Chen Xia had yet to make a move when Emperor Bixuan suddenly fainted.
Was fainting useful?
Yes, it was, at least it spared him the confrontation with death.
Now, the Three-Path Great Emperor of the Divine Realm was in Chen Xia's grasp, and it was clear that the Divine Realm had to trade Emperor Bixuan's life for the safety of the Three-Path Great Emperor.
No matter how it was arranged, the Divine Realm was in a losing position, the only question was how badly they would lose.
The root of the problem lay in their underestimation of Chen Xia's power. They believed that a mere apothecary couldn’t be that formidable, and felt confident with the Three-Path Great Emperor leading the charge.
But reality slapped them hard, which was still relatively mild compared to the plight of the Three-Path Great Emperor, who was already half-dead from the slap of truth.
The question now was whether to agree to Chen Xia's demand and trade Emperor Bixuan for the Three-Path Great Emperor.
"How do we know if you're telling the truth? If we hand over Emperor Bixuan as you requested, what's to stop you from killing the Three-Path Great Emperor afterwards?" one of them asked.
Chen Xia shook the head of the Three-Path Great Emperor he was holding and frowned slightly as he replied to the Divine Realm's assembly.
"This isn't a request. I'm just too lazy to keep killing. If you don't agree, all the Great Emperors of the Divine Realm here will die today, by my hand."
His words were matter-of-fact, devoid of emotion.
Yet, it was this very calm tone that made the Great Emperors of the Divine Realm increasingly terrified. Chen Xia's assertion of killing them all sounded as effortless as crushing a swarm of insects.
And the most frightening part was that the reality seemed to align with his words.
The Three-Path Great Emperor had barely put up a fight against the Azure Sky Medicine Ancestor, so what hope did ordinary Great Emperors have?
Was a Four-Dao Great Emperor needed? But...
The Great Emperors of the Divine Realm were quick-witted, calculating the pros and cons. They had already lost two Great Emperors at the beginning due to Chen Xia's devouring, and now another major player, the Three-Path Great Emperor, was at his mercy. The condition? Only trading a single Emperor Bixuan. In this stalemate, it seemed like a reasonable deal.
Suddenly, Chen Xia looked up at the sky. His already slightly furrowed brows knitted together more tightly as he muttered to himself.
"Stop rushing me, stop rushing me."
With a flicker of sword intent in his palm, he relaxed his grip and dropped the half-dead body of the Three-Path Great Emperor, letting it drift lowly in the air.
The Great Emperors were puzzled, unsure of what this move meant.
Then they saw it—a flash of sword light that covered the entire sky.
It was the Immortal Sword.
And it had only struck once.
Blood spurted, and a Great Emperor's head floated in the air, his expression blank, as if he hadn't even realized he was already dead.
A line of gray-white light stretched across the sky like the reversal of time itself.
The sword light disappeared in an instant.
Chen Xia's hand reappeared, gripping the head of the Three-Path Great Emperor, lifting his body back into the air.
Everything happened so fast, it was like nothing had happened at all.
A faint sound, and the head of the Great Emperor landed firmly on the ground, still retaining a sliver of consciousness. His expression turned horrified, a stream of desperate confusion escaped his lips.
"Where's my body?!"
His face slowly went blank, his eyes empty, and upon uttering those words, he perished.
In a single moment, Chen Xia had unleashed a full onslaught, slaying another Great Emperor of the Divine Realm.
The scene was silent. The Great Emperors of the Divine Realm exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions filled with horror, unsure of what to do. A shiver of indecision ran through them, causing one to hesitantly ask.
"May we know the esteemed one's name?"
Such a monstrous cultivator couldn't be someone previously unheard of like the Azure Sky Medicine Ancestor. This had to be an ancient powerhouse reincarnated.
Chen Xia didn't respond to this question. Instead, he looked at the sky once more and said.
"I want to see Emperor Bixuan within a quarter of an hour. If not, one of you will die randomly."
Perhaps feeling his words were too short, he added another line.
"You also have a way to resist. Send a Four-Dao Great Emperor to face me in battle. But remember, it has to be a strong one. If it's as watered down as this Three-Path Great Emperor, then I'm sorry, my tally of kills will reach new heights."
A Four-Dao Great Emperor?
The faces of the Great Emperors of the Divine Realm darkened. According to Chen Xia's words, he could clash with a Four-Dao Great Emperor, and it had to be a strong one at that. But the problem was that this confrontation wasn't just a match with Chen Xia but also involved the Immortal Sword and an avatar equivalent to a Four-Dao Great Emperor dubbed the "Nine Mountain Overlord."
If the avatar and the Azure Sky Medicine Ancestor were to ally, not only would the Great Emperors of the Divine Realm present here be in trouble, but even a Four-Dao Great Emperor might not escape.
Who could have anticipated that an incident where Heaven Pill Gate's floating ship was destroyed would bring forth a warrior on par with a Four-Dao Great Emperor?
This wasn't just the Divine Realm miscalculating—it was as if they hadn’t even counted on such a turn of events. It was pure madness.
Presently, the leading Great Emperor of the Divine Realm was desperately thinking. If this were the outcome, he had one last ace up his sleeve.
Invoke the Lord of the Divine Realm.
His heart raced as he reached out across the Divine Realm, forcefully striking the imperial bell of the Divine Realm five times—a call for help.
In the center of the Divine Realm, an emaciated elder who had been in a state of deep sleep awoke. His eyes were cloudy, like a chaotic void. He raised his thin, wrinkled finger and pointed towards the Immortal World, specifically toward Treasure Ring Scale State, focusing on Chen Xia.
An order for a targeted strike.
"If you kill him, I'll kill you." A chuckle resounded as a golden figure unexpectedly appeared before the Lord of the Divine Realm, their brow exuding an intense, pure martial luck.
The Lord of the Divine Realm slowly lowered his hand, scrutinizing the golden figure for a long time before he asked in a low voice, "You have involved yourself in the realm-scale conflict, violating the oath of the past."
The Martial Emperor smiled and replied, "No, I didn’t intervene in the realm conflict. This is purely personal—just targeting Chen Xia."
"Is he special?" the Lord of the Divine Realm inquired further.
The Martial Emperor answered, "Indeed, quite special. He is more so than I initially imagined. He will be a pivotal figure in my plans and a potential contender for the next Supreme Being."
The Lord of the Divine Realm remained silent for a long time, his eyes closing as if deep in thought. Finally, he said in a low voice, "Among the ancient Three Supreme Beings—you, Daoist Suppressing Heaven, and Ancestor Zhu—along with your calculations of what Emperor Witch could bring, now there is another. Aren't you aiming for five Supreme Beings?"
"No, four will suffice. I will eliminate one," the Martial Emperor replied with a smile.
The Lord of the Divine Realm's eyes suddenly widened, a strange light flashing within them as his calm demeanor showed a hint of agitation.
Could it mean his ascension if a Supreme Being fell?
He looked once more toward the Immortal World, toward Chen Xia, and paused in contemplation.
A Four-Dao Great Emperor still had a chance at becoming a Supreme Being. What about him?
Treasure Ring Scale State.
The Great Emperors of the Divine Realm, seeing that the Lord of the Divine Realm had yet to respond, were bewildered. They tried again, knocking the imperial bell with their thoughts, but still received no reply. With a heavy sigh, they had to bow to Chen Xia.
"The Divine Realm is willing to exchange Emperor Bixuan's life for the return of the Three-Path Great Emperor."
The Great Emperors of the Divine Realm were heavily burdened, their brows furrowed in frustration, never imagining that things would end up this way.
Conversely, the Great Emperors of the Immortal World were overjoyed, almost ready to start banging drums and gongs proud of finally dealing a humiliating blow to the Divine Realm after all these years of conflict.
Not long after, the side of the Great Emperors of the Divine Realm brought out the unconscious Emperor Bixuan, handing him over to Chen Xia.
Chen Xia, keeping his word, dumped the Three-Path Great Emperor from his hand back to the side of the Divine Realm as if discarding trash.
And the unconscious Emperor Bixuan was naturally in his hands.
Slap! Slap!
Chen Xia gave Bixuan two slaps.
Unconscious until then, Bi Xuan jolted awake with a start and cried out loud in fear.
"Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!"
He paused for a moment, taking a quick look around and breathed a sigh of relief, patting his chest and grinning. He muttered to himself, "It was just a nightmare. I thought I was dead. Phew, good thing I’m still alive. I'm a Great Emperor now, why is my heart still so unstable? I need to fix that."
"It might not have been just a nightmare, but a premonition," Chen Xia said.
Bi Xuan’s body froze. He turned and looked stupidly at Chen Xia. He was right there in front of him, while the Grand Emperors of the Divine Realm stood far away.
Combined with the earlier conversation, even a fool would realize what had happened—he’d been traded for the life of the Three-Path Great Emperor!
Chen Xia smiled at him. "I hear you stole my medicine and even wanted to come find me?"
Bi Xuan’s expression trembled. He stepped forward, then immediately slid to his knees, weeping uncontrollably, no longer caring about dignity. He began to slap himself, sobbing and begging.
"Brother, I was young and foolish. I didn't mean to offend you. Please forgive me—I'm just a small figure next to you. I’ll serve you loyally, be your steed at your side, and dedicate myself to you forever.”
“Alright.” Chen Xia nodded. “I remember you are from the Divine Realm, so from now on, you will pull my transport boat. Just tie a rope around your neck—the name of the boat is already decided: Heaven Pill Gate: Bi Xuan Vessel.”
The surrounding Martial Emperors were immediately stunned.
Were they really treating Bi Xuan like an ox or a horse?
But Bi Xuan himself was visibly excited. He knelt down and kowtowed to Chen Xia, exclaiming, “Truly, talent meets a worthy master, and horses meet a virtuous owner!”
Since the Divine Realm had abandoned him, he had no choice but to prioritize his survival over his pride.
In the end, it was indeed Bi Xuan who pulled the entire Heaven Pill Gate transport boat back. The sight of a once mighty Emperor now reduced to pulling a boat was both absurd and dramatic.
It could only be said that Chen Xia truly understood the art of reversal.