Speaking courteously is important.
Especially when facing a genius who can contend with an Emperor Venerable, one must not be arrogant.
The death of the giant rhinoceros a few days ago had served as a significant deterrent to a first-tier Emperor Venerable.
"Everyone."
Chen Fan swept his gaze over all of them.
"Now that things have come to this, you all need to consider your next steps carefully," Chen Fan said solemnly.
With that, he descended directly into Sword City without waiting for a reply.
This was his territory.
Want to cause trouble?
Heh, that would depend on whether you had the ability.
In the central thatched hut, as soon as Chen Fan landed, Long Ling came to pay her respects.
"City Lord, the Angler requests an audience."
"No."
With that, he directly closed the door of the thatched hut.
Long Ling was left outside.
She could tell that the City Lord seemed to be in a bad mood.
Without hesitation, she went out to reply to the Angler: "The City Lord says he will not see you."
She delivered the message in exactly the same tone.
As the eldest disciple of Master Yi, Long Ling had encountered many powerful individuals in her life.
She had recognized the Angler before. This person... it was rumored that he had once contended with her Master, only to be defeated in the end.
"Sigh."
The Angler sighed.
He also knew that their actions were somewhat excessive.
But he had no choice.
In the current Eastern and Middle Continents, they had nowhere else to go except Sword City.
Their former strongholds had all been eradicated.
None of them had expected that Tianzi's betrayal would reveal all their strongholds to the enemy.
The move by the Green Emperor Palace had, in one fell swoop, destroyed their hundred years of preparation.
And now, facing the encirclement and annihilation by the Green Emperor Palace, they had no way out.
No one had anticipated that their only escape route would be Sword City.
Therefore, they had come.
They had not informed anyone.
He could understand the City Lord's anger. He would be angry too if he were in the same situation.
To seek refuge in my territory without informing me, and then expect me to protect you—is that possible?
"Senior."
Long Ling felt a pang of sympathy. "The City Lord is outwardly cold but inwardly warm. In truth... he doesn't mind you coming. Even if you're here to seek refuge and need his protection.
I suspect the City Lord is angry because you brought trouble without a word, and therefore..."
"I understand."
The expression beneath the straw hat was filled with bitterness.
If he had a choice, why would he have acted this way?
Long Ling continued, "Please... think about it carefully."
She had said all she could. As for the final outcome, she did not know.
No one knew the City Lord's thoughts.
...
With a sigh, the Angler returned to his temporary residence.
In an uninhabited mansion in Sword City, they were temporarily resting.
Creak.
The Angler pushed open the mansion gate and walked in.
"How was it?"
The Ninth Sword Cultivator, who was practicing his sword in the courtyard, opened his eyes.
In the distance, two Emperor Venerables, who were cultivating, also opened their eyes.
These two were a second-tier Emperor Venerable and a first-tier Emperor Venerable, respectively.
The second-tier Emperor Venerable was the main reason the powerful figures from the Green Emperor Palace in the sky did not dare to descend easily.
The three of them looked at the Angler, waiting for his answer.
There were others in this mansion besides the three of them.
These people were all refugees.
The Angler sighed, "He didn't see me."
The Ninth Sword Cultivator remained expressionless. "If it were me, I would also be angry."
He could empathize with Chen Fan's thoughts by putting himself in his shoes.
The first-tier Emperor Venerable was a young woman. Although she appeared young, she was quite old. She nodded and said, "We did overstep."
However, the second-tier Emperor Venerable was different.
He said in a deep voice, "The current City Lord of Sword City does have some courage."
The Ninth Sword Cultivator: "???"
He looked at the second-tier Emperor Venerable, his tone tinged with a hint of solemnity. "Senior Kuang Mu, please do not act rashly."
This was Sword City, after all.
Kuang Mu sneered, "I wouldn't stoop to the level of a junior."
"..."
The Ninth Sword Cultivator and the Angler exchanged glances.
In their eyes, there was a hint of worry.
This worry was for Kuang Mu.
No one knew Chen Fan's monstrous capabilities better than they did. He was a man brimming with legendary tales.
"Alright, alright."
It was the female Emperor Venerable, Zhan Yan, who smiled. "This matter was indeed our impropriety. Angler, you are more familiar with the City Lord. Find an opportunity to explain."
"Understood."
The Angler nodded.
This was acceptable. He didn't have the arrogant attitude of Kuang Mu.
A second-tier Emperor Venerable indeed had the confidence to look down on a half-emperor. However, this person absolutely did not include Chen Fan.
"I'll go check on Ba Wang."
"Mm."
The other three did not move, continuing their cultivation in the courtyard.
From time to time, they would look up at the sky, their eyes filled with solemnity.
The people from the Emperor Palace were pursuing them.
Would they just wait here?
Currently, only one Emperor Venerable had arrived. The Emperor Palace would certainly have more powerful Emperor Venerables.
No one knew what would happen next.
Tianzi had truly led them into a terrible predicament.
...
Meanwhile, Chen Fan had entered the river of rules.
This time, he had gained immensely from the Origin River, and now... it was time to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
"Boom."
As he sank into the river, the water immediately began to churn.
The threads of rules and great daos violently swirled, beginning to grow stronger.
The life trajectories and traces of existence of others were of immense benefit to the newly formed river.
"Swish, swish."
The river surged.
Among them, the River of Life and Death grew exceptionally rapidly.
In an instant, it surpassed everything else and soared into the sky.
"It's time."
Chen Fan opened his eyes and looked at the sky where life and death converged. Vaguely, it began to gather into a circular form.
There was no great upheaval like when others broke through. Instead, there was a sense of natural progression.
He had been in the half-emperor realm for a long time and had long possessed the foundation for achieving emperorhood, but he had simply been unwilling.
Now, with the growth of life and death, it was the opportune moment for breakthrough.
"Gather."
Chen Fan suddenly shouted.
The river roared, and all its power poured into the Great Dao of Life and Death.
The Great Dao of Life and Death rapidly strengthened, and in the blink of an eye, it began to outline the embryonic form of an Emperor Palace.
Every emperor-level expert had to go through this step.
The convergence of life and death rapidly constructed the embryonic form of the Emperor Palace.
The river of rules began to tremble and slowly flowed into the embryonic form of the Emperor Palace.
"Boom."
Suddenly, a thunderous sound echoed.
At this moment, in Sword City, everyone looked up.
The space above their heads suddenly cracked, and an incredibly thick bolt of lightning struck the Immortal Realm.
"Chaos Thunder Tribulation?" The hidden Emperor Venerable in the sky's expression drastically changed.
The next moment, a piercing scream resounded through the heavens: "Run, run quickly..."
In the records of the Immortal Realm, the Chaos Thunder Tribulation had appeared only a few times.
To become an Emperor, one would inevitably face a thunder tribulation.
However, most people would not attract the Chaos Thunder Tribulation; they would only face the trials of the Origin River, and any thunder tribulation would be their own within the Immortal Realm.
The Chaos Thunder Tribulation, however, was regarded as a ferocious beast among all thunder tribulations.
This was an Emperor Ascension Tribulation, signifying that someone was about to become an Emperor, and moreover, an Emperor that chaos did not permit to exist.
The Chaos Thunder Tribulation was a tribulation that guaranteed death.