决战

Gazing up at Donghuang Taiyi hovering in mid-air, the oppressive aura of one who rules the world washed over him; an inexplicable despair welled up in his heart.

"With no Heaven in this era, I am Heaven!" The King of Qin suddenly opened his left eye, revealing three pupils: one pale and void, one blazing with golden light, and one of ancient bronze-green. Purple Emperor energy enveloped his entire body before extending along the direction of his finger, covering Prince Su and Cisheng. Borrowing the response of heaven and earth, he stood equal to Donghuang Taiyi.

"A very spirited young man!" Donghuang Taiyi couldn't help but praise, yet the movement of his hand did not lag in the slightest. Facing the King of Qin, he made a slashing gesture.

In an instant, the King of Qin felt as if struck by a million mountains, with the sun, moon, and stars pressing down upon him. He vomited blood, but even so, he refused to yield an inch. Instead, his aura grew even more intense. Gripping the Zhulu Sword tightly, he swung it toward Donghuang Taiyi.

Donghuang Taiyi dodged unhurriedly; his body had already moved past the sharp blade. Yet, a deep, bone-exposing wound suddenly appeared on his chest. Donghuang Taiyi's expression changed drastically. Lifting his head, he found himself on the ground, surrounded by the three of them, without knowing when he had gotten there.

Prince Su shot a glance at the King of Qin, who nodded in response. The King's eyes split into dual pupils, one black and one white forming yin and yang, supported by a voidness surpassing that of an Ancestor.

"The Su Clan's Karma, the Ying Clan's Spring and Autumn—the Yin Yang Dao Pupils!" Donghuang Taiyi looked at Prince Su, first shocked, but quickly, the wound on his chest healed rapidly, his fighting spirit blazing.

Cisheng had no time to wait. Slapping the token at his waist as if ending a call, he then clenched his fists and charged forward again. Using magnetic fields to solidify himself, he gathered all the Purple Emperor energy into his hands and threw a barrage of wild punches at Donghuang Taiyi.

They seemed chaotic and without pattern, yet no matter how Donghuang Taiyi dodged, he was struck. Each punch grew heavier and faster. Moreover, the King of Qin wielded his sword in slashes, each blow immensely powerful and all landing with pinpoint accuracy.

Within the web of karma, every attack from the two was destined to strike Donghuang Taiyi and cause substantial damage. Therefore, in reality, Donghuang Taiyi had no way to evade, no matter what.

While dodging, Donghuang Taiyi used the momentum to flash to Prince Su's side, reaching out to grab him recklessly. Yet, he grasped only empty air. Simultaneously, his arm was severed, and countless wounds instantly covered his body. Prince Su was clearly standing right there, but Donghuang Taiyi simply could not reach the reality where he could touch him. Or perhaps, Prince Su existed at some point in time—a time that was not the present, not the past, not the future, and thus untouchable.

As for the wounds on Donghuang Taiyi's body, they belonged neither to the present nor the future. These were all injuries he had suffered before, triggered and superimposed onto this moment the instant he made contact with Prince Su.

New flesh constantly grew from the wounds, yet they simply would not heal. They seemed to have knitted together, but upon another look, they remained a bloody mess. Countless points of light began to appear across his form; his flesh started to separate and disintegrate; his spirit began to dissipate.

His body rapidly aged, his skin quickly wrinkling, his flesh rotting away. Yet, in this desperate situation, a pure white light pierced through the decaying skin. The aged body burst apart, revealing within a flawless, pristine divine form—the 'Heaven and Earth Scripture' had reached perfection!

At this moment, Donghuang Taiyi had no past, transcended the present, and held no future.

Facing another round of attacks from the King of Qin and Cisheng, his evasion was as leisurely as a stroll in a courtyard. The attacks were fated to hit by karma, but he existed outside of karma. With a flick of his finger, he repelled the King of Qin and subdued Cisheng. Prince Su, unable to bear the burden any longer, also knelt to the ground.

"Ahhh!!!" Cisheng struck his own heart, forcing out all his latent potential, burning his lifespan, and expending all his cultivation. He grabbed Donghuang Taiyi, using him as the epicenter like a black hole, drawing in everything related to magnetic fields from the surroundings. Even light waves, which had transformed into waveforms without mass or physical form, could not escape. In a desperate move, Donghuang Taiyi slammed his palm against Cisheng's dantian, shattering his sea of energy completely.

However, Donghuang Taiyi was also far from unscathed. After suppressing Cisheng's attack, he steadied himself for a moment, then looked up disdainfully toward the sky to his left. "Eastern Heavenly Emperor, just how long do you plan to watch?"

As soon as the words were spoken, a familiar figure gradually manifested. Dragon eyes and phoenix brows, his gaze held the brilliance of stars, commanding awe without anger. His high nose bridge stood like a towering ridge, thin lips slightly pressed as if carved by knife and axe, radiating an innate, executioner's authority. A black emperor's crown with dangling beads hung before his forehead; twelve strands of jade beads swayed gently with his movement, adding an air of profound mystery while accentuating the solemn dignity of his face. Every gesture and motion exuded the majesty of the one true sovereign.

"Central Heavenly Emperor, long time no see!" A single word stirred raging winds; a single phrase caused mountains and rivers to crumble. A single step forward made ten thousand leagues seem shallow; a single footfall had heaven and earth serve as his pedestal. The arrival was the Eastern Heavenly Emperor—Su~ Yan~ Chang!

Countless points of starlight shimmered into existence around them. Eastern Heavenly Emperor materialized directly before Donghuang Taiyi in an instant. Immediately, Donghuang Taiyi felt a sharp pang in his liver as a torrent of fist strikes rained down upon him. The surrounding starlight mimicked the Eastern Heavenly Emperor, perfectly mirroring each blow he threw. To a single call, a hundred answered. Even Donghuang Taiyi's Heavenly Emperor Woundless Body strained under the assault. The surrounding space was sealed tight, leaving him no room to retreat.

Even so, Donghuang Taiyi clenched his fist and, seizing the moment the Eastern Heavenly Emperor raised his arm to strike, blocked the punch. Facing the starlight converging from all directions, he deflected it all at a speed beyond mortal sight. Simultaneously, an entire galaxy seemed to manifest around him, swiftly collapsing into his palm. Power drawn from his waist, following the arc of his arm, he unleashed its totality toward the Eastern Heavenly Emperor. Not a shred of force scattered; the blow was borne completely by the Eastern Heavenly Emperor.

The Eastern Heavenly Emperor did not flinch. Knowing he couldn't block it, he simply commanded all the surrounding starlight to surge toward Donghuang Taiyi. As his foe defended, he detonated the millenniums' worth of accumulated starlight. Simultaneously, he compressed space, forcing the full force of the explosion onto Donghuang Taiyi's body.

Both combatants spat blood and staggered back several paces. Yet instantly, they clashed once more. Their speed transcended extremes, bodies moving like streaking light in relentless collision. No sound or ripple emanated, making observation nearly impossible. Gradually, even the reflected sparks of light from blows against their bodies grew fewer, leaving only spatial anomalies to hint at their positions.

When the two rematerialized, Donghuang Taiyi's palm was driven through the Eastern Heavenly Emperor's left shoulder. Simultaneously, the Eastern Heavenly Emperor desperately activated the power Cisheng had expended all his cultivation to leave within Donghuang Taiyi's body. Donghuang Taiyi's form exploded from within—a manifestation of the inherent anomaly of each 'Zi'. The two remained frozen rigidly in mid-air.

At that moment, both men roared in fury, employing mystic arts to forcibly lift their own shattered limbs. Gathering their lifelong cultivation, they focused it entirely, aiming for each other's heads in a mutual, annihilating strike.

From whence does the mournful song of a vertical flute play? Creation itself bears a summons to counsel celestial harmony.

The attacks of Donghuang Taiyi and the Eastern Heavenly Emperor were defused, and the two were forcibly separated. They glared at each other with wide, furious eyes.

"Both of you are monarchs of the Chaos Universe, merely from different eras." A voice came from the source of the flute melody. It belonged to Carefree Marquis—Su Xian.

"Your Celestial Majesty, you were once master of this realm, yet you fell a millennium ago. Now, resurrected by foreign rebels who seek to set the Chaos Universe against itself, to exploit our strife and weakness, can you truly bear to see our ancestral legacy of ten thousand years fall into the hands of brigands?"

"Bearing the Edict of the Four Ancestors this day, and in the name of the Eighth Genesis, I, your junior, command you two to cease your contention! Refuse, and let chaos reign once more to shatter this Chaos Universe entirely!" A colorless token hung from Su Xian's waist. A great sword coalesced in his hand as his gaze fixed upon them.

Both men offered a respectful salute. Then Donghuang Taiyi spoke. "Well then, messenger, how might this one return? And how is this fixation to be dissolved?"

"The Heavenly Emperor jests. Your fixation stems from none other than the Eastern Heavenly Emperor. Yet perhaps, after this bout, the knot in your heart has already loosened."

"Hahaha! True enough! Then tell me, which band of villains resurrected me? Those who pervert cause and effect to wreak havoc upon this world—pray, inform me, so this sin-burdened soul may march forth and crush them!"

"Just like a Heavenly Emperor. Since Your Majesty graciously inquires, this junior dares not decline. My aid is modest, but I shall open a portal. Step through, and your quarry awaits on the other side." Su Xian swept his arm, and a gateway materialized beside Donghuang Taiyi. Beyond it lay what appeared to be a universe. "Pass through, and your lingering wounds shall heal. May your campaign be triumphant!"

Donghuang Taiyi gave a slight nod. He produced a jade slip, pressed it to his brow to imprint its contents, and tossed it to the young master Su. "Boy, this is the Canon of Heaven and Earth, the immutable inheritance of every Heavenly Emperor since time immemorial. I hereby formally bequeath it to you. Do not shame the legacy of your predecessors!" Without a backward glance, he stepped into the portal.