Cultivating with Bragging System

Chapter 749 381: Battle of the Twin Emperors, The Return of the Human Emperor_1

"You are not a Great Emperor!"

At that moment, an abrupt voice sounded. A figure had appeared in the sky, seemingly out of nowhere.

He was a man with an ordinary presence, yet he was walking on air. Countless runes paved the path beneath his feet, while the power of myriad rules swirled around him, as if in submission.

Seeing this man, Ye Guhong's expression subtly changed, and his pupils contracted. "This aura… is that you, Your Majesty?"

Great Emperor Zi Wei stared at the newcomer, his expression shifting as a trace of fear appeared in his eyes for the first time. "You… you're still alive?"

"You're barely half a Great Emperor now, so you should be able to sense it," the man said, spreading his hands helplessly. "Once you become a Great Emperor, it's rather difficult to die!"

This person was none other than the former Human Emperor.

Having cultivated for a second lifetime, he now stood here. Moreover, the aura emanating from him suggested that he too was on the verge of taking that final step.

"What do you mean, 'half a Great Emperor'!" Great Emperor Zi Wei roared, driven to madness as he glared at the Human Emperor. "I am Great Emperor Zi Wei, a true Great Emperor! What right do you have to lecture me now?"

The Human Emperor shook his head indifferently. "A Great Emperor must forge their own path. Your path… is mine."

As his words fell, a supremely overwhelming aura burst forth from him, surging to the heavens. It was far more profound than that of Great Emperor Zi Wei, and it stirred the very phenomena of the cosmos. In an instant, celestial flowers rained from the sky and golden lotuses sprouted from the earth as countless miraculous visions appeared. The rules of the universe materialized, entwining around his body.

His presence had become unprecedentedly powerful. After one hundred thousand years, he had once again achieved the rank of Great Emperor.

WHOOSH!

The Human Emperor waved his hand, and the armies numbering in the billions vanished, reappearing hundreds of millions of miles away.

This was a battle between Great Emperors. No one else was qualified to spectate, unless they had a death wish.

BOOM! RUMBLE!

An unprecedented earthquake shook the Demon Realm. Terrifying ripples from the battle surged from the eighteenth layer of the Abyss all the way to the first, tearing back and forth until the Demon Realm was utterly shattered.

Perhaps, just as the Human Emperor had said, Great Emperor Zi Wei, who had taken shortcuts to attain his rank, was vastly inferior in every respect. He was ultimately defeated.

The terrifying fluctuations subsided.

From a great distance, Ye Guhong and the others watched on, their senses trained on the battle's aftermath.

"After all you've done, everything has come to naught. Why bother?" the Human Emperor sighed, standing with his hands behind his back as he looked at the now-weakened Great Emperor Zi Wei.

Great Emperor Zi Wei coughed up blood, his eyes filled with unyielding defiance. "Do you think… you've won?"

The Human Emperor raised an eyebrow.

"I may lose… but you will never win!" Great Emperor Zi Wei roared as his body erupted with an endless light, so fierce and terrifying that it shook the starry sky for hundreds of millions of miles.

He was incinerating his imperial body, but not to make a final, desperate stand against the Human Emperor.

An invisible portal, ancient and profound, slowly emerged from within him, seeming to lead to an ineffable world.

"The Heavenly Gates?" The Human Emperor's expression changed, his surprise evident. "You actually… fused the Heavenly Gates into your body?"

"Hahaha… Arrogant fool, prepare to embrace the glory of the Ancient Gods!" Great Emperor Zi Wei laughed coldly, his voice growing more and more frantic. The burning energy of his body coalesced into an ancient rune that shot forward, branding itself upon the Heavenly Gates.

Without hesitation, the Human Emperor struck with his full might, shattering Great Emperor Zi Wei's body.

But he was too late.

The rune was already branded onto the Heavenly Gates. The portal slowly creaked open, and an endless mist of Chaos seeped out from the crack, hazy and otherworldly, like cosmic dust that did not belong in this universe. Even the power of a Great Emperor could not shake the portal.

The gateway grew ever larger until it spanned hundreds of millions of miles, tearing open a Tian Yuan in the vast cosmos.

A colossal hand stretched out from the other side. It belonged to some unknown creature and was so unimaginably massive that each finger was as large as a galaxy.

Everyone watched in astonishment, their eyes filled with terror.

Could this be an Ancient God? How immense must its true form be? Perhaps even the largest nebula in the universe is no bigger!

At last, the creature descended. Its appearance was obscured, its head and limbs extending far beyond the infinite void. The onlookers guessed that the supposedly endless nine Celestial Realms were likely comparable in size to this Ancient God's true form. It was truly terrifying. How could such a being exist?

ROAR—

As the Ancient God arrived, it let out a low roar that shattered entire galaxies in an instant—a horrifying spectacle. If a single roar possessed such power, who could possibly stand against it?

The Human Emperor's expression was grave. Without hesitation, he flew up to meet the challenge. Only he was qualified to face such a being.

The universe was torn asunder. The crowds had fled to a great distance, not daring to approach. The Divine Sense of Heavenly Venerate-level powerhouses could typically traverse vast star systems and the void, but now, they could only vaguely perceive the terrifying disturbances.

No one knew how much time had passed. The hearts of all living beings were wracked with torment as galaxy after galaxy was shattered.

Finally, a meteor streaked across the sky. It pierced through the vast river of stars, and countless stars in its path crumbled into cosmic dust.

Ye Guhong and the others turned deathly pale.

The Human Emperor… had been defeated.

High above, four great suns appeared. They were the eyes of the Ancient God, each one many times larger than any sun in the universe. Its gaze fell upon them, and everyone felt themselves become immobilized. A primal fear, originating from the depths of their bloodlines, surged through their hearts, while a voice echoed in their minds, relentlessly commanding them to submit.

Just then, a figure moved.

While everyone else was frozen in place, he stepped forward, ascending to the very front, to the highest point.

"Who is he?"

"The Divine Doctor, Wang Simiao! He saved my life!"

"What is he doing?"

The terrified crowd murmured amongst themselves, both amazed that this Divine Doctor had somehow broken free from the Ancient God's oppressive might and baffled by his actions. In a moment like this, what could a mere healer possibly do?

Soon, they realized he was not the only one.

Under the gaze of billions, more figures stepped forward, one after another. They were of all appearances: middle-aged, old, young… there were even children.

"Is that… Master Wang? The one who forged the Nine Supreme Immortal Cities?"

"And that one, Confucius, an expert in the Way of Enlightenment, renowned for his skill in educating the hearts of men and persuading them toward goodness!"

"That's the Demon-suppressing General, Wang Tianyi! He has slain countless demons over the past thousand years and is known as the nemesis of the Demon Race for his penchant for devouring them!"

"…"

The people gradually realized they recognized almost everyone who was stepping forward. Throughout the thousand-year war, these individuals had made unimaginable contributions in their own ways, often single-handedly securing victory in numerous critical battles. They were hailed as paragons of heroes born from troubled times.

They all had one thing in common: before the war began, no one had ever seen them before. On the merit rolls compiled by the great Holy Lands, these individuals occupied the very top positions.

But the question remained… At a time like this, when even the Great Emperor had been defeated, what could they possibly do by coming forward?

Only a few, like Ji Zidian and Li Xuanqi, had a flicker of recognition in their eyes, as if they were recalling something from the distant past. They could not help but cry out in shock.