Chapter 127: Demon Emperor & Heavenly Sovereign!
Rumble—
The earth suddenly began to quake violently. Huge fissures spread madly across the ground.
Swoosh!
From within the fissures, demonic qi billowed forth. Suddenly, a beam of black light shot into the sky. An exceptionally terrifying demonic qi fluctuation rolled outward, filling heaven and earth.
"This is..."
The sudden upheaval drew the gaze of everyone on the battlefield. Seeing this scene, Huo Du's expression changed drastically. In horror, he said, "There's a fallen Demon Emperor's corpse here!"
"Your target is that?!"
Hearing this, everyone felt their hearts jolt. Buried beneath this ground, there was actually a Demon Emperor's corpse?
Of course. Those two terrifying auras clashing at the mountain peak—capable of enduring tens of thousands of years without decay, still reaching this level even today—only a Heavenly Sovereign and a Demon Emperor fit that description!
"Heh heh!"
After a single exchange of blows, Xin Kui abruptly retreated. Watching this scene, he pursed his lips slightly, then smiled at Jiang Yun's trio. Finally, his laughter grew louder and louder.
"Hahaha—"
"Next, behold the majesty of our clan's Demon Emperor! What True Dragon Clan, what Nine-Colored Heaven-Devouring Python—before our clan's lord, all are defeated remnants! Today, that you have the fortune to witness this scene, you can die without regrets!"
Rumble!
The very instant Xin Kui's words fell, the earth below suddenly began trembling violently. From the fissures, demonic qi permeated the deepest depths of the ground. There seemed to be a demonic shadow, so vast its end could not be seen, slowly rising.
That demonic shadow crawled out from the endless abyss. Its head touched the sky, its feet trod the earth. Amidst the spreading demonic qi, it seemed akin to the emperor of all demons.
"This is..."
Medusa and Zi Yan's pupils constricted, gazing at that demonic shadow carrying an astonishing oppressive might. That shadow bore an especially close resemblance to the Flame Demon clansmen. Yet the oppressive might radiating from it was on an entirely different level from the Flame Demon clansmen present.
"Trouble!"
Jiang Yun also saw this scene, murmuring inwardly. For the first time, he felt matters had slipped beyond his control. In this world where myriad forces converged upon the self, all schemes, before absolute power, were like paper tigers—utterly fragile and worthless.
And now, the one possessing this power that could disregard everything was their enemy. This was a bit of a disaster.
Should he reveal the Saint Demon Flame and pose as an inheritor of the Saint Demon Emperor? Surely, under the banner of the Saint Demon Emperor's name, the three of them would naturally come to no harm.
This thought flickered through Jiang Yun's mind in an instant but was quickly expelled!
It was a last resort among last resorts, riddled with too many holes, impossible to actually carry out!
"My clan's emperor returns! Offer these Great Thousand bloodlines as tribute to our emperor!" The Flame Demon commander gazed reverently at the colossal demonic shadow, then swept his eyes over everyone present. A sinister, savage grin spread across his face.
"Boom!"
Right at that moment, the entire space suddenly began to tremble with violent intensity. The great mountain range behind them shook like an earthquake, quaking madly.
"What's going on?!" The sudden change made the Flame Demon commander's expression shift. He shouted in a deep voice.
"Bang!"
His shout had barely faded when, from that great mountain range, one mountain peak abruptly exploded apart. The enormous mountain mass, in an instant and under countless bewildered gazes, was reduced to rubble and powder.
Simultaneously, a crimson-red flame slowly rose into the air. A sky-blotting blaze, like the fires of world annihilation, swept out from deep within the mountains, finally transforming into rolling waves of flame that rapidly surged toward this stretch of sky.
"Roar—"
Sensing the aura of that sea of flame, the demonic shadow abruptly let out a furious roar. In the next instant, sky-surging demonic qi transformed into a black sea of fire, rushing straight toward the sea of flame sweeping in from the mountain peak.
"Boom—"
Two supreme, mighty forces eroded and collided against each other. The entire realm was shrouded beneath two terrifying, oppressive auras.
Under that kind of pressure, even heaven and earth themselves trembled.
"Evil demons... must be exterminated!"
Along with a resounding shout, an illusory human figure strode forth upon the sea of flame.
It was a man clad in red robes. Fiery light blazed, making it impossible to clearly see his face.
Yet his towering, majestic figure—simply standing there, utterly still—faintly exuded a fearsome aura that seemed to transcend heaven and earth itself.
All the experts present stared at that figure. No matter what grade of Sovereign they had once been, the moment they laid eyes upon that man, the spiritual energy within their bodies involuntarily quaked at this moment.
And even more so for those at the Fleshly Tribulation level—seeing him, the spiritual energy within them rioted, showing signs of spontaneous combustion. They directly coughed up a mouthful of blood and immediately, in terror, withdrew their gazes, not daring to stare too directly.
An existence like that—even after being dead for tens of thousands of years, transformed from a mere fragment of residual will—just looking at him could cause one injury... What kind of terrifying power was this, exactly?!
"Truly fearsome!"
Zi Yan and Medusa clutched their chests, their breaths somewhat labored. Even the breath they exhaled carried a scorching heat. At this moment, they profoundly felt the supreme might of a Heavenly Sovereign. Simultaneously, an eager, fervent yearning for that realm rose in their hearts.
Sensing the discomfort of the two women beside him, Jiang Yun reached out and grasped their hands. Black-and-white spiritual energy entered their bodies, neutralizing the scorching heat within them.
At the same time, his gaze swept over everyone present. The soul within his spiritual sea was prepared at any moment to activate that illusory Qing Ming Tower.
Ready to grab the others and flee!
Everything took second place to their own safety. What inheritance—that was all an illusion!
The entire field had fallen into a deathly hush at that moment. Every expert stared blankly at those two sky-supporting, earth-pillaring figures, clearly awed by the majesty radiating from them.
This awe lasted a long while before some gradually came back to their senses.
"That's... that's a Heavenly Sovereign of our world!"
Some trembling, quavering voices couldn't help but ring out, brimming with deep reverence.
The crowd, who had just moments ago been mired in despair, upon seeing the Myriad Flames Great Emperor, immediately felt a surge of revitalization—a sensation of having survived a calamity.
Simultaneously, a trace of greed rose in quite a few people's hearts. Why had they come here? Wasn't the greatest thing they sought precisely his inheritance?
The Myriad Flames Imperishable Body—one of the Great Thousand World's Ten Great Original Dharma Bodies, the most powerful of them all.
If they could obtain it, then in the days to come, they too would surely be able to use it to become one of the paramount existences in the Great Thousand World, stepping into that elusive, seemingly unattainable Heavenly Sovereign realm.
"So that is a Heavenly Sovereign? The inheritance they seek?"
Jiang Yun was also looking at that figure with curiosity at that moment. This was the master of the Myriad Flames Imperishable Body—one could say, the pinnacle figure of the flame path in this universe, second only to the Saint Demon Emperor.
Had he not fallen so early, had he lived until now, he might well have reached the realm of a Saint Demon Emperor!
Behind Jiang Yun, Medusa and Zi Yan couldn't help but gaze up, equally curious.
"So what if he's a Heavenly Sovereign? Our world's lord is invincible!" Unlike the joy of the Great Thousand crowd, the Flame Demon commander's eyes were bloodshot at this moment. With a somewhat crazed, frenzied roar, he bellowed.
Then, he revealed a strange, eerie smile toward the crowd, sending chills down spines.
"Flame Demon clansmen, heed my command!" He abruptly bellowed at the Flame Demon clansmen behind him.
"Here!" A uniform, roaring response erupted from the surviving Flame Demon clansmen.
"Welcome the ancestor's return!" Accompanied by a long howl, the Flame Demon clan members, after a moment of silence, collectively revealed crazed, manic smiles. In the next instant, the Great Thousand crowd showed expressions of sheer shock!
Bang bang bang!
The very instant the Flame Demon commander's voice fell, from amidst the Flame Demon ranks, the sounds of self-detonation suddenly rang out multiple times. Then, Jiang Yun, Huo Du, Li Yan, and the others watched in horror as those Extraterritorial Evil Clansmen exploded one after another in quick succession at that moment.
Thick, dense demonic qi, mixed with black flesh and blood, splattered outward, ultimately all shooting into that demonic shadow.
And with that infusion of countless demonic qi and flesh and blood, within that demonic shadow, two lines of scarlet-red light slowly opened—those were its eyes.
And the wider those scarlet eyes opened, the greater the oppressive might it radiated.
The evil qi and sea of flame that had just been in stalemate—now, the sea of flame was dimming, slowly being eroded by the evil qi. It had already fallen into a disadvantage. Without external reinforcement, defeat and dissipation were only a matter of time.
The explosions continued rapidly. The entire mountain range seemed to transform into an ocean of black blood. The crowd watched this scene with horrified gazes.
Monstrous, sky-surging demonic qi, along with the bloody stench and baleful, violent energy generated from the earlier slaughter, all continuously surged into that demonic shadow at that moment. Its aura was rising by leaps and bounds.
"Roar—"
Suddenly, a great roar rang out. The earth below abruptly began trembling madly. Then, the ground shattered. Torrential demonic qi swept out. A beam of demonic light directly pierced through the ancient array that had sealed this place, then tore through the sky, shooting toward the demonic shadow.
It was a palm covered in flame runes. As it appeared, the surrounding sky shattered layer by layer. A scalp-numbing demonic qi swept forth.
"Boom—"
By now, the crowd had been stunned into a daze by the successive upheavals. They watched helplessly as that Demon Emperor's Palm connected with the demonic shadow. And with the merging of the two, that immeasurably colossal demonic shadow actually erupted with a terrifying, deafening boom. Sky-blotting demonic qi swept outward. Faintly, a fluctuation so terrifying it defied description was slowly being born.
"Hahaha! The Demon Emperor's Hand! It's our clan ancestor's palm! With the Demon Emperor's Hand aiding me, I will surely become the next Demon Emperor!"
The Flame Demon commander threw his head back and laughed maniacally. His face fervent, he stared at that pitch-black demonic shadow. With a boom, he too exploded. But unlike the others, a black flame, laced with a wisp of soul fluctuation, shot toward the demonic shadow.
A complete madman. But still—I hope you succeed, Xin Kui had witnessed the entire process, inwardly muttering to himself.
And with that flame's entry, the scarlet eyes of the demonic shadow suddenly became animated and lively, as if it had truly come alive.
"Run! He's successfully activated the Demon Emperor's Hand! His strength is now infinitely close to a Heavenly Sovereign's! Flee!"
At that moment, Huo Du finally snapped back to his senses. Sensing the gradually climbing might of that demonic shadow, sheer terror filled his heart. With a furious roar, he raised his hand and produced a Realm-Breaking Shuttle, blasting it toward the surrounding space.
At a time like this, who still cared about some inheritance?! Saving their lives was paramount!
"Run!"
Huo Du's words thoroughly jolted the crowd awake. Sensing that supreme, heaven-and-earth-suppressing power, everyone's hearts trembled violently. Each brought out their life-saving trump cards, one after another beginning to flee for their lives.
"Xiao Yun, let's get out of here too!"
Zi Yan and Medusa sensed the movements of those around them and immediately grew frantic, urging Jiang Yun hastily.
If the opponent were at the Divine Soul Tribulation or even a Sovereign, they might still fight. But a Heavenly Sovereign? Sorry, this problem was way beyond the syllabus!
"I'm afraid it's a bit troublesome," Jiang Yun sighed, staring intently at that demonic shadow.
Hearing Jiang Yun's words, Zi Yan and Medusa's expressions froze into stunned disbelief. Turning their heads to look at the sky, sure enough—all those realm-breaking methods the crowd had were collectively failing.
Realizing that every realm-breaking method was now useless, the crowd instantly became as frantic as ants on a hot pan.
"Oh..."
Confirming they truly couldn't escape, the light in Zi Yan's and Medusa's eyes also dimmed completely. Zi Yan shot a venomous glare at that demonic shadow, then suddenly, quick as lightning, pressed her lips against Jiang Yun's.
A soft, cool sensation transmitted over. Jiang Yun was briefly stunned. He hadn't expected Zi Yan to do such a thing at a time like this.
Beside them, Medusa stared at this scene, utterly dumbfounded. In the next moment, she quickly turned her head away. Her fists, clenching and unclenching, revealed the turbulence within her heart at this moment.
Jiang Yun looked at Zi Yan before him, eyes wide open as she forcefully kissed him. At this moment, a layer of red flush surged across her delicate frame. On her tender, fair skin, a pink halo slowly swirled—utterly intoxicating.
At a certain moment, a slick, slippery sensation transmitted into his mind. Jiang Yun swiftly peeled Zi Yan off him. Looking at the flushed Zi Yan in his arms, he said, half-annoyed, half-amused, "You have that little faith we can't escape with our lives?"
"I don't know. I only know that if I hadn't tasted Xiao Yun, I wouldn't be able to die content. I've been craving you for over ten years now!"
"Sure enough—sweet. The most delicious thing I've ever tasted!"
Zi Yan, meeting Jiang Yun's eyes directly and hearing his words, immediately revealed a radiant, bright smile. With her cheeks flushed crimson, this smile added three parts of alluring charm to her features.
Jiang Yun chuckled ruefully and shook his head. When they'd first met, the way you drooled—that wasn't this kind of craving!
"Hey, do you want to try too? Anyway, we don't know if we'll survive. I'll just turn a blind eye for now. Miss this chance, and there won't be another!"
At that moment, Zi Yan, coming back to savor the moment, called out to Medusa, who had turned her head aside.
"You—!" Medusa, hearing this, turned back. On her cold, enchantingly alluring cheeks, a rare expression of flustered panic appeared. Subconsciously, she glanced at Jiang Yun. That usually icy, bewitching face was now, exceptionally rarely, replaced by a flush of crimson. She looked, if anything, even more enchantingly alluring and breathtaking.
"Shameless!" With a low curse, Medusa turned her head away once more, ignoring Zi Yan's words.
"Hmph! You'll regret this!" Seeing Medusa's attitude, Zi Yan immediately snorted coldly.
Had it not been for this trip through the ruins, which had changed her perception of Medusa somewhat, with their relationship no longer so stiff—did she really think she'd be this magnanimous?
But since you're giving me the cold shoulder now—if we do make it back alive... just you wait and see how I punish you when you want to join the family later.
Staring at Medusa's enchanting, bewitching back, Zi Yan thought with dark, secret glee. Her eyes darted, and an idea immediately struck her. She thought to herself excitedly.
I'll make you the last one to enter the door—the junior wife. I'm sure Medusa's expression then will be truly entertaining.
Toward Zi Yan teasing Medusa, Jiang Yun did not join in. At this moment, he was frowning at the crimson sea of flame, which was being steadily pushed back.