"What an impressive Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword!"
Qin Chuan felt his entire body tingling, almost as if his skin was being torn apart, with golden lightning seeping into his organs, attacking his insides.
However, this only proved the power of the imperial weapon.
"Submit to me!" Qin Chuan roared, activating the Sun-Devouring Emperor Sutra. Flames from the great sun ignited around him, enveloping the Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword.
"Buzz... buzz... buzz..."
This familiar yet domineering aura caused the sword to tremble slightly, almost like a maiden torn between resistance and desire. Though it seemed reluctant, the sword began to yield to Qin Chuan's powerful presence.
"No!"
"The Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword is being subdued by him!"
"Thief! Don't you dare!"
The elders and strong cultivators of the Sun-Devouring Emperor Palace shouted in anger, but none dared approach. After all, even their Palace Lord had been forced underground by this man. If they rushed in, they'd only be cannon fodder.
Even the Grand Elder, a Four-Origin Martial Emperor, hesitated. When he and Jin Zhan had returned earlier, they had been trapped by a seemingly simple formation, which made him realize that his strength wasn't as invincible as he had thought.
"Buzz!"
In the end, the Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword let out a sound akin to a soft sigh. The golden lightning around its blade softened, no longer resisting Qin Chuan. Instead, it began to merge with him, radiating an aura of majesty that surrounded him.
"Hahaha! What a magnificent sword!" Qin Chuan raised the sword high. Instantly, a massive column of sword energy shot toward the sky, piercing through the heavens.
Above, the sky seemed to transform into a vast, hazy ocean, with a massive vortex forming as the sword's energy swirled through it.
"Thief, prepare to die!!"
At that moment, an immense pressure exploded from the Sun-Devouring Emperor Palace's forbidden grounds, spreading across the entire area.
Swoosh!
In an instant, a white-haired figure appeared in the sky. This elderly man wore a billowing black robe, and his long, white hair flowed far beyond his body like seaweed swaying in the ocean currents.
"I had no intention of emerging from seclusion. Even if you are from the Tianheng Clan, that matter belongs to the Human Clan's Sacred Hall. However, you made the fatal mistake of touching the Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword!" the elder coldly declared.
"Old man, do you think you have me cornered? That doesn't sound like something a Seven-Origin Martial Emperor would say." Qin Chuan sneered.
"You must know that between Martial Emperors, each additional origin is a vast gap. A Six-Origin Martial Emperor is considered mid-tier, while a Seven-Origin is high-tier. Do you think holding an imperial weapon can bridge that difference?" The elder's tone was indifferent.
"That depends on how powerful this Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword really is." Qin Chuan smirked.
"Stubborn fool!"
The elder waved his sleeve, and suddenly, massive suns began rising from the horizon in all directions.
They were enormous!
Each sun caused the sky to tremble as if it couldn't bear their immense weight. As they rose, the suns quickly condensed, converging on Qin Chuan.
Boom! Boom!
The ground and sky shook violently, and the space around the suns began to crack under the pressure.
"Clang!!"
But before the suns could fully converge, Qin Chuan moved. The Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword shone with limitless brilliance as he slashed at the elder.
With one strike, he aimed to cut down the heavens and sever the stars.
"You!!"
The elder glared at Qin Chuan—such disrespect from this younger generation!
His divine technique hadn't even finished forming, yet Qin Chuan had already attacked.
"Time is precious. Don't waste it!" Qin Chuan laughed, his body moving like a grand roc as he swept the imperial sword through the sky, aiming to sever the firmament itself.
Why wait for the elder to fully cast his technique? Who had time for that?
"Clang!!"
To everyone's shock, the elder caught the blade with his bare hands, his palms gripping the Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword.
However, the force of the strike created a massive phantom blade that continued to press toward the elder.
"Hmph..."
The elder grunted, his body forced backward several steps. The space beneath his feet shattered, revealing the terrifying power behind Qin Chuan's strike.
Meanwhile, the fiery suns converged. The elder raised his right hand, and the suns began orbiting around his palm before fusing into one, radiating blinding light and devastating heat.
Boom! Boom!
A tidal wave of crimson flames surged toward Qin Chuan, carrying a destructive force so overwhelming that it felt like standing before a rushing torrent of molten lava.
"Three Blossoms Gather at the Crown!"
Three lotus flowers appeared above Qin Chuan's head, his aura tripling in intensity. Gripping the Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword with both hands, he slashed forward.
"Break!"
The sword cut through the flames like a river parting in two, sending the molten wave crashing to the sides.
"Die!"
At that moment, within the gap formed by the sword's energy, the elder hurtled toward Qin Chuan. In his right hand, he conjured a blazing sun, pushing it toward Qin Chuan with deadly intent.
"Go!"
Qin Chuan threw the Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword toward the elder and his sun. At the same time, he struck the sword's hilt with his palm, sending it flying forward.
Whoosh—
The sword shot forward like a golden streak of light, and simultaneously, Qin Chuan followed close behind.
Boom!!
The Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword collided with the elder's sun, exploding in a massive burst of fire. The shockwave ripped through the sky, turning it golden and red, as flames rained down.
The resulting chaos caused panic among those below, scattering them like chickens before a storm.
"Die!"
The elder surged forward, still pushing his blazing sun toward Qin Chuan.
But Qin Chuan didn't dodge. Instead, he punched the hilt of the Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword, driving it further forward like hammering a nail.
Crack!
Pfft!
The sword pierced through the sun and continued, driving straight through the elder's chest.
Whoosh!
The winds stopped. The flames extinguished.
A deafening silence fell over the battlefield.
The elder slowly lowered his gaze, staring in disbelief at the charred hole in his chest.
"How could this be…"
Everyone expected him to freeze in shock or erupt in fury, or even collapse on the spot.
But in the next instant...
The elder's body turned into a golden streak and zipped back into the Sun-Devouring Emperor Palace's forbidden grounds without another word.
"Uh…"
"That elder just..."
Everyone watched in astonishment, their faces twitching. This was not the outcome anyone had imagined.
"Haha, is that the so-called elder of the Sun-Devouring Emperor Palace? I thought he'd be much stronger. Turns out, he's nothing but a coward!" Qin Chuan mocked as he retrieved the Sun-Devouring Emperor Sword.
"How dare you!!"
At that moment, a more authoritative voice boomed from the Sun-Devouring Emperor Palace's forbidden grounds. But right after that, the sound of an explosion followed.
Boom!
Pfft—
It sounded like a gun misfiring or a car engine blowing up... even a mushroom cloud began to rise in the distance.
"What just happened?"
"Did the Sun-Devouring Emperor Palace's elder just explode?"
Everyone looked at each other, confused.
Qin Chuan's mind, however, had already conjured an image.
It was reminiscent of a scene from a racing movie: the main character yelling, "Watch this!" before slamming the gas pedal, only to have the car explode on the spot.
"Haha, got you!"
A cold, mocking voice suddenly echoed from where Qin Zi stood.
Qin Chuan whipped his head around.
In front of Qin Zi, a portal had appeared, and from it emerged a withered claw, reaching out to grab him. The claw was covered in gray-white runes, emanating a cursed aura—it was clearly from the Wu God Temple!
"How dare you!"
Qin Chuan roared, swinging his sword toward the claw, but the distance was too great—he wouldn't make it in time!
It wasn't that the distance was that far, but the enemy was too close to Qin Zi and was also a Martial Emperor—far too fast!
"Back off!"
At the critical moment, a massive earthen pillar shot up from the ground, piercing the sky. It struck the portal and the claw, pushing them away.
The scene resembled a witch reaching for a child, only to be swept away by a speeding train.
"Are you okay?"
A massive figure appeared in front of Qin Zi, checking on him, then turned to Qin Chuan and gestured, "Let's go!"
With that, he prepared to take Qin Zi and leave.
Qin Chuan stared at the towering figure for a moment, then suddenly felt a surge of laughter building inside him.
This was the Kun Emperor!
He quickly realized what the Kun Emperor intended—he was planning a dimensional suppression to deal with Qin Zi!
Without hesitation, Qin Chuan played along.
"Alright!" he nodded, as if reuniting with an old friend, and followed the Kun Emperor into the distance.
As they left, the Kun Emperor waved his hand, causing massive mountain peaks to rise and block the view, creating chaos that prevented anyone from following them.
Meanwhile, Qin Chuan discreetly dropped a recording stone on the ground. The footage inside showed "Qin Zi saving the Kun Emperor."