Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

Outside Yandu City, before the Zhenjiang Stele.

Though it was early morning, the area was already packed with a sea of people. An endless stream of onlookers continued to arrive, forming a dense, dark mass.

There was no end in sight!

"The hunt is about to end. I wonder who will take first place this time!"

"It has to be Jiang Ziyou. She’s a master at the Martial Arts Seventh Stage. Besides, I heard the Jiang Family sent a ton of experts to ensure she wins..."

"Lin Yu is no slouch either. I heard Lin Shengfeng even sent out the Death Warriors the Lin Family painstakingly trained!"

"Xu Qilin, Chen Fan, and Jian Shisan all have a shot at the top spot..." A middle-aged man dressed as a scholar gently fanned himself, a look of pity on his face. "It’s just a shame that Jiang Chen was ostracized by everyone and doesn’t have a single person to help him. Otherwise, with his ability to rank first on the Zhenjiang Stele, he’d be a hot contender for the crown too!"

"Jiang Chen? Heh heh, he offended experts from the Four Great Clans and foolishly defied the Special Envoy. He’ll be lucky to make it back alive!"

Waves of discussion rippled through the crowd.

Clearly, no one was betting on Jiang Chen!

In their eyes, only the talented masters cultivated by powers like the Four Great Clans and the Money Commerce Association were qualified to compete for first place in the hunt.

However...

What they didn’t know was that these invincible chosen ones, these geniuses they thought could win it all, had already died miserably at the hands of the very Jiang Chen they despised!

DONG! DONG! DONG!

A melodious bell chimed as Qian Duoduo ascended the sacrificial altar, his face beaming with excitement. "There are only two hours left until the end of the hunt! Our warriors will be returning soon. Right now, the Money Commerce Association will be opening the floor for betting! You can place your wagers on who you think will win first place. Time is limited, so place your bets quickly!"

"What? There’s a betting pool?"

"Hey, look! Jiang Ziyou’s odds are only 1-to-0.5? And Xu Qilin, Lin Yu, Chen Fan, and Jian Shisan are all 1-to-1?"

"Hahaha, Jiang Chen, the number one on the Zhenjiang Stele, has odds of 1-to-10? Even the Money Commerce Association doesn’t have faith in him. Looks like Jiang Chen really has no hope of claiming the top spot!"

The release of the betting odds immediately captured everyone’s attention.

Even Yun Haoran and the others, seated on the high platform, were drawn in by the lively scene below.

Sima Tao said with a smile, "That Qian Duoduo really is a talent to be able to run the Money Commerce Association. To think he’d open a betting pool here."

"Indeed. Qian Duoduo’s business acumen is something we can only dream of," Xu Ying nodded in agreement. His eyes flashed as he said to a servant beside him, "Go, bet a hundred thousand silver each on Qilin and the young lady of the Jiang Family."

"Such a grand gesture, Patriarch Xu!"

Chen Tianrun grinned. "However, for the great Patriarch of the Xu Family to place such a heavy bet on the Jiang Family’s daughter... you don’t seem to have much confidence in your own son, do you?"

Xu Ying said coolly, "This is business. Naturally, one must choose the option with the lowest risk. If Patriarch Chen has complete confidence in your Chen Fan, why not place a heavy bet on him?"

"Of course I have complete confidence in my son!" Chen Tianrun sneered and ordered his subordinate, "Go, bet two hundred thousand silver on the young master!"

Lin Shengfeng, Sima Tao, and Jiang Tai all placed their bets one after another.

Sima Tao looked at Yun Haoran and Bai Ling. "Special Envoys, why not place a bet or two for fun?"

"If that’s the case, then I shall bet five hundred thousand on Junior Sister Ziyou!" Yun Haoran thought for a moment before speaking with a casual expression.

Sima Tao’s eyes lit up. "As expected of the Special Envoy!" he exclaimed. "Such boldness is truly impressive!"

Jiang Tai chuckled. "Thank you for your support of my daughter, Special Envoy!"

Yun Haoran waved his hand dismissively and looked at Bai Ling. "Junior Sister Bai, aren’t you going to place a bet for fun?"

"Since Senior Brother Yun is asking, I suppose I’ll give it a try!" Bai Ling’s eyes darted around, and she placed a bet of one hundred thousand silver on Jiang Chen.

Everyone was stunned.

Yun Haoran raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Junior Sister Bai, you’re actually betting on that waste, Jiang Chen? Aren’t you afraid of that hundred thousand silver going down the drain?"

"Yes, Special Envoy Bai, you should bet on my daughter instead!" Jiang Tai said with a fawning expression. "My daughter has a 99% chance of winning first place. Betting on her gives you the best odds of winning!"

Bai Ling replied coolly, "I simply have more faith in Jiang Chen, so naturally, I’ll bet on him. Besides... so what if I lose? It’s only a hundred thousand silver. I, Bai Ling, can afford to lose that much!"

"Heh, since Junior Sister Bai has money to burn and wants to lose a round, we naturally won’t say any more!" Yun Haoran said sarcastically.

Bai Ling shot him a glance but didn’t say a word.

......

Time slowly passed...

Many of the experts returned one after another. Every one of them bore injuries and bloodstains to some degree. Many looked so drained they were on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. Clearly, the past five days had not been easy for them.

During this time, many experts from the Four Great Clans also returned.

The faces of Lin Shengfeng, Chen Tianrun, Xu Ying, and Qian Duoduo, who had been full of excitement and anticipation, slowly began to turn grim.

As more and more people returned, the figures of Lin Yu, Chen Fan, Xu Qilin, and Jian Shisan remained conspicuously absent, filling them with a deep sense of unease.

It wasn’t until they heard news of Lin Yu and the others’ misfortune from their surviving clan experts that the expressions of these patriarchs and association heads changed completely. A terrifying, monstrous killing intent erupted from each of them.

"Who? Who in the hell killed my son?"

"Tell me, who killed Qilin? I’ll tear him to pieces!"

"I will avenge my son..."

The faces of Lin Shengfeng, Chen Tianrun, Xu Ying, and Qian Duoduo became incredibly ugly, their killing intent gushing forth like a spring. A chilling aura filled the air above the altar.

Faced with the fury of these titans, no one dared to speak.

Until Jiang Ziyou returned...

"Ziyou, my men told me you were exploring the Beast Nest with Lin Yu and the others. Why have you returned while they are all dead?" Lin Shengfeng said in a low voice, suppressing his rage.

Xu Ying, Chen Tianrun, Qian Duoduo, and the others also stared intently at Jiang Ziyou, awaiting her answer.

If not for the fact that Jiang Ziyou was about to become a disciple of the Saint Martial Sword Sect, and if not for Yun Haoran standing right beside her, they would have already seized her and forced an answer from her.

Jiang Ziyou’s eyes darted, and her demeanor instantly changed to that of a pitiful, helpless maiden, tears welling in her eyes. "Uncle Lin, Uncle Chen, Uncle Qian, and Uncle Xu... Lin Yu and the others were fighting the Green Water Golden-eyed Beast with me, but... but we were ambushed by Jiang Chen! He killed them all..."

"It’s all my fault. Jiang Chen hates me. I’m the one who got Xu Qilin and the others involved..."

Jiang Ziyou said with a self-reproachful expression, tears streaming down her face.

"Jiang Chen? Good, good, very good. So it was Jiang Chen..."

"I’ll tear you limb from limb!"

"Flaying you alive and pulling out your tendons wouldn’t be enough to quell the hatred in my heart..."

Lin Shengfeng and the others had murder in their eyes, their teeth clenched in rage.

At that moment, everyone committed a name to memory—Jiang Chen.

In the eyes of the world, he was a cultivation waste that no one had ever believed in, an outcast everyone spat on. He was nothing more than a pathetic wretch, homeless after being cast out of the Jiang Family...

Lin Shengfeng and the others had only ever treated Jiang Chen as a joke. From start to finish, they hadn’t even deigned to look him in the eye.

Yet it was this little nobody who had killed their proudest, most outstanding sons!

This drove their killing intent for Jiang Chen to its absolute peak!

Jiang Ziyou secretly glanced at the patriarchs. Seeing that she had successfully incited their killing intent toward Jiang Chen, she laughed inwardly. ’Jiang Chen, let’s see who can save you this time!’

An idea came to her, and she continued in a pitiful, tear-choked voice, "Uncles, Jiang Chen’s methods are too cruel. While we were fighting the Green Water Golden-eyed Beast, he launched a sneak attack and lopped off Lin Yu’s head with a single strike! He even said that our Four Great Clans are worthless, and that anyone who dares to oppose him will die. Xu Qilin and the others were all killed protecting me. They died so horribly... you must avenge them!"

Spurred on by Jiang Ziyou’s words, the killing intent of Lin Shengfeng and the others grew even stronger...

These titans, men who could make Yandu City tremble with a stomp of their feet, all turned in unison to look toward the Yulan River, waiting only for Jiang Chen’s return to strike him down.

Under the watchful eyes of the masses...

Just as the two-hour deadline was about to expire, Jiang Chen’s figure finally appeared.