Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

Martial Saint Mountain was exceptionally lively today.

It had become the gathering place for the Ten Great Dynasties of the Cloud Domain. Not a single one of the Ten Great Dynasties was absent; all had convened here.

Atop Martial Saint Peak, surrounding the massive Celestial Martial Hall, was a sea of people. Countless experts from the Ten Great Dynasties had gathered.

All eyes were fixed on the eleven figures seated at the highest point of the Celestial Martial Hall, their expressions filled with reverence and awe.

From left to right...

Sect Master of the Yinluo Sect of the Iron Wood Dynasty, Mu Feiyang.

Sect Master of the Fiery Sun Sect of the Celestial Nine Dynasty, Zhao Wenrang!

Sect Master of the Celestial Sword Sect of the Celestial Universe Dynasty, Xiao Tianqi!

Hall Master of the Nine Sins Hall of the Cyan Yang Dynasty, Lishan’s Tears, also known as Ghost Mother Lishan!

Sect Leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect of the Divine Wind Dynasty, the Purple Star Beast Emperor!

Sect Leader of the Yuhua Sect of the Daqian Dynasty, Xuue Junlin!

Palace Master of the Emperor’s Palace of the Great Jin Dynasty, Ye Gucheng!

Pavilion Master of the Star Pavilion of the Han Dynasty, Wul Cheng!

Pavilion Master of the Sun and Moon Pavilion of the Great Qin Dynasty, Ouyang Shang!

And in the very center of them all sat a grim-faced elder, the imposing Sect Master of the Saint Martial Sword Sect—Tu Shanhe!

To Tu Shanhe’s left sat a middle-aged man in a violet-gold dragon robe, bathed in brilliant golden light, exuding an effortless authority. This was the second-strongest expert on the Celestial List, the sovereign of the Saint Martial Dynasty, the current Emperor—Yuwen Zheng!

All eleven masters were present!

”Yuwen Zheng, your Saint Martial Dynasty has truly made a showing this time! According to the news from the Celestial Secret Pavilion, among the Ten Great Young Venerables, your Saint Martial Sword Sect has secured a full two spots!” Fiery Sun Sect Master Zhao Wenrang said with a smile.

Wul Cheng, the Pavilion Master of the Star Pavilion from the Han Dynasty, added, ”If Lan Haichen hadn’t been killed by Jiang Chen, the Saint Martial Dynasty could have taken three seats on the list of the Ten Great Young Venerables!”

Ouyang Shang, Pavilion Master of the Sun and Moon Pavilion, nodded with a faint smile. ”Brother Yuwen, I must admit I’m quite curious. Who exactly is this Jiang Chen? To be able to overwhelm the many prodigies of the Ten Great Dynasties and claim the top spot on the Young Venerables list... could he be a genius secretly cultivated by your Saint Martial Dynasty?”

The Young Venerables from their three major sects had not fallen.

Naturally, their conversation was far more relaxed!

In contrast, when the experts from the Nine Sins Hall, Yinluo Sect, Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, and Celestial Sword Sect heard this, their expressions turned grim in unison.

Icy gazes turned toward Yuwen Zheng.

They had all received news from the mysterious Celestial Secret Pavilion: their respective Young Venerables had fallen at the hands of Jiang Chen.

Facing the crowd’s icy stares, Yuwen Zheng remained unfazed. He shook his head and said with a wistful sigh, ”If this boy were truly a genius nurtured by my Royal Family, I would be most gratified.”

”Oh?”

”Since he isn’t one of your Royal Family, then you won’t stop me when I capture and kill him later, will you, Yuwen Zheng?” Yinluo Sect Master Mu Feiyang sneered.

Ghost Mother Lishan also gave a sinister, chilling sneer. Her skeletal hand clenched at the empty air, producing a low rumble. ”You all should know, Yinn Tianzong was a child I raised from infancy. And yet, he was cruelly murdered by Jiang Chen. I will take this boy back to the Nine Evil Mountains, refine him into a Corpse Puppet, imprison his soul, and temper it with Ghost Fire until he can neither live nor die! I trust no one will stand in my way?”

”You old hag, my disciple Beast Nine also died at Jiang Chen’s hand. Why should I hand him over to you?” the Purple Star Beast Emperor of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect retorted with a sneer.

Celestial Sword Sect Master Xiao Tianqi snorted coldly. A brilliant Sword Aura erupted from him, shattering the stone table before him.

An icy glare, like two sharp swords, shot from his eyes as he spoke coldly, ”Yee Chenfeng was the sole heir of our Celestial Sword Sect’s late former Sect Master. By killing him, Jiang Chen extinguished that entire bloodline. This boy must be taken to my Celestial Sword Sect, imprisoned on Ten Thousand Swords Peak, and forced to endure the daily torment of ten thousand swords piercing his heart...”

”He should be our prisoner!”

”I will be the one to take him!”

”A vile criminal like him naturally belongs to my Ten Thousand Beasts Sect...”

The experts argued one after another, faces flushed and red as their True Essence flared.

Yuwen Zheng’s smile never wavered as he watched the scene unfold.

As for Tu Shanhe, his eyes were lightly closed, as if none of this concerned him.

Just then...

Xiao Tianqi of the Celestial Sword Sect looked at Tu Shanhe and said coldly, ”Tu Shanhe, you are the Sect Master of the Saint Martial Sword Sect, and Jiang Chen is your disciple. It’s time you told us where you stand!”

Everyone stopped arguing and looked toward Tu Shanhe.

”You want me to state my position?”

Tu Shanhe slowly opened his eyes. A profound gaze shot out from the narrow slits and swept across the crowd. Then, he spoke evenly, ”Jiang Chen is a demon who kills without blinking. I have no reason to protect him. I don’t care how any of you wish to dispose of him. However, before you take him away, I will first cripple his cultivation and sever his limbs to uphold the rules of my Saint Martial Sword Sect!”

As soon as he said this, the crowd, which had just been arguing incessantly, was stunned into silence.

The experts of the Saint Martial Sword Sect, in particular, were dumbfounded, staring at Tu Shanhe in utter disbelief.

He was the great and powerful Sect Master of the Saint Martial Sword Sect.

At a time like this, he should have been presenting a united front to the outsiders, protecting Jiang Chen with all his might.

Even if he truly intended to punish Jiang Chen, it should have been done privately, after sending these outsiders away. Instead, he had just publicly disowned Jiang Chen, effectively expelling him from the Sect.

He’d even proclaimed he would cripple his cultivation, sever his limbs, and hand him over to the masters of the Ten Great Sects.

Down below, within the Tenth Hall, a white-haired, white-bearded elder abruptly stood up. His voice was low as he said, ”Sect Master, Jiang Chen is a disciple of our Saint Martial Sword Sect, after all. Even if he has made mistakes, the matter should be resolved internally by our Sect. Isn’t what you’re doing a bit inappropriate?”

Several other powerful Hall Masters around him nodded slightly in agreement.

Tu Shanhe shot him a cold glance and sneered, ”Bai Yetao, are you daring to defy me?”

”I wouldn’t dare, I just feel that Jiang Chen’s crimes don’t warrant death...” The white-haired elder was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Tenth Hall, Bai Yetao. His voice was somber.

”Hmph!”

Tu Shanhe said with a look of utter indifference, ”Doesn’t warrant death? If I say he is guilty, then his crime is beyond pardon. If I say he is innocent, only then is he truly innocent. Who the hell do you think you are, to point fingers in my presence?”

”You...”

Bai Yetao’s face went from pale to livid.

He was a dignified Supreme Elder of a Hall, yet Tu Shanhe had just berated him in front of everyone, causing him to lose all face.

The gazes of many onlookers were filled with a mixture of pity and mockery.

The conversation among the peak experts above was naturally overheard by the disciples of the Saint Martial Sword Sect below, who glanced at each other in dismay. ’Even the Sect Master has abandoned him. Jiang Chen is definitely doomed this time, isn’t he?’

’I thought that with him becoming a Young Venerable, the Saint Martial Sword Sect would fall under the Heaven-Soaring Alliance’s control. I never thought Jiang Chen would still be unable to escape death!’

’It can’t be helped. Who’s to blame but himself for not having any powerful backing?’

’No one can save him now!’

The disciples of the Saint Martial Sword Sect whispered among themselves.

Just then...

A spatial ripple suddenly appeared in the sky above Martial Saint Mountain. As everyone watched, a circular Space Gate slowly materialized, capturing all attention.

Figure after figure shot out from the Space Gate.

Bai Ling, White Tiger, Yuwen Tiandu, Yuwen Xunyi, Baihua Fairy, and many others...

The many talented disciples of the Saint Martial Sword Sect appeared, tens of thousands of them teleported out from the Celestial Fate Ancient Realm and landing on Martial Saint Mountain.

’Wh-why are there so many people?’

’Is that an expert from the Nine Sins Hall? The Sect Master of the Yinluo Sect? No... the top masters from all Ten Great Dynasties are here...’

’They’re all titans of the Union Palace Realm...’

’Are they all here for Jiang Chen?’

These returning disciples of the Saint Martial Sword Sect all thought of Jiang Chen at the same time. The faces of those on good terms with him changed drastically.

Meanwhile, the experts of the Celestial Alliance revealed looks of undisguised schadenfreude.

Just then, Tu Shanhe spoke. ”All of you, stand down at once!”

”Yes, Sect Master!”

The powerful disciples immediately withdrew.

White Tiger and Bai Ling gave Tu Shanhe, seated on the main throne, a deep look. A flicker of hidden killing intent crossed their eyes before they flew toward the Tenth Hall at top speed.

The first thing they did was seek out Bai Yetao and the middle-aged man in python robes beside him.

The four exchanged hushed words.

The expressions on both Bai Yetao and the middle-aged man’s faces changed instantly.

Meanwhile, Yuwen Xunyi, Yuwen Tiandu, and the others returned to Yuwen Zheng’s side. Their expressions flickered as they began communicating secretly via voice transmission.

However...

At that moment, no one had time to spare them a glance, because at the exit of the portal, another solitary figure was stepping through the air...

[First Chapter of the day! We’ve reached the climax, which was very difficult to write, so this update is late. My apologies!]