From the Metropolis to the Strongest in the Cosmos

”Insolent!”

Just as the Deity moved against Tian Luo, a furious, shocked voice erupted from the Yuan Lan Estate. Yuan Lan himself appeared directly at Tian Luo’s side.

”Hei Wu, this is my Yuan Lan Estate! How dare you attack Tian Luo?” Yuan Lan roared in fury.

However, he had acted too slowly. By now, Tian Luo was already completely captured.

The Deity named Hei Wu launched his attack, and the two Deities’ strikes collided before annihilating each other.

They were evenly matched; both were ordinary Deities.

”Haha, Yuan Lan, you can’t stop me,” Hei Wu laughed heartily.

Both ceased their attacks. The two Deities stood facing each other in the void, while Hei Wu kept a firm grip on Tian Luo.

Yuan Lan’s face was a mask of fury. ”Hei Wu, what is the meaning of this?” he demanded.

Hei Wu’s estate was located very close to his, and while their relationship wasn’t good, it wasn’t bad either.

”Yuan Lan, I am acting on Jun Yue’s request to capture Tian Luo,” Hei Wu said coolly.

”Jun Yue?” Yuan Lan’s expression changed at the mention of the name.

The Yangyuan Emperor had five Tri-System Deities under his command, but not all Deities voluntarily became his subordinates. This Jun Yue was one such independent Deity—and a Tri-System Deity at that.

’Why would a Tri-System Deity suddenly come to capture Tian Luo?’

Yuan Lan immediately thought of Li Yang. ’Could it be that Li Yang pulled some strings?’

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Yuan Lan demanded furiously, ”Hei Wu, Tian Luo is a member of my Yuan Lan Estate and holds a Deity Token granted by the Emperor himself! What right do you, an ordinary Deity, have to make a move against him?”

Tian Luo was destined to become a Dual Pantheon Deity, so the Yangyuan Emperor held him in some regard, bestowing upon him a Deity Token. With this Token, Tian Luo’s status was equivalent to that of a Deity.

It was tantamount to holding an official position under the Yangyuan Emperor.

”Hei Wu may not have the right, but what about me?”

Just as Yuan Lan finished speaking, an indifferent voice suddenly echoed. A tall, slender man with red hair appeared. His hair burned like a living flame, and the aura he exuded was clearly far beyond that of an ordinary Deity.

Upon appearing, he reached out with his right hand, and the terrified Tian Luo was snatched into his grasp.

Jun Yue had received orders from the Blade Slaughter Sect Master and, worried he wouldn’t arrive in time, had instructed Hei Wu to keep an eye on the area and capture Tian Luo immediately if he tried to leave.

”Jun Yue!”

Seeing the red-haired man, Yuan Lan’s face fell drastically.

’A Deity who has mastered three laws... In terms of strength, Jun Yue could kill me in an instant.’

Nevertheless, Yuan Lan said in a low voice, ”Jun Yue, I wonder what Tian Luo has done to offend you?”

Jun Yue replied coolly, ”Tian Luo hasn’t offended me. He offended my junior brother, Li Yang. The evidence is conclusive. I’m taking Tian Luo with me now and will wait for my junior brother to return and deal with him.”

’It really is Li Yang.’

Yuan Lan’s expression grew even uglier. He said gravely, ”Jun Yue, Tian Luo was granted a Deity Token by the Emperor. Without the Emperor’s command, you... have no authority to apprehend him! If you insist on taking him, I will report this matter directly to the Emperor!”

”Heh, Yuan Lan, you’re quite bold. Are you threatening me?” Jun Yue’s oppressive aura began to spread.

Feeling the pressure, Yuan Lan still maintained his ground. ”Jun Yue, this isn’t a threat. I am simply stating that you have no right to apprehend Tian Luo.”

’I can’t accept this! Tian Luo is destined to become a Dual Pantheon Deity, even stronger than me. If he can’t escape now, there’s only one possible outcome.’

Even though he was no match for Jun Yue, he couldn’t help but use the Yangyuan Emperor as a threat.

”Go ahead and report it,” Jun Yue said indifferently.

”Patriarch, save me!” Tian Luo, in Jun Yue’s grasp, cried out in terror.

At this moment, all the hatred in Tian Luo’s heart had vanished, replaced by pure terror.

Waiting for Li Yang to return and deal with him... He didn’t need to imagine what his fate would be.

He had obtained that powerful legacy; he was destined to become a mighty Dual Pantheon Deity, an eternal existence, ranked among the top powerhouses in the entire Yangyuan Empire.

He absolutely refused to die at Li Yang’s hands.

All his previous thoughts of revenge and resentment toward Li Yang had vanished. Now, he had only one thought: escape.

Escape to a safe place and never provoke Li Yang again.

But in Jun Yue’s grip, he was like a helpless chick, completely unable to struggle free.

Seeing that Jun Yue completely ignored his threat, Yuan Lan roared, ”Jun Yue, I’m going to report your capture of Tian Luo to the Emperor right now!”

But Jun Yue paid his threat no mind, simply turning and leaving.

”Jun Yue actually came to capture Tian Luo? What’s going on?”

”Is Jun Yue helping Li Yang capture him?”

”Tian Luo and Li Yang certainly had a major conflict before. Did Tian Luo provoke Li Yang again recently?”

”I’m not sure.”

In this region, there were other factions of Deities. They all sensed the commotion and were observing the situation with their consciousnesses.

They all knew about the past conflict between Li Yang and Tian Luo. After all, the Yangyuan Emperor had previously recruited 100,000 geniuses to prepare for the Human Race’s Eternal Saint Hall selection. In the end, not a single one of the selected geniuses entered the Eternal Saint Hall, while Li Yang, who hadn’t been chosen, was the one who got in.

An investigation revealed that Tian Luo had been audacious enough to forcibly eliminate Li Yang during the Early Stage of the selection. This had enraged the Yangyuan Emperor, who had thrown Tian Luo directly into the Third Prison.

Every Deity knew about this incident.

”Yuan Lan is going to report this to the Emperor.”

”If I were Yuan Lan, I’d be frantic too. Tian Luo is destined to become a Dual Pantheon Deity!”

”Jun Yue is pretty bold himself. Tian Luo’s status is quite high now, having been directly given a position by the Emperor. Yet Jun Yue just captured him outright.”

”Didn’t you hear? Jun Yue is doing this for Li Yang. I bet that after the news of Li Yang’s death spread, Tian Luo, harboring hatred, went after Li Yang’s home planet again. Besides, Li Yang has now passed the twelfth step of the Eternal Saint Hall’s stairway. In the future, he’s guaranteed to become a powerful Deity at minimum, and could even become an Emperor!”

”What do you think the Emperor will do when Yuan Lan reports this? Will he side with Tian Luo and order Jun Yue to release him? Or will he side with Li Yang and punish Tian Luo himself?”

The various Deities discussed among themselves via divine sense transmissions.

「...」

Inside a colossal palace, the Yangyuan Emperor sat high on his throne. Before him, the Deity Flame was reporting respectfully.

”Your Majesty, Jun Yue has appeared and forcibly captured Tian Luo. According to my investigation, for the past ten years, Tian Luo has been targeting Earth. He bribed the Kande Clan and many other factions, constantly suppressing Earth in trade deals and plundering its mineral resources...”

The Deity Flame reported swiftly; this was information he could quickly ascertain.

After finishing, the Deity Flame asked respectfully, ”Your Majesty, what are your instructions on how to proceed?”

The Yangyuan Emperor remained silent. The Deity Flame didn’t dare to speak either, simply waiting for the Emperor’s command.

After several seconds, the Yangyuan Emperor finally spoke. ”Jun Yue’s capture of Tian Luo is a matter between Li Yang and Tian Luo. I have no instructions to give.”

”Uh...” Hearing the Yangyuan Emperor’s words, the Deity Flame was stunned for a moment.

’Previously, judging by the Yangyuan Emperor’s attitude toward Li Yang, he was actively trying to build a good relationship with him.’

’Now that Li Yang has passed the twelfth step of the Path of Deities, and Tian Luo dared to go against Earth like this, the Yangyuan Emperor should have helped Li Yang by punishing Tian Luo, then waited for Li Yang’s return to handle the rest.’

’But now the Yangyuan Emperor is doing nothing? He’s not getting involved?’

However, he didn’t dare say more. ”Yes, Your Majesty,” he said respectfully.

(Have to go out for a bit, *sweats*. That’s all for today... *cries*. I owe you all so many Chapters...)