Chapter 360: Have You Forgotten Your Former Master?

The First Red King glanced around, sweeping the area with his powerful perception. Only after confirming they were truly alone did he sneer at Su Mu. "Since he's already dead, what gives you the nerve to face me?"

"A mere usurper dares to call himself a king?"

"Hmph. It seems you know quite a bit. But I have no time to waste on your nonsense. Hand over Supreme Heaven immediately, and I might just spare your life!"

The First Red King dropped all pretense, his threat naked and direct.

"Supreme Heaven is still in the Abyss," Su Mu answered truthfully.

"I will say this one last time. Hand it over!"

The First Red King's eyes snapped wide. Like two deep, cold flames flaring in the dark, a terrifying, nearly tangible aura surged from his body.

Space itself seemed to tear under the pressure, emitting a faint wail. The air compressed violently, forming a visible, distorted vortex. The sheer force of his presence drained the color from the world, freezing everything in an instant. Only that endless, suffocating pressure remained, clinging closely like a shadow following its form.

"Heh..." Su Mu let out a soft chuckle.

"What are you laughing at!" the First Red King snapped.

"Polite first and arrogant later. It's laughable."

"You court death!" The First Red King's gaze sharpened. "Do you really think I can't touch you just because you hide your true body?"

"Primal Divine Magic: Trace the Source!"

Suddenly, a beam of holy light shot out from the God's Eye at the center of the First Red King's forehead, illuminating Su Mu.

"Once I find your true body, I will definitely... What!?"

The First Red King froze. The holy light of Trace the Source yielded absolutely no reaction, remaining fixed on Su Mu's illusion.

"How is this possible? Your true body is right here?"

He stared in disbelief. He had intended to locate Su Mu's true body, only to realize it was standing right in front of him. Yet the figure before his eyes was clearly an illusion. Could it be... the illusion and his true body were overlapping? Just existing in different dimensions?

His expression suddenly darkened, his gaze flickering uncertainly. "How could a mere Silver Grade possess such a method? Who exactly are you?"

Su Mu smiled faintly. "Have you forgotten your former master? Shangguan Chen."

"Babbling nonsense at death's door. Do you really think I—"

"Mad King."

The moment Su Mu uttered that title, Shangguan Chen's words caught in his throat. Long-buried memories suddenly flooded his mind.

That title had long since vanished into the river of history due to the effects of Supreme Heaven. Yet the second it was mentioned, everything he had locked away came rushing back!

Shangguan Chen's aged eyes trembled, all color draining from his face. "You... that's impossible... He died a long time ago! You must have heard that name somewhere. Don't try to deceive me!"

"Oh? Are you truly certain I died?" Su Mu asked. "Have you ever wondered what wish I made when I sacrificed everything? Was it really just to kill myself?"

Su Mu's chuckling words dismantled Shangguan Chen's mental defenses piece by piece. The Mad King! That name was an inescapable nightmare in his heart. Ever since he usurped the throne, he had dreamed of the Mad King's return countless times. That terror clung to him, like a shadow following its form.

Only those who truly understood him knew how terrifying the Mad King was. He was an absolute lunatic, the strongest expert of his era—the man who had personally brought the Nightmare Era to an end!

After the Nightmare Era ended, the Mad King was the only survivor among the original Seven Kings. He could have ruled the world, yet he chose not to. Instead, without any warning, he sacrificed everything he had and vanished from the mortal realm.

No one in the world knew what final wish the Mad King had made. Not even Shangguan Chen, his former follower, knew the truth.

He had entertained countless theories over the years. Eventually, he settled on the most bizarre speculation—yet the one most fitting for the Mad King's personality—to comfort himself.

Namely, that because the other six kings were gone, the Mad King no longer had any rivals left in the world. Out of sheer boredom, he had simply committed suicide.

It sounded absurd, but it was exactly the sort of thing the Mad King would do.

Shangguan Chen had consoled himself with this theory for many years. After seeing that the Mad King still hadn't returned, the simmering desires in his heart could no longer be suppressed. Only then did he dare to rise in rebellion and crown himself King!

His first act after taking the throne was to sacrifice the treasures left behind by the Mad King, establishing restrictions on Supreme Heaven. To accomplish this, he hadn't even hesitated to bleed the Empire's foundation dry.

Others assumed he was afraid outsiders would steal Supreme Heaven. Only he knew the truth: he wasn't afraid of outsiders at all. He was terrified that the Mad King would one day return!

But now, Su Mu's words had completely shattered his years of self-delusion.

Suspicion and dread took root in his mind, growing wildly. Just what was the final wish the Mad King had made!?

Huu!

Shangguan Chen took a deep breath, forcefully burying the long-dormant fear in his heart. His gaze turned cold and hard. "I don't care if you're the Mad King. Even if you are, so what? I am no longer the man who could only bow and submit before you!

Now, I am the King!

I have already transcended the limits of that fake world! I have surpassed the Gold King and become a true Saint Grade! So what if the Mad King comes back from the dead? No one can defeat me!"

The limits of the fake world?

Su Mu's gaze flickered slightly. "It seems you already know the world is fake."

"Hmph," Shangguan Chen sneered. "I have survived in the Nightmare World for many years, and I grasped the truth long ago. The so-called Real World is nothing but a false dream. And you are just as fake. A fake person cannot intimidate me!"

"We are both people in a dream. I don't understand what you have to be so proud of."

"I am not like you!" Shangguan Chen's eyes flashed with mad fervor. "I have abandoned everything fake and stepped onto the path of becoming a God! As long as I reach the Demigod Realm, I will completely break free from the shackles of this false world. When that time comes, your world will be destroyed by the Gods, while I will ascend to Heaven and achieve eternal life!"

"So that is why you chose not to acknowledge your own daughter?"

"Daughter? Hahaha..." Shangguan Chen laughed chillingly. "What daughter? What Chiyan Empire? What bullshit Seven Kings? Fake! It's all fake! Only you people living in a dream would cling to these illusions. In this world, only the Gods are real and eternal!"

Su Mu shook his head slightly. It was obvious that Shangguan Chen hadn't just taken over the Pope's body; his faith had been influenced as well.

At this rate, it was still up for debate whether Shangguan Chen or the Pope was the true victor of their merger.

"Speaking of my daughter, it reminds me—they are all in my hands right now. Su Mu, I will give you one last chance. Hand over Supreme Heaven, and I will release everyone except Su Qing. I will even let the rest of you return to that fake world. From then on, our paths will never cross again. If you want to sit there and wait for your false world to be destroyed, that is your choice, but I will be ascending to Heaven!"

Shangguan Chen had completely lost his patience and issued his final ultimatum. In truth, if the title of the Mad King hadn't pierced through his mental defenses, he never would have revealed these secrets to begin with.