Chapter 790: Three Years Later, the Great War Erupts

Great Gan.

Yujing City.

Inside the Imperial Palace.

"A fine Champion Marquis; I truly underestimated you."

Qian Emperor Yang Pan held a secret letter in his hand, his eyes slightly narrowed. He appeared calm and indifferent, yet his face held a hint of murderous intent, imposing even without anger.

In reality, those familiar with him knew this was a sign of the Emperor's extreme rage. Almost no one dared to provoke the Emperor at such a time, for the Emperor would unleash thunderous fury.

"Your Majesty, what has happened?"

The only one who dared to speak at this moment was the Wuwen Marquis Hong Xuanji, who was most favored by the Emperor.

"See for yourself." Yang Pan handed the secret letter to Hong Xuanji.

Hong Xuanji swept his gaze over it, his expression changing slightly: "The Essence Temple has actually been destroyed by a peak Human Immortal, and the Champion Marquis has completely seized control of the hundred nations of the Western Regions. How can this be..."

Yang Pan sighed: "Xuanji, what hidden information do you see in this secret letter?"

Hong Xuanji deliberated and said: "This Human Immortal expert is likely the Champion Marquis's trump card and his true backing; he has already reached the level of 'fist intent made manifest,' or perhaps even higher. It is not just the nations of the Western Regions; I fear even the Divine Might King has secretly defected to him. The Champion Marquis now controls the nations of the Western Regions, as well as the armies of the eastern and western defense lines; it is truly worrying."

"That scoundrel is becoming increasingly lawless. Xuanji, tell me, should I order him to return to the Capital to report on his duties, and take this opportunity to seize him? If he refuses the imperial decree, I will have grounds to attack him," Yang Pan said, his brows locked in a frown.

"I fear that would be unwise," Hong Xuanji shook his head. "Once the Champion Marquis enters the Capital, that Human Immortal expert with 'fist intent made manifest' will surely follow. If a battle truly breaks out, including the Champion Marquis, the mysterious expert, your humble servant, and Gongyang Yu, there would be at least four Human Immortal experts fighting within Yujing City. Without absolute power to suppress them, the entire Yujing City would be caught in the crossfire, or even destroyed. Furthermore, we currently lack the absolute strength to take down the Champion Marquis."

"Once we turn against him, there will be no turning back, and it is possible the entire Great Gan will split apart."

"That is indeed so." Yang Pan pondered for a moment and nodded: "Then how does Xuanji think we should proceed?"

"Repair the Artifact of Creation."

Hong Xuanji's eyes flashed: "As long as the Artifact of Creation can be mostly repaired, combined with your humble servant, Gongyang Yu, and the others, with a bit of planning, we will absolutely be able to suppress and kill them."

Yang Pan exhaled dejectedly.

"That is the only way."

In the Great Thousand World, besides Yang Pan's faction, the only other person with the ability and the desire to deal with Yu Liancheng was Meng Shenji of the Supreme Dao. Meng Shenji had Su Mu deliver a brocade letter; it was unknown what kind of silkworm silk it was woven from, shimmering and crystalline. Before it was even unfolded, it already manifested an aura of the Heavenly Dao in motion.

As the brocade letter was unfurled, it bore a line of large characters that seemed like the movement of the sun and moon, the changing of the four seasons, eternal and unchanging.

——A ten-year term, the fifth day of the fifth month, to discuss the Dao at the South Sea.

After the few characters that were domineering yet perfectly harmonious, was the signature of 'Meng Shenji'.

It turned out that after Meng Shenji learned much about Yu Liancheng from Su Mu, he considered him the rival of his life, and thus issued this letter of challenge to decide life and death after ten years.

Yu Liancheng shook his head and accepted the challenge, but he did not take this battle to heart.

Because he would not wait for ten years.

He would beat Meng Shenji to a pulp.

Moreover, this world could not wait ten years either.

That Yi Zi was rising too quickly.

Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, more than three years had passed.

Since the Champion Marquis pacified the Western Regions, the entire Great Thousand World had become peaceful, with few wars, entering a state of harmony.

The Western Regions.

In the Imperial Palace of the Huoluo Kingdom.

This Huoluo Kingdom had long since submitted to the Champion Marquis, and the former imperial palace naturally belonged to the Champion Marquis, becoming his new residence.

Boom!

In front of the Imperial Palace.

A gate swung open with a roar.

From within the Gate of Illusions, a massive force surged out, blotting out the sky and sun, as if it were about to overturn the entire world.

The vigorous and abundant Qi and Blood surged mightily, gathering into a roaring heavenly river, rushing out amidst the thunderous roar, straight into the firmament.

The entire Imperial Palace began to hum and tremble, and palace after palace shook incessantly, as if they were about to be overturned by that terrifying power from within the Gate of Illusions.

There were experts in the palace who had survived the Thunder Tribulation, yet at this moment, a sense of fear and insignificance welled up from the bottom of their hearts, as if they were being squeezed by that tyrannical existence until they were as small as ants. Many of the rare birds and beasts kept in captivity trembled, crying out incessantly, flying and scurrying about like headless flies.

As the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi surged and churned, a figure like a Demon God slowly walked out.

"This feeling is unprecedented!"

Yu Liancheng stepped out from the Gate of Illusions.

He closed his eyes, his mind concentrated, perceiving every inch of his flesh and blood, every acupuncture point, in all directions.

The offerings of the hundred nations of the Western Regions, the Dragon Tooth Rice, three years of bitter cultivation, plus the previous tempering of his physical shell with the Thunder Tribulation—Yu Liancheng could clearly perceive the power of this body, which even surpassed his original one.

Bang!!

Suddenly, his body exploded and completely disintegrated, turning into the smallest particles; these particles totaled four hundred and eighty million.

Each tiny particle was ten or a hundred times smaller than a speck of dust.

Yet each one carried all the information of his physical body and the essence of the Martial Dao. A single particle shot out could even pierce through the body of a Human Immortal.

"Thousand Transformations!!"

As Yu Liancheng's will stirred, all the particles reassembled, but not into a human form; instead, they formed a Qilin, vivid and lifelike. That massive Qi and Blood, the unique divine might, and even a hint of the aura of a sage were all mixed within it—it was perfectly real, and no one would ever doubt it was fake.

The next moment, his body changed again, transforming into a ten-zhang-long True Dragon, twisting and soaring in the air, hissing and roaring. This was not an illusion, but a physical transformation brought about by his own flesh.

Thousand Transformations.

The ultimate realm of the physical body.

Not only could he transform into living beings, but even stones and houses could be manifested, without a single flaw.

After having his fill of "Thousand Transformations," Yu Liancheng transformed back into human form, restoring his physical body, and muttered to himself: "Thousand Transformations, but I am now more than just Thousand Transformations..."

At this very moment.

His heart stirred, and he smiled slightly: "I have only just perfected my divine art, and you have already delivered yourselves to my doorstep. If I do not make a move, would it not be a disservice to all your painstaking efforts?"

His figure did not move, but the next moment, the Haotian Golden Chapter appeared.

His figure swayed slightly and vanished in an instant.

……

Atop a high peak.

A mass of dark clouds emerged from the void, then dissipated, revealing the figure of an exquisitely beautiful woman. Her black hair fluttered, and her entire being was ethereal and extraordinary. Her eyes, in particular, seemed to contain a boundless, swirling galaxy, unfathomably deep, with billions of stars being born and destroyed at every moment.

——Tianshe Wang, Xingmou.

This extraordinary woman, one of the eight great Demon Immortals of the world, was currently pale, her eyes harboring hidden hatred, looking utterly disheveled.

Boom!!

The next moment, a massive bolt of lightning surged forth, tearing through the void.

This bolt of lightning was as thick as a water barrel and a hundred zhang long; it instantly tore apart the Darkness surrounding Xingmou, illuminating the area for dozens of miles around.

A vast fist intent surged out from within it.

This was lightning.

It was also blade light.

The light produced by the combined strike of dozens of blade lights.

The sizzling lightning swept across the void.

If a knowledgeable Martial Dao expert were here, they might recognize this as the supreme technique created by the late Blade Saint Gongyang Yu—the Thunder Prison Dao Scripture.

Within the thick lightning blade light, dozens of Martial Dao Grandmasters and Martial Saint powerhouses appeared, each wearing gold-red armor and holding a long blade. Sizzling electric sparks danced on the blades; as they swung, the electric sparks flew out, thunderous and startling, piercing the airflow in the air and emitting terrifying sounds.

"You damned wretches!"

Xingmou's willow-leaf eyebrows stood on end, and a massive mass of Darkness diffused from her delicate body. Wherever the Darkness passed, all vitality was drained, and the green grass withered instantly. This was one of her trump card techniques, called the "Profound Heaven Darkness Great Method." Once deployed, it was equivalent to a grand array, extremely profound and impossible to guard against.

However, these dozens of experts wearing strange armor were almost equivalent to dozens of Peak Martial Saints. Coupled with long training and the fact that they all learned the same blade technique, their combined strike was infinitely powerful. The dancing lightning soon tore through the thick Darkness, even striking Xingmou and sending her flying backward.

Xingmou spat out blood, her eyes filled with hatred.

Several days ago, she and her husband, the Master of the Profound Heaven Pavilion, were hunted down, and the two separated to escape.

One day ago, she had a premonition, a wave of sorrow surging from her heart; she already knew that the Master of the Profound Heaven Pavilion was dead.

But she had no time for sorrow.

The pursuit was relentless.

And in order to escape with her life from these experts, Xingmou chose to head toward the Imperial Palace of the Fire Luo Kingdom.

It was said that the Champion Marquis was currently in the Fire Luo Imperial Palace.

She certainly knew that those hunting her and her husband were the men of the Great Gan Emperor Yang Pan, and that the Champion Marquis and Yang Pan were not on the same side, even being at odds like fire and water, merely maintaining a facade of peace.

Only by borrowing the power of the Champion Marquis could she possibly find a glimmer of survival.

Boom!

Those dozens of Martial Dao experts struck again.

Massive thunder crashed out, the scorching white light illuminating heaven and earth.

Despair filled Xingmou's eyes.

She had already been severely wounded and could no longer withstand this strike.

Yet at this very moment, a palm came from afar, growing in the wind, and at the very moment the thunder and lightning were about to strike, it crushed them with a single grasp. The so-called scorching thunder was like an insignificant little insect.

Subsequently, Xingmou saw a back figure as majestic as a mountain, standing proudly between heaven and earth like a God or Demon.

"It is that Human Immortal avatar."

Xingmou was immediately overjoyed.

Many in the world believed that the Human Immortal powerhouse who destroyed the Essence God Temple was the backer of the Champion Marquis.

But Xingmou knew that this Human Immortal powerhouse was merely an avatar of Yu Liancheng.

Sure enough, the Human Immortal avatar turned his head, the corners of his mouth lifting, his expression faintly carrying a sense of dominance and mockery.

"Careful."

Xingmou's pretty face changed color, and she shouted.

The situation changed abruptly; just as the Haotian Golden Chapter turned his head to smile, a void suddenly ruptured.

A blade light slashed over from an unimaginable angle. The aura and Martial Dao spirit contained within this blade light were unimaginable; it was actually a strike from a powerful Human Immortal.

The blade light shuttled out, and with a casual slash, everything within fifty paces was filled with phantom images of "blade Qi."

These "blade Qi" phantoms came alive like dragons, snakes, and lightning.

The blade Qi phantoms transformed into solid entities, darting about incessantly, locking down the void, and killing toward the Haotian Golden Chapter at the center.

This blade carried a fierce blade intent of slaughter, destruction, deathly silence, and absolute severance; clearly, the Human Immortal who unleashed this blade had reached a realm in blade technique that was unimaginable to ordinary people.

"Thunder Prison Dao Scripture, True Martial Saint Body!"

The Haotian Golden Chapter certainly recognized that this blade was a massive, destructive martial art created by the "Blade Saint" Gongyang Yu, who had achieved the highest level a hundred years ago.

Those dozens of Martial Saints had relied on this very blade technique to injure Xingmou.

Although it was the same blade technique, the Thunder Prison Dao Scripture wielded by those dozens of people was simply not worth mentioning compared to this single blade strike from this person.

Whether it was the profundity of the blade technique or the power within the blade, they were far, far inferior.

Because the one wielding this blade before them.

Was none other than the Blade Saint Gongyang Yu.

No one understood the Thunder Prison Dao Scripture better than he did.

Many people thought that Gongyang Yu had failed to break through to become a Human Immortal back then and had died after his lifespan was exhausted.

In reality, he had secretly defected to Yang Pan, and with the support of massive resources, he had achieved the Human Immortal realm.

And it was precisely because Gongyang Yu had previously severely wounded Xingmou that the other Martial Dao experts were able to seize the opportunity.

Facing the strike from this Human Immortal.

The Human Immortal avatar simply reached out two fingers, then opened and closed them, actually shattering the thunder and clamping the blade light between the two fingers.

Immediately following, the Human Immortal avatar threw a punch, directly blasting Gongyang Yu back several hundred zhang.

Haotian Jinzhang blew on his fist, his expression indifferent: "Although we are both Human Immortals, your Human Immortal realm and my Human Immortal realm are worlds apart."

Inside the Imperial Palace.

Yu Liancheng was sitting cross-legged, regulating his breath.

"Champion Marquis! Traitorous rebel, today is the day you die."

Just at this moment, a majestic voice rang out.

Yu Liancheng could tell that this was the voice of his convenient father, Yang Pan.

At the same time, the aura of an expert, akin to an ancient Demon God or an archaic Yang God, emerged.

Vast and infinite, it shattered a layer of space in an instant. A space spanning a full hundred li seemed to shatter like a mirror.

Subsequently, within this shattered space, a storied ship, seven or eight times larger than the "Meng God Great Warship," capable of holding nearly one hundred thousand people, and standing eighteen stories high with each level more magnificent than the last, appeared above the Imperial Palace.

This was no longer a ship, but the flagship of a God King who ruled the heavens and earth, a palace!

Only the King of Gods, the God King who governs the fate of all living beings, the Supreme God Emperor! was worthy of possessing such a flagship to patrol the eight wildernesses.

"Artifact of Creation!"

A brilliant light flashed in Yu Liancheng's eyes as he recognized this as the Artifact of Creation, one of the two great Artifact Kings, which stood on equal footing with the Eternal Kingdom of the Supreme Dao.

And standing tall upon the Artifact of Creation were two figures.

Yang Pan!

Hong Xuanji!

They had taken advantage of the Human Immortal avatar dealing with Gongyang Yu to launch a surprise attack, intending to end the battle quickly.