Chapter 702

「Ah...

The man standing in the void sighed deeply, then said calmly: «You've reached Void Refinement Level One, He Pingsheng—your cultivation speed is truly terrifying!

«Old man arrived too late!

In truth, it wasn't that he arrived too late.

It was that he found He Pingsheng too late.

Although He Pingsheng's name was famous throughout the Zhu Que Imperial City, everyone knew him and spoke of him.

Yet He Pingsheng rarely showed his face.

The last time the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor sent four men to intercept him, they only spotted him while fishing at the Sacred Fire Trading House.

Where exactly He Pingsheng lived, where his cultivation ground was—they never knew.

Eventually, the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor sent countless disciples to secretly infiltrate the major factions surrounding the Zhu Que Imperial City, until one disciple slipped into Solitary Pine Mountain.

But even that disciple didn't know at first whether this sect belonged to He Pingsheng.

Only recently, after the Seventh-Rank Array activated during its trial, did he see He Pingsheng.

He then relayed the news to the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor, who came himself.

The full story, then, is this!

«Zheng...

Zhou Qingmei's longsword trembled slightly, guarding He Pingsheng's side.

To He Pingsheng's left and right stood Zhou Qingmei and her clone.

Though neither might defeat the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor, Zhou Qingmei was certainly Body Integration.

If she fought to the death, she could clash with him a few times.

«Qingmei, listen to me... He Pingsheng privately transmitted to Zhou Qingmei: «Have your clone immediately tear open space, create a space wormhole, and take Qiao Hui Zhu and her clone away—quickly...

«Come back after you've passed this crisis!

«Yes! Zhou Qingmei's clone instantly moved to Qiao Hui Zhu's side.

At this moment, the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor still didn't understand—next instant, a space wormhole opened.

Zhou Qingmei gave no explanation to Qiao Hui Zhu; she forcibly dragged Qiao Hui Zhu and her clone into the wormhole and vanished!

Only then did the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor realize: this woman was someone important to the boy—he'd let her leave early?

«This...

He drew a deep breath, his gaze sharpening: «A Body Integration cultivator opening a space passage? This must be an excellent space technique!

Tian Jinpeng glanced at Zhou Qingmei with envy: «You're the original—you must know it too!

Zhou Qingmei nodded: «Correct.

«Good! said the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor: «I don't wish to kill within this array—let's fight outside!

Within the array were the disciples of Solitary Pine Mountain.

Many!

Not ten thousand, but several thousand.

The array blocked all disciples from leaving—if Body Integration cultivators fought here, what would happen to the low-level cultivators inside?

Countless deaths would follow; Solitary Pine Mountain would suffer catastrophic losses.

But would the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor escape unscathed?

He would accrue karmic debt.

Once karmic debt clings to you, cultivation becomes impossible.

Last time he destroyed the Li family, Tian Jinpeng was bound by karmic debt for a full century before purging it all.

So this time, Tian Jinpeng's goal was to kill He Pingsheng—not to obliterate Solitary Pine Mountain.

To him, the only real threat was He Pingsheng alone.

«Of course! the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor said with pride, continuing to He Pingsheng: «You may stay here—I can still kill you within this array!

«It would merely mean killing more innocent disciples, accruing more karmic debt, and wasting me centuries—that's all!

«That's all!

«Choose.

The middle-aged man in black stood with arms folded, pointing from the void.

He looked down with solemn authority upon He Pingsheng and Zhou Qingmei!

«Fine! He Pingsheng agreed: «Let's go outside!

«Wum wum wum...

The array opened!

Zhou Qingmei and He Pingsheng stepped out into the open void.

Naturally, the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor followed them out.

As soon as they emerged, he unleashed boundless spatial laws, sealing off everything within ten thousand li.

No one could escape this place.

«Though... right now I very much want to kill you! the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor flicked his sleeve.

Outside the array, the heavenly winds roared fiercely.

The gales whipped his sleeves into a loud rustle.

Yet his voice carried clearly: «But I still offer you one final chance!

«We are both human. You are a prodigy rare in ten thousand years!

«I no longer care who was right or wrong in the past—I only wish to make peace.

«Rest assured, I will compensate you.

«Swoosh... A blue ring flew through the air from the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor's hand to He Pingsheng's feet: «The resources within are enough to carry you from Void Refinement to Body Integration—including sixth- and seventh-rank Daoic origins.

«If you swear a Heavenly Oath to never trouble my Heavenly Fire Nation or the Tian family again, you may take it.

«We are both human—we should support each other!

Far in the void, He Pingsheng reached out and took the blue ring, scanning it with his spiritual sense.

It indeed contained many Daoic origins.

The cultivation resources were plentiful.

As Tian Jinpeng said, it held not only sixth-rank origins but two seventh-rank Daoic origins.

Though He Pingsheng himself might not need them, they could easily be given to sect disciples or family later.

«Of course! the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor continued: «You have a second choice—refuse my goodwill, and today you die without doubt!

«You have ten breaths to choose.

«First: accept my goodwill, swear the Heavenly Oath, and our grudges are erased.

«Second: I kill you.

He Pingsheng reached out, erased the seals on the blue ring, and tossed it directly into his magic treasure space.

Seeing this, the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor smiled: «Hehehe... a wise man knows when to yield—excellent. So, you choose option one?

«No! He Pingsheng said solemnly: «I choose option three.

«Three? The Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor froze.

He Pingsheng smiled: «I'll take the items... but I won't swear the Heavenly Oath.

«Those who offend me must die.

«Including every last member of your Tian family!

«You dare to mock me? Tian Jinpeng was instantly filled with boundless rage!

Normally, if you accepted my terms, you'd take the gift—if you refused, you'd leave it.

So he'd simply given the ring to He Pingsheng.

For decades, no one had dared play tricks on the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor.

But now, he met He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng enraged him.

The Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor raised his hand—no weapon needed—and a thousand-zhang fire dragon roared from his fingertip, hurtling toward He Pingsheng.

One strike locked the void, froze time.

Even facing this blow, He Pingsheng felt a chilling sense of imminent death.