Chapter 443: New Hope or Despair

And at that moment, something happened with Eternal.

"What the hell is going on? How did Eternal become like this?" Emperor Yuan roared in fury, dodging with all his might. He was terrified of the current Eternal.

This was nothing but a beast.

How could Eternal, who had fought through the ages and terrorized the world, have become like this?

"Bang..." Eternal roared, clapped his hands together, and caught Emperor Yuan in his grasp.

"Haha... got you." Eternal's bloodshot eyes flickered with boundless desire. His greedy tongue, like a serpent, licked Emperor Yuan's face, as if drenching him in a downpour.

Emperor Yuan was stunned. How had Eternal become so disgusting, even insane?

From Eternal's wicked eyes, he saw infinite lust.

Oh no, Eternal was having improper thoughts.

In an instant, Emperor Yuan saw a huge sphere suddenly appear before him.

"Mmm..." Eternal pressed Emperor Yuan against his swollen chest, which had been punched by Lin Fan, and rubbed him vigorously.

"Damn it..." In ten thousand years, Emperor Yuan had never cursed, but now he was completely enraged.

"Hum..."

The void trembled. Emperor Yuan instantly escaped and stared at Eternal warily.

Although Eternal's cultivation was not what it used to be, his physical strength was terrifying, ignoring all attacks.

"Don't run! I want to poke you..."

Eternal howled, his tongue flying in the air as he lunged at Emperor Yuan.

...

The Supreme and the others were completely dumbfounded. They could hardly believe what they were seeing, as if they had gone blind.

How had Eternal become like this?

That drooling tongue, as if filled with infinite magic, shamelessly licked toward Emperor Yuan.

And the massive thing in his crotch stood erect, thrusting like a dragon, as if it would pierce the entire world.

...

Lin Fan, meanwhile, was watching with great relish. What a spectacular show! Eternal truly lived up to his name, striking like a tiger leaping from its den, hitting the mark every time.

If Emperor Yuan weren't so fast at escaping, he would have been thoroughly poked by Eternal.

"Make him stop! I'm done!" At this point, Emperor Yuan couldn't take it anymore. Eternal was chasing him like a madman.

What terrified Emperor Yuan even more was that the thing between Eternal's legs suddenly swelled like a living creature and lunged at him.

Several times, he barely avoided being stabbed by it.

"Eternal, don't go too far!" Emperor Yuan roared.

"I want to poke you..."

"How can you be like this?"

"I want to poke you, poke you, poke you..."

...

"Stop right now! No more fighting!" Emperor Yuan was drenched in sweat. Though he had merged with the Heavenly Dao, Eternal's attack style seemed completely different, impossible to predict.

"Do you believe now that I'm the once-in-a-million-years unparalleled genius?" Lin Fan asked, watching Emperor Yuan dodge through the void.

"I believe you! Make him stop!" Emperor Yuan's eyes flickered with terror. Eternal's strength might have declined, but his speed and power were terrifying. Even using the power of the Heavenly Dao, he could barely escape.

"Heh..." Lin Fan smiled calmly, then called out to Eternal, "Eternal, that's enough. Go poke the ground."

Eternal, who had been chasing Emperor Yuan, paused, looked slightly disappointed, then lay down on the ground alone and began moving up and down.

"Boom, boom..."

The sound was like a pile driver, loud and frequent, and the entire earth began to tremble violently.

"This..." Emperor Yuan looked at Eternal, disbelief flickering in his eyes.

One of the Eight Supremes of the Upper Realm was doing something so disgraceful.

At this moment, even the Supreme and the others, if their divine senses had been physical, would have coughed up blood.

Lin Fan looked at them and smiled. "Now that things have settled, we can sit down and talk slowly. After all, this concerns the future of the Xuanhuang Realm, and it can't be resolved in a few words."

"Emperor Yuan, do you still hold to your belief?" Lin Fan asked.

"Yes," Emperor Yuan replied, calming himself.

"Supreme, War God, Martial God, Reincarnation Emperor, do you also hold to your beliefs?" Lin Fan asked.

"Yes. We will never let the people of the Xuanhuang Realm go to their deaths."

Lin Fan looked at them. He didn't have much aversion to Emperor Yuan. Now, all control rested with Emperor Yuan.

Although the Xuanhuang Realm had been split in two, with only three-quarters of the Heavenly Dao devoured, Lin Fan believed that Emperor Yuan's emergence now meant he had a way to break the barrier.

Thinking about his deal with Ye Han, it was clear he intended to use the Blood Realm as a springboard to break through the barrier.

But since Emperor Yuan hadn't opened the barrier and was willing to talk, he clearly wanted to resolve this properly.

"If I stand on the side of righteousness, I would uphold the Supreme's ideals. But personally, I prefer Emperor Yuan's."

"If a man doesn't strive, what's the difference between him and a salted fish? Even with countless obstacles, one shouldn't retreat in fear like a turtle hiding in its shell. One should press forward and fight fate." For the first time in his life, Lin Fan spoke impartially.

Though Emperor Yuan seemed like a villain, his villainy was merely about unleashing the shackled hearts of all people.

"You are different from them. I understand your concerns, which is why I didn't open the barrier and chose to trust you instead," Emperor Yuan said, looking at Lin Fan, then turned his gaze to the Supreme and the others.

"Your hearts are no longer what they once were. In the past, I was the weakest among you, but even if you regained your strength and bodies now, none of you would be a match for me alone. Because the heart is power, and your cowardly hearts have already sunk."

...

"You..." The four Supremes looked at Emperor Yuan, speechless, then snorted coldly and fell silent.

"Kid, opening the barrier is the fairest thing. Let the entire Xuanhuang Realm be fully liberated, let everyone practice martial arts, and fight together against the Upper Realm, pursuing the fate that has been intercepted," Emperor Yuan said.

Lin Fan shook his head, his expression turning serious. "No, like the Supreme and the others, I also have selfishness."

"I have precious people. I don't want to lose them. Though blocking their fate is cruel, compared to their lives, I would rather they survive than pursue a fate with only a slim chance of survival."

"It may be selfish, but isn't that what humans are like?"

"I could suppress you the moment you open the barrier, but I won't. Because I know there are unknown difficulties ahead. To protect them, I must become stronger, strong enough to withstand any hardship."

Emperor Yuan looked at Lin Fan and burst into laughter. "Haha... Humans truly are the most complex creatures. In the past, we were just like you, wanting to become stronger to spare more people from suffering. But we failed and fled like beaten dogs. In the end, I understood: one must rely on oneself. I chose to devour the Heavenly Dao then, but today I believe in you. I've waited tens of thousands of years; I can wait a little longer for a hope."

"Thank you for your trust. I have never let anyone down," Lin Fan said confidently, smiling, though his heart was bitter. But he had to be strong.

"Haha..." Emperor Yuan laughed uproariously, tears blurring his eyes, as if venting the pent-up resentment within. Was this a new hope, or a new despair?