Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

A hundred-zhang Sword Aura blazed across the sky—a divine light soaring toward the heavens, incomparably sharp.

This sword strike was like the gaze of a Celestial God—incredibly sharp as it stretched across the sky. Wherever the Sword Aura passed, the air was instantly burned to a boil, its unending roar filling the ears.

Two waves of air split along the sword’s tip, stirring up two gales that howled and swept outwards.

Sand flew and stones tumbled as a fierce wind raged!

The banners snapped and fluttered. The battle armor on the experts of the Red Flame Army clanged as if struck by countless blades. The crisp, unending sounds filled the air. In the midst of the icy Sword Qi Storm, some Martial Artists with weaker Martial Arts Cultivation turned pale and bloodless.

BOOM—

The hundred-zhang Sword Aura slammed down, and Qian Luohao and his two companions simultaneously activated their Defensive Martial Skills to resist.

Azure and yellow light flickered erratically!

"Break!"

Jiang Chen uttered the word with indifference as the azure light on the Sword Aura surged violently.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of three terrifying energy explosions erupted, forcing Qian Luohao and his companions to scatter and evade the attack’s spearhead. Their triangular Battle Array broke on its own!

"Tiger Subduing Mountain Opening Seal!"

After dodging the vicious sword strike, Qian Luohao immediately turned and charged back.

His face was a ferocious mask, his brows knitted like a roaring tiger’s. His hands formed a seal and struck down violently.

Golden True Essence Light erupted from his five fingers, shooting across the sky like five beams. They intertwined to form a ferocious golden tiger. With a roar that shook the mountains, a brilliant golden light erupted from beneath the tiger’s paws, rippling outward to condense into a majestic golden mountain.

Crouched atop the golden mountain, the tiger bore down on Jiang Chen, bringing the mountain’s weight with it.

This seal packed the force of a hundred thousand jin—enough to heavily injure, or even kill, an ordinary expert of the True Martial Realm Second Stage!

Qian Luohao’s gaze was frigid, his killing intent palpable. "Little bastard, go to hell!"

"Insignificant tricks."

Jiang Chen sneered. With a flick of his wrist, the Sword Qi hanging in the air twisted like a swimming dragon. Amplified by his Wind Sword Intent, the azure sword light’s speed skyrocketed. It appeared to be a single strike, but in reality, hundreds of Sword Qi had already shot forth, slamming into the Golden Mountain Tiger Seal.

BOOM—

The light from the Mountain Tiger Seal dimmed as cracks spiderwebbed across its surface. It was pierced clean through by the sword strike and split in two!

The Sword Aura continued unabated, piercing through Qian Luohao’s shoulder with a PFFT.

"Pathetically weak," Jiang Chen sneered, glancing at him.

Qian Luohao quickly swallowed a Healing Elixir. His gaze was dark and predatory as he said to Luoo Ri and Meng Qing, "This kid is stronger than we thought. We have to team up."

"It seems to be the only way!"

"Even Gongsun Yangg died at his hands. It’s no disgrace for us to fight him together!"

Meng Qing and Luoo Ri exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.

An icy glint flashed in the eyes of all three men as killing intent surged. They stared fixedly at Jiang Chen. "Little bastard, in all of Yulan Mansion’s younger generation, aside from Zhao Qiankun, you’re the only one who could force the three of us to team up."

"Don’t get cocky, little bastard. Soon I’ll break your bones one by one and show you a fate worse than death!"

"I’ll grind your bones to dust!"

Three streaks of light shot toward Jiang Chen. Fearless, he held his sword in one hand and soared into the sky, instantly clashing with Qian Luohao and his two companions.

A chaotic kaleidoscope of True Essence Light exploded in the air like brilliant fireworks.

The battle between the four raged on!

"Jiang Chen is terrifying! To have such strength at his age... He’s bound to become a world-renowned master in the future!"

"It’s a pity he’s so reckless, provoking so many people. Forget about surviving this siege by Qian Luohao and his men—he stands no chance against Zhao Qiankun alone!"

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Not far away...

Before the tombstone, Yulan Shouqing, the Mansion Master of Yulan Mansion, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Wang Yizhou, the Commander-in-Chief of the Red Flame Army. With narrowed eyes, they watched the four people fighting fiercely in mid-air. They would occasionally murmur to each other or reveal a hint of surprise, both captivated by the intense battle.

Behind them, Yulan Tianpeng and Si Xiaosheng stared at each other, at a loss. They had urged Yulan Shouqing and Wang Yizhou to intervene and help Jiang Chen, but had been refused.

Now, all they could do was stand there and watch the battle with anxiety.

"Yizhou, what do you make of this boy?" Yulan Shouqing suddenly asked.

Wang Yizhou fell silent for a moment before shaking his head with a meaningful smile. "Truly a rare talent. He’s not even eighteen, yet he possesses such strength. Even in the Saint Martial Sword Sect, he’d be considered a first-rate genius. If we could recruit him into Yulan Academy and cultivate him with all our resources, perhaps our Yulan Mansion could produce a young prodigy on par with a Core Disciple from the Saint Martial Sword Sect!"

"Of course I understand what you’re saying," Yulan Shouqing said with a wry smile, shrugging. "But I’ve already had people investigate Jiang Chen’s identity. He... is already a disciple of the Saint Martial Sword Sect!"

Yulan Shouqing was not only the Mansion Master of Yulan Mansion but also the one steering the ship at Yulan Academy.

Naturally, he hoped to recruit more geniuses for Yulan Academy.

However...

In the Saint Martial Dynasty, every genius longed to join the Saint Martial Sword Sect. Ordinary academies simply couldn’t compete with the Sword Sect.

"What a shame!"

Wang Yizhou sighed. No one could resist the allure of the Saint Martial Sword Sect. Since Jiang Chen was already a disciple, it was unrealistic for Yulan Academy to try and recruit him.

His gaze swept over to Zhao Qiankun, who was watching coldly from the sidelines. A cold glint flashed deep in his eyes as he lowered his voice. "Mansion Master, ever since Zhao Qiankun entered the Saint Martial Sword Sect, he’s found a powerful backer in the Imperial Capital for the Qinghuo Gang. The gang has been growing more and more audacious. I have reports that old fox Zhao Qinghuo is rallying the various powers within the mansion. Rumor has it their backer in the Imperial Capital intends to let Zhao Qinghuo take over Yulan Mansion!"

"Hmph, that old fox Zhao Qinghuo..." Yulan Shouqing snorted, a terrifyingly cold light flashing in his narrowed eyes.

Listening to the two men converse, it was clear they had no intention of intervening to stop the fight or protect Jiang Chen.

Yulan Tianpeng grew anxious and said in a heavy tone, "Father, how long are you going to wait before you stop Qian Luohao and his men?"

"Patience, patience."

Yulan Shouqing gently shook his head, his face holding a profound, unreadable smile. "This little brother of yours isn’t so simple... When the time comes for me to act, I will."

Wang Yizhou chuckled. Just as he was about to speak, his expression changed subtly. He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "It’s about to end."

"Hm?"

"End?"

Yulan Tianpeng and Si Xiaosheng were both stunned and turned their gazes back to the fight.

"I thought the three of you teaming up might at least serve as a decent warm-up for my battle with Zhao Qiankun. I didn’t expect you to be this useless. Forget it. Continuing this is just a waste of time. This meaningless fight ends now!"

Jiang Chen spoke with indifference, his figure hovering in the air. Suddenly, his sword sliced through the sky.

RUMBLE—

As this azure Sword Aura streaked across the sky, wind and clouds churned across the Celestial Vault. Terrifying storms materialized from nothing, the wind shrieking like ancient beasts howling in fury.

A Sword Aura, three hundred zhang long and imbued with a boundless gale, blotted out the sky and sun, illuminating the entire Celestial Demon Canyon!

"No..."

Before the sword strike even landed, the azure True Essence Giant Shield in front of Qian Luohao was shredded to pieces. The Gale Sword Qi slammed into his body. Qian Luohao screamed in agony as blood poured from his facial orifices. He crashed to the ground like a cannonball. With a dull THUD, the earth trembled, and Qian Luohao was driven deep into the soil.

"Block it!" A phantom of the Luoo God materialized behind Luoo Ri as he unleashed his Innate Divine Technique: Luoo God’s Guardian!

A shimmering Qingyi enveloped his body—a defensive Divine Technique!

But under Jiang Chen’s terrifying Sword Qi, the shimmering Qingyi shattered into a cloud of azure energy fragments that scattered and fell. Luoo Ri’s robes exploded, and in the blink of an eye, a thousand gashes appeared all over his body, bleeding profusely. Jiang Chen’s sword pierced him through the chest, pinning him to the cliff face.

"Fuck, this kid’s a monster..." Meng Qing’s pupils shrank, his heart seized by terror. He turned to flee.

"And where do you think you’re going?"

Jiang Chen’s voice sounded right in his ear, like a phantom’s whisper.

Meng Qing reflexively turned his head, only to see a fair-skinned palm swinging toward him faster than lightning. SLAP! The crisp sound echoed as Meng Qing’s mind went blank, his head ringing.

WHOOSH! With a single slap, Jiang Chen sent Meng Qing—a dignified expert of the True Martial Realm Second Stage—flying through the air to crash violently onto the ground.

His internal organs were all ruptured from the impact.

In the blink of an eye, all three masters of the True Martial Realm Second Stage had been defeated!

Jiang Chen stood in mid-air, sword in hand. His robes fluttered, and his black hair drifted on an unseen wind. An indifferent voice escaped his lips...

"Pathetically weak."