Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

Jiang Chen’s eyes flew open. He froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

His neck stiff, he looked down to see a beautiful, lovely young woman in a pink dress staring at him with wide eyes.

Jiang Chen: "..."

Damn it!

’Why is it a woman?’

"Have you touched me enough?" the young woman’s icy voice sounded in his ear.

Jiang Chen coughed awkwardly and quickly let go of her. He scratched his head, embarrassed. "My apologies. It was a moment of panic. I didn’t do it on purpose! I’ve offended you. Please, miss, forgive me!"

"Hmph!"

The young woman snorted, her eyes filled with frost. "You think a simple ’sorry’ is enough after touching me?"

"Then what do you propose, miss?"

Jiang Chen faltered. Although he had acted with good intentions to save her life, he had, after all, taken advantage of her. He could only bite the bullet and ask.

The young woman looked at Jiang Chen with indifference. "Whichever hand you used to touch me, cut it off, and I will let the matter drop!"

Her expression was detached and cold. She wasn’t joking.

It was only then that Jiang Chen truly sized her up. She was around twenty years old and exquisitely beautiful, but her every action carried an air of indifference and pride that made her seem as unapproachable as an iceberg.

Added to that, she was demanding he sever his own arm.

Jiang Chen’s expression was no longer so gentle. His face darkened as he said, "Miss, aren’t you going too far? If not for me, you would have died just now. I could overlook you not thanking me for saving your life, but you want to sever my arm? Isn’t that a bit much, repaying kindness with cruelty?"

"Repaying kindness with cruelty?"

The young woman was taken aback, then let out a series of cold laughs. With a haughty expression, she declared, "Do you have any idea who I am? I am Sima Qingling, the Ninth Princess of the Han Dynasty! Don’t even talk about just wanting your hands. Even if I demanded your life, you should offer your head without a moment’s hesitation instead of standing here accusing this Princess!"

"..."

Jiang Chen rolled his eyes.

’So she’s a princess. No wonder she’s so arrogant and cold.’

’But still...’

’So what if you’re a princess?’

Jiang Chen said coolly, "So it is Her Royal Highness, the Princess. I don’t think you’ve grasped your current situation. This is not your Han Dynasty; this is the Celestial Fate Ancient Realm. Forget the fact that I just saved you. Even if I were to finish you off right here, right now, you couldn’t do a thing about it. Here’s a word of advice: you’d best drop that princess attitude. Otherwise, you may not leave the Celestial Fate Ancient Realm alive!"

With that said, Jiang Chen had no desire to linger. He turned and flew off to the side.

He didn’t see, however, that the moment he turned, Sima Qingling’s expression had turned utterly hideous with humiliation.

A sinister, cold light glinted in her large, watery eyes. Her slender shoulders trembled, and fury threatened to erupt from her gaze. "You vile lecher! You think you can take liberties with this Princess and just walk away? I swear, I will have your hands today!"

The moment she finished speaking, Sima Qingling charged at Jiang Chen, two glowing daggers appearing in her slender hands.

They were two Earth Tier Advanced Profound Weapons!

With a single move, two long, cyan dragons of light slashed toward Jiang Chen’s arms.

She intended to sever his arms in one blow!

"You’re courting death!"

Jiang Chen lashed out with a backhanded palm strike.

A dark golden light flared from his palm, striking the edges of the two daggers. With a crisp CLANG, the sharp blades were sent flying.

The force of the impact stung Sima Qingling’s slender hands, forcing her to let go as the daggers flew from her grasp.

"Come here!"

He opened his palm, and the two daggers flew into his hand. He glanced at them before storing them in his Storage Ring. A cold look appeared on his face as he looked at Sima Qingling. "I’ll take these two Profound Weapons as compensation for your sneak attack. Don’t make me hit a woman!"

"You bastard!"

Sima Qingling’s face paled and flushed with rage, her eyes seething.

In all her twenty-odd years, she had been the center of everyone’s adoration. When had she ever been treated this way?

Gritting her teeth, Sima Qingling spread her slender arms. A silver bracelet on her wrist burst forth with a blinding silver light. It instantly enlarged, transforming into a massive iron ring tens of meters in diameter. She let out a sharp cry, "God-Binding Ring!"

HUM!

The silver ring flashed, flying above Jiang Chen’s head. Pulsing with a silvery glint, it plummeted down.

It trapped Jiang Chen directly within its circumference.

A triumphant smile spread across Sima Qingling’s face. "Weren’t you so arrogant? How dare you take this Princess’s Profound Weapons? Now, watch how I deal with you!"

Her True Essence surged, gathering at her fingertip.

She pointed.

A sharp, cyan beam shot toward Jiang Chen’s arm. With a dull THUD, the ball of True Essence detonated against his right arm. Half his sleeve was blasted to shreds, leaving his muscle scorched black. The searing pain made Jiang Chen’s expression turn grim.

Staring at Sima Qingling with dark eyes, Jiang Chen gritted his teeth. "Are you ever going to stop?"

"Never!"

Sima Qingling laughed triumphantly, a cold, haughty look in her eyes. "Originally, I was just going to cut off your hands and let you live. But you dared to fight back against this Princess. So today, not only will I sever your hands, I will also cripple your cultivation! No... I’m going to chop off your little ’thing’ and make you a eunuch!"

Jiang Chen’s brow twitched. "..."

’A eunuch?’

’Cripple my cultivation, too?’

’Damn it!’

’This woman is the very definition of a spoiled, tyrannical princess!’

’I just accidentally touched you, and for that you want to unman me?’

At that thought, Jiang Chen snorted coldly, his expression grim. "I never thought someone who looks so angelic could have such a venomous heart. If that’s how it is, then I won’t feel bad about what I’m about to do!"

"Hm?"

Sima Qingling froze, her expression suddenly changing.

A dark golden light flickered around Jiang Chen as his muscles bulged, hard as lead. Blue veins coiled around his arms like the bars of a prison. He suddenly let out a low roar and flexed his arms with immense force.

BOOM—

As a blinding, dark golden light erupted, Jiang Chen pushed his strength to its absolute limit.

Cracks began to appear all over the God-Binding Ring before it exploded with a final BANG.

"H-How is that possible? H-He actually... shattered the God-Binding Ring?" Sima Qingling’s expression shifted, her red lips slightly parted in utter shock.

Jiang Chen sneered. "You wanted to make me a eunuch, did you? As it happens, I’m in need of a maidservant to attend to me. You’ll do nicely. Get over here!"

His hand shot out through the air.

He grabbed Sima Qingling by the throat. A cold smile played on his lips. "From now on, you will obediently stay by my side and be my maidservant!"

"You bastard... You dare to make this Princess a maidservant? You’re courting death!" Sima Qingling raged.

Jiang Chen merely sneered, saying nothing. He raised his hand and brought it down hard.

SMACK!

Sima Qingling gasped. The expression on her pretty face was a sight to behold. She stared at Jiang Chen in disbelief, her look slowly morphing into cold, killing intent and hysterical venom. "You bastard... You son of a bitch, you dare hit this Princess *there*? I’ll tear you limb from limb..."

"Still so defiant? You clearly need to be taught a lesson!"

Jiang Chen shook his head as his hand fell again.

SMACK! SMACK!

"Do you submit?"

"I’ll never submit! I’m going to kill you!"

SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

"Any objections to being my maidservant?"

"Even if you kill me, I’ll..."

"Master, I don’t dare... I really don’t dare anymore," Sima Qingling said in a crisp voice, her eyes wide and pitiful.

Jiang Chen nodded.

He condensed a speck of Profound Yellow True Essence on his fingertip and sent it into Sima Qingling’s body. "This strand of my True Essence will remain inside you," he said lightly. "If you dare pull any more stunts, I’ll detonate it and leave you a cripple!"

"I understand, Master. I will be sure to obey you from now on!" Sima Qingling said quickly.

Only then did Jiang Chen nod in satisfaction. He released Sima Qingling, and his gaze shifted. "Right... since you’re a princess of the Han Dynasty, you must know a thing or two about the Celestial Fate Ancient Realm, right?"

"Mhm!"

Sima Qingling hurriedly explained, "My Father, the Emperor, told me that after entering the Celestial Fate Ancient Realm, we are randomly assigned to one of the Eighteen States of Celestial Fate. Each state has a main city, and we have to get there as quickly as possible to receive a Celestial Fate Order. Only then does the true hunting trial begin. Before you get a Celestial Fate Order, you won’t earn any points, no matter how many Demon Beasts or enemies you kill!"

"I see!"

Jiang Chen nodded and continued to ask, "Do you know which state we’re in?"

"This should be the Sixteenth State!" Sima Qingling said, looking around. "The main city of the Sixteenth State is to the east and is called Celestial Relief City. Master, shall we go there now?"

"Of course. Let’s go!" Jiang Chen nodded and said.

Sima Qingling quickly added, "Master, I have a chariot. It can make our travel much easier!"

Sima Qingling then took a pink chariot out of her Storage Ring.

Jiang Chen and Sima Qingling sat in the chariot, which flew east toward Celestial Relief City...