While in Battle Through the Heavens, one can pre-appoint oneself as an emperor.

Chapter 389 Qing Yanjing

A beam of light, like a blade cleaving the heavens, carrying a pressure that seemed to shake time and space, crashed down upon the Soul Emperor.

The latter's pupils contracted sharply. He wanted to resist, but the chaotic spiritual energy within his body was unable to form a decent defense. He could only watch helplessly as the shadow of death loomed over him, and endless resentment welled up in his heart.

He had been arrogant all his life in the Dou Qi Continent until Chen Xiao appeared, which made him temporarily lower his head. He thought that after living a peaceful and obedient life for a few years, he would have the opportunity to catch up and surpass Chen Xiao after coming to the Great Thousand World. But now, the cruel reality has shattered his pride.

At this critical moment, he couldn't think of any way out except to ask Chen Xiao for help.

Even so, the Soul Emperor was not sure whether Chen Xiao could keep his word when he entered the dimensional passage.

After all, his ambition was obvious, and he had never truly submitted. He himself knew this, Chen Xiao knew this, and Xiao Xuan and other powerful figures were all well aware of it.

Under these circumstances, if the Soul Emperor were to judge others by his own standards and stand in Chen Xiao's shoes, he might have ignored his plea for help and left him to fend for himself.

In this way, not only was a two-faced subordinate dealt with, but also the power behind a Supreme Earth Realm expert and the forces behind him were avoided.

Just as the Soul Emperor was lost in thought, the fierce spiritual light that could split the sky was already upon him. But at this critical moment, the void suddenly rippled like water.

There was no earth-shattering roar, nor any dazzling burst of spiritual power; only a majestic figure emerged from the Soul Emperor's body.

His figure was as upright as a pine tree, wearing a familiar moon-white robe. There was no overwhelming pressure emanating from him, but the moment he appeared, the overwhelming spiritual light that was enough to annihilate a lower-level Earthly Sovereign stopped inch by inch as if it had encountered its nemesis. Then, amidst countless subtle cracking sounds, it disintegrated into countless tiny specks of light that vanished into the world.

The life-or-death crisis was averted in an instant!

The Soul Emperor was somewhat dazed, perhaps because of the strength Chen Xiao had displayed, or perhaps because Chen Xiao had actually appeared.

"Earthly Supreme, Great Perfection?"

Ten thousand feet away, the woman in the white and green dress frowned slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes beneath the veil.

Although what appeared was not Chen Xiao's true form, but only a wisp of his consciousness, she could still clearly feel that the power contained within this suddenly appearing man was as deep as the ocean, in no way inferior to hers.

Chen Xiao ignored the woman's scrutiny, turned around, and glanced indifferently at the weak Soul Emperor, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

The man's injuries were shocking; his black robe was soaked in blood, and his face was as pale as paper. He was a far cry from his former glory on the Dou Qi Continent.

"More trouble than it's worth."

Chen Xiao's voice was calm and even, yet carried an undeniable authority: "I gave you a chance to adapt to the world, not for you to come here and embarrass yourself."

Looking at the figure before him, the Soul Emperor's eyes first flashed with anger, then turned into deep fear and shame.

Even without Chen Xiao saying it, the Soul Emperor himself felt quite ashamed, given his pride. If Xiao Xuan and Gu Yuan found out about what happened today, he probably wouldn't be able to hold his head up high again.

Despite his injuries, the Soul Emperor groaned, bowed his head, and clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you—thank you for saving me, True Emperor."

Regardless of the past or the future, at least at this moment, the Soul Emperor no longer dared to be arrogant in the slightest. For the first time, he felt that having someone to protect him was really great.

"Wait for me from thousands of miles away. I will only protect you this time. If this happens again, your only purpose will be to serve as a warning to others."

The Soul Emperor dared not say more, and hesitantly glanced up at the woman in the distance.

"Get lost. If this fellow Daoist truly wanted to kill you, how could you have held out this long?"

Upon hearing this, the Soul Emperor no longer hesitated and quickly flew away into the distance.

As expected, the woman in the distance watched calmly and did not stop them.

The lower-ranking supreme being can be considered a regional overlord, but everything is relative.

In her eyes, someone of this caliber was not worth her attention. Admittedly, when she was first targeted by the Soul Emperor, she had murderous intent, but after chasing and beating him for so long, she had already vented her anger. The main reason she continued to pursue him was that she was somewhat interested in the people behind the Soul Emperor.

With her keen eyesight, she could naturally see the thoughts Chen Xiao had left inside the Soul Emperor's body.

The Soul Emperor is ruthless, possesses countless methods, and is highly experienced, making him an absolute standout among lower-level Earthly Sovereigns.

The person behind such a person must have something special about them!

It was precisely because of this interest that the woman had toyed with the Soul Emperor for so long, until just a moment ago when her patience finally ran out.

In short, she didn't care about the life or death of the Soul Emperor at all. Since her anger had subsided, whether she killed him or let him go was no big deal.

"Who are you? I know a bit about the Great Perfection Earthly Sovereigns of many continents, but none of them match your identity." The woman ignored the departure of the Soul Emperor, her beautiful eyes scrutinizing Chen Xiao, her expression unreadable.

"Hehe, it would be strange if you understood me," Chen Xiao replied with a smile.

"What do you mean?"

"I, Chen Xiao, only recently arrived in the Great Thousand World, as did that Soul Emperor. Although his character is questionable, he is still a top expert in my world. It would be a real pity if he died too hastily."

Upon hearing Chen Xiao's words, the woman suddenly realized what was going on.

Immediately, my interest grew even stronger.

It is said that those who ascend from lower planes must have extraordinary abilities, and they are all the strongest beings in those lower planes.

She had seen countless geniuses and had sparred with many powerful individuals of the same realm during her training, but she had never had formal contact with someone who had emerged from another plane.

"You want to protect that vicious dog? Fine."

Then, the woman changed the subject, "But first, let me see what you've got!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she took a step forward. In an instant, the world around her dimmed. Hundreds of millions of spiritual seals shimmered around her, densely packed like countless stars in the sky.

Under Chen Xiao's gaze, the woman's slender hands quickly formed hand seals, and a dense array of spiritual seals, as numerous as stars, suddenly poured out. In just a few breaths, hundreds of spiritual arrays enveloped Chen Xiao.

Rumble!

The offensive spirit arrays launched the first attack: the Myriad Blazing Heaven Array unleashed the celestial fires of the Nine Heavens, distorting the void; the Star River Shattering Mountain Array condensed star blades that shot forth, their sharp light threatening to shatter mountains; and the Azure Abyss Annihilation Array spread out a deathly domain, devouring spiritual energy and strangling endless life.

Defensive formations followed closely behind. The Primordial Undying Formation formed a barrier, completely locking down the space-time around Chen Xiao. With various formations protecting each other, this space became a prison of heaven and earth, as solid as a rock, cutting off Chen Xiao's thoughts of escaping and forcing him to confront the power of heaven and earth head-on.

In addition, there are various control and auxiliary formations, some of which conjure up countless illusions to confuse people's minds, and others that rebel against the soul. They are all interconnected and form a unified whole, turning this vast plain into a deadly prison!

Spirit Array Master!

It is definitely one of the most feared professions in the world.

Once enveloped by their spiritual array, their advantages will be amplified infinitely, while those trapped will be restricted in every way, feeling frustrated and helpless as one fights against many, unable to defeat four hands with two fists.

The Soul Emperor, who had already soared to the horizon, sensed the turbulence of heaven and earth behind him. He turned around and his eyes widened in shock.

From the woman's words, he already knew that she had actually held back when she was chasing him.

But looking at it now, it's clear that they weren't holding back at all; they were letting the sea go!

The Soul Emperor felt his scalp tingle at just one glance at the deadly cage formed by hundreds of interwoven spirit arrays.

He couldn't help but imagine that if the other party had dealt with him in such a way from the beginning, he would probably have been killed in a single move!

Inside the spirit array, Chen Xiao stood with his hands behind his back, watching as hundreds of spirit arrays, enough to make any Earthly Sovereign at the Great Perfection stage, locked onto him. Yet he remained calm and showed no sign of panic.

Finally, under the astonished gazes of the woman and the Heavenly Emperor of the Sky, all kinds of terrifying power poured down.

The Nine Heavens Spiritual Fire of the Myriad Paths Burning Heaven Formation engulfed him with a deafening roar. As the flames surged, even the void was burned, distorted, and collapsed. The figure in the moon-white robe instantly turned to ashes in the firelight.

But then, sparks of inspiration quietly gathered.

First came a faint aura, then a blurry outline. In just a few breaths, Chen Xiao's figure stood still again, his moon-white robe still spotless, and not even a single strand of his hair was out of place.

His physical body, seemingly annihilated, has mysteriously been resurrected and reborn!

The woman's beautiful eyes widened instantly, her hand seals changed, and thousands of star blades from the Star River Shattering Mountain Formation shot out, their sharp edges tearing through the remaining flames and shredding the area where Chen Xiao was, as if even the dust was about to be crushed into nothingness.

However, the result remained the same: his figure vanished, only to be restored to its original state in an instant!

The Cangyuan Annihilation Array crushed everything in its path, while the Xuan Sha God-Slaying Array gathered its malevolent energy and attacked—

Each spirit array displayed overwhelming ferocity, annihilating Chen Xiao time and time again, yet he would reappear calmly the next moment.

Ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times!

The formation's attacks grew stronger with each wave, incinerating bodies, shattering bones, and annihilating souls, erupting time and again, but with the same result.

Witnessing this scene firsthand, the Heavenly Emperor of Souls in the sky felt his scalp tingle and could not believe his eyes.

Back in the Dou Qi Continent, when he and Xiao Xuan became Dou Di, he already knew that Chen Xiao was unfathomable.

However, they had no intuitive understanding of just how unfathomable it was.

Only now did the Soul Emperor finally understand.

A mere wisp of thought, an incarnation of only a wisp of thought, was able to disregard the deadly array set up by a fellow Earthly Sovereign at the Great Perfection level, and be reborn time and time again from annihilation. Such methods were beyond his comprehension!

However, the shock that Soul Emperor felt at this moment was far less than that felt towards the woman opposite him.

No one knows her own strength better than her. Her background and talent are unmatched even in the entire world. Below the Heavenly Sovereign, she believes she is second to none!

But at this moment, she felt a sense of despair, and her mind began to waver uncontrollably.

The spirit array was her most confident method. Facing Chen Xiao, who was also at the Great Perfection of the Earthly Sovereign realm, she had intended to respect her opponent and therefore had not held back.

After all, Chen Xiao on the other side was just a wisp of his will, and even if he were to be annihilated, it would not affect his true form, allowing him to act freely.

However, she never expected that the final result would be so desperate. Even though she tried everything she could, she couldn't do anything to Chen Xiao.

Do we really have to resort to those desperate measures?

The woman looked at Chen Xiao with some confusion, only to see Chen Xiao look up at her, his right hand slightly raised, a strand of black hair fluttering in his hand.

The woman belatedly realized with horror that a strand of her hair was missing.

"Fellow Daoist, let's stop here."

Hearing the clear voice emanating from the great formation, the woman silently made hand seals, and the world instantly returned to clarity.

Despite not having suffered any injuries, she felt as if her steps were filled with lead, and her mind was completely blank as she wandered aimlessly to a spot about ten feet in front of Chen Xiao.

"Excuse me." Chen Xiao slightly raised his hand, and the strand of black hair in his hand immediately flew towards the woman.

Holding that strand of hair, the woman felt it was prickly, as if it were not her own hair, but her own head.

"You are—the Supreme Being?"

After a long while in a daze, she finally looked up at Chen Xiao with a somewhat dazed expression.

At this moment, she really wanted to hear Chen Xiao say "yes".

Only in this way can the shattered confidence be rebuilt.

Otherwise, what happened today might haunt her like a nightmare for the rest of her life.

Seeing the woman whose eyes had suddenly lost their light, Chen Xiao felt as if he had inadvertently crushed the potential of a promising young woman, and the composed smile on his face faded slightly.

"I am not the Heavenly Sovereign, but this physical body of my mind is not as simple as you think. For some special reasons, you can consider this to be my true form."

Unable to explain in detail, Chen Xiao could only offer some words of comfort.

As long as his physical body survives, there are plenty of ways to preserve this wisp of his consciousness.

For example, in a fake world, when the real body arrives, the opponent destroys a wisp of the physical body, so the real body is reconstituted, and the result can be retrieved immediately.

Obtaining a single strand of hair from the other party is quite simple. As long as Chen Xiao is willing to deduce, whether he confronts them head-on in his true form or takes a gentle approach to gain their trust, there are plenty of ways.

Hearing Chen Xiao's explanation, the woman felt a little better.

But it was only a little.

Even if, as claimed, she was facing the real person, the fact remains that despite her best efforts, she still couldn't disturb Chen Xiao's clothes.

"The world is vast and full of wonders. The vast world is connected to countless lower planes. Who can guarantee that they can understand everything? Perhaps there are some planes where their methods are beyond comprehension. But in the end, it's just that we don't understand them. If we understood their methods, we would naturally have ways to counter them, and even easily put them at a disadvantage."

Chen Xiao was just giving an example, but the woman's eyes lit up after hearing it.

If I were to lose today because of this, it wouldn't be unacceptable.

Or rather, she was never afraid of failure, but she never imagined that one day she would fail so desperately.

The light in her eyes gradually returned. Taking a deep breath, the woman looked up at Chen Xiao.

"My name is Qing Yanjing. May I ask where Youzhen is?"

Hearing the other person's name, Chen Xiao wasn't too surprised.

There may be many women in the world skilled in spirit arrays, but in his memory, the one that left the deepest impression was a love story between a blond-haired ghost and a rich girl.

Qing Yanjing is the female protagonist of this story, making it hard not to leave a deep impression.

It wasn't that Chen Xiao was deliberately belittling the male protagonist in this story, but rather that in the eyes of a Great Perfection Earthly Sovereign, a Divine Soul Realm cultivator was indeed inferior to an unintelligent monkey.

Moreover, by the time the male and female protagonists meet in the future, Qing Yanjing will likely already be a Heavenly Supreme, and the gap between them will only widen.

"No need to be attached to it—"

"I beg you to grant my request, fellow Daoist. I wish to spar with you once more. Otherwise, today's battle may become a source of inner demons, preventing me from ever making any further progress." Qing Yanjing clasped his hands in a fist salute, his eyes growing increasingly resolute.

Just as one must undergo a spiritual tribulation to break through to the Earthly Supreme realm, one must also break through the Heavenly Barrier to break through to the Heavenly Supreme realm from the Great Perfection of the Earthly Supreme realm. At that time, a calamity will inevitably be brought about, and that calamity is called the Heavenly Venerable Tribulation!

This calamity is incredibly terrifying. Not to mention those below the Heavenly Sovereign level, even true Heavenly Sovereigns would be extremely wary of it.

Therefore, every Earthly Supreme Great Perfectionist preparing for a breakthrough will do everything in their power to make perfect preparations before daring to attempt it.

Meeting Qing Yanjing's gaze, Chen Xiao pondered for a moment before finally nodding.

"Go to the Tianluo Continent. I just prepared to leave the Shang Continent today, and my next stop is the Tianluo Continent."

.

Chen Xiao almost said that he had only just recovered to the Great Perfection of the Earthly Sovereign realm, but thinking of how hard Qing Yanjing had managed to regain some confidence, he quickly changed his words to avoid further damaging her confidence.

"I understand, thank you, fellow Daoist!"

Having received the answer she wanted, Qing Yanjing felt as if she had seen hope in resolving her inner demons, and she immediately relaxed a lot.

Noticing the Soul Emperor on the distant horizon, Qing Yanjing kindly reminded him, "Fellow Daoist, this person is ambitious and ruthless, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. During his escape, he has repeatedly tried to shift the blame elsewhere. If you use this person, you must be careful not to suffer a backlash."

Chen Xiao glanced at the Soul Emperor and smiled, "Thank you for the reminder, but how can someone without ambition forge ahead in this vast world?"

"The reason I kept him was because of his ambition, which no one else possessed. With me around, he wouldn't dare to betray his master!"

"I wouldn't have dared before, and I certainly won't dare now!"

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