On Exquisite Cloud Mountain.

In a magnificent palace hall, Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter was drinking wine with Region Lord Hongyu and Region Lord Xuanchong.

Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter looked relaxed and seemed to be enjoying the conversation, while Hongyu and Xuanchong looked uninterested and weren’t tasting the wine at all.

They were still preoccupied with the worry that Region Lord Heikong would take advantage of their absence to annex the territories.

“No need to panic, the two of you. It will only take less than a day for my sect to send experts. At that time, regardless of whether or not Heikong will apologize and accept his punishment, he cannot escape.” Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter smiled faintly.

As he lifted his cup, wanting to drain it, he suddenly sensed something and looked outside the hall.

Someone had appeared there at some point. Their figure was tall and slender, but the shadow it left on the floor was huge.

That shadow had eight heads with each having the size of a house, and eight tails that were as big as mountain ridges!

Bam!

The wine cup in Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter's hand dropped on the ground, spilling all the wine, but he was oblivious as he had already frozen and was staring blankly.

Never in his wildest imagination had he expected that the sect expert sent to his support would be the menace known for his ruthlessness and love for bloodshed!

“Your heart is trembling. If I cut it out from your chest now, then the flavor is definitely going to be quite tasty,” rang a low, hoarse, and chilling voice as the figure slowly walked into the grand hall.

In that instant, Hongyu’s and Xuanchong’s breath lodged in their throats. It was as though they were seeing endless darkness surging in and drowning this room. A boundless fear washed through them like a cold current.

A name surfaced in their minds at once – Great Emperor Baqi!

He was the most brutal and cold-hearted Emperor of the Underworld who had mercilessly slaughtered millions of beings, all for the sake of refining a demonic weapon.

Once, he had also broken into a primeval battlefield and devoured the countless souls there to cultivate a horrifying secret technique.

Rumor had it that Great Emperor Baqi's original form was a primeval exotic python, who had been born in a turbid place with eight heads and eight tails.

Each head wielded a natural evil talent!

The Underworld never lacked vicious and ruthless characters, but they were still far inferior in front of Great Emperor Baqi.

Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He abruptly rose and bowed. “Greetings, Senior.”

“Even after so many years, your guts are still so small.” The person glanced at Wind Slaughter and shook his head, seemingly a little disappointed.

Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter remained as quiet as a cicada in winter, not daring to argue.

“Don’t find it strange that I’m here. As you know, one naturally itches to act after a prolonged rest. I have just concluded my seclusion session, so I’m full of energy, and since I happened to hear that there was some ruckus in your Frosty Air Region, I decided to come and take a look.” 𝖗á𐌽ÖᛒΕŝ

The person casually took a seat. He was clad in a black, wide-sleeved robe. His face was handsome, his skin was fair, and his eyes were like scarlet gemstones that glowed with a demonic, deep, and icy luster.

He sat there casually, but the aura radiating from him was infinitely horrifying, reflecting the visions of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, of ghosts howling and gods crying.

Region Lord Hongyu and Region Lord Xuanchong were unable to sit still, shivering as their faces became white as a sheet.

In Frosty Air Region, they were supreme existences looked up to and feared by countless cultivators, but in front of Great Emperor Baqi, they didn't even dare to lift their heads!

Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter respectfully stood to the side and said in a humble voice, “With you here, Senior Uncle, even a heavenly scourge will be easily handled.”

“Heh.” Great Emperor Baqi expressionlessly said, “Wind Slaughter, you are already at the third realm, yet you still haven’t learned that there is no such thing as an easy thing for people like us? Take Demon Emperor Heikong for example, how can he be an ordinary character, being able to conquer Frosty Air Region in just two months?”

Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter's face stiffened in mortification.

Great Emperor Baqi asked, “Where is he now?”

Wind Slaughter hurriedly said, “I have given him three days to come and accept punishment. I think if he still has scruples about Holy Illumination Ancient Sect, then he certainly won’t dare defy my order.”

Baqi frowned, a hint of displeasure flashing through his scarlet pupils. “If I were Heikong, I would have long stopped having any scruples since I dared to raise such a commotion. It is foolish of you to think that he still has fear for our sect.”

Cold sweat seeped out on Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter's forehead.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

At this moment, he even somewhat regretted asking the sect for help. They could have sent anyone, yet they had chosen Senior Uncle Baqi. This was simply a nightmare.

“I'll give you one incense stick of time to gather all the information on Demon Emperor Heikong, including everything he has done in the last six months, the more detailed the better,” ordered Great Emperor Baqi, his voice ice cold.

“Yes,” Wind Slaughter hurriedly obliged.

In fact, as the number one region lord of Frosty Air Region, Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter knew Heikong too well. He didn’t even need an incense stick of time to assemble everything on Heikong.

Great Emperor Baqi casually flipped through it and didn't find anything noteworthy.

However, when he read about the events around Heikong in the last two months, a trace gleam flashed across his eyes.

A long time later, he looked up and stared at Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter. The latter’s hair stood on end as he fell into great discomfort.

“If my speculation is correct, then it’s actually this person called Sword Demon Daoyuan who is the true culprit behind it all. As for Heikong, he is…nothing more than a scapegoat,” said Great Emperor Baqi. The short statement caused Wind Slaughter, Hongyu, and Xuanchong to all freeze.

Sword Demon Daoyuan?

He is only a supreme quasi-Emperor. How could he be the true culprit?

Baqi didn't explain. Returning his gaze to the gathered intel, he said in a low voice, “Is it confirmed that Sword Demon Daoyuan only first appeared in Frosty Air Region two months ago?”

“Yes,” replied Wind Slaughter without missing a beat. “With his courage and skills, there is no way he could have remained anonymous in Frosty Air Region before.”

Great Emperor Baqi suddenly laughed, his scarlet pupils glowing with an intimidating light. “No wonder when my seclusion session reached the end, I suddenly felt an urge to do something. Turns out… It's because I'm soon going to meet the infant of that year again… ”

Toward the end of his words, his cold and icy voice took on a rare trace of lamentation.

A very long time ago, he had been tasked by the sect to descend to the Ancient Wasteland Domain. In order to do so, he had first sealed a part of his cultivation with a secret method, then entered the Absolute Yin Ancient Domain as a quasi-Emperor before sneaking into the Great Emperor Pass.

It had taken him through several twists and turns before he had finally arrived at the Ancient Wasteland Domain.

The only purpose was to destroy the Great Emperor Pass!

Only by doing so could the forces of Holy Illumination Ancient Sect be able to drive straight into the Ancient Wasteland Domain and take control of the place that was regarded as the Origin of all Paths.

In the old records of Holy Illumination Ancient Sect, the primeval Dao War of Ten Directions had erupted right outside the Great Emperor Pass!

Since eons ago, the Great Emperor Pass had been titled ‘the number one heavenly barrier of Ancient Wasteland Domain that blocks all Emperors.’[1] In fact, it had been the main battlefield of the Dao War of Ten Directions.

It was also due to that war that the origin core of the Ancient Wasteland Domain had been shattered. The domain itself had been crippled and reduced to a small realm, sinking toward the vicinity of the Return Dominion.

During the Dao War of Ten Directions, a group of Emperor experts of the Ancient Wasteland Domain had teamed up to fight against the previous Nameless Esteemed Emperor. They had taken station at the Great Emperor Pass and fought until the world was flipped upside down.

To this day, the vicinity of the Great Emperor Pass still hosted countless remnant souls of fallen primeval Emperors, as well as floating fragments of the big original world that had once been there.

At that time, both Holy Illumination Ancient Sect and Earth Treasury Realm had been under the command of the previous Nameless Esteemed Emperor. They had also participated in this battle, but had suffered heavy casualties.

In the end, after the Dao War of Ten Directions had reached the end, the previous Nameless Esteemed Emperor had divided the taboo law power into the three taboo tribulations, which would then envelop the entire Ancient Wasteland Domain.

However, the Great Emperor Pass hadn’t been destroyed. It still stood tall on the Frontline Battlefield like a symbol of eternity!

Therefore, to Holy Illumination Ancient Sect, only by taking down the Great Emperor Pass could they truly dominate the Ancient Wasteland and claim the Origin Land of all Paths for themselves.

Baqi had traveled there for this reason.

However, a part of his cultivation had been sealed, making the task impossible to accomplish for him as a quasi-Emperor. At his wits’ end, he had been left with no choice but to lay low and slowly plan it.

Therefore, he had killed an elder of Omega Sword Sect called Fan Qi and occupied the latter’s shell.

Despite the limitation on Baqi’s cultivation, his wisdom, techniques, and wealth had remained. He had been certain that with the right training, he could produce a character capable of leading the Ancient Wasteland Domain.

Controlling such a person would be the same as having a pawn that could overturn the Ancient Wasteland Domain in the future.

Yun Qingbai was his chosen successor.

As a matter of fact, Yun Qingbai hadn’t let him down. In just a few decades, he had grown to be a dazzling star, regarded as the number one expert in his cultivation stage by the Ancient Wasteland Domain!

However, Baqi had later heard about a baby boy born with the talent of Grand Abyss Heaven Devourer in the so-called ‘lower world’ that was floating around the Return Dominion…

Grand Abyss Heaven Devourer!

In the whole universe, perhaps Holy Illumination Ancient Sect and Earth Treasury Realm, due to having served the previous Nameless Esteemed Emperor, knew that such a natural talent did not belong to the Ancient Nebula Road at all!

In response, Baqi had brought Yun Qingbai and headed toward the lower world without delay.

However, to his surprise, the last Nameless Esteemed Emperor's will power had arrived even before him with the help of the taboo law power.

It was then that Baqi had learned the reason why the last Nameless Esteemed Emperor had traveled to the other side of the cosmos: merely to capture a woman named Luo Qingxun.

Furthermore, the baby boy who had in him the vein of Grand Abyss Heaven Devourer was her son.

Later, while the taboo law power had appeared and started covering the sky over the Ziyao Empire, Baqi had also made his move and ripped out that baby boy’s Origin Aeth Artery.

Even now, Great Emperor Baqi still clearly remembered the heart-breaking cry of that baby in his swaddling cloth. He still remembered the bright red blood gurgling out from the open wound on his chest…

The only thing Baqi found regretful was that before he could have gone and done anything else to the baby, something unexpected had happened.

1. See 1630 for first mention of this ☜