The Great Ruler

Boom!

A massive palm that covered the sun fell from the sky as if it were the hand of the gods. It was filled with majestic power, as if one could not resist it. However, as the massive palm was about to descend, the space before Mu Chen and the others suddenly shattered, and a red gourd sprang out of it in a strange motion.

As soon as the red gourd appeared, endless red light spurted from its top. From a distance, those red lights seemed ablaze as if they were the source of a volcano. It seemed like every red light contained a sea of magma. The temperature between heaven and earth rose instantly, and even the surrounding sea gradually boiled.

Boom!

Endless red light rose into the sky, clashing harshly with the massive Hands of God that were enveloping the space. At the moment of impact, the world seemed to tremble, and countless clouds were ablaze with a terrible heat.

Bong!

Under the red light that contained terrible heat, the giant hand quickly dried up. Cracks spread, and in the next moment, the red light petrified the hand.

Rumble!

The giant hand shattered, and stone shards rained down from the sky, setting off tumultuous waves in the sea.

In the sky, Lion King Gu and Evil Fish Liang saw the massive hand being petrified and shattering. A thick haze of horror surfaced in their gazes, and their faces were full of fear. It was obvious that the sight frightened them.

The man who struck was a true Heavenly Sovereign. Such a horrifying attack was easily countered, so how formidable was the person who dealt that blow? In the presence of such a powerful Sovereign, Complete Earthly Sovereigns like them were nothing more than ants.

Puff.

After shattering the Heavenly Sovereign’s massive palm, the red gourd flew backwards and landed nearby. Everyone stared, dumbfounded. At this point, they discovered an old man clad in cloth robes. He held a crutch, and no one knew when he had appeared.

The old man smiled and reached for the red gourd, drinking a gulp of liquid out of it. In that instant, they could see the liquid, scarlet like magma, flowing into the old man’s mouth. The magmatic liquid caused them to feel a terrible heat, even though they were not in contact with it. This told them that the magmatic liquid the old man was drinking like wine was definitely something they could not withstand…

Mu Chen and Luo Li looked at each other with a touch of surprise in their eyes. The old man before them was too mysterious, but from his previous actions, he was certainly a true Heavenly Sovereign. However, they clearly did not know this Heavenly Sovereign, so why would he help them?

To their surprise, the old man did not pay attention to them. After he had taken a sip from the gourd, he looked up at the whirlpool of space leading to the unknown behind Lion King Gu. He smiled and said, “You are a reputable figure in the Budur Ancient Clan. Why would you disgrace your status and attack the younger generation?”

Lion King Gu and Evil Fish Liang kept silent like cicadas in winter and did not dare to speak. Behind them, the space whirlpool was silent. Then an ancient voice rang out, “So it is the Scarlet Flame Deity of the Great Spirit Ancient Clan. My Budur Ancient Clan and your Great Spirit Ancient Clan have never interfered with each other. Why do you want to interfere with the affairs of our people today?”

The old man in cloth, known as the Scarlet Flame Deity, shook his head with a smile and said, “But here is a young talent whom I have been looking for for many years. How can I let the child be destroyed by your Budur Ancient Clan?”

In the space whirlpool, a furious voice rumbled, causing the space to shake. “Hmph, he is a perpetrator against my clan. If you take him away, I’m afraid even with your power, you can’t bear the consequences!”

The Scarlet Flame Deity rolled his eyes and pointed at Luo Li, then pointed at Mu Chen. “The young talent I was talking about is her, not him.”

Mu Chen was slightly embarrassed. He could only shrug his shoulders helplessly.

In the whirlpool of space, the shred of mind power seemed to be relieved, and then the voice declared gravely, “In that case, you may take her away, but the perpetrator must stay.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Li immediately said, “If Mu Chen stays here, I will never leave!”

As soon as she finished speaking, she looked at the Scarlet Flame Deity again and whispered, “Thank you, Elder, for thinking highly of me. I’m very grateful for the honor.”

After hearing the words, he nodded with a smile. He then smiled at the whirlpool of space and said, “It looks like I can’t let this boy stay. In that case, if you don’t want to release him, I can only come and learn for myself how powerful the Pagoda of the Budur Ancient Clan is…”

The Scarlet Flame Deity’s red gourd gradually emanated a red light. A terrible temperature rose between heaven and earth.

Seeing the Scarlet Flame Deity’s determination, there was a silence in the whirlpool of space. The Heavenly Sovereign of the Budur Ancient Clan was obviously rather enraged, but today he had executed his attacks privately. It was inevitable that there would be some trouble once the clan found out about it.

In particular, if the matter got back to Qing Yanjing, with her personality, once she exploded with fury, even an elder could not suppress it. At that time, he would be in deep trouble.

As the space whirlpool remained silent, the Scarlet Flame Deity turned to appraise Mu Chen, as surprise colored his gaze. He then sighed. “This young man is also a talent, and the Budur Ancient Clan doesn’t know that you have a blessing. If you nurture such a talent, he will be a Heavenly Sovereign in the future. But you actually condemn him as a perpetrator. I don’t know what you are doing.”

When they heard the Scarlet Flame Deity’s evaluation of Mu Chen, there was a hum in the space whirlpool, but in the end, he did not justify his actions. Instead, he harrumphed. “Since you insist on meddling in this matter, it is up to you. I just hope you can afford to pay the price in the future.”

The Scarlet Flame Deity smiled as he retorted, “That’s my business, and it has nothing to do with you.”

In the space whirlpool, the Heavenly Sovereign of the Budur Ancient Clan saw the situation, and knew that it would be difficult to make progress that day. A spiritual storm swept out immediately that enveloped Lion King Gu and Evil Fish Liang in the whirlpool of space. In the vortex, the space fluctuations exploded as they gradually dissipated. With the dissipation of the space whirlpool, the terrible oppression that shrouded heaven and earth vanished. The whole world was restored to brightness again.

Mu Chen, Luo Li, and Long Xiang heaved a sigh of relief. The Heavenly Sovereign’s pressure on them was too strong. That kind of existence was not someone whom they could compete with now.

“Thank you, Elder, for your help.” Mu Chen turned around and respectfully clasped his fists at the Scarlet Flame Deity, expressing gratitude.

The Scarlet Flame Deity waved his hand and glanced at Mu Chen meaningfully. He smiled. “Boy, even if I hadn’t helped you, I think no one would have gotten you today either way.” He glanced intently at the rune stone in Mu Chen’s palm. He had perceived a powerful aura that remained on it that even he was a little frightened of.

Mu Chen smiled, looked at Luo Li, and asked softly, “Elder, may I ask why you are looking for Luo Li?”

Instead of putting away the rune stone, he had intentionally let the Scarlet Flame Deity detect it. In fact, it was a subtle deterrent, because he also did not know why he was looking for Luo Li. In case it was not a good thing, Mu Chen would let him know that although they could not contend with the Heavenly Sovereign, they were not entirely helpless. In this world, knowing how to grasp the opportunity was also a kind of strength.

Luo Li glanced at the Scarlet Flame Deity with confusion. The latter saw her gaze and smiled. “The reason why I’m looking for her is simple… I just want her to become the Holy Maiden of my Great Spirit Ancient Clan.”

“Holy Maiden again?!” Hearing this, Mu Chen and Luo Li’s faces changed.

Seeing their wary gazes, the Scarlet Flame Deity hurriedly explained, “Hmph, do not associate the Holy Maiden of my Great Spirit Ancient Clan with the Holy Maiden of the Western Kingdom War Temple!”

Looking at this, he knew that the West Heaven War Emperor had tried to recruit Luo Li to be their Holy Maiden.

“Elder, I am now the Clan Leader of the Luo God Clan. Furthermore, I am not from the Great Spirit Ancient Clan. I thank you for your kindness, but I’m sorry I will have to decline.” Luo Li shook her head gently, and refused the Scarlet Flame Deity’s good will. Although the Great Spirit Ancient Clan was one of the five Ancient Clans in the Great Thousand World, she had no intention of pandering to their reputation.

Seeing Luo Li reject the offer without hesitation, the Scarlet Flame Deity was stunned. After all, with the Great Spirit Ancient Clan’s reputation, everyone in the Great Thousand World wanted to be associated with it. However, Luo Li did not care about it at all.

Facing this result, the Scarlet Flame Deity’s expression was downcast, and he appeared extremely distressed.

Mu Chen and Luo Li glanced at each other, shared a tacit understanding, and did not pay any more attention to him.

Mu Chen looked at the depths of Spiritual Jade Island and murmured to Luo Li, “Let’s rescue Sister Ling Xi first.”

Luo Li nodded and both of them left to venture into the depths of Spiritual Jade Island, leaving the frustrated Scarlet Flame Deity behind as he froze.

…

At the same time, in a faraway region…

In the Budur Ancient Clan.

An old man clad in a black robe looked somberly at the shaking Lion King Gu and Evil Fish Liang in front of him. “You two are bold,” he said coldly. “I gave you the seal, but it was not for dealing with the perpetrator!”

Lion King Gu and Evil Fish Liang’s faces were ashen, as they dared not refute this.

Looking at the two faltering, the old man in black robes hummed, and his eyes shined. He said, “You two follow me to see the Little Lord, and report all the information about the perpetrator to him. He will then decide what to do.” With a wave of his sleeve, he turned away. Lion King Gu and Evil Fish Liang hastened to keep up.

The trio shuttled through the ancient halls and finally came to a stone platform built on the edge of a cliff. The edge of the stone platform was obscured by clouds and mist, and a man in a green robe sat quietly there. His majestic aura was deep and unfathomable. In those slightly closed eyes, there was a crystal-like pagoda shining with 1,000 feet of light.

The old man in black robes came to the man in green and stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Lion King Gu and Evil Fish Liang promptly bowed down on their knees.

“We subordinates pay respect to the Little Lord!”

The man clad in green slowly opened his eyes. He looked at the sea of clouds as a faint smile appeared on his face. A leisurely and nonchalant voice rang out, “Have the two of you seen the perpetrator then?”