“Don’t you dare dream that any of you will leave this place alive…”
Xiao Chen’s terrifying voice echoed throughout the summit. To the Mo family, this sounded like the summoning of the netherworld. The remaining twenty or so disciples were frightened out of their wits.
Xiao Chen stretched his arm and the world subsequently shook as if it was about to collapse. Two ear-piercing dragon’s cries emerged from the dark clouds overhead.
The dragon’s cries were so loud that everyone felt their eardrums bleed. Then, they saw two black dragons that spanned a thousand feet long dove down from the clouds. The dragons were charging at the Mo family with a destructive force unlike any other.
The fierce dragons looked so real that countless people collapsed on the ground with pale faces. A loud rumble shattered the air as a dazzling bolt of lightning peeked through the dark clouds and struck Xiao Chen.
“Heavenly Punishment! It’s a Heavenly Punishment!” cried quite a few people. If an excessive force abruptly occurred in a certain place, Heavenly Punishment would surely follow. It was a natural phenomenon beyond the control of the gods. It was the same principle as when cultivators undergo the trial of thunderbolts and achieve true immortality.
The Heavenly Punishment rained down mercilessly on Xiao Chen, determined to wipe out his body and soul. Gui Xian, Yi Tong, and the others were beside themselves with worry. “Kid! Stop your skill at once!”
But, Xiao Chen wasn’t listening. He pointed at the sky angrily and yelled, “Thieving heaven! Don’t poke your nose into matters that don’t concern you!” One of the dragons that were charging at the Mo family suddenly switched directions and flew upward. “KABOOM!” The peak shuddered. The dragon was able to stop the Thunder Ordeal of the Heavenly Punishment.
The other black dragon continued on its trajectory toward the Mo family. In an instant, Wuyue Peak began to shake violently with countless rocks sliding down. Many of the spectators watching from a distance were sent flying by this abrupt burst of power.
Fog of blood instantly shrouded the summit. One could smell the stench of blood in the air. The remaining twenty or so members of the Mo family, including the eight disciples holding up the Heaven Extermination Sword Formation, were reduced into blood mist in a split second under the weight of the black dragon’s fury. Not even their bones were left.
The only survivors were Mo Tiannan and two old men in the peak of the Apotheosis Realm, but all of them were bleeding and badly hurt.
Mo Tiannan stared at the blood mist before his eyes and shivered. These were all elites that the Mo family cultivated with immense effort, but now, now… He looked up and glared at Xiao Chen. Even if he were to use all tricks up his sleeve, he swore he would wipe out this man’s soul!
Xiao Chen descended slowly until he was back on the ground. He looked weak and his face was pale too. In the past, Qingluan would have joined his side and supported him at once. But now… he had lost her.
The onlookers had yet to snap out of it. Several He family members had been watching in the shadows since the very start. Gui Xian immediately appeared in front of Xiao Chen and said solemnly, “I can save the girl! Let’s go! The Immortal’s League is coming!”
Xiao Chen immediately snapped out of it. He looked at Qingluan who was lying in her sister’s embrace. None-flower Dust and Yi Tong had stopped fighting White-brow Solitarian and appeared next to him as well. The latter looked especially solemn. “We have to go now!”
Xiao Chen didn’t think twice. He had wanted to wait for Xiao Ning’s return, but that seemed impossible now. Out of the blue, several golden lights burst into the scene from the south and swiftly arrived at Wuyue Peak. Gui Xian’s expression changed. “D*mn it! The League’s Grand Completion Realm stewards have come!”
Three golden sword lights landed in front of them, transforming into three cyan-robed elders. The spectators watched in shock. The Grand Completion Realm cultivators from the Immortals’ League had come!
Soon after, a dozen or so sword lights landed as well. These were the ordinary envoys in the Nirvana Realm. Xiao Chen clenched his hands and put himself in front of Ziyun’er and the rest. It seemed impossible for them to escape unscathed.
The spectators held their breath. The Immortals’ League had never interfered in the Wuyue Sword Conversation, much less come here. However, they had sent three of their Grand Completion Realm stewards here. It seemed that they were here to arrest a major criminal.
On the eastern cliff, a dozen swordsmen dressed as common fighters exchanged glances after seeing the arrival of the Immortals’ League. They lowered their heads and tried to sneak away. One of the Grand Completion Realm stewards flicked in their direction, shooting a ball of white light at them. A loud thump resounded. The shockwaves caused stones to tumble down from the cliff. The swordsmen no longer dared to move a single inch.
“Arrest them! Show no mercy to those who resist!” one of the stewards commanded. Four Nirvana Realm envoys immediately ran toward the eastern cliff. Clearly, the swordsmen were wanted criminals.
The loud command also stunned many of the orthodox cultivators here. The steward then took out a flickering token with the word “League” carved on it. It was the Immortals’ Token from the League. Seeing the token was as good as seeing the Leader of the Immortals’ League in person.
The heads, as well as elders of various cultivation sects, present lowered their heads and saluted as soon as they saw the token, not daring to show disrespect in any way. The steward scanned the crowd and spotted Su Ying holding his hands behind his back. He immediately chided him, “Seeing the token is as good as seeing the Leader of the Immortals’ League in person! Why are you not showing your respect?”
Su Zimu stepped forward and closed his folding fan. He saluted the steward with a smile. “You must be mistaken. My grandfather is the former leader of the Daoist League of the Five Continents. He has no reason to bow to the Leader of the Immortals’ League.”
Su Wan twirled her hair with her finger. She smiled when she saw that they were the only ones who needed not bow, looking rather smug.
The steward narrowed his eyes and said emotionlessly, “So it’s the former leader, Senior Su.” Su Ying’s position was above his, after all. With that said, he turned around and glared at Xiao Chen. “You’re Xiao Chen?”
“Why ask when you already know the answer?” Xiao Chen looked just as stern as he met the steward’s eyes. He wasn’t about to avoid his gaze.
The steward narrowed his eyes, lamenting that this young man was indeed unordinary for remaining so calm in the face of death. It was no wonder that the higher-ups in the League placed such emphasis on this matter. He looked around and asked coldly, “Did you kill all these people?”
Xiao Chen continued to be neither servile nor overbearing. He repeated his words. “Why ask when you already know the answer?”
The temperature seemed to have dipped the moment he spoke. The three youngsters in the distance clenched their heads, all speechless. The wind swept their lapels, bringing with it a bitter coldness.
The air was once again tense. Suddenly, Su Ying coughed and said loudly, “Deaths aren’t to be questioned in the Battle of the Five Emperors. I don’t suppose the Immortals’ League needs to interfere in this?”
The tense mood eased significantly following his words. The crowd let out a sigh of relief. Su Ying was right. The Immortals’ League had never interfered in the Battle of the Five Emperors, the duel of swords.
Mo Tiannan immediately ran over and pointed to Xiao Chen with a shuddering finger. He began sobbing to the steward. “This isn’t a duel of swords, but this kid’s blatant attempt to massacre my Mo family with his General of Soul!”
Su Ying narrowed his eyes. The Immortals’ League must have gotten here a long time ago and waited for Xiao Chen and the Mo family to battle it out. Once the Mo family’s forces had weakened and their power diminished, they would then show up and arrest Xiao Chen with a legitimate excuse. What a smart scheme.
“What a joke!” Xiao Chen flicked his sleeves with a sneer. “Weren’t the Mo family the ones who went around and waged challenges? Weren’t the Mo family who freely challenged people with the Battle of the Five Emperors as an excuse? I’m just challenging you under the name of the Battle of the Five Emperors! You’re the ones who were too weak! Who can you blame?”
“You!” Mo Tiannan was so furious that he couldn’t speak. His finger that was pointing at Xiao Chen wouldn’t stop shaking. His face was going from red to white to red again. Xiao Chen sneered at him. “What about me? Don’t tell me that it’s the Battle of the Five Emperors in the Wuyue Sword Conversation if the Mo family wins, but a massacre if others do! What a joke!”
Xiao Chen put one hand behind his back and lay his other hand freely. He held his head high and puffed his chest. “Forget it. We’ll call this your victory. The title of the Five Emperors is yours. I don’t want it anymore.”
“You!” Mo Tiannan’s eyes were red. He was so infuriated that he nearly spat out blood. His finger continued to tremble as he pointed at Xiao Chen. In a trembling voice, he cried, “You… You! I’ve never…”
“What about me?” Xiao Chen interrupted him. “And you call yourself a senior of the cultivation sects. I’ve never seen someone as shameless as you! I’ve already given you the title of the Five Emperors! What more do you want?”
“You!” This time, Mo Tiannan was so angry that he coughed up blood. Another Mo family elder immediately supported his arm. The two of them glared at Xiao Chen. Just as they were about to speak, Xiao Chen raised his hand and said, “Enough of that. Since this matter has come to an end, I won’t be entertaining you anymore. I’ll come back and claim the title in ten years. Farewell.”
Xiao Chen turned around and gave Yi Tong and None-flower Dust a look. The group was about to leave when a chiding voice erupted from behind them. “Stop right there! Who said you could leave?”
The air once again tensed up. Many onlookers held their breaths and kept quiet. Even though Xiao Chen and his friends were powerful, they were nonetheless no match for three Grand Completion Realm cultivators.
The group stopped in their tracks. Xiao Chen, Yi Tong, and None-flower Dust exchanged looks and then made the slightest of nods. Suddenly, they fled far, far away. The rest followed suit. In a matter of seconds, they were already a thousand feet away.
The cultivators nearby looked at each other. They had expected the group to fight back with all that they had, but who knew that they would slip away so quickly? The three stewards clearly didn’t see this coming either. One of them was about to chase after the group when Su Ying’s bright laughter resonated. “Left Steward, since you’re here at the summit of Mount Wuyue, why don’t you entertain me a little?”
Su Ying removed the jade-green reed from his belt and blew into it. Layer upon layer of sound waves emerged from the reed, making the spectators and dozen or so Nirvana Realm envoys so dizzy that they couldn’t stand straight.
The sound of the reed felt so tangible that everywhere it passed, it would evoke layers of swirling snow. Detecting an incoming onslaught, The Left Steward turned his body to the side and avoided the sound wave attack. Then, he charged at Su Ying all while screaming, “Su Ying! How dare you! Do you know what you’re doing?”
Su Ying laughed out loud. He stopped blowing the reed and said, “You have your rules and Mount Wuyue has its own. Those who come to Mount Wuyue are all participants of the Battle of the Five Emperors. Hundred years ago, we couldn’t decide a victor between us. Why don’t we determine it for once and for all before we ascend to immortality?”