Chapter 158: Breaking Qilin City

The heart of the Central Wasteland, the City of Qilin.

Dressed in fiery red Qilin armor, Qilin Huo stood atop the city walls of the City of Qilin, accompanied by over a dozen powerful divine lords of the Qilin clan, gazing into the distant horizon.

"Report!"

A Qilin divine general clad in blazing scale battle armor, holding a fiery red Qilin battle report, suddenly appeared on the city wall and hurried toward Qilin Huo.

The Qilin divine general quickly reached Qilin Huo, raised the battle report high with both hands, and said in a loud voice, "Reporting to the Grand Elder, that purplish-golden divine light has already breached seventy-two cities in succession. Unstoppable, it is heading straight for the City of Qilin."

"What? Even the City of Puppets failed to stop that purplish-golden divine light?" asked a Qilin elder behind Qilin Huo, disbelief clear in his voice.

There were three major forces in the Central Wasteland. The Qilin clan reigned as the overlord, while the other two forces were the City of Puppets and the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.

In the primordial world of the present era, power was predominantly organized along racial lines, such as the four imperial clans of dragons, phoenixes, Qilins, and ferocious beasts. However, both the City of Puppets and the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion were factions united by the cultivation methods they practiced.

In other words, the City of Puppets and the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion bore a striking resemblance to the immortal sects of later generations.

In reality, although the divine clan appeared to be a single race, it was actually formed by the fusion of various innate deities. A faction centered around the laws of the divine path was not merely a pure racial power.

It was precisely this all-embracing inclusivity that would enable the divine clan to smoothly transition in the future from a localized racial power into the supreme Heavenly Court that overawed the entire primordial universe.

Another Qilin elder also spoke up, asking, "The Lord of the City of Puppets is also a mighty expert at the Great Perfection of the Divine Lord realm, second only to our sovereign, His Majesty the Qilin Emperor. How could he fail to stop that purplish-golden divine light?"

The Qilin divine general hesitated, stammering, "Reporting to the two elders, the City Lord of Puppets did indeed step forward to block the purplish-golden divine light. Only......"

"Only before he could even draw close to the purplish-golden divine light, the City Lord of Puppets was blasted away by an invisible divine force." Qilin Huo had already finished reading the battle report in his hands, calmly speaking the words the Qilin divine general had not dared to utter.

At the same time, Qilin Huo gently waved his left hand, and looking at the sweating Qilin divine general, said indifferently, "You may withdraw."

"Understood!"

As if granted a pardon, the Qilin divine general offered a respectful expression of gratitude before slowly retreating, vanishing from Qilin Huo's line of sight.

"No wonder he did not dare to speak; this matter is truly shocking enough to astound the world." Looking at the spot where the Qilin divine general had vanished, a Qilin elder still felt it was quite unbelievable.

Within the Central Wasteland, the City Lord of Puppets, who stood at the Great Perfection of the Divine Lord realm, possessed a might second only to His Majesty the Qilin Emperor.

Yet, before the City Lord of Puppets could even approach that purplish-golden divine light, he had been blown away by an invisible divine force.

Could His Majesty the Qilin Emperor achieve such a feat? Would His Majesty the Qilin Emperor be a match for that purplish-golden divine light?

If that purplish-golden divine light were to fiercely and tyrannically force its way through the City of Qilin, what dignity would the Qilin clan have left? Where would their majesty reside?

Standing atop the wall and gazing into the distant skies, Qilin Huo felt a faint trace of unease rising within his heart.

An hour later, the purplish-golden divine light that had successively breached seventy-two cities finally appeared on the distant horizon of the City of Qilin, coming into full view of Qilin Huo.

Boom!

Though called a divine light, it was actually a purplish-golden orb of light about ten miles in circumference. Like a meteoric shooting star from beyond the heavens, trailing a long crimson fire-tail, it hurtled toward the City of Qilin.

"All forces, hear my command! Activate the Qilin Grand Array!"

Facing the aggressively approaching purplish-golden divine light, Qilin Huo did not dare to lower his guard. He hurriedly issued the order to activate the defensive grand array of the City of Qilin.

"Roar!"

Above the City of Qilin, which spanned millions of miles, a nine-headed Qilin roaring toward the heavens slowly manifested.

This nine-headed Qilin possessed a colossal body like a mountain range, cascading waterfalls of nine-colored halos down upon the city to protect it.

However, contrary to what Qilin Huo had imagined—that it would crash blindly and shatter the City of Qilin—the purplish-golden divine light stopped among the clouds ten thousand miles away from the city.

The radiance of the purplish-golden divine light gradually dissipated, revealing the tall figure within.

A purplish-golden crown, purplish-golden armor, purplish-golden battle boots, and a long purplish-golden cloak fluttering in the wind.

All of this made this mighty expert appear exceptionally heroic, unconstrained, and awe-inspiring.

Then, a pair of extraordinarily pure purple pupils suddenly reflected within Qilin Huo's fiery scale pupils.

What kind of eyes were those? High and aloof, supreme and noble, cold and ruthless, detached from all living beings......

Before this pair of purple pupils, Qilin Huo felt as though he were an utterly humble ant; let alone offering resistance, he lacked even the courage to take a second glance.

Finally, the visage of this purplish-golden celestial being slowly emerged, revealing none other than the long-unseen Divine Emperor, Nan Luo.

The moment he clearly recognized Nan Luo, Qilin Huo's fiery scale pupils widened to their absolute limit, appearing perfectly round.

"The Divine Emperor!" Not daring to look at Nan Luo's face any longer, out of fear that he would once again encounter that aloof, cold, and ruthless pair of purple pupils, Qilin Huo murmured in disbelief.

"Who? Who was the Grand Elder talking about just now?"

"I didn't hear it clearly! Did he say something like 'Divine'?"

"The word 'Divine'? Could it be the Divine Emperor?"

......

Unlike Qilin Huo, who stood at the Great Perfection of the Divine Lord realm, the Qilin elders behind him and all the members of the Qilin clan beneath him were utterly unable to make out Nan Luo's face.

Even though Nan Luo had already dismissed the protective divine light around his face, they still could not see his features clearly.

There was no other reason!

These Qilins of the Qilin clan were simply too weak.

And the Divine Emperor Nan Luo was simply too strong.

In this world, the most tragic thing was when your mortal enemy slaughtered your entire clan right before your eyes, yet you could not even see what your enemy looked like.

In the primordial universe, the law of the jungle reigned supreme, and the strong were revered.

Weakness was the greatest original sin.

"I wonder what commands Your Majesty the Divine Emperor has in gracing the City of Qilin with your presence?" Qilin Huo lowered his head cautiously and asked respectfully.

He had no choice but to be careful! The changes in the Divine Emperor Nan Luo were simply too drastic.

Just think of him, Qilin Huo, a dignified expert at the Great Perfection of the Divine Lord realm. Apart from the Five Emperors, he could roam the primordial world unhindered—how majestic was that?

Even as recently as March of this year, he, Qilin Huo, had still dared to look the Divine Emperor straight in the eye, and had not even taken the Divine Emperor seriously.

Yet now, he didn't even dare to gaze directly into the eyes of the Divine Emperor Nan Luo.

An inexplicable sense of sorrow suddenly welled up in Qilin Huo's heart: Was the world changing too fast, or had he fallen too far behind?

Nan Luo paid no attention to Qilin Huo's petty thoughts and spoke directly, "This Emperor has descended upon the City of Qilin to have you handle two matters."

"First, this Emperor wishes to borrow the central teleportation array of the City of Qilin to make a trip to the Western Wasteland."

Listening respectfully to Nan Luo's first request, Qilin Huo thought to himself: This request is quite simple. If the second request is just as simple, thank the heavens and earth.

However, whatever one feared the most always seemed to happen.

"Second, this Emperor wishes to exchange blows with the Qilin Emperor. Call the Qilin Emperor out!"

The moment Nan Luo's voice fell, Qilin Huo's expression shifted drastically, and he cursed his misfortune inwardly: His Majesty is currently in seclusion; how can he fight the Divine Emperor? Could it be that I have to invite His Majesty out of seclusion?

The mere thought of the Qilin Emperor's furious wrath upon being disturbed from seclusion caused Qilin Huo to shiver violently from head to toe.

Yet, if he did not ask His Majesty to come out of seclusion, how could he dismiss the Divine Emperor?

He had never realized before that the Divine Emperor was so bellicose. Could it be that after achieving the realm of a half-saint, the Divine Emperor's belligerent nature had finally manifested?

While harboring a torrent of unspoken grievances in his heart, Qilin Huo put on a troubled expression on the surface and said, "Your Majesty the Divine Emperor, our Emperor is currently in seclusion and cannot exchange blows with you."

"In seclusion?!" Nan Luo's lips curved into a smile, his pair of purple pupils cold and merciless as he said indifferently, "Perfect! Take this Emperor to find the Qilin Emperor!"

As he spoke, Nan Luo extended his left hand and made a grasping motion in the empty air, instantly pulling Qilin Huo out from the void.

Clutching Qilin Huo in his grip, Nan Luo instantly transformed into a purplish-golden divine light and charged toward the City of Qilin.

Having no power to fight back, and after a dizzying spin of the heavens and earth, Qilin Huo found himself captured in Nan Luo's hand.

"Wasn't I just standing on the city wall of the City of Qilin? How did I end up caught in Nan Luo's grasp?"

Watching Nan Luo capture him from afar with his empty hand, Qilin Huo tried to struggle, only to find that his efforts were entirely futile.

Compared to Nan Luo's supreme might, Qilin Huo's meager strength was not even worthy of tickling Nan Luo.

"The Grand Elder has been captured?!"

"The Divine Emperor is charging in?!"

......

Atop the battlements of the City of Qilin, the group of Qilin elders stared in dumbfounded shock as Qilin Huo suddenly vanished into thin air and then reappeared within Nan Luo's left hand, only to realize that the Grand Elder had been abducted by the Divine Emperor.

Seeing the Divine Emperor Nan Luo once again stir up the purplish-golden divine light and charge toward the City of Qilin, believing that the Divine Emperor intended to forcibly breach the city, the group of Qilin elders instantly plunged into a state of chaos and disorder.

Bang!

A heaven-shaking explosion, akin to a thunderclap from the firmament, roared between heaven and earth.

Standing atop the city wall, the group of Qilin elders felt a massive roar tear through their ears, nearly shattering their livers and gallbladders, shaking their very souls with terror.

Yet, this immense panic was far from over.

The Qilin elders suddenly felt the City of Qilin beneath their feet violently shudder and leap; their towering bodies abruptly swayed and undulated up and down, looking as though they could no longer maintain their footing.

This was the City of Qilin, a mighty metropolis of the world spanning millions of miles!

It actually had a day when it would be shaken.

The group of Qilin elders looked at everything unfolding before them in sheer disbelief.

They saw that upon the nine-colored protective halo cast down by the nine-headed Qilin—the spirit of the Qilin grand array—a distorted golden vortex had abruptly appeared.

Riding the purplish-golden divine light, Nan Luo flashed right through this distorted golden vortex, instantly plunging into the City of Qilin.

"A single blow to breach a world-renowned metropolis! The Divine Emperor actually possesses such mighty power!"

Watching Nan Luo recede into the distance, the group of Qilin elders dared not lead troops to intercept the Divine Emperor, and could only inwardly marvel in shock.

......

"Speak! Where is the Qilin Emperor?"

While Qilin Huo was still in shock over the golden vortex in the nine-colored protective halo, Nan Luo's flat and transcendent voice suddenly rang beside his ear.

Qilin Huo snapped out of his daze with a start, recovering from his stupefied state, not daring to provoke this fierce god Nan Luo any further.

"The Qilin Cliff!"

Hanging his head low, Qilin Huo answered respectfully and obediently.

Qilin Huo had completely resigned himself to fate. Even the Qilin grand array, which could block a half-saint sovereign, had been shattered by Nan Luo in a single strike.

Aside from submitting to Nan Luo's commands, what else could he possibly do?

Now, his only hope lay with His Majesty the Qilin Emperor—though why did Qilin Huo feel so utterly devoid of confidence in the Qilin Emperor?

If His Majesty the Qilin Emperor was also no match for Nan Luo, wouldn't the Qilin clan be permanently suppressed by the divine clan? Where lay the way out for the Qilin clan?

Qilin Huo could not help but let his thoughts wander wildly, his heart in complete turmoil and filled with deep anxiety.

"Hahaha......"

"Target, the Qilin Cliff!"

Having shattered the famed metropolis of the City of Qilin with a single blow, Nan Luo felt a supreme sense of exhilaration in his heart. With a long laugh, he spurred the purplish-golden divine light, instantly streaking across the horizon toward the highest peak of the City of Qilin, the Qilin Cliff.