Chapter 159: Chapter 157: The Price of Showing Off

WHOOSH—

A black gale howled as a dark figure shot forward at incredible speed.

In an instant, it had whisked Jiang Chen and Xiao Qingyi away, escaping the range of the palm strike that had blotted out the sky.

BOOM—

As the colossal palm slammed down, the ruined Taoyuan Town began to tremble violently.

The ground quaked and began to fracture. Cracks radiated outward in all directions from the point of impact. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of fissures, each several meters wide, spread across Taoyuan Town like a spiderweb, as if the land itself had been carved apart.

This was the terrifying power of a Heavenly Destiny Realm expert!

Yun Jianshen’s eyes narrowed, his pupils constricting slightly. ’Such speed... It’s even faster than me.’

A hint of gravity entered his cold gaze as he stared in the direction the dark figure had fled.

The black gale enveloping Jiang Chen and Xiao Qingyi gradually subsided.

It was a black Demon Beast, slightly larger than a man’s palm. Its body glowed with a purple-black light. It resembled a bat, but looked far more formidable.

Though small, it radiated an aura that made even Yun Jianshen wary.

This dark figure was none other than the great Black Emperor, the Purple-winged Heaven-devouring Bat who claimed to be the one and only sovereign across the Eight Desolates and Six Harmonies!

"A Demon Beast?" Yun Jianshen murmured, his eyes narrowed.

The Black Emperor glanced at Jiang Chen and Xiao Qingyi and asked, "Jiang Chen, are you all right?"

"I’m fine!"

Jiang Chen shook his head, his gaze turning to the Black Emperor with worry.

The Black Emperor flapped its fleshy wings, then cocked its head toward Yun Jianshen. It bared a set of sharp, white teeth, its voice cold, wild, and domineering. "A mere Heavenly Destiny cultivator dares to speak of killing my brother? Junior, how do you wish to die?"

"Hm?"

Yun Jianshen’s expression shifted slightly.

He was a magnificent expert of the Heavenly Destiny Realm!

Even in the Saint Martial Dynasty, he was ranked among the upper echelons of the martial pyramid.

How dare this Demon Beast speak to him in such a manner?

However...

The speed the Black Emperor had displayed, along with the terrifying beastly aura it radiated, made Yun Jianshen keep his guard up. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

He was cautious by nature; otherwise, he wouldn’t have remained hidden for so long after breaking through to the Heavenly Destiny Realm!

Yun Jianshen said in a low voice, "And who might you be? I know all the Heavenly Destiny Realm Beast Kings within the Hundred Beasts Mountains and Rivers, and you are not among them!"

"Hahaha, the Beast Kings of the Hundred Beasts Mountains and Rivers ain’t shit! You’d better listen up! This Emperor is the great Black Emperor, the Purple-winged Heaven-devouring Bat, the one and only sovereign across the Eight Desolates and Six Harmonies!" the Black Emperor declared proudly, beating its wings and hovering in midair, meeting Yun Jianshen’s gaze without a shred of fear.

"The one and only sovereign across the Eight Desolates and Six Harmonies? What an arrogant boast!" Yun Jianshen snorted.

Even an emperor among beasts at the Union Palace Realm wouldn’t dare claim to be the one and only sovereign across the Eight Desolates and Six Harmonies!

How could this Demon Beast before him be so full of hot air?

If not for the speed and aura the Black Emperor had displayed earlier, which made him wary, Yun Jianshen would have already struck!

"Arrogant? Hmph. Back in my day, This Emperor fed on True Dragons and swallowed Divine Phoenixes like candy. How could you possibly comprehend my power?"

Two jets of hot air blasted from the Black Emperor’s nostrils. It flew forward slowly, circled Yun Jianshen twice, and then said nonchalantly, "You’re Yun Jianshen, right? Normally, with my temper, I wouldn’t waste words on you after you nearly killed my brother—I’d just swallow you whole. However, I also heard the Great Heart Demon Oath my brother just swore. I’ve decided to leave you for him to deal with himself. For now, you can scram!"

The Black Emperor’s expression was completely casual.

It was only half a meter away from Yun Jianshen.

If Yun Jianshen were to attack now, it would be from the perfect range.

And Yun Jianshen was indeed tempted.

His fingers twitched, and a faint, sharp sword wave rippled in the air. But it was the Black Emperor’s very nonchalance and fearlessness that made him suspicious. ’Is this creature so confident because it really has something to back it up? No, I have to test its strength!’

At that thought, a cold smile touched Yun Jianshen’s lips. "You tell me to scram, and I’m supposed to scram?" he said coolly. "Aren’t you a little too confident?"

"What? Are you questioning my strength?" the Black Emperor asked.

Yun Jianshen let out a faint snort in silent agreement.

The Black Emperor laughed. "Fine. In that case, I’ll give you a chance. I will let you have one free shot. If you can injure me, then you can do as you please with both me and Jiang Chen. But if you can’t, then you will scram back to Cloud Dragon Valley, wash your neck, and wait for my brother to come and cut your head off! How about it?"

"Let me have one shot?" Yun Jianshen was stunned.

He was a magnificent Heavenly Destiny Realm expert.

A single palm strike from him could shatter a mountain!

Even a Half-step Heavenly Destiny Realm master would face near-certain death if they tried to block his palm strike head-on!

And yet the Black Emperor was going to let him have a free shot.

Was it bluffing, or did it truly have such power?

Jiang Chen’s heart also skipped a beat. He stared intently at the Black Emperor and was about to speak, but saw it give a slight wave with the fleshy wings folded behind its back, signaling him to be quiet.

Jiang Chen could only swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He stared intently at the Black Emperor and Yun Jianshen.

After a moment of silence, Yun Jianshen nodded. "Fine, I’ll take that bet. If you can withstand this one move, I will leave today. Otherwise... not only will that little bastard die, but you will also become another soul claimed by my sword!"

"Enough with the chatter. Make your move!" the Black Emperor said with a look of indifference.

"This sword strike is a move from the Earth-Tier Low-Level Martial Skill, the ’Vast Sword Technique.’ It is a Swordsmanship that I only managed to cultivate to the Realm of Perfection after stepping into the Heavenly Destiny Realm. Even a master at the First Stage of the Heavenly Destiny Realm wouldn’t dare block it head-on. If you can take it, I will leave without another word!" Yun Jianshen said in a flat tone.

From start to finish, he kept his eyes fixed on the Black Emperor.

If the Black Emperor showed even the slightest hint of fear or weakness, he would strike with lightning speed and kill them both on the spot.

Unfortunately for him...

From beginning to end, the Black Emperor maintained its casual expression. The only change was the growing impatience in its eyes.

"Hah!"

Yun Jianshen took a deep breath, and a bronze-colored ancient sword appeared in his hand. It was an Advanced Profound Tier Weapon, which, like the Vast Sword Technique, he had obtained from some Ancient Ruins. "This sword is named Flowing Cloud. Now taste my move—Vast Righteous Qi!"

A terrifyingly sharp aura erupted from the bronze ancient sword, Flowing Cloud.

A blade of Sword Aura, infused with vibrant Vast Righteous Qi, tore through the air, pressing down on the Black Emperor with destructive force.

’What a powerful sword strike! Can Little Black block it?’ Jiang Chen’s eyes flew wide with worry.

The power of this strike was absolutely terrifying, enough to obliterate a mountain hundreds of zhang high!

And yet...

Faced with this incomparable strike, a terrifying black light suddenly burst from the Black Emperor’s body, and a pitch-black vortex materialized before it. As the black light flared, the Black Emperor roared, "Devour!"

SHIIING—

The magnificent sword strike was swallowed directly by the black vortex.

The hundred-zhang Sword Aura continuously shrank until it vanished into nothingness!

The world returned to silence.

"How is that possible?" Yun Jianshen’s face was a mask of horror.

The Black Emperor looked at Yun Jianshen coldly, the black vortex still hovering above its head. It grinned. "What? Want to try again? Or perhaps This Emperor should just finish you off right here and save my brother the trip to the Hundred Beasts Mountains and Rivers?"

Staring at the black vortex, Yun Jianshen’s heart skipped a beat. He shot a glance at Jiang Chen and snorted, "Kid, count yourself lucky."

WHOOSH—

He turned and shot away, tearing through the sky.

Watching Yun Jianshen’s retreating figure, Jiang Chen let out a sigh of relief. But a moment later, a surge of anger washed over him, and he turned to the Black Emperor. "Little Black, you’re so powerful, why didn’t you act sooner? If you had struck earlier and killed Yun Jianshen, Aunt Yun and the others wouldn’t have died."

"Fuck... You don’t know shit!"

The Black Emperor turned and glared at Jiang Chen, cursing irritably. Its body then swayed and plummeted from the sky.

Jiang Chen’s expression changed. He rushed to catch it, and after a quick examination, his face fell. "How could this be?"

The Black Emperor’s aura had become incredibly faint.

It was clearly seriously injured.

Lying in Jiang Chen’s arms, the Black Emperor rolled its eyes and said weakly, "Did you really think This Emperor had the power to kill him? If it wasn’t to save you, This Emperor would’ve bolted long ago... Damn it, a tiger stranded on flat plains is bullied by dogs! To think how mighty This Emperor once was, swallowing True Dragon Divine Phoenixes like candy, and now... a mere Heavenly Destiny cultivator almost destroyed my Devouring Space. Ai, the price of posturing is too damn high."

Only then did Jiang Chen understand.

The Black Emperor had just been putting on a strong front. It had nearly gotten itself killed just to scare Yun Jianshen away.

"Little Black, I’m sorry."

Jiang Chen felt a wave of guilt as he recalled how he had just accused the Black Emperor.

The Black Emperor waved a fleshy wing, its voice weak. "Let’s go, quickly! That Yun Jianshen is suspicious by nature. If he doubles back, we’re done for."

"You’re right!"

Jiang Chen nodded. Holding Xiao Qingyi, he gathered the Black Emperor into his arms as well, then swept his gaze over the devastated Taoyuan Town. A chilling killing intent and a towering rage surged in his eyes as he vowed in a low voice, "Little Black, Yaya, Aunt Yun... rest assured. I will kill Yun Jianshen with my own two hands and avenge you all!"

He swallowed a few pills to recover some of his True Essence, then shot into the air and fled into the distance...