Evolution Begins With A Big Tree

Chapter 1228, The Might of the Demon Emperor

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silvain

The Pegasus galloped through the void, and with each thunderous stomp of his hooves, the very fabric of space seemed to shatter, revealing cracks like those of fractured glass.

And as he charged forward, an increasingly terrifying aura began to surge forth.

He was a creature that excelled in speed.

The faster he ran, the more momentum he gained.

And once he reached a certain threshold of speed, he could convert that velocity into destructive force.

Thus, Meteor Impact became their long-famed signature move.

And now—

“Meteor Impact…” A thunderous roar echoed across the void, and the powerhouse of the Pegasus Clan transformed into a meteor, leaving behind a blazing trail of fire stretching thousands of meters through the starry sky.

Even more terrifying was the storm it stirred, as if sweeping everything into oblivion.

Wherever it passed, the resulting energy formed shimmering ripples, seemingly giving the impression of carving a road straight to Heaven into the void.

*Tat…tat…tat…* His each tread seemed to land upon the hearts of the onlooking cultivators, causing many of them to pale in shock.

“The Pegasus Clan… has someone this powerful?”

“That’s Aethrise. I heard he received a legacy known as the ‘God of Instant.’ That was the key to his rise.”

“Tch… what unbelievable fortune…”

The surrounding powerhouses whispered to one another, all of them turning their attention toward the Pegasus barreling toward the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree.

However, in the very next instant, everyone’s expressions froze, for that unstoppable charge, that blazing meteor tearing through the stars suddenly came to a halt.

When they looked closer, they were stunned to find that at some unknown point, a single branch had extended out and now rested right between the Pegasus’s brows.

“Leave,” an ancient, weary voice echoed across the cosmos. It sounded like both a warning… and a threat.

And a moment later…

*Booooom…* With a deafening explosion, the charging Pegasus was flung backward at an even faster speed than before.

Adding to the dread, a horrifying trail of blood splattered across the stars was left in his wake. And right between its brows, a bottomless hole had appeared.

Were it not for the fact that Aethrise had stepped into Tier-6, granting him incredibly resilient and tough physique… that single strike would have taken his life.

*Gulp… gulp…*

“Heavens… Is this the power of a true Hegemon?”

…

One by one, the gathered experts fell into stunned silence, throats bobbing in disbelief.

Even the mighty Dream Dragon and Seven-Colored Phoenix narrowed their eyes.

“Terrifying indeed,” one of them sighed.

Only now did they truly grasp what it meant to be a Hegemon.

…

However, at that moment, whether it was an illusion or something else, Yu Zi Yu actually felt many gazes falling upon him.

“You want me to act…?”

With a soft chuckle, Yu Zi Yu pretended not to notice.

He had always been the one to hold the help in the rear, never the fool to charge into the fray first.

Though he was not afraid of the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree, among the many gathered here, some wielded Imperial Artifacts, making them dangerously powerful.

Unless those beings acted first, Yu Zi Yu wouldn’t lift a finger.

He had no interest in doing the hard work only to let others reap the rewards.

And as for whether this might bring him shame… Yu Zi Yu didn’t care in the slightest.

Could dignity fill one’s belly?

Though he had only cultivated for a hundred years, he had mastered the art of the thick skin.

In the cosmos, one who possessed the thickest skin was the king.

After all, during the Primordial Era, the famed Saint of the Buddhist Sect, who eventually created the path to Eternity, succeeded precisely because his skin was the thickest of all.

Those who cared too much about appearances either died on the road to save face, or tripped while trying to reclaim it.

So, with a wave of his hand, Yu Zi Yu summoned a majestic throne.

And under the bewildered, awkward stares of the surrounding experts, he calmly sat down.

“Your Majesty the Demon Emperor, what are you…?” An old voice of suspicion rang out, belonging to the Seer, who stood not far from Yu Zi Yu, also wearing a stunned expression.

“Well… in the starry sky, isn’t it customary for the strongest to appear last? We just didn’t want to steal your chance to shine…” Yu Zi Yu’s calm, drifting voice echoed across the stars.

But it made the face of every single powerhouse present here twitch involuntarily.

They looked at each other, and discovered that each and every one of them were wearing a similar strange and bewildered look on their faces.

They couldn’t help but wonder in their heart:

[This era still has a ‘Number One of the Starry Sky’ like him?]

To put it nicely, he was letting others perform.

To put it bluntly, he was just trying to watch the fire from across the shore!

And what does he mean by ‘a true powerhouse’? What the hell was he implying?

Wasn’t that basically saying… Aethrise was not even worthy of being called strong?

And yet, when they glanced again at the defeated figure of Aethrise, who’d been knocked back by a single strike, many of the onlookers could only twitch at the corners of their eyes…

[For now, at least, he really didn’t qualify as a ‘powerhouse.’]

…

Just then, a laugh as crisp and melodious as silver bells suddenly echoed across the void.

Following the sound, they saw Ni Shang, the number one expert of the Phoenix Clan covering her mouth as she chuckled, “Your Majesty the Demon Emperor… you’re rather amusing.”

She paused, and then asked with a hint of curiosity, “Aren’t you afraid the world might say you’re afraid of death, or worse, just standing by to watch the chaos?”

“And what of it if they do?” A light laugh escaped Yu Zi Yu, seated upon his throne in pristine white robes that fluttered, even without wind.

…

Meanwhile…

*Boooom… boooom… boooom…* With each resounding explosion, an overwhelming aura surged across the starry sky like a tidal wave pressing down upon all creation.

Suddenly…

*Rumble…* A thunderous crash shook the Heavens, and all present saw clearly, the starry sky splitting in half.

Two invisible barriers rose, dividing the cosmos and where they met, two terrifying auras clashed, each so intense that even Tier-6 Overlords found it hard to breathe.

This was a clash of wills.

Of momentum. Of domain. Of overwhelming force.

And this confrontation was none other than that of the two supreme beings, the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree and Yu Zi Yu, the one known as the greatest beneath the stars.

Their auras collided. Their spirits locked.

Though not a single blow had been exchanged, everyone could feel the invisible battle raging. It was dozens of times more intense than any visible fight.

Had any unprepared Tier-6 approached the point of clash, they might have been torn to shreds on the spot.

*Gulp… gulp…*

“That monster…”

“Truly worthy of the title Number One Beneath the Stars.”

Voices filled with awe echoed one after another, as countless cultivators stared wide-eyed at that figure seated atop his throne in the void.

“So this… is the Demon Emperor.”

He needed no weapon, no movement.

With sheer aura alone, he could clash head-on with a Hegemon-class existence like the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree.