The emperor stood motionless, just as Pei Ling had moments ago. He neither attacked nor dodged, and made no attempt to defend himself.
He let the sharp swords rain down, the wind vortex roar, and the furious shouts thunder...
Through the swirling smoke, the words "Ruler of All Under Heaven" and the Emperor Sword came crashing down at the same time!
Boom!!!
The emperor was sent flying backward like a kite with its strings cut.
The scene had unfolded in a flash, the change so abrupt that none of the beings present had time to react. The Empress, the envoys of the four sects, the ministers, and the cultivators watching from atop the white clouds all went blank with shock.
The dense tribulation clouds swiftly dispersed from the sky.
The blue heavens reappeared, crystalline and bright as glazed glass.
The mighty heavenly aura surrounding Pei Ling, standing alone in midair, quietly faded away.
The Imperial Seal immediately broke free of his control, and the Emperor Sword slipped from his grasp. The two transformed into streaks of light and sped after the emperor.
Pei Ling let out a breath of stale air. He had won!
The next moment, he moved, appearing inside the flying vessel.
The runes covering the vessel, which had been hovering in midair, flared brilliantly. It immediately sped into the distance.
Only then did the Empress, the envoys of the four sects, and the ministers come back to their senses. Wu Jixiang sprang to his feet and shouted, "Protect His Majesty!"
The others awoke as if from a dream. In an instant, streaks of Escape Light shot from the white clouds like a sudden downpour, speeding toward the place where the emperor had fallen.
In moments, they all appeared in a wasteland outside Lan Jing City.
The vegetation