The Azure Emperor!

Gu Yuan spoke calmly and watched Ning Chen with a peaceful smile, but inside, his thoughts had already been swept up in a storm. He was probably no less shocked than he would have been if someone had told him Xiao Xuan had come back to life.

Who exactly is he?

What realm has he reached to return to such simplicity?

Why did he come to the Xiao Clan? Does it really have nothing to do with the Tou She Ancient God Jade?

Just now... did he really see through my concealment, or had he anticipated it and was only bluffing?

Countless questions echoed through Gu Yuan's mind.

He was certain that the man before him was the young man his precious daughter had mentioned. But how could this man possibly be only a Dou Wang?!

Before Gu Yuan had met Ning Chen in person, he had assumed Ning Chen was most likely a high-ranking Dou Zun, perhaps even a Half-Saint or a low-ranking Dou Sheng.

If he had been an ordinary Dou Zun, then the kid must have been faking his power based on some information he'd gotten from who knew where.

But he was a Dou Wang!

What kind of joke was this?!

What Dou Wang could see through the concealment of a late-stage nine-star Dou Sheng? And what Dou Wang would dare speak to Gu Yuan this way after learning who he was?

This man's realm is probably no lower than mine. Otherwise, with my late-stage nine-star Dou Sheng cultivation, no concealment technique could possibly have escaped my notice...

Could he be some old monster who had been in seclusion for ages? But how could that be possible?

In the ten thousand years of Dou Qi Continent's history, aside from the Dou God Clans, only Demon Saint Huangquan, Demon Saint Jinglian, and the two ancestors of Burning Flame Valley and Danta had reached nine-star Dou Sheng as unaffiliated cultivators!

Ning Chen glanced at Gu Yuan's warm smile, then at the large amounts of surprise points constantly pouring into his system.

He could barely keep the grin off his face. Without changing his expression, he gave a slight nod and chuckled softly.

"Clan Leader Gu, you're too kind. Caring about one's children is only natural... Heh, I understand."

He paused, then continued, "As for the Xiao Clan... I merely happened to be passing by. Seeing a descendant of an old friend brought back memories, so I stayed for a few days. I'm sure Clan Leader Gu can understand."

Boom!!

At those words, Gu Yuan felt as though an invisible bolt of thunder had struck him! A second surge of intense emotion earned Ning Chen another ten thousand surprise points.

This man really was an old monster! He even knew the Xiao Clan descended from the Xiao Tribe!

That meant he'd probably already guessed that Xun'er had come for the Tou She Ancient God Jade in the Xiao Clan's possession!

"Heh, it's only natural to cherish old friendships. That's a fine quality."

Gu Yuan chuckled, suppressing the roiling blood and turbulent emotions that were nearly getting away from him. His smile grew a little stiff, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Shameful as it is to admit, I've lived for several thousand years and thought myself somewhat familiar with the continent's history and secrets. Yet I've never heard of anyone as remarkable as you." He hesitated. "Might you be willing to tell me your honored title? Then I'll know which esteemed friend I've had the good fortune to meet today."

Here it comes!

Ning Chen chuckled to himself. I knew Gu Yuan would ask.

A name could be made up, but an "honored title"—a mark of identity, status, and strength—would often leave traces among the circle of the strongest. It was easier to investigate and trace back to its source.

He had prepared for this. A distant, wistful look crossed his face, as though he were remembering a long-forgotten age, and he spoke in a leisurely tone.

"My title... The world changes, and the years pass like dust. It's been so long... so long that even I nearly forgot."

"I vaguely recall an old friend jokingly bestowing that title upon me. Now that Clan Leader Gu has brought it up, a few hazy memories have returned."

Ning Chen paused and met Gu Yuan's warm yet unfathomable gaze. Then he spoke two clear, calm syllables. His voice was quiet, but they rang in Gu Yuan's ears like thunder.

"The Azure Emperor."

A... Emperor?!

Gu Yuan's smile froze completely!

Emperor?!

How dare he?! How could he?! How was that... possible?!

On Dou Qi Continent, how weighty was the word "Emperor"!

It was the highest title, above all things! The ultimate realm that countless cultivators spent their entire lives looking up to, yet could never reach!

Even someone as powerful as Gu Yuan—the clan leader of one of the Ancient Eight Clans and a peak late-stage nine-star Dou Sheng—dared not, could not, and was not worthy to call himself an "Emperor"!

Even Hun Tiandi, whose name contained the word "Emperor" and whose ambitions knew no bounds, was privately considered arrogant by many.

And now, this man before him actually dared to use the title "Azure Emperor"?!

This wasn't mere arrogance. It was practically defying the heavens!

After the shock came a deeper suspicion, surging over him like a tide.

Gu Yuan's thoughts raced once more.

The Azure Emperor?

He'd never heard of him!

Since ancient times, apart from the Dou Di ancestors whose bloodline origins were unknown, had there ever been a powerful figure who used "Emperor" as a title?

Demon Saint Huangquan and Demon Saint Jinglian had been peerless geniuses, the pinnacle of the Saints, yet they hadn't dared call themselves that!

Could he... truly be a powerful survivor from a more distant age, one long lost to history and absent even from the oldest records of the Gu Clan?

The thought sent a chill through Gu Yuan.

But another, stronger thought soon took hold.

I don't believe it!

The Emperor Clans had been passed down for tens of thousands of years. Their foundations were unfathomable, and they were the true rulers of Dou Qi Continent.

If such a powerful figure, bearing the title "Emperor," had ever existed, how could there be no trace of him at all?

Either he was lying, and had invented the title to bluff and intimidate.

Or...

A sharp glint flashed in the depths of Gu Yuan's eyes. Perhaps his level really was above mine and Hun Tiandi's, making him... a quasi-Emperor!

As for a true Dou Di?

What a joke.

That was beyond absurd.

Suspicion and uncertainty twisted together, making Gu Yuan desperate for a more direct test.

Anything could be faked. Only power couldn't!

Having made up his mind, Gu Yuan's smile returned, though now it held a sharper edge.

"Azure Emperor... What a bold and inspiring title."

Then he abruptly changed the subject.

"I've always had a particular weakness: whenever I meet someone of exceptional bearing, I can't help itching to exchange pointers and test what I've learned."

"To meet Your Excellency, the Azure Emperor, today is surely an opportunity granted by heaven. Might you... grant me the chance to have a friendly exchange?"

His words were courteous, but his meaning was clear in the phrase "friendly exchange."

He wanted to test the Azure Emperor's true strength for himself!

Whether he was genuine or a fraud, a dragon or a worm, one battle would reveal all!

To Gu Yuan, a late-stage nine-star Dou Sheng, anyone below him—whether a Dou Zun, a Half-Saint, or an ordinary Dou Sheng—could be dealt with in a single slap.

If the so-called Azure Emperor couldn't withstand one or two serious moves, or if the nature of his power proved flimsy, then all his mystery and arrogance would turn to dust.

Ning Chen felt no trepidation at Gu Yuan's words. Instead, a thrill of anticipation rose in him.

At last!

The ultimate test of the Wu Wu Kai system!

The wistful look vanished from his face in an instant. A composed smile curled his lips as he met Gu Yuan's gaze and gave a slight nod.

"If Clan Leader Gu is in the mood, I'll gladly oblige. It's been some years since I last stretched my muscles, anyway."

Seeing Ning Chen agree so readily, Gu Yuan's eyes gleamed even brighter.

"This is the heart of the Northwest Continent, where people live in great numbers. If we fought here, even with some restraint, the shockwaves might still harm the innocent and flatten the mountains and rivers for a thousand miles. Why don't we—"

Before he finished speaking, he made no elaborate gesture. He simply swept his sleeve lightly through the space around them.

Hummm—!

The space around them rippled like water.

In the next instant, Ning Chen's vision blurred, stretched, and twisted!

The forest, the twilight, the distant mountains, the drifting clouds... Everything familiar rapidly faded like an ink painting being washed away.

In its place, a vast, scorching, dry expanse of golden yellow filled his vision.

It took only a moment—less than a full breath.

The soft earth and fallen leaves beneath his feet had become hot, fine sand.

He looked around. The sky stretched vast above him, the bright moon hanging overhead.

For thousands of miles, not a soul in sight. The world was nothing but yellow sand!

They were now deep in the vast desert at the far northern edge of the Northwest Continent, a place renowned for death and desolation!

The methods of a Dou Sheng could make the ends of the earth seem close and shift the world itself!