Chapter 1366: Betrayal of the Underworld Will

Chapter 1366: The Betrayal of the Abyssal Will

Each Will-tier entity was deliberating whether to bestow the title of Supreme Lord upon Zhou Zhou.

And they were deliberating with profound seriousness.

The title of Supreme Lord was exceptionally unique. Once held by any being—regardless of their strength—their status would instantly elevate to one comparable to theirs.

Moreover, the Supreme Lord possessed the authority to command the armies of countless realms and races. In this light, their actual power would surpass that of any of the present Will-tier beings.

For Will-tier entities, their very nature was transcendent and detached. In the vast multiverses, they had not cultivated any particularly powerful factions.

Their strength was their own power—no need for alliances, no need for influence.

A single word from a Will-tier being, and no force across the multiverse dared to defy them.

Now, this Supreme Lord held power that could stand equal to theirs. Should he not fall, and with the aid of the Supreme Will, he would likely ascend to Will-tier status itself—becoming a peer among peers, on the same plane as them.

The grand cosmos is no larger than it seems, and the number of willful beings is finite. Adding even one more willful entity would inevitably touch upon the interests of all existing willful beings—thus, they cannot afford to be casual.

After a long silence.

The Supreme Will synthesized the opinions of most willful entities and made a momentous decision.

The Great Race of Sovereign Lords shall officially come to an end, and the contenders shall be granted the status of Reserve Supreme Lord.

However, since the Sovereign Lord of Jiaoyang has not yet reached sufficient strength, the Supreme Will has decided to temporarily dispatch the Reserve Supreme Will—Jiaoyang Sovereign Lord—to the Ultimate Void Battlefield beyond the Great Cosmos, where he shall engage in war against the Alien Void Race.

Should Jiaoyang Sovereign Lord demonstrate exceptional performance in this conflict, the Supreme Will shall bestow significant rewards, and his authority as a Reserve Supreme Lord shall be elevated, bringing him closer to the true essence of a Supreme Lord.

Should Jiaoyang Sovereign Lord’s true form transcend into the realm of Master God, he shall bypass this process entirely and be directly elevated to Supreme Lord.

"Next, I shall speak of the second matter."

"We, the Great Cosmos, have a junior descendant known as the Soul Emperor, who has now been resurrected. After enduring a great trial of life and death, he has officially touched upon the threshold of the Supreme Will.

Now that the Yellow Springs have collapsed, and the Will of the Yellow Springs has perished, the Yellow Springs Domain stands in a state of abandonment."

"The Spirit Heavenly Sovereign once handled matters concerning the Underworld, and is well-versed in most of its affairs, so I intend to entrust the task of reclaiming the Underworld Domain to him."

"If he succeeds in reclaiming the Underworld Domain, then the position of Lord of the Underworld shall be his."

"If not, we will dispatch another entity to confront the situation."

"Do you have any objections?"

The Supreme Will asked.

"No objections."

"Then let it be so."

"I have met the Spirit Heavenly Sovereign, and this supreme celestial deity is indeed well-suited to take charge of the Underworld Domain."

...

Most Will-level existences agreed.

Other will-level entities neither expressed approval nor disapproval.

Will-level beings are mostly detached from worldly affairs, solely focused on refining their own wills, and rarely concern themselves with external matters.

The Yellow Springs Realm is a necessary passage for the eternal cycles of the dying spirits across the myriad realms—full of complications and burdens, and most will-level entities are unwilling to waste their time meddling in such affairs.

Yet one will-level being, after a long silence, finally spoke:

"Lord, the Yellow Springs Realm is vital to the peace of the myriad realms. Why entrust such a critical responsibility to a junior, who has not yet attained will-level status? I myself could reclaim it."

The speaker was the Will of the Underworld.

"Though the Spirit Emperor has not yet reached will-level status, he is only a step away. With just one trial, he will almost certainly ascend to will-level existence."

"This mission to reclaim the Yellow Springs Realm serves as the perfect trial for him."

"It will also serve to strengthen our highest cosmos by adding another will-level being to its ranks."

"As to why I did not choose you—that is the third matter I intend to reveal."

The tone of the Supreme Will suddenly turned cold and sharp.

"Underworld Will—Caesar."

"You deliberately opened the Gate of the Afterlife, allowing the Delusion Race to enter, causing the collapse of the Afterlife Realm and the fall of the Afterlife Will. Thus, the entire cosmos has been thrown into chaos. Do you understand your transgression?"

The moment these words were spoken, every Will-level entity stared in stunned silence at the Underworld Will—Caesar.

"Underworld Will, you?"

"Caesar, what audacity! You dare betray us like this!"

"Caesar, is it truly you who did this?"

"The Supreme Will never errs, Caesar. You have let us down terribly."

"Caesar, what benefits did the Delusion Race offer you that led you to betray us?"

...

So the Will-level existences erupted in furious condemnation of Caesar.

Faced with the outbursts of the Will-level existences, Caesar did not counter, but instead sighed softly, puzzled:

"Supreme Will, how did I become exposed? I believed my concealment was flawless—You should not have sensed my betrayal at all."

"Yōkan Will regards you as his own brother; He has long sensed your anomaly, though he remains uncertain as to exactly what has transpired within you."

In response to Yōkan Will's inquiry, the Supreme Will spoke with quiet indifference.

"Ah, so it is."

"It was my little sister who secretly revealed my transformation to you."

"Hah, indeed—among Will-level existences, there is no such thing as genuine emotional bonds between beings."

Yōkan Will chuckled.

"No."

"The Will of the Underworld never told me of your transformation."

The Supreme Will spoke solemnly. "Yet you should know your younger sister has a habit of keeping a diary. She recorded all her doubts about you—believing you had simply grown weary from the relentless duties of managing the souls of the dead, that's why changes had manifested upon your body."

"She worried for you. She feared for you."

"But she never imagined."

"That her dearest brother would, in silence and with cold intent, hand over the very blade that killed her to her enemies—and deliver those enemies, without a sound, right behind her back."

"After the fall of the Underworld Realm, I dispatched the Will of the Shadow Realm to search for clues of the collapse and the remains of the Will of the Underworld. It was only then that I found this diary of the Will of the Underworld—and learned the truth."

"Caesar."

"You have let me down too terribly."

The Supreme Will said.

Caesar fell silent. Then, a quiet smile spread across his face.

"Since I have done this, I have never regretted it."

"I originally intended to bring Huangquan's Will into my side, but He was too stubborn, too loyal to the Supreme Will itself. So I abandoned that idea."

"Unfortunately..."

Caesar sighed with regret.

He didn't know if he was lamenting the fall of Huangquan's Will, or the fact that he had failed to bring Huangquan's Will into his own fold.

"Caesar!"

At that moment,

a roar of fury erupted.

And then a golden figure appeared.

None other than the Soul Heavenly Emperor, just recently resurrected.