Chapter 258: The Emperor’s Words — Desire Devours the Human World

What’s meant to happen will happen; all one can do is face it. As Liu Yi stepped into that vast hall, the splendid surroundings were no longer empty. The supreme King of the Underworld sat on his throne, with six monarchs seated on either side. Liu Yi’s arrival brought silence to the hall.

The first thing Liu Yi saw was the blue figure sitting at the front—that familiar face, and beside her, the selfish Lan Ren. Thinking of the talented person who died at her hands, Liu Yi’s blood boiled with anger. One day, she would pay a far more painful price. Next to Lan Ren sat Su Shao, whose gaze never left her. Liu Yi felt even more pity for this helpless man; his path seemed even harder than hers. With the emergence of the Nine Nether Demon God, his future was already dark.

Next was the Flame Emperor. He was naturally surprised to see Liu Yi. In the Sixth Peak’s trials, this mysterious person had fought against him, and the opponent’s powerful true energy nearly caused him to lose. Later, that strange cloud had carried him away. He never expected to see her here in the King of the Underworld’s palace on the day of his return.

The Thunder Emperor sitting across from him, however, watched the surroundings expressionlessly before smiling at Liu Yi. Liu Yi seemed to know this man a bit. Among these monarchs, he was the only one who acted independently, never letting any interests or relationships influence his decisions, thus maintaining absolute independence in their relationship.

As Liu Yi entered the hall, the King of the Underworld slowly stood up. A deep laugh came from behind his mask, followed by his words, “It seems everyone has arrived early. Before the banquet, let’s sit down first.”

Liu Yi glanced around before walking over to the Thunder Emperor. Yu Chenxing also grabbed the Thunder Emperor’s arm and said with a smile, “Brother Thunder Emperor, I’ll drink with you today.” Then she laughed foolishly. Looking at Yu Chenxing’s silly smile and then at Liu Yi’s calm face, the Thunder Emperor couldn’t see anything attractive about the person across from him—at least not yet.

Soon, as a few warriors entered, sumptuous dishes and drinks appeared on each person’s table. To drink with everyone, the King of the Underworld gently lifted his mask, revealing his mouth. This didn’t draw anyone else’s attention, but Liu Yi’s gaze lingered on it for a moment.

The King of the Underworld’s exposed skin was smooth and delicate. Judging by his appearance, he was likely between twenty and thirty years old. Having undergone thousands of years of cultivation, his level of mastery was undoubtedly high.

The first to speak was Lan Ren. She slowly stood up, picked up her wine cup, and said, “Congratulations on your return, King of the Underworld. Lan Ren offers this drink to cleanse you of dust.” With that, she downed the wine in the golden cup in one gulp.

The King of the Underworld nodded with a smile, picked up the glass on the table, but kept his gaze on Liu Yi. He continued, “I was able to return to the Palace of the King of the Underworld this time thanks to the rescue of the Demon Lord. This first drink should be offered by me to cleanse the Demon Lord.” With that, he stood up. Seeing this, Liu Yi also picked up his glass and said with a smile, “The King of the Underworld is too kind. I was able to come out thanks to you as well. After all, it’s my turn to toast to you.” Without further ado, he drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

The King of the Underworld nodded again with a smile and drank the wine in his glass in large gulps before slowly sitting back down. At that moment, the gazes of the other rulers turned toward Liu Yi, including Lan Ying, Lan Ren, and Su Shao who had always been by Lan Ren’s side. The most unsettling was Lan Ren’s gaze, as if he wanted to kill Liu Yi right away.

Liu Yi naturally sensed Lan Ren’s displeasure but did not react. He simply smiled slightly. He knew very well that now was not the time to act. But that hateful woman would die in his hands sooner or later. No matter how noble her reasons were, whether it was for his brother or for anything else, she should not have killed that talented person who already had little left in life. And that wretched woman had killed her in the name of family. There was a hint of unnoticed coldness in Liu Yi’s smile.

At that moment, it wasn’t Liu Yi who couldn’t hold back anymore, but Yu Chenxing. Seeing the gaze Lan Ren was throwing at him, Yu Chenxing snapped, “What are you staring at? Do you have big eyes? Do you want me to dig them out and replace them with bigger ones?” His words were cold and emotionless, as if they weren’t jokes but truths.

The King of the Underworld had just put down his glass when he was surprised to hear his daughter say such things. He then turned his gaze toward Lan Ren. Sure enough, Lan Ren’s eyes were fixed intently on Liu Yi. The King of the Underworld knew Lan Ying and Lan Ren well. Although he had been trapped in the Mirror World for so long, he could still communicate with Lan Ying through special mirrors. As for Lan Ren, he probably wanted to get rid of Liu Yi to protect his brother and Jili’s life.

The King of the Underworld said nothing. In his eyes, whatever Yu Chenxing did was right. Although he admired Lan Ying, Lan Ying and Lan Ren were not the same person. So, Lan Ren didn’t leave a good impression on him. Lan Ying, who lived in this clan, naturally understood the temper of those around her. She gently patted Lan Ren beside her and said to Yu Chenxing, “Little Sister Xing has such a bad temper. My sister just hasn’t seen this old acquaintance for a long time, so she’s looking at him more closely. You can’t just dig out my sister’s eyes because of that.” There was no fear in her voice, only a hint of doubt.

As Blue Shadow finished speaking, a glimmer of golden light flashed in the Dark King’s eyes—just for a moment before disappearing unnoticed. No one else noticed, but Blue Shadow’s words had caught his attention. In the past, he had been a very obedient child; even if his sister was right, if it conflicted with his own interests, he would find a way to make amends. But now, it seemed he had changed completely. Though he appeared respectful on the surface, this incident gave rise to an indescribable… bad feeling.

Yu Chenxing was no ordinary person either. In terms of cultivation, she might be superior to all six rulers here. But when it came to arguing, even all of them combined might not be her match. Glancing at Blue Blade’s angry expression and then at Blue Shadow, Yu Chenxing suddenly smiled and said, “That look at an old acquaintance seems quite murderous. I think Sister Blue Blade had better get new eyes—otherwise, if she accidentally sees a villain one day, she might get killed.”

Blue Blade stood up angrily and snapped, “Shut up! Whether I change my eyes or not is none of your business. I just find it uncomfortable looking at him—what’s wrong with that?”

Yu Chenxing also stood up angrily and said, “Uncomfortable? You still want to look? Do you think others find it comfortable looking at you? With that attitude of yours, no one will want you in their life. Stay put by your brother instead.” Her words were full of sarcasm, turning Blue Blade’s face red with anger.

The other rulers nearby seemed unwilling to intervene, merely watching the two of them interact. The most peculiar was the Dark King, who was deep in thought. After a while, he nodded slightly. After so many years, many people change. Perhaps his reappearance had disturbed many—either their temper had diminished or theirs had grown.

Just as Yu Chenxing finished speaking, a gray light flashed, and a necromorph shot out from beside Blue Blade in an instant. In the blink of an eye, it appeared in front of Yu Chenxing. Its speed and strength were impressive, but in the eyes of these rulers and the Dark King, it wasn’t really fast.

Three feet away from Yu Chenxing, a swirling vortex of black energy formed around the necromorph. At the same time, the necromorph let out a mournful cry before being sucked into Liu Yi’s right hand. At that moment, Liu Yi’s right hand turned completely black, resembling a shadow with no substance, like a black handprint. No matter how hard the necromorph struggled in his hand, it showed no signs of escaping.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden event. Naturally, they saw that the one who sent out the necromorph was the youth beside Blue Blade. But such a creature belonged to the Asura Realm—how could it appear here? Could this youth be from the Asura Realm? Moreover, only those at the leader level or above could control necromorphs, making the youth’s identity even more mysterious.

What was even more astonishing was Liu Yi’s hand. With their years of experience, these rulers knew that necromorphs were formless and intangible, and only special techniques could subdue them. Yet Liu Yi caught the necromorph with just one hand, as if grabbing a cloud floating in the air. Indeed, his black hand had seized the struggling necromorph.

Su Shao summoned a necromorph merely to please Lan Ren, intending to teach a lesson to the person before him. Full of bravado, unaware of Yu Chenxing’s identity, he acted solely for the sake of a beautiful woman’s smile. Yet he never expected Liu Yi to use such a move. As Liu Yi smiled slightly, the black hand tightened gently, and a purplish-red glow appeared around it. With a “zhra” sound, along with a wisp of smoke, the transparent necromorph in Liu Yi’s hand vanished without a trace.

Liu Yi then said to Yu Chenxing beside him, “If she wants to watch, let her. I’ll make sure she gets to see it all. Why are you in such a hurry? She can’t eat me anyway.” With a smile, he took a sip of wine.

Yu Chenxing finally realized what was happening. Though she knew she wouldn’t be in danger here, she hadn’t expected the other party to act so boldly, ignoring her status completely. Liu Yi had miraculously sucked in what the other party had thrown at him and melted it away. Hearing Liu Yi speak so casually, she made a face and slowly sat down.

Su Shao across from him was also very surprised. That necromorph shouldn’t have been captured. Compared to tangible weapons or sword energy, this intangible and formless necromorph was even more deadly. Yet Liu Yi had easily sucked it in and melted it away. It seemed that after two months apart, his cultivation had advanced greatly. However, from that single exchange, it was hard to tell just how much stronger he had become.

At that moment, Lan Ying finally spoke, but instead of criticizing Su Shao, he said to his sister, “How can you be so thoughtless? If your eyes aren’t good-looking, of course you need to replace them. But naturally, you need to find nice eyes to replace them with, right, sister?” As he spoke, his gaze slowly shifted toward Yu Chenxing, causing her to tremble inside.

Just after Lan Ren sat down, Lei Jun beside Yu Chenxing put down his wine glass and said to Lan Ying, “The Emperor is right. But sometimes, one must also be mindful of one’s own status. Speaking to Sister Xing like this is disrespectful.”

Hearing Lei Jun’s threat, Lan Ying suddenly smiled, then turned to look at the King of the Underworld, picked up his wine glass, and said, “King, I only have one sister. Her temper has been spoiled by me. If there’s anything wrong, please forgive her. Let this glass of wine be Lan Ying’s apology for her sister’s behavior just now.”

The King of the Underworld’s eyes held no emotion as he smiled and said, “The Emperor is too kind. I also only have one daughter. Although her temper is already terrible now, I really want to learn from the Emperor and keep spoiling it!” With that, he drank the wine in his glass in one gulp. Though the King of the Underworld didn’t make it explicit, everyone understood his meaning.

Lan Ying didn’t say much more. With a slight smile, he finished the wine in his glass, then sat down, his gaze falling on Liu Yi. Although Su Shao’s attack was just an ordinary one, seeing Liu Yi dissolve it so easily showed that this person was no longer comparable to before. What was even more terrifying was his smile. Facing himself, facing Lan Ren, his true thoughts showed no trace on his face—only his smile made people uneasy.

Peace returned to the hall. Then, the King of the Underworld turned his attention to Su Shao and asked Lan Ying, “Who is he?”
Lan Ying glanced at Su Shao and smiled faintly, “He’s a friend of my sister.” It was a simple answer; Lan Ying didn’t provide much further explanation.
The King of the Underworld nodded, quickly shifting his gaze away from Su Shao without pressing further. In his view, there seemed to be many things wrong with this banquet today. Among these rulers, aside from the Thunder Lord, no one spoke in defense of Yu Chenxing. Even if what Yu Chenxing had done was unreasonable, these people should have said something out of respect for him. Yet now, no one spoke at all. This strange situation left a question mark in the King of the Underworld’s mind.
The King of the Underworld took another sip of wine and asked the Flame Lord, “Has nothing special happened in the Underworld during this time?” Originally, the Underworld was governed by Lord Lan Ying, but he left ten years ago. Thus, the Underworld has been led by the Flame Lord ever since.
Upon hearing this, the Flame Lord nodded and said, “Fortunately, everything in the Underworld has remained normal during the time the King of the Underworld was away.”
Just then, Lan Ying spoke up again, “King, I’ve had a question I’ve wanted to ask for a long time. I was afraid I wouldn’t get your approval. But now that you’ve returned to the Palace of the King of the Underworld, I can finally bring this question to you.”
Hearing Lan Ying suddenly interject, the King of the Underworld nodded curiously and asked, “A question?”
Lan Ying slowly stood up and walked to the center of the hall. His dark blue clothes gave him an ordinary appearance, but the desire and ambition in his eyes were unmatched by anyone else. As he stepped forward, Lan Ying said, “King, don’t you think our world should be elevated again? Look at the Underworld now, and then look at the Human World—its landscapes, its people’s lives. We could easily merge the Human World with the Underworld. Ten years have passed, and the Human World no longer has any force to resist. My question is: should we send troops to the Human World?” Finally, Lan Ying brought up the core of the issue.
Liu Yi had never known the true strength of the Underworld, but now, hearing Lan Ying’s words, if the Underworld sent troops to the Human World, the Human World’s current strength would be utterly insufficient to resist. Those ordinary people in power would never have a chance of winning, and the major sects had been completely destroyed in the last scheme by the Nine Nether Demons. It seemed that if the Underworld sent troops, there would be no possibility of failure.
Hearing Lan Ying’s words, the King of the Underworld was momentarily stunned and asked, “Is that the question? Then what do you think we should do?” The King of the Underworld didn’t answer Lan Ying’s question directly, keeping his own views to himself. Instead, he wanted to know Lan Ying’s plans.

Blue Shadow’s steps remained light as he smiled and said, “The human world is divided into three realms and six paths. Among them, the Divine Realm has always maintained a detached stance as an outsider. What about our Nether Realm? After all these years, take a look at where we live, and then compare it with human life. My plan is simple: send troops to merge the human realm with the Nether Realm. Such a power structure cannot survive. Then, in this entire space, there will only be our Nether Realm and the Divine Realm. By then, even Pangu won’t have the right to interfere with us.”

Blue Shadow spoke of his plans effortlessly, clearly revealing his desires and ambitions…

The King of the Nether looked at Blue Shadow and asked, “So you think we can easily take control of the human realm?”

Blue Shadow nodded and replied, “Your Majesty, rest assured. As long as you agree, leave everything to me. The forces of the human realm simply cannot resist ours. Soon, I’ll make this space clearer.”

The King of the Nether thought for a moment before replying, “Why merge the human realm with the Nether Realm? Won’t that cause many deaths?” The King’s question was simple enough for a child to answer—war inevitably brings bloodshed and death. But only the King himself knew that he and Pangu both possessed creative powers. Once those powers were established, the human realm and the Nether Realm each had their own paths to follow, and the creators had no right to interfere. If they really followed Blue Shadow’s advice, it would be a violation of the rules set by the Great Sage. Whether the outcome would be good or bad was unpredictable. But to outsiders, none of this could be seen at all.

Hearing the King’s words, Blue Shadow suddenly laughed and said, “Your Majesty, many will die, at least they will resist. What do you think? Should we stay in this space forever? We are strong—we deserve a better life, don’t we? Even the gods do it, so why can’t we? Do you really want to continue like this?” By the end, his words carried a hint of doubt.

The King of the Nether nodded without moving and said, “Have you considered that the Divine Realm might intervene? At least Pangu won’t allow us to do this, let alone his gods.”

Blue Shadow suddenly burst into wild laughter, his voice filled with arrogance and pride. After the laughter stopped, he said, “In fact, the human realm no longer has any ability to resist. We can resolve the matter in the fastest time possible. Even if many die, it’s because the people of the human realm are lazy and brought it upon themselves. If Pangu leads his gods to oppose us, I believe our Nether Realm’s strength is sufficient to counter them. After all… Your Majesty, after all these years, Pangu has remained high above. Have you never thought about taking his place…”

Part Six