Volume One: The Chaos of Yan and Yun - Chapter 112: The Endgame (Part 3)

The bell continued to toll, yet the Emperor of the Underworld had lost his initial composure. The Underworld Bell and the Underworld Cauldron remained in his possession; even facing two Divine Emperors, he did not find himself at a disadvantage.

What truly troubled him was this unexpected turn of events. Li Ye’s appearance was not part of the plan laid out by that person. Could this variable lead to further complications, or even a total collapse of the entire scheme? It was no wonder the Underworld Emperor felt this way; up until now, every step had unfolded exactly as Yang Wanli had predicted. An abrupt change was deeply unsettling.

The Underworld Emperor frowned, disliking this feeling, which he considered quite base. He had witnessed three generations of Divine Emperors from the Dugu clan: Dugu Changsi’s ruthlessness, Dugu Feiyun’s brilliance, and Dugu Xiu’s composure. Beyond these, they possessed many other qualities, but timidity was certainly not one of them.

Reflecting on the comparison between the current combat strength of the Underworld and that of Wuyang City, the Underworld Emperor felt slightly more at ease. Regardless of everything else, the strength on paper remained in his favor; simply counting the experts at the Harmony Realm, they held an overwhelming advantage.

Though his heart was in turmoil, his expression remained calm. He kept his hands behind his back, continuing to manipulate the Underworld Bell to pressure the Divine Emperor while simultaneously ordering the High Priest and the Grand Elder to lead the army in a breakout. As Yang Wanli had stated, the Underworld had been trapped for too long—so long that once he caught a glimpse of a chance for survival, he could not help but stake everything on it. If this chance were missed, who could say when the next would arrive?

"Although the rumors are greatly exaggerated, the fact that my Imperial Grandfather drove back the Demon Lord remains indisputable," the Divine Emperor suddenly said.

The Underworld Emperor narrowed his eyes. "But there is only one Dugu Feiyun. And as for the truth of that battle, even if it could be hidden from the world, how could it be hidden from me?"

When the Demon Lord marched south, Dugu Feiyun, having just entered the Divine Concealment Realm, had fought him for a month, fueled by the power of the Dragon Ascension Array and Empress Wu’s Red Dust Intent. Both were left severely wounded, and the enemy was ultimately forced to retreat. Through the retelling of later generations, it somehow morphed into a tale of Dugu Feiyun fighting the Demon Lord alone upon first entering the Harmony Realm. Based on this battle, Dugu Feiyun was elevated to the greatest of all time. "Heavenly Underworld" also gained a secondary meaning from this battle—the greatest martial art under heaven.

However, these claims were not entirely true. Because Yang Wanli and the Underworld Emperor had never mentioned "Heavenly Underworld" when setting their trap, the Underworld Emperor harbored a misunderstanding. He mistakenly believed "Heavenly Underworld" was not worth mentioning. But "Heavenly Underworld"... was indeed the greatest martial art under heaven.

When the Divine Emperor’s soul transformed into specks of starlight and merged entirely into Li Ye, the Underworld Emperor was stunned. In his perception, Li Ye’s strength had leaped from the Unity Realm straight into Divine Concealment. Yet, this posed no threat to him; even without this, the Divine Emperor himself was at the Divine Concealment level. Now, however, Li Ye’s strength was roughly equivalent to his own.

"Is this your trump card? If so, I shall be very disappointed," the Underworld Emperor quickly recovered from his initial shock and chuckled softly.

Naturally, the battle of the Harmony Realm never ceased. By now, the dark green pillar of light had nearly solidified; those outside could perceive nothing of what was happening within.

The owner of the South Gate Donkey Meat Restaurant sat before the palace, taking intermittent puffs of a long pipe, his expression flickering as he stared at the sky.

Inside the imperial palace, the bird known as "Heaven-Covering" finally stopped lying down. It stood up, paced back and forth in its cage, and took a few short flights before quickly landing on the ground again. It looked up at the hole above the Zixiao Palace, thinking that if it truly feigned death, even if it could attain the Way later, it would be killed by Dugu Feiyun. After a long moment, it seemed to reach a decision and let out a clear, sharp cry toward the sky. Even amidst the thunderous tolling of the bell, this cry was clearly audible.

The entire city of Wuyang heard the cry of Heaven-Covering, including the roof beasts on the imperial city. And so, the sky became invisible. The roof beasts, which should have been made of wood and stone, shook off their red lacquer and transformed into various divine beasts, flying into the firmament. The dragon aura reappeared, instantly surging like a great river, and with lightning speed, it rushed into Li Ye’s body.

Wuyang City was the imperial capital of two dynasties. How many years of history did the Great Tang and the Divine Dynasty share in total? How much Imperial Dragon Aura had accumulated over such a long span of time?

The Underworld Emperor did not know the exact figure, but he could clearly perceive that the combat strength of the person before him was now completely different from before. Perhaps it was no different from Dugu Feiyun on the verge of ascension.

"Has he reached the Heaven-Reaching Realm?" The Underworld Emperor’s pupils dilated, and he shouted, "Li Ye! Are you courting death?"

No one could ascend directly to the Heaven-Reaching Realm from the Unity Realm. Even if Li Ye had reached that level by gathering all the dragon aura through "Heavenly Underworld," he would surely die once this period passed. Was the human race... truly this foolish?

Emperor Zhaozong, Li Ye, remained expressionless. He extended a hand and made a distant grasping motion toward the Underworld Emperor. The Underworld Emperor’s expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly mobilized the Underworld Bell to block before him. The Underworld Bell let out a massive groan, and five distinct finger marks appeared on its surface for no reason.

Li Ye swung his palm again, striking the Underworld Bell. The bell was sent flying in an instant. Then, Li Ye appeared before the Underworld Emperor and thrust a sword toward his throat. The sword was named "Heaven’s Extremity," the only remaining Supreme Artifact of the Extreme Way after the fall of the Great Tang. In terms of grade, it was equivalent to Xue Yun’s Immortal-grade flying sword or Tai Xuan’s Pure Origin Treasure.

The Underworld Emperor stared at Li Ye in disbelief. He had many words to say, but could not utter a single syllable. If he could, he would surely ask, "How are you able to be this fast?"

Li Ye did not answer him. Having reached the Heaven-Reaching Realm, his life could now be measured in breaths. Since only a few breaths remained, he naturally had to accomplish as much as possible.

Several members of the Elder Council stepped in front of their Chief, taking Li Ye’s sword strike in his stead. With one stroke, the heads of three elders were severed. Several Underworld priests blocked the path of the High Priest, taking Li Ye’s punch in his stead. With one strike, two priests dissolved into blood mist.

Having finally caught a glimpse of the scenery of the Heaven-Reaching Realm, Li Ye naturally wanted to do more. The Underworld had thirteen Harmony Realm experts in the Upper Realm, and he had only killed half; how could he be content? But he had no choice; the chaotic elemental energy and Imperial Dragon Aura within his body had spiraled out of control. Thus, he could only watch helplessly as the remaining Underworld experts retreated back to the Underworld.

That day, the most brilliant fireworks in the history of the human race bloomed over Wuyang. The scope was even larger than the territory of Wuyang City, clearly visible even from the far north.

...

Inside the Eternal Night Palace, the Demon Lord watched the fireworks blooming in the south and clicked his tongue in wonder. "The human race... they really are ignorant. With such a realm, had they waited until the day I marched south, they might have held me back for a few breaths."

The Prime Minister of the Demon Race stood beside him and said, "Using external force to forcibly reach such a realm, how could it compare even one-ten-thousandth to Your Majesty’s divine might?"

The Demon Lord ignored the Prime Minister's words and continued, "Are those old fogies in the Elder Council still making trouble?"

The Prime Minister replied, "The aura of Yama that appeared in Yanbei not long ago was too potent; it could not be hidden from their eyes."

The Demon Lord waved his hand dismissively. "And then?"

The Prime Minister said, "They believe the gates of the Underworld should be reopened. With Your Majesty’s strength, few among the Ten Kings of Yama could be your match; perhaps you could obtain the leniency of the Underworld Lord."

The Demon Lord remained silent.

The Prime Minister said, "In my humble opinion, it would be better to kill them."

The Demon Lord glanced at him and chuckled softly. "Though you are a civil official, your desire to kill is no less than mine."

The Prime Minister spoke humbly, "It is my honor to be similar to Your Majesty in some respects. However, I have no desire to kill; I am merely thinking of a solution for Your Majesty."

The Demon Lord fell silent again. This time, the Prime Minister did not speak. After a long while, the Demon Lord sighed and said, "Our race has been on this continent for nearly ten thousand years. Having been led by myself and the previous Emperor, I thought we were as solid as iron. I never expected there would still be hidden dangers."

He paused, his tone growing cold. "Since those people in the Elder Council do not wish to enjoy the current prosperity, then let us abolish the Elder Council!"

The Prime Minister’s body trembled, but he accepted the order and withdrew. He had thought that this matter only required holding the Chief of the Elder Council responsible and exterminating his clan to resolve it. He never expected His Majesty to be so decisive, ordering the execution of the six Harmony Realm experts of the Elder Council without a second thought, ignoring the factions they represented or their past achievements.

However, those people in the Elder Council truly deserved to die. Was it not better to be one's own master? Why must they return to the Underworld and serve as slaves to the Underworld Lord? Spineless fools!

...

Yuan Tiangang had died of exhaustion just before the fireworks bloomed, leaving the people of Yuan Village to weep even more bitterly. The Chief of the Discipline Hall, his hair and beard entirely white, sat with palms pressed together and eyes closed, emitting a faint glow; he had already attained Nirvana.

At this moment, of all the passengers on that Great Tang ship, only Li Jinxing remained. He had long since risen, looking toward Wuyang in silence. Dou Xiaotong stood beside him, marveling at the fireworks filling the sky. "By the way, the Emperor set this trap with me for another reason."

Li Jinxing said, "You want me to give up?"

Dou Xiaotong said, "This battle can at least ensure the safety of Daoyuan for a thousand years. The southward march of the Demon Race is our primary concern now."

Li Jinxing shook his head and said, "I once said I would take you to see the Cloud Tomb?"

Dou Xiaotong said, "That matter is not urgent. Accompany me to stop the situation in Yanbei first."

Li Jinxing said earnestly, "Only the Cloud Tomb can be called urgent."

Dou Xiaotong frowned.

Li Jinxing said, "The King and Queen of Yanbei must die. There is no need to discuss this further."

Dou Xiaotong narrowed his eyes. "What exactly are you worried about?"

Li Jinxing remained silent for several seconds before sighing. "I worry that our greatest enemy is not just the Underworld."

Dou Xiaotong was slightly shocked.

Li Jinxing said, "It is precisely because of this concern that I invited you to visit the Cloud Tomb."

Dou Xiaotong asked, "What secrets are buried in the Cloud Tomb?"

Li Jinxing said earnestly, "Everything."

Dou Xiaotong nodded, signaling for him to continue.

Li Jinxing sighed, "I can only say that it hides the truth of the entire continent—including the Demon Race, why they frequently march south, the Underworld, and the true strength of the Underworld."

Dou Xiaotong said, "But not the Second Young Master of the Feng family, right?"

Li Jinxing did not speak.

Dou Xiaotong asked, "I have always been puzzled. Given your character, why haven't you killed him yet?"