Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

Jiang Chen hovered in mid-air.

A cold light flared in his eyes as he looked at Zhuo Bufan and said flatly, "The tenth-ranked on the Human Venerable List is nothing more than this!"

HISS!

A wave of sharp gasps swept through the crowd.

The Human Venerable List!

Every Union Palace Realm expert under the age of fifty in the entire Eastern Continent yearned to be on that list. Some, even if they only held the hundred-thousandth rank, would be immensely proud of it.

It was an honor they could brag about for the rest of their lives.

Not to mention the top ten!

Those ten individuals were each one of the Eastern Continent’s most supreme young Overlords.

They were all destined to become Overlords of the Eastern Continent in the future.

But now...

The distinguished Zhuo Bufan, ranked tenth on the Human Venerable List and renowned throughout the Eastern Continent, had earned only a four-word evaluation from Jiang Chen: "nothing more than this."

’Could it be that Jiang Chen has the strength of someone in the top ten of the Human Venerable List?’

’N-No way, right?’

’He’s only at the Union Palace Realm Seventh Stage! How could he have top-ten strength with that level of cultivation? Even when Gai Shi and Long Jingyun broke into the top ten, they were already at the Union Palace Realm Eighth Stage, weren’t they?’

As the crowd considered Jiang Chen’s cultivation and then looked at his display of combat power...

...every single one of them was utterly astonished!

A Union Palace Realm Seventh Stage cultivator possessing the combat strength of someone in the top ten of the Human Venerable List!

It was simply unbelievable!

In a corner, a playful look appeared on Gai Shi’s face. He gently stroked his chin, staring at Jiang Chen and murmuring to himself, "This Jiang Chen is rather interesting! It’s a shame his cultivation is too low right now. If he were at the Union Palace Realm Ninth Stage, I might be interested in a match. But as for now..."

Gai Shi shook his head lightly.

These words reached the ears of Long Jingyun, who stood nearby, and his expression shifted slightly.

His gaze toward Jiang Chen gained a chilling coldness, and even a faint trace of jealousy.

He, Long Jingyun, was the former number one on the Human Venerable List!

And the current number two!

A peerless genius possessing the bloodline of the Dragon Emperor.

And yet...

When Gai Shi faced him, he was always indifferent and calm, never showing the slightest interest in a fight. But Gai Shi held Jiang Chen in such high regard, which left Long Jingyun feeling deeply displeased.

’Does Gai Shi think this Jiang Chen’s talent is greater than mine? That he’s more worthy of being his opponent? No, that’s impossible! Across the entire Eastern Continent, only I am qualified to defeat Gai Shi. No one else has the right. Who the hell does this Jiang Chen think he is? How dare he be compared to me?’ Long Jingyun clenched his fists, the cold light flickering in his eyes growing even more glacial.

He looked toward Jiang Chen and Zhuo Bufan.

At the same time, Zhuo Bufan, who was lying on the ground, began to twitch slightly. The tremors grew more and more intense. "Ha, haha, HAHAHA... I never expected this. To think that I, Zhuo Bufan, would let my lifelong fame be tarnished by suffering such a huge setback at your hands because of a moment of carelessness. Jiang Chen, I must admit, your strength has indeed exceeded my expectations. But you’re still not qualified to defeat me!"

BOOM—

A storm of cyan True Essence erupted from Zhuo Bufan’s body.

It formed a circular tempest that enveloped him.

Zhuo Bufan rose to his feet.

All the dust was blown from his body, his robes whipping about as if brand new. He raised a hand to touch his left cheek where Jiang Chen had brutally kicked him. He rolled his tongue around the inside of his mouth, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and grinned. "Outside of the top ten on the Human Venerable List, you are the first person to make me bleed. As a reward, I will personally cripple your cultivation, sever your limbs, and crush every bone in your body. I’ll make you understand what it means to wish for death but be unable to die!"

He spread both hands.

Two sharp, cyan swords appeared in them.

With a flick of his wrists, the blades trembled. Sword Qi exploded like thunder as he swung both swords at Jiang Chen.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two Sword Auras shot forward in a cross pattern, heading straight for Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen snorted coldly. His Spirit-Slaying Sword carved a graceful arc from bottom to top. "Creation of Heaven and Earth!"

SWISH!

As the True Essence Light pulsed, the Sword Qi from both sides collided in mid-air. Both were tyrannical and sharp, and they shattered upon impact.

A fierce gale blasted out in all directions.

The experts immediately fell back.

Jiang Chen and Zhuo Bufan moved at the same time, rushing toward each other. The two swords crossed while the Spirit-Slaying Sword swept through the air.

DING! DING! DING!

The blades clashed again and again, each impact unleashing a violent Energy Storm.

"**Moon Exploration!"

Zhuo Bufan grunted coldly.

Holding a sword in each hand, he slashed at Jiang Chen from above and below.

Jiang Chen’s expression was stern, his gaze like lightning. "Thick Earth Sword Technique—Vast Land!"

He gripped the hilt of the Spirit-Slaying Sword with both hands.

With a sudden upward lift, his Secrets of Earth resonated with the ground. Amidst a series of rumbles, columns of earth and stone burst from the ground between him and Zhuo Bufan.

BANG! BANG!

Zhuo Bufan’s twin swords fell, piercing through the earth and stone.

Dirt and rock fragments flew everywhere.

Jiang Chen abruptly retreated, then kicked off the void to reverse his course, thrusting his Spirit-Slaying Sword forward. "Heaven and Earth Split!"

Among all the Sword Techniques Jiang Chen had mastered, the All Heaven Stars Sword Technique was the most powerful. It was an incomplete Saint Tier Sword Technique, but its might was absolute.

He thrust his sword.

An unparalleled Sword Aura blazed into existence.

This Sword Aura contained two Mystical Techniques, Darkness and Light. The two Mystical Techniques fused together, and wherever the blade passed, the world seemed to plunge into absolute blackness.

"Why did the sky turn dark?"

"The sky didn’t turn dark! Jiang Chen’s sword strike just blotted out all the light!"

"A technique that affects the heavens and earth? Th-That’s a level of mastery only a Human King Realm Powerhouse can achieve..."

"That’s impossible, right?"

Everyone cried out in alarm.

Zhuo Bufan’s expression changed drastically as well. His vision was suddenly plunged into a blackness so deep he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face.

The crowd’s shocked cries reached his ears, completely shattering his composure.

’How is this possible? A state only possessed by the Human King Realm? He’s just at the Union Palace Realm Seventh Stage! How could he have reached such a level...’ Zhuo Bufan roared internally.

He swung his twin swords frantically before him.

Gushing streams of Sword Qi formed a Sword Curtain, firmly protecting him within it.

Just then, Jiang Chen’s sword strike arrived before Zhuo Bufan.

THUD!

The pitch-black Sword Aura slammed into the Sword Curtain, and the dark light paused for an instant.

Then...

...a burst of light appeared within the darkness.

One black, one white!

The black was silent and still, the white was pure and saintly.

It was as if primordial chaos was suddenly split into heaven and earth.

BOOM!

The black and white Sword Auras fused, converging into an unparalleled ribbon of Sword Dao. With a tremendous BOOM, the blinding sword light filled the entire Ice Hall.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Under the crushing pressure of the black Sword Qi, both of Zhuo Bufan’s swords were knocked from his grasp. The web of his hand tore open, spraying blood. The black and white Sword Qi did not stop, striking his body wave after wave like a tsunami!

BANG!

The robes on Zhuo Bufan’s body exploded into tatters.

BANG!

A bloody, mangled ruin was blasted into his chest.

RUMBLE...

The light of the black and white Sword Qi contracted, then suddenly expanded into a sphere of Sword Qi, enveloping Zhuo Bufan completely.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Zhuo Bufan’s whole body convulsed violently. Mists of blood erupted from him as his flesh was mercilessly sliced away.

Revealing the stark white bone beneath!

BOOM!

The black and white Sword Qi instantly detonated, transforming into a Sword Qi Storm that sent Zhuo Bufan flying backward. Like a falling meteor, he smashed violently into the side wall of the Ice Hall.

He blasted a human-shaped crater into the wall, where he was left embedded in the ice like a statue.

Inside the Ice Hall...

...it was dead silent!