Chapter Eighty-Six: The Forced Broadcast from Another World, Part Two

Zhao Nan looked at Chu Hanyu with a smile and said nothing, while Yin Wujih said irritably, “You’re here.”

Chu Hanyu gave them a brief gesture, then merely glanced at the foreign powerhouse. At once, the man’s attempt to raise the imperial seal in his hand froze mid-motion. Then he slowly lowered it, as if he could no longer resist, too weak to hold onto the sacred artifact that mattered so much to him.

At this moment, most of the people of Azure Sky World were still immersed in Chu Hanyu’s exquisite application of formations, and just as they were marveling that the name of the Demon Sovereign of Ten Thousand Forms, master of countless arts, truly lived up to its reputation, Yin Wujih and Zhao Nan exchanged a look, each seeing astonishment in the other’s eyes.

What they saw in the foreign powerhouse’s repeated motion of raising his hand and then lowering it meant something entirely different to them than to those who only watched for the spectacle. This was an art Chu Hanyu had never used before, and could it be... the Way of Time?

Yet to ask about such a thing was clearly taboo, and besides, this was not a good moment. So they temporarily suppressed their curiosity, then, together with Chu Hanyu, stared at the foreign powerhouse trapped within the formation, unable to move a single step, his expression dark and ugly.

Zhang Ning’s gaze was also fixed on his master’s eyes. He did not know whether anyone else had noticed, but from that glance of his master’s, he seemed to have seen the cycle of the four seasons linked end to end. To Zhang Ning, it felt eerily familiar. He thought of the mysterious VIP reward he had received in the Ten Thousand Mountains, and of that equally inexplicable “time energy.” Surely not...

At that moment, another figure suddenly appeared. His movements were swift, his features handsome, and not a single sound escaped him. It was none other than the Demon Sovereign of Nether Dominion, Xing Qiluo! Not only the people in the sky, but countless observers throughout Azure Sky World watched as Xing Qiluo did not do what they had expected, making no move to attack or question the foreign powerhouse. He did not even spare him a glance, nor exchange a single word with the others. He simply appeared in the direction from which the foreign powerhouse had come.

Everyone watched as he studied the dark circular opening that had gone unnoticed at first, which Zhang Ning guessed was a high-end teleportation gate, and for a moment they were all rather transfixed. Only after some time did they realize that the others were all looking at him. Xing Qiluo raised an eyebrow and asked, genuinely puzzled, “What is it? Haven’t you dealt with him yet?”

He swept his gaze around, then fixed his eyes on Chu Hanyu. Chu Hanyu gave a calm nod and said, “He can’t move.”

Xing Qiluo let out an “oh,” and muttered softly, “As expected of you.” Then he turned back to studying the dark circle. After a short while, he even reached out and touched it directly, yet did not travel into the foreign realm. Remarkably steady, he held his form and pried something off it.

In that instant, the people of Azure Sky World lost sight of the images of those powerhouses.

Before the image vanished, Zhang Ning faintly caught sight of a monk, a Daoist, and another sword-bearing figure appearing beside his master and the others.

At first, the people of Azure Sky World were stunned by the chain of sudden changes and did not know how to react. Once they came to their senses, fervent discussion broke out everywhere, along with incredulous murmurs of joy over having survived, and cries of confusion.

Just moments before, the terrifying foreign invasion seemed about to descend, and everyone had believed that even the honored sovereigns would have to fight a bitter battle, perhaps even be outmatched in the end. No one had expected that the foreign powerhouse, so aggressive and imposing when he arrived, would be dismissed so casually by the sovereigns in the end. It all felt absurdly unreal.

In truth, the sovereigns had simply remained low-key for too long. No one had ever seen them truly fight. As members of Azure Sky World, they of course took care to measure their force and protect their homeland when they acted. Thus this was almost the first time most people of Azure Sky World had witnessed a clash at the sovereign level face to face, and upon seeing their strength, they were thrilled as though they had seen a myth appear before their eyes.

For many, this was a sight they would never encounter again in their lives, the splendor their barren lives could never hope to reach, a scene at the pinnacle of mortal existence that would remain unforgettable even in the darkest midnight recollections.

At that very moment, who knew how many people were racing home to share this shock with their families, and how many were rushing from home into the streets, crying out meaningless exclamations even they themselves did not understand. Yet somehow, others understood what they meant and joined them in the uproar.

As countless people sprang into action, all kinds of intelligence analyses began to spread, flowing through every corner of Azure Sky World. Untold formations and special talismans were brought into use, and those who activated them could hardly steady their trembling hands, so excited they could not restrain themselves. How many had forgotten the work they had been desperately trying to finish just moments before, all while chanting the names of the sovereigns?

Zhang Ning was, of course, no exception. The comments in his mind were already almost taking physical form: This is what you call a live broadcast! Ridiculous that it wasn’t me, but the outsider who came from somewhere else, obviously trying to fake a true god among men through brainwashing, who showed the people of Azure Sky World what a real live broadcast looks like—and it’s even in seven dimensions... Isn’t that a little too professional?!

Zhang Ning felt the ridiculousness of being defeated across industries, and then his mind was no longer on the broadcast. So powerful were the others, his master and the rest of them—this was absolutely beyond a mere high-martial world and into the level of true overlords in a cultivation fantasy world. Just look at that classic yet absurdly overpowered soul art from Immortal Sovereign Zhao Nan, and the body cultivation of Divine Cauldron Demon Sovereign Yin Wujih, almost enough to shatter stars with a single punch, and look at the master’s breathtaking formations, and at Demon Sovereign of Nether Dominion Xing Qiluo’s utterly unconcerned attitude. Incredible. Truly incredible!

Zhang Ning kept blurting out one meaningless exclamation after another. In his excitement, he seized Fourth Senior Brother Han Zhifei’s arm and said with genuine pride, “Master is that amazing?”

Han Zhifei, seeing that he had reduced himself to repeating only that one sentence, could not help but laugh. Pride shone in his eyes as he patted Zhang Ning’s head and said, “Master has always been like this.”

When Zhang Ning heard that, his face lit up with wild delight, as though he himself had been praised. He nodded forcefully, almost unable to keep from dancing with excitement.

Han Zhen gave a seemingly disdainful laugh, glancing at Zhang Ning with an offhand air as he said, “The sovereigns are all this powerful.” Yet even if Zhang Ning’s emotional intelligence were lower still, he knew Han Zhen was referring to his own master. So he slung an arm around Han Zhen’s shoulder and agreed with complete sincerity, “Exactly, I know. Master and Demon Sovereign of Nether Dominion are both super...” As he spoke, Zhang Ning shot up a thumbs-up. Han Zhen frowned, the tips of his ears quietly turning red, and shifted his shoulder with obvious discomfort.

After that, Zhang Ning remained excitedly engaged with Fourth Senior Brother and Han Zhen, discussing the master’s realm and cultivation, the same questions concerning the other sovereigns, and how they might deal with that foreign powerhouse and the world from which he had come, as if Zhang Ning himself had become one of those supernal experts who could turn enemies to ash with a flick of the finger and shake the world with a stamp of the foot. Though he tried hard to restrain himself, his longing still overflowed, and the two older men clearly indulged him, discussing everything with him at length and allowing Zhang Ning to stay awake until very late.