# Chapter 1367: Hell Gate
The Drunken Madman saw through Gu Songzi's intention and silently praised it as a brilliant strategy.
Thus, the Drunken Madman quickly walked over, extended a withered hand, and patted Kong Lanyou's head, like an elder comforting a junior's emotions, saying meaningfully, "Lanyou, I am your Second Uncle."
"What did you say?"
Kong Lanyou's gaze darkened as she glanced sideways at the Drunken Madman.
"I am your Second... Uncle... ah..."
The Drunken Madman's hand was seized by Kong Lanyou and bent backward. Despite his Saint King realm cultivation, with a body so powerful and bones so hard, they were still twisted until they cracked audibly.
The Drunken Madman was in such pain that all his meridians bulged out, his old face twisted, and he let out a pig-slaughter-like scream.
Seeing this, Gu Songzi cursed inwardly, thinking the Drunken Madman was more trouble than help, and hurried over to dissuade Kong Lanyou, saying, "He really is your Second Uncle, I'm not lying."
Kong Lanyou glanced at Gu Songzi, her gaze growing even colder. With a crack, she snapped the Drunken Madman's arm, then struck him on the back with a palm, sending him crashing to the ground, his body nearly sinking into the earth.
Seeing Kong Lanyou's expression, Gu Songzi's heart skipped a beat. He silently cried out in alarm—this Bright Hall Saint Ancestor was truly mentally deranged, with a volatile temperament. Better not to provoke her.
Gu Songzi turned and fled.
However, just as Gu Songzi turned around, Kong Lanyou's icy hand pressed down on the top of his head. The cold energy surging from her palm made Gu Songzi's scalp go numb.
"Boom."
The palm force descended, and Gu Songzi was also knocked to the ground, half his body buried in the soil.
Kong Lanyou did not take their lives, nor did she bother with them further. She walked back to Zhang Ruochen's side, grasped his cold hand, and said softly, "Cousin, come with me to Bright Hall. As long as I live, no one can harm you."
After taking three Sacred Pills, some color had returned to Zhang Ruochen's face, and the wound at his heart had mostly healed.
"No."
These two words came from his mouth.
Kong Lanyou could feel the resistance in Zhang Ruochen's heart, as if he wanted to break free from her hand. So she let go, not wanting to force him.
Forcing him would likely backfire.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes remained dim and lifeless. "Where in the world can I still go? I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to walk."
With that, Zhang Ruochen took a step forward, like a wooden puppet, walking one step at a time.
"I'll accompany you."
Kong Lanyou understood the pain in Zhang Ruochen's heart well. Only by figuring things out himself could he truly emerge from his suffering. Of course, in such adversity and low ebb, someone always needed to be by his side.
Gu Songzi and the Drunken Madman climbed up, their faces covered in mud, hair disheveled, like two beggars. They hunched over, holding their breath, concealing their auras, and tiptoeing, preparing to slip away unnoticed.
"Your cousin is badly injured and needs two servants to take care of him. Are you willing?" Kong Lanyou said with her back turned.
Gu Songzi and the Drunken Madman immediately stopped in their tracks and exchanged glances, both seeing the anger in each other's eyes. A Saint King and a Sacred Alchemy Saint Master, being conscripted as servants?
This was unbearable.
"Of course, you can also choose death." Kong Lanyou added another sentence.
The Drunken Madman took a deep breath, quickly suppressed the anger in his eyes, and laughed loudly: "I am a sworn brother of Zhang Ruochen. How could I stand by and do nothing when he has suffered such a calamity?"
"I was the one who reconnected Zhang Ruochen's three severed meridians. Our friendship runs deeper than sworn brotherhood," Gu Songzi said.
"Less nonsense. Go clear the way ahead." Kong Lanyou said.
The Drunken Madman and Gu Songzi immediately deflated, obediently walking forward, clearing the thorns and stones from Zhang Ruochen's path, lest this young master trip.
...
...
Beyond the Northern Domain lay the vast and boundless North Sea.
The waters of the North Sea were unfathomably deep, and the aquatic barbarian beasts within were countless, including massive Saint Beasts and ancient relics of unfathomable power.
The danger of the North Sea was no less than that of the wild secret realms.
But now, the waters of the North Sea had been dyed red with blood. It was the blood of several Blood Emperors of the Undying Blood Clan. Because the blood contained immense energy, when it merged with the seawater, the water became scorching hot and began to boil.
The Saint Beasts and ferocious beasts of the North Sea were all trembling, too terrified to move, sinking straight to the bottom.
Of the ten Blood Emperors, nine had already died. Only the strongest, Qitian Blood Emperor, and the Undying Divine Temple's Hall Master were still fleeing.
Their cultivation levels far surpassed the other nine Blood Emperors. They had truly reached the Great Saint realm and were qualified to be called Emperor or Sovereign.
The other nine Blood Emperors had only one foot in the Great Saint realm, making them quasi-Great Saints. They could only briefly unleash Great Saint-level power, unable to sustain it.
But Qitian Blood Emperor and the Undying Divine Temple's Hall Master were different. Even among Great Saints, they were among the top-tier powerhouses.
The path to becoming a Great Saint was extremely difficult. A race that could produce a single Great Saint would be among the top-tier powerful clans in the Kunlun Realm. That the Undying Blood Clan could produce two Great Saints and nine quasi-Great Saints placed them among the top five of the ten thousand clans in the Kunlun Realm.
Of course, without a doubt, the Human Race was the largest clan in the Kunlun Realm.
However, the Human Race had too many enemies. They not only had to deal with the Undying Blood Clan but also the land barbarian beasts in the wild secret realms and the aquatic barbarian beasts in the four seas.
During the time when Empress Chi Yao was missing, almost all of the Human Race's top powerhouses had been deployed. Some entered the wild secret realms to stir up conflicts among the barbarian beast clans, creating internal strife. Others went to the Chaotic Myriad Worlds Mountain to suppress the various ruins realms. Still others entered the four seas to restrain the Beast Emperors among the aquatic barbarian beasts.
It could be said that it was already quite remarkable for the Human Race to hold on with the strength of a single clan.
When Qing Xiao said, "The imperial court's waters run deep," he meant that the true powerhouses of the court had all left the First Central Empire to stabilize various forces, waiting quietly for the Empress's return.
Once the Empress returned, who would dare to oppose the Human Race? The restless races would naturally settle down, and the situation would become clear.
If the Empress could not return, the Central Imperial City would fall, and the Human Race would be annihilated by the ten thousand clans. Then the situation would also become clear.
Manji Island was located deep in the North Sea. It was not a small island but rather quite enormous, spanning a million li. However, compared to the Kunlun Continent, it seemed like just an island.
Once, the Undying Blood Clan was driven out of the Kunlun Continent by the Ming Emperor and the major Human Race forces, sealed on this barren small continent.
Upon reaching Manji Island, Qitian Blood Emperor and the Undying Divine Temple's Hall Master were overjoyed and rushed toward the center of the island.
Suddenly, a seven-colored divine light appeared above their heads. A stunningly beautiful figure emerged from the divine light, looking down at them, and said, "Where do you think you can still flee? Back to the Hell Realm?"
Empress Chi Yao wore a moon-white divine robe, standing in the sky, her gaze sharp. Streams of divine light cascaded down from her body, suppressing Qitian Blood Emperor and the Undying Divine Temple's Hall Master, rendering them unable to move.
"She has only just become a god, her realm not yet stable. I can hold her off for a moment. You go to the entrance between the Hell Realm and the Kunlun Realm. Once you enter that area, you'll be safe."
"Boom!"
Qitian Blood Emperor's Imperial Blood began to burn within him. Vast and mighty blood energy spread outward, covering tens of thousands of li of land.
By burning his Imperial Blood, his power continuously surged, finally breaking through the suppression of the divine might.
The Undying Divine Temple's Hall Master seized the opportunity to escape, rushing toward the center of Manji Island.
"Even if you offer your Imperial Blood to the Undying Blood Clan's gods and borrow their divine power, with your cultivation, you cannot withstand even a casual strike from a True God."
Empress Chi Yao appeared very calm. She extended a jade finger and gently waved it. A seven-colored divine light flew out, splitting the tens of thousands of li of blood energy in two.
Qitian Blood Emperor's body was naturally split in two as well, falling directly, unable to block Empress Chi Yao even for a single moment.
At the same time, Empress Chi Yao's gaze fixed on the Undying Divine Temple's Hall Master. The next moment, the Hall Master let out a scream, his body exploding into pieces, vanishing into nothing.
After killing two Great Saints, Empress Chi Yao's figure flickered. In the next instant, she stood at the center of Manji Island.
The center of Manji Island was a vast, endless expanse of blood soil.
Deep within the blood soil was a space rift stretching thousands of li, extending from the sky to the ground. Wisps of blood mist surged out from the space rift.
This was an astonishing sight. Even looking at it from afar inspired awe.
"Is this the Hell Gate that the Hell Realm opened back then? Did the Underworld King lead the Undying Blood Clan here through this passage?"
Empress Chi Yao descended to the ground and walked step by step toward the space rift. With each step, circles of seven-colored divine light spread outward, dispelling the blood energy surging toward her.
A thousand li from the Hell Gate, the rules of heaven and earth changed. An invisible pressure fell upon her. Even a god could feel such oppression, indicating how terrifying that power was.
"Boom."
Suddenly, the Hell Gate shook violently. The blood energy surging from within grew denser and denser, eventually liquefying into blood water.
Then, a blood-red giant hand extended from the Hell Gate. Countless pattern runes were interwoven on the giant hand as it struck down toward Empress Chi Yao.
Empress Chi Yao's eyes narrowed slightly. Her body radiated ten thousand zhang of divine light as she exploded with unparalleled speed, retreating backward, away from the Hell Gate.
But the faster Empress Chi Yao retreated, the larger the blood-red giant hand became. She could not escape the hand. Finally, the blood-red giant hand slammed down heavily on her head, like a palm-sized heaven and earth pressing down, carrying immense divine might.
At the center of Manji Island, countless cracks appeared, spreading all the way to a hundred thousand li away.