In a place where no one could see, deep within the Dragon Lord’s mind, that faint trace of blood-red light gradually transformed into a phantom figure roughly several dozen zhang tall.
This was none other than Ancestor Emperor Yu, one of the ten great Demon Ancestors of the Myriad Beast Mountain at the western extreme of the realm, a Demon Emperor who ruled over a demon territory spanning hundreds of millions of miles!
The blood-red phantom in the Dragon Lord’s mind gradually began to grow clearer.
Upon closer inspection, that blood-red phantom was a colossal bird-shaped demon beast, its body towering and boundless.
The bird-shaped demon beast’s spread wings blotted out the sky and covered the sun, as though even the sun, moon, and stars dimmed and lost their luster beneath its shadow.
Ancestor Emperor Yu’s feathers were not of ordinary color, but displayed a deep purple-red hue.
Each purple-red feather seemed to be condensed from the very essence of heaven and earth, shimmering with a mysterious and unfathomable luster.
One could see, at the edges of Ancestor Emperor Yu’s wings, faintly visible fine and profound lines flowing, as though they were the unseen laws of heaven and earth.
Atop Ancestor Emperor Yu’s head grew a tuft of resplendent pure-white plume feathers, standing tall like a crown, with faint purple-gold flames coiled around the plumes.
Within the flames, one could faintly see a phantom resembling a phoenix, as if proclaiming its supreme bloodline.
Beneath its head, Ancestor Emperor Yu’s eyes were like two purple-red blazing suns; wherever its gaze fell, it seemed as though one would be placed amidst boundless flames.
Below its eyes, its beak was sharp as a blade, glinting with cold light, as though it could easily tear through the void.
Its talons were like divine weapons nurtured by heaven and earth, with threads of purple-gold flames coiled around the tips of its claws.
That purple-gold flame seemed to possess spiritual intelligence; with every leap, it flickered with a sacred and blazing radiance.
Among the demon clans of the realm, Ancestor Emperor Yu was one of the supreme existences, a transcendent being beyond the Cave Void realm in legend.
The Earth Sovereign Realm Master! The Demon Emperor of the demon clans!
Its existence was like an insurmountable mountain, suppressing the majority of the demon clans’ fortune.
Therefore, when the Dragon Lord’s Dharma Form, radiating awe-inspiring pressure and carrying a fierce long wind, steadily descended before Ancestor Emperor Yu—
A jaw-dropping scene unfolded.
The Dragon Lord’s Dharma Form, without the slightest hesitation, bent both knees and heavily prostrated itself before Ancestor Emperor Yu’s phantom.
Afterward, the Dragon Lord’s body trembled slightly from the reverence filling its heart.
Just like that, a Cave Void realm demon beast Dragon Lord that pierced through heaven and earth—
In such an utterly devout posture, toward Ancestor Emperor Yu, laid bare its unreserved intent to submit.
“Long You pays respects to Ancestor Emperor Yu!”
The Dragon Lord’s voice was deep and reverent, echoing leisurely through this tranquil space.
Having spoken, the Dragon Lord lowered its head, restrained its gaze, and its aura throughout its body likewise settled, not daring to even breathe loudly, patiently awaiting Ancestor Emperor Yu to speak.
Ancestor Emperor Yu slowly folded its wings, its eyes dazzling with purple-red radiance, shining brilliantly.
The next moment, Ancestor Emperor Yu slightly narrowed its eyes, looking down from above at the Dragon Lord, who had taken the form of a shrunk-down serpent body.
That gaze seemed capable of seeing through everything, sweeping back and forth over the Dragon Lord, as though weighing something.
“Little You, I never expected your Cave Void Dharma Form to have already successfully condensed, breaking through to the Demon Lord realm.”
Ancestor Emperor Yu’s words revealed a trace of surprise, because back when Long You had entered this world, it had only been at the peak of Heavenly Demon.
In less than a hundred years, Long You had actually broken through to the Demon Lord realm and condensed a Heaven and Earth Dharma Form.
The difference between the Cave Void realm and the Divine Palace realm was that the Divine Palace transformed into a Cave Void Heaven and Earth.
The divine thought and primordial spirit then merged into the Cave Void Heaven and Earth, and then condensed into a Heaven and Earth Dharma Form.
The Heaven and Earth Dharma Form—the essence of all things in the Cave Void Heaven and Earth, the boundless power to control the laws of heaven and earth.
Existences at the Cave Void realm could summon forth the Heaven and Earth Dharma Form from within their Cave Void Heaven and Earth.
Once the Heaven and Earth Dharma Form appeared in the world, it could suppress the time and space of an entire stretch of heaven and earth.
Within the heaven and earth suppressed by the Heaven and Earth Dharma Form, one could freely control the power of all things in creation.
Every movement of a Cave Void True Lord contained the supreme mighty power of the laws of heaven and earth, easily capable of destroying heaven and earth, shattering mountains and rivers.
Even more, a Cave Void True Lord could control the power of the laws of heaven and earth, affecting the ethereal and illusory time and space.
Within an extremely short time, time and space could be frozen and halted, all things in heaven and earth coming to a standstill!
Hearing Ancestor Emperor Yu’s praise, the Dragon Lord felt a chill in its heart and made no transgressive move whatsoever.
The next second, the Dragon Lord’s figure stirred slightly, its expression reverent, and it hurriedly responded.
“Ancestor overpraises me. This humble one’s martial cultivation is but a drop in the ocean before you, Ancestor Emperor Yu—truly not worth mentioning.”
Ancestor Emperor Yu gazed deeply at the Dragon Lord, its eyes seeming to hide countless thoughts.
But it chose not to speak again, merely slowly raising its head and casting its gaze upward.
This seemingly ordinary glance seemed to contain the power to pierce through everything.
In an instant, it crossed the boundaries of space, landing directly upon the Profound Bird Heaven Lock that firmly shackled the Dragon Lord’s thousand-zhang serpent body.
The moment Ancestor’s gaze touched the Profound Bird Heaven Lock, it seemed to sense something, trembling slightly.
The dark black heaven and earth patterns flickered uncertainly—clearly, its power had been activated.
A single glance from Ancestor Emperor Yu could trigger the sealing power within the Profound Bird Heaven Lock.
However, when Ancestor Emperor Yu saw the Profound Bird Heaven Lock, its eyes narrowed slightly, as though it had already seen through its essence.
“The power of rules?”
“But far inferior to the power of regulations. Could it be that after the realm’s origin crystal shattered, it unintentionally fused with the origin power of heaven and earth, ultimately forming this bizarre weapon?”
The power of rules is the ultimate power that stands above the power of the laws of heaven and earth—the source of power for the Earth Sovereign Realm Master.
“It should be so!”
“Within this stretch of heaven and earth, there is a small world left behind after the fall of that supreme existence.”
That small world mentioned by Ancestor Emperor Yu was, without a doubt, the Spirit Ruins Land of the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty.
“What a pity. This Emperor cannot act directly, otherwise…”
Ancestor Emperor Yu sighed inwardly, a wave of regret surging in its heart, and in the end could not help but let out a sigh.
A complex expression flashed through its eyes—both a covetous desire for that Spirit Ruins Land, and a hint of helplessness.
In the end, Ancestor Emperor Yu could only forcibly suppress the greedy desire burning like a prairie fire in the depths of its heart.
After all, the Spirit Ruins Land within this stretch of heaven and earth of the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty was a small world left behind after the fall of that supreme mighty one.
Although this small world had become incomplete and damaged, it was still an immeasurable great fortune!
Even with Ancestor Emperor Yu’s status and vision as an Earth Sovereign Realm Master, facing such a heaven-reaching great fortune, it could not help but feel its heart stir, unable to restrain itself.
As one of the ten great Demon Ancestors of Myriad Beast Mountain, Ancestor Emperor Yu’s every move was watched by those damned human cultivators.
Therefore, Ancestor Emperor Yu did not dare act rashly, because forcibly breaking the seals of this stretch of heaven and earth would inevitably cause an unimaginable commotion.
By then, it might attract even more powerful human cultivators.
In this way, the possibility of seizing that incomplete small world would decrease exponentially.
For now, maintaining the status quo was sufficient.
Although this stretch of heaven and earth had already drawn the attention of quite a few human cultivators, they were merely a few Cave Void realm ants.
“Little You, this drop of my essence blood power is enough to grant you the power of a Great Demon Lord for a brief time.”
Having spoken, the phantom condensed by Ancestor Emperor Yu slowly dimmed, the purple-gold radiance lingering around it gradually weakening like a dying candle flame.
Immediately after, a dazzling blood-red light flashed past, and the phantom of Ancestor Emperor Yu that had originally radiated powerful pressure rapidly shrank.
In the blink of an eye, it reverted to a drop of deep, pitch-black blood, trembling slightly in the tranquil midair.
“Take care of yourself!”
That blood drop suspended in midair—seemingly fragile yet containing endless power—unexpectedly transmitted Ancestor Emperor Yu’s extremely cold voice.
“When you return to Myriad Beast Mountain, I want to know how exactly you stepped into the territory of the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty?”
“Long You thanks Ancestor Emperor Yu!”
Hearing this, the Dragon Lord’s expression was full of respect, its voice extremely reverent.
As the words fell, the Dragon Lord quickly rose, its movements carrying a hint of impatient urgency.
Anyone in its place would be unable to remain calm.
That was a drop of essence blood from a Demon Emperor—one of the ten great Demon Ancestors, no less—Ancestor Emperor Yu’s essence blood.
This drop of essence blood could not only instantly restore the Dragon Lord’s injuries accumulated over so many years to their original state, but also allow its strength to advance further.
Of course, the most important thing was that it could briefly possess the power of a Great Demon Lord—a realm it had dreamed of breaking through to.
Although the power of a Great Demon Lord lasted only for an instant, it could still bring invaluable insights.
A Great Demon Lord was equivalent to a human martial artist at the Cave Void realm’s grand accomplishment stage.
A True Lord at Cave Void grand accomplishment was also called a Cave Heaven Master!
That was a supreme existence that thoroughly controlled the power of the laws of heaven and earth.
Even looking across the entire demon clan, demon beasts that could break through to Great Demon Lord were exceedingly few.
Therefore, the drop of essence blood Ancestor Emperor Yu gave the Dragon Lord was, for it, nothing short of a great fortune.
Immediately after, the Dragon Lord raised its head, gazing heatedly at that drop of deep black blood, its tiny Dharma Form serpent body trembling slightly.
Thereupon, the Dragon Lord hesitated no longer and instantly opened its massive bloody mouth.
A dark shadow flashed quickly, and that drop of Ancestor Emperor Yu’s essence blood fell straight into its mouth.
Then, the Dragon Lord’s Dharma Form, without the slightest hesitation, swallowed it in one gulp.
Having done all this, the Dragon Lord’s tiny Heaven and Earth Dharma Form likewise dissipated and vanished.
The conversation between the Dragon Lord and Ancestor Emperor Yu had seemed long, but in truth it had taken only a brief few minutes.
The outside world.
White Shen stared deathly at the black sky curtain that had instantly restored itself, then looked toward the Lion Lord’s primordial spirit that had already been annihilated without a trace, reduced to nothingness.
His eyes were filled with utter terror, even his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.
This heaven and earth seal was simply terrifying beyond measure!
This…
Just what realm had the Heaven Enlightenment Emperor Xia Ritian’s martial cultivation reached back then?
At this moment, deep in White Shen’s heart, there was only an impulse to curse.
Such power beyond his imagination—no matter how he looked at it—
A Divine Palace realm martial artist absolutely could not possess such inconceivable power.
Also, if this Xia Ritian was truly so powerful, then how did he die?
Or perhaps…
The Heaven Enlightenment Emperor Xia Ritian—he never died at all!
At that very instant, the Dragon Lord’s massive eyes, tightly shut for so long, slowly opened.
At the moment its eyes opened, threads of purple-gold light escaped from within, flickering and leaping in the water.
Every rhythmic pulse of light seemed to carry unmatched sacred majesty.
A moment later, the Dragon Lord’s voice, wrapped in towering fury, came crashing toward White Shen like a massive artillery shell.
“Xia Ritian!”
“This Lord will make you pay in blood!”
“In three days, this Lord shall descend upon the world once more.”
“I want to see who else can withstand this Lord’s power!”
The power contained in these words was too terrifying, shaking White Shen’s Divine Palace to a sudden halt.
His entire divine thought and primordial spirit were gripped tightly by the Dragon Lord’s fury, unable to move.
Having spoken, the Dragon Lord’s agitated thousand-zhang serpent body sank down once more, returning to calm.
Ancestor Emperor Yu’s essence blood looked tiny, but it contained supreme mighty power.
With the Dragon Lord’s realm of just entering the Demon Lord stage, it would need three days to refine and fully absorb its power.
Far away in Heavenly Capital!
Several dozen li from the Great Xia Imperial Palace, there happened to be a forbidden area.
This forbidden area spanned nearly a hundred li, like a mysterious place forgotten by the mortal world.
Around the forbidden area, imperial guards were densely stationed—sentries at every five steps, patrols at every ten—under strict guard.
This was the Imperial Mausoleum of the Great Xia imperial clan. Apart from the Great Xia Emperor’s decree, no one was permitted to enter.
Violators—executed without mercy!
However, in the central region of the palace complex within the Great Xia Imperial Mausoleum forbidden area, the light within seemed blocked by an invisible veil, appearing especially faint.
Within a certain palace, an old man dressed in magnificent brocade robes sat quietly cross-legged.
Before the old man in splendid robes lay a dark black bronze sword.
This sword appeared badly damaged; the hilt portion was still relatively intact, with finely carved patterns still faintly discernible.
But the blade had already lost two-thirds of its length, the broken edge uneven and jagged.
Of course, even so, the old man in splendid robes before it still treasured it like a priceless treasure, not daring to commit any sacrilege.
If a core bloodline member of the Great Xia imperial clan were here, they would recognize the origin of this dark black bronze sword.
This was the personal treasure of the founding saint ancestor Xia Wuji—the Primordial Sword!
As for what grade of sword it was, only Xia Wuji himself knew.
The old man in splendid robes had originally been staring blankly at the bronze sword’s blade, his gaze nearly frozen.
Suddenly, the old man in splendid robes was startled awake. He furrowed his brow slightly, those two silver-white eyebrows instantly drawing together, as though he had sensed something unusual.
“The heaven and earth seal where the Netherworld Python resides seems to have loosened somewhat.”
After a long while, the old man’s tightly knit brows slowly relaxed, as though he had temporarily set aside a matter weighing on his mind.
Afterward, his gaze once again focused on that bronze sword, the ripples in his eyes gradually calming.
No matter.
With Mingyue around, I, an idle person, need not worry about so much.
