Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

"What I mean is—they must all die!"

The sound faded.

On the platform where the emperor was to be received, everyone's expression changed.

Yun Zhenyue stood there, stunned.

He had considered that the emperor might refuse, and he had also considered that the other party would continue to make demands.

But what he didn't expect was that the other party didn't care about his life or death at all, and had no intention of negotiating with the Yun family.

I realized that what I said just now wasn't entirely for the sake of my people.

His lifespan was already running out, and although a glorious era had arrived, the throne had already been taken by someone else.

There is no hope of becoming an emperor in this lifetime.

Since that's the case, I might as well use my last life to save the Yun family and, incidentally, earn them a good reputation in the eyes of the entire universe.

An ancestor at the ninth level of the Quasi-Emperor realm was willing to die for his clan and the ancient star.

Whether the emperor agrees or not.

The Yun family didn't lose out.

If the other party, out of consideration for the Emperor's reputation, chooses to let Xuanheng Ancient Star go.

That would be even better.

But Yun Zhenyue overlooked one thing.

The great emperor before me.

He was completely different from the emperors of the past who cared about their reputation and the evaluation of the human race.

The other party doesn't care at all how the powerful beings of the vast universe view them.

He wouldn't change his original decision just because he acted righteously.

"They're all going to die..."

Yun Zhenyue repeated it in a low voice, the determination in his eyes gradually turning into ruthlessness.

Since dying won't bring peace to the Yun family, then they have no choice but to fight to the death!

He turned around abruptly.

"Zhenhai!"

The quasi-emperor at the ninth level behind him was prepared and pushed with his palm.

The Star Gate Disc instantly transformed into a golden stream of light and fell back into Yun Zhenyue's hands.

boom!

Imperial weapon acquired.

Countless star-like patterns lit up on their own.

A golden portal spanning millions of miles unfolded directly above the ancient star Xuanheng.

Yun Zhenyue's previously restrained aura suddenly erupted at this moment!

"Gentlemen! This emperor never intended to let us go from the very beginning!"

"Since there's no way to retreat, then come with me and protect the ancient star Xuanheng!"

The sound spread throughout the world.

The powerful figures on the welcoming platform finally recovered from their fear.

They were indeed afraid of the Emperor.

But Gu Changjin had already made it very clear.

Everyone has to die.

Since begging for mercy means death.

Not resisting also means death.

We might as well take a gamble!

"Activate the Star-Protecting Array!"

"Awaken the sacred site's profound heritage!"

"All cultivators above the Saint Realm, follow me to meet the enemy!"

One angry roar after another rang out.

On the surface of the ancient star Xuanheng, the array patterns that had been dormant for countless years rapidly revived.

These array patterns belong to different factions.

Some came from the imperial Yun family, while others came from a long-standing and supreme lineage.

Another part consists of contingency plans left behind by powerful figures from all sides when Xuanheng Ancient Star was invaded by alien races from outer space.

Now they have all been awakened.

Countless beams of light shot into the sky from all parts of the ancient star.

Finally, they intertwined in the starry sky, transforming into layers of enormous light curtains.

Several quasi-emperors stood at the core of the formation.

The Sage King and the Sage each occupy a node.

The spiritual veins of the entire Xuanheng Ancient Star boiled over at this moment.

The immense power continuously converged and finally poured into the Star Gate Plate!

hum!

The golden ancient plate rapidly magnified.

Ten thousand feet.

One hundred thousand feet.

A million feet!

Like a golden sun hanging above the ancient star Xuanheng.

Yun Zhenyue formed a mudra with both hands.

The cultivation level of a Quasi-Emperor at the Ninth Heaven poured into the Imperial Weapon without reservation.

"exile!"

The golden gates burst open with a roar.

The sky behind the door is not a normal starry sky.

Instead, it was a desolate land filled with countless spatial storms.

A terrifying suction force erupted from it, and even the surrounding stars began to move towards the portal.

The myriad rays of light emanating from Gu Changjin's body were also pulled and swayed continuously.

But his body didn't move an inch from beginning to end.

Gu Changjin looked down at the Star Gate Compass, a hint of satisfaction even appearing in his eyes.

"good."

"I haven't gone to retrieve it yet."

"You actually brought it over yourself."

Yun Zhenyue's face darkened.

"Activate the grand formation!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Above the ancient star Xuanheng, layers of formations pressed down simultaneously.

Blades, sword shadows, divine thunder, raging fire, and several quasi-emperor weapons awakened by the supreme lineage all hurtled towards Gu Changjin.

Such power would be too great for even the supreme ruler of the forbidden zone to withstand.

Gu Changjin simply raised his right hand, his five fingers slowly spreading out, and the darkness behind him spread out.

The first thing to fall into darkness was the sky full of divine lightning, which flashed only twice before being completely extinguished.

Then came the flashes of blades and swords, each a divine power capable of slaying a quasi-emperor, yet after entering the darkness, they didn't even cause a ripple.

Finally, several quasi-emperor weapons were also shrouded in darkness, and the deities within the weapons emitted terrified cries.

They tried to struggle and escape, but from the depths of darkness, pale hands reached out, grabbed the edges of the weapons, and dragged them in little by little.

"What is this?"

"What about our attack?"

"Why did they all disappear?!"

The powerful figures on Xuanheng Ancient Star finally panicked.

They have already mobilized most of the power that the entire ancient star can draw upon.

But he didn't even manage to touch the hem of Gu Changjin's clothes.

"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

Gu Changjin spoke calmly, pressing his raised palm downwards.

boom!

Darkness, like a curtain falling from the starry sky, descended upon the heavens.

The outermost protective star formation began to dissolve rapidly as soon as it came into contact with the darkness.

One array pattern disappeared, then ten array patterns disappeared. In the blink of an eye, the dozens of light curtains covering the Xuanheng Ancient Star had been swallowed up by darkness.

The Sage King, who was in charge of the formation, vomited blood repeatedly.

Some of the weaker saints didn't even have time to scream before their bodies shattered along with the array nodes.

Essence, Blood, Spirit, and the Great Dao.

Everything flowed into darkness.

"No!"

"Grandpa, save me!"

"Yun Zhenyue! Didn't you say you could stop it?!"

Screams came from the platform where the emperor was to be received.

The powerful figures who were just preparing to join forces to resist the Great Emperor are now in complete chaos.

Some continued to urge their weapons on, while others turned and fled towards the ancient star Xuanheng.

Some people knelt in the void, desperately begging Gu Changjin for mercy.

But it was too late; darkness swept in.

Saints and saint kings who were usually high and mighty were dragged into darkness.

Their flesh and blood quickly withered, their cultivation turned into nutrients, and even the Great Dao they had cultivated for many years condensed into one new Dao image after another in the darkness.

Only Yun Zhenyue remained standing in place, with the Star Gate Plate blocking his way.

The might of the imperial weapon transformed into a golden barrier, barely separating the surrounding darkness.

But anyone could see that he wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

The bronze lamp rose up beside Gu Changjin.

The imperial flame flickered slightly.

A crack suddenly appeared in the golden barrier.

The second wisp of imperial fire descended.

The cracks spread rapidly.

Yun Zhenyue gripped the Star Gate Plate tightly with both hands, blood beginning to flow from his seven orifices.

"Impossible... Why is the Star Gate Disc suppressed when both are Imperial Weapons?"

Gu Changjin did not answer, but simply took a step forward.

In the depths of darkness.

One after another, blurry figures slowly appeared.

There were three forbidden zone supreme beings who had just been devoured, as well as powerful figures from the past generations of the Tai Xuan Divine Sect, and some ancient beings that Yun Zhenyue had never seen before.

They walked in silence, repeatedly striking the golden barrier outside the stargate disk.

boom!

The third collision occurred.

The barrier is completely shattered!

Yun Zhenyue's body trembled, and he was instantly engulfed by darkness.

The star gate disc slipped from his hand.

Just as he was about to escape, a hand formed from darkness reached out from below and firmly grasped the entire imperial weapon.

Gu Changjin reached out and summoned the Star Gate Disc into his palm.

The bronze lamp, on the other hand, hangs on its own on the other side.

Both imperial weapons simultaneously emitted their oppressive aura.

The light reflected off the entire starry sky, making it appear to flicker between light and darkness.

Yun Zhenyue, however, continues to struggle in the darkness.

One after another, the shadowy figures of enemies who had been devoured by Gu Changjin passed by him.

Suddenly, Yun Zhenyue saw a familiar figure.

That was the long-deceased patriarch of the Zhao family!

The other party's eyes were empty, and its body had been completely solidified from darkness.

But Yun Zhenyue would never mistake the aura that belonged to the Zhao family's martial arts.

The Zhao family, the Tai Xuan Divine Sect, the Bei Xuan Gu family—all the previously broken threads were instantly connected in Yun Zhenyue's mind.

His eyes widened suddenly, and he finally realized who the person in front of him was.

"you……"

Yun Zhenyue struggled to raise his head and look at the figure enveloped in myriad rays of light.

"So you were...?"

Darkness suddenly enveloped everything.

The last few words were never spoken.

Click.

Click.

A chilling chewing sound slowly emanated from the depths of darkness.

Subsequently, Yun Zhenyue's aura completely disappeared.

Above the ancient star Xuanheng, darkness continued to spread downwards.

Mountains and rivers vanished, cities disappeared, and sacred sites and ancestral homes of noble families were swallowed up one after another.

In a short while, the entire ancient planet was shrouded in boundless darkness.

Throughout the vast universe, all the quasi-emperors, imperial clan ancestors, and supreme lineage experts who were watching this battle fell silent.

On an ancient star-gazing platform, several white-haired elders stood at the forefront, none of them uttering a word.

Behind them, a young prodigy who was originally preparing to participate in this generation's imperial struggle stared blankly at the ancient star of life that was completely covered by darkness.

After a long while, he seemed to finally come to his senses and asked in a dry voice:

"Ancestor, what this new emperor is doing now..."

"Why does it seem even more like a dark upheaval than the dark upheaval launched by the Supreme Being of the Forbidden Zone?"

P.S.: Do you guys think the protagonist is a bit... inhumane? But since I judged the readership based on previous book reviews, I felt that everyone might like this kind of decisive and selfish character. If you think this is not good, then I can make a slight modification, that is, to say that the grievances should be settled and the debts should be settled, and those good cultivators can be left.