Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

’He blocked my first sword.’ To be fair, it was only the weakest of the Taiqing Nine Swords... but what is Lin Yun’s cultivation? The Seventh Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm! How could someone with that cultivation actually block my strike?

After successfully blocking Wei Yunhang’s first strike, Lin Yun’s expression remained calm, betraying no emotion.

"Your combat power truly is beyond my expectations," Wei Yunhang said flatly as he looked at Lin Yun. "But your cultivation is too low. If you were at the Celestial Spirit Realm, the Eastern Domain would undoubtedly enter a golden era with six great Demon Fiends. Now, take another of my strikes! Second Sword—Heaven and Earth Fall Silent!" He then swung his sword once more.

Lin Yun had seen this strike before, but when Wei Yunhang executed the same move, it felt like a completely different Martial Skill.

Wherever the edge of the blade passed, it was as if heaven and earth themselves went quiet. Annihilation... the utter stillness that follows destruction. That was the feeling Lin Yun got from Wei Yunhang’s strike.

Not daring to be the slightest bit careless, and boosted by the War God Transformation, Lin Yun began to channel power for Dual Dragon World Destruction. A few moments later, just as he finished gathering his energy, Wei Yunhang’s blade was upon him.

"Dual Dragon World Destruction...!" With a low shout, two Dragon Shadows instantly erupted from the Demon Bone Heaven-Dominating Spear. In that moment, a sky-shattering dragon’s roar echoed through the air.

"Incredible..." a disciple from Taiqing Academy murmured in astonishment, watching the two Dragon Shadows in the sky.

The Dragon Shadows collided with the sword’s edge. Opening their gaping maws, the two giant dragons clamped down hard on Wei Yunhang’s Heaven and Earth Fall Silent. The two Martial Skills clashed, battling for dominance in midair.

In the end, the Dragon Shadows and the sword’s edge exploded in midair at nearly the same instant. Lin Yun had successfully blocked Wei Yunhang’s second strike. At this, Wei Yunhang sheathed his Spirit Soldier, the contempt in his eyes fading as he looked at Lin Yun.

’To withstand two of my strikes at only the Seventh Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm... Lin Yun’s combat power is already heaven-defying.’ Wei Yunhang had to admit that back when he was at that level, his own combat power had been inferior to Lin Yun’s.

Seeing Wei Yunhang sheathe his sword, Lin Yun also put away the Demon Bone Heaven-Dominating Spear and deactivated his War God Transformation.

Watching Wei Yunhang take the initiative to sheathe his sword, the disciples of Taiqing Academy seemed to realize something. The mocking expressions they directed at the Flawless Palace disciples vanished.

One could imagine that from this day forward, the disciples of the Flawless Palace would no longer be pushovers. At the very least, the threat of the Five Great Demon Fiends would no longer be as effective against them, because the Flawless Palace now had a Demon Fiend of their own.

"First Brother is mighty! First Brother is mighty...!" Although no winner had been declared, Wei Yunhang’s voluntary withdrawal of his sword was a clear sign that he acknowledged Lin Yun’s strength. Instantly, the disciples of the Flawless Palace erupted in excited cheers.

The two men returned to their respective groups of disciples. Wei Yunhang smiled at Lin Yun. "You were right, Lin Yun. The tides in the Eastern Domain are indeed about to turn."

At that moment, the disciples of Taiqing Academy finally began to look upon the disciples of the Flawless Palace as equals. In turn, the Flawless Palace disciples no longer feared the disciples of the other great forces.

"Brother Lin Yun, what do you say we join forces?" Wei Yunhang proposed directly.

Hearing this, Lin Yun asked, "And what kind of alliance does Brother Wei have in mind?"

With a hearty laugh, Wei Yunhang invited Lin Yun up to the high ground where the Taiqing Academy disciples had been gathered. The two of them sat down facing each other, while their disciples waited a short distance away.

Now, the disciples of Taiqing Academy and the Flawless Palace could be seen chatting amongst themselves. Thanks to Lin Yun, the disciples of Taiqing Academy no longer looked down on them.

Only when they are on equal footing can people truly converse without inhibition, just like the disciples of the Flawless Palace and Taiqing Academy were doing now.

Wei Yunhang produced two exquisite wine cups and poured a drink for both Lin Yun and himself. Seeing that Wei Yunhang carried such items with him, Lin Yun smiled. "Brother Wei, you truly are a man of refined tastes."

"Heh, a Martial Artist’s path is fraught with peril," Wei Yunhang replied with a laugh. "I just enjoy a casual drink in my spare time. Why make life more stressful than it needs to be?"

As they drank, the two began to discuss the details of their alliance.

According to Wei Yunhang, the younger generation of the Flawless Palace had rarely participated in the conflicts among the Four Great Forces, so there were some things Lin Yun might not know.

Take these Saint’s Relics, for instance. If you think the goal of the Five Great Forces is the Saint’s inheritance, you’d be mistaken. Their true objective is the treasure the Saint left behind.

"To receive the Saint’s inheritance, you must first earn the Saint’s approval. Without that, it’s impossible. So, to put it plainly, the inheritance isn’t something you can take just by wanting it."

"But the treasures the Saint left behind are another matter entirely. Those go to the strongest, without a doubt."

"So, every time Saint’s Relics appear or some other treasure trove is discovered, the Five Great Forces are guaranteed to have a bloody struggle over it. And the main combatants in these struggles are always the younger generation from each force."

"In past conflicts, alliances were also common. Usually, Taiqing Academy would team up with the Spiritual Light Pavilion, while the Celestial Eagle Valley would ally with the Wuji Sect."

"Of course, in the past, no one ever tried to recruit the Flawless Palace. They were useless. Without a Demon Fiend to anchor them, the Flawless Palace disciples wouldn’t dare get involved in the conflicts among the Four Great Forces."

After listening to Wei Yunhang, Lin Yun took a sip of wine and smiled faintly. "Brother Wei, if you never considered the Flawless Palace worthy of your attention before, why the sudden desire for an alliance now?"

"Because of you," Wei Yunhang replied with a smile.

"Although your cultivation is much lower than that of the Five Great Demon Fiends, your combat power is terrifying. With you in the picture, the Flawless Palace has become worthy of my attention. I’m sure the other three are thinking the same thing," Wei Yunhang said bluntly.

Such were the benefits of strength. If Lin Yun hadn’t possessed enough combat power to command Wei Yunhang’s respect, an alliance would have been impossible. In fact, Wei Yunhang might have even killed the Flawless Palace disciples.

After all, who in their right mind would share treasure with the weak?

It was precisely because Lin Yun’s combat power was great enough to earn Wei Yunhang’s respect that he was invited to form an alliance. Put simply, Wei Yunhang believed Lin Yun’s strength made the Flawless Palace worthy of a share of the spoils.

Smiling, Lin Yun raised his cup. "Then here’s to our complete victory."

"Haha, good! With the Flawless Palace and the Spiritual Light Pavilion on our side, how could we not achieve a complete victory?" Hearing Lin Yun’s agreement, Wei Yunhang laughed heartily and raised his cup as well. They clinked their cups and downed the wine in one go.

In truth, Lin Yun didn’t know much about Wei Yunhang. Although the Eastern Domain had its Five Great Demon Fiends, only two of them were on Zhihu Tower’s Green Hero Venerable List. One was Wei Yunhang himself. The other was the Demon Fiend from the Death Row Shelter.

The Green Hero Venerable List was a ranking acknowledged throughout the entire Celestial Spirit Continent, representing the absolute Peak of the continent’s younger generation. There were countless Demon Fiends on the Celestial Spirit Continent, yet only fifty people ever made it onto the list.

Although Wei Yunhang was ranked at the very bottom of the Green Hero Venerable List—fiftieth place—that alone spoke volumes about his combat power. A Great Power from the Eastern Domain had once said that Wei Yunhang had likely never even revealed his true strength.