Legend of Swordsman

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Becoming the Empress meant the beginning of a journey towards becoming a powerhouse in the Four Tribulation Realm.

To sit as the fourth and aim for the fifth—this was a dream that many pursued but few achieved. How could she not understand this?

In this world, emotions mattered little. Once strength couldn’t keep up, one would be scorned. This was an eternal truth.

In the future, when one became a scattered Tribulation and the other a flourishing Universe Master, regret would be too late.

Gazing into her mother’s cold eyes, Jincheng dared not argue further.

“This matter is not up to you. But I can give you one promise: after you ascend to the throne and become a powerhouse in the Tribulation Realm, I will no longer interfere with you!” This statement gave Jincheng a glimmer of hope, albeit an excuse.

Jincheng was clever enough to grasp her mother’s intentions swiftly.

She could marry someone she didn’t like, they could live separately, and even after reaching the Four Tribulation realm, she could still seek out her Shi Jiu.

Yet, even so, she was somewhat unwilling.

When would that be?

She was only an emperor now; there was still a long way to go before reaching the Tribulation Realm.

Breaking through to the Tribulation Realm would lead to swift advancement to the Three Tribulation stage, but reaching the Four Tribulation stage wouldn’t be so easy.

“Shi Jiu, can you wait for me?” Jincheng silently prayed in her heart.

Meanwhile, just as Jian Wushuang and his companions arrived outside the hall, they noticed two others waiting there as well.

One was old, the other young.

Jian Wushuang couldn’t gauge the old man’s strength, but he seemed stronger than Wu Li, yet not by much.

He had little vitality, indicating he wasn’t a Universe Master but rather a scattered Tribulation.

Standing beside him was a young man, exuding an aura of nobility, with a firm and meticulous appearance.

It seemed that this person was the genius of the Shi Kingdom, Shi Jiu.

As the three of them steadied themselves, another three individuals arrived.

They were all Emperors, presumably the three Emperors arranged by Elder Muchen.

They were extraordinary Emperors brought in from other kingdoms.

Such matters could be easily resolved with a bit of money.

However, due to royal dignity, the Wang Clan didn’t go too overboard.

As for those within Yue Kingdom, they were persuaded to withdraw.

There were those who exceeded ten thousand times in strength, but the difference in power was too vast.

Calculating it this way, the four challengers to the prodigies of the Shi Kingdom this time, each one being from Yue Kingdom, was ironic enough when spoken aloud.

Fortunately, Wu Li had foresight and had arranged Jian Wushuang to make an appearance in Qingyun Sect early on, and under Elder Muchen’s guidance, he could now be considered a person of Yue Kingdom.

“Lord Muchen!” The three Emperors greeted Elder Muchen with respect.

After all, Elder Muchen had summoned them.

But since there were outsiders present, Elder Muchen didn’t say much, just nodded faintly.

The three of them glanced at Jian Wushuang at first, but since they didn’t notice anything remarkable about him, they paid him no further attention and instead focused on Shi Jiu himself.

He was the real adversary.

“Your Majesty, summon everyone, and follow me!”

Soon, a soft-spoken old man in a black robe and tall hat emerged from the hall and summoned everyone inside.

Entering the Dongsheng Hall, they saw the Empress, but didn’t spot Princess Jincheng’s figure.

At this moment, Princess Jincheng stood behind the screen, able to clearly see the scene inside the hall, but the people inside couldn’t perceive the presence of the princess.

Shi Jiu looked around, not finding his beloved, feeling somewhat uneasy.

He wasn’t afraid of those Emperors from Yue Kingdom, but he feared for Jincheng being threatened.

A faint telepathic message came through.

Shi Jiu received the transmission from Jinchen, and only then did his breath stabilize. At the same time, he silently responded to the transmission, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you wait!”

Princess Jinchen didn’t want Shi Jiu to risk it, so she voiced her thoughts. As long as she reached the Four Tribulation realm, no one could stop her. However, Shi Jiu was confident. Among the Emperors, he feared no one.

In the Shi Kingdom, there were a few geniuses who could threaten him, but in the Yue Kingdom, he was invincible.

This wasn’t arrogance; it was a fact.

If it weren’t for the sudden appearance of Jian Wushuang, even if they turned the Yue Kingdom upside down, they wouldn’t find an emperor who could match Shi Jiu.

“Shi brat, don’t say my Yue Kingdom won’t tolerate you. If you defeat the geniuses of my Yue Kingdom today, I won’t interfere in your matters!” The Empress spoke directly.

Elder Muchen had already explained everything about Jian Wushuang. At this moment, even the Empress had some confidence.

“With the Empress’s words as solid as a mountain, I am willing to take up the challenge!” Shi Jiu took a step forward, standing in the center of the grand hall, his gaze becoming fierce.

“Who will go first!” He looked at the four people, his aura continuously rising.

Just as Jian Wushuang was about to step forward, he was stopped by Wu Li.

“Let the other three go first. Muchen has already paid up; we can’t let them have it so easy!” Wu Li transmitted his thoughts.

Muchen also shared the same sentiment, wanting these three to test the opponent’s strength first.

The three were evenly matched in strength, coming here for this purpose, so they didn’t hesitate and one of them stepped forward.

“I’ll give it a try!” The person was clad in heavy armor. As soon as his words fell, his aura surged.

His divine power directly soared to 130,000-fold.

He had already reached the pinnacle of the One Tribulation realm.

Shi Jiu glanced sideways, the person in front of him was unfamiliar, but the eruption of 130,000-fold divine powers indicated he was not ordinary.

He, too, erupted with 130,000-fold divine power.

Jian Wushuang stared at the two, sensing that Shi Jiu hadn’t exerted his full strength, while the Emperor summoned by Elder Muchen had reached his peak.

Moreover, the vitality on this Emperor seemed somewhat weak.

He should be much older than them.

Princess Jincheng and the prodigy named Shi Jiu were probably born less than a thousand millennia ago.

A thousand millennia, in the Ancient Moon Spacetime, was a considerable amount of time, especially for Tribulation Realm powerhouses.

It was akin to a closed-door cultivation period.

In such ancient temporal rivers like the Ancient Moon Spacetime, time was measured in epochs.

For instance, the era of the Divine Spirits Era during the peak period of the Ancient Wood Continent.

The Flame God Divine Spirit within the Shi Kingdom, at the pinnacle of the Eight Tribulation realm, was renowned throughout the Ancient Moon Spacetime.

Those who could establish an era were generally the masters of the Eight Tribulation realm.

The era of that Flame God hadn’t passed long ago.

The peak of the current era had yet to arrive, giving everyone a chance.

“Come on!” Shi Jiu stretched out his hand, and with a flick, silver scales appeared on his body.

The two lunged at each other, each launching their own attacks.

Just in a momentary confrontation, the armored Emperor could feel Shi Jiu’s terror. If he had taken that punch head-on, he might have been seriously injured.

Yet, he could sense that Shi Jiu hadn’t exerted even a bit more divine power.

Clearly, they both had 130,000-fold divine power, so why was there such a vast difference?

Jian Wushuang also marveled at this sight. It was his first time witnessing a showdown between the Emperor prodigy and the genius of the Ancient Moon Spacetime.

He discovered a staggering gap.

In the same cultivation realm, with equal strength, experience was more crucial.

Although Shi Jiu had elevated his divine power to match his opponent’s, he could still easily defeat him.