Chapter 602: The Arrival of the Martial Emperor

A Human Martial Emperor?

Every Demon King’s face was a mask of horror. Jin Lin’s roar alone might not have been enough to cause this, but the wisp of power that had escaped sent a sliver of terror through them.

The title of "Human Martial Emperor" was like a great mountain, crushing their spirits.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the nearly one hundred Demon Kings, their eyes filled with terror, scattered in every direction in a mad dash to escape.

In an instant, terrifying demonic qi swept across the heavens and the earth as the Demon Kings fled in a chaotic frenzy.

The Silver Wolf Emperor was also startled and spun around to flee without a second thought. In the face of that aura, even a Tier Eight Demon Emperor like itself felt utterly insignificant and fragile, like a leaf in the wind.

HUM!

Above the cross-domain grand array, the light flared brilliantly. Three figures suddenly materialized from within it, growing clearer and clearer until they stood before everyone’s eyes.

BOOM!

After the three appeared, the entire cross-domain grand array seemed to lose its power source and instantly shattered. Simultaneously, the Profound Vein deep beneath the Profound Mystery Sect felt as if it had been completely drained. Every last trace of Profound Qi scattered and vanished.

"Hm? A Demon Emperor of the Demon Race? Isn’t this the Profound Mystery Sect? What in the world happened here?"

As soon as the three appeared, they saw the ruins of the Profound Mystery Sect’s grounds, and a hint of indifference flashed in their eyes. The old man in the center looked up at the Silver Wolf Emperor.

Locked by the old man’s gaze, the Silver Wolf Emperor felt the fur on its entire body stand on end. Its heart hammered wildly in its chest as an inexplicable fear spread through it.

Standing beside the old man were two middle-aged men, each exuding an extraordinary aura.

One of them, a middle-aged man with a scar between his brows, frowned as he surveyed the ruins before them. Not a single part of the Profound Mystery Sect was left intact. "How did the Profound Mystery Sect end up like this, attacked by such a large group from the Demon Race?"

With a wave of his hand, he seized the sole surviving disciple of the Profound Mystery Sect—a man who was on the verge of death, his eyes glazed over. "What exactly happened here?" the man demanded coldly. "Where is your Profound Mystery Sect’s Old Ancestor? And what about the expert from the Profound Domain who arrived here a few days ago? Where did he go?"

His voice boomed like a great bell, instantly ringing in the disciple’s ears.

The disciple had only been clinging to life. Startled by the middle-aged man, his eyes went wide, and then his head lolled to one side. He was dead.

"Useless thing." The middle-aged man scowled and tossed the disciple’s body to the ground. He frowned and said, "Elder, it seems the Profound Mystery Sect has met with some great disaster. Perhaps we should find someone nearby to question."

"No need. We’ll just grab this Demon Emperor and ask it. Won’t that make things clear?"

The old man spoke with sudden indifference. He raised a hand, and with a RUMBLE, a colossal Profound Hand formed in the void. As if grabbing a chick, it instantly snatched the Silver Wolf Emperor, who had already fled to the horizon, and dragged it back.

The Silver Wolf Emperor roared in fury. Streaks of silver light erupted from its body, continuously slamming into the Profound Hand and setting off violent explosions as it struggled to break free from the old man’s grasp.

But it was useless. No matter how the Silver Wolf Emperor struggled, the corporeal-looking Profound Hand remained as unshakable as a monolith, completely undamaged.

"Where is a Demon Emperor like you from, and why are you attacking the Profound Mystery Sect?" the old man asked with a cold snort, his gaze chilling.

The Silver Wolf Emperor roared furiously, struggling nonstop. "Human! I am the Hall Master of the Wolf Emperor Hall in the Endless Mountain Range! It was your Profound Mystery Sect that first trespassed into my Wolf Emperor Hall’s territory and slaughtered my experts! We are merely here for revenge! You are also a Human Martial Emperor, so you should know about the pact between the Human Race and the Demon Race! Release me at once! If you dare to harm me, my Demon Race will not let this rest! We will settle this score with you!"

The old man snorted and sneered, "A mere Initial Layer Demon Emperor dares to threaten me with the pact between the Human and Demon Races? In that case, I’ll just kill you. Let’s see how the Demon Emperor of your Endless Mountain Range plans to settle the score with me."

As his voice fell, the Profound energy in his body surged. SPLAT! The giant Profound Hand holding the Silver Wolf Emperor clenched shut. With a bloodcurdling scream, the Silver Wolf Emperor’s body was torn to pieces, exploding into a shower of blood and gore.

A dignified Tier Eight Demon Emperor hadn’t even been able to withstand a single move from the old man.

In the distance, the Demon Kings of the Wolf Emperor Hall, who were already fleeing for their lives, saw their Hall Master slain so easily. They were scared out of their wits and fled in even greater panic.

The two middle-aged men watched the fleeing Demon Kings, a sneer of contempt on their faces. "Elder, should we take care of these Demon Kings?"

"No need." The old man waved a hand dismissively. "They’re just trashy Demon Kings. It makes no difference whether we kill them or not. If the Demon Race truly comes asking, we can say that the Demon Emperor offended us. But a wholesale slaughter of these Demon Kings would be a troublesome matter if word got back to the Demon Race."

"Besides, these members of the Demon Race destroyed the Profound Mystery Sect. What does that have to do with us?"

Admiration immediately showed on the two men’s faces as they began to flatter him. "You are truly wise, Elder."

"Hmph." The old man merely glanced at the two and said nothing.

One of them continued, "Elder, all the disciples of the Profound Mystery Sect have been annihilated and the sect gate has been destroyed. We don’t know where Yao Jishuang and the others went. Perhaps we should go out and find someone to ask."

The old man said faintly, "No need."

With that, he looked directly at a distant mountain peak and said lightly, "You few have been watching for long enough. It’s time you came over."

His voice was level, but it was focused and did not disperse, carrying all the way to the mountain peak hundreds of miles away. His gaze was piercing.

"What? There are people over there?" The two middle-aged men jumped in surprise and turned to look.

A moment later, WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! Several streaks of light shot over and landed respectfully before the group. It was none other than Vice Sect Master Chen Kang and the few others from the Profound Mystery Sect who had been lucky enough to escape earlier.

"I am Chen Kang, Vice Sect Master of the Profound Mystery Sect. Greetings, esteemed sirs."

Chen Kang bowed respectfully, his voice trembling as he spoke, filled with trepidation.

After their narrow escape, they had hidden in a forest hundreds of miles away to watch from a distance. They had been suppressing their auras the entire time, so much so that even the Silver Wolf Emperor hadn’t noticed them. Yet this old man had appeared and seen through their location at a single glance, which made Chen Kang and the others’ hearts pound with fear.

Especially after Jin Lin’s parting roar and the death of the Silver Wolf Emperor, Chen Kang knew with certainty that the man standing before him was a legendary Nine Heavens Martial Emperor. His heart hammered against his ribs, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Hmph, so it’s the Vice Sect Master of the Profound Mystery Sect." A sneer appeared on the old man’s face. "Your Profound Mystery Sect has rather peculiar hobbies. To enjoy watching your own sect be destroyed... I must say, I’m impressed."

Shame washed over Chen Kang and the others. They lowered their heads, not daring to retort, feeling only extreme awkwardness and tension.

The old man didn’t mock them further. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he snorted coldly. "Let me ask you, where is the Qi Cheng who came from the Profound Domain a few days ago?"

Qi Cheng?

The group of Supreme Elders from the Profound Mystery Sect were all bewildered. Only Chen Kang frowned and asked cautiously, "Are you referring to Young Master Qi?"

The old man’s tone turned abruptly icy. "Could it be anyone else?!" he said grimly.

Chen Kang jumped in fright and hurriedly said, "Young Master Qi went to Ancient Yang City with our Old Ancestor a few days ago. He has not yet returned."

"Ancient Yang City?" A cold light flickered in the old man’s eyes. "Do you know where this Ancient Yang City is?" he asked icily. "Take me there at once."

Crushed by the old man’s terrifying aura, Chen Kang’s legs trembled. He knelt on the ground, the Profound energy in his body nearly grinding to a halt. He didn’t dare refuse.

Just then, the old man suddenly looked up.

WHOOSH! A streak of black light suddenly appeared on the distant horizon, rocketing in their direction. In the blink of an eye, it arrived high above the Profound Mystery Sect.

Seeing the devastated landscape and the ruins of the Profound Mystery Sect, the person let out a furious howl. "Damn it! Who?! Who destroyed my Profound Mystery Sect?! Damn it all!"

The furiously roaring man was none other than Elder Tianyi, the sole survivor who had escaped Ancient Yang City with his life. His gaze swept over the ruins and immediately fell upon Chen Kang and the others. When he saw them kneeling before the old man and his two companions, Elder Tianyi assumed they were the ones who had destroyed the Profound Mystery Sect, and boundless fury erupted in his heart.

"Was it you?! Did you destroy the Profound Mystery Sect?! I, Tianyi, will have your lives!"

With a furious roar, Tianyi’s face contorted in a savage expression as he charged forward.

He threw a punch, unleashing the full, merciless power of a Tier Eight Martial Emperor. A colossal fist shadow tore through the void, its passage stirring up countless gales that swept toward the old man and his companions, causing the rubble on the ground to churn.

"Old Ancestor!" Chen Kang and the others cried out in pleasant surprise.

"Hmph." Seeing this, the two middle-aged men beside the old man frowned and snorted. A trace of disdain appeared in their eyes. One of them took a soft step forward, his right hand forming a claw, and swiped gently at the incoming fist shadow.

BOOM! BANG!

Elder Tianyi’s furious punch was shattered by the claw. The Profound energy contained within it exploded outward, pulverizing a large area of the surrounding ruins into dust.

What?!

Elder Tianyi was stunned. Only now did he sense the auras of these three. They were terrifyingly powerful; he couldn’t see through any of them, and they were clearly not weaker than him in the slightest.

"You are Tianyi?"

At the same time, a glacial voice sounded by his ear. He focused his gaze and looked at the old man standing behind the two middle-aged men.

"You... you are..."

His expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with horror. In an instant, his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably, as if he had just seen something utterly unbelievable.

"It really is you. You were one of the ones with my grandson. Speak. How is my grandson?"

The old man snorted coldly, his gaze like ice. He suddenly reached out, and an irresistible, invisible force enveloped Elder Tianyi, yanking him over to the old man’s side.

Elder Tianyi’s face flushed red, his eyes bulging in terror. "You’re... you’re the Martial Emperor’s Divine Thought from Young Master Qi’s body..." he stammered in horror.