly Venerate possessing one of the Nine Innate Supreme Treasures, transcendence was certain… Yet in the end, I became a pawn in another's scheme, and all my treasures fell into someone else's calculations."

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Blood tears flowed from Ning Changqing's eyes as he laughed. "I, Ning Changqing, was supposed to stand at the pinnacle. Why did a monster like you appear in this era? With me, Ning Changqing, present—why did the Undying Nether Emperor still exist? How unwilling I am… How unwilling!"

He tried to use the Wheel of Time one last time to fight for a chance at survival.

Unfortunately, Su Chen had no intention of sparing him. The Undying Nether Blade erupted with its most terrifying aura. This weapon, once soaked in the blood of countless Emperors and Supremes, had long since transformed. Even though it was broken, it remained the greatest artifact in history and could easily slay ordinary Great Emperors.

With only Great Saint realm cultivation, Ning Changqing was completely annihilated.

Su Chen reached out and, working with the Undying Nether Blade, seized the Wheel of Time to prevent it from escaping.

"Submit to me, or I will shatter you. You should know the consequences," Su Chen said, shaking the Undying Nether Blade in his hand. Though only a small section remained, it still radiated peerless ferocity, enough to slice the Wheel of Time apart.

The Wheel of Time let out a mournful cry. It had just lost its master, only to be cornered by its master's enemy, who now sought to claim it.

"You should also know that my origins are no weaker than Ning Changqing's—perhaps even stronger," Su Chen continued coldly. "Only I can lead you out of this world."

If the Wheel of Time refused again, Su Chen would not hesitate to shatter it. If he could not obtain an Innate Supreme Treasure, he would rather destroy it than allow it to nurture another great enemy.

Sensing Su Chen's killing intent, the Wheel of Time stopped struggling this time. It flew directly into his sea of consciousness.

Waves of information flowed into Su Chen's mind, revealing the miraculous uses of the Wheel of Time. It could carry its owner through time and space, allowing them to reach specific points in the past or future. One could change the past or future, but doing so required a corresponding price.

Ning Changqing had wanted to return to the past to kill Su Chen, but the price would have been far beyond what he could bear. Killing an ordinary person, however, was something he could afford. Afterward, the river of time would naturally correct itself and return to the present.

Time and again, Ning Changqing had escaped danger by using the Wheel of Time to return to the past. He had never interfered with others, only changing his own future. As for peering into the future, the price was too great for him to bear—every thought would branch into countless possible outcomes.

The Wheel of Time had been Ning Changqing's greatest trump card, giving him endless opportunities. Yet it had also caused him to lose the caution he once possessed when climbing from weakness to supremacy step by step.

Perhaps if Ning Changqing had remained cautious and slowly cultivated all the way to the Great Emperor realm, he would have become a truly terrifying enemy for Su Chen. Unfortunately, he had grown too arrogant.

Su Chen looked at the spot where Ning Changqing's soul had scattered. Killing him had yielded rich rewards. Not only had he obtained the Wheel of Time, but he had also acquired the remaining three-quarters of the Death Book fragments. He now possessed the complete Death Book.

Together with Di Chan, three of the Nine Innate Supreme Treasures had fallen into his hands.

Su Chen felt a slight regret. As a survivor of the Mythical Era, Ning Changqing had known far too many secrets. This treasure-hunting rat had learned things he should not have known. In the end, Su Chen had no choice but to kill him.

After slaying Ning Changqing, the Undying Nether Blade had exhausted its final reserves of energy and fallen silent.

Su Chen gazed at the corpse of his previous life. He planned to use it to reforge the Undying Nether Blade.

...

The starry sky trembled. All martial artists, regardless of race, felt a terrifying aura that made them want to kneel and worship.

Ten thousand laws paid homage—it was the aura of an Emperor-to-be.

"Someone is undergoing Emperor tribulation!"

"That aura… it belongs to the Immortal Spirit of the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect. Is he attempting to become an Emperor?"

"What a terrifying Emperor tribulation… Its power even surpasses that of the current Great Emperors!"

"..."

Deep within the Chaos Sea, Qin Wujie opened his eyes and looked toward the distant shore.

"Someone is undergoing Emperor tribulation. It's Di Chen's aura—he is about to become an Emperor!"

Both the Formless Sword Great Emperor and the Eternal Dawn Great Emperor raised their heads at the same time, looking toward the direction of the tribulation.

It was the Nine-Layered Emperor Tribulation! And the one who had drawn it was Su Chen, who had already left the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect.