Qiongqi’s clawed hand was mostly severed, blood spraying three feet high, his face contorted as he looked at Di Yunyu.
Di Yunyu’s cultivation had indeed weakened, but Qiongqi had forgotten that hundreds of years ago, when they fought, Di Yunyu had already endured countless lightning tribulations and had slain three other demon beasts. By the time it was Qiongqi’s turn, Di Yunyu was exhausted, which was why he sealed rather than killed him.
Now, although his cultivation had decreased, Di Yunyu could still rely on his endless array of techniques to stand firmly above Qiongqi.
Qiongqi was incredulous. Even in the prehistoric era when invincible beings were common, such figures were extremely rare. Achieving this level with the current continent’s thin spiritual energy was unheard of.
His silver hair dyed red with blood, having barely dodged an attack, he looked toward the tribulation lightning.
“Using most of your cultivation to kill me, how will you face the tribulation? With the tribulation imminent, I only need to hide for a short while. After you leave, everything you tried so hard to prevent, I will enact! Returned with interest!”
Di Yunyu’s tone was indifferent: “That’s assuming you can survive and hide for that short while.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand to cast a spell, firmly binding the severely injured Qiongqi.
Finding himself unable to break free, Qiongqi’s eyes bulged. He looked up to see Di Yunyu’s thunderous palm strike about to pierce straight through his beast core.
His face, covered with red demon markings, paled. In the next moment, unexpectedly, a formation appeared beneath his feet. A soaring spiritual energy enveloped him, instantly healing his wounds and restoring sixty percent of his spiritual power.
Di Yunyu’s face darkened slightly as he looked toward an empty space to the side. Gradually, a plainly dressed figure appeared.
“After four hundred years, Emperor Di still has the same bearing.”
Di Yunyu: “Who are you?”
“Once a little boy, now just an old demon,” Heng Jiuyin smiled meaningfully, pointing to the tribulation in the sky. “Emperor Di, it’s time for you to face the tribulation and leave.”
Having missed the fatal strike, with Qiongqi regaining most of his spiritual power, Di Yunyu no longer had time to deal with the demon beast before the tribulation.
Now, he could only quickly undergo the tribulation and leave, or like four hundred years ago, give up ascension.
Heng Jiuyin pressed his tongue against his teeth. The nine hearts he had cultivated within his body pounded loudly. “In this world, those who don’t act in their own interest will be destroyed by heaven and earth. Emperor Di should care more about himself. Regardless of whether the continent prospers or declines, disregarding the life and death of the young lords and princess, ascend alone—wouldn’t that be wonderful!”
“No need to provoke me,” Di Yunyu calmly glanced at him, raised his hand, and a palm strike of vast spiritual power shot directly toward the tribulation lightning.
“Father Emperor, stop—!”
Di Yunyu’s hand paused, but in the next moment, his well-defined fingers curled and then straightened again. Spiritual power, wrapped with even stronger pressure, scattered the world-destroying tribulation lightning with a thunderous crash.
The black cloud vortex swirling in the sky suddenly dispersed.
Cool winds rose within the barrier. Heng Jiuyin let out a laugh bordering on madness, saying “good” three times, clapping his hands: “Emperor Di has quite a temper! They say Emperor Di is steady, but in my view, Emperor Di is the most willful person on the continent!”
Di Yunyu did not engage him further, forming hand seals to cast a spell, intending to kill them both.
At this moment, a hand suddenly gripped his. A young man with a handsome, fair face approached, clinging to him as if to embrace him.
Di Yunyu’s body stiffened slightly. The spiritual power in his hand dissipated as he lightly supported the young man’s waist before pushing him away. “I’m in battle. Don’t come close.”
When he was a little rice ball, being clingy was one thing, but how was he still clingy after growing up?
Shen Liuxiang pretended to rub his waist with one hand, nodded, and quickly retreated, as if he had just come to give a simple hug and greeting.
Di Yunyu casually cast a protective barrier around him and returned his gaze to the silver-haired, red-eyed Qiongqi. Qiongqi hadn’t expected Di Yunyu to be so ruthless, willing to scatter the tribulation lightning and not ascend, just to take his life before his cultivation completely dissipated.
Qiongqi pondered, responding with all his might.
Delay—
Di Yunyu’s cultivation was already dissipating extremely quickly. As long as he could drag out the time, eventually, he would turn the tables and kill him!
While the two were entangled in battle, Heng Jiuyin’s figure shifted, silently walking toward where the tribulation’s center had been. After waiting quietly for a moment, his body shook, and he looked up at the sky with wild joy on his face.
Behind him, Shen Liuxiang had been following closely. Seeing this, he paused and raised his head, his phoenix eyes widening.
After the last strand of black cloud dispersed in the sky, what appeared was not a dark night sky, but a colorful auspicious cloud. Multicolored light rays shone from high above down to the ground, forming a natural barrier of light descending from the sky, with swaying symbols on it that seemed to record something.
Shen Liuxiang had some knowledge of these symbols, and the moment he recognized the characters for “merit” or “virtuous deeds,” he was deeply shaken. The master that Xu Xingchen had visited had mentioned these two characters—could it be referring to this moment?
This auspicious cloud was truly a wonder not seen for ages.
The corners of Shen Liuxiang’s lips spread with joy. Could it be that Di Yunyu had known all along there was another way out!
He looked over and saw Di Yunyu pressing the demon beast to the ground, flashing with intense light, bombarding it with spells, without even glancing at the auspicious cloud once.
Shen Liuxiang: “…”
He hurriedly sent a telepathic message, but Di Yunyu was beating Qiongqi to the brink of death, intent on taking its life, and the message was like a stone sinking into the sea. Meanwhile, the halo of the auspicious cloud was continuously shrinking, with Heng Jiuyin eagerly stepping into it, trembling with excitement all over.
He had racked his brains and waited for four hundred years, just for this moment!
The demon race found it difficult to ascend. Heng Jiuyin was unwilling to turn into a handful of yellow earth, trying every method possible, with the only solution being to steal another’s destiny.
But even if one obtained another’s destiny, they would still have to go through layer upon layer of heavenly thunder to achieve the Dao and ascend, making it extremely difficult.
But Heng Jiuyin had witnessed Di Yunyu giving up ascension, slaying demon beasts, and preserving the continent’s peace for hundreds of years. Heng Jiuyin knew that these accumulated merits would transform into supreme destiny, aiding him when Di Yunyu found himself in a desperate situation.
Heng Jiuyin had repeatedly calculated that only if Di Yunyu failed the ascension tribulation again would he be in such a desperate situation.
And the thousands of merits he had accumulated could save him in only one way… a path to ascend and become a god.
Heng Jiuyin bathed in the sacred light, his body gradually lifted by a gentle force.
He involuntarily returned to his original form, with nine snake-like heads swaying gently in the air with enjoyment. Without needing to undergo tribulation, directly ascending—this continent’s reward to Di Yunyu was even more beautiful than he had imagined.
He was about to become—the first of the demon race to successfully ascend!
Heng Jiuyin’s nine mouths split open in laughter, but soon, his smile paused, as most of his body was unexpectedly kicked out from under the auspicious cloud’s cover.
Looking back, nine pairs of cold eyes stared at the young man before him.
Shen Liuxiang summoned his sword: “My Father Emperor’s destiny, how dare you try to take his place? I want your dog’s life!”
Having planned for hundreds of years, waiting for this moment, Heng Jiuyin was unwilling to waste words with Shen Liuxiang. His nine ferocious heads attacked, intending to finish him off as quickly as possible.
Unexpectedly, though Shen Liuxiang’s cultivation was only at the Divinity Formation stage, his reactions to the storm-like offense were extremely quick. Heng Jiuyin couldn’t deal with him. Immediately, his nine heads spat fire, which was dodged, then spat water, which was also avoided a step ahead.
Shen Liuxiang seemed able to anticipate his attacks in advance.
The auspicious cloud’s halo was shrinking even more, barely able to accommodate one person. Shen Liuxiang managed to step one foot in, rising into the air along with Heng Jiuyin, who became furiously angry—how could he let years of preparation be ruined in an instant?
“Boom—!”
Heng Jiuyin no longer held back, with all nine heads striking at full force. Shen Liuxiang resisted with his sword for a moment but was blown away by the powerful spiritual energy. His sword stabbed into the ground, carving out a huge ravine. He spat blood before barely coming to a stop.
He looked up and saw that in the blink of an eye, Heng Jiuyin had flown to the third level of heaven.
Shen Liuxiang’s fingers tightened around the sword hilt. He didn’t need to kill Heng Jiuyin, nor could he; he just needed to kick him out.
Shen Liuxiang’s eyes flashed, and in an instant, he stood up and threw away his sword.
His sleeves flying, the spiritual power within his body gathered beneath his palms. A symbol burst into light, and then his figure flashed, appearing above Heng Jiuyin’s middle head. With a bent knee, he struck down with his palm, and at the moment Heng Jiuyin transformed into human form, his foot “bang—” hit his head, viciously kicking him out.
Shen Liuxiang was enveloped alone by the gentle sacred light, and in just a moment, his injuries were healed, and his internal spiritual power was restored to its peak state.
He raised his head, looked at the colorful auspicious cloud close at hand, and the corner of his lips curved upward.
So this was the feeling of ascension, truly wonderful.
Beyond the continent was a broader, freer world. Di Yunyu indeed should not be forever bound here.
In the final moment before ascension, Shen Liuxiang cast a spell, exchanging positions with the very stubborn and willful Emperor of the Three Realms, making it too late for him to come back out even if he wanted to.
Di Yunyu’s fatal strike on Qiongqi hit empty air again.
This time, his emotional fluctuation was greater than before.
His eyes widened slightly, his light eyes stirring with waves under the colorful light, his gaze falling precisely on the distant ground, on the young man with a cunning smile. Under the golden crown, his handsome face showed some astonishment.
Shen Liuxiang waved to him, his eyes curved in a smile, the corners of his lips lightly hooked, his slender white fingers holding a golden jade pendant.
The sacred light dissipated, and the tall figure disappeared along with it.
Between heaven and earth, calm returned once more.
But in that instant, Shen Liuxiang heard some unfinished, deep words—
“Wait for me to return…”
Shen Liuxiang’s heartbeat suddenly quickened.
Out of fright.
When Di Yunyu disappeared, those light-colored eyes staring at him, after a brief moment of surprise, showed considerable anger.
Without a doubt, his last action had angered Di Yunyu.
It was the first time Shen Liuxiang had seen Di Yunyu angry, so scared that his curled lips trembled. Fortunately, Di Yunyu was involuntarily ascending right away. Just as Shen Liuxiang was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he unexpectedly heard Di Yunyu’s unfinished words, frightening his little heart into pounding.
He certainly didn’t think Di Yunyu was saying: “Wait for me to return, to praise you! Compliment you!!”
More likely it was: “Wait for me to return, to deal with you! Punish you!!”
Shen Liuxiang’s clenched hand unconsciously tightened until it was painful.
He lowered his gaze and looked at the jade pendant in his hand, engraved with the character “Di.”
With the person gone, the golden light in the jade gradually dissipated, becoming dull and lusterless, also losing its warmth, feeling particularly cold in his hand.
Shen Liuxiang’s lips trembled slightly, mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible choke, as he sighed softly: “Ah—”
Seeing how upset he is, Father Emperor, please don’t be angry…
Please forgive him just this once.
##
Don’t be angry
Thank You for the new chapter (♥ó㉨ò)ﾉ♡
The emperor may not care about ascending, but someone else cares.