Chapter Five: Shameless

Yellow Springs!

As these two words fell, the void of this place suddenly quivered!

The sound of flowing water echoed, as if it had originated at the dawn of all things and coursed towards their end. Above the entire Heavenly River Sea, a vast and majestic phantom river abruptly materialized!

An unprecedented and terrifying pressure emanated forth, causing the expressions of the assembled Lords of the Sacred Lands to change drastically!

"This is..."

"An aura almost at the Immortal Realm!!!"

Having long been in the company of imperial weapons, the Lords of the Sacred Lands were intimately familiar with the might of the Imperial Realm.

Yet, while the Yellow Springs they had previously witnessed was only comparable to imperial weapons, the pressure now radiating forth struck terror into the depths of every heart present!

None dared to even conceive of resistance!

This...

This was power transcending the Imperial Realm!

Only a supreme treasure, infinitely close to the Immortal Realm, could manifest such might!

"Old Qinyue! Didn’t you say the Yellow Springs was already shattered beyond repair, and that our imperial weapons would surely suppress it?"

"Old Qinyue! You must have already pledged allegiance to the Underworld Emperor—you treacherous wretch!"

The Lords of the Sacred Lands all glared furiously at the gaunt old man beside them, their hatred surging beyond measure!

"You..."

Confronted with their gazes, the old man’s heart quivered with unease. A sinister light flickered deep in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he spoke bitterly:

"With that man's strength, he cannot possibly fully unleash the power of the Yellow Springs. With imperial weapons in hand, what is there to fear?"

As he finished, the Qinyue Lord channeled his aura into a compass inscribed with the powers of Heaven and Earth. A pale blue light emanated, and a world-shattering force surged violently towards King Chujiang!

"Die!"

Seeing this, the other Lords shouted in unison, unleashing their imperial weapons and summoning their might to its utmost, hurling it at King Chujiang!

"Insects."

King Chujiang’s expression remained unchanged, his eyes cold as ever. With a wave of his hand, the illusory Yellow Springs above collided head-on with the terrifying power driven by the assembled Lords!

BOOM!!!

An explosion unlike any before erupted. The ice across the Heavenly River Sea shattered inch by inch. Storms swept the expanse, and monstrous waves rose to the heavens!

"Frozen Nether, Lifeless!"

In that instant, a low voice resounded!

The temperature of the world plummeted. The Heavenly River Sea was sealed in ice once more. Amidst the frozen realm, King Chujiang’s figure suddenly vanished!

A sickening squelch sounded the moment he disappeared!

One among the Lords of the Sacred Lands had already been run through the chest by a blade of ice!

"Ah!!"

Meanwhile, the phantasmal youth had appeared behind another Lord.

The great sword swung, a cold gleam flashed!

Before the Lord’s eyes, wide with terror, his very soul was torn asunder!

In the span of a heartbeat, two quasi-emperors were felled!

"King Chujiang, must you drive us so relentlessly?!"

Witnessing this, all will to fight evaporated. One Lord, his eyes bloodshot, screamed in despair, while the others turned and fled!

But the Qinyue Lord alone, a ruthless glint in his eyes, stood unmoving in place.

"When the realms enter the Yellow Springs, the other shore’s blossoms bloom throughout creation..."

"You will not escape!"

Gazing at the fleeing figures, King Chujiang’s face remained impassive. He spoke softly and waved his hand!

BOOM!!!

BOOM! BOOM!

As the void trembled, the already sealed Heavenly River Sea surged violently!

Hundreds of icy tributaries exploded forth, gathering at the heart of the sea to form pillars!

The pillars rose ever higher, then split and extended, and in the blink of an eye, locked the sky above the entire sea!

Together they formed a colossal blossom of frozen other shore flowers!

A faint hum sounded...

The phantom Yellow Springs above shuddered and instantly transformed into a massive, illusory dome of light!

Together with the icy blossom, it sealed the entire sea—and the nine quasi-emperors—tightly within!

From afar, it seemed as if a pearl of death had formed above the frost-laden other shore.

"Refine!"

Without delay, King Chujiang uttered a low command. At a mere thought, the deathly pearl whirled above the frozen blossom!

A titanic pressure bore down. The quasi-emperors within felt their blood, their life force, even their souls being rapidly drained!

"Ah!!!"

"King Chujiang!!!"

"Spare me, my lord! I am guilty! I beg for mercy, King Chujiang!"

"King Chujiang! If you have the courage, face me without your artifact in fair combat!"

"King Chujiang..."

Their howls of rage, cries of agony, and pleas for mercy echoed, yet King Chujiang’s expression remained unchanged, his gaze icy as he watched the scene unfold.

Thud.

"Long live King Chujiang!!"

At that moment, not far away, the Qinyue Lord suddenly dropped to his knees, a fanatic light in his eyes as he gazed reverently at King Chujiang. His aged voice rang out, resolute:

"Long live King Chujiang!"

"Long live the Emperor!"

"It was not in vain that I spent all these years as a double agent among the Sacred Lands. Now the Emperor’s might is restored, and King Chujiang’s power returns—what fortune for our Underworld!"

"Day and night, I have dreamed of the Underworld’s glory returning, of King Chujiang reclaiming his former splendor!"

"Heaven truly favors our Underworld!"

"Today, with King Chujiang restored and the Yellow Springs reforged, our Underworld shall rise again! With the Emperor’s advent, our gates shall reopen, and all races will bow in worship!"

"These mongrels dared plot against the Emperor—they deserve nothing but death!"

Tears streamed down the Qinyue Lord’s cheeks as he spoke.

Already gaunt, his face now streaked with tears, to any uninformed onlooker he would appear the very image of a loyal, heartbreakingly wretched old servant.

At last, his grief turned to outrage. He pointed with trembling hand at the nine quasi-emperors trapped within the death pearl, his expression filled with unspeakable hatred.

"Old dog Qinyue! You’re a disgrace to your ancestors!"

"Old dog! Such despicable behavior—vile beyond words!"

"King Chujiang! Let me out, let me kill this man! I would not begrudge the sacrifice of everything my Xuantian Sacred Land possesses!"

"King Chujiang! This two-faced traitor must not be allowed to live!"

As the Qinyue Lord’s speech resounded, the nine quasi-emperors’ eyes blazed with murderous fury, as if they had been forced to swallow something rancid.

This wretch—did he truly have no shame?

"Rest in peace!"

Seeing this, King Chujiang’s eyes flashed with impatience. With a sweep of his sleeve, the death pearl erupted in a terrifying wave of energy!

A force capable of obliterating all things swept through, and the nine quasi-emperors within were annihilated in an instant!

"King Chujiang’s might!!!"

"The Emperor’s stratagems are peerless! Long live the Underworld!"

Watching the nine quasi-emperors crushed before his eyes, the Qinyue Lord shuddered from head to toe, nearly bursting into tears. He prostrated himself and called out with all his strength.

As if afraid King Chujiang was hard of hearing, the Qinyue Lord’s fanaticism surged anew, tears flowing down his cheeks. In a trembling, aged voice, he cried once more:

"With the Emperor in the Underworld, what age shall not be pacified? With King Chujiang, what foe shall not be crushed..."

"To witness King Chujiang’s restoration with my own eyes—if I die now, I have no regrets..."

"Then die you shall."

At that moment, a clear voice rang out, accompanied by the whistle of a greatsword cleaving the air.

The Qinyue Lord’s eyes went dark, his soul shattered!

His lifeless body collapsed to the ground...

And beside the fallen corpse, the phantom figure of the youth wielding a greatsword slowly materialized...