Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

Time, ever tireless, rushed by.

In the blink of an eye, another three days had passed.

It had now been over four months since Jiang Chen left the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect for the Celestial Demon Ancient Realm.

During the first three months...

The experts of the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect had been unstoppable. In less than half a month, they drove all the masters from the Six Mountains Dynasty and the Fengyang Ancient Country out of the Cloud Domain, reclaiming their territory.

Lui Yifa and the others, following the arrangements Jiang Chen had made before his departure, used the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect as a foundation to carry out reforms that swept across the entire Cloud Domain.

Everything was developing according to plan, thriving and prospering.

However...

Half a month ago, the Six Mountains Dynasty suddenly launched a counterattack. An elite legion from their ranks swept through the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect’s many experts with crushing force, and the hard-won Cloud Domain was lost once again.

Within the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect.

Black Emperor, Little White, Lui Yifa, Pang Jun, Ye Gucheng, Xuue Junlin, and the others were gathered together.

Grave expressions were etched on everyone’s faces.

The Black Emperor looked at Lui Yifa. "Afa, have you been able to contact Jiang Chen?"

Lui Yifa shook his head. "No. The boss hasn’t responded."

"How could that guy go missing at a critical time like this? If he doesn’t come back soon, we’re all going to be crushed by those bastards from the Six Mountains Dynasty and Fengyang Ancient Country."

The Black Emperor spat on the ground and looked back at Lui Yifa. "I told you to send people to the Profound Celestial Ice Field to ask the Purple Wind Clan and the Flying Snow Dynasty for help. Any news?"

"Not a single word." Lui Yifa shook his head. "I was planning to send another group tomorrow if we still haven’t heard anything."

"Don’t bother. I’m afraid they couldn’t even make it past the borders of the Saint Martial Dynasty..."

The Black Emperor gave a bitter smile.

At his words, everyone fell silent.

「Outside the Heaven-Soaring Sacred City.」

A massive, dark sea of troops was arrayed in imposing ranks. This was the elite army of the Six Mountains Dynasty, the Black Demon Army—a force that claimed to be invincible!

The Black Demon Army numbered one million strong. Every soldier was recruited as a child and tempered by life-and-death trials. Once they became the strongest Combat Weapon in their legion, they were handpicked to join the Black Demon Army and trained as Death Warriors.

Every soldier of the Black Demon Army was a hardened killer who lived on the edge.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Black Demon Army was named Black Yama.

This man was born with skin as dark as charcoal, with sword-like eyebrows that exuded an invisible authority.

Like a black-faced Yama from the underworld, his cultivation had reached the Ninth Stage of the Human King Realm. Among all the Human King Realm experts of the Six Mountains Dynasty, he was the undisputed number one master.

At this moment, Black Yama stood amidst his army. A cruel smile played on his lips as he looked at a Vice General beside him. "How are the arrangements coming along?"

"Everything is in place!"

This Vice General’s cultivation was also at the Human King Realm Eighth Stage, a notch stronger than even the Black Dragon King. He hesitated before speaking. "General, rumors say Jiang Chen has an Emperor Realm expert backing him. Should we..."

Black Yama waved his hand dismissively. "It matters not. His Majesty has his own plans!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Vice General nodded.

Another Vice General, his face set in a cold sneer, spoke in a deep voice. "General, your subordinate believes we don’t need to go through all this trouble. The people of the Cloud Domain are far weaker than us from the Six Mountains Dynasty. We were unstoppable on the battlefield before. I believe we should just forcibly break the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect’s Array and slaughter our way in. Why go to the trouble of capturing so many commoners from the Saint Martial Dynasty?"

As the Vice General spoke, his gaze shifted to the front of the army.

At the very front of the army was a dense, dark mass of people, all of them commoners from the Saint Martial Dynasty.

Every face was a mask of terror and fear.

Forced by the cold blades of the Black Demon Army, they knelt obediently, one by one, before the gates of the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect.

These were all ordinary people captured by the Black Demon Army from the Saint Martial Dynasty, completely powerless. Even the few Martial Artists among them had had their cultivation crippled before being thrown into the crowd.

They were like a flock of refugees.

Black Yama snorted, his grotesque features thick with Evil Qi. He said flatly, "Five million? Not enough. Keep rounding them up until you have ten million. Since Jiang Chen dared to kill the experts of my Six Mountains Dynasty, I will slaughter ten million of his people and turn the ground before the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood."

"Ten million?"

The Vice General paused for a moment, but showed no pity or compassion. A grin split his face. "Your subordinate accepts the order! I’ll have my men get right on it. We can get millions of these commoners just by sacking a single city!"

"Mm."

Black Yama nodded, his expression icy. He glanced toward the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect, the corner of his mouth twisting into a mocking sneer. "The Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect? Such an arrogant name. A pity they are so very, very weak!"

Just as the Vice General had said.

It was all too easy for a legion composed of experts—the weakest of whom were at the True Martial Realm—to capture some commoners with feeble cultivation, or no power at all.

「Just one day later.」

The number of commoners assembled before the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect had already swelled to ten million!

There were the old, the weak, women, and children. There were toddlers just learning to speak, and pregnant women heavy with child...

Every face was filled with terror and dread.

They were like a colony of ants, surrounded by the one million soldiers of the Black Demon Army, trapped before the Heaven-Soaring Sacred City.

A vast, dark sea of humanity.

「Atop the city walls.」

The faces of the Black Emperor, Lui Yifa, and the others were filled with deep rage and killing intent as they looked at the dark mass of people below, and the Black Demon Army standing guard around them.

Lui Yifa’s hands nearly crushed the stone of the parapet. His eyes were bloodshot as he ground out through clenched teeth, "Those bastards from the Six Mountains Dynasty... they’ve captured so many innocent people. What in the world are they planning to do?"

"I have a very bad feeling about this."

Ye Gucheng and the others looked grim.

The Black Emperor’s gaze flickered. He looked at Lui Yifa. "Keep trying to message Jiang Chen. Tell him to get back here as soon as possible."

"What’s the use in him coming back? The Black Demon Army has a million soldiers! And they have a Peak Human King Realm expert with them. How are we supposed to fight that?" Xuue Junlin said with a bitter smile.

Everyone fell silent.

Just then, a commotion arose from the Black Demon Army’s camp. A group of bare-chested soldiers, each holding a Battle Blade, marched out. There were a full one hundred thousand of them. Cold, mocking expressions were on their faces as they looked toward the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect. The hundred thousand executioners formed a long line, the gleam of their blades sending a chill down the spine.

Black Yama stood before his army, his face a mask of pride and cruelty. He spoke nonchalantly, "Members of the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect, I am Black Yama. We’ve been in this standoff for several days. Do you know why I haven’t attacked the Heaven-Soaring Sacred City?"

All eyes were on him.

The smile on Black Yama’s face grew wider. He spoke, enunciating each word, "My Six Mountains Dynasty is one of the Ten Great Upper-Grade Dynasties of the Eastern Continent. Our dynasty’s majesty cannot be violated. Yet your Sect Master, Jiang Chen, has repeatedly killed experts from my Six Mountains Dynasty. So today, I have personally led my army here to present you all with a generous gift!"

"Everyone from the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect, open your eyes wide and enjoy the show I’ve prepared for you!"

Black Yama raised his arm, his voice as cold as a demonic chant of death from the Nine Netherworld. "Blood sacrifice—begin!"

ROAR—

At Black Yama’s command, the one hundred thousand bare-chested experts of the Black Demon Army, wielding gleaming broadswords, let out a collective, low roar.

Like a pack of wild beasts, they charged into the crowd of ten million ordinary people from the Saint Martial Dynasty.

In a blur of flashing steel, they slaughtered the ten million powerless commoners as if they were cutting melons and vegetables.

Watching the people being cut down one by one, hearing the miserable screams, seeing the blood and bodies pile up into mountains... The innocent civilians tried to flee, but ultimately became ghosts under the blades.

This was the blood sacrifice that Black Yama had so painstakingly prepared.

Watching the scene unfold...

Everyone in the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect was enraged.

The Black Emperor trembled all over. Even he, who was always cynical and carefree, now wore a furious expression. He looked at Lui Yifa and the others, grinding his teeth. "Tell me—what should we do?"

"Kill!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Ye Gucheng, Lui Yifa, and the other experts of the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect roared in fury.

Those people were all innocent!

Yet the Black Demon Army was so cruel.

Look at that pregnant woman, her belly sliced open, the baby tumbling out in a mess of blood only to be trampled into pulp.

Look at that stooped old man, trying to flee with trembling steps, only to have his head lopped off with a single slash.

And those toddlers, still learning to speak... their innocent, clear eyes widened as they watched the merciless Battle Blades fall...

Everyone in the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect was enraged.

The Black Emperor’s eyes turned blood-red as he let out a furious roar. "Kill them! Kill every last one of these bastards...!"