The moment Su Chen spoke the words "let them come," the atmosphere across the entire mortal world changed.
It wasn't arrogance.
It wasn't confidence.
It was certainty.
The kind of certainty possessed only by someone who had once stood at the peak of existence and now remembered exactly why he climbed there in the first place.
Above the heavens, twenty Heaven Prison gates hung like divine execution platforms.
One after another, terrifying figures emerged.
Immortals.
Real Immortals.
Every single one radiated power beyond mortal understanding. Their mere existence caused cracks to spread across reality while spiritual energy throughout the planet became chaotic.
The first Immortal wore silver armor forged from heavenly laws.
The second was an elderly man carrying a black staff covered in countless souls.
The third appeared as a beautiful woman with golden eyes and white wings stretching across kilometers of sky.
Each one was enough to destroy the mortal world alone.
Now twenty had arrived.
The heavenly armies immediately erupted with excitement.
"Heaven is victorious!"
"The Ancient Court will never rise again!"
"Destroy the Emperor's successor!"
Their voices echoed across the battlefield.
Yet none of the surviving members of Su Chen's side retreated.
The Sea Sovereign stood atop his warship with a savage grin spreading across his scarred face.
The Pavilion Master sat upon her black throne while silver moonlight continued gathering around her.
Lin Yanyan's crimson phoenix flames illuminated the skyline behind Su Chen.
Xu Mingshan slowly wiped the blood from his lips.
Yan Ruoxue exhaled deeply before standing once more.
Fear existed.
Of course it existed.
But nobody left.
High above the battlefield, the first Immortal looked toward Su Chen.
His silver eyes remained cold.
"You possess the sword."
Another Immortal stepped forward.
"You possess fragments of the throne."
A third spoke.
"You possess the Emperor's memories."
The pressure intensified.
Then the first Immortal's voice echoed once more.
"But you are not him."
Silence followed.
Because that statement was true.
The Primordial Emperor once stood alone against countless Immortals.
The current Su Chen was still growing.
Still recovering.
Still incomplete.
The Immortals knew it.
The Executors knew it.
Even Su Chen himself knew it.
Then suddenly—
He smiled.
A small smile.
The kind that made the first Immortal narrow his eyes.
"You're right."
The Heaven Slaughter Sword rested casually in Su Chen's hand.
"I'm not him."
Golden light flickered around his body.
The synchronization had stabilized completely.
For the first time since obtaining the inheritance, the Emperor's memories and Su Chen's identity existed together in perfect harmony.
No struggle.
No conflict.
Just understanding.
The Immortal frowned.
Then Su Chen continued.
"And that's exactly why you're going to lose."
BOOM!
The Heaven Slaughter Sword released a pulse of golden energy.
The entire battlefield shook.
Ancient runes suddenly appeared throughout the sky.
Not dozens.
Not hundreds.
Millions.
Golden symbols illuminated every corner of the heavens.
The Immortals' expressions changed immediately.
Because they recognized those runes.
Ancient Court runes.
The first Immortal's face darkened.
"Impossible."
The runes continued spreading.
Then something even more shocking happened.
Across the world—
Hidden locations began awakening.
Deep beneath forgotten mountains.
Inside ancient ruins.
Within abandoned temples.
Countless sealed formations suddenly activated.
Golden pillars of light erupted into the heavens.
One.
Ten.
A hundred.
Thousands.
The entire planet became covered in golden beams.
Xu Mingshan stared in shock.
"What is happening?"
Inside his consciousness, the white-haired woman smiled faintly.
"The Emperor always planned ahead."
Su Chen's eyes remained fixed on the heavens.
Ancient memories surfaced naturally.
Not forced.
Not overwhelming.
Simply remembered.
Ten thousand years ago, as the Ancient Court prepared for its final war, countless hidden inheritances had been left behind.
Not treasures.
Not weapons.
People.
BOOM!
One of the golden pillars exploded.
A figure stepped out.
An old man wearing simple gray robes.
Saint Realm cultivation erupted from his body instantly.
Then another pillar exploded.
A woman carrying a sword emerged.
Another Saint Realm.
Then another.
And another.
The sky filled with awakened cultivators.
Ancient guardians.
Hidden inheritors.
Forgotten descendants.
People who had unknowingly protected fragments of the Ancient Court for generations.
The heavenly armies slowly fell silent.
Because the numbers continued growing.
Thousands.
Tens of thousands.
Hundreds of thousands.
An entire hidden world was revealing itself.
The Sea Sovereign burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha!"
His voice shook the battlefield.
"The old man's preparations actually worked!"
The Pavilion Master's silver eyes softened slightly.
For the first time in ten thousand years—
The Ancient Court was no longer fighting alone.
Above the heavens, the first Immortal's expression grew colder.
"So this is your plan."
Su Chen raised the Heaven Slaughter Sword.
"No."
Golden light illuminated his face.
"This is only the beginning."
BOOM!
One final golden pillar erupted from the center of the world.
Unlike the others, this one pierced beyond the atmosphere.
Beyond the stars.
Beyond mortal space itself.
The moment it appeared—
Every surviving ancient expert became silent.
Even the Sea Sovereign stopped laughing.
The Pavilion Master slowly stood from her throne.
Her silver eyes widened slightly.
The first Immortal suddenly looked shocked.
Actually shocked.
Because he knew what that pillar meant.
The Heaven Slaughter Sword hummed.
The world trembled.
And then—
A voice echoed from beyond the stars.
A woman's voice.
Ancient.
Elegant.
Terrifying.
"After ten thousand years..."
Silence filled heaven and earth.
The voice continued.
"...someone finally activated the Emperor's summons."
BOOM!
The stars themselves split apart.
A gigantic crimson formation appeared beyond the atmosphere.
Countless heavenly soldiers immediately panicked.
The Immortals' expressions changed dramatically.
Even the Executors looked uneasy.
Something was coming.
Something powerful.
Something that even Immortals feared.
The first Immortal's voice became colder.
"Stop her."
The Immortals moved instantly.
Yet before they could act—
A crimson spear pierced through space itself.
BOOM!
One Immortal exploded into blood.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
An Immortal had just died.
Instantly.
No battle.
No resistance.
Just death.
The remaining Immortals froze.
Then a figure slowly descended from the stars.
A woman wearing crimson battle armor.
Long silver hair.
Golden eyes.
A spear resting casually across her shoulder.
Behind her stretched endless battlefields and countless broken heavenly corpses.
The pressure surrounding her surpassed every Sovereign present.
Perhaps even rivaled the Immortals themselves.
She landed calmly beside Su Chen.
Then looked at him.
For several seconds she simply stared.
The battlefield held its breath.
Finally—
The woman smiled.
A beautiful smile filled with relief.
"Welcome back."
Su Chen looked at her quietly.
Ancient memories surfaced.
A general.
A warrior.
The strongest spear wielder of the Ancient Court.
The woman who had once guarded the Emperor's left flank during the final war.
One of the last legends.
The Crimson War Goddess.
Yet before Su Chen could speak—
The woman suddenly smacked the back of his head.
SMACK!
The entire battlefield froze.
Even the Immortals looked confused.
The War Goddess glared at him.
"You idiot."
Her voice echoed clearly.
"I spend ten thousand years waiting and this is how long you take?"
The Sea Sovereign immediately exploded into laughter.
The Pavilion Master covered her mouth slightly.
Even Lin Yanyan blinked.
Su Chen rubbed the back of his head.
For the first time since awakening the Emperor's inheritance—
He actually looked embarrassed.
And somewhere deep inside his memories—
The Primordial Emperor was probably experiencing the exact same thing.
Above the heavens, twenty Immortals stared downward.
Below them stood Su Chen.
Around him stood ancient survivors.
Hidden descendants.
Awakened guardians.
And now the Crimson War Goddess herself.
For the first time since the war began—
The balance of power had shifted.
The final battle for the mortal world had truly begun.