Chapter 756: The Third Battle Begins

In the blink of an eye, five thousand years passed.

Within the Divine Realm, as the five-thousand-year deadline arrived, Wu Hao, who was accompanying Su Qiaoran, wore a heavy expression as he looked toward the Central Void.

At this moment, Wu Hao's heart was extremely conflicted, for he knew that the upcoming battle would be exceptionally perilous.

If he succeeded, he would become a Heavenly Emperor.

If he failed, he would perish.

But for the sake of the Divine Realm and everything he held dear, Wu Hao knew he could not retreat.

Just as Wu Hao turned to speak to Su Qiaoran before leaving, she had already sensed everything. Her eyes were filled with worry as she looked at him, her voice trembling with concern, "Are you leaving?"

Hearing this, Wu Hao fell silent. After a long while, he looked up at Su Qiaoran and nodded heavily.

Seeing this, Su Qiaoran gave Wu Hao a tight hug. Leaning close to his ear, despite her internal fear, she forced herself to sound composed as she said, "You must come back alive. If you don't, I’ll take the child and remarry, and let your child take someone else's surname!"

"Don't worry, I couldn't bear to hand over such a beautiful wife to someone else. I will definitely return. I will certainly be back before our daughter is born!"

Wu Hao made a solemn promise to Su Qiaoran, then pulled away from her embrace, turning to leave with resolute determination as he rushed toward the Central Void.

At this moment, Wu Hao knew he couldn't afford a shred of cowardice; he had to defeat his opponent and return alive.

Watching Wu Hao's departing figure, Su Qiaoran didn't move an inch, but her eyes turned red. She said nothing aloud, only whispering in her heart, "Husband, I will wait for your return. If you don't come back, I will follow you in death!"

On the other side, as Wu Hao set out, the God Emperors still within the Divine Realm sensed his aura and looked toward the Central Void with solemn expressions.

Clearly, they all felt that this was Wu Hao's final battle before becoming a Heavenly Emperor.

"You must win, Senior Wu."

Everyone silently cheered for Wu Hao in their hearts. After all, only if Wu Hao became a Heavenly Emperor would the Divine Realm have any hope of resisting the threat of the Forbidden Realm.

Amidst everyone's encouragement, Wu Hao could sense a continuous stream of Power Of Faith from across the Divine Realm surging toward him. He accepted all of it without hesitation, thinking it might come in handy later.

Soon, Wu Hao arrived before that battle space.

Taking a deep breath, Wu Hao stepped into the battle space.

As soon as Wu Hao entered, the entrance to the battle space vanished.

In the center of the battle space, the Mysterious Expert whom Wu Hao had previously defeated sat cross-legged on the ground. His aura had already reached a terrifying level beyond the Half-step Heavenly Emperor—it was, indeed, the Heavenly Emperor Realm.

The moment Wu Hao entered, the other party opened his eyes and slowly stood up. As he looked at Wu Hao, for some reason, Wu Hao sensed a certain emotion in his gaze, though he couldn't quite decipher it.

At that moment, the opponent spoke: "You have finally come."

Hearing these words, even though it was just a single sentence, Wu Hao understood that the opponent likely knew him, or rather, knew the Myriad Paths Heavenly Emperor.

"You know me?"

The Mysterious Expert nodded and said, "Naturally. Everything you are experiencing now, even the reason you are here, is all according to plan."

Hearing that everything he had experienced was part of a plan, Wu Hao felt a chill in his heart. He wondered how many things his past self had orchestrated to have calculated events so far into the future.

"I know what you want to ask and what you want to do, but now is not the time. I will only give you those answers after you defeat me. So, let us begin; I will not hold back."

After saying this, the Mysterious Expert prepared to strike.

Wu Hao took a deep breath, his expression becoming solemn and his gaze turning sharp.

Despite the myriad questions in his heart, now was not the time to speak. Everything would be answered once he defeated the Mysterious Expert.

Thus, both Wu Hao and the Mysterious Expert stood with heavy expressions, watching each other. Neither made the first move until, in the next second, they both struck simultaneously.

In just an instant, Wu Hao was sent flying by the opponent, and even one of his Heavenly Emperor Bells was shattered by the impact.

"Is this the power of the Heavenly Emperor Realm? It truly is terrifying!"

Wu Hao's expression showed his shock as he thought to himself.

Previously, when facing the Lord of Forbidden, there had been the isolation of the Divine Realm's grand array and several Heavenly Emperor Tier Artifacts. Thus, he hadn't fully grasped the power of a Heavenly Emperor. Now that he was facing one directly, Wu Hao truly felt how formidable a Heavenly Emperor was.

Truly terrifying indeed.

Yet even so, there was no fear in Wu Hao's heart; instead, it was filled with Battle Intent.

"Though you are powerful, I have a reason why I must win. Therefore, I will never lose!"

Wu Hao's full power erupted. His powerful aura made the opponent nod in satisfaction. Then, the opponent also struck with full force, and in an instant, they were locked in combat once more.

As he fought continuously, Wu Hao's own power began to gradually surpass that of a Half-step Heavenly Emperor, advancing toward the true Heavenly Emperor Realm.

Outside, as Wu Hao and the Mysterious Expert battled, significant changes occurred throughout the Divine Realm. Most notably, the grand array set up by the Myriad Paths Heavenly Emperor in his previous life began to crumble much faster due to the clash between these two top-tier experts.

Additionally, the moment their battle began, a gloomy sensation enveloped all living beings in the Divine Realm, making it difficult for everyone to breathe, as if they were being weighed down by a massive mountain.

Within Wu Clan Commerce, Wu Rulong and the members of the Wu Family all wore solemn expressions: "You all feel this sensation too, don't you?"

Wu Rulong asked as he looked at Wu Qiankun and the others.

Hearing their father speak, Wu Qiankun and the others naturally nodded in agreement.

"Father, so far, the only one capable of causing such a massive commotion in the Divine Realm is likely Grandfather,"

Wu Wanggu said with a heavy expression.

Wu Rulong nodded and said, "Although Father hasn't told me everything, I am aware of certain matters in the Divine Realm. Father is likely at the critical moment of his Breakthrough to the Heavenly Emperor Realm. Once he succeeds, we will no longer need to fear the threat from the Forbidden Realm."

"At that time, it will probably be when we go to war with the Forbidden Realm. So, prepare everything. Once Father ascends to become a Heavenly Emperor, we will go to war."

There was no fear in Wu Rulong's eyes; his voice even carried a hint of excitement.

Wu Qiankun and the others beside him felt the same; a battle gene was inherently part of the Wu Family's bloodline.