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Chapter 952: The Bright of Dawn, the Dark of Night

This was the empress’ true godly ascension ceremony. Something else that was different compared to before was that this ceremony contained something unimaginably clever. It was as if... the ceremony itself possessed life force!

Xu Qing had never seen anything the likes of this before.

All of the godly ascension ceremonies he had seen in the past were vaguely similar in the sense that they were just ceremonies. None of them had imparted a sensation of life force. This was the first he had ever witnessed like this.

She’s going to become a human god, and the past emperors will become zombie gods.... Now this is daring and bold!

Xu Qing was visibly moved. He had run into domineering people before. And he had seen people who were bold and daring. But most of them were men. In this case, the empress was doing something that countless men would have trouble pulling off. That was definitely a rarity! That was especially true considering she wanted to break ties with the holy lands. That was essentially the definition of being hard and unyielding.

The revelation of forty-nine Dawning Suns was something Xu Qing could never have predicted. In fact, no one could have predicted that. This was a level of imposing loftiness that surpassed the word ‘emperor.’

Beyond all of that, there seemed to be something else forming the ignition source for this ceremony.

The silver light from that holy land formed the passageway. But it was ripped to shreds, and the fragments became light!

Xu Qing looked up at the closing rift in the dome of heaven. Just now, fragments had fallen through that rift and turned into light over the imperial capital. Then the empress gathered that light and made it part of the ceremony. That was when the ceremony seemed to gain life force.

It was light from beyond the heavens. More precisely, it was light from the holy lands. And the empress took advantage of it at a key point in the godly ascension ceremony.

The entire thing was astonishing, not just to Xu Qing, but also to all the other humans in the area. The shocking events of this day were like successive waves crashing on the beach.

Meanwhile, the empress’ words boomed like thunder or the eruption of volcanoes. As it turned out, these were the details of Emperor Eastglory’s story. As it turned out, this was the source of Emperor Mirrorcloud’s grief. As it turned out, this was why Emperor Sageheaven was so bitter. As it turned out, Emperor Dao Life’s death was an unsolved mystery.

No one knew how to react. No one but the empress, who hovered in midair amidst the five beams of light, looking up into the sky.

Beneath her, Planet Ancient Emperor burned with intense golden light. When that golden color became complete, it would indicate that the ceremony was successful. At that time, the five past emperors would become gods, and the empress’ success would ensure that she became a legend.

At that point, the empress’ gaze became profoundly sharp. It seemed intense enough to pierce heaven and shake the earth! Wild colors flashed in heaven and earth, and intense, thunderous rumblings shook the sky. That noise didn’t come from the dome of heaven itself, but rather... from beyond the dome of heaven! As it entered Revered Ancient, it became a majestic voice that filled the entire imperial capital.

“These are the words of the Ancient Emperor, who hath accepted the Mandate of Heaven and hath been enshrined by immortals. This false emperor is not surnamed Guyue, does not have a pleasant disposition, and is cruel and vicious at heart. Once the concubine of Dark War, she served as a mortal, selfishly convinced Dark War to withdraw from the public eye, and plotted to earn special favors in the imperial harem.

“She has the heart of a venomous insect and the personality of a jackal. She befriends corrupt officials and bewitches the kind and loyal. She is hated by men and ghosts. She is rejected by heaven and earth.

“There is no doubt she harbors evil intentions, going so far as to lust after the ancestral relics. But today, we will find out who is truly in charge of this region!

“The promises of the humans of Revered Ancient still ring loudly in my ears. For the sake of Revered Ancient’s destiny aura, and in order to save the entire realm, this woman must be deposed!

“Let everyone from mortals to the nobility abide by this universal decree!

“If one harbors improper attachments and wanders the incorrect path, one will ignore the ominous omens and suffer the punishment of execution! Thus speaketh the Ancient Emperor!”

The words struck the humans like thunderbolts, causing countless cultivators to tremble. A tempest built within them, arising from within their blood and exploding into their minds. The power of human destiny aura surged, spreading out in all directions to create a force of expulsion targeting the empress.

The empress’ imperial robes were ripped to shreds, and her imperial crown was torn apart. That was because these words came from beyond the heavens, and they were a true imperial edict! It was an edict from an Ancient Emperor! Such an edict could command a species and determine life or death with a word. It could affect all humans and control all destiny aura.

As the hearts of all humans pounded, the gigantic dragon of destiny aura turned to the empress and roared. The projections of the countless sages of the past turned and glared angrily at her. Simultaneously, the destiny aura seethed as the spirits of human heroes appeared, people who had died over the years waging war against the gods. They quickly filled heaven and earth, forming a shocking power. All of them seemed furious as they looked at the empress.

They wanted to remove her imperial title and prevent her from reaching godly ascension! This was the counterattack from the holy lands!

In response to all of that, the empress’ gaze remained as incisive as ever. As the destiny aura formed innumerable heroes around her, she spoke in a calm voice.

“All of you witnessed Eastglory’s fate. All of you observed Mirrorcloud’s grief. All of you understood Sageheaven’s bitterness. All of you perished just like Dao Life.

“You are all sages and heroes. You lived as humans and you died as such. I offer you my respect. However... I cannot see what is wrong and ignore it. I cannot understand the truth but speak deceitfully.

“And I cannot base my thinking and actions all on some edict from beyond the heavens! For tens of thousands of years, humans have suffered. The common people have been unprotected, dying constantly, filling the lands with their corpses. They have been like slaves. Livestock. Their lives have been a spectacle too horrible to endure....

“Today I rise to prominence so that I can protect my people. I will bring home all those who are lost and wandering. I will safeguard our lands near and far. I refuse to let humans be weak. From now on, we humans will be able to stand strong and tall!

“Heaven and earth can bear witness to my intentions. All Revered Ancient can hear my words. In that case... what basis does the destiny aura of humankind have to devour me?”

The empress’ voice was as sharp as a blade as it cut through heaven and earth before stabbing into the destiny aura. The destiny aura seethed more chaotically, as though the heroes and sages were contemplating what had just been said.

The empress lifted her foot and took a step forward. Intense rumbling sounds filled heaven and earth as she continued to speak in a thunderous voice.

“Humankind has been weak and feeble. In decline. And through it all, the holy lands just make demands. They don’t care at all whether our species lives or dies! We struggle while powerful species abound around us, always longing to wipe us out forever!

“Ever since I succeeded to the throne, I have been cautious and conscientious. I haven’t dared to relax for a moment. I created the Dawning Suns and created alliances, all while treading thin ice. The slightest misstep could result in the complete extinction of the human species. What else could I have done?

“Oh, heroes and sages, what advice would you have given me? Do you really want to just stand by and watch as humankind is wiped out? Will you just casually observe humans descending into the most terrible of situations? Do you really want all existing humans to become spirits of the dead like you?”

The empress’ foot touched down, and everything shook. The destiny aura was in chaos as the expressions of the faces of the heroes and sages filled with intense pain. They no longer looked angry.

“Well, I refuse!” the empress said. As of now, her voice was the only thing that could be heard. “And therefore... the only option is godly ascension! I’ve become empress, and now I’ll become a god. All is karma. I will shoulder the responsibility, all for the glory of humankind. I hereby ask heaven, ask earth, ask the heart, and ask the heroes and sages in the destiny aura of humankind: is there anything wrong with what I’ve done?

“The holy lands don’t care about humankind, but I do! Heaven and earth do not pity humankind, but I do! Heroes and sages of human destiny aura, considering my stance... why are you fighting me?”

The empress’ words seemed to shake the entire world. She was tapping into karma to form grand aspirations! She had an honest and upright heart, and spoke with a clear conscience as she asked her questions of the destiny aura, of the heroes, and of the sages.

Why are you trying to devour me?

Why are you fighting me?

The destiny aura erupted with sounds like howls of grief. The heroes and sages all stood there. And then, all of the heroes and every one of the sages inclined their heads and kowtowed to the empress.

“Empress!”

Their voices filled the world.

The destiny aura surged as a new imperial robe appeared on the empress, along with a new imperial crown. They were even more majestic and impressive than before. The lands, will, history, and destiny aura of humankind were all blessing the empress! A terrifying aura began to build up on her.

After the departure of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity, in all the countless years of human history, nothing like this had ever happened among the successive Ancient Emperors. Down below, Planet Ancient Emperor was ablaze.

***

As human momentum built within the dawn, something else was happening in the darkness of night in a very distant region. Everything happening was the exact opposite.

It was happening in the Heaveneater Region.

Outside of their imperial palace was the 3,000-meter-tall Emperor Heaveneater. At the moment, he was crumbling. Countless bits of blood and flesh rained down in all directions.

The Heaveneaters surrounding him had looks of shock and anxiety on their faces. But they were powerless to do anything. The sensation of weakness emanating off of their emperor was clear for everyone to see.

A moment later, Emperor Heaveneater slowly opened his eyes.

“I am well,” he said in a hoarse voice.

Everyone could see that he was most definitely not well. In fact, he was in a very serious situation. He was so badly wounded that he obviously needed to go into seclusion immediately. And that was his plan as he gritted his teeth against the pain of the injuries.

“All of you—” he said, but before he could finish the sentence, a sensation of profound crisis exploded within him. He looked up into the dark dome of heaven, his expression one of shock. “Is that...?”

Before he could finish speaking, a chanting voice filled the canopy of heaven.

“The energy of the ultimate yang of the two polarities merges into the ancient eyes of the gods, becoming the glittering light of the starry sky over Revered Ancient. Let the projection fall and incarnate into the domain of a god.

“Respected lord of the sun and many heavens of the universe, the holy Torchlight. Let the door descend!”[1]

As the words erupted, heaven and earth in the Heaveneaters’ imperial capital shook violently. A terrifying, indescribably mighty force weighed down, not only on the capital, but on the entire Heaveneater Region.

All of a sudden, a blurry image appeared in the sky over the head of Emperor Heaveneater. It overtook heaven and overtook all daos. It overtook anything and everything.

Within the image was an extremely gruish and mysterious world. It was possible to see a host of freakish, immense trees that emanated fluctuations of godliness. Godly, gruish beasts abounded. Ancient, unique temples appeared, emanating a sense of profound age. It was possible to see frozen seas and mountains that existed in gaseous states. There were freakish, humanoid clouds, spirits resembling octopuses that had lived for innumerable years. And there were huge birds with plumed wings that could obscure the sky and cover the lands. Each seemed larger than the next, and all were bizarre in appearance and form.

In the depths of that bizarre scene was a shocking figure that was a terrifying, 5,000-kilometer sphere. The sphere was black and covered with both writhing tentacles and gruish, blinking eyes that seemed capable of peering through both time and space. Deep, resonant voices spoke from within the sphere, like thunder that caused the clouds to seethe. As the sphere stirred, the world trembled, the lands shook, the seas went wild, and the air burst into flames.

The black sphere’s surface was covered with innumerable faces, all of which were singing the same words that had just been chanted.

This was... Torchlight’s god domain!

Next, a host of innumerable tentacles erupted from the black sphere. Each one pulsed with the power of godly authority, and could ignore magical laws.

Emperor Heaveneater’s face fell, and he backed up at top speed. At the same time, he lifted his hand to call upon his Imperial Sovereign’s might. Doing so, he changed the face of heaven and earth. It was as if he had carved out his own chunk of space-time. His own universe.

And yet the tentacles glowed with black light as they stretched out hungrily from the black sphere of flesh that was a god domain.

Innumerable tentacles writhed out to bind the emperor. In the blink of an eye, the seriously injured Emperor Heaveneater was dragged into the god domain.

The other surrounding Heaveneaters cried out in alarm as shadowy figures flew out of the Torchlight god domain and into their lands. There were hundreds of thousands of them!

They abounded with baleful auras and were incomparably fierce. Some had completely expressionless faces, others had faint, warm smiles. There were all sorts of temperaments on display, and numerous different species represented. The one unifying element to them was that they were all chosen cultivators who had carried out Blood-Soaked Performances.

They were Torchlight agents from all parts of the Revered Ancient mainland!

In addition to them, there were some even more gruish entities. They were dressed in black cloaks that covered them from head to toe. Yet the cold, terrifying auras they exuded made them seem like they were ancient ghosts from the netherworld. They pulsed with black smoke that swirled around them and took the form of horrendous monsters. Even more noteworthy, their bodies seemed to be made of plants. They were either tall and burly, or very gruish. Some looked humanoid, but others resembled beasts. All of them pulsed with the mutagen of gods.

If Xu Qing were present, he would have recognized them immediately. They were all experimental god bodies! As they descended, these vile cultivators’ eyes glowed with underworld light. They cackled viciously.

“Is this the location the crown prince selected for us?”

“The aura here is actually wonderful....”

“I suppose we should start the slaughter. Follow the crown prince’s orders. Turn all living beings here into building materials of flesh and blood!”

With that, they charged down.

***

While humans became the focus of countless gazes, a shocking massacre took place in the imperial capital of the Heaveneaters. And that massacre quickly spread to fill the entire region.

Without their emperor or their heavenly kings, the previously extraordinary Heaveneaters were now forced to face the Torchlight organization, including their experimental god bodies, some of which were capable of self-detonation. And in the end, they were facing a god domain....

It was easy to imagine what fate lay in store for them. That was especially true considering... that the gruish entities which descended from that god domain brought with them pure terror.

A devastating catastrophe had struck the Heaveneater Region.

1. This words are a verbatim repetition of what we heard in chapters 800 and 801. ☜