Chapter 227: Shocking the Eternal Heavenly Sovereign

"Brother... dead?"

Yuan Wushang's heart, brimming with the joy of imminent rescue, vanished the moment Yuan Zhenhong died; his face lost all color, leaving only a grim pallor.

He never imagined that his own elder brother would be smacked by Chen Zheng like a fly, flattened into a meat patty.

And then instantly refined.

Is this still the same elder brother who was invincible in the Ten Thousand Demons Star River, reputed to be unkillable even by the ancient Panwu Immortal Lord? How could he be so vulnerable?

And just how powerful is Chen Zheng before him?

Where on earth did this person emerge from, and why, despite being obscure, is he more formidable than Linglong Immortal Lord, who is hailed as the top master of the Xuanhuang Great World?

Yuan Wushang couldn't comprehend, and had no time to think further.

Boundless terror crawled over his entire body, while intense remorse sprouted within, gnawing at his soul.

He cursed his own sharp tongue, wondering why he had let his elder brother use time reversal to spy on Chen Zheng, thereby provoking him.

And after the spying, if he had taken Tiancan Niangniang and Xin Wuchen seriously, valued Chen Zheng, and left promptly, Yuan Zhenhong might not have died, and he wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.

A single thought's difference, twice, and life and death are no longer in one's hands.

"Chen... Chen Great Immortal, little monkey admits fault. If little monkey submits to you, becomes your dog, could you spare my life?" Yuan Wushang pleaded, still trying to save himself.

But the reply was Chen Zheng's ruthless iron fist, a single blow that smashed him together with the blazing golden spear into a fused meat‑iron cake.

"You are unworthy of being my dog. Remember, in your next life be a low‑key monkey; don't provoke me again..."

Moments before death, Yuan Zhenhong heard Chen Zheng utter that cold sentence.

Then the whole cake, amid a scream, was incinerated by true fire into a pool of essence that surged into Chen Zheng's body.

"The sect leader is dead... the deputy sect leader is dead... Chen Zheng refined them all to ash, none left; our Divine Monkey Sect is finished."

"He truly is a merciless demon, the number one demon of the Xuanhuang Great World, utterly ruthless; pleading for mercy to him is useless. What shall we do?"

"Run, anyone who can run, run..."

The followers of the Divine Monkey Sect were already horrified to the core when Yuan Zhenhong was slain by Chen Zheng; now seeing Chen Zheng kill Yuan Wushang as well, they grew even more terrified, scattering like startled birds and beasts in all directions.

This great demon sect from the Ten Thousand Demons Star River is no pushover; there are over thirty monkeys of the seventh and eighth longevity tiers, and several thousand of the third to sixth tiers, enough to match the Supreme Elder Council of the Ten Daoist Schools, a force not to be ignored.

Unfortunately, it was useless; to Chen Zheng, a single ant is no different from a swarm of ants—both are merely a grab and instant refinement.

Bang bang bang!

He thrust out his palm, covering the starry sky, encompassing all the Divine Monkey Sect followers; with a single grab he erased them all.

Divine Monkey Sect—extinct.

Only Tiancan Niangniang, Xin Wuchen, and others from the Five Demon Dao sects remained on the spot.

These people were shrewd; as soon as Chen Zheng clashed with Yuan Zhenhong, they knelt one after another, kowtowing to Chen Zheng like crushing garlic, trembling with fear, hoping to save their lives.

Their move proved correct, kneeling at the right moment; after Chen Zheng annihilated the demonic followers of the Divine Monkey Sect and put away the nearly broken monkey‑demon hybrid staff, he left without casting a single glance at them.

"We survived, we survived!"

The members of the Five Demon Dao sects wiped the cold sweat streaming down their foreheads, all feeling as if they had been reborn.

…

At the same time, within the Taiyi Gate.

The towering, indistinct figure that had previously appeared above the Eternal Furnace, suspected to be a Heavenly Sovereign, witnessed the entire process of Chen Zheng slaying Yuan Zhenhong.

No, not suspected.

He is one of the five ancient Heavenly Sovereigns of the Celestial Court, the projection of the Eternal Heavenly Sovereign's gaze.

Legend says the Eternal Heavenly Sovereign has traversed several Chaotic Eras, being the most unpretentious sovereign, who cherishes Heavenly Talent above all; anyone who catches his eye, he gladly mentors personally.

He even admits Heavenly Talents into the Eternal Hall, leaving many celebrated tales throughout the Celestial Realm.

The Eternal Hall is a major institution of the Heavenly Court, housing tens of thousands of youths recruited by Eternal Heavenly Sovereigns from across realms, each with moving adventures and legendary deeds, deemed Children of Destiny.

This time, the Eternal Heavenly Sovereign projected himself to the mortal realm because the Eternal Furnace spirit reported that it had discovered Chen Zheng, the true Child of Destiny, absolutely the greatest person of past, present, and future.

To be honest, even though the Eternal Furnace spirit lavishly praised Chen Zheng, the Eternal Heavenly Sovereign was hardly impressed.

It's merely a low‑grade celestial artifact stuck in the mortal realm, like a frog at the bottom of a well never knowing how vast the outside world is, nor how many true geniuses it has seen.

The Chen Zheng he speaks of may be just an ordinary figure in the Celestial Realm.

Yet the furnace spirit's words reminded the Eternal Heavenly Sovereign of the Xuanhuang Great World, sparking a hint of interest; amidst his busy schedule, he cast a gaze projection here to take a look.

After all, this realm has produced the Nine Immortal Lords, the Three Sovereigns of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, as well as the Primordial Daoist, the Reincarnation Daoist, the World Tree, and other beings—not weaker than the Celestial Realm.

Though this realm now withers, it still retains some foundation, perhaps capable of birthing material worthy of entering the Eternal Hall.

He also took a moment to glance at Chen Zheng.

If Chen Zheng truly is a genius, he wouldn't mind offering a couple of personal pointers.

But.

Not looking is fine, but upon seeing, even the Eternal Heavenly Sovereign, who has seen countless Children of Destiny in his life, was quite surprised.

"This child can, with a three‑tier longevity body, slay beings comparable to celestial immortals? How does such a freak appear in the mortal realm, surpassing countless talents I've admitted to the Eternal Hall over the years?"

"No, even all the talents in my Eternal Hall combined cannot match him, even hypothetically."

"Even the youthful Creation Immortal King and the Primordial Demon Lord lack his combat power by far; what kind of existence is he?"

"Could he be the reincarnation of a supreme shattered‑level being that vanished in the many Chaotic Eras?"

"But even if such a being reincarnated, could it truly possess his level of defiance?"

The Eternal Heavenly Sovereign gazed at Chen Zheng within the Taiyuan Immortal Residence, eyes unblinking, filled with awe and curiosity.

It was also the same time.

Beyond the Xuanhuang realm, in the tide of spacetime, the Chaotic Primordial Vessel spirit, seemingly possessed by a Heavenly Sovereign, also watched Chen Zheng.

Like the Eternal Heavenly Sovereign, he is also a Heavenly King, the very Chaotic Heavenly Sovereign who once rebelled against the Celestial Court.

And he, too, witnessed Chen Zheng slaying Yuan Zhenhong, and was equally astonished.

"Who exactly is Chen Zheng? How can he be so astonishing, his magical power comparable to a Celestial Immortal, his flesh comparable to a divine artifact, and he also possesses a transcendent power akin to a Heavenly Lord—could he be the reincarnation of the Great Portal that created everything, self‑existent and eternal?"

"But if that is so, then who is Fang Han? Whom should I protect among them?"

The chaotic Heavenly Lord's pupil light flickered uncertainly; he decided to observe further before drawing a conclusion, to see whether Chen Zheng or Fang Han is the true reincarnation of the Immortal Gate of Eternity.

…………

"Not bad, after refining that Ancient Ferocious Ape, I have already attained the power of five junior Celestial Immortals. If I refine another batch of Celestial Immortals, I should be able to breach the Fourth Tenfold Cosmic Light Realm of Longevity."

Chen Zheng wore a smile, the character "Super" on his body rendered seals and great arrays as nothing, and he roamed through the various universes within Taiyuan Immortal Mansion, searching for Celestial Immortals and treasures.

In each universe he swept clean countless Ancient Divine Beast carcasses, Magical Crystal Jade, Artifact Stones, Life Gems, Soul Gems and the like, refining and absorbing them into his body.

However, though these items are rare treasures, they have little effect on his cultivation advancement.

To quickly advance his cultivation, he must still refine Celestial Immortals.

"Celestial Immortals, where are you hiding? Stop playing hide‑and‑seek with me, or I'll get angry."

Chen Zheng searched the treasures of hundreds of universes in succession, yet saw no Celestial Immortal, and a hint of unease gradually appeared on his face.

He could conclude that many people came to the Xuan Huang Xuan Xuan Huang Da Shijie Shijie Xuan Xuan Huang Da Shijie Shijie to hunt for treasures, including top‑ten strongmen from those great worlds.

Yet those people, upon entering his domain, dared to hide and not even greet his master, showing no courtesy at all.

It is simply unreasonable.

All intruders who break in and rob should die!

Chen Zheng grew angrier the more he thought.

Boom!

Sensing his fury, several massive auras suddenly erupted beyond dozens of universes behind him, shaking the constellations and dimming the sun and moon.

They were five silhouettes, all male, each dominating the world, terrifying to the extreme, not inferior to that Ape at all; they were all Celestial Immortal‑ranked strongmen.

Five Great Celestial Immortals!

Especially the young man in the center, appearing about twenty years old, with an extremely arrogant demeanor, sharp features, and a supreme battle aura between his brows; from birth he could tear the universe apart, cleave heaven and earth.

The former supreme war god slain by Chen Zheng was famed for a fierce fighting will, yet compared to this young man he was pitifully weak, unworthy even to fetch his shoes.

"Four Dao Lords, why have we entered so many universes only to find each one empty, lacking any treasure, pill, or even a speck of material ore? Who got here first? Could it be the Supreme Heavenly Emperor of the Taiyi Sect?" the young man in the center looked displeased.

A White Celestial Immortal pondered, "Each universe is protected by array formations; even we expended considerable effort to break through. How could the Supreme Heavenly Emperor possess such power? Moreover, we just passed those external arrays without anyone breaking them, yet the treasures vanished—this is unusual, likely the work of a master."

A Hemp Celestial Immortal said gravely, "Then we should chase that master, retrieve the treasures for Mu Ye to boost his cultivation. After this divine race calamity, the Central Great Emperor will ascend, so the young lord must grow quickly, surpass all rivals, and become the new master of our Central Great World."

"Am I not yet able to surpass all rivals?" the central young man, Mu Ye, declared proudly, "I am the foremost prodigy of the Central Great World, a pinnacle Celestial Immortal, on the verge of becoming a deity; who can be stronger than me?"

The Hemp Celestial Immortal hesitated, "Young lord, actually in the Xuan Huang Xuan Xuan Huang Da Shijie Shijie Xuan Xuan Huang Da Shijie Shijie there are those who can leap several realms to slay enemies; the Immortal Body Realm can defeat a True Immortal."

"The Immortal Body and a True Immortal differ by eight great realms, over a hundred billion times stronger—how could it possibly win?" Mu Ye's eyes, reflecting countless lives' birth and death, fixed on the Hemp Celestial Immortal, suffocating him.

Although this person and Mu Ye both belong to the Celestial Immortal realm, the gap is enormous, akin to the difference between Rou Shen Shi Chong and Tenfold divine power; even a single glance is unbearable.

He hurriedly bowed his head, "Young lord, this matter came to us when we entered the Xuan Huang Xuan Xuan Huang Da Shijie Shijie Xuan Xuan Huang Da Shijie Shijie; I obtained it by soul‑searching a cultivator. It is said that a young man named Chen Zheng, using the Immortal Body realm, defeated the Supreme Heavenly Emperor. Moreover, Chen Zheng has many astonishing feats..."

He then recounted everything he had learned about Chen Zheng, in full detail, leaving the other three Celestial Immortals shocked and unable to believe it.

"Is it really that outrageous?" Mu Ye also doubted, but instantly became excited, shouting wildly, "I, Mu Ye, was once a youthful Heavenly Lord, unrivaled across the Central Great World. I have long sought a peerless genius to duel, but could not find one. Now I finally have one—good, very good, it truly exhilarates me! I will find Chen Zheng, kill him with my own hands, devour his flesh, blood, and soul, and strengthen my foundation and destiny!"

Mu Ye originally hails from the main line of the Mu Ye family of the Central Great World; this clan descends from the War King Heavenly Lord of the Immortal Realm, its blood coursing with the War King's ferocious combat genes, fearing no opponent and daring anyone to a fight.

The more Chen Zheng defied the heavens, the more excited he became, his eyes turning blood‑red, terrifyingly so.

He longed to find Chen Zheng at once and kill him, discarding even the treasures within Taiyuan Immortal Mansion.

The Hemp Celestial Immortal hurried, "Chen Zheng is from Linglong Blessed Land; the sect's headmaster is Linglong Immortal Sovereign. If you wish to kill Chen Zheng, you must also watch this woman. Moreover, the Red Abyss Demon Lord and the Heart Demon Elder are also connected to Chen Zheng."

Mu Ye coldly replied, "I have heard of Linglong Immortal Sovereign's reputation; she once entered the Primordial Secret Treasury and obtained the third‑ranked Great Wish Technique among the Three Thousand Dao, making her the current top master of the Xuan Huang Xuan Xuan Huang Da Shijie Shijie Xuan Xuan Huang Da Shijie Shijie. Yet she is merely a modest True Immortal; with a snap I could capture her, forge her into an obedient puppet using the Great Puppet Technique, and force her to reveal the secrets of the Primordial Secret Treasury. As for the Heart Demon Elder, back then he tried to establish the Heart Demon Sect in our Central Great World and was nearly captured, a mere stray dog. I am about to forge a Demon Treasure but lack an Artifact Spirit, so this old demon would be perfect. The Red Abyss Demon Lord will also be suppressed together."

"Let's go, we'll leave Taiyuan Immortal Mansion now and head to Linglong Blessed Land!" he shouted abruptly, eager to devour Chen Zheng.

But at that moment, a flash of dazzling light swooshed down from the sky, revealing a youth clad in bright yellow robes, crowned with a true dragon, wearing golden war boots, striding proudly like a deity.

Behind the young man followed several others, all Celestial Immortals, their aura like a rainbow, enough to cause infinite star systems to collapse.

(End of Chapter)