Chapter 2242: Luo Ruoxi, Lingxi Emperor Zun

"Huh?"

The four Conferred God Kings, who had been attacking, froze. They didn't know whether to continue their assault or stop. Hadn't the Emperor's consciousness just ordered them to kill this guy? Now it was calling him "little pet" and clinging to him playfully... Something felt incredibly wrong. Was this truly their aloof Emperor who disdained all things?

Their stupor didn't last long, as a scolding voice rang out. The phoenix's illusory form glared at them angrily. "Why haven't you stopped? Attacking my master is courting death! Do you only know how to fight the moment you meet someone? Can't we resolve issues peacefully? Energy is being discharged everywhere; have you no public consideration? People have to work tomorrow!"

The air shimmered, and the combined attack formed by the three Conferred God Kings dissipated into the air as if it had never existed.

"..." The three Conferred God Kings felt like they were going insane. Could it be that the little yellow chicken had already possessed it?

It wasn't just them; the little yellow chicken, which had been fighting with him, and Zhang Xuan were also stunned. Just moments ago, it had heard it was its master and wanted to tear him to shreds, but in the blink of an eye, its attitude had become utterly respectful... Did the Undying Emperor really have to be so ridiculous?

"Could it be that the Undying Emperor inherently possesses this kind of temperament?" Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow, thinking of the little yellow chicken's unreliability. Since the yellow chicken was a manifestation of the Emperor's will, born from its rebirth, its temperament should be similar to the Emperor's. If that were the case, then this Undying Emperor's shameless personality would be understandable.

However... what he couldn't understand was why it hadn't acknowledged him as master earlier, but suddenly did so now. Could it be related to... the pendant? The change in its attitude coincided with the pendant's appearance and the warmth it radiated. Could it be that the Emperor recognized this item?

Unable to contain himself, he looked over. "Do you recognize this item? And... do you know where Luo Ruoxi is?" He had originally planned to go to the Spirit God Palace to find Luo Ruoxi. But now, with such a massive commotion outside the palace, and half of it collapsed, yet she hadn't appeared, it could only mean one thing... She wasn't here!

"Luo Ruoxi?" The phoenix paused, a hint of confusion in its eyes.

"The owner of this item..." Zhang Xuan picked up the pendant. This was the Spirit Origin Heaven, and the Undying Emperor was a Spirit God. If he couldn't find Luo Ruoxi here, he likely wouldn't be able to find her anywhere else.

"This is the blood of the Gods... I understand. The Luo Ruoxi you're referring to is the Spirit Rhinoceros Great Emperor, isn't she!" The phoenix suddenly realized.

"Spirit Rhinoceros Great Emperor?" Zhang Xuan was startled. He suddenly recalled that back on the Master Teacher Continent, when he had disguised himself as Luo Tianya, Luo Ruoxi's disguised name had been... Spirit Rhinoceros! He had even happily remarked back then that no matter how far apart they were, their hearts would be as one, their thoughts connected by spiritual affinity...

"Yes, the Spirit Rhinoceros Great Emperor. Where is she?" Understanding this, Zhang Xuan's body tensed. He had always suspected that Luo Ruoxi might be a false name. Now it seemed it was true; even her identity as a Spirit God might be fake. But... her true name had already been spoken! It had just appeared in the form of a pseudonym... He had simply been oblivious at the time to grasp it.

"The Spirit Rhinoceros Great Emperor is the Great Emperor of the Freedom Heaven; she is naturally in the Freedom Heaven..." The phoenix looked at him with confusion. This person had just accepted it as a beast pet, yet he didn't even know the names of the Nine Emperors?

"Freedom Heaven?" Zhang Xuan froze, his face paling, and he murmured, "I should have realized sooner..." He knew the names of eight of the Nine Emperors, with only the Freedom Heaven being unknown. When the phoenix mentioned the Spirit Rhinoceros Great Emperor, he should have immediately connected the dots. After all this time, Luo Ruoxi wasn't in the Spirit Origin Heaven; she was in the Freedom Heaven, located in the very center of the God Realm.

Seeing his expression, the phoenix suddenly remembered something. "The one in the Freedom Heaven and Emperor Tianzong have a life-and-death battle scheduled. It's set to begin on the night of the full moon this month..." Although it was just a wisp of consciousness confined within the phoenix statue, it still knew some of what was happening in the God Realm, especially about the duels between two Great Emperors.

"Life-and-death battle? The night of the full moon... in five days?" Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted, and his body trembled. He had heard about this battle since arriving in the God Realm. At the time, he had assumed Master Kong would win and hadn't paid much attention. Only now did he realize that Master Kong was fighting... Luo Ruoxi! And it was a life-and-death battle! Didn't that mean one of them was guaranteed to die in the fight?

"Yes. Normally, duels between Great Emperors don't involve life or death. But these two made such a decision to fight to the death. There must be a special reason, even I'm not clear on it..." The phoenix's illusory form explained.

"I need to go to the Freedom Heaven and stop them..." Zhang Xuan clenched his teeth, his body rigid. Luo Ruoxi was his only beloved. Although he had never formally met Master Kong, Master Kong was like his mentor, providing immense help. Without him, Zhang Xuan wouldn't have grown so quickly or reached his current strength. Both of them were too important to him; neither could be allowed to come to harm!

"Stop them? They've made their decision; who can stop them?" The phoenix's illusory form turned to look at the little yellow chicken not far away and shook its head. "Even at my peak, I wouldn't be their match, let alone now..."

Zhang Xuan paused. Under normal circumstances, as a Great Emperor, Luo Ruoxi would surely know about the commotion he had caused in the Soul Spirit Heaven and Exquisite Heaven. Yet, she hadn't appeared... This indicated that she didn't want to see him! Why didn't she want to see him? It was highly probable it was related to this great battle. But... why a life-and-death battle?

"Luo Ruoxi's purpose in coming to the Master Teacher Continent was to find the Spring and Autumn Codex... And this item was forged by Master Kong with his lifelong effort, integrating all his energy and power..." Although Luo Ruoxi had never explicitly stated her purpose for coming to the Master Teacher Continent, he understood. After obtaining the Codex, she had directly torn through space and departed. It was clear she had come for that item. Previously, he had been puzzled why a dignified Great Emperor would be so concerned with a treasure from a small place like the Master Teacher Continent. Only now did he realize that she had probably been preparing for her duel with Master Kong!

"Why does she want to kill Master Kong?" His head was swimming, and Zhang Xuan felt like he was about to explode. Great Emperors also engaged in contests. Master Kong had previously challenged eight other Emperors in succession, and all those encounters ended amicably, with the other eight Emperors still alive and well... Why did the duel with the last one, the Great Emperor of the Freedom Heaven, have to be a fight to the death?

"Even if I can't stop them, I must go and find out exactly what's happening..." He clenched his teeth. Indeed, with his current strength, he couldn't intervene in a duel between Great Emperors. But... so what? No matter how difficult, he had to try. Even if he didn't succeed, he needed to understand why they were fighting, and what was truly involved. Why did it have to be a fight to the death?