Chapter 256: Refining the Demon Emperor!

This was the residual power from the great battle between the Ancient Heavenly Emperor and the Nine-Corpse Demon Emperor from the distant past. Even after countless millennia, the terror it invoked was still palpable.

The terrifying power of a Saint-grade Heavenly Sovereign and the Demon Emperor revealed merely a glimpse of its true nature at this moment.

"A Saint-grade, huh?" Jiang Yun slowly descended, his hand gently touching the remnants of the battle between these two formidable entities. He could feel the immense power embedded within and murmured softly to himself, before a confident smile spread across his face: "It won't be long before I reach that level too."

Saint-grade Heavenly Sovereigns and Demon Emperors were the true pinnacles of the Great Thousand World, standing among the mightiest in the universe.

In the Great Thousand World, there were numerous powerhouses, and Heavenly Sovereigns were not in short supply. However, Saint-grade Heavenly Sovereigns were exceedingly rare, with only a few managing to leave their names in the Celestial Rankings.

Throughout endless ages, only the Immortal Emperor of the past achieved such a feat.

As of now, Jiang Yun was only confident in reaching the Saint-grade level; as for the realm of the Immortal Emperor, he still did not have full assurance and needed extensive planning.

Jiang Yun continued his journey, flying towards the true location of the Heavenly Emperor's Cemetery. The desolate land beneath began to slowly weather and turn into dust. Under the effect of time and power, even the mountains and stones could not maintain their original form.

After an unknown period, his speed decreased, and he gazed ahead solemnly. In the distance, an endless cemetery came into view.

The space around this cemetery was fractured, and the entire area was shrouded in two terrifying pressures, causing even the heavens and earth to tremble.

In his senses, the cemetery seemed like a true black hole, inducing fear—this was the battlefield where two Saint-grade beings clashed.

The endless cemetery appeared to be floating in a void, surrounded by fragmented space and countless spatial rifts forming chaotic currents, creating a natural barrier.

However, the most dangerous thing was the faint presence of those two formidable forces emanating from within—the residual power of the two supreme beings.

Jiang Yun's expression grew more serious. Though these residual energies couldn't harm him, even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit, and he didn't want to falter at this critical juncture.

Releasing his soul perception to its maximum, Jiang Yun cautiously approached the Heavenly Emperor's Cemetery. As soon as his foot touched the cemetery ground, an inexplicable pressure surged over him, enveloping his body.

Under this sudden pressure, the spiritual power within him started to become sluggish.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, the black and white spiritual power within Jiang Yun surged, and the pressure instantly dissipated. Without pausing, he continued forward.

When he reached the center of the cemetery, what appeared before him were numerous towering mountains silently floating in the sky. The ground was full of deep, bottomless fissures winding like countless black dragons.

The space here had been utterly shattered by the two supreme beings, and even the laws of heaven and earth were in disarray. The destructive power unleashed by their life-and-death battle left the space irreparable for countless eons.

Soon, Jiang Yun arrived at an extraordinary space.

In this sky, a massive floating mountain loomed. Within the vast mountain was a wide plaza. On the plaza stood a solitary figure, exuding an indescribable majestic aura.

It was a man in blue robes, handsome and imposing. Just by standing there quietly, he radiated a terrifying, unearthly aura.

Where he stood seemed like a unique space, where the surroundings twisted and changed at his will...

"Ancient Heavenly Emperor!" Upon seeing the figure, the words flashed through Jiang Yun's mind, and the spiritual power within him began to tremble uncontrollably.

Suppressing the turmoil within, Jiang Yun believed that in the peak state of the Heavenly Emperor, he would certainly be no match for him. Only by reaching the peak of the Immortal grade could he hope to rival the Heavenly Emperor.

Even so, it was an incredible feat. As one of the nine Ancient Emperors, the Heavenly Emperor was a supreme prodigy of his era. If word spread that Jiang Yun could challenge him, it would cause a massive uproar.

Jiang Yun quickly approached the floating mountain and noticed more details near the blue-robed figure.

In the figure's hand was a crystal-like longsword, ancient and unadorned, resembling a crude sword embryo without a sharp edge. Yet Jiang Yun could sense the terrifying power it emitted, far surpassing even that of the Azure Underworld Tower.

"A Saint-grade peerless artifact!" The voice of the Azure Underworld resonated in Jiang Yun's mind, tinged with envy and longing.

Peerless artifacts of this level had developed their own consciousness and could cultivate. All beings sought greater power, and so did the Azure Underworld. Though it was already an outstanding Immortal-grade artifact, it yearned for the profound and mighty Saint-grade.

Upon seeing the true Saint-grade artifact, even the Azure Underworld was emotionally stirred and failed to notice the anomaly of the place.

Jiang Yun silently noted the Azure Underworld's desire, planning to fulfill its wish when he became stronger in the future.

At this moment, Jiang Yun focused on the first Saint-grade peerless artifact he had ever seen. The cold light reflected from the crystal sword appeared capable of slicing through space, showcasing its terrifying power.

The crystal sword was currently embedded at the feet of the blue-robed figure, next to a pitch-black head about half a meter in diameter. Though decayed, only the blackened skull remained visible, it emanated a chilling evil aura.

Jiang Yun was very familiar with that malevolent force—it was from extraterritorial fiends. Indeed, during the ancient era, the Heavenly Emperor, though immensely powerful, had not yet reached the pinnacle of the Saint-grade when he encountered the Nine-Corpse Demon Emperor, a top-tier Demon Emperor among the extraterritorial fiends.

Even with his supreme divine ability, "One with Three Souls", he still couldn't defeat him.

Standing before Jiang Yun was not the Heavenly Emperor, but the undestroyed Nine-Corpse Demon Emperor!

The Nine-Corpse Demon Emperor, a merging of nine demon emperors, was exceedingly powerful. Even the Heavenly Emperor, utilizing his ultimate technique, could only seal seven of the nine, leaving the task incomplete.

After the ancient Heavenly Palace vanished into the turbulent void, the Demon Emperor and the Heavenly Emperor's lingering spirits within this cemetery remained in a highly weakened state.

"Young one..."

A weak, lingering voice suddenly echoed in Jiang Yun's mind. Turning his head, Jiang Yun seemed to see the blue-robed figure still mustering strength to speak to him. He scoffed coldly and looked at the figure indifferently, not bothering to respond.

"I am the Heavenly Emperor..."

Seeing that Jiang Yun ignored him, the Nine-Corpse Demon Emperor didn't give up. His weak and broken voice echoed, "Come closer... I was grievously wounded and only have a remnant soul left. I possess great techniques and one of the thirty-six supreme divine abilities, 'One with Three Souls'. I cannot bear for it to be lost. Come closer, and I shall impart it to you."

Hearing this, Jiang Yun smiled coldly, "Demon Emperor or Nine-Corpse Demon Emperor, once a top-ten powerhouse among the extraterritorial fiends, look carefully at who I am."

As Jiang Yun spoke, the Sealing Array within him dissipated. Instantly, his aura surged from the Heavenly Sovereign realm to the mid-peak Heavenly Sovereign. The overwhelming pressure swept towards the Nine-Corpse Demon Emperor.

The laws and paths of this place were long erased by the battle's aftermath, so Jiang Yun could unleash his full power without interference from the ancient Heavenly Palace's special field.

"Heavenly... Heavenly Sovereign!!!"

Feeling Jiang Yun's explosive aura, the 'Heavenly Emperor's' face twisted with malevolence. His appearance became grotesque, covered in sinister and evil demonic patterns.

He glared at Jiang Yun, his eyes filled with gravity.

A Heavenly Sovereign like Jiang Yun would usually be easily killed, but now, with his strength severely diminished, facing even an ordinary Heavenly Sovereign wouldn't be easy, let alone one as unusual as Jiang Yun.

He sensed immense danger from Jiang Yun, especially given his youthful age. Others might assume Jiang Yun maintained his youthful appearance through some technique, but he could sense the vigorous vitality within Jiang Yun, indicating he was no older than thirty.

Such a young Heavenly Sovereign was astonishing and unfortunate news for the extraterritorial fiends.

"A Demon Emperor cannot be allowed to escape from here; the havoc you could wreak on the Great Thousand World is unimaginable!" Jiang Yun said righteously, looking gravely at the Nine-Corpse Demon Emperor.

As he finished speaking, Jiang Yun waved his sleeve, and an endless sea of flames surged forth. The flames were incredibly radiant and carried a chilling sense of danger.

A terrifying temperature engulfed the cemetery, evaporating the demonic qi at an alarming rate.

Amidst the sea of fire, Jiang Yun resembled a Fire God, radiating an intimidating aura that caused the surrounding space to tremble; the shattered space seemed unable to bear such immense power.

"Ah—"

"You wretched brat, you fight unfairly."

Enveloped by the fire's power, the Nine-Corpse Demon Emperor screamed. Sinister demonic qi erupted from him, but the Heavenly Emperor's sword embedded in his head remained unmoving, preventing any resistance and forcing him to endure Jiang Yun's refining.

At this moment, Jiang Yun keenly sensed that the world became increasingly hostile towards the revealed Nine-Corpse Demon Emperor, further weakening him.

The Great Thousand World treated the extraterritorial fiends as an aberration, aggressively suppressing the more powerful ones. Earlier, the demon emperor concealed within the Heavenly Emperor wasn't detected by the world's will, but now fully exposed, the suppression came instantly.

"You... brat..."

Trapped in a fiery cauldron, the Nine-Corpse Demon Emperor was being systematically refined, his power draining away. His hatred for Jiang Yun grew, yet the agony made speech difficult.

Jiang Yun had no intention of conversing with the enemy. With a wave of his hand, dazzling flames surged towards the embedded Heavenly Emperor's sword and the pitch-black skull.

As the flames engulfed the black skull, it began to evaporate the demonic qi within, and the skull melted rapidly.

Soon, the demonic qi within the skull dissipated, transforming into crystalline light that coalesced into a figure.

This figure, draped in white robes, exuded an elegant and composed aura, with a faint, indescribable oppressive force akin to an emperor's majesty.

This was the Ancient Heavenly Palace's creator, the legendary Heavenly Emperor.

"Unexpectedly, even after sacrificing myself to seal the demon, I couldn't destroy it. Instead, I now need the help of future generations after countless years. It is quite shameful," the white-robed figure said with a sigh, his gaze falling upon the fiery cauldron and then on Jiang Yun.

"Heavenly Emperor, your righteousness is unparalleled. This villain combined nine beings into one. Fighting him was like battling nine entities at once. That you could defeat seven of the nine is itself miraculous. Today, my arrival must be destined," Jiang Yun solemnly replied.