75: To refuse to bow before the emperor is punishable by death? Then I will slaughter this false emperor!

Golden light exploded, and Divine Might felt like a prison.

The phantom of the middle-aged man wearing the Nine Dragon Emperor Robe stood there, causing this shattered world to wail once more.

A Peak Quasi-Emperor's Divine Thought!

That was a supreme existence that had touched the end of the "Dao."

"Puff—!"

Lu Qingchan bore the brunt of it.

She was already heavily injured and had not yet recovered. Struck by this emperor's pressure that overwhelmed the divine Domain, she spat out a mouthful of blood. Her kneecaps let out an overwhelmed cracking sound as her entire body was pressed toward the ground.

It was a crushing blow at the level of life itself.

If she did not kneel, her bones would shatter.

On the other side, Celestial Maiden Qingyin within the Formation was in an even worse state.

Blood seeped from every pore of her body, and her consciousness grew blurred. Like a lonely boat in a storm, she was on the verge of being ground into dust by this pressure.

Only one person remained.

Su Xuanchen still held the Third Highness by the neck with one hand, his spine straight as a spear piercing the sky.

His starlight robes fluttered loudly, and his black hair danced wildly. There was no fear in his eyes; instead, a sky-toppling Battle Intent burned within them.

"Hurt your son?"

Su Xuanchen looked at the high-and-mighty Peak Quasi-Emperor phantom and gave a wild, arrogant laugh.

"I'm not just going to hurt him."

"I'm going to slaughter him."

"What can you do to me?"

Silence.

Dead silence.

The Third Highness, being held in his hand, had originally hoped his Imperial Father would save his life. Hearing this, he was so terrified his eyes nearly popped out.

Madman!

This was a complete and utter madman!

Facing the Divine Martial King, facing a Peak Quasi-Emperor, he actually dared to say such things?!

"Presumptuous!"

The Divine Martial King's phantom was enraged.

When an emperor is enraged, millions of corpses are laid to rest.

"An ant shaking a tree, truly knowing not the height of the heavens."

"Those who meet an Emperor and do not bow shall be executed!"

Boom!

The phantom raised its hand.

There were no fancy Divine Abilities, just a simple palm pressing down.

The heavens and earth collapsed.

A golden giant palm that blotted out the sun, containing despair-inducing emperor's Law, suppressed down toward Su Xuanchen's head.

This palm sealed time and space and severed Karma.

It was unavoidable.

Lu Qingchan closed her eyes in despair.

It was over.

A strike from a Peak Quasi-Emperor, even if only from a Divine Thought Incarnation, was absolutely not something a Great Sage could contend with.

However.

"Emperor?"

Su Xuanchen looked at the falling giant palm and laughed.

His laughter shook the nine heavens.

"A mere wisp of Divine Thought dares to claim the title of Great Emperor?"

"Today, I shall show you what a truly invincible method looks like!"

"Qingchan, lend me your sword!"

Su Xuanchen beckoned with his hand.

The green broken sword in Lu Qingchan's hand let out a clear sword cry and flew into Su Xuanchen's hand of its own accord.

"Buzz—!"

Su Xuanchen's aura changed.

If he was a domineering Great Sage just a moment ago, now he was like a demon god stepping out of the primeval chaos.

Inside his body, the Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Primordial Demon Body Origin burned frantically.

Black-gold demonic patterns crawled over his entire body, and his originally jade-like skin transformed into an indestructible demon's Physical Body.

Simultaneously.

The Zhou Tian Star Emperor Scripture operated to its limit, with billions of stars rising and falling behind him.

But that was not enough!

Su Xuanchen's eyes turned crimson, and the taboo gate inside him that had been sealed wide open.

"Nine Tribulations Secret Codex—First Tribulation!"

"Tenfold Combat Power, open!"

Rumble!

A terrifying aura that exceeded the limits of a Great Sage and touched that taboo Domain erupted from Su Xuanchen's body.

That was pure power.

Power sufficient to shatter the vacuum and break the rules!

"Myriad Tribulations... Emperor-Slaying Sword!"

Su Xuanchen gripped the sword with both hands and swung it fiercely at the falling golden giant palm.

This sword strike.

It fused the dominance of the Myriad Tribulations Battle Method, the vastness of the Star Emperor Sutra, and the explosive power of the Nine Tribulations Secret Codex.

There was no dazzling sword light.

Only a fine ink-black line silently sliced through the Void Realm.

That was a spatial rift.

It was also the manifestation of destruction.

"Slash—!"

Like a hot knife through butter.

The golden giant palm containing the Peak Quasi-Emperor Law was split in two the moment it touched the black line.

The sword momentum did not diminish, surging upward against the flow!

"What?!"

On the majestic face of the Divine Martial King's phantom, a human-like look of shock appeared for the first time.

He sensed a threat.

A lethal threat!

"This is impossible! You are a Great Sage... how could you possibly unleash a strike at the Peak Quasi-Emperor level?!"

"Too late."

Su Xuanchen's cold voice rang in his ear.

The black line sliced across the phantom's waist.

"No—!"

The Divine Martial King's phantom let out an unwilling roar.

The next second.

It shattered.

That Peak Quasi-Emperor Divine Thought, capable of suppressing the divine Domain, was actually sliced into a sky full of golden dust by this single sword strike!

But it wasn't over yet.

The terrifying Sword Intent's aftershock swept over the Third Highness in Su Xuanchen's hand.

"Imperial Father, save—"

"Puff!"

The Third Highness didn't even have time to scream.

His entire body exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

Even the blood mist was strangled into nothingness by the Sword Intent.

Physical Body, Primordial Spirit, True Spirit.

Completely erased.

It was as if an eraser had been used to wipe away every trace of this person's existence in the world.

He didn't even have a chance to reincarnate.

One sword.

Slaying a Peak Quasi-Emperor's Divine Thought and annihilating an Imperial Court prince!

The dust settled.

The green broken sword in Su Xuanchen's hand shattered into powder with a "crack."

Mortal iron could hardly withstand the emperor's might.

He stood atop the ruins, his chest heaving slightly, as the black-gold Devilish Qi surrounding him gradually withdrew.

In the eyes of Lu Qingchan and Celestial Maiden Qingyin, his back appeared more towering than a god's.

"Whew..."

Su Xuanchen let out a long breath and casually brushed the dust off his sleeves.

"What Divine Martial King."

"He's nothing more than this."

... "Ding-ling..."

The crisp sound of chains clashing rang out.

The Formation shattered, and Celestial Maiden Qingyin, freed from her restraints, fell from mid-air.

Su Xuanchen was quick to act, waving his large sleeve. A gentle Star Power caught her and placed her softly on the ground.

By now, Celestial Maiden Qingyin had lost her previous holy and cold demeanor.

She looked at Su Xuanchen, her ethereal eyes filled with nothing but deep shock and awe.

He was too strong.

So strong it induced despair, yet also... peace of mind.

"Many thanks... Young Master, for saving my life."

Celestial Maiden Qingyin struggled to get up, and regardless of her injuries and disheveled state, she knelt on both knees and performed a great bow to Su Xuanchen.

Her forehead touched the ground in utter devotion.

"Qingyin has no way to repay you."

"I am willing to follow Young Master, to be your slave or maid, and serve you for the rest of my life."

This was no polite formality.

It was an instinctive submission after being completely awed by that Heaven-Defying combat power.

In this world where the strong prey on the weak, being able to follow such a peerless powerhouse was an Opportunity that countless people could only dream of.

Su Xuanchen looked down at her.

Her clothes were ragged and she looked pitiful, yet it was hard to hide that unique temperament—a blend of natural allure and holiness.

"Get up."

Su Xuanchen raised his hand, and a strand of pure life essence entered her body, helping her stabilize her injuries.

"Since you are my Qingyue's musician, I naturally cannot let you die here."

"From now on, you shall follow Qingchan."

"Recover well; this Young Master does not keep idle people."

"Yes! Master!"

Celestial Maiden Qingyin was overjoyed, her eyes reddening.

She understood that her life was saved.

Furthermore, she had latched onto a backer infinitely more powerful than Great Sage White Bone!

On the other side.

Lu Qingchan stared blankly at the sword hilt in her hand—it was her life-bound Flying Sword, and now only the hilt remained.

If it were before, she would surely have been so heartbroken her heart would bleed.

But now.

She looked at the man standing not far away, and a never-before-felt strange emotion surged in her heart.

That sword strike just now.

He had done it to save her.

Facing the Peak Quasi-Emperor's Divine Thought, he did not retreat. Instead, he borrowed her sword to unleash that earth-shattering blow.

"Why are you standing there like a fool?"

Su Xuanchen walked over and flicked her forehead.

"The sword is broken; I'll compensate you with a better one later."

"Come, let's go see what treasures that old bag of bones has hidden."

Lu Qingchan clutched her forehead. The scolding words she intended to say turned into a very faint "Mhm."

The humiliation and unwillingness in her heart seemed to have been mostly severed by that sword strike.

It was a sweetness and shyness that she herself didn't dare to admit...

Being his maidservant... might not be so unacceptable?

... Deep within the White Bone Demon Palace, the treasury.

Most of the Demon Palace had been destroyed, but the treasury was protected by a Formation and was still relatively intact.

Su Xuanchen scanned it with his Divine Thought and frowned slightly.

"Poor guy."

"A dignified Great Sage has only this much wealth?"

Aside from some saint medicines and Artifact Refining Materials, there were only a few ordinary saint weapons, which couldn't even catch his eye.

"Hmm?"

Just as Su Xuanchen was about to turn and leave.

His gaze was suddenly drawn to an inconspicuous object in the corner.

It was a black, dingy thing that looked like the lid of a broken clay pot.

It was covered in dust and copper rust, looking like trash thrown away by a Mortal.

However, the Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Primordial Demon Body Origin inside Su Xuanchen's body trembled slightly.

There was something strange about it.

Su Xuanchen walked over and reached out to pick up the lid.

It was heavy in his hand and bone-chillingly cold.

He tried to inject a wisp of spiritual energy.

"Buzz!"

The copper rust on the lid peeled off in response.

A ghost face pattern that seemed both crying and smiling emerged.

An extremely faint yet pure emperor-level aura flashed and vanished.

"This is..."

Su Xuanchen's pupils constricted, and his heart skipped a beat.

Is it a Great Emperor's supreme dao emperor weapon?!

... Meanwhile.

Hundreds of millions of miles away.

Crimson Blood Imperial Court, Divine Martial King's Mansion.

"Rumble—!"

An incredibly luxurious palace turned into powder without any warning.

A ten-thousand-zhang-long crimson-gold Heavenly Dragon circled and roared above the mansion. Its terrifying Dragon might caused the entire Imperial Court to tremble.

That was the Third Highness's birth mother.

The Heavenly Dragon Imperial Daughter, who was also a genuine Quasi-Emperor!

"Who is it?!"

"Who killed my son?!"

The shrill Dragon roar echoed through the heavens, filled with the pain of losing a son and a sky-toppling killing intent.

"I will exterminate his nine generations! I will tear him into ten thousand pieces!"

Below.

The Divine Martial King stood amidst the ruins, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

A Life-soul Jade Slip in his hand had already shattered into powder.

Just now.

His Divine Thought Clone was slain, and his son's life-soul shattered at the same time.

"My Lord!"

The Heavenly Dragon Imperial Daughter transformed into human form and rushed before the Divine Martial King with disheveled hair, her eyes crimson.

"Divination! Do a divination quickly!"

"I want to know who the murderer is! I want to go and kill him right now!"

The Divine Martial King took a breath, formed hand Seals, and sacrificed an ancient tortoise shell.

Divination of heavenly secrets!

"Puff—!"

However.

Hardly had he begun when the tortoise shell shattered with a "crack."

The Divine Martial King suffered a backlash and spat out a mouthful of golden essence blood. He staggered back, his eyes filled with horror.

"Unmeasurable..."

His voice trembled as he stared at the fragments of the tortoise shell.

"A terrifying force has obscured the heavenly secrets."

"Furthermore, in that instant just now, I sensed a great horror."

"If I forced the divination, I... would die."

"What?!"

The Heavenly Dragon Imperial Daughter was stunned.

She looked at her husband in disbelief.

The Divine Martial King was a Peak Quasi-Emperor, an existence with half a foot in the Great Emperor realm!

To divine a murderer, he would actually die?!

"Could it be... those old monsters in the forbidden zones have made a move?"

The Divine Martial King shook his head, his gaze turning toward the distant direction of the Kunxu Divine Domain, his eyes full of wariness.

"I'm not sure."

"But this person has reached the level of 'unmeasurable even by an Emperor'."

"Before we find out their background..."

He gritted his teeth and said word by word:

"We can only swallow our pride and endure this for now!"

... Center of the Kunxu Divine Domain.

Deep within the vast and boundless Supreme Academy.

Several elderly figures were sitting cross-legged on the clouds, originally discussing the Dao.

Suddenly.

An invisible Sword Intent ripple crossed hundreds of millions of miles of void and swept across their hearts.

It was the sword strike that had annihilated the Peak Quasi-Emperor's Divine Thought.

"What a domineering Sword Intent!"

A white-haired old man abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them.

"This aura... is not that of a Great Emperor, yet it possesses the power to slay an Emperor."

"Could it be that a Prodigy hidden by some Emperor Clan has emerged?"

Another old woman's cloudy eyes flashed with a strange light.

"A chaotic era is approaching, and prodigies are rising together."