Fate-Defying Demon Emperor

Su Han’s heart jumped. He followed the sound with his gaze and saw a figure standing on the mountain peak, looking down. It was a middle-aged man clad in imperial robes, exuding an aura of authority without any show of anger. Though this was Su Han’s first time meeting the man, he immediately deduced his identity.

”Great Qian King!”

Su Han’s eyes narrowed as his heart sank. The Great Qian King bore too strong a resemblance to Qian Yuan and Qian Xuan. That, coupled with the formidable pressure of a Heavenly King Realm Ninth Layer powerhouse, allowed Su Han to recognize him instantly.

Indeed, the newcomer was the Great Qian King. He had been standing guard outside the encirclement, originally expecting Ye Chuanfeng and the others to find and kill Su Han. To his surprise, Su Han had escaped. He had also sensed the thousand-mile chase between Su Han and Xuan Song, so he had tailed them immediately. He witnessed their pursuit across the sky and followed Xuan Song all the way to this valley. However, the Nine Palaces Bagua Formation had previously blocked his view of the battle within. Not wanting to expose himself by breaking the array, he had simply waited. Now, his opportunity had arrived.

”Did you truly kill Xuan Song?” The Great Qian King’s Divine Sense spread out. He smelled the scent of blood in the air and sensed Xuan Song’s residual aura, a look of astonishment appearing on his face.

He knew Su Han was not easy to deal with. Xuan Song had come brimming with pride, and an arrogant soldier is bound to be defeated. Moreover, a Great Formation had been laid here. But he still hadn’t imagined that Su Han could actually kill Xuan Song. After all, Xuan Song was a powerhouse at the Heavenly King Realm Third Layer and a prodigy on the Prodigy List, someone whom no ordinary person could handle. Even he couldn’t claim a 100 percent chance of killing him. It seems Su Han really did use his trump card. But this is for the best. Now that all his cards are on the table, he must be at his weakest.

Even though the Great Qian King could now see that Su Han was at the Physique Realm Sixth Layer, he himself was at the Heavenly King Realm Ninth Layer and was confident he could handle Su Han.

WHOOSH!

Su Han didn’t answer the Great Qian King’s question. He paused for a fraction of a second before instantly executing the Character Technique of Motion and Lightning Fast, his speed exploding to thirteen times its normal rate as he fled. He had no time to set up another Nine Palaces Bagua Formation. Without a Saint Treasure or the Supreme Thunder Pearl, he stood no chance against the Great Qian King, who was in peak condition. He chose not to act recklessly and made a strategic retreat.

”After going through so much trouble to find you, did you really think I’d let you escape right under my nose?” the Great Qian King sneered. He pushed aside his thoughts on Xuan Song’s death. His only purpose here was to kill Su Han and avenge his three sons.

”Teleportation!”

The Great Qian King ripped open the space before him, executing the Art of Teleportation. In the next instant, he reappeared nine hundred meters away.

”Space, solidify!”

Heavenly King Realm experts could touch the Laws and control some Spatial Force, and those at the Ninth Layer were among the best of them. As the Great Qian King waved his hand, the surrounding space began to congeal. Su Han instantly felt as if he were trapped in quicksand. His speed plummeted, making it difficult to escape the valley.

”Nine Palace Golden Pagoda!”

Su Han thrust out his hand, and the Nine Palace Golden Pagoda materialized, shimmering with golden light and radiating an intense Holy Might. The Great Qian King was affected by the Holy Might’s suppression, causing the space around Su Han to loosen slightly. However, with his current strength, Su Han was incapable of unleashing the pagoda’s true power, so the effect on the Great Qian King was minimal.

The Great Qian King’s gaze burned with greed and desire as he stared at the Nine Palace Golden Pagoda. So this is a Holy Artifact. If I could obtain it, I might be able to break through to the Supreme Realm. Then I could leave Qingmo Province... the vast world would be mine to roam! A single Holy Artifact was enough to make anyone take such a risk.

”Ghostly Face Mask! Physique Fusion!”

Watching the Great Qian King rapidly close in, Su Han didn’t hesitate. He donned the Ghostly Face Mask, then condensed the Demonic Emperor Physique and fused it with his body.

BOOM!

A dark, cold, and domineering aura radiated from Su Han, as if the Demonic Emperor himself had descended to cast the world into shadow. But Su Han’s original realm was simply too low. Even after using every trick he had, his power was only comparable to the Divine Power Realm First Layer. He still faced an insurmountable gap against the Great Qian King.

”That really is a Demonic Technique, and a high-grade one at that. Not bad. Once I kill you, all of this will be mine!” the Great Qian King exclaimed, his initial surprise giving way to elation. He wanted to kill Su Han not only for revenge but also to claim the many treasures in his possession.

Su Han had risen from nothing and become this powerful in such a short time; no one would believe he didn’t have secrets. Leaving aside his other treasures, the Nine Palace Golden Pagoda alone was enough to make the Great Qian King salivate. Moreover, Su Han had emptied the vaults of both the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Seven Stars Sect and now possessed an immense fortune. If the Great Qian King could obtain these treasures, he might not only break through to the Supreme Realm but even have a chance at reaching the Saint Realm.

”Nine Palace Golden Pagoda!”

Su Han hadn’t used Physique Fusion to fight the Great Qian King to the death, but to better channel power into the Nine Palace Golden Pagoda. He wanted to intensify its Holy Might, counteract the solidifying space, and create a better chance to escape.

”Earth Rank High Level Martial Technique: Qiankun Boundless Palm!”

Having finally found Su Han, the Great Qian King had no intention of letting him get away. He struck swiftly, unleashing a surge of energy that resonated with heaven and earth. A colossal, kilometer-wide palm materialized in the sky and descended like Mount Tai, pressing down with an incomparable and irresistible force. The pressure of the palm fractured space itself, causing a web of hairline cracks to spread through the air.

Gritting his teeth, Su Han pushed the Nine Palace Golden Pagoda to its limits, trying to block the attack. But the Great Qian King summoned a longsword that whistled through the air, intercepting the Golden Pagoda with its imperial might. Although the longsword was merely a Superior Grade Dao Artifact, it was wielded with the full power of the Great Qian King, allowing it to barely hold back the Nine Palace Golden Pagoda. With the pagoda blocked, the Qiankun Boundless Palm fell unimpeded.

RUMBLE!

The disparity in their strength was simply too vast. Su Han couldn’t withstand the blow and was smashed directly into the ground. A massive, palm-shaped crater formed in the valley as large cracks spiderwebbed out in all directions. The surrounding mountain peaks collapsed instantly, and the entire valley was flattened by that single strike.

Down in the massive crater, Su Han lay in a pool of his own blood, riddled with wounds and on the brink of death. The Ghostly Face Mask had fallen to one side. The Nine Palace Golden Pagoda, no longer under his control, had dimmed, and the Demonic Emperor Physique had been forced from his body, dissipating without a trace.

Without Saint Treasures, without the Supreme Thunder Pearl, and without the Nine Palaces Bagua Formation, he stood no chance against the Great Qian King’s assault.

”Little beast, go join my sons in death!” The Great Qian King’s eyes flashed with ecstatic excitement. Gripping his longsword, he slashed down at Su Han without a moment’s hesitation.

If this sword strike landed, Su Han would surely die.