Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

News of Jiang Ming’s death soon reached Jiang Ziyou and her father.

Jiang Ziyou’s expression was grim as she sat ramrod straight, a dark light glinting in her eyes.

She had been in secluded cultivation, awaiting the next day’s Demon Beast hunt, but was unexpectedly awoken by Jiang Tai in the middle of the night with this vexing news.

Jiang Ziyou’s voice was low as she asked, "Father, are you certain Jiang Ming was killed by Jiang Chen?"

A trace of incredulous shock flickered across her face.

’Two months ago, Jiang Chen was a good-for-nothing who hadn’t even stepped into the Martial Arts Realm. In just two short months, he’s grown strong enough to kill a master at the Martial Arts Seventh Stage?’

’Never mind that Jiang Chen is just a failure with a Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul; even a prodigy with a Celestial Tier Martial Soul couldn’t possibly make such immense progress in just two months, could they?’

Jiang Tai faltered, frowning. "I can’t be certain of that either. I just noticed Elder Jiang Ming hadn’t returned, so I sent someone to investigate. They found his body outside the inn where Jiang Chen is staying."

"I see!"

A sharp light glinted in Jiang Ziyou’s eyes. After careful consideration, she stated confidently, "If no one saw Jiang Chen kill Elder Jiang Ming with their own eyes, then there must be some hidden aspect to this that we don’t know about. Even if Jiang Chen was hiding his true strength, I refuse to believe he could grow strong enough to kill a Martial Arts Seventh Stage master in just two short months!"

"You have a point. It seems Elder Jiang Ming didn’t die at his hands after all!"

Jiang Tai nodded in agreement with his daughter’s deduction. His eyes darted about, and his expression suddenly changed. Nervously, he stammered, "Ziyou, do... do you think it could be Jiang Taixu? Has he returned?"

"Jiang Taixu? Impossible. If he had really returned, he would have stormed his way here to kill us by now. Father, you don’t need to be so nervous. Since the assassination failed, we’ll just let that brat enjoy his life for a few more days. Once the hunt begins, I will naturally find an opportunity to eliminate that menace, Jiang Chen!" Jiang Ziyou said nonchalantly.

Her words and demeanor were utterly cold.

She showed no regard for the fact that Jiang Chen had diligently worked to purge the impurities from her body for six long years without complaint.

Jiang Tai was visibly startled, but upon recalling Jiang Ziyou’s formidable strength, his unease subsided.

A confident smile spread across his face. "With you handling it, I can rest completely at ease. By the way, have you received any news from... him?"

"Yes."

Jiang Ziyou nodded, a hint of arrogance coloring her expression. "The Young Master sent word. He is currently in seclusion, preparing to vie for the rank of Saint Disciple, so he cannot leave the Saint Martial Sword Sect. However, he will send a special envoy. Firstly, to intimidate the few disobedient old men in our clan, and secondly, to escort me to the Saint Martial Sword Sect after the Yulan Festival!"

"Excellent! Daughter, you are truly blessed with great fortune. To have earned his favor means that once you enter the Saint Martial Sword Sect, you will surely rise above the rest!" Jiang Tai laughed.

Jiang Ziyou smiled faintly, her eyes radiating an intimidating light. "Even the Young Master is merely a stepping stone on my Martial Dao path. My destiny is mine alone to control. One day, I will stand at the very Peak of the Martial Dao and give commands that none in the world would dare to defy!"

"As for Jiang Chen... he is but an ant on my path, one I can crush at will."

A terrifying killing intent erupted from her eyes.

......

「The next day, at noon.」

The altar before the Zhenjiang Stele was once again a sea of people. Over a million citizens of Yandu City looked on with eager anticipation.

For today marked one of the most exciting events of the Yulan Festival—the Yulan River Hunt!

During every Yulan Festival, the waters of the Yulan River would recede drastically, at times even exposing the riverbed. This forced the numerous Demon Beasts living within the river to leave its drying banks and come ashore to hunt humans for food.

To stop the Demon Beasts’ rampage, the major cities would assemble teams of Martial Artists on this day to hunt them down.

Participants would then be ranked—and generously rewarded—based on the strength and quantity of the Demon Beasts they killed.

Having passed the Zhenjiang Stele’s screening, a total of 36,863 young experts from Yandu City had earned the right to participate in this year’s Yulan River Hunt.

The vast contingent formed up, a dense, orderly phalanx of people.

These young experts were loosely divided into a dozen or so factions, with clear distinctions between those led by the Four Great Clans, the Money Commerce Association, and the Demon Hunter Guild.

"Quick, look! That’s the Lin Family’s genius, Lin Yu! He reached a height of seventeen zhang on the Zhenjiang Stele yesterday!"

"That’s Chen Fan, the prodigy of the Chen Family. He’s an incredible master too!"

"Look at Xu Qilin, he’s so handsome!"

"Jian Shisan is so cool!"

"Jiang Ziyou’s here! She’s a true goddess. If I could win her favor, I’d willingly give up ten years of my life!" The experts chattered wildly.

But it was Jiang Chen’s arrival that caused the biggest stir.

"Jiang Chen’s here! He’s the one who topped the Zhenjiang Stele challenge in all of Yandu City!"

"But I heard his cultivation is terrible. They say he’s just a good-for-nothing who awakened a Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul. I wonder if that’s true."

"True or not, we’ll find out for sure once the Yulan River Hunt is over!"

When Lin Yu and the others, who had been the center of attention, saw Jiang Chen arrive and steal the spotlight, their expressions shifted. Their gazes turned cold, laced with hostility and jealousy.

Lin Yu nudged Chen Fan beside him and said maliciously, "This brat is so damn annoying. We need to find a chance to teach him a lesson!"

"I was just thinking the same thing!"

Chen Fan nodded.

Beside them, Xu Qilin ground his teeth. "Everyone’s saying that Jiang Chen’s talent blows ours out of the water. I can’t stand it. I’m going to find a chance to teach him a brutal lesson and show the world that compared to me, he’s nothing but a worthless piece of trash!"

"Count me in."

Jian Shisan’s reply was terse, his eyes frigid.

Walking through the crowd, Jiang Chen could naturally feel the numerous hostile gazes, but he simply sneered inwardly and paid them no mind.

His gaze swept over the crowd, and his eyes suddenly lit up. Jiang Chen moved through the throng, brushing past Jiang Ziyou. In a voice only they could hear, he said, "Jiang Ming asked me to send his regards. He said he’ll be waiting for you on the Yellow Springs Road!"

"Jiang Chen, must you insist on opposing me?" Jiang Ziyou’s delicate brows knitted, giving her a pitiful, vulnerable look.

Jiang Chen sneered. "Me opposing you? Jiang Ziyou, could you be any more shameless?"

"Sigh, why must you be so petty? With your level of talent, what could you possibly achieve even if you had the Saint Martial Order and went to the Saint Martial Sword Sect? You would only end up as a bottom-feeder, wasting the Saint Martial Order your father went through so much to obtain."

Jiang Ziyou said with utter confidence, "How about this? I’ll give you one more chance. Acknowledge me as your master and obey only my commands from now on. If you do, I can overlook your past offenses against me. I might even allow you to serve as my attendant and work for me. You should know that with my talent, I am destined to rise above the rest once I enter the Saint Martial Sword Sect. It would be a great honor for you to be my servant. What do you say?"

"Hahahaha..."

Jiang Chen stared at Jiang Ziyou for a long moment before bursting into mocking laughter. His eyes narrowed as he sneered, "Jiang Ziyou, you’re probably the only person who thinks being a servant is something glorious! Drop the hypocritical act; it’s disgusting to watch. And you’d better remember this: that Saint Martial Order was left to me by my father. I will kill anyone who dares to lay a finger on it!"

With that said, Jiang Chen turned and walked past Jiang Ziyou, taking his place at the very front of the crowd.

It was the spot reserved for the one who ranked first at the Zhenjiang Stele.

A position no one could challenge.

Jiang Ziyou stared at the young man standing before her, a cold glint in her eyes that radiated a palpable killing intent.

Just then...

Sima Tao, who was seated on the high platform, suddenly flinched. He shot up from his seat, his gaze fixed on the east as his pupils contracted violently. "Th-That’s..."