162: Chapter 162 Clash

"Who are you? What is your business in my Azure Empire?" a majestic woman wearing a red and gold dress embroidered with Phoenix patterns and a God Empress crown asked loudly from within the array.

She was tall with a noble temperament and a cold, elegant face; her eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, as if they could pierce through a person's inner heart.

Standing behind her were three white-haired but energetic old men who exuded powerful Auras; they were clearly important figures of the Azure Empire.

In addition, there were hundreds of God Realm experts dressed in official robes and general uniforms, lined up neatly with an imposing and awe-inspiring Aura.

Cao Yang stood at the bow of the ship. The array outside the ship had already closed, and his gaze was calm and firm as he looked at the Azure Empire experts suspended above the city walls.

His voice was strong and powerful, carrying an unquestionable dominance as he spoke, "I am the Lord of the Heavenly Court, the Heavenly Emperor. I have come to conquer the Divine Realm. Is your Azure Empire willing to submit to the Heavenly Court?"

The Azure Empire's Ruler, Lan Lan Yanran, furrowed her Phoenix-like brows deeply, a flash of surprise and doubt crossing her eyes.

She hadn't expected anyone to dare to so arrogantly declare they would conquer the Divine Realm, and even more unexpected was that this person claimed to be the Lord of the Heavenly Court.

The expressions of the three old men behind her also became very solemn. They glanced at each other, seeing the worry in one another's eyes.

This sudden situation caught them off guard, leaving them momentarily unsure of how to respond.

The many experts behind the three old men were even more indignant; their faces were unsightly, and many were even trembling with rage.

Some experts wearing divine armor could not help but take out their Divine Artifacts, seemingly ready to fight the enemy at any moment.

However, because the Empress and the three Old Ancestors were present, they could only suppress the fury in their hearts and did not dare to act rashly.

Empress Lanlan looked at the young man before her who called himself the "Heavenly Emperor," feeling secretly surprised.

Although he was only at the God Emperor Peak Realm, she was full of wariness toward him.

Because she could not see through the cultivation bases of the seven women beside him, which made her feel uneasy.

Furthermore, the Interstellar Spaceship beneath the opponent's feet filled her with dread; it was clearly more powerful than her own God Emperor-grade ship.

In the Divine Realm, the most powerful flying boats were only at the Divine Venerable level. There was only one such Interstellar Spaceship, and it was held by the Baichuan Holy Academy.

Lan Lan Yanran had once personally witnessed that Divine Venerable-grade Interstellar Spaceship, but its Aura was far inferior to the opponent's vessel.

This caused Lanlan to fall into doubt; where exactly did the opponent come from to possess such powerful strength and resources?

What puzzled Lanlan even more was that the opponent had the audacity to claim they would conquer the entire Divine Realm.

However, all the Quasi-Saints of the Divine Realm were concentrated in the Baichuan Holy Academy. On what basis did the opponent have the courage to speak such arrogant words? Were they just a group of ignorant and fearless fools?

But looking at their behavior and demeanor, that was clearly not the case.

After a brief ten breaths of thought, Lanlan finally decided to remain cautious and handle the current situation carefully.

After all, facing such a mysterious and powerful opponent, any reckless action could lead to unexpected consequences.

"Ruler, the opponent was able to break through the Boundary Wall to enter this place. Could they be relying on external objects, and are they just blustering now? Should I, your ancestor, step out to test them?" one of the old men standing behind Empress Yanran sent a solemn voice transmission.

He frowned, his gaze locked tightly on Cao Yang and the others in front, his heart filled with suspicion and vigilance.

"No, the risk is too great. Moreover, if the opponent is truly blustering, when the Quasi-Saints from Baichuan Holy Academy arrive, they will naturally be exposed. We should try to stall for time," Empress Lanlan replied via voice transmission.

Her gaze was firm, and a look of determination appeared on her face. Although she also had doubts about the opponent's true intentions, she knew better than to take unnecessary risks now.

"On what basis do you claim to have come to conquer the Divine Realm? If you don't show some strength, even if we submit, we won't be convinced in our hearts!" Lan Lan Yanran replied loudly. Her voice was soft yet powerful, majestic and overbearing; clearly, having sat in the highest position for a long time, her tone revealed an unquestionable authority.

Hearing this, Cao Yang smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth turning up in a playful smirk.

He said slowly, "If you want to see our strength, you certainly can. However, you'd better not play any little tricks, otherwise the consequences will be very serious." After speaking, a flash of coldness crossed his eyes, making everyone around feel a chill.

"Xiaoxiao, break that turtle shell over their heads," Cao Yang said faintly. His tone was calm and firm, as if he were completely confident in the matter.

"Okay~, Master," Long Xiaoxiao's voice was crisp and pleasant, and her figure instantly vanished from Cao Yang's side.

In the next breath, Long Xiaoxiao appeared before the City Protection Array of Azure City. Her petite figure formed a sharp contrast with the massive Formation.

However, her eyes were filled with confidence and power.

She reached out her small hand and lightly slapped downward with an easy and natural motion, as if swatting a fly. But this seemingly casual slap contained endless power.

A scene appeared that shocked Empress Lanlan and the other experts of the Azure Empire: the City Protection Array they were so proud of shattered like fragile glass under Long Xiaoxiao's light slap.

Divine Power scattered everywhere, and the core of the array—a Top-grade Divine Artifact—burst into fragments on the spot.

"This... how is this possible?" Lan Lan Yanran's pupils contracted tightly, and alarm bells rang in her heart.

She found it hard to believe everything happening before her; this little girl had actually destroyed their City Protection Array so easily.

The experts behind her were equally shocked, their eyes wide with disbelief at the sight. But they quickly regained their senses, realizing the severity of the situation.

"Protect the Ruler!" one of the experts shouted, and dozens of God Emperor experts moved quickly to block the path in front of Empress Lanlan.

Lan Lan Yanran, however, did not seem panicked at all. She maintained her calm and majestic demeanor, though her face was slightly pale.

After all, the collapse of the City Protection Array meant they had lost a vital layer of defense.

She was certain that the one who had acted must be a Quasi-Saint.

Her heart grew uneasy; if those others she couldn't see through were also Quasi-Saints, then their previous call for help to the Baichuan Holy Academy would be the downfall of the Azure Empire.

"You need not worry. As long as you submit to the Heavenly Court, we will not kill you."

Seeing the panicked look of the Azure Empire's people, Cao Yang spoke slowly.

"Now, are you willing to submit to the Heavenly Court? I don't mind telling you that it's not just Xiaoxiao; the six others beside me are also at the Quasi-Saint Peak cultivation base, just like her."

"Submission to the Heavenly Court is the only way of survival for your Azure Empire. No, to be precise, all forces in the Divine Realm have only one path to survival: submitting to the Heavenly Court," Cao Yang continued.

Hearing this, the expressions of the Azure Empire's crowd became extremely unsightly.

They hadn't expected the opponent to have such formidable strength, and they had explicitly stated that they wanted them to submit to the Heavenly Court.

For the Azure Empire, which had always been independent, this was undoubtedly a massive challenge.

However, faced with such pressure, the people of the Azure Empire did not easily yield. They began to think of countermeasures, hoping to find a way that could both protect themselves and avoid a direct conflict with the Heavenly Court.

After all, they were well aware of the Heavenly Court's strength; if a war truly broke out, the Azure Empire would likely find it hard to resist.

Meanwhile, some high-level officials of the Azure Empire began to discuss strategies via private voice transmissions. Someone suggested taking the God Emperor-grade flying boat to break out and then unite with other forces to resist the Heavenly Court, especially the Baichuan Holy Academy.

But most people worried that doing so would lead to even greater trouble, or that they might not even be able to break out themselves. After all, while a God Emperor-grade flying boat could theoretically resist a Quasi-Saint, whether it could resist a Quasi-Saint Peak was uncertain, not to mention the opponent had more than one Quasi-Saint.

On the other side, Cao Yang appeared full of confidence.

He knew the Azure Empire was caught in a dilemma: either submit to the Heavenly Court or face destruction.

He believed that, in the end, the Azure Empire would make a wise choice.

At the same time, he was secretly observing the Azure Empire's reaction, ready to take further action at any moment.

...