Jiang Chen stood in the plaza, the Spirit-Slaying Sword in hand.
His expression was serene and untroubled, as if the mist of Emperor Realm blood drifting before him was nothing more than a falling flower petal.
An Emperor Realm expert.
Even if he had only just broken through to the Emperor Realm, Snow Vajra was still a bona fide Emperor!
And yet he couldn’t even block a single one of Jiang Chen’s strikes!
The sight was truly shocking.
"Could Jiang Chen have broken through to the Emperor Realm, too? Otherwise, how could he possibly have killed Snow Vajra?"
"No, he hasn’t reached the Emperor Realm. He’s only at the Human Emperor Realm Ninth Stage!"
"A Human Emperor slaying an Emperor Realm expert? Th-that’s simply unbelievable!"
"Geniuses like that existed on the Eastern Continent during the Ancient Era, but ever since the fall of the Mystic Sect, there hasn’t been another feat of a Human Emperor slaying an Emperor Realm expert. In my opinion, Jiang Chen can now be called the strongest Human Emperor!"
The crowd murmured amongst themselves, one person’s comment following another’s.
A new layer of reverence had appeared in the eyes of every expert who looked at Jiang Chen.
Gai Shi and Zhao Hongluan were both ecstatic.
Gai Shi threw an arm around Jiang Chen’s shoulders and roared with laughter. "You incredible bastard! Snow Vajra had already broken through to the Emperor Realm, but he still wasn’t a match for you. Sigh... After I reached the Emperor Realm, I thought I’d finally surpassed you. I never imagined you’d still be completely crushing me!"
As the former number one prodigy on the Human Venerable List, Gai Shi had been undefeated his entire life!
But...
Ever since meeting Jiang Chen, however, he had suffered one blow after another.
When they first met, his strength had far surpassed Jiang Chen’s. But every time they faced each other after that, the gap between them had steadily shrunk.
Now, Jiang Chen had even left him far behind!
This put an incredible amount of pressure on Gai Shi!
Jiang Chen smiled. "That’s only because Snow Vajra had just entered the Emperor Realm and hadn’t fully tempered his Emperor’s Body. Plus, he was arrogant during our fight and didn’t even bother to defend himself. That’s the only reason I killed him with a single strike. If he had used his Emperor Realm domain from the very beginning, I might have been able to defeat him, but killing him would have been no easy task!"
Gai Shi nodded in agreement.
Once one steps into the Emperor Realm, the most fundamental difference between them and a Human Emperor is the Emperor Realm domain!
If Snow Vajra had activated his domain from the start, Jiang Chen might still have won, but to kill him, he would have had to reveal his trump card—the Secrets of Time.
And that was something he was unwilling to expose!
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
A crisp round of applause echoed as several figures stepped out from the crowd, their gazes fixed intently on Jiang Chen.
They were Arhat, the super genius of the Luotian Dynasty; Fox Mei’Er of the Celestial Secret Pavilion; Tuoba Yan, grandson of the Southern Border Witch Emperor; and Jian Lingkong, disciple of the Demon Emperor.
The auras rippling from all four were incredibly tyrannical, having reached the Emperor Realm.
Facing four Emperor Realm experts at once, Gai Shi’s expression darkened. He looked at them grimly. "Arhat, Fox Mei’Er, Tuoba Yan, Jian Lingkong... what are you all doing?"
Arhat said coolly, "Gai Shi, this is between us and Jiang Chen. You’d best stay out of it!"
Tuoba Yan stared intently at Jiang Chen, his battle lust blazing. "Some people call you the strongest Human Emperor, but I refuse to accept that."
"I have entered the Emperor Realm, and my sword needs to be christened with the blood of a peerless genius. I think you’re a perfect fit!" Jian Lingkong said nonchalantly, gazing obsessively at the longsword in his hand.
Fox Mei’Er smiled, her beauty enough to topple cities. "I have often heard the Pavilion Master speak of Young Master Jiang’s prowess, so I simply had to test it for myself!"
Four Emperor Realm experts.
All of them were the most elite geniuses of this generation on the Eastern Continent, and all of them stood before Jiang Chen, issuing a challenge.
Gai Shi’s expression faltered.
Any one of these four was his equal in terms of cultivation and talent. No matter how strong Jiang Chen was, he still hadn’t stepped into the Emperor Realm. How could he possibly be a match for all four of them?
He looked at Jiang Chen and said in a low, serious voice, "Jiang Chen, whatever you do, don’t accept their challenge. None of these guys are to be trifled with..."
"Alright, I get it!"
Jiang Chen nodded at Gai Shi.
Gai Shi let out a sigh of relief. But just as he was about to speak, he heard Jiang Chen glance at Arhat and the other three and ask, "Are you coming all at once? Or one by one?"
"..." Gai Shi was completely dumbfounded!
’Dammit!’
’What happened to ’I get it’? You don’t get a damn thing!’
He slapped a hand to his forehead, utterly speechless.
Arhat and the other three were stunned for a moment, then their expressions turned to cold fury.
They were all top-tier geniuses who held themselves in extremely high regard. And now Jiang Chen was telling them to attack all at once? It was a blatant insult!
Tuoba Yan snorted coldly. "Arrogant whelp! Allow me, Tuoba Yan, to experience your brilliant techniques!"
SWISH!
Tuoba Yan raised a hand, and streams of black mist erupted from his ten fingers, shooting toward Jiang Chen at incredible speed. On closer inspection, one would discover that the black mist was actually composed of tiny insects, each one lined with sharp teeth.
If they latched on, they could tear a chunk of flesh from even an Emperor Realm expert.
Millions of insects swarmed forward.
Jiang Chen’s expression remained serene. A brilliant golden light flashed in his eyes as he let out a cold snort. "Thunder World!"
RUMBLE!
Countless bolts of lightning instantly formed an ocean of thunder, incinerating all the black insects to ash under the terrifying celestial power.
"Damn you! How dare you kill my precious treasures? You’re courting death!" Tuoba Yan’s face twisted in fury. He had spent countless hours and immense effort cultivating those insects. With a flash of movement, he roared, "Celestial Witch Realm!"
HUMMM!
A black radiance appeared, seemingly enveloping the entire world within it.
Tuoba Yan declared proudly, "Jiang Chen, this is my Emperor Realm domain! If you can withstand this one attack, I will acknowledge you as the strongest Human Emperor!"
"Witch Demon Palm!"
HISSSSSSS!
Countless venomous, multicolored snakes coalesced in the air, forming a massive hand that blotted out the sky as it pressed down on Jiang Chen. Each snake flicked its tongue, its eyes glowing with a cold light. Like a horde of Demons, they bared their sharp fangs, ready to swallow Jiang Chen whole.
Gai Shi’s face fell. "What a terrifying palm strike."
"It looks like Jiang Chen is going to lose!"
"The strongest Human Emperor? Hmph..."
Arhat and Jian Lingkong snorted in disdain.
RUMBLE!
Suddenly, a brilliant light burst forth, so blinding that everyone couldn’t help but shut their eyes. When the terrifying radiance faded, they all stared at the scene before them, their eyes wide and their jaws agape in disbelief.
Jiang Chen was standing perfectly still, his arm extended, the edge of the Spirit-Slaying Sword resting against Tuoba Yan’s neck.
A trickle of blood flowed from the cut on Tuoba Yan’s neck.
Jiang Chen said flatly, "You lose."
The black True Essence gathered in Tuoba Yan’s hands trembled slightly before flowing back into his body. A bitter look appeared on his face. He stared at Jiang Chen with unwillingness in his eyes and said in a low voice, "Jiang Chen, one day, I will defeat you fair and square!"
"I’ll be waiting."
Jiang Chen nodded, then pointed his sword at Jian Lingkong and said calmly, "You’re next."
[Author’s Note: Had some writer’s block, so this Chapter is late. Here’s an extra one to make up for it. Five more coming tonight!]