The Dark Temple drifted above a plain spanning tens of thousands of miles in the Thirteen Star Fields.

All the major figures from the various tribes of dark creatures were gathered there. Hundreds of thousands of dark beings, bizarre and grotesque in every conceivable form, lay about languidly or actively, staring with wide, multi-hued, menacing eyes fixed upon the Dark Temple overhead.

From a distance, the grumbles of elders from smaller tribes could be heard.

This was the crucial time for the dark creatures' scheduled rotation to attack the Holy See of Light. Certain dark creature tribes were currently due to send their troops to join the assault on the Holy See. For the dark creatures, war and plunder were as fundamental as sowing and reaping were for farmers—it was a matter of life and death, determining whether their entire tribe would feast on meat or be left to suck the cold wind.

Clearly, attacking the Holy See meant feasting on meat. Missing the deployment window meant nothing but the cold wind. The cold wind was a miserable sustenance, and since the rotational duty periods for attacking the Holy See were limited, any delay meant the tribes’ children would be deprived of raiding the lands of the Holy See for good things for a long while. Thus, the tribal elders, ordered to leave the front lines to attend this meeting, were naturally brimming with resentment. If this order hadn't come from the Grand Chiefs and Patriarchs of the major races, some might already have revolted.

Even so, as the Dark Temple slowly floated in, the disgruntled elders still let out a continuous stream of hisses.

But in the very next instant, all tribal elders and high-ranking figures fell silent in unison. Three colossal black dragon heads, each the size of a mountain, suddenly emerged from the Temple. Dripping black saline water constantly oozed from their maws, pitting the ground beneath with massive holes.

These three dragon heads, along with six enormous scarlet eyes, swept over all the dark creatures with a savage glare.

A thunderous roar erupted from their voluminous throats: "What's all the noise? Seeking death? If you keep nagging, I'll devour the males, strip and kill the beautiful females, and crush all the ugly, hermaphroditic, and genderless freaks! Shut your mouths for me!"

A wave of absolute malevolence swept the entire plain. A pale black gale howled, causing the fur of every dark creature to stand on end. What an intensely compressed aura of darkness that was, spewing forth from the three dragon heads, filled with death, destruction, and tyranny. Just sensing that aura, it felt as if several Death Gods had suddenly lunged forward, placing a blade against one's own throat.

The dark creatures, inherently prone to bullying the weak and fearing the strong—a trait they elegantly disguised as respecting might—immediately clamped their mouths shut. They looked upon the three-headed dragon, Mo Ta Long Gen, with profound awe, murmuring in reverence: What an incredibly powerful dark creature, as mighty as a deity.

A few seasoned tribal elders took deep breaths, opening their mouths to praise Mo Ta Long Gen's imposing presence and his magnificently powerful form. But Mo Ta Long Gen had already turned his head, fixing his stare on those bastards who dared to inhale and make a sound.

In the next moment, the elders were lightly lifted into the air, drawn soundlessly into Mo Ta Long Gen's massive mouth without any resistance.

With a few deliberate chews, deliberately allowing the sound of bone and flesh shattering, along with the desperate screams of the elders, to permeate the plain, Mo Ta Long Gen narrowed his eyes with satisfaction and laughed: "That’s what happens when you don't listen to me! I told you to shut up, and you still dared to make noise—that’s a capital offense!"

With a "gulp," Mo Ta Long Gen swallowed the bloody remains. He then extended more than half his body out of the Temple, lazily draping himself over the Temple's highest spire. He slowly used a clawed hand to pick at his teeth, stating casually: "If the dead had daughters, the most beautiful would be sent to my bedchamber. If they have no daughters, if their wives or concubines are beautiful, I wouldn't mind!"

Raising his head, Mo Ta Long Gen licked his now-sticky lips and sighed with a touch of sentimentality: "I am a broad-minded male creature. Any beautiful female is an object of my affection. Issues like marriage and childbirth are minor details; I don't care about them!"

The dark creatures on the plain remained deathly silent, watching Mo Ta Long Gen. Not a single one dared to utter a sound. What a tyrannical, domineering dark deity this was! Yes, he must be a newly awakened Dark Deity. It must be because of the awakening of such a powerful Dark Deity that the Grand Chiefs and Patriarchs had summoned so many leaders here.

All the dark creatures bowed their heads deeply, showing their reverence through humility. If one cannot resist the strong, then one must prostrate beneath the strong’s feet. For countless years, generation after generation of dark creatures had done just that, and they would continue to do so in the future. This was the inherent trait of the Dark Saint Web races: the strong possessed everything.

A low laugh echoed from within the Dark Temple. Gu Xie Chen, long-haired and clad in a black robe, followed closely behind the Corpse Emperor, walking out with a chuckle. The imposing Corpse Emperor stood nearly ten Zhang tall, clad in ancient, simple armor, with a black stone longsword at his waist. The Corpse Emperor seemed to stride before the others. Thirty-six Yin Specters, carrying censers, drifted about three feet off the ground. A cold, ghastly smoke sprayed from those censers, instantly dispersing tens of thousands of miles away. This was the essence extracted by Mao E from the Guanghan Planar Essence, possessing a peculiar effect. Mixed with several secret elixirs from the Nine Hells, it served to focus attention, heighten emotional states, and induce a state of religious fervor.

Behind these Yin Specters, all possessing the power of Celestial Immortals, were exactly one hundred and eight Gold-Armored Corpses, one hundred and eight Silver-Armored Corpses, one hundred and eight Bronze-Armored Corpses, and one hundred and eight Iron-Armored Corpses. Following them were one hundred and eight Red-Haired Corpses, one hundred and eight Black-Haired Corpses, one hundred and eight White-Haired Corpses, and one hundred and eight Green-Haired Corpses. Ranging in strength from the White-Haired Corpses, equivalent only to early Golden Core stage, to the Silver-Armored Corpses, whose strength neared or even surpassed the Void Realm, and the Gold-Armored Corpses, whose cultivation varied from high-stage Void Realm to early Celestial Immortal. All these zombies had been meticulously selected by Gu Xie Chen to be over two meters tall, possessing ferocious visages and radiating killing intent.

Towering streams of corpse qi rose up. Corpse qi was also a form of dark energy. The dense corpse qi permeated the surroundings, and with Mo Ta Long Gen's intentional encouragement, the slightly foul-smelling corpse qi rapidly spread across the entire plain.

The Undead race among the dark creatures displayed looks of surprise and joy, grinning as if they had found long-lost brethren.

The faces of the dark Saint Web leaders from the other groups turned extremely grim. As fellow dark creatures, the Undead race was undoubtedly the closest. The Corpse Emperor’s grand entrance, coupled with such dense necromantic energy—what did he intend to do?

However, the Grand Chiefs of each group following closely behind Gu Xie Chen and the Corpse Emperor quickly dismissed these doubts. With the leaders of all the groups present, perhaps no matter what change occurred, it wouldn't be too terrible, right?

As they hesitated, Mo Ta Long Gen extended a long neck from the Temple. The Corpse Emperor’s mighty frame stepped onto Mo Ta Long Gen’s long neck as if walking on a rainbow, steadily reaching the dragon’s head and standing atop it.

Mo Ta Long Gen’s long neck cleverly curved at an angle, perfectly positioning the dark creatures below to clearly see the Corpse Emperor's towering and majestic form, and the imposing, inviolable aura emanating from him.

The dark creatures gasped in stunned silence. The being whom they considered a deity was beneath this creature, which radiated such intense death energy. Could its status be even higher than a deity? Had its significance surpassed that of a god?

What should a being more powerful than a god be called?

Gu Xie Chen’s eyes narrowed. A gray-white disc, exceeding ten thousand meters in diameter, suddenly materialized in the void. Fist-sized gray-white clusters of energy sprayed out from the disc, instantly transforming into countless thumb-sized black light clusters that shot downward.

These black light clusters were brimming with dense dark energy—the purest essence, without even a trace of impurity. The dark creatures watched the sky full of black light clusters raining down in shock, then opened their mouths in ecstatic excitement, ravenously absorbing the descending black light.

In just three to five minutes, every dark creature present gained an amount of power equivalent to what they would normally cultivate over thirty years.

A miracle. This must be a miracle. All the dark creatures knelt down in awe to kowtow and worship the Corpse Emperor, murmuring the name "Saer Dilo" repeatedly. In the legends of the dark creatures, Saer Dilo was the sovereign of all dark power, the God of Gods in the dark world, the source of all darkness and all sin, the progenitor of all dark creatures.

If he could instantly grant such immense power to so many dark creatures present, who else could it be but Saer Dilo?

The Corpse Emperor smiled and raised both hands. Black energy shot up from above his head, plunging the surroundings into darkness. This black fog permeated the void, completely obscuring the sunlight; not a sliver could penetrate. The surroundings were dark, yet all the dark creatures could clearly see the Corpse Emperor—not with their eyes, but with their souls.

The Corpse Emperor's towering figure was deeply imprinted in the hearts of these dark creatures. They worshipped him to their hearts' content and cheered wildly: Saer Dilo has manifested! He will bring unprecedented happiness and glory to the dark creatures. The dark creatures had heard their elders say this since birth, so they believed this legend without question.

The Corpse Emperor, who had just used a Rahu secret technique to imprint his image onto the souls of the dark creatures present, turned back and asked Gu Xie Chen in a low voice, "Are you alright?"

Gu Xie Chen coughed dryly. He retrieved the Tai Yin Profound Orb from the void and said hoarsely, "It's nothing, just a bit draining, and the Tai Yin Profound Orb consumed too much energy. It’s just a slight hindrance to my recent cultivation."

"As long as you're fine," the Corpse Emperor replied, turning back with satisfaction. He roared fiercely, "My subjects, who am I?"

The dark creatures roared back with a sound like an avalanche: "Saer Dilo, our god, the God above all gods, the sovereign of all darkness!"

The Corpse Emperor thumped his chest forcefully and declared sternly: "Yes, I am Saer Dilo! I am your God! I have personally arrived here to bring you the will of the gods, to bring you my decree!"

"You must obey me, just as you have obeyed me in the past."

"You must submit to me, just as your ancestors submitted to me."

"If you believe and follow my words, and only the words of me and my apostles, you shall receive salvation."

"Believe in me, act according to my words, and act according to the words of the apostles I choose, and you will obtain everything you desire."

"Those who like to drink, you shall have fine wine."

The Corpse Emperor tilted his head slightly. Banruo and Mo Ke brothers, hidden among the zombie ranks, pulled out their storage artifacts and threw out large quantities of fine wine. Bottles, jars, and casks of wine flew wildly through the air. The dark creatures below shrieked, and then their cries turned to ecstatic cheers.

"Those who like to eat meat, you shall receive good meat."

Fenghua, Little Zhang Daoist, and the others opened their storage artifacts, tossing down slabs of sliced beef, whole plucked chickens and ducks, sheep chopped into pieces, and countless scale-removed and gutted sea fish. The eyes of the dark creatures turned red—meat, truly, was raining down from the sky!

The divine power of Saer Dilo was boundless; what a magnificent God of Gods! Their King of Gods, his words could not be wrong.

The Yin Specters lifted the lids of their censers and threw in the requisite amount of Guanghan Incense. A more intense, cold fragrance spread in all directions. The emotions of the dark creatures became increasingly heightened and focused. Their fanatical gazes concentrated solely on the Corpse Emperor. Their breathing and heartbeats synchronized to nearly the same frequency. They looked at the Corpse Emperor, felt the Corpse Emperor, worshipped the Corpse Emperor, and consequently, they came to believe in him. A minuscule speck of golden fluid, only the size of a sesame seed, condensed from the surging spiritual fluctuations of those dark creatures. This tiny bit of golden fluid rapidly fled into the void, instantly merging into the Corpse Emperor’s body.

Even the Corpse Emperor himself did not notice this tiny droplet of golden fluid. He merely experienced a sudden, surprising realization: he seemed to be able to instantly receive the respect and support of the countless dark creatures below. It seemed that with a single word from him, these beings would go mad with devotion. This was what the Corpse Emperor sensed.

The Corpse Emperor was slightly startled, thinking he had suddenly gained a divine ability. Only Gu Xie Chen, with his keen innate divine sense, clearly perceived the golden fluid. That was clearly a droplet of the purest Faith Power. These dark creatures were indeed believers more devout than fanatic followers. The Corpse Emperor had merely shown his face and impersonated a deity, yet he had already gained a benefit. Hmm, perhaps he could follow the advice of Holmlein and Dora and organize something using these dark creatures.

Recalling the Tai Yin Profound Orb, Gu Xie Chen slowly rubbed its surface in his palm and raised a hand to wipe a bead of cold sweat from his forehead.

The Corpse Emperor was still loudly deceiving the masses. He raised both hands high, roaring with the seriousness and solemnity of a true charlatan: "Those who desire wealth, you shall have mountains of gold and seas of silver to use!"

To Gu Xie Chen’s astonishment, dozens of mountains made entirely of pure gold, spanning a thousand miles each, and vast amounts of molten silver water, plummeted from the sky with violent sonic booms. If Yang Jian dropping those gold mountains was one thing, the Monkey King, fearing the dark creatures below wouldn't be killed easily enough, melted all the silver ingots Gu Xie Chen had stored using a single blast of his True Fire, transforming it into a sheet of silver water several hundred meters thick, covering tens of thousands of miles, and poured it down.

The churning silver water steamed furiously. The Monkey King had been a bachelor his entire life; his so-called lifetime practice of virgin cultivation was perhaps an exaggeration. His True Fire was the most potent and purely yang energy; within the Three Realms, there was no creature purer in Yang energy than the Monkey King.

This liquid silver contained a trace of the Monkey King’s True Fire essence; its temperature rivaled the surface of the sun.

The mountains of gold and seas of silver rushed down. The gold mountains were manageable; the dark creatures possessed considerable brute strength and could carry them. But the sea of silver...?

Gazing at the blindingly bright, steaming, immense fortune descending upon them, the dark creatures knelt on the ground, crying out and begging for mercy: "Great Saer Dilo, have mercy on us! The sea of silver will burn us alive!"

The Corpse Emperor’s eyes glazed over. He helplessly glanced at the Monkey King, who was gleefully suspended in the high clouds, shook his head, and stomped his foot lightly.

Mo Ta Long Gen suddenly opened his massive mouth and took a fierce gulp. Immediately, a chilling wind surged in the void. The sea of silver poured down by the Monkey King was rapidly frozen into a single massive silver ingot by the cold wind. Then, like knives, the chilling winds cut the ingot into countless pieces, and silver ingots the size of fists rained down with a crash.

The dark creatures utilized their agile skills and nimble footwork, effortlessly dodging the onslaught of silver ingots as they twisted and turned amidst the downpour. They cheered to the sky in delight; several thousand more points of Faith Power flowed into the Corpse Emperor’s body.

"Hahaha, my subjects, believe in me, follow me, obey me, and you shall receive more."

"For example, beauties!"

The Corpse Emperor snapped his fingers and glanced toward Gu Xie Chen, who was crouched nearby.

Siren, hidden among the zombie ranks, gave a thumbs-up towards them. He clasped a top-grade Zha Ke La crystal stone with both hands, and immense energy surged into his body. Silver light cascaded through the void, and countless curvaceous beauties floated down, laughing, from the silver light. Siren's cultivation had advanced greatly; he was now a Golden Immortal. The world puppets he summoned were completely lifelike. As long as a surge of Siren's own will was not injected, and certain biochemical raw materials were used to stabilize the puppets' bodies, they could remain outside for a long time, completely independent of Siren.

Emerging from the silver light were beautiful Minotaurs with thick arms and legs, each sporting golden horns, pure white tusks, and silver skin. There were also slender Fox-Human beauties, with skin as white as snow and faces like flowers, each trailing one to nine tails behind their hips. There were also Werewolves, Tiger-People, and Giant Spirit race beauties, and even a large group of skeletal beauties whose skin was tightly stretched over their bones, showing their teeth when they smiled.

Truly, believing in Saer Dilo brought limitless benefits.

Watching the beauties falling from the sky, the eyes of the elders of every group lit up with greed. They suddenly erupted in cheers like an avalanche. Countless threads of golden fluid materialized in the void, coalescing into a vast river that continuously surged into the Corpse Emperor’s body. Thin golden lines shot out from the bodies of the elders of each race, connecting directly to the Corpse Emperor's form. The Corpse Emperor’s aura continuously shifted; his energy was steadily increasing. He even felt that he could effortlessly control the life and death, honor, and disgrace of the tens of thousands of dark creature leaders below.

What a magical sensation this was. The Corpse Emperor looked toward Gu Xie Chen in astonishment.

Gu Xie Chen hurriedly transmitted the secrets of the Angel Clan to the Corpse Emperor. The transmission of divine sense was extremely fast, and the Corpse Emperor immediately grasped the underlying mystery.

After laughing heartily a few times, the Corpse Emperor nodded forcefully. He roared sternly: "My subjects, silence!"

Although countless more beauties continued to fall from the sky, the hundreds of thousands of dark creatures below simultaneously closed their mouths, knelt respectfully on the ground, and looked toward the Corpse Emperor with piety.

"Believe in me, and you shall have everything!"

"Believe in me, and you will obtain everything!"

"Believe in me, and you will enjoy everything!"

"Today, I have personally descended before you to let you understand that you belong to me, and I own you. My divine power displayed is to make you understand the terror of Saer Dilo." All the dark creatures roared in unison.

"Very good," the Corpse Emperor pursed his lips with satisfaction. He nodded slowly and then retreated into the Dark Temple.

Gu Xie Chen casually walked to the top of Mo Ta Long Gen's head and stomped his foot forcefully, causing the dragon to lower its head by several dozen meters.

"My kin, my fellow dark brethren, I am the Apostle of the great Saer Dilo, and I shall announce his decision. You do not need to question; you only need to obey his will. Then you shall obtain everything."

The beauties were still falling, and every beauty actively embraced the dark creature nearest to her. Thus, one could see tall, robust Minotaur beauties passionately hugging handsome Blood Clan youths, and dark Yin Specter beauties, covered entirely in grime, hugging Giant Spirit race young men wrapped in crackling electric light...

All the dark creatures ignored the beauties surrounding them, instead cheering toward the sky: "We will definitely obey!"

"Very good!" Gu Xie Chen nodded with satisfaction.

Han Feng beckoned, and Black Jack slowly walked out, wearing a purple-black and yellow robe and a heavy six-layered golden crown that weighed over two hundred kilograms, nearly crushing his neck. He had to walk slowly because, to reflect his status, he wore an excessive amount of jewelry, including the six strings of prayer beads made of various colored gemstones around his neck, the largest of which was the size of a fist.

The splendor and brilliance of the gems could not adequately describe Black Jack at this moment; he was practically a moving mountain of gold.

This fellow stubbornly believed that a person's status and position must be reflected in the wealth they possessed.

So, Black Jack had originally intended to don a suit of specially crafted, high-tech, powered golden armor—the kind that stood over ten meters tall and was a foot thick.

In the end, Gu Xiechen, picturing the gaudy spectacle that would create, forcefully restrained her impulse.

Stunned silent, forgetting that Black Jack had just emerged shimmering like a giant lightbulb, Gu Xiechen stammered, "This, this is Black Jack, the Pontiff of the Dark Curia, a devout follower of Salodilo!"

"Starting today, the Dark Curia ceases to exist. In its place stands the Dark Empire. You are all citizens of the Dark Empire. You must obey the master of the Empire, His Majesty Black Jack, who now rules over both the religious and administrative powers of the Empire!"

"Your Grand Chief and Patriarchs, because of their piety, because of their faith, the great Salodilo will take them away, leading them to bliss. From this moment forward, you are all subjects under the rule of Black Jack. Everyone must respect him and obey him!"

Black Jack adopted a stern expression, stiffening her pale neck. The six-tiered crown atop her head was far too heavy. Why did a crown forged from pure gold have to be so ponderous?

Gu Xiechen ignored Black Jack. He summoned the Grand Chiefs of all the races forward and announced the pre-arranged measures to everyone present.

Without expending much effort, thanks to Gu Xiechen's meticulous planning, the dark creatures had completely submitted to Black Jack’s leadership.

He let out a few cold laughs, looking upon the devout dark beings, and Gu Xiechen nodded to himself internally. Good. This faction was secured. What remained were the dark creatures currently attacking the descendants of the Demon-Trampling Dragon. Among them were over two hundred newly awakened Dark Deities. This force absolutely had to be brought under his control. For their sake, he would have to trouble the Corpse Emperor and his two future associates to make their move!