Chapter 283: Great Reckoning, Kings Appear, Human Kings Bleed

Outside the Severing Heaven Palace.

Gu Jin Nian wore a white robe that outshone snow.

He is a Saint, boundless radiance emanating from his whole body, possessing a wondrous uniqueness and an ineffable bearing.

At this moment, the space around him trembled terrifyingly; his primordial spirit was like a peerless immortal sword, and between his brows an overwhelming fighting spirit radiated.

He rarely truly makes a move, whether before attaining Sainthood or after; he has seldom acted.

Now he wishes to display a Saint's power and to clash with the Ancient Nine Kings.

This time, not only were the cultivators of the Great Era shocked one by one, but the mighty of the great ancient clans also involuntarily turned their gazes.

Whether the Sea Race or the Divine Race, they alike showed a look of shock.

"Isn't this too arrogant? The Thunder King is a powerhouse of the Nine Heavens; although he lacks Heaven's Mandate's blessing, he is ultimately a ruler of the Nine Heavens, only a step shy of such supremes as the Extinction Sword God."

"Gu Jin Nian is merely at the Eight Heavens cultivation; on what grounds does he act arrogantly?"

The North Sea Dragon King's voice sounded; he was very dissatisfied. The Five Races have secretly conspired now, planning to ally and slay Gu Jin Nian—in other words, on this matter they are allies.

Gu Jin Nian looked down on the Ancient Human King, and likewise looked down on them.

Because the strength of the East Sea Four Dragon Kings, when united, is scarcely different from that of the Human Nine Kings.

"Is it due to the fortune of the Great Era that gives him such confidence?"

The West Sea Dragon King frowned, thinking Gu Jin Nian feels invincible because he possesses the Great Era's fortune.

Dare to provoke the Human King.

"The Great Era's fortune is indeed not to be underestimated, but this is not Gu Jin Nian's innate arrogance."

"One King is enough for Gu Jin Nian to drink a pot of; what about nine Kings?"

"Does he seek death?"

The West Sea Dragon King spoke, furrowing his brows, feeling displeased, and thought Gu Jin Nian really is a bit arrogant.

To take on the Nine Kings all at once is wholly a self‑invited death.

"Not necessarily."

"To speak like that, he must have a hidden card; he cannot be that foolish. He knows the gap between the Eight Heavens and the Nine Heavens is huge—even a Thunder King is not his match—and provoking the Nine Kings is suicidal behavior."

"Do you think Gu Jin Nian would be that foolish?"

However, the South Sea Dragon King's voice sounded; he did not despise Gu Jin Nian, but rather believed all the more that Gu Jin Nian possesses some unknown trump card.

This trump card could overturn heaven and earth.

Upon saying that, the North Sea Dragon King and the West Sea Dragon King fell silent; they did not think Gu Jin Nian foolish, for he is a Saint after all.

"Perhaps someone has secretly contacted him."

At this very moment, the East Sea Dragon King's voice sounded, his tone somewhat low and cold.

Upon those words, the three Dragon Kings instantly furrowed their brows.

"Big brother, do you mean that other ancient clans have contacted Gu Jin Nian, intending to join him against us?"

The South Sea Dragon King frowned; he had had some suspicions before, only slight, but now his elder brother says this, how can he not think more?

"There is this possibility, after all our true enemies are still them; Gu Jin Nian alone cannot stir up any great waves."

"If we seize this chance to heavily wound the other four great races, or if two clans join forces to heavily wound the other three great races, that would be far stronger than targeting just Gu Jin Nian."

The East Sea Dragon King gazed thoughtfully; his words made perfect sense.

"Then, big brother, who do you think is secretly contacting him?"

The South Sea Dragon King could not help but continue asking.

"The Divine Race is the most suspect; when we were first sealed, we could not escape involvement with the Divine Race, and Gu Jin Nian does have a certain connection with them, though there is neither gratitude nor deep hatred."

"On the contrary, the Divine Race has long wanted to obtain the True Seal from Gu Jin Nian's hands; if the Divine Race allied with Gu Jin Nian, they could first target us, then betray us at a critical moment—which for the Divine Race is not a bad thing."

"Secondly, the Divine Race now numbers few; their ancient‑era advantage has largely been lost, and suppressing us also serves to boost themselves."

"The remaining possibility is the Human Race."

"Of course, the likelihood is not great, but it is far greater than that of the Monster Race or the Demon Race."

"Gu Jin Nian is a Saint; he could not possibly ally with the Demon Race—he still needs face. As for the Monster Race, though they share our origin, no matter how shameless they are, we would still have reservations."

"Thus the possibility of the Ancient Human Race is considerable."

The East Sea Dragon King analyzed this matter of alliance.

"The Human Race?"

"Big brother, could this be wrong? If you speak of the Divine Race, I, the younger brother, still believe you; but you say the Human Race—Gu Jin Nian has slaughtered to this extent, how could he possibly cooperate with the Human Race?"

"Even acting shouldn't be this ruthless."

This time the West Sea Dragon King could not help but speak up; he really found it hard to believe that the Ancient Human Race would join forces with Gu Jin Nian.

"This is merely my speculation; it may not be true."

"However, such a possibility does indeed exist; otherwise, why would Gu Jin Nian provoke the Human Nine Kings—does he have a screw loose?"

"Without absolute confidence, such provocation is undoubtedly a suicide mission."

"Furthermore, Gu Jin Nian is ultimately a Human, and the Ancient Human Race is also Human; they share the same origin. We are their greatest foe, yet we cannot rule out that powerful Ancient Humans have met Gu Jin Nian in private—these things cannot be dismissed."

"Once taken in, it would surely be a huge trouble."

The East Sea Dragon King spoke solemnly.

Regarding this matter, he must consider it more carefully; if the latter side makes even a slight mistake, the deaths would not be as simple as one or two people.

The entire Sea Race might thus have to pay a painful price.

"Putting it that way, it really might be possible. Big brother, what should we do? We previously promised the Ancient Human Race to act together; if this is the case, will we still take action?"

The North Sea Dragon King agreed with his elder brother's words, but a new problem has arisen.

Everyone had consulted and agreed that not taking action would also be a troublesome matter.

"It's okay."

"First observe and then speak; if our guess is wrong, act according to the plan. If there's no mistake in our guess, then hold our positions. In short, we must absolutely not be fooled."

"The True Dragon Nest is about to open; this is our greatest fortune. Once we obtain it, everything will be easy, and there's no need to take reckless risks now."

The East Sea Dragon King spoke, his resolve firm.

"Fine."

"Everyone, listen to the elder brother."

"Alright, then let's observe first and speak later."

The three Dragon Kings nodded, while also pondering the matter.

Meanwhile.

Among the Divine Race, the same words still echoed.

"Don't be fooled by the ancient human clan's clamor; they might be in cahoots with Gu Jin Nian. In my view, we should watch quietly; if our judgment is wrong, we can act later."

"If our judgment is correct, it also counts as averting a trouble."

"What do you all think?"

A Senior Elder of the Divine Race spoke, also suspecting that the ancient human clan has some collusion with Gu Jin Nian.

"Fine."

"Especially the Sea Clan; outwardly they have a hostile relationship with Gu Jin Nian, but privately they may have already signed some pact with him. They should be wary; the Sea Clan is not a good lot."

"Yes, I agree with this plan."

The wills of the Divine Race's strong ones communicated, sharing this concern.

As for the Demon Race and the Devil Race, let alone them, especially the Devil Race, they are narrow‑minded; upon seeing this, they have no desire to act unless a crucial moment forces them, otherwise they are steadfastly unwilling to intervene and risk misfortune.

And among the Human Race.

That thought also arose instantly; it was the Sage of the Upper Residence, who stood inside the palace's main hall, gazing at Gu Jin Nian as if he were a divine mansion, and voiced his opinion.

"We must be careful."

"The Eightfold Realm has such confidence; it seems the other races intend to scheme against us."

"Now that's a bit of trouble."

The Sage of the Upper Residence opened his mouth, looking at the nine Human Kings restless on the throne, and couldn't help but remind them.

Gu Jin Nian is shouting outside; given these Human Kings' tempers, they certainly won't tolerate it, but he worries more about some scheming.

"So we just let Gu Jin Nian shout outside?"

The Thunder King's voice rang out, angry.

Lightning swirled around him; he had truly ignited real fire, intending to strike and slay Gu Jin Nian.

"Thunder King, Gu Jin Nian merely seeks to establish a grand worldly heart; he must have reached some consensus with the Divine Race and the Demon Race, otherwise he wouldn't be so arrogant."

"If the various kings act, the supreme beings of the Demon and Divine Races would likely intervene immediately, which would not be a good thing for our Human Race."

"I ask the kings to think twice."

The Sage of the Upper Residence voiced his thoughts, directly believing that the Divine Race and the Demon Race have a certain connection with Gu Jin Nian.

Otherwise it cannot explain why Gu Jin Nian has such confidence.

"This is unreasonable."

"I believe."

"But I think we still must go to war; Gu Jin Nian is clearly establishing a grand worldly stance, aiming to have the people of this age worship him as a god, gathering their great power to achieve certain goals."

"Regardless of his intentions, we can no longer stand by with folded arms."

"Previously his realm was low, and we could tolerate it, but now he has inherited the legacy of Tongtian Sword Mountain, the Seven Seals united; if we continue to tolerate it, who knows how far Gu Jin Nian will go."

"The advent of the Grand World is already a time of great change; if Gu Jin Nian seizes one or two more opportunities, he will gain Grand World Fortune, truly becoming a Heaven's Mandate Sage, and then any words would be superfluous."

The Prince King's voice rang out; he sat upright on the throne and voiced his thoughts.

"The Prince King's remark is apt; this is no longer a time for plotting or not. Since Gu Jin Nian has actively provoked us, we shall carve out a bright world."

"Since he seeks to establish an invincible stance, we shall shatter his invincibility."

The Fire King's voice followed, his temper extremely fiery, no less than the Thunder King's.

"I agree," the Wind King said, agreeing outright.

"I also agree."

"If we let him continue, it will be bad for everyone; moreover Gu Jin Nian has already challenged our dignity, and if we don't act, it will be even worse."

Jiang King also voiced his agreement, believing that face is even more important.

The six kings all gave their responses, agreeing to a battle.

The Sage of the Upper Residence did not chatter, but turned his gaze to the three Human Kings in the center.

These three Human Kings wield slightly greater power; they can decide many matters.

The central one is Xuanyuan King, the left is Zhushen King, and the right is Tuntian King.

These three Human Kings are almost the pinnacle of the Ninefold Heavens, their strength even more formidable.

The Sage of the Upper Residence said no more; his words were sufficient, no further explanation needed, as everyone understood.

"We can fight a battle."

King Tuntian's voice rang out, that was his answer.

Simple and direct.

"Kill!"

King Zhushen was equally concise; the single word 'Kill' expressed his inner thought.

Upon hearing this, the Sage of the Upper Residence fell silent; he did not wish to see this scene, but he also understood that Gu Jin Nian had already knocked on the door, and if no action were taken, the ancient human clan would indeed become a joke.

He was just worried that the other four tribes would intervene and disrupt the sneak attack; if that happened, there would indeed be a problem.

So he turned his gaze to the Xuanyuan King in the center; if he also agreed, there would be nothing more to say, but if he could refuse, it could influence this decision.

Soon.

The Xuanyuan King on the central throne spoke.

"Heaven-Swallowing King, God-Slaying King, you stay here, guard the Divine Mountain, and the remaining six of you will join forces to kill Gu Jin Nian."

"If the four tribes dare to act, no matter who, declare war directly, abandon entangling with Gu Jin Nian, and whoever interferes will be killed."

The Xuanyuan King's voice sounded, utterly calm.

His answer let the Upper Abode Sage breathe a sigh of relief; this idea was good, at least the three strongest Human Kings were guarding here, so they need not fear any trouble, they could hold the formation and intervene at critical moments, thus no bloodshed would occur.

"Good."

"Good."

Faced with the Xuanyuan King's words, the Eight Kings had no intention of refusing; it was obvious that his status among the ancient human race was extremely high.

Just so.

Gu Jin Nian's confidence and arrogance made the five tribes all develop thoughts they shouldn't have.

However, six terrifying figures appeared outside the Heaven-Cutting Palace.

These were the Six Revered Human Kings.

Their presence affected the entire world, making heaven and earth tremble.

Crack!

Crack!

World-destroying lightning bolts streaked across the sky, their unmatched aura surging forth.

The Thunder King's true form appeared.

Around him coiled thunder dragons, his body tens of thousands of feet tall, a true dragon wrapped around him, his eyes fierce, with each breath exhaling purple lightning.

"Gu Jin Nian, you are too arrogant."

A deep, angry roar sounded.

Like an angry heavenly deity, it inspired extraordinary fear; people swallowed their saliva, and merely seeing this figure made their whole bodies tremble.

The Thunder King stared at Gu Jin Nian, his eyes full of anger, not killing intent.

"Sovereign of the ancient human race?"

Gu Jin Nian looked at his opponent; this was the first time he had seen such a powerhouse, unlike the Extinction Sword God, for the Thunder King came from ancient times, his era different, so his aura was different.

"Gu Jin Nian, you hold the world's fortune, you are the outstanding one of this age; now I give you a chance to join us—I can decide—if you wholeheartedly ally with us and hand over the world's fortune, you could become the Tenth King."

"To be above others, high and lofty, looking down upon all beings."

At this moment, the Ji King's voice sounded; before the battle was about to begin, the Ji King still wanted to win over Gu Jin Nian, firstly for the world's fortune, and secondly because he truly admired Gu Jin Nian.

If Gu Jin Nian were willing to cooperate, that would be a good thing.

"High and lofty?"

"All beings are equal; where does high and lofty come from?"

Gu Jin Nian spoke coldly, the meaning simple, a direct refusal.

"Cut the nonsense here."

"Let's go together."

Gu Jin Nian looked at his opponent, hoping they would attack together.

"To deal with you, why do we six kings need to act?"

"You think too highly of yourself."

"Die."

The Thunder King roared.

He stepped forward, manifesting a divine form that spanned heaven and earth; a divine spear forged from thunder appeared, inscribed with thunder dao runes, piercing the void and shooting straight at Gu Jin Nian.

Boom boom boom! The void for thousands of miles was shattered directly, black substance appearing as if heaven and earth had been pierced; just a glance made one shiver.

This is the Thunder King's power; with just a casual move he can destroy heaven and earth.

This thunder spear alone could destroy the entire Da Xia Dynasty.

A terrifying killing intent surfaced; Gu Jin Nian's hairs stood on end, he felt a sense of suffocation.

The power of the Ninth Heaven is inconceivable.

He had the illusion that he had been locked on; no matter where he fled, this thunder spear could pierce him.

However, daring to provoke the Nine Kings, Gu Jin Nian had naturally made all preparations; without some foundation, he would not speak so.

"Kill!"

In an instant, the God-King Seal within Gu Jin Nian was activated; before the thunder spear reached him, the All-Beings Tree appeared above his head, shedding billions of divine lights, instantly changing his aura.

Thud.

An identical thunder spear appeared.

Gu Jin Nian's very physique is mythic; using the power of the All-Beings Tree, he forced himself to reach the Ninth Heaven, and with the God-Slaying Art triggered a hundredfold battle power.

This is Gu Jin Nian's ultimate killing move.

When the seven seals unite, the greatest gain is not just learning the secret; the God-King Seal is also activated.

However, Gu Jin Nian deliberately suppressed it for a while, temporarily not absorbing the God-King Seal's energy, instead choosing to fully merge with it in tranquility.

But Gu Jin Nian discovered that the God-Slaying Art could be combined, forcing himself to reach the Nine Heavens realm and thus touch a hundredfold battle power.

Thus, upon contact, it becomes the lesser peak of the Ninth Heaven realm—not matching the true great peak, but it can inflict massive damage on beings like the Thunder King.

This is also why Gu Jin Nian dares to provoke the Nine Kings.

Not only that, he also has his ultimate killing move.

Drawing on the power of heaven and earth.

He summons the Four Great Saints.

However, this ultimate killing move requires the Nine Kings to appear together; ideally, all five tribes appear together, to slaughter them cleanly in one fell swoop, otherwise it would be a complete waste.

Thud.

Tens of thousands of li of void burst open; the purple‑blue thunder spear's speed surpasses all.

No one can see how terrifying this thunder spear is.

Bang.

The Thunder King's dharma form shatters instantly; his true body appears, his left shoulder completely explodes, flesh and blood blurred, his heart half‑crushed, and his blue‑black long hair is directly burned away.

What's more terrifying is that countless strands of lightning power, like countless blades, bore into his body.

"Ah!"

A terrifying, blood‑curdling scream rings out.

The invincible Thunder King suffers heavy injuries; part of his physical body is destroyed, and he suffers a huge loss.

His roar is pain, but more than that, it is humiliation.

Only to the people of the world.

They dare not believe that the exalted ancient human race sovereign was actually injured by Gu Jin Nian.

Not to mention them, even the ancient mighty ones are somewhat dumbfounded.

"Slash."

But the next moment.

A cold voice rings out.

In an instant, a thunder blade hovers above the Thunder King's head; without hesitation, it instantly slices off his head.

Pfft.

Purple blood splatters everywhere.

A king.

Here he dies in a bloodbath!

The whole world is shocked.

The ancient great clans are all dazed and foolish.

(End of chapter)