Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

These three Ice Corpses were incomparably ferocious.

The power they possessed was unmatched, a veritable Innate Divine Strength. Coupled with their Ice Armor that functioned like an absolute defense, their strength was simply unbelievable!

However...

After forcefully crushing the three Human King Realm Powerhouses, they didn’t press their attack.

The three Ice Corpses crouched on the ground, tearing at the bodies of the Human King Realm Powerhouses in their grasp. They ripped off chunks of flesh and stuffed them into their mouths, chewing noisily.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

The clear chewing sounds were exceptionally grating, enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

Everyone’s expressions were incredibly grim. They watched the three Ice Corpses with wary eyes, but no one dared to take a single step forward!

The shocking scene of the three Ice Corpses overpowering and killing three Human King Realm experts was still fresh in their minds. They wanted nothing more than to avoid them, so how could they possibly take the initiative to provoke these powerful creatures?

Within the crowd, Jiang Chen and Gai Shi exchanged a look, their eyes filled with solemn gravity.

A golden light flickered in Gai Shi’s eyes, like a peerless divine eye that could see through anything. "These three Ice Corpses have no life force in their bodies, yet their power is constantly increasing. What in the world is going on?"

"If I’m not mistaken, they grow stronger by devouring others!" Jiang Chen said grimly, his voice low.

His pair of Eyes of the Heavens pulsed with a blue-gold divine light.

They shone brilliantly, shimmering like a rainbow.

It seemed as if he had seen through the Ice Corpses completely.

Gai Shi’s expression changed slightly, a look of disbelief on his face. "Devouring the flesh and blood of other powerhouses to increase their strength? There are similar Secret Techniques in the world, but the increase in power from devouring shouldn’t be this significant, right?"

As far as he knew...

The few Secret Techniques that allowed one to increase their power by devouring others all had one thing in common: they could only absorb a fraction of the energy.

But the degree to which these three Ice Corpses’ power increased while devouring others... it was simply terrifying!

"ROAR!"

The three Ice Corpses roared, voraciously chewing on the remains of the Human King Realm Experts in their hands.

The faces of the crowd shifted continuously.

They went from pale to green and back again.

The Great Sun Buddha King of the Ten Thousand Buddha Ancient Country said in a low voice, "Jiang Chen, are you saying these Ice Corpses can increase their own strength by devouring the flesh and blood of others?"

Everyone looked toward Jiang Chen.

If what he said was true, and the Ice Corpses had such a terrifying ability, wouldn’t that make them invincible?

Jiang Chen nodded. "I’m ninety percent certain they increase their strength by devouring the flesh, blood, and essence of others. What I don’t understand is how they can absorb so much power!"

"Could it be that there’s no limit to their power increase?"

’Limitless power-ups? That can’t be real, can it?’

Among everyone present, if you were talking about devouring, probably no one could compare to Jiang Chen.

But even his heaven-defying God-Devouring Realm had its limits!

It couldn’t increase Jiang Chen’s strength indefinitely.

Jiang Chen refused to believe these Ice Corpses could power up without limit. A sharp light flared in his eyes as he looked at the crowd. "Everyone... these Ice Corpses have strong defenses, and their speed and strength are also formidable. Most importantly, they are utterly savage. If we let them escape, they will bring immeasurable disaster to the people of the Eastern Continent. We must do everything in our power to kill them!"

Gai Shi slammed his hand on a table and shot to his feet, declaring righteously, "Jiang Chen is right! We have to eliminate these three Ice Corpses. Otherwise, we will be sinners to the entire Eastern Continent."

"The question is, how do we kill them!" the eldest of the three brothers of Qishan asked.

The leader of the Seven Heroes of Flowing Cloud Valley frowned. "We can’t even hurt these Ice Corpses, and their speed and strength are incredible. What method do you have to deal with them?"

Songg Hee stroked his long, graying beard, a wise glint in his eyes. "Jiang Chen," he said in a low voice, "you know how powerful these Ice Corpses are. Even an expert who specialized in Fire Element Secret Techniques was killed by them instantly. If the success rate of your strategy isn’t high enough for us to approve, then I’m sorry, but I will not participate in this matter!"

"Me too!"

"What do the people of the world have to do with me? I just need to look out for myself!"

The crowd chimed in one after another.

Jiang Chen’s gaze flickered past Songg Hee as he said lightly, "Since I’m asking you all to join forces against these Ice Corpses, I naturally have some confidence. Based on my earlier observations, these creatures were originally in the Ice Lake, where their movements were restricted. Therefore, when we used experts skilled in the Secrets of Fire to deal with them, not only did it fail to restrain them, it actually helped them break free from their icy bonds faster. That’s why their power began to increase more and more rapidly after being attacked by the three Human Kings who used the Secrets of Fire..."

Everyone was stunned.

As they mulled over Jiang Chen’s words, they suddenly felt he made a lot of sense!

Before, while the Ice Corpses had been strong, they hadn’t been this heaven-defying!

Able to capture and kill a Human King just like that!

But it was only after the three Human Kings skilled in the Secrets of Fire made their move that the three Ice Corpses’ strength grew ever stronger. If what Jiang Chen said was true, then the deaths of those three Human King Realm Powerhouses were a terrible injustice!

Jiang Chen continued, "My plan is to restrain them and throw them back into the Ice Lake."

Everyone looked at each other.

"This plan could work!"

"They were indeed immobilized inside the Ice Lake before. If we can throw them back in, we should be able to suppress them!"

"Alright, let’s do it!"

Everyone nodded, expressing their agreement with Jiang Chen’s method.

Jiang Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Following that, under the leadership of Jiang Chen and Gai Shi, the group surrounded the three Ice Corpses.

ROAR!

The three Ice Corpses sensed the group’s movements and raised their heads. Their eerie green eyes, emanating a cold, chilling light, stared at Jiang Chen and the others without a trace of emotion.

"Kill!"

"Go!"

Jiang Chen and Gai Shi roared at the same time.

In an instant...

The numerous powerhouses charged forward.

Jiang Chen and Gai Shi led the charge. Both were incredibly powerful. One was Gai Shi, the former number one on the Human Venerable List, now promoted to the Human King Realm.

The other had risen from obscurity, spending a mere few months to go from a complete unknown to slaying genius after genius on the Human Venerable List to become its new number one!

Under their leadership, the crowd surrounded the three Ice Corpses.

"Thunder Realm!"

With a flicker of his Divine Thought, Jiang Chen summoned the thunder and lightning of the heavens, forming an ocean of lightning—a domain of thunder.

CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE!

Bolts of lightning crashed down, violently striking the Ice Corpses.

It left the Ice Corpses scorched black, with thick smoke rolling off them.

But it hadn’t caused any substantial damage!

The others’ attacks followed one after another, no one holding back in the slightest.

"Unrivaled!"

"Overlord Holy War Fist!"

"Unifying the World!"

Gai Shi was like a peerless emperor, each punch seeming to forge a kingdom, its power immense.

BOOM! RUMBLE! RUMBLE...

Under the combined assault, the first Ice Corpse was finally driven back into the Ice Lake.

"AWOOO... AWOOO..."

The Ice Corpse struggled violently. Amidst a burst of cold air, it turned into an ice sculpture and sank toward the bottom of the lake.

"Hahaha, it’s really working!"

"Everyone, together now!"

United as one, the group attacked the Ice Corpses with sincere and concerted effort.

Jiang Chen’s combat power was ferocious. Wielding the Thunder Realm, he constantly fought at the forefront. The battle lasted a full three double-hours, but they finally managed to throw the second Ice Corpse into the Ice Lake.

"Thunder Realm!"

"Heaven and Earth Split!"

Bathed in the light of lightning, Jiang Chen’s Spirit-Slaying Sword shot out a Sword Aura hundreds of feet long, slashing toward the Ice Corpse.

"AWOOOO..."

The Ice Corpse shrieked as Jiang Chen cut off one of its arms.

"Get back there!"

A look of wild joy appeared on Jiang Chen’s face. He gripped the hilt of his Spirit-Slaying Sword with both hands, and amidst a flicker of golden light, an unparalleled Sword Qi began to gather. If this strike landed, even if the Ice Corpse didn’t return to the Ice Lake, it would still die at Jiang Chen’s hand!

However...

It seemed the third Ice Corpse was about to suffer the same fate as the other two.

But at that critical moment, Jiang Chen suddenly felt a massive force strike him from behind. The attack was completely unexpected and cunningly timed, landing just as Jiang Chen was about to unleash his finishing blow.

"WAH..."

Jiang Chen’s whole body shook violently. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face contorted in a savage snarl. "Who?"

His gaze shot behind him.

It was a figure completely wrapped in a cloak, the same mysterious expert who had arrived with Long Jingyun. The moment he sent Jiang Chen flying, the mysterious cloaked man slowly raised his head and pulled down his hood, a cold smirk playing on his lips.

When he saw that face, Jiang Chen’s eyes flew wide open, filled with shock, fury, and a towering killing intent. "Pei Shenghai? It’s you?"

Pei Shenghai burst into laughter.

The force of his previous strike had been immense, leaving Jiang Chen heavily injured. He shot out a hand, forming a True Essence Palm that seized Jiang Chen by the throat. A savage grin spread across his face. "Jiang Chen, oh, Jiang Chen, I told you back then that I would find you no matter where you ran. The Mystic Sect Sword Order belongs to me, in the end. As for you, just die!"

Pei Shenghai ripped the Storage Ring from Jiang Chen’s finger and, with a flick of his arm, flung him down into the Ice Lake below.

BOOM!

Jiang Chen crashed through the surface ice of the lake. A layer of frost immediately appeared on his body, and his movements instantly became incredibly stiff.

His eyes, shot through with blood, glared furiously at Pei Shenghai. The moment before his face was frozen solid, Jiang Chen roared, "Pei Shenghai, so long as I, Jiang Chen, live, I swear I will tear you to pieces...!"

The furious words still echoed over the Ice Lake, but Jiang Chen himself had already been swallowed by its waters, vanishing without a trace...