Your Majesty The Heavenly Sovereign Sect Leader is Your Majesty

"Am I... am I dreaming?"

An independent cultivator pinched himself, grimacing in pain, yet still couldn't believe his eyes.

That figure, dressed in white as pure as snow, was still quietly hovering in mid-air, his left hand having returned to normal.

He hadn't even moved a single step.

It was as if he had merely waved his hand to shoo away an annoying fly.

"The Taihuang Sword... shattered? That's a half-step Saint Artifact!"

"One move! Just one move! Prince Kaoshan is at the Great Perfection of the Soul Formation realm!"

"Heavens! What realm is the Sect Master of Tianyan exactly at? Could it be... could it be that he's already a Titled Almighty?"

"A Titled Almighty! He must be a Titled Almighty! Otherwise, how could he shatter the Taihuang Sword in a single strike!"

"An Emperor! The Sect Master of Tianyan is actually an Emperor-level expert!"

"So terrifying!"

The nine Soul Formation experts were even more dumbfounded, standing like wooden chickens.

Having just been heavily injured by Zhao Lin's sword, they deeply understood the terror of the Taihuang Sword.

But in front of Lin Yan, that half-step Saint Artifact that made them tremble in fear couldn't even withstand a single blow.

Han Pojun's mouth hung open, completely unaware of the blood trailing down his chin.

His Han family had actually provoked an Emperor-level expert!

Shen Cangming trembled all over, his face written with fear and relief.

Thank goodness his Shen family had not offended this Tianyan Sect.

Qian Tongshen plopped onto the ground, the golden abacus in his hand rolling far away.

Having lived for seven hundred years, he had never seen such terrifying strength.

"A Titled Almighty... truly a Titled Almighty..." Qian Tongshen muttered to himself, his eyes filled with awe.

Lin Yan looked down at his left hand, then at the dying Zhao Lin in the pit, and frowned.

"Tsk, it seems I was a bit too heavy-handed."

He hadn't expected the Heavenly Demon Left Hand to be so terrifying either.

But thinking about it, in the few days since the ruins appeared, Lin Yan's cultivation had reached a terrifying equivalent of nearly eight hundred years.

It could be said he had reached the limit of the Nascent Soul realm, the half-step Soul Formation realm.

He was only one major realm apart from that Prince Kaoshan, Zhao Lin.

With the boost of a half-step Emperor Weapon, an instant kill in one strike seemed reasonable enough.

Zhao Lin was completely stupefied.

It didn't matter if he lost, but the Taihuang Sword was actually shattered!

That was the foundation of the Royal Family!

In the past, even during gaps when the Royal Family lacked an Almighty ancestor, relying on the Taihuang Sword, the Great Qian Royal Family had been enough to suppress the entire dynasty!

But now, the Taihuang Sword was broken!

The nation-stabilizing treasure passed down through the Great Qian Royal Family for a thousand years had actually shattered in his hands.

Without the Taihuang Sword, even if that Emperor ancestor could hold on for a few more years, once the ancestor passed away, what would the Zhao family rely on to suppress those covetous aristocratic families and sects?

No!

Right now, even with the Taihuang Sword, they couldn't suppress things anymore!

Enduring the piercing pain from his right arm, Zhao Lin struggled to crawl out of the dirt pit.

His black python robe was already stained with mud and blood, and half of his body was scorched black from the corrosion of the Nine Nether Demonic Flames. He no longer had even a shred of the domineering Prince Kaoshan demeanor from before.

Looking at the fragments of the Taihuang Sword scattered on the ground, Zhao Lin's eyes were filled with despair and regret.

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the monstrous waves in his heart and slowly dropped to one knee in Lin Yan's direction.

"Senior, this junior had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. I have greatly offended you, and I hope Senior will forgive my sins."

"Senior's divine powers are vast, and this junior is utterly convinced! The ruins of Emperor Cangwu naturally belong to Senior, and this junior has absolutely no complaints."

"This junior is willing to petition His Majesty to confer upon Senior the title of Co-ruling King of Great Qian, and allocate all five southwestern commanderies to the Tianyan Sect."

"From now on, the Tianyan Sect and the Great Qian Royal Family will jointly rule the world and maintain good relations for generations."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire crowd exploded into an uproar once again.

"My heavens! Prince Kaoshan knelt down!"

"That's Prince Kaoshan! The number one Soul Formation expert of Great Qian! He actually knelt to the Sect Master of Tianyan!"

"This is too exaggerated! Just a moment ago he wanted to swallow the ruins all by himself, and now he's directly kneeling and admitting his mistake?"

"A Co-ruling King!!"

"Jointly ruling the world with the Royal Family!"

"The Tianyan Sect has reached the heavens in a single bound!"

The independent cultivators were so shocked their eyes almost popped out. They whispered to each other, their voices full of disbelief.

The nine Soul Formation experts, however, were not surprised in the slightest. They merely exchanged glances, seeing understanding in each other's eyes.

"This kid Zhao Lin can certainly bend and stretch when needed."

Han Pojun muttered in a low voice, carrying a hint of admiration, "If it were me, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do it so decisively."

"What else could he do?"

Shen Cangming curled his lips. "If he doesn't kneel and admit his mistake, is he supposed to wait to be slapped to death by Senior?"

Jiang Xuan nodded. "Don't look at how he talks about sharing the world; to put it bluntly, he's just admitting defeat."

"That's right."

"He's surrendering to cut his losses. Offering things up voluntarily is better than having them forcefully taken away and losing all dignity."

"But I have to say, Zhao Lin is indeed quite a character. To still think about preserving the last bit of face for the Royal Family at a time like this, no wonder he could become the pillar of Great Qian."

"It's not without reason that Great Qian has enjoyed a thousand years of national destiny."

...

The nine Soul Formation experts felt deeply emotional in their hearts.

This Zhao Lin was considered a decent man. Even at this juncture, he could put aside his personal honor and disgrace to think for the Royal Family.

After Zhao Lin finished speaking, he sneakily raised his head and nervously looked at Lin Yan's back, his palms covered in cold sweat.

This was already the highest condition he could offer.

If Lin Yan didn't agree, then the empire of Great Qian would probably truly be ruined in his hands.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for Lin Yan's answer.

The nine Soul Formation experts also pricked up their ears, wanting to know how this mysterious Emperor-level expert would choose.

But Lin Yan acted as if he hadn't heard anything, not even turning his head.

He walked straight past the kneeling Zhao Lin and headed toward the direction of the ruins' entrance.

Zhao Lin froze in place, his facial expression turning blue and white alternately, so embarrassed that he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

He never expected that despite offering such generous terms, Lin Yan wouldn't even pay him any mind.

"Li Tianxing."

Li Tianxing jolted all over, and upon seeing Lin Yan's face, his eye sockets instantly turned red.

He had clearly seen the scene just now where Lin Yan shattered the Taihuang Sword and heavily injured Zhao Lin in a single move.

His Sect Master was actually truly an Emperor-level expert!

But what followed was deep guilt and self-blame.

If he hadn't recklessly opened the ruins, he wouldn't have attracted so many factions and forced the Sect Master to personally come down the mountain to clean up the mess.

Moreover, he had been guarding this place for five days and tried countless methods, yet couldn't even advance a single step further into the ruins' gates.

With a thud.

Li Tianxing fell to his knees, his head buried deep in his chest, his voice carrying a sobbing tone:

"This disciple is incompetent! I beg the Sect Master for punishment!"

"This disciple has guarded this place for five days, exhausting all means, yet failed to enter the ruins. I even brought about so much trouble and caused the Sect Master to worry."

Lin Yan reached out and helped him up, patting his shoulder. "No need to blame yourself. You are a disciple under my seat. Furthermore, I have said that even if the sky falls, I will be the one to hold it up!"

Hearing this, Li Tianxing fell to his knees again with another thud.

"Sect Master! Sect Master, you are truly too good to this disciple! This disciple has no way to repay you!"

[Ding! Detected a massive increase in disciple Li Tianxing's favorability. Loyalty +5%]

Hearing this, everyone in the surroundings couldn't help but develop a favorable impression of the Tianyan Sect.

This Tianyan Sect Master not only possessed a profound cultivation base, but he also truly cherished his disciples!

If they could only join the Tianyan Sect...

The expressions of many people visiting from other commanderies turned quite peculiar.