Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor recognized the figure.

It was Dongfang Yunxing.

Dongfang Yunxing had visited countless orthodoxies and defeated innumerable prodigies. Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor had taken notice of this young man. His talent was outstanding, not inferior to his own. If Heavenly Fortune were to pass away, the next Great Emperor might very well be this youth.

Yet he remembered that this young man had only been at the great saint realm. Why would he attract such a terrifying tribulation?

...

Facing the sudden and overwhelming tribulation, Dongfang Yunxing was equally stunned. Had he violated some heavenly taboo?

Soon, however, he understood the origin of this terrifying heavenly tribulation. He truly had violated the heavens.

The Talent gained from eight Nirvanas combined with the Heaven's Mandate Pearl had elevated his talent and comprehension to an appalling level—so terrifying that the heavens themselves grew wary and sought to eliminate him in advance.

Confronted with the horrifying tribulation, Dongfang Yunxing roared and shot straight out of the Divine Ancient Star. Boundless divine light radiated from his body. He showed no fear toward the heavenly imprints left behind by ancient Great Emperors.

One after another, the imprints of ancient Great Emperors were blasted apart by him.

All races trembled in shock.

"How can there be such a terrifying person in this world?"

"He has only just entered the Quasi-Emperor realm, yet he can tear apart the tribulation imprints left by ancient Emperors… This already defies the rules of cultivation!"

"I understand now. The will of the heavens cannot tolerate such a monstrous existence and wants to kill him. Dongfang Yunxing is simply too powerful. If he becomes an Emperor, this world may no longer be able to restrain him!"

"....."

Dongfang Yunxing continued shattering the imprints of ancient Emperors without pause. Under the gaze of countless beings, he tore open the sea of laws and charged into the long river of time itself, waging war against the heavens.

His unparalleled bearing left everyone in awe.

Someone actually dared to challenge the heavens!

Even Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor—the current Great Emperor who had defeated countless prodigies and left an indelible mark across the river of time—felt his heart tremble at this sight.

What incredible courage!

No one knew how much time had passed before Dongfang Yunxing emerged from the unknown realm, drenched in blood, as the heavens themselves wailed in grief.

"He… succeeded."

"Not only did he defy the heavens, he survived. Throughout history, no one has ever achieved this."

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"Truly terrifying."

Although Dongfang Yunxing had not yet reached the Emperor realm, all living beings vaguely felt as if two blazing suns now shone side by side in this world.

The moment he overcame the tribulation, ancient supremes began awakening one after another.

Dongfang Yunxing's blood qi was far too alluring—more tempting than immortal divine medicines. He was only at the Quasi-Emperor realm. If they could devour him, they might recover their former peak strength and once again reign over the starry sky.

Just as one supreme could no longer hold back and moved to attack Dongfang Yunxing, a talisman swept across the heavens in all directions, illuminating the entire universe.

"Heavenly Fortune, you old ghost. Your lifespan has already reached its end, yet you still dare meddle in others' affairs?"

The supreme who had attacked stepped out from a forbidden zone. All living beings fell silent as countless star domains were swallowed by his presence. He showed no fear toward the current Great Emperor.

Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor had grown old. He no longer possessed the same unrivaled strength that had once allowed him to easily slay supremes.

"Even if this Emperor has grown old, killing the likes of you is still as easy as flipping my hand!"

Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor's voice boomed with peerless dominance. He was still a Great Emperor. Even in old age, he retained the aura to suppress the universe and slaughter all enemies.

With a single strike, he forced the supreme's expression to change dramatically.

"Everyone, Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor has already entered his twilight years. A peerless genius with supreme Talent has now appeared in the world. If you do not act today, you will all become fish on the chopping block in the future!"

Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor's mastery of talisman runes was among the highest throughout history. The supreme who had emerged tried to rally the other supremes to join him. Unfortunately, no matter how he explained the stakes, none of them were willing to come out at this time. They were all waiting to see whether this supreme could test the true depth of Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor's strength.

Over the endless years, indifference and selfishness had been deeply etched into the hearts of these supremes.

"A bunch of short-sighted fools. You were once Great Emperors for nothing!" the supreme roared with bitter laughter when he realized no one else would help. His aura surged violently as he began to burn his life force, temporarily restoring his former Great Emperor-level combat strength.

An Emperor possessed his own pride. Even after self-severing to become a supreme, in the face of mortal danger, he refused to give up his final chance to fight with everything he had.

Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor remained unhurried. Runes appeared in his hand, forming a gate of time. When the gate opened, another figure with the exact same aura as Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor stepped out. This version was younger—a middle-aged man whose presence suppressed all laws and dominated the four directions.

This was also an Emperor-level combat strength. Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor had somehow used runes to intercept time itself and preserve his peak power from the past.

Accompanied by an unwilling, furious roar, the supreme burned out completely and died at Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor's hands.

This scene caused all living beings to cry out in awe and filled the supremes in the forbidden zones with dread. A supreme who had undergone sublimation had died so quickly.

"Forget it. Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor is already old. There is no point in fighting him to the death now."

After weighing the risks, no supreme was willing to take the gamble. Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor's methods were too bizarre. He could actually summon his younger self from the river of time—the version at the absolute peak of his power as a Great Emperor.

No one knew how many more such methods he still possessed.

The starry sky fell into deep silence once more.

Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor did not say much. It seemed his only duty was to protect all living beings.

"Thank you, Senior."

Dongfang Yunxing bowed deeply in the direction Heavenly Fortune Great Emperor had departed, expressing his gratitude for blocking this great calamity on his behalf.

However, he did not return to Divine Ancient Star.

His gaze turned toward the distant shore of the starry sky, where a familiar continent lay. That was his homeland—one he had not returned to in a very long time.

Having broken through to the Quasi-Emperor realm and completed his eighth Nirvana, Dongfang Yunxing had never been stronger. He faintly sensed a familiar aura across countless layers of space—one he would never forget even after oceans turned into mulberry fields.

"Chen Xuan."

He had searched for Chen Xuan for thousands of years without success. At one point, he had even believed Chen Xuan was already dead.

He never expected Chen Xuan to still be alive.

Whether for the sake of avenging the ninety-nine members of the Dongfang or to awaken his master, he had to kill Chen Xuan.