Chapter 2229: Emperor Takes Action

"Ah… what exactly is this?"

Baiye Qinghong trembled uncontrollably, her face filled with terror.

As a Conferred God-King, she was invincible below the level of an Emperor, unrivaled by anyone. It was precisely this power that gave her the qualification and confidence to seize things forcefully, without fear of retaliation. However… she never dreamed that this High-Tier Peak Heavenly God would unleash such a treasure.

Restrained, she felt as if she were being crushed by the Heavenly Dao, or as if an Emperor had exerted their power. Even as a Conferred God-King, she was utterly unable to resist.

"Open for me..." Knowing that the book above her head wouldn't give her much time to react, Baiye Qinghong roared. All the power in her body surged outwards madly, creating ripples in the air. It seemed as if the accumulated Will Power from an entire region of Linglong Heaven was being drawn in to resist!

A Conferred God-King's raw power wasn't significantly different from that of an ordinary God-King. Their strength came from their ability to mobilize the Will Power of a specific region, allowing it to manifest as their own intent. Within their designated area, this power was considered invincible. However… no matter how invincible it was, before the Heavenly Dao, it amounted to nothing. With a single press, it disintegrated, and the barrier was shattered.

"Pfft!" Blood spurted out, and panic flashed in the eyes of the Conferred God-King of that region. She had previously thought she could resist, but now she understood. If she didn't find another way, she would likely be crushed into a meat patty and die within a few breaths.

"Please spare my life! It was my mistake. I saw this pill, and its pure power gave rise to ill intentions... I wanted to possess it for myself! I truly had no idea what kind of pill it was or where it came from before this..." Clenching her teeth and no longer caring about her image, Baiye Qinghong hastily explained the situation. Between face and life, the latter was naturally more important.

"Conferred God-King Baiye stealing someone else's pill?""She was so self-righteous just now, I thought it was true... I can't believe she would do something like this!""She's my goddess; doing this really tarnishes the reputation of a Conferred God-King...""If it were a pill that could help someone break through to God-King, what would you do?""I... I might do the same as her..."Thoughts flickered all around, each filled with shock. As soon as the pill was captured, Baiye Qinghong appeared, and with her righteous demeanor, everyone who witnessed the scene believed what she said was true. No one ever dreamed that she was actually trying to seize it by force! As a result, the reputation of this Conferred God-King, the goddess of countless people, was utterly ruined. Even goddesses are human; not everything they do is beyond reproach.

"I gave you a chance. To say all this now... it's too late!" Zhang Xuan remained unmoved. He had already given the other party an opportunity just now, but instead of taking it, she had become aggressive. In that case, there was only one path left... death!

Crack! The Heavenly Dao Tome, now capable of remaining in the external world for longer durations due to the library's upgrade, pressed down again. Baiye Qinghong could no longer resist. The bones in her body shattered, blood gushed from her shoulders and face simultaneously, and her expression twisted in agony. No matter how powerful a Conferred God-King was, they could not surpass the Heavenly Dao. Against the Heavenly Dao Tome, she remained powerless.

"Please spare her..." The air vibrated rapidly, and another graceful figure suddenly appeared. It was Linglong Heaven's other Conferred God-King, Shangguan Yunwan!

"Baiye Qinghong is a Conferred God-King personally appointed by Her Majesty. If you kill her, it will be an act of defiance against the Emperor's dignity. You should show mercy where it's due!" Shangguan Yunwan said.

"Are you threatening me with the Emperor?" Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed. As fellow Conferred God-Kings, he didn't believe that Shangguan Yunwan hadn't noticed Baiye Qinghong openly trying to seize his medicine. Nor did he believe the Emperor 'couldn't see' it! They saw it yet remained silent, allowing it to unfold. So why should he back down now? A joke!

"There's no need for threats. You should understand that the Emperor's dignity cannot be defied!" Shangguan Yunwan stated. The Emperor is the paramount expert in the heavens and earth. Since she conferred a God-King title, there's naturally a reason for it. Not just anyone can defy her. Openly killing a God-King appointed by her would be tantamount to challenging her authority.

"It cannot be defied, but... to confer a title upon such a person, it seems Linglong Fairy's judgment isn't entirely sound. In that case... I'll clean up her house for her!" Too lazy to waste more words with the other party, Zhang Xuan reached out with a large hand.

"No..." The book pressed down sharply, followed by a tragic scream. Baiye Qinghong was crushed into a meat patty, her soul scattered, leaving nothing behind.

"This..." Shangguan Yunwan never expected that even after invoking the Emperor's name, the other party still wouldn't stop and would publicly slay Baiye Qinghong. She trembled with rage: "How dare you..." Before she could finish, the young man coldly looked at her: "If you don't want to die, shut your mouth!"

Her delicate body trembled. Shangguan Yunwan was shaking with anger but dared not utter another word. Baiye Qinghong, whose strength was similar to hers, had been slain in an instant, without even the slightest ability to retaliate. If she dared to say anything more, she would likely end up like Baiye Qinghong, her soul scattered, vanishing from the world.

The numerous God-Kings and experts who had been secretly observing were now completely silent, each trembling. This was a Conferred God-King, a super expert whom no one in the heavens and earth could defeat besides the Emperor. Yet, one was slain in the blink of an eye, and another was publicly reprimanded, daring not to utter a single word... This guy... where did he come from?

Fu Jiangchen was trembling even more. He had always overestimated this young man, believing his future achievements would be boundless, but he never imagined... that he would casually slay a Conferred God-King and even intimidate his goddess into silence...

Fortunately, when he helped refine the pill, he had no other intentions. Otherwise... he would surely be the one turned into a corpse.

"He seems to be... Zhang Xuan!""Zhang Xuan? Zhang Danshi, the Zhang Xuan who sold Barrier-Breaking Pills in Netherworld Heaven?""Yes, on the day he sold the Barrier-Breaking Pills, I was in Netherworld Heaven and happened to see him, so I remember it clearly...""If he can refine heaven-defying pills like the Barrier-Breaking Pill and Beauty Pill, then refining this pill before us is no longer surprising.""Indeed... slaying a Conferred God-King in one move. Could it be that he also has an Emperor backing him? I wonder which one..."Someone recognized him. The commotion Zhang Xuan caused in Netherworld Heaven was so significant that his reputation had already spread here.

Having silenced Shangguan Yunwan's nonsense, Zhang Xuan didn't bother saying more. With a flick of his finger, the pill, which had been trapped by his sword qi, immediately flew over and landed in his palm. Just as he put it back into its jade box, his heart jolted; a dangerous aura was approaching.

The quiet space around them began to boil. The essence of the entire Linglong Imperial City converged towards the center in the blink of an eye, and a terrifyingly powerful and despair-inducing pressure appeared out of thin air.

"Is this the Emperor... about to make a move?" Clenching his fists, Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed.