Chapter 1079: Dragon Qi Schemes Against the Netherworld Emperor (First Update!)
"Hold on!"
Dragon Qilin's eyes flickered as he said, "Brother, Yin Chaojin has been getting very close to the Heavenly Lord Hao. That man has never had good intentions. His arrival here is most likely to block your journey north. It's very possible he's leading the Heavenly Court's army to stop you!"
Youming Crown Prince hesitated for a moment before stepping to the palace gate to look out. He saw Yin Chaojin chasing after the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace, with the Heavenly Court's army following closely behind. Warships with banners fluttering filled the sky—exactly as this Dragon brother had said. Yin Chaojin had indeed brought the Heavenly Court's army to attack!
Youming Crown Prince flew into a rage and bellowed, "Yin Chaojin, I treated you like a brother, but you treat me like a fool! If I let you in, won't the Heavenly Court's wolves and tigers trample my Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace flat?"
The Netherworld Emperor turned back and laughed, "So you thought I was in league with them, hence all this caution. Brother, I came to tip you off, but the Heavenly River Navy discovered me and chased me here. If you don't let me in, I'll die out here!"
Youming Crown Prince was at a loss and looked to Dragon Qilin. "Brother, he says he came to warn me. If I don't let him in, won't he die out there?"
Dragon Qilin's belly was churning with mischief. "The Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace is of utmost importance. If you mishandle this and let the palace fall into enemy hands, even the Black Tortoise Emperor and the War God Emperor will be implicated. We must be cautious. First, make the Netherworld Emperor kill some of the Heavenly Court's army to prove he's not in league with them."
Youming Crown Prince praised, "As expected of my clever brother. Brother Yin, if you truly want to help me, kill some of the Heavenly Court's gods and demons. Otherwise, you're just leading them here to harm me!"
The Netherworld Emperor's expression froze. "When did this turtle get so smart?"
He glanced back and saw that the Heavenly River Navy had arrived. The lead general stood at the prow of his ship, blade in hand, and shouted, "Youming Crown Prince, the Heavenly Emperor has decreed that you return to Jade Capital City!"
Seeing that the Netherworld Emperor had not attacked the Heavenly River Navy, and that the Heavenly River Navy had not attacked him either, Youming Crown Prince erupted in fury. "Yin Chaojin, you were indeed trying to trick me into opening the Azure Sky Canopy so you could seize my Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace!"
The Netherworld Emperor was both angry and anxious. Gritting his teeth, he charged at the Heavenly River Navy, thinking, "If it weren't for all those treasures in the Northern Emperor's household, would I risk my life like this?"
He struck without warning. Countless white banners flew out and shook violently toward one of the navy warships. The gods and demons on board felt their souls waver, and one by one, they were pulled from their bodies and sucked into his banners.
A few powerful figures with stable souls escaped his deadly attack, but the next moment, the gourd on the Netherworld Emperor's back opened. Countless buzzing insects swarmed out from the gourd's mouth, pounced onto the ship, and drained those experts dry!
Having succeeded in one strike, the Netherworld Emperor shouted, "Brother Youming, now you see my sincerity!"
Angry shouts erupted from the surrounding warships. The Heavenly River Navy's formation activated, and the Heavenly River nearly boiled over. Countless formation patterns rose into the air, locking down the entire area around the river.
Shua—
Countless divine weapons flew along the formation patterns. With a single strike, they heavily wounded the Netherworld Emperor.
The Netherworld Emperor spat blood and was sent flying backward, crashing into the barrier of the Azure Sky Canopy.
Youming Crown Prince was about to open the barrier to let him in when Dragon Qilin raised his hand and said, "Brother, shouldn't you wait a little longer? What if this is a bitter trick?"
Youming Crown Prince hesitated. In that moment of hesitation, the Heavenly River Navy's second strike came!
The navy's formation was incredibly powerful. Warships rode the surging waters as they maneuvered, unleashing all kinds of divine artifacts. With the formation backing them, their power was even greater.
Even the Netherworld Emperor's ancient divine insects were ground down by the formation in countless numbers. The Netherworld Emperor summoned his Nether Capital Heavenly Gate, but this gate was still incomplete. The moment he brought it out, it shattered into pieces under the terrifying might of the formation!
"Nether Sea, rise!"
The Netherworld Emperor, blood in his mouth, roared, "I may not be a Heavenly Lord, but I didn't earn my reputation for nothing!"
Whoosh—
A vast Nether Sea emerged from the void, its waves surging with bloody light. Massive corpses of gods and demons rose from the sea, roaring in fury, ready to battle the Heavenly River Navy.
Though the Netherworld Emperor's cultivation and Dao techniques were not yet fully matured, his divine abilities and Dao methods already showed traces of what they would become in later ages.
He was deeply versed in the Dao of the Nether Capital, with astonishing skill in soul arts. Whether it was the Nether Sea or the Nether Capital Heavenly Gate, his knowledge of the Nether Capital was vast, even touching upon the Dao of Reincarnation. One could say he had broken through the traditional Dao of the Nether Capital and achieved profound accomplishments.
On the warships, powerful demigod generals sneered and raised their hands, then brought them down sharply. "Activate the Sea-Calming Divine Pillars!"
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Massive iron pillars descended from the sky, plunging into the Nether Sea. Instantly, the sea was stilled. The corpses of gods and demons that had just risen were pressed back down, sinking into the depths.
The Nether Sea became calm, not a single ripple stirring.
The Netherworld Emperor spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to his knees. He was about to beg for mercy from the Heavenly River Navy when suddenly the Azure Sky Canopy opened a crack. Youming Crown Prince reached out with his massive hand and pulled him inside.
Dragon Qilin sighed regretfully. "Brother, we should have waited a little longer..."
"If we waited any longer, Brother Yin would have died!"
Youming Crown Prince, full of apology, blushed as he said to the Netherworld Emperor, "I wronged you, brother. I never expected you to be so loyal and righteous, willing to sacrifice yourself for my Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace. I am utterly ashamed."
The Netherworld Emperor gave him a weak glare as blood surged from his mouth, nearly making him pass out.
His Nether Sea, which he had painstakingly cultivated for over a hundred thousand years, was suppressed by the Heavenly River Navy. His Nether Capital Heavenly Gate was also shattered. He had lost most of his assets.
"If I don't squeeze a hefty profit out of this stupid turtle's son, I'll have lost everything!"
He tried to pull himself together, but his injuries were too severe, and his aura was fading.
Youming Crown Prince quickly helped him up and introduced him to Dragon Qilin and the others. "This is Brother Dragon. These are descendants of the Eastern Emperor, and this is my cousin, the Southern Emperor's princess."
The Netherworld Emperor stared at Dragon Qilin and sneered, "Brother, these friends of yours won't even give their real names. That seems suspicious."
Yan'er grew nervous. In the future, when Qin Mu visited the Northern Emperor, Youming Crown Prince had met them. But he hadn't seen Dragon Qilin in human form, and back then, Yan'er wasn't fat or thin—she had a good figure, not as plump as now.
If they gave their real names, wouldn't Youming Crown Prince recognize them in the future?
Dragon Qilin, however, remained calm. "I've heard that the Netherworld Emperor is cunning and treacherous, with a divine ability to kill people just by knowing their names. In your presence, brother, I dare not reveal my name. 'We are all wanderers under heaven; why must we know each other's names to be friends?'"
"Well said!"
Youming Crown Prince clapped in praise and laughed, "Brother Yin, you do have such an ability, so it's no wonder Brother Dragon won't give his real name."
Yan'er was deeply impressed by Dragon Qilin and looked at him with admiration.
Dragon Qilin felt secretly pleased. "At least I've read some poetry with the Sect Leader... Pity I don't have a tail, or I'd give it a little wag..."
The Netherworld Emperor, severely wounded, couldn't recover quickly.
Youming Crown Prince gathered the descendants of the Black Tortoise in the palace and asked Dragon Qilin to command the troops.
Dragon Qilin declared boldly, "Deploying troops and arranging formations—I've studied these with a master. With my formation, not even the Heavenly River Navy, let alone the Heavenly Court's ten legions, will be able to breach the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace!"