540: Your Majesty! Is it you who has returned?!

In stark contrast, the White-Haired Great Emperor, who had already been exhausted to the bone and prepared to sacrifice himself for the world, along with the three Quasi-Emperors,

At this moment, a glimmer of unbelievable brilliance suddenly erupted from their dim eyes!

"The fluctuations from the plundering Formation outside the world have stopped?"

"It's reinforcements! A peerless powerhouse has intervened from beyond the world, instantly annihilating those extraterrestrial fiends!"

The ecstasy of a miraculous escape from death poured into their parched hearts like sweet rain.

The White-Haired Great Emperor's spirits were greatly lifted. The nearly extinguished ancient sword in his hand actually burst forth with another faint glimmer of light, forcing the Void Immortal before him, whose offensive had slowed due to shock and doubt, to retreat half a step.

And it was precisely at this moment of drastic change in the internal and external situation, a moment that shook the minds of all.

Hum!

Above the shattered sky of the Canglan World, space rippled gently like water.

There was no earth-shattering commotion, no pressure that tore through the void.

Several figures, as if taking a leisurely stroll, quietly appeared in the sky above the Imperial Pass.

Their appearance was so natural, so calm, yet it instantly plunged the entire clamorous battlefield into an eerie, deathly silence.

The four Void Immortals' pupils constricted violently, and the hairs all over their bodies stood on end!

From this white-clothed man, they sensed a kind of unfathomable void, more suffocating than death itself!

Gu Changge's gaze fell upon the four Void Immortals.

No words, no movement.

He merely looked at them.

With that one glance, as if his Words Follow the Law, invisible threads of Law were instantly severed.

The terror on the faces of the four Void Immortals instantly froze. Their bodies, along with the Immortal Artifacts they had summoned and their protective immortal radiance,

just like a drawing erased by a rubber, began to disintegrate inch by inch from the feet, transforming into the purest Spiritual Qi light particles, silently dispersing between heaven and earth.

Not even a single scream could be uttered.

Void Immortals, fallen!

The entire process was terrifyingly quiet.

As if Gu Changge had merely brushed off non-existent dust from the corner of his robe.

Only now did the ultimate shock, like a delayed tsunami, completely overwhelm the minds of the survivors.

Thud!

The White-Haired Great Emperor, whose heart was weary and who had been sustained solely by willpower, finally snapped the taut string upon seeing the threat erased so effortlessly.

He could no longer hold on. The ancient sword slipped from his hand as he fell to one knee, coughing up copious amounts of dark golden Emperor Blood. His aura was like a candle flickering in the wind.

He laboriously raised his head, his gaze first looking up at Gu Changge in the sky with immense reverence and gratitude.

Then, his line of sight, carrying an indescribable mixture of excitement and disbelief,

and a sliver of hope spanning countless ages, locked firmly onto Ling Xi.

That look was no longer directed at a powerful reinforcement, but at a faith he had yearned for across countless years!

Using the last of his strength, the White-Haired Great Emperor asked in a hoarse, trembling voice the question suppressed in his heart, one he had almost thought would never be answered:

"You... You are..."

His voice was hoarse, each word seemingly costing him immense effort, accompanied by violent tremors.

"Great Emperor! Is that you, returned?!!"

Ling Xi looked at this White-Haired Great Emperor, his imperial robes stained with blood, nearly exhausted to the bone. Unrestrained ripples stirred within her cool eyes.

Ever since she broke through the world barrier, entered the Immortal Realm, was killed, and awoke to find herself Reborn in the Xuanhuang Great World,

she had thought only a few decades had passed. She never expected that thousands of years had already gone by!

That youth who once hid in the ruins, his eyes stubborn yet fearful.

Now, he too had become a Great Emperor, shouldering the heavy burden of mountains and rivers.

She slowly descended, walked before him, crouched down, and looked at him with gentle eyes.

As if traversing endless time, she saw the teachings she had once given him.

She nodded gently, her voice carrying a barely perceptible choke yet an undeniable certainty:

"It's me. Little Leaf, I've returned."

The words "Little Leaf" struck the White-Haired Great Emperor's ears like thunder, and also resounded in the hearts of the other three Quasi-Emperors struggling to look over!

How many years had it been since anyone called him by that name!

That was a memory buried deep in the dust of time, belonging only to him and Your Majesty!

"Great Emperor, it really is you!!"

The White-Haired Great Emperor, Ye Lingxiao, this sovereign who guarded the Canglan World's final line of defense and had not flinched even before Void Immortals,

now burst into tears like a child, the tears mingling with blood as they rolled down.

He wanted to perform a formal salute, but Ling Xi gently pressed his shoulder to stop him.

Ling Xi looked at him, her eyes filled with gratification and heartache. She gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said softly:

"It's been so long. That little fellow I picked up from the ruins back then, who couldn't even get enough to eat,

has now grown into a Great Emperor who protects an entire world and stands strong on his own.

You've done well, Little Leaf, better than I ever imagined."

Ye Lingxiao wept uncontrollably, shaking his head vigorously, then nodding desperately.

Countless words choked in his throat, ultimately transforming into a single sob-laden gasp:

"Great Emperor..."

The other three Quasi-Emperors also struggled to rise and, ignoring their injuries, bowed respectfully and excitedly towards Ling Xi, tears streaming down their aged faces: "We respectfully welcome the return of the Great Emperor!"

They were all generals under Ling Xi's command. Now, they were also the heroic spirits guarding her homeland.

Ling Xi looked at them, her gaze sweeping over their shattered Imperial Weapons and bodies covered in wounds. Heartache and pride intertwined within her: "Rise, all of you. You've worked hard."

Gu Changge stood quietly in the air, silently watching this reunion of old acquaintances.

Xiao Ruobai, Fang Hanyu, and the others were also deeply moved, quietly standing guard nearby.

However, the hand she had placed on Ye Lingxiao's shoulder felt with crystal clarity that the imperial body beneath her palm, which had once withstood great foes alone,

had a life Origin flickering uncertainly like a candle in the wind, already reaching the desperate state of being completely exhausted.

That dark golden Emperor Blood, each drop containing his most fundamental Imperial Dao essence, was now nearly drained dry.

"Little Leaf, you..."

Before Ling Xi could finish her words, the last breath Ye Lingxiao had been forcing himself to hold seemed to finally reach its limit.

The unnatural flush that had risen on his face from wild joy and excitement rapidly faded, turning into an ashen gray.

He opened his mouth slightly, as if trying to give Ling Xi a smile to say he was fine, but the smile froze before it could even form.

The light that had rekindled in his eyes upon Ling Xi's return also faded away like a receding tide, leaving only a bottomless exhaustion and relief.

"You've returned... that's... good enough..."

His breath was as faint as a thread, each word almost inaudible, yet carrying a sense of complete satisfaction, free of regret.

As if all the meaning of his countless years of bitter guardianship and this battle that burned away his imperial life was fulfilled in this whisper.

His spine began to hunch uncontrollably. He could no longer maintain his seated posture, his body going limp as he began to fall to the side.

"Little Leaf!"

A trace of panic appeared in Ling Xi's cool voice.

She wanted to support him, but she felt the last vestiges of vitality within him were scattering like a collapsing dam.

This was neither injury nor poison, but the complete exhaustion of his dao foundation and life Origin—a desperate situation that even she, a Reincarnation of a Great Emperor, was powerless to resolve!