The Human Emperor's pupils were so black that they almost consumed the whites of his eyes. They were demonic, eerie, and cold. He hadn't been human for many years, and when he looked at people, his gaze was like that of a dead thing.
When he stared at someone for too long, it would inevitably send a shiver down their spine.
He said, "Then whose is she? Yours?"
His voice was a smoky, slightly hoarse, low drawl as he slowly turned his neck, scanning Liu Jiang Fusheng with a sneer, "Or his?"
Liu Jiang Fusheng met his gaze, neither of them looking away first, like a tug-of-war where the first to lose their grip would lose the match.
He released Lebao, handing the person over to his attendants for care, and stepped forward from the crowd.
"Is this the face you used to lure her into marrying you so young?" the Human Emperor stared at Liu Jiang Fusheng, his gaze becoming extremely sharp and focused as he appraised him.
Whether man or woman, when jealousy strikes, their faces usually turn sour.
This was the first time Liu Jiang Fusheng had been praised for his exceptional appearance in such a biting tone, especially from a rival. He said calmly, "What, she's not interested in you?"
He raised his eyes to look at the Human Emperor, his eyes filled with undeniable provocation and mockery.
The Human Emperor paused, not expecting this pretty boy to have such a soft yet prickly personality. He gritted his teeth and suddenly burst into laughter.
He spewed, "How could she not be interested in me? We are together day and night, inseparable, and have a very happy time. I was just curious about her ex-husband. Now that I see him, he's truly nothing special."
Ex-husband?
The crowd was once again stirred by their gossip, and their eyes, like spectators at a show, turned towards Liu Jiang Fusheng.
Were they discussing the fake "Hua Mi"?
And this one... was the new lover, then.
They looked at the Human Emperor again, and comparing the two, they felt the fake "Hua Mi's" taste was quite polarized.
Liu Jiang Fusheng felt as if his chest had been struck by a heavy hammer, his palms clenching involuntarily.
Every word the Human Emperor uttered was piercing. Even though Liu Jiang Fusheng knew that most of what the other party said was a lie, his intention was merely to enrage him. But the dragon's reverse scale—Liu Jiang Fusheng reached out and grabbed the cool, carved hilt of his sword, the tip pointing directly at him, his entire being exuding a murderous aura.
"You, with your soul of an evil spirit and your filthy body, dare to covet her?"
The Human Emperor coldly flicked his sleeve, his ferocity revealed, "Why wouldn't I dare? Why shouldn't I? You're merely at the Nascent Soul stage, do you think I would fear you?"
As the two faced each other, one black and one white, the aura that tore at the air, emanating from their powerful beings, spread out. Those standing nearby dared not approach. The powerful colliding currents even distorted the air around them.
Under the oppressive force, those with lower cultivation felt their blood surge and became extremely uncomfortable.
Abbess Huiming quickly joined Abbess Xianzhi and Abbess Jingxu in setting up a barrier to shield them from this pressure, otherwise, these ordinary disciples would be severely injured.
Cheng Hong also made a move. He summoned a bronze bell from his Qiankun pouch. It was originally the size of a small bell in his palm, but it gradually grew larger as spiritual energy was infused into it.
With a flick of his sleeve, the bronze bell transformed into a shield guarding the crowd. The bell shed a faint golden light that enveloped everyone overhead, instantly reducing the pressure they endured.
Another genius at the Nascent Soul stage had appeared.
Lu Ziyin gasped, thinking to himself, have Nascent Soul stage cultivators become like white radishes now?
No, it shouldn't be.
If they were as common as white radishes, what did that make him? A stunted radish sprout?
Did they have some special cultivation techniques? Why couldn't he achieve it?
He often reflected with self-questioning.
Did he cultivate in the morning?
Did he cultivate at noon?
Did he cultivate at night?
Yes, he cultivated at all times.
He was already considered a cultivation fanatic. For the past seven years, besides going into seclusion, he had been undertaking sect missions to improve his combat power, barely pausing for a moment. Yet, he was still far behind his peers. Only... Yan Tianjiao could understand such a feeling of frustration?
He discreetly looked at Yan Tianjiao, only to see that he seemed to pay no mind to others saying Liu Jiang Fusheng was at the Nascent Soul stage, his attention solely focused ahead.
"You, Master, and Liu Jiang Fusheng, why could they cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage so quickly?"
Taking pills?
Unlikely.
Although generally, cultivators who reached the Nascent Soul stage would have to consume tons of pills to get there, let alone the quantity, the exorbitant cost of spiritual medicines alone deterred countless people.
Yan Tianjiao initially had no intention of responding to Lu Ziyin, but he kept bothering him. So, Yan Tianjiao glanced at him irritably, "If I knew, would I still be at the Nascent Soul stage?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ziyin quickly patted his startled little heart and breathed a sigh of relief, "So you don't know either? That's great, now I feel more balanced psychologically."
It's not scary for an opponent to be too diligent; it's scary when you're the only one left behind.
Veins bulged on Yan Tianjiao's forehead, "Get lost—"
—
"Human Emperor, what exactly do you intend to do?" Cheng Hong's Buddhist countenance suddenly turned grim.
The Human Emperor stared at Liu Jiang Fusheng, "Of course, I intend to kill."
"You came here behind her back, aren't you afraid of her finding out?"
The Human Emperor said dismissively, "The dead cannot come back to life. What's the point of her knowing afterward? In any case, the one who will spend the rest of her life with her can only be me."
The simmering anger that Liu Jiang Fusheng had been holding in was now fully ignited. Even if the Human Emperor were to back down, he had no intention of letting the matter rest.
"The ramblings of a fool."
Saying this, he slashed his sword horizontally, the instant burst of killing intent as terrifying as an abyss. The Human Emperor sidestepped to evade the sword, but a part of his robe was still grazed by the sword energy. He curled his fingers into claws and lunged straight for his heart.
"By devouring your pure lotus, immaculate soul, I can achieve complete purification, and you will no longer be a defiled body!"
What Liu Jiang Fusheng had said earlier wasn't entirely without effect on him. As arrogant as the Human Emperor was, he still worried that his dilapidated body would be unworthy of Gu Junshi.
His limbs protruded from his body, and Liu Jiang Fusheng threw his sword forward, rapidly forming hand seals with both hands.
A vast and intricate light array formed beneath his feet, glowing brilliantly, and immense spiritual power gathered around him.
The Human Emperor also rapidly formed hand seals, the ghost energy behind him so dense that the entire background distorted. A black formation appeared behind him, and a large number of limbs generated from the chaos.
Just as their battle was about to erupt, a cloud thunder message arrived, exploding in the air.
"Human Emperor, return quickly!"
It was Gu Junshi's voice.
The Human Emperor knew his illusion had been exposed, but he had no intention of returning so obediently.
Immediately after, a second cloud thunder message arrived.
"If my third cloud thunder message arrives, you need not return."
The Human Emperor stopped his movements.
"Liu Jiang Fusheng, we shall meet again."