I was the Heavenly Emperor in ancient times

Chapter 32 Emperor’s arrival
The pheasant was the only ray of light in the sky, its blue wings trailing the rosy glow towards darkness, much like the phoenix in later myths and legends.

The Candle Shadow, with its human head and dragon body, rose higher and higher, like a black lightning bolt striking the phoenix.

Dragons and phoenixes battle in the sky, while mortals on earth are swept up in the waves of darkness and light, seeking a glimmer of hope.

Around the altar.

All the Ximu clan members who came to join the battle picked up their weapons and, with the help of the light emitted by Shao Li's wings, were able to see clearly the One-Eyed Clan Candle Souls that were constantly charging towards them.

This wasn't the first time the two sides had clashed, but the previous battles were vastly different from this one. The previous battles were between people, while this one was a fight between the living and the spirits.

However, in this place where Yin and Yang are indistinguishable at the foot of Zhangwei Mountain, the boundary between life and death also seems to be blurred.

The warriors of the Ximu clan gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes wide open, and roared angrily.

"kill!"

“Kill these bastards.”

"Stop them."

The two sides clashed, weapons pierced each other's bodies, and immediately men and horses fell to the ground.

If you can see them and touch them, these inhuman things don't seem so terrifying anymore.

The people of Ximu awoke from their fear, and the courage of their ancestors, who had carved out their way across the wilderness and conquered the land, surged forth. Everyone focused on the battle.

However, having just killed those "people" of the One-Eyed Clan, these people turned into shadows on the ground and merged into the darkness.

But soon, they emerged again from the thick, endless darkness in the distance and charged at them once more.

In this darkness, the spirits are a tangible existence, but they are not entirely tangible.

The people of the Western Mother Clan also sensed something was wrong at this moment. This was their first time encountering something like a ghost, and they had no experience to draw upon, nor did they possess the ingrained awareness of such inanimate objects.

But they sensed that it wasn't just a problem with the spirits of the One-Eyed Clan.

The place where they were standing at this moment no longer seemed to be the earth, but the underworld, although at this moment they did not even have the concept of the underworld.

"These things can't be killed!" A soldier wearing a leather hat stared at the man he had just killed, who was now lunging at him again. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on him, and spittle flew from his mouth.

"It's Zhulong, the dragon that ate all the stars in the sky and swallowed the moon." Many people in the crowd looked at the impenetrable darkness and saw some of the key points and secrets within it.

"The dragon is protecting them." However, even though they realized it, they were still powerless to do anything about it.

"What are they... They're coming up again... They're coming up again..." Despite fighting wave after wave, the "people" of the One-Eyed Clan continued to rush towards them.

"Kill...kill kill kill...kill them...why aren't they dead yet? Why aren't they dead yet? What do we do? What do we do?" Seeing their clansmen falling one after another, the warriors of the Ximu clan were also terrified.

These one-eyed "people" do not speak and seem to have lost the intelligence that belonged to them when they were alive, but they rigidly maintain the fighting skills they had in life.

Some even seemed to retain some of the hatred they felt for Ximu Shi from their previous lives, which is why they kept rushing towards Ximu Shi.

Zhuyin told them that they would continue to exist, but did not tell them what price they would have to pay.

The vengeful spirit of the One-Eyed Clan will continue to wander in the foothills of this mountain, transforming into a renowned ghost kingdom.

However, the people of Ximu did not give up in the face of such a terrifying existence.

"Hold on!"

"Hold on until dawn, and we'll be alive."

"Shao Li will win, we will win."

"The Emperor will protect us."

"May Heaven protect my Ximu clan."

Everyone was terrified, and everyone was struggling to survive.

Madness surged across their faces, and some stood in front of their brothers and sisters, determined to die, blocking the surging tide of the Candle Spirits like an impregnable wall.

Every now and then, they would look up at the sky.

They were looking at the little lilies in the sky.

They are also waiting for dawn.

Shao Li was more powerful than ever before, and her body grew larger and larger. At the beginning, when she spread her wings, they were less than a zhang long.

At this moment, she felt that her wings were probably tens of feet long, and the light she emitted was becoming more and more dazzling, overshadowing the bright moon that once hung in the sky.

Not only that, but some of the supernatural powers of the Bluebird that she once possessed were also enhanced, and she had a certain intuition without needing to divine.

Even before Zhuyin made any move, she had already sensed how the other party was going to attack her and reacted reflexively.

"Is this the Bluebird's supernatural power?"

"The Emperor's Bluebird not only carries messages between the human world and the heavens, but also brings messages from the past and the future."

However, Shao Li's power grew stronger and stronger. Time and again, she foresaw Zhu Yin's weaknesses and tore him apart time and time again.

However, Zhuyin regenerated time and time again, and each time he regenerated, his body grew larger and larger, just like Shaoli's.

Finally, Zhuyin also grew to be a hundred feet long, twisting its terrifying body under the clouds, its tail hanging down from the top as if to connect with the mountains on the ground.

Shao Li also noticed Zhu Yin's condition.

"The corpse of Zhulong, Zhuyin, he has allowed a part of Zhulong to attach to his body."

Shao Li became the corpse of Qing Niao, and at this time, Zhu Yin also seemed to have become the corpse of Zhu Long.

However, Zhuyin's situation was even more unusual than Shaoli's. Shaoli borrowed the power of the Azure Bird through the Emperor and a specific ritual, which was equivalent to reaching a written agreement with this demon. Although a part of the Azure Bird was attached to her, she could pay a price instead of being completely devoured.

But at this moment, Zhuyin directly allowed a part of Zhulong to attach itself to him, and his body, mind, and memories began to be distorted.

During a major war.

Shao Li couldn't help but question Zhu Yin, as she couldn't understand what Zhu Yin was trying to do at all.

Even though they were defeated by the Ximu clan, most of the Yimu clan members simply merged into the Ximu clan. Now, the Yimu clan has essentially been completely wiped out.

"Zhuyin, what exactly are you going to do?"

"You sacrificed all the people of the One-Eyed Clan to the Candle Dragon. Are you still a shaman of the One-Eyed Clan? How could you do such a thing?"

"And now you too are to be eaten by the Candle Dragon, is this what you desire?"

"Or perhaps you were inadvertently and completely corrupted by the power of the Candle Dragon?"

"That's why the entire Yimu clan has become like this."

Shao Li was right; given Zhu Yin's condition, he was doomed.

Before long, he will be completely assimilated by the power of the Candle Dragon and become a part of it.

When Zhu Yin heard Shao Li call his name, he finally came to his senses and began to speak.

"why?"

"I just don't want to die."

"None of us want to die."

Shao Li said, "But you are all dead."

Zhuyin raised his head and looked at Shaoli as he spoke. His expression was neither sad nor happy, but his eyes revealed a certain longing.

"Death is life, and life is death; here, life and death are reversed."

"The Candle Dragon can kill us, but it can also give us life."

"The Candle Dragon will soon fully manifest itself in the human world, and we will truly grasp the secrets of life and death."

Shao Li continued to question, "What's the point of knowing that secret by then? You'll all be gone."

Zhuyin finally told Shaoli her secret: "I have died once, and it was Zhulong who brought me back to life."

Shao Li's voice was filled with surprise: "What?"

At this moment, Zhuyin said to Shaoli, "Don't you want to know how I came back to life?"

Shao Li originally wanted to awaken the human side of Zhu Yin, just like the Xi Mu clan had awakened her before, but at this moment she realized that Zhu Yin had been aiming for this from the very beginning.

"Young Master of the Western Mother Clan, don't you want to see the great secret of life and death, don't you want to know how to achieve immortality?"

"Humans are like grass and trees, living only a few decades, but who doesn't wish to live forever?"

"You really don't want the young prince of the Western Mother Clan?"

Zhuyin twisted its body, connecting with the boundless darkness behind it, guiding Shaoli to look into that depth.

"Look!"

"That is Zhulong."

Shao Li knew he shouldn't look, but he still couldn't help but look into the darkness.

In an instant, Shao Li felt an endless gale sweeping in from afar, blowing from behind her to the horizon, where a giant eye appeared, staring at her.

Subsequently, the light emanating from Shao Li was continuously drawn into the dark depths and swallowed by the gradually closing eye.

Amidst the howling wind came the voice of Zhuyin, who was chanting a prayer for the Zhulong.

"When it closes its eyes, it is dark; when it opens its eyes, it is bright. It neither eats, sleeps, nor rests, and it seeks the wind and rain."

Shao Li looked at the figure of the Candle Dragon. The massive mountain range in the darkness was its body, and its huge eyes floated on the mountaintop looking down at the human world, like a huge mouth swallowing the sun, moon and stars.

Even a single glance is enough to rob one of all courage to resist.

Zhuyin is nothing, but even if we kill Zhuyin, what difference will it make? Zhulong is the root of all this.

Shao Li was captivated by the eyes of the Candle Dragon. She immediately let out a sharp cry, but the power of the Bluebird allowed her to break free. She quickly spread her wings and flew upwards.

"Chirp!"

However, when Shao Li looked down at the ground, she saw that her people were in dire straits.

She might be able to escape, but it seems that Ximu is about to face a great disaster.

Is it almost dawn?

When will it get light?

Will the Emperor intervene?

Shao Li looked into the distance. The entire area was shrouded in the power of the Candle Dragon. Darkness covered everything, and it was impossible to see what was in the distance.

It seems like dawn is approaching, and it should be almost time.

But at this moment, Shao Li was filled with self-doubt. "Will dawn really break?"

As long as Zhulong exists, and as long as Zhulong is unwilling to let the sky brighten, at least the area around Zhangwei Mountain will never see the light of day again.

Will the dawn that the Emperor made her wait for never come?
Just as Shao Li was caught in the chaos, fighting with the Candle Dragon while glancing at the depths of Zhangwei Mountain and then at the east, seemingly at a loss.

suddenly.

A brilliant golden light shone in the distance, instantly illuminating the entire world.

However, the light did not come from the sun in the east, but from the depths of Zhangwei Mountain in the north.

"Boom!"

A golden light tore through the dark sky, even pushing the clouds into the distance.
But the golden light was unlike sunlight; it was distorted and illusory, as if seen through layers of clouds.

Amidst the light, a shadow that seemed to stretch to the heavens and the earth could be faintly seen slowly emerging.

Shao Li looked into the distance, a look of joy on his face.

"Its daybreak."

These three characters also signify that the Emperor has descended to earth.
-
"drive!"

"drive!"

"Hurry, hurry up."

The shaman of the Hanhuang clan rode his horse deep into Zhangwei Mountain.

There was no light here; the only thing guiding her was the peach branch in her hand.

Finally, she vaguely sensed that she had arrived at her destination.

Although the darkness ahead still blocked everything like a high wall, the witch felt the ground beneath her feet rising little by little, and something in the unseen shadows in the distance seemed to be sucking everything around it.

"Hoohoo!"

A strong wind was blowing uphill from behind, which was completely abnormal.

Finally, the peach branch in her hand shimmered with a dazzling light, and the witch immediately stopped, knowing that she had arrived at her destination.

Then, she began to dance a sacrificial dance at the foot of the mountain, accompanied by ancient sacrificial dances and sacrificial incantations filled with barbaric shamanistic sounds.

The golden light emanating from her body and the peach branches grew brighter and brighter.

Finally, it transformed into a radiant light, illuminating everything around it.

The witch felt a blinding white light before her eyes, and could not see anything clearly.

As the light illuminated the vast land, she could see everything clearly ahead.

Before her stood a massive, dark mountain range that undulated like a dragon.

At the summit, something that looked like either flames or eyes was slowly opening and looking at her.

"This mountain is indeed Zhulong."

The shaman of the Hanhuang clan felt a chill run down his spine and almost collapsed to the ground.

at this time.

Something else appeared in the sky, and something fell from the sky.

The shaman lay on the ground, looked up at the sky, and cried out in surprise.

"sky!"

"The heavens have fallen."

In the eyes of the Hanhuang clan's shamans, what they saw was not the divine tree falling, but the divine tree bringing the entire sky down to earth, crushing the darkness that filled the heavens.

At this moment, the shaman of the Hanhuang clan fully understood the meaning of "Emperor" and thought to himself.

"The Emperor is indeed the heavens."

She lay prostrate on the ground, bowing her head to the heavens.

At this point, she had done everything she could.

And the other side.

In the distance, the battle between the spirits of the Ximu clan and the Yimu clan continued, but the earth was littered with the corpses of Ximu clan members and allied tribes.

A large number of the wounded were dragged to the altar, as if the altar could protect them, while the remaining people made a last stand around the altar.

"We're all probably going to die here today."

“We should not have left Kunlun Mountain and come to Zhangwei Mountain. If we were at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, we would have the Emperor’s protection.”

"This Zhangwei Mountain is the land of demonic dragons; we are destined to die here."

"Even if we die, we'll still be devoured by this demonic dragon."

These people either covered their faces and wept, or knelt on the ground in despair, or rushed towards the One-Eyed Candle Spirits as if they were seeking death.

At this moment, many of the One-Eyed Clan warriors who were still charging forward suddenly saw a radiant light in the distance, like the sun, and everyone looked in that direction.

These people were taken aback at first, and then they all realized what was happening.

They all shouted.

"Its daybreak."

"It's dawn...it's dawn..."

But then everyone realized something was wrong: why was the sky brightening in the north?

Then, they saw a giant divine tree descend from the sky and press down on Zhangwei Mountain amidst the dazzling light.

The immense force was transmitted down, and the earth groaned in pain.

A strong tremor came from afar, quickly passing under the feet of the Ximu clan members, causing everyone to fall to the ground in a flurry of motion.

Everyone was unable to stand steadily; they were either lying down, kneeling, or hunched over nearby supports.

As the sun rose, the spirits of the One-Eyed Clan began to dissipate into wisps of smoke, which were then drawn into the depths of Zhangwei Mountain by a powerful force.

But to the general public, it seemed more like they were being driven away by the overwhelming light.

When they got up, they saw that the roots of the divine tree that had fallen from the sky were firmly gripping the top of Zhangwei Mountain.

To everyone else, it looked as if a giant hand had grabbed Zhulong's head and ripped out his eyeball.

As the giant hand exerted force, the Candle Dragon's eyeballs began to be squeezed inward layer by layer, and the huge eyeballs began to collapse.

As it collapsed, a large amount of light leaked out of its eyeballs, shooting towards the sky and burning the clouds there to a deep red.

"Roar!"

A sound came from deep within the earth, followed by more frequent and violent earthquakes. The people of the Ximu clan even saw cracks appearing in the surrounding earth.

Looking into the distance, the mountains began to crumble layer by layer.

The sound was unclear—whether it was the squeezing sensation from the earthquake coming from deep within, or something truly roaring.

As the earthquake subsided, everyone witnessed an even more awe-inspiring scene.

The divine tree, falling like a giant hand from the heavens, pressed down on Zhulong's head, then forcefully gouged out his eyes.

Subsequently.

The single eye of the Candle Dragon transformed into countless stars, which gathered and disappeared into the sky.

Ultimately, it was all for a glimpse of the aurora borealis in the sky.

From a distance, the aurora borealis looked like a crack in the sky, or an eye made of light.

But it's not that simple. Even if the demons are severely injured, they are not true living beings.

They are neither born nor die, more like some kind of law that exists in accordance with the heavens and earth.

It's not that easy to kill them.

Soon, the aurora in the sky tried to fall back to earth and return to Zhangwei Mountain.

"Ok!"

At this moment, the divine stone beneath the sacred peach tree emitted light, and Li Jun looked up at the "autumn" in the sky.

The Candle Dragon has been suppressed and controlled by the Divine Peach Tree, and its Eyes have been pried out and scattered in the sky. It is at its weakest point.

At this moment, another power of his double pupils was activated.

Li Jun's double pupils lit up, and the divine stone on his body suddenly melted rapidly, and cracks began to appear.

A powerful force directly targeted the "autumn" in the sky, capturing it and ultimately separating it completely from the Candle Dragon's body, making it a separate entity.

However, Li Jun did not stop there.

He then looked down at Zhangwei Mountain. After he gouged out the eyes of the Zhulong, a huge cave appeared on the spot.

If we don't take advantage of the fact that the Candle Dragon has just been born and has suffered a severe blow and is suppressed by us to completely dismantle it, the difficulty of dismantling such a powerful monster later will be many times greater.

Then, Li Jun's double pupils shone brightly.

At this moment, the Candle Dragon seemed to sense something and instinctively began to resist the power that was splitting its strength, or even killing it.

"Roar!"

The dark mountains began to twist, collapsing and cracking the earth, but they still could not stop the "giant hand" that was gripping its head tightly.

Then, Li Jun saw the sound of a rushing river coming from inside the cave.

That was the blood of the Candle Dragon beginning to flow, slowly being drawn out and poured into the depths of the earth.

Upon closer inspection with his double pupils, Li Jun could vaguely see that the blood of the Candle Dragon was yellow.

Finally, only the true form of Zhulong remained, which transformed into a large mountain and lay motionless on the earth.

Do it all.

Li Jun and the sacred tree gradually disappeared in the golden light, but as he left, he felt the sacred peach tree tighten around him.

The dense vines wriggled and twisted, covering the sacred stone.

(End of this chapter)