Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

"City Lord, have you ever thought of unifying the entire Kun Realm?"

Jiang Chen's voice was exceptionally calm, but it echoed like a great bell in the Blood Jade City Lord's heart.

The Blood Jade City Lord's eyes flew wide, and his breathing grew heavy. His gaze hardened as he stared intently at Jiang Chen, asking, one word at a time, "What did you just say?"

The Kun Realm!

It was incomparably vast.

It contained fifty-four major cities in total, each home to over ten billion humans.

But...

The number of the Kun-eating Race was even greater!

And even more terrifying!

For any powerhouse who wished to unify the Kun Realm, conquering the other major cities was secondary. The most important task was annihilating the Kun-eating Race.

The Kun-eating Race, however, had no fewer than one hundred and eight tribes. While the powerhouses in a single tribe were outnumbered by those in a major city, two or three tribes allied together had no fear of any human city. The overall strength of both sides existed in a delicate balance, which was why the war between the Human Race and the Kun-eating Race in the Kun Realm never ceased.

Wars of all sizes occurred frequently.

But not a single major city dared to entertain the thought of unifying the Kun Realm.

Thoughts raced through the Blood Jade City Lord's mind.

A placid smile on his face, Jiang Chen watched the silent Blood Jade City Lord. He smiled to himself, knowing the man was already tempted. "City Lord, if you were to unify the entire Kun Realm, you would become a hero to the Human Race here. Your name would surely be recorded in the annals of history. Moreover, you would wield immense power, no longer forced to purchase Profound Weapons from Black Wind City at such exorbitant prices!"

"You will become the supreme Overlord in the Kun Realm!"

"Do you not wish to achieve such a monumental feat?"

Though just a few simple sentences, they completely ignited the Blood Jade City Lord's ambition.

His heart was pounding wildly.

His face was even a little flushed.

But...

The Blood Jade City Lord was, after all, a ruthless figure. He took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on Jiang Chen, and said, enunciating each word, "And why should I believe you? Your ability to fight above your station is indeed terrifying—I've never seen anything like it in my entire life. But you are not my match. The other City Lords are just as powerful as I am. What makes you so confident you can deal with them?"

Within the Kun Realm.

Thanks to the Primordial Pills from the Kun-eating Race, the humans here cultivated with incredible speed, their number of Human Emperors far surpassing the outside world.

But the strongest among them had only ever reached the Peak of Human Emperor Realm!

No master of the Emperor Realm had ever emerged!

Otherwise.

A single master of the Emperor Realm would have been enough to wipe out the entire Kun-eating Race. The City Lords of the fifty-four major cities were all on the same level as the Blood Jade City Lord.

Jiang Chen might have been able to kill Pei Yidao despite the difference in their realms, but the Blood Jade City Lord didn't believe he could pose a threat to the other City Lords!

Jiang Chen smiled. "City Lord, do you dare receive a single blow from me?"

"Hmm?"

The Blood Jade City Lord raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Fine. Make your move!"

SWISH!

Jiang Chen suddenly slashed his sword across the air.

Four Symbols Sword!

It was an incredibly powerful strike. Within the Sword Aura, four Four Symbols Dharma Aspects manifested, circling the edge of the blade.

Like a raging tide, it surged madly toward the Blood Jade City Lord.

The Blood Jade City Lord snorted coldly. "A mere parlor trick!"

Just as he moved to defend, his body suddenly froze, caught in a momentary pause. The razor-sharp Sword Aura had already reached the space between his eyebrows. Its vicious edge stirred the hair on his forehead, and a few severed strands drifted down.

Only then did the Sword Aura disappear!

"This..."

The Blood Jade City Lord's eyes widened, looking at Jiang Chen in disbelief. "What just happened?"

"Time," Jiang Chen stated calmly.

This was the audacious plan that had begun to form in Jiang Chen's mind the moment he met the Blood Jade City Lord.

To rely on himself alone to destroy the one hundred and eight tribes of the Kun-eating Race was an almost impossible task.

The only solution was to leverage the combined power of the humans throughout the Kun Realm.

'People are inherently selfish!'

Jiang Chen was certain the other City Lords would never agree to help him. The only way, then, was to have Blood Jade City unify all the humans in the Kun Realm. Only then would it be possible to truly annihilate the Kun-eating Race.

It was for this very reason that Jiang Chen chose to reveal his mastery over the Secrets of Time!

"Secrets of Time? You... you actually comprehended the Secrets of Time? Unbelievable, simply unbelievable..." The Blood Jade City Lord shook his head repeatedly, a shocked expression on his face. He stared at Jiang Chen and fell into deep thought.

This momentary Time Freeze was not to be underestimated.

Perhaps to an ordinary person, this moment would pass in the blink of an eye, but in the eyes of an expert like the Blood Jade City Lord, it was something that could decide the outcome of a life-and-death battle!

The City Lords of the other major cities were his equals in combat.

If, at a critical moment in a battle to the death, Jiang Chen were to suddenly make a move and use Time Freeze to immobilize an opponent for even a moment, that would be enough for the Blood Jade City Lord to defeat, or even kill, them.

His gaze flickered, a series of emotions crossing his face.

After a moment...

The Blood Jade City Lord took a deep breath, gave Jiang Chen a profound look, then turned and vanished into the void. A moment later, a mighty voice echoed across the skies of Blood Jade City: "Pei Yidao conspired with foreign enemies to plot against Jiang Chen. Today, he has been slain by my hand. From this moment forward, Jiang Chen will serve as the Third Commander of the Blood Saber Guard."

As he watched the spot where the Blood Jade City Lord had vanished, the corners of Jiang Chen's mouth curved into a slight smile.

He knew he had thoroughly convinced the Blood Jade City Lord.

And, just as Jiang Chen had anticipated, events unfolded as planned.

That very evening.

Zhao Ziyun came to find Jiang Chen personally, bringing with him three Storage Rings. He handed them over, giving Jiang Chen a peculiar look. "Commander Jiang, the City Lord asked me to give you these! He said... you have three months. If you can break through to the Realm of the Human Emperor, then your... cooperation can continue."

Jiang Chen was taken aback.

'Break through to the Human Emperor Realm in three months?'

'Under normal cultivation, that would be impossible. But with enough Primordial Pills...'

An eager light flared in his eyes as he looked at the three Storage Rings. He then glanced at Zhao Ziyun and said coolly, "My thanks, Commander Zhao."

When Pei Yidao framed him that day, Zhao Ziyun had chosen to leave, which made Jiang Chen's attitude toward him much colder.

Zhao Ziyun naturally knew this as well. He opened his mouth, gave a bitter smile, and in the end, did not speak again.

He turned and departed.

Jiang Chen closed the door, laid down a few protective Arrays, and then opened the three Storage Rings. He couldn't help but gasp. "One million Emperor-level Primordial Pills? The Blood Jade City Lord really went all out..."

Jiang Chen naturally understood the Blood Jade City Lord's reasoning.

The man was exceedingly cautious. He was undoubtedly tempted by Jiang Chen's plan, but he was also worried that Jiang Chen lacked the strength to see it through. That was why he had handed over nearly the entire stockpile of Emperor-level Primordial Pills that Blood Jade City had accumulated over countless ages—all to help Jiang Chen break through to the Human Emperor Realm.

"With these million Primordial Pills, I will become a Human Emperor in three months!"

Jiang Chen took a deep breath and began to refine the Primordial Pills.

However...

What Jiang Chen didn't know was that just as he began refining the Primordial Pills, in another world entirely...

The Celestial Secret Elder, who was in the middle of a battle with a colossal Black Dragon, suddenly shuddered. His brow twitched violently as his fingers moved, performing a rapid divination. His expression tightened, finally melting into a bitter smile. "Sigh... that kid couldn't resist trying to become a Human Emperor after all. Jiang Chen, oh, Jiang Chen... I can only hope you survive this."