198: Chapter 199 Security Guard

A Soul Contract is bound to the soul; as long as one does not release it personally, even if the other party possesses heaven-defying means, they cannot dissolve it.

It was just like Undying Emperor Little Yellow Chicken; previously, he was only a God King while Zhang Xuan was an Emperor, yet he still had no way to resolve this agreement.

To prevent this fellow from changing his mind and causing a backlash, it had been specifically established back on the Master Teacher Continent that even if the other party could escape the heavenly dao scroll, they could not break free from the agreement between their souls!

"A Soul Contract indeed cannot be split out from the sea of consciousness, but I have merged with a special gas that can even dissolve the Heavenly Dao. Dissolving such a contract is not difficult... as long as there is enough power to strike the location of the contract, it can be done!"

Vicious Man said.

Soul Contracts are established based on the Heavenly Dao. Since his special power could even dissolve the Heavenly Dao of the God World, what difficulty would there be in dissolving a Soul Contract if handled properly?

"So that's how it is..." Zhang Xuan's eyes flashed.

"Telling you this much can be considered my thanks for bringing me to the God World!"

After explaining, Vicious Man said no more. The aura on his body became increasingly ancient and distant, and the black hole behind him grew even larger. Clearly, while he was talking, he had swallowed an unknown amount of power to nourish himself.

"Zhang Xuan, the more the black hole swallows, the stronger his strength becomes..."

Luo Ruoxi also noticed something was wrong and hurriedly sent a telepathic message over.

"Prepare to act!" With the doubts in his heart cleared, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath, and the long sword in his hand suddenly rose: "In that case, let us see our true capabilities in battle!"

Boom!

His most powerful sword intent was unleashed once again.

While alive, I shall return to you; in death, I shall long for you forever!

When one cares not for life or death, what else can stand in their way?

Although this sword technique had not reached the level of an Emperor's comprehension, it contained all the obsessions in his heart, pushing the Heavenly Love Technique within his body to its absolute limit.

Whoosh!

With one sword strike, he sliced Vicious Man's attack in half.

At the same moment, Luo Ruoxi also moved. Her jade hands danced, and her sword glow was as white as snow.

Her sword technique was somewhat similar to that of the young man from Sword God Heaven, carrying an unstoppable momentum and the natural elegance of the Great Dao.

"Your moves are quite impressive, but compared to me, they are still lacking..."

With a light laugh, Vicious Man grabbed downward once again.

In an instant, he blotted out the sun. His palm enveloped the heaven and earth, space shattered, and it felt as if the sun, moon, and stars were about to be struck down by force.

Pfft! Pfft!

Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxi were sent flying back simultaneously, spraying blood while still in mid-air.

Even with the strength of the two of them combined, they actually couldn't withstand it!

Just what realm had this fellow reached?

"Impudent!" The clone stepped forward with large strides. With every step he took, a lotus flower bloomed, and the sound of flowing water echoed in the void.

From a distance, he looked incredibly impressive.

Having refined the nine heavens chaos golden lotus, his cultivation was not the least bit weaker than Zhang Xuan's.

He raised a fist, and his power surged up to the nine heavens.

He clashed with Vicious Man and was likewise sent flying, unable to block a single move.

Zhang Xuan clutched his forehead.

Even after becoming an Emperor, the clone still wouldn't change his nature of showing off...

Instead of such a flashy display, it would have been better to concentrate his power for greater impact!

"Let's attack together! Otherwise, if they die, we will all die..."

Little Yellow Chicken gave a loud shout, and as his crimson flames burned, the sky looked as if it had been set on fire.

The remaining Six Great Emperors also unleashed their respective means.

The Seven Emperors united, a force capable of destroying heaven and earth that no world could withstand. However, their opponent was Vicious Man, who had absorbed a special power. As the attacks approached him, the black hole suddenly expanded, swallowing the power clean in the blink of an eye before launching a counterattack.

Bang bang bang bang!

The Seven Emperors, just like Zhang Xuan and the others, were sent flying back.

The Ten Emperors, united together, actually couldn't even block a single move from the opponent!

How could this fellow be so powerful?

"You can die now..."

Having defeated everyone in one move, Vicious Man took a step forward, flipped his wrist, and struck down again.

"You scoundrel, how dare you!"

Accompanying a loud shout, The Elder from Sword God Heaven from before appeared abruptly, blocking the way as the long sword in his hand transformed into a silver river.

"An Emperor? He also has the strength of an Emperor?"

Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted.

That elder had followed behind the young man previously, so Zhang Xuan had thought he was just a follower, at most a Conferred God King. Only now that he unleashed his power did Zhang Xuan discover that he was actually also an Emperor-level expert!

If he was an Emperor, then what was that young man?

"He is the Emperor of Sword God Heaven himself..." Luo Ruoxi said through gritted teeth as she struggled to stand up.

"Then... what about the young man who taught me the sword technique?" Zhang Xuan could no longer hold back.

"He is..." Luo Ruoxi was just about to answer when space twisted for a moment, and they saw this Emperor of Sword God Heaven also being sent flying back, landing not far away and smashing out a large pit.

Zhang Xuan's current strength and comprehension of the Sword Dao far exceeded his, yet even he couldn't resist. Even if the elder's cultivation was not weak and his swordsmanship was superb, he was still no match.

"Haha, Emperors? Nothing more than a bunch of turkeys and dogs! Today I shall destroy the Nine Heavens, destroy this God World, and trample all rules flat!"

After defeating the Emperor of Sword God Heaven, Vicious Man laughed maniacally. The surrounding space collapsed continuously, making him look like a demon or a devil.

"What should we do?" Zhang Xuan clenched his fists.

Just now, both he and his clone had unleashed their strongest combat power, and even Luo Ruoxi before him had used her most powerful moves, yet they couldn't even block one of the opponent's strikes...

Could it be that there really is no one in the God World who can stop this person?

Are we to just let him destroy the world?

"The only way... is to have your defective heavenly dao return to the Heavenly Dao itself, allowing the Heavenly Dao to suppress him..." Luo Ruoxi clenched her delicate fists, her eyes turning red.

"Return to the Heavenly Dao itself?" Zhang Xuan knew what she meant.

The library in his mind was originally a part of the Heavenly Dao. Once it returned, the Heavenly Dao would be equivalent to being completely whole. Perhaps it could then repair the loopholes and naturally reject Vicious Man.

It was like the human immune system.

If the immune system is complete, it can easily drive away viruses when they come; if it's broken, it can't resist the virus invasion, and even the strongest person will die because of it.

It's just that...

"He is too powerful. Even if the Heavenly Dao is restored to completeness, it probably won't be able to suppress him!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

An immune system can kill viruses, but... what about a fierce tiger?

No matter how strong an immune system is, what can it do against that?

The person before them used to be an ordinary God King—even if he were a Conferred one, the Heavenly Dao could easily kill him—but now he was even more powerful than an Emperor... he was already beyond what the Heavenly Dao could contend with.

"This..." Luo Ruoxi paused for a moment, a look of disappointment appearing on her fair face: "You're right... it can't be suppressed. However, if the Heavenly Dao is complete, *He* can wake up. Killing this person wouldn't be difficult then!"

"He?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"I will take you to see him; he is in Freedom Heaven..." Taking a deep breath, Luo Ruoxi gritted her teeth, turned around, and flew forward.

"Trying to escape?" Vicious Man snorted coldly and pressed down.

Bang!

Luo Ruoxi fell from the sky.

"You..." Zhang Xuan unleashed his sword technique again, his sword intent radiating brilliantly.

Clang clang clang!

He was once again blocked by Vicious Man.

"You two go quickly, I will block him..."

Knowing they were looking for a way to save the God World rather than just escaping, the clone and Undying Emperor gave a loud shout and blocked the way. Luo Qiqi also shifted her form, returning to her original body as the jingkong pearl.

The surrounding space began to solidify.

"Go!"

Seeing everyone throwing themselves forward to block the enemy without fear of death, Zhang Xuan's eyes reddened. However, he also knew now was not the time for words. He grabbed Luo Ruoxi and with a flicker of his body, he sliced through space. In the next moment, they had already appeared within the range of Freedom Heaven.

Freedom Heaven no longer possessed its former freedom; the God World was collapsing, and everywhere was a scene of chaos.

"Where is the 'He' you spoke of?"

Having no time to observe the lives of commoners, Zhang Xuan looked at the girl in his arms.

If the person she spoke of really could save the God World, what would it matter if he sacrificed himself!

"He is my father. The blood in your pendant belongs to him. Undying Emperor was once his beast pet..." Luo Ruoxi explained after adjusting her breathing.

"Father?"

Zhang Xuan suddenly realized.

No wonder he had always felt the blood in the pendant was similar to Luo Ruoxi's yet different; it turned out to be her father's.

This also explained why the wisp of intent left behind by the Undying Emperor had immediately recognized him as master after seeing the pendant.

"Your father is also an Emperor? Or does he possess strength beyond an Emperor?"

He couldn't help but ask.

When the library was in chaos, it was the blood in the pendant that allowed him to regain his clarity. Could it be that not only was she an Emperor, but her father was as well, or even stronger?

If that were the case, why would he be in a coma?

And why would he need the defective heavenly dao to wake up?

"He is not an Emperor, but... the Heavenly Dao!"

Luo Ruoxi clenched her delicate fists.

"The Heavenly Dao? Your father... is the Heavenly Dao?" Zhang Xuan was shaken, unable to believe it.

"Yes! Fifty years ago, Father could not withstand that big hand and fell into a coma. The Heavenly Dao shattered into three parts: the orderly heavenly dao and the defective heavenly dao entered the spatial turbulence, while I took over the control of the natural heavenly dao to maintain the balance of the God World. To make him recover, the scattered parts must be collected... That is why I was so determined and could not fail! That is why I specifically entered the Master Teacher Continent to study the spring and autumn annals and find a way to defeat Master Kong! What I asked of him during our battle was also related to this."

Luo Ruoxi said.

Zhang Xuan was enlightened.

Not long after they met on the Master Teacher Continent, the girl before him had told him her story about wanting to save a close relative. He hadn't understood back then, but now he finally did.

It was actually her father, and he was the Heavenly Dao of the God World!

Could the Heavenly Dao really take on a human form and have children?

"Took over the control of the natural heavenly dao... Does that mean there are no Heavenly Dao fragments in your body?" Suddenly, realizing the nuance in her words, Zhang Xuan looked over.

Taking over control and having it merged into one's body like himself were two different concepts.

"I only control it; I am not a part of the Heavenly Dao..." Luo Ruoxi said.

Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

In that case, he only needed to strip the defective heavenly dao from himself; it wouldn't require her death as well.

Even though he was unwilling to accept such a fate, he was even more unwilling to see the girl before him get hurt.

"If I strip the defective heavenly dao from my body, your father will be able to come back to life and even kill Vicious Man, right?" Zhang Xuan looked at her.

"This... I am not sure either..."

Looking up at the already collapsing God World, Luo Ruoxi hesitated.

The God World was her father's foundation. Now that the foundation was in such a state, even if he woke up, could he really defeat that powerful Vicious Man?

It was truly hard to say!

"It seems you can't be certain either. In that case, it's better to rely on ourselves than on others... We have to find a way ourselves!" Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth: "You, me, and my clone, united with the Nine Heavens and Nine Emperors, and if we also cooperate with Master Kong, we might not necessarily lose!"

"Master Kong? He..." Luo Ruoxi frowned.

"Master Kong is dead, right? But he hasn't truly died. If my guess is correct, his being killed by you was just a method used to escape the Heavenly Dao... If nothing unexpected happened, he should be a Congenital Fetal Soul Body like Wei Changfeng!"

Zhang Xuan said.

Seeing Wei Changfeng made him understand that Master Kong's so-called retention of his intelligence was likely because he, too, was a Congenital Fetal Soul Body.

He could achieve the state of clarity within the womb.

Coupled with the preparations he had left behind in advance, resurrection was only a matter of time.

Luo Ruoxi was stunned; it seemed she hadn't expected it to be like this.

"We'll know once we go over and take a look. If my guess is correct, he should have already recovered. Otherwise, it would be impossible for his students to not even have gone to the Tidal Sea..." Zhang Xuan said.

Master Kong's students, such as Ancient Sage Ziyuan and the others, were each powerful. Even without the help of an Emperor, they would surely have had a way to enter the Tidal Sea, yet not a single one of them was seen.

There must be something more important waiting for them, something they wanted to do while all the Emperors were away at the Tidal Sea and had no time to interfere!

And this important matter was clearly to allow Master Kong to recover.

"This..." Luo Ruoxi's heart was shaken as she suddenly realized.

"Let's go!"

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Without further explanation, Zhang Xuan waved his hand, and he returned to the place where Master Kong resided. Indeed, he saw an old man floating in the air with his legs crossed. Seeing them arrive, the old man smiled slightly, "You've come!"

Who else could it be but Master Kong!

This teacher of all generations had truly not disappointed him!

Just as he had guessed, taking advantage of the moment when everyone's attention was focused on the Tidal Sea, he had resurrected.

"You..." Luo Ruoxi's body trembled.

She knew that emperors could resurrect, and the Undying Emperor had also come back to life, but... she hadn't expected the speed to be this fast!

"I deceived the heavenly dao and prepared a contingency plan in advance. The nameless giant in the Ghost Pool was left behind by me. When you slew it that day, I took the opportunity to break free from the shackles of the heavenly dao and reconstituted my physical body. I have only just recovered now."

Master Kong smiled slightly.

He was proficient in time manipulation. Although it seemed like only a day or two had passed in the God World, in reality, he had experienced an unknown amount of time to recover his strength.

It had been decades.

"The strength of the three of us is very strong, but wanting to defeat the Ruthless Man is not so easy..."

Seeing that Master Kong had indeed recovered, Luo Ruoxi still shook her head.

It wasn't about boosting others' morale and crushing her own, but rather stating the facts.

Just now, so many people had joined forces and still hadn't stopped the opponent. Even with the addition of Master Kong, what could it change?

It still wouldn't change the situation!

"Our individual strength, or even our combined strength, is indeed no match for the opponent, but... what if we were to fuse everyone's power into one person?"

Master Kong looked over with a smile.

"Fuse into one person?"

This time, not only did Luo Ruoxi frown, but Zhang Xuan was also full of confusion.

"That palm was able to tear apart the God World and scatter the heavenly dao; the strength is unquestionable. The Ruthless Man absorbed all of this power and also devoured fifty years of spiritual energy from the God World. In terms of pure strength, the dozen or so of us emperors, taken individually, are indeed no match..."

Master Kong said, "But if we join forces and concentrate our power on one person... that might not be the case!"

"How to concentrate it?"

Luo Ruoxi looked over.

It was easy to say, but difficult to do.

Emperors already stood at the absolute peak of the God World. If it were so easy to absorb others' power, she wouldn't have been stagnant for so many years.

"It's very simple... We will concentrate our power on Zhang Xuan. Once he can break through the emperors shackles, he will be able to save the God World!"

Master Kong said.

"Me?" Zhang Xuan was stunned. "Why me?"

"Emperor Lingxi cultivates freedom and detachment, transcending nature! But with the constraints of her father and the heavenly dao, and having people she cares about, she can never truly transcend! If I am not mistaken, when you fought against me back then, you had also given up, intending to be slain by me, right?"

Master Kong said.

Luo Ruoxi was speechless.

During the battle, she indeed had such intentions, so when they first started exchanging blows, they both held back, as if sparring, not fighting a life-or-death battle.

"Unable to transcend, naturally one cannot unleash the strongest power. Even if given more zhenqi, one still cannot break through that supreme realm! As for me..."

Master Kong nodded and said, "Bearing the common people in my heart, wanting to save the world, yet unwilling for others to sacrifice for me—too much benevolence is also a flaw! If I had been more ruthless and exterminated the Alien Spirit Race, the current situation would not exist..."

If he had been able to exterminate all the members of the Alien Spirit Race back then, the Ruthless Man would not have been able to resurrect, and the current situation would not have occurred.

"Therefore, I am not suitable either! As for Zhang Xuan, his cultivation technique follows his heart and has no flaws. He emphasizes living as his true self. Even if he dies, as long as he lives without regrets, his heart is open and honest. This kind of person possesses greater tolerance and greater room for development. Only in this way can one go higher and further!"

Master Kong continued.

In life, one will return; in death, one will long for each other!

If he doesn't even care about death, how could he be shackled by other things?

"This..." Zhang Xuan frowned, just about to say something, when he saw Master Kong looking at him with burning eyes. "No need to decline. First of all, there is no time to cultivate someone else, and even if there were, I don't think anyone could do better than you! Although Emperor Lingxi does not have fragments of the heavenly dao in her body, she has controlled the heavenly dao for many years and has her own understanding of it; I control the orderly heavenly dao. If we infuse our power into you, you will possess the power of the complete heavenly dao within your body! Combined with the clone's nine heavens chaos golden lotus, you can completely stabilize the Nine Heavens, control the universe, battle the nine firmaments, and destroy all things!"

"Alright!"

Seeing that the other party had already made a decision and that explaining more would be useless, Zhang Xuan nodded.

Boom!

Sitting cross-legged, in the blink of an eye, two powerful forces surged in from both sides.

Zhang Xuan's whole body stiffened, and in an instant, he seemed to transform into the heavenly dao, soaring above the Nine Heavens.

His soul, physical body, and zhenqi were baptized in an instant, becoming stronger and more powerful.

...

"You want to stop me too? Very well, I will kill you all, and then go and slay Zhang Xuan..."

Sending Luo Qiqi and the clones flying with a wave of his hand, the Ruthless Man sneered coldly.

The power unleashed by the combined efforts of the clone and the many emperors was indeed very strong, but compared to him, it was still a bit weak.

The Tidal Sea had devoured almost all the spiritual energy in the God World outside the cities. Now, these powers had turned into his sustenance. With every gesture, he carried the ability to destroy the world. These emperors and god kings, despite representing the absolute peak of the God World, were still vulnerable.

At this moment, the Ruthless Man seemed to represent the entire God World, and no one could stop him.

"If the God World perishes, there is no meaning in us living. I, Yun Chi, will perish together with you..."

Great Emperor Yun Chi revealed his true form, a huge Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, and pounced towards him from the air.

"Just you? You are not worthy!"

The Ruthless Man clenched his palm, and the golden dragon was caught in his palm. No matter how it struggled, it could not escape.

"Old friend, wait for me!"

Fumeng Emperor also let out a roar, revealing his White Tiger True Form, and arrived before him in the air.

The Undying Emperor revealed the Undying Fire Phoenix True Form, and flames illuminated the sky.

Great Emperor Xuan Ming's true form was a Great Turtle, as if it were supporting the heavens.

The Four Divine Beasts, guarding the four poles of the God World, simultaneously revealed their true forms, and the collapsing God World slowed down.

The universe seemed to freeze in an instant.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

With four consecutive palm strikes, the Ruthless Man suppressed the four beasts, a flash of intense killing intent in his eyes. "Since you are seeking death, I will fulfill your wish..."

Amidst his roar, just as he was about to land a fatal blow to wipe everyone out, he felt his raised arm tighten and stop in mid-air.

"If you want to kill them, have you asked me first..."

Immediately, in the shocked eyes of everyone, a figure walked out slowly from the air.

It was Zhang Xuan!

At this moment, the young man's whole body was surging with power, more than ten times stronger than before. He came from the heavens, as if he himself were a world.

"You've improved quite a bit..."

The Ruthless Man stopped, his gaze solemn.

He obviously didn't understand why, in just a few minutes, the opponent's strength had undergone such a huge change.

"However, what if it has increased? The God World in its prime couldn't withstand me. I don't believe you can block me..."

With a cold snort, the Ruthless Man struck down again.

Zhang Xuan raised his long sword and met the attack.

The two sides fought together, space tore apart, and air currents rushed everywhere.

"Can Zhang Xuan win?"

At the Master Kong residence in Freedom Heaven, Luo Ruoxi looked over with great concern.

She and Master Kong had transferred their power to Zhang Xuan, and their own cultivation had dropped to only the god king level, not as brilliant as before.

However, the level was still there; as long as there was enough power, one day, they could recover.

"Relying on his current strength, wanting to defeat him... is very difficult! Unless... he can comprehend the power that transcends emperors!"

After a moment of silence, Master Kong said.

A dozen or so emperors combined couldn't defeat the Ruthless Man. Even if they transferred all their power to him, wanting to defeat him was not that easy.

The reason for doing this was... only when power is concentrated on one person is it possible to touch the peak, and only then is it possible to truly transcend the limit and break through oneself!

"Power that transcends emperors?"

Luo Ruoxi's eyes looked far away.

When her father was still conscious, he had said the same thing to her, but... she couldn't do it. Could the man she loved do it?

"He definitely can... He has an unyielding heart! And pride for this world."

Seeing the doubt in her heart, Master Kong smiled.

...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After several consecutive moves, the web between Zhang Xuan's thumb and index finger cracked, and a huge, hideous, and terrifying wound appeared on his chest.

Just as Master Kong had said, even after fusing the power of the two of them and forming a complete heavenly dao within his body, he was still no match.

"Haha, I thought you were how powerful; this is all you are!" The Ruthless Man sneered coldly.

"Anyway, I'm no match for you and will be killed sooner or later. Since that's the case, I want to die under your strongest attack..." Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan stopped. He didn't attack anymore and instead looked at the Ruthless Man in front of him.

"Good, I will fulfill your wish and give you my strongest attack..."

Hearing him say this, the Ruthless Man was stunned for a moment, then snorted coldly and raised his palm.

Whoosh!

A green light appeared in his palm and slammed down fiercely.

It was indeed the strongest attack. The entire God World groaned, as if it were about to collapse, and another huge crater was beaten into it.

With his eyes tightly closed, Zhang Xuan did not dodge.

Bang!

His head exploded, and his soul scattered everywhere.

"Zhang Xuan..." Seeing this scene, everyone turned pale.

Luo Qiqi seemed to go mad.

Great Emperor Yun Chi and the others also widened their eyes and trembled uncontrollably.

Master Kong and Luo Ruoxi, seeing this scene, were also stunned.

The intention was for him to break through the shackles and assault the realm beyond the emperor level. Why didn't he resist, and instead willingly met his death?

In this way, wouldn't he be letting down their good intentions?

"No, it's the Undying Emperor's immortality technique..."

Just as they were wondering, Master Kong suddenly spoke.

Everyone then saw that Zhang Xuan, whose head had exploded and whose soul had even shattered, had the pendant on his chest suddenly explode. A drop of blood floated up and burned, forming a mass of scorching flames. From within the flames, an unscathed figure walked out slowly.

"He... borrowed the opponent's power and the blood in the pendant to separate the defective heavenly dao from his soul?"

Luo Ruoxi's pupils contracted.

After being reborn from the flames, Zhang Xuan's body no longer had the Library of Heavens Path, no longer had the interference of the heavenly dao, and had broken free from the heavenly dao!

"How did he do it?"

Master Kong was also full of disbelief.

The heavenly dao and the soul were fused together, indistinguishable from each other. To get rid of it, he had to let his soul scatter and use the Ghost Pool to re-condense his soul.

The person in front of him was only killed once and completely broke free. What method did he use?

"I know... he used the Ruthless Man's method of breaking free from the Soul Contract..." Luo Ruoxi realized.

The Soul Contract binds the master and the servant. If the master does not lift it, the servant is forever restricted... The Library of Heavens Path is the same; it can be said to be an enhanced version of the contract.

Binding the soul, one cannot break free without dying.

But... the Ruthless Man used that special power to break free from the Soul Contract. Zhang Xuan had previously asked about the specific method in detail; I'm afraid he had already planned it then.

That's why he deliberately risked his life, letting him unleash his strongest power to attack him.

Borrowing this power to be reborn from the flames—unexpectedly, it was a great success!

"So that's how it is; this is the method to break through the emperor level..."

Zhang Xuan, who walked out of the flames, had a faint smile on his face, as if he had understood something. He suddenly beckoned, and the clone on the side immediately turned back into a lotus flower and flew over.

In an instant, it fused perfectly with his own body.

In the blink of an eye, everyone felt that the Zhang Xuan in front of them seemed to have become the Nine Heavens, and the Nine Heavens were him.

He gently stamped his foot on the ground.

The chaotic Nine Heavens immediately stabilized.

The nine heavens chaos golden lotus, which appeared when the nine heavens were born, could stabilize the nine heavens. At this moment, his avatar and true self merged perfectly, becoming one, which meant he had grasped this power.

Furthermore, as he integrated the cultivation of the nine heavens chaos golden lotus, the realm he had already reached at its peak began to loosen, as if it would break through at any moment.

"The love between master and servant, the bond between brothers, the affection between teacher and student, the love of parents, romantic love... when fused together, they are the essence of all things in the world. This is what it truly means to be human!"

With a smile on his face, Zhang Xuan muttered to himself.

The moment the Library of Heavens Path detached from his soul, he understood.

Is it because humans perceive the world that the world exists, or did the world exist first before humans came to be?

Is it the wind that moves, or the heart?

This question has troubled countless people throughout the ages.

Of course, now... none of this matters anymore!

Without life, without emotion, even if the world exists, what meaning would it have?

Therefore, after breaking through the realm of romantic love comes the Love for All Living Beings! It is the emotion that weaves through the world.

All things in the world possess emotion. Only with emotion can there be a world; only with emotion can life continue.

Love is emotion. Hatred is emotion. Joy is emotion. Pain is emotion. Parting is emotion. Reunion is also emotion!

"Myriad emotions, be used by me..."

With a low cry, the barrier constraining Zhang Xuan's cultivation realm shattered instantly.

The emperors shackles, broken!

In an instant, it was as if he had touched a brand new world and a gateway, and his soul was rapidly nourished.

Countless chaos energy surged over, and his physical body improved rapidly.

Before, he could only progress by absorbing spiritual energy, but now, spatial turbulence, chaos energy, and even the opponent's cyan light could all be used by him, without distinction.

The Ruthless One did not expect that his full-force attack would not only fail to kill him but actually help him achieve his breakthrough. Furious, he shrieked, "Wa! Wa!" and with a roar, attacked again.

"You resent the lofty emperors for not saving you in the spatial turbulence—that is emotion. You feel that having once been my servant contains humiliation and anger—that is emotion. You want to destroy the God World to vent your anger—that is emotion. You want to become stronger—that is also emotion... Emotion controls you, so how can you defeat me and not be controlled by me?"

With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan's voice grew faster and louder, and he lightly grabbed with his palm.

The once invincible Ruthless One was bound by countless threads of emotion, unable to move.

As long as there is emotion, it must be used by him and controlled by him!

"You..."

The Ruthless One's eyes were full of terror: "Master Zhang, I am your servant, do not kill me... I am willing to offer my soul as a sacrifice..."

"It is too late to say these things now..." With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Having mastered the emotions of the world, things like servants no longer had any meaning to him.

Having killed so many people in the God World and injured his girlfriend, Luo Qiqi, and so many friends, how could he possibly forgive him today!

"No..."

Feeling his decisiveness, the Ruthless One's pupils contracted. Before he could finish speaking, he felt a sharp pain in his body.

Bang!

In an instant, he exploded, turning into countless spiritual energy that flooded every corner of the God World.

All the power that the Tidal Sea had previously devoured was now fed back, and the withered wilderness was revitalized.

"This..."

"Just like that, he killed him?"

Great Emperor Yun Chi, the Undying Emperor, Fairy Linglong, and the others all widened their eyes in disbelief.

They had just fought the Ruthless One and knew how terrifying he was. For such a powerful person to be wiped out so casually... what level had this Zhang Xuan reached?

Could it be that there really is another realm above the emperors?

"He succeeded..."

Master Kong and Luo Ruoxi unclenched their fists.

"This is a part of the heavenly dao, so I will return it to the heavenly dao now..."

Seeing the "defective heavenly dao" that had been separated from his body still floating in the air, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and flicked his finger.

Hum!

The library that had accompanied him since his rebirth crashed into the sky of the God World.

With a bell-like chime, the collapsing God World began to recover visibly to the naked eye, and the chaotic air currents gathered again.

The collapsing God World finally stopped, and the withered spiritual energy slowly revived along with the death of the Ruthless One.

"It seems the God World is about to welcome an era of spiritual energy revival again..." Zhang Xuan smiled.

The hole in the Tidal Sea had been restored with the completion of the heavenly dao; it was only a matter of time before the God World returned to its former glory.

"Zhang Xuan, come here..."

Just after doing this, a voice rang in his mind. Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment, then took a step forward.

With this step, he flew an unknown distance, and immediately saw a young man standing before him.

It was the person who had taught him sword techniques earlier.

"Senior, you..."

Seeing it was him, Zhang Xuan was stunned.

He had previously felt this person was unfathomable, but now he realized that he was only a hair's breadth away from himself, having reached the absolute peak of the emperors, far stronger than Luo Ruoxi had been.

"You can just call me by my name. I am... Nie Tong!" The young man emitted a forward-charging sword intent and said calmly.

"Nie Tong?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

It was the first time he had heard this name.

"Follow me, I will take you to see my brother!" The young man named Nie Tong smiled and stepped forward.

Zhang Xuan followed closely behind, and after flying for an unknown distance, they stopped in front of a mountain peak.

He immediately saw another young man.

He did not look much older than him, with raised eyebrows that gave one a sense of depth that could not be seen through.

"This strength..." Zhang Xuan trembled.

The strength of the young man before him was actually even greater than his own. He had also broken through the emperors shackles, and his cultivation was even more profound and heavy!

"I am, Nie Yun!" The young man smiled faintly and looked over: "That is... Nie Lingxi, the father of the Luo Ruoxi you speak of!"

"Ruoxi's father?"

Zhang Xuan was shocked: "You... are the God World's heavenly dao?"

Luo Ruoxi had previously said that her father was the heavenly dao, but he never expected it to be such a young man.

"I used the One Breath Transforms into Three Pure Ones, and a part of my soul became the heavenly dao! Besides, this world was created by me, so it is not wrong to say I am the heavenly dao!" Nie Yun smiled faintly.

Zhang Xuan could not believe it.

The God World was actually created by the person before him?

Then how strong must his power be?

"No, if the God World was created by you, and you are the heavenly dao, why did you let the Ruthless One wreak havoc without intervening..." Zhang Xuan looked over.

If he hadn't broken through, the God World would have likely collapsed completely. Why did this person before him not care?

Not even caring about his daughter's life or death?

Without answering his question, Nie Yun looked over calmly: "Do you think... there are even more powerful beings above the God World?"

"This..." Zhang Xuan paused: "There should be..."

Although he had never seen them, since he could cultivate to this realm, perhaps others could too, or even be stronger.

Just like the person before him.

"I once suspected that there were more powerful beings above the God World, so I used all my strength to peek, eventually attracting the backlash of a higher world... a palm descended through the void!"

Nie Yun looked over: "If I had dodged at that time, it is very likely that the entire God World would have been wiped out, leaving not a single life... So, I blocked that move, but because of this, the heavenly dao I had transformed into was split away."

"In this situation, if I wanted to recover, it would only be a matter of a thought, but... I understood that if I wanted to truly transcend the shackles of the God World, to explore where that palm came from, and what exists beyond the God World... it would be difficult to do alone. Therefore, I wanted to see if there was any life that could break through the emperors shackles and reach the same level as me!"

"So, I sent the dispersed heavenly dao consciousness to the lowest world... bestowing it upon a soul that originally belonged to this world, and a soul that did not belong to this world. And you, in the end, did not disappoint me!"

Nie Yun smiled.

"A soul that did not belong to this world. In that case, my transmigration was also because of you?" Zhang Xuan's heart shook.

No wonder he was able to transmigrate; he never expected it was all the work of the person before him.

"Heh!" Nie Yun smiled lightly and said: "Those who belong to this world have a reverence for it, so breaking through the world's shackles is much more difficult. I just had a whim, and I didn't expect that you would truly succeed..."

"I..." Zhang Xuan blushed: "If it weren't for Master Kong, I could never have reached this level..."

Without Master Kong's selfless dedication, it would have been impossible to reach the current realm.

"I gave him the opportunity, but he didn't grasp it. The battle with Lingxi was actually the best opportunity for him to break through, but unfortunately, he chose to retreat, thinking he had left a backup plan and could escape unscathed, but in reality, he lost his spirit of courageous advancement. Facing someone who surpasses us, if you don't even have that spirit, how can you compete with them?"

Nie Yun said.

Zhang Xuan remained silent.

He had seen the battle between the two at that time, and Master Kong was indeed lacking in decisiveness.

It might also be that he was unwilling to kill Luo Ruoxi.

Unfortunately, it was in this single thought that he missed the opportunity to advance.

"If Master Kong had won, Ruoxi would have died..." After a moment, Zhang Xuan looked over, his eyebrows furrowed.

Could it be that this person didn't even care about his daughter's life or death?

"With me here, she would not die..." Nie Yun smiled faintly: "Your current strength is not much different from mine. With the strength of the two of them, in a life-or-death moment, if you wanted to save someone, could you do it?"

"This..." Zhang Xuan smiled bitterly.

Breaking through the emperors shackles and being an emperor are two different concepts. If he were truly willing to act, he could indeed save someone at the last moment and ensure they didn't suffer any injuries.

"Lingxi was born to my other wife, Luo Qingcheng, so the name she used for her disguise has the surname Luo... In order to make her believe it and not be swayed by emotion, she has believed until now that I am still in a coma..."

Nie Yun laughed bitterly: "I, as a father, have been ruthless enough... Let's do this, you should explain this matter to her. After all, her heart has already shifted to you, and she probably doesn't even think of me, her old man... Haha, I won't appear for now, I'll go into hiding for a while. Otherwise, I'm really afraid she'll turn everything upside down..."

Seeing this unreliable father before him, Zhang Xuan's face twitched, and he had no choice but to agree: "Alright..."

He had no choice but to agree; after all, he was the one who had whisked away his daughter...

"The Library of Heavens Path was formed by a thought of mine; it is the foundation, but also the shackles. The fact that you could break through the shackles on your own ability shows your capability and potential. Your future is limitless. That my daughter can be with you, as a father, I am gratified."