Chapter 1208: The Six Holy Emperors (1)

"Haha, then I thank the Sageling for his kindness, allowing me to keep two tenths." The Vermilion Devil Master, resembling a skeleton, bowed with feigned humility.

Yet in his heart, the Vermilion Devil Master seethed with resentment. He had schemed for countless years, laying elaborate plans, and finally seized an opportunity to destroy the Yue Kingdom in one move. With the blood and animus of countless immortals and devils, he managed to forge several dozen devil blood pearls.

But this man had arrived like a shark scenting blood, rushing over without delay.

Unfortunately, the Vermilion Devil Master dared not offend him. In terms of strength, the Sageling was a fourth-stage Overlord, while the Vermilion Devil Master was merely at the third stage. In terms of status, the difference was like heaven and earth—one was an ordinary disciple of the holy sect, while the other was a Sageling of the holy sect.

"Vermilion Devil, rest assured." The silver-robed man, seemingly sensing the Vermilion Devil Master's thoughts, smiled and said, "Your offering of the blood pearls will not be forgotten. When I eventually become a Saint and take command of the holy sect, I shall certainly support you."

"Then I offer my thanks to the Sageling in advance." The Vermilion Devil Master’s face lit up with excitement and joy.

But in his heart, he secretly sneered. A Saint? Though Sagelings held a high status, each generation of the holy sect produced nearly a hundred Sagelings. If even one became a Saint after endless years, that would be remarkable. Saints were those who truly stood at the pinnacle of the Nine Realms.

The silver-robed man smiled as he drank from his cup, inwardly thinking to himself.

This little Vermilion Devil—I show him some courtesy, and he doesn't even have the decency to refuse? He still plans to keep two tenths of the blood pearls?

The two continued conversing with each other, each harboring their own thoughts.

"Divine Master, wonderful news, wonderful news!" Suddenly, an urgent voice echoed from outside the hall, and an elderly man in blood-red garments rushed in.

It was none other than Sovereign Xue Lou.

His words immediately caught the attention of the two Overlords in the hall, as well as the hundred-plus Sovereigns dining with them.

"Xue Lou." The Vermilion Devil Master rose abruptly, roaring, "What are you doing here? You're merely an early-stage Sovereign—is this a place you're permitted to enter?"

Sovereign Xue Lou froze, frightened, and softly said, "Divine Master, forgive me."

"Are you waiting for me to see you out?" The Vermilion Devil Master's voice was ice-cold.

"This subordinate shall leave now," Sovereign Xue Lou bowed repeatedly. Though he had been entranced by Wu Yuan's illusion, he remained unaware of it, and still revered the Vermilion Devil Master.

There were over a thousand Sovereigns under the Vermilion Devil Master's command, and those present today were mid-stage Sovereigns at minimum.

An early-stage Sovereign? While considered among the upper echelons of the holy sect, he was still at the bottom of them.

"Hold on. Vermilion Devil, there’s no need to be so upset." A voice suddenly rang out, causing a flash of coldness to pass through the Vermilion Devil Master's eyes.

He turned his head, replacing his expression with a smile: "Sageling, my subordinate doesn’t know his place. There's no need for him to embarrass himself before you."

"Haha, Vermilion Devil, that's where you're wrong. He clearly came to report good news—how could you rebuke him? Such behavior will dishearten your subordinates." The silver-robed man chuckled, curiosity flickering in his eyes as he looked at Sovereign Xue Lou: "Little one, speak. If what you say interests me, you'll be well rewarded."

Sovereign Xue Lou felt a chill in his heart. Sageling? A legendary Sageling of the holy sect? Belatedly, he realized that he shouldn't have shouted so loudly.

Damn it, what's happening? Such a treasure—I should have kept it to myself. Even if I had to report to the Divine Master, I should have done so privately.

Sovereign Xue Lou silently berated himself, feeling that there was something strange about his behavior.

Yet he remained completely unaware that his soul had been controlled.

"Struck dumb?" The Vermilion Devil Master's voice was frigid: "Xue Lou, since the Sageling has spoken, tell us what good news you bring."

"It's a Xiantian artifact." Sovereign Xue Lou, as if possessed, blurted everything out: "While pursuing the survivors of the Yue Kingdom at the border regions, this subordinate discovered a great treasure trove... I entered to explore and nearly perished within. According to the information I gathered, there might be a mid-grade Xiantian artifact, perhaps even..."

As Sovereign Xue Lou continued, the Vermilion Devil Master's expression grew increasingly grim, while the silver-robed man's smile widened.

The entire hall fell silent, with over a hundred Sovereigns exchanging glances, all sensing the strange atmosphere.

Finally, Sovereign Xue Lou finished speaking and prostrated himself on the ground in terror, realizing his foolishness. Such a tremendous treasure—how could he have spoken of it openly?

"Haha, excellent! Very good." The silver-robed man's face was covered with a smile as he turned to the Vermilion Devil Master: "Vermilion Devil, your subordinate is truly loyal. Such a magnificent treasure trove, likely left behind by some Perennial powerhouse... and he willingly presents it to you.

"What do you say? Such a dangerous exploration site might be beyond your capabilities to handle. Shall we join forces?" The silver-robed man smiled.

"I will naturally obey the Sageling’s commands." The Vermilion Devil Master bowed his head: "But this subordinate of mine tends to exaggerate and often reports false information. What he says may not be true. Perhaps I should scout ahead for the Sageling?"

The Vermilion Devil Master's heart was bleeding.

"Once I've confirmed the information is accurate, I will inform the Sageling to come over immediately," the Vermilion Devil Master suggested.

"That’s unnecessary. The journey from here to the Yue Kingdom border is short. Let's depart immediately to investigate." The silver-robed man rose to his feet and strode into the void.

Whoosh!

With a wave of his hand, the silver-robed man grabbed Sovereign Xue Lou and smiled: "Young man, you'll guide us."

This scene filled the Vermilion Devil Master with even greater hatred, though he dared not show the slightest hint of it.

"Everyone, heed my command. Accompany the Sageling to explore this border region of the Yue Kingdom," the Vermilion Devil Master said in a low voice.

"Yes!"

"Let's go! A great treasure trove?"

"Sovereign Xue Lou has good fortune indeed." The hundred-plus Sovereigns in the hall rose to their feet, following behind the two Overlords in a magnificent procession.

None doubted Sovereign Xue Lou's words. First, there was no way Sovereign Xue Lou would betray them in theory.

Second, they didn't believe the Yue Kingdom could still harbor any formidable powerhouses.

Third, and most importantly, they all knew the Sageling's strength—he was among the strongest beings below the eternal level.

And so, the two Overlords, leading over a hundred mid-stage and high-level Sovereigns, flew toward the border town of the Yue Kingdom.

With their speed, they would arrive in less than a day.

...

Perched high amid the mountains, overlooking a city reduced to little more than crumbling ruins, Wu Yuan's ether body sat in serene contemplation.

Hidden in the grotto-heaven, his mana body swept the surroundings with acute awareness. His qi refiner self and mana body possessed far superior perceptive abilities due to their specialization in Spacetime.

The domain secret art of my body refiner self proves truly challenging to master.

Wu Yuan reflected with a sigh.

Even after hundreds of thousands of years, I've barely scratched the surface.

More than three hundred thousand years had passed since the fateful battle at the Immortal Court Saintdom. During this vast expanse of time, Wu Yuan's two true selves had been devoted entirely to cultivation—advancing his self-created Daos, contemplating various secret arts, and striving to craft techniques perfectly suited to himself. His body refiner self had focused particularly on researching domain secret arts and evasion techniques.

Yet disappointment shadowed his efforts. The deeper Wu Yuan delved into his research, the more he recognized the immense difficulty of creating eternal ultimate techniques. This was especially so for the specialities he had seldom explored before and now needed to develop from fundamental principles.

While immersed in cultivation, a peculiar thought repeatedly surfaced in his mind.

This world harbors strange limitations—why are there no methods for cultivating mana or ether bodies?

Indeed, this revelation had become increasingly apparent. As Wu Yuan investigated and deepened his understanding of this world, he discovered the most significant distinction between this world and the Nine Megaverses Spacetime—the complete absence of mana body and ether body cultivation methods.

In most other aspects—comprehending Daos, the orders of life, and even many secret arts and ultimate techniques—this world shared striking similarities with the Nine Megaverses Spacetime. Yet specifically, mana bodies and ether bodies remained impossible to cultivate here, as though some invisible constraint existed.

These vast Nine Realms possess incredible power and stability, likely surpassing even Eternal Realms. Yet one is unable to cultivate mana or ether bodies—could this stem from some fundamental deficiency in the essence’s rules?

Wu Yuan pondered.

He drew parallels to the River of Universes spacetime, which limited Great Daos from manifesting externally, making comprehension extraordinarily difficult. Perhaps the Nine Realms suffered from similar constraints.

Or perhaps.

His thoughts continued.

This entire world is extraordinary in some way? Or did some great powerhouse impose certain taboos?

Either possibility cast the Nine Realms in a light tinged with mystery and strangeness.

Suddenly, Wu Yuan's concentration shifted.

Hmm?

His eyes narrowed slightly as he murmured.

After three days of waiting, they've finally arrived... Two Overlords? That's one more than anticipated.

A wry smile touched his lips.

Indeed, one cannot calculate everything with perfect precision.

Vigilance rose within him.

I must proceed with caution.

There were specific reasons Wu Yuan had chosen the Vermilion Devil Master as his target rather than arbitrarily capturing and interrogating other Overlords of the Seventh Realm.

First, according to Sovereign Xue Lou's intelligence, the Vermilion Devil Master's strength fell within manageable parameters—likely a second or third stage Overlord, powerful but not overwhelmingly so.

Second, Wu Yuan particularly despised the Vermilion Devil Sect's methods, though not because they killed others. For a being of power to take lives for specific purposes was, after all, the natural order. How many powerhouses had Wu Yuan himself slain? Innumerable Perennials and Saints trembled at the mere mention of his name throughout the cosmic sea.

But a fundamental distinction existed between killing with purpose and killing solely for the twisted pleasure of it, for torture and suffering alone.

Nevertheless, an unexpected development had emerged. Wu Yuan had anticipated only the Vermilion Devil Master's arrival, yet now two Overlords approached.

So be it.

He accepted with equanimity.

No one controls destiny's threads perfectly in this world. If another has joined in, it signifies fate's hand at work.

He studied the newcomer's aura with interest.

This unexpected guest seems considerably stronger—perhaps able to offer me even more information.

Wu Yuan believed firmly in destiny's guidance.

With a single step, he glided toward the procession that majestically made their way through the void toward his position.

...

"Xue Lou, where exactly is this treasure you spoke of?" The Vermilion Devil Master's voice carried a note of suspicion. "There's not even a hint of unusual activity here."

He and the silver-robed man led over a hundred Sovereigns, rushing here at breakneck speed under Sovereign Xue Lou's guidance. But upon arrival, something felt distinctly amiss.

There was no sign of what Sovereign Xue Lou had described—no "endless surging spiritual qi" or "entrance to a treasure grotto-heaven." The mountains stretched beautifully across the landscape, but the spiritual qi remained sparse and ordinary.

"Something's wrong," one of the Sovereigns said suddenly, his expression darkening. "Divine Master, the hundreds of Astral Monarchs in my fourth squad have all died, seemingly not far from here."

The Vermilion Devil Sect forces that had besieged the small city earlier were subordinates of this Sovereign.

The suppressive nature of the Nine Realms rendered methods like soul lamps largely ineffective. To detect one’s life or death remotely, precious artifacts had to be used. Naturally, such treasures couldn't be wasted on mere Astral Monarchs, which explained why they were only now discovering the loss.

"All dead?" The words rippled through the assembled group.

"Hundreds of Astral Monarchs perished? What catastrophe could have befallen them?"

"Where exactly is this treasure ground that Sovereign Xue Lou mentioned?" The numerous Sovereigns exchanged troubled glances. Hundreds of Astral Monarchs represented significant power; losing some would be understandable if they were in a danger zone.

But all died without a trace? Something truly catastrophic must have occurred.

The two Overlords' expressions grew solemn. The Vermilion Devil Master turned toward Sovereign Xue Lou, his voice dangerously soft: "Xue Lou, what exactly happened here?"

Sovereign Xue Lou opened his mouth to respond.

At that precise moment, the silver-robed man sensed something and abruptly looked skyward, roaring: "Who lurks there? Show yourself!"

His voice carried terrifying power that swept through the distant void like a shockwave, yet found nothing tangible.

"No one?" As the silver-robed man questioned his own senses—

"Were you looking for me?" A detached voice materialized from nowhere, followed by a black-robed figure stepping gracefully out from twisted spacetime.

"Spacetime distortion?"

"This technique..."

"Such terrifying control over spatial dimensions—definitely an Overlord." Everyone's expressions shifted dramatically. From his masterful manipulation of space alone, much could be discerned about the newcomer's power.

And the visitor clearly bore ill intent.

"An Overlord?" The Vermilion Devil Master's eyes narrowed as he studied the figure. "Based on aura alone, I can't determine if he's reached the fourth stage."

"Who are you?" The silver-robed man's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, revealing unmistakable killing intent. "You dare display such arrogance before me? Do you know who I am?"

He showed not the slightest hint of fear. An Overlord? He himself was a fourth-stage Overlord powerhouse. Even facing the strongest Sagelings from other holy sects, he believed he could escape unscathed, if not emerge victorious.

"Interesting," Wu Yuan smiled faintly, his expression placid. "Who am I? That matters less than who you are—certainly not a force for good in this world."