Imperial God Emperor

The Sky Emperor panted heavily as he laid in the pool of blood, tamping down his anger, and remained silent. 

He was only working with these unparalleled sovereigns, but he was not their subordinate. 

The fact that he had almost died by Ye Qingyu's hands was a great insult to him. He didn't feel grateful to these unparalleled sovereigns for saving him either, because he knew that these people would have abandoned him in a heartbeat if he no longer had any value to them. 

They had only saved him to continue making use of him. 

"You are as weak as a chick that has broken out of its shell..." The blurry figure seemed displeased with the Sky Emperor's current state and ruthlessly poured salt over his wound as he said, "I feel like we should reconsider our alliance. You don't seem to be of much worth in your current state. Frankly, Ye Qingyu is more useful than you and is even younger!" 

This was a threat. 

However, the Sky Emperor burst out laughing at the blurry figure's words. 

"Yes, he's younger and even more powerful. He has almost taken over the entire Dark Realm and Vast Thousand Domains as well. I hate him so much that I would love to feast on his flesh, but even I have to admit that he would make a better pawn than I..." the Sky Emperor said with a laugh as he walked out from the pool of blood. 

As the steaming hot blood rolled off his body, he looked both savage and terrifying, as though a killing god had just emerged from committing a horrific massacre. 

He was unafraid and haughty, even when threatened by these unparalleled sovereigns; he did not show any sign of fear or willingness to compromise because of their mighty power and lofty statuses. He laughed maniacally and said, "Did you only notice this now? Go on then, why didn't you groom him instead?" 

The blurry figure grew angry at the Sky Emperor's lack of respect toward him and said, "You're testing my patience. Don't you know that I could kill you in an instant if I wanted to?" 

The Sky Emperor scoffed coldly. 

A tense atmosphere hung in the air. 

A while later, the blurry figure finally spoke and he sounded a lot kinder than before as he said, "As you know, since we've chosen you, we will continue to stand by you. You're the only person who fits what we're looking for and we've never stopped supporting you even though millions of years have passed. We've also had to pay a price for rescuing you this time. I've always been your strongest supporter all this time."

The Sky Emperor's face softened. 

"I've already made up my mind and will accept the proposal you've put forth previously. I'll tear my heart and smash it, then use the weapon as my body. I will stop trying to achieve perfection by destroying my body," he said resolutely. "However, don't forget what you've promised me. I should get what I deserve and nothing less." 

The blurry figure sounded satisfied as he replied, "Very well. That was a wise decision. I'm sure that the others will feel more reassured knowing that you've made this choice." 

"Get rid of Ye Qingyu for me," the Sky Emperor said. "I no longer wish to take this risk." 

"Uh... I can't promise you this at the moment. I'm sure you've also noticed that I wasn't able to kill him even after I attacked. There's a power within him that is comparable to ours," the blurry figure answered, while sounding hesitant. 

"Do your best then," the Sky Emperor said. 

The blurry figure gradually faded away. 

His terrifying aura gradually disappeared as well. 

The firmament that crashed down and the surrounding light that had twisted because of his presence returned to their normal states. 

The Sky Emperor's face hardened ruthlessly. 

"Haha, such pretty words. Hehe, I'm sure you would have abandoned me a long time ago, if it weren't for the fact that Ye Qingyu seems to be heavily linked to the Divine Light Emperor. Unfortunately, I'm the only person who would be able to help you today. So what if you're all unparalleled sovereigns? All of you are still forced to obediently comply with my demands... One day, after I get what I want, I swear I will slaughter every single one of you," he swore ruthlessly. 

He might have betrayed the Divine Light Emperor back in the day, but he had only done so because their paths and ideals had diverged. He had complicated feelings toward the Divine Light Emperor and had never denied how outstanding and upright the Divine Light Emperor had been back then. However, he bitterly resented and hated these unparalleled sovereigns and looked at them with contempt. 

Snow Capital, Heaven Wasteland Domain. 

At the gardens of the imperial palace. 

Sword light glittered like dazzling flowers in the sun. 

Ye Qingyu sparred with Yu Xiaoxing; they displayed the [Green Apricot Swordplay]. 

It was one of those rare leisurely afternoons. Yu Xiaoxing had finished settling all the outstanding government affairs while Ye Qingyu had also taken time to be with her. A gentle breeze blew through the air, a fragrant scent from the flowers lingered, and they both felt unusually relaxed. 

Yu Xiaoxing truly treasured and basked in this moment. 

However, this was only a temporary reprieve since they both shouldered heavy responsibilities and had many things to attend to. After their sparring session, a maid served them two bowls of cool and sweet soup as dessert. Yu Xiaoxing had personally made the soup, having prepared it long beforehand. 

Ye Qingyu dismissed the servants. 

Then, they were the only ones left in the imperial gardens. 

A warm breeze swept past and a romantic atmosphere bloomed in the air. Yu Xiaoxing's cheeks were stained with a faint blush. 

Ye Qingyu froze for a moment and immediately realized that the Empress had mistaken his intentions. He had only dismissed the servants so that he could secretly tell her about the events in the Dark Realm. In particular, he wanted to let her know about the destructive catastrophe that was about to bring about a reincarnation of the current civilization. It was important for both the Heaven Wasteland Domain and the Vast Thousand Domains to begin with preparations in response. 

He only hesitated for a short moment after Yu Xiaoxing fell into his arms, but he didn't push her away and allowed her to lean against his shoulder. Her beautiful dark locks dropped down like falling dark clouds and danced gently in the wind beside him. 

The silence spoke louder than words. 

Ye Qingyu finally shared his thoughts with her, thirty minutes later. 

Yu Xiaoxing did not say anything. She merely looked at him tenderly as she listened intently to his words, like an obedient kitten curled up in his arms. It was hard to connect this woman with the decisive and authoritative Empress who ruled over millions. She would only show her girlish side in front of Ye Qingyu. 

After Ye Qingyu finished speaking, Yu Xiaoxing smiled gently and said, "I'll definitely listen to your arrangements." 

She didn't really care about the impending catastrophe or the threat it posed to their survival. 

If she were to live, she wanted to live together with the man she loved. 

If she were to die, she wanted to die together with the man she loved. 

If they could face life and death together, then was there anything that they wouldn't be able to handle? 

When he saw how much she loved him, he was filled with immense gratitude and tenderness, and he gently stroked her hair. 

He left the imperial palace two hours later, then looked for Lan Tian immediately after he returned to the Light Palace. 

Now that he had finished settling the rest of his affairs, he wanted to unravel the mysteries of the past and find out what exactly had happened during the battle of betrayal. He was certain that Lan Tian would know what had transpired back then. 

In the Light Palace. 

Lan Tian slowly approached him; Hon Kong and the mysterious tall and skinny expert followed behind. 

"My lord, you were looking for me?" Lan Tian seemed to be in good spirits and his expression was calm. He no longer seemed as troubled as before and was very relaxed. His signature rakish and charming smile was back. 

Ye Qingyu nodded and glanced at Hon Kong and the mysterious expert who stood behind Lan Tian. 

He had not invited those two men. 

Hon Kong smiled wryly and spread his hands wide in resignation, as he pointed at the mysterious expert behind him. He looked helpless and evidently, the mysterious expert had dragged him along to meet Ye Qingyu. 

Ye Qingyu nodded and understood what Hon Kong meant. 

"Have a seat," Ye Qingyu said and pointed to the stone chairs in the hall. Then, he went straight to the point and said, "I'd like to find out about the ancient battle between the Sky Emperor and the Divine Light Emperor. Would you be able to tell me more about it?" 

Lan Tian immediately smiled proudly. 

"Sure," he said as he crossed his legs, looking as though he didn't have a care in the world. He had completely forgotten all about the troubles and concerns that had plagued him recently. He paused for a moment before he said, "It would be a complicated and long story, so why don't I let you see what happened?" 

"Let me see?" Ye Qingyu repeated in confusion. 

Lan Tian looked very pleased with himself as he smiled and said, "I might only be the Sky Emperor's physical body but I was once the body of a supreme Emperor; my body contains Dao principles and heaven's will is etched on me. Everything that happened back then has been etched on my body. I can open up my body to you, and now that you're a powerful Emperor yourself, you could use your Emperor spirit to peer into my body to find out what happened in the past. This would be more effective than me telling you the story." 

Ye Qingyu froze for a moment before he looked admiringly at Lan Tian. 

The fact that Lan Tian was willing to let him examine the Dao principles and carvings of law within his body showed that he had let down his guard and completely trusted him. When he recalled how the officials from the empire, instructors, and students had praised Lan Tian's actions after they fled Deer City, and the information he had collected about Lan Tian over the past few years, he couldn't help but admire this 'young man' who seemed irreverent and careless, but actually had to cope with a huge pressure and loneliness because of his identity. 

"Very well. Many thanks," Ye Qingyu said. 

If he could peer into the past and see what had transpired, it would be a great step to unraveling the mysteries and doubts he had. It might even prove to be a great help in understanding more about the impending catastrophe of the civilization's reincarnation. He instinctively sensed that this battle of betrayal had shaped history millions of years after the event. 

However, the mysterious expert suddenly stood up and said, "Hold on." 

Hon Kong smiled wryly as though he had expected this reaction. 

Lan Tian did not speak but looked as though he wasn't bothered by this man's objection. 

Ye Qingyu glanced at the mysterious expert. 

"I swore to protect Lan Tian and the secrets within his body in front of the Divine Light Emperor," the mysterious tall and skinny expert said as he looked at Ye Qingyu. "No one other than the Divine Light Emperor will be able to obtain the secrets within Lan Tian's body, and this includes you. Therefore, I can't agree to this plan." 

He looked determined and stared resolutely at Ye Qingyu, as though he would attack him if he even tried to peer into Lan Tian's body. 

Ye Qingyu rubbed at his temples. 

This was a headache. 

If anyone else had said those words, he would have immediately overpowered that person and only returned to deal with the problem after he had finished looking at Lan Tian's secrets. However, this mysterious expert had once given him advice on his martial way and he even considered him as his 'teacher', so he couldn't use force against him.