Fate-Defying Demon Emperor

Inside the Red Earth Mine, Su Han and the others had not yet departed.

Although the battle had been a spectacular victory, the cost was steep. The Black Armored Army and the Imperial Guard were completely annihilated, and not a single soldier brought by General Wuwei survived.

Everyone had suffered injuries to varying degrees, but the Heart Sword Saint was the most severely wounded. His opponent had been the Hundred Poisons Saint, and his Physical Body had not been strong enough to withstand the poison. The Heart Sword Saint was not only afflicted with the Hundred Poisons Saint’s time poison but had also suffered a severe backlash from using the Sword of Heart twice. His injuries were so grave that he had less than a tenth of his former strength.

The others were also badly injured. Wei Ying was covered in wounds and her Divine Sense was damaged. Given her relatively low Realm, it had been an incredible feat for her to pin down the Twilight Saint. Her injuries were second only to the Heart Sword Saint’s in severity.

General Wuwei’s injuries were also serious. Before Su Han’s group arrived, he had held off the Hundred Poisons Saint and the Soul Hooking Saint all by himself. Afterward, he fought a Deputy Director at the Saint Realm Fifth Layer. The string of intense battles had left him riddled with wounds.

Li Mingliang and Li Qingyue were also seriously injured. Although they hadn’t participated in the fighting, their cultivation was too low. Once the battle of Saints began, the shockwaves were devastating. Even from a distance, they were caught in the aftermath. Worried for Su Han’s safety, they hadn’t moved too far away, and so both had been heavily wounded.

Even Su Han was injured. He had shouldered immense pressure while controlling the Unparalleled Sword Array to unleash Unparalleled Sword Radiance, and even his Great Accomplished Holy Body couldn’t withstand it all.

The least injured, ironically, was Wei Wenzheng. His strength was formidable, and his opponent, the Soul Hooking Saint, was not particularly powerful, allowing Wei Wenzheng to suppress him for the entire fight. However, he was also injured, having absorbed a significant portion of the Soul Hooking Saint’s immensely powerful self-destructive blast to protect Li Mingliang and Li Qingyue.

With everyone seriously injured, long-distance travel was out of the question. Although the Red Earth Mine was desolate, the military garrison was still there, so Su Han and the others stayed to recuperate.

The Heart Sword Saint’s injuries were the most critical, so Su Han gave him a drop of Life Spring Water. Li Mingliang and Li Qingyue’s wounds weren’t life-threatening, and they had plenty of Healing Pills, so Su Han didn’t give them any. There wasn’t much Life Spring Water left from Peach Blossom Paradise, and Su Han had no intention of using it frivolously. After all, common Healing Pills were easy to find, but Life Spring Water was not.

General Wuwei arranged an Underground Secret Chamber for Su Han to ensure his safety.

The outside world must be in an uproar by now!

Su Han slowly opened his eyes. Possessing both the Great Accomplished Holy Body and the Great Luo Golden Body, his physical wounds had recovered swiftly. As for his Divine Sense, it had actually grown stronger after refining the Divine Sense of the Hundred Poisons Saint. The real reason he wanted this Underground Secret Chamber was not to heal, but to devour.

The fruits of this battle were spectacular. Not only had Su Han achieved his goal, but he had also reaped a rich bounty of spoils. Setting aside the Holy Artifacts and Storage Rings, the Saint corpses alone were an invaluable treasure. Aside from the Soul Hooking Saint who had self-destructed, Su Han had already collected the other six Saint corpses. Now, they were laid out in a row before him.

Having suffered such a staggering loss, King Yama’s Palace will never let this go. Their retaliation could come at any moment. The Heavenly Sword Dynasty is a mighty tree to lean on, but you have to be strong yourself. If I die, nothing else matters. I must increase my strength as quickly as possible.

Su Han’s eyes blazed, his understanding of the situation crystal clear. Long before the battle, Su Han had considered every aspect: the reasons for the conflict, the potential dangers and accidents, and all the repercussions that would follow. Now, his plan was mostly successful. All that remained was to withstand the inevitable retaliation from King Yama’s Palace.

After this battle, the name of the Nineteenth Prince will shake the Central Plains. Others will think twice before provoking me, which will make things much more convenient. While I don’t care about reputation, fame itself is a form of power. Wielded correctly, it can be an invisible sword! Fame and reputation are different things. A reputation can be good or bad—the good earns respect, while the bad is denounced by all. Fame, however, is intimidating regardless of whether it is good or bad. The greater the fame, the more people fear you. I don’t care about my reputation or what others say about me, but fame is an invisible sword I intend to wield. This fame can save me from countless unnecessary troubles. It will also allow me, under the name of the Nineteenth Prince, to truly enter the ranks of the top-tier prodigies of the younger generation. His past victories at the Mount Hua Sword Tournament and the Sword Mastery Conference were small-scale affairs with limited reach. The name of the Nineteenth Prince had earned some recognition, but it wasn’t enough to truly shake the Central Plains. This time, however, I have severed one of King Yama’s Palace’s fingers under the banner of revenge. This act will undoubtedly shock the world and cause my fame to skyrocket, which is exactly what I want. But all of this hinges on one thing: I have to stay alive. No matter how monstrously talented, a dead prodigy is nothing more than a pile of dirt. Only living prodigies have value.

Therefore, Su Han craved even greater strength.

I can’t break through to the next Great Realm by devouring, but these Saint corpses can raise my strength to the Semi-Saint Realm!

Su Han was well aware of the limitations of his Devouring Heaven Demonic Art. He was currently at the Supreme Realm Ninth Layer, with the Saint Realm being the next step. But breaking through to a new Great Realm depended on personal insight; no amount of accumulated energy could force it. Normally, he would have stored these Saint corpses and waited to refine them after his breakthrough for maximum effect. But the situation was dire, and he could not afford to wait; he needed to increase his strength however he could.

”Devour!”

His mind made up, Su Han activated the Devouring Heaven Demonic Art. Demonic Qi surged violently, radiating a grim Demonic Might as he began the process of devouring and Refinement.

Days went by, and while everyone’s injuries slowly healed, news trickling in from the outside world filled them with anxiety. King Yama’s Palace had yet to make a move. This abnormal silence was the greatest source of their unease. As the saying goes, unusual events are a sign of lurking danger.

”We can’t stay here any longer,” Wei Wenzheng said, having gathered everyone. ”We must return to the Imperial Capital. Only there can we guarantee His Highness’s safety!”

This place was too far from the Imperial Capital and dangerously exposed. If King Yama’s Palace decided to retaliate, he wasn’t certain their group could withstand the assault, even with several Saints among them. The Imperial Capital was protected by the Emperor Formation, and with the Flying Immortal Great Emperor himself presiding over the realm, not even a Great Emperor Realm expert would dare trespass. That was the safest place in the world.

”His Highness is in seclusion and hasn’t emerged yet,” General Wuwei said with a worried frown. ”If we disturb him rashly, we risk him suffering a cultivation deviation.”

”The situation is urgent! The risk of a cultivation deviation is better than losing his life! I’ll go to His Highness now!” Wei Wenzheng said, his unease palpable. Having made his decision, he immediately turned toward the Underground Secret Chamber.

Just then, an overwhelming Holy Might descended upon them, pressing down from all directions. A voice boomed from the heavens:

”Nineteenth Prince, come out and meet your death!”