Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

The youths approached menacingly. They were clearly enemies, not friends.

Instantly, Shenshan and the others were on high alert.

"I entered the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion as a child and thought I would never again be able to serve my royal father. I never imagined my two elder brothers would fall on the Starry Sky Ancient Road. Since the perpetrator has already been brought to justice, I won't make things difficult for you. If each of you can withstand one palm strike from my men, I will let you live."

Proud Moon spoke, his gaze sweeping contemptuously over all the Martial Artists from the Cangnan Empire.

Hearing this, Shenshan and the others understood why he had come.

"I'll take all four palm strikes myself. You let them go," Shenshan said, stepping forward to face Proud Moon.

"You can't take them all on by yourself. Count me in," Yang Peng declared, stepping forward as well.

"Fighting is what I love most! How could I possibly miss out on this?" Lin Yuan also stepped forward.

"I'm Lin Hao's brother. Bring it on," Lin Tian said, stepping forward too.

…

One by one, the Martial Artists closest to Lin Hao stepped forward, ready to shield the others from the attack.

"You all think far too highly of yourselves." A mocking sneer appeared on Proud Moon's lips.

The next moment, the four Martial Artists behind Proud Moon made their move.

They were unbelievably fast.

Shenshan, Yang Peng, Lin Tian, and Lin Yuan leaped forward to meet them simultaneously.

BOOM!

Their palms collided with an earth-shattering impact.

A massive shockwave sent the other Martial Artists from the Cangnan Empire stumbling backward. Hundreds of meters overhead, the impact blasted the clouds and mist into disarray.

As if struck by lightning, Shenshan and his group all spat out blood.

In contrast, the other four men were completely unscathed, merely taking a few steps back.

"So that's all you've got," Shenshan and the other three said, wiping the blood from their lips with brilliant, defiant smiles.

Proud Moon's expression darkened.

He had long recognized that Shenshan and his group were extraordinary, but he never expected them to withstand a palm strike without collapsing.

Shenshan's words were, without a doubt, a slap in the face.

"My Lord, we…" The reaction of Proud Moon's four subordinates to Shenshan's words was even more startling.

With a thud, the four of them fell to their knees, their faces masks of pure terror.

"I will give you one more chance. If you fail to satisfy me this time, you know the consequences." Proud Moon's face was devoid of expression, but his killing intent was chilling.

The four men kowtowed in a flurry.

When the four men rose again, their entire demeanor had changed.

Their eyes flashed like lightning, a terrifying light now gleaming within them.

Then, their bodies erupted into motion, charging the Martial Artists of the Cangnan Empire.

The expressions of Shenshan and his group changed drastically.

Although he had just taunted the four men, his group had suffered serious internal injuries. 'If we want to fight again,' Shenshan thought, 'we'll have no choice but to use the power of our Divine Souls.'

Shenshan and his group didn't move, but Lin Xiao, Meng Ru, a man named Gao Hong, and Wenren Yuxin acted at the same time.

Having witnessed the four assailants' power, they all unleashed the power of their Divine Souls.

BOOM!

This impact was even more terrifying than the last.

Not only did Lin Xiao, Meng Ru, Gao Hong, and Wenren Yuxin all cough up blood, but Gao Hong and Wenren Yuxin were sent flying and knocked unconscious.

Their opponents merely swayed on their feet.

This time, the four men moved again without needing another word from Proud Moon.

"You've gone too far!"

Shenshan and his friends were powerless to do anything but shout in anger.

'They can't even be stopped by the power of our Divine Souls. Their cultivation is unimaginable.' If this was allowed to continue, the Martial Artists of the Cangnan Empire would suffer a devastating blow without Proud Moon even having to act.

Their shouts failed to stop the four men. They attacked again, and four more Martial Artists from the Cangnan Empire were sent flying backward, coughing up blood before falling unconscious.

"With cultivation like yours, you still dream of entering the Upper Courtyard? That's just a pipe dream," Jiang Sen remarked from the sidelines, clearly enjoying himself.

In his eyes, that Fifth Elder of the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion had simply been deceiving these Martial Artists from the Cangnan Empire.

Otherwise, the elder wouldn't have just disappeared so suddenly.

Now, with His Highness Proud Moon present, the fate of this group of Martial Artists from the Cangnan Empire was sure to be utterly miserable.

In the moments that followed, one after another, more Martial Artists from the Cangnan Empire were sent flying.

It was unclear if it was a deliberate order from Proud Moon, but the four attacking Martial Artists never again touched Lu Dieyi, Meng Qing, or the other women close to Lin Hao.

As for Lu Dieyi and the others, they couldn't even make a move; Proud Moon had their auras locked down completely.

Only then did Lu Dieyi and the others realize just how terrifying Proud Moon was.

In his presence, they couldn't even lift a finger.

A few moments later, aside from the group of women close to Lin Hao, not a single one of the other Martial Artists from the Cangnan Empire was left standing.

"I hear you're Lin Hao's fiancée," Proud Moon said, his gaze fixed on Lu Dieyi with a taunting expression. "If I were to lay a hand on you, do you think Lin Hao would crawl back from the underworld to settle the score with me?"

Lu Dieyi clenched her fists, silent. But the determination in her eyes was startling.

"If you dare touch her, I'll kill you!" Shenshan snarled, staring at Proud Moon with unconcealed killing intent.

He, Yang Peng, and the others had been attacked again by the four men; though they couldn't get up, they hadn't lost consciousness.

"Kill you? You won't get the chance, unless you can actually make it into the Upper Courtyard. Oh, that's right—the peak behind you is where the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion's Upper Courtyard is located. A single day of cultivation up there brings immense progress. A pity you'll never get to go. You can't even beat my men, yet you delude yourself with fantasies of entering the Upper Courtyard."

Proud Moon shook his head as he spoke.

But then, his expression suddenly changed.

For in his line of sight, Shenshan was slowly getting to his feet.

One of the four men moved to strike Shenshan but stopped, horrified to find that Shenshan now seemed like an ancient, ferocious beast that had lain dormant for ages and was finally about to awaken.

An aura that made one's heart pound with fear erupted from Shenshan's body.

The moment this aura appeared, even Proud Moon could no longer remain seated.

The next moment, Proud Moon struck.

At the same time, Shenshan took a step forward.

As Shenshan took that single step, the very world around them seemed to resonate in harmony.

Shenshan seemed to be on the verge of becoming one with heaven and earth.

But he was still one step short.

Proud Moon struck, forcefully severing the connection between Shenshan and the world.

"It seems I've misjudged you. I cannot let you live today," Proud Moon said, his killing intent flaring as he resolved to kill Shenshan.

Before his voice had even faded, Proud Moon attacked, a massive seal bearing down on Shenshan.

The massive seal resembled Young Master Moon's Jade Seal, and Emperor Dragon Qi filled the air.

Unlike Young Master Moon's Jade Seal, however, this massive seal was Proud Moon's own Divine Soul.

The Divine Soul was suffused with Dragon-Containing Qi, and the Emperor Dragon Qi it wielded was far purer and more terrifying than that within Young Master Moon's Jade Seal.

To deal with Shenshan, Proud Moon had directly unleashed his Divine Soul, which showed just how much pressure Shenshan was putting on him.

Shenshan at this moment was completely different from his usual self.

Facing Proud Moon's Divine Soul attack, Shenshan seemed to be lost in thought.

His eyes were filled with bewilderment.

However, a closer look would reveal that deep within his eyes, seas were turning into mulberry fields—a scene of constant, epic change, as if witnessing the passing of entire eras.

It all happened in an instant. Just as Proud Moon's Divine Soul seal was about to crush Shenshan, something unexpected occurred…