Chapter 140: Zhan Tian Sacrifices His Head to Destroy Qingyun, Peak Golden Immortal Points His Sword at Baihua

Qingyun City was in a complete frenzy today. The vast, clear sky was blanketed by golden auspicious clouds, and the black dragon flags of the Great Xuan Dynasty were planted on all seventy-two city towers, snapping in the wind.

The ten-thousand-meter-high enthronement platform in front of the City Lord's Mansion had long been renovated. Paved with white jade and built with golden bricks, the shennong cauldron hovered in the center of the high platform, continuously emitting an endless medicinal fragrance that nourished the entire city. Tens of millions of commoners and hundreds of thousands of cultivators from the Southern Region gathered in the square, extending from the high platform to a hundred miles outside the city; it was a sea of people, yet everything was orderly.

On the high platform, Emperor Cao Xukun sat upright on the Nine-Dragon Supreme Chair. His black dragon robe was embroidered with the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, and nine-clawed golden dragons. The pressure of a late-stage Golden Immortal was restrained within his body, yet he naturally exuded the aura of an emperor overlooking the nine heavens. Four empresses, adorned in phoenix crowns and robes, stood on either side. Su Yaoer stood to the side, holding the hundred-day-old Cao Yao, while the nine princes and princesses were dressed in brocade and finery, exuding spiritual energy. General Black Tiger held the Great Dynasty-Suppressing Blade, and the 300,000-strong Xuan Armor Army was arrayed on all four sides, their iron armor reflecting the sun with a murderous aura.

"The auspicious hour has arrived! The enthronement ceremony begins!"

The master of ceremonies shouted loudly. Immortal music suddenly sounded, and ten thousand rays of golden light descended upon the high platform. The sounds of the Dao echoed between heaven and earth. Tens of millions of people in the square knelt down in unison, and the mountain-shaking shouts echoed through the nine heavens of the Southern Region:

"Long live Emperor Xuan! May Great Xuan flourish for eternity!"

"Your Majesty has unified the Southern Region and bestowed grace upon all people!"

Just as the ceremony was about to reach its climax and Emperor Cao Xukun stood up to accept the worship of the people, the wind and clouds in the sky suddenly changed!

Rolling blood-colored war clouds crushed down, blotting out the sun and sky. Countless golden dragon flags of the Central Dynasty fluttered in the clouds, and 100,000 Xuan Armor Immortal Soldiers stepped through the air, their killing intent soaring to the heavens. A burly figure clad in blood-colored battle armor stood atop a ten-thousand-foot Heavenly Dao War Platform, holding a blood-colored war blade. Surrounded by endless baleful qi of conquest, his posturing was maxed out to the level of a War God.

"Emperor Cao Xukun! You traitor of the mortal world! How dare you proclaim yourself Emperor in the Immortal World and establish a fake dynasty! You deserve to die ten thousand deaths!"

A thunderous roar exploded through the heavens and earth, making the eardrums of many low-level cultivators buzz. The person who arrived was none other than the number one general under Crown Prince Ling Chen of the Central Dynasty, the Son of Destiny ordained by the Heavenly Dao — Ling Zhantian!

He looked down at the enthronement platform below with extreme contempt, as if looking at a group of ants: "I act on the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince to lead 100,000 heavenly soldiers to annihilate your fake, nation-stealing dynasty!"

"You, Cao Xukun, are merely a wild cultivator who ascended from the mortal world. By stealing luck through underhanded means and destroying the weakest Qingyun Dynasty, you dare to style yourself Emperor Xuan? It is the height of absurdity!"

Ling Zhantian swung his blood-colored war blade violently, the blade qi splitting the clouds and carving a bottomless trench into the ground: "If you are sensible, immediately cripple your own cultivation, dismantle the fake dynasty's platform, and bring your family and all your treasures to follow me back to the Central Dynasty to beg for forgiveness! I may still spare the lives of your entire clan!"

"If you dare to say even half a word of refusal, I will order the massacre of the city today, turning Qingyun City into scorched earth and letting your tens of millions of subjects be buried with you for your arrogance!"

The 100,000 immortal soldiers behind him shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens: "Marshal Zhantian is invincible! Traitor, surrender immediately!"

The blood-colored baleful qi gathered into a giant blood dragon, circling in mid-air, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, intimidating everyone present.

Many cultivators in the square who had just surrendered felt their hearts tighten and subconsciously held their breath. The Central Dynasty was, after all, the greatest power in the Immortal World. 100,000 heavenly soldiers pressing down on the border was a truly terrifying sight.

General Black Tiger exploded on the spot. He stepped forward, carrying his great blade, and shouted sternly: "Damn it! Another poser! Does the Central Dynasty wholesale Sons of Destiny? They all have broken brains and keep sending us heads!"

"The last one, Dan Wuji, was crippled, and now another so-called Zhantian comes along. I think you are Send-Death-Heaven! Are 100,000 heavenly soldiers so tough? Our 300,000 Xuan Armor Army could drown you with just one spit each!"

"Presumptuous! A mere mortal warrior dares to disrespect me!" Ling Zhantian was furious. "I am the Son of Destiny of Conquest, born with the body of a War God. I have fought over three hundred battles in my life and have never lost! I have slain seven Golden Immortal experts! A piece of trash like you could be split in two by a single strike of my blade!"

He pointed at Emperor Cao Xukun with utter disdain: "Emperor Cao Xukun, stop hiding behind like a coward! If you have the guts, come out and duel me! I'll give you one hand. If you can take three of my strikes, I will immediately order my troops to retreat! If you can't take them, then surrender obediently!"

The entire venue went silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Emperor Cao Xukun on the high platform.

Emperor Cao Xukun rose slowly and stepped into the air, walking steadily through the void, his posture as straight as a pillar supporting heaven and earth. He didn't even look at Ling Zhantian, his tone flat yet carrying an absolute sense of suppression: "Three strikes? You can't even take one of my moves."

"Boastful!" Ling Zhantian laughed in anger. "I think you've won a few small battles and have become so arrogant you don't even know your own name anymore! Today, I will let you see just how powerful a real Immortal World War God is!"

"War God's Strike, Slay the Traitor!"

He poured all his cultivation into driving his War God body. The blood-colored war blade erupted with ten thousand feet of red light, and a terrifying blade qi capable of splitting mountains, carrying the power to destroy heaven and earth, slashed fiercely toward Emperor Cao Xukun. This strike was enough to force even a peak late-stage Golden Immortal to avoid its edge!

However, facing this earth-shattering blow, Emperor Cao Xukun just casually raised a finger.

Chaos energy flowed at his fingertip, and he tapped lightly.

"Crack—!"

That seemingly invincible blood-colored blade qi shattered instantly, turning into countless dots of light and dissipating in the air. Ling Zhantian was hit by a heavy blow, spewing a mouthful of golden immortal blood, flying backward for hundreds of feet, and the war blade in his hand broke into two pieces.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" Ling Zhantian widened his eyes, full of disbelief. "I am the Son of Destiny of Conquest! I have the blessing of the Heavenly Dao! How could my ultimate move be broken by your finger!"

"Heavenly Dao blessing?" Emperor Cao Xukun scoffed and walked slowly in front of him. "In front of me, all Sons of Destiny are trash. Crown Prince Ling Chen sent you here just to use you as cannon fodder to test my depth. Do you really think you are someone important?"

He extended a finger and tapped it lightly on Ling Zhantian's forehead.

"Puff—!"

The War God body inside Ling Zhantian shattered instantly, and his peak late-stage Golden Immortal cultivation vanished into thin air. He fell heavily to the ground from mid-air, unable to move like a pile of mud, his eyes filled with despair and fear.

"Ah—! My War God body! My cultivation!" Ling Zhantian let out a shrill scream. "Your Highness the Crown Prince! Save me! Your Highness!"

"Stop shouting, Crown Prince Ling Chen can't hear you." Emperor Cao Xukun said indifferently. "Even if he heard you, he wouldn't come to save you. A useless piece of cannon fodder is dead once he's dead."

He turned to look at the 100,000 immortal soldiers in mid-air who were scared out of their wits, his tone cold: "Drop your weapons and surrender, and you will not be killed. Those who resist will be executed without mercy."

How could the 100,000 immortal soldiers dare to resist? They threw away their weapons one after another, knelt on the ground, and shouted loudly: "We are willing to surrender! Please spare our lives, Emperor Xuan!"

After dealing with Ling Zhantian, Emperor Cao Xukun returned to the high platform, overlooking the tens of millions of subjects below, his voice spreading for a thousand miles, every word resonating:

"Today, I, Emperor Cao Xukun, formally establish the orthodox branch of the Great Xuan Dynasty in the Southern Region of the Immortal World!"

"The Qingyun Dynasty is annexed, and the Southern Region is renamed Qingyun Province! From now on, the seventy-two cities of the Southern Region and its tens of millions of subjects all belong to Great Xuan!"

"All my subjects of Great Xuan, regardless of their background, shall have the right to cultivate and the means to be fed! I, Emperor Cao Xukun, swear here that I will ensure the Great Xuan dragon flag is planted on every inch of land in the Immortal World!"

As his words fell, heaven and earth changed!

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the epic achievement: Annexing the Qingyun Dynasty! Unifying the entire Southern Region!]

[Reward: Medicine Dao Luck Blessing! All attributes increased by 50%!]

[Luck fusion complete! Host's cultivation has broken through the shackles and successfully promoted to the peak of the Golden Immortal stage!]

[Unlocked next stage goal: Baihua Dynasty of the Eastern Region!]

The vast and boundless Medicine Dao luck surged crazily into Emperor Cao Xukun's body, golden light erupted around him, and the chaos aura became increasingly thick! The bottleneck shattered instantly, his cultivation stepped firmly into the peak of the Golden Immortal stage, only one step away from the Great Luo Golden Immortal stage!

In the sky, ten thousand miles of auspicious clouds gathered into a giant Golden Luck Golden Dragon, circling above Qingyun City, emitting a deafening dragon roar. The Heavenly Dao descended ten thousand rays of rosy light, completely recognizing the orthodox status of the Great Xuan Dynasty.

"Long live Emperor Xuan! May Great Xuan flourish for eternity!"

Tens of millions of subjects knelt down again, the mountain-shaking shouts echoing throughout the entire Immortal World!

Emperor Cao Xukun looked up to the east, where there was a territory of colorful flowers—the Baihua Dynasty of the Eastern Region.

A confident smile curled up at the corner of his mouth.

Qingyun has been destroyed, and the Southern Region has been settled.

Next stop, the Baihua Dynasty of the Eastern Region.

Crown Prince Ling Chen, your good days are numbered.