Chapter 1189 - Becoming an Emperor
"Sir?" General Sun Yi asked, full of anxiety and trepidation.
Zhang Longcheng would truly be doomed if his ancestor continued to stand by and do nothing. It would be a great blow to the Sun clan if Zhang Longcheng perished since this would mean that they would lose both the man himself and their hopes for the future.
"Sir, please intervene."
"Sir, we can't wait any longer."
Several influential noblemen of the Sun clan piped up, all beside themselves with anxiety.
The sovereign of the Sun clan, a Martial Emperor on the decline who had almost thrown everything behind his support of Zhang Longcheng by disregarding everybody's opinions to give him the chance to cultivate in the Immortal Domain, hesitated uncharacteristically to the surprise of all his fellow clan members. Despite their repeated pleas, he did not seem to show any sign of intervening.
"Sir, are you hesitating because of what the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan said earlier? Does Zhang Longcheng truly carry the Sinner's blood?" General Sun Yi asked curiously.
The Sky Fox clan had the ability to peer into the secrets of Heaven—this was an innate talent of their race. Legend had it that all Quasi-emperors of their race would be able to see into the future if their blood was pure enough, and after they became Emperors, they would be able to deduce even more hidden secrets. Thus, the words of the Sky Fox clan earlier carried a lot of weight and sounded convincing.
"Sir, the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan must have said those words deliberately to confuse the crowd and turn the tide of public opinion."
"That's right. He must have said those words in order to push him to the Sinners' camp, and they labeled him a Sinner so he could destroy all the efforts you have put into grooming him. We absolutely must not stand idly by..."
The upper echelon of the Sun clan were all very worried.
They knew how important Ye Qingyu's survival was to their clan.
Nonetheless, the sovereign of the Sun clan remained silent and hesitant to act despite their pleas.
Sunlight shone on this old man's figure, highlighting the wrinkles that covered his face like the cracks on an arid, parched land. He lowered his lids that were lined black and his eyes were clouded with age, so he looked like an old man who was reaching the end of his life and growing more muddle-headed as he aged.
He did not say anything.
On the Azure Cloud Platform—
A gigantic black and white cocoon resembled a strange egg as dense black and white mist gushed out from it. At first, someone could vaguely be seen struggling within the cocoon, and fist prints, palm prints, and collision marks constantly appeared on the outer layer of this cocoon. It was clear that Ye Qingyu was trying to break free and had almost succeeded on a few occasions.
The sovereign of the Sky Fox clan did not dare to let down his guard.
He could not understand how a younger martial artist who had yet to become an Emperor could almost overcome his [Black and White Long-Haired Formation], but he immediately reinforced the gigantic cocoon.
He reinforced the cocoon by constantly exerting his black and white, dual-colored strands of hair. As he did so, his hair continued to grow longer and continuously wrap itself around the gigantic cocoon. Soon afterward, a gigantic oval-shaped cocoon with an initial diameter of 10 meters diameter expanded to a diameter of several hundred meters, and the vibrations caused by Ye Qingyu struggling within it gradually faded away.
A strange black and white splendor pulsed within the gigantic cocoon, moving to a mysterious rhythm. This rhythm seemed like the breathing pattern of fiendgods, or the forces of life and death, yin and yang, as they appeared and destroyed each other. This caused an incredibly powerful destructive refining force to appear, and this force was used on Ye Qingyu, who was trapped within the cocoon.
Many people knew that the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan had become a Martial Emperor during the refinement of the Immortal Domain and had attained this realm due to his race's innate ability to seize opportunities. He had defied all expectations to become an Emperor. This led to the rapid rise of the Sky Fox clan and they took their place as one of the major races in the Dark Realm.
However, unbeknownst to most, this opportunity had appeared when the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan was stuck in a hopeless situation and had accidentally broken his bagua Yin-Yang Way. He had initially been heading left, but when he followed in the opposite direction, he found the ninth hexagram—this was the opposite hexagram. It was not a standard hexagram but he had finally managed to catch a glimpse of hope, and this became his unique Dao. Thus, his official title was the [Heavenly Fox Emperor of Nine Opposites].
Everyone assumed that his life weapon was the [Samsara Disc of Nine Opposites], but in reality, his black and white hair was the weapon that truly contained the power of his enlightenment on the martial way and his lifeforce. The [Samsara Disc of Nine Opposites] was merely an ordinary Emperor weapon and a smokescreen to confuse everyone else.
This time, he immediately unleashed the power of his supernatural hair when he attacked and trapped Ye Qingyu with his hair. The power of laws circulated around his supernatural hair as he exerted his Emperor qi. He did not merely intend to kill Ye Qingyu, he also wanted to extract Ye Qingyu's vitality and force and convert them to his own.
"I didn't expect this kid to have such abundant blood qi. His blood qi is as boundless as the ocean and howls endlessly like a matchless divine tonic. Hahaha, I've caught a good one this time. After I've refined this heretic, I'd be able to regain my peak condition and live a new life!"
The sovereign of the Sky Fox clan was shocked when he sensed the abundant blood qi and vitality that flowed within Ye Qingyu's body. But at the same time, he realized that this could potentially be a great opportunity for him.
This was truly a pleasant surprise.
He immediately exerted all his Emperor qi, no longer holding anything back. Each strand of his hair hummed with Dao sounds as his martial way flowed through his hairs, which were like straws that continually sucked nourishment and blood qi from Ye Qingyu's body. These strands of hair pierced into his body through the gigantic cocoon and tried to completely refine him.
Ye Qingyu's body was trapped firmly within the cocoon. It seemed like tens of thousands of vines had wrapped themselves around his body, rendering him motionless. He was at the mercy of the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan, but his hands were still wrapped tightly around his sword and he still maintained this stance as though he was preparing to slash out anytime!
"Haha, what a pity that you won't be able to slash out with your sword any longer..." the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan scoffed coldly. He could see everything that was happening within the gigantic cocoon.
The sword that Ye Qingyu held was a divine sword and the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan coveted this weapon as well. He had to admit that Ye Qingyu was a heaven-defying genius since he managed to refine his own Emperor weapon even before becoming an Emperor. He must have been very lucky and been blessed with great fortune, but unfortunately, he met me, so everything he owns will be mine. The more the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan thought about it, the more pleased he became.
Soon after, fifteen minutes flew by.
"Hmm? Why hasn't he been refined yet? He's still resisting me..." the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan muttered in surprise. He had already ascended to his true Martial Emperor body and exerted his divine abilities that were fused with his true life force, so why was it taking so long to refine a Quasi-emperor?
Could the sword that Ye Qingyu held be interfering with the process?
The sovereign of the Sky Fox clan had a sudden epiphany.
"Hmph, even if it is because of that Emperor weapon, an Emperor weapon that is held by a vermin who has yet to become an Emperor is useless. It's just going to take me a little longer to refine him!"
Then, he exerted his Emperor qi with all his might once more.
His long black and white hair shone with bright divine splendor and rays of Emperor qi mist circulated around his hairs in a frenzy. The black and white gigantic cocoon shone as brightly like a blazing sun. And this light was so dazzling that no one could look directly at it. Everyone on the Azure Cloud Square felt as though another sun had appeared in the firmament, and this divine splendor shone on everything in this world so brightly that they could not keep their eyes open.
Time ticked by—soon afterward, two hours had passed.
"I can't believe I'm wasting so much time refining him... Zhang Longcheng is truly a freak, hahaha. However, he is so valuable to me precisely because of his heaven-defying characteristics. After I've refined him, he will be the equivalent of a matchless divine tonic. Fortunately, none of the other sovereigns who are deep in hibernation have taken note of this treasure, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get to him so easily."
The sovereign of the Sky Fox clan gradually became more patient.
He felt as though he had stumbled upon a great opportunity, so the longer the refinement process took, the more valuable this person was as a divine tonic. After he swallowed this tonic, he was sure that he could live for another lifetime and stun the entire world with his prowess.
Time continued to tick by.
The sun started to set.
He had spent an entire day on this.
Night was about to fall, but because of this shining cocoon, it was as bright as day all around the Azure Cloud Square. This phenomenon also affected the surrounding areas up to several hundred kilometers away.
It was not only the noblemen who continued to watch this battle, but also the various forces who had not paid attention to the earlier battle had rushed over to the Azure Cloud Square to stare in astonishment at the scene up in the air.
As time ticked by, more and more people gathered on the square.
Then, the night passed, and day emerged.
The next morning at daybreak—
The sovereign of the Sky Fox clan finally sensed that something was wrong. He had paid an enormous price after a whole day and night of refining the man in the cocoon. Despite that the figure in the cocoon seemed to have stopped struggling and the vitality in his body was continually being compressed, for some reason, this figure reminded him of a candle in the wind, flickering but unable to be extinguished and extremely tough.
In fact, upon closer observation, he realized to his astonishment that Ye Qingyu did not seem any different compared to when he had first been trapped within the cocoon.
"What's happening?"
The sovereign of the Sky Fox clan suddenly felt as though something had gone wrong.
No matter how powerful a Quasi-emperor was, even if he held an Emperor weapon in his hand, he should not be able to last so long under the force of a Martial Emperor.
If he had spent so much Emperor qi trying to refine Zhang Longcheng for an entire day and night to no avail, then where had the Emperor qi gone?
Could it have been... absorbed?
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
Had I been tricked?!
As soon as this idea crossed his mind, all his greed immediately vanished like a receding wave and his sense of reason returned. He suddenly sensed danger and a cold sweat dripped down his back as he tried to immediately retract his black and white hair.
However, heaven and earth trembled slightly at that moment.
Yes, it was as though heaven and earth had turned into a box and this box started to shake gently.
This was not the sign of an earthquake.
The entire world, the ground, the air, the sky, and even the Dao laws of the universe started to tremble.
This feeling was both familiar and foreign to the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan.
A red ray of light pierced through the black and white gigantic cocoon.
Rip!
The gigantic cocoon was torn apart as effortlessly as paper being torn. Then, it shattered and transformed into layers of broken black and white shards, which floated in the universe. The blinding black and white divine splendor instantly dimmed.
The origin of the red light came from that sword.
The sword was being held in someone's hand.
That someone was no longer Zhang Longcheng.
Zhang Longcheng's appearance had changed for some reason and his mature features and square face turned into a young and handsome face that was many times more handsome than his initial appearance. This man was extremely handsome and his features were perfectly shaped. His eyebrows were sharp and dashing—he looked like a flawless divine being.
Wisps of silver splendor could be seen gushing out from every part of his body. His skin and these wisps of silver splendor looked like a mist, but they also seemed like light rays as they surged out from his body and continually merged into the surrounding universe. In the blink of an eye, this splendor and mist seemed as though it could reach every part of the world.
Rumble! Rumble!
Thunder rolled across the sky and natural Dao resounded, boomed, jumped, and rejoiced as countless power of Dao laws echoed from the mountains and seas.
The splendor of the bright sun and clear moon periodically appeared. They were like wisps of divine light or like rows of divine flowers, as though there were invisible gods, demons, and heavenly fairies pouring wine down from the heavens in celebration.
A strange fragrance wafted through the void.
There were strange signs happening throughout the universe.
All these strange occurrences in the universe had happened because of the man who held the sword.
The sovereign of the Sky Fox clan suddenly started to tremble uncontrollably. He had seen and experienced these strange signs before, and back then, he had been the cause of these strange occurrences. These phenomena had occurred when he had undergone an amazing transformation at the refinement of the Immortal Domain and this had also signified his rise in this world.
All these signs had appeared when he became an Emperor.
These signs were happening once more, but this time, he was not the cause of it. Instead, the enemy he had wanted to kill was the cause of these miraculous signs.
"Impossible. This is impossible. How could this be... How could you become an Emperor under such strange circumstances... Zhang Longcheng... No, you're not Zhang Longcheng. Who exactly are you and how did you do it?"
He was an esteemed sovereign, but at the moment, he could not help but exclaim in astonishment.
His voice rumbled across the skies like rolls of thunder that reverberated so strongly that everyone on the Azure Cloud Square and the surroundings felt dizzy and momentarily lost their sense of sight and hearing, as well as their ability to think.
The three words that the sovereign of the Sky Fox clan had uttered echoed through the divine sense and spirit —— become an Emperor.
That man had become an Emperor.
That had been the birth of a legend on the martial way.
The fact that a Martial Emperor had uttered those words meant that it could not be a lie.
At the same time, an unbelievably bright radiance suddenly circulated in the cloudy eyes of the sovereign of the Sun clan, who had seemed befuddled with age.
He beamed brightly.
"He has become an Emperor, he has actually done it. Haha, heaven and earth resonated and the Dao laws reverberated— these are the signs of becoming an Emperor. The heavens truly do look favorably upon an incredible talent. How did he manage to leverage this to become an Emperor? This must have been part of his plan all along!"
The old sovereign was full of amazement.
The upper echelon and noblemen of the Sun clan were absolutely dumbfounded. They were completely consumed by one emotion—elation!