Chapter 904: Self-Proclaimed Celestial Venerable

“Fen… Fen Juechen!?”

From a corner of the seating area, Dongfang Xiu and Qin Wushang, representing the Azure Wind Imperial Family, cried out in surprise. It was their first time in a supreme place like the Supreme Ocean Palace, and their first time seeing so many peerless experts. Though considered top-tier cultivators in the Azure Wind Nation, here they felt as small and weak as ants. Yet, they had no choice but to come. Those who did not attend when invited would be executed without mercy! For the safety of Azure Wind, they had to brave it and come. Now, seeing the man recently rumored to be a terrifying demon god, they realized his face was unexpectedly familiar—it was someone they knew!

Many profound practitioners from the Seven Nations who had previously seen XuanYuan Wentian at the Demon Sword Convention exchanged bewildered glances, utterly dumbfounded.

“Wha… What’s going on? Lord Sword Master’s face… and his figure… how could he…” Ling Yuefeng exclaimed in shock.

“Hmph, what’s there to be so surprised about?” XuanYuan Jue cast a sidelong glance backward, his voice cold. “The Heavenly Sovereign has attained supreme divine power. It’s only natural for him to be reborn and completely transformed. Furthermore, the Heavenly Sovereign is no longer merely Lord Sword Master; he is the Heavenly Profound Sovereign!”

“Yes…” Ling Yuefeng quickly agreed, daring not to speak further.

“Where is Wentao?” XuanYuan Wentian’s gaze swept indifferently across the surroundings, not finding XuanYuan Wentao.

“Reporting, Heavenly Sovereign,” an elder at the front of the Sword Region elders’ queue stepped forward and bowed. “Young Master was traveling with us, but he heard that an artifact forging sect in Zhaonan possessed an extraordinary sword. On a whim, Young Master took a detour to acquire it for his amusement, so he will be slightly delayed. However, for an event of such immense importance today, the Young Master surely won’t be late.”

“Additionally, Elder Nine Shadows is accompanying the Young Master, so his safety is absolutely assured.”

“Hmph, this Sovereign never worries about his safety,” XuanYuan Wentian snorted lightly. “That boy hasn’t made much progress lately, always flaunting his power everywhere. Never mind, don’t bother with him.”

Boom—

As XuanYuan Wentian’s voice faded, a thin layer of black aura on his body suddenly erupted. In an instant, everyone felt a chilling energy explode deep within their bodies and souls, making them instantly cold, their vision darkening. More than half of the people collapsed from their standing positions back into their seats, trembling all over.

“Hehehehehehe…” XuanYuan Wentian let out a deep, prolonged laugh. “It seems most of those who should be here have arrived. So, we can officially begin.”

Gazes, some clear, some hidden, some fearful, converged on XuanYuan Wentian. On the vast Sea God Platform, among the tens of thousands of people with extraordinary profound energy or power, not a single sound was made. Even the sound of breathing was almost imperceptible. This was no mere grand assembly; it was a critical juncture concerning the fate of everyone present and the entire Heavenly Profound Continent!

“This Sovereign has convened all of you today to announce a momentous matter,” XuanYuan Wentian declared, spreading his arms. “From today forward, this Sovereign is the sole Heavenly Sovereign in this world! Truly, congratulations to all of you gathered here; you have personally witnessed the birth of the first Heavenly Sovereign in the history of the Heavenly Profound Continent! This shall be the honor of your lifetime!”

“Heavenly Sovereign XuanYuan, boundless is your might!!”

The people from the Heavenly Might Sword Region bowed again, their shouts shaking the heavens and earth.

However, apart from those from the Heavenly Might Sword Region, no one else uttered a sound. Many faces were grim, like still water. In particular, the expressions of the people from the Imperial Extreme Holy Land and the Supreme Ocean Palace were exceedingly displeased.

“Heheheh,” XuanYuan Wentian raised a hand, signaling the Sword Region members to stand. Then he said indifferently, “Regarding this Sovereign being crowned Heavenly Sovereign, do any of you have questions or objections? If so, please feel free to voice them. This Sovereign will personally… make you convinced.”

XuanYuan Wentian’s words were flat, but anyone could detect the chilling menace within them.

“This old man has a question!”

A low, slow voice suddenly came from XuanYuan Wentian’s right. Though low, it startled everyone like a muffled thunderclap, causing them to instantly look towards its source. XuanYuan Wentian’s gaze flickered sideways, and he smiled faintly. “Isn’t that Venerable Gummu from the Holy Land? What is it you wish to question?”

From the Imperial Extreme Holy Land, a white-haired elder stepped forward, moving to Huangji Wuyu’s side. His eyes, completely clear and fearless, met XuanYuan Wentian’s. Known as “Gummu” in the Holy Land, he was one of its Twelve Venerables. “This old man wishes to ask, Lord Sword Master, what defines a Heavenly Sovereign?”

“An excellent question!” XuanYuan Wentian immediately replied, his tone arrogant. “A Heavenly Sovereign is the supreme ruler of this world, the venerable of all beings! Everything in this world is in this Sovereign’s hands! This Sovereign’s will is the will of heaven; those who obey shall live, those who defy shall die! This Sovereign’s word is fate; those who follow shall live, those who betray shall die!”

XuanYuan Wentian’s wildly arrogant words made everyone’s already grim faces turn even darker. These were undoubtedly the most presumptuous words they had ever heard in their lives. Venerable Gummu’s brows furrowed. He composed himself and continued to ask, “Then, what are we in relation to the Heavenly Sovereign?”

With his hands clasped behind his back, XuanYuan Wentian looked at Venerable Gummu and said in a low, slow voice, “Naturally, you are slaves. The obedient live, the disobedient die!”

“You!!” Venerable Gummu’s eyes narrowed, and the faces of everyone on the Sea God Platform instantly changed.

Whether an emperor of a nation or an overlord of a region, the first thing they would do upon becoming a ruler would be to appease, pacify, and win over the hearts of the people. Even the Four Great Holy Lands, which had dominated the Heavenly Profound Continent for ten thousand years, propagated names like “Guardians” and “Holy Lands” to the world, naturally to win popular support.

But XuanYuan Wentian, on the very first day he proclaimed himself Heavenly Sovereign, declared that his subordinates—the people of the world—were all slaves! He was not completely insane… popular sentiment turning against a ruler could indeed overthrow royal power. However, XuanYuan Wentian’s power was such that he no longer feared the defiance of the world. In fact, he wished for more people to rebel, more people to try and resist, so he could more wantonly enjoy the pleasure of trampling and slaughtering, and more gleefully enjoy their fearful and despairing gazes.

“Is this Sovereign’s answer satisfactory, Venerable Gummu?” XuanYuan Wentian slowly narrowed his eyes.

“Step back, speak no more,” Huangji Wuyu whispered.

Venerable Gummu’s chest heaved; he was utterly beyond rage. Instead, he took a step forward and roared, “If the Profound Realm of our Heavenly Profound Continent were to gain a ruler of the Profound Way who could command respect through ability, that would not be a bad thing. But you… XuanYuan Wentian, you proclaim yourself some so-called Heavenly Sovereign merely to enslave the world!”

“You… you have acted wantonly these past few months, mercilessly slaughtering hundreds of sects, large and small, just to plunder profound crystals! You even killed eleven of our Holy Land’s elders and over nine hundred disciples… Though you’ve always been notoriously repulsive, at least before you knew to conceal and restrain yourself… Now, you are simply a devil devoid of humanity, with monstrous crimes, utterly unworthy of being a Holy Land master! Do you truly believe everyone in the world will obey you out of fear?! Do you truly believe no one can stop you… Ugh!!”

Venerable Gummu’s furious shouts abruptly ceased. His gaze froze, and he fell straight backward. A pitch-black circular hole had appeared in his chest.

“Gummu!!”

“Venerable Gummu!!!”

Huangji Wuyu rushed forward, catching the falling Venerable Gummu. When Venerable Gummu had started to rebuke XuanYuan Wentian, he had sensed trouble… because the current XuanYuan Wentian was fundamentally different from the XuanYuan Wentian of six months ago. He had to be fully on guard… but the black ray that pierced Venerable Gummu seemed to come from the void. Although he perceived it, he had no time to even react, let alone block it.

“Holy Emperor…” Venerable Gummu’s face turned ashen at an astonishing speed. “Please… don’t… ever…”

Only managing to utter those last six words, Venerable Gummu’s old eyes completely turned black. Then, amidst the rising black aura, his skin, muscles, blood, meridians, and bones… all pulverized into black dust and rapidly dispersed. It was complete annihilation, leaving not a single trace behind.

Everyone witnessed this scene with their own eyes. Every person’s pupils shrank, chills ran down their spines, and they sweated profusely, an indescribably immense fear churning within their souls. It was rumored that the other three Holy Masters combined forces had suffered a crushing defeat at XuanYuan Wentian’s hands. Although Venerable Gummu was a powerful Eighth-level Emperor Lord, he was no match for XuanYuan Wentian, and it wouldn’t have been too surprising if XuanYuan Wentian had killed him in one blow.

However, XuanYuan Wentian was several miles away from Venerable Gummu, yet he instantly turned an Eighth-level Emperor Lord into dust, leaving no trace of his body. There were countless other Holy Land experts around Venerable Gummu, and even the Holy Emperor Huangji Wuyu was less than three steps away, yet no one made even a slight reaction. In contrast, XuanYuan Wentian hadn’t moved an inch from beginning to end; even his hands remained clasped behind his back… only a strange black light flashed across his body for an instant. Such a scene, such power, was completely beyond the scope of their understanding.

This was simply a capability attributed to the legendary gods and devils!

“This is the consequence of disobedience in front of this Sovereign.” XuanYuan Wentian had a faint smile on his face, as if he hadn’t annihilated a powerful Eighth-level Emperor Lord and a Holy Land Venerable, but merely stepped on a dry blade of grass blocking his path. “Does anyone else wish to personally test it?”

“Excellent kill, Heavenly Sovereign!” a Sword Region elder cried out. “To dare speak disrespectfully to the Heavenly Sovereign is an unforgivable crime. It was a mercy that the Heavenly Sovereign personally dealt with him.”

“Xuan… Yuan… Wen… Tian!!”

Huangji Wuyu slowly stood up, his face, which he had struggled to keep calm, now contorted. Some uncontrolled profound energy surged around his body. “My Imperial Extreme Holy Land has stood for ten thousand years. While we may not have committed great good, we have also never committed great evil, and have always lived up to our name as a Holy Land! How can we associate with a demon like you?!”

Huangji Wuyu’s few words, filled with deep anger, very clearly stated his stance. This also slightly jolted the spirits of the profound practitioners who were trembling in fear.

“Holy Emperor…” The people of the Imperial Extreme Holy Land also looked up at Huangji Wuyu.

“Oh?” Huangji Wuyu turned his face, a chilling, faint smile creeping up the corner of his mouth. “I, Huangji Wuyu, have lived for over two thousand years. I admit I am afraid of death, but I would be even more disdainful of barely surviving under your rule! My Imperial Extreme Holy Land cannot be destroyed, but if it can only barely exist under the rule of your humanity-extinguishing demon, then I, Huangji Wuyu… would rather personally bury this ten-thousand-year Holy Land!!”