The destiny of the Great Yan Empire surged ceaselessly, harboring thoughts of collapse, dark clouds pressed low, and even the notion of world annihilation threatened to obscure the divine light of the great sun shining from the heavens, seemingly foreshadowing something ominous.

Inside a small county town.

A profound sense of sorrow swiftly overwhelmed her. Su Ziyue raised her head to gaze at the sky. At this moment, two streams of tears welled up in her beautiful eyes, flowing ceaselessly.

She had foreseen something.

Only one possibility could evoke such intense sorrow and despair within her.

Chen Yuan... had fallen!

Su Ziyue's gaze turned somewhat dazed, and scenes from the past flashed through her mind like images: their first encounter at Yanyu Tower in Ping'an County, her reappearance at Tingyu Pavilion in Nanling Prefecture.

His standing up for the Su family clan in Nanzhou, those idyllic days within the cave dwelling, her overseeing the main camp in Shu Prefecture for him, and... the supreme glory of ascending to the position of Empress.

The unparalleled honor of the Human Emperor's altar, the comforting smile in the delivery room, the mutual wishes for safety before parting ways—all these images were etched into her heart.

She desperately wanted to wipe away the tears on her face, but they kept flowing.

The sorrow within her heart left her feeling lost and disoriented.

She had believed that Chen Yuan would always be invincible, that he would always stand before her, shielding her from all storms. But now... now...

The Great Yan Crown Prince Chen Sheng, whom she held in her arms, seemed to sense something as well. His innocent eyes stared at the changing clouds in the void, and he suddenly burst into tears with a cry of "Ah!"

Li Hongshuang looked at Su Ziyue beside her, her eyes also filled with sadness. She didn't know what comforting words to say.

Inside the secret realm, Princess Pingyang and Consort Yang Guifei and her daughter were also stunned in place, their eyes filled with disbelief, and tears streamed down their faces.

The first stirrings of affection at Shuanghe Temple, the forced presentation of the palace token in the harem, the intertwining of anger and love each time Chen Yuan confronted her, and the emptiness after Chen Yuan's departure.

These emotions also surged forth in an instant.

She didn't know what had happened, but at this moment, she felt a bad premonition and couldn't help but grab her daughter's arm, asking softly:

"Pingyang, did His Majesty... did something happen to him?"

Princess Pingyang raised her head, wiped away the tears that were welling up, forced a smile, and comforted her:

"How could that be? How could anything happen to His Majesty? In all these years, have you ever seen anyone who could harm His Majesty?"

"But I..."

"It's nothing, don't overthink it."

"This..."

"Don't overthink it, don't overthink it. His Majesty will definitely be fine. He is His Majesty, the Emperor of Great Yan, the Emperor of the Human Race, blessed by Heaven. How could anything happen to him?

Hmm... it won't." Princess Pingyang comforted Consort Yang Guifei, but more so, she was comforting herself.

In a certain valley, two young women had intended to dispel their worries through a game of chess, but in that instant, they both froze in place.

These two women were none other than Zhang Erjie and Shangguan Hong.

"Sister Zhang..."

"His Majesty is divinely mighty and invincible. Nothing will happen. Don't worry." Zhang Wanshu revealed a forced smile, but the hand holding the chess piece trembled slightly.

She felt as if she had lost something very important in that instant.

"Sister Yu... I... I feel terribly uneasy." On the Northern Barbarian grasslands, Shen Yanshu, dressed in barbarian attire, seemed to be under immense pressure, her face extremely pale.

Her heart was pounding rapidly.

Yu Qingyan raised her head, looking at the scene of dark clouds obscuring the sun in the void. Her face was incredibly solemn, and there was a hint of determination in her eyes as she whispered to herself:

"If His Majesty is gone, what will you do, Junior Sister?"

"As expected, you think so too..." Shen Yanshu heard this and a look of despair appeared on her face. She lowered her head and said in a barely audible voice, "Then I'll go and accompany His Majesty."

Her entire life's destiny had been changed by Chen Yuan. If it hadn't been for Chen Yuan, she might still be in Nanling Prefecture. If it hadn't been for Chen Yuan, she wouldn't have gone to the Goddess Palace to cultivate.

Nor would she have become Imperial Concubine Shen in the harem.

She had enjoyed wealth and glory, she had experienced the emotions of life and death. Now, she didn't want to recall those painful memories in the days to come, so she might as well follow him.

"Me too..." Yu Qingyan smiled, as if she were talking about a small matter.

......

In Ping'an County, Wang Ping, who had just finished his work, was about to pour himself a cup of tea to moisten his throat, but suddenly his heart skipped a beat, and his hand unconsciously lost its strength.

"Bang!"

The teacup fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

A look of astonishment flashed across his face.

What happened?

Inside the Northern Liang King's Mansion, the young prince, clad in golden armor and stationed in Liangzhou, looked solemn, took a deep breath, suppressed the fleeting thought in his heart, and went to the ancestral hall.

He offered three incense sticks to Wei Jinfeng, kowtowed, and said softly:

"The Wei family has received the grace of the Holy Martial Emperor, which will be difficult to repay for a hundred generations. This unworthy descendant has no great abilities, but is willing to fight for Great Yan to the last soldier. Father, may you protect your child from the afterlife."

Inside the Pingxi King's Mansion, Chen Huaiyi's face was gloomy, his brows furrowed, and his fists clenched tightly.

Inside the Zhennan King's Mansion.

Chu Changfeng's brow was tightly furrowed, and beside him were the shards of a teacup, which he had just crushed. The reason for this was the gradually disappearing starlight in the Heavenly Book space.

He knew what that meant, and so did the Dao Lords of the Dao Divine Palace.

The Asura Dao Lord... had fallen!

Who was the Asura Dao Lord?

The Holy Martial Emperor, Human Emperor Chen Yuan!

Chen Yuan... had been defeated!

In that instant, except for Moro and Jiang He, who had gone to participate in the battle, and Su Ziyue, Li Suqing, and Yang Huatian, who had not yet appeared, all quickly began to call out in the Heavenly Book.

Great Yan had only been established for a few years, yet it had unified the human world. But at this most glorious moment, it suddenly collapsed. In that instant, they seemed to have lost their backbone.

They didn't know what to do.

"We don't know if the news of His Majesty's fall is true or false, but we must prepare for the worst," Chu Changfeng transmitted after a long silence.

"What should we do?"

"First, we must leave quickly, hide in the shadows, and await the future. Second, we must find the whereabouts of the Empress and the Crown Prince, protect His Majesty's wife and children, and await the future.

Third, this matter must not be revealed to anyone. From today onwards, you must abandon your former glory and wealth."

As the former commander-in-chief of the three armies, Chu Changfeng's abilities were stronger than Li Suqing and Yang Huatian. When Chen Yuan's life or death was uncertain and Jiang He and Moro were engaged in fierce battles, he had to take on the role of backbone.

Even if it wasn't for his deep friendship with Chen Yuan, everyone in the world knew of the existence of the Dao Divine Palace. They shared a common fate, for better or worse.

If Chen Yuan really fell, the Great Yan Dynasty would inevitably collapse, and then there would be a full-scale pursuit of the Dao Divine Palace. Although facing the Immortal Realm, the hope of survival was slim.

But they couldn't give up.

Even if they died, they had to die with meaning!

"I have already made this preparation," Yang Huatian said with a smile.

"We'll do as you say..."

After a long silence, Li Suqing also responded.

......

Inside the Divine Capital, civil and military officials gathered together, and the nobles of the immortal sects also gathered, some because of Chen Yuan's previous summons, and others because they had seen the movements in the void.

They were terrified and wanted to find a backbone.

There was a lot of noise, endless discussions, and expressions of panic were evident.

Only a few people could remain calm at this time: Heavenly Void Daoist, the Palace Master of the Taixu Immortal Palace, Zhao Danqing, the Palace Master of the Biyou Immortal Palace, Lingxu Daoist, the Headmaster of Mount Shu, and Song Yingqiao, the Headmaster of Mount Wudang.

The four headmasters gathered together, their eyes darting around, each displaying their own demeanor.

But without exception, the expressions on their faces were somewhat heavy.

"The destiny of Great Yan has begun to collapse, everyone... what should we do? Let's come up with a plan," Song Yingqiao said first, his voice deep.

"His Majesty gathered the destiny of the nation and ascended the throne. Now that the destiny of the nation is collapsing, there is only one possibility..." Heavenly Void Daoist did not finish his words, but everyone understood what he meant.

The Human Emperor had fallen, and the destiny of the nation had collapsed!

"Don't be so absolute about everything." Lingxu Daoist, the always silent Headmaster of Mount Shu, suddenly said. He looked at Heavenly Void Daoist and continued:

"His Majesty the Human Emperor is a rare figure in a thousand years, blessed by Heaven. Since entering the martial path, he has been invincible and has never encountered an opponent. He has safely passed through many life-and-death situations.

I have no other intention, but I hope you can think clearly."

Lingxu Daoist didn't know if Heavenly Void Daoist, Zhao Danqing, and others had developed any improper thoughts. After all, His Majesty the Human Emperor had led the dynasty and even all the immortals of the human world to attack the Immortal Realm.

The current world is a vacuum era, and Yangshen True Monarchs are the top figures.

If they really had any thoughts, it seemed normal.

However, Mount Shu was declining and was too deeply tied to Chen Yuan, having placed too much of a bet. If there was any trouble, Mount Shu would bear the brunt. Therefore, regardless of whether others had any thoughts,

he had to suppress all those thoughts.

Lingxu Daoist's words were meaningful. When his voice fell, they all remained silent, exchanged glances, and Heavenly Void Daoist suddenly smiled:

"Fellow Daoist Lingxu is too serious. We wouldn't dare to have any evil thoughts. His Majesty has been very kind to us, so how could we have any improper thoughts? Moreover, the Immortal Realm is a great enemy.

What we mean is that we should come up with a plan to prevent the world from continuing to be chaotic."

"Fellow Daoist Heavenly Void is right."

"Hehe, that's naturally the best..."

......

At this moment, there were countless similar discussions to those of Heavenly Void Daoist and the others throughout the world. From Yangshen True Monarchs to Dan Realm Grandmasters, many people subconsciously had thoughts at this moment.

Chen Yuan was indeed kind and awe-inspiring throughout the world, but that kindness was for the common people, and the awe was for the martial artists of the Jianghu. When Chen Yuan was alive, with his unparalleled strength, unrivaled reputation, and the authority of a founding emperor,

he naturally suppressed everyone, making them obediently submit.

But what if one day, the Human Emperor fell?

Not only the Human Emperor, but also all the immortals in the world?

The boulder that had been weighing on everyone's hearts shattered, and naturally some thoughts would arise. Although it was still stable now, who could predict that there would be no unrest in the future?

When the Human Emperor dies, the world collapses!

This was the true picture, because the Great Chu Dynasty was founded too late and did not leave a deep-rooted fear in everyone's hearts. In short, the foundation was too shallow.

Of course, relatively speaking, that was only a small part.

The vast majority of people, at the moment when Chen Yuan fell, still felt a heartfelt palpitation and a surge of sorrow, especially many common people.

Under the influence, they knelt on the ground and wept.

They didn't know what they were crying for, but it was a sadness from the bottom of their hearts.

The sky above the Central Plains and even the entire human world, at this moment, seemed to be reflecting the human world, and raindrops suddenly fell from the rolling dark clouds.

Someone reached out to catch the raindrops and saw that they were crimson red.

Heaven cries blood rain... the human world grieves.

......

......

What does death taste like?

Chen Yuan didn't know before, nor was he interested in knowing, because he was the one who sent others on their way, and he couldn't experience it at all. But now, he felt that he had experienced it.

First, his consciousness gradually dissipated, and then, a coldness from the bottom of his heart swept through his body.

From killing people to being killed.

Chen Yuan was prepared for this, so although he was a little unwilling, he was helpless.

He could only let his consciousness gradually dissipate, and in the process of that gradual dissipation, various past events reappeared before Chen Yuan's eyes like a slideshow.

But this time the past events were a little different.

What he saw was the process of him killing his opponents and seizing their destiny.

Iron Hand, Chen Ping'an, of Ping'an County.

The Ren family child and the eldest son of the Liu family, Liu Changkong, of Nanling Prefecture.

Miao Renfeng in front of the temple on a rainy night, the Blood Demon Old Man of Qingshui County.

Liu Shengzhenyi, who came to his door, and the so-called Dragon God of Yunjiang.

Emperor Jingtai, who was high above, and Xiang Qianqiu, the Crown Prince of Great Chu, who had been plotting for a hundred years.

The Northern Barbarian Emperorji, the Western Regions Buddha, the Southern Border Demon Emperor...

What was presented before him were all these things.

Gradually, he seemed to see the light of destiny converging into a sea. Looking out, it was vast and endless, revealing an aura of transcendence, and he merged into it.

Like a destiny dragon, it moved with it.

He didn't know how long had passed outside, but at this moment, it was very slow.

The azure dragon crossed through space, and finally, he saw the Destiny Altar again. Compared to before, this time it was the clearest, with mottled blood-colored patterns.

A corner of the altar was missing, and a dark, deep hole, like the mouth of a dragon, was opening towards him.

It seemed ready to devour him.

Chen Yuan's blurred consciousness seemed to understand something.

He had killed dozens of Sons of Destiny and devoured their destiny dozens of times. He himself had left behind an aura of destiny that was difficult for ordinary people to achieve. Now... he was dead.

The destiny was ownerless and surged towards the altar.

Sacrifice oneself to be born from death.

Chen Yuan didn't know what would happen when the destiny surged into the altar. Perhaps it would just be devoured, perhaps Taihao Immortal Venerable would obtain the altar, or perhaps... it was his last chance.

Sacrifice with his own destiny. This time... what could he get?

He was a little apprehensive, but more than that, he was looking forward to it!

After all, truly comparing, who... could have more destiny than him?