The Su Family Emperor Clan Was Stunned: The Divine Son's Cultivation Was Higher Than Mine?!

Silence settled over the hall for a breath.

Then Yuan Feng turned slightly toward the Tianxuan disciples and spoke in a low voice.

"Why haven't you thanked him yet?"

The Tianxuan Ancestor was the first to react. Trembling all over, he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his aged face. "This old man... on behalf of everyone in the Tianxuan Orthodoxy, I thank the Divine Son for his great kindness!"

The disciples cried, "We thank you, Divine Son!"

Only after everyone's emotions had settled somewhat did Yuan Feng ask.

"Divine Son, everyone in the clan is awaiting your return. Clan Leader Shenyue Su has already prepared a grand welcoming ceremony. When would you like to depart?"

Su Linxian's eyes flickered, and he shook his head.

"There's no rush."

He walked to the hall's entrance and gazed at the vast darkness in the distance.

"There are still some matters I need to handle in the lower realm."

"Earlier, in the forbidden zone, I sensed something unusual. My cultivation wasn't high enough at the time, so I didn't dare venture deeper."

"Now, it's about time I took a look."

He had obtained his Emperor Weapon, Diya, in a Primordial Secret Realm.

And when he had been forced into that forbidden zone, he had distinctly felt Diya trembling gently.

As though something were calling to it.

Yuan Feng pondered for a moment, then nodded.

He knew how powerful his Divine Son was now.

Although he had not personally witnessed the entire battle, the memories he had obtained through Soul Search on the Tai'e Sword Emperor had shown him Su Linxian fighting four Emperors alone.

The four Emperors had joined forces, only to be utterly defeated by the Divine Son with a single sword.

"Divine Son, you have now reached the peak Emperor realm. Indeed, no one in the lower realm can do anything to you."

"In that case, this old servant will lead the others back to the clan first to report."

Su Linxian nodded. "Mm."

"Go."

The supreme background the system had granted him was merely flowers added to fine brocade.

His peak Emperor realm cultivation was his strongest source of confidence.

Yuan Feng said no more. Turning toward Tianxuan's ruined sect grounds, he raised his hand and waved.

The one hundred and eight Black Armor War Guards rose into the air together, their formation as precise as though cut by knives and axes, and vanished back into the rift in the sky that had yet to fully heal.

Nine divine dragons of nine different colors slowly pulled the bronze war chariot into the air!

"Divine Son."

"We shall await your return at the Su Family Emperor Clan!"

Yuan Feng glanced back at Su Linxian one last time and bowed before turning to board the chariot.

The rift in the heavens slowly closed. Dragon roars and phoenix cries faded into the distance, and starlight once again spilled over the world.

After they left.

A trembling voice, filled with awe and respect, reached him.

The Tianxuan Ancestor said, "Divine Son..."

Su Linxian looked back and smiled.

"There's no need to be so formal, Ancestor. I'm still a member of the Tianxuan Orthodoxy."

"The calamity that befell the Tianxuan Orthodoxy today arose because of me. I bear a responsibility I cannot shirk."

"Just call me Linxian."

The Tianxuan Ancestor sighed with emotion.

The Saint Emperor Clan's Su Family.

Above the nine heavens, atop a sea of clouds, a majestic, boundless Emperor City floated among the stars.

Countless palaces stood within the city, each exuding a weighty pressure that had endured a million years without fading.

Inside the Divine Hall, several figures sat in their respective places.

Shenyue Su occupied the seat of honor, with dozens of elders seated in rows to his left and right.

The pressure emanating from each figure far surpassed that of ordinary Emperors and was unfathomably deep.

The hall doors were pushed open.

Yuan Feng strode inside and bowed. "This old servant, Yuan Feng, greets the clan leader and all the elders!"

Shenyue Su leaned forward slightly, his voice clear and cool as a spring.

"Where is the Divine Son?"

Yuan Feng straightened, a trace of hesitation crossing his face.

Some elders were already frowning. A white-haired elder seated at the head of the left row spoke gravely. "Elder Yuan, you went to the lower realm to fetch him personally. Did something go wrong?"

"The Divine Son..."

Yuan Feng considered his wording, then answered truthfully. "The Divine Son said he still had some matters to handle in the lower realm. He is remaining there for now and ordered this old servant to return to the clan first to report."

At those words.

The hall abruptly fell silent for a moment.

The white-haired elder shot to his feet, undisguised anger rising on his face. "Outrageous! You left the Divine Son alone in the lower realm? Yuan Feng, as a Shadow Guard of the Emperor Clan, do you not understand how important the Divine Son is? If anything were to happen..."

"Please calm your anger, Grand Elder," Yuan Feng replied, neither servile nor overbearing.

"The Divine Son has already reached the peak Emperor realm. With his cultivation, not merely Middle Heaven—even in the Extreme Heaven Domain, absolutely no one could do anything to him!"

Those words were like a pebble tossed into a still lake.

Ripples spread outward, ring after ring.

"What did you say?!"

Shenyue Su's pupils contracted slightly.

The white-haired elder froze where he stood, his mouth hanging open. Anger still lingered on his face, yet he could no longer utter a word.

On either side, dozens of elders were visibly shaken and drew sharp breaths.

"How is that possible?! Peak Emperor realm cultivation!"

"Did you truly witness this yourself?"

Yuan Feng said, "This old servant saw it with his own eyes! Four ninth-level Emperors joined forces to surround and kill the Divine Son, only for him to defeat them all alone with a single sword."

"The Tai'e Sword Emperor unleashed Tai'e Return to Origin, but the Divine Son broke it with one strike using a sword art of the same origin. Even if this old servant hadn't arrived, those four Emperors would likely never have escaped his blade."

Everyone present exchanged bewildered looks.

After a moment, Shenyue Su slowly rose from his seat of honor.

His beautiful eyes burned with fervor, and his lips trembled slightly as he spoke softly.

"Since he broke free of the Divine Source seal... only a hundred years have passed."

A hundred years.

The peak Emperor realm!

Such speed was unheard of in the entire history of the heavens!

Dozens of elders rose from their seats at once, their eyes filled with disbelief and shock!

The white-haired elder who had been fuming moments earlier now wore an entirely different expression, his clouded old eyes brimming with excitement.

"Good... wonderful... hahahahaha! A hundred years, and the peak Emperor realm!"

"As expected of our clan's Divine Son!"

The mood swiftly shifted from shock to wild joy.

Shenyue Su drew a deep breath, suppressed his surging emotions, and sat back down in the seat of honor, his gaze sweeping over the elders below.

His voice had regained its clarity and composure, yet carried an excitement he could not suppress.

"Pass down my command. Proclaim it throughout the heavens."

"The Divine Son of our Su Family has returned, having ascended to the peak Emperor realm within a hundred years!"

At that, Shenyue Su's crimson lips curved slightly, and he chuckled.

"It seems our Su Family Emperor Clan will once again tower over ten thousand ages!"

The Ziwei Domain.

The void within the First Forbidden Zone.

Even the wind here carried the stench of decay.

There was no sun, moon, or starlight in the sky; countless Dead Stars drifted through it.

Su Linxian's white robes were like snow, untouched by a speck of dust.

Diya remained sheathed, but an invisible aura circulated within thirty feet of him, silently dispersing any death energy that approached.

He lifted his head, his gaze piercing the gray haze to look into the depths of the forbidden zone.

A dark shape suddenly shot out from underground.

"Roar!"

It was a Death Soul Beast, pitch-black and wolf-shaped, its entire body condensed from pure death energy. Two ghastly green flames burned in its eyes!

It lunged at Su Linxian, its sharp claws tearing through the void, carrying death energy powerful enough to corrode the soul.

Su Linxian did not even glance at it.

He flicked a finger.

Hum!

A streak of Dark Gold Sword Intent shot forth and pierced the Death Soul Beast's skull.

The Death Soul Beast let out a shrill howl, and its entire body exploded into black vapor that scattered through the air.

Several more dark shapes sprang out from every direction. They took different forms: some resembled pythons, others giant eagles, and still others humans.

They were all Death Soul Beasts that had existed in this forbidden zone for untold tens of thousands of years. Every one of them rivaled a quasi-Emperor realm cultivator!

Su Linxian barked coldly.

"What a nuisance!"

"Tai'e!"

His sword flashed out.

Sword intent shot forth, piercing the core of every Death Soul Beast with absolute precision. The creatures, fearsome enough to make ordinary Emperors wary, were like paper before him. In an instant, they were swept away!

Su Linxian withdrew his hand and surveyed the empty void around him, frowning slightly.

"Something's strange."

The Ziwei Domain had no shortage of forbidden zones of life. Though these Death Soul Beasts were terrifying, they were not enough to make those Emperors shrink back.

With the cultivation of the Tai'e Sword Emperor and the others, these Death Soul Beasts could not possibly stop them if they truly wished to explore this forbidden zone.

Yet they never set foot inside.

Why?

Su Linxian narrowed his eyes and flew deeper into the forbidden zone.

A dark gold pattern emerged, forcing the surrounding death energy back dozens of feet. The dark red light beneath his feet retreated like a tide, not daring to approach.

The deeper he went, the denser the death energy became.

It surged in from every direction, so thick it seemed tangible. Every wisp was enough to corrode a Quasi-Emperor's soul!

The Death Soul Beasts grew fewer instead, but every one that appeared was stronger than the last, ranging from early-stage Quasi-Emperors to peak Quasi-Emperors. One had even touched the threshold of the Emperor realm!

Su Linxian slew it with a single strike.

He stopped and looked ahead.

At the deepest point of the forbidden zone lay a stretch of utter blackness.

It was no ordinary darkness, but a nothingness from which even light could not escape. When Su Linxian's dark gold aura touched its edge, it vanished soundlessly, as though swallowed.

"So this is the deepest part of the forbidden zone..."

Su Linxian narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of solemnity flashing through them.

Just then.

A crisp notification rang out in his mind.

[Ding! Heaven-Destined Protagonist detected.]