Chapter 573: 484 Chapter: The Final Calamity

Countless Gods and Demons surrounded the Jade Emperor, their bodies shimmering with a variety of Divine Skills. As Innate Gods and Demons, they were the Dao itself, the origin of Divine Skills.

Their fearsome power caused hearts to tremble with fear, even through the barriers of time.

Yet the Jade Emperor showed no fear, fighting alone with his Treasured Sword amidst the Gods and Demons, his sword light wild and unrestrained; with every strike, he wounded the Gods and Demons.

Provoked by pain, these Gods and Demons seemed to come alive, becoming even more ferocious.

They let out various roars of fury, their movements growing faster and faster, the destructive power of their Divine Skills intensifying. Had it not been for the separation by Time, perhaps the entire Three Realms would have been shattered.

"These Gods and Demons are truly lawless. No wonder Pangu and the Daoist Ancestor decided to eradicate them back then, probably fearing they would bring disaster upon the world and shatter the hard-earned Three Realms," someone sighed.

Although each of these Gods and Demons was powerful and their Divine Skills profound and unfathomable, they had eccentric personalities, seemingly devoid of any concept of good and evil, driven only by pure desires for slaughter and destruction.

No wonder they were not allowed to persist into the present world; no one was willing to accept their existence.

Just as everyone sighed at the cruelty of these Gods and Demons, the Jade Emperor’s eyes had already turned blood-red. Like a machine, he wielded his Treasured Sword, slaying the Gods and Demons one after another.

The Gods and Demons did not expect to be slain again after death, their faces showing expressions of disbelief.

Although they were essentially puppets of the Heavenly Dao now, for some reason they had retained a sliver of wisdom.

Being killed again by the hands of the Jade Emperor was not only torture but also a shame for them, born innately, manifestations of the Daoist laws, yet now like caged birds.

"Pangu!" the Gods and Demons shouted furiously as they faced death.

Their resentful roars against their fate seemed to echo between Heaven and Earth; they blamed everything on Pangu, who had killed them, and there was someone else whose name, for some reason, they couldn’t remember anymore.

However, the Jade Emperor’s sword did not give them much time to ponder this reason. The brilliant sword light kept flashing on the other side of time, and the Gods and Demons fell reluctantly.

After fighting for who knows how long, the Jade Emperor could no longer remember how many Gods and Demons he had actually slain. He could only mechanically wave his Treasured Sword, killing any enemy that appeared before him.

The contemporary Jade Emperor was now at the end of his strength, both his Mana and physical power nearing their limits, yet the remaining Gods and Demons were terrified of him.

This being before them, covered in blood, was like a god of slaughter descended, his whole being emanating a murderous aura, like a madman.

This scene involuntarily brought to mind some distant memories in their minds, as if many years ago, there was also a madman wielding a Treasured Sword, who had been slaughtering them; only then did they realize that this was not the first time they had done such things.

In an instant, the surviving Gods and Demons felt their spirits die. After all, they were relics of an old era; there was no place for them in the new world.

And thus, the Jade Emperor finally had a chance to breathe.

"He’s made it through!" Feng Jiu whispered a sigh.

Lin Fang, observing the somewhat disheveled Jade Emperor, also inwardly sighed. His Majesty really was impressive; he had always thought of the Jade Emperor as a true schemer, a competent politician.

But at this moment, he seemed more like a cultivator than anyone else, truly embodying fearlessness, daring to defy Heaven and change fate.

His appearance, clad in a hundred wounds and bathed in blood as he fought his way out from amongst gods and demons, was truly admirable. He was indeed the master of this era.

"Is this the true face of the Jade Emperor?" Lin Fang couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

"Yes, this is his true face. The unparalleled Sword Immortal from Mount Kunlun, he was the most resplendent one in that era," Feng Jiu said with a sigh.

Although she had always been unwilling to accept it, Feng Jiu knew in her heart that whether it was in terms of wisdom or strength, she was no match for the Jade Emperor. Fortunately, due to a blessing in disguise, she didn’t have to sit on that throne and become a puppet of the Heavenly Dao.

However, over the years, perhaps to conceal his edge or perhaps due to the constraints of the Heavenly Dao, this Heavenly Emperor’s temperament had greatly changed, focusing more on power and scheming, rarely showing his hand in front of others.

Now, with one man and one sword, his former glory is revealed.

As time flowed, the figures of the gods and demons gradually vanished. The Jade Emperor had successfully passed through the great tribulation of gods and demons, now just one step away from Unity of Dao.

All living beings in the Three Realms held their breath in concentration, as the critical juncture that would determine the course of this era was about to arrive.

If the Jade Emperor succeeded in this last challenge, the era to come would be one where the Jade Emperor’s majesty spanned the Three Realms, ruling all under heaven. But if the Jade Emperor were to fall, then the Three Realms would become a battleground for heroes.

The Jade Emperor exhaled lightly, never having felt as exhausted as he did today, feeling as if he couldn’t even lift a finger. The previous four tribulations had drained too much of his mental focus and mana.

But he knew that this was not the time to relax; he needed to quickly recover to face the final tribulation, which, if he remembered correctly, should be the tribulation of achieving Dao, the most difficult to overcome.

In the distant past, several mighty beings had perished under this very tribulation.

The Jade Emperor felt even more uncertain; he had been corroded by the Heavenly Dao for a long time and did not know what impact it would have.

However, at this point, there was nothing to regret. If he overcame this hurdle, the world would be his oyster. If he failed, his body would perish, and his Dao would be extinguished.

Just as the Jade Emperor made up his mind, suddenly, a terrifying will descended, and countless voices seemed to whisper in his ear. These were all living beings of the Three Realms whispering to him, and in front of him, countless scenes appeared. These were the collective moments of this world from its creation, to stability, to countless years of propagation.

In an instant, an infinite amount of information flooded into the Jade Emperor’s mind, nearly causing the head of this Immortal to explode.

The majority of this information was useless, but a tiny fraction held true secrets. The Jade Emperor watched in shock at all this—this was the Heavenly Dao, the collective of all wills, all laws, and all living beings.

It had a certain will but rigidly followed the laws. It was cold and heartless, yet also generous and kind. It was the collective of all contradictions in this world, the true gatherer of unity.

And at this moment, the Jade Emperor temporarily took its place, bearing the terrifying pressure.

His mind raced as all the laws, all the secrets opened their doors to him, allowing him to browse at will.

However, the information of the Three Realms was so complex that even the body of an Immortal like the Jade Emperor couldn’t bear it. In a short while, blood began to flow from his seven orifices.