Chapter 815: The God Emperor

"The Longevity World is gone, but there are some unexpected variables: Zun, who wields the Chaos Bell, and Wang Chen. Things did not develop as we had anticipated," Yi Yan said with a frown.

"Oh?"

"I don't have all the details yet. Shuijing sent a message saying that Zun and Wang Chen's presence caused chaos in the Longevity World. Eventually, Kong Xuan arrived, collected the Longevity World, and left," Yi Yan explained, shaking his head.

"It seems the Longevity World has undergone some turmoil. We should wait for Shuijing and the others to return with more information," Zhong Shan said, nodding.

"Yes!"

"You may all leave. I am fine," Zhong Shan ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The ministers bowed and retreated.

Once the ministers had left, only Emperor Xuan Sha remained, holding the Immortal-Slaying Gourd.

The four empresses supported Zhong Shan in silence, sensing his current solemnity.

Zhong Shan stared at Emperor Xuan Sha, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Keep this Immortal-Slaying Gourd. I believe it will be useful to you," Emperor Xuan Sha said.

Keep it? The empresses found this somewhat unusual.

After a long, deep look at Emperor Xuan Sha, Zhong Shan did not refuse and said, "Go see Xianxian. She is in the Underworld's Changjing."

"I will," Emperor Xuan Sha nodded.

Bei Qingsi took the Immortal-Slaying Gourd from him. Emperor Xuan Sha's figure flickered and disappeared from their sight.

"Master, what does Emperor Xuan Sha mean by this?" Bao'er asked.

"Does he intend to leave?" Gu Qianyou pondered.

"Emperor Xuan Sha is an aloof and unparalleled warrior, but as the supreme of the wolf clan, his heart is dedicated to the rise and fall of his race. The wolf clan, once hidden on a small island, now commands respect across the world as the premier beast race of Shenzhou. His wish has been fulfilled. The wolf clan's rise is due to his decisions, and his burden has been lifted. After the Heaven-Opening, with his heart as a warrior, he will not be content with silence," Zhong Shan said gravely.

"Not content with silence? What does that mean? What about the future of the Great Zheng Dynasty and the Great Zheng Divine Court?" Bao'er asked with a frown.

"After the Heaven-Opening, Great Zheng will not remain silent. Some will want us to be silent, while others will ensure we do not. The Great Thousand World is a very complex beginning," Zhong Shan said, shaking his head.

The empresses furrowed their brows, pondering the implications of Zhong Shan's words.

Three months later, at the Lingxiao Heavenly Court's Tianyuan Pavilion.

Zhong Shan had almost fully recovered from his injuries, and Shuijing and the others had all returned.

Zhong Shan sat behind his desk, with Shuijing, Mr. Corpse, Elder Tian, King Ku, and Yi Yan standing before him.

"Your Majesty, based on the timing, it was likely Zun who broke Kong Xuan's restrictions, causing Kong Xuan to retreat from the Two Worlds' Pass," Shuijing speculated.

"How did Zun face the Longevity World alone? Ye Qingcheng should have been able to leverage the power of the Longevity World," Zhong Shan pondered.

"Zun opened the Ascension Passage!"

"Oh?"

"Ye Qingcheng utilized the power of the Longevity World's merit, which would have made him nearly invincible to ordinary people. However, Zun transcended the Earth Immortal Tribulation, meaning he reached the Earth Immortal level. During an Earth Immortal's ascension, the heavens open a passage, allowing a group of powerful beings from the Great Thousand World to descend," Shuijing explained.

"All of them were under Zun's command?" Zhong Shan narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. Somehow, he informed the people of the Great Thousand World of his location. Nearly a hundred powerful cultivators descended, addressing him as 'Master.' They then attacked the Longevity World as a group," Shuijing explained.

"A group of supreme experts?" Zhong Shan's eyes narrowed further.

"These were no ordinary experts. They were either immortals or Heaven Extreme Realm cultivators. The Longevity World, having lost Daoist Shen Crow and Kong Xuan, faced a tremendous disaster. Despite Ye Qingcheng's mastery of the Immortal-Slaying Sword and the presence of other Heaven Extreme Realm experts, they were forced into a retreat," Shuijing said, frowning.

"Forced into retreat? These experts were that fierce?"

"Not just fierce, they fought with a suicidal determination, aiming for mutual destruction. These people were more like 'death warriors,'" Shuijing said, clearly shaken.

"Death warriors? Immortal-level death warriors? They called Zun 'Master.' Could there be a powerful force backing him?" Zhong Shan's eyes narrowed even more.

Zhong Shan stood up and paced back and forth in the study. The existence of such death warriors hinted at a significant power behind them.

"What happened next?" Zhong Shan asked, looking at Shuijing again.

"Except for Ye Qingcheng, the Longevity World's forces were decimated. Ye Qingcheng himself seemed to be heavily injured after fighting ten of these death warriors to a mutual destruction. Zun used the Chaos Bell to break through and entered the Longevity World. After that, we didn't go in, but Mr. Corpse managed to sneak in using a secret method," Shuijing said.

Everyone turned to Mr. Corpse.

"I entered. Zun went straight to Kong Xuan's residence, the place where we previously stole the purple coffin. His target was that purple coffin," Mr. Corpse said gravely.

"Didn't Kong Xuan set up defensive formations?" Zhong Shan asked.

"He did, and they were very strong. Zun couldn't break them, even with the Chaos Bell and the help of several immortals. Kong Xuan's formations were too powerful," Mr. Corpse said.

"Oh? What happened then?"

"Then things got strange. Zun used the blood, flesh, and souls of ten of the immortals to sacrifice to the Chaos Bell," Mr. Corpse said.

"Sacrifice to the Chaos Bell?" Zhong Shan asked, surprised.

Mr. Corpse nodded.

"Ten immortals, from the Great Thousand World? They didn't resist?" Zhong Shan was astonished.

"No resistance at all! All ten willingly sacrificed themselves, using their blood, flesh, and souls to empower the Chaos Bell. It's unimaginable what kind of terrifying power could cultivate such death warriors. I could see clearly that the ten immortals were fully conscious and clear-minded. They looked at the Chaos Bell with great reverence, willingly sacrificing themselves," Mr. Corpse said, still shaken by the memory.

The study fell silent. This revelation was beyond anyone's understanding. Willingly sacrificing themselves? Would any immortals truly be willing to die?

"What happened next?" Zhong Shan asked, taking a deep breath.

"After the sacrifice, the Chaos Bell shone with golden light, radiating like a brilliant sun. Then, from the mouth of the enormous Chaos Bell, a hand filled with terrifying power extended. The aura of that hand was so overwhelming that I could hardly breathe. It was immensely powerful. I believe the effect of the ten immortals' sacrifice was to allow the Chaos Bell to connect to a supreme being from the Great Thousand World. That person's single strike shattered a significant portion of Kong Xuan's formations," Mr. Corpse said with awe.

"One strike broke Kong Xuan's formations? Kong Xuan's own defenses? Who could be that powerful?" Zhong Shan was filled with disbelief.

"At that time, Zun was bowing to the hand. I happened to overhear," Mr. Corpse said.

"Oh?"

Everyone looked at Mr. Corpse, hoping this bowing might reveal the identity of the powerful figure.

"Zun said, 'Divine Emperor's might, your subordinate bows in reverence.' After saying that, Zun genuinely knelt down," Mr. Corpse explained.

Divine Emperor's might? Divine Emperor? Who is the Divine Emperor?

Zhong Shan looked at Mr. Corpse, then at King Ku. Mr. Corpse's eyes showed a trace of confusion, but King Ku slightly trembled.

Though it was subtle, Zhong Shan noticed King Ku's slight tremble.

"Mr. Corpse, King Ku, you both come from the Great Thousand World. Have you ever heard of the Divine Emperor?" Zhong Shan asked.

"I have not!" Mr. Corpse shook his head.

"Nor have I!" King Ku also shook his head.

Zhong Shan looked at the two of them but did not press further. He began to ponder, even drawing on the mythical stories he had encountered in his youth.

Pacing back and forth in the hall, the ministers waited quietly.

After a stick of incense had burned, Zhong Shan murmured, "Divine Emperor? Divine?"

Suddenly, Zhong Shan's eyes widened, and his face changed dramatically with shock. "Is it him? Wasn't he supposed to be dead? Hadn't he fallen long ago?"

Seeing Zhong Shan's shock, the ministers were puzzled. King Ku also seemed to seek confirmation from Zhong Shan.

"Your Majesty, who is it?" Shuijing and the others immediately asked.

Taking a deep breath to calm his shock, Zhong Shan shook his head. "Don't ask. It's better that you don't know. If my guess is correct, the revelation of this news would cause more shock than the discovery of that sage's corpse. The Great Thousand World would become a place where we can no longer find refuge!"

The ministers were taken aback. Could it be that serious? But they knew their emperor would not conceal anything from his ministers without good reason. If he said it was this serious, it must be true.

"Understood!" The ministers responded immediately.

"Does anyone else know about this?" Zhong Shan asked solemnly.

"No one!" Mr. Corpse replied promptly.

"Good. What you heard just now, and what we discussed, must remain a secret. Not a single word can leak out," Zhong Shan said, taking a deep breath.

"Understood!" The ministers responded promptly.

"Continue," Zhong Shan said, looking at Mr. Corpse.

"Yes. The hand that emerged from the Chaos Bell struck twice, destroying most of Kong Xuan's defensive formations, leaving only a small part intact. After that, the hand disappeared, and Zun slowly broke the remaining formations. Once the formations were gone, the purple coffin was exposed. Zun, like we did, opened the coffin to examine it, to confirm its contents. However, as he pulled out the tenth coffin nail and opened the lid, another change occurred—Wang Chen suddenly arrived!" Mr. Corpse explained.

"Wang Chen?" Zhong Shan frowned.

"Yes. By that time, the Longevity World was in ruins, most of its experts were dead, and Ye Qingcheng had fled. Zun had only four or five subordinates left. Just as both sides were nearly exhausted, Wang Chen arrived," Mr. Corpse said with a frown.