The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

High above the ground, ten thousand fathoms up, Fang Ting and Kongjing stood in the skies.

Below them lay the great formation that covered all of Ascension City—a protective array so powerful that even most Emperor-realm cultivators, without the aid of an Imperial Armament, could not breach it in a short time.

In other words, there was no danger of collateral damage.

At least, that's what Kongjing thought.

He never imagined a drawn-out battle. In his mind, Fang Ting would be obliterated within a breath. So, no need to worry about destructive backlash.

But if two Emperor-realm experts fought at full strength, not only Ascension City but potentially the entire Eastern Region, even all of Cangzhou, might be devastated.

BOOM!!

Kongjing's aura suddenly surged.

The pressure of an Emperor enveloped the heavens and earth.

In an instant, not only those in the Martial Arena—but every cultivator in Ascension City—felt it.

Gasps rang out from the crowd:

"Heavens! That… that's an Emperor's pressure!!"

"Master Kongjing is actually an Emperor?!"

"To think we'd get to witness an Emperor with our own eyes! This trip was worth it!"

"Unbelievable! Since the ancient era, the first Emperor of Cangzhou… is from the Buddhist sect!"

"It's over… there's no hope for the Fang Clan. Patriarch Fang should surrender now!"

"There was only a sliver of hope before, and now even that's gone."

The tens of millions present—mostly residents of Ascension City—had always supported Fang Ting.

But at this moment, upon learning that Kongjing was Emperor-realm, despair clouded their faces.

They believed—Fang Ting was doomed.

Kongjing gazed downward at Fang Ting, who appeared to struggle under his immense aura. His expression was calm and composed.

"Still wish to fight, Patriarch Fang?"

If not for the Fang Clan's powerful backers, he'd have simply erased Fang Ting already. Why let such a terrifying talent survive?

But just then, Fang Ting, who had appeared to strain against the pressure, smiled lightly.

"Of course."

"Hmm?" Kongjing's brow creased. An uneasy feeling stirred within him.

HUMPH!

With a cold snort, Kongjing unleashed his aura in full—crashing down like tidal waves.

Simultaneously, he activated his Law Domain—unique to Emperor-realm cultivators.

Within his domain, countless golden Arhats and True Buddhas surged forth like a river in flood, and solemn Buddhist chants whispered in the ears of all present.

Though Kongjing had only recently entered the Emperor Realm and his domain was far from perfected, it was still utterly overwhelming to any Saint-realm cultivator. Most wouldn't survive a single breath within it.

But Fang Ting stood unmoved, like a divine anchor.

To him, it was as if a breeze stirred his robes—nothing more.

"Pretending to be invincible?"

Suddenly, Kongjing raised a hand.

Behind him, a colossal golden Buddha phantom emerged—so massive that a single finger could crush a mountain.

RUMBLE—!!

The Buddha's hand crashed down like a fragment of the sky itself falling.

Without the great protective formation, this blow would have razed Ascension City to the ground.

Though the palm was directed at Fang Ting, the onlookers in the Martial Arena were gripped with terror. Many thought the world was ending. Some even considered fleeing.

To them, the fate of Fang Ting, Cangzhou's most peerless genius, was already sealed.

But strangely, the Fang Clan members stood calm, unbothered, as if this had nothing to do with them.

BANG!

The palm strike, though it seemed slow, landed in an instant.

And yet—Fang Ting remained standing. Unharmed. A gentle smile still on his face.

As if the Emperor's full-force attack had been no more than a breeze.

"What...?"

"You… how can this be?!"

Kongjing stared in disbelief, his eyes wide, his face frozen in stunned horror.

He could not fathom how Fang Ting, a mere Great Saint (in his eyes), had taken the blow completely unscathed.

In the arena, stunned silence gave way to chaos.

"WHAT THE—?! He's fine?!"

"Did he just tank it? That was an Emperor's strike!"

"Either Kongjing's a fraud… or Fang Ting is a monster."

"This explains everything! Now we know why he dared fight!"

The audience was left grasping for answers.

Some assumed Fang Ting was simply that powerful, others believed Kongjing was weaker than claimed, or maybe they were faking the fight, or perhaps Fang Ting had some ancient artifact guarding him.

But Kongjing, the one facing him directly, knew the truth.

There was only one explanation.

Fang Ting… was also an Emperor.

His finger trembled as he pointed at Fang Ting, voice shaking:

"You… YOU'RE AN EMPEROR TOO!"

What shocked him even more wasn't just that Fang Ting had become Emperor—but how young he still was.

Kongjing had taken 1,300 years to reach Ninth-Tier Saint King, and another 300 years to break into the Emperor Realm—after waiting for the right cosmic era.

Fang Ting? He hadn't even lived 300 years—and he was already an Emperor.

This was beyond comprehension.

Even among the twenty mightiest forces in the Tianyuan World, with tens of thousands of years of history, none had produced someone like Fang Ting.

"Seems you've realized it," Fang Ting said, his tone suddenly sharp. "Then let's end this."

His eyes glinted with cold light.

He drew a black long blade—slender, deadly—and gripped it with both hands.

"An Imperial Weapon!" Kongjing gasped, his face turning pale.

The moment he sensed the aura from the blade, his mind went blank.

"Run!"

He didn't understand how Fang Ting, so young, could be an Emperor.

He didn't understand how a half-step Emperor could possess a flawless Imperial Weapon.

But he understood one thing clearly:

If Fang Ting had an Imperial Weapon, Kongjing—newly ascended and unarmed—could not win.

So his only option was to flee.

But the moment Fang Ting summoned the weapon—Wen Tian, the blade—it was already too late.

"Slash the Star River!"

He didn't even use his strongest technique—just a simple, ordinary slash.

BOOOOOOM—!!

The blade sliced through the vast array of Arhats and Buddhas.

It shattered Kongjing's Law Domain.

And with it—

Kongjing was obliterated.

As the first Emperor to fall by Fang Ting's hand, he was given full respect.

Fang Ting could have killed him effortlessly, but instead, he brought out Wen Tian, allowing Kongjing a final moment of clarity.

That… was mercy enough.