It was as if the sky had split and the earth had roared. The terrifying sight weighed heavily on every immortal's heart. Before they could think it over, the pressure brought by the shock wave came crashing down like the sky itself. With the exception of the Jade Emperor and a few others, a vast number of immortals were forced to the ground.
"Hmph!"
The Jade Emperor rose to his feet and swept out an arm. The overwhelming pressure vanished at once. The immortals on the ground suddenly felt their bodies lighten and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Someone with such abilities can't be a nobody!" The Jade Emperor stared coldly at Chen Tong in the water. "Speak. Who are you?"
Chen Tong was taken aback by the Jade Emperor's question, but quickly regained his arrogance. With his hands behind his back and a haughty look on his face, he showed not the slightest fear of the Jade Emperor's heavenly might!
"You're the dignified ruler of the Three Realms, yet there are things you don't know?" Chen Tong gave a scornful laugh. "Jade Emperor, you're doing a poor job as ruler of the Three Realms."
"Slap!"
The Queen Mother Niangniang rose in fury. "How dare you show such contempt for heavenly authority! Even if you were an ancient god, you wouldn't be allowed to act so brazenly here today."
"Heh!" Seeing the Queen Mother Niangniang grow anxious only made Chen Tong more disdainful. He tossed out a cutting remark: "You're awfully protective of your husband! But the two of you have taken turns confronting me and neither of you can do a thing. Aren't you afraid of biting your tongue with all that bluster?"
"You..."
The Queen Mother Niangniang pointed furiously at Chen Tong, about to lose her temper, but the Jade Emperor hurriedly stopped her. The scene left the immortals exchanging bewildered looks!
It was rare indeed for anyone in the Three Realms to speak to the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother like this. Who was this fellow? He had Golden Immortal cultivation, yet his abilities reached the heavens. Someone like him shouldn't have been unknown.
"Within the Three Realms, anyone capable of breaking my Five-Thunder Divine Method would have to be a saint or higher. But your Golden Immortal cultivation is plainly real. The only explanation is that you have some kind of divine treasure of the Heavenly Dao hidden on you." The Jade Emperor regarded Chen Tong impassively. "Am I right?"
The Jade Emperor's voice was steady and mild, yet it carried an inviolable heavenly authority. His words made the immortals suddenly understand!
Chen Tong said nothing. He didn't deny it; there really was something inside him. But it was far more powerful than any divine treasure of the Heavenly Dao. Just as he was about to speak, a cold voice sounded in his mind: [Ding! Congratulations, host. Human Emperor Way progress: 60%.]
"What?"
Chen Tong's brows tightened. He'd spent so much time, yet his progress was only at 60%. What was he supposed to do? If this dragged on, something might go wrong.
Seeing that Chen Tong wasn't speaking, the Jade Emperor grew even more certain of his guess. A flicker of greed passed through the depths of his eyes.
Ever since the Ancient Era ended, divine treasures of the Heavenly Dao had grown scarcer with each passing age. Only a few still existed in the world. Now one was right before him—he couldn't possibly let it go.
"Friend, how about we make a deal?"
The Jade Emperor's oddly familiar way of addressing him left the immortals stunned. Chen Tong was caught off guard too. They'd just been on the verge of a fight, so why was he suddenly talking about a deal?
"Go on," Chen Tong replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Hand over what you have on you, and I'll let you leave. I guarantee no one in the Three Realms will give you trouble."
"Pah!" Chen Tong scoffed. "You make it sound like I can't get away if I don't hand it over."
The Jade Emperor's expression turned cold, and his eyes narrowed. "In that case, I'll have to take it myself." As soon as he finished speaking, golden light began to spread around him in waves. It seemed gentle, but everyone knew this was the Jade Emperor's golden body, forged over billions of years of cultivation, and the power he had gained through those billions of years.
Chen Tong's expression grew grave. He knew the Jade Emperor was about to get serious. With his current Golden Immortal cultivation, standing in this Heavenly River Water, he didn't know whether he was in danger of losing his life. Honestly, he had no confidence at all.
"Uh... benefactor, it looks like the Jade Emperor is furious. W-what do we do?" Marshal Tian Peng slumped to the ground, so terrified he could barely think straight.
"Damn this system! How far along is the progress? Is it done yet?" Chen Tong cursed inwardly in a panic.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. Human Emperor Way progress: 90%.]
"Damn it, can you hurry—holy crap!"
"Boom!"
As Chen Tong urged the system, a golden palm dozens of meters wide slammed toward him. Caught off guard, he could only summon the Heavenly River Water to withstand it! When the palm crashed down, it kicked up enormous waves. Nearby, Marshal Tian Peng was already trembling all over with fear.
"What! He actually managed to withstand the Jade Emperor's Ten Thousand Zhang Golden Palm?"
"Unbelievable! What kind of divine treasure of the Heavenly Dao is that fellow hiding?"
Every immortal knew that the Jade Emperor's palm contained the power of billions of years of cultivation. It was his own strength, not the power of a Daoist technique. And even so, he hadn't managed to kill Chen Tong with a single blow.
The Jade Emperor was surprised that Chen Tong had withstood the force of his palm, but his expression soon settled back into calm. Golden light continued pouring from his body into the giant palm. Beneath it, Chen Tong's blood and qi churned, as if a mountain were crushing an ordinary man. Gradually, he dropped to one knee.
"As expected of the Jade Emperor. I really underestimated you!" Chen Tong's skin had split into countless bloody cracks. If this kept up, he might explode!
Just as he was about to give out, the cold voice rang in his mind: [Ding! Congratulations, host. Human Emperor Way mission complete.]
A yellow-brown mark swiftly entered Marshal Tian Peng's crown. The next instant, he was lying atop the water when a dim, hazy light suddenly began to shine from his entire body. He only had time to feel a boundless power surging within him before he roared at the sky and unleashed it.
A colossal pillar of light shot into the heavens, scattering even the giant palm hanging overhead. The next moment, he vanished miraculously within the pillar of light, gone no one knew where.
"Now's my chance. Time to get out of here!" Chen Tong muttered. He quickly summoned a well, leaped inside, and vanished from the Heavenly River Water.
The immortals stared blankly at the scene, unable to react for a long while!
"What was that enormous pillar of light just now?"
"I don't know. I only heard Marshal Tian Peng roar, and then the pillar appeared."
The Jade Emperor's face turned extremely dark, and the hand hidden in his sleeve trembled slightly. After taking a deep breath, he coldly ordered, "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li, I command you to lead a hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals down to the mortal realm at once. Take Nezha, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Nine Luminaries Star Lords, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, and the many Divine Soldiers and Heavenly Generals with you. Turn the entire Three Realms upside down if you must, but bring that brat back to me!"
"Yes!" Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li replied. After hesitating for three seconds, he asked, "Your Majesty, what should we do about the monkey and Marshal Tian Peng?"
"Capture them. Bring every last one of them back." Though the Jade Emperor was supreme among the myriad laws, his composure had clearly been shaken.
In the mortal realm, on an island in the East Victory Divine Continent, Chen Tong emerged from the sea!
Before you continue