Flying behind Elder Bi, they soon saw a tall pavilion come into view. The courtyard was filled with a dazzling array of exotic plants and flowers. Immortal cranes weaved through the grounds, which were wreathed in clouds and mist, looking just like an Immortal Realm.

The palace was constructed entirely of jade and embedded with powerful arrays. Wreathed in Spiritual Qi, it sparkled with a crystalline translucence, its beauty so captivating one could get lost just by looking at it.

"Your Majesty Nie Yun, this is the place!"

Elder Bi landed first. Standing before the palace, he gestured for him to enter.

"Mm."

Nie Yun didn’t stand on ceremony, striding inside with his head held high.

This jade palace housed countless sealing arrays. After taking just a few steps, Nie Yun had already spotted seven or eight. All of these arrays required Spirit Stones for activation, and their combined power was immense. ’They must have been laid by some grandmaster,’ he thought.

Xiaofong followed closely behind Nie Yun, and the rest of their retinue fell into line. The group quickly passed through a long palace corridor and arrived in a massive hall.

The hall was filled with the sound of song and the sight of dance. Many beautiful women in sheer robes swayed their slender waists, their movements the very picture of grace. Two rows of tables and chairs flanked the hall, where men with imposing miens sat drinking fine wine.

A banquet was clearly in full swing.

When the guests saw the young man and his entourage enter, contempt flashed in their eyes. It was as if they felt someone as young as Nie Yun was unworthy of sharing a table with them.

"This must be the Emperor of the Nie’s Empire, His Majesty Nie Yun. Please, have a seat!"

Seeing Nie Yun, a middle-aged man seated on the host’s throne at the head of the hall burst into laughter. He greeted him warmly, as if he didn’t mind at all that the Fifth Prince had been injured.

"Mm." Nie Yun didn’t bother with pleasantries, immediately finding an empty seat and sitting down.

"Everyone, this is His Majesty the Emperor of the new Nie’s Empire, Nie Yun! He once defeated five Ultimate Venerable Powerhouses with a single sword strike and pacified the Two Realms Mountain all by himself. His strength is extraordinary!"

After clapping his hands to dismiss the performers from the hall, the middle-aged man smiled as he explained to the crowd.

On the way here, Nie Yun had been thinking about it. A man like Elder Bi was normally proud and defiant, so how could he be taking orders so easily? It turned out this Emperor was even stronger—at the level of Soul and Qi Sea Great Perfection! His True Qi Power was likely equivalent to at least 9,000 elephants. No wonder a powerhouse of Elder Bi’s caliber served him. So that was it. This Emperor was probably only a single step away from the Secret Realm.

’I wonder if this fellow is on the Secret Realm Potential List, or if he’s an old monster who survived a failed breakthrough into the Secret Realm.’

Despite the introduction from the Emperor of the Divine Holy Empire, the other five Emperors couldn’t care less. They still looked at Nie Yun as if he were completely worthless.

In their eyes, the Divine Wind Empire was just the most remote backwater, devoid of any true powerhouses. The so-called five or so Ultimate Venerables were a complete joke—unworthy of even carrying their sandals.

"Your Majesty Nie Yun, allow me to make some introductions. This is His Majesty Ling Tian of the Divine Cloud Empire, this is His Majesty Longxi of the Divine Heaven Empire, and this is..."

With each introduction the middle-aged man made, the emperor in question would lift his chin, his eyes filled with scorn. They had no intention of treating Nie Yun as their equal.

The Qi Sea Continent was home to the Seven Great Empires: the Divine Holy, Divine Heaven, Divine Cloud, Divine Mountain, Divine Rise, Divine Feather, and Divine Wind Empires.

Of the Seven Great Empires, the Divine Holy Empire occupied the center, while the others were scattered around the edges of the Qi Sea Continent. The Divine Wind Empire was the most remote and also the most impoverished.

As the middle-aged man introduced Nie Yun to the others, their attitudes were atrocious, showing not a hint of respect. From their bearing, Nie Yun could tell it wasn’t personal. It seemed the Divine Wind Empire had always been treated this way here.

"Heh, now that everyone is acquainted, please, make yourselves comfortable!"

Having finished the introductions, the middle-aged man fell silent and gave a casual wave of his hand.

Glancing down, he saw the table before him was laden with all manner of delicacies, as well as special fruits and fine wines. The banquet was truly a lavish affair.

"A moment ago, I heard His Majesty Huangg Ling say you once defeated five Ultimate Venerables with a single sword strike. By that logic, your strength should be quite impressive. How about you give us a little demonstration?"

The words came suddenly from one of the emperors, who spoke in a contemptuous tone while idly swirling his wine cup.

His expression showed he didn’t take Nie Yun seriously in the slightest. This so-called request for a demonstration was no different from a mocking taunt.

Everyone present was the ruler of a nation, a person of esteemed status. Asking His Majesty the Emperor to display his skills like a performing monkey was a clear sign of contempt for Nie Yun.

"A demonstration? Of course. But doing it alone is no fun. Why don’t you join me for a little spar, Your Majesty Xuan Cheng?"

A single glance was all it took for Nie Yun to identify the speaker as His Majesty Xuan Cheng of the Divine Feather Empire. The man was quite strong, an Ultimate Venerable Peak whose true combat prowess could probably land him a spot on the Celestial List.

’The Celestial List is nothing special,’ Nie Yun thought. ’To me, he’s just someone I could crush with a single finger.’

"Insolence! What gives you the right to challenge our Emperor? You don’t even know your own place! Let me tell you, to the other six empires, the Divine Wind Empire is nothing but a den of hillbillies! Just because people call you ’Your Majesty,’ you think you’re something special? In my Emperor’s eyes, you’re worse than a dog!"

Before His Majesty Xuan Cheng could speak, a young man behind him roared out the insult.

The young man’s aura was subtle yet powerful, and his eyes shone with a piercing light. One could tell at a glance that his strength was not to be underestimated—he was strong enough to be ranked on the Earth List.

"Hm? Your Majesty Xuan Cheng, is this one of your people? He seems to be lacking in manners." Ignoring the youth’s outburst, Nie Yun gave a light snort and toyed with his wine cup.

"Heh, don’t be angry, Your Majesty Nie Yun. This subordinate of mine is just very blunt; he loves telling the truth. I hope you don’t mind!"

His Majesty Xuan Cheng let out a laugh. "Xuan Lian, hurry up and apologize to His Majesty Nie Yun!"

It looked like a reprimand, but there wasn’t the slightest hint of rebuke in his words. Instead, by praising the young man for being "blunt," he was indirectly insulting Nie Yun, agreeing that he was worse than a dog.

"Apologize? If this ’His Majesty Nie Yun’ dares to have a match with me and can defeat me fair and square, then I will personally apologize. But if he can’t even beat me, what right does he have to call himself ’Your Majesty’? What’s with the high and mighty act?!"

The young man, Xuan Lian, snorted coldly, his face a mask of arrogance.

"Your Majesty Xuan Cheng, your subordinate may be a bit unruly, but he has a point. In the end, it’s all about strength. Might makes right. If the Emperor of an Empire can’t even defeat an ordinary young man, he’d really lose face!"

Xuan Lian had barely finished speaking when another voice, dripping with sarcasm, chimed in. It was none other than His Majesty Shui Tian of the Divine Rise Empire.

"’Might makes right?’ Heh, well said, Your Majesty Shui Tian. Since His Majesty Xuan Cheng wants me to make a move, it would be impolite not to oblige. How about this? I’ll use just one finger. I think that’s showing plenty of respect!"

Faced with their sarcasm and ridicule, Nie Yun simply gave a faint smile and slowly extended his index finger.

BOOM!

To the onlookers, it was just a finger. But to Xuan Cheng and his men, it felt like a mountain was crashing down, instantly shattering the True Qi of everyone at their table.

CRASH!

Xuan Cheng, Xuan Lian, and all the other masters from the Divine Feather Empire were pressed flat to the ground by that single finger, their clothes torn to shreds, looking like beggars. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)