Chapter 208: Young Friend, How Do You Intend to Deal with This Man?
“So it really was you who intended to strike against young friend Li Xun.”
The voice of the Northern Yu Divine Emperor was cold and indifferent.
His hair flew wildly as he extended one hand. In his palm appeared a large golden bell, origin unknown—its material seemed otherworldly. The moment it manifested, it radiated an overwhelming power.
The bell’s surface was engraved with mountains, rivers, sun, and moon. In that instant, it fully awakened—each engraving seemingly coming to life, transforming into vivid, lifelike visions.
“Let’s keep you alive—for now.”
The Northern Yu Divine Emperor exuded unshakable dominance. He gave Wu Gu no chance to explain, divine power surging from his palm.
The golden bell released a resounding hum like that of a sacred temple bell—huangzhong dalü—its soundwaves morphing into towering tsunamis of power. This force became a vast ocean, like a galaxy crashing down.
Rumble!
Heaven and earth turned upside down.
In an instant, the land for a thousand li around was overturned. As far as the eye could see, mountain after mountain collapsed into dust.
It was as if Mount Tai had descended, enshrouding Wu Gu and the other Sea God Palace experts under an inescapable doom.
“Half-Saint—!”
Wu Gu’s face turned ashen with fear.
There had long been rumors that the Northern Yu Divine Emperor was on the verge of sainthood. Many dismissed it as a myth—Wu Gu included.
But now, the truth stood undeniable before him.
In just one move, the Northern Yu Divine Emperor released a trace of saintly might—faint, yes, but unmistakable. It signified that he had already touched upon the threshold of the Saint Realm.
If he so wished, he could summon the Saint Tribulation at any time.
The only reason he hadn’t ascended yet… must be due to his daughter’s situation. His energy had been split, and for her sake, he had delayed his ascension.
After all, once he became a Saint, he would first need to stabilize his realm and would be unable to leave easily to search for life-saving elixirs for his daughter.
“You’ve gone too far!”
Wu Gu roared furiously.
First the blue-robed elder, then the Ten Thousand Transformations Holy Land—and now, the Northern Yu Divine Emperor! One after another, they had all come after him.
Did they all think he was an easy target?
With a furious howl, he raised his blood-colored saber. Its mid-grade Dao weapon power burst forth like a tidal wave crashing onto the shore, tearing through the heavens.
The slash shattered the clouds in all directions.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion echoed across the battlefield.
Powers of all kinds clashed in chaos. In that instant, countless gorges opened up across the ground. Mountains crumbled and plunged into yawning abysses.
That one clash caused complete devastation within a thousand li radius. Blinding light engulfed everything; nothing else could be seen.
As for the two who were fighting, they were completely swallowed by the destructive brilliance.
This was practically the strongest possible clash short of a Saint—a battle capable of destroying all of existence. Anyone who entered the area would feel as insignificant as an ant.
And their fate would be to turn to dust.
Meanwhile, Elder Wang and Zheng Huang stepped forward at the same moment, acting in perfect harmony. They stood in front of Li Xun, neutralizing all remaining shockwaves and divine power.
Thus, the place where these few stood became the only intact area within a thousand li radius.
‘So, this is the benefit of investing in powerful elders?’
Looking at the three figures shielding him, Li Xun felt extremely satisfied.
Previously, when he invested in Ye Han, the returns had been fortuitous encounters and opportunities—but asking Ye Han to fight for him had been nearly impossible.
After all, Ye Han’s strength was still far inferior to him.
Moreover, his current opponent wasn’t someone Ye Han could ever hope to handle. But now that he had invested in elder powerhouses, even if they couldn’t grant him fortuitous encounters like Ye Han could.
Still, these elder figures could lend him their strength at critical moments.
And these were just beings at the Divine Palace Realm. If he could one day invest in a few Saints, then his backing would become far more than what it was now.
Investing in young prodigies was done in the hope that they would grow strong in the future and be willing to lend him a hand.
But as for the old generation of powerhouses… weren’t they essentially fully grown prodigies already?
Every one of them wielded tremendous authority in their respective sects.
If he could make them truly grateful, wouldn’t that, in essence, be equivalent to gaining partial control over multiple Holy Lands, or even imperial dynasties?
At this thought, Li Xun made up his mind.
In the future, his main investment targets should probably be these established powerhouses. After all, every one of them possessed overwhelming strength.
And as far as the system’s assessment of investment value went, beyond fortune and desire, another essential factor was power.
The stronger a person was, the more likely they were to radiate purple or golden brilliance.
CLANG!
Another explosive sound echoed.
The Northern Yu Divine Emperor stood in the sky, and the golden bell in his hand rose to hover above his head—suppressing heaven and earth, holding the void in place, as if it could seal the divine and grant eternal life.
By contrast, Wu Gu of the Sea God Palace was in an utterly disheveled state.
His face was pale as paper, blood at the corner of his mouth. The Sea God Palace experts who had followed him—two had already fallen.
The last remaining one was heavily wounded and barely clinging to life.
This scene made many onlookers who had just arrived involuntarily gasp in shock.
A Divine Palace Realm battle shook the heavens and earth.
And the small world left behind by the Great Strength Demon Sect wasn’t vast by Divine Palace standards—it could be traversed in a matter of days.
That terrifying fluctuation just now had drawn in numerous experts.
But none of them had revealed themselves. They all chose to observe from the shadows for now.
"What’s going on?"
“What happened just now? Why is the Northern Yu Divine Emperor fighting people from the Sea God Palace?"
"I’m not sure. When I arrived, the Northern Yu Divine Emperor was already beating Wu Gu. But what’s strange is, I’ve never heard of any conflict between the Northern Yu Imperial Court and the Sea God Palace."
"Could it be they're fighting over something valuable?"
"Most likely. It’s said the Northern Yu Divine Emperor’s beloved daughter was gravely injured by someone from the demonic path and is on the verge of death. Maybe he found some life-preserving treasure, and Wu Gu refused to hand it over—hence the battle."
As the crowd whispered and speculated, the Northern Yu Divine Emperor slowly descended from the sky.
His steps seemed unhurried, yet his speed was unparalleled—he arrived in front of Wu Gu in the blink of an eye.
“You—!"
Wu Gu was both furious and terrified. He tried to fight back, but it was far too late.
Bang!
One punch from the Northern Yu Divine Emperor shattered half his body and sent him flying several thousand zhang away.
While Wu Gu was still midair, the Northern Yu Divine Emperor extended his hand and with a flick of his palm, he pulled Wu Gu back through the air and casually tossed him down at Li Xun’s feet.
“Young friend, how do you intend to deal with this man?”
The Northern Yu Divine Emperor looked toward Li Xun and spoke in a gentle tone—completely different from the imposing, domineering aura he had moments ago.
Now, he seemed like a kind, amiable elder—leaving everyone bewildered by the sudden shift.