The Master of the Divine Realm Comes to Visit, Starting with a Game of Polo

The Lord of the Divine Realm came to their doorstep, and his first words were somewhat hostile.

Before Chen Xia could respond, the Inner Demon stepped forward, facing the Lord of the Divine Realm head-on, with glowing crimson eyes, and asked directly.

"Fight?"

The Lord of the Divine Realm gazed at the Inner Demon, inspecting it with interest for a moment before nodding.

"A rare supreme demon in the myriad realms. Interesting. If it reaches its full potential, it might stand a chance against me in battle. But now? It’s not qualified."

"Spare us the idle talk." Chen Xia also stepped forward, unflinching, confronting the Lord of the Divine Realm.

"If you want to fight, we’re not afraid of you. You attack, we’ll flee. But think about it, old man, in a few tens of thousands of years, who’s going to be stepping on whose head is still up in the air!"

The Lord of the Divine Realm narrowed his clouded eyes and asked, "Are you threatening me?"

"That’s the way it is." Chen Xia replied, crossing his arms.

"And what if I don’t give you a chance to run and simply kill you here and now?" the Lord of the Divine Realm asked gravely.

"Then come at us!" The Inner Demon moved forward again, unyielding, its crimson eyes burning brighter than ever, causing the entire Dead Realm to tremble as it clashed with the Lord of the Divine Realm, with the force of an entire realm behind it, creating a horrifying aura!

The Lord of the Divine Realm raised an eyebrow and extended a single finger, using a supreme ocular technique to examine the Inner Demon. After a moment of silence, he nodded.

"A bit troublesome."

But it was only a minor inconvenience; he was still confident in his victory.

"Fuck it, we’ll explode with you, old man!" Chen Xia followed the Inner Demon’s lead, stepping forward with his four manifestations unleashed, his aura rising as the power of two realms clashed against the Lord of the Divine Realm.

The Lord of the Divine Realm remained silent for a moment, finally revealing another expression on his old face—a faint smile. He nodded.

“Interesting. Very interesting. That’s why the Martial Emperor chose you as the ultimate authority and granted you this fated East Jia State. Even I, who have witnessed the splendor of the world, feel envious.”

"You’re just jealous of others’ success, old man, and you’re coveting my East Jia State." Chen Xia cursed, frowning.

"I’ve wanted East Jia State from the beginning, but the Martial Emperor wouldn’t allow it, saying you’ve already claimed it. Fine. As long as you can hold onto East Jia State, I have nothing to say. But…"

The Lord of the Divine Realm smirked faintly, rare for him, and spoke deliberately.

"You have to stand your ground. Today, I merely came to see you. I won’t make a move, so don’t be nervous. But in a thousand years, I’ll return, and it won’t be this simple."

"I’ll make one move. If you can withstand it, you can stay in East Jia State. If you can’t, get out. Understand?"

Chen Xia frowned, snorted, and replied arrogantly, "Even if I can’t take it, I’m not leaving."

"Then you’ll die in East Jia State." The Lord of the Divine Realm’s voice turned cold.

"I’ll leave on my own!" Chen Xia retorted.

The Lord of the Divine Realm paused, then nodded. "It doesn’t matter. If you can’t withstand my move, you’ll leave East Jia State. This blessed land is meant for the worthy…"

He paused briefly, then added, "Why don’t we make a deal? I’ll give you Treasure Ring Scale State, and you give me East Jia State. That way, you won’t have to face my attack, nor worry about losing a major state. After all, the best things are meant for the deserving."

"I’m not trading!" Chen Xia’s eyebrow shot up, sticking to his rebellious nature. No matter what the Lord of the Divine Realm said, he wouldn’t agree.

"Heh, suit yourself." The Lord of the Divine Realm chuckled calmly. If it weren’t for the Martial Emperor’s restrictions, East Jia State would already be his. He didn’t need to negotiate with Chen Xia.

He lifted a foot as if to leave, but suddenly paused, his old face breaking into a smile as he spoke to Chen Xia.

"Let me give you a taste of the intensity of my move in a thousand years."

He raised two fingers, and endless laws of the Dao flowed between them. His divine nature surged to a terrifying level, then converged into his eyes, making his clouded eyes unusually clear. A horrifying aura descended upon Chen Xia with brute force.

In that instant, Chen Xia froze, then his consciousness went into turmoil. He clenched his teeth, and the Light-Shadow Dao spread out, with the pale ancestral dragon roaring and sword intent surging, filled with thunder.

All four manifestations unleashed!

Yet Chen Xia still couldn’t withstand the pressure, his body plummeting, smashing into the ground and shattering mountains. His robe torn, his blood splattered, he spat a mouthful of bloody spittle and gritted his teeth, using a fifth form.

"Lord of the Divine Realm, I curse your mother!"

The fifth form—cursing!

Hum!

After uttering these words, time began to flow again. Chen Xia’s body returned from the ruins of the mountains to the gate of the mountain, unscathed but visibly weakened in spirit.

"Impressive Light-Shadow Dao. If you become a great emperor, killing you would be no easy task." The Lord of the Divine Realm offered this assessment.

The Inner Demon had already reached him, its eyes completely crimson, radiating bloodlust and fury as it lunged forward like an entire realm crashing in.

The Lord of the Divine Realm remained calm, extending a hand and drawing a line forward. The void split open, and within it, eyes lit up, absorbing the Inner Demon’s full power.

Hum!

A celestial sword hummed.

Chen Xia descended from the sky, wielding the sword, with sharp sword energy forming a line that seemed to cut the heavens and the earth in an instant.

The Lord of the Divine Realm remained motionless, his eyes flashing as he activated a divine technique. Behind him, a ten-thousand-foot vague divine image extended a single finger, holding the flying sword at bay.

"Your battle is still lacking for the pinnacle phase. You lack cultivation, divine techniques, and treasures. Overall, you lack combat strength."

"A thousand years is not enough time to know how much you’ll grow, but the chance of resisting my move is still slim…"

"Well, we’ll see then."

After saying this, the Lord of the Divine Realm’s figure vanished, returning to Treasure Ring Scale State.

The conflict in East Jia State only lasted an instant. Though there was a ripple in the spiritual energy, it wasn’t significant, and the cultivators were only briefly surprised before resuming their affairs.

Chen Xia and the Inner Demon were left in a predicament. How to deal with the Lord of the Divine Realm, this old man, was now their biggest challenge.

Fighting was clearly difficult, so they considered using tricks.

They were still pondering when another guest arrived at Heaven Pill Gate, climbing slowly from the foot of the mountain. The visitor's body was stiff, like a puppet, moving sluggishly as they ascended.

Daoist Suppressing Heaven arrived at the gate of the mountain, smiling at Chen Xia and the Inner Demon.

"The Martial Emperor has started using the Lord of the Divine Realm as a piece to set up his chessboard. Then I, too, must join this game and play alongside him. Would you two like to join me in checkmating him?"

Chen Xia and the Inner Demon exchanged glances, thinking for a moment before Chen Xia nodded.

"I’m in, but I’m only good at opening moves with the horse."

Daoist Suppressing Heaven paused, then nodded stiffly, controlling his puppet-like body.

"No matter. The board is vast, the game is long. Starting with the horse to seize the advantage…"

"…is excellent!"