Chapter 1538 (Raw 1520):
"What!"
The two forces faced each other. The decisive battle was about to begin. However, Xiao Chen said something that shook everyone in the Kunlun Realm's camp.
"Xiao Chen, what are you saying? The Thunder Sovereign already went to the Kunlun Road. It is impossible for him to appear."
The Myriad-Law Fiend Master was deeply shocked by this news, thinking that Xiao Chen was joking.
Xiao Chen asked indifferently, "Did you personally see him go onto the Kunlun Road?"
"No…"
"Do you know who dealt the fatal blow to the Azure Emperor ten thousand years ago? It's him! Who dealt the Thunder Emperor the fatal blow five thousand years ago? It's still him! Why is it that the moment he left, the entire Kunlun Continent fell into chaos?
"Why is it that the moment the Azure Emperor died, the Treasure Master's Residence quickly rose up in the Heavenly Starry Ocean? I have never believed in coincidence. So many coincidences are truly suspicious."
Xiao Chen's expression did not change as he enunciated every word clearly, calmly voicing his opinion.
"Xiao Chen, although I respect you as my brother, please do not slander my master!" the Thunder and Lightning Palace's An Junxi said, feeling very upset. He did not like hearing Xiao Chen speak about his master this way.
The other experts who were on good terms with the Thunder Sovereign spoke up as well, unhappy with Xiao Chen's words.
Such a scene surprised the eighteen Demon Monarchs. They all smiled coldly as they watched the internal conflict of the Kunlun Realm's camp.
"Xiao Chen, this is just a guess. There is no verifiable evidence. You can't just pin this on the Thunder Sovereign." Ying Zongtian frowned slightly, clearly upset at Xiao Chen's words as well.
The prestige of the Thunder Sovereign was unexpectedly high. With just these words, the morale of the Kunlun Realm's camp took a big hit.
Xiao Chen did not say anything. Often, things were not necessarily false just because there was no proof.
Although Xiao Chen's Heavenly Eye did not manage to see the other party's appearance, he had seen the other party's eyes.
If it were in the past, it would be just a guess. However, having seen the other party's eyes, Xiao Chen was deeply suspicious already.
Although he had never seen the Thunder Sovereign's true body, he had seen the eyes of the Thunder Sovereign's clone during his King conferral ceremony.
Be it the true body or a clone, a person's eyes contained the light of one's mind. It had nothing to do with the physical body. The eyes could not lie or cheat others.
The Treasure Master's eyes and the Thunder Sovereign's eyes were too similar. Back then, Xiao Chen had already started to waver somewhat.
Later on, he tested his hunch, unwilling to believe in coincidence or accept this possibility. However, the results saddened him, making him feel very fatigued.
The Divine Lightning Eye, which could severely injure a Prime, did nothing to the Treasure Master.
Such a result would be impossible unless he was a peak expert in the Thunder Dao. Just this point alone was sufficient to prove Xiao Chen's guess.
Furthermore, his guess could explain the many coincidences that had already happened before.
Xiao Chen ignored the others' dissatisfaction and disbelief. He continued looking at the Treasure Master and demanded sullenly, "Senior Thunder Sovereign, are you going to continue deceiving us? Perhaps, this is my last time addressing you as senior, Lord Church Master!"
Silence…
The Treasure Master did not deny anything. This made everyone who doubted Xiao Chen start to look at the Treasure Master.
Under the many gazes, the Treasure Master, whose appearance was hazy from the very start, looking very unfathomable, asked, "Why the need to seek the truth? Sometimes, it is best not to know about certain things."
Boom!
This was like thunder booming on a clear spring day. The Treasure Master's words were equivalent to a tacit admission of Xiao Chen's guess. Many people could not accept it.
Everyone felt dazed. They all greatly respected the Thunder Sovereign, trusting him even more than their fathers. He was the source of their conviction, their motivation for continuing forward.
They even saw the Thunder Sovereign as a god. Suddenly, this conviction disintegrated. An Junxi was like a collapsed ice cave, turning dispirited and in incredible pain.
The Thunder and Lightning Palace's people were no better. Their emotions were more or less similar to An Junxi's.
Ying Zongtian, the Myriad-Law Fiend Master, and the other old friends all found this unacceptable as well, their emotions tangled.
This was especially so for Ying Zongtian. As he was on rather close personal terms with the Thunder Sovereign, this came as a rather big blow to him.
On the other hand, the eighteen Demon Monarchs quickly calmed down after some astonishment. Who the Dark Church's Church Master was did not matter. As long as they could control the Dark Church, it was enough. Xing Wang and Fa Wang were not surprised. Apparently, they had long known this secret.
"Treasure Master, don't lie to me. My master is absolutely not the Dark Church's Church Master!" An Junxi roared with all his might, unwilling to believe in this development.
"Whoosh!"
The hazy black energy around the Treasure Master's face vanished, revealing his genuine appearance.
The Treasure Master's face looked exactly like the Thunder Sovereign's. Even the aura was the same; there was no difference at all.
"He really is the Thunder Sovereign!"
At this moment, the identity of the Treasure Master was verified, dealing a heavy blow to everyone in the Kunlun Realm's camp.
Everyone had one question in their hearts: Why?!
As everyone was wondering this, an ugly saber scar surfaced on the Thunder Sovereign's right cheek. His aura suddenly changed, surging and turning evil. This felt very scary and horrifying, putting incredible pressure on everyone.
The Thunder Sovereign touched the saber scar on his face with his right hand as he looked at Xiao Chen. Heavy hatred flared in his eyes as he said, "This was left by your Azure Emperor ancestor ten thousand years ago. Although I suppress it with all my might, I can only hide this saber scar for three days. This scar has brought me pain and suffering. Today, I'll return it to you tenfold—a hundredfold!"
Xiao Chen entered deep thought. This saber scar was probably left by the Azure Emperor when the Thunder Sovereign sneak-attacked the Azure Emperor back then.
No wonder it could not be removed. It was easy for normal Martial Emperors to remove a scar. However, since this scar was left by the Azure Emperor, it was different.
This injury was already imprinted deep in the bones, the marrow, the blood vessels, even the soul. Even if the other party suppressed it with all his might, he could hide it for only three days.
Such conscious suppression should be extremely exhausting. Hence, when the other party was still the Thunder Sovereign, he frequently spent his time in closed-door cultivation. Covering this scar up was probably extremely painful. It was only natural that his hatred for the Azure Emperor ran this deep.
"Give me an answer. Why did you lie to me?!"
Ying Zongtian's heart turned cold, simply unable to accept the taste of being lied to.
"Why did I lie? Do you think that it's possible for me to live for more than ten thousand years for no reason at all? Are you not able to figure it out for yourself? Ying Zongtian, I have never lied to you. I am the Thunder Sovereign, also the Treasure Master, and also the Dark Church's Church Master. I have not lied to anyone.
"Like you, I also hoped for Xiao Chen to mature. Otherwise, how could he stir up the Kunlun Realm and throw it into chaos? The battle when he walked his Emperor's Road dyed the sky with blood, killing off half the Martial Emperors of the Kunlun Realm. Both you and he are my pawns—furthermore, willing pawns. I have never lied to you.
"I also wish to leave this damned abandoned land. I also want to stay alive without aging. If you were me and the previous Dark Church's Church Master approached you back then, you would have agreed as well, becoming his inheritor."
The Thunder Sovereign seemed to have held back these words for a long time already. Now that he had said it all in one breath, he seemed much more relaxed.
Many people were startled when they heard this. Unexpectedly, there was someone who schemed so deeply, playing them in the palm of his hand. The vastness of this scheme involved nearly the entire Kunlun Realm.
Ying Zongtian did not show any emotions on his face; instead, his expression turned even colder. He shook his head and said, "Stop looking for excuses. Everyone has their own principles. You just fell short of your own."
"The victor is right, and the vanquished are wrong. The so-called principles are meant to be trampled on!"
The Thunder Sovereign swept his cold gaze over everyone in the Kunlun Realm's camp. Then, he said, "On account of past friendships, I'll give you all another chance. As long as you are willing to surrender and put your faith in the Demonic God, I can be merciful!"
"Merciful? By all means, use your dirty hands and draw your treasure sword. I, Xiao Chen, absolutely will never surrender to you." Xiao Chen frowned heavily, brushing off this offer.
"The Dark Church killed my fellow men of the Kunlun Realm like they were pigs and dogs. You can dream on about me surrendering!"
"Sorry, Master. This is the last time I will be calling you master. This time, I cannot agree!"
An Junxi's face was even colder than Ying Zongtian's and looked even scarier. He felt so much hurt in his heart that he no longer had the heart to feel pain. There was only coldness and numbness spreading through his entire body.
"I swear to die fighting rather than surrender!"
"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good! Eighteen Demon Monarchs, heed my order: as long as it is a person of the Kunlun Realm, kill without mercy. I want to wash Kunlun Mountain in blood!"
Hearing the voices of many people swearing to die rather than surrender, the Treasure Master laughed maniacally and gave the order to kill.
Dao Might spread from Xiao Chen's body. With a thought, a war banner appeared behind him.
This banner fluttered in the wind. As Xiao Chen looked at the vast, endless armies of the Demon Races, he said gravely, "Protect the Kunlun Realm. Our friends and families are behind. We absolutely cannot retreat. Kill!"
The final decisive battle between the Kunlun Realm and the Demonic Realm began.