Deep Sea God Realm, the central main hall.
The air was as solemn as it was oppressive. Every pocket of air; every inch of space felt like they were frozen by some sort of invisible energy.
The Devil Queen, the Witches, Caizhi, Qianye, the Brahma Ancestors, Gu Zhu, the Yama Emperor, the Yama Devils, the Moon Eaters, Tian Muyi, Huo Tianxing, the higher and middle realm kings led by the Great Viper Sage himself…
Every key power in the Northern Divine Region besides Yun Che and the three Yama Ancestors was concentrated in this hall.
God Emperor Shitian, the Xuanyuan God Emperor, and the Purple Micro God Emperor were present as well, but they didn’t quite fit into the picture. The sheer density of darkness energy in the main hall caused the three of them to hold their breath for a very long time.
A long wait later, a series of heavy but evenly-paced footsteps appeared from outside. They went from faint to right outside the entrance in an instant.
Buzz—
The three god emperors felt as if something had exploded right next to their ears and souls. The next moment, the solemn atmosphere crumbled, and all the dark practitioners in the chamber dropped to one knee and said in a tone that reminded the god emperors of worshippers meeting their God in the flesh:
“Your Magnificence!”
Shitian, Xuanyuan, and Purple Micro were a bit slow on the uptake, but they too dropped to their knees a fraction of a second later.
The scene was so abrupt and grandiose that even Caizhi had almost jumped to her feet. She subconsciously moved her right foot forward to emulate the people around her until she saw that Qianye Ying’er was kneeling, but Chi Wuyao hadn’t moved an inch from her seat. She immediately lifted her face, put on a cold and proud act, and even shot a disdainful look at Qianye Ying’er.
The sound of Yun Che’s footsteps rippled the soul as the Devil Master made his way toward his seat. Behind him, the three Yama Ancestors followed as silently as ghosts. As the three most terrifying existences in the Northern Divine Region, their foremost duty was to protect Yun Che. Chi Wuyao would never use them for anything else unless she had no other choice.
The central main hall was incredibly huge, and Yun Che’s gait was neither too slow nor too fast. Still, it took him a long time to reach his throne, and the northern region profound practitioners had absolutely no problems with that. Not a single one of them had moved their heads or even their gazes an inch throughout the whole thing.
Cang Shitian, the Xuanyuan God Emperor, and the Purple Micro God Emperor had been bowed and knelt to their whole lives. However, the simple scene before them still stunned them beyond words.
It was because no one in this chamber was an insignificant person in their own right. Even the lowest ranking profound practitioner was a middle-rank realm king.
Forget the Southern Divine Region, even the Dragon God Realm—which holds absolute power in the Western Divine Region—didn’t get to enjoy this level of privilege. The god emperors of the five realms certainly didn’t need to drop to their knees when they met the Dragon Monarch, the strongest being in the entire world right now.
The Southern Sea Realm and the Brahma Monarch Realm were the leaders of their respective divine regions, but they were nowhere near powerful enough to command the other king realms by force. Just the same, the Dragon Monarch commanded the power to mobilize the five king realms and the star realms beneath them… But he could never command this level of obedience.
These people looked like they would die for Yun Che right now if that was his wish.
Their surprise diminished a little when they recalled that the million-year-long tragedy of the Northern Divine Region, but not their shock. In fact, it only grew stronger over time.
It was because there wasn’t a divine region in the entire Primal Chaos that commanded this level of faith, loyalty, and unity.
There were countless ways the Northern Divine Region could attempt to weaken the faith of their enemies, but the opposite was not so. The three Divine Regions could put in ten times the effort to cause a fracture among the people of the Northern Divine Region, but it would barely have any effect at all.
Of all the qualities the Northern Divine Region possessed, this might be the deadliest of them all.
Finally, Yun Che reached the throne and took his seat. He said, “Rise,” and only then did the realm kings and god emperors rise back to their feet while still maintaining a respectful appearance and waited to receive his orders.
“I have summoned everyone here today to make an important announcement. This announcement is directly tied to the final fate of the Northern Divine Region, you and your future generations.”
His opening words alone caused everyone’s hearts to become suspended in their throats. Chi Wuyao and Qianye Ying’er frowned a little, and the three southern region god emperors held their breaths as if missing a single word would cost them their lives.
However, Yun Che suddenly glanced at the trio and asked, “Why are you here, Xuanyuan, Purple Micro.”
It was difficult to discern any emotion behind his voice.
Xuanyuan God Emperor and Purple Micro God Emperor’s felt their heart rates quicken. They both took a step forward and replied,
“Your Magnificence, I… we came to pay the Devil Queen a formal visit when we heard of her return. After you declared that you were about to announce something, we came in case we are needed.”
“Your Magnificence, the civil war in the Purple Micro Realm has been quelled. We are ready to carry out anything you need of us.”
Neither god emperor was lying. The Devil Queen’s trouncing of the Crimson Destruction Dragon God had shocked far more than just the Western Divine Region. All across the world, the people’s fear toward the Northern Divine Region swelled as much as the lost faith in the Dragon God Realm. As a result, the civil war in both the Xuanyuan Realm and the Purple Micro Realm ended sooner than expected.
This was why both the Xuanyuan God Emperor and the Purple Micro God Emperor had rushed over to meet her. The likelihood that the devil race would rule the God Realm was growing every day, so it became necessary for them to show their faces to the Devil Queen and pay their respects as soon as possible.
“Get out,” said Yun Che while the temperature in his eyes abruptly dropped a couple of degrees. He didn’t deign to give them any explanation.
The Xuanyuan God Emperor and the Purple Micro God Emperor felt a chill in their hearts, but they feigned calmness and replied quickly, “As you wish! We will withdraw right away. Please forgive us for our rudeness.”
Cang Shitian hurriedly stepped out as well. “The three of us shall wait outside the hall. Please call upon us if you need anything, Your Magnificence.”
“You may stay,” said Yun Che while shooting Cang Shitian a glance.
The god emperor abruptly raised his head, responded affirmatively to the command, and retreated to his position. His mask of shock and joy was impeccable.
While the Xuanyuan God Emperor and the Purple Micro God Emperor withdrew in shame, they actually shot Cang Shitian a look of twisted jealousy.
Cang Shitian was the first person to throw in his lot with Yun Che, bend his knee, and swear his undying loyalty. For the first time ever, the two god emperors learned a law of survival that was completely unfamiliar to their kind:
The early traitor gets the right to be a dog!
After silence had returned to the central hall, Yun Che slowly rose to his feet and swept his gaze across the crowd.
“It has only been months since we stepped out of the Northern Divine Region, but we’ve already spread our darkness to two divine regions that have bullied us for a million years.”
“Your eyes, ears, and hands haven’t deceived you. The divine regions may seem prosperous on the surface, but they are really a sheet of loose sand that can be scattered by a gust of wind. The so-called righteous profound practitioners you once feared are corrupted, foolish, ungrateful, and cowardly. Their knees are soft, their souls are filthy, and even their blood stinks of rot!”
His undying hatred for the three divine regions was bared for all to see in just a couple of sentences.
“They are the lowly ones compared to us! A million years of rule, and they couldn’t even withstand a couple of months of erosion!”
“The endless oppression, the despair, the deaths… it is time to give it all back. The world is destined to be engulfed in darkness, and we are now just one step away from that day.”
Yun Che turned his head toward the west before continuing, “The Eastern Divine Region is in shambles, and the Southern Divine Region is in chaos. Once the Dragon God Realm of the Western Divine Region is destroyed, there won’t be any power left in this world that can stand in our way.”
“And this final step… is right in front of us.”
He paused for a second before dropping the bombshell.
“Starting today, we will spend fifteen days to mobilize every power and resource there is to possess! Fifteen days from now, we will attack the Dragon God Realm!”
Everyone from the highest to the lowest raised their heads in shock. Their eyes were trembling, their blood was boiling, and their dark auras rippled with near uncontrollable excitement.
Caizhi furrowed her thin eyebrows and watched Yun Che for a moment. When she turned to Chi Wuyao, she was surprised to see that the Devil Queen wasn’t showing any surprise at all.
“I knew it…” Qianye Ying’er whispered to herself.
From the moment Yun Che said that he was going to announce something important, both Qianye Ying’er and Chi Wuyao guessed that he was talking about this. Of all the things he might consider “important”, this was probably the most important of them all.
Excitement, anxiety, and confusion replaced the solemn air that was present in the chamber until now.
Everyone knew that the day they warred against the Dragon God Realm was near, but this was still much sooner than anyone had expected.
It was so soon that the devil people were more shocked than they were excited… and with shock came puzzlement and uncertainty.
Yun Che looked at his retainers and asked, “Is there anyone who has something to say?”
Yan Tianxiao obliged and stepped out into the open. “Your Magnificence, it is your guidance that led us all to this point, so I am sure that you’ve thought carefully before coming to this decision. However, I am a shallow man, and I cannot see as far as you do. In my opinion, the unrest in the Southern Divine Region is nowhere as quelled as it was in the Eastern Divine Region. They are intimidated, but the fire has not been beaten out of them.”
“Moreover, our people have just finished relocating from the Eastern Divine Region to the Southern Divine Region. They are completely unfamiliar with their environment, and they will need a moment to collect themselves. With that in mind, is it not a bit… hasty to invade the Dragon God Realm now?”
Yan Tianxiao’s question was exactly what most people in the chamber were worried about. On the surface the god emperor seemed like he was questioning Yun Che’s decision, but in reality he was prefacing Yun Che’s eventual reply.
Instead of replying immediately, Yun Che looked at the profound practitioners of the Burning Moon Realm and asked, “Do you have anything to say, Daoqi?”
Fen Daoqi stepped out as commanded, considered his words and said, “Daoqi would like to listen to the Devil Queen’s opinion first before giving my answer, Your Magnificence.”
Everyone looked at Chi Wuyao only to look away half a breath later. In Yun Che’s announcement was the bombshell, then Chi Wuyao’s presence was the spark that nearly caused their emotions to spiral out of control.
Of all the people in the entire Northern Divine Region, Yun Che was the only person who had the gall and power to look Chi Wuyao in the eye.
The Devil Queen smiled a bit before starting, “The Yama Emperor’s worry is well-placed.”
“No one here is privy to the Dragon God Realm’s full strength, but we know enough to know that it will be a grueling battle. Moreover, our Devil Master has no intentions of dragging out this war. He wishes to invest everything we have into this war and decide a victor as soon as possible. Knowing how high the stakes are, it makes perfect sense to proceed with the utmost caution and preparation.”
That was correct. The very first thing Yun Che said was that the announcement was tied to the final fate of the Northern Divine Region, them and their future generations.
Just as Chi Wuyao had stated earlier, Yun Che had no intention of fighting the Dragon God Realm the proper way. It was all-out and do-or-die from the very beginning!
Cang Shitian was thankful that his head was bowed, because he couldn’t control the trembling coursing through his face or his hands right now. He was both shocked by the depth of Yun Che’s madness, and the bitterness of this upcoming war.
“What counts as the utmost caution and preparation though?”
Chi Wuyao’s tone abruptly changed and became laced with devilish power. “Your will to fight for yourselves, your people, and your future generations is your utmost caution! The darkness energy you conjure by boiling your very blood is your utmost preparation!”
“If this war comes as a surprise to us, then it can only be worse for the Dragon God Realm!”
“To the world, our relocation to the south is to avoid the vengeance of the Dragon God Realm; a display of weakness. This means that the Dragon God Realm will never expect us to launch an all-out assault on them before we have even solidified our footing in the Southern Divine Region! This element of surprise will be the first blade of darkness to pierce the Dragon God Realm!”
“As for how effective this blade of darkness will be, that will depend on how much courage and determination you are able to muster when we face down the Dragon God Realm!”
The shock and confusion in the northern region profound practitioners’ eyes swiftly turned into red hot passion. Their darkness profound energy boiled like black flames before they realized it.
Sufficient caution? Perfect preparation?
They had won so many battles in a row that they nearly forgot the oath they made to themselves when they stepped out of the Northern Divine Region… the promise that they would burn their lives and souls to overturn the fate of the Northern Divine Region and to return true freedom to darkness, no matter the cost.
To that end, they would overcome any obstacle or hardships! They must succeed no matter how insurmountable the odds!
