Chapter 107: The God-Emperor Enters the Tribulation (Part Two)

At the first Grand Dao Debate hosted by the Divine Court, ten powerful figures stood until the end. These ten, known in history as the Top Ten of the Dao Debate, were each of extraordinary origin, possessing boundless divine powers and unfathomable abilities.

Yet, among them, one figure left only a name in the annals of history, with all other information erased. This individual was known as the God-Lord of Slaughter.

Many legends circulate throughout the Primordial Realm as to why only the name of the God-Lord of Slaughter remains in the records. Among these myriad tales, two are the most widely accepted. The first, and more plausible explanation, is that the God-Lord of Slaughter offended the Divine Emperor Nan Luo during the first Grand Dao Debate, leading the Emperor to annihilate all information regarding him. The second, a more bizarre and outlandish theory, suggests that the God-Lord of Slaughter was not a creature of the myriad races of the Primordial Realm, but rather a member of the "Heaven-Forsaken" race, and was thus erased by the Divine Emperor.

— *History of the Divine Race: The God-Lord of Slaughter at the Grand Dao Debate*

The God-Lord of Slaughter wore a cold expression, his long, blood-colored hair draping over his shoulders. Clad in blood-red chainmail, he was wreathed in a sinister, sky-piercing aura of slaughter. The millions of deities gathered from all directions, watching the murderous figure, seemed to smell the metallic tang of endless bloodshed. They felt, vaguely, as if a terrifying, malevolent killing intent had locked onto them individually.

Perhaps it was merely an illusion, but the millions of gods felt that the God-Lord of Slaughter they saw today was not the same entity who had battled across the debate stage. The previous God-Lord of Slaughter, while surrounded by infinite killing intent, had possessed an aura that was vast and righteous, unlike the sheer, vicious malice that radiated from him now.

"Such ferocious killing intent! This aura must be..." Heavenly Venerable Wubing watched the God-Lord of Slaughter before him, sensing the malice emanating from him. A flash of blood-red light crossed his eyes as if he had caught a glimpse of the God-Lord’s true identity.

Just as Heavenly Venerable Wubing and other supreme experts began to suspect the truth, the God-Lord of Slaughter let out a cold sneer. Glaring at the high-seated Divine Emperor Nan Luo, he suddenly erupted into action.

He took a few steps forward, and the infinite killing intent swirling around him surged violently. The tyrannical aura spun like a frenzied blood-red vortex, slowly forming a massive cloud of malevolent mist above his head. This cloud spanned a million miles, with blood-red vapors churning within it, sending wave after wave of sanguine killing intent crashing toward all corners of the arena.

The millions of gods, seeing the ten-thousand-foot-high waves of blood-tinged slaughter rushing toward them, were terrified. Yet, they did not flee; instead, they watched the spectacle with keen interest. While the Grand Dao Debate was grand and magnificent, it had been perfectly orderly and, truth be told, rather dull.

Aside from the intentional provocations of the Five Elements Daoist, the entire event had proceeded exactly according to the Divine Court’s plan. Powerful beings inevitably harbor restless hearts. Although the gods enjoyed seeing things go according to plan, they secretly craved some unexpected turn of events to add a bit of excitement. Facing the sudden outburst of the God-Lord of Slaughter, the curiosity in their eyes far outweighed their fear. Moreover, as strong as the God-Lord of Slaughter might be, could he truly surpass the Divine Emperor or the City of Gods, which was guarded by endless powerhouses? To the gods in the audience, the God-Lord’s actions felt like a farce staged to liven up the proceedings. They simply waited for the Divine Court’s champions to apprehend him and dispel the boundless mist of malice.

Divine Emperor Nan Luo sat high upon his throne, looking down at the gods and the sea of blood-red mist. He showed no trace of surprise, nor did he make any move; he simply watched in silence. As the Divine Emperor and master of the Divine Court, he was far too exalted to intervene easily. If the Emperor had to handle every minor disturbance himself, what was the purpose of the countless experts supported by the Divine Court? If he did, the Court would lose face before the entire Primordial Realm, and Nan Luo would be branded as an incompetent ruler. This was something neither the Emperor nor the Court could ever accept.

A classic negative example of this was the Jade Emperor of later ages, who nominally ruled the Three Realms. When the monkey later wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, most of the immortals and gods of the court merely went through the motions, failing to subdue a monkey who had only cultivated for five hundred years. In the end, the Jade Emperor had to summon Yang Jian, the Erlang God—with whom he was on poor terms—to capture the creature. Such maneuvering had left the so-called Supreme Ruler of the Three Realms utterly humiliated.

Therefore, in the face of this outburst, Divine Emperor Nan Luo had to remain as immovable as a mountain. As for capturing the God-Lord of Slaughter, the gods of the Divine Court had to handle it properly to maintain the Court’s authority and the Emperor’s dignity. They could dispatch an army to surround him or send a single powerhouse to capture him. If this were not the Grand Dao Debate, with all the gods gathered, the Divine Court would certainly have deployed an army to annihilate him. No matter how strong the God-Lord of Slaughter was, how could he withstand a strike from the Divine Court’s legions?

However, since the God-Lord of Slaughter was but a single god, and the event was under the gaze of millions, the Divine Court had to dispatch a champion to capture him if they wished to avoid accusations of bullying the weak with numbers. But the God-Lord of Slaughter was one of the Top Ten, having cut down countless rivals along the way; his strength was not to be underestimated. Within the Divine Court, only the Supreme Divine Emperor and the Twelve Heavenly Venerables had the absolute certainty to capture him. Since the Emperor could not easily act, that left only the Twelve Heavenly Venerables. As Nan Luo had brought only Heavenly Venerable Wubing to the ceremony, Wubing was the only logical choice.

Facing the God-Lord of Slaughter, whose aura was vast and murderous, Heavenly Venerable Wubing remained indifferent, watching him with cold eyes.

*Boom!*

A tyrannical, iron-blooded divine power surged from Heavenly Venerable Wubing. The blood-red energy flowed like light in all directions, forming a barrier that instantly blocked the waves of killing intent, protecting the millions of deities present. The Divine Court could not allow a heretic like the God-Lord of Slaughter to harm its gods and damage its reputation.

Yet, while shielding the crowd, Heavenly Venerable Wubing did not use a shred of divine power to protect his own body, standing proudly against the towering waves of blood-red malice. One had to admit that Wubing was arrogant indeed, but to the God-Lord of Slaughter, this arrogance was an immense humiliation. For a proud and talented genius like him, losing to an opponent was not terrifying; what was terrifying was the opponent's contempt. Contempt from an opponent was the ultimate disgrace.

Especially for the God-Lord of Slaughter, who cultivated the Law of Slaughter and was inherently bloodthirsty, he could not tolerate the slightest bit of indignity. Seeing the barrier appear and sensing Wubing’s dismissive arrogance, the God-Lord’s already crimson eyes turned a deep, blood-red. His mind was filled with nothing but infinite intent to kill.

"The world claims the Twelve Heavenly Venerables of the Divine Court are profoundly cultivated, vast in power, and peerless in this age. I, the God-Lord of Slaughter, do not believe it."

"Today, I shall shatter this myth!"

With a roar, the God-Lord of Slaughter condensed all the malevolent mist and killing intent into a single blood-red spear and launched it fiercely at the proudly standing Heavenly Venerable Wubing.