The vast expanse of Chongshang Continent was eerily silent, none of the cultivators daring to speak, all watching the young figure in a green robe standing in the sky above, as if witnessing a deity towering above the heavens.
In no time, the Supreme One emerged from the Chongshang Continent, facing Chen Xia with flickering eyes and a light smile, appearing fearless as he retorted,
"What brings you here, Chen Xia? Brawling with Emperor Witch and now looking to pick a fight with me? Are we not sworn allies bound by oaths? Isn’t this a bit inappropriate?"
Chen Xia’s green robe fluttered, his sleeves trembling slightly. He had a calm smile on his face as he extended a hand, forming two fingers into a peace sign before adding another. He then said,
"You have thirty seconds to think it over."
The Supreme One’s expression stiffened, uncertain of Chen Xia’s intentions. His smile diminished somewhat as he cautiously asked, "Are you not afraid of the backlash from breaking the life oath?"
"Not at all, I’m tough," Chen Xia replied with a smile.
The Supreme One’s smile vanished entirely, his face becoming somber. He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Chen Xia for a moment before asking again, "You didn’t actually sign the life oath, did you?"
"Twenty-five seconds left," Chen Xia said, flicking his sleeves as he stretched out his hands, refusing to answer.
An immense gray-white vortex coalesced in the sky, swirling with sword energies, temporal eddies, thunderbolts, and the roar of a dragon. The spectacle was nothing short of apocalyptic.
Above this quartet of devastation, a faint white radiance began to gather, forming a ring around the sky—a fledgling fake dao of heaven. If Ya Tian Dao were present, he would immediately recognize it.
The Supreme One sensed the fake dao of heaven and glanced upward, though he remained calm on the surface despite the severe unease in his heart. He asked Chen Xia indifferently,
"If you’re looking to break our alliance, it won’t be that easy. My strength may not match Emperor Witch’s, but with the oath restricting you, can you really be certain of victory against me?"
Boom!
The sky shuddered.
In a flash, a sword beam streaked from the temporal vortex, followed by a faint dragon’s roar and a glimmer of azure light.
Instantly, the four devastating forces surged forth.
The Supreme One’s body hurled backward, crashing into Chongshang Continent and tearing through it, carving out a massive trench that split the entire continent in two. Unlike the previous time when it was cut by sword energy, this time it was carved by the Supreme One himself.
Chen Xia’s figure flickered, catching up to the Supreme One as he retreated. With a stomp, Chen Xia planted his foot on the Supreme One’s head, pinning him on the sea surface and keeping him afloat without sinking.
Chen Xia tilted his head slightly, disdainfully asking,
"Have I been too nice to you?"
Blood streaked the Supreme One’s face, his chest slightly caved in, and his breaths came in short, panicked bursts. Shocked by Chen Xia’s overwhelming power, his heart quaked with fear. Hastily, he blurted out,
"Chen Xia, let’s talk this through! There’s no need for such rashness. I’ll cede Chongshang Continent to you and return to the Supreme Realm immediately!"
Chen Xia rolled his eyes, retracting his foot and saying,
"I gave you thirty seconds, but you couldn’t think it through and had to get beaten."
The Supreme One lay on the sea surface, too afraid to speak, merely forcing a dry laugh. He had never been a man of high resolve—his obsessions were not as deep as those of the Divine Realm Master or the Nine Mountains’ overlord. He had come to the immortal realms merely to test his luck, seeking either the pinnacle of the highest realm or, failing that, mere survival.
Chen Xia exhaled a breath of turbid air, shaking his head as he added, "The battlefield of the immortal realms is not something you should meddle in. Returning sooner will do you good."
"Chen Xia speaks wisely," the Supreme One hurriedly agreed.
Chen Xia said no more, turning away and heading toward Xuanying Continent, where Star Lord resided. Upon arrival, he simply stated,
"Step down."
Star Lord emerged slowly, glancing at Chen Xia before lowering his head and remaining silent.
"If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as your consent," Chen Xia said.
"Indeed, indeed," Star Lord replied.
"Speaking means you acknowledge it," Chen Xia added.
Star Lord was momentarily stunned but didn’t dare challenge Chen Xia. He had witnessed the scene where Chen Xia had clashed with the Supreme One and understood that a fight between him and Chen Xia would be no different.
While Star Lord harbored his own obsessions, they were not the kind to be unleashed in a situation where the odds were overwhelmingly against him. Faced with certain death, Star Lord chose to retreat to avoid any further humiliation.
With Chongshang Continent and Xuanying Continent now both under Chen Xia’s control, he proceeded to efficiently cultivate both continents simultaneously, laying the foundation for his fifth dao.
With the additional enhancements from East Jia State and Treasure Ring Scale State, and having become something of a local in the immortal realms, Chen Xia’s progress in merging continents accelerated. While not flying through the process, the effort was certainly paying off.
Meanwhile, activity stirred in the immortal realms’ ocean. After a two-thousand-year slumber at the ocean’s floor, Emperor Witch emerged and ascended to East Jia State, standing at the shore and gazing toward Heaven Pill Gate.
The denizens of Blue Sky Sword Sea immediately heightened their vigilance, their eyes fixed on Emperor Witch, wary of any sudden movements.
Within a quarter of an hour, Chen Xia, having fused the two continents, arrived, raising an eyebrow and summoning his sword as he asked,
"Looking to get thrashed again?"
The last time he faced Emperor Witch, it had been a close fight—a sixty-forty split. But now, it was a different story. The odds were now ninety-ten—not a reference to "Chen Xia at ninety-ten," but rather a ninety-ten chance of victory.
The ten percent for Emperor Witch? That would only count if he somehow, through sheer luck, broke through to the highest realm and managed to defeat Chen Xia.
Such a miracle was impossible now, so Emperor Witch showed no sign of belligerence. Instead, standing at the shore, he quietly said,
"I just wanted to see why you’ve grown so strong."
"It’s just who I am," Chen Xia answered proudly.
Emperor Witch’s eyes were filled with emotion as he gazed at Chen Xia, suddenly sighing, "If you and I were born in the same era, perhaps you would already be on equal footing with the Martial Emperor."
"Equal footing?" Chen Xia scoffed, confidently stating, "I’d hang the Martial Emperor up and give him a beating!"
He sure spoke it as if it were nothing.
Emperor Witch was momentarily taken aback, then couldn’t help but chuckle, not out of mockery, but because he simply couldn’t hold it in. After the laughter subsided, his expression quieted once more as he softly said,
"The immortal realms are clearly not the path to my highest realm. I’ll seek another path. We might meet again someday. The immortal realms involve too much… I wish you success in reaching the highest realm. In this era, only you are worthy of it."
"It should be so," Chen Xia acknowledged imperceptibly.
Emperor Witch gave a light smile, then fell silent. He stepped into the starlit expanse, venturing into the unknown depths of the void.
With that, all five Great Divine-Tier combatants who had descended upon the immortal realms were now reduced to just Chen Xia.