Chapter 145: The Prime Minister of Heaven

"Sigh!"

The man let out a long sigh, fixed his eyes on Fang Qingyun, and said calmly, "It seems you have already made your choice. Do you know? Someone like you is utterly repulsive. Clearly, a mere tiny step backward could bring a sweeping victory for the human race, yet for the sake of your own selfish desires, you refuse to yield."

"Don't tell me you don't know what it means for the human race to have one more divine general."

At his words, the others cast looks of disgust at Fang Qingyun, as if he had committed some unforgessive, heinous crime.

"Heh!" Fang Qingyun chuckled. Staring straight at the man, he said, "You know what? Originally, I was planning to just chase you off. But now, I've decided to slaughter every single one of you!"

"Bang!"

The moment the words fell, a gunshot rang out.

A ferocious surge of energy erupted from the muzzle of Fang Qingyun's rifle, instantly piercing through a man's head.

"Splat!"

The man's head shattered like a smashed watermelon!

"Number Seven!"

The man addressed as the leader let out a furious roar, charging toward Fang Qingyun like a madman, screaming, "I'm going to kill you!"

"Bang!"

Without even bothering to use his sword, Fang Qingyun raised his sniper rifle and brought it crashing down mercilessly.

The leader's fist collided directly with the sniper rifle, only to be violently repelled by Fang Qingyun's overwhelming force.

Swish!

With a flicker, Fang Qingyun reappeared right in front of the leader, raised his rifle once again, and smashed it down.

"Roar!"

The leader roared in fury as his spiritual energy exploded, surging entirely into his palms, and slapped viciously toward Fang Qingyun.

A martial skill!

He had resorted to a martial skill.

"Bang!"

The martial skill clashed violently against Fang Qingyun's rifle.

"Crack!"

A spiderweb of fractures spread across the surface of Fang Qingyun's weapon.

Yet, the leader coughed up a mouthful of blood and crashed heavily onto the ground.

"You..."

The leader and the others were struck with absolute terror, staring blankly at Fang Qingyun.

When Fang Qingyun fought the demons earlier, they already knew he was strong. But they never imagined he could be strong to this terrifying degree.

Their leader, at the peak of the General rank, had unleashed a martial skill, only to be batted away by two blows from the opponent's rifle.

"Heh heh!"

Fang Qingyun let out a cold laugh, training the muzzle of his gun directly at the remaining group.

"No, wait!"

The leader cried out in alarm.

"Bang!"

Another gunshot echoed through the air, blasting a gaping hole through the chest of another powerhouse.

His entire heart was obliterated in an instant.

"How... is this possible?" The man murmured in a daze, his expression vacant, before collapsing heavily to the ground, drawing his final breath.

"Form the array!"

The leader bellowed in rage. The remaining few scrambled together, standing back-to-back as spiritual energy surged from their bodies, weaving into a massive glowing circle that enveloped them within.

Simultaneously, he fired a signal flare into the sky, where it shot upward and burst.

"Calling for help, are we?"

Fang Qingyun looked at them with an amused, detached expression.

"Huff! Huff!"

The leader panted heavily, glaring at Fang Qingyun through clenched teeth, and snarled, "The powerhouses from my legion will be here any second now, brat! You're dead meat!"

"Heh!"

Fang Qingyun laughed dryly, and said, "Are you trying to scare me off? Well, perhaps some strong reinforcements are indeed on their way. Still, it's completely meaningless!"

"Because this fight is about to end!"

Fang Qingyun raised his rifle, aiming directly at the group.

"Hearth!"

To this, the few remaining men sneered disdainfully. "That rifle of yours is impressive, but can it possibly pierce through our defensive array? This barrier contains the combined power of all of us."

A smile played on Fang Qingyun's lips as his newly recovered spiritual energy, alongside an endless aura of slaughter, surged frantically into the rifle's muzzle.

Simultaneously, behind Fang Qingyun, the phantom of a roaring alien beast materialized.

It lifted its head and let out a heaven-shaking howl, as if issuing a defiant challenge to the heavens themselves.

"That is..."

The leader and his companions widened their eyes, gasping in utter disbelief, "A natural phenomenon manifestation?!"

At that very moment, profound regret gnawed at their guts, wishing they had never crossed paths with him.

Only individuals with monstrous, extreme talent could trigger a natural phenomenon manifestation.

This was not merely a blessing of sheer power; it was the manifestation of the momentum of heaven and earth.

They must have lost their minds!

Why on earth would they provoke a monster like this?

This was practically no different from provoking a divine general.

The Origin?

That damn thing was a death warrant!

"Little brother, please, don't..."

The leader screamed in sheer panic, "We were wrong! I beg you, spare us..."

"BOOM!!!"

A crimson beam of light shot forth, piercing the heavens and the earth.

Everything in the path of the crimson light vanished utterly into nothingness.

The leader and his companions, along with their defensive barrier, were completely erased.

"Just for the disgusting words you uttered, you deserved to die!" Fang Qingyun gave a light huff, lowered his gaze to the rifle in his hand, and let out a faint sigh.

The rifle in Fang Qingyun's grip quietly crumbled into fine dust.

Having endured a strike powered by Fang Qingyun's absolute peak strength, this Level 4 rifle was utterly destroyed.

Of course, Fang Qingyun had other options at his disposal, which was why he dared to unleash his power so recklessly.

Swish!

His spatial storage item flashed.

A brand-new sniper rifle materialized in Fang Qingyun's hands.

This weapon was nearly three meters long, its surface carved with ferocious, menacing giant beasts. A mere glance at it seemed to evoke the sound of spine-chilling roars.

A Level 6 rifle!

Moreover, it was a Level 6 rifle extremely close to peak perfection.

This was the weapon of the demon that Fang Qingyun had just slain.

The demons were truly wealthy!

Though they only occupied two continents, those two territories were among the richest in existence.

Typically, two ordinary continents combined could not rival even one of the continents currently held by the demons.

Coupled with their small population, they never lacked weapons; their only concern was occasionally possessing gear of too low a grade to utilize effectively.

Of course, there was another factor.

Some demons were simply not adept at sniping, much like Sen, who had just met his end at Fang Qingyun's hands.

Fang Qingyun, however, excelled at sniping. With this rifle in his possession, it was like adding wings to a tiger!

Though it was a firearm customarily used by demons, even in the hands of a human, it could still unleash the terrifying might of a standard Level 6 weapon.

"With this thing, my combat power will reach an even higher tier. And then there's this..."

Fang Qingyun shifted his gaze toward the Origin.

If he consumed this item...

Fang Qingyun refused to believe anyone could still stand as his match in the battle for the Origins.

Swish!

Fang Qingyun vanished from the spot.

Vanishing alongside him was that very piece of Origin.

High up in the sky, the four towering presences fell into a subtle silence.

Especially the demon and beast kings.

They were starting to lose their composure.

Fang Qingyun's steady increase in power was witnessed by them step-by-step.

From initially entering the peak General rank...

To now standing right at the very pinnacle of the peak General tier.

A quasi-divine general!

What did this signify?

He could step across that threshold and become a true divine general at any given moment.

Yet, stubbornly, he refused to take that final step.

He focused primarily on cultivating his physical body; when his physical strength could no longer be elevated, he turned to cultivating his spiritual energy. Once his spiritual energy reached its limit, he began training in the killing arts!

Every single attribute of his was nearing the realm of the divine generals.

The four kings privately estimated that even if a genuine divine general—one who had just stepped into the rank—were to appear, they might not necessarily emerge victorious against him.

At this point, the beast and demon kings were even contemplating calling a halt to the trial, or expelling Fang Qingyun from the Origin competition altogether.

Yet, as kings, uttering such words openly beneath their dignity proved too difficult.

Soon enough, a scenario unfolded that drove them even closer to a breakdown.

After taking a brief moment to rest, Fang Qingyun swallowed the Origin directly.

This action instantly boosted all of his attributes once more.

[Origin +1]

[Origin +1]

...

[Origin +30000]

[Origin: 37082]

"Damn it!"

Fang Qingyun couldn't help but curse in unadulterated excitement.

A single gulp had increased his count by thirty thousand points—ten thousand points more than the previous harvest.

Presumably, this was due to the varying size of the Origin fragment.

Furthermore, having consumed yet another piece of Origin, Fang Qingyun's perception of other Origins had grown remarkably sharper.

"Next piece!"

Fang Qingyun strode forward, setting off in search of the third Origin.

Observing the direct trajectory in which Fang Qingyun was heading, the four kings narrowed their eyes.

Before long, they realized that not far ahead along Fang Qingyun's straight path lay yet another Origin.

At this, they truly could no longer sit still.

"This brat can actually sense the location of the Origins!"

Longlong's voice carried unmistakable disbelief.

He, too, could sense the locations of the Origins, which was why he had managed to find three in such a short span.

However, his perception range was nowhere near as vast as Fang Qingyun's.

At most, he could sense whether an Origin was present within a few hundred meters.

Fang Qingyun, on the other hand, could detect them from at least several thousand meters away.

This was simply too exaggerated.

"This kid cannot be allowed to remain within the barrier any longer!"

Longlong immediately declared.

"Agreed!"

"Seconded!"

The demon and beast representatives chimed in simultaneously.

Xuanji sneered coldly and asked, "On what grounds?"

"All three of our factions have reached a consensus, and so it shall be done!" The Spider King sneered, "Xuanji, do you have a problem with that?"

"A problem? How could I have a problem? I have no problem at all!"

Facing the Spider King's provocation, Xuanji merely scoffed and replied indifferently, "It's just that... I'm not the one calling the shots here!"

What?

The three kings froze, their expressions shifting slightly as they turned to look toward the side.

There, a blurred figure had materialized out of nowhere.

It was impossible to discern whether the figure was male or female.

The entity sat quietly upon a bronze throne, head tilted slightly as it observed the battles within the barrier, occasionally giving a light nod.

It was merely a silhouette, yet the very instant they set eyes upon it, it dealt a heavy psychological blow to the three kings.

Even the icy expression worn by Demon King Mourinho vanished, replaced by a trace of faint terror.

"Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor..."

He murmured the entity's title.

The number one powerhouse of the human race!

Those four words—Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor—weighed heavily upon the hearts of all the present kings.

Even Longlong fell silent at this moment.

This was a genuine supreme powerhouse at the pinnacle!

Even the demon race, acknowledged as the strongest faction, had to maintain absolute respect when facing the Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor.

Throughout human history, only three supreme powerhouses of the highest caliber had ever emerged.

Each of them had reached the absolute apex of kingship.

The Grand Ancestor who founded the human empire.

The Martial King who revitalized the human race!

And the final one was precisely the Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor seated before them!

Three individuals; three living legends.

Take the Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor, for instance: he had risen from ordinary commoner roots through a path fraught with hardship, ultimately climbing to his current height and holding all three great races in awe.

"Heh!" Xuanji chuckled softly and said, "If any of you have any opinions, why don't you direct them to our Chancellor? I'm no longer in charge of these matters."

The Demon King drew a deep breath, stared fixedly at the Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor, and demanded, "Why have you come here?"

As the strongest human, the Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor had always remained stationed in the human imperial capital. Why had he suddenly run out here?

The Origin competition?

Given his authority, did he really need to personally make a trip for this?

This was outright cheating!

Had they known, they would have notified the Demon Emperor and Beast Emperor to come as well!

"Heh, the three of you needn't be so tense!"

The Chancellor's voice rang out.

It sounded remarkably gentle!

"I was simply growing too bored in the imperial capital, so I came out for a stroll. As for what the three of you were discussing just now, I heard it as well. While this kid might be a bit extraordinary, he hasn't violated any rules. Therefore, kicking him out of the competition is hardly appropriate."

He shifted his gaze toward Longlong.

In an instant, Longlong's entire body tensed up.

"If someone must be disqualified merely for possessing the ability to sense Origins, then since Longlong can sense them too, should he be disqualified as well?"

After a brief moment of silent deliberation, Longlong spoke up, "Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor, this kid is different from me. He defies the heavens far too much. If you let him continue like this, he'll gather every single Origin by himself. Is that truly what you wish to see?"

If the human race were permitted to acquire so many Origins, would the beast and demon races simply stand by and allow it?

A full-scale war might erupt instantly!

One must realize that a single Origin could guarantee a peak General breakthrough, alongside a formidable chance of ascending to a divine general.

If Fang Qingyun were allowed to collect them all, wouldn't the human race end up producing dozens of divine generals?

The balance of power on the battlefield would be utterly shattered.

Even the demons would no longer be able to stem the human advance.

To everyone's surprise, the Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor nodded and said, "Mm, what you said makes sense. That is indeed what I wish to see."

Longlong froze, a chilling light flashing in his eyes.

"Heh, fascinating. Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor, aren't you getting a bit too full of yourself? Do you truly believe the human race can simultaneously withstand both the demon and beast races? Oh, and add me to that list as well!"

A formidable, suppressive aura flashed briefly from Longlong's body.

It was a power on par with the Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor's own tier.

The Chancellor merely cast a sidelong glance at him and said indifferently, "Longlong, don't try playing those tricks in front of me. Are you attempting to intimidate me? If you dare to provoke me, even if you flee into the void, I will drag you back out. What's more, I happen to have this item!"

A primitive-looking, single-barreled short firearm materialized in the Chancellor's hand.

The moment they laid eyes on the weapon, everyone present stiffened once more.

Including Longlong!

A Level 10 divine artifact!

A firearm known as the Blazing Sun!

Throughout the entire Azure Moon World, there were only eight Level 10 artifacts in existence!

Among them, firearms accounted for three.

One sniper rifle, one heavy machine gun, and finally, this flintlock pistol, perfectly suited for a supreme powerhouse.

Upon seeing the weapon, even the Demon King lost his composure.

He gasped in shock, "That firearm actually fell into your hands? Damn it!"

He was painfully aware of what it meant for such a weapon to fall into the hands of the human race's premier powerhouse.

All four kings shared a chilling realization... were the Beast Emperor and Demon Emperor truly matches for the Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor?

"I had the good fortune of finishing off a beast king and thus acquired this piece," the Heavenly Kingdom Chancellor said with a faint smile. "Therefore, Longlong, you would do well to abide by the rules. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to chase you out of the Azure Moon World."

Longlong glared coldly at the Chancellor and scoffed, "Fine. I'll follow the rules. I guarantee it!"

Xuanji furrowed his brow deeply.

In truth, from his perspective, pulling Fang Qingyun out of the barrier right now wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

He had already secured two Origins; at worst, they could let him take one more.

Three in total!

What more could one possibly demand?

If they truly provoked the demon and beast factions into a joint alliance, the human race simply wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.

Moreover, there was that damned Longlong to consider.

Since he had already issued direct threats, who knew what kind of chaos he might unleash in the future.