Outside Jade-Lock Pass in Youdu, a tattered banner flapped in the ghostly wind. The ragged cloth snapped and shuddered, battered by the icy gusts—a flag so ancient it had clearly seen battle, marked by traces of supernatural arts and scorched by flame.
The flag’s surface was stained with blood as dark as rust.
Gripping this massive banner was a four-armed demon god, his body towering a hundred zhang tall. Each thick, muscular arm clenched the flagpole, his eyes sharp and unwavering as he stared at the gates of Jade-Lock Pass.
Whoosh.
The banner tore in the raging wind, a long strip of cloth twisting and tumbling backward.
Where the cloth streamed past, ranks of towering gods and demons stood in perfect formation, clad in battered armor and wielding broken divine and demonic weapons. They waited silently behind the banner.
There were so many gods and demons, their numbers stretched as far as the eye could see.
At the center of the army, a canopy with several gaping holes covered an area dozens of li wide. Beneath it stood thick, pillar-like poles, and beside them coiled a throne woven from dragon bones.
The wind howled violently.
Seated upon the throne, a towering figure shook out his crimson cloak to keep it from being snatched away by the cold wind. His face was pale as he coughed heavily.
"Has the Red Emperor still not recovered from the wounds the Netherworld Divine Son gave him last time?" A woman with a serpent’s head and human body swam up to him, but her voice was that of a man—she smiled and asked.
Yan Qianzhong’s expression soured. He replied coolly, “Red Emperor? I’m already dead—I don’t deserve that title. The current Red Emperor is Claudia Qi, that little witch. Just call me Yan Qianzhong.”
Lady Lurien giggled. “At the end of the Supreme Sovereign era, Red Emperor and Claudia Qi fought, and though you lost, you did so with honor. The Red Emperor died, but Claudia Qi was forced to surrender…”
Yan Qianzhong was clearly annoyed. “Get lost.”
"Yes, sir."
Lady Lurien smiled broadly and walked off toward another camp. The endless ranks of gods and demons just now were not all the coalition’s forces—only those under Yan Qianzhong’s command.
Yan Qianzhong was once the Southern Red Emperor of the old Heavenly Court. At the end of the Supreme Sovereign era, the old Heavenly Court sought to destroy the Supreme Sovereign’s regime. Red Emperor Yan Qianzhong faced Claudia Qi in battle—both Emperor’s Throne–level, but Claudia Qi was a shade stronger and slew him.
Yet Claudia Qi was gravely wounded as well, captured by the old Heavenly Court and forced to surrender—becoming the new Southern Red Empress.
That was the story Lady Lurien had just mentioned.
Yan Qianzhong had once been the Red Emperor. After death, he fell to Youdu as a ghost emperor, cut off from the living world. As a ghost, his senses dulled—food tasteless, no scent of flowers. Though he could still throw his weight around, he was forced to take orders from the old Heavenly Court, and naturally, he was resentful.
Lady Lurien’s mention of that story only made him more bitter.
Lady Lurien approached the next camp, where a towering, rock-like deity stood. His entire body was as solid as stone. She smiled and said, “Prince Nine-Gifts, son of Earth Mother Primordial Lady, how’s your recovery going?”
“Over the years, I’ve devoured countless lost souls. I’m finally back to full strength.”
The stone giant, Rockwell Nine-Gifts, grinned broadly. “Today’s battle will see the Netherworld Divine Son lose his head!”
All the gods and demons under his command were demigods—clearly, he was a demigod overlord from the Dragon-Han Era!
Lady Lurien laughed. “Prince Nine-Gifts, this time we’re not here to kill the Netherworld Divine Son, but to seize his fortune and his flesh.”
Rockwell Nine-Gifts snorted, his voice thunderous. “Lurien, don’t think I don’t know your little schemes. Last time you rallied all the Youdu gods to attack the Netherworld Divine Son, and we lost countless troops—you yourself were badly wounded. Then you gathered our strength to forge the God-Lock Chaos Net, claiming it was to capture him and hand him over to us. But after it was finished, you never made a move. You’re ambitious, Lurien—just trying to become another Tu Bo!”
Lady Lurien replied meekly, “I never got a chance in the living world. The God-Lock Chaos Net might not be enough to take him down.”
She moved on to another camp, calling out with a smile, “Lady Xuanwu War-Consort!”
Lady War-Consort glanced at her coldly. “No need for words. My feud with the Netherworld Divine Son is one of blood—irreconcilable. But you’re no saint either, Lurien. If you hadn’t lost to him and begged my son for help, would he have been eaten?”
Lady Lurien grew solemn. “The Netherworld Divine Son is steeped in sin—the prime evil of Youdu. As the Heavenly Emperor’s war consort, famed for your martial prowess, you fight for the Heavenly Court until death. I’ve always respected you. Why would I ever send your son to die on purpose?”
She came to yet another camp and bowed. “Great Sun Star Lord.”
This was a born god, a Primordial Spirit with three souls—ancient gods had no seven corporeal spirits, only three souls.
The Great Sun Star Lord of the Heavenly Court was a powerhouse in the Supreme Sovereign era, but this Primordial Spirit in Youdu was the true Great Sun Star Lord.
Great Sun Star Lord stood like a giant bird, three-legged and wings folded tight, perfectly composed. “Rest assured, Imperial Marshal. This time, the Netherworld Divine Son will not escape.”
“Great Sun Star Lord’s speed is unmatched—he’ll make sure there’s no escape, no matter where the Divine Son runs.”
Lady Lurien continued on, paying respects to one Youdu giant after another. Some had transformed their own bodies into Heaven Palaces, enthroning themselves within, radiating awe and power.
These giants were Emperor’s Throne and High Heaven Hall–level powers who had died in battle over the last million years. Some demigods had died even earlier, before the Divine Treasury and Heaven Palace systems existed.
Yet their strength remained terrifying. Even without modern realms, their cultivation rivaled Emperor’s Throne and High Heaven Hall–stage experts.
Lady Lurien greeted more than a hundred giants before finally returning to her own gods-and-demons camp.
In this camp, Lady Lurien commanded only a hundred-odd Youdu demon gods and a few thousand demon beasts.
Last time they attacked Fengdu, the old Underworld Courier suddenly vanished, forcing her to abandon her army and flee back to Youdu. Nearly all her troops were slaughtered.
Marshal Thunderbane, Marshal Noctis, and Lord Deluge came forward—these hundred Youdu demon gods and thousands of demon beasts were all the Four Netherworld Marshals’ remaining forces.
Marshal Noctis frowned, deeply worried. “Last time we had just as many strong fighters, and he still routed us. Can we really capture him this time?”
Lady Lurien was full of confidence. “This time is different. Last time, the giants fought alone, each sure they could win—almost no one attacked together. That’s why we lost. The Netherworld Divine Son escaped by fighting as he fled, using his tricks. But now…"
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Now, those old fools won’t care about their pride. We’re massed here, sealing off Jade-Lock Pass so he can’t fly away. With so many High Heaven Hall and Emperor’s Throne–level powers attacking at once, his fate is sealed! And besides…”
She looked toward the camp’s center, where demon gods and beasts guarded a colossal divine weapon.
The weapon looked like a giant cauldron. Its outer walls were covered in runes—earth, water, wind, fire, mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, and images of demigods: dragon-headed men, phoenix-headed men, tiger-headed men, and more.
Inside, the cauldron’s walls showed sun, moon, and stars; its base was layered with countless seals.
Lady Lurien smiled. “This cauldron is our key to refining him. Tu Bo forged the Youdu Slaughter Cauldron during his reincarnation—he killed countless ancient gods and demigods to make Youdu’s strongest devil-god weapon! The cauldron can trap him, but the real trick is this…”
She produced a square lid, engraved with diagrams of round heaven and square earth.
Round heaven—the circle held Profound Capital; square earth—the square held Youdu.
“We just need to wait for the Netherworld Divine Son to fight the coalition, force him into the Youdu Slaughter Cauldron, then slam the God-Lock Chaos Net down on top. He’ll be finished!”
Just then, the gates of Jade-Lock Pass swung wide. The blare of horns and the thunder of war drums shook the air.
Countless eyes turned to the open gate. A three-headed, six-armed god strode out confidently.
“The Netherworld Divine Son!”
Gods and demons in every camp erupted in a clamor. The air, once heavy with murderous tension, now rippled with fear.
Fear.
Once, no one had paid the Netherworld Divine Son any mind. But twenty-two years ago, in a brutal war from Nine-Bend Horn to the battlefield behind them, too many famous gods and demons were devoured by him—their souls and Primordial Spirits utterly digested!
The Netherworld Divine Son had erased countless powerful beings from Youdu itself.
His fearsome reputation, even after twenty-two years in exile, made even the fiercest demon gods afraid to speak his name.
Quinn Shepherd strode out of the city gate, while behind him, the heavy doors of Jade-Lock Pass slowly closed. Suddenly, his gaze landed on a tree-like deity inside the camp beyond the gate.
Quinn froze as the gates thundered shut, sending a gust of air blasting outward.
"Brother, I think I saw Father," he whispered.
"Father?"
The big-headed baby by his neck was still sulking, muttering, "Father probably likes you better. If Father saw me and then you, he’d pick you up and kiss you, but he’d never kiss me. Hmph, Father’s so biased…"
Quinn couldn’t help but laugh. Ahead, ranks of gods and demons stretched on endlessly—only tattered banners waving and broken warships floating in the sky could be seen.
"Brother, that ah-ah-ah spell of yours—how do you do it?" he asked with a grin.
The big-headed baby folded his arms and sneered, "What ah-ah-ah?"
Quinn thought for a moment. "Maybe it’s more like hiss-hiss-hiss. You inhale and draw in their souls and Primordial Spirits, swallowing them whole. I saw tens of thousands of gods and demons in a Heaven Palace with only empty shells left—their Primordial Spirits must’ve been eaten by you."
"You mean that one?"
The big-headed baby chuckled. "You’re so dumb—you just inhale, that’s all."
Quinn was dumbfounded. "You just inhale? You never wondered how it works? What spells are you using? Which basic runes are involved?"
The big-headed baby just looked blank.
Quinn sighed, melancholy. "Brother, you were born with such talent that every gesture is a spell. I can’t compare—every spell I have, I figured out myself, studied and understood. So I always like to analyze how things work, what spells and runes are involved. Youdu’s spells and Dao rules are embedded in its script. You know how, but not why."
He walked on, growing taller and larger. Of his six arms, two were handed over to Fenix Greenwood Keane to control, while he managed the other four.
He spread his four arms wide, as if embracing the universe. Smiling, he said, "Brother, come watch me use the Youdu spell I’ve studied."
From the primal continent beneath Tu Bo’s feet, the heaviest, darkest demonic energy surged toward him—lightning and thunder flashing in the rolling darkness.
"Kill!"
A thunderous roar erupted from the enemy ranks. Instantly, countless gods and demons unleashed their Primordial Spirits, charging forth in a flood of gold blades and iron steeds. Divine arts blazed across Jade-Lock Pass, followed by a torrent of battered but still potent divine weapons!
Fenix Greenwood Keane grew excited, ready to attack, but suddenly Quinn Shepherd turned, his first face opening its mouth and uttering arcane Youdu divine speech.
Whoosh—
The charging gods and demons suddenly tumbled, like foaming white waves—waves made of countless bleached bones. These dead gods and demons had carried their corpses to Youdu, their Primordial Spirits inhabiting their bodies. But now, their flesh rotted away at a terrifying speed!
As the bones tumbled forward, they formed a white bone wave stretching thousands of miles!
Quinn’s other face turned, inhaling deeply, while the first face kept chanting. Countless Primordial Spirits flew from the bone tide, and divine weapons and devil-god weapons exploded in midair, fragments scattering everywhere.
Tens of thousands of Primordial Spirits surged forth, completely out of control!
Quinn turned. “Brother, your turn!”
Fenix Greenwood Keane, wild with excitement, opened his mouth wide and swallowed tens of thousands of gods’ and demons’ Primordial Spirits in one gulp!
Quinn turned again, raising his hand. The fragments of divine weapons and devil-god weapons froze in midair.
He strode forward, and the frozen fragments in the sky pressed onward with him, bearing down on the enemy.