"The First Lord of the Nine Heavens?" Cheng Yin Xiao and Qu Wu Hui exchanged glances, this bizarre title was something neither of them had ever heard before. Despite their centuries of experience and insight, they instantly discerned that the structure of this strange name stood in direct opposition to that of the Nine Nether Young Masters. Yet, for a moment, they couldn't grasp the underlying mystery, and both were utterly astonished!
"Who exactly bestowed this name? Answer me!" The Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers held a certain disdain for experts like Zhan Mu Bai of the Three Great Holy Lands, but he maintained relative trust for those from the Heavenly Saint Palace, who ranked a level higher. After all, individuals at the echelon of Cheng Yin Xiao and Qu Wu Hui represented the absolute apex of the current era; they simply would not lie, nor would they stoop to it, even if the recipient was himself—the Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers!
"Who is the First Lord of the Nine Heavens? Has anyone heard of him?" Cheng Yin Xiao turned his gaze toward the assembled crowd. Although he suspected the inquiry about this name held a hidden complexity, he had long since withdrawn from worldly affairs and naturally sought answers from those below him.
"Hahaha, the name First Lord of the Nine Heavens, it truly is excellent." Zhan Mu Bai chuckled twice; he was now completely unburdened by fear. The Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers had just made it perfectly clear he would not let him go, yet Zhan Mu Bai felt secure because the Three Ultimate Powerhouses of the Heavenly Saint Palace—Qiao Ying, Cheng Yin Xiao, and Qu Wu Hui—were present. Even if the Fourteenth Young Master made a move right then and there, while their chances of prevailing might not be high, self-preservation was assured.
Thus, Zhan Mu Bai’s current disposition was remarkably relaxed. He spoke with an almost mocking tone: "The name First Lord of the Nine Heavens? A fine name! It truly pairs perfectly with the Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers, absolutely superb..."
"Does it pair well? Then tell me, precisely how does it match?" The Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers asked menacingly.
"One is Nine Heavens, the other is Nine Nether. The former resides high above, the heaven of heavens; the latter sinks deep into the earth's extreme, the land of the underworld." Zhan Mu Bai chuckled: "It is truly symmetrical. One is 'First,' the other is 'Fourteenth'... regardless of status or size in between, they are absolute opposites. Finally, one is 'Young Master' (Shao)... and the other is 'Lord/Grandfather' (Ye)! Hahahaha..."
Zhan Mu Bai suddenly burst into wild laughter, tears nearly streaming down his face as he doubled over: "Shao implies a junior; Ye implies an ancestor! There is a generational gap there! At least three generations separate them! That's far more lacking than the difference between heaven and earth, or the difference between one and fourteen. A massive improvement... Hahahaha... how utterly laughable..."
Suddenly—
Crack! A sharp sound rang out; Zhan Mu Bai had received a vicious slap across his face. This blow immediately threw him off balance, causing him to stagger backward at an angle... but the ensuing second slap snapped him right back into place.
The Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers had struck with shocking swiftness. Although Qu Wu Hui and the others were already on high alert, they were utterly incapable of stopping him! They could only watch, helpless, as he delivered one slap after another to Zhan Mu Bai, with no time to react!
That speed was truly unparalleled in the world!
Just as Zhan Mu Bai was about to unleash a roar of fury, he felt a large hand clamp down hard around his throat, hoisting his entire body up until his feet left the ground, held high.
Simultaneously, a vast, irresistible, overwhelming power, chillingly like the fangs of a specter, infiltrated his entire meridian network. In an instant, it seized control of his meridians, extended to his Dantian, locked onto his vital points, and comprehensively suppressed every ounce of his profound cultivation. Furthermore, every movable joint in his body was rigidly immobilized!
In the blink of an eye, Zhan Mu Bai plummeted from the revered status of a Saint Emperor to a pathetic state where even his life and death were no longer his own!
"Fourteenth Young Master! Please stop; let us talk this out," Cheng Yin Xiao and Qu Wu Hui moved forward simultaneously. Unable to intervene in time, a chill had already settled in their hearts. Witnessing the exquisite technique displayed by the Fourteenth Young Master—the complete subjugation of a Level Three Saint Emperor in an instant—they were deeply shaken!
"Stop! If any of you take one more step, I will bathe the Three Great Holy Lands in blood!" The Fourteenth Young Master frowned, sneered, and with a simple sweep of his hand, cleaved the very void before him in two! With that single, effortless gesture, he and Zhan Mu Bai vanished into another spatial dimension.
Cheng Yin Xiao and Qu Wu Hui were less than half a zhang from the Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers; they could have reached out and touched his body, but this small distance had become an insurmountable gulf!
A finger swipe shattered the void!
This was neither legend, myth, nor mere boast; it had happened palpably before their eyes.
Cheng Yin Xiao and Qu Wu Hui both drew a sharp breath. Judging solely by this divine feat, the Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers had recovered at least eighty percent of his original power! The Fourteenth Young Master operating at eighty percent strength was already beyond their ability to contend with; confrontation was absolutely out of the question.
Working together, breaking through the Fourteenth Young Master's spatial barrier was not an impossible task, but it would require the time it takes to steep half a cup of tea! Half a cup of tea seemed brief, but at this juncture, even the blink of an eye was too long; if they waited that long, the situation would be irrevocably lost...
Moreover, if the two of them crossed over, then... regardless of whether they arrived in time, the threat of 'bathing the Three Great Holy Lands in blood' would become an undeniable reality!
With the strength of the Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers, he was entirely capable of it! He was a true lunatic; there was nothing in this world he dared not attempt!
Although this was an undisguised threat, the two felt utterly powerless, left with no choice but submission!
They halted their movements in unison and called out, "Brother Fourteen, have mercy; now... is not the time to kill Zhan Mu Bai!"
"I never said I would kill him, at least not now," the Fourteenth Young Master's expression was utterly placid. "I merely wish to ask him a few questions. Rest assured, with the three of you here, if I truly intended to kill anyone, I would eliminate the three of you first. Why would I devalue myself by killing this scum? In his current state, he isn't worthy! Not by a long shot!"
The Fourteenth Young Master gripped Zhan Mu Bai’s neck with one hand, suspending him aloft, and said chillingly, "You scum, do you know the First Lord of the Nine Heavens?"
Zhan Mu Bai, a Saint Emperor whose status was once so revered! Before the Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers, he possessed absolutely no power to resist! He was like a mere child being tossed and manipulated at will by an adult. Furthermore, he was addressed as scum repeatedly... the humiliation was unimaginable!
He knew his own calculations had been utterly wrong. The Fourteenth Young Master had recovered... He had presumed the Fourteenth Young Master's internal injuries were unhealed, planning to use sharp words to disrupt his state of mind, allowing them all to attack, especially with the three Guardians present—a heaven-sent opportunity!
But the Three Guardians had failed to stop the Fourteenth Young Master from attacking him! This realization sent an icy dread through Zhan Mu Bai's heart!
Despite this dire predicament, Zhan Mu Bai managed to maintain his composure. Gasping for breath, he managed a sardonic laugh: "The First Lord of the Nine Heavens... I do not know that name... even if I did... I would not tell you!"
A maniacal glee flashed in Zhan Mu Bai's eyes. Having been tormented in this manner, his dignity was utterly shattered, and he had already cast his life and death aside! But he could clearly see how deeply the Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers cared about the name 'First Lord of the Nine Heavens.'
Looking purely at the literal meaning, the 'First Lord of the Nine Heavens' was the absolute, natural antithesis to the Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers! This name was undoubtedly a thorn in the Fourteenth Young Master’s side! How could Zhan Mu Bai possibly pass up an opportunity to inflict pain upon his enemy?
Even if I can't beat you, I've learned how to disgust you! I have no hope of survival anyway, so why should you have an easy time? Before I die, I must inflict as much mental anguish as possible with my words!
"Good! You have backbone!" The Fourteenth Young Master tightened his grip, and a scorching, immense torrent of energy instantly drilled into Zhan Mu Bai’s meridians! Zhan Mu Bai immediately felt as if his very blood was about to boil, and his brain matter was cooking!
This was pain beyond comparison!
The cruelest tortures in heaven and earth could likely be no worse than this!
Zhan Mu Bai could no longer hold his composure, crying out in agony before softly passing out. But the next moment, this flow of energy instantly reversed, becoming bone-chillingly cold, shocking him awake. His mind was perfectly clear, yet his body was nearly frozen stiff!
His blood, having plunged from a boiling peak, instantly plummeted to the absolute extreme of freezing!
A thick layer of white frost began to congeal on Zhan Mu Bai's body at a visible rate!
"I only need to know how this name, the First Lord of the Nine Heavens, originated!" The Fourteenth Young Master watched him coldly. "Tell me, and I will release you!"
"Since... there is the Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers in this world... naturally there must also be... the First Lord of the Nine Heavens..." Zhan Mu Bai choked, blood already seeping from the corner of his mouth, which immediately froze into a conspicuous crimson shard near his lip. Yet, he smiled venomously: "It is... that simple..."
The Fourteenth Young Master's eyes narrowed, and his aura suddenly erupted. In a flash, the freezing around Zhan Mu Bai's entire body was abruptly released, his blood boiling again; then, at the peak of the boil, it instantly cooled, reverting to the Nine Nether Ice! This cycle repeated, switching back and forth more than ten times consecutively!
Zhan Mu Bai was trapped in this rotation of fire and ice, dying and reviving repeatedly, suffering torment beyond expression. In the end, he couldn't even muster a scream...
"I said... I would not kill you before defeating the three Guardians today! I absolutely do not go back on my word!" The Fourteenth Young Master gave a cold, sinister laugh. "However, a little interest must be collected first! Even if you live, you will live a life worse than death!"
He laughed heartily: "But you should savor it! Even living like this, you only have this one final night left. Reflect on it slowly!"
With that, the Fourteenth Young Master shook his hand, and Zhan Mu Bai's body shot out, flying back towards the ranks of the Three Great Holy Lands. Hai Wu Ya stepped forward to receive him, but as he caught Zhan Mu Bai, his body violently shuddered, as if struck by a ten-thousand-ton sledgehammer to the chest. He couldn't help but stagger back a dozen steps, each footfall crushing the ground and causing cracks to spread...
When he finally stabilized, his face was already deathly pale, then flushed crimson, and with a gasp, he spat out a mouthful of vivid blood.
The Fourteenth Young Master flashed upwards, his dark silhouette soaring into the high sky, roaring: "Cheng Yin Xiao, the Heart-Sealing Celestial Sword! Qu Wu Hui, the Willful Raging Blade! Qiao Ying, the All-Seeing Rakshasa! Come forth and fight this young master!"
The dark figure flickered in the air, and the entire mid-sky was suddenly filled with thousands of reflections of the Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers, lifelike, darting in and out, appearing to come and go!
But the true body of the Fourteenth Young Master was no longer there!
Cheng Yin Xiao and the other two exchanged glances, then let out long laughs: "Since Young Master Fourteen has such inclinations, the three of us shall naturally risk our lives to accompany you!"
The three showed no fear, their figures flashing simultaneously as they pursued the direction the Fourteenth Young Master had taken!
The Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers did not press the matter of the First Lord of the Nine Heavens; instead, he immediately issued the challenge. His intention was clear: defeat these three first, and then he would return immediately to execute Zhan Mu Bai!
Under no circumstances would he allow Zhan Mu Bai to live longer!
As for the matter of the First Lord of the Nine Heavens, the Fourteenth Young Master could tell that those present genuinely knew nothing. Although Zhan Mu Bai had used the name to viciously attack him repeatedly, the Fourteenth Young Master knew that if such a person truly existed, Zhan Mu Bai's words would have been infinitely harsher than what he actually said!
It seemed he would have to settle today's business first before beginning a careful investigation. If he still found no leads, he would simply have to find that 'First Lord of the Nine Heavens' directly and ask him what his intentions were in creating such a mystery!
As for Cheng Yin Xiao, Qu Wu Hui, and the other two, they had no choice. The Fourteenth Young Master had issued his challenge in a fit of rage. Given their status and standing, even if they knew they were outmatched and destined to die, they had to accept the summons!
Furthermore, considering Zhan Mu Bai's ordeal just moments before, he was, after all, a subordinate of the Holy Lands. To be tortured to this extent required them to seek justice! Whether they could achieve it was one matter; whether they would attempt it was another!
Otherwise, the reputation of the Three Great Holy Lands would be utterly ruined this very day! Therefore, the three of them had no alternative!
Four figures streaked across the night sky like meteors, vanishing, destination unknown...
The remaining experts of the Three Great Holy Lands, gazing upon the mutilated form of Zhan Mu Bai in Hai Wu Ya's arms, were all filled with fury!
The Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers had publicly humiliated a Saint Emperor!
And he had done so wantonly in front of so many experts from the Three Great Holy Lands—this was equivalent to blatantly delivering a resounding slap to the collective face of the Three Great Holy Lands!
If he hadn't left, despite knowing they couldn't win, everyone would have joined forces to attack! They would have sacrificed their lives to retrieve the dignity of the Holy Lands!
Just as indignation simmered among the crowd, a sudden gasp erupted, and everyone's eyes widened! Incredulity filled their gazes!
Something even more unbelievable slowly manifested before them.
On a clear stretch of street ahead, less than ten zhang away from the crowd; utterly abruptly, swaying slightly, a section of earth wall began to rise slowly!
From nothingness to existence, it simply materialized! The ground seemed to have suddenly gained life, growing endlessly...
The earth wall gradually ascended, and the side facing the crowd became as flat and smooth as a stone stele, finally taking the form of a wall five zhang high and about three zhang wide.
As the onlookers stood dumbfounded, this vast earthen wall underwent another transformation.
Characters appeared, one by one, written in bold, flowing script!
It was as if an unseen deity was calmly wielding an ink brush upon it.
The top four characters appeared one by one. Though written in light, flowing strokes, they felt as heavy as mountains, like a bolt of lightning striking directly into the hearts and eyes of everyone present: Four supremely arrogant characters!
"EVIL, DEITY, MONARCH, LORD!"