The Eight Empresses Betrayed Me, Only to Deeply Regret It After Being Reborn-Chapter 1: The show must go on!

The Mind’s Repository.

The Supreme Heavens.

A vast sun hung high above, illuminating a sky filled with endless stars.

Across the infinite expanse, the gaze of countless supreme beings converged upon the highest realm of the Nine Heavens.

At the pinnacle stood a lone figure, surrounded by eight terrifying auras of primordial chaos. His sword-like brows and starlit eyes exuded an ethereal handsomeness, and his presence was unparalleled across all ages—supreme above both heaven and earth.

"Today, the Nine-Life Heavenly Sovereign shall ascend to sainthood, standing above the Nine Heavens! This is truly a blessing for the human race!"

"Eight Empresses standing guard over a single man—what unparalleled fortune! Anyone would envy him!"

"Hahaha! And rightfully so! These eight Empresses all achieved their ascension with the help of the Nine-Life Heavenly Sovereign. Now, it is only natural for them to repay their debt of gratitude!"

"Indeed! Indeed!"

All of creation eagerly awaited the Nine-Life Heavenly Sovereign’s tribulation.

No one doubted his success. His life had been too legendary.

He waged war against the demon race, slaying an endless number of great fiends.

He battled the forces of darkness, eradicating the demon domain.

He crushed the Forbidden Zones, putting an end to the chaos of the Abyss.

He defied the heavens and conquered the earth. His path to invincibility was paved with the corpses of countless prodigies.

At his level, defeating opponents of the same rank was trivial—he had long since surpassed such limits.

Even more terrifying, he had cultivated the Nine-Life Undying Sutra to an unprecedented level, far beyond its original creator, granting him nine lives.

"Invincible"—this was a title forever engraved upon Lu Ye, etched into the hearts of all who witnessed his journey.

This tribulation of sainthood—even if he lost a life with each calamity, he would still succeed.

“It’s beginning!”

Lu Ye gazed upward.

Above the Nine Heavens, infinite stars began to swirl like grains of sand in a cosmic tide, forming an enormous vortex—like the opening of a colossal eye.

The tribulation aura surged, crashing down in waves like an apocalyptic tsunami.

The Heavenly Dao refused to allow Lu Ye’s ascension.

It would not permit any being to stand above it.

Even though Lu Ye had done much for the Heavenly Dao—even though he had granted it great merit—it would still do everything in its power to strike him down.

"You cannot stop me!"

Lu Ye smiled as he spoke.

Above, there was no one.

Who was he speaking to?

The heavens themselves.

"RUMBLE—"

Thunder answered—a response from the very fabric of the world.

"Hahaha! If you wish to try, then come! You and I both know that even if I transcend beyond you, we will still remain the closest of companions."

"In this world, there is only you and me!"

The tribulation clouds condensed, gathering the cumulative divine wrath of the Nine Heavens into a single cataclysm.

"It has begun!"

"What kind of tribulation will it be? Let’s hope it isn’t the Eternal Tribulation!"

Endless powerhouses trembled with excitement.

A Sainthood Tribulation—such an event was rare even in ten thousand, a hundred thousand, even a million years.

This was history in the making.

But there was no lightning.

Instead, within the depths of the tribulation clouds, a figure emerged.

A man astride a divine dragon, wielding the Heavenly Mirror!

“It’s the Ancient-Today Heavenly Sovereign!”

A cry of recognition swept through the heavens.

This was the strongest cultivator of the previous era—Ancient-Today Heavenly Sovereign, the wielder of the Ancient-Today Mirror, a divine artifact capable of reflecting both past and future, severing the threads of time and causality.

"This is bad. It really is the highest-tier Eternal Tribulation... Has the Nine-Life Heavenly Sovereign truly reached such an unfathomable level?"

"To face the imprints of every tribulation-taker throughout history—what unparalleled valor!"

"The Nine-Life Heavenly Sovereign is invincible!"

Lu Ye’s eyes flickered as he watched Ancient-Today Heavenly Sovereign take shape.

Then, he smiled.

“It has been a long time.”

Ancient-Today Heavenly Sovereign gave a slight nod. “It has indeed been a long time, my friend.”

They had never met in reality.

But their paths had crossed within the river of time.

"Shall we battle?"

"Let’s."

There was no need for further words.

The two Heavenly Sovereigns erupted into combat.

A single casual strike from them was the pinnacle of all divine arts.

The void collapsed, reverting to primordial chaos.

The eight celestial figures watching from afar instinctively stepped back, exchanging glances.

In each other’s eyes, they saw a shared, indescribable emotion.

The battle escalated instantly.

Ancient-Today Heavenly Sovereign unleashed the full might of his time techniques, splitting into multiple avatars, traveling to different points in history to hunt down versions of Lu Ye across time.

If even one of these past selves was slain, it would wound Lu Ye in the present.

But no one was worried.

From the moment he had «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» first stepped into the path of cultivation, Lu Ye had always been the most terrifying prodigy of his generation.

Even in the past, there was no moment where he had ever been weak.

Suddenly—deep wounds appeared across Lu Ye’s body.

One cut.

Two.

Three.

Eight wounds in total.

"How is this possible?!"

An uproar erupted among the spectators.

What did this mean?

It meant that Lu Ye had been slain eight times in the past.

But how?

In every era, at every stage of his life, he had been invincible against all peers!

“You are a man of great heart and devotion. I respect you.” Ancient-Today Heavenly Sovereign smiled.

Lu Ye chuckled. “Your mastery of the Dao is truly admirable.”

Ancient-Today Heavenly Sovereign—

Suddenly, Lu Ye’s brow furrowed.

How fast was combat at the level of a Heavenly Sovereign?

In an instant, Ancient-Today Heavenly Sovereign seized the moment—his palm imprint struck Lu Ye squarely in the chest.

Lu Ye barely swayed.

He was not injured.

Yet, his frown deepened.

Poison?

An absurd thought surfaced in his mind.

He was a Heavenly Sovereign.

Even the Grand Dao itself could not erase him.

What kind of poison could possibly affect him?

And when had it been inflicted?

“It’s a Gu poison—Yin-Yang Devouring Dao Gu.”

Ancient-Today Heavenly Sovereign instantly recognized the nature of the Yin-Yang Devouring Dao Gu.

Yin-Yang Devouring Dao Gu...

Lu Ye’s eyes widened in disbelief. He turned his gaze toward the eight figures surrounding him.

This was an insidious parasite—one that could consume all Dao in existence.

It had no form, no substance, and was incredibly rare. It could only be implanted through the union of Yin and Yang.

The parasite existed in two halves—one Yin, one Yang. The Yang Gu would devour Dao and nourish the Yin Gu in return.

It was clear now. Lu Ye had been afflicted with the Yang Gu.

And the only ones who had the opportunity to do so...

Were the eight women he had once considered his closest confidantes.

Rage ignited within Lu Ye’s heart.

A surge of fury exploded from him, his battle power skyrocketing instantly. Ancient-Today Heavenly Sovereign, caught off guard, was completely suppressed in a single exchange.

Yet, instead of panic, Ancient-Today Heavenly Sovereign merely looked amused, as if watching a grand spectacle unfold.

"My friend, a man of such deep devotion and righteousness... yet betrayed so utterly. How does it feel?" He smiled.

"Righteousness? Devotion?"

A voice—once ethereal, now trembling with fury—cut through the air.

It was the Phantom Spirit Empress, Shangguan Huanling.

"He dares to call himself righteous? He is nothing but a tyrant, abusing his power to claim what he desires!"

"Indeed! He only ever saw things from his own perspective, never considering the thoughts of others! Such a man has no right to speak of righteousness!"

"Righteousness? What a joke! This man betrayed his own master, slaughtered the innocent! Our actions today are justice! We are purging a demon!"

"Young Master, do not blame me. I have already ascended to Empresshood. I will not be a mere servant for the rest of my life! I refuse to live as a handmaiden! So why don’t you just die?"

"Senior Brother... do you even remember Feng Wuxie? If not for you, I would have been with him instead!"

One after another, the Empresses spoke, each condemning Lu Ye for his sins.

Their once-stunning faces twisted with hatred, resentment, and scorn.

Lu Ye’s expression grew icy.

His heart clenched with a pain deeper than any wound.

It was as if a thousand Fallen Heaven Nails were being driven into his soul.

No—this pain was even greater than that.

"So just die!"

"Die!"

"Once you're dead, we will finally be free!"

"I never wanted you to control me! If you’re dead, no one will be able to tell me what to do! I’m an Empress now, yet I’m still shackled by you! I’ve had enough!"

"Die, die, die!"

The eight Yang Gu erupted simultaneously.

At the same time, a second Eternal Tribulation manifested—bringing forth yet another peerless adversary.

Internal betrayal, external threats, and a shattered Dao Heart.

Lu Ye’s mind teetered on the edge of madness.

And in his madness, his power surged to new heights.

He wanted to kill.

He wanted to slaughter all eight of these treacherous beasts in human skin.

He was willing to take injuries—as long as he could strike them down.

But when the eight women summoned the very Heavenly Sovereign artifacts he had forged for them, Lu Ye nearly exploded in rage.

"Friend, now is not the time to be distracted."

Another staggeringly powerful Heavenly Sovereign appeared, unleashing a devastating attack.

Lu Ye was struck.

His body shattered, his Dao began to unravel.

His Dao Heart was as unyielding as divine iron, but this tribulation was too brutal.

He was battling against every Heavenly Sovereign who had ever attempted to reach sainthood.

Each opponent had once stood at the pinnacle of their era.

And all the while, the Yin-Yang Devouring Dao Gu continued to eat away at him.

The Empresses’ Justification

The surrounding Emperors and Empresses were stunned.

"Wait—how could you eight do this to a Heavenly Sovereign?!"

Some openly rebuked them.

But the eight Empresses did not waver.

One by one, they justified their betrayal, presenting their accusations with ironclad certainty.

"Have you forgotten all that the Heavenly Sovereign did for you?"

"With or without his help, we would have ascended to Empresshood regardless! He only aided us to satisfy his own selfish desires!"

Even with Lu Ye’s indomitable will—even if his heart were made of Eternal Divine Gold—he felt a twinge of pain.

So that was how they had seen him all along.

His kindness, his guidance, his protection—to them, it had been nothing but shackles.

He could endure no longer.

He was drowning in enemies.

One Heavenly Sovereign after another descended upon him.

His bones shattered. His blood rained from the heavens. His very Dao was being erased.

The Final Gamble

If survival was impossible—

Then Lu Ye turned his gaze to the heavens.

"Old friend, let me help you one last time."

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His body burst into radiant light, pushing the limits of self-sacrifice.

The very fabric of the cosmos resonated with his dying act.

"Then let us all perish together!"

Boundless radiance tore through the eternal darkness, launching toward a cancerous mass of corruption growing at the edge of the Nine Heavens’ barrier.

"You lunatic! Nine-Life! Those women betrayed you, and you choose to take me down with you?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"BOOM!"

A Heavenly Sovereign’s self-destruction—

The force collapsed all Daos, sending tremors through the Nine Heavens.

The shattered remains of Ancient-Today Heavenly Sovereign reformed.

But those who knew him well immediately realized—

This was not him.

Someone else now wore his face.

His eyes were cold beyond description, as if nothing in existence could stir his emotions.

And yet—when he saw Nine-Life Heavenly Sovereign dragging the Dark Origin into death with him—his gaze flickered, ever so slightly.

"Old friend..."

His voice was dry.

In those three simple words—there was sorrow.

"I shall send them... to accompany you."

With a mere gesture—

The shattered Daos twisted, and the River of Time emerged, swirling into a vortex.

The eight Empresses—

Were dragged inside, powerless to resist.

The Curtain Rises.

The show must go on!