Chapter 753

The supreme beings of the You Clan arrived in person, making no attempt to conceal themselves. The aura that once belonged to those at the peak of the Dao spread out, blotting out the sky.

In that instant, countless human cultivators immediately sensed it and turned their gazes toward the Tianyuan Imperial Palace.

“The alien supremes have come to the palace.”

“These alien supremes never dared to show their faces when the Human Clan’s Celestial Emperor Tianyuan was at his peak. Now that he’s about to pass, they’re all crawling out.”

“Truly shameless.”

Countless human cultivators looked on with grief and anger, yet they could do nothing.

For over two million years, the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan had towered over the Great Wilderness, and all the major alien races had behaved themselves.

Even the legendary forbidden zones had remained quiet, unwilling to provoke the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan in his prime.

“Let’s hope… His Majesty is okay.”

Such thoughts stirred in the hearts of the human cultivators.

As far back as a hundred thousand years ago, the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan had already begun preparing for this day.

He had proactively relocated the powerful humans from the vicinity of the imperial palace, dispersing them throughout the domain.

He even issued a command that no matter what happened at the imperial palace, no human cultivator was allowed to approach.

The Celestial Emperor Tianyuan had foreseen that in his twilight years, ancient supreme emperors would begin to stir.

“You Clan…”

Inside the imperial palace, a figure soared into the sky. It was an elderly man with graying hair and beard. His expression was grave as he looked at the You Clan supremes who hovered overhead. “You Clan, are you really planning to violate the pact made with the Human Clan?”

During his prime, the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan had made non-aggression pacts with all powerful clans.

The You Clan was among them.

“A pact?”

One of the You Clan supremes sneered. “What can you do if we break it?”

The so-called pact was witnessed by the laws of heaven and earth—it wasn’t entirely without consequence.

But for former emperors who once roamed the world, the backlash from violating the pact was something they could endure.

The elderly man’s expression turned grim. He hadn’t expected the You Clan supremes to be so shameless, brazenly disregarding the pact.

“Stand down.”

Another You Clan supreme’s gaze turned cold as he looked at the old man.

This human cultivator was a quasi-emperor. If he fought with his life on the line, he could still cause some trouble for them.

Though calling it “trouble” might be a stretch—these You Clan supremes, even after severing a portion of their power, still stood far above any quasi-emperor.

However, this old man’s vitality and spirit were nearly depleted. Every time he used his strength, he lost more than he could afford. The You Clan supremes weren’t willing to waste even a shred of effort on him.

Their goal had always been only one—

The Celestial Emperor Tianyuan.

Only by devouring this current Celestial Emperor and absorbing his origin could they continue to cling to existence.

“If you want to strike at His Majesty, you’ll have to step over my dead body.”

The old man’s gaze was resolute. His body was old and frail, and he had long since lost any chance of becoming an emperor. That was why he had willingly remained in the imperial palace, ready to lie in eternal rest alongside the Celestial Emperor.

“In that case, die.”

The third You Clan supreme frowned and struck without hesitation.

Though they didn’t want to waste any strength on a mere quasi-emperor, that didn’t mean they would allow him to act so presumptuously in their presence.

Boom!

An invisible force descended on the old man, and even the laws of heaven and earth gave way.

As a former supreme emperor, even after severing a portion of his power, he was still incredibly strong. If not for the cost of each attack and the need for long periods of slumber—

How could someone like the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan have risen?

“Let’s do this!”

The old man took a deep breath. Facing an ancient supreme emperor, he had no chance of victory.

But even if he were to die, he intended to bite back.

Just then—

Thud—

A soft footstep echoed.

From deep within the imperial palace, a figure emerged.

The moment this figure appeared, the laws of heaven and earth naturally fell silent.

Even the You Clan supreme’s attack instantly dissipated.

“Your Majesty…”

The old man’s eyes turned red.

“Tianyuan…”

The You Clan supremes looked on with grave expressions.

They had once been emperors who looked down on the Great Wilderness, so they understood all too well how powerful an existence at this level truly was.

In terms of battle strength, even if they fully revived, the You Clan supremes could match a true emperor-level being.

But it wouldn’t last long, and each revival required a steep price.

This was why, during Tianyuan’s prime, no supreme emperor clinging to life had dared to act.

Because the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan could recover quickly, no matter how much power he used—but they couldn’t. They’d be exhausted to death.

“I nearly forgot about you little insects.”

Lin Yuan glanced calmly at the You Clan supremes.

Since his descent, his goal had always been the Mortal Immortal and those beyond that realm.

Only beings of similar temporal levels could pose even a slight threat to Lin Yuan.

“Tianyuan, you’re too arrogant.”

The strongest You Clan supreme finally spoke.

He had been observing the palace all along, and only now, upon Lin Yuan’s appearance, did he speak.

The other You Clan supremes also frowned.

Even if they had severed part of their strength and weren’t at their peak, to be called “little insects”?

“Tianyuan, your second life is nearing its end. How much of your power can you even unleash? Dare to go all out? What makes you any different from us?”

The You Clan supremes spoke in turn.

A Celestial Emperor on the verge of death was no different from an emperor who had severed their power—they both didn’t dare to fight at full strength.

“Tianyuan, do you still not understand the situation?”

“Those who want to kill you now aren’t just us. Countless ancient supreme emperors and the lords of forbidden zones are all waiting to strike.”

The strongest You Clan supreme said, hoping to see even a flicker of panic on Lin Yuan’s face.

“What a coincidence. So am I.”

Lin Yuan smiled faintly.

After taking over the body of the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan, Lin Yuan didn’t need to fulfill his predecessor’s obsessions. But as for these decrepit supremes and the forbidden zone lords—he had no fondness for any of them.

He planned to take care of them all at once.

These supreme emperors and forbidden lords had likely amassed vast amounts of Undying Substance, which could aid Lin Yuan in his next transformation.

“Such arrogance.”

The strongest You Clan supreme sneered coldly.

Even the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan in his prime didn’t dare challenge all forbidden zones and ancient supremes at once.

They feared each other.

Even if the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan could recover quickly, facing too many emperors of equal standing at once would overwhelm him.

More importantly, even if he wanted to strike, he couldn’t—the forbidden zone lords were hidden away, their time-space coordinates untraceable. Even if he wished to cleanse them, he couldn’t find them.

“I want to see what gives you the right to talk like that.”

One You Clan supreme’s aura surged, instantly breaking into the emperor realm as he charged at Lin Yuan.

This was a fully revived supreme emperor, almost indistinguishable from a true Celestial Emperor.

At least for the duration of his revival, he wielded emperor-level power.

Boom!

Like a stone dropped into the sea.

Lin Yuan flipped his right hand, and the charging You Clan supreme was instantly annihilated.

His body, soul, spirit, and will all collapsed. He was erased completely, from the inside out.

Silence.

Utter silence.

In the distance, the other You Clan supremes, who had been waiting to see how much strength Tianyuan still possessed, fell into stunned silence.

What just happened?

A fully revived ancient supreme… got erased by a single slap from Lin Yuan?

With the strength of a supreme, even if body and soul collapsed, they could still recover quickly. But that You Clan supreme was truly gone, with no chance of resurrection.

How was that possible?!

“Too weak.”

Lin Yuan shook his head lightly. After ten years of seclusion to condense Undying Substance, he had long regained the strength of a thirteenth-rank time lifeform—on par with a Mortal Immortal.

If it were an encounter with those true peerless emperors, it might take a few exchanges. But these ordinary supremes? They posed no threat.

“Tianyuan, you—?”

The strongest You Clan supreme stared intently at Lin Yuan.

Before coming here, he had prepared for many possibilities.

The worst case was that the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan retained most of his peak power, and they would have to endure a hard-fought battle.

But now?

This was a hard-fought battle?

“Impossible.”

“Tianyuan, you can’t possibly have this kind of power.”

The remaining You Clan supremes were in disbelief, their understanding of reality shattered.

If the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan could really kill a supreme with one slap, had he just been toying with them all along?

Crash!

Even if it was incomprehensible—

The remaining You Clan supremes turned and fled without hesitation.

No matter how Lin Yuan had achieved this feat, if he could kill one supreme with a single blow, he could kill them just as easily.

“You came all this way.”

Lin Yuan smiled faintly.

With a thought, terrifying life force surged and spread, transforming into a tide that crushed the fleeing You Clan supremes.

“At least there was something to gain.”

After killing several You Clan supremes, aside from their emperor weapons, Lin Yuan also obtained some Undying Substance.

This material had been condensed before the ancient supremes severed themselves. After severing, their realm fell, and they could no longer sense the undying essence permeating the world, much less condense it.

Inside the Tianyuan Imperial Palace—

The many followers stared blankly at the scene before them.

Several You Clan supremes had arrived with overwhelming presence, demanding that the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan come out and die.

And he did come out—but the ones who died were the You Clan supremes.

And there wasn’t even a brutal battle. The supremes died faster than anyone could have imagined. They didn’t even get a chance to struggle.

“I’m heading out for a bit.”

Lin Yuan glanced at the crowd and left them with that.

Since he had made his move, he would cleanse the outside world completely.

“Your Majesty…”

The white-haired quasi-emperor trembled with excitement. “Y-You’ve become a Supreme Emperor?”

In ancient legend, the peak of the Celestial Emperor realm was the Supreme Emperor—an existence that lived through endless ages and spanned epochs in the ancient books.

“Emperor?”

Lin Yuan shook his head gently. “I stopped being one long ago.”

Forbidden Zone—“Yellow Springs.”

Several lords of the Yellow Springs Forbidden Zone stared in disbelief.

They had been watching from afar as the You Clan supremes tried to slay the aging Celestial Emperor Tianyuan, all under their watchful eyes.

But what followed left them dumbfounded.

The You Clan supremes were crushed like insects?

As they reeled in shock, their expressions suddenly changed.

They hadn’t even noticed when, but outside the Yellow Springs Forbidden Zone—a figure had appeared.

It was the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan.

“Your Majesty…”

The Yellow Springs lords suppressed their shock. Unlike the You Clan supremes, they didn’t immediately flee.

One, their base was right behind them. Where could they even run?

Two, backed by the Yellow Springs Forbidden Zone, they had confidence. Surely they wouldn’t be as helpless as the You Clan.

Ten breaths later—

The Yellow Springs Forbidden Zone was flattened. The lords were annihilated. Their treasures, accumulated over countless years, now belonged to Lin Yuan.

“Yellow Springs?”

Lin Yuan looked into the depths of the zone, where a spring gushed pale yellow water.

He recognized it as the source of the Yellow Springs zone. If emperor-level beings bathed in it, their bodies would transform into a Yellow Springs Constitution, vastly extending their lifespans.

Though it came with side effects, many aging emperors still chose this path.

“Take it.”

Sensing its uniqueness, Lin Yuan uprooted the entire spring and placed it into his inner universe.

The Li Clan—

Before Tianyuan’s rise, the Li Clan had been the strongest clan in the Great Wilderness, with nearly twenty supreme emperors still in existence.

Even though they had severed themselves, twenty-plus supremes were enough to make even the peak Celestial Emperor Tianyuan cautious.

If they all revived at once, even briefly, they could massacre the human race, and Tianyuan might not be able to stop them.

But on this day—

A figure descended upon the Li Clan.

Then proceeded to bathe the strongest clan in the Great Wilderness in blood.

Their supremes revived one by one to resist, but to no avail.

In less than ten breaths, the entire Li Clan was wiped out. Nearly twenty supreme emperors—all fell.

Forbidden Zone—“Netherworld.”

“Celestial Emperor Tianyuan! It’s all a misunderstanding—a misunderstanding!”

The Lord of the Netherworld appeared, his voice trembling as he looked at Lin Yuan.

“Misunderstanding?”

Lin Yuan glanced at him.

Back in his prime, the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan had given one-fifth of his origin to the Netherworld Lord in exchange for protection for the human race.

But in the future timelines Lin Yuan had seen, the Celestial Emperor Tianyuan died. His body was divided, his origin consumed. Not only did the Netherworld Lord not fulfill his promise—he actively helped orchestrate humanity’s fall.

A few breaths later—

The Netherworld Forbidden Zone was no more.

And just like that—

Under the shocked eyes of all living beings in the Source Realm, one once-mighty clan after another vanished. Forbidden zones that had existed since time immemorial were erased.

The Celestial Emperor Tianyuan, thought by all to be nearing his end, was now sweeping the world clean.

...

20 chapters ahead on patreon: /David_Lord