Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
******
In front of the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion, Zhukun was, as always, napping to pass the time. Suddenly, the lava before the mansion churn
In front of the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion, Zhukun was, as always, napping to pass the time. Suddenly, the lava before the mansion churn
In front of the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion, Zhukun was, as always, napping to pass the time. Suddenly, the lava before the mansion churned violently, and two figures appeared above it. A massive finger, engulfed in thick black flames and capable of piercing anything, came pressing toward Zhukun's forehead.
Zhukun's eyes snapped open. Seeing the finger aimed at his forehead—a blatant act of provocation—his expression turned savage. With a wide roar, he unleashed a purple-gold energy pillar, equal in size to the black flame finger. The pillar easily shattered the black finger and blasted toward the direction of Void Swallowing Flame and the Soul Heaven Emperor.
"As expected of the Ancient Emperor's cave... a Taixu Ancient Dragon!" the Soul Heaven Emperor said flatly. With a wave of his hand, he tore open a spatial rift a thousand meters wide, redirecting the purple-gold pillar through it.
"Heh, Void Swallowing Flame, still haven't learned your lesson from last time? You think summoning someone of the same peak Nine-Star Dou Saint level as me can kill me? Ridiculous."
Zhukun sneered coldly. Though his scheming ability couldn't rival that of Qian Renhan or the cunning Void Swallowing Flame, that didn't mean he lacked intelligence. The Void Swallowing Flame had mentioned the Soul Heaven Emperor, a peak Nine-Star Dou Saint, and the moment he acted, Zhukun understood this was a warning—after all, the Void Swallowing Flame had a deadly secret held in Zhukun's hands.
Upon hearing this, Void Swallowing Flame's face turned cold. "Heaven Emperor, the Ancient Emperor's cave is located deep beneath the Northwest Continent. Gu Yuan won't sense any fighting here. Let's join forces and kill this Taixu Ancient Dragon first."
"No rush. Void Swallowing Flame, return to the Soul Clan and stand guard."
The Soul Heaven Emperor showed no intention of fighting Zhukun. With a strange smile tugging at his lips, he gave brief instructions to the Void Swallowing Flame before tearing open space and vanishing toward another location—Ancient Dragon Island.
According to the Void Swallowing Flame, Qian Renhan, a human, possessed powerful spatial abilities. After confirming Zhukun's presence, the Soul Heaven Emperor speculated that the little girl beside Qian Renhan was likely a descendant of Zhukun. Otherwise, there was no reason a peak Nine-Star Dou Saint and Taixu Ancient Dragon like Zhukun would assist a human. Especially not one as ruthless as Qian Renhan, capable of using the Spirit-Devouring Absolute Life Formation—why would such a person protect a mere girl?
"Gu Yuan, Gu Clan… just wait. The next time we meet, you'll be trembling at my feet—hahaha!"
On Ancient Dragon Island, Zi Yan had officially stepped into the position of Taixu Ancient Dragon Empress, both in strength and authority. She had unified the entire Taixu Ancient Dragon race, mobilizing all of the island's secret realms and resources, and distributing the royal blood essence of the Three Great Dragon Kings to the meritorious dragons. The goal: to rebuild the Taixu Ancient Dragon clan into the mightiest magical beast race.
Suddenly, a terrifying aura enveloped the entire island. Every Taixu Ancient Dragon on the island froze for a moment, their breathing halted. A man appeared—dressed in gray-white robes, around thirty years old in appearance, tall and slender with refined features. He looked extraordinarily scholarly, like a man holding a scroll rather than a weapon.
It was the Soul Heaven Emperor.
Compared to before, his eyes—once bright and penetrating—were now cold and imperial, gazing down upon the island like a sovereign above all.
"He's here."
Zi Yan narrowed her beautiful eyes. Crushing the ancient talisman in her hand, she transformed into a thousand-meter-long Taixu Ancient Dragon with heavenly phoenix wings, tore through space, and appeared before the Soul Heaven Emperor. She stared coldly at him and said, "Human, who are you? Why have you come to Ancient Dragon Island?"
The Soul Heaven Emperor inhaled deeply and smiled faintly. "You must be the descendant of that Taixu Ancient Dragon who guards the Ancient Emperor's cave. Your bloodline smells quite similar."
"But I must say, I'm a bit surprised—you've evolved into a Dragon-Phoenix. Coincidentally, I've been needing a new mount. You'll do nicely."
As his words fell, he extended his hand. A colossal black palm, thousands of meters wide and formed from black Dou Qi, grasped toward Zi Yan. Wherever its five fingers passed, space shattered. Zi Yan roared and tried to escape or resist, but with her mere Four-Star Dou Saint strength, she was no match for the Soul Heaven Emperor.
Just then, space split open once more. A blood-red sword light slashed through, cutting the black palm like tofu. Qian Renhan stepped out of the spatial rift, twelve wings on his back and Shura Sword in hand, positioning himself between Zi Yan and the Soul Heaven Emperor.
"Soul Clan's leader—Soul Heaven Emperor—I've long heard of you," Qian Renhan said in a deep voice. In some respects, he genuinely admired the emperor's cunning.
"Oh? Late-stage Eight-Star Dou Saint. Your progress is indeed impressive. No wonder your devouring power rivals Void Swallowing Flame. If given more time, you might even reach my level. Unfortunately, today, you'll fall here."
The Soul Heaven Emperor wasn't surprised by Qian Renhan's appearance—only by how much his strength had grown. In such a short time, from being hunted by the Gu Clan and then the Soul Hall, Qian Renhan had reached the late stage of the Eight-Star Dou Saint realm. Power-wise, he now ranked among the top five across the continent.
Looking at Qian Renhan, the Soul Heaven Emperor's eyes showed not just killing intent, but also admiration—and a hint of regret. The killing intent was for the sake of the Soul Clan and his thousand-year plan, to eliminate this dangerously fast-growing variable. The admiration was because Qian Renhan was ruthless, far more so than Gu Yuan, whom he saw as a coward. Qian reminded him of his younger self. The regret? That Qian Renhan wasn't ruthless enough. The young man had stepped forward to protect Zi Yan, even against an unbeatable enemy.
To the Soul Heaven Emperor, this wasn't bravery—it was foolishness.
If it were him, he'd have abandoned Zi Yan without hesitation, or at most taken her and fled. He would've sacrificed the entire Taixu Ancient Dragon clan to survive and grow strong enough to return one day for revenge.
In his eyes, Qian Renhan had the power to escape with Zi Yan, but didn't—because of her identity as the Taixu Ancient Dragon Empress. He chose to defend the clan, compromising in the process… and would now die in vain.
"Is that so? Then come and try."
Black Dou Qi surged from Qian Renhan's hand as a spatial vortex appeared in front of him. The Soul Heaven Emperor's brow furrowed slightly—within Qian Renhan's Dou Qi, he caught a trace of the Medicine Clan's aura.
"Senior Zhukun, let's attack together."
As he spoke, purple-gold light shone from the spatial vortex, and a middle-aged man with long purple-gold hair and golden eyes filled with authority stepped out—Zhukun, a projected energy form.
Even though it was only a projection, Zhukun's power was equivalent to that of an early-stage Nine-Star Dou Saint—equal to the Void Swallowing Flame. What's more, through this spatial vortex, Zhukun could launch energy beams directly into the battlefield—essentially unleashing a map-wide attack.
"Old man!"
"Former Dragon Emperor!"
The elders of the Taixu Ancient Dragon clan looked upon the majestic figure with near-tearful joy, their eyes burning with reverence and excitement.
(End of Chapter)