“Arrogant!” Huang Hao laughed in his fury. His dark past had been exposed by this man’s master, ruining his reputation, yet he still dared to boast.
Qian Yuan said indifferently, “Do you want to fight me?”
Huang Hao, confident in his strength, immediately shouted, “Fight!”
A eunuch led the two of them towards the Golden Throne Hall. Outside, on the broad imperial path, stood a towering structure, several dozen meters high, entirely dark gold in color—a commanding platform.
Qian Yuan’s eyes flickered with surprise.
The ancient commanding platform! At the founding of the Great Jin, the first emperor had expended vast resources to create it, sealing within it the soul of a half-step Morning Glow Realm demon emperor, reaching the astonishing quality of ‘pseudo-immortal grade’!
Unless a Morning Glow Realm expert intervened, it was nearly impossible to leave a mark on it; it was incredibly sturdy.
Moreover, the ancient commanding platform was a world unto itself. Once inside, one would find themselves in another realm, free to use their abilities to the fullest.
Qian Yuan and Huang Hao entered the platform one after the other.
In an instant, the surrounding scenery changed. Qian Yuan looked around and saw vast mountains and rivers.
In the sky, a silver river flowed, with countless stars floating within its waters…
“The Great Jin’s foundation is deep, it was worth coming here personally,” Huang Hao marveled, growing more excited.
The other six young supremes, envoys from various nations, and the officials of the Great Jin watched the battle from a distance.
The Empress, who had been lounging lazily, straightened slightly, her fingertips twirling a strand of Sword Sense of Time and Space, her eyes fixed on the commanding platform.
“Your Majesty, Qian Yuan Sword Saint is truly generous, gifting you a strand of immortal grade Sword Sense,” Su Qingqiu said, her eyes filled with longing as she gazed at the Sword Sense.
This Sword Sense was a fatal temptation for any sword cultivator.
Even Jian Wentian, the chief disciple of the Forbidden Zone of Sword Seclusion, couldn’t help but glance back at the Sword Sense from time to time, swallowing hard.
The Empress chuckled lightly:
“Immortal grade Sword Sense is an invaluable treasure for sword cultivators. Anyone who can comprehend even a bit of it will benefit for life, but it is useless to me.”
With that, the Empress flicked her finger, sending a wisp of the Sword Sense of Time and Space to Su Qingqiu.
“Take it.”
Su Qingqiu was startled. Although she desired it greatly, she shook her head firmly, “No! This is a gift from the Sword Saint to Your Majesty.”
The Empress smiled faintly:
“You are mistaken. This is a gift from the Empress’ Husband to you. I do not practice swordsmanship; it is useless to me.”
Hearing this, Su Qingqiu’s pretty face was filled with confusion and bewilderment.
The Empress explained:
“Meng Qingzhou wants to overshadow the seven young supremes in every aspect—from his entrance, birthday gift, aura, to his strength. He wants to crush them completely.”
“But Meng Qingzhou seems unwilling to give me a gift personally. He used his Sword Saint disciple to give me something precious yet useless.”
Su Qingqiu suddenly understood, but then became confused again, “Why doesn’t the Empress’ Husband want to give Your Majesty a gift?”
The Empress shook her head, closed her eyes, and after a long contemplation, suddenly opened them, her red lips curling into an amused smile.
“A narcissist, afraid that the Great Jin Emperor would be charmed by his allure, so he came up with this plan.”
Hearing this, Su Qingqiu was stunned at first, then her eyes widened in shock as she exclaimed:
“The Empress’ Husband doesn’t know he’s the Empress’ Husband, doesn’t know Your Majesty is his wife, so he’d rather incur Your Majesty’s displeasure than let the rumors of being the Empress’ lover come true!?”
Su Qingqiu’s cold and gorgeous face turned bright red, and she murmured in a daze, “The Empress’ Husband is really good at flirting.”
The Empress Dongfang Liuli’s delicate body trembled, her cheeks flushed, and she scolded softly:
“Stop talking nonsense. The Sword Sense of Time and Space is extremely precious. Hurry up and comprehend it!”
……
……
Inside the ancient commanding platform, a small world.
Qian Yuan Sword Saint… or rather, Meng Qingzhou’s Three Purities One Breath avatar, possessed seventy percent of his true body’s strength.
‘Hopefully, the Empress doesn’t mistake this as a gift from my true body. I’ve been in the spotlight too much recently, all because the Empress relies on me too much. Next, I plan to slack off at work, arrive late, leave early, frequent high-class brothels and theaters, and not give any birthday gifts. Let’s see if that annoys her.’
‘It would be best if one day she gets so annoyed that she exiles me.’
Qian Yuan Sword Saint stood tall, like an ancient divine sword, his aura fully unleashed, his Sword Sense soaring to the sky, while his mind wandered, thinking about his slacking-off plan.
The plan to escape the Empress was being meticulously prepared.
Qin Fenghuo’s avatar, acting as the referee, shouted loudly:
“At the Great Jin Emperor’s birthday banquet, the first event, the martial duel, officially begins!”
“The ancient commanding platform will suppress the participants’ realms to the same level, ensuring absolute fairness!”
This martial duel tournament had invited countless powerful beings and geniuses from various forces, who would duel one-on-one through a drawing system.
The undefeated winner could make any request within the Empress’ power.
The seven young supremes had come from afar for this reason, hoping to propose marriage and name the Empress, backed by top-tier forces, unafraid of the Empress’ refusal.
Of course, the seven young supremes and Qian Yuan Sword Saint were not included in the drawing.
After all, they had absolute dominance in the same realm.
The reward for the undefeated winner would only go to one of them. The other participants were either there for the excitement, to make a name for themselves, or to seize the top ten rewards.
“Master, do you think Qian Yuan Sword Saint can win?” An elder from a holy land asked the holy land master.
The holy land master shook his head:
“The Sword Saint is formidable, but these seven young supremes are not easy opponents. Take Huang Hao, the third leader of the Five Spirit Clan, for example. He has the bloodline of an ancient divine beast and has cultivated the Four Divine Beasts Technique, allowing him to summon the essence of the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise to aid him in battle.”
“Not to mention Duan Wuchou, who has killed three Moon Shine Realm experts, Wang Teng, who carries the fortune of ten nations, Jian Wentian, who forged the Sword of All Spirits in the extreme southern sea, and Sun Baisheng, who has cultivated the Battle God Technique…”
“Qian Yuan Sword Saint winning undefeated is difficult!”
Many people discussed, their eyes filled with anticipation, eager to witness the fierce battle among the young supremes, wondering what kind of dragon and tiger fight it would be.
Even though Qian Yuan Sword Saint was terrifyingly powerful, many still doubted him.
The reason was simple: the achievements of the seven young supremes were too dazzling, crushing the spines of their peers, like a towering divine mountain pressing on the younger generation.
Soon, the battle began.
Huang Hao’s body flowed with golden liquid, a pair of golden horns on his forehead shining brightly. He roared:
“Four Divine Beasts, come upon me, descend upon the world, and awe the universe!”
As his words fell, strands of clear energy appeared out of thin air, like incense smoke, condensing into the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger.
The four divine beasts roared to the sky, shocking countless spectators. Even some Moon Shine Realm great beings frowned, feeling threatened.
“No one expected Huang Hao to have mastered the Four Divine Beasts Technique. Qian Yuan Sword Saint is going to lose. If he had twenty more years, he could easily win, but he’s too young, too inexperienced. What a pity…” Someone sighed.
Everyone knew it in their hearts. Even Qin Fenghuo, who had always had great confidence in the Empress’ Husband Meng Qingzhou, began to waver, worrying for Qian Yuan Sword Saint.
Qin Fenghuo’s body tensed, ready to break into the commanding platform to save him at any moment.
“The invincible one is the Sage’s prophecy, not Qian Yuan Sword Saint. My confidence comes from the Empress’ Husband, not a sword. I was too blind,” Qin Fenghuo sighed.
But at that moment, an unexpected change occurred.
A sharp sword cry rang out! Qian Yuan Sword Saint had drawn his sword!
Then, a dazzling sword light split the heavens and the earth!
It was not an illusion or a vision, but a real… cut through the heavens and the earth!!!
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