Chapter 164: The Imperial Might!

The old man’s entire aura shifted, transforming into something resembling an abyss—profound, heavy, and chilling!

His gaze fell upon Xia Jiuxuan like a sharp sword.

The thunderbolt from a moment ago had genuinely sent a jolt of alarm through him.

"You—how are you not dead!"

Duanmu Wan stared at the old man in terror, stepping in front of Xia Jiuxuan to shield him.

"How could this Emperor fear a mere remnant of heavenly thunder?"

The old man spoke with arrogance, his voice entirely transformed.

"You are not him!"

Only then did Duanmu Wan realize that another soul had taken possession of the old man's body.

What should she do?

Just now, Senior Brother Xia had risked severe injury to unleash that powerful lightning attack, yet it had failed to annihilate him.

This old man was unimaginably powerful!

"Little girl, step aside. You cannot protect him," the old man said indifferently.

"Even if I die, I will die by his side!"

Duanmu Wan gripped her sword, her expression resolute as she guarded Xia Jiuxuan.

"Hahaha," the old man let out a hoarse laugh. "I will not kill you for now. Kept alive, you can be used to forge a fine corpse soldier."

He paused, then shifted his tone. "However, compared to you, I am far more interested in that boy. He is truly astonishing. If I am not mistaken, he is the reincarnation of a mighty supreme being!"

"Old fogey, I won't let you succeed. Even if I commit suicide, I will never become your corpse soldier!"

With that, Duanmu Wan brought her sword across her own neck.

She had no choice; facing an entity of such formidable power, she possessed zero capacity to resist.

Death was preferable to falling into the fate of a corpse soldier.

"Imprison."

Seeing this, the old man uttered a single, light command.

Duanmu Wan felt her entire body turn rigid, utterly devoid of strength no matter how hard she tried.

Even her dantian was sealed!

"Hmph."

With a wave of the old man’s hand, Duanmu Wan was swept aside.

Nearby, Mu Feng was likewise frozen in place, unable to move.

The old man descended from the air and strode up to Xia Jiuxuan.

"Boy, I know you aren't dead. Now, I will give you a chance to live: sacrifice your soul to me, and I can grant you eternal life."

The old man looked down at Xia Jiuxuan from on high.

Abruptly, Xia Jiuxuan opened his eyes, then struggled to push himself up from the ground.

"Oh?"

The old man felt a flicker of surprise.

Having suffered such severe backlash, the brat was actually able to force himself back to his feet.

Xia Jiuxuan’s complexion was a purplish hue and his vital aura exceedingly faint, yet he cold-snorted, "I was wondering what world-shaking supreme being was playing tricks, only to find it is merely a mongrel of a Dharma Emperor."

Xia Jiuxuan had already sensed it: the sliver of soul possessing the old man originated from a true Dharma Emperor.

A Dharma Emperor was the sovereign among Dharma cultivators, much like a Sword Emperor among swordsmen.

"Boy, I admit that in your past life, you were certainly a mighty being superior to even myself. But in the end, you are merely a reincarnated soul, while my true body still exists—merely trapped within the Astral Pagoda. What qualifications do you have to look down on me?"

The old man spoke with disdain.

He was well aware that so-called reincarnations of mighty beings merely possessed higher cultivation potential and more life-saving methods than ordinary people.

It was nothing remarkable!

In any world, strength reigned supreme.

Even if you were a god incarnate, before regaining formidable power, you were nothing more than a lamb waiting for the slaughter!

"Well said, completely correct. I have no qualification to look down on you."

Xia Jiuxuan nodded with a detached expression.

"You desperately want my soul, don't you? Now, I give it to you. Open the altar!"

The old man paused slightly, taken aback.

After a moment of contemplation, realization dawned on him. "Hmph, do you take me for a fool like those common ants? If I use the altar to harvest your soul, it might backfire and suppress my divine soul, obliterating me utterly!"

The old man was no ordinary cultivator; as a powerful Dharma cultivator, he naturally knew how terrifying a formidable soul could be.

Should this brat happen to possess a divine soul stronger than the Emperor Realm, he would be in grave danger!

"What, you don't dare take it anymore?" Xia Jiuxuan sneered.

"Boy, I will naturally take your soul, but not through an altar," the old man said indifferently.

"You are welcome at any time," Xia Jiuxuan replied calmly, then added, "However, I must remind you: if you do not kill me now, once I find your true body, I will tear you limb from limb."

"Hahaha."

The old man laughed dryly.

"You? Relying on what? Even if your past life was formidable, reaching the level required to slay this old man would take at least a thousand years of cultivation. Where do you get the audacity to utter such words!"

When all was said and done, this old man was merely a Dharma Emperor of a minor realm.

His realm was comparable to that of Li Luoyan at her peak.

How could he possibly fathom just how powerful Xia Jiuxuan’s past life had been? It was a limitation of his own cognition, utterly beyond his imagination!

"A frog at the bottom of a well!" A fierce murderous intent suddenly erupted within Xia Jiuxuan’s eyes. "Had you struck earlier, I surely would have died. It is a pity you let the opportunity slip; now, even if you want to act, it is too late."

Hearing this, the old man frowned and took two steps back in caution.

He channeled his spiritual sense, meticulously probing Xia Jiuxuan’s current condition!

"Bones shattered, meridians severed, divine soul weakened... You wretched thing are on the verge of death, yet you still try to bluff and trick this Emperor?"

After a thorough inspection, the old man finally set his mind at ease.

At this moment, he was merely a wisp of soul possessing his disciple’s body; naturally, he could not unleash his true Emperor-realm strength.

As for blocking that heavenly tribulation earlier, it was primarily because he had once bestowed upon this disciple a divine protective talisman, which he activated using his spiritual will to barely withstand the tribulation's strike.

Otherwise, saving this disciple would have been utterly impossible.

Precisely because he could not unleash his full Emperor-realm combat power, he had treated Xia Jiuxuan with a degree of caution.

If the brat were to accidentally escape, the loss would be catastrophic!

"You think I'm bluffing?"

Xia Jiuxuan’s gaze darkened, and his vital aura began to recover rapidly.

The purplish hue on his skin vanished, returning to a normal complexion at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His severed meridians instantly healed, his shattered bones knit back together automatically, and even the injuries to his divine soul did not prevent his aura from climbing back to its peak.

"This!"

Sensing the rapidly reviving, formidable aura of Xia Jiuxuan, the old man was thoroughly shocked.

"Suppresses!"

Without hesitation, the old man condensed a phantom ancient bell in his palm and brought it crashing down upon Xia Jiuxuan.

Xia Jiuxuan raised an eyebrow and unleashed a palm strike!

Bang!

That single palm connected with the phantom ancient bell, shattering it into pieces!

"Old thing, how is this? Was I bluffing?"

As his voice faded, Xia Jiuxuan’s momentum surged once more, eclipsing even his state prior to his injury!

"You endlessly spout 'this Emperor, this Emperor'—let me see precisely what makes you worthy of the title of Emperor!"

Xia Jiuxuan stepped forward step by step, while the old man retreated step by step.

"Boy, how on earth did you pull this off!"

Absolute terror and doubt flooded the old man’s heart.

No matter how powerful one's divine soul might be, it was impossible to instantly recover from a state on the verge of death!

What on earth was happening here?!

Xia Jiuxuan ignored him completely, his gaze turning increasingly cold and detached.

"Let me show you what a true Emperor looks like!"

His momentum continued to climb.

Within a mere few breaths, Xia Jiuxuan’s aura soared to a height where one could not bear to look him in the eye.

"Ah!"

The old man glanced at Xia Jiuxuan, let out a miserable scream, and flew backward, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Rumble!

The entire space trembled, and certain sectors began to collapse, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure.

Clang, clang, clang...

The next moment, a layer of slaughter intent began to swirl around Xia Jiuxuan’s skin.

That incomparably horrifying aura of slaughter caused agonizing pain to ripple through the old man's very soul.

"Tell me, are you worthy of the title of Emperor?"

The icy voice pierced the old man's ears, plunging him as if into an abyss.

The old man was dumbstruck.

Before this crazed intent to slaughter, the old man felt himself inferior even to an ant.

He even suspected that were his true body to descend here, he might not necessarily be a match for this boy!

As for why such a transformation had occurred, the old man could not puzzle it out for the life of him!

"Brother!"

Crushed by the terrifying murderous intent, the old man found it difficult to breathe.

"Whatever the matter, we can talk this over!"

The old man was not afraid of death, after all; this was not his true body.

Right now, he was simply stunned by the sudden eruption of Xia Jiuxuan’s might and wished to ally with him!

"You and I are both of the Emperor level; why not join forces and prosper together?"

The old man blurted out.

A trace of disdain flickered within Xia Jiuxuan’s cold eyes. "You still dare call yourself an Emperor? You mere ant, kneel!"

Boom!

With that explosive shout—

It was as if billions of swords of slaughter had descended, pressing against the old man's neck.

Crack!

The old man’s knees were crushed by the Emperor's aura, forcing him to drop helplessly to the ground.

"Boy! I admit you have some skills, but are you certain you wish to make an enemy of a living Emperor?!" the old man roared through gritted teeth.

"Stubborn, incorrigible thing!"

Xia Jiuxuan raised his sword and swept it forward.

Instantly, the stars shifted and the heavens changed color.

A blood-red sword intent surged forth from the blade.

The earth split open, and underground magma spewed forth.

Swish!

That single flash of sword intent merely sheared off one of the old man's arms!

"You!"

Shocked and furious, the old man glared at Xia Jiuxuan, rendered speechless.

"This is the majesty of an Emperor. Remember it well!"

Xia Jiuxuan took two steps forward, standing before the old man like a divine emperor of the nine heavens.

"You just said your true body is trapped within what Astral Pagoda?" Xia Jiuxuan asked indifferently.

"So what if it is?" The old man did not understand why Xia Jiuxuan was asking.

"Good, very good."

Xia Jiuxuan nodded coldly, then continued, "Wash your neck and wait for me. Once I find that Astral Pagoda, I'll take your dog head."

" brat."

The old man laughed with utter contempt.

"Do you think the Astral Pagoda is so easy to breach? Even if you miraculously manage to break in, what ability do you have to kill this Emperor?"

"What ability?" Xia Jiuxuan’s gaze was deep and cold as he waved his hand, unleashing another sword strike.

Swish!

That sword cleanly severed the old man's other arm.

"Boy, threatening this Emperor is useless. At worst, I lose a useless disciple; I have plenty of disciples like this!"

The old man remained unfearing.

The death of a useless disciple made zero impact on him.

"You certainly have a stiff mouth. When I find you, I hope you remain this resilient."

Xia Jiuxuan said coldly.

"How could this Emperor fear you? Stop putting on a front in front of me. Your current state is indeed formidable, but how long can you maintain it? If I am not mistaken, you must have consumed some supreme medicinal pill, merely forcing out a semblance of Emperor-level momentum!"

The old man sneered dismissively.

True to his words, no sooner had the old man finished speaking than Xia Jiuxuan’s peak momentum began to recede.

"Very well, wait for me."

Xia Jiuxuan had no desire to converse further with the old man.

"This Emperor will wait for you!"

The old man refused to show weakness.

Then, he added, "I forgot to tell you, boy: the Astral Pagoda is located within the Cangwu Sword Abyss. If you have the ability to step foot inside, this Emperor will accompany you to the very end!"

Cangwu Sword Abyss!

This was precisely the ancestral home of Duanmu Wan’s past life!

No wonder those Dharma cultivators he controlled had managed to discover Duanmu Wan’s true identity.

He must have employed some profound sorcery to trace the residual aura left behind by Duanmu Wan and her father.

"Remembered."

Xia Jiuxuan replied coldly, then slashed down with his sword.

The old man’s head was severed.

Everything grew quiet.

...

Elsewhere, Duanmu Wan and Mu Feng, who had been sealed, immediately regained their freedom.

"Senior Brother Xia!"

The two stared blankly at Xia Jiuxuan, not daring to approach.

Especially Mu Feng; he felt that if he so much as made a move, he would be diced into dust by the boundless, formidable sword intent!

In his eyes, Xia Jiuxuan was currently a true Emperor incarnate.

"Whew."

Xia Jiuxuan glanced at the two and let out a long breath.

The peak aura around him gradually dissipated, returning him to his normal state.

"Senior Brother Xia... why, why did you suddenly become so powerful?!" Mu Feng finally dared to walk over, asking with eager curiosity.

Xia Jiuxuan opened his palm, revealing half a drop of Emperor's blood hovering above it.

"Remember the two drops of Emperor's blood I collected in the secret realm earlier? Just now, I refined half a drop, projecting the momentum of an Emperor."

Xia Jiuxuan explained.

"So that's how it was."

The two finally understood.

Xia Jiuxuan had gathered a total of two drops of Emperor's blood, giving one to Li Luoyan so she could slowly absorb it.

The remaining drop had been half-consumed by Xia Jiuxuan just now, which had simultaneously healed his injuries and slain the old man.

Had it not been for this drop of Emperor's blood, the three of them would likely have met a grim fate.

"We are truly fortunate. If not for Senior Brother Xia, we would have died countless times over by now," Mu Feng sighed.

Duanmu Wan still carried a deep sense of guilt in her heart.

Yet at this point, uttering apologies would merely seem pretentious; she simply etched everything quietly into her heart.

"Senior Brother Xia, let's leave quickly, lest further complications arise."

Duanmu Wan cautiously scanned her surroundings, terrified of any new unexpected turns.

"What's the rush?"

Xia Jiuxuan, conversely, was in no hurry now.

"Since half a drop of my Emperor's blood was wasted, I must reap some benefits as compensation."

The Dharma Emperor's soul projection had withdrawn; right now, within the entire Valley of Spirits, there existed no entity capable of threatening Xia Jiuxuan.

"Follow me."

Xia Jiuxuan took the lead, stepping forward.

"Where are we going, Senior Brother Xia?"

The two asked with lingering doubt.

"To kill."

Xia Jiuxuan gave a single, indifferent reply.

Behind him, Duanmu Wan and Mu Feng exchanged glances and nodded in unison.

"Good! These scoundrels are hardly decent folk anyway—let's slaughter them!"

"Right, let's have a proper massacre today!"

The living inhabitants within the Valley of Spirits referred to the members of the Shen family.

Their entire clan served as the running dogs of that Dharma Emperor, scouring everywhere to capture people and harvest their souls! They were scum.

A quarter of an hour later, within a complex of palaces deep inside the Valley of Spirits.

Cries, weeping, and pleas for mercy echoed throughout the valley.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and everything faded into silence, leaving the palace grounds flowing with rivers of blood.

The trio of Xia Jiuxuan plundered the Shen family's treasury, retrieved a spatial teleportation token, and returned safely to the Immortal Martial Kingdom.