Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin: I Set Taboos in the Heavens

The Emperor of Blazing Wrath stared wide-eyed, his face filled with utter horror, bewilderment, and disbelief.

His strongest attack, "Emperor's Wrath: Burning Realm," which contained a trace of the true meaning of immortal rules, was actually broken by the opponent so easily?!
What infuriated him even more was the new aura emanating from the other party—the aura of the Immortal Ladder, a sign that he had climbed the first step—the Step of Courage.

He actually broke through the life-or-death pressure of his strongest attack and stepped onto the first step of the Immortal Ladder.
How is this possible?!

Stepping onto the Immortal Ladder, even if it's just the first level, the "Stairway of Courage," signifies that the cultivator has officially entered the realm of "half-step immortality."

Its life essence, power level, and application of the rules of the Great Dao will all undergo a qualitative leap.

Although it seems like there's only one step between them and the peak of the Hongshen Realm, in reality, they are worlds apart.

Countless brilliant and talented peak-level Hong Shen have toiled for billions of years without ever touching that threshold, yet he actually broke through against the odds during the battle, even while being suppressed by himself.

The Emperor of Blazing Wrath felt that his knowledge and pride, accumulated over billions of years, had been utterly shattered in this moment.

A mixture of absurdity, jealousy, rage, and deep fear burned fiercely in his heart like poisonous fire.

"No! Impossible! I absolutely do not believe it!"

The Emperor of Blazing Wrath roared to the sky, filled with resentment and violence. His imperial flames surged wildly around him, almost out of control.

"So what if you've managed to climb the Steps of Courage?! It's just the first step! I've already reached a much higher level! Today, you must die!"

Extreme anger and humiliation led him to make a crazy decision.

He suddenly formed an extremely ancient and complex hand seal, as if communicating with endless time and space and other great beings in the darkness.

At the center of his brow, a point of crimson-gold imperial origin flame burned fiercely, emanating waves of supplication and summoning!

"With my imperial blood as the catalyst, and the ancient covenant as the guarantee! All laws reach the heavens! The Nine Extremes Supreme! The Mysterious Yellow Ocean! My three fellow Daoists, aid me!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

With his roar, three terrifying wills, vast beyond imagination, each with a different aura yet all equally ancient and majestic, suddenly descended from the void, seemingly transcending endless barriers of time and space and the slumber of countless ages.

A single will, encompassing all laws and evolving all phenomena, seems to be the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao, cold and lofty, which is the will of the Great Emperor of All Laws.

A single will, supremely noble and incomparable, ruling over the eight wastelands, carrying the ultimate majesty and domineering power of an emperor, is the will of the Nine Extremes Supreme Emperor.

A will, as heavy as the earth and as vast as the ocean, containing boundless vitality and power, is the will of the Xuanhuang Canghai Emperor.

These three wills, though only a small portion of the power projected from afar, instantly linked with the will of the Great Emperor of Blazing Wrath, forming a perfect ancient imperial formation the moment they appeared.

"The Four Directions Imperial Formation, vanquishing evil!"

The Emperor of Blazing Fury roared, and with the support of the power transmitted remotely by the other three emperors, his aura surged wildly, instantly breaking through his previous limits.

The color of the imperial flames around him deepened again, transforming into a strange four-colored flame interwoven with dark gold, primordial yellow, purple, and azure.

This flame contains four different yet complementary fragments of imperial laws and immortal rules, its power being more than ten times stronger than the previous "Emperor's Wrath Burns the Realm".

"The Four Emperors combine their attacks, and the heavens fall!"

The Emperor of Blazing Wrath raised his hands high, and the four-colored flames converged wildly, forming a sphere of destructive light a hundred times larger than before above his head. The light within was so dazzling that it was impossible to look directly at it, and it seemed as if four miniature flame worlds were being created and destroyed inside.

The sphere of light slowly rotated, and the pressure it emitted caused the entire Heavenly Dao Operation Temple to tremble violently. Countless ancient divine pillars groaned under the strain, and the ancestral figures watching the battle turned pale and their souls trembled violently.

Many people couldn't help but spit out blood, stagger backward, their eyes filled with boundless fear.

They felt that if this attack landed, half of the temple would probably be destroyed.

This was no longer a duel between individuals, but a deadly strike launched by four ancient emperors from afar.

"Fang Qing! Prepare to die!"

With a ferocious expression and boundless killing intent and madness, the Emperor of Wrath slammed the sphere of destruction into Fang Qing, who had just broken through and whose aura was not yet fully stable.

Faced with this ultimate killing move that combined the power of four half-step immortal emperors, Fang Qing's expression remained calm and composed.

The moment he stepped onto the Stairway of Courage, his understanding and control over himself, his power, the Myriad Realms King Map, and the Immortal Execution King Token underwent a complete transformation.

Originally, he could only use the token to open the King Map, partially control its interior, and sense other tokens.

But now, he clearly felt that his connection with the supreme treasure, the Myriad Realms King Map, had become incredibly close, as if he were an extension of a part of the King Map's will.

He could even vaguely sense the vast and boundless primordial power deep within the Wang Tu!

And for the first time, he touched the true "Zhu Xian" power contained within the Zhu Xian King Token.

"Perfect! Use your strength to solidify my foundation and help me reach new heights!"

Fang Qing's eyes blazed with a primordial chaos, and instead of retreating, he actively faced the sphere of destruction.

The King of Myriad Realms, heed his command! The power of Immortal Slaying, annihilate all laws! Devour heaven and earth, forge the foundation of your Dao!
In an instant, a strange change occurred.

Without warning, an enormous portal phantom suddenly appeared within Fang Qing's body.

Beyond the portal, a vast and boundless universe, complete with all laws, could be vaguely seen—a projection of the inner world of the Myriad Realms King Map.

At the same time, the six Immortal Execution King tokens within his body shone brightly and resonated with each other. A terrifying aura that surpassed all heavens and carried endless slaughter, termination, and destruction of all rules—the power of Immortal Execution—was drawn into him and merged into his own chaotic primordial divine power.

The chaotic domain in front of him instantly expanded, transforming into a chaotic furnace that seemed capable of devouring everything.

Inside the furnace, chaotic energy transformed into countless rune chains, dark gold devouring runes shimmering like stars, and a trace of murderous intent that sent chills down everyone's spine flowed through it.

The four-colored orbs of light unleashed by the four emperors together crashed into the illusory image of the Chaos Furnace.

sizzle.

An unprecedentedly violent collision and annihilation occurred.

The four imperial laws and fragments of immortal rules contained within the four-colored light spheres frantically impacted the Chaos Furnace.

The illusory image of the furnace trembled violently, and the wisp of Immortal Slaying Power inside the furnace, like the sharpest sword intent, precisely slashed at the core law connection point and energy hub of the four-colored light sphere.

At the same time, the projection portal of the Myriad Realms King Map slightly opened, and a vast aura of the King Map's origin surged out, strengthening the Chaos Furnace and greatly increasing its stability.

Even more terrifying was that Fang Qing's Chaotic Primordial Divine Power and Devouring Origin, which underwent a qualitative change after stepping onto the Step of Courage, were running wildly, forcibly decomposing the four-colored energy torrent that had been cleaved by the power of Immortal Slaughter and weakened by the aura of the King's Map.

This is a forced plunder of four different imperial laws and fragments of immortal rules.

"Do not!!"

The Emperor of Blazing Wrath was horrified to discover that the power connection he had been transmitting with the other three emperors from afar was being forcibly severed by a terrifying force.

The energy and laws within the sphere of destruction were dissipating at an alarming rate, merging into the opponent's bizarre furnace.

At this moment, Fang Qing felt that a massive amount of extremely high-quality energy and unprecedentedly clear and profound laws and mysteries, like a flood bursting its banks, surged into his limbs, his chaotic inner world, and the immortal foundation he had just condensed.

Under the frenzied tempering of these four imperial powers, his divine body had its impurities further refined, its structure rapidly transforming into true immortal matter, and its power surged.

His chaotic inner world greedily absorbed these high-level energies and fragments of laws, causing the space to expand wildly once again, and the speed of internal law evolution increased more than tenfold.

Fire, earth, metal, water, wood, wind, thunder, light, darkness... all kinds of law regions shone brightly, interconnected, and formed a more complete and stable law network.

The entire inner world seemed to have taken a powerful tonic, brimming with vitality and taking another solid step towards becoming a mature universe!
The step of courage he had just stepped onto, under the infusion of this immense external force and the frenzied tempering of his own will, quickly became stable and solid, and extended to even greater heights.

"Crack!"

Another invisible barrier shattered within his body.

A more profound and pure sense of power, as if it could shatter stars with a single punch and crush the universe with a single step, surged forth from the depths of Fang Qing's soul.

The Immortal Ladder, the second step—the Step of Power—is complete.

Fang Qing suddenly opened his eyes. In the depths of the chaotic primordial color in his eyes, billions of stars were being born and dying, and the light of power pierced through the void as if it were a tangible substance.

His aura surged once again!
It is several times stronger than when it first broke through to the Courage level.

At this moment, the destructive orb created by the four emperors had been mostly devoured and refined by his Chaos Furnace, leaving only a dim core, barely clinging to life within the furnace.

"It's time to end this." Fang Qing coldly uttered four words, took a step forward, and instantly traversed space, appearing before the raging Emperor, whose face was deathly pale due to the backlash from the frenzied devouring of his power!

He simply raised his right hand and made a fist.

Chaotic energy swirled around his fist, primordial purple aura flickered, and dark gold power runes shimmered, containing the unparalleled power of a newly broken-through power level.

A punch was thrown.

This punch locked down time and space, making it impossible for the Emperor of Blazing Wrath to dodge.

Wherever the fist passed, the space shattered like glass, revealing the pitch-black void behind it.

"No!"

The Emperor of Blazing Wrath finally revealed boundless fear and despair in his eyes. He frantically urged the remaining Emperor Flame, attempting to form a defense.

An extremely dull thud resounded.

The last barrier hastily formed around the Great Emperor of Blazing Wrath was as fragile as an eggshell before Fang Qing's fist, which fused the origin of chaos and primordial chaos, possessed unparalleled power, the power of the Myriad Realms King Map, and the power of the Immortal Slaughtering.

The barrier instantly caved in and shattered.

The violent power penetrated the body without reservation.

"what!"

The Emperor of Blazing Wrath let out a shrill, distorted scream as his crimson-gold imperial robe shattered, revealing his fiery divine body riddled with cracks.

He was like a meteor struck with full force, flying backward and crashing heavily into a thick pillar of chaos at the edge of the temple.

"Boom!"

The divine pillar trembled violently, leaving a deep human-shaped dent on its surface, and countless ancient runes flickered in and out of existence.

The Emperor of Blazing Fury was embedded in the dent, spewing out mouthfuls of burning golden imperial blood, his aura extremely weak.

The imperial flames around him dimmed to the point of almost extinguishing, and his burning eyes lost most of their brilliance, leaving only boundless pain, horror, and incredulous bewilderment.

He is not dead.

At the last moment, Fang Qing withdrew some of his power, destroying only most of its combat strength and ability to resist, severely damaging its origin and foundation, but without harming its fundamental life core and soul.

Dead!

A deeper, more profound stillness enveloped the entire Heavenly Dao Operation Temple.

All the celestial ancestors watching the battle, whether they were Hongshen, Haoshen, Tuoshen, or those ancient beings who were half-immortals, stared wide-eyed and gaped, as if petrified.

Each of them stared blankly at the raging Emperor embedded in the divine pillar, then slowly turned their necks to look at the figure in the arena, standing with his hands behind his back, his aura as deep as the chaotic starry sea.

We lost...

One of the four ancient emperors, the Emperor of Blazing Wrath, who was suspected of climbing several steps of the Immortal Ladder, still lost despite borrowing the power of the other three emperors.

Moreover, they were defeated so thoroughly and so miserably!

He was sent flying by a single punch after his opponent broke through two Immortal Steps in the battle, leaving him critically injured and on the verge of death!

This……

Is this really true?

This has exceeded the limits of their imagination!
Fang Qing, the Heavenly Venerable Fang, his strength, he possesses some kind of extraordinary foundation and opportunity that transcends common sense.
Fear, awe, worship, disbelief...

A variety of emotions surged through the minds of every spectator like a tidal wave.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

The void rippled slightly, and the projections of the wills of the Great Emperor of Myriad Laws, the Great Emperor of Nine Extremes, and the Great Emperor of Xuanhuang Canghai, which had descended, seemed to become extremely unstable due to the Great Emperor of Raging Fire's crushing defeat and the rapid loss of his power.

After flashing a few times, it ultimately did not launch any further attacks or rescues, and then receded like the tide, disappearing from sight.

Clearly, these three emperors also realized that the power projected from afar was no longer enough to deal with this terrifying young man before them, and that continuing the fight would only result in greater losses.

They chose to retreat temporarily.

Fang Qing ignored the fading will, and didn't even look at the shocked and speechless ancestors around him.

He slowly walked up to the Great Emperor of Wrathful Blaze, who was embedded in the divine pillar.

With great difficulty, the Emperor of Blazing Wrath raised his eyelids. In his dim golden flames, Fang Qing's calm and undisturbed face was reflected.

His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he could only make hoarse, breathy sounds, his lips frothing with blood.

"Are you convinced?"

Fang Qing asked calmly, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching the other person's ears and every corner of the temple.

The Emperor of Blazing Wrath trembled slightly, his eyes flashing with intense struggle, humiliation, and resentment...

But in the end, all the emotions turned into a long, heavy sigh and a deep sense of powerlessness.

Having suffered such a complete defeat, even resorting to all their trump cards and seeking help couldn't make a difference. What right do they have to complain?
Strength reigns supreme; this is an unchanging ironclad rule in the cultivation world.

The fact that the other party didn't kill him is already a sign of mercy.

He nodded slowly and with great difficulty, uttering two words in a hoarse and broken voice: "...I...give in..."

These two words seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength.

After saying that, he collapsed completely into the dent, his breath weak, but his life was not in danger.

Fang Qing nodded slightly, reached out and grabbed, and a gentle yet irresistible chaotic divine power surged out, pulling the Great Emperor of Blazing Wrath from the divine pillar and placing him flat on the ground.

At the same time, he flicked his finger, and a wisp of light containing pure vitality and the power of chaotic purification entered the other's brow, helping to stabilize his injuries and prevent his Dao foundation from deteriorating further.

"Your cultivation is remarkable, your understanding of the Great Dao of Fire is profound, and you were once an ancient emperor who ruled over a region."

Fang Qing looked at him, his tone calm yet unquestionable, "Now that a great calamity is imminent, we need someone like you to contribute. I am about to take office as the leader of the Protectorate Alliance, and I am in dire need of a capable general who is good at fighting, administering punishments, and purging traitors."

He paused, his gaze landing squarely on the face of the Emperor of Blazing Wrath: "You, are you willing to serve as my 'Dark Messenger,' to atone for your sins and use your fury and imperial might to sweep away evil and suppress disobedience throughout the heavens?"

Dark Messenger!
Under the leader of the alliance, one of the two messengers of light and darkness!

Their status is revered, their power immense, second only to the Alliance Leader! They are also among the top three of the thirty-six core members!
Fang Qing didn't kill him; instead, he wanted to recruit him and entrust him with such an important task?!
These words stunned not only Emperor Fury, but also all the surrounding ancestors!

What a magnanimous spirit and boldness this is!
Having defeated such a formidable enemy, why not kill him but instead give him an important position? Isn't he afraid that the enemy will harbor resentment and retaliate in the future?

The expression in the eyes of the Emperor of Blazing Fury changed drastically.

The path to survival and future granted by the opponent under absolute advantage, though viewed from the perspective of a victor, is also a form of recognition and opportunity.

Will they continue to resist or harbor resentment?

That might really be a dead end.

Moreover, the authority of the Dark Messenger... is indeed of high rank and great power, enough to tempt any strong person.

Moreover, following such an unfathomable and infinitely potential leader might not be a bad thing.

Weighing the pros and cons, and feeling the wisp of chaotic life force within his body slowly repairing his injuries, the Emperor of Blazing Wrath finally took a deep breath and struggled to lower his once proud imperial head.

"As a defeated general, I am deeply grateful to the Alliance Leader for sparing my life and bestowing upon me an important mission. I, Huo Liao, am willing to serve the Alliance Leader with utmost loyalty, to take control of the darkness, and to purge the Alliance, even at the cost of my life!"

His voice was still hoarse, but his tone now carried a heavy sense of submission and determination.

"Good, good, good!" (End of Chapter)