Chapter 2007
"Move!" the sun emperor roared, but the red-haired man didn't move in the slightest. "I said move!"
The sun emperor pulled the coffin with all he had, but the person behind the coffin held it in place with all he had. The two forces canceled each other out, forcing the coffin to remain in place. It felt like karma was finally taking effect, but the sun emperor was one to reject that concept entirely. Yet now, what had happened had shaken him into confusion. The threat of dying, of no longer existing, was something that even an existence like him feared. The more his fear grew, the faster the impetus of the sun left him. He had completely crumbled, losing his might, cunning, courage, and brute strength!
"Godfather!"
The sharp voice from above caused the sun emperor to shudder. He looked up and saw the youth—nay, the universal aberration—that descended upon him like a demon out of his nightmares, constantly haunting him even in his waking hours. He looked at the youth, but his shuddering gaze soon snapped away. A sovereign was still a sovereign, after all. He suddenly regained his calm and gazed at Tianming with tranquility.
"What’re you thinking about now?" Tianming asked.
"I won't run. I'm not used to that kind of haggard behavior, you see. Let our strength decide who lives or dies," the sun emperor said, seemingly having let go of everything.
"Do you think you’ll be able to accept your loss? Everything you've built up will become mine."
"If I’ve truly lost fair and square, it’s something I can accept. If there’s someone more qualified than I to restore the Flameyellow Imperial Star to its former glory and accomplish the dreams of my countless ancestors, I should be proud. In a way, I’d have succeeded. The real question is whether or not you're qualified to be my replacement."
"That makes it simple! Let’s decide who lives or dies then."
"Of course! Even if you win, your godfather will also die. There’ll at least be a single regret in your life going forward. Being able to hurt you with my death would be a wonderful recourse," the sun emperor cackled, still enjoying his last victory over Tianming. "There's no such thing as a perfect solution, young man. Be grateful that you even have this choice."
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The fire in the sun emperor's golden eyes burned bright once more. "Naturally, I still doubt whether you can really take me on, now that your lifebound beasts are gone as well. Don't tell me you've done all that to chase me down, only for me to turn the tables on you again!"
"I look forward to the turning tables then," Tianming said.
"Haha... hahaha...." Regardless of the circumstances, being entangled with someone like this, from the battles at the Myriaddragon Mountains up until now, was an epic saga in its own right.
The sun emperor was the most terrifying foe Tianming had yet come across, requiring his utmost willpower to deal with. He glared at him with countless thoughts surfacing in his mind. Tianming's impetus no longer increased after the sun emperor calmed down, stopping the outflow. Coincidentally, the two of them had an equal share of the impetus of the sun. One held a sword while the other carried a coffin with another pallbearer. The grand sky of the sun was evenly split between two sides.
"Respectful greetings to you, Li Tianming, brilliant pride of your generation, invincible and unkillable! If you survive, your legend will one day spread across the entire astralscape of order," the sun emperor said.
"I return your respect, Li Wudi, ruler of a generation and an unparalleled conqueror. If you survive, may the Flameyellow Imperial Star return to its former glory under your leadership and cast its brilliant radiance across the cosmos!" Tianming answered.
"Our encounters have been a pleasure."
"Likewise!" Tianming said, saluting.
"Now, come!" The sun emperor shut his eyes. By the time he reopened them, he had regained control of the Flameyellow Coffin and the other person that carried it along with him.
"En garde!" Tianming gripped the Grand-Orient Sword with both hands as he watched the flaming meteor approach. The complicated divine celestial patterns on the coffin exploded with energy once more. The sun emperor didn't disappoint him and showed him even more power than before. There were some people whose rise was simply unstoppable. Tianming had just received the impetus of the sun himself and overlooked the world below, completely enlightened by the renewed perspective.
The final strike of the Ninedragon Tribulation is called Imperialdragon Flameyellow Immemorial. The 'Immemorial' in the name stood for the everlasting that had existed since indefinitely ancient times. The sword strike symbolized the apparent eternal imperishability of the flameyellow divinities, but alas, even they had come and gone. But when Tianming looked at the world beneath him as he descended, he had felt its unique brand of flame and come to understand that the Flameyellow Imperial Star, and by extension, its ancient custodians, hadn't completely vanished in that sense.
It was a move he would never have figured out on his own. Only by wielding the Grand-Orient Sword while bearing the impetus of the sun could his blood resonate with this ancient nova source world. Coupled with the support and belief of those that walked the same path as him, the descendants of the flameyellow divinities, he finally understood what it meant to be an apostle of the sun, attaining the right frame of mind for Flameyellow Immemorial. This was the core of the set of sword moves called Ninedragon Tribulation. It stood for the desire of the flameyellow divinities to persist in pride and perpetuity, as well as the glory they once possessed!
"To become a ruler, one needs followers and subjects, as well as a keen resonance with the realm and world. Only when the blood of the world and the people blend together can a true nova source ruler be born!" That was something he had never understood in the mortal realm of the Flameyellow Continent, but now he had half of the impetus of the sun and bore half of its fate. That was enough for him.
The sun emperor charged in with an unyielding stubbornness. Roaring, he felt his blood pump as he carried the coffin, looking at the world he so dearly loved and unwilling to let go of it in the slightest. His passionate love turned into anger that had fueled him on his quest to follow the path he desired.
"The sun, the Flameyellow Imperial Star, belongs to me!" His roar shook the world with its boundless bravado. Nobody would ever be able to forget how he had laughed as more than four trillion specters perished. He was brave, decisive, and merciless. Tianming descended from the sky toward him, eyes not even focused on his opponent.
There was nothing else in the mind of the youth save the sword he held in his hand and the strike he envisioned in his mind. He unleashed his final strike, the Imperialdragon Flameyellow Immemorial, while gazing at the sun emperor, the world below, and all the life that lived in it!
"Sun Emperor, you’re a tyrant, not a ruler." The nuances of the words were fine, yet they made all the difference for the future of the Flameyellow Imperial Star.
The flaming meteor soared skyward. As Tianming's sword descended, the Flint Infernal Impulse formed a gigantic sword formation that completely enveloped Tianming, containing the undying will of the flameyellow divinities and the return to glory they were rising back toward. They would take back all of their dreams! Their hopes and dreams gathered around Tianming and his sword.
"Your will gathered on my sword, your soul burns within my blood! The nine dragons have gathered for Flameyellow Immemorial!" The blindingly brilliant manifestation of the sword cut through the fields of clouds, tearing space apart as it let out an ear-piercing swoosh. Countless people witnessed the making of history.
The sun emperor's final death blow generated just as much impact, not losing to the sword manifestation in the slightest. The entire world fell silent at the moment of the collision as the sheer cacophony of sounds created a false sense of numbing silence. People's minds simply didn't know how to make sense of all that. All they could do was watch as the flaming meteor split into three from the clash with the sword before flaming debris plummeted from the sky. The black and gold sword manifestation had cut straight through it and majestically embedded itself in the ground.
When the ground finally began to shake, everyone regained their hearing. The gigantic sword manifestation shone immeasurably bright. By now, all of the impetus of the sun was gathered around Tianming.
"Did the sun emperor die?" It was clear that the battle had been settled, but far too many people were still unable to react.
"Dad...." Qingyu had witnessed everything from the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb just as it crossed the Flameyellow Guard Formation.