43: Protect our ancestors

The woman heard the roars of her clansmen and nodded inwardly.

Facing a Peak Quasi-Emperor, they remained fearless. These clansmen of the Five Evolutions True Realm truly had some backbone; it wasn't in vain that she had paid a price to contact the clansmen outside.

"Will the General withdraw on his own, or shall this Princess invite you... to be buried forever in the sea of stars?" The woman's tone was cold, showing no fear.

Bai Qi said coldly, "Your Highness should think carefully."

"If you walk out yourself, this General can leave the Star Clan with whole corpses."

"If I have to fight my way in, today this Star God Mountain will become a Mountain of Star Bones."

A cold light flashed in the woman's eyes, and a cold sneer curled at the corners of her mouth.

A mere Quasi-Emperor dared to act so insolently before her?

Back when she was at her Peak, the Quasi-Emperors she had slain were enough to fill the entire Five Evolutions Great Thousand World!

"It seems the General is determined to fight my Star Clan to the bitter end."

She spoke no more and gave a look to the Clan Leader of the Xingchen Clan and the Old Ancestor.

The Clan Leader of the Xingchen Clan understood and stepped forward, his voice penetrating the entire Star God Mountain: "Activate the Star Grand Array! Let this ignorant General witness what true Emperors Might is!"

"As you command!"

Hundreds of millions of Star Clan members roared simultaneously, causing the mountain to tremble slightly.

In the next moment, the Clan Leader of the Xingchen Clan, the Old Ancestor, and seven Elders all took their positions.

Hundreds of millions of clansmen simultaneously performed hand Seals, and majestic star power surged into the Star God Mountain beneath their feet.

"Star Grand Array, activate!"

"Boom—!"

The entire Star God Mountain shook violently as hundreds of millions of brilliant starlight beams erupted from within the mountain, instantly resonating with the stars in the sky.

The originally clear day instantly turned into night.

Above the firmament.

Endless stars appeared, shedding vast star power that converged into a brilliant pillar of light over a hundred miles in diameter, falling straight toward Bai Qi and the hundred thousand God Slaying Army!

Wherever the pillar of light passed, space collapsed layer by layer, and all things were annihilated bit by bit.

"Just in time. This will serve perfectly to temper my Dao of Slaughter."

Facing this strike comparable to a Great Emperor's, Bai Qi's expression remained calm.

He took a step forward, leaving the army Formation, and met the pillar of star light alone.

"Asura—World-Ending Tribulation Light!"

The asura world-ending sword in Bai Qi's hand emitted an excited hum, blood-colored patterns flowing on the blade, radiating a terrifying killing intent.

Holding the sword with both hands, he raised it above his head. A dark red beam of light, condensed to the extreme, erupted from the tip of the sword, shooting straight toward the star light pillar in the sky.

The dark red beam collided fiercely with the star light pillar, instantly piercing through it.

Even more terrifyingly, the dark red beam's momentum did not fade. It surged against the flow of the star light pillar and, with speed surpassing all else, precisely struck the massive Formation core above the Star God Mountain!

Crack!

The light screen shrouding the entire Star God Mountain shattered at the sound, turning into a sky full of light specks that dissipated in the air.

"Pfft!"

The Clan Leader of the Xingchen Clan, the Old Ancestor, and the seven Elders presiding over the Formation simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood. Their auras instantly withered, and their faces turned as pale as paper.

However, the residual power of the World-Ending Tribulation Light was still terrifying, sweeping in all directions.

"Protect the Progenitor!"

The Clan Leader of the Xingchen Clan and the Old Ancestor were filled with rage, their eyes nearly splitting. They forcibly channeled the remaining star power in their bodies, joining forces with the other Elders to lay down a defensive barrier.

Boom!

The World-Ending Tribulation Light swept past, and the defensive barrier supported itself for only a moment before exploding.

Several Quasi-Emperor Elders didn't even have time to scream before their Physical Bodies and Primordial Spirits were instantly annihilated!

The Clan Leader of the Xingchen Clan and the Old Ancestor were struck as if by lightning. Their bones shattered into thousands of pieces, and they were sent flying backward, spraying blood, crashing heavily onto the mountain, critically injured and on the verge of death!

When this power swept toward the woman, it bypassed her and surged toward the area behind her.

In an instant, nearly ten million Star Clan members were turned into blood mist under this impact.

Just as the aftermath of this energy was about to sweep out of the Star Clan's territory, it was stopped by an invisible force.

For a time, the entire Star God Mountain fell into a dead silence.

The surviving Star Clan members looked at the empty area, their eyes filled with endless fear and bewilderment.

The arrogance from the beginning vanished completely at this moment.

The woman stood dazed on the spot. Even though she was the Reincarnation of a mighty expert, she couldn't help but feel terrified at this moment.

It was just a Major Thousand World, yet such a character with Heaven-Defying combat power had appeared.

What startled her even more was that, looking at Bai Qi, it seemed he hadn't even used his full strength.

With such terrifying combat power, could it be that the opponent was also a Reincarnator?

While her thoughts were racing, Bai Qi stood with his sword, and the blood Qi permeating the Star God Mountain instantly surged into his body.

The Slaughter Emperor Fruit within him spun wildly, the patterns on its surface becoming clearer, and the aura it emitted grew more solid.

Bai Qi coldly scanned the silent Star God Mountain and raised the asura world-ending sword once more:

"Exterminate the clan. Leave none alive."

"Kill!"

The hundred thousand God Slaying Army had long been ready. The moment they heard the command, they charged fiercely into the Star Clan territory that had lost the protection of the Formation.

For a time, the sounds of battle and screams once again echoed through the Star God Mountain.

As for Bai Qi himself, he took a step forward, ignoring spatial distance, and appeared before the woman.

The woman hurriedly waved her jade-like hand, drawing the starlight around her in an attempt to resist.

Bai Qi raised his hand and flicked a blood-colored Seal into her forehead, instantly sealing all her power.

"You..."

A hint of shock and anger finally appeared in the woman's eyes.

Bai Qi ignored her. With a wave of his hand, a phoenix carriage engraved with a Phoenix totem appeared in the air.

With another wave of his hand, the woman's body uncontrollably flew into the phoenix carriage.

Immediately after, blood-colored Emperor Runes emerged from the phoenix carriage, completely sealing the entire carriage.

"Let me go! You are playing with fire!" The woman pounded on the blood-colored Emperor Runes, but she couldn't even cause a ripple.

Although she had recovered her memories, she hadn't yet Cultivated them; thus, she was still a weakling.

"Keep an eye on her."

Bai Qi instructed a Myriad Commander of the God Slaying Army.

Then he stopped paying attention and turned his gaze toward the firmament.

Within him, that Slaughter Emperor Fruit was spinning wildly, emitting a light of flawless Perfection.

Three days and three nights later.

The sounds of battle and screams around the Star God Mountain gradually subsided, eventually falling into dead silence.

The once-glorious Star Clan territory was now a wasteland, with a thick smell of blood permeating every corner.

Bai Qi stood atop a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, closing his eyes to sense the changes in the world.

When the aura of the last Star Clan member completely vanished, the Slaughter Emperor Fruit inside him suddenly jolted, erupting with a dazzling blood-red light.

"The Emperor Fruit has reached Perfection; attaining Emperorhood is close at hand." He slowly opened his eyes, which seemed to contain a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

At this moment, waves of Breakthrough auras came from the God Slaying Army below.

Bai Qi looked down and saw that after the baptism of this bloody battle, thousands of soldiers in the God Slaying Army had achieved Breakthroughs.

Two more Quasi-Emperors were added, and the number of Supremes reached over a hundred.

"Everyone, clean up the battlefield immediately and collect the relics and resources of the Star Clan."

"Also, send a message to the Heavenly Noble Star Phoenix Army and have them come to take over this area."

Glancing once more at the woman in the phoenix carriage, Bai Qi lingered no longer. His figure transformed into a blood-colored rainbow, charging straight through the plane barrier of the Five Evolutions Great Thousand World and flying toward the outer starry sky.

He would complete his final path to Emperorhood there.

The woman in the phoenix carriage watched the receding blood-colored rainbow, her eyes filled with shock, unwillingness, and a trace of undetectable fear.

To have such a terrifying figure swear loyalty, just how strong must that Emperor Yan be?

Could he be the Reincarnation of some super-mighty expert?!

Several days later.

A blood-colored rainbow descended from the sky, landing steadily atop the Mountain of Star Bones.

The newcomer's aura was completely restrained, and not a trace of killing intent could be detected around him. Yet, that faint, intangible Emperors Might made the entire world turn solemn.

This scene fell into the eyes of the woman in the phoenix carriage, causing her pupils to shrink. She murmured in a lost voice, "His aura is completely restrained, returning to simplicity... he has broken through to become a Great Emperor!"

Feng Qingge, the commander of the Heavenly Noble Star Phoenix Army, saw Bai Qi's return and hurriedly stepped forward to salute: "this humble general Feng Qingge greets General Bai Qi."

Bai Qi nodded slightly and said in a flat tone, "I will first take Her Highness back to the Imperial City to report. The follow-up matters here are in your hands."

Feng Qingge nodded: "Please rest assured, General. this humble general will certainly not fail in my mission."

Bai Qi then turned around and shouted to the hundred thousand God Slaying Army behind him: "All troops, listen to my command! Organize the Formation and welcome Her Highness back to the court!"

The hundred thousand God Slaying Army quickly assembled, lining up neatly on both sides of the phoenix carriage, surrounding it as they rushed toward the Tai Yan Imperial City.

Feng Qingge gazed at the receding backs of the God Slaying Army. Recalling the woman's words just now, she couldn't help but murmur softly, "General Bai Qi has really broken through to the Great Emperor realm?!"