517: Chapter 517 The Heavenly Emperor (82)

"Great Ancient Ancestor."

Ye Yun looked at the old man who was both familiar and strange, feeling the resonance of a Bloodline originating from the same source.

The Great Ancient Ancestor took a step forward, crossing an endless distance in an instant to appear before Ye Yun.

He did not speak, but merely reached out and gently patted the white-robed youth's shoulder.

Their gazes met in the air.

No words were needed.

A thousand words were transformed into a shared Battle Intent at this moment.

The Great Ancient Ancestor's gaze swept over Ye Yun's body, noticing the Holy Light—an interwoven mix of gold and the five colors of Chaos—that had not yet been fully retracted, and his heart shook violently.

Dual Sacred Bodies, both having reached Major Achievement.

But he did not voice it; he simply turned around slowly, shielding the blood-stained young figure behind him.

His gaze fell upon the seven top-tier Fallen Beings who were pursuing them.

Two Peak Great Emperors.

Five Titans.

A standoff was formed.

"The Great Ancient Ancestor of the Ye Family, Ye Zhan."

The leading Fallen Peak Great Emperor recognized the newcomer and spoke in a low voice.

"Weren't you trapped in the Land of Expedition?!"

The Great Ancient Ancestor did not answer him.

He simply raised his hand.

Behind him, on that ancient 'path' paved with emerald light, one majestic figure after another stepped out.

Their clothes were ragged, their Imperial robes torn, and their bodies bore old wounds accumulated over countless years; their auras were not at their Peak.

But in each of their eyes, an unquenchable Battle Intent burned.

They were the lost legends of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, the Hundred Emperors who had gone on the expedition and whose fates were unknown.

"Kill."

The Great Ancient Ancestor spoke only a single word.

The Emperor War erupted violently.

The Great Ancient Ancestor's figure vanished from his spot as he fought a Peak Fallen Being alone, his fist seals shaking the star river and cracking the Void Realm.

The dozens of Great Emperors who had returned from the expedition behind him also moved to engage the remaining powerful enemies.

An Ancient Ancestor-level Great Emperor of the Ye Family faced off against another Peak Fallen Being.

Great Emperor Chiyan and Emperor Xuanshui joined forces, firmly holding back a Fallen Titan.

This was a chaotic battle at the Emperor level.

Ye Yun did not stand by; he pushed his Major Achievement Desolate Ancient Sacred Body to its limit, turning into a golden light and crashing directly into one of the Fallen Titans.

However, just as the battle fell into a stalemate, a new change occurred in this long-dead Land of Expedition.

Boom!

Beneath everyone's feet, the remains of a massive star with a diameter of over a million miles suddenly vibrated.

An aura no less than that of a Peak Great Emperor boomed awake from the deepest part of the star's core.

A giant claw condensed from pure Fallen Origin tore through the thick crust, reaching out from underground to grab the Human Race Great Emperor closest to it.

That Great Emperor was in the middle of a fierce battle with a Fallen Titan and had no time to react before being crushed by the giant claw.

"Ah—!"

A miserable scream rang out.

Emperor blood splattered.

A Human Race Great Emperor perished on the spot.

A native Peak Fallen creature of the Land of Expedition had been awakened by the energy of this Emperor War.

The pressure of the battle suddenly intensified.

"Damn it!"

The Great Ancient Ancestor forced back his opponent with a punch, his face ashen as he looked at the gargantuan creature slowly crawling out from underground.

At this critical moment.

Two auras quietly rose from behind the camp of the expeditionary Emperors.

That was not simple Imperial Might.

It was a power belonging to a Heavenly Emperor, transcending the Emperor Dao Law.

The Heavenly Emperor of the Eastern Heavenly Court and the Heavenly Emperor of the Western Heavenly Court finally stopped holding back.

The two exchanged a glance and attacked simultaneously.

The Heavenly Emperor of the Eastern Heavenly Court formed hand seals, and a massive Ancient Bronze Mirror emerged behind him, reflecting the entire battlefield on its surface.

The Heavenly Emperor of the Western Heavenly Court drew a pure white longsword, its blade flowing with an endless river of stars.

"Eastern Sovereign Shadow Reflection, Western Geng Immortal Slaughter."

The two joined forces, unleashing supreme techniques.

The Ancient Bronze Mirror erupted with light; wherever the mirror's light shone, the movements of all Fallen Beings were frozen in an instant.

Whether it was the native Peak creature that had just awakened or the seven top-tier powerhouses who had been pursuing them, all fell into absolute stillness at this moment.

Immediately following, the white longsword slashed out.

A white sword light that spanned the entire Star Domain flashed and vanished.

On the foreheads of all the frozen Fallen Beings, a thin line of blood appeared.

Then, their Emperor bodies, along with their Divine Souls, turned into dust together.

An instant kill.

An encounter that could have cost the Human Race a heavy price came to an abrupt end under the combined efforts of the two Heavenly Emperors.

Ye Yun watched this scene, his mind shaking.

This was the true top-tier combat power of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces.

...

After the battle, the expeditionary Emperors met with Ye Yun and the others.

Ye Yun informed everyone of the current crisis in the Three Thousand Dao Provinces in full detail.

Upon hearing of the Abyss Lord's emergence, the fact that three of the four Heavenly Courts were sealed or controlled, and the various conspiracies involving the infiltration of Emperor Clans, the expressions of all the Great Emperors present turned heavy.

"As expected."

The Heavenly Emperor of the Eastern Heavenly Court sighed.

"The passage for our return was completely sealed off thousands of years ago by a force from within the Three Thousand Dao Provinces. We predicted then that there must be a traitor within the Dao Provinces."

Everyone's gaze fell upon that 'path' paved with emerald light.

This was the only hope.

A white-haired Gatekeeper with an ancient and distant aura, possessing the Longevity Sacred Body, walked up to Jiang Zhiyu.

He revealed the secret of this 'path.'

"This path was opened with supreme power by a sage of our Human Race who surpassed the Heavenly Emperor level, serving as the final passage connecting the Three Thousand Dao Provinces and the Land of Expedition."

"But it is not eternal. Every time it is opened and maintained, it requires the Bloodline of a Major Achievement Longevity Sacred Body to act as the 'key' and 'coordinate.'"

This Gatekeeper Heavenly Emperor looked at Jiang Zhiyu, his gaze both gratified and heavy.

"Young lady, your arrival has brought us hope."

"But it also means..."

He did not finish his sentence, but everyone understood.

Jiang Zhiyu had to stay here.

Once she left, this 'path' would disappear again, the returning Emperors would never be able to go back, and the Land of Expedition would completely lose contact with the Three Thousand Dao Provinces.

...

An emergency meeting was held.

Ultimately, the Emperors decided to split into two groups.

The Heavenly Emperors of the East and West, along with the Longevity Sacred Body Gatekeeper, would lead a portion of the Great Emperor experts to remain in the Land of Expedition to stabilize this hard-won 'path' and continue purging the Fallen Beings here.

The other portion had to return to the Three Thousand Dao Provinces to set things right.

Jiang Zhiyu stood before everyone, her expression calm.

"I volunteer to stay."

She looked at Ye Yun, without a hint of hesitation in her eyes.

"This is my mission."

Ye Yun was silent for a long time before finally nodding heavily.

"Wait for me."

"I will definitely end this catastrophe."

...

The horn for the counterattack was officially blown at this moment.

The Ye Family's Great Ancient Ancestor, Great Emperor Chiyan, Emperor Xuanshui, and nearly a hundred Human Race Great Emperors who had fought for countless years in the Land of Expedition set out on the path of return together with Ye Yun.

Tattered flying boats that still radiated Imperial Might passed through the ancient emerald path, reappearing under the starry sky of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces.

Ye Yun stood at the bow of the flagship, with the battle-hardened Emperors behind him.

He looked at that familiar star river, which had long been shrouded in the flames of war and eerie auras, his gaze resolute.

"Three Thousand Dao Provinces."

"I have returned."

The prelude to the counterattack thus began.