The Pill Sovereign Emperor's tone was far from cordial. He was, after all, an overlord of his generation. If he let a young man humiliate him to his face like this, where would his dignity go? Would Pill Fire City's authority mean nothing?
The Peerless Great Emperor frowned. "Pill Sovereign, don't push your luck. You weren't welcome to begin with — spouting all this nonsense is only courting humiliation."
If anyone present truly hated the Pill Sovereign Emperor to the bone, it certainly wasn't Jiang Chen. It was the Peerless Great Emperor.
The Pill Sovereign Emperor was already seething with rage, and seeing this old romantic rival step forward only fanned the flames higher. He let out a strange laugh. "So it's you? Mo Wushuang, you really have gone downhill with age. Back then I offered you a place in Pill Fire City, but you put on airs and even tried to steal a woman from this Emperor. And now — the older you get, the more pathetic you become, wagging your tail at the Glazed Royal City? What, being the Glazed Royal City's dog — is it really that enjoyable?"
In the past, the Peerless Great Emperor would have flown into a towering rage.
But the Peerless Great Emperor of today had a different outlook. He regarded the Pill Sovereign Emperor with calm, detached eyes. "Pill Sovereign, if you think this drivel can provoke me, all Mo can say is that you're still as naive as ever. We are both several thousand years old. Your ambitions, what you want — I know them all too well. But what I want is something you may never understand. We walk different paths. If you know what's good for you, scram. Otherwise, it won't be long before word spreads across the Upper Eight Domains that the master of Pill Fire City fell in the Glazed Royal City."
Mo Wushuang's voice carried a sinister chill, already laced with an unmistakable threat.
His hatred for the Pill Sovereign Emperor ran deep. If he could, he wouldn't hesitate to destroy the man right then and there.
But he also knew that with his current level of cultivation, he was still a notch below the Pill Sovereign Emperor.
With so many Great Emperors present, if they all joined forces, there might be a chance to eliminate the Pill Sovereign Emperor. But that, clearly, was not going to happen.
The Pill Sovereign Emperor burst into a peal of laughter. "Fell, you say?"
His gaze swept across the assembled Great Emperors, cold and predatory. "Not to boast, but even if Peacock were here, your Glazed Royal City still couldn't necessarily take this Emperor's life! As for the lot of you — even if you all attacked together, what would this Emperor have to fear?"
He truly wasn't afraid. Even if they ganged up on him, he might not be able to win, but he was entirely confident he could disengage gracefully.
Jiang Chen frowned and spoke flatly. "Pill Sovereign, from the sound of it, you seem eager to try? Shall this Young Master grant you that opportunity?"
Jiang Chen pointed toward the arena area. "This Young Master anticipated that this feudal lords' assembly would attract no small amount of trouble, so I set up a Heaven-grade formation here in advance. Since you're so confident, shall we put it to the test?"
What?
This time, the Pill Sovereign Emperor's expression truly changed.
A formation? A Heaven-grade formation?
The Pill Sovereign Emperor had witnessed Jiang Chen's battle with the Asura Great Emperor earlier. There was no denying it — this boy's depth of knowledge in the way of formations appeared to be no less formidable than his mastery of alchemy.
If there truly was a Heaven-grade formation deployed here, combined with this impressive gathering of Great Emperors, the situation for him would be genuinely perilous.
At that thought, the Pill Sovereign Emperor felt his confidence waver. This was the Glazed Royal City, after all — far to the south of Pill Fire City, separated by an enormous distance.
A man far from home, no matter how powerful, was still at a disadvantage. Even the mightiest dragon couldn't beat a local serpent — that saying wasn't without reason.
One thought led to another, and the Pill Sovereign Emperor realized that tricking Jiang Chen, trying to get his hands on the Pine Crane Pill, was absolutely hopeless. At least for today.
With a strange laugh, the Pill Sovereign Emperor abruptly transformed into a streak of black light, soaring into the void and vanishing without a trace.
From the empty air, a voice lingered: "You, surnamed Zhen — this Emperor will remember you! What happened today, this Emperor will repay tenfold when the chance comes!"
The Pill Sovereign Emperor had backed down.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. His Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil and Evil Golden Eye pierced toward a point in the void. "Pill Sovereign, if you weren't afraid, why scurry away like a frightened rat? Don't talk about tenfold or a hundredfold. Your Pill Fire City — it's not as though this Young Master has never been there. It's hardly some dragon's den or tiger's lair, so there's no need to boast so grandly, talking as though your Pill Fire City were invincible under heaven."
It wasn't that Jiang Chen enjoyed trash talk, but this was precisely the moment when trash talk was called for. The Pill Sovereign Emperor was a top-tier Great Emperor, spoken of in the same breath as the Peacock Great Emperor.
His cultivation and standing, his fame and deterrent power — none of it was inferior to the Peacock Great Emperor's, with even subtle hints that he might surpass him.
A figure like that threatening the Glazed Royal City would undoubtedly leave a psychological shadow over its people.
As the Glazed Royal City's Young Master, Jiang Chen had to strike back forcefully, delivering a powerful counterpunch to leave an impression — that Young Master Zhen did not fear the Pill Sovereign Emperor.
The Glazed Royal City had no reason whatsoever to fear Pill Fire City.
Even without the Peacock Great Emperor present, the Glazed Royal City was entirely unafraid of Pill Fire City!
It had to be said that these subtle details were remarkably effective. Hearing Jiang Chen's words, the various feudal lords felt a wave of satisfaction wash through them.
The Pill Sovereign Emperor, whom they had found so terrifying, suddenly didn't seem quite so fearsome after all.
If the Pill Sovereign Emperor were truly that terrifying, why had he fled? Why had he retreated the instant Young Master Zhen mentioned a Heaven-grade formation?
In the end, the Pill Sovereign Emperor wasn't invincible after all!
The Coiling Dragon Great Emperor chuckled and asked in a low voice, "Young Master Zhen, did you really set up a Heaven-grade formation here?"
Jiang Chen was amused. "How could that be possible?"
Setting up a Heaven-grade formation was no simple matter. It couldn't be accomplished overnight, and the amount of spirit stones required was incalculable.