Chapter 663: The Overlord Emperor Returns
From the walls of Cangfeng Imperial City, looking far into the southwest, the sky was already a dense, dark mass — nearly twenty thousand flying profound beasts, each carrying at least one Shenhuang soldier. These flying beasts were primarily Spirit Xuan Beasts, though there were also a few Earth Xuan Beasts… and the leading ones were clearly radiating the aura of the Heavenly Xuan Realm.
The flame war steeds galloping below were no slower than the flying beasts above. These flame war steeds were also Spirit Xuan Beasts, possessing not only extreme speed and endurance, but also a terrifying impact force that made enemies pale in fear — they were nightmare-level horrors on the battlefield.
"Such an astonishing lineup of profound beasts… it's probably comparable to several hundred thousand soldiers from Cang Feng!" Xiao Yun inhaled sharply.
"Obviously, the other side has spared no expense to use the speed of these profound beasts to come here and investigate as quickly as possible. At the same time, with the power of these tens of thousands of profound beasts, they can calmly handle even a major surprise," Tianxia Diyi said calmly.
Behind them, hurried footsteps sounded. Cang Yue quickly approached, followed by Dongfang Xiu and Qin Wushang — both of their faces were especially grim. Below, the city gates swung wide open, and the Cang Feng army, which had been poised and ready, filed out in a steady stream, rapidly forming ranks and building a thick line of defense before the city… but as they looked at the massive flock of flying profound beasts in the distant sky, their faces revealed nothing but shock and horror.
"Your Majesty, please try a few more times… Against just fifty thousand Shenhuang troops alone, our Cang Feng forces can already barely resist, let alone this utterly terrifying swarm of profound beasts. If Yun Che cannot return immediately… the consequences will be unthinkable," Dongfang Xiu said with some urgency.
The three of them — Xiao Yun, Tianxia Diyi, and Tianxia Diqi — turned around at the sound. Xiao Yun quickly asked, "Has something gone wrong?"
Cang Yue held a Sound Transmission Jade in her hand and spoke slowly: "I just tried to send a sound transmission to my husband. I tried several times, but each time, the transmission failed."
"Ah?!" All three were startled. Xiao Yun exclaimed anxiously, "Transmission failed? How… how is that possible! Big Brother is so strong, there's no way anything could have happened to him!"
"No, a failed transmission doesn't necessarily mean the other party's Sound Transmission Jade has been destroyed," Tianxia Diyi said calmly. "If he is in a place with a special barrier or isolation force, it can also prevent transmission. Brother Yun must be in the latter situation — he is probably in some place where he cannot communicate with the outside world through sound transmission."
"Then… then what do we do?" Xiao Yun began to panic.
"Of course, we will block them!" Tianxia Diyi swung his arm, and profound energy surged through his whole body. "Why must Brother Yun rush back? Are the three of us not enough to stop this mere few tens of thousands of Shenhuang troops?" He looked deeply at Xiao Yun, his voice growing heavy. "Xiao Yun! I can still understand that you are unwilling to stain your hands with blood. But when you encounter a slightly greater difficulty, the first thing you think of is not solving it with your own strength, but instead relying on Brother Yun! You have already started a family, married to my most precious little sister! If you want to become a true man, you don't necessarily have to stain your hands with blood, but at least you must let your closest family rely on you… instead of you still habitually relying on others!"
Tianxia Diyi's words made Xiao Yun's whole body tremble. He then gritted his teeth hard and nodded forcefully: "I… I understand."
"Big Brother, don't talk about Yun-Gege like that! Yun-Gege's personality has always been gentle, and I don't want him to change!" Tianxia Diqi tugged at Xiao Yun's arm, her face full of dissatisfaction.
Tianxia Diyi's eye twitched, and he could only turn around, looking deeply exasperated. At that moment, the massive Shenhuang profound beast swarm had closed to less than five miles away. A heavy pressure also came clearly from afar, and a great panic once again enveloped Cangfeng Imperial City.
Tianxia Diyi said in a low voice: "Don't be intimidated by such a formation. Remember, this is not our Yaohuang City! This is a place with a relatively low level of profound strength. The ones across from us are merely some fragile Shenhuang soldiers and low-grade profound beasts. You two have also reached the Overlord Xuan Realm. With the combined strength of the three of us, as long as there is no one on the other side powerful enough to suppress us, even if there were twice as many, we can still stop them!"
As Tianxia Diyi's voice fell, an emerald-green longbow appeared in his hand. As he leveled the bow and drew the string, twelve emerald-green profound arrows were nocked upon it… Once released, these twelve profound arrows would not merely destroy twelve targets' lives, but would create twelve terrifying penetrations through the entire vast army in sight — piercing from the front of the formation all the way to the rear.
Just then, an extremely unusual fluctuation of profound energy came from the south, and Tianxia Diqi's startled cry followed: "Ah!! Look! That… what is that!!"
In the southern sky, a tiny golden dot had appeared… Though tiny, it was as dazzling as a star in the dark night. Moreover, its speed was incredibly fast — in the blink of an eye, that golden dot had magnified ten times in their vision… then ten times again… Before a single breath was complete, it had gone from a tiny speck to revealing a massive outline — entirely golden, over a hundred zhang long and dozens of zhang wide, with complex golden patterns flowing around its surface.
As it neared Cangfeng Imperial City, its speed suddenly slowed, and the golden profound light it emitted also quickly faded. At the same time, a violent air current, carrying a mysterious and extremely heavy pressure, howled in from the south, sending the unprepared guards on the city wall from Cang Feng flying far away.
"That is… a Mystic Ark?" Tianxia Diyi raised an arm to shield himself from the violent oncoming air current, saying in surprise. Its shape, as well as the profound energy fluctuations it stirred up in flight, proved that it was a special type of Mystic Ark. But the speed this Mystic Ark had just displayed, even with his extensive knowledge, shocked him deeply… because in terms of speed alone, it far exceeded the strongest Mystic Ark of their Tianxia Clan.
What shocked him most was not this golden Mystic Ark, but the person riding it! Someone who could possess such an astonishing Mystic Ark must be of no ordinary level! If it was an enemy, that would be terrible!
Gasps of surprise spread throughout Cangfeng Imperial City, as everyone stared blankly at the golden Mystic Ark in the sky. It wasn't just the people of Cangfeng Imperial City who were disturbed by this Mystic Ark; the rapidly approaching Shenhuang army also fixed their gazes on this suddenly appearing golden Mystic Ark. The spiritual pressure released from this ark made them involuntarily slow down until they came to a halt.
"What is that?" Han Xingchao furrowed his brows and asked. "Could it be… a Mystic Ark?"
As he spoke, he looked at Feng Hengjiang's expression, only to find his eyes, and the muscles on his face… twitching and trembling uncontrollably. Startled, he hastily said, "Fifty-Second Elder, what's wrong?!"
Feng Hengjiang stared straight at the golden Mystic Ark, raised his hand, and his lips quivered. He quivered for a long while before finally forcing out words: "H-Heavenly Saint Divine Ark!"
"Heavenly Saint Divine Ark?" Han Xingchao looked confused. "What is that… is it something very… very terrifying?"
Feng Hengjiang took a deep breath: "The Heavenly Saint Divine Ark… the exclusive Mystic Ark of the Saint Emperor, the supreme ruler of the Huangji Sacred Domain!"
"Wha… wha… what?!" Han Xingchao was thunderstruck. He nearly fell off his flying profound beast in shock. He had never heard of the Heavenly Saint Divine Ark, but who hadn't heard the name "Saint Emperor" like thunder in their ears! He was the ruler of the foremost of the Four Sacred Grounds — the Huangji Sacred Domain — the supreme existence who looked down upon the entire Tian Xuan Continent! The undisputed number one person on the Tian Xuan Continent!
He said in shock: "Fifty-Second Elder, could… could there be a mistake? A figure like the Saint Emperor… how could he possibly come to… a place like this?"
"No mistake! The Heavenly Saint Divine Ark is unique in the world! When I accompanied the Sect Master to visit the Huangji Sacred Domain back then, I had the fortune to see it once. There is absolutely no way I could be mistaken." Feng Hengjiang's body and voice were trembling. As an elder of the Fenghuang God Sect, he was someone who could walk sideways through the seven countries of Tian Xuan. But before the might of the "Saint Emperor," he could not control his body's trembling no matter what. "Moreover, the Saint Emperor cherishes the Heavenly Saint Divine Ark greatly and never lends it to others. Even his adopted sons are not qualified to drive it on their own. Therefore, whenever the Heavenly Saint Divine Ark appears… the Saint Emperor must be present in person!"
And at that moment, the golden Mystic Ark came to a complete stop. The light and profound energy fluctuations almost entirely vanished. The golden Mystic Ark hung quietly in the air. On its right side, an ark door slowly opened… Han Xingchao and Feng Hengjiang held their breath, but before they could see the figure stepping out of the ark door, they were locked onto by a terrifying, violent aura… making them feel as if they were pressed down by a ten-thousand-zhang mountain, unable to move an inch.
A tall, burly figure stepped out of the ark door and then slowly floated downward. His gaze was fixed fiercely on the dark mass of Shenhuang troops and profound beasts in the southwest. He wore a most ordinary gray plain garment, even somewhat tattered. His body was so robust it could almost be described as "massive" — at least four or five times the size of an average adult man. Standing there, he was like a small meat mountain.
Han Xingchao and Feng Hengjiang's pupils dilated, and their entire bodies trembled and shrank uncontrollably… What terrified them was not this man's abnormally massive physique, but the rage and killing intent coming from him… The aura locking onto them was as furious as an erupting, boiling hellish lava. Just under this aura, they felt as if their bodies could be torn apart at any moment. And the flying profound beasts beneath them, as well as the flame war steeds below, were also trembling violently… even whimpering in fear.
"Th-that person… what a terrifying aura!" Tianxia Diyi exclaimed in shock. In the very first instant, he knew that this person's aura far surpassed his own Overlord Xuan Realm Level 8 — it was clearly the power of an Emperor Lord!
And in terms of aura intensity, it seemed not inferior to a raging Yun Che!!
Who is this person… Isn't Cang Feng Country the nation with the lowest profound strength level on the Tian Xuan Continent? Why does an Emperor Lord appear here?
But what made Tianxia Diyi relieved amidst his shock was that this person's intense, terrifying rage was directed at the Shenhuang army… not at Cangfeng Imperial City.
"Su… such a huge person… There are actually people this big." Tianxia Diqi's eyes widened as she spoke.
As for Cang Yue, she had already tightly covered her mouth. After a long moment, she finally cried out: "Yuan… Yuanba! It's Yuanba!"
Five years had passed, and the Xia Yuanba in her sight hadn't changed much in appearance, but his body had become even taller and more robust than she remembered. His eyes and his aura had undergone earth-shattering changes, making it impossible for her to connect him with the Xia Yuanba she knew. But what made her cry out "Yuanba" was the gray garment he wore, which had become somewhat tattered!
Back when Yun Che first entered the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, she had personally sewn a set of training clothes for Yun Che. To disguise her feelings for Yun Che, she had also sewn a set for Xia Yuanba… Xia Yuanba had always treasured it, often wearing it with joy. Five years had passed, and he still hadn't discarded it. Even though it was torn in many places and couldn't contain his now much larger frame, he still wore it…
"Yuanba… wh-which Yuanba?" Dongfang Xiu and Qin Wushang were dumbfounded. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't connect this man, who piloted a golden Mystic Ark and exuded a terrifying aura, with the Xia Yuanba of old — the one with extremely low talent, only at the Xuan Entry Realm, who was bullied and humiliated at the Cangfeng Mystic Palace.
"…" Cang Yue didn't speak. She was already so agitated that tears threatened to fall… Yun Che had returned, and now Xia Yuanba had returned too… Everyone was safe and sound. It was really too wonderful… too wonderful…
"Y-You… who are you?!" Feng Hengjiang asked, holding his breath… His chest felt like it was pressed down by an iron plate; he couldn't even breathe. The person before him was not the Saint Emperor. And compared to the Saint Emperor's intimidation, the rage and killing intent released by this man made his heart tremble even more… That golden Mystic Ark was definitely the Heavenly Saint Divine Ark without a doubt! Why could this man pilot the Heavenly Saint Divine Ark, which the Saint Emperor never allowed anyone else to touch!
"I am the one who will send you all to hell!!" Xia Yuanba slowly raised his head, his gaze like a demon from hell, locking onto all the Shenhuang troops and profound beasts ahead.
Three years ago, after he left the Shenhuang Empire with Gu Cang Zhenren and returned to the Huangji Sacred Domain, he entered seclusion the very next day with bone-deep hatred. As he grew, he felt more and more clearly that his profound veins contained immense power… To avenge Yun Che, he would do anything to force that power out of his profound veins…
Three years passed in the blink of an eye. And on the day he emerged from seclusion, what he heard was the devastating news of Cang Feng being trampled by Shenhuang. He piloted the Heavenly Saint Divine Ark, which possessed astonishing speed, and raced straight to Cang Feng. When he entered the borders of Cang Feng, what he saw was a land already riddled with scars — displaced countrymen fleeing like headless flies, cities occupied or even burned to the ground, corpses scattered everywhere…
Endless rage and resentment nearly burst his chest.
His eyes were as red as blood, but he never stopped for a moment. He flew desperately toward Cangfeng Imperial City, hoping only that this core land of Cang Feng had not been breached.
Now, he had finally arrived. The Cangfeng Imperial City in his sight bore no signs of occupation, and the rage that had been boiling in him for several hours finally found its outlet… The crimson armor of the men before him proved their identity as Shenhuang troops, and it made the anger he had been suppressing with all his might break free, beyond control.
Bang!!
With an explosive sound like a thunderclap, Xia Yuanba's arm suddenly doubled in size. His already thick arm became even thicker than an ordinary person's entire body. The aura surging in the air also became several times more violent. Before this terrifying pressure, even Feng Hengjiang, who possessed the power of an Overlord Emperor, could not muster a single thought of resistance. He stammered in terror: "W-Wait! Senior of the Huangji Sacred Domain… We are… people of the F-Fenghuang God Sect… There must be some… misunderstanding…"
"The ones I'm killing… are exactly you… beasts of the Fenghuang God Sect!" Xia Yuanba's eyes bulged, his teeth clenched. Every single word was filled with resentment and rage enough to make the earth tremble. His arm, swollen nearly to the point of bursting, slammed forward fiercely: "All of you… DIE!!!"
"W-Wait… Waaaaah…"
BOOM!!!!
The moment his arm struck out, Xia Yuanba's entire body turned into a dazzling pure gold. The golden profound light released from his arm engulfed the entire Shenhuang army in an instant — including all the flying profound beasts and flame war steeds — until it blotted out the sky and covered the sun…
The earth trembled. The entire Cangfeng Imperial City shook. Within the golden radiance, space collapsed wildly. Thousands upon thousands of spatial cracks and spatial black holes crisscrossed and emerged within it, tearing apart and devouring everything that could be destroyed.
In the very first instant of Xia Yuanba's power eruption, all living beings engulfed by the golden light were mercilessly pulverized. Even Feng Hengjiang, as strong as he was, only lasted a single breath before he was shattered into pieces… The next moment, he was crushed into fine, dust-like blood mist.