Chapter 253: Ultimate Ascension, the Eternal Power of Darkness

After some thought, Liu Yi nodded and said, “You’ve given me only one option that isn’t really a choice. Now, state your conditions.”
The King of Darkness’s gaze shifted, and he spoke in a low voice, “Very well. Since you think there’s no choice, that means you’ll agree.”
Liu Yi replied, “I want to keep living. There are still many things I haven’t done. If I don’t accept your conditions, will those things still be possible? Speak.” Liu Yi had made up his mind—no matter how difficult the conditions, he would fulfill them. Otherwise, his path would end, and everything would be in vain.
The King of Darkness thought for a moment, paused, and finally said, “In my life, I’ve only had one daughter. Her mother died when she was born, and I was never by her side. Her name is Lan Yu Chenxing. After all these years, she has finally grown up, learned that she has a father, and discovered my existence. She came to this Mirror World to search for me. Her life has never known happiness—no mother, no father’s love. So, in the days ahead, I really want to make amends.”
Hearing this, Liu Yi seemed to sense something. Didn’t the King of Darkness want to propose some conditions? Why did he suddenly talk about his own daughter? What did Lan Yu Chenxing have to do with these conditions? Anxiously, Liu Yi asked, “I don’t understand. What does your condition have to do with Lan Yu Chenxing?” He looked at the King of Darkness in confusion, waiting for an answer.
The King of Darkness continued, “As I said, I hope to make amends to her in the days ahead and bring her happiness. That’s why I propose this condition. What I mean is, after you complete your ascension and finish all your tasks, you must marry Lan Yu Chenxing as your wife and stay by her side forever. Do you understand?”
With a thunderous sensation, Liu Yi felt as if he had been struck by lightning. What kind of condition was this? His mind became chaotic. Marry Lan Yu Chenxing? How could that be? Such a condition was absolutely unacceptable. Liu Yi quickly shook his head and said, “No, it’s impossible. I already have someone I love and a wife. Everything I do is for her. If I were to marry another woman, what meaning would all this have?” As he spoke, he stared at the King of Darkness, but no matter how he spoke, he could never see any expression on the King’s face.

The cave gradually became quiet, without a single sound; even the air around was peaceful, devoid of any sense of movement. Finally, after a brief pause, the King of the Underworld broke the silence and said, “I think I need to introduce myself. I am the creator of the underworld. All my subjects call me King, and I am also the leader of our race. For thousands of years, I have never stopped moving forward. Like Pangu, I am a divine king with great power. So, I know your past, I know your present, and I will create the opportunities for your future. I hope you can give yourself a chance. If you give up, then I really have nothing more to say. Think about your past, Nie Ren…”

Every word spoken by the King of the Underworld struck Liu Yi’s heart deeply, especially those last two words—past… What was the past? What had he been doing all this time? What had he gained? What remained in his memories were only scars. Regarding the King’s conditions, Liu Yi remained indifferent. What should he do? If he refused his conditions, there would be only one path ahead for him. But what if he agreed? What would that mean? What purpose would anything he did serve? His wife would be Lan Yu Chenxing, not the woman he loved. What should he do?

At that moment, the King of the Underworld continued, “The chance I offer you will allow you to complete your final journey and finish everything without any regrets. But if you refuse this chance, you will carry regrets forever and become a sad demon. You should be able to see that this condition is easy to fulfill—it will only benefit you.”

Liu Yi nodded gently. Yes, the King of the Underworld was right. If he refused, he wouldn’t even be able to overcome the challenges ahead, let alone anything else. If he agreed, everything would become simpler. But… was this really the only option left?

Suddenly, Liu Yi remembered the question he had been asked at the ends of the earth: “If you had another chance to start over, would you still fall in love with the Heavenly Maiden?” For some reason, those words kept echoing in his ears. Could it be…? Liu Yi had firmly said he would never fall in love again, but that was because he loved her too much and didn’t want to hurt her. He knew that falling in love with her would also bring suffering to her. If he truly wanted her to be happy, the only way was not to love her.

Recalling those words, Liu Yi couldn’t help but sigh. Was this fate? If so, perhaps the moment he met the King of the Underworld marked the end of that love. All he could do was endure silently, love her silently, end her suffering, and help her return to the divine realm. If that phrase about having another chance referred to this outcome, then Liu Yi seemed to understand something. Perhaps it wasn’t that he gave up on the Heavenly Maiden, but rather that he loved her even more and didn’t want her to suffer. Only by staying away could she avoid pain.

At these words, the King of the Underworld continued, “I think… after going through so much, you must have some understanding of the demons in this world by now. I also know you have someone you love. But have you ever thought that you might need to give up this love? If you continue to love her like this, will there be any outcome? Will we have to repeat this seven-thousand-year tragedy?”
Hearing the King of the Underworld’s words, Liu Yi finally wavered. Yes, should he continue? Should he repeat this cycle of seven thousand years? Love—let it end here. Keep it in his heart, bury it deep, let it remain etched in his memory. Finally, Liu Yi raised his head and said, “I can agree to your conditions. But have you ever thought that I don’t really like Lan Yu Chenxing at all? If you ask me to stay by her side, it will only hurt her more. But if you think that’s fine, then I agree.” Liu Yi’s words were firm and decisive.
Suddenly, a laugh came from behind the King of the Underworld’s mask. Then, the laughter stopped, and he said, “What does it matter? She will be happy. And I believe Lan Yu Chenxing will also make you happy. If… it’s possible, then it’s not impossible for you to fall in love with her. Although this is a deal, you will understand many things.”
Hearing the King of the Underworld’s words, which seemed to carry some hidden meaning, Liu Yi couldn’t figure it out. He then said, “Alright, I agree to your conditions. Once I succeed in ascending in power and finish everything I need to do, I will marry Lan Yu Chenxing as my wife.”
The King of the Underworld nodded and said, “Can you think like this? Very good. Although I can’t see your true thoughts, I think you know the path you’re on. If you go back on your word, it won’t benefit anyone. I won’t make any contracts with you. I will judge you only by what my eyes see and my ears hear. I also know you’ll do as you say.”
Liu Yi replied, “You can trust me. Once I make a decision, I’ll carry it out. Do you have any other conditions?” He continued to ask about the King of the Underworld’s demands. In his eyes, ascending in power and reaching the Heart of Darkness should be an absolutely difficult task, so the King of the Underworld could use that as a standard and demand more conditions.
But the reality was the opposite. The King of the Underworld shook his head and said, “I have no more conditions. Remember your words. Lan Yu Chenxing will be your future wife. You must protect her, stay by her side, forever.”
The King of the Underworld’s words were like a curse, entering Liu Yi’s mind. From then on, he had to protect her, stay with her, forever. But hearing these words, the image that appeared in Liu Yi’s mind was that of the Heavenly Maiden. For some reason, at that moment, when accepting the King of the Underworld’s conditions, Liu Yi’s heart ached and bled. An unprecedented pain nearly suffocated him, but he knew this was his only choice, a choice he had no choice but to make. Otherwise, everything would be meaningless. He would disappear, and the Heavenly Maiden would also vanish after the end of the three lifetimes. Seven thousand years would all be wasted in this cycle.

Just as Liu Yi felt heartache, the King of the Underworld continued, “Well, I’ve finished stating my conditions. It’s time to let you know what reward you can expect.” With that, he swiftly drew a golden arc in front of him. As the light appeared, something strange happened. Liu Yi’s body emitted a pink glow. He thought to himself, It’s the River Flower. As his right hand stretched out quickly, the pink light condensed rapidly, and before he knew it, a pink flower appeared in his hand—precisely the cursed River Flower. Now, it also served as a curse, embedded within Liu Yi’s body. Whenever any of the nine types of tears approached, it would appear. The newly appeared River Flower surprised Liu Yi even more, as there were already three green leaves on its stem. How was that possible… Apart from his own tear, Liu Yi knew nothing about those two green leaves and which tears they represented. As he pondered, suddenly, two more green leaves slowly grew on the stem of the River Flower. The three leaves alone had already surprised Liu Yi, and now two more appeared suddenly, prompting him to look around. All he could see was the golden arc in front of the King of the Underworld. Watching those rapidly growing green leaves, Liu Yi blurted out, “What’s that?” The King of the Underworld glanced at the flower in front of Liu Yi and also blurted, “River Flower?” But then he quickly regained his composure and replied to Liu Yi, “This is something that can help us enhance our power. It will also be essential for you to become a true demon.” As the King of the Underworld finished speaking, the two sides of the arc began to flicker slowly—one side with a white light, soft and somewhat ethereal, the other with a aqua-blue light, clear and beautiful. As the golden arc gradually disappeared, the white and aqua-blue lights condensed. Finally, Liu Yi saw that what was floating in the air were actually two stones, two stones in a diamond shape. The King of the Underworld continued, “These blue stones possess special powers. If you possess them, you can triple your true energy. But the prerequisite is that you must be able to acquire them—that is, these stones must respond to your presence. They have a beautiful name—Tears of the Moon. Legend says they are the tears of the moon.” As soon as the King of the Underworld spoke, Liu Yi finally understood why the River Flower had bloomed here. It turned out that the true Tears of the Moon weren’t in the Rotation Peak but with the King of the Underworld. But… why did so many people learn of this at the same time? Could it be…? Thinking of this, Liu Yi asked, “Was all of this arranged by you? Including the fact that there are two divine stones in the Rotation Peak?” Hearing Liu Yi’s words, the King of the Underworld seemed surprised for a moment before nodding and saying, “Yes. I’ve been here for too long. I wanted to leave, so I needed a way to lure you here.”

Then, the King of the Underworld continued, “This white stone also possesses special powers. As long as you possess it, it can double the speed at which your true energy grows. It’s a great temptation, and it has a beautiful name—Tears of the Clouds. Legend has it that they are tears shed by white clouds. Although I don’t know why such special things exist, having them will allow me to surpass Pangu in a short time—it won’t be difficult. However, I’m not sure how long these two stones can meet my needs. Still, I intend to use them on you.”

Liu Yi slowly retracted the Border Flower. By now, it had five leaves. There was only one tear—Liu Yi knew it was his own. As for the other two, he had no idea. The last two seemed to be accidental. Unconsciously, Liu Yi suddenly realized that only four more tears were needed for the Border Flower. How fast! Now, he couldn’t stop any longer.

Looking at the King of the Underworld, he asked, “Are you really sure?”

The King of the Underworld nodded and said, “I trust you so much that I’m placing my daughter’s happiness in your hands. You must also trust me—how much I love my daughter. For her sake, I won’t let you suffer even the slightest harm. Your life will last for ten thousand years, your soul will be purified forever, and your power will rise to become the strongest among demons.”

Seeing the golden light in the King of the Underworld’s eyes, Liu Yi nodded and said, “Yes, I should trust you. Our deal will continue.”

The King of the Underworld nodded and continued, “Very good. Then let’s start now. I’m also eager to see the eternal power of the True Demon. I wonder what expression Pangu will have when he meets you in the near future.”

Liu Yi nodded, slowly stood up, and walked to the center of the hall. He said, “I will use all my true energy to break through the Heart of Slaughter. What you need to do is keep supplying me with true energy so that I have enough strength to break through the Heart of Slaughter and reach the ultimate power of the Heart of Darkness.”

The King of the Underworld nodded and said, “I will do that. But I must remind you that even if our power allows you to reach the Heart of Darkness, you will still suffer greatly, because a True Demon doesn’t need a body. The moment you gain power, it’s also the moment you give up your physical form.”

Liu Yi nodded and replied, “My pain has lasted for seven thousand years. This body is probably already covered in wounds. If this is a new beginning, then let all this pain disappear along with this body.” Without further thought, he began to gather his true energy, preparing to ascend to ultimate power.

As Liu Yi’s true energy gradually gathered, the Heart of Slaughter began to retaliate. As the aura of darkness condensed, the surrounding space slowly changed color. As strands of black aura were absorbed by Liu Yi, the surroundings grew darker, and their presence could only be seen through the light emanating from Liu Yi and the King of the Underworld.

At this moment, the King of Darkness also moved. Swinging his right hand, Moon Tear and Cloud Tear flew swiftly toward Liu Yi. They stopped just above his shoulders. As dark energy slowly entered Liu Yi’s body, the two stones began to spin rapidly, emitting aqua and white lights. In an instant, Liu Yi’s vital energy condensed quickly, expanding from one unit to three times its original size. It surged into the Water of Destruction, heading toward the circle formed by the Heart of Murder…

Liu Yi’s consciousness began to fade. As the Heart of Murder absorbed his vital energy, it sent new vital energy into his body’s major veins, eventually reaching his heart. With the help of the two divine stones, Liu Yi’s vital energy became endless, continuously pouring into the Heart of Murder. Although Liu Yi felt the Heart of Murder devouring him little by little, his infinite energy kept charging at it. As time passed, his consciousness gradually disappeared, his eyes turning blood red. The King of Darkness, who had been sitting there, finally stood up, a hint of confusion in his eyes…

In the darkness, the two divine stones around Liu Yi’s body spun rapidly. Any trace of energy condensed in the darkness was quickly drawn in around Liu Yi. Yet no matter how much energy gathered, it seemed still insufficient—unable to break through the Heart of Murder. This situation persisted for what felt like an eternity. The King of Darkness shook his head and said, “At this rate, it’s impossible to break through this level. It seems my help is needed.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, made rapid gestures, then shouted, “By the power of the King of Darkness, summon the Gate of Form and Meaning!” As the gestures ended, a black portal appeared before him. The King of Darkness stepped through the portal. Upon touching it, his body stopped, and a Golden King of Darkness, emitting a golden glow, rushed straight into Liu Yi’s body…