Chapter 1300: Even Immortals Aren't Here, What Do I Have to Fear?

"How dare they launch a sneak attack? Kill them!" The cultivators were enraged.

Overwhelmed by the Heavenly Emperor's imposing aura upon his arrival, they ceased their attack. The Biluotian army also stopped.

Who knew the Biluotian army would dare to launch a sneak attack after ceasing fire? It was truly shameless.

"Cease," the Heavenly Emperor gently commanded. Within the Zhutian Civilization, he was akin to heaven, holding supreme power. A single word from him could decide life or death; his pronouncements were absolute law, and no one dared to defy him.

The Biluotian army ceased their attack once more.

The Heavenly Emperor surveyed the Integration-stage cultivators. While he hadn't been entirely certain before, seeing these juniors now finally confirmed that the Cultivation World was indeed the Box World.

So, the Box World had truly opened.

"I am the Heavenly Emperor, Lord of Zhutian. There appears to be a slight misunderstanding in this matter. Where are the immortals? I wish to explain this in person." The Heavenly Emperor gazed indifferently at the group of Integration-stage cultivators. His concern was provoking immortals; these Integration-stage cultivators, however, he deemed beneath his notice.

During the Great Yu era, Integration-stage cultivators weren't even considered worthy of an audience with him.

He is the Heavenly Emperor?!

Upon learning his identity, the Integration-stage cultivators showed astonishment, realizing they couldn't perceive his true strength at all.

Wait, he can speak the language of the Cultivation World?

Lu Yang was even more astonished than the others to see the Heavenly Emperor.

He's actually Emperor Yu Wu Yao?

Wu Yao had merely swapped his soul out of the Cultivation World, and his appearance had changed after acquiring a new physical body, which was why Lu Yang didn't recognize him immediately.

Lu Yang's situation before the swap had been quite dire, and he had even worried that Wu Yao might be in danger after exchanging places with him.

It seems his worries were unfounded; Wu Yao is thriving in the outside world, having even become a cosmic overlord.

A newly ascended Integration-stage cultivator, indignant, flew out of the crowd: "What kind of 'misunderstanding'? Your Zhutian Civilization brought an army to our Cultivation World to plunder spirit stones!"

Had our Cultivation World not been strong, your Zhutian Civilization would have plundered us dry long ago!

Wu Yao raised an eyebrow, a hint of displeasure crossing his face. A mere Integration-stage cultivator with an unstable foundation, dared to shout in front of him?

With a flick of his finger, the new Integration-stage cultivator was sent flying before he could even react.

"You're truly ignorant of your place. How were you taught by your elders?"

Everyone was stunned. They hadn't even seen how Wu Yao made his move. When they tried to catch their companion who was sent flying, they too were flicked away.

Lu Yang caught the man, flew to the forefront, and confronted Wu Yao directly: "Senior, isn't it excessive to seriously harm an ignorant junior?"

Wu Yao sneered, "A mere mid-stage Tribulation Transcender dares to stand up for others? Have your elders come to see me."

Lu Yang held a high standing in everyone's hearts. Seeing Wu Yao insult him, they all spoke out in protest, with a few even wanting to directly intervene.

Lu Yang raised a hand, signaling everyone to refrain from action, and continued, "Currently, all the immortals are wandering far and wide, and it's uncertain when they will return. My name is Lu Yang, and I can represent the Cultivation World. Senior, you may explain this misunderstanding to me."

Wu Yao's heart stirred. From this, it seemed there were no immortals in the Cultivation World right now, didn't it?

It made sense. As an immortal himself, he had desired to leave the Cultivation World and explore the outside. Surely, other immortals harbored similar aspirations, and once the Cultivation World's seal opened, they all departed.

"Explain? Very well, release my entire army." Wu Yao uttered this with a commanding tone.

Since the immortals were absent, he had nothing to fear. There was no need to be overly polite with these juniors. He would first retrieve his subordinates, then discuss further matters.

Otherwise, if his people were still captured, and he were to explain subserviently, it would appear as though he was beholden to others, which would be a loss of face.

Even if the immortals were to return later, they wouldn't concern themselves with such a trivial matter involving him.

Furthermore, he had left certain arrangements in the Cultivation World. Should he return, he could use these to contend with immortals. As for the half-immortals of the Cultivation World, he didn't even consider them a threat.

Lu Yang frowned slightly. Though Wu Yao had indirectly saved him in a way, he couldn't possibly agree to his demands, and his tone grew firmer.

"Senior, your demand is quite unreasonable. Your people launched a sneak attack on the Cultivation World. Had we not possessed some capability, we might have become your captives. Now that they are in our hands, it is only natural that we deal with them."

"Unreasonable? I've given you a bit of deference; do you truly believe you're in a position to refuse?!"

A cold smile played on Wu Yao's lips as he extended a massive, sky-obscuring hand, intending to retrieve the entire Biluotian army.

The handprint, as vast as a constellation, could shatter stellar cores with a mere flick. It emanated a confining power, terrifying the cultivators. They felt as though a stasis spell had been cast upon them, rendering them immobile, able only to watch as Wu Yao seized the Zhutian warriors!

Boom—

Lu Yang unleashed the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm, colliding with Wu Yao's sky-obscuring handprint.

The two massive handprints negated each other, allowing the cultivators to finally break free from their confinement.

"Peak Tribulation Transcender?" Lu Yang quickly assessed Wu Yao's cultivation realm. He had been at a disadvantage during their clash of handprints, not due to a lack of skill, but because of the disparity in their cultivation levels.

As an immortal who had re-cultivated, Wu Yao possessed a foundation so robust that he could challenge those beyond his current stage. Among cultivators at the peak of Tribulation Transcension, he was exceptionally powerful. That Lu Yang's grand handprint didn't instantly crumble upon impact was already quite surprising to Wu Yao.

"You certainly possess some ability. No wonder you claim to represent the Cultivation World."

Nevertheless, Wu Yao still didn't truly acknowledge Lu Yang. In terms of cultivation, identity, and foresight, he thoroughly surpassed Lu Yang in every aspect.

"However, a young man who doesn't know his place deserves a lesson!"

With a mere thought from Wu Yao, the trajectories of stars shifted, instantly refining into array nodes that formed an unknown formation, enveloping everyone.

A crushing force of millions of times gravity instantly bore down on everyone's bodies, and it continued to increase exponentially. Magical artifacts were flattened and rendered useless. Witnessing this, everyone's expressions changed drastically, and they scattered, fleeing the grand formation. Only Lu Yang remained.

Wu Yao had constructed the Stellar Grand Array specifically to deal with him; no matter where he fled, the array would follow.

"Fall," Wu Yao uttered softly.

The refined stars shrank tenfold in volume but increased a hundredfold in hardness, becoming impenetrable even for Tribulation Transcenders.

Stars rained down. Lu Yang held up the sky with both hands, supporting one star, but then one after another descended, smashing through the preceding one and hurtling towards him.

Soon, Lu Yang was submerged by the relentless barrage of stars, his fate unknown.

"Coalesce," Wu Yao commanded, activating the formation. The gaps between the stars engulfing Lu Yang emitted a green light. Then, the fissures narrowed and vanished, and the cluster of stars merged into a single entity, sealing Lu Yang within.

The Integration-stage cultivators watching the battle immediately grew distraught: "Senior Brother Lu Yang!"

The Biluotian army watched with fervent expressions. Despite having witnessed the Heavenly Emperor's power countless times, they remained awestruck.

What did it matter if these native cultivators of the Cultivation World were powerful? They were still no match for Lord Heavenly Emperor.

"Hmm?" Wu Yao felt a colossal power surging within the stellar seal, violently impacting it.

The seal trembled incessantly. With a thunderous explosion, the stacked stars shattered into dust. The heavens seemed to collapse and the earth to crack. Though sound could not travel through the vacuum of space, everyone witnessing this scene involuntarily imagined a colossal roar echoing across the sky. Lu Yang had forcibly shattered the stellar seal with his Arhat Fist; his robes were merely slightly soiled, and he bore not a single wound.

"I've tolerated you for a long time, but you started it!" Lu Yang declared furiously. Since Wu Yao showed no respect, he saw no need to show any courtesy in return!

(End of chapter)