"What is this?"
Even with her vast knowledge, the Poison Scorpion couldn't identify this object.
However, the aura emanating from it caused her to tremble... an incredibly potent aura.
"Do you intend to stop me with a mere treasure?"
Although the Ancestral Dragon Horn's aura was powerful, it was, after all, just a treasure.
Even divine artifacts couldn't kill enemies autonomously without a master.
A spirit?
Impossible.
The truly powerful would never allow their weapons to possess spirits; at most, they might have a hint of consciousness.
"No."
The Venerable One shook his head.
Woo woo woo.
The Ancestral Dragon Horn was blown.
As the Ancestral Dragon Horn sounded, a trace of long-lost power slowly materialized.
This power did not belong to the present, but to the bygone years.
A figure emerged from the fading power.
An aged figure, with a cold long sword piercing through his brow, impaling his skull.
His eyes were closed. The moment he opened them, the Poison Scorpion felt her hair stand on end.
She spoke his name, syllable by syllable: "Liu... Que... Zi..."
A name that sounded like an insult.
Yet, these three words sent a crushing pressure through the Poison Scorpion.
The name recalled his thoughts.
His gaze fell upon the Poison Scorpion, and in an instant, a furious torrent of malice erupted from his eyes: "Poison Scorpion, take your life..."
Boom.
No superfluous words.
Liu Quezi's hatred for the Poison Scorpion was a chasm too deep to be filled even by the waters of the Forbidden Sea.
Though he was merely a cripple, his talent was unparalleled; he was one of the top prodigies a thousand years ago.
He was on the verge of achieving the Heavenly Emperor's status, only to be betrayed by the Poison Scorpion at a critical moment.
The Poison Scorpion was merely a minor Emperor Venerable back then. Everything she possessed now was originally his.
"Boom."
A thousand years of pent-up hatred finally exploded.
His every move was a desperate gamble.
The Venerable One withdrew his gaze and spoke again, "Daoist, hiding is useless. I've found a match for you too."
Space distorted, and a young figure in daoist robes emerged.
The fading power had not yet dissipated when another figure from the past stepped out.
"Alas."
The Daoist sighed, "A clever maneuver. You can even summon him back."
The second figure opened his eyes and beckoned.
Zheng.
A nine-ringed great saber materialized, exuding an aura of savage ferocity. "Nine Ring King, come and fight..."
He was the Nine Ring King, once a god of slaughter.
He had been a figure of fearsome renown in his time, only to be slain by a mysterious powerful being.
Now, in his resurgence, he still carried that brutal aura.
"Kill."
The Nine Ring King and the Daoist clashed.
The Ancestral Dragon Horn fell silent. Its power could only summon two individuals.
This was a method of summoning heroic spirits, an ability forbidden by the rules.
The battle grew increasingly fierce.
...
Meanwhile, in the Western Continent.
Chong Shun's death was merely the beginning.
"Swish."
The power of instantaneous movement was activated.
Around Bai Di Mountain, Emperor Palaces flickered.
With each flicker, an Emperor Venerable belonging to the Bai Di Palace vanished.
All of them were first-tier.
Bang.
Another first-tier Emperor Venerable disappeared.
"Five."
Killing five Emperor Venerables placed no burden on Chen Fan's conscience.
It was akin to slaughtering chickens.
The Mad Emperor had not made a move from start to finish.
As a first-tier Emperor Venerable, his actions could easily betray his presence and alert others.
Therefore, the City Lord himself had to act.
These five were just the beginning.
...
At the summit of Bai Di Mountain.
This mountain stood eternal, towering into the clouds.
Above the clouds, the Bai Di's Geng Jin Emperor Palace resided at the peak, worshipped by countless people.
Beside the Geng Jin Emperor Palace stood three weapons.
A saber, a sword, and a halberd.
Suddenly, the saber among them trembled.
"Hum."
A figure appeared beside the saber.
The saber vibrated and landed in the hands of a burly individual.
"What is happening?"
A hint of confusion flickered in the man's eyes. "Chong Shun, why can't I reach him?"
He had just tried to contact Chong Shun, but received no reply.
Had he gone into seclusion?
After a moment of contemplation, he called out, "Someone."
A half-emperor quickly appeared, bowing with clasped fists. "Your subordinate is here."
"Summon Emperor Chong Shun to see me at once."
"Yes."
The half-emperor departed.
The Saber Venerable did not leave, waiting in place.
From the summit to the foot of the mountain, a half-emperor could cover the distance in a few minutes.
However...
The Saber Venerable waited for a full ten minutes, but the subordinate still hadn't returned.
"Hmm?"
At this, the Saber Venerable sensed that something was amiss.
Boom.
The next moment, a torrent of saber energy cascaded down to the foot of the mountain like a waterfall.
Within Chong Shun's residence, the Saber Venerable appeared.
At first glance, everything seemed normal.
But the Saber Venerable's expression turned grim. With a casual wave of his hand.
Crack.
Everything before him shattered like a mirror.
The dilapidated residence had long since been reduced to ruins.
An illusion.
Everything that had just transpired had been concealed within an illusion.
As he tore through the illusion, a dazed half-emperor appeared.
Upon seeing the Saber Venerable, his face changed, and he quickly knelt. "Reporting to Saber Venerable, your subordinate just now..."
The Saber Venerable waved his hand.
No explanation was needed.
An illusion cast by an Emperor Venerable, regardless of their tier, was not something a mere half-emperor could break.
The half-emperor let out a sigh of relief and stood aside, silent.
The Saber Venerable closed his eyes, and saber energy emanated from him.
Waves of sharp saber light bloomed, and within them, faint images seemed to surface.
The images flashed by, one by one.
At a certain moment...
"Boom."
A long saber, piercing through life and death, materialized and, with a 'bang', shattered the images within the saber energy.
The Saber Venerable's eyes snapped open, his gaze filled with murderous intent. "Chen Fan..."
The Saber of Life and Death.
In the vast Immortal Realm, only one person had fused the two extremes of the dao to become an emperor.
Who could have missed the spectacle of his ascension to emperorship above Sword City that day, with Emperor Qing personally intervening to recruit him?
The Saber Venerable mused, "Wasn't it said he was going to kill the Yellow Emperor?"
This news, though meant to be discreet, had long since become common knowledge.
"Could it be..."
The Saber Venerable pondered, "That the Yellow Emperor was merely a diversion, and his true target is the White Emperor?"
Only then could he explain why Chong Shun was killed.
As for grudges, there was surely none between them.
Of this, the Saber Venerable was utterly certain.
Understanding this, the Saber Venerable knew what he had to do.
Boom.
Soaring saber energy rent the sky.
"All Emperor Venerables belonging to the Bai Di Palace, reveal your auras."
His voice thundered, echoing through every corner of Bai Di Mountain.
The voices of the Saber Venerable reached the ears of all Emperor Venerables.
The Saber Venerable held supreme authority on Bai Di Mountain.
Even ordinary Emperor Sons had to pay him respects as a junior.
None dared to disobey the Saber Venerable's command.
Boom.
In an instant, powerful auras surged forth.
In obedience to the Saber Venerable's command, their energy was revealed.
Familiar auras bloomed.
"Ximen, Tu'er... are you several among them?"
For those whose names the Saber Venerable called out, no aura was revealed.
Including Chong Shun, that made five individuals.
The lack of a response proved they were missing, that something had happened.
The Saber Venerable's face grew grave.
This was not the outcome he had hoped for.
"City Lord Chen."
At this moment, the Saber Venerable's voice rang out, "As the master of a city, why must you act so sneakily?"