Chapter 1609: War Emperor, Fallen!

Chapter 1609: The Emperor, Fallen!

Zhou Zhan transformed into a streak of dim yellow light, charging straight forward and delivering a punch toward the Emperor.

The Emperor's six arms moved simultaneously, creating countless shadowed fists to attack Zhou Zhan.

Boom!

The Emperor was knocked backward by Zhou Zhan's single punch, his face bearing severe wounds—but within an instant, he was as calm and unharmed as before.

Though Zhou Zhan himself was also thrown back, his body remained untouched, unscathed.

"Ha... ha..."

The Emperor ran a hand over his face, a cold, mocking smile spreading across his features.

"This battle... has become increasingly fascinating..."

Shh!

He surged forward again toward Zhou Zhan, clashing with him in fierce combat.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...

Clang!

Boom!

The Emperor of Martial Might, wielding six divine will artifacts, launched attacks at an astonishing pace. Each strike, each movement, radiated an unimaginable destructive power—power sufficient to obliterate hundreds of vast worlds merely by touching them.

Yet Zhou Zhan, though he had not manifested six arms, stood firm against his adversary with an unmatchable physical form and a pair of fists, capable of holding his own.

Though the Emperor, empowered by the six divine will artifacts, gained the upper hand, making every moment of battle appear perilous and tense, Zhou Zhan suffered only minor wounds—never death.

"Divine Will Technique—Six Sacred Heavens of Demon!"

Seizing the moment, the Emperor unleashed his divine technique. A terrifying celestial demonic form bloomed behind him, intensifying his aura of dominance and the crushing pressure of his attacks.

Zhou Zhan's body instantly erupted with countless wounds.

These wounds varied in severity, making Zhou Zhan appear terribly wounded.

Though they could be mended in an instant by the Supreme Holy Body, a fresh wave of injuries would immediately overwrite them upon the next breath.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhan chose a mad strategy of exchanging wounds for wounds, forcing the Emperor of Martial Might to slightly ease his assault. Then, seizing the moment, he kicked the Emperor violently off balance. As the Emperor retaliated, a sword suddenly appeared in Zhou Zhan's hand.

The Xuanyuan Divine Sword!

The Xuanyuan Divine Sword, a race-tier divine artifact designed for growth, had now ascended to the level of a lower-tier will artifact—remarkable, given that Zhou Zhan had reached the level of lower boundless will essence.

Ordinary race artifacts simply did not possess such immense potential for growth.

Yet the Xuanyuan Divine Sword did.

Beyond its inherently superior quality, the reason lay in the fact that its master, Zhou Zhou, was an individual blessed with extraordinary destiny.

Race artifacts were born from the destiny of their race. As the leader of the human race and the one who embodied the peak of racial destiny, Zhou Zhan was profoundly influenced by Zhou Zhou’s extraordinary fate. As a result, the upper limit of the Xuanyuan Divine Sword had been elevated to unprecedented heights.

At this moment, the divine upper limit of the Xuanyuan Sword had tentatively reached the transcendent level of willpower.

In other words, even if Zhou Zhan were to elevate his power to that very transcendent level right now, the Xuanyuan Sword could effortlessly raise its own rank to match it.

Be that as it may, the instant Zhou Zhan drew the Xuanyuan Sword, he charged toward the Martial Emperor, locking him in fierce combat.

Though the Martial Emperor held six sacred artifacts of willpower in his grasp, facing Zhou Zhan—who now possessed a sacred artifact of willpower of his own—he could do little more than barely suppress and wound him; he was utterly incapable of dealing a lethal blow.

Moreover, as the battle raged on, the Martial Emperor could distinctly sense Zhou Zhan's martial comprehension steadily ascending, visibly closing the distance to the realm of the Supreme Will.

The Martial Emperor was forced to concede a bitter truth: Zhou Zhan's natural talent for the martial path seemed to surpass even his own.

His mind raced as he abruptly forced Zhou Zhan back, then stood fast, casting a freezing glare at him before raising a single, pointing finger.

"Emperor Wu!"

Hum!

Zhou Zhan slightly furrowed his brow.

A faint sensation stirred within him—something he possessed seemed to have been copied by the other.

"Is this your technique—the Universal Laws Star Fist?"

At the thought, the Emperor emitted a soft glow of pale light, feeling the surge of power rising within him. His eyes widened with astonishment.

Then it struck him—suddenly, he burst into wild, ecstatic laughter.

"Excellent!"

"Indeed, the Universal Laws Star Fist!"

"Though still immature, this technique bears the mark of transcendent will!"

He suddenly turned to Zhou Zhan, cracking a smile and saying, "Thank you for your Ten-Thousand-Method Star Palm."

"With your Ten-Thousand-Method Star Palm, my chances of advancing to a Will Transcendence-level master have increased by a full tenth!"

Zhou Zhan nodded calmly, then suddenly asked, "Is that all?"

The Emperor was taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

"My point is..."

"Your Concept God ability is nothing special."

Zhou Zhan spoke coldly.

Normally, if the other's Concept God ability was capable of replicating the other's martial prowess, it should have been able to replicate his Supreme Sacred Body as well.

Yet, clearly, it had not.

The reason is obvious upon reflection.

The Emperor is merely a superior will transcendent strength.

Yet Zhou Zhan's supreme holy body carries the lineage of eternal, unbroken existence!

The gap between them is vast and unfathomable—thus, it is entirely natural that the Emperor's conceptual divine power cannot be replicated.

At this moment,

the Emperor launches another assault.

Zhou Zhan is forced into direct combat with him.

With the Universal Laws Star Palm now in his grasp, the Emperor's strength has surged dramatically.

And this is the Universal Laws Star Palm at the third-tier supreme god level.

One cannot even imagine what would happen if it were the Universal Laws Star Palm at the inferior supreme will level—Zhou Zhan might already be formulating escape routes by now.

Yet precisely because it was not a high-level Wàn Fǎ Xīng Chéng Palm, at this moment, although Zhou Zhan appeared to be in peril under the assault of the Emperor of Martial Might, he had actually remained stable, with no major setbacks.

On the contrary.

Amidst this intense pressure, Zhou Zhan's martial cultivation, bolstered by the Wàn Fǎ Xīng Chéng Palm and the Tianwu Master's aid, was advancing rapidly—nearly reaching the edge of the Supreme Will Realm.

The Emperor had sensed this shift.

On the surface, his expression remained unchanged. Within, however, a deepening gloom stirred.

This Third Reserve Lord of the Supreme Sovereign!

So utterly resistant to defeat?!

His current strength—no longer merely capable of standing against a mid-tier Supreme Will cultivator, but even capable of challenging a high-tier Supreme Will cultivator—yet still failed to eliminate him? And worse, had allowed the opponent to grow stronger under his very eyes?!

This was a direct mockery of His power!

'His true strength,' the Emperor thought, 'may not quite reach that of a high-tier Supreme Will cultivator, yet it is still dangerously close.'

The Emperor silently cursed within himself.

At the same time, a profound envy and dread stirred deep in his heart.

Could this Celestial Sovereign be so utterly insane?

A mere Third-Rank Supreme God—already nearing parity with a Supreme Will Realm master?!!

What if he ascends to the Supreme Will Realm? Then there would be no end to the danger!

At this thought,

A fierce, consuming rage surged within him!

The Third Reserve of the Supreme Lord must die!

His very existence would inevitably become a colossal obstacle to their conquest of the Supreme Cosmos—and eventually, the Ultimate Void Cosmos.

He must extinguish this threat before it ever fully matures!

Even at the cost of immense sacrifice!

With this thought, He once again punched Zhou Zhan aside, stepping back from the battlefield, then turned to gaze at Zhou Zhan, taking a deep breath, clenching his fists tightly, and drawing strength through his entire body, a faint golden glow radiating from his form.

Zhou Zhan saw this and his brow slightly arched.

Is this... the awakening of the fundamental power of will?

Such a technique, even among the supreme will cultivators, is considered a last-resort move—only used in life-or-death battles.

A sense of caution stirred within his heart.

At that very moment,

the Wu Di suddenly crossed his hands together, then swiftly retracted his right fist, eyes widening as he poured every ounce of strength into a single, powerful punch aimed directly at Zhou Zhan.

The Supreme Martial Will Technique—Wu Di Fist!

A simple, unadorned technique of will.

Yet it embodied the pinnacle of the Wǔ Dì's mastery in the Way of Might, condensing all his insights and every ounce of lethal intent!

After delivering that single punch, the Wǔ Dì seemed utterly spent, gasping and wheezing as if drained of every last breath.

The radiance surrounding him, the fire in his eyes—both vanished. Even his own strength had plummeted back to the level of a lower-tier Supreme Willful Master.

His Willful Sacred Instruments, once so potent, now faltered, shattering into twelve streaks of light that spiraled inward and dissolved into his inner realm, where they would be re-nourished.

At this moment, the Wǔ Dì yearned desperately for rest. He could feel his inner essence now depleted by half. Without proper recovery, his strength would permanently diminish. To restore what had been lost would take an incalculable span of time.

Yet he refused rest. He would not rest.

He needed to witness the death of the Third Reserve of the Supreme Lord!

If that man perished, he believed the Great Supreme Master would reward him tenfold, hundredfold—compensating for every loss.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhan, gazing upon the colossal fist hurtling toward him, his face hardened with grave seriousness.

This punch—already equaling the might of a supreme being from the Unparalleled Will Realm!

By the strength alone he had just unleashed, it seemed impossible to withstand such a blow.

Yet Zhou Zhan remained utterly still, his expression calm.

With a single thought, a black cloak materialized before him.

The cloak swelled with the wind, expanding rapidly—until it reached a size comparable to the vast expanse of the infinite realm.

The flying Emperor's punch, unyielding in force, surged straight into the black cloak. Instantly, the fabric trembled and expanded, as though filled with an unseen essence. Yet moments later, the cloak settled into stillness—calm, unbroken, as if nothing had ever happened.

"What?!"

The Emperor stared, disbelief etching deep into his face.

His full-force strike—his very essence of power—had vanished without a trace, untouched, unharmed, simply... gone?

What kind of joke is this?!

He fixed his gaze upon the black cloak, and swiftly arrived at a conclusion.

Yet this conclusion did not satisfy him—it only intensified his resentment and fury.

"Another artifact of the Supreme Will..."

"And one of the rare defensive-grade artifacts of the Supreme Will?!"

The Martial Emperor gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on Zhou Zhan, filled with bitter disappointment.

How much favor had this little one received from the Supreme Will?

A mere Third-Rank Supreme God, and already possessing two artifacts of the Supreme Will?

Such an opulent array of divine relics—rare even among the countless masters of Supreme Will—how could a mere Third-Rank Supreme God possess such a configuration?

A Third-Order Supreme Deity claims to possess an Upper Will Sacred Artifact!

Look at him—he doesn’t even qualify!

How dare he possess two?

Won’t the Heavenly Punishment Emperor and the Spring-Autumn Law Master envy him?

When they were Supreme Deities, they each held only one Will Sacred Artifact—still a lower-tier one.

How absurd he is! Now he possesses two Upper Will Sacred Artifacts!

He turns to Zhou Zhan and sees that Zhou Zhan is likewise staring at him coldly.

"What else do you have?"

"Show it."

"Let the Emperor see."

Zhou Zhan spoke from a lofty vantage point.

"Hahaha..."

"I am the Martial Emperor. I shall not easily fall to the hands of some impetuous youth like you."

The Martial Emperor's face twisted into a ferocious expression, then his right hand surged forward, gripping fiercely at his chest.

Boom!

He suddenly tore through his own chest, ripping it open with a violent pull, tearing his heart from his very body.

Zhou Zhan's brow arched slightly at this sight.

A being of Supreme Will had completely transcended the bounds of rules—his very flesh was forged from willpower itself.

Thus, no technique of rule-level strength could harm such a being. Only willpower could injure one of the Supreme Will rank.

Yet Zhou Zhan, wielding the Supreme Holy Body and the Power of the Underworld, could still breach the ranks and inflict damage upon such a creature.

And within the corporeal form forged by the supreme will, the heart remains the absolute nexus.

Destroy the heart, and no master of the Supreme Will can survive.

Looking at the Wu Di's demeanor, this was clearly a fight to the death!

Indeed!

As soon as Wu Di pulled out his heart, his aura began to wane, drifting ever closer to the realm of the Highest Deities—within no time at all, he would fall from the peak of a Supreme Will master to the rank of a Highest Deity.

Yet Wu Di showed no concern.

He glanced at his own heart, then turned to Zhou Zhan, his face twisting into a cruel smile: "Even if I die here today,"

"I will have you join me in the grave!"

Zhou Zhan spoke with calm indifference: "Your fall will etch an unshakable name into the legend of my Celestial Sovereignhood!"

There was not a hint in his words that Wu Di could possibly kill him.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor let out a grotesque, chilling smile, then performed an astonishing act.

He devoured his own heart in one bite.

The very next instant, after swallowing it, the Emperor's aura surged explosively, skyrocketing in a blink to the mid-tier Supreme Will Realm, then soaring further to the upper tier of Supreme Will Realm!

"Ah, now I understand."

"Consuming one's own heart to unleash the final reservoir of one's potential."

Zhou Zhan nodded in agreement.

"You're about to die."

Perhaps it was the last flicker of vitality.

At this moment, the Emperor's expression was remarkably composed, utterly devoid of the frailty of a dying Supreme Will Realm master.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhan shook his head.

"No."

"Yes, you are dying."

After speaking, Zhou Zhan slowly drew forth the third Will Saint Artifact from his first treasure vault!

It was a supreme holy sword radiating the aura of the Yellow Springs!

Upper-tier Will Saint Artifact — The Yellow Springs Emperor's Sword!

The Martial Emperor's pupils constricted.

The next instant, Zhou Zhan vanished from his original spot and reappeared before the Martial Emperor in a single breath.

With the Yellow Springs Emperor's Sword, he slashed hundreds of times in a blink, reducing the Martial Emperor to fine dust.

"I won't accept it..."

"Why is it that you possess three Sacred Artifacts of Will?"

The Martial Emperor’s voice echoed, thick with unwilling resentment.

"You are mistaken."

"There are four."

Zhou Zhan produced his fourth high-tier Sacred Artifact of Will—the Scepter of Death, the final piece belonging to the Whisperer of Death.

"You have not yet driven me to the point of deploying this fourth artifact."

With those words spoken.

He slowly withdrew all of his Sacred Artifacts of Will.

At the same time.

The corpse of the Martial Emperor before him gradually dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind a vast bounty of spoils that floated suspended in the air before Zhou Zhan.

Emperor Wu, fallen!