The person who was laughing walked out of the realm gate. Judging from his appearance, he was thin, small, and wretched. This was Chen Fan's first impression of him.
Upon seeing the arrival, Qi Yan's face immediately turned pale. "Xihan Heavenly Emperor."
The moment they saw this person, everyone bowed in respect. A Heavenly Emperor commanded more reverence than facing Liantian, the Great Emperor. Only Qi Yan, with his pale face, gritted his teeth and refused to bow. This person was his enemy.
Xihan glanced at Qi Yan, his killing intent making Qi Yan's face even paler. Yet, he still refused to bow.
"Presumptuous!"
At this moment, scolding voices echoed. "To face Xihan Heavenly Emperor, you dare not pay respects." "Seeking death..." "Xihan Heavenly Emperor, let us handle this person..."
Everyone spoke one after another, each trying to win favor or face in front of Xihan. Each person was doing their best to express their dissatisfaction with Qi Yan.
"Hmm." Xihan nodded impassively. Then, he cupped his fists towards Liantian and the other three again. "Seniors, this junior Xihan has come to welcome you. I hope these small matters have not caused you any impatience."
Xihan, at this moment, did not even regard a mere Half-Emperor.
"Heh heh." Liantian smiled. He looked down at Qi Yan, who was almost being ganged up on, and said with a laugh, "No need. I think this person is quite good. Let it be him."
As soon as these words were spoken, the people who were ready to attack Qi Yan froze in place. Even Xihan was taken aback. What did he mean?
Immediately after, Xihan's expression turned grim. He said in a deep voice, "Senior, Qi Yan has a bad reputation within our Hell Sun Realm. I think..."
"You don't need to think," Liantian said with a casual smile. "I like him, so it's him." With that, he directly bypassed Xihan and looked at Qi Yan, saying, "Are you willing to be my guide?"
Qi Yan was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly. "This junior is willing."
"Good." Liantian smiled. "Then lead the way."
"Seniors, please..."
"Wait a moment." Xihan suddenly spoke. His face was now extremely gloomy. "Senior, this is... the Hell Sun Realm." He didn't need to say more. The meaning was clear.
As a quasi-Heavenly Emperor of the Hell Sun Realm, Xihan held a significant position. In his opinion, Liantian was just a Heavenly Emperor, whom he did not particularly fear. He had come to greet them primarily to expand his connections, as these newcomers were all participating in the upcoming grand assembly.
"Oh?" Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. He looked at Xihan and smiled, "Fellow Daoist, what do you mean by that? Are you... threatening me?" He pointed it out directly. Normally, someone visiting a new realm for the first time would not act too domineering. After all, this was someone else's world, not their territory. On another's land, one should show some respect.
"Hahaha. Hahaha." Xihan laughed angrily. "Since Senior intends to meddle, then do as you please. However, this person is from my Hell Sun Realm. Offending my imperial authority, I naturally must deal with him. I ask that Senior choose someone else as a guide." His attitude was resolute.
Liantian's eyes narrowed. "What if I refuse? What can you do to me?"
"Hmph." Seeing this person's lack of tact, Liantian, being a person with a temper, no longer held a pleasant attitude. "Senior, my name is Xihan, and I am a descendant of the seventh-rank Underworld Fire Great Emperor. Do you think this identity is enough to threaten you?" Xihan said.
Underworld Fire, a seventh-rank Great Emperor. He was someone of consequence in the Hell Sun Realm.
"Seventh-rank, you say." Liantian thought for a moment and shook his head. "Sorry, not enough."
At these words, Xihan's face flushed with anger, but inwardly he rejoiced. This person dared to disregard a Great Emperor. In the Chaos, the strong were respected. Even an enemy Great Emperor must be respected; this was the rule of the entire Chaos. You could be hostile, but you couldn't insult them. If the dignity of the strong could be easily trampled upon, it would sound bad if spread. Even fellow kin would not tolerate their juniors insulting other strong individuals. Only the strong could insult the strong. Strength was the standard. And Liantian's action, in Xihan's eyes, was an insult to the majesty of a Great Emperor.
"Truly seeking death," this was his inner thought. He didn't dare to say it, lest it be perceived as deliberate provocation. For now, he could only say coldly, "Senior, you dare to disregard a Great Emperor. This matter... aren't you afraid of the Underworld Fire Great Emperor knowing? Let alone the Underworld Fire Great Emperor, even other Great Emperors would not let you off if they heard about it." His gaze was direct. At this moment, Xihan was filled with confidence.
"Heh." Liantian chuckled and then withdrew his gaze. He looked at the pale-faced Qi Yan and smiled, "Scared? If you are, you can leave."
Qi Yan was indeed scared. But at this point, he could no longer retreat. He could only grit his teeth and say, "This junior will lead the way for Senior now."
"Good disposition," Liantian smiled.
Boom. The moment he turned around, a powerful aura erupted from behind. Xihan was truly enraged. His aura now carried the pressure of a Heavenly Emperor.
"Please, Underworld Fire Great Emperor." Xihan did not directly attack Liantian. The opponent was stronger than him, and he would not be able to defeat him in a fight. Therefore, he directly invoked a trace of the Dao rhyme left in his bloodline by the Underworld Fire Great Emperor.
Boom. The might of a seventh-rank Great Emperor descended instantly.
...
At the moment Xihan summoned his ancestral bloodline power, a Great Emperor in seclusion within the Hell Sun Realm opened his eyes. Blue flames burned around his body. This person was the Underworld Fire Great Emperor. He sensed that a descendant was calling upon his power. Such an event had occurred only a few times in hundreds of thousands of years.
Just the name of the Underworld Fire Great Emperor was enough to suppress many enemies. No one dared to easily offend a family with a Great Emperor present. Therefore, Underworld Fire was unconcerned and soon closed his eyes again. However, as soon as he closed his eyes, he opened them again.
Boom. In the next moment, the underworld flames blazed fiercely. That trace of bloodline power of his had been torn apart.
"Who?" Underworld Fire's expression turned somewhat grim. To easily tear apart his bloodline power, one had to be at least a top-tier sixth-rank expert. After all, this bloodline had been passed down for countless generations and was already very weak. Yet, even if weak, it was not something an ordinary person could easily tear apart. At least a top-tier sixth-rank.
"Interesting." A trace of anger surfaced in Underworld Fire's heart. "I'd like to see who has such courage to dare tear apart my bloodline power." The next moment, Underworld Fire walked out of his seclusion. The bloodline power still had remnants, and he could sense its direction.
...
At the realm gate. Xihan was dumbfounded. The ancestral bloodline power had been shattered by the opponent with just a glance. Xihan went mad.
"You... Presumptuous!" He was both shocked and terrified. This time, the loss was too great.