Once the Emperors began to fight, the others could only helplessly get out of the way.

The Heavenly Emperor versus the Demonic Emperor—it was a battle seen once in a lifetime. Even those old Monsters titled the Virtues were either only greenhorns or not born when the last time it had happened.

It was a battle that could not be forgotten even in the long annals of indifferent history. Sadly, if people did not survive to write about it, it was bound to be forgotten.

The two clashed in a way unlike anything ever seen before.

People in the far corners of the desolate continents had thought themselves safe from the chaos in the central empire.

Yet, the two Emperors crossed thousands of kilometers in a matter of seconds. They had already gone around the entire plane multiple times.

While the golden light flickering around the Heavenly Emperor felt alive, so did the shadows that wrapped around the Lord of Shadows.

Whenever Yasashii attacked, the Emperor would easily dodge and unnaturally find balance to counterattack.

If it were not Yasashii himself, he was sure no one would survive against the pure skills displayed by this man they called God, much less the raw power that he exuded.

The few attacks that connected easily reached the power displayed by the Celestial Beasts.

Pausing in the middle, the two of them floated miles apart.

"It seems you do not take me seriously," Yasashii scoffed, and immediately, the shadows playing around him began to solidify into tattered robes.

Shadows covered his face, hiding his entire being. To anyone looking, he seemed like a merchant—a merchant of death.

In response, the Emperor sighed, muttering, "I apologize."

Immediately, tendrils of light exploded from his back, a light so bright that the surroundings felt dimmer.

A light armor also covered his face, though his royal robes stayed as they were, only pulsing with golden light once in a while.

In a flash, both of them disappeared again.

The next time everyone heard reverberations as if the earth was crying, it came from another continent.

The more they fought, the more speed they picked up.

Soon, they were not just teleporting across the continents, but were even phasing in and out of the Realm itself!

For split seconds, they would appear in the void, only to teleport back inside the Land Above All again.

Even with their power, they couldn’t stay in the space forever. It would slowly siphon their power and consume it into oblivion.

"Do you regret your actions now!?" Yasashii’s voice reverberated on one continent.

The answer, though, sounded from another,

"No."

Unlike Yasashii, the Heavenly Emperor’s voice betrayed no emotion, no intensity.

His eyes only glanced regretfully at the destruction his actions left behind.

The deaths of innocents were piling up the more they continued this farce.

"Because of one choice... all this ruin..." he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. Gradually, the frustration locked in his breast was leaking out.

Every so often, he caught the mangled corpses of the old and the children lying in pools of blood.

The more he witnessed this unnecessary slaughter, the more strength he gained in his attacks.

It all had to end quickly, or there wouldn’t be anything left to protect.

. . .

While their battle had continued, Ozul and his group had also stepped into the Land Above All.

As his eyes rested on the barren lands where once stood markets and cities, Ozul slowly walked forward.

A foreign emotion took hold in his chest. It was an emotion that he might have only become capable of feeling after his recent power-ups.

It was Guilt.

He hadn’t started this war, but he had become part of it.

For his selfish desire to get answers, he had dipped his hands in innocent blood as well.

Behind him, the six Anomalies did not wait for his signal.

All of them except Blaze shot forward, each moving to balance the scales of battles between those powerhouses.

"Is it worth it...?" Ozul spoke slowly, but Blaze clearly heard him.

The latter stayed quiet for a while, trying to understand why he was asking this.

Soon, he shook his head, "They would have died anyway."

Ozul sighed, nodding. Although he felt the guilt taking root, it didn’t mean he would hesitate now that he had come so far.

His eyes closed as he tried to feel the presence of the only two that really mattered in this entire battlefield.

Now that he had gotten so strong, even the Virtues and the Guardians were little more than a nuisance in his eyes.

Before he could locate the two Emperors, however, he and Blaze felt two strong people rushing at them.

It was Old Gu and Kami.

Those two were waiting for him only.

Blaze moved quickly; the beads on his forehead glowed as an ice crown grew from them to sit atop his head. He had far surpassed the Ice Monarch, who had spread his legacy through the inheritance beads.

A spear formed in his hands as he threw it in the direction from which they felt the aura.

Old Gu clasped his hands, his aura surging to create a dense shield of Spiritual Essence that easily blocked the spear.

Beside him, Kami didn’t stop. His target was Ozul, the young man whom he had never paid attention to before.

"It doesn’t matter if you’re the darkness, I will vanish you nonetheless!" He shouted, his blade creating an arc after he had closed the distance.

A sword slash left his blade, threatening to cut Ozul in half, who only sighed before regaining his bearings.

The thin layer of the Purity grew on his skin as he became charred black.

As the sword arc clashed with him, he made no effort to deflect it or dodge. It just hit him and disappeared.

The streaks of it that dodged him razed the ground, yet he stood unmoving. As if the attack was only a strong wind moving against him.

"I do not want to kill you," Ozul spoke. Tens of thousands of blades suddenly appeared in the air behind him, all pointed in the direction of Kami and Old Gu.

"Do not force my hand."

As Kami observed the scene, he scoffed. Although the display looked grand, he didn’t feel threatened at all.

"Come at me!"

Old Gu’s eyes sharpened; he called out, "Watch out!"

His warning helped, as even though Kami was arrogant, he wasn’t born yesterday.

As the thousands of blades came at him, he created a shield strong enough to even stand against the attacks of Celestial Beasts.

Unfortunately for him, the first blade hit the barrier, and it cracked.

The second blade tore through the crack, and the third blade shattered it completely!

Soon, a barrage of blades was grazing his skin, cutting despite how much he tried to dodge.

Old Gu had a lot more battle experience than Kami. He understood that the only reason they couldn’t feel any danger from Ozul was that the latter lacked Spiritual Essence.

Their instinct to sense threat was based on the subtle changes in the surrounding Spiritual Essence caused by their enemies. Since Ozul had no impact on it, their instinct betrayed them.

"You..."

Ozul’s eyes moved to rest on Old Gu,

"I forgave you once, I won’t do it twice."

But that only further caused Old Gu’s face to darken.

"I do not seek your forgiveness!" He shouted, rushing to attack him.

Yet, the surroundings suddenly got colder. A twitch in the air that made his hair raise in alarm.

Turning around instantly, he put up his hands to block an attack.

Unfortunately, Blaze had closed the distance, his sharpened claws pounced down at him, tearing through the weak barriers of the old man.

But just at that time, Kami, who had found the time to breathe from the cyclone of blades, launched an attack as well, giving Old Gu ample room to retreat.

Sadly for the son of god, he made a mistake of not paying attention as a needle punctured through his left shoulder right at that instant!

Blaze didn’t question why Ozul was going easy on him, as he had noticed.

The reason was simple. Killing the sole heir of the Heavenly Emperor wasn’t going to do him any good, not when he might be the only being who could answer his questions.

But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt him.

The needle puncturing his shoulder began to seep away at his Spiritual Essence, quickly draining his reserves.

While Blaze kept Old Gu busy, he used the Purity to continue wounding Kami.

Only when the man was too weak to even look straight did he stop and fly away.

He tore through the battlefield, ignoring the countless battles between Transcendents, Sages, and Empyreans.

Even the fights of the Virtues and the like mattered little as he flew past all the destruction, unbothered.

The emotions surrounded him like an ocean trying to drown a sheep. But he had long learned to tune this sense out.

As he strode through the decimation, the Purity he had spread everywhere continued to supply him with energy.

Countless cultivators were dying left and right. Amidst all of that, it was only a waste not to absorb their Spiritual Essence.

Many noticed an indifferent man slowly passing through, fighting neither side.

Yet, whoever came close to him perished without a trace.

His white shirt had no smudge of blood, no crease too noticeable, and not even a hint of dust or mud.

No matter where he went, he stood out.

Unaware of the awe and fear he was garnering, Ozul picked up his pace in the direction of the two Emperors.

Just then, however, the two men in question teleported above the royal capital.

Their figures, one glowing with golden light, while the other covered in rags and shadows, attracted all eyes.

Their sudden pause garnered much attention.

"-I asked you why!?"

"I have given you my reasons."

"To help you?! To help you in what?! You refuse to explain even now!?" The Lord of Shadows bellowed in unbridled rage.

What others didn’t notice, however, were the signs of exhaustion.

Compared to Yasashii, the Heavenly Emperor looked only spent.

It was clear to Ozul that that man had the upper hand in this battle.

Just as he was thinking of joining them, however, everyone heard the laugh...

"Hah... Haahaha!"

The Lord of Shadows, the Demonic Emperor, might have finally lost it.