"Disperse!"
Qin Zi looked up at the ominous celestial phenomenon above him and snorted coldly. "This man disrespected the Heaven Lord, so why shouldn't he be humiliated?"
His voice was firm and resonated like an inquiry to the heavens themselves. He had every right to challenge the sky, for he was the Xuanhuang Heaven Lord—at least in name, the ruler of the heavens.
Though he might not yet have the power to control the heavens, his title alone carried significant weight.
Boom!
Instantly, the dark clouds and lightning in the sky began to dissipate, vanishing completely in a matter of moments.
"This…"
The white-haired elder looked up at the sky in disbelief, and then a deep sorrow overcame him. He howled at the heavens.
"Heavens! Do you also believe I deserve this humiliation? I refuse to accept this! The heavens are unjust, unjust!"
This once-mighty Divine King, now reduced to something akin to a street brawler, wailed without dignity. His pride had been shattered.
He had gone mad.
A man's pride is his face, and today, in front of so many witnesses, his reputation of countless millennia had been torn apart.
So, what was the point of continuing to live?
With bloodshot eyes, he glared at Qin Zi and cursed:
"You brat! What kind of Heaven Lord are you? In all of Xuanhuang Heaven's history, every Heaven Lord has been an unmatched being who commanded respect across the realms. Your very presence on that throne is an insult to the position! You don't deserve it!"
Qin Zi didn't respond. Instead, he slowly walked forward and looked directly into the elder's eyes from above.
Then, in a flash too quick to react to, he slapped the elder across the face.
Slap!
The sound echoed crisply as the elder's head snapped to the side. His entire body froze.
He seemed stunned.
His face twitched slightly, the deep wrinkles on his aged skin shifting like squirming worms.
He looked as if he were having a seizure, his head trembling as he slowly turned back, his voice shaking as he muttered, "You... you dare hit me?"
Slap!
Qin Zi said nothing, delivering another slap that sent the elder's face snapping in the other direction.
"You…"
Slap!
Another slap followed.
Finally, the successive humiliation shattered the last remnants of the elder's mental fortitude. He exploded with fury.
Boom!
A blinding burst of divine light erupted from his body, a manifestation of his intent to fight to the death.
"Not good!"
"He's performing a supreme sacrifice!"
"This lunatic!"
The eight Divine Kings surrounding Qin Zi were horrified. They tried to suppress the elder's explosive power but were thrown back by the force of it.
Boom!
A pillar of light shot into the sky, twisting the clouds, while countless radiant laws materialized in the heavens, resonating loudly.
The white-haired elder, now bathed in this divine brilliance, slowly rose to his feet like a true Divine King returning to his peak.
At that moment, he was back at his pinnacle of power.
"Brat, how do you wish to die?"
He fixed his gaze on Qin Zi, his eyes flickering with tiny bolts of lightning. His entire presence exuded an overwhelming, terrifying pressure.
"You... you…"
Qin Zi felt suffocated, his body on the verge of collapsing under the pressure, unable to form a complete sentence.
"Think about it, my friend!"
"He is the Heaven Lord! If you kill him without the Grand Emperors' approval, you will incur their wrath!"
"You may not fear death now that you've chosen to sacrifice yourself, but think of your sect, your descendants!"
The other powerful figures in the square were panicking.
Though they disliked Qin Zi, his death would implicate everyone present. None of them would escape responsibility.
The white-haired elder's expression remained unchanged as he coldly replied, "You forced me to make this supreme sacrifice. Today, this brat will die! As for my sect and descendants? Heh, after my death, who cares what happens?"
He had resolved to go all the way.
Living without dignity was not worth living at all.
"You're being reckless!"
"Please, don't be rash!"
The other strongmen rose to intervene.
But the white-haired elder snorted, "All of you, stay back! If anyone dares interfere, I'll drag them down with me!"
The crowd froze in fear. An insane man ready to unleash his dying fury was indeed terrifying.
Seeing this, the elder laughed heartily, a crazed satisfaction lighting up his face.
"Hahaha! Though I will die today, I can still force you all back with just my words, and kill the Heaven Lord with my own hands. My life is complete!"
Then he turned back to Qin Zi, his eyes filled with an unprecedented killing intent. He grinned menacingly.
"Brat, are you ready to die?"
"I... I…"
Qin Zi's face was as pale as a sheet. He was utterly terrified, his mind blank. After swallowing hard, he screamed out, "Father—!"
"I'm here."
A calm voice echoed in response.
Qin Zi's eyes lit up with relief.
Meanwhile, the white-haired elder's pupils shrank in shock. He swiftly turned around, only to see a white-robed figure standing calmly beside him.
"Qin Chuan? Impossible! You're only at the Eighth Heavenly Layer of the Heavenly God realm. How can you be this powerful?!"
The elder's voice quivered in disbelief.
He had investigated Qin Chuan's strength thoroughly and confirmed that he was only a Heavenly God. But now, standing before him was not just a Divine King but someone strong enough to rival him even after his supreme sacrifice.
He was a Six-tier Divine King!
"Leave now, and I will spare your life," Qin Chuan said calmly.
"Hehe, I've already performed my supreme sacrifice. Death is inevitable for me. Why would I need you to spare my life? Let's die together!"
The elder's eyes gleamed with madness as countless chains of laws shot out from his body, encircling Qin Chuan and Qin Zi.
He was preparing to self-destruct.
Once caught by these law chains, there would be no escape. They would be obliterated along with him.
"You can go alone."
A silver-white shield of light burst from Qin Chuan's body, forming an indestructible barrier around himself and Qin Zi.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The law chains slammed into the shield, sparking furiously but failing to penetrate.
"How can this be? No!!!"
The white-haired elder let out a despairing scream as his body erupted in a final, brilliant explosion that lit up the entire sky.
Boom!
The entire Xuanhuang Heaven trembled. For a brief moment, all living beings were blinded by the light. Some were even permanently blinded by the intensity.
Drip, drip...
Blood rained from the heavens, and the sound of lamentations echoed across the land. White flowers fell gently from the sky.
The death of a Divine King brought sorrow to the world itself.
Only after a long while did the storm of destruction subside. The square in the sky had vanished, and the Xuanhuang Heavenly Palace was no more.
Only a few figures floated in the air.
The leaders of the great sects, slightly injured by the elder's self-destruction, now appeared disheveled, their expressions complicated.
The saying was true: "When the lips perish, the teeth grow cold."
A peer of their level had just perished before their eyes, and they couldn't help but feel a sense of shared fate.
At that moment, Qin Chuan hovered in the air, sweeping his gaze over the crowd. His voice rang out, loud and clear:
"My son, Qin Zi, is the rightful Heaven Lord of Xuanhuang Heaven. This is an undeniable fact. If anyone harbors dissent, speak it now. Why act with false obedience?"
He paused, then continued:
"Now, I ask everyone present: Who supports my son as the Heaven Lord, and who opposes?"