The most horrifying aspect of the talisman was that it produced no spectacular fireworks, yet nothing withstood its onslaught. It combed through a well-defined area, breaking down all structures within, disintegrating all matter.

A single, miserable shriek was all that remained of Celestial.

When the universe righted itself again, the scene cleared on a large patch of emptiness. Other than an enormous crater, there was nothing to be seen. Grass, trees, roads, and hills, everything had returned to its maker.

Jiang Chen himself had trouble regaining his bearings after witnessing the intensity of the attack. As for the sacred beasts, their eyes shone with a peculiar glint laced with a sliver of dread. The event exceeded their comprehension. Had they been in Celestial’s shoes, they too would have bitten the dust.

“Hurr, is he dead?” Looking a little foolish, the Astral White Tiger hadn’t yet come back to his senses.

“Probably.” The Black Tortoise was also filled with trepidation. Their enemy had finally been vanquished, yet they were the ones ashen-faced.

The Vermilion Bird smiled wryly. “Young lord, why’d you wait so long if you had such a mighty weapon at the ready? We shed blood, sweat, and tears out there!”

Long Xiaoxuan countered, “Of course it was to give us real fighting experience. Don’t you think we’ve all gained a lot?”

Clashing against Celestial had indeed been beneficial for their growth.

Jiang Chen laughed heartily, brightening the mood. “Brother Long understands me best. It’s not that I didn’t want to use it, I simply wasn’t sure how destructive it’d be!”

“That was too terrifying,” exclaimed the Vermilion Bird. “Never in my wildest dreams have I ever imagined annihilation on this scale. But more frightening is how perfectly controlled it was. Only a ninth or tenth level god could exert this level of control.”

Jiang Chen smiled but didn’t correct the sacred beast. 

Ninth or tenth level? We’re talking about a celestial emperor here, someone who’s touched the limits of the divine realm and pried open the mysteries of the supreme dao.

 Acknowledged by the universe itself, a genuine celestial emperor represented the apex of the divine realm!

A ninth level god wasn’t too rare a sight in the heavenly planes, but few of them could step into the realm of a half-step godking. As for genuine godkings, they were as rare as hen’s teeth. 

However, not even they could become celestial emperors without being bestowed a creation token by the supreme dao.

One had to fulfill many conditions simultaneously to be deemed a true celestial emperor.

First, cultivation firmly in the godking realm.

Second, the acknowledgement of the universe and the conferment of a creation token.

Third, the refinement of one’s own heavenly plane.

Simple rules in truth, belying the underlying difficulties. There were many planes in the infinite expanse of the universe, each with its own supreme ruler. To rob their property or to refine one’s own plane was much easier said than done.

Celestial emperors were nominally at the same cultivation realm as godkings, but their creation tokens granted them strength beyond comparison.

A single attack of theirs could easily wipe the floor with an ordinary godking. The recognition of all creation elevated them beyond a plane of existence.

Unless their token was claimed and refined by someone else, it was almost impossible to kill a celestial emperor under ordinary circumstances!

Therefore, it was no surprise that one had to go through untold hardships and accumulate the karma of countless lifetimes to finally become the ruler of a plane.

Jiang Chen sighed in relief at Celestial’s death, not a trace of the demon left in existence. After bedeviling humanity for so long, the demonic plague was finally over. Every single one of their commanders was dead.

As for the common soldiers, Xia Tianze and the rest were strong enough to handle the clean-up.

The entire Myriad Abyss erupted in cheers when he brought back the good news. Winterdraw exulted as well, but the greatest scenes of jubilation could be found in the human domain.

They no longer had to live with a sword hanging over their heads. From this day forth, the ever-encroaching specter of disaster was no more.

Welcomed as a hero, Jiang Chen returned triumphant to the human domain.

However, he didn’t indulge in the festivities for too long. Instead, he slowly handed the reins of the domain over to Xia Tianze, An Kasyapa, and the ancient cultivators.

In the end, this place was nothing but another stopover in his life. His mission on Divine Abyss Continent had come to an end.

The only source of disturbance left was Myriad Abyss’ offworld war. Fully absorbed by the conflict against the demons, he hadn’t kept abreast of the developments over there, so he decided to go take a look.

The status quo hadn’t been broken, as it turned out. Unexpectedly valiant, the ten sacred lands’ strike force still held strong. Of course, it was partly due to a recent lack of powerful foreign assailants.

His arrival delighted the sacred lands’ forefathers. They’d heard about the demon invasion on Myriad Abyss, but they’d sadly been saddled with another war front.

The young lord must have quelled demonkind for him to arrive in person.

Jiang Chen had once promised them that Divine Abyss would never again be pestered by enemies from other worlds.

He’d mentioned three methods back then: altering the plane’s axis, setting up defensive formations, or generating artificial spatial chaos to obfuscate the pathways leading to Divine Abyss, complicating possible incursions.

He needed to be at advanced divine realm for the first method, but the other two weren’t too much of a challenge.

First, he personally entered battle, displaying oppressive strength as he slaughtered all of the lingering foreign invaders at a pace that left the forefathers speechless.

The young man didn’t bother explaining himself. Instead, he honored his word and set up formations at the edge of the plane while creating a labyrinthine fog within the chaos of space.

Once he reached the seventh level in the future, he’d try his hand at altering the continent’s trajectory.

A clear roadmap lay ahead of him: reach advanced divine realm without delay, untangle the riddle of his former life, then set off on a journey in the heavenly planes in search of his father.

It was his most pressing mission now, one he’d always hung up in a corner of his mind, whether in his past incarnation or his current one.

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