Heavenly Realm, Heavenly Court.

The night was as thick as ink, deep and impenetrable. There was nothing to be seen, and the silence of the surrounding wilderness was terrifyingly unsettling.

As the most powerful plane among billions, Heaven is where the strongest gather. The Heavenly Court, the most sacred and powerful place in the vast expanse of Heaven, is usually awe-inspiring and divine. But tonight, it's so dark? So quiet?

Abruptly!

Above the city's northern expanse, an abnormally eerie void ripped open. A pair of white bone hands, each several zhang in length, emerged silently from the fissure, grasping its edges and tearing it further apart.

As the fissure widened, the skeletal hands, massive and clawed, emerged alongside the hulking skull and upper torso. Its empty eye sockets glowed with an eerie red light, while its white bones rippled with a faint, shimmering dark grey script that radiated a terrifying, suffocating deathly aura, causing the very air around it to stagnate.

"Hmph!"

Soon, the void grew larger. One after another, cracks appeared in the sky above this grand city. Humans and giants bathed in a strange dark-gray glow emerged from the fissures. Their bodies were surrounded by eerie, dark-gray runes. Countless soldiers clad in rune-covered black armor, with only their red eyes visible, poured out relentlessly. In a short time, they completely covered the void near the Heavenly Court, occupying it.

Countless skeletal giants, humans, and soldiers littered the void, a seething mass, blotting out the sky. On their bodies or around them, faint, dark gray runes flickered ceaselessly, casting an eerie, spectral glow. The sheer scale was overwhelming, dwarfing even the grand celestial city that, on this night, appeared starkly black and silent.

"Hahaha…"

A long laugh broke the eerie silence that had blanketed the area. Right before one of the dimensional rifts vanished, a figure shrouded in a black and red robe slowly stepped out from within. The man was as pale as death, his face etched with wrinkles. His long eyebrows drooped to his ears, and his piercing eyes glowed an intense, blood-red.

"Undying Nether Emperor!"

When the old man in black and red robes appeared, those countless soldiers, skeleton giants, and humans above the void all knelt down on one knee, emitting a neat but muffled roar.

The Underworld Emperor ignored the fervor of his subordinates, fixating his gaze on the magnificent city sprawling below. A fiery gleam flashed in his crimson eyes.

6,600 years!

He had schemed for six thousand six hundred years, all for this day to enter the Heavenly Court!

He waited for six thousand six hundred years, all for the sake of the one sitting on the imperial throne!

Oh, Great Emperor of Heaven!

The Underworld Emperor's head of ash-gray hair moved without wind, his sharp eyes flickering between red and dark, revealing the turmoil raging within him. Suddenly, an endless wave of killing intent erupted from the Underworld Emperor. He slowly raised his hand, his index finger pointed towards the Heavenly Court.

"Oh!"

"桀桀!"

"Sizzle—"

Accompanied by the order of the Emperor of Darkness, soldiers, bone giants, humans, and generals all roared into the sky. Countless breaths of violence, brutality, evil, stench, and rot were released in an instant.

In an instant, heaven and earth roared, the wind and clouds churned, and the void trembled!

"Bang, bang, bang!"

A colossal skeletal giant strode toward the Heavenly Palace, each of its mountain-sized limbs sending shockwaves rippling through the void with every step. The sound was a dull, booming echo like a war drum being beaten.

"Whoosh!"

Those charging soldiers and men, their black armor and weapons along with the dark gray runes upon them, all blazed simultaneously, sending out streaks of light that converged into a tide of deathly qi. This surge of stagnant energy poured in from every direction towards the Heavenly Court.

"Waaah!"

They also attacked, crawling or flying or leaping, like locusts swarming en masse toward the heavenly court, frantically seeking to destroy everything, devour everything!

However, just as all the invaders approached within three feet of the silent celestial buildings...

"
Om—"

At this moment, the Heavenly Court, which had been like a dead city before, suddenly came to life!

On those towering city walls, in those ornate palace halls, on the celestial streets and corners, countless multicolored runes emerge abruptly.

Those runes appeared and shimmered all around, emitting a dazzling glow.

At the same time, the countless flowers, grasses, insects, fish, birds and beasts carved on the magnificent celestial palace also seemed to come alive. Various kinds of exhibitions and displays radiated with the breath of life. In a single day, they gathered above the palace. Under the illumination of the architectural runes, a dazzling shield formed in mid-air, enveloping the entire celestial palace.

"Bang!"

The towering skeletal giant, wielding the might of a million jun, slammed into the energy shield, illuminated by runes. In an instant, it was shattered into countless bone fragments, the shield remaining unfazed.

"Boom!"

The gray death energy then poured onto the shield, but it caused countless runes on the shield to flash with even more brilliant colors, illuminating the entire heaven with a dazzling white light. The death energy was instantly driven away without a trace within the myriad rays of light.

"Nine Heavens Lock Star Array!"

A Nether Marshal, clad in resplendent black armor, let out a weary sigh. He then bowed to the Nether Emperor and reported, "Your Majesty, this Nine Heavens Star Locking Array normally absorbs the energy emanating from the stars in the nine heavens, condensing it into every corner of the Heavenly Court. It is said that its capacity is limitless. I fear that until all the energy accumulated over these years is exhausted, our army will find it difficult to break through."

"Humph!"

The Underworld Emperor didn't even glance at the Underworld General, only letting out a cold snort. The general's armor immediately flew apart, turning into ashes.

>Those who are loyal to my army shall be the ones who meet their end!

The Hades coldly scolded, his red eyes sweeping across the generals. They all shivered in unison before he said in a cold and gloomy voice: "The Nine Heavens Locking Star Array was only researched by the Nine Old Ones for three thousand years, and it took another two thousand years to set up. The array has only been around for sixteen hundred years. How much more starlight energy can it absorb and transform into protective magic power? I give you twelve hours. Right now, there is only one person left outside Heaven, the Nine Old Ones. For a day, disregard casualties, regardless of quantity, at any cost, break this array for me!

All the generals surrounding him knelt down and paid their respects. Among them, a skeletal general hundreds of meters tall rose to his feet first. The runes on his bones glowed with a dark gray light, causing a surge of dark energy that shot into the sky. A deafening roar echoed from his skull as he bellowed, "Full attack!"

The rest of the deities dared not speak further, and they each unleashed their strongest divine abilities to urge their soldiers to launch a full-scale attack.

“Why don't we just leave it be?”

At that moment, amidst the chaotic roar of madness, a calm, ordinary, yet piercingly impactful utterance arose, ringing in everyone's ears.

That phrase, that voice, seemed to possess infinite magic, causing the myriad of underworld armies to fall silent involuntarily, all ceasing their ongoing actions.

As the words ended, the brilliant and dazzling protective shield that had enveloped the outer edge of the Heavenly Court suddenly extinguished. The barrier vanished without a trace. All the hundred carvings of plants and trees that danced like living things stopped their movements, and the colorful runes outside each building ceased to glow.

The Heavenly Court once again returned to its original dim tranquility, the only difference being that at some point, a person had appeared in front of the South Heaven Gate.

An old man, dressed in plain robes, sat leisurely on the stone steps, his hands resting on a magnificent slender seven-colored divine sword.

That person finally showed up!

Every single one of the myriad underworld troops felt a powerful shock. Though that man did not emanate an imposing and fierce aura, though he appeared flushed, with sword-like eyebrows, star-bright eyes, and a face chiseled like a blade, in reality, his exterior was aged, with white beard flowing freely. However... the mental impact that man had on them was no less than, even surpassing, their own master, the Immortal Underworld Emperor.

No one knew his name. In his early years, his friends called him "The Unknown."

He ascended to the throne in just three thousand years, claiming the shortest time in history and simultaneously being known as the most martial and intelligent emperor.

He reigned over Heaven, ruling over all realms for seven thousand years. Because the Heavenly Emperor had no name, people named him the Nine Heavens Emperor based on his martial arts realm which was considered supreme.

At this moment, the goal of the Underworld Army's expedition, Jiutian Di and Wuming, have finally… appeared!

"Old geezer, you know my lifespan is limited, so you're rushing here to give me a ride?" Wuming asked with a smirk.

"Hmph, Old Nine, it's been thousands of years since we last met. I didn't expect your nonsense to still be so much, and your face to be so thick!"

The Nether Emperor said coldly, "Now the four emperors' armies are far away and each has their own agenda. The million heavenly troops and generals are also losing morale as the war continues, with some dying and others dispersing."

"You, now just a lone wolf, facing your demise. Won't you struggle one last time before death claims you? Is there anything more you wish to say?"

"As expected, you're still the old immortal. You understand my heart and know I have something to say..."

"

Nameless sighed softly and said, 'If you really want to fight, old man, it will take the entire underworld's five armies to wear down and break through this Heavenly Court's triple protective array. That would take how long? Ten days or half a month? More importantly, even if you finally break through here, you'll have sent me off in the end. But then, for you to recover your strength and army, you'll have to create more bloodshed across all realms. What worries me is this...'

"Humph, Nine Elder, you possess unparalleled talent but ultimately failed to become immortal. It's because of this frivolous attitude! These ordinary mortals are nothing more than dogs in the world. If you can't see through this, how can you achieve longevity and ascend to immortality? If your rambling is all it takes, I have no interest in listening further. Draw your Fire Dragon Sword, and I'll send you on your way!" A scythe-shaped weapon several zhang long materialized in the hands of the Emperor of Darkness. With a casual wave, death energy and sinister energy clearly separated, swirling around him.

"Sigh, I always can't get the upper hand against you! But as a peaceful person, since I've reached my end, I have no heart to fight anymore…"

Ignoring the Emperor's threat, Wu Ming still sat there chattering away, only...from his retinue, a raging inferno suddenly erupted at some point.

The bright flames quickly engulfed the nameless man completely, including the sword he held in his hand.

That fiery Fire Dragon Sword, which accompanied him throughout his lifetime of battles and commanded the heavens!

"Bang—"

Suddenly, a shattering sound echoed from the flames. The Fire Dragon Sword in the Heavenly Emperor's hand suddenly shattered into several pieces and flew in all directions.

Brilliant crimson shards ignored the Underworld army and pierced through them, disappearing instantly into the horizon.

The Emperor of the Underworld's scythe moved slightly in his hand, but he didn't strike. He understood that Nameless's dying blow was locked onto him. If he tried to intercept those fragments, Nameless's desperate attack would cost him dearly.

"Old friend, I'm so sorry that I couldn't bring you into the Immortal Realm in this life..."

The nameless Heavenly Emperor in the flames stared silently at the distant vanished fragments. After a long pause, he sighed and turned to the Underworld Emperor: "Old Undead, although you are amazingly talented, you are not ultimately a god. Just keep things low-key for the next while, don't overrule your subjects. Remember, we were both originally part of the Great Dao, in a sense, we are no different from mortals. If you accumulate enough good deeds, there might be a chance that Heaven will reward us, ultimately helping us break free from this cycle. Perhaps, the missing piece I need to become immortal lies within this very possibility..."

...The Heavenly Court, which has borne nine Heavenly Emperors throughout history, is not suitable for you. I will not stay and let you destroy it. It's best to leave it for future successors who are more fit...

As the Celestial Emperor continuously melted, when the temperature of the flames reached infinite scorching heat and the brightness reached an infinitely dazzling moment, both the Celestial Emperor and the flame vanished from between heaven and earth.

On the stone steps before the South Heavenly Gate of Heaven, there was no trace left of the Nineteenth Heavenly Emperor.

It was as if this person, whose name was unknown, had never appeared in the world at all.

The Heavenly Court was once again silent, still dark.

"Your Majesty, shall we press on and attack…?"

After an unknown amount of time, a Pig-headed Underworld Official who was dozens of feet tall finally couldn't hold back and asked.

"Suit yourself, you idiot!"

The Underworld Emperor, no, now he should be called the Underworld Sovereign, left after saying a discontented word, tearing through the void and leaving the Heavenly Realm.

"Oh..."

That silly pig, upon hearing this, was stunned. After thinking about it seriously for a while, he was just about to rush into that deserted Heavenly Court when suddenly the void violently rippled, nearly causing his massive form to topple over!

At the same time, the entire Heavenly Court trembled violently. Countless golden talismans, completely different from the seven-colored talismans of the Nine Heavens Locking Star Array just now, appeared on all buildings in the Heavenly Court. The entire Heavenly Court seemed to be covered in a layer of gold.

Subsequently, the entire celestial court shimmered with runes of dazzling brilliance...

When the gold disappeared after half a stick of incense, to the astonishment of all the underworld troops, the vast heaven that spanned hundreds of miles vanished without a trace, leaving behind only an incredibly huge and hideous pit on the ground.

The legend of the invincible Heavenly Emperor came to an end, and a new chapter slowly began...