Chapter 1561: Emperor Selection

“The Four Great Beauties? Look at how pompous you all are with your delicate appearances!” people murmured inwardly.

Even Jiudaoyi found them objectionable, wishing he could slap them. What kind of name is 'Four Great Beauties'? It just didn't sit right with him, no matter how he looked at it!

The Dog Emperor gnashed its teeth, glaring at Chu Feng's face. It strongly considered purging him from the lineage, even outright killing the young man, feeling he was a total disgrace!

Li looked at Old Gu, clicking his tongue in displeasure. How infuriating! His own brother, at such an advanced age, actually calling himself a 'great beauty'? Li felt a surge of disgust. If Old Gu was to be one of the 'great beauties,' then what was he, as Old Gu's elder brother, supposed to be called?

“There’s nothing for it, we are simply peerless!” Old Gu feigned youth, his detestable smile as delicate as a flower bud. This made the old monsters of the same era bare their fangs in discomfort, as their lifespans were already nearing their end.

“Me… a beauty?” The Monster Dragon’s eyes were wide and round. He thought it was preposterous and a little embarrassing. Before this, he had never even considered becoming a member of Chu Feng’s “supergroup.” As for the Monkey, he was utterly dumbfounded, feeling completely out of place. All his golden monkey fur bristled. What in the world was this? One of the Four Great Beauties? He was utterly bewildered!

Chu Feng said, “Monkey, don’t gape. Do you know who I am? I am Chu Ultimate, destined to be the foremost figure of all time. Miss this chance today, and don’t come looking for me later!” He then turned his gaze to the Monster Dragon, saying, “Ouyang Feng, recall how exhilarating it was when you and I traversed the Lesser Netherworld? We soared through the heavens and across the lands, just a few of us, yet we dared to challenge everyone across the entire starry expanse, full of high spirits. Are you truly going to part ways with me now?”

“Those days journeying with that human trafficker… indeed, wandering the starry skies was exhilarating. But the outcome was tragic; I died a horrible death and reincarnated back into the Yang Realm!” the Monster Dragon mumbled.

Many people heard this, utterly speechless. Yet, the Monster Dragon decisively agreed, no longer hesitating. In fact, the Monster Dragon, having consumed the Thirty-Three Heavens Grass and lived through more than one lifetime, was somewhat fatalistic. Though his heart pounded with apprehension, he instinctively chose to follow Chu Feng. Then, gritting his teeth, he declared, “In the Lesser Netherworld, I was known as Ouyang Feng. In the Yang Realm, I was once named Long Dayu. From this moment forth, I shall be called Ouyang Dalong!” He even changed his name, causing many old monsters to grimace.

As for the bewildered Monkey, he was completely swept along, becoming a member of the group under utterly strange circumstances.

“Get out, all of you vanish!” Jiudaoyi couldn't bear it any longer. He truly didn't want to see the so-called Four Great Beauties. What a spectacle! He absolutely did not want them to compete for the position of Heavenly Emperor.

Chu Feng bared his teeth. It was merely a reunion of old friends. Was he to lose the Heavenly Emperor position just because they were dubbed the Four Great Beauties? Of course, he wasn’t desperate to occupy that position. Given his current strength, he was entirely self-aware that ascending to such a rank at this moment would be meaningless. He merely intended to obstruct the Yuan Clan, preventing them from ascending to power.

“Though I am of high moral standing and destined for the Heavenly Emperor’s throne, I am willing to forgo it. I yearn for reform, that the Heavenly Emperor position be conferred upon the most suitable individual,” Chu Feng declared righteously. He nominated another individual, and it turned out to be Yaoyao!

Yaoyao smiled gently, her bright eyes and pearly teeth shining, an ethereal and transcendent brilliance. She politely declined immediately. She had no need for this imperial position, possessing her own steadfast path of evolution to follow. While Yaoyao appeared agile and transcendent, she possessed a resolute and courageous heart. In this grand era, she intended to carve out her own path!

“How dare mere children like yourselves covet the Heavenly Emperor’s position, much less speak of it so presumptuously? Are you worthy? What qualifications do you possess?!” A decaying Grand Universe-level expert from the Yuan Clan waved his sleeve, his face impassive as he dismissed them. Seeing Jiudaoyi’s displeasure with Chu Feng, he naturally seized the opportunity to speak, mercilessly expelling Chu Feng and his companions.

Those who arrived to contend for the imperial position were all powerful clans, even the strongest hegemonic families dominating other worlds. For instance, if the progenitor of the Four-Calamity Sparrow Clan were still alive, they would be incredibly terrifying and defy all norms, potentially even shaking Jiudaoyi’s current prestige. The Yuan Clan’s confidence stemmed from the fact that their ancient ancestor was still alive! Thus, the decaying Grand Universe-level being from the Yuan Clan was brimming with confidence. Of course, the Yuan Clan’s patriarch, who had witnessed the Heavenly Emperor’s rise, was not currently in the Yang Realm but was in a death-seclusion in another great realm.

Chu Feng scoffed, unafraid of the Yuan Clan. He had originally intended only to disrupt the proceedings, but now a thought struck him: he had indeed thought of someone who would be highly suitable for nomination, even without considering their combat prowess! Chu Feng stated, “Yuan Clan, you’ve aligned yourselves with foreign races, which disqualifies you even further; your virtue does not match your position. As it happens, I do have an excellent candidate, but there’s no rush for now. Let everyone present their nominees first, then we can consider the senior I have in mind.”

Everyone exchanged peculiar glances; this was indeed so characteristic of Chu Feng, of Ji Dade, of Cao De! Ever since his true origins became known, and it was revealed that all those bearing the 'De' character in their names were him, everyone finally understood the kind of person he was! At the scene, some individuals were still fuming, such as the Human King Mo Family, who had been terribly exploited by Ji Dade back then. Not only did they lose two core disciples at the Heavenly Immortal Waterfall, but their subsequent issuance of a wanted poster triggered a fierce counterattack from Chu Feng and the Monster Dragon. Chu Feng and the Monster Dragon had even arranged for the Human King Mo Family’s mountain gate to be leveled.

In that brief moment, several more waves of powerful individuals arrived, primarily from the orthodoxies of the Yang Realm. The Heng Clan, reputed as the strongest clan in the Yang Realm, arrived and surprisingly voiced their support for the Undefeated Feather Emperor, backing his claim to the imperial throne. The Buddhist Clan also arrived, and this time, they were anything but discreet. They were openly contending for the position themselves, intending to nominate a Monk Emperor! This clan has always remained understated, but it is rumored that the Buddhist spark has endured for countless epochs. Once they fully revive, their power will be unfathomable. Thus, their emergence to contend for the position was no less imposing than that of the overtly dominant Heng Clan, drawing astonished glances and considerable apprehension from all sides.

Subsequently, the Dao Clan, Ji Clan, Li Clan, and several other clans ranked among the top ten in the Yang Realm unexpectedly united. They planned to nominate a single contender from among their combined forces. The allure of the Heavenly Emperor’s position was too great; no clan could remain passive. For a time, the Yang Realm was alight with fervent discussions. All clans were fixated on the Two Realms Battlefield, and the world seethed with anticipation.

However, an event suddenly unfolded on the Two Realms Battlefield, stunning many observers.

“The Madman of Martial Arts is dead!”

“The Martial Emperor actually perished!”

“This was one of the most domineering and incredibly powerful figures of this epoch in the Yang Realm, yet he simply perished here?!”

The individual known as the Martial Emperor from the prehistoric era perished today, dying before the eyes of many, directly igniting a huge uproar. He lay motionless on the ground, a lifeless corpse. The founder of the Time Sutra, a short-statured figure who had reawakened from a renowned mountain, remained nameless to everyone. It was only known that he might be an Immortal King, intent on taking the Madman of Martial Arts as his Taoist apprentice! Now, the Madman of Martial Arts lay dead at his hands, his head completely crushed!

“This old man is Cang Gu,” the short elder declared. His true name was Cang Gu, a name that itself evoked the profound sense of passing ages. “Today, I made a slip,” Cang Gu stated, his voice devoid of emotion.

“The Madman of Martial Arts is dead, it’s truly unbelievable… but what a terrible end!” After the initial shock, people couldn’t help but whisper. “Even witnessing it firsthand, I can barely believe it!” Even Old Gu felt a profound chill, his eyes wide with horror. That such a mighty Martial Emperor could meet such an end was truly shocking.

To everyone’s astonishment, the short elder who had reawakened from the renowned mountain bore a chilling expression. He cast aside the Madman of Martial Arts’ corpse, then opened a fearsome vertical eye on his brow. A terrifying beam of light shot forth, sweeping across the heavens and the earth. He sighed profoundly, “Interesting. To escape from my grasp is indeed no simple feat. You’ve mastered ancient techniques like the cicada’s golden slough. It seems you possess another immortal body, and this was merely an old husk you shed!”

He actually uttered such words. Hadn’t the Madman of Martial Arts had his head crushed and been left lying dead on the ground by him? The ‘miscalculation’ he spoke of didn’t refer to killing the Madman of Martial Arts, but rather to the Madman of Martial Arts’ successful escape?

“Could it be that the Martial Emperor successfully escaped?”

After all, he was a formidable villain from the prehistoric era, his apparent strength already that of an ultimate being. Evidently, Cang Gu, the founder of the Time Sutra, had struck and crushed the Martial Emperor’s head because he had sensed the Martial Emperor’s impending escape and sought to prevent it, but he was a step too slow.

The vertical eye on Cang Gu’s brow was incredibly intimidating; its beam pierced through the void, sweeping across the entire cosmos. Finally, following a wisp of unique aura, he gazed towards the far north. His eyes, like embers in the darkness, shone brightly, revealing the truth. In the far north, the Madman of Martial Arts’ secluded cultivation site became fully visible, illuminated by the time runes emanating from Cang Gu’s vertical eye. Even those on the Two Realms Battlefield witnessed it. This terrifying method was incredibly daunting, capable of perceiving and projecting scenes from hundreds of millions of miles away.

People witnessed the Madman of Martial Arts’ afterimage there, gradually blurring, then tearing through heaven and earth as he calmly departed the Yang Realm. “I am the Martial Emperor, and I shall ultimately pierce through all! One day, I shall return, invincible!” That was his final utterance. Then, people watched as the far north ignited, its sacred ground transforming into runic flames, and all traces and auras vanished. In truth, by the time Cang Gu’s vertical eye illuminated that location, the Madman of Martial Arts had long since departed. What was seen was merely a temporal retrospection.

“Interesting. He severed time, leaving behind a few aged and decaying bodies, while his true form escaped my scrutiny.” Even Cang Gu could not trace the Madman of Martial Arts; time itself could no longer be rewound. Within the brilliant flames, several decaying corpses incinerated, as if dying in the Madman of Martial Arts’ stead, severing all karmic ties!

Chu Feng gasped. He had once passed through the far north, even raiding the Madman of Martial Arts’ old lair. In a certain dark prison, he had seen prisoners who resembled the Madman of Martial Arts, leading him to various other conjectures at the time. Now, he finally understood completely: those were the aged bodies shed by the Madman of Martial Arts, akin to a cicada shedding its skin, a manifestation of some supreme cultivation technique. Even the Martial Emperor captured by Cang Gu just moments ago was merely an abandoned old shell, not his true form. Thus, being crushed had no real impact. After his true spirit escaped, it rejoined his genuine form!

For a moment, the world fell silent. Everyone was utterly astonished that the Madman of Martial Arts could successfully elude an Immortal King and escape. This was truly extraordinary. Because, in the eyes of many, with his mastery of the Time Sutra and his own status as an Immortal King, few in these heavens could hope to escape Cang Gu’s grasp.

A moment later, as several more waves of figures arrived, the uproar surrounding the Martial Emperor’s severing of karma and departure from the Yang Realm finally began to die down.

Chu Feng resolved to oppose the Yuan Clan. Even Jiudaoyi’s attempts to dismiss him were in vain; Chu Feng adamantly insisted on speaking a name.

“Imperial blood flows within him!”

These simple words profoundly agitated many, even causing the Dog Emperor’s eyes to widen so much they seemed about to tear, its black fur bristling with intense sensitivity!

“He is a descendant of the Heavenly Emperor!” Chu Feng spoke again.

At this, even Jiudaoyi stopped trying to dismiss him, his heart stirring slightly.

“Who is it? Where? A bloodline of the Heavenly Emperor… someone is still alive?” The Dog Emperor trembled, its murky old eyes welling with warm moisture. It quivered with both unease and excitement.

The Corpse also experienced violent emotional fluctuations, saying, “The Three Heavenly Emperors… have living descendants? Why couldn’t we sense them? We’ve searched for so many years!”

“Many have wronged him!” Chu Feng stated grimly.