Chapter 42: A Single Slash Gravely Wounds Dozens of Purple Palace Experts.

The crowd stared wide-eyed in utter disbelief as an unfathomable scene unfolded before them.

Wherever the long blade passed, the lethal techniques of over a dozen Purple Palace realm experts were utterly shattered, without the slightest resistance.

And that wasn’t all. The long blade tore through the heavens, carrying with it the overwhelming might of all living beings. Sweeping across with unstoppable force, it slammed directly into their bodies.

Puh~~!

One after another, sounds of blood being spat echoed through the air, stirring deep emotions in countless onlookers.

More than a dozen figures were sent flying by this single slash, their bodies crashing to the ground as they vomited large mouthfuls of blood.

The sight left everyone staring in stunned silence, as if they were trapped in an illusion.

One slash!

More than a dozen Purple Palace realm experts were defeated on the spot, heavily wounded and lying sprawled on the ground, completely incapable of continuing the battle.

Among them were even powerhouses at the sixth and seventh tiers of the Purple Palace realm.

Yet their fate was no different from that of any ordinary cultivator.

Hiss~~!

As the spectators snapped back to their senses and looked once again at Ye Wushang, they couldn’t help but collectively gasp.

If this had been Ye Wushang’s true body descending upon the battlefield, their shock and awe would have been understandable—this was a peerless prodigy of the age, after all.

But what stood before them… was merely a mirror-image clone.

And yet, it was this mirror-image clone that had, with just a single slash, gravely injured more than a dozen Purple Palace experts, leaving them unable to continue fighting.

If that had been the real Ye Wushang, just how terrifying would the result have been?

At this moment, the remaining Purple Palace experts from the royal family looked at Ye Wushang with dread in their eyes, fearing that he would unleash another slash and end their lives.

Thankfully, Ye Wushang had only slain Xia Hai, the one who harbored killing intent and malice toward Yue Rushuang.

The others were, of course, left to Xia Zixuan to handle.

If they were all slaughtered, the Grand Xia dynasty would descend into utter chaos.

At this point, Xia Zixuan herself stood there, her mouth agape in shock.

She had thought she already had a decent understanding of Ye Wushang.

She never imagined… she had still underestimated him.

Now, the awe-inspiring figure of Ye Wushang, standing tall in midair and defeating the world’s experts in one fell swoop, was etched deeply into her heart.

She realized—her heart was in turmoil. It had been completely taken over by this man.

She had never been so emotionally entangled with any man before.

And now, she had no choice but to admit—she was genuinely jealous. Jealous that the one who married Ye Wushang… was Sikong Mingyue.

In truth, it wasn’t just her. Even Yue Rushuang was deeply shaken.

She knew that her husband was mysterious and terrifying, his combat power beast-like in nature.

But to defeat a group of Purple Palace experts with a mere first-rank clone—that still shocked her to the core.

Ye Wushang, unaware of their swirling emotions, only turned his gaze toward Xia Zixuan once he confirmed that the wounded cultivators no longer posed a threat.

Seeing his eyes shift toward her, Xia Zixuan immediately tensed up. She quickly stood straight, instinctively displaying her proud figure at its most perfect.

For some reason, whenever she faced Ye Wushang, she always wanted to present the best version of herself.

This scene caused a flicker of oddness in Ye Wushang’s eyes. He was visibly surprised and slightly bewildered.

Seeing his gaze, Xia Zixuan instantly realized what she was doing, and a blush of embarrassment flashed across her face.

Fortunately, she knew that this wasn’t the time for flirting.

She quickly suppressed her emotions and turned to approach the group of Purple Palace realm experts from the royal family.

“How about now, Elders? Do I have the strength to claim that position?”

At her question, the group of royal elders fell silent.

But they had no choice but to admit—they no longer had any grounds to oppose her.

In Ye Wushang’s calm gaze was a clear warning: if they dared defy him now, their lives might not be spared.

Finally, a Purple Palace seventh-tier elder gave her a complicated look, sighed softly, and said, “Girl, you win!”

Hearing this, countless people sighed in awe.

The royal elders had finally yielded!

But as they looked at the black-clad young man wielding the blade, they also understood—this outcome was inevitable.

With the blade already at their throats, who would dare oppose? One slash was all it would take.

Seeing that the elders had backed down, Xia Zixuan no longer pressed the issue.

She stepped forward, approaching the grand throne before her, then turned to face the countless officials watching her.

At this moment, the aura she had been suppressing could no longer be contained—it burst forth.

Boom~!

A fearsome pressure surged out, accompanied by a majestic presence unique to a fledgling dragon king.

Countless people felt a wave of oppressive power wash over them, as though a sovereign ruler of all under heaven were staring directly at them.

In that instant, they could not help but bow deeply. “Greetings, Your Majesty!”

With that declaration, the crowd instantly understood—Xia Zixuan was the next monarch of Grand Xia.

Even the ancient elders were startled by the pressure radiating from her.

They exchanged glances, seeing the astonishment and disbelief in each other’s eyes.

Perhaps… her taking the throne was not a bad thing for Grand Xia. It might even be a blessing.

They looked at Ye Wushang, then at Xia Zixuan, their gazes subtly shifting.

With a peerless prodigy like Ye Wushang around, Grand Xia was already under immense pressure.

They knew clearly—if Ye Wushang wanted to topple Grand Xia, they wouldn’t be able to resist.

But now, with Xia Zixuan as queen, Ye Wushang likely wouldn’t make things difficult for Grand Xia.

Xia Zixuan glanced around and saw that many royal heirs had already knelt before her, acknowledging her rule.

Suddenly, she frowned. “Where is Xia Wujie?”

As soon as she spoke, everyone was startled. They turned their heads to look around—Xia Wujie’s figure was nowhere to be found.

Xia Wujie… had slipped away in secret!

Just as Xia Zixuan was about to issue a command to capture him, a massive surge of energy suddenly erupted from a building three kilometers away.

Everyone turned their heads. Black mist surged into the sky, and waves of oppressive, negative energy made people’s minds grow restless and irritable.

Before they could even react, an arrogant voice rang out.

“Hahaha, Xia Zixuan, do you think you’ve won? You’ve gravely underestimated me!”

It was Xia Wujie!

Everyone immediately activated their divine sense and looked toward the commotion.

At the heart of the black mist, Xia Wujie stood in blood-red robes, his face twisted with madness. In his eyes burned a deep black flame—ferocious and wild—as he stared at them with smug arrogance.

Xia Zixuan narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. “Xia Wujie… you’ve chosen to fall into demonic cultivation!”

Hua~~!

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

To the people of the Eternal World, the very word “demon” provoked an instinctive urge to kill and deep disgust.

For countless ages, the demonic tribes of the Demon Realm had repeatedly attempted to invade the Eternal World, trying to conquer and enslave its inhabitants.

Though they had never succeeded, each demonic incursion—each demonic calamity—brought about devastating losses.

Every time a demonic calamity ended, the powerhouses of the Eternal World would be decimated.

Their hatred for the demon race was etched into their very bones.

Now, seeing Xia Wujie descend into demonhood, it was no wonder the crowd was so shaken.

Hearing Xia Zixuan’s accusation, Xia Wujie sneered coldly. “I already carry half the blood of the demon race within me. What do you mean by ‘falling into demonhood’? Come forth… O mighty Demon King!”

As his words fell, a boundless tide of demonic energy spread outward.

Moments later, the crowd saw nine robed figures seated below—priests in black cloaks marked with unique demonic symbols, seemingly amid some dark ritual.

They had sharp horns atop their heads, high-bridged noses, and curled eyebrows—distinct traits of the demon race.

To their horror, Xia Wujie’s mother—the previous Queen Dowager of Grand Xia—was seated among them, even occupying the lead position.

Before the crowd could recover from their shock, their expressions had already changed drastically.

“Not good! They’re opening a portal to the Demon Realm—to summon demonic powerhouses into this world! Stop them—quickly!”