He came.
He came walking on auspicious clouds with his subordinates.
However, this person remained mysterious as always, impossible to see clearly.
Since no one had seen him before, why would they determine this was the Heavenly Demon Emperor? Because the young people following behind were all his adopted sons, all champions of various star system preliminaries.
Quite a few people.
Eighty-one in total.
Among them, eighty adopted sons had won preliminary championships. Only… one had barely made it into the grand finals.
Ling Li walked behind with his head lowered, his cold gaze containing hatred.
As the adopted son his adoptive father valued most, in this kind of entrance situation, he should have been closest to him. But because he failed to win the Cangyun System preliminary championship, he was instead arranged at the back, existing like a marginal figure.
“Eternal Sect!”
Ling Li clenched his fists tightly, screaming in his heart, “You made me lose my adoptive father’s trust, you made me lose the woman I loved. I, Ling Li, will definitely repay this a hundred-fold, a thousand-fold!”
To be fair.
Being marginalized by the Heavenly Demon Emperor did have some connection to the Eternal Sect.
But to blame them for losing his beloved woman was somewhat unreasonable.
With the Heavenly Demon Emperor’s arrival, pedestrians hurriedly moved aside.
Their gazes were filled with fear, terrified of accidentally provoking him.
Don’t blame them for being afraid—even Jun Changxiao was currently holding his breath and activating his Hidden Cultivation Technique.
However arrogant he’d been earlier, he was now equally cautious.
Of course.
Jun Changxiao wasn’t afraid of the Heavenly Demon Emperor.
The main thing was that he’d destroyed one of that guy’s avatars and killed Garuda King from the Eight Heavenly Dragons. The enmity between them could be described as “irreconcilable.” With the grand finals about to begin, there was no need to create conflict at this moment.
Whether you believe it or not, I believe this explanation.
“Sect Master Jun needn’t worry.”
Jian Guixu said, “This should be his avatar, not his true original body.”
Jun Changxiao said helplessly, “Does this guy have many avatars?”
“From what I know,” Jian Guixu said, “The Heavenly Demon Emperor cultivates the Yang-Seizing Yin-Reversing Technique and has gathered at least four avatars.”
“…”
Jun Changxiao howled internally, “I’m so jealous!”
He also had an avatar, but it was merely condensed through the Myriad Manifestations Technique. Its function was just to help improve cultivation and couldn’t be used in actual combat at all.
“Step.”
Just then, the Heavenly Demon Emperor, who had just entered the city, stopped. His cold gaze pierced through the street and locked onto the inn where Jun Changxiao was staying.
“Was I discovered?”
Dog Sheng’s heart skipped a beat.
“Jian Guixu.” At this moment, the Heavenly Demon Emperor’s cold voice rang out. “You actually came as well.”
Damn!
He himself hadn’t been exposed—instead, Senior Sword Saint had been exposed.
“The Universal Holy War is the greatest event in the upper cosmic layers. Naturally, this old man would come to observe,” Jian Guixu responded calmly, though actually quite worried the other party might disregard status and attack in the city.
“If that’s the case.”
The Heavenly Demon Emperor said, “The Eternal Sect’s sect master should be with you, correct?”
The last few words became especially low, giving the impression he was deliberately suppressing the rage in his heart.
“Crack!”
Hearing the three words “Eternal Sect,” Ling Li at the back clenched his fists tightly, his eyeballs turning red.
“Hahaha!”
At this moment, hearty laughter came from the inn.
“Heavenly Demon Emperor.”
“This is our second meeting, isn’t it?”
With Senior Sword Saint exposed, Jun Changxiao had no need to hide anymore.
Hearing that voice that easily angered people, the Heavenly Demon Emperor’s gaze flickered between dark and light, sometimes revealing killing intent, sometimes revealing fury. Along with his unstable emotions, overwhelming demonic energy diffused outward.
“…”
Everyone who felt it turned pale with fear.
This street, this city, seemed to transform into hell.
“…” Jun Changxiao also sensed it, his brows furrowing slightly as he thought, “This avatar is stronger than the one Brother Monkey instantly killed!”
“Heavenly Demon Emperor!”
At this moment, several figures flew over from the distance.
The leading golden-haired man suppressed the fear in his heart and said, “This is where the Universal Holy War grand finals are being held. Please restrain your emotions and don’t cause trouble!”
“Heh.”
An adopted son standing beside the Heavenly Demon Emperor tilted his head and said, “You have no qualification to speak here. Scram.”
After entering the city, Jun Changxiao had acted arrogant.
But compared to this adopted son, he was completely outclassed in both aura and mannerisms.
One mountain is higher than another; among the strong, there are always stronger ones.
Of course.
The other adopted sons behind didn’t stay idle either, stepping forward one after another, some shaking their heads, some cracking their knuckles, thoroughly embodying the aura of street gang bosses.
“Swish!”
The Heavenly Demon Emperor waved his hand.
The adopted sons all retreated to their original positions.
“Please don’t misunderstand.” The Heavenly Demon Emperor smiled coldly. “This emperor came to bring his adopted sons to participate in the grand finals, not to cause trouble.”
With that said.
The demonic energy lingering in the surroundings rapidly dissipated.
“Phew!”
The passersby all felt relieved and let out long breaths.
“Since you’re here to participate in the grand finals, please abide by the competition rules,” the golden-haired man said with cupped fists, though his calves were still trembling violently.
“Your Majesty!”
At this moment, a subordinate approached and said, “The guest rooms have been arranged. Please follow this subordinate.”
The Heavenly Demon Emperor nodded and led the group of adopted sons forward. Along the way, he didn’t look toward the inn where Jun Changxiao was staying again, as if he had truly just come to participate in the Universal Holy War grand finals.
“Phew!”
Jun Changxiao leaned back in his chair, his right hand stroking his chest.
Although he appeared calm and collected when conversing with the Heavenly Demon Emperor, he was actually under tremendous pressure.
“Sect Master Jun.”
Jian Guixu said, “Do you know why the Heavenly Demon Emperor has his adopted sons compete?”
Jun Changxiao subconsciously looked toward the bronze cauldron standing outside and said, “Could it be he also wants to explore the secrets within?”
“Exactly.”
Jian Guixu nodded.
“Since this cauldron was left behind by Senior Qixuan, it must contain opportunities to enter the path of eternal life. If he obtains the mysteries within, the upper cosmic layers will surely be plunged into misery!” Jun Changxiao said.
“Therefore, whether his adopted sons can be prevented from winning the championship depends only on your disciples, Sect Master Jun,” Jian Guixu said.
Jun Changxiao said, “This junior will have them give their absolute all!”
If fighting one-on-one against the Heavenly Demon Emperor, Dog Sheng definitely had no confidence.
But if having his disciples fight the other’s adopted sons, that was much easier.
Without various factors enhancing him, Jun Changxiao was merely a low-tier Heaven’s Mystery Realm cultivator, far from reaching an invincible level. But he also had advantages—namely that every disciple in his sect was talented, and they all spoke so pleasantly.
What is a sect?
It represents a team, a collective.
If everything depended on Jun Changxiao using cheats to solve problems, while the disciples he raised could only stand on the sidelines cheering as spectators, what would be the point?
No.
They needed to prove themselves.
This Universal Holy War was the stage for that proof.
…
Tianwei Secret Realm.
“Huff, huff!”
Xiao Zuiji bent over, arms hanging down, hair disheveled, breathing rapidly. He looked extremely weak.
“Step!”
Xiang Yu’s heroic soul walked over.
Xiao Zuiji squeezed out a difficult smile and said, “I… lost again…”
“No.”
Xiang Yu said, “You won.”
“I… won?” Xiao Zuiji’s gaze filled with bewilderment.
“Clap.”
Xiang Yu placed one hand on his shoulder and said, “I, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, will campaign alongside you on the battlefield.”
“Huff, huff!”
“Huff, huff, huff!”
In an instant, his body transformed into flowing light, completely enveloping Xiao Zuiji, then beginning the rather lengthy process of establishing a heroic soul contract.
…
In another area.
Su Xiaomo cupped his fists and said, “Senior, please lend me your aid!”
“Reason.”
“Though you are elderly, Senior, your courage surpasses entire armies and you’re unmatched!”
“Hahaha!”
Huang Zhong, sitting in the forest, stood up with his blade and laughed toward the sky. “Young one, this old man loves hearing what you say.”
…
The grand finals were about to begin.
All participating Eternal Sect disciples were still training diligently.
At this moment, they bore not only the responsibility of bringing honor to their sect but also the mission of blocking the Heavenly Demon Emperor’s adopted sons from winning the championship.