Chapter 1752: Funeral of the Brahma Emperor (Part 2)
Nan Wansheng had been feeling restless lately.
He had initially not taken the Northern Divine Region's invasion of the Eastern Divine Region too seriously; instead, it had become an excellent opportunity for him to seize the "Object of Immortality." Even when the Zhou Tian Realm was brutally massacred by the demons, he didn't feel a great sense of crisis from it. On the contrary, he had used it to increase pressure on the Fan Di God Realm. However, with the sudden fall of the Yue Shen Realm, the rapid deterioration of the war situation in the Eastern Divine Region, and the sudden revelation of the truth of those past events, his attention had to be diverted significantly from the words "eternal life."
The million-year-old ingrained perception of the demons of the Northern Domain had caught the Eastern Divine Region off guard, and it had also finally made him, the Nanming God Emperor, begin to feel that he might have been too naive.
Especially with the truth being made public... the Southern Divine Region had begun to frequently transmit information he did not wish to hear.
At this moment, the Southern Prison Nether King and the Western Prison Nether King entered and reported, "Your Majesty, they have arrived."
Soon, six figures in pale gold robes, each exuding an aura as powerful as heavenly might, walked in and knelt before Nan Wansheng.
Any one of these six was a terrifying figure revered by all living beings in the Southern Divine Region, dominating the world, for they were all Nether Gods. The Nanming Divine Realm was the number one royal realm in the Southern Divine Region. Under the Nanming God Emperor, there were sixteen Nether Gods and four Nether Kings—the Eastern Prison Nether King, the Western Prison Nether King, the Southern Prison Nether King, and the Northern Prison Nether King.
Now, not only had the Nanming God Emperor personally come to the Eastern Divine Region, but he had also brought two Nether Kings and six Nether Gods.
Nan Wansheng stood up. Facing the "timely" arrival of the six Nether Gods, he did not show a joyful expression. His youthful face was deeply grim, and then he uttered a low command: "Return to Nanming!"
"...!?" The six Nether Gods raised their heads in unison, their faces full of shock. They had rushed over day and night after receiving his royal command, only to be given the task of returning to Nanming?
The Southern Prison Nether King and the Western Prison Nether King, however, did not show much surprise. They had been in the Eastern Divine Region all this time and had been the first to know everything that was happening.
"I was too naive," Nan Wansheng said in a deep voice. "I completely misjudged both Yun Che and the Northern Divine Region."
In Nan Wansheng's previous view, the Northern Divine Region's fierce attack on the Eastern Divine Region was a suicidal act of venting anger, and the consequence would undoubtedly be its destruction at the hands of the Eastern Divine Region... After all, no one knew the strength of the Northern Divine Region better than these God Emperors. Later, when the war situation completely exceeded expectations, he began to think that even if the Northern Divine Region could really defeat the Eastern Divine Region, it would certainly be severely damaged. If it dared to touch his Southern Divine Region, it could be easily wiped out.
But in just a few short days, the news that came every day was completely beyond his expectations, and even made his heart tremble time and again... He knew he had to completely overturn his previous understanding and assessment of the Northern Divine Region and Yun Che.
And also reconsider why he had shown up here in the first place. Immortality was indeed a temptation that made his blood boil and his soul go mad. But ahead of that temptation might be an endless abyss of darkness.
"Let's go!" Nan Wansheng gave the order with extreme decisiveness. This time, he would not only stop underestimating the Northern Divine Region but also, after returning to the Southern Divine Region, gather the core forces of the four royal realms of the Southern Region in the shortest possible time, and then launch a preemptive strike! Catch the Northern Divine Region off guard... just as the Northern Divine Region had done to the Eastern Divine Region.
At that moment, an unusually strange aura rapidly approached. The Southern Prison Nether King's gaze shifted, and he flew out like a falcon. When he returned, there was an extra figure behind him. It was none other than the Tenth Brahma King of the Fan Di God Realm, Qianye Zixiao.
"Oh? Isn't this the Tenth Brahma King?" the Nanming God Emperor glanced at him, his eyes narrowing coldly. "Visiting at this hour, could it be that your God Emperor has finally come to his senses and wants to invite me for tea? ... But it seems you're not in very good shape."
Qianye Zixiao's condition was anything but good. Without even needing divine sense detection, anyone with eyes could see his pale face and eyes that emitted a strange, eerie glow. His originally thick and majestic Brahma King aura was now extremely chaotic and unstable. The skin all over his body was twisting and writhing abnormally, clearly indicating he was suffering great pain.
*Thump!*
Qianye Zixiao suddenly fell to his knees, then crawled on his hands and knees in front of the Nanming God Emperor. This posture of utter servility from a Brahma King made the Nether Kings and Nether Gods present furrow their brows in shock.
"Nanming God Emperor... save me... save me!"
Fear, longing, pitiful pleading... like a dying person desperately trying to grab the last straw of hope. No matter his posture or his begging words, anyone who saw or heard it would never believe that this was coming from a Brahma King!
"Hmm?" Nan Wansheng narrowed his eyes, his gaze as sharp as needles. As the number one God Emperor of the Southern Divine Region, his eyes were exceptionally venomous. The fear and longing displayed in Qianye Zixiao's body and eyes were not fake at all; it was as if he had just endured a long period of terror and despair.
He suddenly reached out, and a wisp of aura directly enveloped Qianye Zixiao. Qianye Zixiao did not resist at all. The moment Nan Wansheng's divine sense invaded his body, his expression changed drastically. He instantly withdrew his aura and stumbled back several steps in near panic.
"Your Majesty!?" The reactions of the two Nether Kings and six Nether Gods were all one of great alarm.
Nan Wansheng stared fixedly at Qianye Zixiao, his voice extremely low: "What kind of poison is this?!"
The moment his divine sense had invaded, it felt as if he had sensed a terrible demon about to pounce on him and devour him forever. A chill ran through his entire body, and before his divine sense had even touched the poison aura, he had frantically withdrawn it.
And the instant Nan Wansheng shouted in shock, he already had his answer... the only answer. The divine realm knew that the Nanming Divine Realm possessed the most terrifying demon poison—Godslayer Desolation Poison. But the poison on Qianye Zixiao was far more terrifying than the Godslayer Desolation Poison he knew, and it was definitely enough to easily push a powerful Brahma King into a hopeless state of despair.
Such a poison could only have come from the Heavenly Poison Pearl, which had once pushed Qianye Fantian into a dead end!
"It's Yun Che! It's his Heavenly Poison Pearl!" Qianye Zixiao shouted in a trembling voice. He was a very intelligent man. He put on such a servile posture not because he had lost all dignity in despair, but as a show of "sincerity." "Right now, the Brahma God Emperor, all the Nether Kings, elders, divine envoys... everyone in the Brahma Emperor's Royal City has been poisoned by this..."
This news undoubtedly sent a violent shock through Nan Wansheng and the others. The Brahma Emperor's Royal City was the core of the Fan Di God Realm... including the Brahma Emperor and the Brahma Kings, everyone was infected with the Heavenly Poison!? If this was true, and if the Heavenly Poison Pearl was destined to be incurable, then wouldn't it mean... the Fan Di God Realm might be destroyed!?
The Nether Kings and Nether Gods exchanged glances, all seeing the deep fear in each other's eyes. Rarely did royal realms engage in fierce battles because, at this level, any damage inflicted on the opponent would bring a severe backlash upon oneself. Even with deep hatred, as long as a shred of reason or leeway remained, no royal realm would sacrifice tens of thousands of years of foundation to fight a death war with another royal realm. Therefore, in the million-year history of the divine realm, before the era of Yun Che, royal realms rose one after another, but none ever fell... The Nether Heavenly Divine Realm in the Northern Divine Region, which changed its name due to a change of ownership, was the limit. But within just ten days, the Zhou Tian Realm had been easily slaughtered, the Yue Shen Realm had been shattered and disappeared, and now all the core figures of the Fan Di God Realm had fallen into a hell of Heavenly Poison...
This was far beyond what the word "terrible" could describe.
The Nanming God Emperor's gaze turned icy and he let out a cold laugh. "The poison of the Heavenly Poison Pearl can probably only be cured by the Heavenly Poison Pearl itself. If you want to live, why not go beg Yun Che for mercy? Why come to me?"
"No!" Qianye Zixiao shouted hoarsely. "The current Yun Che is a bloodthirsty demon! He has no sense of honor or faith at all! Even when the Zhou Tian Ancestor sincerely sought reconciliation, he broke his word in front of everyone. When he poisoned us, he gave us a seven-day deadline... But with the precedent of the Zhou Tian Realm, even if we kneel to him, that demon will never cure us. Instead, he will take the opportunity to humiliate us to the utmost!"
"Heh." Nan Wansheng laughed lowly. "You see it quite clearly."
"Nanming God Emperor..." Qianye Zixiao crawled forward on his knees. "Now, only you can save me. The Nanming Divine Pearl is the number one evil-repelling object in the world. It can even cure the Godslayer Desolation Poison. Perhaps it can cure the poison of the Heavenly Poison Pearl! Even if... even if it cannot completely cure it, it can at least purify it to a controllable degree!"
"Nonsense!" Nan Wansheng's gaze was cold and contemptuous. "The spiritual power of the Nanming Divine Pearl is extremely precious. Even if it could purify the Heavenly Poison, why would it be used on you?!"
Qianye Zixiao immediately said, "I can help the Nanming God Emperor obtain..."
He paused, glanced sideways at the Nether Kings and Nether Gods beside him, and lowered his voice: "...obtain the thing you want!"
"Oh?" The Nanming God Emperor squinted, looking down at him, waiting for him to continue.
Qianye Zixiao continued, "Right now, everyone in the Brahma Emperor's Royal City is infected with the Heavenly Poison. As long as... as long as I open the barrier, the Nanming God Emperor can easily take what he wants! I guarantee that in their current state, they will have no power to resist!"
"Hmph..." The Nanming God Emperor let out a cold, low laugh. "Tenth Brahma King, your act is far too clumsy. To think that a man from the number one royal realm of the Eastern Divine Region and a Brahma King would be such a spineless creature willing to betray his master for survival! Do you take me for a fool!?"
Qianye Zixiao did not panic. He met the Nanming God Emperor's gaze, and a sharp, cold gleam shone in his eyes. "Loyalty is naturally important. But it should never surpass one's own life! Right now, I am merely a smart man who wants to live, doing what he truly must do! If the Nanming God Emperor does not believe me..." Qianye Zixiao gritted his teeth and still said, "You may search my recent memories. I, Qianye Zixiao... will not resist."
These words caused the Nether Kings and Nether Gods, as well as the Nanming God Emperor, to have a violent change in expression. Allowing another's soul power into one's soul, if the other party harbored any ill intent, the consequences would be unimaginable. Only someone truly driven to a dead end would do such a thing.
"Fine!" How could Nan Wansheng refuse? He directly reached out and grabbed Qianye Zixiao's head. Qianye Zixiao gritted his teeth heavily, his body trembling, but he truly did not resist, allowing Nan Wansheng's soul power to directly penetrate his mind.
After a moment, Nan Wansheng removed his hand from Qianye Zixiao's head, his expression shifting continuously.
"Your Majesty?" the Western Prison Nether King stepped forward.
"He is not lying." Nan Wansheng said in a low voice. "The current Brahma Emperor's Royal City... heh, it's so miserable it's like a hell full of nothing but despair." As he spoke, he was three parts shocked, three parts tempted, and four parts terrified. If this Heavenly Poison had erupted in the Nanming Divine Realm, it would likewise be able to turn his number one royal realm of the Southern Region into a poisonous hell overnight.
"Seven days... no, there are less than six days left." Qianye Zixiao supported his dizzy head from the soul invasion, trying to remind him. "By then, when Yun Che arrives, 'that thing' will fall into his hands. No... it's very likely that the Brahma God Emperor will offer it to Yun Che earlier to buy a chance for survival. If the Nanming God Emperor wants to obtain it, he must act as soon as possible."
The Nanming God Emperor raised his eyebrow and looked at him, his smile turning gentle. "Tenth Brahma King, you are indeed the smartest among all the Brahma Kings of the Brahma Emperor. Truly smart people should be like you, promptly recognizing the situation and making the most correct choice in the shortest time."
He slowly raised his hand, and in his palm suddenly appeared a glittering golden pearl. A dense, rich aura of purification instantly filled the space they were in. The Nanming Divine Pearl! In the legends of the divine realm, it was an ancient pearl possessing the strongest power of purification. It was said that even the Godslayer Desolation Poison could be purified... though it was only hearsay.
The moment he smelled the purifying aura of the Nanming Divine Pearl, Qianye Zixiao suddenly raised his head, his eyes bursting with an intense light of desire, like a drowning man who suddenly sees a life-saving straw floating into his sight.
"Return to the Brahma Emperor's Royal City immediately and open the barrier!" Even though he had just searched his memory, Nan Wansheng was still extremely cautious. He had to see the barrier of the Brahma Emperor's Royal City open with his own eyes before he would fully trust Qianye Zixiao. "Do it well, and whether it succeeds or not in the end, I will use this Nanming Divine Pearl to purify your Heavenly Poison! I, this king, will keep my word. And..." He revealed a low, dark smile. "You have no other choice!"
Qianye Zixiao raised his head, gritted his teeth, and said resolutely, "Since I have taken this step, I will not turn back, nor will I regret it!"
With that, he turned sharply and flew back toward the Fan Di God Realm, his body full of poison aura.
"Follow him!"
The "vessel of immortality" that had suddenly become so easily attainable made the Nanming God Emperor completely extinguish his thoughts of quickly returning to the Southern Region. He trailed far behind Qianye Zixiao.
...
Above the Brahma Emperor's Royal City, Yun Che's concealed figure stood aloof in the distance, unnoticed by anyone. After waiting for a long time, finally, the powerful barrier that enveloped the Brahma Emperor's Royal City and could only be controlled by the Brahma Emperor's divine power suddenly closed. At the same time, from afar, the aura of Nanming drew near.
Yun Che narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly:
"A den of poisoned dogs and a pack of greedy dogs... in the end, which will out-bite the other?"