157. The Final Battle – Dimensional Rift

"Come on, tell me, how much chance do you have now?"

The Third King smirked as he looked at Chen Xuan, his eyes filled with a provocative glint.

In his view, Chen Xuan had only broken the barrier due to that peculiar flame and not his own strength.

[Ding! Third King feels proud, Emotional Value +999]

"All members of the Devil Prison, hear my command! Use all means to stop them, even if it costs your lives!"

The Heaven King took a light step forward, his previously calm face suddenly turning sinister and cold.

As his words fell, terrifying waves of demonic energy erupted from their bodies, spreading into the surroundings and halting the flow of elemental energy in the area.

[Ding! Heaven King feels a sense of self-sacrifice, Emotional Value +999]

"These bastards have been lurking in the shadows for thousands of years—of course, they’ve been up to no good!" Flame Master’s eyes burned with anger as fire flickered in his gaze.

"Attack!"

With a feral grin, the Heaven King waved his hand.

A massive surge of Abyssal Demons rose from the Demon City, carrying an overwhelming demonic aura as they charged at Chen Xuan and his group with a reckless determination akin to martyrs.

"Perfect! I'll go first!"

The Chaos Master laughed loudly, his massive frame transforming into a streak of purple light that rammed into the demon horde. Like an unstoppable tank, he tore through hundreds of devil generals.

Flame Master led with fire, Thunder Master with lightning, and Dark Master radiated deadly killing intent. Under their lead, the strongest warriors of the Tianxuan Continent unleashed their full power, clashing violently with the Devil Prison forces.

Demonic energy collided with elemental power, shaking the very fabric of space.

The Heaven King's gaze locked onto Chen Xuan and a graceful figure cloaked in icy blue light.

"Boss, leave the Ice Master to me; you handle Chen Xuan!"

The Second King licked his lips eagerly, ready to fight.

The Heaven King smirked. "Fine. I've been wanting to test my current strength anyway!"

With approval granted, the Second King dashed toward the Ice Master.

"I’ve already defeated you once!"

The Ice Master scoffed coldly, her slender jade finger pointing toward him. A wall of bone-chilling ice instantly blocked his path.

Meanwhile, the Heaven King chuckled and took a step forward, instantly appearing before Chen Xuan. His fingers curved into a claw, striking mercilessly.

His claw, enshrouded in dense demonic crystals, aimed straight for Chen Xuan.

[Ding! Heaven King feels killing intent, Emotional Value +999]

Chen Xuan remained expressionless.

Just as the claw was about to touch him—

Boom!

A surge of terrifying, milky-white flames erupted from Chen Xuan's body, forming a fiery armor around him.

The unimaginable heat and unique properties of the flames immediately incinerated the Heaven King's demonic claw into charred remains. Even the demonic energy on his arm dissipated entirely!

[Ding! Heaven King feels shock and realization, Emotional Value +999]

"I see now. This flame of yours comes from another world!"

The Heaven King finally understood, but it was too late.

In a flash, Chen Xuan appeared behind him, his flaming fist smashing down mercilessly.

Bang!

The blow shattered one of the Heaven King arms. He glared venomously at Chen Xuan, blood spewing from his mouth, yet a sinister smile stretched across his face.

"Even after reaching this level, I didn’t expect to still lose to you!"

It seemed the Heaven King had resigned himself to his fate.

[Ding! Heaven King feels a sense of self-sacrifice, Emotional Value +999]

"Boss, what happened?"

The Third King, who had just repelled the Flame Master, frowned deeply.

Though all of them had reached the pinnacle of the Three cycle Reincarnation realm, the Heaven King was undoubtedly the strongest among them.

"Just a minor injury—nothing serious!"

The Heaven King licked the blood from his lips, his smile twisted and sickly.

"I know your plans, and I won't give you the chance to self-destruct."

Chen Xuan's voice was calm as waves of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame surged from within him, engulfing the Heaven King entirely.

The terrifying flames incinerated the Heaven King into nothingness.

Yet, as he was burned, a strange smile appeared on his face.

Elsewhere, other top fighters struggled against the Kings of the Devil Prison. Though the Chaos Masters held on, their strength waned under the relentless assault.

Chen Xuan, bathed in flames, appeared next to Ying Huanhuan. His fingertip glowed with milky-white fire, which quickly purified the demonic aura around her.

The overwhelming demonic energy, so terrifying moments ago, now fled like rats from a cat.

"Hateful! That kid’s flame is too terrifying!" the Second King cursed bitterly.

Several of the Kings of the Devil Prison exchanged glances, reaching an unspoken agreement.

Taking advantage of Chen Xuan's distraction, they began detonating themselves.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out incessantly.

The self-destruction of these demons painted the sky with evil blood, releasing a nauseating stench that spread rapidly.

"These bastards!"

The Flame Master, realizing the danger, rushed toward the Ice Master.

But Chen Xuan was faster, shielding Ying Huanhuan with the Purifying Lotus Demonic Flame. The evil energy was purified before it could touch her.

The others, however, were forced to retreat in the face of the overwhelming demonic energy.

Though Chen Xuan managed to neutralize much of it, the sheer volume of demonic aura generated by the demons’ self-destruction was impossible to cleanse entirely in a short time.

Rumble!

At that moment, the already ruined Devil Prison City began to quake violently. Cracks spread across the ground, and from the depths of the fissures, a colossal demonic shadow began to rise, exuding an oppressive, endless aura of malice.

As the figure drew closer, its surface revealed countless tightly shut, eerie demonic eyes that sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

"The Yimo Emperor's Statue!"

Chen Xuan’s voice was steady.

"Don't worry," Ying Huanhuan reassured. "Without a source of flesh and blood, their sacrifices were in vain."

"Everyone, do not attack this shadow!"

Chen Xuan’s warning echoed across the battlefield.

This shadowy figure was the result of the Heaven King's and their use of the Tianxuan Continent's strongest experts to tear open the dimensional seal!

However, something puzzled Chen Xuan.

Even now, Lin Dong had yet to appear!

After hearing Chen Xuan's warning, no one dared to attack the Yimo Emperor's image.

But in the next moment, they were shocked to see a figure emerging from the depths of the Devil Prison Domain.

The figure's body was shrouded in a terrifying aura, one even more fearsome than the Heaven King's. Yet, his cultivation level was not higher than theirs.

The man was enveloped by an indescribable evil energy. As he rose higher into the sky, this sinister aura spread across the land like a dark plague.

“Who is that?” Flame Master asked with a deep frown.

Not just him; apart from Chen Xuan, no one present recognized this person.

Yes, the one exuding such overwhelming evil was none other than Lin Dong, the one Chen Xuan had been wary of all along!

At this moment, one of Lin Dong’s arms shimmered with a peculiar black light.

Quickly, his body rose to the same level as the Yimo Emperor’s image.

“Buzz!”

The two seemed to connect as a sharp, piercing hum resounded.

At the same time, a torrential wave of unfathomable demonic energy erupted from the image, engulfing the surroundings.

“This... This is the aura of the Yimo Emperor!” Life-and-Death Master exclaimed, her face darkened with dread. Even after thousands of years, she still vividly remembered this energy.

In response, Ying Huanhuan raised her hand, unleashing waves of icy energy in an attempt to freeze the Yimo Emperor's image.

Her effort was commendable, but ultimately futile.

“Damn it! That arm... it must be the one Master severed all those years ago!” Thunder Master suddenly realized.

With clenched fists, Ying Huanhuan remarked coldly, “It seems this was part of the Yimo Emperor’s plan all along.”

A profound sense of unease spread through the hearts of everyone present.

“Damn it! Let’s take him out!” Flame Master roared as flames surged from his body, preparing to charge forward.

But Chen Xuan stopped him.

“What are you doing, Chen Xuan? Are you scared? Let go of me!” Flame Master barked impatiently.

[Ding! Flame Master’s emotions: Anger + Contempt. Emotion Value +999.]

“If you attack him now, you might succeed in killing him…” Chen Xuan began.

“Then why hesitate? Let me through!” Flame Master interrupted angrily.

“To kill him would also mean feeding his energy to the Yimo Emperor’s image, accelerating the tear in the dimensional rift!” Chen Xuan explained gravely. “Do you want to fight Lin Dong, or do you want to face the Yimo Emperor himself?”

Flame Master froze in place, his fiery rage doused by the chilling realization.

Life-and-Death Master’s eyes narrowed as the weight of the situation sank in.

If they acted recklessly, the dimensional rift would be torn completely open. The Yimo Emperor would return to the Tianxuan Continent, and the world would face utter annihilation.

“What should we do, then?” Ying Huanhuan asked Chen Xuan softly.

The other masters also turned to him for guidance. As the strongest among them, Chen Xuan naturally became their de facto leader.

Chen Xuan pondered, unsure of Lin Dong’s true strength with the Yimi Emperor’s image bolstering him. As long as Lin Dong didn’t reach the level of the Yimo Emperor, Chen Xuan could manage. But what if he did?

...

Meanwhile, on a distant mountaintop in the Devil Prison Domain, a striking figure gazed skyward at the shadowy image engulfed in demonic energy.

Her delicate brows furrowed as she stood there, accompanied by Zhao Guangjun, who looked at Lin Dong with venomous hatred.

“Qingzhu, what should we do now?” he asked nervously.

The forces of the Devil Prison had been nearly wiped out.

“Wait,” Ling Qingzhu replied calmly.

“Wait? Wait for what?” Zhao Guangjun asked, confused.

“I’ll wait here for him to defeat Chen Xuan,” she said, her resolve firm.

Zhao Guangjun hesitated. He wanted to leave but couldn’t bring himself to abandon Lin Qingzhu. As he wrestled with his thoughts, a faint trace of black energy began to seep into his eyes, unnoticed even by himself.

Back in the skies, Lin Dong, who had been standing still with closed eyes, suddenly opened them. He looked down at Chen Xuan and the others as if they were insignificant ants.

“Just wait. In one year, I’ll step into the Ancestor Realm. When that time comes, all of you will perish!” Lin Dong declared before closing his eyes again, entering a mysterious state.

“What? In just one year, he’ll reach the Ancestor Realm?”

“Impossible! No one can achieve that so quickly!”

But despite their skepticism, an overwhelming sense of despair gripped the hearts of everyone present.

Chen Xuan hadn’t expected this worst-case scenario to unfold.

He glanced at the system interface. His emotion points had skyrocketed to 100,000 once again.

If that’s the case, then it’s time for a gamble!

At that moment, Ying Huanhuan suddenly spoke up, “Actually, there’s one more way.”

“What way?” the others asked, turning to her.

“Create an Ancestor Realm expert,” she said, casting a complicated look at Chen Xuan.

Everyone froze.

Create an Ancestor Realm expert?

Was she serious?

Thunder Master’s eyes lit up. “That’s it! Master always said Junior Sister had the best chance of reaching that level!”

The others quickly agreed.

But Life-and-Death Master interjected, “No. I believe my brother-in-law is the one with the greatest potential!”

Before they could argue further, a beam of terrifying energy suddenly shot out from the Yimo Emperor’s image, piercing the dimensional seal left by the Symbol Ancestor thousands of years ago.

A massive surge of demonic energy poured through the opening, rushing into the Yimo Emperor’s image.

Within it, Lin Dong’s aura continued to climb. At this rate, he truly might reach the Ancestor Realm within a year.

Meanwhile, in the crack of the dimensional rift, a colossal demonic eye opened, staring coldly at the Tianxuan Continent.

“Wait for me. In a year, when the seal breaks, I shall descend upon the Tianxuan Continent and bring you all liberation!” a voice boomed.