Page 837

"Oh?"

Shenyue, observing the chaos with interest within the space debris, expressed slight surprise. She was unaware that Chen Qing actually possessed the Golden Crow Bloodline.

For a moment, she gave the Emperor a curious glance. Although it seemed unbelievable, Chen Qing... couldn’t possibly be from the Siao Family, could he?

The Emperor’s face showed no emotion, and he paid no attention to Shenyue. Instead, he looked toward Chen Qing, his mind filled with thoughts of the past.

In his life, he never felt guilty. Even when he had plotted against the King of Qin, for a true man born between heaven and earth, how could he tolerate being beneath others for long?

Seizing the opportunity to rebel was part of the competition between men, and whatever means were employed, if the opponent lost, it meant they were simply inferior—no more needed to be said.

Yet there was one person he wasn’t quite willing to face.

Yes... it was the Empress, who had been by his side for thirty years...

That girl had never used him and had offered the purest affection. She had stayed by his side when he was most looked down upon. But he, as a man, had watched her die at the hands of demons because of his own schemes.

The day Chen Qing came to the Imperial Palace, with his abilities, how could he not have saved the Empress?

But if the Empress had not died, the Black Empress would not feel secure towards him. To use a woman who had never been wary or exploited him, a woman who had borne and raised his children in such a way—if he said there was no turmoil in his heart, it would be a lie.

The Crown Prince was foolish, being calculated against by Siao Mingyue from birth and even harboring thoughts of rebellion. His death was insignificant, but... his bloodline also contained the Empress’s blood.

He didn’t know how Chen Qing managed to incorporate that bloodline into himself, but he was certain that Chen Qing’s flames came from that child...

This kid!

---------------------

Meanwhile, at the shattered center of chaos, Chen Qing’s towering flames dominated unchallenged. Within the void, all laws yielded before their purity. The fire’s immense purity instantly burnt the foundational elements of space to nothing, creating turbulent flows.

The Old Celestial Master watched with astonishment, retreating again and again, not daring to withstand it directly.

This individual’s trump card completely exceeded his intelligence and anticipation. Moreover, he couldn’t understand why, under the laws, the opponent would dare to break through to King Level—was he not afraid of being trapped here to die?

As a Martial Legacy Priest of the Ancient Demon, if the nature’s spiritual energy were sufficient, he would have reached the pinnacle of King Level long ago.

Even the leader of the Reincarnators knew to use an Asura Body incarnation below King Level for his tasks, aware that nature’s spiritual energy couldn’t sustain King Level combat. This fellow was truly bold!

Chen Qing’s eyes were now burning with flames, and his whole body appeared distorted due to the intense heat of the Golden Crow Flame—not his body itself, but the space around it was twisted because of the terrifying thermal energy.

Clearly, the power of King Level, unless it’s in a specific spiritual energy space, the current world simply cannot withstand it.

That was one of the reasons Chen Qing went all out.

Once the power of King Level erupted, the opponent would be completely unable to stabilize the surrounding elements. No matter how powerful his abilities, without the basic elemental structure, any intricate array would fail. This was the so-called Dharma that breaks all laws with sheer force.

Although it appeared invincible, this state was not sustainable.

This temporary boost to King Level power came from Ali, who, even though was Cui Yan’s child, inexplicably carried half of the Central Plains Royal Family’s destiny, possessing advanced talents.

As the Master of Divine Path, after Little Mink joined the Divine Path system, Chen Qing obtained the same talent as her.

Under this condition, Chen Qing only had time for three breaths!

Little Mink was an unripe genius. Chen Qing only had the power of her future to break through to King Level, the technique known as Fate Seizing Technique from the Divine Dao Sect!

The side effects of this technique were enormous.

Aside from damaging the body, the duration was also very short.

The reason was simple: within the current laws, a King Level existence was impossible, as spiritual energy was not abundant enough to support it.

Once the consumption exceeded limits and breathing was insufficient to replenish spiritual energy, one would become unconscious due to oxygen deprivation to the brain.

Three breaths were his limit. After those three breaths... he would be in a state almost devoid of combat ability, essentially betting his life!

------------------------

"Boss, look, in the sky..."

The deputy general beside Tian Heng, the fragment of space they were in, excitedly pointed up. As Chen Qing’s flames, as fierce as the blazing sun, soared into the sky and collided with the Old Celestial Master in the void, the entire sky suddenly cracked open.

Seeing this, Tian Heng felt a shock in his heart and hurriedly said, "Quick, hold your breath!"

The deputy general was stunned for a moment, but his instinctive trust in Tian Heng made him hold his breath immediately.

He understood why a moment later.

Because the next second, the entire space around them twisted, and the elements of earth, fire, and water were sucked into a vortex by an immense force. The surrounding air visibly merged with various exploding elements. It was clear that these substances should definitely not be inhaled.

Meanwhile, Tian Heng was intently sensing his Western Sea Army.

Lord Chen Qing’s power far exceeded his imagination, giving him the impression that it was probably no less than that of the sealed Dragon King in the West Sea.

But he also knew that using such power must come with a great burden.

The Western Sea Dragon King was docile to this day largely because its seal was intact, but more importantly, because the nature’s spiritual energy around it was inhospitable.

In other words, from the moment his lord decided to employ this power, victory or defeat was entrusted to him and the Western Sea Army.

This trust made Tian Heng’s heart incredibly conflicted.

He did not understand why Chen Qing trusted him so much. From the beginning, with the allocation of resources to now entrusting his back to him, was he not afraid that Tian Heng might betray him at the last moment?

The truth was, he wasn’t that loyal...

Rising in a chaotic world, Tian Heng knew nothing was more important than his own family and subordinates; they were his foundation.

The reason he chose to turn against those deputy generals was not just because of certain bottom-line issues but mainly because a majority of his men identified more with Jiangnan.

Even if he were to conquer Jiangnan by deceit, his men would lose heart, and that was the ultimate reason he decided to turn against his allies mid-battle, not because he pledged allegiance to Chen Qing.

And now, faced with powerful enemies, it was not impossible for him to turn again. Jumping ship was something he had done more than once or twice.

"All men heed my command, hold your breath, try every means to gather at the designated location, form the military array!"

With the last of his Power of Faith flickering out, Tian Heng activated the Western Sea Divine Command, projecting his voice to every soldier of the Western Sea Army.

The soldiers of the Ancient Demon were extremely powerful—capable of fighting ten at a time if isolated. If they could not assemble quickly into a formation, he would stand no chance.

Although Chen Qing’s recent actions had given the Western Sea Army a glimmer of hope, he really did not know how many were still alive or how many would ultimately stand before him.

Boom, boom, boom!

With the Spatial Array failing, all the spatial fragments were forcibly merging towards the center. The resulting turbulence and the massive chaotic streams were too much for most people within the fragments.

Many Dragon Transformed Sorcerers from the Southern Sea, caught off guard, were cut limb from limb by the Four Holy Guard and left wailing in despair, nailed to a spot.

In the midst of the fragments, the Western Sea Army soldiers suffered even more brutal slaughter.

The Four Holy Guard had no intention of sparing any lives, executing heartless and fatal strangulations.

Amidst the chaos, the soldiers’ anguished cries piled up, blending with the huge elemental chaos, making people’s scalps tingle upon hearing it.

"Hurry... faster!"

Tian Heng silently urged in his heart, hoping the chaotic stream would end sooner and the soldiers could gather more quickly, for every second added to the number of elite troops lost choked his heart.

Caught in such urgency, Tian Heng completely failed to notice a shadow slowly approaching him through the turmoil...