Chi Yao glanced at the divine oracle jade in her hand, its divine light now subdued, “Fine, take it.”
“Swish.”
The circular jade oracle spun rapidly, transforming into a beam of light, streaking forth with an unparalleled surge of power.
Zhang Ruochen stared ahead, witnessing the rules of heaven and earth within the Guanghan Divine Palace thrown into disarray.
The palm-sized jade seemed to expand into a vast starry expanse, awe-inspiring as it bore down on him.
One could imagine that if this strike landed, the earth for thousands of li would collapse.
“Bang.”
The Moon God extended a snowy, crystalline hand, her five slender fingers emitting a faint moonlight. She grasped the oracle, effortlessly neutralising its divine power, then handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen took it, his expression turning cold. He strode out of the Guanghan Divine Palace, stopping at its gates, “Chi Yao, let me give you a gift in return!”
He produced the *Secret Tome of Time and Space*, flipping open its silver pages.
“Whoosh.”
The pages turned rapidly.
Countless silver light screens emerged, slicing the surrounding area into dozens of separated spatial zones.
A majestic temple burst forth from one of the silver screens.
From within came waves of formidable saint path power, causing the *Secret Tome* in Zhang Ruochen’s hands to tremble violently. The combined saintly forces were too potent, even the tome couldn’t fully suppress them.
As the temple rose into the air, the Paradise Realm’s kings swarmed out like bees from a hive. Saint weapons activated in their hands, glowing as brilliantly as stars.
From the ground, one could see a celestial spectacle of “stars encircling the moon.”
“Zhang Ruochen, you dared suppress me, do you even know who I am?”
“You only got the upper hand with that spatial treasure, now that I’m free, you’re the first I’ll kill, you wretch!”
“I knew Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t dare kill us, haha! Let’s strike together and tear him apart!”
…
Being suppressed in the temple by Zhang Ruochen had humiliated these proud Paradise Realm kings, their rage and resentment boiling over.
But soon, they noticed strands of divine qi flowing through the air.
Tracing its path, their gazes landed on Chi Yao and the Moon God.
That one look made their chests tighten, breath catching in their throats. The two ethereal women shone like the sun and moon in the sky, their radiance illuminating the universe.
Someone stammered in terror, “It’s… it’s gods…”
Chi Yao’s icy gaze unleashed an intangible divine might, surging like ocean waves as she uttered, “Insolence.”
“Thud, thud.”
The airborne Paradise Realm kings plummeted like rain, crashing heavily to the ground.
Some scrambled to their knees, trembling in fear.
Others lacked even the strength to rise.
Watching from afar, Zhang Ruochen’s emotions churned, thinking, “To ordinary cultivators, Saint Kings are supreme overlords, legends of the saint path. Yet before gods, they can’t even stand. Chi Yao was right, in her eyes, a Saint King is no different from a mundane mortal.”
His fingers clenched, a fierce longing for power burning within him.
To ascend to godhood and stand as an equal to gods was, with his current realm, a distant dream. But to wield strength that could withstand divine might, to face a god with an unbowed spine, might not be so unreachable.
He touched Saint Monk Sumeru’s oracle, a sharp glint in his eyes.
If he could find the Hunter God’s star soul and master the Orion Eight Stars, no divine might could crush him. Even Chi Yao could only kill him, not humiliate him.
Zhang Ruochen called out, “Chi Yao, these Paradise Realm kings before you slaughtered countless Kunlun Realm elites. As a god of the Kunlun Realm, how will you deal with them?”
He added, “The Kunlun Realm’s cultivators attacked the Sumeru Dojo on your orders, one could say they died because of you.”
His voice boomed, resounding thousands of li away, audible to all Guanghan Realm cultivators training in the Silent Saint Domain.
Many were stunned, their eyes turning towards Moon God Mountain.
Terrifying divine might emanated from that direction.
“Chi Yao? Could it be the Kunlun Realm’s Empress?”
“It must be the Empress, this divine might is utterly different from the Moon God’s—sharper, more domineering.”
“Look, a mass of Saint Kings are kneeling on Moon God Mountain—angels, elves… Were they all captured by the Divine Envoy?”
“Do you think Empress Chi Yao will kill the Paradise Realm kings?”
A thousand-year-old Saint King shook his head, “She won’t. Among those kneeling are the Blood War Temple’s young leader Xun Ya, the Rhea Realm’s divine son Wang Xu, and others—either divine heirs or imperial scions. Killing them would enrage the Paradise Realm, and the Kunlun Realm can’t afford that now.”
…
Chi Yao, seasoned by countless storms, instantly saw through Zhang Ruochen’s intent. She laughed loudly, “Well done, truly well done, Zhang Ruochen, this gift is splendid! They dared ambush and slaughter Kunlun Realm cultivators, a heinous crime, today, I’ll judge them myself. A life for a life, blood for blood.”
The Paradise Realm kings paled, terror-stricken.
Finished!
A god’s judgment meant certain death.
Just then, a thunderous divine voice rumbled from the heavens, “Empress, show mercy.”
“Rumble.”
The sky darkened, black clouds layering overhead.
A star, eighteen hundred li in diameter, parted the clouds, descending slowly from beyond the heavens to hover above Moon God Mountain.
On closer inspection, it wasn’t a star but a black tower.
As the tower appeared, billions of icy rays shimmered across the sky, each imbued with supreme power to cleave the heavens and split the earth.
A woman resembling Wang Xu emerged from the tower, clad in purple-gold armour, a black vortex ten times larger than the tower swirling behind her.
This was Wang Xu’s divine mother, You God, Wang Han You.
You God’s gaze fell on her kneeling son, a mix of pity and anger in her eyes.
“Empress, spare where you can, the Kunlun Realm has only just returned to the Heavenly Realm, its roots unsteady, do you wish to provoke universal wrath?” You God said calmly, suppressing her fury.
“I’ve no intent to stir anger, only to judge deserving sinners. You God, are you here for your son Wang Xu, or to take all the Paradise Realm kings?” Chi Yao replied.
Though she’d never met You God, a god’s mind could discern another’s identity with a thought.
You God said, “You can’t afford to cross the Paradise Realm. If you’re wise, hand over all these kings to me, perhaps the Kunlun and Paradise Realms’ tensions could ease.”
Chi Yao sneered, “Since I began my cultivation path, I’ve never known what ‘wise’ means. Why don’t you teach me, You God?”
You God’s eyes narrowed, her voice rising, “This newly ascended girl is too arrogant, ignorant of her limits, with no intent to compromise. Lord Yan, Fourth Jia Blood Ancestor, show yourselves!”
“Whoosh.”
A fireball hundreds of li wide exploded, forming a fiery ring.
Lord Yan, wreathed in tricolour light, stepped from its centre. Instantly, the heat from his body melted the earth for thousands of li, turning it into a vast crimson magma sea.
Then, a dragon over seven hundred li long, its body laced with countless saint path rules, pulled a blood-red war chariot from hundreds of thousands of li away into the Shatuo Heavenly Domain.
The dragon’s aura forced all semi-saints, saints, and Saint Kings below to collapse to the ground.
The divine might surging from the chariot was even more terrifying, toppling mountains, drying rivers, and sinking the earth in its wake.
In a single breath, the dragon-drawn chariot crossed the vast distance, arriving near Moon God Mountain.
A burly, red-haired elder stepped down from the chariot.
Beneath his feet, a blood sea spanning tens of thousands of li formed, pressing the entire Silent Saint Domain beneath it.
Wang Xu and the Paradise Realm kings erupted in joy. With You God, Lord Yan, and Fourth Jia Blood Ancestor arriving in person, the Kunlun Realm’s Empress wouldn’t dare kill them, she’d have to release them.
After all, she was a newly ascended god, her tenure shallow.
But the three gods of the Paradise Realm faction were titans—You God, the youngest, had cultivated for over thirty thousand years, her foundation incomparably deep, far beyond a fledgling god’s reach.
Three awe-inspiring gods descended upon the Shatuo Heavenly Domain, not just the Guanghan and Kunlun Realms’ cultivators quaked under their divine might.
Even those from the Great Demonic Ten Directions Realm, Purple Mansion Realm, Blade Hell Realm, and other Shatuo Heavenly Domain worlds prostrated themselves, gripped by an apocalyptic dread.
You God smirked coldly, dropping the title “Empress” to address her directly, “Chi Yao, hand over Wang Xu and the Paradise Realm’s elite, today, I’ll ensure you’re not overly humiliated.”
Lord Yan spoke, “The Heavenly Palace doesn’t wish for internal strife among the great worlds, so it’s permitted us to retrieve the Paradise Realm’s young talents. I can offer saint stones to ransom their lives, offsetting the Kunlun Realm’s losses, if you’re shrewd, you’d choose restraint and compromise.”
The burly Fourth Jia Blood Ancestor chuckled hoarsely, “The Paradise Realm rules the Western Universe, overseeing all its great worlds, including the Kunlun and Guanghan Realms. A mere new god like you should focus on guarding your crumbling Kunlun Realm, stay quiet, and avoid trouble. Cross the Paradise Realm’s line, and the consequences won’t be pleasant.”
