Boom—Boom—Boom!
Along the coast of the Demon Capital, countless people gazed into the distance. A streak of black surged forward, arriving in an instant, it turned out to be wave after wave of sky-reaching tidal surges, each a hundred meters high, vast and unstoppable.
And above the billions of towering waves, a massive, winding black evil dragon circled and flew, like a magnificent mountain range suspended over the ocean. Accompanied by terrifying supreme pressure sweeping in all directions, even from a hundred miles away, it shook the world.
"T-This… this is the demon Emperor that the Jiuzhou leader killed? This is a demon Emperor?!"
On the shore, everyone fell silent at this moment. The sky-covering waves, the evil dragon towering above the tides—even in death, its might remained. It was unimaginable how powerful it had been in life.
People all over the world witnessed this scene through video and could not forget it for a long time.
Most of them were ordinary people. Let alone an Emperor, in their entire lives they would at most come into contact with servant-level demons. The shock to their minds naturally reached its limit.
"Oh my God, this is a god from the heavens! A creature more terrifying than God, how dare the Chinese slay a deity?!"
Foreigners were horrified. Witnessing an Emperor instead elevated Jiuzhou's prestige even further. Even mages felt an added sense of awe.
As for those on the scene, many began trembling uncontrollably. A few were even frightened to the point of losing control. They feared that the sky-covering waves might go out of control and crash down, flooding the Demon Capital, reducing skyscrapers to rubble, and wiping out millions.
But at that moment, atop the dragon's head at the peak of the waves, several figures stood.
Though they were as small as black dots, they stood upon the colossal creature and the vast tides beneath their feet. A domineering aura that seemed to hold up the heavens arose naturally.
Seeing this, the port fell silent for a moment. Everyone stood stunned and speechless—then, in the next instant, earth-shaking cheers erupted into the sky, shaking heaven and earth.
The military mage troops stationed along the coast to maintain order were incomparably excited, shouting in unison, "Victory! Victory!"
The originally chaotic and disordered shouts gradually unified under the momentum of soldiers and civilians, inspiring and surging with fighting spirit.
"Commander Hua, victory! Huaxia, victory!"
For a time, this unified chant shocked journalists from various countries. They faithfully recorded it with their cameras, and it was seen by people all over the world.
Citizens of many nations couldn't help but feel envy. A powerful and united superpower, capable of traveling thousands of miles to slay a Dragon Emperor and display its head at the northern gate, how enviable, how mighty.
Some previously stubborn notions quietly faded away, leaving only the impression that Jiuzhou must not be provoked.
It could be said that the intense reaction brought by Lu Jun's one-against-a-hundred victory in the National Institute Tournament a year ago had not yet faded after less than two years. Instead, it was further consolidated, pushing Jiuzhou's international status to the center of the world.
"Sigh, Jiuzhou's higher-ups really have courage. If only our officials were like that."
"Heh, wishful thinking. Haven't you seen the Mediterranean incident from a few years ago…"
At this moment, Lu Jun stood atop the head of the Evil Dragon Emperor, overlooking the Demon Capital filled with towering skyscrapers. He saw the port streets packed with dense crowds and heard them cheering their names in unison.
A bold and domineering will gradually arose within him. His heart surged with emotion. The reckless determination when planning, the frenzied battle intent during the hunt for the Emperor, and the glorious fighting spirit upon returning victorious, all these rare and precious experiences became nourishment.
Buzz—Buzz—Buzz!
Suddenly, within Lu Jun's spiritual world, a bolt of lightning flashed. His vast spiritual power surged continuously. From the mid-stage of the Eighth Realm, it rapidly rose, like a long accumulation bursting forth, reaching the peak of the Eighth Realm, only one step away from the Ninth Realm.
On one hand, it was the accumulation from multiple elements advancing to the Super Tier. On the other, it was because, as a Super Tier mage, he had participated in the battle to hunt an Emperor, endured the supreme pressure of an Emperor, and succeeded in slaying it, tempering his spiritual will.
In addition, within Lu Jun's Psychic Star Ocean, streams from the Li Flower Imaginary Imprint flowed continuously. The power of faith gathered from public recognition surged.
Then, using his boundless spiritual power as a catalyst, combined with immense imaginary power, he condensed it into an invisible heavenly blade that suddenly slashed down within the dark cosmos.
Clang!
This heavenly blade struck precisely at the center of the Summoning Element's pale-white Star River, upon a strange crystal stone interwoven with azure and ochre hues.
With a crack, a clear fissure appeared on the surface of this crystal stone, about three to four inches in size, which possessed nine apertures.
At once, three distinct cracks stood side by side. Not only did it not damage the quality or appearance of the Heaven and Earth Stone, but it instead gave it a sense of natural perfection.
With the third strike, the life aura of the Heaven and Earth Stone greatly increased. Through the cracks, its interior seemed unfathomably deep, as if some terrifying supreme existence was being nurtured within, ready to devour everything.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
For some reason, Lu Jun faintly heard the sound of a heartbeat echoing within his spiritual world. As his consciousness touched the Heaven and Earth Stone, a close and intimate connection emerged, pulsing like an embryo.
"Interesting."
Lu Jun withdrew his thoughts, deep in contemplation. Using life experiences as nourishment, the insights gained from slaying an Emperor were undoubtedly the most supreme elixir.
The imaginary beast that did not exist in this world was meant to gather the strengths of all things. The fact that the Evil Dragon could achieve Emperor level already meant it had reached the extreme in one aspect.
"If I hunt multiple Emperors, then the final summoned beast…"
Lu Jun pondered briefly, his heart trembling with both fear and ambition.
Beside him, Hua Zhanhong glanced over the fighting spirit of the many people in Demon Capital and felt comforted. Even if the Pacific Empire invaded and the coastlines all fell, as long as this spirit existed, Jiuzhou would rise again.
The reporters also captured this moment. At the center of the photo, towering waves surged to the sky, the evil dragon lay dead, and the imposing and majestic Lu Jun and the others stood atop it. Below, the crowd resembled a dark tide, all looking up, cheering and shouting.
In the distance among the crowd of Demon Capital, several of Lu Jun's acquaintances had gathered.
Feng Zhoulong, Mo Fan, Lingling, and Leng Qing watched from afar. Old Feng laughed heartily, while Leng Qing smiled softly.
Mo Fan felt both envious and jealous, wishing he could take Lu Jun's place. He clicked his tongue and said, "Old Lu has really brought honor to his ancestors. He's way too good at showing off."
He had an epiphany, what was the point of showing off in front of some trash mages? Only when one could personally slay an Emperor and tour Jiuzhou would it truly be shocking.
Commander Hua did not stay long in Demon Capital. He actually followed through on his words, driving the massive Emperor corpse to tour the coastlines of Jiuzhou.
Everywhere he went, countless people flocked to watch, their discussions rising in waves.
When they reached Magic Capital, Lu Jun, Dean Xiao, and the Mermaid Empress did not continue and instead disembarked.
At Pearl Academy, Lu Jun quietly returned to his residence and saw Ding Yumian, Mu Nujiao, Qing Yu, and the others already waiting. The latter few looked excited yet respectful, as if facing an important figure.
Only Ding Yumian remained as gentle and calm as ever.
Lu Jun looked over them, then held the slender jade-like hand of the woman in the white dress, as if holding a piece of warm jade, and said softly, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Ding Yumian replied gently, "It's good that you came back safely."
Her thoughts drifted as she recalled their first meeting, when he had boldly declared—now that the Emperor had been slain, how far could the fall of the Holy City be?
For additional chapters
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