Chapter 850: The Divine Realm

The moment Su Afo saw the glint in the Ninth Princess's eyes, he knew he was in trouble. Oh no, the enchantress had spotted his treasures. My poor treasures, he lamented internally.

"Princess, these… these are mine!" Su Afo said with a tearful expression, hugging the treasures closer to his chest.

These were celestial artifacts, spiritual tools that couldn't be stored in storage bracelets and hadn't been refined yet. Su Afo was indeed unlucky. In Qingqiu, few could snatch things from him, but the Ninth Princess was one of those few exceptions. She could take things from him with impunity.

"Nonsense, I recognize these celestial artifacts. Each of you losers had one. How did they all end up in your hands? Did you steal them? I'll confiscate them as stolen goods!" the Ninth Princess declared.

"Please, no, no, no. I didn't steal them. We made a bet, and I won. I just got them," Su Afo hurriedly explained.

"A bet? What kind of bet?"

"It was about the ill-fated Holy King, Zhong Shan!" Su Afo quickly said.

"Zhong Shan? Him again? What's the story?" The Ninth Princess's interest was piqued.

"You wouldn't believe it, Princess. Qingqiu is in chaos because of him. He released all the prisoners from the Eighteenth Layer of Hell," Su Afo explained.

"Oh?" The Ninth Princess's eyes lit up with excitement.

Seeing her interest, Su Afo quickly recounted the events of the Eighteenth Layer of Hell.

"Interesting, very interesting!" The Ninth Princess's eyes gleamed with excitement as she pondered over her thoughts, seemingly making a decision.

Seizing the moment while she was deep in thought, Su Afo sneakily retreated and then fled at an incredible speed.

Su Afo flew back to his residence in no time, his speed twice as fast as usual. If his grandfather had seen him, he would have been pleased to see such an impressive display of power.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Su Afo thought, "That was close. What's going on with the Ninth Princess today? What is she planning?"

"No, no, no. Even if she was momentarily distracted, she'll figure it out soon enough."

Realizing this, Su Afo panicked again. He reluctantly picked a necklace-shaped celestial artifact from his collection, feeling the loss deeply.

"I'll have to ask Brother Hongxiao to take it to her. I hope the enchantress doesn't come after my other treasures!" Su Afo said helplessly.

The Ninth Princess saw Su Afo leave but didn't stop him. She looked around, then headed towards Qingqiu Mountain.

Meanwhile, Zhong Shan was brought by Mr. Li to a vast forest area, filled with numerous buildings. Zhong Shan noticed a large array surrounding the area, preventing anyone from leaving.

At the forest's edge stood many guards, and there was a giant stone monument inscribed with the words "Palace of the Hostages."

Mr. Li led Zhong Shan inside, to a cluster of palaces.

"Holy King Zhong, you'll be staying here for now. All the emperors and kings who have allied with our court reside here. Feel free to socialize. If you wish to go out, just pick two guards at the gate. As long as you stay within Qingqiu's borders, you'll have your freedom," Mr. Li explained.

"Understood," Zhong Shan nodded.

Going out with two guards? More like two watchers.

"I'll take my leave then," Mr. Li said.

Zhong Shan nodded as Mr. Li and the others left the Palace of the Hostages.

Palace? As he looked at the palace before him, Zhong Shan felt no sense of peace or belonging. Who was Zhong Shan? Even as a hostage, he refused to surrender his freedom so easily.

Gazing at the plaque labeled "Da Qin Hall," Zhong Shan felt no sense of affiliation. However, everything must be approached step by step.

With determined steps, Zhong Shan entered. With a wave of his hand, the formation outside Da Qin Hall activated. Zhong Shan needed to retreat and perfect his "world."

After leaving the Hostage Prince's Mansion, Mr. Tanuki found the person in charge outside.

"Keep a close watch on Zhong Sheng Wang whom I just brought in. Every time he goes out, he must be escorted by celestial immortals. Also, record every single thing he does outside," Mr. Tanuki instructed solemnly.

"Understood!" came the reply.

Zhong Shan sat cross-legged. Above him was a "sky" that he had shrunk to a diameter of merely thirty feet, a purple sky, concealed within the hall. The entire hall suddenly seemed to lose its roof.

Zhong Shan remained seated for a whole day. Afterward, the smooth stone floor beneath him mysteriously turned to soil. Grass sprouted abundantly, miniature mountains and forests emerged. Gradually, the world beneath Zhong Shan connected with the "purple sky" above.

What was once a canopy now resembled the interior of a sphere, without a single gap.

In this purple world, as it was completed, it seemed to expand infinitely in an instant. Zhong Shan appeared to be sitting in a vast realm.

The sky had no sun or moon, yet it was illuminated by countless purple lights. The previously thundering "purple sky" was now devoid of lightning. Zhong Shan stood up and gazed at the sky.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a colossal eye, a thousand feet wide, opened in the purple sky. The purple pupil exuded an aura of malevolence, and the whites of the eye seemed to draw in countless bolts of lightning.

"The minor world has perished, yet you remain! Divine Retribution!" Zhong Shan murmured.

This was the eye of heaven that Zhong Shan had deceived during the creation of his world, now named the Eye of Divine Retribution. It was the second heavenly entity Zhong Shan had stolen, apart from the Divine Creation Palm.

The Eye of Divine Retribution blinked, a trace of reverence in its gaze.

"This is my 'world,' merely in its initial stage, without any additional attributes. You are the Eye of Divine Retribution; our fates are intertwined. As my 'world' grows stronger, so will you. Now that I have entered the Great Thousand World, you can sense its laws, rules, and various divine principles. Absorb and incorporate them into this 'world'," Zhong Shan commanded.

As if receiving Zhong Shan's order, the Eye of Divine Retribution suddenly shone with a brilliant purple light.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous roar, the sky of the 'world' changed color, fierce winds arose, and lightning flashed. On the monotonous landscape, lakes, mountains, and oceans began to form.

Various elemental energies seemed forcibly drawn into this world, filling its voids and reinforcing its framework.

The enhancement of the 'world' required time, and Zhong Shan was in no hurry.

Surveying the expanse of his domain, Zhong Shan declared, "From now on, this shall be called the 'Divine Realm.'"

As if responding to his proclamation, the sky echoed with another clap of thunder.

"Boom!"

As the Divine Realm continued to strengthen, the Eye of Divine Retribution slowly closed and disappeared into the heavens.

Zhong Shan's Divine Realm, embracing all the laws of the universe, would one day undoubtedly make its name resound throughout the Great Thousand World.

As Zhong Shan was immersed in observing his Divine Realm, an unexpected guest suddenly arrived in the Da Qin Hall.

Sima Sanliang, whose entry into the heavily guarded Hostage Prince's Mansion was a mystery, brought a fierce determination with him. The outside world had already begun a manhunt for him, leaving him with no escape. His only chance for survival lay in defeating Zhong Shan. If he could incapacitate Zhong Shan, he believed he would be saved.

"My wife will surely save me," Sima Sanliang kept reassuring himself.

He noticed a purple light sphere in the hall and frowned.

"A world? Is this Zhong Shan's world?"

No matter, he had to disable Zhong Shan.

A black longsword appeared in Sima Sanliang's hand. His eyes focused, and he thrust the sword fiercely toward the purple light sphere. A massive sword intent surged from his blade, aiming directly at the heart of the light sphere, filling the hall with sword energy.

"Swish!"

Just as the sword was about to pierce the purple sphere, a purple sword shot out from the sphere. No, it looked like a sword but also resembled a fox's tail.

The purple sword carried a terrifyingly destructive sword intent, far surpassing Sima Sanliang's. In an instant, Sima Sanliang felt frozen by the overwhelming sword intent.

The powerful sword intent shattered all of Sima Sanliang's sword energy within the hall. An even more terrifying aura of destruction erupted.

"Imitation of the Immortal Execution Sword?" Sima Sanliang seemed to recognize the sword in an instant, his face showing shock.

But it was too late. The fox tail, merged with the soul of the Immortal Execution Sword, clashed with Sima Sanliang's black sword.

"Boom!"

The massive impact caused the entire Da Qin Hall to explode, sending powerful purple sword energy into the surrounding mountains, reducing countless forests to dust.

With the emergence of the Immortal Execution Sword, none could rival its might.

Sima Sanliang's black sword shattered instantly. He was bombarded with Immortal Execution Sword energy, sent flying, and coughed up blood mid-air. His face showed utter bewilderment.

The terrifying strike of the Immortal Execution Sword left thick smoke rolling in all directions. As the smoke cleared, Zhong Shan stood revealed.

The fox tail of the Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail had vanished, but Zhong Shan's imposing presence remained.

Stepping forward, Zhong Shan looked down at the fallen Sima Sanliang.

"You came to kill me?" Zhong Shan's eyes turned icy.