Imperial God Emperor

As always, King Zhenyuan was overbearingly powerful, albeit he was not clad in armor this time but was instead dressed in a fiery red cloth robe. Appearing most confident, he immediately drew cheers from the VIP zone below as soon as his burly figure appeared on the Azure Cloud Platform.

He was indeed very relaxed.

This was because Zhang Longcheng’s might had never been equal to his, and besides, the monarch of the Sky Fox clan had said that Zhang Longcheng did not gain anything from the cultivation process in the Immortal Domain. On top of that, he was in possession of a great killing weapon, and thus, in his view, the battle was just a formality in which Zhang Longcheng did not even have a fighting chance.

Soon, reminded by the military personnel to one side, King Zhenyuan and Ye Qingyu separately signed a duel agreement which was akin to a life-and-death contract. Upon being signed, it entailed that they would take full responsibility for the consequences no matter what happened on the platform, and that the party which walked off the platform would not be held liable for anything.

The huge platform began to quiver slightly.

As the formations of Emperor qi contained within it were activated, a huge protective shield rose up around the arena, which became shrouded in azure light. Like a fast-moving cloud, the arena itself levitated and gradually soared into the void.

The Azure Cloud Platform was so named not just because it was made of azure bricks and tiles but more so because it truly rose into the azure clouds when there was a duel.

The nobles who were seated on the plaza could use the projections of Emperor qi to watch the entire duel as if they were really on-site without being physically affected by the battle.

Rumble!

The platform shook.

As the surrounding scenery gradually disappeared, clouds could be seen fluttering at the edge of the arena, which reached dozens of kilometers high up in a twinkling.

The time for the duel had officially arrived.

King Zhenyuan leisurely admired the exquisiteness of this location. As it was his first time on the platform, he was rather curious about all of the changes. In particular, he could clearly feel that a boundless imperial qi was circulating in the arena beneath his feet, and he thus attempted to examine its rhythm and unearth the secrets of becoming Emperor.

Having been stuck at the ninth step of the Quasi-emperor realm for too long, and previously depended on military exploits to enter the Immortal Domain to cultivate yet did not gain much out of it, he thus paid particular attention to Emperor weapons and forces. After obtaining the [Samsara Disc of Nine Opposites] from the Sky Fox clan, he examined it carefully, but because there were restrictions placed on it by the Sky Fox clan, he was ultimately unable to derive its technique.

As for Ye Qingyu?

He had long been ignored and disregarded by King Zhenyuan.

In the latter’s eyes, Ye Qingyu was but a panting dead man.

In reality, Ye Qingyu thought the same way about him.

Given Ye Qingyu's present cultivation and strength, he was able to discern King Zhenyuan’s battle strength and trump card with just one glance, and did not pay any attention to the latter. Instead, he observed the Emperor qi-circulating formations in the platform with some interest. Operating the [Eyes of the Void], a purple radiance gradually formed in his eyes. However, he discovered that the azure light in the arena was preventing him from seeing the true secret beneath.

Since even he was unable to see the secret beneath, King Zhenyuan naturally did not yield anything either.

Rumble!

The platform shook.

It arrived among the clouds, where the final designated location of the duel was.

With some disappointment, King Zhenyuan retracted his gaze and cast it upon Ye Qingyu.

“If you have any last words, speak them now.” He appeared bored and impatient. “It’s simply shameful for me to have stepped on to the platform with your kind. Confess your sins while you can and I’ll send you on your way shortly.”

Ye Qingyu smiled nonchalantly without saying a word.

Back then, on top of the east gate of Royal City, the King Zhenyuan’s outburst had caused him to feel threatened. By now, however, the situation had long turned on its head. Unfortunately, the King was not self-aware and still thought that he was in control of everything, while Ye Qingyu could not be bothered to explain things to him.

“It looks like you know you can’t survive. Have you given up already?” King Zhenyuan laughed grimly.

Inwardly, he was terribly angry at Ye Qingyu because the latter had embarrassed his residence and given him no choice but to step on the platform. Even if he could torture and kill the latter today, the fury in his heart would be hard to quell.

“Say what you want.” Ye Qingyu had been restraining his strength and did not expose all of it, but he was slowly beginning to loosen his restraints and adjust his condition. Like a lion which used full force even when fighting against a rabbit, he was not about to get careless on such an occasion.

“Great. How about this, you kneel down and beg me for mercy now, showing remorse for your past actions, and I’ll let you die a little faster.” King Zhenyuan laughed savagely. “Otherwise, I’ll use the dozens of torture methods that I’ve specially prepared for you over the past three months to make you regret ever coming to this world.”

With that, he drew close and set off his powerful cultivation. Dao laws surged in the void, nearly driving the entire void above the platform to smash toward Ye Qingyu.

He was deliberately trying to exert psychological pressure on Ye Qingyu.

The torture which he had been looking forward to had already begun.

Seeing this scene from the plaza below via the Emperor qi projections, many nobles cried out in alarm, for King Zhenyuan’s strength was even more frightening than they had imagined. Conversely, the nobles of the King of Zhenyuan’s residence were excited like never before.

In particular, the Crown Prince guffawed exaggeratedly.

“Hahaha, see that? This is retribution… Heh heh, no matter who it is that offends our residence, they’ll certainly regret ever coming into this world.” He spoke sinisterly while deliberately looking at the people around him with intimidatory eyes.

All he saw looking back at him were adulatory and ingratiating eyes.

He thus continued to guffaw proudly.

As if remembering something, he swept a gloomy and sharp glance at Marquis Tingtao and his group not far off to the side.

How can they be so ignorant?

Lin Xuan no longer had any fear in his heart. He had seen it all before, and felt hopeless, angry, and confused toward everything in Royal City.

Linghu Buxiu was completely unperturbed.

Seeing the projection of Ye Qingyu’s figure, he suddenly became calm inwardly. Since the person who was actually facing the most frightening and cruel King of Zhenyuan and bearing the greatest pressure did not show any change in countenance, what was there for him to be fearful of? The worst thing that could happen was death, and besides, that was not inevitable...

In his heart, he still had a glimmer of hope for Ye Qingyu.

After all, this was someone who had created miracles time after time.

“Trying to muddle things? This method won’t work on me.”

On the platform, Ye Qingyu waved his sleeves lightly.

As a soft burst of qi surged, the boundless phenomenon of Dao laws created by King Zhenyuan disappeared entirely in a twinkling, with the scene resembling that of the sweeping of wind, the flying of snow, and the blazing of fireflies. Before King Zhenyuan could respond, all of the qi he was exerting disappeared uncontrollably.

“It looks like you’re still in a dream of assured victory. Hoho, I advise you to change your frame of mind and use full force, otherwise you won’t survive more than a few strokes.” Although there was no murderous spirit in Ye Qingyu’s smile, nobody would take his words as a joke.

King Zhenyuan’s countenance changed.

He suddenly felt that things were not good.

However, this feeling lasted only for a moment before he sneered, “I must’ve underestimated you. It looks like the head of the Sun clan has indeed paid a price to support you. I’m certain that the wave you just made was based on the power he injected into you. Did you intend to use it to confuse me? Hoho, then you underestimate me...”

The two large existing monarchical banners were each clearly supporting the two opposing parties in this battle. The leader of the Sky Fox clan had even lent an Emperor weapon to King Zhenyuan, while the head of the Sun clan certainly could not just allow Zhang Longcheng to cultivate in the Immortal Domain without providing him with other forms of help, this being a Martial Emperor’s game after all. King Zhenyuan had long expected that the head of the Sun clan would provide Zhang Longcheng with more support. For instance, that earlier burst of power came close to the force of a Martial Emperor and was definitely not Zhang Longcheng’s own strength, and so King Zhenyuan surmised that it was Emperor qi that the head of the Sun clan had injected into Zhang Longcheng.

Although this kind of power appeared frightening, it was actually lacking in foundation and thus could be taken care of most easily just by draining it a few times.

“Let’s see how many strokes you can take.”

King Zhenyuan retracted some of his contempt and struck out continually.

A strange phenomenon appeared in the void of the arena. Four black holes had formed at an unknown time, each of them releasing great devouring power. There was even visible black mist reaching out like demonic tentacles to entwine Ye Qingyu.

When serious, King Zhenyuan was indeed highly terrifying.

Much as the crowd on the plaza could only see phantom projections, they could nevertheless feel the world-destroying might. Gasping, their countenances change dramatically. As if the world was ending, a sense of panic suffused irrepressibly.

“Ha, he’s dead meat,” the Crown Prince shouted wildly and proudly.

However, the next moment, the situation as seen through the projections began to change.

Ye Qingyu simply raised his right arm and spread his five fingers to grab at the void, then clutched lightly as if to burst a void bubble. Opening his mouth, a silver formation immediately flew out from within…

“Spread!”

His voice was thunderous.

With that, the silver formation turned into boundless silver light and diffused. The black mist tentacles, together with the four black holes in the void of the platform, instantly leveled, dissipated, and disappeared.

It was as if none of them had appeared.

“This...”The Crown Prince’s delight froze on his face.

The nobles around him also grew cold inwardly.

On the platform, King Zhenyuan showed only a slight change in expression, but this quickly turned into that of disdain and scorn. “The power of others will eventually be used up. How much power from the head of the Sun clan can your body possibly bear? It can only prolong your life for that little bit more. You’re bound to die at my hands today… Kill!”

Changing strategy, his figure zipped like lightning right up to Ye Qingyu, where he began to perform a melee attack.

Anybody that received external forces, especially those that surpass one’s own realm, would definitely suffer long-term side effects. The most notable disadvantages were that one’s body would become slower and its circulation of power would stagnate, as if one’s body no longer belonged to one’s self. King Zhenyuan wanted to make use of this very fact to crush Ye Qingyu from close range.

The latter revealed a bizarre smile. “What’s the point… You’re just bringing shame on yourself.”

Launching a counterattack, dragon tiger sounds and the warbling of Dao laws could be heard from within his body as he unleashed terrifying power with extremely fast response. Exerting a punch, he smashed the void and sent King Zhenyuan flying.

“How’s this possible?” Roused, King Zhenyuan felt incredulous as he flew through the air. Blood oozed from his palms and fingers while his arms turned numb and his bones nearly broke.

He could not believe that Zhang Longcheng’s physical strength was so terrifying that the latter could defeat him in one stroke.