Imperial God Emperor

Words and facial expressions alone couldn't express how shocked the Sky Emperor was. 

He had always been secretly investigating Lan Tian, and due to some ancient reasons, he had always suspected Deer City. He had only increased the intensity of his search because time was running short and it produced some unexpected results. He confirmed his suspicions that Lan Tian was in the Heaven Wasteland Domain and this was why the Sky Emperor formulated a secret plan. He didn't mind paying a high price by giving up on everything he had built at the Dark Realm, to personally lead his men to the Heaven Wasteland Domain, and immediately closing off the domain, turning it into a sealed domain. 

He was certain that Ye Qingyu would never receive news of this. 

He assumed that Ye Qingyu would be at the Guardians' Royal City or the one hundred and fifty million kilometer Great Wall excitedly formulating plans to conquer the entire Dark Realm. Even if he wasn't doing that, there were a million other things he could be doing, so it was very unlikely for him to just walk out of the Light Palace at this point in time. 

If he had been in the Light Palace all along, why had he taken so long to appear? 

However, the Sky Emperor was a very experienced and ambitious man, so he quickly calmed down despite the huge disruption to his plan. 

"It doesn't matter even if you're here. You're going to be defeated anyway," the Sky Emperor said, his body shining with dark blue light. "Do you really think that you'd be able to turn the situation around? And that you'd be able to forcefully turn the tables on me? My doppelganger soul form had almost destroyed you the previous time and now that my true body is here, I'll be able to destroy you effortlessly. In fact, I only stand to benefit even more now that you're here." 

"You're just a dirty old soul and even your physical body is so disgusted that it abandoned you. You're probably the first person in history that has this honor," Ye Qingyu said with a scornful laugh. 

The two supreme Emperors faced off against each other and tried to sound each other out with a simple exchange of words. 

"I did it in order to undergo a complete transformation and embark on a different path, so of course I'd have to get rid of my old clothes," the Sky Emperor said. He didn't sound angry and made it seem like Lan Tian was nothing but a set of clothes to him. "Kid, you don't know anything about the [Body Slashing] technique from the [Divine Dao of Heavenly Secrets]. I had merely gotten rid of my physical body and was tricked by someone when I was just starting to master this divine technique, so I couldn't fully master it. Did you like all the other ignorant worldly men, really think that I've been searching for Lan Tian all these years to regain my physical body and attain the so-called 'Grand Perfection Stage'?" 

"Do you mean to say that it is not true?" Ye Qingyu said with an enigmatic smile. 

He silently exerted the Emperor qi within his body and countless rays of silver light swirled around him. He didn't dare to let down his guard in front of the Sky Emperor. 

"Ignorant fools will naturally harbor ignorant thoughts!" the Sky Emperor said with a haughty laugh. "After I shed myself of my physical body, I had to find it and destroy it myself in order to throw off the shackles of the past. The Grand Perfection I'm actually seeking is to—personally—destroy—him!" 

He paused for a moment and smiled when he saw the surprise on Ye Qingyu's face. "That's all I'm trying to do," he said icily. 

Ye Qingyu was indeed shocked by what he had just heard. 

However, his shock quickly faded. 

He quickly calmed down the next instant. 

"I don't care whether you're trying to regain control of your body or whether you're trying to destroy it. The only thing I care about is Lan Tian and I forbid you from harming a single hair on his body. I'm not trying to foil your plan, neither am I afraid of you, nor am I trying to snatch your body away from you. The only reason why I'm doing this is because he—is—my friend!" 

He emphasized the last few words clearly. 

The Sky Emperor froze in stunned surprise then burst out laughing, "How childish of you... I can't believe a gullible person like yourself has managed to come so far. I guess even the heavens must have taken pity on you when they saw how naive you were. To make matters even more absurd, you've chosen to stand against me. You're wasting the favor that Heaven has showered upon you." 

"You're ultimately a mere mortal who managed to catch a glimpse of the secrets of Heaven. Yet, you act like you've already seen everything in this world. Your actions are even more absurd than mine," Ye Qingyu retorted. 

"Kill him," the Sky Emperor said with a wave. 

The sovereigns of the Dark Realm who had come back to their senses immediately attacked. 

When more than ten Martial Emperors of generations past joined forces and attacked, they produced a terrifying power. 

A chaotic turbulent current hurtled toward Ye Qingyu, as though it could destroy him instantly. 

However, Ye Qingyu was no longer the person he was at the battle in space. 

"Fine. I'll get rid of your cronies, then I'll come after you!" Ye Qingyu said as he reached his hand back into the void and drew his [Blood Drinker Sword]. 

He held the sword against his chest. The sword blade vibrated and four rays of sword light charged out from it, instantly carving the chaotic, destructive, and turbulent force that rushed toward him like a hot knife slicing through butter. Then, four rays of blood light splattered across the void as four Martial Emperors of the Dark Realm were killed even before they could utter a sound. 

The destructive force formed by the forces of more than ten Martial Emperors of generations past vanished like a spring rain when it was more than ten meters away from him. It couldn't even get within ten meters of him. 

The Sky Emperor's pupils constricted at this sight. 

Ye Qingyu had become far more powerful than when they had exchanged blows in space. 

"Ascend to your Martial Emperor cultivation now," he said and his voice sounded like the verdict delivered by a god of death. 

The Martial Emperors of the past from the Dark Realm paled, as though they had been struck by lightning. 

"Your Highness..." 

"Uh..." 

Some were hesitant because ascending to their Martial Emperor cultivation was the final resort. Once these Martial Emperors of the past battled with their true Martial Emperor prowess, even if they managed to defeat their opponent quickly, it would affect their lifespan. The elderly sovereign of the Sun clan from the Guardians' Royal City was a good example of the damage ascending to the Martial Emperor realm could cause. Thus, when the Sky Emperor ordered them to ascend to their Martial Emperor cultivation, it was a sign that he was abandoning them, and equivalent to a death order. This order was grievous news to them. 

"Don't worry, I promise that you won't die," the Sky Emperor said grimly. 

Since these Martial Emperors were so used to obeying the Sky Emperor's authoritative orders, and because they sensed the murderous spirit from the Immortal God Emperor Ye Qingyu who was drawing closer to them, there were several sovereigns of the past from the Dark Realm who ultimately chose to ascend to their Martial Emperor realm and released a blinding splendor. Terrifying formation bursts of light and boundless power of laws surged like an ocean from their bodies as their frail and elderly bodies were suddenly bursting with blood qi as they returned to their peak condition. 

"Kill!" 

"Let's end this as soon as possible!" 

These sovereigns who had once governed the Dark Realm yelled urgently. 

They were at their strongest after they ascended to their true Martial Emperor realm, and they were also full of confidence. They had once killed all their enemies at their peak and stood at the top of the world. Thus, they were confident that they could destroy this frightening enemy now that they had returned to their peak condition. 

However, they were greeted with destruction and despair. 

Ye Qingyu waved his [Blood Drinker Sword] and a seemingly ordinary sword will slashed across the void, but this sword will caused his opponents to retreat while throwing up blood, leaving a trail of destruction as it passed. 

Bang! Bang! Bang! 

In an instant, three Martial Emperors who had ascended to their true Martial Emperor cultivation were immediately killed and transformed into a bloody mist that spread across the sky. That bloody mist was then drawn toward the sword light from the [Blood Drinker Sword]; all the essence and qi from the bloody mist tunneled into the [Blood Drinker Sword]. After the [Blood Drinker Sword] had its fill of blood, it hummed so loudly that the space vibrated along with its hums. 

"Impossible!" 

"How could this be...?" 

The confidence that the Martial Emperors of the Dark Realm had felt earlier was instantly destroyed. 

They could not believe their eyes. 

They couldn't accept the fact that they could be killed so easily even after they had returned to their peak condition. They were all Martial Emperors, so why was there such a vast difference in their strengths? It was as though they were battling someone of a completely different level and they were like weaklings crushed beneath someone who was at least several cultivation realms above them. 

They had only experienced this when they had faced the Sky Emperor. 

Did this mean that the Immortal God Emperor was now as strong as the Sky Emperor? 

Impossible; he had only been an Emperor for such a short period of time, so how could he have improved so quickly? 

"Nothing is impossible," Ye Qingyu said calmly. 

His figure advanced rapidly like moving clouds or flowing water, as he continued to slash out with his sword. 

Multiple rays of sword light hurtled across the void, their tracks visible, but no one could defend against them. This was the [Life Sword Mantra’s] highest form of its third stage, from the [War God Sword Mantras]. 

His enemies were destroyed when he sent out his sword light. 

In the span of several dozen breaths, as his sword light flashed, he killed another three Martial Emperors from the Dark Realm who had ascended to their Martial Emperor cultivation. He was basically harvesting lives and this seemingly ordinary sword light could destroy all defenses, divine, and mysterious techniques. This was not a battle. Instead, it seemed like a bloody massacre. 

No matter how afraid the Martial Emperors were of the Sky Emperor, they didn't dare to battle on any longer. 

Swish! 

Someone seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown and transformed into a ray of flowing light with a loud growl and fled into the distance. 

When the other Martial Emperors of the Dark Realm saw that someone had fled, they stopped hesitating, and immediately fled like defeated dogs. 

These Martial Emperors fled like an utterly defeated army. 

Ye Qingyu wanted to give chase with his sword and kill all those malicious creatures to prevent them from stirring trouble in the future, but he ultimately chose not to do so since the powerful Sky Emperor was still in the area. He didn't want to risk the Sky Emperor harming those in the Light Palace while he was away. 

"You've spent so much effort trying to control these lackeys of yours, but I guess they aren't as loyal as you had hoped. They're not even as loyal as some ordinary men," Ye Qingyu said with a derisive look at the Sky Emperor, and held his sword in front of his chest. 

"They are all merely pawns to me, and I'd be satisfied if I could use them for a period of time. Did you really think I had hoped to use them for a lifetime?" the Sky Emperor said, as though he was completely unruffled by this incident, but those who understood him would know that these Martial Emperors from the Dark Realm who fled today would eventually die horrible deaths. The Sky Emperor would use the cruelest possible methods to end their lives. 

"I'm afraid you won't have the chance to make use of them any longer since you will die at my hands today. Now that I think about it, your pawns might even end up living longer than you," Ye Qingyu said. His aura was extremely concentrated as he slashed out with his sword and readied to battle the Sky Emperor once more.