Chapter Two: Since This Is an Age of Chaos, I Shall Once More Guard the Endless Ages

The awakening of the Nether Emperor was sensed by all beyond the valley. Yet not a soul dared utter a single word. The pressure of a living Nether Emperor was simply insurmountable—even though, at this moment, he appeared to possess little of his former might. Still, no one knew what powers he yet held in reserve. He was too powerful—so powerful that, even in his current weakened state, no one dared harbor any ill intent toward him.

"All hail my lord!" King Chujiang did not dare hesitate; he swiftly turned, knelt with both knees before the altar at the heart of the Valley of Longevity, and bowed reverently.

"All hail our god!" The tens of thousands of underworld soldiers were even more impassioned, prostrating themselves in long, unending bows.

Beyond the valley, the assembled hosts stood transfixed in terror, their eyes locked on the profound figure seated atop the altar. Their backs prickled with cold sweat as they watched, unable to tear their gaze away.

"So now, of the Underworld, only a single Yellow Spring remains..." The Nether Emperor ignored the multitudes. His gaze, fathomless and deep, seemed to look through the ages as he murmured softly, shaking his head. Then, with a casual gesture, he raised his left hand. In his palm appeared the phantasmal parade of a hundred ghosts, the ceaseless shifting of infernal purgatories. A terrifying wave of power suddenly surged forth.

"The power of an Immortal Emperor!"

"He's lying!"

"His tale of reincarnation and re-cultivation is a ruse—a colossal falsehood to conceal his massacre of the myriad starry races!"

The multitudes beyond the Immortal Domain were seized with terror, withdrawing in haste. Yet still there were those who, unwilling to accept defeat, lingered to observe, desperate to discern the truth. The sorcery he wielded was simply too defiant of the natural order. To be reborn and live a second life was one thing—but to transcend and attain the Dao as well? This defied all belief. If creating such a method were truly so simple, why, among countless billions throughout the cosmos, had not a single soul achieved transcendence? Even the Nether Emperor himself, in ages past, had reached only the verge—a half-step from true transcendence.

"The method to defy ten thousand lifetimes of reincarnation is indeed formidable, but its flaws are equally fatal." The Nether Emperor's expression was serene; his gaze pierced to the horizon, as if looking beyond the Immortal Domain at the hidden terrors lurking there. He spoke softly to himself, yet it seemed his words were meant for the myriad races beyond as well.

"Countless epochs ago, I gazed upon the starry sky as upon a chessboard. Thus, I set a piece in play."

"It fell upon Tianyuan."

His voice was slow and gentle, as though speaking to himself, as though addressing all creation. King Chujiang and his retinue stood guard, faces filled with reverence. Outside the Valley of Longevity, the masters of the great sacred lands trembled, their eyes filled with undisguised fear. At the same moment, those beyond the Immortal Domain felt a chill seize their hearts—a foreboding sense of doom.

"Tianyuan Immortal Domain, at the heart of all realms—"

"It is the seat of the Underworld."

"This is the Other Shore..."

As his words faded, a dense aura of the Dao erupted around the Nether Emperor, surging to the heavens.

The ancient, sonorous tolling of a heavy bell sounded once more. The entire Tianyuan Immortal Domain quaked at the resonance.

A gentle sound followed, as if water flowed from the dawn of all things to the end of the world itself. It echoed from every direction, streaming throughout the heavens and earth.

"The Yellow Spring enters the realm!"

"He's refining the Tianyuan Immortal Domain into the Underworld!"

"The Yellow Spring floods in—all the endless rivers of the Immortal Domain are being assimilated! Has he gone mad?"

"Billions upon billions of souls will become wandering spirits..."

Cries of terror rose from the myriad races beyond the Immortal Domain. Bodies trembling, they retreated as far as they could.

"You cannot escape," the Nether Emperor's voice remained placid as he waved his hand again, pointing out toward the multitudes beyond the realm.

A single gesture—severance.

The soul-cleansing sound of water intensified. All the endless rivers of the Tianyuan Immortal Domain exuded a strange, sinister power, merging with the will of the world itself, sweeping toward the myriad races.

In an instant, screams of agony tore the sky asunder. Bodies exploded into blood mist—body and spirit alike utterly annihilated. Only a handful, sensing the danger, burned tens of thousands of years of lifespan and barely managed to escape—but even they were left grievously wounded, left adrift amid the endless storms of the void, their survival uncertain.

"Long live the Emperor!" Witnessing the devastation wrought upon the myriad races, King Chujiang was overwhelmed with joy. He immediately knelt and cried out in fervent reverence.

The tens of thousands of underworld soldiers, equally moved, raised their voices in exultation to the heavens.

Their Emperor—the god of the Underworld—had returned!

"I give you three days to prepare for your end. Three days from now, I myself will visit each of the sacred lands and take your heads."

Having calmed what remained of his followers, the Nether Emperor glanced coldly at the handful trembling outside the Valley of Longevity. His voice was devoid of all emotion as he spoke.

"Thank you, Emperor... for your decree..." The lords of the sacred lands dared not say more. Bowing with clenched fists, they withdrew in silence.

The Nether Emperor—his reign over the myriad realms was unending. None dared defy him. Such was the measure of his might.

"Your Majesty..." After the others had departed, tranquility returned to the Valley of Longevity. Yet King Chujiang took a hesitant step forward, his voice uncertain.

"Ten thousand lifetimes of reincarnation—sometimes it is victory, sometimes defeat," the Nether Emperor interrupted with a wave of his hand, sighing softly with a trace of helplessness.

"My soul nears true transcendence, yet all my cultivation is lost."

"With Your Majesty's talent, you will surely regain your imperial throne within a hundred years, rebuild the Underworld, and transcendence will be within reach!" King Chujiang's expression was devout, his voice fervent to the point of fanaticism. For those of the Underworld, as long as the Emperor endured, the Underworld itself was eternal. Not one of its denizens would ever perish. He was the Underworld’s Nether Emperor, and the Lord of Reincarnation for all the endless cosmos.

"What of the world now?" The Nether Emperor nodded slightly and continued his inquiry.

"Your Majesty," King Chujiang replied with utmost respect, though his tone was tinged with hesitation. "The Nine Heavens are now ruled by the ancient gods. The myriad worlds of the starry sky are their vassals, shining with their glory. The Ten Earths remain in the hands of our ten Yama Kings, but..."

He hesitated. The Nether Emperor waited in silence for him to continue.

"But, since Your Majesty’s departure, the divine seat of the Underworld has been vacant. We have all fallen to the rank of quasi-emperors, unable to withstand the assaults of the myriad races. Moreover, the demons and fiends Your Majesty once slaughtered have returned. After tens of thousands of years of struggle, the cycle of reincarnation has shattered, half our deities have perished or been wounded, and many treasures of the Underworld have been lost or destroyed. Now, only a single, broken Yellow Spring remains..."

King Chujiang bowed his head in shame, his voice subdued, not daring to meet the Emperor’s gaze.

"There is no need for self-reproach," the Nether Emperor replied calmly. A profound light flickered in his eyes as he gave his orders. "Let the soldiers rest well. In three days, you will follow me to eradicate our enemies."

"Yes, my lord," King Chujiang responded with reverence, withdrawing slowly.

"If the world longs for chaos, then I shall suppress the ages once more and annihilate all who would oppose me!" Gaze fixed on the distant horizon, the Nether Emperor's eyes shone with fathomless light. His words, soft and resolute, drifted through the air like an oath.

Even King Chujiang, who had already departed, trembled at the sound—his blood surging with fervor.