Just as the Emperor Lord was about to attack Lu Chen, the Woodcutter—a Path-to-Emperor who likewise stood at the Quasi-Emperor Peak—stepped forward once more to confront him.
"Now that I preside over the Heavenly Palace, how could I allow you to slaughter people here at will?" the Woodcutter said calmly. Although his earlier fierce battle with the Undying Heavenly Empress had left him gravely wounded, with even a bloody hole in his skull, he remained unafraid of the Emperor Lord.
He blocked the Emperor Lord from attacking Lu Chen not because he shared any special relationship with Lu Chen, but because he intended to reign over the universe and restore order to heaven and earth.
If he allowed the Emperor Lord to slaughter people freely on his own territory, what dignity would the Woodcutter have left? How could he even speak of ending the bloody chaos and restoring order to heaven and earth?
Thus, the Woodcutter had to stop the Emperor Lord and let the world's powerful figures witness his supreme might.
"You intend to stop me?" The Emperor Lord stared coldly at the Woodcutter. Terrifying killing intent surged from him, making every powerful figure in the Central Heavenly Palace tremble.
"With me here, you won't kill anyone in this Heavenly Palace today!" Though the Woodcutter appeared gravely wounded, that terrifying killing intent did not move him in the slightest.
Just as the Woodcutter and the Emperor Lord were about to fight again, something unexpected happened: Lu Chen actually stepped forward of his own accord.
He said to the Woodcutter, "Thank you, Senior. But since this Emperor Lord of the Divine Court wants to kill me, I'll fight him here in the Ultimate Imperial Pass and see just how powerful this so-called Path-to-Emperor truly is."
Somewhat surprised, the Woodcutter studied