The splendor of the night was not unparalleled, but resembled a killing frost; so many feuds, so many campaigns, so many years lost. A figure swayed in the dark, tracing a serpentine path, eerie and profound, while upon the cold palace halls sat one of extraordinary standing, named Qi Wang. The lamplight faintly illuminated Ye Xiu’s stern countenance; his suit of pure black armor remained fastened—the Death God’s crusade continued.

At this moment, Ye Xiu was Han Xin; they were both Death Gods striving for the pinnacle of cultivation. “E Qian pays respects to the Myriad Demon Empress!” The visitor was none other than Bu Xian Wu Hou, the former sovereign of Mount Bu Xian. Ravaged by clan turmoil, the former Wu Hou was now worn by time; the snow and wind might erode her former dominance, but they could not extinguish the fire of hatred burning in her heart.

Han Xin spoke not, merely extending his hand to gaze upon the black flames dancing within it. The realm now belonged to the Han dynasty, and Liu Bang had given him the perfect excuse to step back into the shadows—this was the opportune moment for him to orchestrate the dominion of the Death Gods. Ji Jiang emerged from the dim light, looking down upon E Qian in the hall, and waved a hand: “The dignified Bu Xian Wu Hou, actually captured, slain, and driven out by her own kin.” Wu Hou knew that Ji Jiang before her was the Myriad Demon Empress who had manipulated all the world's conspiracies and schemes for a thousand years.

She could only bow her head in subservience: “E Qian willingly follows the Holy Empress and serves at her side.” Ji Jiang smiled faintly, having grasped E Qian’s intent: “Very well. Do you wish to borrow the power of the Death Gods to return to Mount Bu Xian and take revenge upon your clan?” Wu Hou nodded. She still recalled the humiliation of being strung up atop Mount Bu Xian so many years ago.

She was Wu Hou, and this was the ugliest chapter in her eternal existence: “I will make them know what hell on earth is like!” “Where the Death Gods pass, all spirits perish…” Han Xin rose to his feet, the long sword at his waist long impatient for action. Black currents of energy flowed from him, and the flames seemed long suppressed. “For a descendant of the Queen Mother of the West to fall to servitude under the Death Gods—what a joke to tell.” Wu Hou knew Han Xin was mocking her, yet she could no longer afford such concerns for dignity.

She offered her thanks to Han Xin and Ji Jiang: “E Qian thanks Qi Wang, Holy Empress!” Ji Jiang supported Han Xin as they walked toward the rear hall. She knew that Mount Bu Xian today was vastly different from before. The clan members of Bu Xian had inherited the powers of the Great Earth and all natural laws.

The former Venerable Wang Huang was now the leader of the Great Earth Royal Clan, which had split into the Artificer lineage and the Sacred lineage based on differing cultivation levels. “What is it? You worry about the power of the Underworld King.” Han Xin noticed Ji Jiang’s hesitation, yet he never doubted his own capabilities.

“For the lineage of the Death Gods to rise in this era, confrontation with the Great Earth Royal Clan is inevitable! With the Soul Soldier Talisman, everything is under control.” Ji Jiang nodded. She would not tell Han Xin that she possessed more than a single drop of the Underworld King’s essence.

As for the source of that essence, it was impossible to trace now. Her name was Ji Jiang; throughout antiquity, she was known as the Myriad Demon Empress, and what the Empress experienced or did, perhaps even history could not fully record. …… Mount Bu Xian was far more prosperous than in Wu Hou’s time.

Due to extensive intermarriage between the Great Earth Royal Clan and the outside world, large and small villages had sprung up across the vast areas radiating from the foot of the mountain. The Royal Clan lived and worked alongside ordinary people, teaching them the clan’s sorceries—one lineage controlling puppet magic, the other specializing in healing and protective Daoist arts. The entire world seemed bathed in peace and freedom.

“Boom! Crash…” A wave of intense heat slammed down from the highest heavens, and endless dust and flames annihilated one village. Chi Wen, one of the Nine Offsprings of the Dragon, with the head of a dragon and the body of a fish, coiled in the air.

Its two fins flapped ceaselessly. Its wide mouth opened, revealing a row of teeth as sharp as swords, its eyes glaring crimson. After absorbing the moisture from the surrounding air, it transformed into a ball of fire and spewed it onto the earth, leaving only misery in its wake.

“Woooo…” Across the plains, giant skeletal soldiers, shimmering blue, marched slowly, long sabers in hand. Ghostly fire burned in their empty eye sockets, and beneath their feet charged tens of thousands of wolf beasts—these creatures, snapping their jaws and moving with terrifying speed, churned the green earth, leaving devastation everywhere. Bu Xian Wu Hou moved her hands, crawling through the midst of the divine beast procession, her eyes filled with satisfaction as she watched her own villages and kin perish.

She had awaited this moment for a very, very long time! Venerable Wang Huang had now become the Elder of the Great Earth Royal Clan. Observing the dark clouds churning beneath Mount Bu Xian, she sensed calamity was nigh.

However, the Mount Bu Xian of today was not the fragile entity that once faced a mere band of brigands. The cultivators of both lineages had unleashed their abilities; they would not be butchered easily. “My servants, Bu Xian Wu Hou has returned!” Wu Hou, consumed by hatred, looked upon the scene; every blade of grass and living soul she gazed upon turned to stone.

The frenzied wolf beasts trampled the stones where life had been, grinding them to dust. Some cultivators along the path tried to resist the divine beasts’ attacks with their meager magic, but the creatures summoned by the Soul Soldier Talisman could not be repelled by ordinary spells. Such efforts were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—they were swiftly devoured by the wolf beasts.

Approaching the richest large village at the mountain’s base, the surviving villagers had no better refuge. But at that moment, they united, knowing escape was futile. They seized their weapons, channeled their magic, and prepared to resist the divine beasts with flesh and blood.

Their combined strength formed a protective barrier across the village, hoping to save themselves through it. “A bunch of fools! No matter how you struggle, the outcome is the same!” Wu Hou gritted her teeth and waved her hand.

High above, Chi Wen circled, now hovering over the village. It took a deep breath—a breath powerful enough to make the surrounding vegetation tremble. When it exhaled the fiery breath it had coalesced from energy, those brave people and the last village were reduced to nothingness.

“Swish, swish…” At that instant, a streak of rosy light cut through the air, and dozens of figures descended from the towering mountains. They split into three groups: one to rescue people, one to intercept the wolf beasts and giant skeletons, and one to infiltrate the mountainside to track Chi Wen’s movements. The leading figure was none other than the Royal Clan Venerable.

“You finally came.” Wu Hou’s eyes blazed with hatred as she looked at the former attendant who had brought such harmony to the entire tribe. Her heart swelled with jealousy and wrath; she could never forget the humiliation of the past. “I am here today, bringing my strength to wash away the insult I suffered.” The Venerable walked steadily toward Wu Hou, while her attendants flew toward the battlefield.

She looked at Wu Hou, whose bearing was still elegant but whose eyes were blinded by hatred, and sighed with regret: “When you vanished from the peak of Mount Bu Xian, I thought heaven had forgiven you. I never imagined you would remain deluded and bring about your own destruction.”

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