Chapter 2139: Bringing Shame Upon Oneself
In the blink of an eye, Berlan had already walked up close, looking down at Chi Kongle with a peculiar smile in his eyes.
Chi Kongle remained seated in her original position, quietly sipping tea, as if treating Berlan as nothing but air.
"How insolent! Seeing Brother Berlan approach, you don't even stand to greet him—you have no manners at all!" a genius following behind Berlan scolded.
Berlan waved his hand and said, "No need to mind. A bastard child, how would they know any manners?"
"Who are you calling a bastard child?"
Chi Kongle shot to her feet, her gaze fixed directly on Berlan.
Berlan was completely unperturbed and sneered, "Everyone knows now that you're the bastard child born of Zhang Ruochen and Empress Chi Yao. And I must say, you really do look a lot like Zhang Ruochen."
"Not only does she look like Zhang Ruochen, her physique is the same as his too—the Five Elements Chaos Body. Quite rare, but unfortunately, still a bastard child," the giant Palas beside Berlan nodded in agreement.
Hearing such words, even with Chi Kongle's excellent composure, a fierce anger surged within her. Strands of Five Elements Chaos Qi overflowed from her body, each one incredibly heavy, as if about to crush the surrounding space.
Seeing Chi Kongle's reaction, Berlan leisurely sat down and said with a half-smile, "A lofty and mighty god, stooping to consort with a lowly saint and giving birth to a bastard child—what a tremendous joke."
"This divine son truly admires Empress Chi Yao. To be so indiscriminate in her choices—were all the men of the Kunlun Realm wiped out?"
Normally, Berlan wouldn't dare utter such blasphemous words against a god. But now that the Kunlun Realm had become a Merit Battlefield, gods couldn't interfere. Moreover, Empress Chi Yao was likely overwhelmed with troubles and had no time to sense whether someone was blaspheming.
"Hahaha."
At once, the group of geniuses behind Berlan burst into loud laughter.
Chi Kongle's body began to tremble slightly—not from fear, but from rage.
Insulting her as a bastard child, and insulting her most revered father and mother—this she could not tolerate.
Ever since she had reunited with Zhang Ruochen in the Truth Heaven Domain, Chi Kongle had diligently investigated her own origins. She had almost confirmed that her biological mother was none other than her most respected master, Empress Chi Yao. She simply lacked the courage to go and acknowledge Empress Chi Yao. Or perhaps, Empress Chi Yao was unwilling to acknowledge her.
"Shut your mouth!"
Chi Kongle shouted in a low voice, gathering strands of Five Elements Chaos Qi in her hand and striking a palm toward Berlan.
Seeing this, Berlan raised an eyebrow and snorted, "Want to fight? A bastard child dares to contend with this divine son? Even if Zhang Ruochen himself came, in a battle at the same cultivation level, this divine son would still knock him flat."
As he spoke, Berlan mobilized the sacred qi within his body, condensing it into a ball of divine radiance, and met the attack head-on.
The geniuses behind Berlan quickly retreated, distancing themselves from the two to avoid being caught in the blast.
"Boom."
The Five Elements Chaos Qi and the divine radiance collided, unleashing a powerful shockwave that spread in all directions.
Fortunately, this spirit lake had long been fortified with powerful formations, making it difficult even for a Nine-Step Saint King to damage. Despite the impact, the pavilion remained intact, but all the furniture inside was reduced to ashes.
"Whoosh."
Chi Kongle and Berlan both shot out of the pavilion, appearing above the misty, vast spirit lake, standing opposite each other, both exuding powerful auras.
At this moment, Chi Kongle stood upon the lake, her purple robes fluttering. The Swallow Pendant around her neck emitted a strange radiance, and her body exuded a cold, proud aura similar to Empress Chi Yao's, as if she were looking down upon heaven and earth.
Intense Five Elements Chaos Qi surged from Chi Kongle's body, gradually engulfing her form, as if she were about to merge completely with the five elements of heaven and earth.
Meanwhile, Berlan's body erupted with vast power of light. Two pairs of platinum-white wings spread open, each feather radiating divine brilliance.
"Berlan, teach this bastard child a proper lesson. Make her understand that the people of the Paradise Realm are to be revered. Even Empress Chi Yao must hold the Paradise Realm in awe," the giant Palas said in a rough voice.
Berlan stared at Chi Kongle and said contemptuously, "The Kunlun Realm is on its last legs, surviving only by relying on our Paradise Realm. Yet you, a bastard child, are so ignorant and reckless. Kneel down immediately, pledge allegiance to this divine son as your master, and after the Kunlun Realm falls, you might still have a way to live."
In the pavilion, most of the onlookers wore expressions of schadenfreude, while a few remained silent, shaking their heads inwardly.
Anyone could see that Berlan was deliberately picking a fight with Chi Kongle, deliberately humiliating her, forcing her to make a move.
There was no helping it—Zhang Ruochen had offended the Paradise Realm too deeply, causing them great losses, and Empress Chi Yao refused to bow to them either.
For now, the Paradise Realm could do nothing to Zhang Ruochen or Empress Chi Yao, so they could only vent their anger on Chi Kongle.
Although some sympathized with Chi Kongle, they dared not say anything. With the Paradise Realm's current prestige, few dared to provoke them.
Since Berlan had already made his move, Chi Kongle was likely in for a severe loss.
Berlan's cultivation had reached the Five-Step Saint King realm. He possessed a true god's body, a supreme perfect physique, and had cultivated the Way of Light.
Chi Kongle, on the other hand, had only recently reached the Four-Step Saint King realm. Although she also possessed a supreme perfect physique, her cultivation level was a full step behind.
In a battle at the same level, Berlan had never lost, let alone when he was a minor realm higher than Chi Kongle.
No matter how one looked at it, Chi Kongle was bound to lose this battle. Berlan might not kill her, but he would certainly make her suffer greatly.
The aura emanating from Chi Kongle grew stronger and stronger, and she said in an icy voice, "The Kunlun Realm will never fall. Your Paradise Realm is nothing special. My father alone can make your Paradise Realm panic. Now, you will pay the price for what you've said."
"Zhang Ruochen is nothing but a clown. If this divine son had been born in the same era as him, I could suppress him with one hand," Berlan said disdainfully.
Hearing this, Chi Kongle said no more. With a wave of her hand, a massive amount of Five Elements Chaos Qi flew out, condensing into a magnificent five-colored divine mountain, which pressed down toward Berlan.
"A cheap trick."
Berlan sneered contemptuously. Vast power of light evolved into a divine sword of radiance, slashing toward the five-colored mountain.
"Crack."
The light sword was indestructible, effortlessly cutting the five-colored mountain in two.
Just then, the calm surface of the lake suddenly stirred. A massive whirlpool appeared beneath Berlan, releasing a terrifying suction force.
At the same time, blue-and-white Purifying Divine Flame burst forth from Chi Kongle's body, transforming into a fire dragon that roared and pounced at Berlan.
Seeing the techniques Chi Kongle displayed, Zhang Ruochen nodded inwardly, filled with relief.
The greatest characteristic of the Five Elements Chaos Body was its ability to control the five elements, making it easy to cultivate various sacred arts of the five elements.
That Chi Kongle could so quickly transform the Purifying Divine Flame into a subordinate flame was truly remarkable, no worse than Zhang Ruochen himself at the same stage.
For now, Zhang Ruochen did not intend to intervene. A mere divine son of the Angel Clan—he believed Chi Kongle could handle it.
After more than a hundred rounds of fierce combat, Chi Kongle had already gained the upper hand, relying solely on her Five Elements Chaos Body without even using the power of time.
Suddenly, behind Chi Kongle, a phantom of a world appeared, constructed from Five Elements Chaos Qi.
Instantly, the entire space of the spirit lake became sealed.
Chi Kongle mobilized the sacred dao rules and sacred qi within her body, condensing them into a five-element great hand seal, controlling the five elements of heaven and earth with one hand.
Berlan's expression changed slightly. He quickly folded his platinum-white wings to protect himself.
"Boom."
The five-element great hand seal struck the platinum-white wings, shaking Berlan back several steps, but it was ultimately blocked.
Just as Berlan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the power of the five-element great hand seal suddenly increased several times over.
"The Way of Truth!"
Berlan's heart shook violently.
"Pfft."
The platinum-white wings snapped, and a large amount of sacred blood splattered, along with feathers flying everywhere.
"Ah!"
Berlan let out a painful scream, his body flying backward uncontrollably like a kite with a broken string.
Finally, Berlan crashed into a pavilion before managing to stabilize himself.
Berlan was covered in blood. Not only were his wings broken, but both his arms were shattered, and his chest had completely caved in. Blood gushed from his mouth, mixed with fragments of internal organs.
"How could she be this strong?" Berlan stared intently at Chi Kongle, his eyes filled with unwillingness and a hint of fear.
Since his birth, he had never tasted defeat, claiming to be invincible at the same level. Yet today, he had been defeated by this "bastard child" he had looked down upon.
This result was unacceptable to Berlan, driving him nearly mad with rage.
He had intended to humiliate Chi Kongle, but in the end, he himself had suffered a crushing defeat. No matter how one looked at it, he had brought shame upon himself.
"How is this possible? Berlan actually lost!"
"It's the Way of Truth. At her level of cultivation, she can amplify the attack power of her sacred arts by six times. Is she going to become a second Zhang Ruochen?"
...
The geniuses watching were all stunned.
Thinking back to how they had mocked Chi Kongle earlier, their hearts now trembled with fear.
No matter where one went, the supremacy of strength was an eternal truth.
"Whoosh."
The giant Palas and the Elf Female Saint King Yan Yu flashed and appeared beside Berlan.
"Chi Kongle, you've gone too far!"
The giant Palas roared, pulling out a ten-zhang-long giant axe and swinging it down with a mighty chop.
Yan Yu, holding a sacred jade staff, chanted a spell, summoning the power of ice. The entire spirit lake quickly froze over.
Countless ice blades materialized, each one razor-sharp, capable of cutting through anything, and they flew toward Chi Kongle in a sky-darkening swarm.
Facing their violent attacks, Chi Kongle showed no fear. She raised both hands and released a torrent of Purifying Divine Flame.
The giant axe was scorched red-hot by the Purifying Divine Flame, forcing the giant Palas to let go.
The countless ice blades all melted and then evaporated.
The Purifying Divine Flame condensed into two pillars of fire, striking the giant Palas and Yan Yu respectively.
"Boom."
The giant Palas and Yan Yu were both sent flying, their bodies charred by the Purifying Divine Flame, their injuries no lighter than Berlan's.
Seeing Chi Kongle approaching step by step, fear appeared in the eyes of Berlan and the other two.
"What do you think you're doing? If you dare touch us, no one can protect you," Berlan said, his voice fierce but his heart weak.
The other geniuses were also very tense. If Chi Kongle accidentally killed Berlan and the other two, everyone present might be implicated.
A powerful force appeared, enveloping Berlan and the other two, gathering them together and sealing their strength and movement.
"Slap, slap, slap."
Chi Kongle instantly appeared before them, swinging her palm and slapping Berlan and the other two hard across the face.
"Is the Paradise Realm's genius so impressive? My father can make you suffocate, and so can I. The Kunlun Realm is not a place where you can act recklessly."
Chi Kongle shouted coldly as she continued slapping them.
In the blink of an eye, Berlan and the other two had their mouths bleeding, their teeth knocked out, and their faces swollen like pig heads.
Hatred burned in their eyes, and rage filled their hearts, but they were powerless to resist.
Finally, Chi Kongle stopped slapping them. However, a sacred sword appeared in her hand.
"Swish."
Chi Kongle's eyes were cold. She swung the sword fiercely, unleashing a thousand sharp sword energies.
"Pfft."
The giant Palas's body shattered directly, chopped into a rain of blood.
"Blaspheming against a god deserves death," Chi Kongle said coldly.
Then, Chi Kongle pointed her sacred sword at Berlan and Yan Yu, exuding a terrifying killing intent, her aura growing more and more similar to Empress Chi Yao's.
"Kneel down immediately and apologize, or die," Chi Kongle said coldly, looking at Berlan and Yan Yu without any emotion, like a god of death.
Daring to insult her and her parents in public was absolutely unforgivable. Even if it were a divine son of the Paradise Realm, or even a god of the Paradise Realm, it would not be tolerated.
In the pavilion, everyone was dumbfounded, unable to believe what they were seeing. Killing a genius of the Paradise Realm and forcing a genius of the Paradise Realm to kneel—what madness was this?
"Truly Zhang Ruochen's daughter."
Many thought to themselves.
Zhang Ruochen and Chi Kongle were both so reckless and decisive in killing. If anyone said they weren't father and daughter, no one would believe it.
Berlan and Yan Yu were both furious and terrified. They had never imagined that Chi Kongle would actually dare to kill. This sent a chill down their spines.
But to kneel in public and apologize to Chi Kongle—that was absolutely impossible. The Paradise Realm could not afford such disgrace.
"Hm?" Chi Kongle suddenly sensed something and instantly shifted her position.
At that moment, a powerful aura descended, appearing beside Berlan and Yan Yu.
The newcomer was a middle-aged man, tall and sturdy, with two pairs of snow-white wings on his back, clad in silver armor, looking divinely martial and extraordinary.
Seeing Berlan and Yan Yu's severe injuries, the middle-aged man frowned deeply. He quickly took out two healing sacred pills and fed them to the two.
"Divine Son, what happened?" the middle-aged man asked with concern.
Berlan struggled to sit up and said indignantly, "This divine son specially came to the Central Imperial City to help the Kunlun Realm resist the invasion of the Hell Realm. I wanted to have a good exchange with geniuses from all realms. But I never expected Chi Kongle to go mad and suddenly attack this divine son, using despicable means to injure this divine son and Fairy Yan Yu, and cruelly kill Palas."
"Just now, Chi Kongle even forced this divine son and Fairy Yan Yu to kneel. This divine son fought bloodily on the battlefield, only to return and suffer such humiliation. It truly chills this divine son's heart. A Kunlun Realm like this is not worth helping."
As he spoke these words, Berlan appeared extremely agitated, as if he were the real victim and everything had happened exactly as he described.
The middle-aged man stood up, turned his gaze to Chi Kongle, and a few cold glints flashed in his eyes. He said coldly, "Chi Kongle, you have quite the nerve. Openly violating the heavenly laws and cruelly killing an ally—do you really think that because you are Empress Chi Yao's offspring, no one dares to touch you?"
As he spoke, the middle-aged man released an extremely powerful aura. He was a high-level Nine-Step Saint King.
Chi Kongle endured the suppression of the Nine-Step Saint King's saintly might. Her slender body was like a willow in the wind, as if it could snap at any moment, but she did not show any sign of weakness. She said loudly, "You all know very well what really happened. If you want to bully the weak with your strength, why bother finding a high-sounding excuse? Don't think that just because you're a Nine-Step Saint King, I'm afraid of you."
"So disrespectful to your elders. It seems I must teach you a lesson today." The middle-aged man's wings fluttered as he slowly flew into midair.
Before he finished speaking, the middle-aged man had already reached out a hand, which glowed with brilliant sacred light, extending a hundred zhang long, and grabbed directly at Chi Kongle.
As a Nine-Step Saint King, he truly did not take Chi Kongle seriously.
Even if Zhang Ruochen were at the same cultivation level as Chi Kongle, he would still be no match for him.
Chi Kongle showed no fear in her eyes. With a flick of her finger, she instantly traced a complex inscription pattern onto the Swallow Pendant.
"Whoosh."
The Swallow Pendant burst with dazzling light, releasing an ancient and vast power, as if an ancient god had awakened, exuding an immensely vast divine might that reached the heavens and the earth.
Vaguely, a towering divine shadow appeared behind Chi Kongle, treading upon the layers of heavens and overlooking the cosmic star river.
Strange marks emerged from the Swallow Pendant, interweaving to form a divine defense that completely enveloped Chi Kongle.
"Boom."
The hand the middle-aged man had extended was forcefully blocked, unable to truly touch Chi Kongle.
Instead, a divine power was transmitted, shaking the middle-aged man back several steps.
The middle-aged man was shocked. He had visited more than one god in the Paradise Realm, but he had never felt such vast divine might.
There was no doubt that the Swallow Pendant around Chi Kongle's neck was extraordinary, with a remarkable origin.
On the surface, however, the middle-aged man remained very calm. He snorted, "Just a bit of divine power—do you think I can't deal with you? It's not your own power. How long can you sustain it?"
Chi Kongle did not speak. Instead, she secretly released her spiritual power to control the power of the Swallow Pendant.
"Whoosh."
With a flash of white light, Chi Kongle's figure vanished.
In an instant, she appeared beside the middle-aged man, a sacred sword in her hand, thrusting out like lightning.
"Such speed!" The middle-aged man was slightly surprised.
At the speed Chi Kongle had just displayed, it was no slower than many Nine-Step Saint Kings.
Moreover, the sword Chi Kongle thrust made the middle-aged man feel a hint of threat.
The reason was that Chi Kongle had applied the power of time to her sword technique.
Wherever the sacred sword reached, the surrounding time became chaotic.
The middle-aged man had no time to think. He immediately released his powerful sacred qi without reservation, constructing layer upon layer of defense.
"Crack."
The sacred sword in Chi Kongle's hand pierced through dozens of layers of sacred light but was ultimately blocked.
Seizing the opportunity, the middle-aged man reached out a hand and pointed a finger at Chi Kongle.
Extremely brilliant sacred light burst from the tip of the middle-aged man's finger, emitting a terrifying destructive aura. The space around it seemed to crack.
This was a mid-rank sacred art finger technique, executed by a Nine-Step Saint King, its power astonishing.
At such close range, even if Chi Kongle wanted to dodge, it was too late. She had no choice but to fully mobilize the time rules she had cultivated and unleash her strongest time sword technique.
Numerous time marks appeared, imprinting themselves into the space, causing time within a radius of several dozen zhang to become disordered.
"Chi."
The finger technique the middle-aged man had unleashed was instantly dismantled. The time marks spun, enveloping the middle-aged man.
A muffled groan came from the middle-aged man, and he fell directly from midair.
Dozens of wounds of varying depths appeared on his body, blood gushing out.
More importantly, the middle-aged man felt an intense weakness. He had lost over two hundred years of his lifespan in an instant.
"Hiss."
Seeing this, everyone present drew in a sharp breath, utterly dumbfounded.
"Saint King Hong Kun is a Nine-Step Saint King at the peak of the Rule Grand Heaven and Earth, only one step away from forming a Dao Domain. His strength is formidable. How could Chi Kongle severely wound him with a single sword strike? How is this possible?"
"The time sword technique Chi Kongle used is the same as Zhang Ruochen's. Is the power of time really that terrifying?"
"Impossible. Even an eternal dao cannot be this heaven-defying. Chi Kongle must have used some other means we don't know about. Don't forget, she is also the offspring of a god."
"Chi Kongle is too terrifying. I hope she won't take her anger out on us."
...
The geniuses whispered among themselves, their emotions surging violently, unable to calm down. Their gazes at Chi Kongle were filled with awe.
As for Chi Kongle herself, she was also in a daze. She had never imagined that the time sword technique she had used would be so powerful. It felt as if it wasn't even her who had executed it.