Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 752: The Collapse of Crystal

"What... what's she planning to do?" the Sunborne Nymph Emperor asked, his voice instinctively lowering a few notches. It was clear how much he feared the Crystal Demon Emperor.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor sighed and said, "Of course, she's trying to extend her life. Wouldn’t you? She must have discovered a way to transfer her divine consciousness into a new body, cultivating a transcendent bloodline. If she truly manages to survive the tribulation...."

He didn't need to continue; the other Emperors understood his implication.

"In any case, she held back and didn’t completely disperse all the fortune. It seems that she still wants to protect the Ancestral Court. Otherwise, if she had gone all out, the fortune of the Celestial Fox Sacred Mountain would have been gone to the last drop, and the Ancestral Court would be in danger."

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's expression was complicated. Even though so many Emperors were present, when the instigator of this event, the Crystal Demon Emperor, was mentioned, he still felt a tinge of unease. He could never forget the feelings she had once stirred inside him.

......

"Little fox, your ancestor said you have the qualifications to inherit his legacy and has recommended you to be the next Celestial Fox Demon Emperor."

A woman in a white gauze dress sat on the pillar at the center of the Ancestral Court's Council Hall.

The little Celestial Fox looked up, staring at the stunning woman enveloped in crystalline radiance. For a moment, he felt completely dazzled and captivated.

He had grown rapidly, and his sense for fortune was unparalleled among his peers, yet when he looked at her, he couldn't even tell where her fortune began and where it ended. It was as if her fortune had transformed into a long rainbow, connecting heaven and earth.

He would never forget that first glance. In that moment, her image was deeply imprinted in his mind and heart.

"What's the matter? Can't you even speak?"

"No, no, Your Majesty, I... I..." The young Celestial Fox was filled with nervousness. Facing the ruler of the Ancestral Court, the strongest being of the era, with majesty and beauty like no other, his heart quivered.

"Hahaha, looks like you're still a little virgin. Since your ancestor values you so much, hurry up and produce some kids. Alright, you can go now. Tell your ancestor I agreed. You're quite the shy little fellow, hehe."

......

No matter when, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor could never forget the shock he felt the first time he saw her. Yes, it was a shock, a shock he felt all the way inside his soul. So, no matter the situation, he could never harbor hostility toward her. It was the same even though she stood on the opposite side and had just ruined the fruits of his efforts of many centuries. Even now, he couldn't muster any enmity toward her, and when mentioning her, he even felt a bit cautious.

But the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor wasn't the only one with such thoughts. The oldest Emperor present was only around two thousand years old, while the Crystal Demon Emperor was a thousand years older than them. This meant that during their growth, from childhood to becoming Emperors, they were all overshadowed by the brilliance of the Crystal Demon Emperor.

There was an old rule in the Ancestral Court, established by the Crystal Demon Emperor herself when she personally ruled the court: every Emperor, after ascending to the throne, had to fight her before they could officially assume their duties. In reality, this was just a glorified way of getting beaten up. For the Emperors, this was something they remembered vividly.

But even though it was a truly painful lesson, it was much less of a pain than a lesson.

The Crystal Demon Emperor's ability was replication; she could replicate their abilities and use them better than they themselves could. This allowed her to judge their potential more accurately than anyone else, and it also allowed them to see a path for further growth. Her guidance was an irreplaceable factor in the growth of these Emperors. In other words, this Demon Emperor, who was a thousand years their senior, could be considered their mentor in a sense.

At this very moment, it seemed that this very Demon Emperor had turned against the entire Ancestral Court, all for the sake of extending her own life, leading to the current situation. Yet even so, the Emperors could only look in the direction of the Crystal Sacred Mountain and shrug. Could anyone truly harbor enmity toward her? Not a single one of them could bring themselves to speak against her.

For a moment, the dozen or so Emperors fell into silence.

And just then, a beam of crystalline light suddenly shot up from the Crystal Sacred Mountain. The entire Crystal Sacred Mountain began to radiate light, and in an instant, the entire Ancestral Court felt the baptism of that brilliance.

At the same time, within the Ancestral Court's council, a pillar of light shot up into the sky, as if responding to the radiance of the Crystal Sacred Mountain; it generated a halo of blinding light that left no place for shadow.

In the sky, under the crystalline light, a massive figure slowly emerged.

The figure was so large that it blotted out the sun, its body stretching over three thousand meters. It appeared to be made of translucent crystal that shone with coruscant light, and every scale on its body seemed to reflect the beauty of the entire world.

"ROOOOOAAAAARRRR!!!!"

An exalted dragon's roar echoed through the Ancestral Court. In that instant, every single being within the Ancestral Court bowed down in reverence. They all recognized this creature as the mightiest being of the era, the Omnipotent Crystal Demon Emperor!

But at this moment, this dragon, whose body length and wingspan both exceeded three thousand meters, brought none of its oppressive aura. It slowly lowered its head, gazing down at the Ancestral Court below. Its eyes seemed filled with deep reluctance, but there was also a resolute determination.

It nodded toward the Emperors below. The next moment, its massive body began to crack like a shattered mirror.

A crisp sound echoed within the divine consciousness of each Emperor. Immediately after, the colossal figure in the sky completely disintegrated, transforming into countless crystalline lights that descended from the heavens, plunging into the pillar of light rising from the Council Hall.

Within the Council Hall, the Crystal Celestial Pillar, which was already over five hundred meters tall, grew even further, surpassing all the other Celestial Pillars by a large margin, and burst forth with unparalleled brilliance.

The fifteen Emperors stared in shock at this scene, fully aware of what the events before them signified.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's lips trembled as he murmured, "Crystal... Your Majesty, you have fallen...."

There could be no misunderstanding regarding the phenomenon they’d just witnessed. Only when an Emperor knew that they were about to fall did they transfer their remaining power to their Celestial Pillar, imprinting their existence upon it eternally and becoming a supporting force of the Ancestral Court.

As the Crystal Celestial Pillar rose taller than ever, the fortune of the Ancestral Court, which had weakened due to the depletion caused by the tribulation, seemed to stabilize once more. The previous sense of instability vanished, and the sky became clear again.

However, from this moment on, there would be no more Crystal Demon Emperor in this world.

Even the omnipotent was forced to bow her head in front of the inevitability of death.

An indescribable sadness instantly pervaded the Ancestral Court. In that moment, countless beings shed tears of grief.

The Ancestral Court hadn't seen an Emperor fall in countless years, let alone the fall of the strongest. And at the very moment the Crystal Demon Emperor fell, the entire plane trembled in response.

Mei Gongzi stood beside the White Tiger Demon Emperor, gazing at the dispersing crystalline lights in the sky, witnessing the end of this era's monarch. For a moment, she felt a mix of emotions. But more than anything, she felt an urgent need to leave, to find him.

The Crystal Demon Emperor's sudden fall—could it have something to do with him? Could it be that he didn't survive the tribulation? But... Why did the Asura Sword not react?

As the saying goes, concern leads to chaos. At this moment, her heart was a bundle of nerves, fraught with anxiety.

"Mourn in silence," the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor said, adjusting his emotions. He lowered his head and sighed with deep sorrow.