43: Chapter 43 Advancement to the Peak of Quasi-Emperor

Years flowed by, and the battles never ceased.

A hundred years passed, and Xiao Nannan broke through amidst bloody combat, officially stepping into the Saint King realm!

The Saint King tribulation shook dozens of Star Domains; she devoured the Heavenly Tribulation within the sea of lightning, tempering her body and forging a Supreme Dao foundation.

After becoming a Saint King, she began her revenge.

The forces that participated in her encirclement back then—the Haoyang Holy Land, the Heavenly Sword Sect, and the Myriad Beast Mountain—were liquidated by her one by one. She did not kill the innocent indiscriminately, only slaying the high-level culprits, seizing their scripture libraries, and swallowing the Origin of Disciples with special Physiques.

The evolution of her Chaos Body accelerated accordingly.

The more Physiques she devoured, the deeper her understanding of the Myriad Daos became. The Chaos Qi within her Sea of Bitterness grew increasingly dense, showing faint signs of creation and the evolution of all things.

"It's not enough... What I want is an Innate Chaos Body just like Teacher's!" she told herself.

Another hundred years passed, and she had devoured the Origin of an unknown number of King Bodies and God Bodies.

The Chaos Body was now seventy percent evolved.

In yet another hundred years, she found a Mythological Era ruin deep within the ancient road. From it, she obtained a wisp of residual Chaos Origin, using it to break through to the Quasi-Emperor Realm!

The Quasi-Emperor tribulation consisted of nine layers of lightning seas, each more terrifying than the last. In the end, blurry silhouettes of immortal spirits even appeared, with the imprints of ancient immortal creatures like True Dragons, Divine Phoenixes, and Qilins manifesting!

Xiao Nannan fought a bloody battle against the Lightning Tribulation. Operating her Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art to its limit, she actually swallowed and refined a True Dragon imprint alive!

That day, every Cultivator on the ancient road saw that figure deep in the starry sky, fighting immortal spirits within the sea of lightning.

"She... is truly going to defy the heavens!"

...

Five hundred years had passed since Xiao Nannan returned to the Ancient Starry Sky Road.

On this day, in a deathly silent Star Domain at the Cosmic Borderlands.

Xiao Nannan sat cross-legged on a shattered ancient star, her aura surging like an ocean, having reached its critical point.

Her Chaos Body had evolved to ninety-nine percent! She was only one final step away from complete Perfection, turning into a true Innate Chaos Body!

And her cultivation, through five hundred years of battle, had climbed all the way from the Saint King realm until today—

The Ninth Heaven of Quasi-Emperor!

"It is time."

She opened her eyes, Chaos Qi swirling within her pupils, appearing like a scene of world-creation.

She slowly stood up and looked toward the heavens.

"Rumble—!!!"

Without any warning, the Dao Laws of the entire Universe began to riot! Endless thunderclouds emerged from the depths of the Void Realm, covering an area so vast it actually shrouded over a hundred nearby Star Domains!

This was no ordinary Heavenly Tribulation.

This was the Ninth Heaven of Quasi-Emperor tribulation, the most terrifying heavenly punishment a Cultivator could trigger before becoming an Emperor!

Before the sea of lightning had even truly descended, that vast heavenly might already made creatures hundreds of millions of miles away tremble. Countless old monsters in seclusion were startled awake, and the Forbidden Zone Supremes within the various life restricted zones also cast their Divine Thoughts over.

"Someone is crossing the Ninth Heaven of Quasi-Emperor tribulation!"

"This power... is almost not inferior to an Emperor Ascension Tribulation!"

"Who is it? To think such a person exists in this world?!"

In the center of the lightning sea, Xiao Nannan's silver hair danced in the wind—through five hundred years of war, her black hair had long since turned into snow-white silver hair. The mask remained on her face, revealing only a pair of cold and determined eyes.

The first layer of the Lightning Tribulation fell: Nine-Colored Chaos Lightning!

She threw a punch, her Chaos Qi surging, actually dispersing the Lightning Tribulation directly!

The second layer was the Myriad Weapon Tribulation. Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, bells, tripods, towers, and furnaces were all formed from lightning, each one emitting the pressure of a Quasi-Emperor!

She executed the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art, a black hole appearing behind her, swallowing all the myriad lightning weapons!

The third layer, the fourth, the fifth...

Each layer of the Lightning Tribulation was more terrifying than the last. By the eighth layer, ten blurry Emperor silhouettes actually appeared! Those were the heaven and earth imprints of those who had attained the Dao throughout the ages!

Xiao Nannan fought a bloody battle against the Emperor silhouettes. Her Physical Body shattered multiple times, but the immortal peach tree showered divine fluid, reconstructing it instantly.

She grew braver as she fought. Under the pressure of life and death, her Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art actually underwent another transformation—it no longer just swallowed energy and Origin; even the opponent's 'Dao' and 'Law' could be forcibly plundered and analyzed!

The ninth layer of the Lightning Tribulation descended.

There was no lightning, no thunder.

There was only a patch of 'nothingness.'

That was the direct manifestation of the Dao Origin, the final judgment of Heaven and Earth upon a Heaven-Defying being!

Xiao Nannan stood within the nothingness, feeling her own Dao dissolving and her consciousness blurring, as if she were about to return to complete silence.

But she gritted her teeth and persevered. Her Chaos Body operated at full power, and the Chaos Dao Seed within her Sea of Bitterness spun frantically, emitting the great power of world-creation!

"I am the Ruthless One, I shall suppress all enemies in this world!"

"I want to become an Emperor! I want revenge! I want to... see Teacher one more time!"

Her obsession was like fire, igniting her Divine Soul!

"Boom—!!!"

The final barrier within her body shattered with a bang!

The Chaos Body had reached complete Perfection!

Her cultivation stepped into the Ninth Heaven of Quasi-Emperor!

The sky full of thunderclouds dispersed, the Dao's blessing descended, and Chaos light-rain fell, nourishing her injured body.

Xiao Nannan stood in the starry sky, her silver hair like a waterfall, surrounded by Chaos Qi, appearing like an Innate God who had just walked out of the Chaos.

She slowly removed the silver mask from her face.

What was revealed was a face of peerless beauty, yet cold as ten-thousand-year-old profound ice.

Between the opening and closing of her eyes, Chaos was born and destroyed.

Five hundred years of war, five hundred years of a bloody path.

Today, she finally stood at the threshold of the Emperor Realm.

The next step—

"Emperor Yuhua, the Forbidden Zone Supremes... and that mastermind who ambushed Teacher."

She looked toward the direction of the Big Dipper Astral Region, her voice calm yet carrying a killing intent that could freeze the starry sky.

"I am coming."

Having ascended to the Peak of the Quasi-Emperor Realm, she now had enough confidence to return and take her revenge!

"Let's go! We're going back!"

Xiao Nannan took the Tyrant Blade and the immortal peach tree and headed back toward the Big Dipper Astral Region.

Her silver hair was like snow, her white clothes surpassed frost, and the eyes beneath the mask were cold as ten-thousand-year-old profound ice.

Five hundred years of war, five hundred years of a bloody path; today she finally had the qualifications to return and avenge her husband and brother!

Chaos Qi swirled around her, making her look like an Innate God walking out of the Chaos, each step she took making the Void Realm tremble.

...

"Four hundred years, and you still haven't shown a single tail."

On an anonymous ancient star, Chu Tianjiao stood at the end of a desolate crimson land, looking deep into the starry sky and sighing involuntarily.

He had pursued the Immortal Emperor for a full four hundred years, from the Big Dipper to the Cosmic Borderlands, from ancient life stars to dead Star Domains, but he still hadn't managed to catch up to him.

The Immortal Emperor was too good at hiding.

Over these four hundred years, Chu Tianjiao's Divine Thought had covered Star Domain after Star Domain like a spiderweb, searching for any traces the Immortal Emperor might have left behind.

He had sensed a few faint auras, but every time he pursued them, he only saw the ripples left behind by the Void Realm's fluctuations, without a single person in sight.

That old fox seemed able to predict his movements, always managing to flee at the most critical moment.

"Forget it. Xiao Nannan is already at the Peak of the Quasi-Emperor Realm. She's about to return, and Emperor Yuhua's doomsday has arrived. Whether you act or not no longer matters."

Chu Tianjiao no longer paid any mind to the Immortal Emperor.

He turned and took a step; the crimson earth beneath his feet instantly shattered into powder as he transformed into a beam of light, disappearing into the starry sky.

This four-hundred-year pursuit was not only to find the Immortal Emperor but also to keep him in check.

Chu Tianjiao knew the Immortal Emperor's nature well—that old fox loved to strike when others were weak or at a critical moment, bathing in Emperor blood to extend his own life.

The heavily injured and secluded Emperor Yuhua was the perfect prey.

Chu Tianjiao could not let the Immortal Emperor succeed.

Emperor Yuhua was someone he had left for Xiao Nannan. That was a hurdle she had to cross on her path to attaining the Dao, a key step for her Dao Heart to reach Perfection and for her to truly rise.

So for these four hundred years, Chu Tianjiao seemingly pursued the Immortal Emperor, but in reality, he was forcing and warning him—if you dare to move against Emperor Yuhua, I will immediately lock onto your position and drag you out at any cost.

Now, Xiao Nannan was at the Peak of the Quasi-Emperor Realm and was about to return. The Immortal Emperor's chance to ambush Emperor Yuhua was gone. Chu Tianjiao's goal had been achieved.

He no longer hesitated, turning to leave and speeding toward the direction of the Big Dipper Astral Region.