Chapter 941: Sword Slashes the Divine Altar

The moment this altar emerged, it sent shockwaves through the heavens!

Outside the Ancient Emperor Star, the anxious ministers' expressions changed drastically in an instant, their hearts churning as if the heavens and earth were collapsing. Some ministers even looked utterly incredulous, as if struck by a lightning bolt.

"Those are the coffins of the successive Human Emperors!"

"This... this is indeed a ritual to achieve godhood!"

A monstrous storm raged in everyone's minds. Indeed, the gods were mortal enemies to all races in Wanggu. Wanggu suffered because of the gods, and its myriad beings withered away because of them. Though countless years had passed, many races eventually chose to submit, willingly enduring enslavement, and in doing so, gained benefits, becoming powerful races within Wanggu. The Yan Yue Xuantian were a prime example of this!

But a slave was still a slave! The Human Race, a proud people who had unified Wanggu multiple times, had never bowed their heads, from beginning to end. Successive Human Emperors, no matter how difficult the circumstances, had never lost their resolve. While studying the gods was inevitable, leading to the concept of 'god-fusion', the Human Race, deep down, was fundamentally irreconcilable with them. Because their Dao was different!

As for achieving godhood, an utterly unacceptable prospect for the Human Race, no Human Emperor had ever chosen it. This was their unwavering commitment, their principle, and their absolute bottom line. It was also a shared understanding among all members of the Human Race within the Imperial Capital Region, passed down from generation to generation.

Yet now, the aura of divine fire was clearly perceived by everyone, especially with the appearance of a god, and the names inscribed on those five coffins. It was imaginable that four of those five coffins must contain the remains of past Human Emperors! Human Emperor Xuan Zhan clearly intended to use the power from the remains of successive Human Emperors as fuel to achieve his own godhood. To the old ministers, this was utterly unacceptable, even a greater betrayal of their ancestors than any act committed by the Eleventh Prince!

Though past Human Emperors had their faults during their lives, their contributions were undeniably immense! After their deaths, they should have remained undisturbed. Yet now, their descendants intended to use them as fuel to be burned. This act was nothing short of abandoning the human path, a grave act of rebellion!

Thus, sorrowful cries erupted from beyond the Ancient Emperor Star, echoing into the heavens.

"Your Majesty, you cannot do this!"

"We are the descendants of cultivators; we walk the path of cultivation, not the path of gods!"

"If the Human Emperor chooses to become a god, will our Human Race still be the Human Race?"

If the Human Emperor were to become a god, not only would the Human Race lose its fundamental principles, but the Holy Land in the heavens, sensing all this, would also be deeply disheartened!

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

The gods are our enemies across generations. If the Human Emperor were to become a god instead...

"What meaning would our generations of steadfast adherence still hold?"

"And what meaning would the silent assistance the Holy Land has provided all these years have?"

Not only were the old ministers outside the Ancient Emperor Star lamenting, but even those inside the Ancient Emperor Star who were permitted to observe the ceremony felt a surge of turmoil in their hearts. The altar raised by the Eleventh Prince truly stirred up a tempest!

Only Xu Qing! At this moment, he didn't care if the Human Emperor was going to achieve godhood, because the moment the altar appeared, his attention could not be diverted in the slightest; it was entirely fixed on the lamp in the very center of the altar! With just one glance, he immediately knew that this lamp was the very reason he had come to the Human Race. That was Zi Xuan's lifebound lamp. The Zi Xuan Azure Lamp!

But now, the spreading cracks on this lamp made a powerful sense of unease explode in Xu Qing's heart the moment he perceived them. His breathing quickened slightly, and a premonition arose within him.

"This ritual is active!"

The lamp was burning its very essence. Once its essence was depleted, the moment the ritual succeeded, the lamp would shatter. If that happened...

At that instant, a soul-stirring glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.

"Human Emperor Xuan Zhan is utterly deranged! He disregards the Ancient Emperor's teachings, ignores the Holy Land's warnings, refines the sacred remains of successive Human Emperors to fuel his own ascension, and attempts to become a god!"

"This method deviates from the immortal path, betrays the Human Race, and is utterly cruel!"

"Furthermore, Xuan Zhan disrespects his ancestors above and causes unrest among the common people below!"

"Heaven can bear witness, destiny can perceive: is such a Human Emperor truly worthy of the title?"

The Eleventh Prince's voice was earth-shattering, every word thundering, stirring up turmoil among the Human Race ministers. Simultaneously, his gaze sharply turned and landed on Xu Qing.

"King Zhen Cang, Xu Qing, I know you need that lamp. Now, will you watch it shatter before your very eyes, or will you break in, disrupt this ritual, and reclaim the lamp you need?"

Xu Qing remained silent, taking a step forward. Just then, the old eunuch fighting King Zhen Yan in mid-air changed his expression drastically, attempting to intervene, but was blocked by King Zhen Yan. So, his voice sharp, he let out a low cry.

"King Zhen Cang, the Human Emperor's actions have profound meaning! Do not be misled by these traitors! Withdraw at once!"

Xu Qing's cold gaze and his decisive steps were his only reply. With a single step, heaven and earth thundered. Xu Qing's aura surged violently within him, and tens of millions of soul threads boomed outwards, forming his Grand World. The hum of a sword emanated from within him, causing the sky to churn, and a colossal sword shadow suddenly materialized in the firmament above the Ancient Emperor Star.

Witnessing this, the Eleventh Prince began to smile. But just as the smile formed, the next instant, Xu Qing turned his head and gave him a cold glance. The Eleventh Prince's heart suddenly clenched. Ultimately, Xu Qing did not speak, withdrawing his gaze. As for why the other party knew he needed this lamp, he had no time to ponder it now. Although this situation, to some extent, allowed him to find the Zi Xuan Azure Lamp more quickly, the underlying scheme was also exceptionally clear. However, at this moment, none of that mattered.

The moment his foot landed, Xu Qing sped towards the altar. He neither wanted to help the Eleventh Prince nor get involved in the Human Emperor's affairs. But that lamp, he had to take it, even if it was the Human Emperor's ritual to achieve godhood! In the next instant, his figure appeared outside the altar and charged straight into the outward-spreading sea of flames. At the same time, the shadow of the Emperor's Sword tilted down from the firmament. The sword slashed towards the altar!

In the distance, the old eunuch's expression drastically changed. He wished to intervene but was unable to. Meanwhile, everyone else within the Ancient Emperor Star also hesitated. If this ritual wasn't about achieving godhood, they would naturally have tried to stop Xu Qing. But now, everyone remained silent, watching as the vast and majestic shadow of the Emperor's Sword, imbued with the power of destiny, emitted a sharp edge, descending with an unstoppable force that seemed capable of cleaving heaven and earth, shattering all in its path.

The Eleventh Prince burst into laughter, looking towards the Human Emperor, who had remained silent since the altar's ascent. "Father Emperor, you have lost your way!"

The Human Emperor still did not speak. Although the chains on his body continued to break, he seemed utterly unconcerned, his gaze now fixed on Xu Qing outside the altar. And he wasn't the only one! At this moment, everyone outside the altar was doing the same!

Under the gaze of countless eyes, the shadow of the Emperor's Sword finally struck the flames outside the altar. The flames surged violently, converging to form a colossal face. This face, shockingly, was a manifestation of Xuan Zhan, and the moment it appeared, it charged head-on towards the Emperor's Sword. A deafening roar shook the heavens and earth in that instant.

The sword shadow dissipated, and the face vanished. The flames churned violently, swaying as if caught in a mighty wind. Xu Qing didn't pause for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, his speed soared, turning him into an afterimage as he dashed straight for the altar.

But just as he neared, countless figures suddenly appeared within the flames spreading out from the altar. Among those figures were humans, foreign races, fierce beasts, and even gods. These were all manifestations of the residual auras from the remains of successive Human Emperors, stirred forth by the primordial fire burning within the Zi Xuan Azure Lamp. The moment they formed, the auras of these flame figures surged dramatically, and they rushed straight towards Xu Qing.

But just then, the Zi Xuan Azure Lamp in the very center of the altar suddenly trembled slightly, as if Xu Qing's appearance had awakened some form of resonance within it. Consequently, the figures rushing towards Xu Qing were all affected, their speed suddenly slowing down.

A glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes, and his speed surged once more. His Grand World, formed from forty million soul threads, provided him with a nearly inexhaustible supply of power, while the Ruins Earth within him shone even brighter with divine authority. Black mist churned behind Xu Qing, and the Nether-Fiend roared. A purple moon rose above Xu Qing's head, and fireflies manifested, dyeing his hair purple. Moreover, the power of misfortune spread out in that instant; even the lifeless flame figures could not escape its shroud. His Grand Profound Heavenly Armor also manifested, and nine lanterns revolved around him, each protruding a ferocious dragon head that emitted a silent roar.

Simultaneously... Xu Qing's right hand became translucent, reaching directly into his chest, grasping towards his illusory Sea of Consciousness, and submerging into the Ruins Earth. He pushed open the hidden door where the Emperor's Sword resided, and inside, merging with the Emperor's Soul, he seized the Emperor's Sword!

The Emperor's Sword hummed, offering no resistance. This was because after Xu Qing had previously met the Great Emperor, and with the Great Emperor's words, he had, to some extent, already acknowledged Xu Qing. The restriction on wielding the Emperor's Sword with his own will was no longer present. Therefore, theoretically, as long as Xu Qing's strength was sufficient, he could truly retrieve the Emperor's Sword and hold it in his hand. But clearly, at this moment, it was still not enough.

However, even though he couldn't fully retrieve the Emperor's Sword's true form, with that grasp, he still managed to pull out a wisp of sword energy and hold it in his hand. The moment this wisp of sword energy was pulled out, it instantly transformed into a sword shadow. It was identical to the sword that had appeared in the sky earlier, but it was far more solidified and sharper.

As Xu Qing gripped it, a glint of killing intent flashed in his eyes. He charged straight towards the figures whose speed had greatly diminished. From a distance, Xu Qing's aura at this moment was like a dragon's!

A booming sound suddenly erupted. Wherever the Emperor's Sword passed, figures immediately crumbled. Moreover, the might of divine authority spread out, suppressing all directions, while a vine whistled around Xu Qing. It wasn't attacking the figures, but rather devouring the flames in the vicinity! As it devoured, it also emitted joyous emotional fluctuations. Furthermore, Little Shadow was not to be outdone, rapidly spreading out and leaping through the flames, seemingly in its element here.

Witnessing this scene, everyone's hearts surged with emotion. This was Xu Qing's first time unleashing his full combat power under the watchful eyes of countless individuals within Human Race territory!