After the Great Liang Emperor had departed, Yu Xiyi finally withdrew his gaze and remarked belatedly, “His Majesty’s bearing is truly as it was back then.”

After saying this, he lifted his head to look at Chen Chao, who stood with his back to him, head lowered in silence.

Yu Xiyi called out curiously, “Why don’t you say a word?”

Chen Chao ignored him.

......

......

Ten thousand miles away, above the Immortal Sea.

On the vast, boundless surface of the sea, several waves suddenly rose and surged toward the coast.

Strangely, as the waves reached halfway, their momentum, though fierce, seemed to be crushed by a heavy foot, directly smashing down onto the sea. For a moment, the water churned violently, ripples spreading layer by layer.

When the sea temporarily calmed, suddenly a figure shot up from the water, heading toward the sky at extreme speed. From afar, it looked like a long purple rainbow rising from the earth.

But as it approached the cloud sea, that purple rainbow was forcibly stopped, as if someone reached out and pressed it down, then smashed it back onto the water.

Only now could people clearly see that the purple rainbow was a purple-robed daoist, middle-aged in appearance, impossible to determine his exact age.

He landed on the sea, staggered a few steps, but quickly regained his footing and looked up at the sky. The purple-robed daoist, visibly furious, said, “Chen Chao, you dare to act lawlessly, even killing Daoist Taiyi?”

The white-haired old man who had just been killed earlier by the Great Liang Emperor, known as Daoist Taiyi, had been one of the greatest daoists of his time a thousand years ago. He could be called the head of Daoism or even the number one in Daoism, perhaps the number one in the world.

But that no longer mattered. Daoist Taiyi had rushed from a remote island across the sea to the human world, clearly intending to rescue Daoist Wuyang, but he had failed.

The one responsible for this was this human-world martial artist now in the sea of clouds.

The Great Liang Emperor looked down at the purple-robed daoist in front of him, silent.

Before any words were exchanged, the martial artist had already descended from the sea of clouds, carrying a mass of cloud down with him. The current Great Liang Emperor was like a mountain; immovable and heavy.

The purple-robed daoist furrowed his brow, growing angry. “Do you think this penniless daoist is alone?”

The implication was clear: Chen Chao, you are such an extraordinary, peerless martial artist; perhaps this penniless daoist cannot defeat you alone, but this penniless daoist isn't just one person right now.

But the martial artist, still brimming with residual qi, did not care at all. After landing on the sea, his great sleeves swung, delivering a solid, forceful punch.

The purple-robed daoist’s expression changed, and immediately in front of him appeared a jade scepter, entirely snow-white, with engravings of the Heavenly Lord roaming the clouds. Upon closer inspection, one could even see streams of aura flowing like white mist across it, lifelike and vivid.

But the moment this jade scepter appeared in front of the Great Liang Emperor, it was struck by a single punch, and fine cracks instantly appeared across its surface, visible to the naked eye.

The purple-robed daoist’s heart ached. “You’re serious?”

In just a brief instant, this jade scepter, something that in the present age would certainly be fought over by every sect, began to shatter inch by inch, falling directly into the sea.

The purple-robed daoist’s face contorted in pain. But before he could say anything, the punch that had smashed through his lifeblood magic artifact struck his own body.

Ripples ran through his purple robe, and in an instant, it began to absorb the force.

In the world of martial artists, the man before him dominated. In terms of the killing power of this single punch, only the strongest sword of that Sword Sect’s Sect Master could match it.

The Great Liang Emperor sneered, “Turtle shell.”

The purple-robed daoist’s expression darkened, for in that instant of combat, his purple robe had been severely damaged.

This robe had taken him countless years of effort and time to craft just a single magic robe.

After a single punch, the purple-robed daoist was sent flying hundreds of feet back, raising tremendous waves on the sea.

After he stabilized his stance, the purple-robed daoist was visibly furious as he shouted, “Still not taking action? This progenitor cannot hold any longer! If this progenitor dies, can you guys endure the wrath of my ancestor?”

Before his words even fell, ripples rose across the world, and three figures appeared simultaneously.

Whether it was because the time had arrived, or because the word “ancestor” from the purple-robed daoist made them apprehensive, no one knew.

Of the three figures, two were clad in daoist robes, and the other wore armor, golden and shining brilliantly.

The Great Liang Emperor paid no more attention to the two daoists, only glancing at the armored martial artist.

Yes, of the four, the person in front was clearly a martial artist, with an extremely high cultivation.

When the Great Liang Emperor looked toward him, the golden-armored martial artist also looked at the emperor in imperial robes, sneering, “Even now you still consider yourself an emperor?”

The Great Liang Emperor suddenly laughed. “In the Ercen Record?”

Hearing this, the golden-armored martial artist’s expression darkened considerably.

That hit the mark.

The Ercen Record was originally a work passed down through successive dynasties, compiled by each generation of historians. It recorded, over a thousand years, certain nameless officials who had served in multiple dynasties, rebelling against the old and serving the new.

Rebelling against the old dynasty to serve the new.

But later on, apart from such officials, some of the greatest treacherous and wicked ministers were also recorded.

Passed down through generations, by this dynasty, in the first hundred years not many names were actually added. During the first ten-odd years of the Great Liang Emperor’s reign, before the Wei Family incident in the Divine Capital, no one’s name had been inscribed.

After all, once someone was recorded in the Ercen Record, their infamy would be permanently established for all eternity.

The golden-armored martial artist before them had indeed once been a great general of a certain dynasty. Because his martial cultivation was high, no one in the court could restrain him, and so he began to act arrogantly and recklessly, wreaking havoc in the palace and killing the young emperor - these were all deeds he had done.

Afterward, he went to sea; far from the mortal world. For so many years, it was thought that no one would ever mention this again. Yet unexpectedly, the Great Liang Emperor before him exposed the matter merely by opening his mouth.

Taking a deep breath, the golden-armored martial artist tried to calm himself as much as possible. “Once I pass this threshold, I am no longer an emperor’s subject, Chen Che...”

Before his words fell, the Great Liang Emperor had already arrived in front of the golden-armored martial artist. Same as before, without hesitation, he threw a punch. The golden-armored martial artist was momentarily taken aback, but quickly recovered, and did not dodge. Instead, he simultaneously delivered a punch in return.

This golden-armored martial artist considered himself a fellow martial artist. He did not believe he would be inferior to the Great Liang Emperor.

But after a single punch, the surrounding seawater exploded. The golden-armored martial artist’s arm was shattered by the emperor’s punch. The Great Liang Emperor’s fist struck the opponent’s chest. The golden armor shimmered slightly, releasing an aura that partially blocked the punch.

The Great Liang Emperor glanced down.

This golden armor had been forged when the golden-armored martial artist was a first-grade Great General of the highest order. The emperor of that time had instructed the Imperial Astronomers’s qi refiners to strip gold fragments from the statues of mountain gods across the court, then connected the dynasty’s fortune to the armor through the qi refiners. Once forged, it was named Skyglow. In other words, forging this armor at that time was, in a sense, entrusting the national destiny to the golden-armored martial artist. Because the national destiny was in him, he had later cultivated, forcibly walking a new path combining martial cultivation with destiny, eventually reaching above Nepenthe.

However, after that dynasty fell, the armor could no longer draw on the power of destiny. After all, without the dynasty, it was rootless. Even though his power remained, it was difficult to extract nourishment, turning the armor into something similar to a cultivator’s robe.

Yet the golden-armored martial artist did not discard it. Through constant refining, he transformed the armor into something similar to a cultivator’s robe.

Though lacking in certain aspects, in terms of defense, it was still not inferior to some cultivators’ refined robes.

Without this armor, the punch just now would likely have pierced the golden-armored martial artist through entirely.

But the Great Liang Emperor in front of him had no intention of stopping with just a single punch.

The Great Liang Emperor, expressionless, prepared to throw a second punch as he watched the golden-armored martial artist withstand his first blow with the armor.

“Quick, quick, quick, don’t let Chen Che kill Sun Fu. If Sun Fu dies, it’ll be our turn next.”

The purple-robed daoist suddenly spoke, his voice filled with urgency.

Once he spoke, the other two daoists struck in unison, each flicking a sleeve to draw a sheet of seawater and hurl it at the Great Liang Emperor.

The Great Liang Emperor, expressionless, waved a sleeve as he punched. The seawater at his side had not yet struck his body before it dispersed to either side.

“Get lost. We will kill you guys later.”

After dispersing the seawater, the Great Liang Emperor’s fist smashed into the golden-armored martial artist’s face. That blow instantly dented his face inward.

“Sun Fu? The one who was called Divine Might General of the former Ning Dynasty? He was grand in court, but did you know afterwards your Sun Family’s ancestors’ tombs were all dug up?”

“But it serves you right. You’re such a villain, yet you somehow lucked into reaching that realm, heaven truly has no eyes.”

“Who do you think you are to speak before Us?”

After that punch, the Great Liang Emperor tore the Skyglow Armor from the golden-armored martial artist. Then, he expressionlessly used qi to shatter his remaining acupoints.

His life force was severed.

After that, he did not bother to look at the notorious Sun Fu in the records; he turned instead to the three daoists.

The three led by the purple-robed daoist paled. When they had acted earlier, they had not expected this martial artist’s ferocity.

If only they had known earlier...

But hindsight is rare.

The Great Liang Emperor glanced at the scene; the sea roiled.

A voice, anxious and urgent, came from the sky dome: “Chen Che, hurry up, or that nephew of yours will be dead soon.”

It was a clear, ethereal female voice.

The Great Liang Emperor frowned slightly, as if sensing something. When he looked back, his eyes were full of killing intent.

The entire sea churned now, as if a massive storm had risen.