Eternal God Emperor: Only I Am Emperor One

Chapter 128 The Eve of the World Prince's Banquet

The full moon hung high in the sky during the first half of the night, but a sudden rainstorm struck during the second half.

The rain stopped, and the morning sun shone brightly in the east.

After being washed away in the middle of the night, the air in Shentai City became much fresher. As dawn broke, the city gradually came back to life. As the gateway to the Liangyi Sect, Shentai City has always been prosperous. The World Prince Banquet on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month was just around the corner, and the geniuses and outstanding people from the five regions gathered here. The city was already bustling with activity.

"Fragments of ancient artifacts, cultivation techniques and martial arts skills, just unearthed from newly discovered ancient ruins, guaranteed authentic..."

"Treasures unearthed from the Fallen God's Tomb Forest! Gentlemen and ladies, come and take a look! Acquiring just one item will increase your chances of winning at the World Prince Banquet..."

"Top-grade pills, personally refined by a master alchemist, helpful for breakthroughs in cultivation. Don't miss out!"

On both sides of Shaoyang Street, vendors from all directions gathered to sell their goods. The goods were dazzling, some genuine and some fake. Whether one could find a bargain or be ripped off depended on one's own judgment.

"A fine sword, a first-class sword, forged by a master craftsman from the Divine Sword Holy Land. Would you like to buy one, young master?"

The man in the yellow shirt had loose black hair, his left sleeve was empty, and he carried an ice-blue longsword on his back. He stood in the center of Shaoyang Street, looking up at the end of the street, as if waiting for someone. There was a faint, almost imperceptible fighting spirit in his cold, frost-like eyes.

"The World Prince Banquet is about to begin. I wonder who will become one of the nine World Princes, and how many seats our Eastern Region's prodigies will occupy?"

The stone slabs on the street trembled slightly, and after a moment, a ball of blazing flame slowly emerged from the end of the street.

Within the flames was a Blood Golden Crow, a sixth-tier savage beast four or five zhang long, pulling a magnificent carriage the size of a palace.

The Blood Golden Crow strode forward, and the street vendors hurriedly dodged away, fearing they might provoke this terrifying beast.

Only the one-armed man in the yellow shirt remained standing in the middle of the street, motionless.

"With the Blood Gold Crow pulling the carriage, the person inside is most likely Xue Wuye, the young city lord of Wanxiang City and a descendant of the Sword Emperor. Who is that man in yellow robes who dares to block Xue Wuye's carriage?"

“The one-armed swordsman in yellow robes… I know who he is.” A martial arts practitioner recognized him and said excitedly, “That’s Huang Shenyi, the disciple of the Nine Nether Sword Saint and one of the Seven Fiend Star Envoys of the First-Class Hall of the Eastern Region Black Market.”

"So it was Huang Shenyi. No wonder he dared to block Xue Wuye's carriage. I wonder who is stronger between the two of them?"

"Xue Wuye is the greatest genius in Wanxiang City in five hundred years. His talent in swordsmanship rivals that of the Sword Emperor of yesteryear. Huang Shenyi is not even the young master of the First-Class Hall, so I'm afraid he is no match for Xue Wuye."

"I don't think so. It's said that Huang Shenyi has been in seclusion for several years in that time-space treasure in the black market, and his cultivation has reached the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. Not long ago, in the Fallen God Mountain Range, he even killed Chen Tianpeng, one of the four candidates for the head of the Chen family of the Eastern Region Holy King's Mansion. His strength is so great that Xue Wuye may not be his match." A martial artist from the black market said unconvinced.

"Xue Wuye and Huang Shenyi are both quite strong, but in my opinion, the one who truly deserves the title of invincible is the young master of Yipin Hall, Di Yi. With just one sword, he was able to defeat the young master of Wushi Qianzhuang, the new champion of Confucianism, the successor of the Buddha Emperor of Wanfodao, and the Qilin son of Lingxiao Tianwangfu. He can be said to be able to weigh the nine provinces of the Central Region all by himself."

The story of Di Yi's battle at the Martial Market Money Shop in Dingxuan Prefecture has spread throughout the Kunlun Realm, and countless young martial artists regard him as their idol.

On the street, the Blood Golden Crow stopped, and the carriage door slowly opened. Eight sword attendants, all of them stunningly beautiful women with remarkable cultivation, filed out.

Who is blocking our way?

The leader was a girl in white, with her hair tied up in a bun and carrying a thin sword on her back. She looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old.

Seeing that Huang Shenyi ignored her, the girl in white became furious and drew her slender sword from her back, slashing out with it.

The girl in white has already reached the Nine Transformations of the Fish and Dragon, and her swordsmanship is also quite remarkable. She has cultivated Sword One to the seventh level, which is even higher than the achievements of many Sword Saint successors.

Huang Shenyi remained unmoved in the face of the sword. Frost rose around him, and the sword that the girl in white had slashed flew to within a foot of him, only to be frozen solid by the power of the frost and suspended in mid-air.

With a loud bang, the ice shattered, and the sword energy dissipated.

The girl in white was greatly alarmed and drew her sword, ready to fight again.

"Ningxin, step back. You are no match for him."

A handsome young man stepped out of the carriage; it was Xue Wuye.

"I have long admired the reputation of the three great sword saints of the Eastern Region. Today I will finally be able to witness the swordsmanship of the disciple of the Nine Nether Sword Saint. I just hope you will not disappoint me."

Huang Shenyi drew the ice-blue holy sword from his back, looked at Xue Wuye, and said in a calm tone: "I also want to know if the successor of Wanxiang City in this generation is truly undeserving of his reputation."

Not far from one side of the long street is Lanyu Inn, the largest inn in Shentai City.

In one of the rooms at the inn, facing the street, the window was open, and a set of wine utensils was placed on the table by the window.

"Who does the master think will win between the two of them?"

Han Qiu poured a full cup of wine and presented it to Di Yi with her jade-like hand. Several of the Seven Fiends had perished, and Han Qiu, A Le, Zi Qian, and others had received intensive training from the Black Market's First-Class Hall during this time, being sent to the Tower of Babel in the Evil Emperor City for several years of seclusion. Their cultivation and strength had all seen a qualitative improvement. With sufficient cultivation resources, the progress of the Dark Body was terrifying. Han Qiu's cultivation had reached the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Transformation, she had condensed the Glazed Treasure Body, and she had even cultivated the Dark Body to a minor completion level. Among the younger generation of the Black Market's First-Class Hall, she was already one of the top.

Di Yi withdrew his gaze from the window. After breaking through to the Half-Saint realm, the battles of the Fish-Dragon Realm had lost their appeal to him.

Huang Shenyi's talent in swordsmanship is indeed exceptionally high; he has already mastered the first level of Sword Two, but there is still a considerable gap between him and Xue Wuye.

Xue Wuye has been cultivating for longer than Huang Shenyi, and his cultivation has reached the peak of the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, which is incomparable to Huang Shenyi, who has just entered the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm.

In his view, the outcome of this battle was a foregone conclusion.

"Killing Chen Tianpeng and crushing the morale of the Eastern Region Holy King's Mansion is the most important thing. His battle with Xue Wuye is insignificant."

"It's a pity that Master has already broken through to the Half-Saint realm, otherwise who could compete with you for the position of World Prince at this World Prince Banquet?" Han Qiu said with a light laugh.

"You want to be the World Lord?" Di Yi looked at her.

"Although the position of the World Prince is tempting, Han Qiu still prefers to stay by his master's side rather than stay by his master's side."

"Becoming a disciple of the realm allows you to become the Empress's disciple and attain a status equal to that of the saints. Isn't that much better than staying by my side as a maid? You look down on what others are fighting tooth and nail for."

Han Qiu put down the wine pot and said with a charming smile, "Compared to my master, let alone the position of a World Prince, even the position of Empress would not tempt me."

The Emperor smiled without saying a word. With Han Qiu's dark methods, if he really participated in the World Prince Banquet, he might very well be able to seize a World Prince position.

Although the imperial court waged war against the black market, it did not prohibit the younger generation of the black market from participating in the Jiezi Banquet.

Not only the black market, but also the younger generation of the Moon Worshiping Demon Cult received an invitation to the World Child Banquet.

This Kunlun Realm Prodigy Gathering, hosted by the Holy Book Talented Woman, had no entry requirements. Any being from the Kunlun Realm whose cultivation had not yet broken through to the Half-Saint level could participate.

Emperor Yi did not object to the Black Market members attending the World Child Banquet. If someone became a World Child, it would be a good thing for the Black Market, as it could ease relations with the court and perhaps even allow them to gather information about the Empress.

Unfortunately, those who have the strength to compete for the position of Child of the Heartless Realm are somewhat lacking in strength, while those who have the strength to compete for the position of Child of the Heartful Realm are somewhat lacking in strength.

Among his subordinates, Ah Le is the strongest, followed by Han Qiu; both have the potential to contend for the title of World Prince.

Then came Huang Shenyi and Ye Honglei. One had a high level of swordsmanship, and the other had considerable spiritual power. However, both had not been cultivating for long enough. Even with the acceleration of the Tower of Babel, they had not yet reached the peak of the Fish-Dragon Realm, suffering from the disadvantage of their age.

The Purple Wind Star Envoy and the Azure Robe Star Envoy have high cultivation levels, but their talents are slightly inferior, and their strength is still some distance from reaching the level of a World Child.

Ziqian and Ziyuan have not yet broken through the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon.

Sword energy surged along the long street. It was rare for even one genius to achieve the first level of sword cultivation in the Fish-Dragon Realm, and there had been fewer than forty such individuals in the past thousand years.

The battle between Huang Shenyi and Xue Wuye was a rare event that attracted attention from all sides.

Di Yi, lacking interest, took out a pill. The pill released two-colored holy energy, which was quite extraordinary. It was called the [Holy Origin Pill], the best pill for a half-saint to improve his cultivation. It was extremely precious even in the black market.

The one in Di Yi's hand is a Grade Two Saint Essence Pill, used to break through to the second-tier Half-Saint level.

He was the young master of the First-Class Hall in the Black Market and also the disciple of the Illusion Queen. The Hall Master of the First-Class Hall had emptied the hall's inventory and given him one Saint Essence Pill for each of the grades two to seven. As for the higher-grade Saint Essence Pills, the eighth-grade and ninth-grade Saint Essence Pills, the First-Class Hall in the Black Market did not have them readily available.

The Saint Essence Pill is not difficult to refine; even a master alchemist can do it. However, the materials used in its refinement are extremely special, as it is made primarily from Saint Spirit Essence Liquid.

Holy Spirit Essence is formed from the power of the world's origin. It is only produced in small quantities at the beginning of the world's birth or at the time of the world's destruction. The higher the grade of the Holy Essence Pill, the higher the grade of Holy Spirit Essence is required. Holy Spirit Essence of Grade 7 and above can only be produced when a superior Void Realm is destroyed. The Holy Essence Pills of Grade 7 and above that exist in the Kunlun Realm are almost all passed down from the medieval era. They are regarded as treasures by the major medieval families and will never be taken out easily.

After swallowing the Saint Essence Pill, the pill's energy transformed into a vast source of power, rapidly converting into Emperor Yi's cultivation level, propelling him towards the second-tier half-saint realm.

Di Yi estimated that it would take about ten days to refine the entire Saint Yuan Pill's energy, at which point he could attempt to break through to the second-tier half-saint level.

At this moment, a figure in a gray robe appeared in the room.

The newcomer carried an ancient longsword at his waist, his aura barely perceptible. He bowed to Emperor Yi and whispered, "Master, I have discovered the whereabouts of a half-saint from the Xu Sheng Clan, outside Shentai City. Shall we take action against him?"

The enmity between the Xu Sheng Clan and Di Yi is long-standing and can be described as irreconcilable. Compared to the battle in the Fish-Dragon Realm, Di Yi is more interested in dealing with the half-saints of the Xu Sheng Clan.

"Which demigod is it?"

"Three-sword half-saint, Xu Sandao."

(End of this chapter)