653: Chapter 653 The Emperor's Baptism, A Trial of Life and Death

These three words were almost squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying an incredulous tremor.

He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white, while his Emperor Blood boiled frantically within his chest.

In just a few short years, that young man who once contended with him in the same generation had now become so formidable that he could crush ten Heavenly Immortals with a single punch!

Such combat power was no longer something an Emperor or Void Immortal could look up to; it was a terrifying strength that truly stepped into the upper echelons of the Immortal Dao!

He shifted his gaze again, and his heart gave another fierce jolt.

Not far away, sword light tore through the sky. Fang Hanyu, dressed in white as pristine as snow, wielded his sword like a god. With a sweep of his Chaos Sword Qi, four Heavenly Immortals had already fallen under his blade.

On the other side, black mist churned. Ling Xi, manifesting as the Azure Rakshasa, unleashed her Devouring Dao Rhyme, capable of devouring even the Immortal power of Heavenly Immortals.

Every one of those figures who rose to prominence alongside him back then was now so strong that it made him suffocate.

"Heavens! It's the Battle Asura! Sword White Robe and the others have appeared!"

At this moment, other Cultivators also discovered Xiao Ruobai and the others. This roar was like a thunderclap, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Countless gazes, filled with shock and ecstasy, converged on them in unison.

Xiao Ruobai was seen with the flames of a War God blazing around him. That pure, ultimate Undying Battle Intent was undoubtedly that of the "Battle Asura"!

Almost simultaneously, the scenes in other battlefields were like the blazing sun melting snow, dispelling the despair in everyone's hearts.

Wang Xiaopang and Mo Yu—those familiar names and figures from the past—were now sweeping across the battlefield, displaying unimaginable strength.

"It really is them! Battle Asura, Sword White Robe, Azure Rakshasa... Only a few years have passed, how could they have become this strong?!"

The uproar spread like a tide, and the living beings of the Xuanhuang World trembled with excitement.

And when the battle situation above the firmament came into view, this shock reached its Peak.

The Great Ancestor, at the Early Stage of the Immortal King realm, was actually suppressing the Purple Thunder Immortal King, causing his thunder armor to shatter continuously.

The four Great Ancestors joined forces, their Peak Immortal Lord Auras merging seamlessly, firmly entangling the Mo Chen Immortal King until the luster of his Spirit-Devouring Shield dimmed.

"It's them! The mysterious powerhouses who quelled the Dark Turmoil back then!" An old Cultivator stammered in excitement.

"I remember their Qi! They were only at the Quasi-Emperor cultivation level back then, yet now they can suppress Immortal Kings!"

"We are truly saved!"

The ecstasy of surviving a catastrophe and the awe of the strong completely erupted. Battle Intent was instantly ignited, and the momentum of the Xuanhuang side soared like a rainbow.

Amidst this boiling cheering and shouting, Qin Wuye, Jiang Ruofeng, and other Prodigies who had once contended with Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu in the same generation stood frozen, their faces pale.

They had once competed on the dao zang heavenly ladder and within the academy. Although their talent was slightly inferior, they could still see their backs.

But now, while they had barely touched the threshold of the Emperor realm, the others were already standing at the Peak of the Nine Heavens, far beyond their reach—suppressing Heavenly Immortals with fists and slaying Immortal souls with swords.

At this moment, time seemed to have lost its meaning.

Qin Wuye, Jiang Ruofeng, and the others clenched their fists tightly, their knuckles turning white, their hearts surging with unspeakable and complex emotions.

Shock, awe, melancholy, and a trace of fanatical yearning for that vast Immortal path.

"How could... how could the gap be so large?"

Qin Wuye clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, his heart surging with unspeakable and complex emotions—shock, awe, melancholy, and a trace of fanatical yearning for that vast Immortal path.

Jiang Ruofeng looked at that invincible golden figure, his Adam's apple bobbing, and muttered, "What on earth have they experienced in these few years?"

The huge disparity between those of the same generation was like a heavy hammer, ruthlessly shattering their remaining pride, but it also reshaped their understanding of the Immortal Dao.

This Xuanhuang World was no longer the Xuanhuang World they knew.

This Immortal path was far more magnificent, and also far more cruel, than they had imagined.

The battlefield situation had already reversed.

The Azure Profound Sect Disciples firmly controlled the rhythm of the battlefield, their offensive becoming increasingly fierce.

Xiao Ruobai's fist momentum surged again, booming as he repelled the Heavenly Immortals surrounding him. Fang Hanyu's sword light flashed, and another Heavenly Immortal fell.

The four Great Ancestors cooperated seamlessly, forcing the Mo Chen Immortal King, who was attempting to break out, to roar repeatedly; even spewing out his natal Immortal blood could not help him break free.

The battle was already one-sided.

Conversely, for the Hundred Immortals Alliance, the scorching heat of the high-end battlefield and the rout of the low-level battlefield intertwined, throwing their formations into chaos.

High in the firmament, the Purple Thunder Immortal King roared in shock, "How can Lower Realm Cultivators reach this level?!"

Mo Chen Immortal King's black robes fluttered, his eyes filled with madness and disbelief, "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

The destruction of the battlefield continued, the aftermath almost tearing this world apart.

Just as the world origin of the Xuanhuang World was about to become overwhelmed, a gentle, vast, yet supreme invisible fluctuation silently enveloped the entire battlefield.

The violent tremors of space were instantly smoothed out, and the raging energy turbulence receded like a tide.

The Emperors and Quasi-Emperors who had suffered heavy injuries and damaged Origins suddenly felt a cool, majestic vitality surge into their bodies. Deep, bone-visible Dao wounds healed rapidly, and their depleted strength quickly recovered.

It was Gu Changge!

Although he did not appear directly in the center of the battlefield, he had quietly stabilized this world, which was on the verge of collapse, with supreme power.

Wang Zhan, who was watching the battle, was stunned at first, only to feel his long-depleted strength surging back into his body, and his tearing Dao wounds healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He subconsciously raised his hand and clenched his fist, feeling his long-lost Peak state. His gaze swept around in shock and uncertainty, but he could not capture the source of that vast power at all.

But at this moment, he had no time to delve into it.

Looking at the intense battlefield, the Battle Intent and yearning in Wang Zhan's eyes grew more intense.

This is true power... this is the path of a true powerhouse!

He suddenly raised his hand and ruthlessly wiped away the residual Emperor Blood from the corner of his mouth; the Emperor Blood in his chest was as hot as magma.

With a flicker of his figure, he took the initiative to dash toward the edge of the battlefield where the energy was slightly weaker.

He needed to fight; he needed to break through his own shackles under this unprecedented pressure and stimulation!

His gaze scanned like a hawk, and he quickly locked onto a True Immortal Early Stage Cultivator of the Hundred Immortals Alliance whose Aura was slightly unstable. With a low roar, the Imperial Dao Laws around him rumbled, and he turned into a blood-red rainbow and lunged straight at him!

He needed to be defeated; he needed to experience that gap in a battle against a true "Immortal," and to understand the level of battle that Xiao Ruobai and the others had experienced!

"Kill!"

Wang Zhan's action was like a signal. The other Xuanhuang Emperors nearby, who had also fully recovered from their injuries and were stirred to boiling passion by the miracle before them and the heroic posture of their generation, all erupted with a sharp light in their eyes.

Even one-on-one, they were no match for a True Immortal. But today, they were no longer fighting alone!

Someone raised their arm and shouted, "Let's fight together! Surround and kill him!"

Five or six Emperors instantly formed a formation, their Emperor Might intertwining as they fiercely pounced on a True Immortal of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.

Several others also quickly teamed up, locking onto a second True Immortal, forming an encirclement.

Natal Emperor Arts, trump card Divine Abilities, and everything they had learned in their lives... at this moment, it was all poured out. Emperor light soared into the sky, Divine Abilities were like the sea, and they smashed down overwhelmingly toward those panicked True Immortals of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.

On Zizhu Peak, Gu Changge watched this scene and nodded slightly.

Only by facing the gap directly can one face the path of the Dao; only through tempering in blood can one break out of the cocoon and become a butterfly.

This battle today is their best baptism.

He flicked his finger gently, and a wisp of invisible power quietly spread out, isolating this small battlefield from the main battlefield.

It neither took away their battle nor allowed the violent aftermath to harm them, leaving them to temper, grow, and transform between life and death.