Chaotic World Book

The couple sprinted toward the sea, taking a leap directly into the waters.

Xia Chichi was genuinely overjoyed—despite their current perilous environment, her heart felt as sweet as honey.

Who would have thought that her man would just appear here, when she had thought he would have headed to Penglai... As if a Divine Weapon had descended from the heavens, he emerged at the very place she was most powerless and in desperate need of help. Then, he blocked all crises, allowing her to explore the Secret Realm with ease, transforming the indignity of being used as bait into a reversal, and reclaiming some sense of control in her hands.

"Splash~" Two heads popped above the water surface, covered in heaps of seaweed, invisible in the twisted night to even Tang En, should he sail past.

The two exchanged glances, the urge to laugh in their eyes, but the gravity of their situation made laughter impossible.

As they ran away from the island, the ground behind them suddenly collapsed. Screams echoed continuously as the merfolk, still on the island, fell into the cracks and into the sea below. Debris flew, striking down many and littering the surface with corpses—a sight that reminded Zhao Changhe of the apocalyptic end of an epoch.

But at that moment, the couple had no heart to care about such things.

After the island crumbled and the rocks fell, a colossal Flood Dragon emerged, soaring towards the sky.

This so-called "island with a lake at its heart, and a statue within the lake"... essentially didn't exist at all.

The statue was just oddly situated at the sea surface—perhaps it hadn't always been there, only revealed after some cataclysm or deliberately lifted from below. The Flood Dragon wrapped around the statue, it was unclear whether in protection or in contemplation, remained motionless so long that a thick layer of soil formed on its back, creating the shape of a ring island. This led to the central portion of water being mistaken for a lake within the island...

When the Flood Dragon stirred, the island ceased to exist.

As the Flood Dragon reached for the heavens, a golden fist struck the water beings, shattering into pieces the one that matched Zhao Changhe in a half-day's struggle, pulverizing its Crystal Core into dust, which vanished into the Void.

Seizing the opportunity, the Flood Dragon chomped down on the golden dragon-shaped fist, like a giant dragon swallowing a smaller one. A muffled sound, like a surround sound system, resonated in all directions: "Xia Longyuan... I have been waiting for you for a long time..."

A pang shot through Xia Chichi's heart, and even Zhao Changhe felt a flash of surprise.

Could this be the Sea Emperor's true form? To think there was actually a Flood Dragon in existence.

They had thought the Sea Emperor would have more of a Cephalopod vibe, perhaps a giant octopus, yet it was a dragon... Right, maybe it wasn't originally a Flood Dragon but had merely taken over a Flood Dragon's body. Based on current experiences, those God Demons from Ancient Times who were still awake lacked physical forms, and those with bodies were either dead or asleep—likely a result of differences in Cultivation focus.

Listening to the tone of the Sea Emperor, Xia Longyuan was baiting his appearance, and the Emperor was well aware of it... Indeed, after the battle between the Cui and the Wang families, where Xia Longyuan intervened, if the Sea Emperor didn't know that Xia Longyuan was awaiting its emergence, then it wouldn't be worthy of carrying the title "Emperor" among the God Demons of the Ancient Times. Xia Longyuan was baiting the Emperor, but could it be that the Emperor was also enticing Xia Longyuan away from the Capital City?

Even if the true body was still in the Capital, capable of a Divine Descent or some form of power transcending space, their strength could undoubtedly capture and harm the true body!

Nevertheless, Xia Longyuan was aware and persisted, such was his arrogance.

In the end, it still came down to strength—the victor would have the right to declare "All within my grasp."

Xia Longyuan indeed suppressed the present era, but against a God Demon from a bygone epoch, crowned as "Emperor", what would be the outcome? Even Zhao Changhe, who most believed in Xia Longyuan's might, dared not speculate.

The golden dragon-shaped fist was firmly bitten by the Flood Dragon and then "transformed" into the figure of Xia Longyuan's silhouette. Though gripped in the Flood Dragon's maw, it appeared unfazed and its Fist Power abruptly surged, striking deep into the Flood Dragon's throat.

"Have you waited this long just to show me your weakness?"

A thunderous explosion followed; the couple, ducked below the water with seaweed overhead, had no idea how the battle in the Flood Dragon's mouth unfolded, unable to discern whether the expression on the Dragon's face was pain or pleasure.

Soon, a stifled groan was heard, yet the Flood Dragon remained clamped on the fist without relenting.

Surprise tinged Xia Longyuan's voice: "Your torso is wounded, yet you refuse to release your grip... On a side note, your biting strength isn't half bad. Your strength has returned faster than I expected. Has the spread of faith within the Wang Family's domain been so effective?"

Zhao Changhe, however, knew it might not be due to the spread of faith. Such a process would likely be slow, demanding widespread dissemination and years to take effect; the Wang Family's territory was far from achieving that. Moreover, the Sea Emperor's influence had crumbled due to the plots of Hai Changkong, and even if word had spread, instant results would not be visible.

If something had hastened the Sea Emperor's recovery, it must have been the sacrifice... The previous battle off the coast of Dong'an Island had left countless dead and wounded, which had already taken effect.

Zhao Changhe had the sensation that Hai Pinglan was subtly manipulating events... Hai Pinglan clearly intended to kill the Sea Emperor and knew that its power was not yet sufficient to contend with Xia Longyuan. Thus, in a display of cold and ruthless strategy, helped expedite the Emperor's ascension—a gambit Zhao Changhe admired but could not emulate.

This was the high-stakes game among three monarchs… and there could be more.

His thoughts lasted but a moment, for as Xia Longyuan finished speaking, a crimson fist descended from the sky, heading straight for the Sea Emperor, still locking Xia Longyuan in its bite.

Xia Longyuan laughed heartily: "I knew it, calling yourselves God Demons, yet resorting to collusion and cooperation to gang up on a mere mortal in your sight! Ha… Hahahaha!"

With his raucous laughter, he jolted his left hand, and another dragon-shaped fist power shot forth, clashing against the newcomer's crimson fist power.

The horrifying sound of the explosion rose, and the wave of energy from the clash almost injured the young couple peeking from a distance, forcing them to retreat in shock several steps before they could barely stabilize themselves. Yet, they could not discern who was winning within the billowing energy.

"Who is that?" Xia Chichi asked in a low voice.

Zhao Changhe thought for a while, "It must be a Grassland Barbarian God, perhaps called the Heavenly God of Longevity Heaven? Anyway, I sensed an aura of vast antiquity and bloodthirsty rage, quite similar to the feeling Tie Muer gave me."

The Sea Emperor must have contacted the Grassland Barbarian Gods through the Wang Family, secretly ... No wonder he would rather get injured, just to firmly hold Xia Longyuan in place, unable to move.

Two ancient God Demons besieging the number one figure of today!

"Calling you dried-up skeletons is indeed fitting. With such pettiness, you falsely claim the title of God Demons!" Xia Longyuan's laughter rang out from the center of the battlefield, "Had you lived in the Ancient Times, you wouldn't even have had the chance to achieve transcendence, you waste!"

He called them waste, but one could clearly hear that his laughter had weakened slightly. As an energy being who had come from thousands of miles away, a weakened voice meant that he likely had been hurt to some extent.

But as the smoke and dust cleared, one could see the Flood Dragon covered in blood, and that crimson fist shadow was so weakened that it barely sustained a hazy existence.

To defy gods as a mortal, to battle two alone, all three injured, and yet it was the two Ancient Demons who were more severely wounded! The worth of being the strongest under the heavens was truly off the charts.

The crimson fist shadow transformed into a human figure, its voice faint, "Xia Longyuan, you indeed are very strong and have the right to be arrogant... but no one can be all-knowing and omnipotent. You are too obstinate and self-important, having made countless mistakes without realizing it."

Xia Longyuan stated indifferently, "What would you, a Barbarian God, know?"

"You unified the world to experience the process of controlling it, as a step in your triumph over the Imperial Realm. Having obtained power over the lands and rivers, and having broken through the Imperial Realm, you no longer cared to maintain it, as if unifying the world was only a key for you—once the door was opened, the key could be discarded... You kept the imperial throne simply because it was convenient for your purposes," the Heavenly God of Longevity Heaven continued slowly. "Now your gaze is only fixed on the God Demons, your heart set on cultivation, set on surmounting everything. You don't care about the gradual chaos in the world, on the contrary, you use it as bait to lure out various God Demons—the Maitreya Sect, Four Symbols Sect, Wang Family... You are waiting for the forces behind them to emerge so that you can vanquish them, taking pleasure in this."

Xia Longyuan sneered and did not respond.

But Zhao Changhe knew this was probably spot on. Xia Longyuan's ultimate goal wasn't them; it was most likely blind entities or even higher beings. But how was he to level up? In this era, there were no opponents for him. Surely, being the Emperor, he couldn't just wander around exploring secret realms. How would that be any different from sitting in the palace and neglecting his duties?

It's better to be in the palace at least, where he can control the overall situation.

He had always treated the chaos in the world as if watching a monkey show, even deliberately causing some of it himself. His gaze was on the God Demons behind the scenes, which in his view had turned into steps for his subsequent upgrade, like bosses in a game providing experience level by level.

Just like now.

Xia Longyuan stayed silent, and the Heavenly God of Longevity Heaven did not care either. His avatar was about to disperse, and it seemed that the main body was heavily injured too. There wasn't much time left to speak his mind.

He continued slowly, "But you are wrong, Xia Longyuan... Treating your own Gate of God Demons with such a playful and disrespectful attitude, abandoning it like a worn-out shoe once you've crossed it, will bring retribution upon you. You achieved transcendence through controlling the world; when it slips from your grasp, your foundations will crumble. Do you dismiss this, thinking that, with your strength, you could easily set the lands in order, as easy as turning your hand?"

Xia Longyuan was about to say something when his expression suddenly changed slightly.

Far away in the Capital, Tang Wanju hurriedly entered the Imperial Palace to report, "Your Majesty, the barbarians bypassed Yumen Pass, the defending general offering it up. The barbarians surged straight in, and Chang'an has fallen."

"A rebellion in Jiao State, one proclaimed himself the King of Southern Heaven, declaring independence."

"Turmoil has risen in Jinzhong..."

"And Wan Tianxiong from Jianghuai is advancing into Southern County!"

As the Heavenly God of Longevity Heaven was speaking, "Even people from the Tang family have turned traitorous, all the ministers have their own agendas, some colluding with us, some with the Wang Family, and even those secretly dealing with Li Shentong of the Southwest. You, Cui Wenjing, lie injured in bed by your own hand, while Cui Yuan Yong feels resentment towards you. Yang Jingxiu is only concerned with his own affairs. Now, you can barely maintain even one Imperial Palace; how can you claim to control the world?"

After saying the last sentence, He burst into laughter, his last bit of energy exploding crazily in front of Xia Longyuan: "Add a little more difficulty for your task of rectifying the lands!"

"Boom!" The explosion of energy from a Divine Skills realm God Demon, even weakened, was far from trivial.

Seizing the moment Xia Longyuan's mind was slightly shaken, the Sea Emperor Dragon violently swept at his waist.

From behind, within the misty night fog, an elderly fist rose from the waves and struck directly at Xia Longyuan's back.

Hai Pinglan took advantage of the moment to strike, and with his move, a wild surge rose—the ocean waves reached for the sky, and the tide of the entire sea area was lifted, completely merging with his cultivation.

Here too, was a realm of Divine Skills!