69: Chapter 69 Golden Crow Emperor, I have never been defeated in my life of conquest.

"Chu Chen, what nonsense are you talking about? I am Zhongli Xue!!"

Chu Chen said coldly, "You are also impersonating this Great Emperor Jinwu. Your goal is to use the mysterious runes on the bronze gate on him, isn't it?"

"Since you want the ancient bronze gate so much, I will fulfill your wish."

Hearing this, Zhongli Xue's eyes turned cold, and a voice that did not sound like hers emanated from within her body.

"Little thing, we will meet again. But speaking of which, it's also thanks to you."

"If it weren't for you, perhaps I would have had to stay in this place for another ten thousand years before I could leave."

With those words, Zhongli Xue's figure tore through space and turned to step inside.

"Chu Xiaozi, I'm afraid this girl has already been possessed," Ming Yuan sighed.

Boom!

In the next instant, after Zhongli Xue had left, that majestic figure slowly descended from the sky.

Chu Chen gripped the ancient bronze gate tightly in his hand. Since Zhongli Xue feared this ancient bronze gate, the fake Great Emperor Jinwu she created should also be restricted by it.

Sigh...

A sorrowful sigh echoed from within the figure of Great Emperor Jinwu.

"Junior, thank you for helping me find liberation."

"Zhongli Xue, stop your posturing." Chu Chen didn't believe it at all. He manipulated the ancient bronze gate in his hand and swung it toward the figure of Great Emperor Jinwu.

However, the moment the ancient bronze gate touched Great Emperor Jinwu, it unexpectedly slipped from Chu Chen's control.

With a crack, the ancient bronze gate completely shattered, and eight mysterious characters flew out.

They swirled around Great Emperor Jinwu. He raised his hands, and a golden divine light surged from his fingertips.

Swish!

The eight characters began to merge.

"Chu Xiaozi, I sense an Imperial Might from him, along with a peerless aura that looks down on everything in the world. This aura feels exactly like that of a true Great Emperor."

"Furthermore, the mysterious runes on that ancient bronze gate actually have no effect on him."

"This is truly strange."

Doubt also flickered in Chu Chen's eyes, but he did not speak.

Instead, he remained vigilant, focusing all his attention on the figure of Great Emperor Jinwu.

Boom!

The golden divine light suddenly expanded several times over and soared upward in an instant.

Outside, the entire massive ravine was filled with the golden divine light.

"Junior... this 'Life' character can save your life three times. Even if a Quasi-Emperor expert attacks you, it can block them."

"Consider it a token of gratitude for helping this Emperor escape this sea of suffering."

Great Emperor Jinwu spoke, his voice tinged with sorrow and helplessness.

In the center of his palm, a single character for "Life" was floating.

It then slowly drifted toward Chu Chen and came to a stop before his eyes.

"Chu Xiaozi, this is a 'Life' character from the Great Dao Recording. It can change your destiny in moments of crisis."

"It will allow you to turn danger into safety. If this 'Life' character was condensed by the real Great Emperor Jinwu, you could escape even if a Great Emperor expert attacked you."

"Chu Xiaozi, hurry and put it away. I've already checked it for you; there's no danger. Besides, I feel that this Great Emperor Jinwu before us has become somewhat different."

Hearing Ming Yuan's words, Chu Chen prepared to take the "Life" character.

Unexpectedly, the "Life" character flew straight into the space between his eyebrows.

"Junior, call out the person inside your Small World. This Emperor might be able to help him as well."

Instantly, this world became illusory, and Great Emperor Jinwu's figure began to grow transparent.

"This Emperor has already isolated this world, so his emergence will not be sensed by those taboos."

Chu Chen's pupils constricted. How did he know of Ming Yuan's existence?

Before Chu Chen could speak, Ming Yuan's figure had already emerged.

"You can actually sense me and even isolate the heavenly secrets? Are you truly Great Emperor Jinwu?" Ming Yuan asked in confusion.

Great Emperor Jinwu replied, "Years ago, when this Emperor campaigned in the restricted zones, I discovered a secret regarding the Great Tribulation of the Nine Provinces."

"Sigh, with just a single wisp of an aura, this Emperor was severely wounded."

"Seeing this Emperor's heavy injuries, the restricted zones allied together and dispatched nine Sovereigns to slay me. Even though I was severely wounded..."

"...I still forcefully slew eight Sovereigns and perished along with the final one, leaving behind only a wisp of imperial will."

At this point, Great Emperor Jinwu sighed. "Before attaining the Dao, this Emperor never suffered a defeat among the geniuses of my generation. After attaining the Dao as a Great Emperor, I suppressed the restricted zones and swept away their Sovereigns."

"I never expected that a mere wisp of an aura would leave this Emperor so gravely wounded here."

"However, what this Emperor did not expect was that the wisp of aura that wounded me actually spawned life."

"At first, this Emperor could still use the Great Dao Recording to suppress it. But as time passed, it grew stronger, and this wisp of imperial will was also eroded."

"Finally, this Emperor branded the runes of the Great Dao Recording onto the ancient bronze gate to prevent it from escaping."

"Yet I did not expect that after tens of thousands of years, this junior would actually resonate with the Great Dao Recording and open the ancient bronze gate."

"Now it has come into its own, and this junior has been marked with her unique aura. It won't be long before she comes looking for him."

Great Emperor Jinwu looked at Chu Chen. "Unfortunately, even this Emperor cannot erase this aura."

"However, with the 'Life' character from the Great Dao Recording that this Emperor condensed for you, you can block at least three of her attacks."

Hearing this, Chu Chen asked, "Is there really no way to kill her?"

Great Emperor Jinwu shook his head slightly. "It is essentially impossible."

"Unless you find a Great Emperor of this era to take action, otherwise, once the three chances of this 'Life' character are gone..."

"...nothing will be able to protect you anymore."

"Or, if you can find more of the Great Dao Recording, there might still be a glimmer of hope."

"However, I also obtained this Great Dao Recording by chance in a mysterious area within a restricted zone. Furthermore, this Great Dao Recording does not belong to the Nine Provinces; it comes from a higher level."

"My time is running out. This imperial will is about to vanish. Let this Emperor grant you one last fortune."

Then, a scorching flame emerged from between Great Emperor Jinwu's brows and flew toward Chu Chen.

"This is the Golden Crow Divine Fire. This Emperor refined it by taking the Solar Divine Fire and augmenting it with my own source power. It can incinerate all things."

Then Great Emperor Jinwu looked at Ming Yuan again. "I will divide this final wisp of my imperial will into two parts. One for you..."

"...and one for this junior. In critical moments, you can use the imperial will to briefly boost your power and obscure the heavenly secrets."

"As for this junior, he can refine the imperial will to increase his cultivation."

"It is time for this Emperor to fade away!"

In an instant, a heroic yet desolate voice resounded through the heavens and earth.

"This Emperor never lost a battle in my entire life, yet I was severely wounded by a mere wisp of an aura. Even a Great Emperor is not invincible."

"Junior, if you have the chance, look after the descendants of my Golden Crow Clan."

With those words, Great Emperor Jinwu's body dissipated and condensed into a ball of golden light, which then split into two.

They floated in front of Chu Chen and Ming Yuan respectively.

At the same time,

Ming Yuan also returned to the Small World. As Great Emperor Jinwu's wisp of imperial will dissipated, the barrier isolating the heavenly secrets of this world would also disappear.