Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

”Who’s there?”

Tu Shanhe’s expression changed abruptly as he looked toward the source of the voice.

High in the sky.

Two figures were walking through the air.

One of them was an old man in a gray Daoist robe. His hair and beard were both grayish-white, and his eyes seemed to be a patch of chaos—muddy, yet also incomparably profound.

It was none other than Jiang Chen’s master, Qii Daotian!

As for the man beside Qii Daotian, he was a short, stout old man. Though his hair was white, his face was ruddy and full of vigor.

Tu Shanhe’s face became incredibly ugly. His gloomy gaze fell upon Qii Daotian and the other man, revealing a deep sense of dread. ”Qii Daotian, and the Intestine Sword Saint, Lui Chuanchang?”

”That’s right, it is I!”

The short, stout old man’s voice was like muffled thunder, rolling and deafening as it echoed in their ears.

A placid smile appeared on Qii Daotian’s face. ”Tu Shanhe, you didn’t expect this, did you? The Holy Soul you’ve plotted to get for over a hundred years ended up in my hands!”

”You despicable villain.”

Tu Shanhe roared, his face contorted with fury.

This Holy Soul was located within the Void Realm where the First Hall resided.

He, Tu Shanhe, had guarded the First Hall for over a hundred years. Day and night, he had been refining the Secret Array that sealed the Holy Soul, all to gain control over it.

But now...

A century of scheming had all come to naught.

Instead, it had all benefited Qii Daotian!

This was the Holy Soul of a Demigod Powerhouse!

Obtaining it was equivalent to receiving a Demigod’s inheritance, greatly increasing the chances of stepping into that profound realm in the future. But in the end, it was all for nothing, handed to Qii Daotian on a silver platter.

How could this not enrage him?

Qii Daotian pointed a finger in the air. The Holy Soul immediately flew toward him and merged into his body.

Watching this, the corner of Tu Shanhe’s eye twitched, and the venom in his gaze almost erupted into a raging inferno.

Qii Daotian, however, ignored Tu Shanhe. He turned his calm gaze to Jiang Chen, a gratified smile on his face. ”Disciple, your master was late. You’ve suffered.”

”Master, not at all. I must thank you for appearing in the nick of time and saving my life!” A sincere smile appeared on Jiang Chen’s pale face.

Qii Daotian nodded and smiled. ”Good disciple, how do you wish to deal with this Tu Shanhe?”

Beside them, the Intestine Sword Saint, Lui Chuanchang, gave a cold laugh. ”If you ask me... just cut him down and be done with it!”

But Qii Daotian looked at Jiang Chen, waiting for his decision.

Jiang Chen said, ”If you don’t pull out the roots, the weeds will grow again. Master, I’ll have to trouble you to help me kill him.”

”Alright!”

Qii Daotian nodded and looked toward Tu Shanhe.

Tu Shanhe’s expression changed dramatically. He clenched his remaining right hand into a fist and gritted his teeth. ”Qii Daotian, if you stay out of the matter between myself and Jiang Chen today, I can overlook the fact that you stole the Holy Soul. But if you dare to help Jiang Chen and make a move against me, I guarantee you will regret it for the rest of your life!”

”Regret it?”

Qii Daotian raised an eyebrow. ”Even at your peak, you were no match for me. Do you really think you can stop me in your current, broken state?”

”Heh heh, heh heh heh...”

Tu Shanhe let out a string of chilling, ear-piercing laughs that made one’s skin crawl. He stared sinisterly at Qii Daotian. ”It’s true that I’m not your opponent. However, there is someone who can deal with you!”

”Oh?”

Qii Daotian’s expression shifted slightly. He narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Tu Shanhe.

Tu Shanhe slowly took out a Black Token, his voice ringing out at the same time. ”Qii Daotian, I don’t know how you knew I’ve been refining the Holy Soul for the past century. But I’m sure you don’t know that, in fact, I am not a member of your Saint Martial Sword Sect.”

”What?”

Qii Daotian was stunned, his face filled with disbelief.

He had been with the Saint Martial Sword Sect for a very long time; he was already part of the sect back when the previous Sect Master was still in charge.

But...

He truly had no idea that Tu Shanhe wasn’t a member of the Saint Martial Sword Sect?

Then what was his real identity?

Why had he hidden himself in the Saint Martial Sword Sect for a hundred years?

”I thought I wouldn’t have to reveal my identity, but since you’ve even taken the Holy Soul, there’s no need for me to hide any longer.” Tu Shanhe grinned. ”I, Tu Shanhe, am a Divine Demon Guard from the Zhongzhou Demon God Palace, under the command of the Divine Son, Xiang Tianwen.”

”The Zhongzhou Demon God Palace?”

Everyone’s expression changed.

They didn’t know what kind of existence the Demon God Palace was, but the name ”Zhongzhou” held a status on the Qiankun Continent like that of the Blazing Sun hanging high in the clear blue sky.

On the entire Qiankun Continent...

The most dazzling!

The most powerful!

Is Zhongzhou!

A bloody light flickered around Tu Shanhe. He suddenly clenched his right fist, and the Black Token instantly shattered. A subtle energy dissipated into the air as the smile on Tu Shanhe’s face grew wider. ”Qii Daotian, Lui Chuanchang, Jiang Chen... You think you have this in the bag? Let me tell you, the show is just getting started!”

He shot up into the sky.

Facing a patch of empty space to the west, he bowed deeply. ”Divine Demon Guard Tu Shanhe respectfully welcomes the arrival of the Divine Son!”

BUZZ!

The space in front of Tu Shanhe began to writhe violently.

Like a pebble dropped into a lake, it sent out ripples, one after another. Then, a blinding silver light appeared in that patch of empty space.

An arched Space Gate slowly rose into view!

ROAR...

A clear and resonant dragon’s cry suddenly emerged from the Space Gate.

A massive dragon head, a full hundred meters tall, was the first to emerge, followed by a second, then a third...

A total of nine pitch-black dragon heads poked out from the Space Gate.

Their enormous bodies seemed as if they would burst the Space Gate.

Shrouded in silver light, nine immense Black Dragons, each a thousand meters long, flew out together. Every single one of them radiated an aura even more terrifying than Qii Daotian’s. Their Dragon Horns were like swords, their heads were ferocious, and their Dragon Scales were like shields, glinting with a cold, dark luster.

With a slight movement, the four sharp claws beneath their bellies could shatter a mountain peak.

Each of the nine Black Dragons was bound by a massive black iron chain. The chains collided with one another, creating a world-destroying CLANG.

At the end of the iron chains was a Bronze War Chariot!

The Bronze War Chariot was a hundred meters in both length and height. Its entire body radiated a bronze sheen, and a frosty light shone from it like ice. The chariot itself was covered in profound and mysterious runes.

Jiang Chen was a Fourth-Grade Refiner and Alchemy Master. With a single glance, he could tell that the Inscriptions carved onto the chariot had already surpassed the scope of Fourth-Grade Celestial Level Inscriptions.

CLANG!

The Bronze War Chariot slowly descended before the crowd.

It landed with a crisp, loud impact. The nine powerful Black Dragons also descended, surrounding the chariot protectively.

”...”

Across the entire Martial Saint Mountain, every powerhouse present was stupefied and deeply shocked.

Those nine Black Dragons—the aura of every single one was stronger than Tu Shanhe’s.

But they were merely the beasts pulling the chariot?

Then just what kind of overwhelmingly powerful existence was the master of this Bronze War Chariot?

Amidst the crowd’s complex anticipation—a mix of confusion, excitement, and apprehension—the one-armed Tu Shanhe suddenly spoke, his voice booming, ”Your subordinate, Tu Shanhe, respectfully welcomes Your Highness, the Divine Son!”

[Seventh update. Recommending the super-awesome novel *Black Tortoise Martial Venerable*. It’s definitely a good read!]