The strength of a celestial emperor didn’t just mean peak origin dao—it was more the bolstering of a heavenly mandate that defined the true supremacy of this title.

Upon becoming one with the corpse puppet, Lu Yun accessed the power of a peak origin dao immortal from the Primordial Era. An immortal of that time period could call upon the energy of the world, making them no less mighty than what a heavenly mandate could bring to bear.

All the world trembled the moment he revealed himself. The powerhouses rushing toward the Central World stopped in their tracks, staring at the lord of Dusk with incredulous shock.

“Peak origin dao realm! This is strength that can rival the nine celestial emperors! How is this possible? Is Lu Yun a celestial emperor himself?!” shrieked a crippled dao immortal. He’d once been granted an audience with a celestial emperor and personally experienced the immeasurable influence from these august personages. It was no different from what Lu Yun emanated at the moment!

Alarm bells rang and the desire to retreat blossomed in the hearts of many experts present. After eighty thousand years, the title of celestial emperor had become synonymous with invincibility in the world of immortals!

No one could defy the celestial emperors. They radiated immutable authority even when remaining motionless in place, demanding the worship of all with only their presence. Their sovereignty was absolute, and it wasn’t possible to even consider giving the slightest hint of disrespect.

And now, Lu Yun gave off the same presence as them!

“What peak origin dao realm and strength of a celestial emperor, he’s just borrowing those with a special technique!” The middle-aged nun—master of the little nun, Mo Yi’s senior sister—took a step forward and looked coldly at Lu Yun. “This one has just become an immortal and hasn’t even fully grasped the power of the immortal dao yet. Playing around with outside forces at a time like this is nothing more than a child heaving a sledgehammer. Who knows if it’s himself or others that he’ll harm in the end…”

A roar rang out before she could finish her words and a crimson fur seal charged out of the void to pounce on Lu Yun.

The big fur seal! King of fur seals, father of Ge Yanxia, and also at peak origin dao realm. He crashed toward the Central World with unstoppable momentum. Too busy staring dumbly at his hands, Lu Yun paid no attention to him.

“It feels very different this time. The last two times, I felt boundless strength come down over me that helped me struggle free of the morass and take a good look at this world. But this time…” he took a deep breath, “the strength has truly melted into my body and become my own. I am like one of the celestial emperors in these four hours at peak origin dao realm!”

The six paths of his nascent spirit circulated smoothly in hell, deploying this terrifying strength with no problem at all. Of course, it was also because Lu Yun was very familiar with this level of strength by now. When in hell, he wielded far greater power than this.

He gently reached out into the air to summon the Sugato Sword lying in the Central World. It rose with a light tremor and drifted into his hand. With his hand around the handle, the sword exploded into an infinite number of sword shadows in the air. Reaching out with his hand again, he collected the shadows into one enormous palm of sword energy.

Wham!

The palm connected solidly with the big fur seal and sent its bright-red body flying far away, a perfect target for sword energy to slice and dice into a bloody shower of gore.

Swiftly reassembling itself, the big fur seal roared and snarled, but found itself unable to break through the Sugato Sword’s defenses despite multiple charges. Its body, created from the Ichor Bog, was as fragile as an egg in front of it, unable to withstand a single blow.

“You may return,” sounded the demon god’s voice upon seeing his minion’s futile efforts. The big fur seal trembled and docilely landed at its master’s feet.

“Have you succeeded?” The eyelids of the representatives from the two Firmaments twitched when they saw the demon god’s new body.

“Almost.” The youth that was the demon god grinned brilliantly and lifted his head. “Such a vast and wondrous immortal dao… how perfect would it be if it could be corrupted into a demonic dao?”

Everyone shivered at that line of wishful thinking.

“I’m quite surprised that the Sword Pagoda of the Green Firmament has come to life again in your hands,” murmured the demon god. “But something dead is a dead thing in the end… the Sword Pagoda is no longer what it once was.”

Clang!

A ringing sound echoed from the Sugato Sword, as if protesting the demon god’s words. Heaving a sigh, the demon god fell silent and spoke no more.

Almost all of the powerhouses in the world of immortals were gathered here; their combined presence formed a tremendous aura that bore down upon Lu Yun and Qing Yu. However, Lu Yun remained stalwartly in front of his beloved, shielding her from all outside pressure.

“Give it up, Lu Yun. The Central World isn’t something you can obtain for yourself. If you do, that signals the end of Dusk Province,” sighed the celestial emperor of Primus Major. “We acknowledge your strength now and have nothing to say anymore if you wish to establish a sacred land of immortal dao and become a saint of our world.

“But primordial heritages and countless precious ingredients lie within the Central World. There’s… also that which pertains to all of immortal dao. If you claim it, you will become the public enemy of the world.”

“When have I ever not been the public enemy?” sighed Lu Yun. “The world will know no peace without Lu Yun’s death… those are words that all of you spoke, not I. A saint?” he snorted dismissively. “I hardly have such flashy ambitions. But as the head of the Star Demon Sect, I’m rather interested in becoming one massive devil.”

“In that case, you and I are engaged in the same pursuit. Why don’t we jointly control the Central World and corrupt the immortal dao together? What say you?” chuckled the demon god.

“We walk different paths and therefore, there is little common ground between us.” Lu Yun shook his head. “As a devil, I answer only to myself. My dao partner is all that I need in this world, what right do you have to stand side by side with me?”

Face darkening, the demon god had no response to that. With a croon, the Sugato Sword transformed into a river that encircled the Central World like a boundary.

“Death to those who cross this line.” Lu Yun’s expression was completely detached.

“Lu Yun, it looks like you really are going against the entire world by yourself!” Qi Hai stepped out and loudly denounced the youth. “I know everything about you and that you’ve received the heritage of hell, the one of human dao in the Primeval Era. Do you think you can dominate an entire era with just a broken and tattered human dao hell?”

“The human dao hell?!” Surprise flickered through the faces of those assembled, but no greater reaction was forthcoming.

Hell was a story from the era of myths and legends. Everything about it had been wiped clean from the world of immortals. The only thing that remained about it was that in the bygone Primeval Era, humans had ruled everything under the heavens. All other races were their play toys, their livestock.

“Who says he’s by himself?”

Whoosh!

White fire blazed as large pieces of bone shot through the void, assembling into an enormous skeleton in the sky. The Venerated Sacrosanct Demon Sovereign!

With a tremor, the Skyturning Seal flew out of the Central World, trailing a tail of golden flames and landing in the demon sovereign’s hand.

Lu Yun jerked in surprise. He hadn’t expected this personage, of all people, to show up at this time and choose his side!

“Hahahaha, you’re quite right, fellow daoist! Who says he’s by himself?” The thirteen heads of the merchant alliance appeared as well. Though they were only peak arcane dao immortals, they were all equipped with Lu Yun’s formations of heaven and earth!