I Am Heaven Itself; Why Must I Act on Heaven's Behalf?

"He's finally here!"

When the Devil Master saw the figure in the heavens above,

he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He could naturally guess it.

The man before them was Ren Xiaoyao.

Among the royal family's Four Great Princes, all four narrowed their eyes at Ren Xiaoyao. That burst of Gang Qi just now had been truly terrifying, suppressing all four of their True Essences.

Danger!

The Four Great Princes' pupils constricted.

They readied themselves for battle.

As Phoenix watched Ren Xiaoyao descend step by step from the heavens, as though walking down Heavenly Steps, and saw the Ghost Face Mask on his face,

she seemed to recall something.

Her expression changed drastically.

"The person who slaughtered three Heavenly Human Realm martial artists at Princess Taiping's Residence, and even captured Elder Tang of the Martial Saint Realm, was also wearing a Ghost Face Mask like this!"

A sense of foreboding rose in Phoenix's heart.

She could not help but shudder.

Ying Huai looked at Ren Xiaoyao's figure in the sky and was also greatly surprised.

For Ying Huai had no idea who this figure, descending like a divine soldier from heaven, was, nor why he had acted to save him.

Phoenix drew a deep breath and said,

"Your Excellency, who are you? We have come under the Empress of Great Gan's orders to apprehend a wanted criminal. Why are you stopping us?"

Upon hearing this,

Ren Xiaoyao did not answer Phoenix.

His gaze merely fell upon her.

At the same time, he used his Spiritual Sense to examine her.

He discovered that the True Essence fluctuations emanating from Phoenix had actually reached the level of the Heavenly Human Realm.

Ren Xiaoyao was rather surprised by this.

Because roughly a year ago, Ren Xiaoyao had met Phoenix once.

At that time, she had not even reached the True Man Realm. Yet after merely one year, Phoenix had actually attained the Heavenly Human Realm?

Next,

Ren Xiaoyao's Spiritual Sense swept over the royal family's Four Great Princes. These Four Great Princes were all martial artists of the Heavenly Human Realm, and the strength of their True Essence even surpassed that of the Devil Master.

No wonder tonight's killing trap had been a situation of certain death for Ying Huai.

A mere Devil Master,

when facing five martial artists of the Heavenly Human Realm,

would likely find it difficult even to retreat unscathed.

Let alone protect Ying Huai.

Ren Xiaoyao's disregard also enraged Phoenix for a moment. Her voice lowered as she said, "Your Excellency, can't you hear what I'm asking you? I—"

Phoenix was about to say more.

But Ren Xiaoyao merely glanced at her.

Then he lightly raised his hand.

In an instant, a palm imprint formed from Spiritual Power appeared in the void.

Slap!

Ren Xiaoyao flicked his hand.

A violent gale lashed Phoenix's body.

Although Phoenix was now also a martial artist of the Heavenly Human Realm, before Ren Xiaoyao's power, she had no right to resist whatsoever.

Phoenix was sent flying more than ten meters.

She crashed heavily onto the ground.

Dust immediately billowed into the air.

Phoenix coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood.

When Phoenix looked at Ren Xiaoyao again, there was no trace of arrogance left in her eyes, only endless terror.

"Th-this is impossible?"

Phoenix looked at Ren Xiaoyao in the distance.

Her entire body trembled and shook.

Originally, Phoenix had not been certain whether the man before her was the one who had killed Elder Tang in Qianqiu Pavilion.

But now,

Phoenix was completely certain. She, a dignified Heavenly Human Realm martial artist, was like an ant before such an existence, unable to withstand a single blow.

Then,

this man was at least in the Martial Saint Realm!

Moreover,

this man even dared to kill an Elder of Qianqiu Pavilion.

What did they amount to?

At this thought,

Phoenix only felt her liver and gall turn cold with fear.

This scene

naturally made the royal family's Four Great Princes turn white.

Although Phoenix was weaker than them,

she was still a martial artist of the Heavenly Human Realm.

Yet now,

she had been so unable to withstand a single blow?

What if they faced Ren Xiaoyao?

At this thought,

the four royal princes could not help but feel their scalps tingle, finding it difficult even to breathe.

Ying Huai hurried forward at this moment and cupped his fists toward Ren Xiaoyao. "Thank you, Your Excellency, for acting and saving this old man's life."

Ren Xiaoyao nodded at Ying Huai.

Then, he used Spiritual Power to create an incomparably aged voice and said,

"Between you and this old man lies a karmic bond. I once promised an old friend that I could protect you for a lifetime of peace. Naturally, I will not let you meet with misfortune."

Hearing Ren Xiaoyao's aged voice,

combined with his Martial Dao that reached through heaven and earth,

Phoenix, the royal family's Four Great Princes, and Ying Huai

all came to a conclusion.

The person before them ought to be a Martial Dao giant who had practiced martial arts for countless years and brought his Martial Dao to its pinnacle.

At this moment,

Prince He of the royal family's Four Great Princes stepped forward.

Prince He suppressed the fear in his heart, took a deep breath, and looked at Ren Xiaoyao. "Senior, Ying Huai has committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign, and the Empress cannot tolerate him. Though your cultivation reaches through heaven and earth, offending the Empress of Great Gan for the sake of a wanted criminal like this is perhaps not worth the loss?"

Yet Ren Xiaoyao burst into laughter upon hearing this. "Can the Empress of Great Gan threaten me? Though my lifespan is nearly exhausted, I can still contend against thousands upon thousands of troops. If I throw away this old life of mine and drag the Empress of Great Gan down with me before I die, that would not be a problem!"

Upon hearing this,

Phoenix's heart gave a jolt.

Ren Xiaoyao's stance was exceedingly clear.

Today's matter

was likely impossible to settle peacefully!

But Prince He did not become angry upon hearing Ren Xiaoyao's words. Instead, he chuckled. "Indeed! Senior, your lifespan is nearly exhausted, so you truly have nothing to fear. But if we have a way to extend your lifespan for some time longer, would Senior be willing to cooperate with us?"

After saying this,

Prince He looked at Ren Xiaoyao with a meaningful smile.

Though Prince He could not see Ren Xiaoyao's expression beneath the mask,

in his view,

Ren Xiaoyao could not possibly remain unmoved.

For martial artists of this level, whose Martial Dao reached through heaven and earth and whose lifespans were nearly exhausted, nothing was more tempting than extending their lives!

"Oh?"

Ren Xiaoyao was rather surprised upon hearing this and asked, "The lives of mortals have their own heavenly allotment. To forcibly seize longevity from heaven is likely not so simple, is it?"

After Prince He heard Ren Xiaoyao's words,

he naturally assumed Ren Xiaoyao had taken the bait and smiled. "The Empress possesses such a method. She can extract the Vital Blood of mortals and condense it into Blood Pills. Humans are the foremost of all living things, so Blood Pills can seize the creation of heaven and earth. Not only can they help us overcome bottlenecks in cultivation, they can also extend our lives by several decades."

Upon hearing this, Ying Huai revealed an angry expression and said coldly,

"Just as I deduced, in pursuit of power, the Empress has become utterly unscrupulous. She treats the common people as blood food. Such a tyrant has never existed since ancient times!"

Even Ren Xiaoyao

had not expected

the Empress to possess such cruel and vicious means.

No wonder Ying Huai had completely torn off all pretense with the Empress.

At this moment,

Prince He shook his head and looked mockingly at Ying Huai. "Ying Huai, you simply do not know what is good for you. People are born only to die. For ordinary commoners, being able to become good material for us can be considered dying in the right place!"

Then,

Prince He looked at Ren Xiaoyao and said,

"Senior, since that is the case, let us form this alliance here and now. After all, there are many people in the world—impossible to kill them all, impossible to use them all. There will be more than enough for us to divide among ourselves."

The other three royal princes nodded repeatedly and voiced their agreement.

Phoenix's heart, which had been heavy before, gradually relaxed at this moment.

After all,

Phoenix felt that the masked old man before her could not possibly refuse Prince He's proposal.

For martial artists of this level,

they might fear neither heaven nor earth, but they feared death alone.

The older people grew, the more they feared death.

It was like when news of the Ten-thousand-year Ginseng had spread before, drawing countless martial artists on the verge of dying of old age to charge forward one after another and risk challenging Li Chunfeng.

Yet whether the Ten-thousand-year Ginseng could extend one's lifespan had only been a rumor.

Now,

the Blood Pills' ability to extend one's lifespan

had already been verified on the four royal princes.

It seemed

the Empress's faction was about to gain an unprecedentedly powerful martial artist.

The Mysterious Person wearing the mask before them

would likely become the sharpest sword in the Empress's hand.

Ren Xiaoyao did not answer Prince He. His gaze fell upon Ying Huai as he asked, "Ying Huai, how do you think this old man should choose?"

Ying Huai's gaze was resolute. "A true man standing between heaven and earth should nurture the Righteous Qi of heaven and earth and do things openly and honorably. If I were Senior, I would disdain to keep company with the Empress."

Ren Xiaoyao nodded and smiled faintly. "What a true man. Ying Huai, saving your life was not in vain."

Then,

Ren Xiaoyao's gaze fell upon the royal family's Four Great Princes. Though Ren Xiaoyao wore a mask, the Four Great Princes could still feel the chill behind it.

"Damn it! Who would have thought you were also a foul-smelling, unyielding stone! Since you insist on acting on heaven's behalf, let us see whether you have the ability!"

Seeing this, Prince He knew there was no longer any room to negotiate with Ren Xiaoyao.

The royal family's Four Great Princes did not hesitate in the slightest. They unleashed the power of the Heavenly Human Realm and charged toward Ren Xiaoyao to kill him.

The Devil Master watched this scene from afar and could only feel the overwhelming strength of that killing intent.

Too powerful!

Even the Devil Master could not help but feel frightened.

The royal family's Four Great Princes had all entered the Heavenly Human Realm over a decade ago. Usually, they served as the Empress's trump cards, and their combat power far surpassed that of the Devil Master, who had only recently entered the Heavenly Human Realm.

But when Ren Xiaoyao saw the royal family's Four Great Princes charging at him to kill him, he merely shook his head and spoke indifferently.

"Acting on heaven's behalf? Heh. Has it ever occurred to you that I am heaven itself?"

Then,

Ren Xiaoyao casually threw one punch.

The radiance of his fist tore through the air.

It was so dazzling that Ying Huai, Phoenix, the Devil Master, and the others could not open their eyes.

His voice was like thunder.

The din was so deafening that Ying Huai, Phoenix, the Devil Master, and the others could not hear anything outside.

In an instant.

The grass and trees throughout the entire mountain forest were Uprooted, while dust and sand billowed across the sky.

Facing Ren Xiaoyao's One Punch head-on, the Four Great Royal Princes could only feel that their own True Essence was nothing more than a joke before it.

At that moment.

The Four Great Royal Princes felt unprecedented despair and unwillingness.

They could not understand.

How could the Martial Dao of this world possibly be so powerful?

They could only feel their bodies completely Split Open beneath Ren Xiaoyao's casual punch. Before dying, endless sorrow rose in their hearts.

They were Heavenly Human Realm experts!

Yet they could not even block a single punch from Ren Xiaoyao!

At that moment.

The fist radiance dispersed.

Ying Huai, the Devil Master, and Phoenix opened their eyes as well.

But where could they still see any trace of the Four Great Royal Princes?

Then.

They heard the sound of rocks shattering.

They saw.

Behind where the Four Great Royal Princes had stood.

The small mountain that had originally towered there crumbled and shattered at that very instant.

This punch.

Ren Xiaoyao had not merely blown apart the Four Great Royal Princes in an instant.

At the same time.

The lingering force of Ren Xiaoyao's Fist Wind.

Had directly smashed apart that mountain, which had stood there for who knew how many thousands of years.

Afterward.

Ren Xiaoyao's gaze fell upon Phoenix.

Thud!

The Grand Commander of the Shadow Guards, the Empress's most trusted subordinate and a supreme martial artist of the Heavenly Human Realm, fell to her knees in terror.

She seemed to have something to say to him.

But her courage had been utterly shattered by Ren Xiaoyao's punch.

Her expression was full of despair.

Her Lips trembled without cease.

Yet even after a long while, she could not utter a single word.