The Ancient Saint Emperor of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 173 The Holy Spirit Emperor Falls, Substitutes Take Their Place

Outside the Third Imperial Pass, someone beat war drums, and beacon fires and smoke signals rose.

This is a metal human, whose eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and even hair are made of metal. His whole body flows with crimson and golden light, and he possesses unfathomable power, which is awe-inspiring. He is actually the legendary Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold.

The celestial metal, imbued with spiritual energy, transformed into a living being. This was only mentioned in legends and recorded in ancient texts. Now, all the saints are silent. Has such a terrifying great saint truly been born, destined to suppress the heavens and the earth, shatter everything, and vie for the title of emperor?

On its opposite side, a forbidden power surged forth, and a god-like figure approached from afar, like a celestial emperor descending to earth, terrifying beyond measure. The order of all things rose and fell with it, bowing and submitting.

That is the Holy One!

He is the nominee of the three great crystal tablets, the supreme figure who created the forbidden domain, the disciple of the Heavenly Venerable, the son of the Ancient Emperor, and the successor of the Emperor Venerable. He is invincible and has unparalleled power on this battlefield!
"Back then, in the First Tribulation Star where only physical strength could be used to fight, the two sides fought to a standstill. Now that their cultivation has been fully unsealed and they have both become Great Saints, I think this is a truly fair battle."

"That's celestial gold, and it's even awakened profound mysteries. Even the Golden Body and the Overlord Body would be stained with blood. I'm afraid only the Chaos Body can rival it."

All the Great Sages turned their heads, focusing their attention on this battle. It was undoubtedly the pinnacle of the Great Sage realm, and could even be said to have surpassed the past sages of this Imperial Pass.

However, some people frowned, feeling that the Holy Venerable should not have chosen the most difficult task so early.

Because neither the solar body nor the lunar body can compete with the immortal metal body in terms of physical strength. Even the indestructible golden body and the Azure Heaven Blood, which are famous for their physical strength, would be troublesome. Such beings are comparable to the chaotic body, because their greatest strength and most outstanding feature is their physical strength.

Especially after his cultivation was unsealed, the various immortal runes within his body, once activated, were capable of destroying the heavens and the earth; a single slap could turn other Great Saints into mincemeat.

At this moment, the Holy Spirit Emperor made his move, unleashing his power and spreading immortal patterns across the sky and earth. He struck out with a palm, bringing forth crimson-gold immortal light that was extremely dazzling. When it reached Wang Hongwu, who was standing there, his form suddenly changed as he raised his hand to meet the attack. He was enveloped by a dazzling ten-colored flame, forming a pillar of light that reached the sky.

With a whoosh, an arm covered in Dao patterns calmly tore through the pillar of fire, meeting the immortal golden palm and fingers head-on. A deafening clang resounded throughout the six directions and eight wastelands.

The ripples of the Great Dao spread rapidly as the two palms collided, sending all the saints flying away, escaping tens of thousands of light-years away.

"This battle form again? I'd like to see if you can defy the heavens as you did back then, now that your cultivation has been restored!" The Holy Spirit Emperor sneered, and was surprised to find that Wang Hongwu inside the pillar of light had transformed into his strongest form, with dragon horns, unicorn feet, Kunpeng wings, Vermilion Bird feathers, Yin-Yang eyes, and the Ten Great Cave Heavens hanging behind his head. Thunder and tribulation mist swirled around his body, and his entire body radiated immortal brilliance.

"Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, Battle Divine Power!" Wang Hongwu did not respond. He raised two fingers together and suddenly swept them from the Yin-Yang Heavenly Eye. Instantly, beams of light shot out one after another. The Heavenly Eye was filled with killing light, which was earth-shattering. Bang bang! The Holy Spirit Emperor punched and dispersed the killing light. Then, with a long roar, the True Phoenix Wings appeared on his back. He soared under the sky and attacked horizontally, clashing with the Xuanwu Divine Form transformed by the Holy Venerable for the second time.

One evolved into a divine phoenix, the other into a black tortoise. Water and fire are incompatible, and the arena was instantly shrouded in white mist, stretching straight up to the ninth heaven, submerging nearby celestial bodies and nebulae, covering hundreds of thousands of light-years. Inside, the black tortoise and phoenix continued to collide, flapping their wings and pecking, whipping their tails and crashing into mountains. The two immortal spirits engaged in a cataclysmic battle. This single collision destroyed a large part of the celestial structure, causing a galactic Great Wall to collapse and shatter into pieces.

In the end, the two divine forms dissipated and transformed back into two figures colliding together. Their fists and palms clashed, their laws and order eroded each other, and countless divine chains flew up and then quickly went out. The already shattered star sea turned to ashes.

This unparalleled divine power is awe-inspiring; it's hard to imagine that two young Great Sages are fighting, yet they already possess the might of peak Great Sages.

"Mending the Heavens!" Wang Hongwu stepped on the Xingzi Secret and suddenly made his move, sealing off the space. In an instant, the boiling holy power solidified, and this space stopped, imprisoning eternity. Even the Holy Spirit Emperor was frozen for a moment. His speed brought up fragments of time, and he suddenly punched the crimson-gold iron body.

Bang! The Holy Spirit Emperor was sent flying backward. He shook his head and felt that same feeling return. His opponent was pressing in again, using the Xingzi Secret Technique. The speed was too fast.

"What kind of sky-mending technique is this?" Having taken a punch, the Holy Spirit Emperor naturally wouldn't fall for it a second time. Facing the power that solidified space, he unhesitatingly unleashed a strange phenomenon, disintegrating heaven and earth, sweeping away the laws in the void, creating a pure land for himself, unaffected. Then, he spun his palms to deflect Wang Hongwu's punch, and then twisted his waist and body to deliver a powerful punch.

A cry of terror shook the heavens, and a giant phoenix head, formed by interwoven immortal patterns, protruded from the fist. Its sharp beak aimed straight at Wang Hongwu's brow. This attack was terrifying, causing continuous tremors. It seemed intent on smashing through the Holy Venerable's head. It had actually used a killing move directly, which showed how much he feared Wang Hongwu. Otherwise, why would he have displayed such powerful combat strength so quickly?

Faced with this attack, Wang Hongwu turned his head away, and the Kunpeng wings on his back suddenly crossed and slashed forward. The power of Taiyin and Taiyang appeared together, transforming into the World-Suppressing Heavenly Diagram. The two sides suddenly crossed, and a flower of blood splattered on Wang Hongwu's head. The Holy Spirit Emperor also suffered a heavy blow, his waist was dented, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

In the blink of an eye, their blood flowed back, their injuries healed, and they collided again as if nothing had happened. The onlookers in the distance were astonished. That attack could have killed the Great Sage, but it was nothing to them.

What two freaks!

Nirvana Crimson Sea! The domain belonging to the Holy Spirit Emperor unfolded, and heaven and earth transformed into a boundless crimson sea of ​​fire. A crimson phoenix phantom emerged from the sea of ​​fire, holding a golden chain in its mouth that pierced through the void, sealing off Wang Hongwu's movements. Amidst the surging waves of fire, it stood in the center and hurled crimson golden spears, carrying chaotic fire essence, which grazed past Wang Hongwu's shoulder.

A bizarre scene unfolded: that part of his skin was melted into metal and solidified there!

"The process of reversing the spiritual connection of immortal metal, turning a person into metal? That's quite a skill." He saw through the trick, directly cut off that piece of flesh, and the "Zhe" secret naturally recovered flawlessly. Then, with a flap of his Kunpeng wings, he dodged the fire spears that kept rushing in. When he reappeared, he was already in front of the Holy Spirit Emperor, shouting heavenly sounds to kill. His Qilin feet and Dao diagram stepped forward and smashed down at the same time, showing the qualities of a dragon and tiger, and his domineering aura was unparalleled.

In an instant, the void shattered, the sky roared, and the rules of the Great Dao descended. Although the Holy Spirit Emperor shattered the sound waves and tore apart the Dao diagram, he could not withstand the power of the Qilin Foot. He was stomped on the back by Wang Hongwu and sent flying into the outer realm. A huge star was forever dimmed.

Again! In the blink of an eye, it rushed back and fought Wang Hongwu with force. This time, it used a secret technique. Knowing that it was not as fast as its opponent, it summoned the phantoms of the nine ancient holy spirit ancestors. Different holy spirit ancestral techniques formed nine layers of protective domains, allowing it to fight steadily.

During the battle, the Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold's properties enhanced the Holy Spirit Emperor's recovery ability, making him increasingly resilient. He even adapted to the moves, reminiscent of the Chaos Body from the Great Sage Tribulation. The effective damage against him decreased, while his killing power increased, adding a touch of Wang Hongwu's characteristics. This is the essence of Immortal Gold—terrifying and unreasonable.

This was a massive collision, a battle between two unparalleled gods and demons as tall as the heavens, shaking the starry sky. Wherever they passed, stars reversed, nebulae churned, and the Milky Way flowed backward. Even chaotic energy was unleashed, and black holes were scattered everywhere. It was essentially two moving cosmic catastrophes. The debris they left behind formed countless meteorite belts and cosmic ruins, leaving people in awe and wonder.

Eight-Nine Heavenly Techniques! Wang Hongwu unleashed his great art, and above his head, myriad spirits flickered and coalesced into a vast expanse, ripples of the Milky Way spread out, azure dragons soared into the sky, phoenixes cried out, and roc spread their wings, all golden light rushing towards him. The Holy Spirit Emperor countered with his Ninefold Domain, and behind him, crimson clouds appeared, and the true phoenix Dharma form emerged, its bright feathers resembling one immortal sword after another, clanging and striking down upon myriad spirits.

Whoosh! In an instant, the two passed each other, both revealing strange expressions, realizing the hidden killing moves and actions of the other.

Kunpeng Wings! Wang Hongwu was incredibly fast. His wings, as if cast from black gold, were dazzling and radiant. With each flap, they carried the yin and yang energies, transforming into chaos. He swooped down. Blood Phoenix Wings! The Holy Spirit Emperor circled back, charging forward like a divine bird once more. On either side of his body, two wings formed from immortal gold patterns. These were crimson wings formed from hundreds and thousands of immortal runes and killing light, resembling a phoenix spreading its wings. With a clang, they clashed with the black and gold wings that slashed down.

Blood Phoenix Wings versus Kunpeng Wings!
At this moment, two arcs of light circled the starry sky, illuminating the night sky within countless stars. Countless living beings were awakened, gazing up at the universe, witnessing the violent collision of the two, a deafening clang.

Wings clashed, sword energy soared into the sky, and magical power surged like the ocean. The sky was engulfed by light, and only two figures could be vaguely seen colliding continuously, their divine wings clashing.

Finally, both of them were forced back. Wang Hongwu sneered, while the Holy Spirit Emperor's gaze was icy. There was a dent on his neck where his head had been struck, and a feather sword was stuck there, tearing through the defenses of his immortal golden body!

It's unbelievable that it has suffered repeated losses, and no matter how proud it is in its field, it can't do anything to this person. It's really hard to understand.

"As expected, the Holy Venerable is still superior?" a Great Sage murmured. Witnessing this scene, he was amazed by the heaven-defying power of this person's attack. He could even dent the immortal gold, which did not recover for a long time, showing how fierce that attack was.

Hmph! Upon hearing this, the Holy Spirit Emperor's face turned cold. Knowing that he was slightly inferior, he changed his battle tactics and unleashed his extraordinary phenomenon. He had received the blessing of the heavens, possessed unparalleled divine laws, and was born in accordance with the will of heaven and earth. His various secret techniques, forbidden supernatural powers were extremely powerful. At this moment, he transformed into a crimson gold furnace that stretched across the starry sky. The furnace body was engraved with innate Dao patterns, and myriad laws were burning inside the furnace.

The Holy Spirit sat atop the furnace, intending to incinerate Wang Hongwu with himself as the ignition point, but the other party laughed loudly, "Playing with fire in front of me? Showing off your skills before an expert!" As soon as he finished speaking, a brand new vision appeared, and a huge Fusang divine tree rose up, with a golden crow perched on it and ten suns hanging above its head. Suddenly, it expanded rapidly inside the furnace, bursting open its top cover.

As the two extraordinary phenomena of the Heaven and Earth Furnace clashed with the Heaven-Mending and Sun-Bathing phenomena, the sky was blazing with intense heat, flames billowing, and accompanied by terrifying fluctuations.

Then a burst of light erupted, burning fiercely, instantly filling the sky, extremely dazzling, and an immense pressure enveloped the universe.

"The sky and sun have exploded!" someone shouted.

Suddenly, the sun outside the Third Imperial Pass was shattered by the shock, and endless waves of light swept across the outer regions like a monstrous wave.

Then, with a loud rumble, all the light disappeared, plunging back into darkness.

The sun and sky were shattered, many celestial bodies turned to dust, the sky above was cleared, and the world was plunged into absolute darkness.

However, this darkness and oppression were quickly broken again, because after the clash of the phenomena, both sides unleashed their divine forms simultaneously.

A thousand-foot-long crimson phoenix circled, its wings spreading to blot out the sky with crimson light, its feathers as sharp as divine swords, stirring up waves of incinerating fire with each flap of its wings; opposite it was a Heavenly Emperor Holy Sovereign standing on a crimson river, who spread his arms to suppress the phoenix's wings. In the midst of the clash, the Heavenly Emperor Holy Sovereign suddenly unleashed divine light from between his brows, his primordial spirit merging with the Dao to strike out fiercely, piercing through the crimson phoenix's divine form and forcing the Holy Sovereign Holy Sovereign back to his original form, coughing up blood and flying away.

Visibly, it was wounded by this attack; a gap appeared between its brows, and fragments of immortal gold flew everywhere. Its primordial spirit was injured; unlike its sturdy physical body, the primordial spirit was a weakness. Wang Hongwu naturally pressed his advantage, combining the Nine Secrets into one, directly transforming into a beam of eternal immortal light that shot towards it. This forced the Holy Spirit Emperor to have no time to recover from its injuries, forcing it to forcefully unleash the Immortal Gold Profound Technique—Crimson Phoenix Cry—and clash with its immortal arts. As the eternal immortal light shot forth, a phoenix's cry resonated with the Great Dao, the sound waves transforming into crimson-gold ripples that spread outwards. The two collided repeatedly, but in the end, the Dao sound lost its momentum and was shattered by the immortal light, which had been largely worn down. Then, it suddenly struck the Holy Spirit Emperor, sending it flying and severely injuring it once again.

By this time, its defeat was already evident; it was truly no match for the enemy. Many great sages sighed, wondering how glorious it would have been if it had been born in its full glory. Unfortunately, time waits for no one, and with less than nine hundred years left before the great changes in the world, it could no longer be slowly nurtured.

"Ah! I am Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold Spirit, invincible and immortal. The weaker I am, the more I can be reborn. Holy Venerable, come and fight! If you have the guts, then crush me!" The Holy Spirit Emperor was unconvinced and reached the pinnacle of sublimation. At this moment, it rushed into the forbidden domain of the gods. At the same time, it unleashed its forbidden domain, which was a gift from heaven, and it was born with the Dao.

Radiant light shone everywhere, and phoenix patterns emerged and intertwined between heaven and earth, forming a metallic heart. With each step he took, this indestructible phoenix heart would beat once, undergoing a rebirth, causing his aura and combat power to soar. Furthermore, a phoenix flew out to fight alongside him.

The Holy Spirit Emperor took nine steps, his heart pounding nine times. Nine enormous phoenixes danced and attacked with him, their killing power soaring wildly, possessing the power to destroy the heavens and the earth. The phoenixes themselves were also constantly sublimating and undergoing nirvana, even breaking through the upper limit of the divine restriction by one level!
"Naive. Using the divine restriction will only hasten your defeat and death." Wang Hongwu instantly ascended to the divine restriction, and the forbidden power that surged forth was even greater than that of the Holy Spirit Emperor. He was immediately enveloped in a layer of ten-colored immortal light, and the Extreme Character Secret was activated, allowing him to unleash his own forbidden domain.

In an instant, every move he made possessed the power to transform decay into the extraordinary, flawless and perfect. He seamlessly integrated various techniques, breaking through limits and displaying the might of a flying immortal. He formed a colossal Supreme Celestial Venerable Dharma Image that clashed with the golden immortal battle body entwined by nine phoenixes.

Forbidden Zone Showdown!

The battle was decided in a single move, with no stalemate whatsoever. The result was immediately revealed: *Pfft!* The Holy Spirit Emperor coughed up blood; it had lost the battle in the forbidden realm.

Because its forbidden domain is not perfect, if it were born without flaws, then naturally the scriptures, secret techniques, and forbidden domain would all be perfected, making it invincible. But it was born prematurely, so no matter how much the ancient ancestors bless it, they could not elevate its own forbidden domain to perfection. It can only evolve and upgrade on its own.

But the forbidden domain it faced was even more terrifying, born from the profound mystery of the Nine Secrets in One. How could it possibly contend with it? It even felt that, even under 'equal circumstances,' it wouldn't be able to defeat it even if its forbidden domain reached its full potential!

Visibly, its immortal golden body was pierced through by Wang Hongwu and shattered into pieces!

The Supreme Celestial Venerable pierced through, blasting open the Immortal Golden Holy Spirit Emperor.

Metal fragments flew everywhere, immortal runes shattered, and everyone's breath caught in their throats. Were they about to witness a myth?

He shattered the Immortal Golden Spirit with his bare hands!
However, everyone underestimated the terrifying power of the Immortal Gold. While Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold might not be the best at fighting, it was certainly the most immortal.

After this attack, the profound meaning of Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold erupted, and the Holy Spirit Emperor was actually undergoing Nirvana!
The shattered body reunited, transforming into a phoenix reborn from the ashes. Its cultivation and aura continued to surge, attracting a tribulation of lightning—was it about to break through?!
“Holy Venerable One, I have said before that you do not understand the true power of the profound mysteries of immortal metal. By breaking through with your help, I will become even stronger.”

The voice of the Holy Spirit Emperor emanated from it; it had developed resistance to Wang Hongwu's power and had become even stronger, going a step further in its own evolution.

Everyone flew away, because the tribulation lightning had descended, and staying there would only result in being affected by the tribulation lightning and causing them to die.

"Want to transform? Dream on." Wang Hongwu sneered, the Great Thunder Tree manifesting within his body, and he directly activated the Great Heavenly Tribulation Technique, suddenly roaring to the sky, "Disperse!"

With a deafening roar, the lightning tribulation was actually blocked and suppressed, concealed, and then dispersed, delaying its arrival. The Great Heavenly Tribulation Technique is only effective against those of the same or lower cultivation levels, and unfortunately, the opponent was within that range.

It's absolutely impossible for them to transform themselves through his help.

Huh?! The saints were stunned by this scene. How could someone influence another person's tribulation?
"Could it be the successor of the Thunder Emperor from back then?" a Great Sage wondered. In the past, there was an emperor who proved his Dao with thunder magic and was also known as the Thunder God. He had used similar methods.

"Thunder Emperor and his son Thunder God are still in the forbidden zone, so it's probably not true." The Empress shook her head, recalling how Yuan Gu was brutally beaten by the Holy Venerable's humanoid lightning during her tribulation. Now it seems that the other party has indeed mastered a secret technique for dealing with tribulations, effective against those of the same realm.

"You...you actually?!"

The Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold Holy Spirit was greatly surprised. It did not expect that its transformation would be interrupted and it had to stop. It re-condensed into human form and fought against the Holy Venerable who rushed at it. The opponent was in the forbidden domain and combined the Qian character secret, which was used to kill the primordial spirit, with the Heavenly Will Blade, which could injure people invisibly, with the Extreme character secret. It slashed straight at its brow!

Boom! With a final, deafening tremor, everything vanished. The celestial glow stretched endlessly, the sun, moon, and stars exploded, and only boundless light remained.

In the vast sea of ​​light, two figures gradually materialized. Wang Hongwu raised the Immortal Golden Holy Spirit high, and with a roar, he ripped it in two with his arms.

In the arena, he alone shattered the Holy Spirit Emperor, and went mad bathed in immortal golden blood.

*Pfft!* Crimson blood splattered, shocking everyone. Even the Great Sage showed fear and couldn't help but back away. What had they just witnessed?
Someone tore apart a celestial gold statue? And blasted apart such a holy spirit?
The Holy Spirit Emperor's eyes dimmed, but it was powerless to end its short but glorious life. The nine-colored blade light, a combination of the Secret of the Former Words and the Heavenly Will Blade, pierced through its brow and killed its primordial spirit.

However, it can also be said that it is really strong, even extremely powerful, because its physical body has not suffered any devastating injuries since the battle began, and its healing ability is too strong, even surpassing the secret of the word.

The next moment, its primordial spirit was completely destroyed, but its physical body remained. Wang Hongwu would be of great use to it, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to such lengths.

Furthermore, Wang Hongwu discovered that, due to the characteristics of the Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold Mystic, although the Holy Spirit Emperor was dead, his body was still undergoing rebirth!
It can be said that after a period of time, a new primordial spirit will be born from the body, living out an alternative 'new life'.

"It's really monstrous. It's not the hardest to fight, but it's definitely the most troublesome." Wang Hongwu sighed. This guy not only broke through the upper limit of the divine restriction in the deadly battle, but also repeatedly survived the rebirth. Luckily, he had a creature that could perfectly devour it, otherwise it would have been a real problem.

The next moment, the banner of humanity appeared, and the artifact spirit stepped out, directly merging into the Holy Spirit Emperor's body, intending to become one with him and use the Heaven-Mending Technique to usurp his place!
This is equivalent to Wang Hongwu directly gaining a Celestial Golden Holy Spirit Emperor who can prove the Dao in the future; its value is immense.

Outside the spirit's body, a burst of crimson light bloomed, then burned fiercely, becoming a dazzling divine halo, dark red with gold edges.

Furthermore, within it, there are billions of star fragments, such as the sun, moon, nebulae, and meteorite belts, burning and releasing wisps of essence that seep into its body.

"From this day forward, you shall be the Holy Spirit Emperor." Wang Hongwu pointed to its forehead and bestowed upon it the secret of the Former Word, the Stone Token, the Stone Book, and the art of mending the heavens.

With this cover, as long as they are not face to face, the Holy Spirit Ancestor will not discover that the Holy Spirit Emperor's primordial spirit has been merged and absorbed. After all, the two are of the same origin, both are phoenix blood and crimson gold, and both are holy spirits, so there is basically no difference.

At this point, the situation on the crystal monument outside the city changed again, and another battle was decided.

The name of the Holy Spirit Emperor dimmed, then stabilized just as it was on the verge of falling apart, while Wang Hongwu's name lit up again and rose.

This time, the combined benefits and the good fortune of defeating the emperor allowed Wang Hongwu's cultivation to advance once again, achieving another breakthrough.

Boom! The tribulation lightning descended, and a vast sea of ​​lightning surged down, overwhelming everything. Although it was far less exaggerated than the tribulation lightning of a higher realm, its killing power was still terrifying.

A moment later, he broke free from the tribulation and ascended to the Third Heaven of the Great Sage.

Such a cultivation speed is already quite fast. The important factor is the blessing from the Imperial Pass battlefield. Defeating even one person brings great fortune. One can imagine how terrifying the increase in strength would have been when there were many nominees for the Crystal Tablet and they fought each other.

Even though they were still at the Third Imperial Pass, everyone had already reached the Great Sage realm.

When he returned to the city, someone had already paved the way and entered the Third Tribulation Star first; it was the Boundless Daoist.

The third tribulation star corresponds to the Boundless Heavenly Venerable, who is confident that he can be called a venerable one.

This is a planet of willpower, also known as the Divine Realm.

"Welcome to my home turf."

Inside the Divine Realm Planet, the Boundless Daoist smiled and slowly opened his arms, as if he intended to use his status as the ruler of this place to defeat everyone and ascend to the pinnacle of glory.

"Your home turf?" Wang Hongwu laughed upon hearing this, and suddenly took out a golden evil sword, saying, "Then I'll have to give you a good hard time."

(End of this chapter)