The Ancient Saint Emperor of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 96: A Series of Successive Gains, the Underworld Unleashes Its Wrath
"You couldn't even defend Kitahara, and they just took it back like that. What use are you to them!"

In the Western Desert, a deafening roar erupted, sending rocks flying through the air and demonic clouds obscuring the sun. A murderous aura cleaved through the nine heavens as the Blood Demon Great Sage shattered the divine jade table with a single palm strike, his anger unable to be vented.

For so many years, when has the underworld ever suffered such a loss?

Not to mention they didn't even get the most important Chaos Divine Land in the Northern Plains. It's as if they were busy for a long time and only brought back some corpses from there. They got nothing in the Northern Plains.

"We didn't have many troops guarding the North, so it's not surprising that it was taken back. Our base is in the Western Desert, which we've already built into an impregnable underworld. Their arrival will be the start of the real battle. It's good to give them some sweet treats first to lull them into a false sense of security, and then we can secretly reinforce our troops."

When Tengshe Dasheng spoke, he said that losing the Northern Plains was nothing; the Western Desert was their home ground. It had become a veritable ghost realm, and even a different ecosystem had begun to form, giving birth to a food chain and ecosystem for the undead.

In their view, with the quasi-royal war corpse in charge, they had no fear of these royal families. The only trouble was the strange Taoist priest who appeared out of nowhere and the Salvation Scripture left by Lingbao Tianzun.

The Great Sage of Blood Sin seemed quite displeased with these resurrected corpses, and said indifferently, "Reinforcements? You are unaware of the current situation. In the depths of the starry sky, the Holy Spirit lineage is at odds with us; the remnants of the Heavenly Court are taking advantage of the chaos; the two groups of human emperors on Ziwei Star are also resisting; in addition to the battle lines here, it is difficult to manage them all."

"This is not a big problem for our Underworld. We can just call on some more experts. After the ancient war of gods ended, we obtained the corpses of all the fallen experts. Are we afraid of not having enough resources?"

"And there's no need to worry about anything else, because I suspect that the fat Taoist priest who held the 'Scripture of Salvation' back then is closely related to the Underworld Emperor we're looking for, and might even be him! This tells you that we have nothing to fear about our headquarters not sending reinforcements." At this moment, Yama's son spoke up. Although he lacked strength, his position was extraordinary; he was the future leader of one of the palaces and carried considerable weight in the Underworld.

“What you say makes sense. It can scare away the quasi-emperor war corpse, affect the reincarnation seal in his body, and he also has a reincarnation seal on his body. Even if he is not the Underworld Emperor, it must be closely related.” The Blood Sin Great Sage slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, lit three incense candles, and placed them in front of the Yama Stele. He used his supernatural powers to chant, “At the end of reincarnation, everything will come to an end. The Underworld is the final destination of all spirits.”

This was a mysterious incantation that immediately opened a rift connecting the underworld to the cycle of reincarnation, allowing a wisp of his divine consciousness to enter and relay the message.

The underworld is vast and boundless, like another universe.

No one knows how this vast domain was formed. Wang Hongwu once speculated that it was a remnant of burial soil from an ancient era, but its effectiveness was greatly diminished by the destruction caused by the will of heaven, and it is far less effective than before.

Beneath this ancient soil lie many corpses, ancient and terrifying. Even if all the creatures of the Hundred Life Starfields were to die, they could not create such a horrific scene.

The Great Sage of Bloodlust walked past in silence. He had once heard the Celestial Venerable of Longevity whisper that this place had been the burial place of beings from more than one era, and that this was a cycle of reincarnation.

Before the mythological age, there was the Hades era, and before that, there was a period of chaos and disorder. And before that, there was the legendary Chaotic Era!
Furthermore, the people of the underworld once unearthed immortal divine corpses, who were figures of the imperial path, belonging to the pre-mythological era, and believed to have originated from the incomprehensible chaotic ancient period. From ancient times to the present, more than one, at least three, have been unearthed, but unfortunately, they are all incomplete, and some were destroyed in the battle of the fall of the Heavenly Court and the ancient god war.

Over the years, the Yin soldiers have been wandering through various star fields in search of ancient divine corpses, making them appear increasingly terrifying and invincible. However, they have now encountered a challenge in the Big Dipper. The Alliance of Ten Thousand Races has mobilized, and the seven ancient imperial weapons can indeed put considerable pressure on them.

The Great Sage of Blood Sin arrived beneath the three towering palaces and suddenly sent a message, informing them that he had found traces of the Underworld Emperor and awaiting a response from his 'representative'.

After the need for reinforcements was announced, the voice from the depths of the underworld sounded somewhat weary: "Back then, the divine will of the Sun Emperor suddenly attacked, catching us off guard and causing us considerable losses. Later, the Holy Spirit lineage, the remnants of the Heavenly Court, and the descendants of the Human Emperor also distracted us, which gave those ants from the Big Dipper a chance to rise up."

"However, now that divine thought has gone far away and returned to its chaotic state, we can free up our hands. You found the traces of the Underworld Emperor, which is a great achievement. This reinforcement is only right. The Underworld Emperor was a great talent in the past, and he instilled great fear in people's hearts. We have always known that he would return sooner or later. He has been forging a path for immortality. Between life and death, no one has gone further than him."

And that so-called Wang Hongwu, he's quite unusual. Even our calculations couldn't uncover his background; there seems to be an unknown force concealing him. We must be extremely vigilant. Given his complicated relationship with the Heavenly Court, he's temporarily listed as our second target. We also need to warn Yama to be cautious and not let anything go wrong.

"Underworld Emperor, after all this fuss, you've finally slipped up. So you really were involved with the Mingzun's back hand on that ancient star? Hehehe, too bad. We also stole a part of the roulette wheel that person left behind. He can't come back. Hahaha!"

Then, wave after wave of divine thoughts swept out, cold and chilling. They had already learned that there were traces of the Bright Lord and the Underworld Lord on the Big Dipper, and immediately sent people to provide support.

Of course, in the eyes of the Great Sage of Blood Sin, this sentence was enough to explain everything. The current supreme ruler of the underworld was afraid that the Underworld Emperor would return and settle scores with them.

And then there's Wang Hongwu... Just thinking about him makes his heart skip a beat, and he feels inexplicably apprehensive.

What exactly is going on?

How could a mere Dao Slayer cause such a Great Sage to issue a warning on a whim?
Strange, truly strange! The Great Sage of Blood Sin wondered to himself, his curiosity about Wang Hongwu growing even stronger. He couldn't help but want to investigate this man, to uncover the secrets within him, so mysterious and fascinating.

In contrast to the somber and oppressive atmosphere in the Western Desert, the victorious Northern Plains were filled with jubilation.

The saints joined forces and fought with quasi-imperial weapons, successfully repelling the ancient enemy of the past. The army below even broke through the Netherworld Fortress and drove the forces of the Underworld out of the Northern Plains.

"We will accomplish a great feat, defeat an immortal legacy, and display the might of all races!" A royal being roared excitedly. They had actually defeated the Underworld once, which was unimaginable. Even the saints from beyond the realms found it like a dream.

"We can't be too happy yet. Right now, we've only taken over the Underworld's stronghold in the Northern Plains. It's still far from being comparable to their main base in the Western Desert." Some people were cautious, knowing that everything had only just begun and the real trouble was yet to come.

The saints standing high in the sky, in particular, did not look too good, because they had also suffered considerable losses. Many saint-level experts had died in battle, most of them at the hands of those ancient emperor enemies.

Some royal families have been directly weakened as a result, losing their leaders, or even being annexed.

It can be said that this battle has only just begun, yet it has already changed the status of many ethnic groups in the Five Regions and the composition of power in various places. If the fighting continues, who knows what will happen?

Taiyin Dasheng remained expressionless, but he kept in mind Wang Hongwu's instructions and took action to collect the essence of the fallen saints in the arena. The great saints of the divine organization covered for him, so no one in the arena noticed for a while.

Meanwhile, inside the burning Netherworld Fortress below, Wang Hongwu and Duan De marched straight in and began to reap the benefits.

The surrounding area is filled with ancient buildings, which are materials transported from the underworld and accumulated from excavations in the northern plains. Many of them exude an aura of antiquity, as if an era has been buried underground for a very long time.

"I've struck it rich! I've finally seen the light. Robbing the Netherworld is much faster than digging it up slowly!"
This is still a heroic act of chivalry and upholding justice. It has been decided that from now on, Daoist Master will take on this profession part-time, developing both literary and martial skills. Duan De couldn't help but marvel. He looked at each of the ancient palaces. Not to mention the ancient scriptures, there were even sacred objects for forging weapons. He even found one or two treasures from the underworld.

A terrifying flame appeared in the burial pit, nourished by millions of vengeful souls. It was not scorching hot, but icy cold. As soon as it appeared, it froze the surrounding void, and even some sacred bones were frozen and shattered.

Duan De let out a soft exclamation, as if such a flame had appeared in the mythical era and played a great role.

Taiyin Immortal Fire? Wang Hongwu was surprised. The Underworld had actually gone to great lengths to find this extremely cold fire, which could restrain the Sun Body. Could it have been prepared for him?
"Hey, keep it. If you cultivate the Taiyin Mother Scripture, this thing will be of great benefit to you. It's a pity you follow the True Dragon Path, so this thing isn't that useful." The unscrupulous Taoist glanced at it. Only the Underworld could produce such a thing. They went through all sorts of trouble, probably to target the Sun Saint Emperor lineage of Ziwei!

"That's not necessarily true." Wang Hongwu smiled upon hearing this, and immediately absorbed the ball of immortal fire into his celestial platform, combining it with the Taiyin Mother Scripture to become one of his offensive techniques.

The divine embryo within her body trembled slightly, absorbing a trace of the Taiyin Immortal Fire. It began to exhale and exhale Yin energy, seemingly nurturing and strengthening itself, causing the entire surface of the Bitter Sea to be stained with a layer of firelight.

"Oh my, there are actually two puppet substitute death talismans here. Come on, little dragon man, let's each take one. With this, even if a saint attacks you, you can survive once. It's an incredible treasure. The underworld must have dug it out from the tomb of the Great Sage of the Northern Plains."

Duan De then unearthed two more valuable items, which he shared with Wang Hongwu, one for each of them.

During their exploration, they discovered a stone palace with ancient ruins, displaying scriptures and secret texts. In the center of the palace, Wang Hongwu also discovered a World Stone, a wondrous object born from a small world created by sages, which can be used to reopen the small world.

Some of the great worlds that gave birth to it are comparable to the Primordial Chaos Stone. This one is as long and wide as a person, clearly left behind by a Great Sage, and can open up new worlds. "I once used the Xuanhuang Stone to refine the divine power of the Universe in My Palm. Now this World Stone can be integrated into it. Then I can go to the Fire Domain to collect some divine fire to contain it. Even if a Sage were trapped inside, he would be badly injured." He thought to himself, "These are all incredible opportunities. They can enhance divine powers, but the drawback is that they only work the first time. Once you are on guard, they cannot be affected."

While he was exploring the World Stone, Duan De was already holding an ancient scripture and studying it carefully. It turned out to be a book related to burial and feng shui, which would also be of some use to the underworld.

"When did this unscrupulous fellow become a scholar?" Wang Hongwu was also searching through the books. The ground was a mess, with many ancient books damaged. He found a lot of manuscripts collected by the underworld, the least of which were left by sages. Some of them were very enlightening and helpful to him, and could help him improve his own scriptures.

Because not all sages can open up a new path; only a few exceptionally talented individuals can do so. Those who can leave behind a lineage of teachings are formidable, expounding different great principles of heaven and earth and secret techniques.

Boom! Before long, this Netherworld was about to completely collapse. The array patterns were destroyed too quickly, and even Duan De could not stop it. The two packed up the benefits they had obtained and ran out again in the soaring flames.

Then, in the blink of an eye, this fortress of the underworld was completely shattered into a sky full of fireworks, leaving nothing behind.

"What a pity, such a precious land has been destroyed by the underworld!" "But fortunately, they left behind a lot of their war weapons, which can strengthen the various races."

Many people lamented that it was a treasure trove, containing ancient scriptures, supreme holy weapons, and countless resources. Natural treasures, ancient war chariots and ships, holy weapons and ancient medicines were piled up like mountains, making it an unparalleled divine treasure.

Even if one doesn't swallow it all, just receiving a cup of the delicious soup would be enough to enjoy endlessly.

Upon seeing this scene, the ancient imperial heirs couldn't help but look at Wang Hongwu and Duan De, who had emerged from the ruins. They had certainly made a fortune.

"Leave some people behind to reorganize the Northern Plains, and we'll return to the Imperial City to discuss this further."

"Indeed, although we have recaptured the Northern Plains, the Underworld's forces have not suffered much loss. The experts have all left directly. The remaining Western Desert is a tough nut to crack, and we must plan carefully."

Moments later, one fortress after another, forged from refined gold, rose into the air, leaving behind these powerful war machines that all belonged to the eight royal families.

Each ancient war castle was filled with Originium, Ancient Medicine, and other materials mined by the Underworld in the Northern Plains, a very good harvest indeed.

Wang Hongwu also left with the Dragon Girl. Although the raid on the Northern Plains was successful and the Great Domain was reclaimed, it was essentially because the Underworld had given up on it. The Western Desert would not be so easy to conquer next.

After that night, the world was shaken. The Alliance of Ten Thousand Races had achieved results in its first campaign, which made some forces that were originally just going to watch the show hesitate.

The Northern Plains stronghold of the Underworld was destroyed, and facing the mythical forces head-on, the battle shocked the world. Everyone was stunned, and countless powerful forces from beyond the realm were terrified.

"Has the Underworld abandoned the Northern Plains? This doesn't seem like their style."

"Perhaps it's a strategic retreat. It's said that they haven't lost many men and are simply holding their ground in the Western Desert."

"Even the greatest heroes grow old, and even the invincible ancient saints eventually have their blood and energy depleted and can no longer fight. Perhaps the underworld is also on the decline?"

"I think it must be that the great battle deep in the starry sky has held them back, preventing them from being able to spare any attention for the time being. After all, those three forces are not to be trifled with."

Some extraterrestrial beings are constantly exchanging information and are very interested in it.

Soon, someone appeared. It was a Saint King who wanted to infiltrate the Western Desert, but before he even landed, he was swept by an invisible ripple and instantly exploded into a blood mist.

Only then did everyone realize that the entire Western Desert had been transformed into the Underworld by the Netherworld, and it might even have been connected to the ancient Netherworld as a node. Even the Great Sage would shed blood here, making it a terrifying graveyard.

Inside the Imperial City, the various royal families and Great Saints met to discuss the results of the battle.

"I propose that we bombard the Western Desert with the ultimate divine weapons again. They can't resist us all the time. At worst, we can fight them once a day. Even if we can't defeat them, we can still annoy them to death!" The Golden Great Sage was the most radical, repeatedly proposing to use the ultimate divine weapons as a deterrent. After exchanging glances, everyone nodded slightly. His words made sense.

Isn't the royal family's advantage their ancient royal weapons? If we don't bombard them every day, it would make them seem useless.

“We can also lend a hand. With eight Great Sages wielding the eight ancient imperial weapons, even if the Underworld has transformed the Western Desert, it will be enough to cause them trouble.” Wang Hongwu agreed, saying that this was indeed a tactic, making full use of their own advantages. The Great Sage Taiyin also spoke up, saying that at worst, the eight Great Sages could throw away their pride and bombard the Western Desert for ten or eight days before launching a full-scale war, which would eventually have an effect.

After discussing it, everyone agreed that this was indeed the case, so the eight Great Saints immediately took action, riding the ancient imperial weapons to bombard the Western Desert Underworld.

Boom! At that moment, a cold snort rang out, echoing throughout the human realm and shaking the five regions. It came from the Western Desert, causing the sun, moon, and stars to almost lose their color in an instant.

The sudden change occurred, and the eight Great Sages, who had just unleashed terrifying fluctuations, seemed to be struck by lightning, and the boiling ripples of their ultimate path froze.

The Golden Sage, who was leading the way, felt cold, as if he were being stared at by a colossal being, as if a powerful figure who had reached the realm of supreme beings was looking down on him. For many years, he had almost forgotten this feeling, and a sense of fear arose deep in his heart, making his whole body feel a little cold.

What was going on? He couldn't control himself and involuntarily retreated, and a terrifying scene appeared before his eyes: powerful beings rode out in ancient war chariots, and the divine beasts pulling the chariots were all at the Great Sage level, their roars shattering galaxies.

Before the Western Desert, a colossal purple-gold divine beast, as large as an elephant or dragon, pulled a chariot engraved with ancient patterns. Seated inside was the very owner of the original coffin. He suddenly opened his eyes, and the terrifying aura made the entire world tremble, causing everyone's hearts to pound.

These empty eyes, devoid of any light, were as cold and ruthless as two black holes, eerily dark and gloomy. The reappearance of that quasi-royal corpse seemed to want to destroy the entire Alliance of Myriad Races, fierce and incomparable.

Although it contains the character "准" (zhun), it also contains the character "皇" (huang).

Even Wang Hongwu was shaken, because this realm was very difficult to break through. Even now, with so many Heavenly Kings and Great Sages, after being sealed away until Ye Fan's era and then reborn, only the Fighting Saint King, the Divine Silkworm Princess, Di Que, and the Ten Thousand Dragons Great Sage have achieved the status of Quasi-Emperor. The latter even achieved it at the age of eight thousand years old. Others, such as the Nine Phoenix King, the Lin Heavenly King, and several Great Sages, all stopped in their tracks before that barrier, which shows how difficult it is.

Even setting aside quasi-emperors, there are very few who have truly become Great Sages. Not everyone can be compared to the heroes of the later Golden Age. Those quasi-emperors are either heirs of ancient emperors or have other backgrounds. Compared to them, 99% of the heroes of all races are not qualified to dominate the ancient road or confront the Imperial Pass.

Moreover, the quasi-emperor corpse spirit is now manipulating the ultimate divine artifact, directly blocking the attacking ancient emperor's forces.

"Not good!" The Great Sages present all changed color, because the Quasi-Emperor's control of the Supreme Divine Weapon was a completely different concept from that of the Great Sage, and the power they unleashed was on a completely different level!
At this moment, the quasi-emperor corpse spirit holding the Yama Stele looked towards the Central Plains. The ancient stele in its palm suddenly flew up, raising wisps of smoke and mist, and carrying the supreme divine power, it directly suppressed the Central Plains!

It's not just the Alliance of Ten Thousand Races that employs such extreme tactics; the Underworld is also quite adept at it.

Clearly, the fall of Beiyuan made the Underworld very uncomfortable. This time, they actually took the initiative to attack Zhongzhou, using the quasi-royal corpse spirit as a guide!
Upon seeing this scene, Wang Hongwu and Taiyin Dasheng's expressions changed. Zhongzhou was the base of the Ziwei Sect. Now that the Underworld was attacking there, their hometown had suddenly become the main battlefield. This was not good news. They had to defeat them as soon as possible and push the battle line back to the Western Desert.

The current situation is also very urgent. The Underworld has used the power of a Quasi-Emperor to unleash an ultimate divine weapon to destroy the Central Plains. The Flower Fruit Mountain Immortal Mansion, the Ziwei Sect, and the strongholds of the Divine Organization are all located there. If they are sunk in one blow, it will be a huge blow to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Races.

No one expected that the underworld's revenge would come so quickly and so fiercely, sending chills down everyone's spine.

(End of this chapter)