On the other side, the three beasts had already returned to Corpse-Refiner Mountain and entered inside.
Seeing the three beasts return, the Corpse Emperor asked, "You're back? Where are the people?"
"Great King, not just the people—even the corpse puppets are gone," Tiger replied nervously.
"What's going on?" the Corpse Emperor said angrily.
"I don't know what happened. All of a sudden, a bunch of powerful experts flew out from the Fiend Palace and wiped out all the corpse puppets," Tiger said.
"Impossible! How could that be?" The Corpse Emperor snapped, refusing to believe the Fiend Realm could have so many experts.
But he had no choice but to believe it. Just then, several powerful Demon Lords suddenly appeared, led by Evan Yang. When the Corpse Emperor saw Evan Yang bring so many people, he was furious, treating these Demon Lords as Evan's reinforcements. The Demon Lords themselves had no idea what was happening—they only knew Evan Yang brought them here to find the Corpse Emperor himself.
At this moment, Evan Yang said, "It's right here." The Corpse Emperor instantly unleashed a powerful aura, intent on slaughtering these people.
The Demon Lords raised their eyebrows at the Corpse Emperor. Sensing the murderous intent, each Demon Lord immediately struck, and the Corpse Emperor, seeing them join forces, refused to back down—he actually used the strength of his corpse form to stand against them.
Evan Yang's clone watched the situation and couldn't help but be impressed, but by then, the clone had already vanished. Meanwhile, the Demon Lords and the Corpse Emperor became bitter enemies, fighting nonstop and never noticing Evan Yang had already left.
Meanwhile, Evan Yang's true body was inside the Demon-Fiend Underpalace, looking at the palace that appeared just as it had in the past. Evan wondered to himself, "Different people enter different spaces—how can I reunite them?"
Evan thought it over and decided to check out the Sixteenth Layer—maybe he'd find some clues there.
So Evan looked at the ten light circles; at this point, they no longer required the prestige they once did—he could enter directly. Without hesitation, Evan chose the tenth portal and charged all the way down.
When he reached the Sixteenth Layer, Evan saw the same staircase as before. Step by step, he climbed up and finally arrived at the altar he'd seen in the past. After checking the surroundings, he muttered, "Strange, why isn't there anything here?"
After a long time, Evan couldn't find anything, so he began attacking the altar to see if it would react.
He launched wave after wave of attacks at the surroundings, which rippled out like stones thrown into a lake.
"It's really sturdy," Evan muttered to himself. He tried using Ice-fire, Sacred Flame, light, and every attack he could think of, but there was hardly any response. Finally, exhausted, he gave up and lay down on the ground, staring at the ceiling and muttering, "What should I do?"
Just then, Evan felt his heartbeat strangely affected by something—it started to throb in an odd way.
"?" Evan curiously felt his own heartbeat, then got up, but the sensation vanished. When he lay down again, it returned. Seeing this, Evan checked the ground and pressed himself against it, discovering that the vibration really was coming from below. He looked puzzled and started digging.
The ground here was extremely hard, including the layers below, but Evan refused to give up. Using many treasures, he slowly opened up a small hole. After considering, he entered the Strange Spiral Shell and had it carry him inside.
Just as Evan Yang predicted, the Demon Lords had no idea that even several of them together couldn’t subdue a single corpse.
The Corpse Emperor’s defense was monstrous. No matter how they attacked, they couldn’t break his body. He could ignore all their attacks, but he could strike back at the Demon Lords.
Forced back again and again, the Demon Lords had no choice but to retreat.
"Damn it, what is this thing?" Demoncloud Demon Lord cursed.
"Probably the Corpse Emperor!" Morak snapped.
Hearing the name Corpse Emperor, everyone’s expressions changed. They knew his strength was no joke—being able to stand up to several Demon Lords wasn’t surprising.
"So what now? Did Evan Yang actually join forces with him?" Demoncloud demanded.
"Whether he did or not, we can’t let a monster like this exist in the Fiend Realm. He’s way too dangerous," Morak said.
The other Demon Lords nodded, agreeing with Morak. No matter what, the Corpse Emperor couldn’t be allowed to stay—he could ruin their plans for the Demon‑Fiend Underpalace. Meanwhile, the Corpse Emperor, convinced these were Evan Yang’s helpers, unleashed ruthless attacks fueled by hatred.
After some discussion, the Demon Lords decided to withdraw and regroup. All of them left the Corpseforge Realm. The Corpse Emperor raged, "Useless fools! I thought you were supposed to be so powerful!"
"Mighty, Your Majesty!" The Three Divine Beasts cheered when the Demon Lords left.
"What’s mighty about it? I didn’t injure a single one, and Evan Yang vanished too," the Corpse Emperor grumbled.
"Is Your Majesty not going after them?" Tiger Beast asked curiously.
"With a body this big, I can’t leave the Corpseforge Realm yet. I have to shrink my form first," the Corpse Emperor explained.
"What are Your Majesty’s orders?" Tiger Beast asked, frowning.
"What else? Get out there and find their whereabouts!" the Corpse Emperor ordered.
"But even if we find them, we can’t do anything if Your Majesty can’t move," Tiger Beast frowned.
"Idiots! You think I can’t control your bodies?" the Corpse Emperor snorted.
The Three Divine Beasts were shocked—they knew the Corpse Emperor could control them, making their bodies extensions of his will.
Before they could react, the Corpse Emperor seized control, sneering, "Evan Yang, you think all these helpers are useful? Even if they’re strong, I’ll still wipe you out."
Back at the Fiend Palace, the Demon Lords gathered, frowning. None of them expected such a corpse creature to appear in the Fiend Realm.
"I’m afraid only the Sky‑Flooding Demon Sovereign could handle him," one Demon Lord said.
"But right now, Sky‑Flooding is recovering and can’t act," Morak replied.
"So what are we supposed to do? Are we saying even all of us together can’t deal with him?" Demoncloud demanded.
"Demoncloud, I get how you feel. We all hate Evan Yang, but who’d have thought he’d hide behind such a corpse monster?" Morak consoled him.
"What’s so scary about a corpse? It’s not even alive," Demoncloud grumbled.
"You don’t understand, Demoncloud. The Corpse Emperor’s body is made from the remains of many powerful experts, fused together. It’s not as simple as just adding them up," Morak explained.
"So what now? Are we just going to sit here?" Demoncloud pressed.
"Wait. Looks like the Corpse Emperor hates us too. As long as we hold our position here, he shouldn’t come after us," Morak mused.
"Why not?" Demoncloud asked boldly.
"Corpse Emperors are always restricted. They can only survive in their own little pocket realms. Once outside, their bodies start to rot and their power drops off," Morak explained.