Everyone watched, stunned into silence.

The demonic body, the surging evil energy, the bizarre patterns on the altar, the blood moon’s ominous glow, and the Supreme-grade Yanmo within the formation all pointed to a grand tale of a powerful demonic overlord seizing control of the world.

Yet, when the heroes reached the front, they discovered it was their own emperor.

Pei Qingyan cried out in anguish, “What demonic entity has possessed His Majesty’s body? Reveal yourself!”

Everyone thought, “…”

His performance was truly full of emotion, but unfortunately, no one could buy into it. Anyone with a functioning brain knew this wasn’t a demonic possession; it was the Emperor himself.

The person in question didn’t play along. As Gu Zhanting’s aura surged, a terrifying pressure descended upon the entire area. Some cultivators with lower cultivation levels couldn’t withstand this simple pressure and fell to their knees.

The blood moon in the sky flickered, then gradually faded, with no sign of a heavenly tribulation.

No heavenly tribulation…

People didn’t know how this was achieved, but everyone could feel that Gu Zhanting had truly broken through to the Qianyuan realm. That power was undeniable.

“Haha… Hahahaha…” Gu Zhanting threw his head back and laughed wildly, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling.

His power could now manipulate celestial phenomena.

He was likely the first person in this world since ancient times to stand at the Qianyuan realm without a heavenly tribulation or ascension, a true land immortal.

All schemes became meaningless in the face of absolute power. Even the so-called “social death” no longer mattered; no one dared to defy a powerhouse who transcended all beings.

The so-called “Great Qian’s spiritual脉 (mài)” also ceased to matter. As long as he ruled the heavens and earth, the spiritual脈 (mài) would remain, perhaps even growing stronger.

Because the Demon Realm, the Tianshuang Kingdom, and all overseas nations would be easily crushed.

Ten years of planning, all worth it.

“Ye Tinglan, I’ll give you one last chance. Kneel and submit, and I can spare the Tianyao Sacred Land lineage. Otherwise, all will turn to dust.” A cluster of purple light shimmered in Gu Zhanting’s hand. Its might, even from a distance, was enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

People had no doubt that with this strike, the so-called “number one in the world,” Ye Tinglan, would be utterly unable to resist.

However, Ye Tinglan’s expression was calm, even showing a hint of joy. “So, it really is possible to use the Wusejie to avoid the heavenly tribulation… Though your altar must have provided some additional effect. The Wusejie alone might not be stable enough.”

Gu Zhanting’s laughter ceased, a look of surprise and uncertainty on his face. “You know this method? Ah, it must be Jiang Duxu, that two-faced scoundrel…”

He paused, then sneered, “What good is knowing it? The Tianyao Sacred Land has no access to Buddhist methods. Even if you tried to mimic the Wusejie, it would be an inferior copy. Do you dare use it?”

Ye Tinglan said lightly, “I wasn’t very brave before. Lu Xingzhou told me to observe whether you could succeed. If you could, then naturally I would dare. Thank you, Your Majesty, for conducting the experiment for us first.”

Gu Zhanting: “?”

As her words fell, it seemed as if some seal on Ye Tinglan also loosened. Her aura surged violently, instantly rivaling the effects that Gu Zhanting had painstakingly achieved with countless contrivances, her immense power reaching directly into the Qianyuan realm.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

No one had seen a Qianyuan cultivator for millennia, and now two appeared at once.

And Ye Tinglan, like Gu Zhanting, experienced no heavenly tribulation, no ascension.

Not only was Gu Zhanting incredulous, but even Zhao’en, who was fiercely battling Jiang Duxu on the altar, shouted in alarm, “How is this possible! Even if you have the Wusejie, without our formation’s effect, how could you completely deceive the heavens’ will?”

Ye Tinglan smiled faintly. “Care to guess?”

A small pig quietly slipped out of Ye Tinglan’s wide daoist robe sleeve and scurried away, far from the scene.

It was scared.

Gu Zhanting stared blankly at Ye Tinglan, who looked like a goddess in mid-air. The frustration in his heart was indescribable.

He had orchestrated so many events, such a grand spectacle, transforming himself into something neither human nor ghost. To say it was all for Ye Tinglan—that could only be considered a prize after success. What he truly sought was the Qianyuan Daoist path.

To achieve Qianyuan enlightenment.

To wield that overwhelming power, untouched by anyone in this world for tens of thousands of years.

For the Gu imperial family, whose lifespan was shortened by the Huangji Jingshi Jing compared to other cultivators.

To suppress the universe, unify the Demon Realm and Tianshuang, and become a unique Sage Emperor of all ages.

But after all this, after making himself like this, and suffering “social death” before the entire world, what he finally achieved… he found that Ye Tinglan had done nothing, and with effortless grace, achieved the same feat as him.

Not only was his achievement no longer unique, but speaking of unifying this and gaining that, there was now a formidable mountain directly in front of him. It felt as if no matter how he had battered his head bloody for the past ten years, he couldn’t cross it.

Such a sense of frustration was truly not something to be spoken of.

If Lu Xingzhou were to comment, it would be like someone emerging from seclusion, laughing, “I am invincible!” and then being crushed by a shoe falling from the sky.

Frustration ultimately turned into fury. Gu Zhanting shot into the sky. “What if you’ve achieved Qianyuan enlightenment! Ultimately, the truth must be settled with our hands!”

“Boom!” A dragon-shaped qi current surged upward, illuminating a thousand li, astonishing the entire world.

No one doubted that if this strike landed on the ground, the entire capital city would likely be reduced to ruins.

This was the power of an immortal!

Ye Tinglan’s expression was calm. Her figure flickered, soaring beyond the nine heavens. Her tranquil voice echoed in the air: “Then let us go to the heavens for battle and prove the Qianyuan.”

“Swoosh! Swoosh!” The two figures instantly vanished.

Leaving the few people on the altar utterly bewildered.

Although it was inevitable for two Qianyuan cultivators to fight in the heavens, neither side could afford the cost of devastating a thousand li. But the current situation was utterly comical…

An emperor-led situation, on his home ground, with his own arrangements, three or four contingency plans in place, and having first broken through to Qianyuan—it was the moment to awe the world… Yet, it ended with him leaving his assistants to be surrounded by the enemy, cut off, and forced to fight individually.

For a moment, they couldn’t tell who the true demon king was.

Jiang Duxu thrust his sword towards Zhao’en, sighing softly, “You bet on the wrong horse.”

Zhao’en fought and retreated, responding in silence.

He had indeed bet wrong, but what could he do? He had already made an enemy of Ye Tinglan back in the Tianshuang Kingdom, so he could only fully lean towards Gu Zhanting. Moreover, his various spiritual脉 (mài) plundering, soul snatching, and other actions were all demonic acts. Ye Tinglan would never cooperate with such a person; Gu Zhanting was his only choice.

Originally, there was also the option of the Demon Emperor, but he had already colluded with the Sacred Mountain in a scheme of usurpation.

However, according to the proper deductions, Ye Tinglan, whether in terms of power or planning, should absolutely not have such a complete layout, capable of completely unraveling Gu Zhanting’s several contingency plans, preparing a tribulation-evading strategy that deceived the heavens’ will, and even using Gu Zhanting to test the waters first.

By rights, Gu Zhanting should have succeeded entirely, completely subjugating the Tianyao Sacred Land. How did it turn out like this… It was as if whatever Gu Zhanting planned to do, the other side knew it all along, playing with all the cards revealed.

And on their side, they were cooperating with a Xuan Nü, who was no easy opponent either—a pseudo-Qianyuan! But she hadn’t even appeared in the entire situation. Instead, it was Pei Qingyan and his daughter who arrived.

Just because of one Lu Xingzhou? A mere second-rank cultivator, yet he orchestrated such a scheme.

At this moment, Zhao’en, like Gu Zhanting and Huo Liancheng, had the same thought: If only they had known this person was so important, they should have assassinated him at all costs long ago. Now, it was too late to regret.

A serious problem was that he couldn’t defeat Jiang Duxu now.

In the past, when Jiang Duxu suppressed his cultivation, Zhao’en could still put up a fight. But he had previously severed his arm to survive at sea; how could he fight Jiang Duxu with one hand less? He had managed to hold on for so long because it was a formation-controlled battleground. Now that the formation was broken, what was there left to fight for!

Within just a few moves, he was already in perilous danger. Zhao’en, exasperated, shouted, “Jiang Duxu, do you really think Ye Tinglan can trust you! In their eyes, you are also not of their kind!”

Jiang Duxu smiled faintly. “If their goal was merely this small corner of the world, I might fear them discarding me once my use was over. However, their goals are far grander… Zhao’en, do you know why you and Gu Zhanting lost?”

Zhao’en’s expression was grim; he didn’t answer.

“Because your vision and perspective are not as broad as a second-rank young man’s… what Qianyuan enlightenment have you achieved!” Jiang Duxu sighed somewhat wistfully, “Not long ago, I was the same.”

As his words fell, his sword light surged, a white rainbow piercing the sun.

Zhao’en barely managed to conjure a copper bowl, which grew in size against the wind, blocking in front of him.

But the sword light penetrated straight through without stopping. With a resounding “clang,” the copper bowl shattered, and blood splattered.

Zhao’en hadn’t intended to block the attack; he only wished to use this obstruction to flash away and escape.

However, just as his figure moved, a shadowy formation encircled him from behind. Su Yuan, an elder of the Tianyao Sacred Land,’s laughter rang out, “Where are you going, Master? The Tianyao Sacred Land has been pursuing you for a long time. After all our efforts, shouldn’t there be a conclusion?”

“Bang!” Zhao’en’s distorted space was utterly destroyed, making escape impossible. Jiang Duxu and Su Yuan’s sword lights, one after the other, once again pierced through his protective golden bell shield, going straight through his chest.

Zhao’en looked at the sword tips protruding from his chest, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. “Jiang Duxu, you will regret this…”

Jiang Duxu completely ignored him. His sword qi erupted, crippling Zhao’en’s cultivation. “Lu Langzhong said there are many questions to ask him. You can take him into custody for now; I’ll go help with other battles.”

Su Yuan took custody of Zhao’en and clasped his hands, saying, “Thank you, Mr. Jiang, for your righteous assistance.”

The ancient realm monk who had troubled the Tianyao Sacred Land for most of the year was finally apprehended.

Jiang Duxu waved his hand, intending to join other battles, but found that the other battles were not as he had imagined…

He had thought his side would finish first, and then he would go help others. But upon seeing them, he realized that others seemed to no longer need his help.

For example, that Yanmo. Jiang Duxu admitted that even if he fought it, it would be a very troublesome matter. That kind of Youhuang creature had extremely special properties, and he lacked the appropriate magical treasures for such opponents.

And that Yan Jun, who looked like a young girl, hadn’t even reached the peak of the Supreme-grade. How could she fight? It would be good enough if she could hold on and wait for rescue.

However, upon closer inspection, this Yan Jun was actually suppressing the Yanmo in battle, her violent Youming death qi making Jiang Duxu momentarily question who was the Youhuang life form.

And why was she fighting so desperately? Had her husband been stolen?