Chương 261: Transcendence (Part 17)

It was indeed Su Chen who had triggered the Emperor tribulation. Over the past several centuries, while refining the Undying Nether Emperor's corpse, his cultivation had advanced once more. No longer able to suppress it, he directly drew forth the most terrifying Emperor tribulation—the Nine-Layered Emperor Tribulation. The moment the Nine-Layered Emperor Tribulation appeared, it drew the attention of all living beings across the universe. Was this truly an Emperor tribulation? Its power was simply too horrifying.

A supreme aura surged upward.

"He… passed the Nine-Layered Emperor Tribulation?" All beings were stunned. The legendary Nine-Layered Emperor Tribulation had been overcome so effortlessly. Su Chen passed the tribulation with ease. With his current strength, he could already contend with true Great Emperors, let alone the tribulation imprints left behind by past Emperors. In a single era, three Great Emperors had appeared. If one included the deceased Eternal Night Great Emperor, then four had emerged. This era was simply too terrifying.

"What a powerful Dao suppression." The instant Su Chen became an Emperor, both the Formless Sword Great Emperor and the Eternal Night Great Emperor felt their own Emperor Daos being suppressed. They nearly lost control over the power of heaven and earth and were almost forced out of their Great Emperor positions, nearly becoming self-severed supremes.

"One person achieving the Dao and suppressing ten thousand laws," the two Emperors thought with deep emotion. Their era had come to an end. The moment Su Chen completed his tribulation and his aura fully manifested, suppressing all laws, he sensed an incomparably terrifying presence crossing through space. Boom! Heaven and earth were shattered. Countless galaxies crumbled in an instant. A massive black hand tore through the barriers of the world, its palm lines carrying power capable of annihilating everything.

"Who is that?!" Countless living beings did not dare look directly at it. Even the Formless Great Emperor and the Eternal Night Great Emperor felt genuine fear, as if facing a higher-level existence. The giant hand crossed the barrier and shattered seas of stars, reaching straight for Su Chen.

"As expected…" Su Chen was not surprised by the hand's appearance. This was a terrifying existence that had lurked for hundreds of millions of years. He had already guessed as much back at the Jade Pool Sacred Land ruins. In this life, there were still hidden powerhouses similar to those from his previous life, like the God Emperor and the Primordial Demon Lord. The terrifying being clearly intended to seize Su Chen in one grab and refine him directly.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. At that moment, an unparalleled ferocious blade appeared in Su Chen's hand, one capable of suppressing past and present. The moment the owner of the giant hand saw the blade, he cried out in alarm, "The Undying Nether Blade!" He had recognized it. Su Chen slashed out with the blade. Before the giant hand could retract, Su Chen severed half of it.

Indestructible nether qi and black flames burned fiercely on the wound. The owner of the hand let out a pained roar.

"The Undying Nether Emperor is not dead? No, he must be dead! Damn it!" From another direction, another terrifying aura surged forth. The owner of the giant hand was forced to suppress his desire to subdue Su Chen and roared furiously, "Ten Absolute Martial Emperor, you bastard! This Emperor will suppress you sooner or later and devour you whole!" The aura vanished, as if nothing had happened. The terrifying being seemed to have encountered a powerful foe.

He had attempted to ambush Su Chen and refine a Nine-Tribulation Emperor, only to suffer losses instead. Su Chen had refined the Undying Nether Emperor's corpse and used it to restore the Undying Nether Blade. This ancient supreme weapon had grown even stronger. The slash had injured the attacker, though not severely. Meanwhile, the attacker was now engaged in battle with another supreme powerhouse who had blocked him.

The scene that unfolded felt like a dream, shattering the worldview of countless powerful beings across the myriad races. No one had imagined that such terrifying existences still hid within this world. After forcing the giant hand to retreat, Su Chen did not pursue it. The two terrifying beings seemed to be fighting not in this universe, but in some strange, isolated space.

"So it was the Immortal Spirit that escaped from the Nether Mansion back then," Su Chen murmured, gazing in the direction where the two auras had vanished. He had sensed a faint familiarity in the hand's owner—an aura of the same life level. Both were Immortal Spirits. Besides the one from the Jade Pool Sacred Land, only the Immortal Spirit that had escaped the Nether Mansion could have grown to such heights. The cause and effect became clear in Su Chen's mind.

In his previous life, he had searched the entire universe but never found any trace of the Nether Mansion Immortal Spirit. It turned out the being had been waiting for him to fail at transcendence before emerging to prove his Dao, becoming the first powerhouse after the Emperor Dao Era. The so-called path of transcendence had been nothing but a lie. Countless Emperors and Supremes of the later eras had likely all become nourishment for this being, devoured to fuel his growth.

The current Nether Mansion Immortal Spirit was probably no weaker than the God Emperor and the Primordial Demon Lord of his previous life. The powerhouse who had intercepted him was also a supreme existence. Su Chen put away the Undying Nether Blade. He did not know where exactly the two were fighting, but now that the Nether Mansion Immortal Spirit had appeared, he would definitely kill him. Su Chen returned to the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect.

The sect now had two Great Emperors reigning in the same era—an unprecedented glory. The entire Myriad Laws Emperor Sect was immersed in celebration.

"I never expected you to reach the Emperor realm so quickly," the Formless Sword Great Emperor said with deep emotion. The title of Great Emperor—the strongest in the world. Within a single era, the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect had produced two of them. After sighing, the Formless Sword Great Emperor asked the question weighing on his mind.

"What exactly was that existence that attacked you earlier?" He had no idea of the terrifying being's origins. Su Chen replied calmly, "That was the first being to achieve the Dao after the Emperor Dao Era." The Formless Sword Great Emperor's expression changed drastically as if he had realized something.

"You mean…" Su Chen nodded.

"The legend of transcendence is false. That existence did not truly transcend. He was trapped somewhere… or perhaps plotting something." Su Chen spoke calmly, yet his words were enough to overturn the understanding of all living beings in the current era. The legend of transcendence that everyone pursued… was fake? The existence suspected of having transcended had not died but had been lurking in hiding all this time. This secret made one's scalp tingle with horror.