I Am King Zhou, Human Emperor!

He naturally understood that those in the great hall were all core disciples of Chanjiao, the renowned Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao.

"Junior Brother Yun Zhongzi, on this trip to Chaoge City, did you gain anything?" No sooner had Yun Zhongzi entered the hall than a voice rang out, and all eyes turned to him at once.

"That King Zhou is indeed different from before. I suspect the Jiejiao Sect used some means..." Yun Zhongzi recounted how he had gone to Chaoge City, met King Zhou, and presented the Pine Wood Sword.

"From the sound of it, King Zhou shows no signs of being a tyrant—rather, he seems a wise ruler?" Taiyi Zhenren asked in surprise.

This was easy enough to judge; one only needed to hear what the common folk of Chaoge City said to get a sense of it.

"Indeed. Ever since he slew the Spirit of the Qi Water River and the Mountain God of Taihang Mountain, King Zhou has been acting out of character!" Yun Zhongzi said.

That was only part of the reason. After meeting King Zhou, everything about him gave Yun Zhongzi the unsettling feeling that King Zhou was far from simple.

To have shocked him three times and then spoken those final words—none of it fit the image of a ruler doomed to lose his kingdom.

"Tyrant or wise ruler, the Canonization of the Gods is already set. Why bother with such things?" the Daoist seated at the highest place spoke up.

This Daoist was Guang Chengzi, the foremost of the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao and the most favored by Yuanshi Tianzun.

"The senior brother is right. The Canonization is fixed. What Great Shang is like, what King Zhou is like—none of it truly matters!" Chijingzi said.

The other Twelve Golden Immortals all nodded. They had never paid much attention to this matter anyway.

It was just that when Yun Zhongzi heard about King Zhou slaying gods, he volunteered to test him, and they couldn't very well refuse.

But what was a mere mortal, even if he had changed somewhat and done a few things, compared to them?

Even the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of old—they had seen them all and long since grown accustomed to such things.

"The Canonization is fixed, and the protagonists of the Canonization are emerging one after another. That is the real matter requiring our attention!" Guang Chengzi said.

They could not afford to be careless about the Canonization, for their master had long told them they were already caught in the great calamity.

Whether they could survive this tribulation depended on those protagonists of the Canonization, so they could not be the least bit negligent.

"Rest assured, senior brother. This matter is foolproof! By my reckoning, it's time for my disciple to emerge into the world!" Taiyi Zhenren said.

The Twelve Golden Immortals all nodded. By their calculations, their disciples should be appearing soon.

"Then let's ignore King Zhou for now. Slaying gods is the Heavenly Court's concern, not ours!" Guang Chengzi said.

They knew full well that someone was deliberately stirring things up, likely trying to divert trouble their way.

But they were utterly contemptuous of it. To think such tricks could affect them was laughable.

On reflection, it made sense. The Heavenly Court had little renown, and the Jade Emperor was probably inexperienced—how could he compare to them?

Yun Zhongzi wanted to say more, but for some reason, he still felt wary of King Zhou.

Thinking of King Zhou's words, he had a nagging sense that King Zhou might yet do something unexpected.

But seeing the Twelve Golden Immortals so dismissive, he didn't press further.

After all, even if King Zhou did surprise them, so what?

The Canonization was fixed. What could a mere mortal do to defy heaven? It was like an ant trying to shake a tree—utterly impossible.

Leaving aside the schemes of the Twelve Golden Immortals, Zi Shou, within the Hall of Heroes of the Human Emperors, had reached a critical moment.

Several months had passed since he entered the Immortal Platform Secret Realm, and his accumulation was finally complete.

From the Immortal Platform First Heaven all the way to the Immortal Platform Sixth Heaven, becoming a Great Saint, his cultivation speed had not slowed in the slightest.

Stepping into the Quasi-Emperor realm, from Quasi-Emperor First Heaven to Quasi-Emperor Ninth Heaven, he had re-cultivated the Five Great Secret Realms, perfecting each one.

Thus, the Quasi-Emperor realm was fully complete. Only one realm remained before him.

Step into the Extreme Dao Domain, stand at the peak of the Human Dao Domain, and Prove Dao and Become Emperor!

He would have needed more time to accumulate, but meeting Yun Zhongzi today had shown him the opportunity for a breakthrough.

Proving Dao and Becoming Emperor meant establishing one's own Dao, rising to the pinnacle of the Human Dao Domain, and becoming invincible in the age!

Taking this step was incredibly difficult. Countless prodigies and brilliant talents had been barred at the gate.

At this moment, Zi Shou's flesh was crystalline and translucent. His old Primordial Spirit shed away, and a new one was gestating, about to be born.

The great dragon of his spine surged upward, while the Primordial Spirit in his Immortal Platform descended. The two forces worked together, as if they were about to fuse into one.

The Five Great Secret Realms had long been perfected, but now they were merging, forming a Dao Cocoon to gestate the laws of the Extreme Dao.

The breakthrough was drawing closer. It seemed that with just a little more push, he could shatter his limits and step into a brand-new world.

Just then, within the Hall of Heroes of the Human Emperors, lightning sparked from the void, and an endless sea of thunder appeared.

When one Proved Dao and Became Emperor, a Heavenly Tribulation was normal. But the world he was in was somewhat different.

According to Grand Tutor Wen, Heavenly Tribulation did exist, but it only came when one's karmic sins were too heavy, summoning the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder.

If one merely cultivated to the level of becoming an immortal, no tribulation would descend, nor was there any talk of transcending tribulation to become an immortal.

However, as one's cultivation deepened, it was said that the Three Calamities, Nine Disasters, Ten Tribulations, and the terrifying Five Decays of Heaven and Man would appear.

As he saw it, the Heavenly Court was still crude, and many of its duties were not yet fully established.

Take Wen Zhong for example—after the Canonization of the Gods, he was enfeoffed as the Universal Thunder Lord of the Nine Heavens, presiding over the Department of Thunder.

But now the Heavenly Court likely doesn't even have a Department of Thunder, with no one wielding the power of lightning, so naturally there is no such thing as Heavenly Tribulation.

Yet within the Hall of Heroes of the Human Emperors, he encountered the baptism of Heavenly Tribulation, and it gave him no time to react at all.

The moment the boundless sea of lightning appeared, countless terrifying bolts of thunder descended, crashing down upon him without mercy.

Each bolt of thunder was terrifying, and as they fell together, it was like the end of days, instantly drowning him.

Fortunately, after daily battles against human emperors in the Great Emperor's Arena, his strength was far beyond what it used to be.

No matter how the boundless thunder fell, he stood as unmovable as a mountain, and the rhythm of his breakthrough was not disrupted.

If he wished, shattering the thunder with a single hand would not be difficult, but he knew this was only the beginning.

After some time, who knew how many bolts of thunder had fallen, yet his flesh was crystalline and translucent, not only unharmed but without even a trace of scorch marks.

Though he was not an Innate Holy Body Dao Fetus, being able to cultivate the Wushi Scripture proved that his physique was no worse than that of an Innate Holy Body Dao Fetus.

In fact, because the blood of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors flowed through his veins, his physique was far stronger than that of an Innate Holy Body Dao Fetus.

Everything was as he had expected—the previous assault was merely an appetizer, and the boundless sea of lightning underwent a new transformation.

The thunder took form, transforming into countless Heavenly Soldiers, into dragons, phoenixes, and qilins, into Extreme Dao Emperor Weapons...

He finally moved, the Wushi Bell hovering above his head, and with a single step, he actively entered the boundless sea of lightning.

This was not a brutal struggle but a one-sided massacre!

With a single palm strike, countless Heavenly Soldiers were reduced to ashes. With another palm strike, dragons, phoenixes, and qilins dissipated. With a raised hand and a clench, the Extreme Dao Emperor Weapons shattered instantly.

From the moment Emperor Wushi set foot on the path of cultivation, he swept through all prodigies, defeated every hero under heaven, and at the same realm, none could withstand a single exchange with him.

Since he had inherited Emperor Wushi's legacy, he naturally could not tarnish Emperor Wushi's reputation.

A mere Heavenly Tribulation, after months of training in the Great Emperor's Arena, posed no threat to him at all.

As if aware of this, the Heavenly Tribulation changed again. Countless bolts of thunder once more took form, and stalks of Undying Immortal Herbs materialized.

Behind each Undying Immortal Herb was a face—the faces of former immortals, manifested within the boundless sea of lightning.

Radiant light drowned everything. At this moment, he finally felt a trace of pressure, but only a trace.

He strode forward, braving the brilliant immortal light, treading upon the sea of lightning, shattering the sky with his fists, choosing to clash head-on with the Undying Immortal Herbs.

Even more terrifying was that the rhythm of his breakthrough remained undisturbed. The Five Great Secret Realms gradually merged into one, and his own Extreme Dao rules matured and took shape.

His Primordial Spirit also shone. The old Primordial Spirit had completely faded away, and a new one had been born, stronger than before and purer.

He knew in his heart that once the Five Great Secret Realms fused into one, he would truly reach perfection and step into the Sacrifice Dao Realm.

"Now this is a bit interesting—otherwise, it would have been far too dull," Zi Shou murmured to himself.

The Undying Immortal Herbs shattered, but the boundless sea of lightning did not dissipate. Infinite thunder coalesced, and nine figures emerged within the sea of lightning.

They were still powerful beings manifested by the Heavenly Tribulation, but these nine figures were extraordinary, standing like immortal monuments between heaven and earth.

Great Emperors! These were all former Great Emperors, now reflected by the Heavenly Tribulation to become his opponents.

A truly brutal battle began. He fought one against nine, simultaneously clashing with nine former Great Emperors.

Great Emperors were all invincible powerhouses of their eras. One Great Emperor was already terrifying enough, let alone nine.

With nine Great Emperors joining forces, who in the same realm could be their match?

Even Emperor Wushi, who turned his back on all beings and was undefeated in his life, likely could not prevail one against nine!

He had to admit that without the Great Emperor's Arena, he would have long since been defeated, rather than barely holding on as he was now.

This was a sight that would leave anyone stunned! Fighting one against nine and still barely holding on—what kind of battle prowess was that?

But this was the fruit of his months of arduous training in the Great Emperor's Arena!

Having fought with all his strength against countless human emperors from across the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, his combat power had already reached its peak.