Chapter 98: First Steps on the Demonic Path (10) |
Genius prodigies from all five domains surged forward in a frenzied race to seize the Emperor Scripture.
Su Chen blended into the crowd. He watched as greed consumed the minds of these once-proud talents, turning them against one another in brutal slaughter. He made no move to intervene.
Blood dyed mountains and rivers crimson. Broken weapons littered the ground. The bones of prodigies lay scattered across the landscape.
Su Chen approached the fallen corpses and collected their remains. These were the origin essences of an entire generation of geniuses—some even carried the ancient supreme physiques of long-forgotten powers. He packed them all away without waste. Good things should never be squandered.
In the end, only the true martial monsters remained, locked in mutual combat. Divine physiques blotted out the sky with their phenomena. Terrifying auras sent shivers through the air. They dominated the eight desolations, each one invincible in its own right.
Su Chen observed the clash among those bearing divine and sacred physiques.
"As expected of the legendary special physiques… they truly are terrifying."
Even after devouring the origin essences of so many prodigies, Su Chen still felt an insurmountable chasm between his Primordial Taotie Physique and those mythic constitutions. A sudden thought crossed his mind: if he could swallow one of them, would his body undergo some extraordinary transformation?
He dismissed the idea almost immediately. The cost was far too high. Every divine or sacred physique stood behind an unfathomably powerful force. Their life-saving methods were countless. Even if he succeeded, he would expose his trump cards—and the gain would not justify the risk. Better to pick soft persimmons first. Start with the weak, then gradually move to the strong. Step by step.
Su Chen remembered his name.
Yu Shukuang—the peerless prodigy of the Yu Clan, one of Central Continent's top forces. Bearer of the Peerless Divine Physique. His clan had once produced a Quasi-Emperor… though it had since declined. Still, a starved camel was larger than a horse; the Yu Clan remained one of the Central Continent's colossal overlords.
A mysterious inheritance space appeared in the starry sky, drawing Yu Shukuang toward it.
Su Chen watched the scene unfold. He made no attempt to interfere. He did not believe an old schemer like this—an ancient Quasi-Emperor—would leave no contingencies behind.
"From this day forward, I fear the five domains of Heavenly Profound will once again be thrown into chaos. Countless lives will turn to ash."
Su Chen sighed softly in his heart. Against the schemes of an existence so supreme beneath the stars, even knowing the truth brought only deep powerlessness. This was an open plot, impossible to counter. An Emperor Scripture—anyone would be moved. Anyone would want to cultivate it.
Months later, news spread that the passage out of the ancient ruin had opened.
Outside, numerous powerful forces already waited in anticipation. Yet those who emerged numbered fewer than one-tenth of those who had entered. The ancient powers erupted in fury and demanded answers. They would uncover the truth at any cost.
"Inside the ruin… an Emperor Scripture appeared!"
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"The Emperor Scripture was obtained by Yu Shukuang of the Yu Clan! It is in his hands!"
"An Emperor Scripture… an actual Emperor Scripture appeared… no wonder the slaughter was so brutal!"
"…"
The revelation of the Emperor Scripture shook everyone to the core.
No one cared anymore about how many prodigies had died inside the ruin. Those who understood either fled—like Su Chen, who left the ruin and never returned to the Sun-Devouring Sacred Land, choosing instead to vanish without a trace—or immediately sent word back to their sects and clans.
Boom—A rift suddenly tore open in the sky.
Through the crack loomed a colossal, star-like silhouette. A single hand extended outward, enveloping the direction of the Yu Clan.
"Hand over the Emperor Scripture, and you may live."
Su Chen's scalp went numb. This aura had already surpassed the Saint realm.
A Saint King… this was a Saint King!
For the first time, Su Chen witnessed a being of this level. The power was unimaginable. Merely the residual waves of its presence could grind countless extraterritorial stars into dust. If its true body descended upon the Western Regions… how terrifying would that be?
Run! This was only the beginning!
Su Chen had no desire to perish in the mere aftershock of such a battle. That would be far too ridiculous an end for this life.
At the same instant, from the distant edge of the horizon, an arrow tore through countless layers of space. It carried the blazing might of a sun and shot straight toward the Saint King beyond the starry void.
An incomparably domineering voice thundered across the heavens.
"What kind of trash dares to touch something belonging to my Yu Clan? If you're looking to die, Yu Zhenyang doesn't mind sending you on your way!"
Yu Zhenyang, the True Yang Saint King, was an invincible figure of his generation within the Yu Clan! Even a legendary existence like him had descended upon this place!
The single arrow caused the Saint King to bleed. Scorching blood sprayed across the distant star dome, annihilating an entire swath of stars.
"True Yang Saint King, this Emperor Scripture belongs to the Western Regions. It can only remain in the Western Regions."
"Hand over the Emperor Scripture, and we will allow you to leave. Otherwise, none of you will escape the Western Regions."
"Yu Zhenyang, you are not qualified to take the Emperor Scripture away from my Western Regions!"
"…"
One after another, Saint Kings who existed only in legend appeared. Five Saint Kings in total emerged from the far reaches of the starry sky, blocking the Yu Clan's path back to the Central Continent.
An Emperor Scripture had appeared in the Western Regions. They would never let it go. After all, this was the legendary Emperor Scripture. If it emerged in the Western Regions, it must remain in the Western Regions!
'As expected of the Western Regions… its foundation truly runs deep. Five Saint Kings dispatched at once!'
Su Chen marveled inwardly.
"Since ancient times, fate determines who obtains opportunity. Your Western Regions were unable to compete and lost to my Yu Clan's successor. How are you worthy of this supreme Emperor Scripture? Now you resort to robbery and threats. Is this the Western Regions' way of doing things? Truly arrogant and overbearing!
"But my Yu Clan has never tolerated threats. What we have obtained will not be handed over. Today, no matter what, the Yu Clan will bring the Emperor Scripture back to our clan. If you are tired of living and wish to taste the might of our clan's imperial artifact, feel free to try and stop us!
"If it comes to it, we will shatter mountains and rivers, exhaust the Western Regions' vitality. As long as you can bear the consequences, the Yu Clan is ready to accompany you to the end!"
Facing five Saint Kings, Yu Zhenyang showed not the slightest fear. The Emperor artifact of an ancient Emperor clan was precisely the confidence that allowed him to defy an entire domain!
"Then let us fight!"
The Western Regions' powerhouses wasted no words. Experts at the Saint King level were peerless figures of one or even several eras. How could a few sentences intimidate them?
Terrifying saintly might swept across the entire Western Regions.
In less than a few hours, the starry sky bled once more. The Yu Clan's Saint King faced six opponents no weaker than himself. Again and again, he was blasted apart. Were it not for the astonishing vitality of a Saint King, he would have perished countless times already.
"Uncle!"
Yu Shukuang watched True Yang Saint King suffer repeated defeats. Hatred burned in his heart. "One day, I, Yu Shukuang, will make every one of you pay a thousandfold!"
True Yang Saint King roared, "You push too far! Do not blame my Yu Clan for showing no mercy! Old Ancestor, save me!"
Central Continent shook.
An ancient aura rose like a blazing sun. It crossed billions of miles in an instant. The already sealed boundary between the Western and Central Domains was torn open by hand.
"How dare you bully my Yu Clan to such an extent!"
From within the Yu Clan, an ancient Great Saint emerged. Wielding a Quasi-Emperor weapon, he descended upon the Western Regions!