âI really donât know what youâre on about. Who do you think you are? With the two Sacred Hall Envoys here, and you still dare to shout? Envoys, pleaseâshow him your might!â
Niu Shixiao, convinced that having Zhuo Kong and Zhuo Yi as bodyguards made him invincible, continued his bluster. Humiliated by Yue Wanqiu at the Succession Ceremony, he couldnât resist one last taunt. After shouting, he even bowed half a step, gesturing for Zhuo Kong and Zhuo Yi to attack.
But to his utter shock, Zhuo Kong and Zhuo Yi turned on him in an instant and killed him on the spot. The sudden scene left Niu Erhua and Niu Li staring with wide eyes. Ye Yu offered no explanationâinstead, he immediately led Yue Wanqiu away from the Manniu Clan and set off toward the Sacred Hall. Todayâs mounts: Zhuo Kong and Zhuo Yi. Not as prestigious as Elder Qiao, but better than none.
Half an hour earlier, when Yue Wanqiu described her Dreamscape experience, Ye Yu had sensed something amiss: a stranger in his place of downfall and the disappearance of the âEmperorâ Scripture. Too many coincidences. Heâd considered waiting for Nangong Jingtang, then returning alone to the Yao Realm to infiltrate the Hall. But with envoys at his heels, why wait? Better to go now and end it.
With two Demon King Realm apex warriors as mounts, Ye Yu and Yue Wanqiu reached the Sacred Hallâs perimeter in no time. A monkey demon guardian frowned at their arrival.
Zhuo Kong? Zhuo Yi? Why are you riding in with these outsiders? If Elder Qiao sees this, youâll be in trouble
As Sacred Hall Envoys, they should show no respect to outsiders. But before the guardian could finish, Zhuo Kong and Zhuo Yi wove an array to pin him in place. In the next breath, a thousand-zhang
Zhaohun Banner Lu Xian
fell from the sky, impaling the guardianâs heart. In moments, the Demon King Realm warrior was reduced to paper, his soul trapped on the banner. Despite his struggles, he could not break free.
Ye Yu, with a thought, swaggered in carrying the banner. â NĐŸvĐ”lŃgÒ»Ń â (Continue reading) In the prior battle, the bannerâs million souls had been nearly spentâbut here, among the Sacred Hallâs demons, it would be well fed.
News of the disturbance spread quickly. Three demons who looked useful caught Ye Yuâs eye; he unleashed his
Spirit-Domination Mind-Control Art
at its limit, controlling them to fight other envoys. To boost his numbers, he unveiled the
Ten-Thousand Ghosts Night-March Map
, summoning a tide of spirits. With the banner and ghosts, resisting any Sacred Hall Envoy was more than enough.
His goal was clear: the Pilgrimage Hall, where he had once obtained the âEmperorâ Scripture. Time to see its secrets againâthough he would not open it.
Yue Wanqiu followed, astonished by the chaos. She knew Ye Yu was strong, but never imagined he could shake the fabled Sacred Hall without lifting a fingerâyet with immortal and ghostly artifacts, he held the upper hand. Such power was terrifying. Still, she believed the Hall must have deeper trump cards.
Soon they stood before the Pilgrimage Hall. Waiting was Elder Huang Zhufeng, yellow-haired and calm. Ye Yu had once briefly crossed paths with him in the Dreamscapeâthen Ye Yu had bluffÂed him with Elder Qiaoâs name and escaped with the Scripture. Now Huang Zhufengâs easy demeanor felt suspiciously casual.
Ye Yu had no time for subterfuge; he would enter head-on.
âYou people have quite the nerve, trespassing on the Sacred Hall and controlling our envoys. Donât you know the meaning of death?â
Huang Zhufengâs voice was cold and composed. To him, these were merely rogue Demon King Realm warriorsâno threat to his Half-Step Emperor Realm might.
But overconfidence would be his downfall. Ye Yu knew a single technique could not fell such seasoned elders. He needed another approach.
With a step forward, the ground beneath Huang Zhufeng transformed into a vast, radiant array. The brilliance made the elder frown: an array? He prepared to retreat and attack from a distance.
At that moment, black flames that consumed the Nine Nether rained down, sealing his escape upward.
Surrounded? he snorted, forming his seals to vanish.
But just as his hands met, his body frozeâparalyzed. He looked up in alarm: the three bright moons above had vanished, replaced by a pair of colossal, hypnotic pupils. He was trapped in Ye Yuâs ultimate illusion. Too late, Huang Zhufeng realized his mistake.
It had to be admitted: a Half-Step Emperor Realm demonâs physique was indeed formidable. But no matter how powerful, they could not withstand Heavenâs Thunder and Ghost Fire delivered head-on. Huang Zhufeng fell on the spot, his soul immediately hurled into the
Zhaohun Banner Lu Xian
. A Half-Step Emperor Realm soul would not go to wasteâYe Yu had grander uses in mind.
After refining Huang Zhufengâs soul within the banner, Ye Yu summoned it back before him. This time, the elderâs eyes held no arroganceâonly obedient compliance.
Ye Yu began to question him. âWhat exactly is this âEmperorâ Scripture?â
Huang Zhufeng spoke softly: âMy authority cannot probe that Scripture. The Sacred Hallâs Master personally decreed: anyone who touches it must report to her in advance. Unauthorized meddling is punishable by death.â
Ye Yu frowned. Death? Opening that Scripture was tantamount to suicide.
As Ye Yu prepared to ask about the Hall Master, a young woman appearedâplain in features, yet exuding an unspoken nobility. This was the Sacred Hall Master Qin Zhanyu. Yue Wanqiu, seeing her first, said to Ye Yu: âShe was the one who appeared at the place of your downfall. And when I was about to shatter the void to enter the Divine Realm, she ambushed meâcausing my fall.â
Ye Yu raised an eyebrow. So this was the woman behind it!
âYou had the gall to refine my elder into a trapped soul. You are the first in all these years to dare do so!â
Qin Zhanyuâs voice was soft, yet brimming with anger. She had been in seclusion, recovering her strength, when she sensed battle and powerful demon qi. She felt no need to interveneâafter all, eight elders should handle any threat, even if only Elder Huang remained. But within mere breaths, Huang Zhufengâs demon qi vanished. She rushed out to find him truly fallenâthe first elder lost in hundreds of thousands of years, at the hands of two Demon King Realm warriors. Rage burned within her.
âI might be the first... or the second, or the third,â Ye Yu said, waving his hand. Huang Zhufengâs soul-ensnared form slipped back into the Pilgrimage Hall, the âEmperorâ Scripture in hand. Qin Zhanyuâs expression turned grave. Out of all the scrolls in the Pilgrimage Hall, why this one? Fortune or misfortune?
Ye Yu held the Scripture, pondering, then tentatively said: âElder Qiao taught that to ascend to the Emperor Realm, one must forge oneâs own Dao. Yet forging it is arduous, leaving many stuck at Half-Step. Previously, someone claimed the Pilgrimage Hall housed a Scripture to aid practitioners in forging their Dao. It must be this one. But I sense no Dao withinâonly murderous intent?â
This question had plagued Ye Yu since the Dreamscape. Qiao Wen-songâs spirit would not lie. If his theory held, the Scripture truly could guide oneâs Dao. But in practice, it had only slaughtered him. Who spread the rumor of its Dao-birthing power? No evidenceâuntil now. Huang Zhufeng had said the Hall Master alone knew its secrets and forbade its use under penalty of death. Ye Yuâs hypothesis formed: Qin Zhanyu knew its true contentsâand herself spread the rumor.
He decided to test her. âAre you in league with Qiao Wen-song?â
Lacking Dreamscape memories, Qin Zhanyu instinctively thought her cleansing plan had been exposed by Qiao Wen-song. Ye Yuâs cold gaze said it all. He offered no denialâthat was admission.
âYou shameless Hall Master, duping your own elders. Who will dare serve you now?â
Ye Yu deliberately withheld his true ties to Qiao Wen-song, hoping to mislead Qin Zhanyuâs judgment. She was now certain Ye Yu served Qiao Wen-song or at least cooperated with him. With their faces torn, no need for further pretense.
Qin Zhanyu coldly declared: âThis Yao Realm does not need too many strong demons. When the ignorant wield terrifying power, great calamities follow! Foolish ones like Qiao Wen-song deserve to die!â
Ye Yuâs anger turned to mocking laughter. A righteous usurperâno wonder she rose to Hall Master. But if she would betray Qiao Wen-song, it would be Ye Yu who paid the price. That grievance, and her ambush of Yue Wanqiu, made it impossible to let her live.
Ye Yu stepped forward, studying the Hall Master. Her demon qi revealed only Half-Step Emperor Realmâno full Emperor. To confirm, he asked outright: âOnly Half-Step?â
Qin Zhanyu caught his meaning and smiled: âWant to kill me? Try if you dareâwhat if you succeed?â
At twenty paces, Ye Yu halted and asked seriously: âAnd if I fail?â
Her smile brightened: âIf you fail, then youâll go toââ
Before she could finish, Ye Yu began his trademark Thousand-Dream Illusion. At that moment, the jade pendant at Qin Zhanyuâs throat flared with dazzling light.