"I was lucky, that's all!" Liu Ruyan smiled, but the pride in her eyes outshone a peacock's and could not be concealed. "Of course, I've only taken that extra half-step!"
There was no exaggeration in what she said.
She had not reached the Half-Step Immortal Realm like the Devil Emperor of All Living Beings.
Strictly speaking, she was somewhere between the Great Perfection Peak Emperor Realm and the Half-Step Immortal Realm.
Even so, she had found the one loose end in a tangled skein of thread.
It was only a matter of time before she successfully broke through to the Half-Immortal Realm.
Yuwen Shendu and the others, by contrast, had yet to find even that loose end.
"Hiss!"
When her words fell, everyone present drew a sharp breath, looking at Liu Ruyan with even greater awe.
"You jest, Empress!" Yuwen Shendu's eyes flickered. He would have been lying to say he wasn't envious. "At our level, how can there be any question of luck? It all comes from accumulating resources and building a foundation. That shows your foundation is deeper than that of anyone else here!"
The next second, Yuwen Shendu changed tack. "But if that is all, it may not be enough to deal with the Devil Emperor of All Living Beings. If possible, it would be best to strike him dead this time, reduce him to ashes, and deny him rebirth for eternity!"
It wasn't that he looked down on Liu Ruyan's cultivation. Rather, at this level, she might not even be able to defeat the Devil Emperor of All Living Beings.
As long as the Devil Emperor of All Living Beings lived, it would do no good even if every other member of the Devil Race died.
The Devil Emperor of All Living Beings had plenty of ways to create new members of the Devil Race!
"This alone is indeed not enough to contend with the Devil Emperor of All Living Beings, but..." Liu Ruyan raised a delicate brow. This time, even her eyes filled with excitement and anticipation. "What if there were a true immortal?"
"A true immortal? How could that be possible?"
Sure enough, the moment she finished speaking, things went just as Liu Ruyan had expected.
Not a single person present believed her. They all shook their heads.
No one knew how many tens of thousands of years had passed since a true immortal had last appeared in the Black-Yellow Realm.
Even in the records dating back to the first ancestors of their imperial clans, there was no trace of an immortal.
It was said that the Black-Yellow Realm had once undergone a great upheaval, leaving this world without some opportunity needed to become an immortal.
Both the Half-Step Immortal Realm of the Devil Emperor of All Living Beings and Liu Ruyan's having touched upon the slightest trace of what it meant to be an immortal were enough to leave them utterly shocked.
As for a true immortal, they didn't even dare imagine it!
Liu Ruyan offered no explanation. Instead, she turned her jade hand over, and a pale golden source of energy appeared in her palm.
The instant it appeared, an incomparably vast presence, one that stood above all living beings in the Black-Yellow Realm, spread from it.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Without exception, every Emperor Realm expert present fell to their knees involuntarily, save for Liu Ruyan, who had prepared herself beforehand.
Their bodies trembled slightly, and they could scarcely bring themselves to look directly at the object in Liu Ruyan's hand!
"What... is that?"
Yuwen Shendu couldn't help asking, his voice trembling.
A mere source of energy had brought them to their knees. Just how powerful was its owner?
The Devil Emperor of All Living Beings was in One Origin Continent and had attempted to attack the Liu Imperial Clan, only to be stopped by its clan-protecting grand array.
The others might not have known, but Yuwen Shendu had personally felt the oppressive might of the Devil Emperor of All Living Beings.
The "immortal might" emanating from the source of energy before him was even stronger than that of the Devil Emperor of All Living Beings!
He knew the Liu Imperial Clan had deep reserves, but he had never imagined they were deep enough to bring forth a true immortal!
"This is the immortal source of an ancestor of my Liu Imperial Clan. She has already glimpsed the true immortal realm. Within three months, she will surely break through and attain immortality!" Liu Ruyan said proudly. "The day she succeeds will be the day the Devil Race is exterminated, and the day the Su Imperial Clan is brought to judgment!"
When she mentioned the Su Imperial Clan, a trace of coldness flashed in Liu Ruyan's eyes.
There was one more thing Liu Ruyan had not said outright: when their Liu Imperial Clan's ancestor succeeded, every other imperial clan would disappear.
And their Liu Imperial Clan would become the "sole supreme imperial clan"!
"This... this is wonderful! Our human race still has hope!"
Judging by Liu Ruyan's expression, the clan heads of the various imperial clans were already largely convinced.
Besides, the Liu Imperial Clan had no reason to deceive them about something like this.
For an immortal to emerge when the entire human race of the Black-Yellow Realm faced life or death was a blessing for humanity!
Otherwise, they truly had no idea how to withstand the calamity brought by the Devil Race this time.
Hiding inside their clan-protecting grand arrays could only resolve the immediate crisis. Once the Devil Race had devoured every living being in the Black-Yellow Realm, it would surely grow to a terrifying extent!
When that time came, they would lose the last of their strength to resist the Devil Race.
"Lady Empress!"
Everyone heard a thud.
They turned to see Zhao Fengtian and his son Zhao Qianjun kneeling before Liu Ruyan, their expressions wild as they said, "On the day the Liu ancestor succeeds, we beg you, Lady Empress, to let us father and son personally slaughter the people of the Su Imperial Clan!"
"The Su Imperial Clan's crimes are beyond measure! They betrayed the human race, colluded with the Devil Race, struck us while we were down, and severed the bloodline of my Zhao Imperial Clan. If we do not avenge this, neither of us will be able to rest in death!"
"Once it is done, we will willingly serve the Liu Imperial Clan for the rest of our lives!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As they spoke, the two men kowtowed to Liu Ruyan right there in front of the gathered experts.
They did not even notice the blood seeping from their foreheads.
It was clear just how deeply the two hated the Su Imperial Clan!
With that last sentence, they had effectively "sold themselves" to the Liu Imperial Clan.
One was at the Peak Emperor Realm, the other at the Minor Perfection Peak Emperor Realm. In any imperial clan, they would be an exceptionally formidable fighting force.
"Please, both of you, rise!" Looking at Zhao Fengtian and his son, Liu Ruyan's eyes flashed with a strange light. She then extended her other hand, and a gentle force lifted them to their feet. "Eradicating devils is the responsibility of every living being in the Black-Yellow Realm, all the more so for the Liu Imperial Clan, the foremost imperial clan."
"As for the Su Imperial Clan, their actions have outraged both humans and gods and incurred heaven's wrath. Even if neither of you had said a word, the Su Imperial Clan would not have met a good end. But since you have asked, when the time comes, I will personally ask our ancestor to give you both a chance to take action yourselves!"
Liu Ruyan's words were watertight, making the difference between the two imperial clans plain at a glance.
One stood in the heavens, the other on the earth; one was revered, the other despised!
"That reminds me! Some time ago, the lesser sects under us reported that hundreds of millions of living beings in the Southern Frontier had supposedly vanished into thin air. We never found the cause, but now it seems the Devil Race probably began making its move long ago!"
Just then, the head of the Bai Imperial Clan of Five Elements Province suddenly spoke up.
"What? The same thing happened in my Northern Wasteland!"
At this, the head of the Zhou Imperial Clan from Eight Trigrams Continent chimed in. "Damn it! The Devil Race and the Su Clan are guilty of monstrous crimes!"
On the main seat, Liu Ruyan narrowed her eyes slightly when she heard this.
"Everyone, the people of my Liu Imperial Clan have been waiting outside for quite some time. If there are no other objections, they will depart with you and establish teleportation arrays connecting our clans!" Liu Ruyan's voice came from beneath her veil. "As for you two of the Zhao Clan, stay in my Liu Imperial Clan for the time being. Someone will make all the arrangements!"
"Yes! Many thanks, Empress!"
With that, the experts filed out.
Yuwen Shendu was the last to leave.
Alongside the joy in his eyes at being able to stand against the Devil Race, there was also a trace of concern.
That concern was not directed at the Devil Race, but at the Liu Imperial Clan.
For once an immortal emerged from the Liu Imperial Clan, the balance of the Black-Yellow Realm would surely be shattered. When that happened, would they still allow more than a dozen imperial clans to stand on equal footing?
"Forget it! Let's deal with the Devil Race first!"
In the end, Yuwen Shendu sighed inwardly, turned, and walked out of the hall.