There were four duels this time, and both parties won two each. Although the Stygian Immortals and Mystic Immortals were supposed to be the more interesting groups competing, the two duels at the end were won so beautifully. A few were won with a knockout. On average, therefore, every single group was equally interesting.

　　Chu Xuan’s expression was pale. Chu Xuan was already prepared to mock the losers, but now Chu Xuan had to swallow it back. The various emperors of the Feng Cang continent also did not look too happy. All of them were prodigies that became immortals – who could not tell what happened in the last battle?

　　Hui Ling was the victor of the Earth Immortal group. Obviously, the remaining two people were defeated by her. Yet, how did she manage to lose so terribly to people from upper He Chuan? If their skills were too formidable, it was alright, but in the next battle, she lost to the other two body cultivators. Within a few minutes, they knocked her out. People began to wonder whether the previous result had been tampered with.

　　Almost at once, everybody looked at the person in Chen Ge’s arms, thinking about all the possible conspiracy theories. None of them dared to speak up on account of the Celestial Emperor, but in their hearts, everybody knew that Hui Ling had cheated earlier on. They began to wonder whether Chen Ge had told Invincible Sect something to make them lose to Hui Ling on purpose in the previous competition.

　　Chen Ge’s expression was extremely dark as he looked at Hui Ling with a complex gaze. He knew full well that everybody knew what had happened. Afterall, Hui Ling was his own disciple. Seeing her so seriously injured and knowing that the He Chuan people were still around made him feel terribly uncomfortable. He supported most of Hui Ling’s weight as he addressed the people in front of him.

　　“Celestial Emperor Chu Xuan, each of us has won two battles in this competition. I think we can consider that we have come to the end. Why not we cease the competition here for today?”

　　“You want to forget about this now?” Chu Xuan tutted, his eyes filled with fury. “Dream on. This is a draw afterall. Why don’t we have a sudden death round!” Once he finished speaking, he panned out his fan and a huge immortal force charged toward Chen Ge.

　　“You…” Chen Ge’s expression changed. He had no choice but to make use of his own immortal force to protect all the immortals who were around him. He was very obviously displeased. “Chu Xuan, why do you have to do this? I have no intention to quarrel with you. Both you and I are Celestial Emperors. If we insist on the battle, innocent people will be hurt. This is a competition meant for the immortals under us. If you insist on determining who is the winner… Ah, I’ll let you win.”

　　“Nonsense!” Chu Xuan’s face contorted with rage. He glared at Chen Ge so intensely that it almost seemed as if he was going to hurt Chen Ge physically with his gaze. “Pui! I don’t care for your so-called courtesy. Hold back that hypocritical tongue of yours. I said this before… If we meet again, I will take your life! The fact that I dared to come today shows that I am unafraid of never making it back.”

　　Chen Ge’s expression changed again. As if recalling something, he exclaimed, “What did you do?”

　　Chu Xuan did not answer him, but laughed mirthlessly. He raised his voice, “Why don’t you act?”

　　“What?”

　　Before anyone could react, the emperor seated closest to Chen Ge, Ge You, exploded. He drew his sword and aimed for Chen Ge.

　　He did not realise that Chen Ge was a Celestial Emperor afterall. Instinctively, Chen Ge turned around and waved his arm, sending Ge You flying back. He successfully defended himself against the sword, but Ge You’s sword still managed to break through Chen Ge’s defensive array and cause a deep gash on his arm. Fresh blood flowed out of the wound.

　　“Ge You, you…”

　　Not only Chen Ge, but all the other emperors looked extremely shocked as they stared at Ge You, who was now on the ground. Nobody knew that he had turned into a traitor!

　　“Celestial Emperor, you cannot possibly blame me for this,” Ge You said as he struggled to get to his feet. There was a grin on his face and no sign of panic. “You are not able to discern right from wrong. You don’t take the various emperors’ request seriously and insist on protecting that Invincible Sect. You have no rights at all to manage Feng Cang continent. This continent needs a new master.”

　　Chen Ge’s expression darkened. “You think that by depending on Chu Xuan and injuring me, you can become the master of Feng Cang?” Without being a Celestial Emperor, how could Ge You even dream of taking control of the continent? This attack with his sword was nothing in Chen Ge’s eyes. He waved his hand again with ease and the wound disappeared.

　　Ge You’s grin widened. “Once you are all dead, of course I can!”

　　As he finished speaking, the array underneath everybody’s feet suddenly burst with red light, covering the people on the stage. Everybody began to panic and attempted to fly up and protect themselves, but they found themselves rooted to where they were, unable to move. Underneath Chen Ge’s feet, something the colour of blood began to move and form a strange talisman. On closer inspection, they realised that it was the blood that Chen Ge shed.

　　The attack earlier on was not intended to defeat Chen Ge, but to draw his blood for the array!

　　The disciples who had been watching the battle earlier wanted to run over and help, but Chu Xuan’s immortals stopped them. Even those who managed to rush to the scene were stuck once they reached the red light – they too were unable to move. The red light expanded and the environment around them changed. What was originally the stage began to split apart, forming a valley in between. It was almost as if an entire world was forming on its own.

　　“What… What array is this?” Chen Ge was beginning to panic. He wanted to regulate his immortal Qi and get himself out of the array, but he found that the more he struggled, the more tightly he was bound.

　　“The Immortal Execution Array,” Chu Xuan answered as he stepped forward. His eyes were full of self-satisfaction at the thought of finally getting his revenge. “I searched for more than a thousand years for this array, and I spent several hundred more years trying to figure out how it works. It is an ancient array found in the immortal realm and used to massacre the immortals here.”

　　An ancient array! Everybody sucked in a deep breath and immediately became pale. No wonder this competition was fixed at the Interspatial Arena. They were never meant to leave this place.

　　“As long as you enter this array, you can forget about escaping.” Once he finished speaking, he conjured a spell and his body flashed. He flew toward Chen Ge and waved the immortal weapon in his hands. Suddenly, a hundred thousand wind blades appeared. They were clearly aimed at the various emperors and Chen Ge, who were helpless at that moment.

　　Out of nowhere, formidable sword Qi filled the air and swept his wind blades aside. Chu Xuan was evidently shocked. He retreated several steps to avoid the word Qi. Lowering his head, he saw that there was a man wielding a sword standing next to Chen Ge. His entire body was emitting rich sword Qi, and the red light for some reason did not seem to reach him.

　　Chu Xuan frowned. He had not thought that there would be such a powerful sword immortal in Feng Cang continent. Despite being trapped by the Immortal Execution Array, he still managed to wield his sword.

　　The red light was still fast expanding. It seemed like even Chu Xuan’s disciples were going to be caught in it. The Immortal Execution Array was almost complete. They would never be allowed to leave his place.

　　“Ha!” He waved his fan and more wind blades flew toward the crowd.

　　“Yi Qing, on your right!” Lonemoon exclaimed. It was alright for them to get hid by a couple of wind blades, but on Yi Qing’s right stood Yu Hong and the other disciples. They would not be able to withstand more than a few blows.

　　Yi Qing turned and swung his sword, sweeping his right side and blocking off the huge wind blades.

　　Chu Xuan took the chance to charge in. He glared at Chen Ge, determined. “If I don’t kill you with my own hands today, I will destroy your disciples.” Without further hesitation, he grabbed the first person he could reach on his left and flew away. He did not even turn back.

　　Shen Ying, who had been pulled away all of a sudden: “…”

　　He’s not left-handed, is he?

　　————

　　As Chu Xuan flew off, everybody whom he brought with him disappeared after him. The Immortal Execution Array was complete. The pile of waste was now covered in a blood-red dome – nobody could see what was happening inside.

　　Only a few of the disciples who were observing the battle outside were lucky not to have been trapped within the array. Yet, none of them dared to go any closer toward it.

　　Lan Hua and Feng Ying watched Chu Xuan fly off and naturally also saw that the person he grabbed was Shen Ying.

　　“That was…” Lan Hua stood up all of a sudden, turning around to chase after him.

　　“What are you doing?” Feng Ying held him back.

　　“I’m going to save her. Did you not see my good heart being taken away?”

　　Feng Ying pursed his lips. “Trust me, she’s the only one you wouldn’t need to save! We should-”

　　“No!” Lan Hua could not be bothered with what he had to say. He shook off Feng Ying’s hand and pursued Chu Xuan.

　　“Wait!” He had not finished speaking. Lan Hua disappeared into the skies.

　　Holy shit!

　　Lan Hua was flying so fast. He had been flying for more than a minute, yet he still had not caught sight of a single figure. Inside, he cursed the man who took Shen Ying away. Indeed, not one of the Celestial Emperors were good – every last one of them was rotten to the core. His heart felt extremely heavy.

　　He knew full well that this was the Heavens beyond Heaven, and that man was a Celestial Emperor. Even if he caught him, his demonic identity would surely be exposed the moment they fought. Then, he would have difficulty getting away. The smartest solution was to save the Young Emperor of the Invincible Sect, then think of saving Shen Ying together.

　　If he had been calmer, he would not even have gone to so much trouble. Shen Ying was his good heart – if she disappeared and died at the hands of that man, Lan Hua would benefit. Once his good heart was removed, he would be able to become a Skyfiend.

　　He knew that this was logical, but… he could not control himself!

　　○| ̄|_

　　At the thought that she was his good heart, his body went into overdrive. He could not stop himself as he tore the necklace from his neck and regulated his demonic Qi to increase his speed.

　　After a few moments, he felt the weak aura of that Celestial Emperor. His heart leapt as he flew in the direction of that aura. A few moments later, he felt ten distinct auras atop a mountain. Chest tightening, he shouted.

　　“Let go of that lady!”

　　The moment he spoke, the tallest figure paused and waved toward him. “Hey, Boss!”

　　“Good Heart? You’re all…” right? Before he could finish speaking, he felt something beneath his feet as he landed. He looked down and saw that it was an immortal. He looked around and found that something was amiss.

　　Huh?

　　Why were there over ten people lying down here?

　　Why are there a few more people hanging on that tree?

　　Why was the man Shen Ying was stepping on so familiar?

　　What the heck… is happening here?

　　What happened in that one minute?

　　ლ(°△°ლ)

　　“Good… Heart?” You’re Good Heart; I haven’t got it wrong, right? “You’re… alright?”

　　He scanned her from head to toe. That’s good! She was not missing any limb and she did not have any broken bones. Even her hair was still in place. Only her robes looked a little dusty and ugly… Oh, it looked like that from the beginning.

　　“I’m alright.” Shen Ying tilted her head as if recalling something. “Oh yes, Che…”

　　She was just about to ask how the others were, when the person beneath her feet jumped. He seemed to have heard something strange. Suddenly, he struggled to get up. “You’re… Celestial… Celestial Emperor Lan Hua… You’re Celestial Emperor Lan Hua, aren’t you!”

　　He wanted to turn around, but the moment he moved, Shen Ying stepped on his chest so that he was lying down again. He turned his head around to get a glimpse of Lan Hua.

　　Lan Hua frowned as he looked at the man under Shen Ying’s feet, who had been beaten almost beyond recognition. “Who… is this pig head?”

　　“Er…” Shen Ying thought for awhile and replied, “He calls himself your good comrade.”

　　“… What? Chicken oil ¹ ”

　　“Celestial Emperor, it’s me… it’s me!” The pig head struggled to turn around to let Lan Hua see his full features. He tried to wriggle closer to Lan Hua. “I’m Chu Xuan, Master! You… You’re still alive. That’s great, Master…”

　　Hey, he’s Boss’ disciple?

　　Shen Ying paused and retracted her leg. Then, she turned to glance at the person beside her.

　　“Hey, hey, hey, you’re spouting nonsense. Since when have I ever accepted disciples?” Lan Hua frowned.

　　“Mas… Celestial Emperor.” Chu Xuan was obviously getting more agitated. He fixed his gaze on Lan Hua and said, “I’m really Chu Xuan. I’m the Chu Xuan… from the Shu Tai Peak 70,000 years ago!”

　　“Shu Tai Peak?” Lan Hua bent over and took a closer look at Chu Xuan. He thought long and hard for a long time and then declared, “I don’t know you!”

　　Chu Xuan: “…”

　　Shen Ying: “…”

　　Er, why do I hear something breaking?

　　Chu Xuan’s blue and purple face became pale instantly. It seemed like every last bit of anger seeped out of his body.

　　He slumped, and then suddenly realised something.

　　“Chu Xuan knows… that he is not worthy of being your disciple. I did not dare to ask before… And I dare to even less now… In the past, I was blinded and I let you down. Please, forgive me. All I ask… All I ask is for you to let me atone for my past mistakes.” His tears started to flow down his cheeks, as if he could no longer hold them back. Soon, streaks of tears covered his face. Wow! He looks uglier now. “Even… even if you kill me, I will have no complaints.”

　　Hey! He’s so emotional! Shen Ying turned to look at Lan Hua.

　　“Why are you looking at me like that?” Lan Hua felt goosebumps raise on his hands and turned to glare at her. He took a step back, disgusted. “I don’t even know him.”

　　“Celestial Emperor…” Chu Xuan was looking more desperate now.

　　Shen Ying sighed, “Hey… control your emotions first!”

　　“…” Why must I freaking control my emotions–explain yourself!

　　“Hey, you’re still alive. Since you’re still alive, come back and break the array for me.” I want to eat lunch soon and Chef is still stuck in there!

　　“Oh yes!” Lan Hua suddenly recalled the matter at hand. This is not the time to talk about all of this. He suddenly wondered again about how Shen Ying managed to free herself.

　　“You want to go back!” Chu Xuan could not believe his ears. Did the Celestial Emperor really want to go back and save Chen Ge, that ingrate?

　　“What’s wrong?” Hungry Shen Ying’s expression turned cold. “Do you have something to say about that?”

　　A few images flashed across Chu Xuan’s mind, and he began to tremble. His still swollen face instantly displayed fear. Subconsciously, he retreated behind Lan Hua. “N-No.” Compared to Celestial Emperor Lan Hua, this female immortal was much scarier!

　　Lan Hua did not bother about Chu Xian. Instead, he drew his flying sword, supported the pig head up, grabbed Shen Ying and flew into the sky.

　　They flew at an extremely high speed. In about a minute, they were back at the Interspatial Arena. On the road, they finally clarified the relationship between Lan Hua and Chu Xuan.

　　Chu Xuan and Chen Ge were immortals from Yun Feng continent’s Shu Tai Peak. 70,000 years ago, when Chu Xuan was a Mystic Immortal, his skills and techniques were lacking given his itinerant cultivator background. As a result, a problem arose when Chu Xuan went through the Heavenly Tribulations. At that time, Lan Hua had not yet become a demon and was only an immortal emperor. He had been passing by and gave Chu Xuan a hand. He even taught Chu Xuan and Chen Ge a technique that suited them very well.

　　It was the work of fate. Chu Xuan had already taken Lan Hua to be his master. With the technique that Lan Hua taught them, Chu Xuan and Chen Ge trained and finally became Celestial Emperors. Later, they heard that demons were causing trouble and Chen Ge invited him, together with several other Celestial Emperors, to fight the demons.

　　At that time, he had no idea who the demon was. Moreover, when Lan Hua helped him, he did not leave his name behind. After Lan Hua became a demon, the demon Qi surrounding his body caused him to become unrecognisable.

　　After it all blew over, Chu Xuan found out that his techniques and training methods were all created by Celestial Emperor Lan Hua, who was the very demon that he had helped to defeat.

　　Chu Xuan felt extremely pained knowing that he had killed his benefactor with his own hands. Subsequently, he found out that Lan Yu, Lan Hua’s brother, had caused him to turn into a demon, Chu Xuan decided to work with Chen Ge and seek revenge for Celestial Emperor Lan Hua. When Lan Yu finally became the Celestial Emperor of the Yun Feng continent, however, Chen Ge no longer wanted to have conflicts with him. He turned Chu Xuan down. Chu Xuan was angered by Chen Ge’s ungratefulness and began to hate him as well.

　　That was why all these years, he caused Lan Yu and Chen Ge so much trouble.

　　As Chu Xuan recounted these things, he cried. It was obvious that he was experiencing excruciating anger. Lan Hua almost feared that he would jump off the flying sword.

　　Lan Hua, on the other hand, looked calm. He felt nothing in his heart. Instead, all he wanted was to eat seeds. Whatever Chu Xuan could not forget… Lan Hua could not recall whatsoever.

　　Lan Hua expressed that he taught so many people so many techniques that he hardly remembered any of them.

　　It was right – Boss Lan Hua was a child who dished out money freely. Shen Ying began to suspect that his younger brother wanted to kick him off his pedestal because he was wasting too much money.

　　Hmm… She’d better treat Father Niu nicely in the future.