Free Web NovelChapter 182: Chapter 181: Trampling a Genius Underfoot (Part 1)
The Emperor Essence transformed into a sword that swept across the heavens. Its vast and mighty Emperor’s Power descended in wisps, heavy enough to break the spines of all living beings. As the Emperor’s Power washed over them, it forced everyone to their knees, completely unable to resist.
A single sword swept the heavens, draining the color from countless faces. Even the blazing sun seemed to fall from the sky, dim and lackluster in its presence. Before this strike, the order of the six daos shattered, offering no resistance at all.
Wansheng Jian’s expression changed drastically when he saw the Emperor Essence transform into a sword. Even as a disciple of an Elder Ancestor from the Holy Heaven Sect, he knew he couldn’t block this strike. Only his master, acting in person, could hope to stop it.
"OPEN—!" As the sword slashed down, Wansheng Jian went for broke. He brought out his most precious, life-saving treasure. With a flourish of his hands, he unfurled an Imperial Decree!
BOOM—! A deafening roar. Immortal Light erupted into the sky. The moment the Imperial Decree unfurled, the world lost its color and all living things trembled. Within the decree was a single word: "Pardon"! This one word seemed to have been born from nature itself, one with heaven and earth. As it appeared, Emperor’s Power surged skyward, forming the image of a Giant standing upon the decree.
"An Imperial Decree—!" Many in the crowd cried out in shock at the sight of it. An Imperial Decree was a scroll personally written by an Immortal Emperor, representing the Emperor’s own will.
CLANG! The sword struck the Imperial Decree, the impact like two planets colliding. A torrent of Emperor’s Light splashed into the heavens. Wisps of this light shot into the Celestial Vault, piercing the deepest, darkest corners of the Celestial Universe and illuminating its endless silence. These streams of Emperor’s Light streaked across the sky like comets, their brilliance so dazzling it turned the entire Celestial Universe as bright as day.
The two currents of Emperor’s Power collided, shaking the entire Celestial Ancient City. A powerful wave of Emperor’s Power swept out. Beneath its might, whether you were a True Master or an Ancient Saint, you couldn’t help but tremble in fear.
The sword strike faded and the Emperor Essence vanished. The light of the Imperial Decree had also dimmed considerably, and the word ’Pardon’ had lost much of its spiritual luster. Though the decree had blocked the sword, it had paid a heavy price.
Even so, Wansheng Jian’s heart ached. He had gone through great trouble to obtain this Imperial Decree from the Qingxuan Ancient Country. He treated it as his most prized possession, a true life-saving treasure!
"Just a common Imperial Decree from the Qingxuan Immortal Emperor, not a Celestial Mandate Imperial Decree," Li Qiye said with a smile, cradling the guqin. "You want to compete with my Emperor’s Treasure? Then bring me a Celestial Mandate Imperial Decree!" As his words fell, he plucked the strings.
TWANG, TWANG, TWANG... The music of the guqin was like a furious tide, each wave higher than the last. A torrent of Emperor Essence surged into the heavens. With so much Emperor Essence being drawn out, the guqin’s divine aura immediately faded. If this kept up, all of its Emperor Essence would be exhausted, and it would become nothing more than an ordinary guqin.
TWANG—! In an instant, the surging Emperor Essence transformed into an invincible Celestial Sword. The blade hung high in the Celestial Vault like a Star River. A single sword, vast enough to span the entire Celestial Universe. The Celestial Sword contained the sun, moon, and stars; entire star rivers and celestial bodies flowed within it. As the sword took form, misty Emperor’s Qi filled the air, and all gods bowed in submission.
Without a doubt, when this sword came down, it would sunder everything in its path. Be it god or demon, all would turn to ash before this strike.
"OPEN—!" Wansheng Jian roared. He had no other choice. The word "Pardon" shot up from the Imperial Decree, unleashing all its remaining Emperor Essence to form the hardest possible Emperor’s Shield in a desperate attempt to block the invincible sword.
BOOM! With a single slash, not just Celestial Ancient City, but the entire region trembled and swayed like a tiny boat on a stormy sea. The sight drained the color from every spectator’s face.
’This is insane! If that sword struck Celestial Ancient City, wouldn’t it sink the whole city?’ everyone thought, their hearts pounding in their chests.
With a tremendous bang, the sword cleaved the word ’Pardon’ in two! As Defying Heaven as the Imperial Decree was, the depth of its Emperor Essence was nothing compared to the guqin that Mingren Immortal Emperor had played throughout his life.
The sword cleaved the word ’Pardon,’ and the Imperial Decree instantly disintegrated into ash. Wansheng Jian, who had been holding it, coughed up a spray of blood and was sent flying. The sound of breaking bones was followed by a LOUD CRASH as he slammed into the Ancient Street, sending up a cloud of dust.
TWANG—! At that moment, Li Qiye plucked the guqin again. The Celestial Sword split into two beams of Sword Radiance that shot straight for the Sheng Tian Daoist.
"GO—!" The Sheng Tian Daoist, his face pale with fright, threw out his Great Sage Treasure. With a DEAFENING BOOM, the Great Sage Treasure soared into the sky, unleashing a wave of power as if a Great Sage had personally arrived.
PFFT—! A soft sound. However, even the Great Sage Treasure was no match. The Sheng Tian Daoist wasn’t powerful enough to unleash the treasure’s full might. Before the majestic and invincible Celestial Sword, the two beams of Sword Radiance struck, and the Great Sage Treasure was instantly shattered.
BANG! The two beams of Sword Radiance shot through the air, piercing both of the Sheng Tian Daoist’s knees and forcing him to his knees on the ground.
It all happened in a flash. One sword strike had sent Wansheng Jian flying, and its Sword Radiance had effortlessly shattered a Great Sage Treasure before piercing the Sheng Tian Daoist’s knees.
"I’ve suddenly changed my mind," Li Qiye said slowly, still holding the guqin. "I’ll have plenty of opportunities to slaughter your Holy Heaven Sect. Today, I’ll spare your life. But you must kneel and apologize."
At this point, the entire crowd was silent. No one dared to even breathe. Who would dare mock Li Qiye now? With such a Defying Heaven Emperor’s Treasure in his hands, anyone would turn pale at the thought of facing him. The treasure contained such vast Emperor’s Immortal Power that everyone realized it must have been an item that accompanied an Immortal Emperor throughout their life. While not as powerful as a true Emperor Artifact, it was still terrifying enough to make all living creatures tremble.
An Emperor’s Treasure like this was capable of far more than just two or three strikes. For any cultivator, just two or three Immortal Emperor’s Strikes would be more than enough to be fatal!
"In your dreams—!" The Sheng Tian Daoist struggled to get back on his feet. His knees had been pierced by Emperor’s Radiance, an absolutely fatal wound. If he weren’t already a Prince, capable of regenerating his body, he would have been crippled for life. Even so, his injuries were still grievous.
"Is that so?" Li Qiye stepped forward and stomped down hard. The Sheng Tian Daoist’s expression changed as he conjured a Cultivation Technique with his hands, attempting to block the stomp. But no matter what Daoist Technique he manifested, he couldn’t stop a foot that felt as heavy as ten thousand mountains.
BANG! The Sheng Tian Daoist caught the descending foot with both hands but was forced to his knees with such force that he shattered the stone street beneath him, his blood staining the rocks. His face went deathly pale, and the bones throughout his body creaked and groaned. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans dripped from his brow. Li Qiye’s leg felt as heavy as ten thousand Divine Peaks; he had to use every last ounce of his strength just to keep it from crushing him.
"You—!" Wansheng Jian, who had been sent flying, struggled back to his feet. His expression changed drastically when he saw the scene and he shouted.
"If you’re still looking to die, I can grant your wish," Li Qiye said leisurely. "Today, not even another Emperor’s Treasure could save your lives. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay put."
Wansheng Jian’s face alternated between green and white. Today was the greatest humiliation of his life. As a disciple of an Elder Ancestor from the Ten Thousand Saints Sect, his cultivation had progressed by leaps and bounds even in this Tough Dao Era. His strength and status were enough for him to look down on the masses. Who had ever dared to disrespect him? Yet today, in front of the whole world, he had been defeated by some little brat, unable to even protect his junior.
Sweat poured down the Sheng Tian Daoist’s face like rain as his entire body trembled. Already heavily injured, he was now being crushed by Li Qiye, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"As for you leaving Chen Baojiao for dead at Demon’s Back Ridge, I can’t be bothered to force you to clear things up. She follows me now, and she serves me. My principles are simple: whoever harms the people by my side, I will slaughter them! Today, you will apologize to her in front of everyone. You know exactly what happened! She was the one who refused to marry you and left the Treasure Pillar Saint Sect, so where did this narrative of you breaking off the engagement with her come from? You will restore her reputation. Do this, and I’ll spare your life today," Li Qiye said slowly, his foot still pressing down on the Sheng Tian Daoist.
Hearing Li Qiye’s words, the crowd exchanged glances. No one had expected this twist. Who would have thought that Chen Baojiao, the princess of the Jade Xi Territory, had actually left the Treasure Pillar Saint Sect?
Chen Baojiao’s heart trembled. She felt a prickling in her nose, and mist unconsciously welled up in her beautiful eyes. She had long since given up hope of ever restoring her reputation, but now, Li Qiye was doing it for her.
"In your dreams! If you have the guts, then kill me, you shameless pair!" the Sheng Tian Daoist snarled.
"Is that so?" Li Qiye smiled and stomped down harder. With a sickening CRACK of breaking bones, the suppressed Sheng Tian Daoist coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Li Qiye looked down at him and said leisurely, "I rarely torture my enemies. I usually give them a quick death, slaying them in a single move. But if you’re really asking to die today, that’s not hard to arrange. However, I won’t kill you. I will destroy your Dao Foundation, pierce your Life Wheel, and shatter your Life Palace, turning you into a useless cripple for all time! I’m sure your Holy Heaven Sect wouldn’t bother to support a waste like you."
"You—!" The Sheng Tian Daoist’s face was a mask of horror. For a genius like him, a destroyed Dao Foundation could be rebuilt from scratch. But to have his Life Wheel pierced and his Life Palace shattered... even if he lived, he would never be able to practice cultivation again. He would be a cripple for eternity.
For an arrogant genius like the Sheng Tian Daoist, becoming a cripple was a fate a hundred times more agonizing than death.
"My patience is limited," Li Qiye sneered as one of his large hands descended, reaching for the Sheng Tian Daoist’s head. BOOM! Streams of Laws erupted from the Daoist’s skull. His Blood Qi surged, and his Life Palace gushed forth a vast torrent of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi to resist Li Qiye’s hand.
BANG—! Under the power of the Prison Suppressing Divine Body, Li Qiye’s hand was heavier than ten thousand Divine Peaks. It was simply unstoppable. With a single press, the Laws shattered, the Blood Qi and Heaven and Earth Essence Qi were pierced through, and his hand continued down to suppress the Life Palace.
"Tian! Where there’s life, there’s hope!" Wansheng Jian’s face changed drastically as he shouted, "Even Immortal Emperors have known defeat, let alone you! Just admit your loss for today!"
