"From ancient times to now, only the Ancient Sword Emperor can be compared to Chu Ming!"

The Copper Sword King revealed a hint of envy in his eyes. The title of Sword Emperor didn't refer to a particular person, but rather a title. Just like the Sword King, when a Life and Death Realm Sword King's Sword Dao reached the pinnacle of perfection, he would be crowned as a Sword King; only one Sword King existed in any era.

In his view, even in the ancient and primordial times, Chu Ming was more than qualified to dominate the younger generation. In Chu Ming, he could vaguely see the shadow of the Ancient Sword Emperor.

"With the talent Chu Ming has shown, he is more than deserving of the title 'Heaven's Chosen'. But I wonder what his title would be?"

The Thunder Spirit King suddenly remarked. Although Soroch hadn't appeared in the Celestial Extreme Illusion Realm, he didn't think Soroch would be a match for Chu Ming.

The entire Holy City was in an uproar, while the Celestial Travel Sect was even more ecstatic.

"Master, Junior Brother succeeded!!"

Yan Nanxing's face was filled with ecstatic joy. Ever since Chu Ming fought against the eight Heaven's Chosen, his heart had been in his throat. Now, he could finally relax.

"Chu Ming is truly a dragon!"

The Qingxuan King marveled. Then, as if he remembered something, he solemnly instructed the other elders of the Celestial Travel Sect, "Spread the word: from now on, members of the Chu Family will hold the same status as elders within the sect. You should treat them as equals!"

The others trembled, and although their expressions were astonished, they accepted it in their hearts. With Chu Ming's current strength and influence, if he wanted to establish his own sect, countless cultivators in the Realm of Transcendence would immediately follow him, forming a massive force. The influence of the Celestial Travel Sect would barely register to him.

"And what about Chu Ming's parents?"

Yan Nanxing asked cautiously.

The Qingxuan King was silent for a moment before sighing softly and saying, "Treat them as you would treat me!"

"As you command!"

Yan Nanxing's body trembled, suppressing his inner shock. He understood that the Chu Family had ascended to greatness through Chu Ming's achievements. With the resources of the Celestial Travel Sect and Chu Ming's prestige, it was only a matter of time before the Chu Family became the foremost family in the Celestial Realm.

However, he also understood that this was temporary. Once Chu Ming reached the level of a Life and Death Realm King, the Chu Family would be able to enter the ranks of the top forces on the Celestial Martial Continent.

...

In the Celestial Extreme Illusion Realm.

After Chu Ming had completely slain the eight Heaven's Chosen, the surrounding dust gradually settled, returning to calm. Chu Ming sighed lightly, then his dark eyes looked towards a group of young prodigies in the distance. The sight of this made the onlooking young prodigies' necks shrink instantly, as they felt a chill rise from their feet.

Swish!

Chu Ming's body lightly shifted and turned into a trace of afterimage, disappearing from the spot. Having defeated the eight Heaven's Chosen, his points had reached an astonishing 5.6 million, nearly twice that of Soroch, firmly placing him in first place.

"I suppose I don't need to find him; he will come to find me."

In the silver space, Chu Ming silently mused.

He was, of course, referring to Soroch!

Heaven's Chosen are all proud, let alone a defiant Heaven's Chosen like Soroch. To him, there could only be one number one. Now that Chu Ming's points had surpassed his, the only way for Soroch to reclaim the top spot was to kill Chu Ming.

After flying for a dozen or so miles, the entire space of the Celestial Extreme Illusion Realm once again shifted. The spatial restraint around them clearly intensified. Where Chu Ming could once fly thousands of meters in an instant, he was now limited to only a few hundred meters.

"The Celestial Extreme Illusion Realm has shrunk again!"

With just a few days left until the battle for the king's title concluded, Chu Ming did not engage in any further slaughter. Instead, he found a position atop a mountain peak, sat cross-legged in silence, both digesting the changes brought about by his latest breakthrough and patiently awaiting Soroch's arrival.

Time passed slowly, and Chu Ming's mind had sorted through the changes brought on by his breakthrough. His Spiritual Apertures had merged from sixty-four into thirty-two, not only advancing his cultivation to the late stage of the Fourth Heaven in the Realm of Transcendence but also further stimulating his potential.

He could clearly feel that both his reaction speed and perception had doubled compared to before. His speed at absorbing top-grade Spirit Stones had also increased significantly, by about thirty to forty percent.

However, what vexed Chu Ming was that the golden primordial power within his Spiritual Apertures, despite its terrifying strength, was extremely scarce. It had been exhausted during the battle with the eight Heaven's Chosen, and he estimated it would take at least ten days to recover.

In ten days, the battle for the king's title would already be over!

A few more days passed, and it was now the final day of the battle for the king's title. By this time, the Celestial Extreme Illusion Realm had shrunk to a mere few thousand miles in range, with only about ten thousand Heaven's Chosen remaining, the rest having been eliminated.

Boom!

Just as Chu Ming was meditating, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed from the sky, and then the space seemed to be warped and crushed by an invisible hand, forming a deep black hole from which a solemn youth in yellow robes emerged. His figure was as steady as a mountain, and though he did not emit any aura, he still exuded an unparalleled oppressive force.

"So you've finally arrived!"

Sitting quietly on the rock, Chu Ming slowly opened his eyes, and two beams of light shot forth like lightning, darting through the void.

"The battle for the king's title dictates that only one invincible being can exist in this Celestial Extreme Illusion Realm. I initially thought Ling Yun would be my greatest adversary; it never occurred to me it would be you!"

Soroch's composed voice rang out as he spoke, his face cold and his tone soft.

"Let's settle this today!"

Chu Ming stood upright from the rock, a faint Sword Momentum emanating from his body, causing the heavens and earth to change color. Invisible white Sword Qi floated around him, ready to burst forth with sharp intensity.

"The Central Divine Domain is truly a Great Domain with countless talents. Seven or eight years ago, there was Ling Yun. Now, I didn't expect to meet you here!"

Soroch fell silent for a moment before speaking softly again. His participation in the battle for the king's title was not just to wash away past disgrace but to dominate the younger generation of the Celestial Martial Continent.

"Enough talk, make your move!"

Chu Ming's expression was calm. Before his Spiritual Apertures had merged, he might not have been Soroch's match, but now that his apertures had fused from sixty-four into thirty-two, his combat prowess was on par with Soroch's.

Sword Dao was inherently a path of slaughter, excelling in destructive power.

"Then you'd better be careful!"

Boom!

Soroch let out a battle cry, his entire body trembled slightly, and then he vanished from the spot.