The Great Ruler: Starting from the Dark Ages

Chapter 181 The Ruined Heavenly Court, the Lost Temple

The river of time flows eastward without end, enduring through the ages.

Xu He had dealt with it too many times, and this time, he was going to go downstream and return to the era in which he lived.

Perhaps all of this was just a reflection of himself, but he still harbored a deep-seated obsession: he remembered a promise.

After traveling for an unknown amount of time along the river of time, Xu He finally stopped and detached himself from it.

However, the current state of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths has undergone earth-shattering changes compared to the appearance in my memory.

Broken and dilapidated, it looked like a pile of ruins, as if it had survived a protracted war.

Xu He narrowed his eyes, his expression turning cold. He took a step forward and instantly returned to the Immortal Realm.

Smoke filled the air, and the aura of the blood of emperors and true immortals wafted through the air.

Xu He's brows were already furrowed. He looked up and saw the ruined Immortal Realm, which made him even more uneasy.

Continue onward, and you will arrive at the same place.

A dilapidated heavenly palace, a lost temple.

Only a few old men remain, still clad in armor and armed with spears, holding their ground.

"How late...how late am I?" Xu He clenched his fists, repeatedly asking himself if he should have been faster.

He then asked someone about the current situation and what happened after he left.

The person being questioned only knew that Xu He was incredibly powerful, but did not know his identity, and regarded him only as an old monster who had been in seclusion for many years.

He truthfully reported everything.

Xu He also learned that after he left, darkness returned. At first, the Heavenly Court's generals were able to cope and fought several brilliant battles.

But for some reason, the enemies seemed endless, growing more and stronger. Gradually, the Heavenly Court could not withstand the onslaught alone. Later, even with the combined might of the Three Realms' strongest warriors and the Heavenly Court's generals, they were still unable to resist.

"Are they all dead?" Xu He asked the man, his emotions somewhat out of control.

"Many people are dead..."

The man answered in a panic.

"Where are they? Wushi, Ruthless Man, Azure Emperor, and Tribulation-Crossing Heavenly Venerable?" Xu He asked through gritted teeth.

In this vast land, he couldn't detect the presence of even a few people.

"Those esteemed individuals departed for the outer realms a thousand years ago and have not returned since," the man answered honestly.

Xu He turned his gaze to the edge of the universe, where there was a desolate place. The fierce winds from beyond the realm blew in mercilessly, making it appear dilapidated and barren.

"I'm late... but I won't let this tragedy happen again!"

Xu He clenched his fists and immediately set off for the outer realms to search for the whereabouts of the others.

Behind him, the cultivator tentatively asked, "Are you late? May I ask your name, senior? Which realm are you from?"

Xu He turned around and introduced himself: "Xu He".

In an instant, the man was struck dumb, his eyes widened, his face changed drastically, and he asked Xu He in a panic:
"Which...which Xu He?"

“It’s the one you think it is.” Xu He said, then took a step forward. In the blink of an eye, a magnificent and dazzling golden avenue was built beneath his feet.

Horizontal above the void, radiating endless sacred and terrifying power, the divine beasts of heaven and earth appeared at this moment, emerging on the golden road, like subjects respectfully welcoming the emperor's arrival.

“Xu He… Heavenly Emperor!” The cultivator behind Xu He was initially somewhat puzzled.

But when he saw this golden road that had been built, how could he not understand who this person was?

"The Emperor of Heaven is back..."

The monk's face turned ecstatic, even fanatical.

He grew up hearing rumors about the Heavenly Emperor, and had always wanted to meet him. He never imagined that he would get his wish in this way.

He might even be the first person to meet the Heavenly Emperor!
"The Heavenly Emperor is back! The Heavenly Emperor is back!" the cultivator shouted.

The news spread like wildfire, and gradually, more and more people heard about it and saw the golden road in the starry sky.

The golden road that has never faded away for a very long time is longer than the sun and moon, and more expansive than heaven and earth.

The Heavenly Emperor has returned, and the blue sky has returned!
The Heavenly Emperor has returned, and the world is at peace!

At this moment, countless people watched the Heavenly Emperor's departing figure. They knew that the Heavenly Emperor, who had spent his life quelling rebellions, had once again embarked on a journey to quell them.

Outside the territory,

Xu He coldly surveyed the myriad realms.

Even the smallest dark aura and the weakest dark creature were now bearing the wrath of thunder.

Xu He relentlessly slayed all the dark creatures with his punches.

After that, he used his primordial spirit to scan the entire universe, observing every tiny place, and finally discovered the fluctuations of the battlefield in a certain place.

At that moment, a faint chime rang out.

They are truly separated by billions of stars.

"The Bell of No Beginning?"

Xu He took a step forward, and billions of stars shrank beneath his feet, crossing space in a single step.

The battle was extremely intense in the area where the fluctuations were coming from.

The resounding toll of the Boundless Bell shattered countless stars.

This battlefield was shrouded in darkness early on, with endless black mist permeating the area. Even the Immortal Kings within the battle were somewhat exhausted.

One of the strange Immortal Kings stepped forward and looked at the Great Emperor Wushi before him, speaking:
"It's all in vain. Without that person's protection, your fate was already sealed."

Wu Shi fought fiercely and blasted away the strange immortal king in front of him.

Hearing the strange Immortal King's words, his expression turned icy, and he spoke with extreme indifference:
"More than ten strange immortal kings have graced us with their presence, yet they haven't been able to subdue the four of us in a thousand years. Don't you find it a bit ridiculous to say these things now?"

In the hundreds of thousands of years since Xu He left, several immortals in the mortal world have made breakthroughs and reached the realm of immortal kings.

He himself had already killed two strange immortal kings in this war that lasted for thousands of years.

Now facing the third strange immortal king, although exhausted, he still has the strength to fight.

"Yes."

A cold voice rang out: "A bunch of filthy creatures, too lazy to even refine my Devouring Demon Jar, yet you dare to call yourselves invincible in front of me?"

It was none other than the Ruthless Great Emperor.

Her clear, cold voice instantly attracted the attention of several celestial kings. Following the sound, they saw a peerless empress standing on the horizon.

The bronze mask seemed to be both crying and laughing, and the slender figure held an imperial sword with strange black blood dripping from it. Meanwhile, the Devouring Demon Jar next to it spat out the corpse of a strange immortal king, seemingly expressing some kind of disgust.

This was the second strange immortal king she killed.

As for the Green Emperor and Duan De...

Although neither of them had the terrifying battle record of Ruthless Man or Wushi, they still completely suppressed the strange Immortal King.

If the enemy hadn't been so numerous, they probably would have already beheaded them.

With the battle at this point, it's really hard to say who will win.

The strange Immortal King who was confronting the Great Emperor Wushi raised an eyebrow slightly upon seeing this scene: "His strength is not bad, but he's laughing a little too soon."

"For hundreds of thousands of years, have you thought that my race only has the fighting power of a Celestial King?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Shi frowned, staring intently at the eerie Immortal King, and said:
"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean?" The eerie Immortal King laughed loudly, "It means... We respectfully welcome Lord Mopu!" As soon as he finished speaking, an extremely domineering imperial aura swept across the universe.

A figure exuding terrifying power emerged from the void. The darkness emanating from him was extremely dense; even the black mist that spread out made several Immortal Kings feel breathless.

"This is... power surpassing that of an Immortal King?" Emperor Wushi felt the unparalleled pressure and found it hard to believe.

This power is even more terrifying than the alien immortal king, Crimson King, that Xu He encountered when he opened the River of Time.

Power surpassing even that of a Celestial King?
Emperor Wushi's heart sank, knowing that today's events would likely end in a tragic manner.

Beside him, the Ruthless Great Emperor gripped the bronze sword in his hand even tighter.

She was incredibly cold beneath the mask.

She felt a sense of powerlessness.

Before this, she already felt that her strength was no less than Xu He's, enough to shoulder the world's burdens.

But now, reality has dragged it into the abyss.

If that person were still alive, what level of cultivation would they have reached now?
Surpassing the Celestial King?
The Ruthless Emperor shook his head. These hundreds of thousands of years were far too short; to even think about extending them was simply a pipe dream.

The eerie Quasi-Immortal Emperor Mopu looked down at the struggling Immortal Kings as if they were a group of ants.

"A bunch of insects, and you've been driven to this point?" Mop looked coldly at the eerie Immortal King who was leading the group.

The strange immortal king's expression changed, and he hurriedly said:

“These people are indeed somewhat special, otherwise we wouldn’t have…”

"Shut up!"

Mop snorted coldly, interrupting the eerie immortal king's pale explanation.

"Special? That's just an excuse for the weak!"

He coldly glanced at the several Immortal Kings and said indifferently, "They are nothing but ants. I will annihilate them with a wave of my hand!"

As he spoke, he silently raised his hand toward the Immortal Kings, including Wushi and Ruthless.

A dark aura surged at this moment, as if it wanted to erode and destroy them.

Wu Shi and the Ruthless One's expressions changed slightly, and they both summoned their Immortal King weapons to resist.

But all of this was in vain.

Quasi-Immortal Emperors are ultimately tainted by the word "Emperor," representing supreme power and symbolizing unparalleled authority, making them far beyond the reach of even Immortal Kings.

However, in an instant, the immense pressure forced Wushi and the Ruthless Man to vomit blood.

"I will not let you die so easily." Mop spoke with extreme arrogance, looking down on everything, and the force in his hand increased, the dark aura surging even more.

The heavens and earth trembled, and the universe shattered.

The overall situation seems to be settled, and annihilation is a fait accompli.

But just then, a beam of golden light appeared on the horizon. At first, it was just a point of light, but later it spread and covered the entire sky.

At the same time, an even colder, more domineering voice rang out:
"You dare call yourself an emperor?"

As the sound appeared, a strong gust of wind swept up. Although it was far away, Mop felt as if there was a flash of light that stung his skin.

In an instant, the burning sensation on his skin intensified, and Mop finally saw clearly that it was a domineering and arrogant fist light.

He finally realized that a Quasi-Immortal Emperor's strength could create a distance of the Milky Way in a single step.

But all of this was in vain, as the Emperor's Fist crossed space and struck him directly.

"what!!!"

A heart-wrenching scream shook the world.

Wherever the Emperor's Fist passed, stars shattered, space collapsed, and the Great Dao was obliterated, yet the Dark Quasi-Immortal Emperor Mopu was left without even a trace.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, both the Ruthless Wushi and the other strange immortal kings stood there dumbfounded.

Just moments before, they had witnessed the scene of Emperor Mopu looking down upon the world and ruling over the four seas.

But in the next instant, all of this was destroyed.

With a single punch, even quasi-immortal emperors perished.

“Golden blood energy… dazzling fist light…” The Ruthless Great Emperor’s eyes flickered slightly. Combining the sound from before, she thought of a possibility.

She finally spoke out:

"It's him, he's back."

It could only be him, and it could only be him.

Unparalleled fist light, golden blood energy.

"The Heavenly Emperor has returned!" Upon hearing this exhilarating news, Duan De was energized. Taking advantage of the moment when the strange Immortal King in front of him was distracted by Xu He's Emperor Fist, the Heavenly Nether Treasure burst forth with immortal light and annihilated him.

At this moment, even the strange immortal king who was leading the group was greatly alarmed.

Originally, Mopu Xianwang's arrival was to deal with Xu He, but he was unexpectedly defeated in a single encounter!
If Immortal King Mopu knew, would he explain that his demise was due to Xu He's special circumstances?
At this moment, the golden avenue has been laid out and stretches to this point.

On that magnificent golden avenue, a human-shaped blazing sun walked by.

Her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, her eyes flashed like cold lightning, her sleeves billowed in the wind, and she exuded an aura of unparalleled arrogance.

In people's hearts, Xu He at this moment is beyond the description of any words; perhaps only the title of "Heavenly Emperor" can match him.

"We're a little late, but luckily we made it in time," Xu He said as he walked through the area, his voice coming from the horizon.

His voice carried an air of authority, enough to make even a Celestial King submit.

That was an absolute emperor, without a trace of arrogance; even the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth had to become his subordinates, and he even had to be proud of it.

As the Great Emperor Wushi felt this imperial might, his heart was filled with a myriad of emotions.

At first glance, he was merely a Great Emperor; upon second meeting, his strength was no less than his own, and he was able to fight alongside him; and after that, it was now.

The Dark Quasi-Immortal Emperor, who could overwhelm them with a mere wave of his hand, was annihilated in a single exchange.

Such a disparity in strength caused even the Great Emperor Wushi to feel a shattering of his Dao heart for a moment.

But in the end, he smiled with relief.

It's good that the Heavenly Emperor has become stronger.

"The Heavenly Emperor's strength has soared again, which is a blessing for all the heavens," the Great Emperor Wushi said to Xu He with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist, you fought bravely and did not retreat by your own strength. It is only a matter of time before you ascend to the throne." Xu He also gave him a friendly smile.

Watching the two talk, the Ruthless Emperor silently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Her eyes were filled with a mix of emotions. Before this, she really thought that her strength was no less than Xu He's and that she didn't need his protection. But the reality now was completely different.

He has returned, reigning supreme over the world, gathering heroes from all corners of the land, none of whom can rival him.

His strength was extraordinary; even the supreme emperor was like a clay chicken or a dog before him.

His charm and style remain unchanged; he can defeat all techniques with a single punch.

After finishing his conversation with Wushi, Xu He also noticed the Ruthless Emperor wiping away blood beside him.

At this moment, he looked at the Ruthless Great Emperor. Her plain clothes were stained with blood. Even though she had wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, bloodstains still remained on her lips and neck.

Xu He walked up to the Ruthless Great Emperor, looked into his eyes for a long while, and said:
"I'll go and take his head off for you."

(End of this chapter)