Eternal Heavenly Emperor

Everyone has a scale that must not be touched, and for most it is their family.

Clearly, Huo Jiang was the scale of War Emperor Kongming. Witnessing the death of his only descendant right before his eyes, one could imagine how furious the War Emperor Kongming had become. He roared in anger, and the Cold Light Halberd fully revived, with eyes opening along its shaft, emitting a terrifying aura.

The pinnacle of War Emperors!

Even Chu Hao dared not be careless. He could indeed fight a War Emperor—fifth-tier was easily within his grasp—but the peak... that was tough!

In the world of martial arts, each step was a staircase, and the higher the realm, the harder it was to challenge across tiers. An eighth-tier War Emperor and a fifth-tier War Emperor were not on the same level at all.

"Lord, please consider the bigger picture!" The War Emperor Tianshuang and others urgently called out to War Emperor Kongming.

"My only descendant is dead, all of you must be buried with him!" War Emperor Kongming had descended into madness, his hair instantly turning from black to white, violently whipping upwards as boundless rage burned around him, becoming tangible.

Everyone was shocked. War Emperor Kongming was not merely talking; the murderous aura he emitted was almost physical, causing every person to feel as if their skin was painfully slicing open.

"Fuck!" The Triple Flame War Emperor couldn't help but curse. What terrible misfortune!

He knew that War Emperor Kongming would not have left seclusion otherwise, which is why he had led people here to challenge. Otherwise, with a War Emperor in charge, where would a War King get the nerve? But why such bad luck? Others came and nothing happened, yet he was the one to find himself in the line of fire.

Chu Hao smiled faintly and said, "Today, you won't kill anyone, and the only person who will die here... is you!"

"You little bastard, I will not only kill you, but I'll also slaughter your relatives one by one!" War Emperor Kongming's eyes shot flames of fury. "Do not underestimate the strength of a War Emperor. Indeed, I cannot confront the He Family head-on, but I can lurk in the shadows while they are in the open. Without the protection of a War Emperor, anyone leaving the He Family will be ruthlessly killed by me."

"All because of you!"

Chu Hao sighed, "Old man, your ears really are a bit deaf. I said you won't kill anyone today!"

"First I'll kill you, then I'll take down everyone else here to accompany my descendant in death!" War Emperor Kongming danced with the Cold Light Halberd, sweeping towards Chu Hao, as the nine eyes on the halberd glowed and shot out cold beams at Chu Hao.

Chu Hao summoned the Western Wind, and with power infused, the Divine Artifact immediately revived.

Chu Hao was in fact already a War Emperor, and even if he couldn't fully revive the Western Wind, he could still unleash one or two percent of its power. And what is one or two percent of the power of a War God?

Just like a Dharma Body of a War Emperor could easily crush any War Emperor with just one percent of power. One or two percent power of a War God, even a Tenth-Tier War Emperor would only have the option to kneel.

—A Tenth-Tier War Emperor, even if they had reached Perfection in the Upper Three Realms, could not be compared with a War God. This was the gap between human and deity.

The Western Wind shone brightly, with an indescribable oppressive force shaking everything, akin to the descent of a deity.

Snap, snap, snap, snap, everyone was forced to their knees. The majesty of a War God belonged to a different level, crushing all mortals, and even the Cold Light Halberd immediately lost its luster, emitting a mournful wail. War Emperor Kongming, on the other hand, was hit hard, his face turning instantly pale.

Chu Hao held Western Wind high, like a War God himself.

"A Divine Artifact!" War Emperor Kongming said bitterly, never having imagined that the He Family would go to such lengths as to give a Divine Artifact to someone as young as Chu Hao and let him run around the world with it!

Did they not fear it being taken in an instant if someone killed him and snatched the Divine Artifact?

Chu Hao sheathed his sword and said, "Old ghost, here's your chance to fight fairly, something you never gave me."

"Why?"

"If he wins, we'll all die!"

"Just kill him directly!"

The people of the Snowy Plains Sect raised their voices. They had no affection for War Emperor Kongming—why should they take such a huge risk?

"Shut up!" War Emperor Tianshuang shouted.

The Triple Flame War Emperor gestured with his hand too, signaling the crowd to keep silent.

How many War Emperors were there in Cang State? They were the ultimate combat force, and anyone who reached this stage deserved respect—even if War Emperor Kongming had lost his integrity. Such a powerful being deserved a dignified death.

To die in battle!

"Come on, fight me!" Chu Hao rose into the sky first.

War Emperor Kongming did not hesitate to follow suit. Now that Huo Jiang was dead, his heart was dead too, for this old man whose life was no longer long. If he could avenge Huo Jiang, then he was not attached to his old life.

Boom, he unleashed all his innate might without reservation, even igniting the scant remains of his Origin, maximizing his power.

Bang!

But the battle had barely begun when a massive footprint descended from the sky, crushing a person from the heavens to the ground. Rumble, the ground shook violently, and even though Spirit Spring Mountain had been reinforced by generations of War Emperors, a huge pit appeared after that stomp.

Whoosh, the form of War Emperor Kongming flew out from the pit, rising back to the sky again.

At that moment, even those who had not clearly seen what had just happened now understood: Chu Hao had stepped War Emperor Kongming down with a single foot.

Damn, that's badass!

Triple Flame War Emperor's mouth twitched. He had said before that if Chu Hao could thrash War Emperor Kongming, he would kowtow three times to him, and now… could this not be considered a thrashing?

With the Divine Artifact, he could have argued, but Chu Hao had already put away the Divine Artifact and had stepped War Emperor Kongming down with his own strength. How could one argue against that? But, to kowtow to a youngster, even if the other's strength was indeed above his, was something he could not accept.

After all, he too was at the peak of strength, able to look down upon the world. To kneel… his heart absolutely could not accept it!

Perhaps, it would be better to just run away.

The thought had barely formed when he saw War Emperors Tianshuang, Fire Cloud, and two others sneer, their arms crossed over their chests, standing in four directions, effectively blocking him in completely.

In a one-on-one fight, he wasn't afraid of any one of the four War Emperors, but facing all four, he was surely in for a bad time. What's more, War Emperor Tianshuang and the others didn't need to fight him head-on. They just needed to hold him off so that by the time Chu Hao was free to act, he surely wouldn't be able to defeat Chu Hao.

He couldn't help a wry laugh. Why did he have to run his mouth and court disaster? Sigh!

Boom!

Just then, another foot stomped down, and boom, the ground opened up with another pit. War Emperor Kongming leapt out for the second time, blood at the corner of his mouth, but without any hesitation, he charged back into the sky again.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

This was truly a thrashing. War Emperor Kongming kept being stomped down only to stubbornly get back up and return to fight in the sky. His injuries grew more severe, but he showed no sign of wanting to heal them; instead, he burnt his Origin, continually amplifying his combat power.

Ten times, twenty times, thirty times.

When War Emperor Kongming was stomped down for the forty-seventh time, it took him at least three breaths before he shakily flew out. His body was drenched in blood, and one could clearly see white bones piercing through flesh.

Yet, the old man's fighting spirit was as fierce as fire, wanting to ascend again, but after a few trembling moments, he fell straight to the ground.

He was already short on life span, and forcefully burning his Origin to boost his combat power was like draining the pond to catch the fish. Moreover, his frequent injuries had brought him to the brink of exhaustion. He struggled to his feet once more, a look of desolation on his aged face.

Chu Hao was right, this era no longer belonged to him.

Whoosh, Chu Hao descended from the sky, his body shimmering with Five-Colored Elemental Light, exuding the majestic presence of a Heavenly God.

"Pugh!" War Emperor Kongming vomited blood, with chunks of flesh in it, his organs, which had been shredded in the previous fierce battles. A clarity flashed in his eyes, and the malicious aura around him gradually subsided as he took a seat on the ground.

"All my life, I've sought the best for Spirit spring Sect, facing life and death, vowing to bring the Sect to greater heights in my hands," he said. "For the first seven hundred years, I was confident I had achieved that. But these last several decades, I have truly let the Sect down."

"I was indeed blinded by kinship, overlooking the Sect, and at one point, pushing it towards the Abyss."

"Chu Hao, thank you. Even though you killed Huo Jiang and I still harbor resentment, speaking from a place of righteousness, you are right and I am wrong."

A man's words are good when he is about to die, and at last, War Emperor Kongming came to his senses, though it was already too late.

He sat cross-legged and said, "Tianshuang, Fire Cloud, Jingfeng, Night Demon, the four of you have worked hard for the Sect, and I have failed you. I hope you can let go of your prejudices and wholeheartedly support the Sect from now on."

With that, he bowed slightly to the four War Emperors.

The four War Emperors promptly showed reverence and said, "We will adhere to the great one's decree!"

"Chu Hao, the Sect will need your support in the future," War Emperor Kongming turned to Chu Hao and said with a sincere expression.

Chu Hao nodded and replied, "I will."

War Emperor Kongming's life force was nearly exhausted, and he was still alive only because the breath of a War Emperor was so powerful that it sustained him. He struggled to his feet, saying, "No matter how bad Huo Jiang was, it's all in his life, I hope he can have a place of rest after death."

He waved his right hand and a massive crack appeared in the ground; with another wave, he sent Huo Jiang's corpse inside, then sealed the crack, saying, "In life, a person of Spirit spring Sect, in death, a ghost of Spirit spring Sect."

Many people felt a lump in their throat, feeling emotional. This was a War Emperor, the strongest presence in Cang State, but now he was clearly making arrangements for his own end. Regardless, a War Emperor had come to terms with himself before his death, putting aside his hatred.

"Tianshuang, starting from today, you are the Guardian of Spirit spring Sect. I hope you will guard your heart and not repeat my mistakes," War Emperor Kongming said, casually tossing the Cold Light Halberd in front of War Emperor Tianshuang.

"Yes!" War Emperor Tianshuang knelt halfway down.

War Emperor Kongming took one last lingering look, then lifted his feet as if walking on air, heading towards the mountains.

A War Emperor wouldn't possibly die in front of so many people. He would find a secluded cave to bury himself forever.

The era of War Emperor Kongming came to a complete close.

Everyone watched him leave. Regardless of everything, War Emperor Kongming had made the right choice in the end. And looking over his life, while he had faltered later on, his merits still outweighed his faults and he deserved respect. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, and your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)