During the Second War of Gods, the Dark King was so thoroughly routed by the Evil King that his summoned beasts were completely wiped out, and he himself was left clinging to life by a thread. Although he ultimately escaped thanks to his cunning and a special ability targeting the Starlight Path, he endured a period of existence lower than that of pigs and dogs… From that moment, his hatred for the Evil King became an unquenchable inferno, and he perpetually yearned for the day he could exact his great revenge.

However, he knew that his current strength was insufficient to defeat the Evil King, and his power had hit a bottleneck, one he could not break through in the short term. Killing the Evil King was clearly impossible for him alone, so he could only wait and search for an opportunity—and that opportunity was Lin Luo… If there was anyone among the Walkers capable of defeating the Evil King, it was only possible through the combined efforts of himself and Lin Luo. The reason he hadn't killed the Host was not only because he didn't wish to, but also to facilitate an alliance with Lin Luo.

Otherwise, had he killed the Host, any alliance with Lin Luo would have been impossible to forge.

After searching through numerous channels, he finally sensed Lin Luo’s trace within the dimension of Gensokyo. Although he wished to discuss an alliance as quickly as possible, he knew that Walkers were inherently adversarial entities. If he approached directly, Lin Luo would most likely not trust him.

As the saying goes, to know oneself and know one's enemy is to win a hundred battles—this applied not just to combat, but to alliances as well. Thus, he decided to remain in the external reality, sending only the Four Divine Beasts into Gensokyo to gather intelligence, thereby increasing his leverage for the potential alliance.

However, during their investigation, he made a stunning discovery: the true power of Gensokyo!

Given Gensokyo’s might, he conceived an alternative plan—to use another’s blade to kill.

Through the World King’s ability, he leaked the news that Gensokyo possessed a Host with 100% compatibility, along with information about Lin Luo. He then arranged for this information, slightly downplaying Gensokyo’s actual power level, to reach the Evil King through intermediaries. Using a rhetorical style that mixed truth and fabrication, he lured the Evil King there, while he himself remained hidden behind the scenes, never revealing his identity.

As he predicted, the Evil King suffered an unprecedented blow in Gensokyo. While the Evil King managed to escape unharmed, which disappointed him slightly, this outcome was entirely within his calculations. He even knew that after this encounter, the Evil King would certainly seek revenge against Lin Luo… In a certain sense, this was also a tactic to increase the probability of forming an alliance with Lin Luo.

The Dark King possessed an ability targeting the Starlight Path, which was tracking. Once he made contact with a Walker, he could trace that Walker’s Starlight Path… Similar to the Evil King’s interception of the Starlight Path, his tracking ability could only be used once per Walker. Furthermore, this ability did not count against his usage limits for the Starlight Path; it was precisely because of this power that he managed to escape the Evil King’s killing blow during the Second War of Gods.

Therefore, when the Evil King launched a two-pronged attack on Lin Luo, he immediately mobilized his own strength. First, he dispatched all his subordinates within his world to aid Lin Luo’s world; then, he used his tracking ability on the Evil King’s Starlight Path to head toward the battlefield on the unnamed planet.

Of course, while the Dark King possessed certain principles, he wasn't so altruistic as to throw his own subordinates into a place of certain death for the sake of another. His forces were finite, inferior to the Evil King’s in both quantity and quality. Aiding Lin Luo risked their total annihilation, and an alliance was merely a means before defeating the Evil King; what happened after was another matter entirely. However… if anyone among Lin Luo’s Contractors were killed, Lin Luo would be unable to exert his full strength in battle, rendering the defeat of the Evil King a pipe dream.

It was a case of "when the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold." Setting aside the Dark King’s desire for revenge, if Lin Luo were killed by the Evil King, the tripartite balance of power among the Three Kings would completely vanish. The Evil King would become overwhelmingly dominant, and after absorbing Lin Luo’s world, his power might reach unimaginable heights. At that point, the Dark King alone could not stop the Evil King’s advance in the War of Gods; not only would revenge be impossible, but his own survival would be in question.

The Dark King knew that only by joining forces with Lin Luo could they possibly kill the Evil King; success was impossible without either one. Therefore, supporting Lin Luo’s world was an extremely crucial matter, no matter the cost.

In truth, ever since the end of the Third War of Gods, the Dark King had been preparing for the day he would kill the Evil King. He had performed countless simulations, both in terms of abilities and global scenarios. Although every simulation ended in his defeat, he had gleaned certain advantages from them, one of which was… the suppression of Rule Force!

The Four Divine Beasts, also known as the Four Celestial Spirits—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—were the Four Symbols that regulated the cardinal directions and maintained order. Although the Dark King’s Four Divine Beasts had not grown to the level of true Celestial Spirits, their fundamental nature remained unchanged. As long as these Four Divine Beasts governed the four directions—East, South, West, and North—they could lock down the order of the entire world. And fixed order was something no power, at least not the Evil King’s, could breach.

Unable to utilize the power of Disorder, the Evil King’s strength was reduced by at least one-fifth.

“You bastard… I will kill you!” Feeling his power of Disorder sealed, the Evil King’s expression drastically changed, simultaneously erupting in immense rage. This fury was not just due to the suppression of his abilities, but more critically, due to the identity of his opponent… the Dark King, who had once fled from him like an insignificant insect, was now repeatedly plotting against him. He had fallen into the Dark King’s trap yet again. This was intolerable!

The Evil King desperately wanted to strike down the Dark King immediately to vent his spleen, but before he could unleash an attack, Lin Luo swung the Mist and Rain Sword. The fiercely burning Flame of Destruction formed a massive vortex, engulfing the Evil King from above.

The Dark King’s arrival brought Lin Luo immense confidence. From Arthur’s previous words, he knew the Dark King and the Evil King harbored an irreconcilable enmity. Coupled with their brief prior encounter, although Lin Luo couldn't fully trust the Dark King, at this moment, their enemy was clearly the same.

If the Dark King truly sent troops to aid him, then hope might not be lost. If they could jointly kill the Evil King… In any case, it was far too early to despair!

“Arrogant!” Sensing the destructive power descending from above, the Evil King forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and let out a deep roar, thrusting his Despair Demon Spear sharply upward. The terrifying spatial storm surged upward like a reversed waterfall. Boom!

When the Black Flame of Destruction collided with the spatial storm, a deafening explosion erupted, sending visible shockwaves scattering outward. Within several hundred meters of the impact point, space shuddered, the ground collapsed, and even the rocky mountains and seawater several miles away were tossed into the air, demonstrating the terror of this single strike.

Although the realm of the Black Flame of Destruction was high, it was ultimately incomplete. Even though Lin Luo had calmed down and unleashed his full power, the Evil King’s strength was still a notch above his. After less than a second of stalemate, the Black Flame was dispersed by the spatial storm, which continued unabated, roaring down to shred Lin Luo.

“Power of the White Tiger… Trembling Roar!” At almost the exact same moment, the Dark King attacked. As he lunged toward the Evil King, a faint phantom image of a White Tiger materialized behind him. As the White Tiger roared, terrifying sound waves converged into a straight line emanating from his fist, akin to an apocalyptic laser, easily piercing through the Evil King’s defense grid and heading straight for his head.

The Dark King’s Heart Codex was the Book of Beast Mastery. Although he could summon terrifying unique beings like the Four Divine Beasts, he was not an incompetent summoner who could only hide behind his summoned creatures… He was the strongest Beast Tamer expert!

Not only could he command his summoned beasts in battle, but he could also utilize their essential powers through different application methods, such as the orderly power of the Four Divine Beasts. Moreover, he could even apply the abilities of his summoned beasts to himself, transforming the power of the Four Divine Beasts into his own strength.

This was his true power, the most fundamental ability of the Book of Beast Mastery!

The laser-like sound wave attack made the Evil King feel immense threat. Forgoing the pursuit of Lin Luo, he reluctantly turned back, waving his Demon Spear. Black demonic energy surged out like a tide, instantly swallowing the sound wave attack. Swish!

Just as he blocked the Dark King’s attack, the Evil King heard a sharp sound slicing through the air from behind him. His already activated Perception Domain instantly captured the nature of that sound… it was a white spear flashing with dazzling, intense light—the Strongest Spear!

“It’s you again, kid!” The Evil King roared in anger. His body vibrated violently, and instantly, a towering figure formed entirely of demonic energy materialized behind him. His grindstone-sized hands pressed forward, gripping the Strongest Spear and halting its advance.

“It is I, this kid!” Amidst a resolute shout, Lin Luo instantly appeared beside the Evil King. The Mist and Rain Sword swung fiercely, a terrifying crescent-shaped blade of light piercing through the demonic energy defense, slashing toward the Evil King’s neck.

“Power of the Vermilion Bird… Blazing Demon Blade!” Simultaneously, the White Tiger behind the Dark King transformed into the form of a Vermilion Bird. The Three Ultimate Fires of Heaven and Earth generated within him. He brought his hand-blade down, and a flame blade dozens of meters long cleaved down from above toward the Evil King, its scorching heat melting even solid rock. Clang! Boom!

The Despair Demon Spear clashed with the Mist and Rain Sword, black demonic energy colliding with crimson flames, creating earth-shattering noise. Even the space where the three stood seemed unable to bear such terrifying force, shaking violently. Crackle!

The Evil King, fighting two opponents, was finally at a disadvantage in this brief exchange. As the four forces exploded outwards, he was blasted backward, half an arm missing.

But as the power of Disorder activated, his wounds instantly recovered… The Dark King had only managed to seal his inherent power of Disorder, not the power of Disorder intrinsic to the Heart Codex itself.

Mid-air, looking at the charging Lin Luo and the Dark King, the Evil King roared with a face twisted in rage, looking as if he wanted to devour them alive: “You two pieces of trash, daring to join forces against me… Good! Since we meet so rarely, I will extinguish you both together. In this universe, no one will ever defeat me!”

Although part of his power was suppressed, it did not mean he had weakened. His strength was not solely dependent on Rule Force… The endless universe contained endless power, and on this dead silent, nameless planet, he could draw upon the power of the universe to make himself stronger!

The Evil King, situated at the center of the universe, was at his strongest state!

“Aaaaaaaahhhh!!!” Ignoring Lin Luo and the Dark King charging from the front, the Evil King roared toward the sky. Endless demonic energy surged up from beneath his feet, forming a tornado that enveloped him. His black hair whipped wildly, demonic energy billowed high, scattering the airflow above and shattering the earth below.

“What is happening?” Lin Luo instantly stopped, unable to help but exclaim in shock. This wasn't the first time he had seen the Dark King’s demonic energy, but this manifestation seemed different. At this moment, he sensed a massive threat.

“Be careful. I don't know the full extent of his abilities, but one thing I know for sure: his power is related to the universe,” the Dark King stated grimly. Like Lin Luo, he dared not press forward, his face etched with gravity.

“The universe?” Lin Luo paused, about to ask something more, but before he could speak again, he suddenly noticed a pattern appearing behind the Evil King… It was a structure formed by countless points of light connected by lines, resembling a nebula layer, spiraling around each other. It flowed gently like running water, an invisible power faintly discernible. It looked like a miniature version of the universe!

And the Evil King, standing before this small cosmos, exuded the feeling of a universal sovereign.

Not good!

Seeing this, Lin Luo and the Dark King exchanged glances, both seeing the apprehension in the other’s eyes. If the Evil King could truly manipulate the power of the universe, they currently stood no chance whatsoever.

“Stop him!” They spoke in unison, and almost simultaneously, Lin Luo shot the Strongest Spear while the Dark King swung the Flame Blade. These two powers merging together were nearly unstoppable, forcing even the Evil King to retreat slightly. But… before the attacks reached the Evil King, that miniature cosmos suddenly released a ripple. Boom!

It looked as gentle as water, but the power it unleashed was terrifyingly astonishing. Amidst the sound of space-shaking impact, the Strongest Spear shattered, and the Flame Blade was extinguished!

“How is that possible?!” Lin Luo and the Dark King both changed color.

“Hahahaha!” At this moment, the Evil King suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, his eyes fixing on them with chilling coldness. “You two pieces of trash, you thought limiting my Rule Force meant I was helpless against you? Utterly delusional. Now I will show you… the power of the universe!”

As he spoke, the Evil King tapped the void with his toe and charged rapidly toward Lin Luo and the Dark King. His speed completely surpassed instantaneous movement; in the blink of an eye, he was between the two, thrusting both hands outward.

“Universe… Collapse!”

“Wha—!”

“Ah—!”

Although Lin Luo and the Dark King were prepared, the Evil King’s attack was too swift. By the time they reacted, the attack was already upon them. In that instant, both were violently thrown backward, spitting blood.

As he flew back, Lin Luo saw that image of the universe draped over the Evil King like an ornament.

“Is that… the universe?!”

: Brothers, give some support, today’s response has been a bit bleak! RO