CHAPTER 175: CHAPTER 173: TEMPORARY END_1

"Dead?"

In the holy palace, the Light God gazed at the informational scroll in his hand, which contained front-line war reports. Upon reading about the demise of Wang Shou and the complete annihilation of his 360,000-strong army, however, his expression didn’t change in the slightest. It was as if a stranger had perished, not a crucial minister of the court!

"Black Envoy, what’s the situation with Nie Feng?" The Light God casually discarded the scroll onto the desk, asking with an expressionless face.

"Your Majesty, Nie Feng has always been stationed at the northwestern border of the Qin Empire. However, three days ago, he disappeared for half an hour!" Out of a ripple in the Void, the figure of the Black Envoy emerged, hands clasped in response. A pair of wings, radiating a black glow, gently fanned the air, imbued with mysterious power.

An hour? The Light God pondered. This duration was neither long nor short. For Saint-level Martial Artists, much could be accomplished in that time, even crossing the entire Qin Empire. So, what was Nie Feng doing while evading the Black Envoy?

No, Nie Feng and the Black Envoy are at the same cultivation level. How did he evade the Black Envoy’s surveillance? Suddenly, the Light God realized something was amiss. The Black Envoy was his carefully nurtured subordinate, exceptionally skilled in combat and particularly adept at covert surveillance. With Nie Feng’s cultivation, he shouldn’t have been able to escape unnoticed. Unless... Could Nie Feng have broken through to the Saint King Realm? The Light God was overjoyed.

The Cultivation Technique he practiced was called the ’Bright-Dark Sutra’. It was a rather peculiar method, split into ’Light’ and ’Darkness’. The cultivation of the power of ’Light’ was primary, while the power of ’Darkness’ was supplementary. In layman’s terms, those who cultivated the power of ’Darkness’ were essentially living sacrifices, destined to be consumed. When cultivators of ’Light’ broke through to the Saint King Realm, they could devour those who cultivated ’Darkness’, thereby enhancing their own strength and advancing their realm.

"Pass the decree! Summon Nie Feng back to the court!" The Light God commanded, his deep voice clearly filled with excitement.

He and Nie Feng were contemporaries. The previous Divine Emperor of the Divine Court had cultivated until his death but remained stuck at the First Transformation of the Saint King Realm. In the final moments of his life, he obtained the ’Bright-Dark Sutra.’ After comprehending the profound truths of this technique, he was ecstatic and hastily selected princes from among his descendants who were suitable for cultivating it. Among thousands of his offspring, only one possessed the talent to cultivate the power of ’Light’! With the power of ’Light’, the power of ’Darkness’ was naturally required. The previous Divine Emperor dispatched numerous confidants to search the entire nation for infants capable of cultivating the power of ’Darkness’. After several years, they finally found the perfect candidate.

That infant was Nie Feng!

"As you command!" Bowing his head respectfully, the Black Envoy vanished on the spot.

It seems I’ll soon be able to break through to the Second Transformation of the Saint King Realm! The Light God muttered to himself.

The path of a Saint King was divided into nine transformations. After the Ninth Transformation, one could begin to lay the foundation of an Emperor, to advance to the rank of Semi-Emperor.

In the eastern part of the Primeval Continent, aside from the Kylin Holy Land, most Saint King Realm Martial Artists in the remaining King-level Dao Domains were stuck at the First Transformation of the Saint King Realm. Breaking through to the Second Transformation of the Saint King Realm meant the Divine Court could look down upon most of the King-level factions!

"How did the Qin Empire know about our actions?"

Over the endless sea, Wan Li Hai flew towards the frontline base camp with his defeated troops, his mind filled with confusion. From the moment the plan was confirmed to their departure, only the upper echelons of the Qunxian Sect and the Sea Clan were aware of it. The possibility of a leak was almost zero!

"Sect Master, could it be that the Sea Clan informed the Qin Empire of our movements? Perhaps to weaken our strength and take revenge covertly?" a severely injured elder flew over and asked, his face grim.

This suggestion made Wan Li Hai pause. After some thought, he too began to harbor suspicions. For years, the Qunxian Sect had ruthlessly suppressed the Sea Clan’s development. If the Sea Clan had revealed the Qunxian Sect’s attack route to the Qin Empire, it would be entirely beneficial for them, with no drawbacks. Firstly, if the Qunxian Sect and the Qin Empire engaged in a life-or-death struggle, only the Sea Clan would benefit. Secondly, with the Qunxian Sect tying down the Qin Empire’s experts, the Sea Clan could easily occupy the Qin Empire’s territories. It was truly killing two birds with one stone!

"Issue the order! Head to Dream Sea City!" Wan Li Hai commanded coldly, his face dark.

Whether they had been schemed against would become clear after a visit to the Sea Clan. If they truly had been tricked by the Sea Clan, he would rather abandon the assault on the Qin Empire and cripple the Sea Clan instead. Having manipulated the Sea Clan for a lifetime, he absolutely could not tolerate being manipulated by them. That would be a disgrace!

An hour later, the disciples of the Qunxian Sect and the soldiers of the Sea Clan unexpectedly encountered each other.

The two groups stood on the sea, looking at each other’s dispirited forces with mutual bewilderment.

The Sea Clan members were shocked. How could the Qunxian Sect have been defeated too?

The Qunxian Sect disciples were equally stunned. Why was the Sea Clan also defeated?

Soon after, both sides came to the same stark realization: they had both been defeated!

"Sect Master Wan, what are you implying? Are you suspecting me, this Emperor?" Perhaps from being schemed against too often, the Sea Emperor, for once displaying shrewdness, questioned angrily.

"No... not at all. I was also on my way back. What happened to you..." Wan Li Hai shook his head, denying it.

"Bullshit!" the Sea Emperor roared furiously, pointing at the sea beneath them. "This is the route to Dream Sea City! You’ve already passed your main camp! Are you blind, or did over a hundred thousand Qunxian Sect disciples also get lost?"

It was infuriatingly unjust! Not only had they suffered a defeat, but now they were also being suspected by the Qunxian Sect! The Qunxian Sect was simply despicable, constantly suppressing the Sea Clan. Now, even as allies, they were being met with such suspicion.

The angrier the Sea Emperor became, the more his terrifying aura surged, erupting uncontrollably and pressing down on Wan Li Hai.

"Have you gone mad? Stop it!" Wan Li Hai exclaimed in shock, quickly raising his hands to defend himself. The movement aggravated his injuries, causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead.

Ignoring Wan Li Hai’s shouts, the Sea Emperor pressed on. His rage would not subside without a fight. Powerful streams of energy erupted, forming a churning sea above his head from which countless water dragons coiled and spiraled.

The over one hundred thousand Qunxian Sect disciples, who had narrowly escaped death, turned pale.

"Are you serious?" Wan Li Hai was also enraged. Sword Qi flickered around him, shielding his disciples.

"Serious? So what? Fight!" The Sea Emperor soared into the sky. Countless water dragons surged downwards, shattering vast expanses of the Void.

Damn it! Wan Li Hai cursed inwardly, forced to defend. He didn’t want to fight; his injuries were still present, and if they worsened and led to lasting repercussions, it wouldn’t be worth it. But since the Sea Emperor insisted on fighting, he wouldn’t back down either!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...

The sea trembled, and monstrous waves surged.

The disciples of the Qunxian Sect and the soldiers of the Sea Clan hastily retreated, avoiding the aftershocks. They stood at a great distance, watching each other warily, ready to attack at any moment. Before their alliance, they had been sworn enemies. Both the Qunxian Sect and the Sea Clan wished to annihilate the other, to solely dominate the lands and seabeds of the Wan Dao Domain.

"This crisis is temporarily over!"

In Covering Sea City, Yuan Tiangang lay on the city wall, his fingers deftly moving in calculation, a slight smile gracing his lips. The soldiers standing beside him were utterly puzzled.

The next instant, the sea breeze intensified, and massive waves surged from afar, crashing against the city walls!