The lightning tribulation was endless.
The eighteenth bolt struck down with a roar.
"Boom."
Beneath the lightning, Chen Fan's path of life and death utterly collapsed.
Lightning, nine as the base, also as the extreme.
The lightning, a double nine, destroyed Chen Fan's physical body, including his soul.
Behind him, the Emperor Palace materialized, swaying precariously, showing signs of imminent collapse.
"City Lord."
Zhao Kai, fleeing desperately, had his eyes split wide with grief.
He had witnessed the City Lord's demise with his own eyes.
The Emperor Palace began to crumble.
A doomsday scenario was unfolding within the Realm of Life and Death.
Newly risen mountains were continuously collapsing, rivers overflowing their banks.
Volcanoes erupted in fiery destruction.
Buzz.
Tian Wen, who had achieved the fruit status of Emperor Venerable, appeared.
She looked at the chaotic Realm of Life and Death, and at the bewildered great stars.
"Everyone, attack and suppress the realm's riots." She was an Emperor Venerable.
At this moment, only she could quell the panicked crowd.
If the Emperor Palace were to explode, half of them would be buried with it, but Tian Wen would definitely not be among them.
Currently, Tian Wen, with her Emperor Venerable power, suppressed the realm and declared loudly, "All great stars, attack immediately... dare to flee now and you will be executed without mercy."
The chaotic great stars cast fearful glances at Tian Wen.
The Emperor Venerable's pressure was not to be trifled with.
Most importantly, the Realm of Life and Death was governed by life and death.
With the City Lord and Zhao Kai gone, no one could stand against Tian Wen.
"Yes."
Xi Qiu was the first to step forward.
Then came Tian Zai and Bai Gu Sen Lin. The two had followed the City Lord from the lower realm until today. Even though they had held grudges in the past, those had long since vanished.
They were the City Lord's most loyal followers.
"We believe in the City Lord."
Tian Zai manifested his true form, traversing various parts of the Realm of Life and Death, suppressing the natural disasters that erupted from the City Lord's fall.
All the great stars were in motion; no one dared to slack off.
The Great Sun, standing tall in the sky, swept its gaze across the heavens and earth.
Its icy gaze proved that killing intent was already forming in Tian Wen's heart.
"City Lord."
Tian Wen murmured to herself.
She held the Dao of Life and controlled the Great Sun of the Emperor Palace.
Now that Zhao Kai was absent, no one could sense the Emperor Palace's current state as clearly as she could.
Something was wrong.
The Emperor Palace's collapse should not be this slow.
It should have been a spectacular, fireworks-like explosion.
Moreover, the Emperor Palace was composed of the river of life and death, and had not completely disintegrated.
"City Lord, there might be a backup plan." This was Tian Wen's conjecture.
This conjecture was not without reason.
Despite the river of life and death outside having collapsed, and even the City Lord's body having vanished, Tian Wen firmly believed the City Lord was still alive.
"Boom."
At this moment, the City Lord's five divine weapons flew into the Emperor Palace.
Tian Wen's eyes lit up: "He's back."
The divine weapons had lost their master. Even if they had developed sentience, they should not have returned automatically, let alone all five together.
"He's definitely still alive."
Tian Wen was filled with confidence in her conjecture.
The five divine weapons merged with the remnants of the river of life and death within the Emperor Palace. A chaotic aura, within her perception, was slowly growing stronger.
"City Lord..."
The City Lord was not dead; he was still alive.
...
Within the Emperor Palace, with Tian Wen's suppression, it did not collapse.
However, to the outside world, the Emperor Palace of Life and Death was continuously disintegrating.
"City Lord..."
Ku di and Zhao Kai could not believe their eyes.
How could this be?
The Heavenly Emperor of Life and Death, the future Lord of the Dao of Life and Death, a being who defied the heavens, had died just like that.
Tears of blood streamed from their eyes.
Zhao Kai, loyal to the core, began to exude a violent aura of death.
His pupils transformed into two black holes of death.
His killing intent soared to the heavens.
"You dare kill the City Lord, I'll make you pay with your lives..." Zhao Kai had gone mad.
The aura of death spread outwards.
Within a radius of a hundred miles, it immediately transformed into a deathly forbidden zone.
A group of Emperor Venerables from the Great Yu Realm, who were pursuing him, were instantly engulfed by the Great Dao of Death.
The aura of death corroded.
"Ah..."
Screams continued to echo.
Emperor Venerables from the Great Yu Realm began to have their physical bodies shed.
The solitary Dao of Death was powerful, but it was, after all, only the Dao of Death. The Great Sun Dao of the Great Yu Realm was not weaker than the Dao of Death.
"Screech."
The Emperor Venerables unleashed their attacks, tearing through the deathly domain.
The vast domain of death was instantly riddled with holes.
"Quite formidable."
A Third-Order Emperor Venerable emerged unscathed.
He was powerful.
It was extremely difficult for a First-Order Emperor Venerable to injure a Third-Order Emperor Venerable.
Furthermore, Zhao Kai's attack was indiscriminate. After expanding the domain of death, the power was naturally distributed.
"Damn it."
A First-Order Emperor Venerable emerged.
He had been reduced to mere white bones, and as he walked out, his physical body reappeared.
However, his face was pale, and he cursed, "The losses are immense this time, I'm going to skin you alive."
He was angry.
The physical body was also a component of the Great Dao.
The disintegration of the physical body this time was also a blow to the Great Dao.
"Cough, cough."
Zhao Kai coughed up blood continuously.
His eyes held deep hatred: "The City Lord will not die. When the City Lord returns from death, all of you, including the Great Yu Realm, will pay the price..."
Even though he had witnessed the City Lord's demise with his own eyes, he still believed the City Lord was alive.
"Hmph."
The Third-Order Emperor Venerable on the opposite side sneered, "Someone killed by the Chaotic Lightning Tribulation wants to live? Your understanding can only remain at this level."
The Chaotic Lightning Tribulation annihilated all those who defied the natural order.
Anything that chaos did not permit would undergo this process.
Those who endured would have limitless future potential; those who could not withstand it would only turn to dust.
"You're talking nonsense..." How could Zhao Kai believe him?
"I have no time for your nonsense."
The Third-Order Emperor Venerable disdained, "Your Dao of Death, give it to this Emperor. Kill..."
The Third-Order Emperor Venerable coveted Zhao Kai's Dao of Death. Otherwise, why would a Third-Order Emperor Venerable come to hunt a mere First-Order Emperor Venerable?
As for making up for the losses of the First-Order Emperor Venerable beside him, well... who cared?
With a Third-Order Emperor Venerable present, how could the spoils of war be given to a mere First-Order Emperor Venerable?
The First-Order Emperor Venerable was unwilling, but there was nothing he could do.
To snatch spoils from a Third-Order Emperor Venerable, unless he wanted to die.
"Kill me?"
Zhao Kai's eyes held intense madness: "Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me. Kill."
The Great Sun collided with the Death Domain.
The two fought fiercely.
The Immortal Emperor was still battling the Yu Emperor. Originally, he had planned to pay some price to kill the Immortal Emperor and then go after Chen Fan.
Now, it seemed unnecessary.
Chen Fan was dead; the momentum was on their side.
On the other side, the Dark Emperor's aura also weakened.
The overall situation was settled.
The only one who could turn the tide, the Heavenly Emperor of Life and Death, was dead.