Chapter 1939: Qilin’s Will
Western Divine Region, Qilin Realm.
Dark clouds roiled and churned in the sky, constantly twisting and shattering. The Qilin Emperor gazed up at the celestial anomalies, his heart weighed down by an inexplicable heaviness.
He had maintained this posture for a long time.
Behind him stood the four Dark Qilin and the many Guardian Qilin. The utterly abnormal spatial tremors and the formless, oppressive pressure that had descended upon them had caused them to gather here at the first moment, without any summons.
“Your Majesty, is there still no news from Cloud Emperor?” one of the Dark Qilin finally broke the silence and asked.
The Qilin Emperor shook his head, his voice heavy: “The previous spatial tremors were definitely not normal, and Cloud Emperor should not have remained unresponsive. Ah…”
He let out a long sigh: “A new emperor ascends, and all seems joyous. I had thought it would be an age of prolonged peace. Could it be that the new era is not yet stable, and chaos is about to brew again…”
“Your Majesty need not be overly concerned. Perhaps it was merely a brief dimensional disturbance caused by the collapse of some space or ancient secret realm. And… with Cloud Emperor’s might, there is no calamity in this world that cannot be pacified.”
“…I hope I am overthinking it.” The Qilin Emperor said, somewhat lost in thought. He did not voice his deeper fear: that the spatial tremors and the ensuing pressure had instantly reminded him of the return of the Demon Emperor back then.
Another Dark Qilin stepped forward: “Your Majesty, the sixth wave of reports has arrived. It has been confirmed that the epicenter of the spatial anomaly is precisely the entrance area of the Taichu Divine Realm. However, aside from that, multiple investigations have revealed no other abnormalities, nor any unusual auras.”
“But the fact that there has been no news or orders from Cloud Emperor City is somewhat abnormal.”
“…” The Qilin Emperor lowered his head and remained silent… Could it be that I am really overthinking this?
Crackle~~~~
Just then, a sharp tearing sound suddenly came from afar, followed immediately by the unison roar of the Guardian Qilin: “Who dares trespass…”
Shiiing!!
This time, the tearing sound was right at their ears, terrifyingly piercing like ten thousand blades stabbing into their hearing, drowning out all other sounds in the world.
The Qilin Emperor and the four Dark Qilin—beings of extraordinary cultivation—all had their vision darken momentarily, stumbling back.
The Qilin Emperor released his profound energy, instantly stabilizing himself like a mountain. He jerked his head up, and in his rapidly constricting pupils, a silver-gray figure was reflected.
After the fall of the Dragon God Realm, the Qilin Emperor Domain had become the most powerful place in the Western Divine Region, layered with defenses and countless barriers, making it nearly impossible to even take a single step inside by force.
Yet this silver-gray figure had torn through space and arrived in an instant. The formidable defenses forged by Qilin power, which had not been breached in nearly a million years, seemed like nothing in his hands.
Even if Long Bai were alive, even if it were the supreme Cloud Emperor… it would be absolutely impossible to achieve such a feat!
“You… are… who?!” The initial surprise gave way to a stern tone. The foremost Dark Qilin quickly gathered his energy and steadied his mind. His heart trembled, but his gaze was fierce and cold. As a Dark Qilin standing in the Qilin Divine Region, he could not afford to show weakness.
Silver-gray soft armor glowed with a strange luster. His attire was completely unfamiliar, his face entirely unknown… Despite his terrifying aura, none present had ever seen this person before.
He hovered in the air, looking down upon this assembly of Western Divine Region overlords, the corner of his eye slowly turning down as if regarding a group of contemptible ants.
“Hmph.”
A light snort, yet full of arrogance and disdain: “The strongest presence in this region is actually a Qilin, not a Dragon. Oh well, it has been many years since any outsider lived to tell the tale. Those ancient records should have long been discarded.”
The unbearably arrogant voice muttered words they could not understand.
The person before them did not release his aura, but the higher one’s cultivation, the more they could perceive a formless, shapeless pressure as terrifying as an endless abyss. His whispered words, in particular, sent a deep chill through the Qilin Emperor’s heart.
The Qilin Emperor took a deep breath, quickly gestured behind him to forbid anyone from speaking or acting rashly, then composed himself and said: “I am Qi Tianli, temporarily leading the Qilin Clan. May I ask where our honored guest hails from, and what brings you here?”
The other party had forcibly broken into the Qilin Emperor Domain with an attitude even more arrogant than Cloud Emperor. Yet the Qilin Emperor displayed a nearly respectful demeanor… Those in the doman who were of lesser cultivation and experience were shocked into speechlessness.
“Leading the Qilin Clan?” Mo Beichen cast his gaze down again: “You are not the emperor of this world?”
“You speak too highly of me, honored guest.” Qi Tianli’s thoughts raced as he carefully chose his words: “Our Qilin Clan has been content with our fate since ancient times. We do not relish conflict, nor do we covet the throne that rules the world. In this era, Cloud Emperor is the supreme ruler, as all beings know. Does our honored guest… not know?”
In this day and age, who did not know of Cloud Emperor?
The Qilin exchanged glances, their shock indescribable.
“Is that so?”
An emotionless, cold reply. Who held the throne of the god realm was not particularly important to him. In a world where Divine Lords reigned supreme, whether commoner or emperor, they were but ants to be crushed at will.
He turned slowly, his gaze still sweeping downward over these Qilin who stood at the highest plane of this world: “Listen well. My name is Mo Beichen. I am an Abyss Knight serving the Yuan Huang and the Divine Officials, and I am the pioneer for the Abyss’s breach into this world.”
“From today onward, this world will be under the rule of the Abyss. As beings of this world, I graciously grant you two choices.”
He extended his arm, palm facing down. In that instant, it felt as if the entire Qilin Realm was gathered in his grasp: “Become a submissive vassal who kneels to welcome the arrival of the Yuan Huang… or turn into blood-colored dust to celebrate this place’s rebirth!”
Mo Beichen… Yuan Huang… Divine Officials… Abyss… Each unknown term struck Qi Tianli’s soul heavily. And the most terrifying thing in this world was the unknown.
Before he could respond, a furious roar came from behind: “Ha! Quite the bold claim. I don’t know where you crawled out from, but opening your mouth to demand the submission of the Qilin Realm? Even a stray dog wouldn’t bark as loudly as you…”
“Mingjie, shut up!”
Qi Tianli’s heart was nearly frightened out of his chest. He was too stunned to react in time, and his warning came a few moments too late.
The one who had spoken was Qi Mingjie. Standing here, his identity was naturally extraordinary—he was the son of the Qilin Emperor. Though young, he was the most esteemed among the Qilin Emperor’s descendants and grandchildren.
Having just reached the Divine Lord realm at the age of one thousand two hundred, he was considered a miracle in the slow-growing Qilin lineage. But such cultivation was not enough for him to perceive the terrifying aura radiating from Mo Beichen as clearly as the Dark Qilin and Guardian Qilin could.
The Qilin Emperor’s sudden bellow silenced him instantly. But at that same moment, his body stiffened, and his pupils dilated more than tenfold.
As Mo Beichen slowly raised his palm, an overwhelmingly heavy, terrifying pressure descended upon Qi Mingjie… and upon the entire Qilin Realm.
“Heh heh heh…” Mo Beichen let out a low, cold laugh, each syllable like ten thousand mountains crushing souls: “Good. At times like this, a fool always steps forward to show others the consequences of foolishness.”
Space trembled, heaven and earth cowered, and the dark clouds in the sky twisted and writhed like dying larvae. Qi Tianli, the Dark Qilin, and the chief Qilin… the blood drained from their faces as if sucked dry in an instant, leaving them as pale as weathered corpses.
The Qilin Emperor’s Qilin pupils nearly split apart in terror. He could find no words to describe this pressure… yet his frantically trembling will knew with absolute clarity that this was power that exceeded the boundaries of this world, that should not exist in the present world, and that could never be withstood by the present world’s forces.
“Those who refuse to submit to the Abyss… die!”
“Wait, please listen to me…”
The word “die” had barely fallen when Mo Beichen’s hand, wreathed in an eerie glow, snatched toward the horror-stricken Qi Mingjie. The Qilin Emperor’s cry was directly silenced. A thousand concerns and fears raged within him, but the instinct to protect his son overrode reason. Qi Tianli’s aura exploded as the Qilin divine power surged into his arms to block Mo Beichen’s descending palm.
Boom!
Crack—
The Qilin Divine Domain was like a balloon suddenly squeezed; space twisted and distorted violently, nearly breaking apart. Amid the soul-shattering explosion came the grinding sound of bones breaking, as loud as a mountain collapse.
Qi Tianli’s eyes cracked at the edges. Only when this power beyond comprehension slammed into him did he realize its true terror.
Unmatched, all-destroying—his Qilin arms went completely numb in an instant. Both arms bent at nearly right angles, bursting forth with dozens of spurting blood columns. The excruciating pain that coursed through his body prevented him from even shouting the words that rose in his throat.
The bent Qilin arms, the instantly exploding torrents of blood… and this was the Qilin Emperor! All from a single hand.
The impact of this scene was no less than the collapse of heaven and earth.
“Your Majesty!”
With a furious roar, the four Dark Qilin struck simultaneously. In an instant, four powerful Qilin divine forces were unleashed to their limits, all converging on Mo Beichen.
Though the Qilin Clan was powerful, their deeply ingrained nature made them prefer to keep to themselves and avoid conflict. Even during the war between the Western Domain and the Northern Domain back then, they had held back considerably, eventually choosing to follow the stronger side.
Five Qilin, all at the tenth-rank Divine Lord level, striking with full force at once—such a scene had never occurred before.
Under the eruption of extreme terror, the powerful Guardian Qilin and chief Qilin were all blasted far away. Mo Beichen’s hand halted in midair. In that moment, the world fell into a deathly stillness, as if even space and time had stopped.
And this frozen tableau showed the ashen-faced Qilin Emperor and the four Dark Qilin, facing Mo Beichen, whose hand was extended downward and whose expression was utterly calm.
This scene crushed hearts and shattered souls.
In the distance, Qi Mingjie sat slumped on the ground, his eyes vacant, forgetting how to even stand. At this moment, he finally understood why his father had looked that way. He finally understood the terrifying existence he had provoked with his words.
“…” Mo Beichen’s eyes drooped slightly, as if surprised that his power had been blocked. Then his gaze turned cold, and a faint sneer curled on his lips: “Mere Divine Lords, yet you dare to resist the power of the divine realm? How pathetic and laughable.”
In the history of the present god realm, and even the entire god realm, who had ever dared to refer to Divine Lords as “mere”?
Amid his cold laughter, his slightly spread fingers suddenly glowed with a strange silver light. Then, with an effortless motion, he pressed down.
At that moment, it felt as if the overarching sky had transformed into nine heavenly palaces. Qi Tianli and the four Dark Qilian simultaneously blacked out, their five senses losing all color and collapsing.
Boom—
Five clouds of blood mist, along with blood arrows, burst into the air. The Qilin Emperor and the four Dark Qilian were sent flying, blood spraying everywhere. Where they had stood, a twisting, distorting black vortex appeared that lingered for a long time.
A single blow defeated the five strongest Qilin of the era—truly earth-shattering. Yet Mo Beichen’s expression remained utterly indifferent, as if he had done something trivial.
He withdrew his hand slightly, then reached out again. A silver palm shadow shot toward Qi Mingjie, who was already terrified out of his wits in the distance.
“Mingjie!”
The severely injured Qilin Emperor let out a low roar, twisting his body in midair to charge at Mo Beichen again, using his Qilin body, its power mostly spent, to collide with the silver palm shadow.
Puff! Boom!
“Ahh!”
A flash of silver light pierced through the Qilin Emperor’s right shoulder. With a pained cry, most of his right shoulder vanished from his body, but it only slightly weakened the power of the silver palm shadow.
“Protect the Young Master!”
Amid the simultaneous roars, even the immense shock and terror could not extinguish the Qilin’s protective instincts. The Guardian Qilian instinctively surged forward to shield Qi Mingjie.
But right after the roar came a chorus of agonized screams.
The eleven Guardian Qilin who had charged forward with desperate resolve—what should have been a formidable defensive wall—instantly turned into eleven torn blood sacs, spreading a thick mist of blood before Qi Mingjie’s eyes.
Yet their sacrifice was not completely in vain. After passing through the Qilin Emperor and the eleven chief Qilin, the silver palm shadow from Mo Beichen had somewhat weakened. Its trajectory also shifted, landing a hundred zhang in front of Qi Mingjie.
But even the aftermath of power that exceeded the world’s limits was far more than an early-stage Divine Lord could withstand. Under the exploding silver light, Qi Mingjie screamed as dozens of blood holes were torn through his body by the splintering force. His body spun like a top and flew sideways. When he landed, both his legs were shattered, and his chest was a mess of blood and flesh. Still, he had survived.
“…” Mo Beichen’s eyes narrowed slightly. As an Abyss Knight, his strike had failed to kill a mere early-stage Divine Lord. This undoubtedly angered him.
“Die!”
He swept his arm, and a cloud of silver-gray dust flew toward the severely injured Qi Mingjie with a terrifying low whistle. Wherever the dust passed, space silently annihilated as if cleanly cut.
“Ming… jie!” The Qilin Emperor struggled to rise, letting out a hopeless, powerless roar.
“Young Master!” The Dark Qilin and the eleven Guardian Qilin were all severely wounded. The other Guardian Qilin and chief Qilin had also been thrown far away by the force. Even if they wished to block with their lives, they could not. They could only watch helplessly as the silver-gray dust of death devoured Qi Mingjie.
“Father!!”
Qi Mingjie closed his eyes, awaiting death. But a heart-wrenching cry reached his ears.
He snapped his eyes open. From diagonally behind him, a female figure suddenly dashed out. This Qilin woman was at the Divine Sovereign realm, yet she had somehow breached the soul-crushing pressure that had nearly broken even the chief Qilin, charging to Qi Mingjie’s front. With desperate resolve, she spread her arms to meet the force that even the five strongest Qilin could not withstand.
A fear ten thousand times worse than death instantly filled every corner of Qi Mingjie’s soul. A roar that nearly burst his chest erupted from his throat: “Zhen’er, get back!”
The Qilin woman did not move an inch. Her Qilin power was as insignificant as a faint spark in the dark night before Mo Beichen.
But Mo Beichen’s eyes, which had been as dead as a dried well from start to finish, suddenly twitched violently.
His hand also reflexively reached out.
In an instant, the cloud of dust that was about to devour Qi Mingjie and the Qilin woman halted in midair. Then… it silently dissipated.
“…” Mo Beichen slowly closed his fingers, which trembled slightly. He did not glance at anyone, but he also did not strike again.
This scene caught everyone off guard. The Qilin Emperor let out a long breath, his weakened body nearly collapsing to its knees.
Qi Mingjie crawled forward, ignoring his severe injuries, using all his remaining strength to pull the Qilin woman behind him.
“Thank… you for your mercy, Venerable One.” The Qilin Emperor forced himself to compose, bowing deeply to Mo Beichen. His shoulder was a mess of blood and bone, but he paid it no heed.
“Mingjie, quickly apologize to the Venerable One!” the Qilin Emperor turned and barked.
Qi Mingjie was already kneeling. Everything that had just happened left him with no trace of resistance. He hurriedly lowered his head deeply: “This junior, Qi Mingjie, was ignorant and insolent. I deserve punishment. Thank you, Venerable One, for sparing my life.”
The Qilin Emperor and Qi Mingjie alike—Mo Beichen did not even spare them another glance. His mind seemed unsettled, and his voice carried a hint of irritation: “Submit to the Abyss… or die!”
The same words, now falling on their ears, were worlds apart from before.
Drip…
Drip…
Drip… Blood droplets quickly dripped from the Qilin Emperor’s shoulder, each drop ice-cold. He slightly hunched his upper body, and his voice had shed all imperial authority, fearful of provoking Mo Beichen again: “May I ask, does the ‘Abyss’ referred to by the Venerable One mean… the Abyss of Nothingness?”
“Correct.” Mo Beichen said with a sidelong glance.
“…” The Qilin Emperor’s breathing grew noticeably ragged. It took several breaths to steady it. The expressions of all the Qilin shifted violently.
“The ‘Yuan Huang’ and ‘Divine Officials’ mentioned by the Venerable One… compared to you, Venerable One, how do they fare?” he asked in an extremely respectful tone.
“Fool!” Mo Beichen’s gaze sank: “I consider it the fortune of ten thousand lifetimes just to serve at the feet of Yuan Huang. How could I have the qualification to be compared with Yuan Huang! If I didn’t know you are foolish and ignorant, just that blasphemous remark alone would have earned you ten thousand deaths!”
The Qilin Emperor’s heart trembled, and he blurted out: “Could it be… that Yuan Huang is… a True God?”
“Ha!” Mo Beichen let out a low laugh, then lifted his eyes. An involuntary reverence, long etched into the marrow of his bones, appeared on his face: “All the gods of the Abyss are under Yuan Huang’s command! Yuan Huang is no ordinary god, but a god above gods!”
The Qilin Emperor’s throat bobbed heavily. All the Qilin were so shocked that even their blood seemed to freeze.
Such a terrifying monster… actually prided himself on serving at Yuan Huang’s feet…
Every time he uttered the words “Yuan Huang,” the devotion that accompanied them was clearly a fervent willingness to die ten thousand times for his sake.
What kind of terrifying existence must the one called “Yuan Huang” and “Divine Officials” be…
So terrifying that even those with the highest level of cognition in this world could not even imagine it.
His eyes slanted downward, and the boundless reverence instantly turned into a cold contempt: “Do you understand now?”
The Qilin Emperor’s posture unconsciously lowered a few more degrees, and his voice could no longer remain calm: “I… I beg the Venerable One to grant me knowledge. If our Qilin Clan is willing to submit the entire clan, serving at the feet of Yuan Huang for a thousand autumns, when Yuan Huang arrives in the future… can he grant us a peaceful existence?”
“Serve for a thousand autumns?” Mo Beichen sneered as if hearing the greatest joke, the mockery on his lips sharp as a cold blade: “You think you are worthy of serving at the feet of Yuan Huang? You are only fit to be the slaves of the Abyss!”
“…” The Qilin Emperor was speechless.
“If I wished to kill you, it would be like slaughtering chickens and dogs. Given your earlier insolence, your entire clan should be annihilated.” Mo Beichen’s words were chilling: “Do you know why you are still alive? Because Yuan Huang is compassionate and detests wanton slaughter and bullying. No matter how lowly you are, your fate is to be decided by Yuan Huang!”
“In just a few short years, Yuan Huang will grace this place. What I wish to present to Yuan Huang is a world of beings kneeling in welcome, a world of complete submission, not a land bathed in blood.”
“Are you ready to become guides with merit in the new world, or ignorant fools to be erased?”
As soon as Mo Beichen’s voice fell, the Qilin Emperor knelt on both knees, his lowered head nearly touching the ground.
A terror beyond comprehension, yet he had not indiscriminately killed, and had even shown mercy midway. This made the Qilin Emperor deeply believe Mo Beichen’s words.
From what he could tell of Mo Beichen’s character, he was far from soft-hearted. Yet, on the eve of Yuan Huang’s arrival, he dared not kill indiscriminately… That Yuan Huang must indeed be, as he claimed, not a tyrant, but somewhat overly merciful.
“In just a few short years”—those words were especially heart-stopping.
“Thank you for your teaching, Venerable One. Our Qilin Clan is willing to follow and assist the Venerable One in reorganizing the god realm’s grand situation, leading all worlds and beings to kneel in quiet expectation of Yuan Huang’s arrival.”
The Qilin Emperor knew what Mo Beichen wanted. To bring the entire god realm under control in the shortest time before Yuan Huang’s arrival, he was undoubtedly a very useful tool.
Dragon Emperor, Cloud Emperor, Abyss…
In just a few short years, the ruler had changed several times. The Qilin Emperor’s heart was filled with sorrow.
But he had no choice.
He had personally experienced Mo Beichen’s power. An absolutely overwhelming force that no one in this world could even slightly contend with.
And he was merely a vanguard.
What could the current Cloud Emperor possibly use to resist him?
He could already see that Cloud Emperor’s era, just beginning, was about to end in tragedy.
“You are lucky, and you know when to yield.” Mo Beichen granted a word of praise: “If you can make this humble world submit with the least bloodshed and fewest deaths, Yuan Huang will surely be very pleased when he arrives. Your clan, as those with merit, can naturally beg for a peaceful existence.”
“Thank… thank you, Venerable One, for granting my clan the chance to serve Yuan Huang.” The Qilin Emperor expressed his gratitude a thousand times, but the trembling in his heart had not eased at all.
If there was no room for resistance, what he could do was save more people.
Outside the Qilin Clan, the first to come to his mind was the Azure Dragon Clan.
The Azure Dragon Emperor, whom he had always regarded as half a daughter, had a cold and rigid temperament. She would surely not be as “wise” as he had been from the start. He was already thinking of how to find an opportunity to ask Mo Beichen to let him go and persuade the Azure Dragon Emperor first.
“Good.” Mo Beichen said coldly: “Tell me about the current structure and situation of this world. And that ‘Cloud Emperor’ you mentioned earlier—what kind of thing is he?”
“Yes, yes, yes.” The Qilin Emperor quickly responded, suppressing the intense pain to say: “Cloud Emperor’s original name is Yun Che. He is the supreme emperor who commands all worlds and beings. He is also the first true emperor in the history of the god realm to hold all four divine regions—East, West, South, and North—completely under his control…”
…
Compared to the relatively calm Western Divine Region before Mo Beichen’s appearance in the Qilin Realm, the Eastern Divine Region was much more turbulent.
Nan Zhao Ming and Nan Zhao Guang, along with four attendant knights, flew directly eastward. The terrifying waves of air they left in their wake violently churned one star region after another, causing alarm in many places.
And the direction they were heading was…
The Yin Xue Realm!
Because in that direction existed the most powerful aura in this divine region.
Nan Zhao Ming took a deep breath of the air here: “I once happened to hear a Divine Official say that if we could successfully reach this world, our lifespans would be extended several times, even dozens of times. Now I realize that the Divine Official’s words are absolutely true.”
“This is the world that should have belonged to us!” Nan Zhao Guang growled, his gaze sweeping around hatefully: “These contemptible beings have enjoyed a world we dared not even dream of in our past lives, while we had to struggle in the abyssal dust of the Abyss… They deserve to die!”
“Don’t forget the Abyss Knight’s warning. We can kill, but not indiscriminately.” Nan Zhao Ming reminded him: “Even though our cultivation hasn’t reached that level, as pioneers, we may be specially promoted to true Abyss Knights. Why stain our hands and this supreme honor for mere common rabble?”
“Hmph!” Nan Zhao Guang gave a low grunt in response.
“Those who comply live, those who resist die. That’s enough.” Nan Zhao Ming sneered: “At least for the first year or two, there will be no shortage of people craving death. After all, the one thing this world never lacks is fools.”
Just then, Nan Zhao Ming and Nan Zhao Guang suddenly fell silent at the same time, their gazes fixed ahead.
Ding!
A blue light flashed in the empty star region. The surrounding temperature plummeted sharply, turning bitingly cold in an instant.
As an icy mist spread from an unknown source, a woman’s figure, ethereal as an immortal illusion, silently materialized.
White clothes like snow, hair like frost as in a dream. The hazy ice mist half-hid her face, leaving only a pair of icy eyes, piercingly cold and soul-shaking.
“Who are you?” she said coldly, each word like ice falling into a cold abyss.
Nan Zhao Ming and Nan Zhao Guang both furrowed their brows slightly, then sneered simultaneously: “It’s a woman.”
“Coming to deliver herself—couldn’t be better.” Nan Zhao Ming’s gaze swept over her. This person before him was precisely the most powerful presence they had sensed in this divine region.
The Yin Xue Divine Emperor, Mu Xuanyin!