Fate-Defying Demon Emperor

”Latest news! The Nineteenth Prince has made a move against King Yama’s Palace, uprooting their stronghold in Yanyun City and slaying the Split Puppet Saint!”

The battle in Yanyun City had many witnesses, so the news spread immediately, shaking all of Jiuzhou and startling countless people.

The incidents with Nanshu Jian Gong and the Heart Sword Sacred Palace were one thing. After all, they were under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Sword Dynasty and dared not oppose Su Han for the sake of their holy lands’ survival. The world had been mentally prepared for those two battles. But King Yama’s Palace was different. Not only was it outside the Heavenly Sword Dynasty’s control, but it was also the number one dark organization in the Central Plains—a force so feared that even the powerful Imperial Clans dared not provoke it lightly.

Yet this time, the Nineteenth Prince had led an army to uproot a stronghold and slay a saint from King Yama’s Palace. This development took everyone by surprise and was no less shocking than a great earthquake.

”Although the Nineteenth Prince was ambushed by the Rotten Corpse Saint, he killed the Rotten Corpse Saint in return! His victory more than makes up for it!”

”So domineering, so aggressive! I never thought the Nineteenth Prince would actually dare to strike King Yama’s Palace. Since the Nangong Imperial Clan was shattered a hundred years ago, no one has dared to challenge the authority of King Yama’s Palace. It seems the Nineteenth Prince is going to poke a hole in the sky this time.”

”I wonder if His Majesty is aware of this. If this was at His Majesty’s behest, it will surely be a major collision. It might even trigger an Immortal War!”

A single stronghold was insignificant, as was the death of the Split Puppet Saint. However, the implications of this battle were earth-shattering. The Nineteenth Prince was a prince of the Heavenly Sword Dynasty and carried its banner, while the Split Puppet Saint carried the banner of King Yama’s Palace. By uprooting the Yanyun City stronghold and killing the Split Puppet Saint, the Nineteenth Prince had effectively slapped King Yama’s Palace publicly in the face.

Whether this battle was instigated by the Flying Immortal Great Emperor was also a very intriguing question. With this conflict, the atmosphere instantly grew tense. No one knew if the Heavenly Sword Dynasty and King Yama’s Palace, two Immortal Forces, would go to war. Of course, the Heavenly Sword Dynasty was at a disadvantage. A century ago, the Nangong Imperial Clan had also been powerful—if not equal to the Heavenly Sword Dynasty, then not much weaker. Yet, they were shattered by the Ten Great Yama Kings of King Yama’s Palace and have yet to recover.

As people discussed the matter heatedly, Su Han remained unconcerned. He might have seemed reckless and impulsive, but he had actually planned everything in advance; uprooting the stronghold was no spur-of-the-moment decision. First, since King Yama’s Palace dared to accept a contract to ambush him, he had to strike back and escalate the matter. Otherwise, they would simply send more people after him next time. King Yama’s Palace was filled with countless prodigies and experts, and Su Han alone could not withstand their unceasing attacks. Therefore, he had to deliver a powerful deterrent to make them think twice before accepting such a contract again. Second, he wasn’t afraid of a war between the Heavenly Sword Dynasty and King Yama’s Palace because the Flying Immortal Great Emperor’s Demonic Embryo was the Wheel-Turning King, one of the Ten Great Yama Kings. With him in the picture, a full-scale war between the two Immortal Forces was unlikely to break out. Taking a step back, even if the Heavenly Sword Dynasty and King Yama’s Palace did engage in an all-out war, Su Han wasn’t the real Nineteenth Prince. He could simply revert to his original appearance and escape the conflict.

”Move on to the next stronghold,” Su Han commanded. ”And keep a close watch on the Hundred Poisons Saint. I do not want him to escape the Heavenly Sword Dynasty!”

At his command, the army set out, heading for another stronghold of King Yama’s Palace. The Hundred Poisons Saint he mentioned was one of the seventy-two Directors of King Yama’s Palace. The palace had strongholds in all nine provinces of the Heavenly Sword Dynasty, but only the one in Sword Province was overseen by a Director. The others were managed by Deputy Directors, who were on par with the Split Puppet Saint.

This time, Su Han’s main target was the Hundred Poisons Saint. He was certain that the fall of a Director would be enough to intimidate King Yama’s Palace.

”Your Highness, the Hundred Poisons Saint’s status is different,” Wei Wenzheng said with a slight frown, voicing his concern. ”He is a Saint Realm Ninth Layer expert. If he wishes to escape, we might not be able to catch him. Even if we do, killing him will not be easy!”

The seventy-two Directors of King Yama’s Palace were all formidable experts at the Saint Realm Ninth Layer. Each was exceedingly powerful, making it incredibly difficult to kill the Hundred Poisons Saint. The ramifications would also be immense.

”As a Director, he will not abandon his post and flee alone,” Su Han stated, his tone leaving no room for doubt. ”As for the rest, I know what I’m doing!”

Wei Wenzheng had long since experienced Su Han’s assertiveness and dominance. Seeing that the prince’s mind was made up, he said no more. My only task on this trip is to follow my father’s orders and cooperate fully with him. I have no authority to interfere with his decisions, nor can I.

Bordering Bozhou was Mingzhou, which had once been under the jurisdiction of the Second Prince. Since the Second Prince had perished at the Sword Dao Conference, his influence over the area had greatly diminished. Past Mingzhou was Sword Province. Su Han planned to first eliminate the stronghold in Mingzhou before heading to Sword Province to deal with the Hundred Poisons Saint. As for the strongholds in the other Daozhous, he would eliminate them one by one after that.

”The Nineteenth Prince has come to Mingzhou! His target is the King Yama’s Palace stronghold!”

As Su Han led his troops into Mingzhou’s territory, the news spread like wildfire, and the King Yama’s Palace stronghold there was immediately alerted. The Split Puppet Saint had just died, and everyone understood that Su Han’s desire for revenge was unshakable. Therefore, the members of the Mingzhou stronghold dared not stay and fight. They dispersed quickly, fleeing toward Sword Province. Although Sword Province was the core province of the Heavenly Sword Dynasty, the presence of the Hundred Poisons Saint made it seem like a safer refuge.

Unfortunately for them, Su Han had already mobilized the power of the entire Heavenly Sword Dynasty to keep a close watch on them. The army within Mingzhou mobilized, sealing the borders and surrounding the members of King Yama’s Palace. Finally, Su Han and his army arrived and pressed forward, flushing out the stronghold’s disciples and its Deputy Director.

”Finish this quickly!” Su Han ordered.

At his command, the Heart Sword Saint and Wei Wenzheng attacked simultaneously, lunging for the Deputy Director. One was a Saint Realm Ninth Layer expert, and the other a Saint Realm Sixth Layer expert. With the two of them joining forces, the Deputy Director from Mingzhou was quickly overwhelmed. He was slain on the spot, following in the footsteps of the Split Puppet Saint. In the end, all the surrounded disciples of King Yama’s Palace were annihilated. Not a single one survived.

The second King Yama’s Palace stronghold had been eradicated. When the news spread, it once again shook all corners of the land. This battle showed the world Su Han’s decisive ruthlessness and thirst for revenge. No one doubted his resolve any longer. This was no longer a mere slap in the face; it was an outright declaration of war. Even if it was not a full-scale war, it was a local conflict with a significant impact.

Having dealt with the stronghold in Mingzhou, Su Han led his army forth once more. They crossed the Daozhou border into Sword Province to continue their quest for vengeance.

However, at that very moment, a piece of news emerged that shocked countless people to their core:

”The Hundred Poisons Saint has fled!”