Jiang Chen had been nervous at first, but calmed himself as the critical moment approached. His plane expanded with great might as the four sacred beasts contributed their power.
The four were capable of creating formidable domains with great restraining power. With the realm fully formed, their power grew even more tremendous.
Terrifying might radiated from them and quickly covered the vast sky, enclosing the entire area.
One after another, the rays of light emitting from the mirror shards winked out like candles.
Mirrorbloom’s eyes blazed with aggression. Her body trembled with deep despair
Unacceptable!
Why couldn’t she defeat the young man after exhausting her power? Why couldn’t she defeat father and son despite her talent and strength?? Even her last gamble failed in face of the young man’s realm!
She refused to give up and poured her remaining power into activating another batch of mirror shards. Lighting up countless rays of divine light, she attempted to break through the restraints of Jiang Chen’s plane.
However, his plane had grown substantially in size and power. Before the light could even spread, the realm extinguished the sparks like a cascade of rain.
“Surrender, Mirrorbloom!”
Jiang Chen deployed his plane, the supreme overlord of his world. He was finally demonstrating the power and presence of a celestial emperor! Confidence and authority radiated from his very being.
Mirrorbloom lost her mind when she saw Jiang Chen’s majestic presence. By contrast, she was as pathetic as a stray dog.
“What are you yapping on about? You’re just lucky to have a good father!” Mirrorbloom shrieked hoa.r.s.ely. She knew she’d lost, but she wasn’t going to stop resisting, even if it was just verbally.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. “You were more fortunate than I was. Father saw you as a daughter. Given your talent, you’d be able to create your own greater world if you were willing to follow father’s guidance. However, you focused only on your own profit and gain. You wanted everything for free. You never thought about forging your own path and establis.h.i.+ng your own plane!”
“Victors write history. You can say whatever you want!” Mirrorbloom responded coolly. “I don’t care about forging my own path or establis.h.i.+ng my own world. That’s a man’s job. I just want to be empress. This should’ve all been mine. You were useless with your yin const.i.tution. Why should your father put so much effort in you, when he never spared me a glance no matter what I did? It’s not fair!”
Jiang Chen shook his head and sighed. This woman couldn’t be reasoned with. She’d lost her rationality.
“Chen’er is of my blood,” Celestial Emperor Taiyuan responded faintly. “He’s the only thing his mother left to me. Why did you think I put in so much effort for him? It’s only natural for a son to inherit his father’s legacy. You’ve lost, Mirrorbloom. I don’t want to see you embarra.s.s yourself further. You should end this yourself.”
Mirrorbloom alternated between crying and laughing maniacally She jabbed a finger at Taiyuan.
“I hate you, old man, I hate you! If you wouldn’t give me anything, why would you raise me at all? Why would you feed my ambitions? Why?”
Taiyuan sighed faintly. She was no longer the Mirrorbloom he knew.
“As your name suggests, your ambition is nothing but a fleeting reflection. Such is your destiny.” Jiang Chen spoke coolly. “End your life yourself, so that you may die with dignity.”
Mirrorbloom cackled. “End myself, end myself! Oh, I will, but I won’t let you off the hook easily!”
She hovered in the air as countless shards flickered around her, forming a terrifying vortex of light.
“Take her down, Chen’er. Now!” Taiyuan exclaimed. “She’s collecting the remaining pieces of her realm and wants to self-detonate to break through your plane and hurt your core.”
Jiang Chen smiled slightly. “It’s alright. My plane is far more resilient than she thinks.”
Nevertheless, he exercised utmost caution and focused all of his power to strike the vortex of light, choosing to initiate an attack rather than wait for Mirrorbloom to detonate herself.
Boom!
Two currents of power clashed for the last time.
The Mirrorbloom Plane collapsed like the illusion it was, vanis.h.i.+ng into thin air along with Mirrorbloom’s body. Fragments of light rose and faded into the void, returning to heaven and earth.
It was over!
Finally, the battle that would determine the fate of the plane had come to an end.
Jiang Chen allowed himself to relax. The four sacred beasts swayed and staggered. They’d exhausted their power to the point of hurting their cores.
“Haha, thank you all for your hard work, my friends,” Jiang Chen said gratefully.
“Not everyone has the chance to take part in such the ultimate battle, young master Chen.” The Vermilion Bird grinned. The bird was exhausted, but it’d enjoyed the ride greatly.
“I’m fortunate to know you, young master Chen,” Long Xiaoxuan breathed.
The Astral White Tiger snickered. “We’re alive. That’s what matters.”
The Black Tortoise breathed in the air of the heavenly plane. This was a privilege only the living enjoyed.
The battle had left a deep impression on them as they realized what true power was. They had witnessed the might of a celestial emperor and the heavenly dao.
“You’ve done beautifully, Chen’er!” Celestial Emperor Taiyuan walked up to Jiang Chen with a smile. “You’ve surpa.s.sed even me. What an impressive man you’ve become. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you take after me.”
Finally, Jiang Chen had some time to consider his father, the man who’d changed his fate and created a miracle. The man hadn’t aged, but several hundred thousand years of torment and oppression had left bone-deep marks.
“Royal father!” Jiang Chen rushed forward and wrapped his arms around his father tightly. This was a warm hug he’d never had in his past life.
“Haha, you’ve achieved something miraculous, son,” Celestial Emperor Taiyuan chuckled. “Where’s that stubborn pride of yours from your past life?”
He was very happy. Nothing felt better than reuniting with his family and seeing his child grow into a great man.