Imperial God Emperor

They couldn't hold back their elation.

The military judge who they had all assumed was a hopeless cause had become an Emperor against all odds. He was like a seed that the Sun clan had planted in hopes that it could grow into a tall tree but in a blink of an eye, this seed had grown to not only be a tall tree, but a tree that could support the heavens.

They couldn't understand how Zhang Longcheng had managed to become an Emperor in such a hopeless situation, but they finally understood why their ancestor had seemed so hesitant earlier. Their ancestor must have known that to Zhang Longcheng, the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan did not pose much danger but rather, he was a heaven-sent opportunity and they guessed that their ancestor must have stood by because he did not want to interfere with this opportunity.

However...

They looked at the handsome young man reflected in the Emperor mirror in confusion. Was this Zhang Longcheng's true appearance?

He seemed far too young to be a Martial Emperor.

Rumble!

Dao sounds rumbled across the Nine Heavens and thunder rolled across the skies as everything in the universe reverberated as one.

The boundless silver mist continued to gush out of Ye Qingyu's figure and became one with the universe. This was his martial way, his will, his path that was fusing with the universe. The Martial Emperor would bear the mandate of heaven and this was formed after his own aura fused together with the qi activity of the universe. Then, he would be able to unleash the power of the universe at once, as though he could control all power within the universe.

The thunderous Dao sounds continued to surge toward Ye Qingyu and entered his body.

He was invincible in this state and his body was also undergoing a tremendous change.

In his dantian world that was filled with a vast yuan qi ocean, land gradually appeared once more and fish formed in his vast yuan qi ocean while plants grew on the land within this world. The strange fragrance that filled the void of the Azure Cloud Platform and Dao thunder in the heaven as well as the mist filled with the laws of Dao surged into his body and transformed into a limitless life force that transformed his dantian world that used to be a vast ocean into one that showed signs of life.

As these signs of life within his dantian world strengthened, his power also increased.

He could feel that as his dantian world changed, his own yuan qi force increased significantly. His yuan qi that had used to resemble liquid became more viscous and resembled the blood that flowed within his veins as they circulated around his body. They were no longer limited to his meridians but they could move toward his limbs, bones, and organs at will. This force had completely fused together with his body and he could no longer differentiate between the two.

"This is what the Emperor's qi feels like!" Ye Qingyu said as he was struck with a sudden epiphany.

The Dao rumbles and vibrations of the universe gradually started to dissipate

Ye Qingyu knew that he had barely attained the true Emperor realm.

After he became an Emperor, all other living creatures would seem as tiny as ants to him and to all other martial artists, becoming an Emperor was the highest form of Dao enlightenment and this realm was like becoming an Immortal. They could never dream of reaching it, but could only worship those who managed to attain it.

He would need some time to consolidate this realm.

Ye Qingyu also sensed the transformation that had taken place in his entire body after he overcame his hopeless situation. He knew that he had ascended significantly to become an Emperor and during this process, his body had reverted to his original appearance. Thus, everyone had already glimpsed his true appearance and was probably aware that Zhang Longcheng was merely a disguise that he had adopted.

However, this was no longer important to him since he had become a true Martial Emperor.

No matter who became an Emperor, that person would assume the title of a sovereign within the camp and would no longer be subjected to the control of the camp and even the royalty, noblemen and those who held the highest positions within the camp would have to bow deferentially to him, so who would dare to chastise him?

Moreover, even if they tried to carry out an investigation, what could they do to him?

Ye Qingyu was extremely calm even though his identity had been exposed.

The heavens rumbled along with him as he stretched.

All living creatures seemed to respond to his every move.

His [Blood Drinker Sword] buzzed and vibrated. It had completely attained its own spirituality and now floated by his side.

Ye Qingyu looked at the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan who was still in a state of utter shock and smiled as he said, "I'll have to thank you for giving me all these opportunities. It is all thanks to you that I've managed to forge my own life Emperor weapon and achieved this breakthrough to break past my shackles on the martial way, so I'll never forget the favor that you've bestowed upon me."

The sovereign of the Sky Fox clan looked extremely miserable and dejected.

He was no fool and could tell that Ye Qingyu had deliberately emphasized the words 'favor', so he was definitely not expressing his gratitude toward him. The enmity between them had deepened.

"How did you do it?" the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan asked after he took a deep breath to calm himself.

The last time he had been so emotional was when he had become an Emperor.

He simply couldn't understand what had happened today.

"Do you really want to know?" Ye Qingyu asked. He felt great after becoming an Emperor and thus, his expression was also a lot calmer than before.

The sovereign of the Sky Fox clan nodded.

Ye Qingyu smiled and said, "I heard that you had obtained a stroke of good luck when you entered the Immortal Domain eight thousand years ago and this was how you became an Emperor yourself. Is this true?"

"Yes," the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan did not deny it.

He had been the first peerless prodigy to emerge from the refinement at the Immortal Domain as a Martial Emperor, so this was an honor and something to be proud of, and also the reason why the slots to enter into the Immortal Domain for refinement had become more and more limited.

An elusive smile danced across Ye Qingyu's lips as he said, "I had also come across an opportunity to become an Emperor at the refinement of the Immortal Domain and back then, I could have become an Emperor at any moment, but I chose not to do so. I trust you understand what I'm referring to, right?"

"What? How... how could you..." the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan exclaimed and his face was filled with astonishment once more.

He obviously understood what Ye Qingyu meant.

In fact, he was probably the only person who understood what Ye Qingyu was referring to.

Only those who became an Emperor at the refinement of the Immortal Domain would understand that by making this choice, they would leave a gap on their Emperor's road that could not be bridged. A Martial Emperor could live for more than ten thousand years, but the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan was reaching the end of his lifespan after eight thousand years and had to rely on sealing and depressing his own cultivation to extend his lifespan. His lifespan had been reduced because of that unbridgeable gap on his Emperor's road.

He had already vaguely known that there might be consequences if he chose to become Emperor at the Immortal Domain, but the glory of becoming an Emperor overcame all the misgivings he had and he ultimately made the choice for his cultivation to skyrocket. As time passed, he became more regretful of his rash decision but unfortunately, it was all too late.

He couldn't believe that this young man in front of him had resisted the same temptation to become Emperor.

He was astonished by this man's wisdom, fate, spirit and tenacity but at the same time, he also understood what a grave mistake he had made. He had underestimated his opponent from the beginning and this had led to the situation right now.

"I know what kind of path you have chosen because of our similar experiences and this is also the reason why I also know where your limitations are. All these were enough for me to be certain that you wouldn't be able to kill me," Ye Qingyu said casually as though he was having a friendly chat with an old friend. "The laws of the universe contained within the broken shard of the Immortal Domain were clear and comprehensible, but those laws belonged to the previous world and they are not part of our current world. If someone used that to become Emperor, that person would also have the Emperor's authority but after that person returned to the real world, he would find that he would not be able to form a complete Emperor's road. After all, we live in the present, not the past. Therefore, I would say that you're actually a 'fake Emperor'."

"Fake Emperor?" the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan asked as his entire body shook.

A wry smile appeared on his face. That young man was right; he had seen things clearly and his thought process was extremely reasonable. Even when the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan had been at his peak, he was in no way comparable to the ancient and wise Great Emperors, so the term 'fake Emperor' suited him.

However, he would never agree with Ye Qingyu's words and reveal this secret to the public, so he would never admit this.

"You lent your Emperor weapon to King Zhenyuan, but you did not truly trust him, so the [Samsara Disc of Nine Opposites] could not unleash its fullest potential. Naturally, this meant that it would not be able to truly shatter my [Blood Drinker Sword] and I finally managed to forge my own life Emperor weapon by using your Emperor weapon to sharpen my sword. Thus, even if a fake Emperor such as yourself appeared, you would not be able to kill me. I could have already chosen to become an Emperor if I wanted to at the Immortal Domain, and even though I gave up on the chance, how much weaker could I be compared to you after I returned to the real world? Everything you've done so far has only served to help me. You had truly been penny wise but pound foolish," Ye Qingyu said, then looked disdainfully at the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan.

The sovereign of the Sky Fox clan was consumed with an indescribable rage and regret.

"Ha ha, young man, don't get ahead of yourself. You've now become an Emperor yourself but what has changed? You're still my junior and you're still not my match before you fully consolidate your cultivation. He he, you've already used up all your chances, so even though you're gloating over me now, how long would this last? I'm sure you're aware that there is more than one sovereign in this world, so even after you become an Emperor, you can't rule over everything in this world," the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan's words carried both a warning and a threat. 

Ye Qingyu smiled and said, "I'm a true Emperor and bear the heavenly mandate of this world. I'm thus able to control the destiny of the heavens, and what does a mere fake Emperor like you know about my divine abilities? The Sky Fox clan had tried to defy fate and prevent me from becoming an Emperor while you secretly tried to plot against me and attempted to kill me. Let's settle this debt once and for all on the Azure Cloud Platform today."

As he spoke, the [Blood Drinker Sword] buzzed in response as though it could sense his intentions and automatically jumped into Ye Qingyu's hands.

Ye Qingyu pointed his long sword and its sword tip faced the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan.

An incredibly powerful aura immediately circulated around.

He had only just become an Emperor, but he wanted to settle all personal debts and grudges with immediate effect.

"Humph, you're behaving exactly like a lowly citizen with Sinner's blood flowing in your veins. Are you that impatient to cause bloodshed so quickly after you've become an Emperor? Fine, I'll agree to your request and I'll make you see that you're still not my match even after you've become an Emperor," the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan said menacingly.

Ye Qingyu's words earlier had touched a nerve, but those words had merely been a hypothesis and the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan was still extremely confident in his abilities. A new Martial Emperor would have to spend a lot of time to consolidate his newfound Emperor cultivation and Ye Qingyu was merely a newborn Martial Emperor, so he was practically courting death by challenging him to a battle. In fact, after Ye Qingyu became Emperor, he no longer had any right to take him to task in accordance with the laws of the camp but now, this insolent fellow had given this chance to battle. If this insolent punk wanted to die this badly, he had no one else to blame but himself.

If he couldn't refine this punk into a matchless divine tonic, then he would have to destroy him.

The [Samsara Disc of Nine Opposites] appeared behind the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan and his black and white strands of hair surged once more as he prepared to launch a powerful attack.

A battle between two Emperors was about to begin.