Chapter 1591: Yellow Springs Emperor Sword!

Chapter 1591: The Emperor's Sword of the Afterlife!

Zhou Zhan stiffened, then smiled and nodded.

The trial of the Emperor's Sword of the Afterlife was surprisingly intriguing.

He hadn't realized that his instinctive action had become the very key to passing the trial.

He didn't dwell on it further—just took the sword and looked at it.

The sacred artifact's information materialized.

[Artifact Name: The Emperor's Sword of the Afterlife]

[Artifact Rank: Upper-tier Will Artifact]

[Artifact Will 1 - The Sovereign of the Afterlife: Any living being who wields the Emperor's Sword of the Afterlife and is acknowledged by its spirit becomes the sovereign of the Afterlife Realm. As such sovereign, they stand above all other beings within the Afterlife Realm and may command any of its inhabitants.]

[Artifact Will 2 - The Afterlife Slash: The Emperor's Sword of the Afterlife is a sacred artifact born from the primordial essence of the Afterlife Realm. Its wielder may command all powers of the Afterlife Realm and unleash the Afterlife Slash—a single strike surpassing the limits of the Supreme Will Realm—capable of slaying any enemy blocking their path!]

(Note 1: This willpower technique can be used only once per year.)

[Holy Artifact Willpower 3 - Yellow Springs Afterlife: The Yellow Springs Emperor's Sword wields the willpower of life and death cycles. The master who wields this sword may send back the soul of any living being each day, enabling their own resurrection. At its peak, it can resurrect a Supreme Supreme Willpower-being.]

[Holy Artifact Willpower 4 - Yellow Springs Key (Upper): The Yellow Springs Emperor's Sword and the Yellow Springs Stone Tablet are the two keys to unlock the inheritance of the Yellow Springs Willpower. Possessing them grants the bearer a future opportunity to enter the ancestral grounds of the Yellow Springs Willpower and claim its full legacy.]

[Tip: Requires willpower bonding.]

"Phew!"

Zhou Zhan took a deep breath after reading it.

Good heavens!

It's a Supreme Willpower Holy Artifact?!

I thought at most it would be a Mid-level Willpower Holy Artifact.

This Yellow Springs Willpower was never renowned in life, yet the holy artifact in my hands turns out to be a top-tier willpower artifact.

Ox!

And yet, a being who wields the Emperor's Sword of the Afterlife is the sovereign of the Afterlife Realm!?

This is a domain of supreme will!

Moreover, this domain serves as the bridge between the world of the living and the realm of the dead—its significance, symbolism, and overall importance rank among the top ten across all realms of existence.

Now that I have obtained the Emperor's Sword of the Afterlife, have I truly gained everything???

Zhou Zhan stared at the Emperor's Sword of the Afterlife in his hands, feeling as though he were drifting through a dream.

It felt unreal!

At that moment, Tu Bo's voice roused him.

"Your Majesty."

Tu Bo abandoned his previous address to Zhou Zhan, adopting a solemn and respectful tone befitting a vassal: "You have now secured the Emperor's Sword of the Afterlife. It is time you sought the inheritance of our Afterlife Will."

"I have already sensed that the Yellow Springs stone slabs now belong to a new master."

"This is the perfect moment to proceed."

"Additionally, I would like to add one more thought."

"In my opinion, throughout all the realms of existence, only you are worthy to succeed the Yellow Springs Will."

"If this position were taken by some other being—perhaps even by our enemies—then I would be deeply saddened."

Zhou Zhan nodded, then suddenly asked, "What if, this time, it were not I who seized the Yellow Springs Imperial Sword, but instead the beings of Xuwang Clan?"

"The Xuwang Clan are by nature evil; they could never control the Yellow Springs Imperial Sword, a symbol of mercy."

After speaking, Tu Bo revealed a smile laced with something terrifying and cruel. "Even if, by some strange or forceful means, they did manage to seize the Yellow Springs Imperial Sword, I would defy the orders of the Yellow Springs Will and carry the sword into extinction alongside myself!"

"The Yellow Springs Imperial Sword shall never fall into the hands of the murderer of the Yellow Springs Will!"

Even after speaking, Tu Bo's eyes still held an unyielding hatred, unremovable.

He is the elder who has always resided here since the birth of the Underworld.

His bond with the Will of the Underworld is not that of subordinate to ruler, but rather like that of a younger brother to an elder sister.

Thus, for the murderer who has slain the Will of the Underworld, Tobu harbors an absolute and unyielding hatred.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhan nodded silently.

"I grant it."

Zhou Zhan said, "The inheritance of the Will of the Underworld shall be mine to inherit."

"No other being, no matter how exalted their will, shall ever seize the inheritance of the Will of the Underworld from my hands."

At these words, Tobu's eyes flickered with a subtle spark, as if new hope had dawned.

"Long live the Emperor!"

He spoke earnestly and solemnly.

Zhou Zhan nodded.

Then He did not linger, but directly led twenty Supreme Deities away from this place.

Tubu watched Zhou Zhan's retreating back, and could not help but feel a deep sense of admiration:

"Your Majesty truly possesses unwavering confidence."

"Never having faced the race of illusion, yet firmly believing himself to be the inevitable victor."

"I even considered whether to warn Your Majesty to be cautious of the enemies' deceptive tactics—but… perhaps it's better not to."

"Your Majesty is truly invincible."

He smiled and turned to leave.

The duty of guarding the Imperial Sword had vanished. It was time for Him to live the life He truly desired.

Should the Will of the Yellow Springs ever return to life, then He would come back here again.

……

At the same time,

Zhou Zhan sped toward the Yellow Springs Stone Plate at the fastest possible velocity.

With the Yellow Springs Imperial Sword in his hand, he could sense the exact location of the Yellow Springs Stone Plate.

Likely, the other one could too.

Would they come for me?

A sudden thought flashed through his mind.

He didn’t dwell on it further, merely cast a mental calculation. The result made his brow furrow slightly, then suddenly, a cold laugh erupted.

Shh!

His form, along with the twenty Supreme Gods behind him, vanished instantly from the air.

……

Before the gate to the Underworld.

Wu Shang stood silently here.

Behind him, not far away, stood Tian Yang Wu Zhu, Wu Chancellor, and twenty Supreme Deities brought by Him.

Yet at this moment, Tian Yang Wu Zhu seemed in poor condition.

His face was pale, his aura unstable, as if he had sustained a serious injury.

Beside him, Wu Chancellor looked deeply anxious, but had no remedy for the wounds upon Tian Yang Wu Zhu’s body—only helplessness, watching helplessly.

At that moment,

Zhou Zhan led twenty Supreme Deities to appear in the sky directly above them, descending slowly.

He first glanced at Wu Shang, and his gaze turned cold.

Then his gaze shifted to Tian Yang Wuzhu.

Tian Yang Wuzhu looked at Zhou Zhan, unharmed despite the clash, and felt a surge of humiliation. He turned his head away, refusing to meet Zhou Zhan's eyes.

Zhou Zhan didn't care.

His gaze fell upon the half-cracked piece of Yellow Spring stone plate resting on Tian Yang Wuzhu and Wu Shang's bodies, and he gave a subtle grimace:

"You really are something, aren't you? A perfectly intact Yellow Spring stone plate, now split right in two."

"But I'm quite curious—shouldn't this be a vessel of pure will? How exactly did you break it?"

"It was always broken. Probably from before."

Tian Yang Wuzhu turned back to Zhou Zhan, his voice low and steady: "So, during our battle with that other one, we simply split it in half."

Zhou Zhan nodded in understanding.

I always suspected that.

How could two Supreme Deities possibly damage a Sacred Instrument of Will.

If that were true, they would have fled already.

For now, they cannot even damage a Sacred Instrument of Will.

"Hey, kid."

At that moment, Wusang stared at Zhou Zhan and the Yellow Spring Imperial Sword carried behind him, asking, "Where is the Demon Embryo?"

"You guess?"

Zhou Zhan looked at him with a half-smile.

"You killed it," Wusang said.

"Not quite a fool."

Zhou Zhan nodded.

Wu Shang remained silent for a moment, then shook his head, murmuring with a touch of wistfulness, "No wonder he is the Emperor of the People."

"You four aspiring Supreme Lords—none of you are simple."

Zhou Zhan's face twisted into a strange, half-smiling expression.

It seemed now that He still did not know—the Magus Egg had already perished forever, incapable of rebirth from the power of imagination.

Otherwise, He would not react this way.

At that moment, Wu Shang added:

"Still, it doesn't matter."

"The Magus Egg is dead, but I can avenge Him shortly."

"When the Magus Egg rises again, I will personally tell Him of your death, so that the joy of His rebirth may be amplified even further."

"You won't make it until that day."

Zhou Zhan shook his head at this.

But Wu Shang, hearing this, thought that the other was implying he could settle the matter with him today, and couldn't help but smile widely.

"Never having seen the world is a blessing."

"Such boldness in speech and action."

"Too bad."

"Now we three each hold the Treasure of the Yellow River. Under the rules of the Yellow River's will, we cannot fight directly—otherwise, we'd have already settled matters with you, and there'd be no need to waste time here."

Wu Shang spoke calmly.

Zhou Zhan smiled, and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Wu Shang also remained silent.

Who will laugh last? We'll meet again soon.

Over there.

Tianyang Wuzhu felt a deep humiliation as he saw these two rivals completely ignoring him.

Yet at the same time, his gaze fell upon Zhou Zhan, and shock surged through his mind.

That demonic embryo… was actually destroyed by this man?

Anyone who could stand beside Wushang should be strong, surely not weak beyond measure.

Yet such a powerful being had been utterly vanquished in such a short span—by this Celestial Emperor of the Mortal Realm.

In contrast, himself—

Though he had fought valiantly and seized half of the Yellow Springs Stone Tablet from the other, he had been grievously wounded by the enemy. His confidence in claiming the inheritance of the Yellow Springs Will was now nothing but a shadow.

Thinking of this…

He couldn't help but fall into silence.

This Sovereign of the Mortal Realm seemed to exceed his expectations.

After a moment's thought,

He whispered to Zhou Zhan.

...

"Void-End's Conceptual God Power is one that prevents him from taking any injury."

"This ability is incredibly troublesome—no matter how great the effort you expend to wound or nearly kill your opponent, they instantly recover, seemingly without any cost."

"Had it not been for this absurd Conceptual God Power of his, how could I have ended up in this condition?"

The furious voice of Tian Yang Wu Zhu echoed in Zhou Zhan's mind.

Zhou Zhan stiffened at this, then stared at Tian Yang Wu Zhu with a mixture of astonishment and wonder.

This guy.

Originally, he thought the other was arrogant and self-important.

But now it seems, though defiant, he still possesses a certain breadth of vision.

At least he understands that a formidable enemy lies ahead, and that cooperation with allies beside him is necessary—rather than concealing it and watching his comrades falter in embarrassment.

Zhou Zhan's perception of this individual has shifted slightly.

And...

A divine ability that prevents oneself from getting hurt, without any cost?

That sounds rather troublesome.

Zhou Zhan pondered it thoughtfully.

Yet, there must be a way to resolve it.

The Concept God was never truly invincible, a transcendent system of supreme power.

If He were truly unbeatable, then every realm across the cosmos would have already embraced the path of the Concept God.

And the greatest flaw of the Concept God system lies in this: no matter how powerful a practitioner’s Concept God abilities may become, there will always be a fatal weakness.

A weakness so severe that it could nullify the very essence of those powers, rendering the Concept God vulnerable to being slain by ordinary beings with bare hands!

He thought for a moment, then decided to stop overanalyzing.

After all, there was little solid evidence—any further speculation would merely be idle fantasy.

He would wait until the actual confrontation to see what truly happened.

With that thought in mind,

He stepped before the Gate of the Yellow Chasm, drawing forth the Yellow Chasm Emperor’s Sword from behind him.

As soon as it emerged, the sword seemed to respond to some unseen call, leaping violently from his hands and rushing straight toward the Gate of the Yellow Chasm.

At last, it nestled perfectly into a sword-shaped depression on the left side of the gate, aligning seamlessly with the indentation, forming a flawless union.

Wu Shang smiled, revealing his teeth, carelessly releasing the half-piece of Yellow Spring Stone Plate from his grasp, allowing it to drift and settle into the recessed stone slot on the right side of the Yellow Spring Gate, seamlessly aligning with the stone surface.

Tian Yang Wuzhu, witnessing this, likewise let go of the other half of the Yellow Spring Stone Plate, letting it merge perfectly with its counterpart in the recess.

When the Yellow Spring Imperial Sword and the two halves of the stone plate fully aligned within the recess, the Yellow Spring Gate erupted in a thunderous tremor.

The entire Yellow Spring Realm trembled violently in response.

Billions of souls, all of them stunned, could not comprehend what had just transpired.

"An age of turmoil," one of the souls murmured, a mixture of sorrow and dread in his voice.

At that very moment, as the Yellow Spring Gate began to open, Zhou Zhan, Wu Shang, and Tian Yang Wuzhu immediately led their subordinates through the portal.

Once inside, they beheld a vast, dim yellow arena, upon which a colossal phantom hovered, suspended in the air.

Zhou Zhan was very familiar with this phantom.

For the body's fragments had, in the Realm of Time, witnessed the true form of this phantom on numerous occasions.

He was indeed the phantom of the Yellow Springs Will!

At that very moment,

the phantom of the Yellow Springs Will spoke.

"I am the Will Phantom of the Yellow Springs Will!"

"If you can see me, then either I have relinquished my position as Master of the Yellow Springs, or I have already perished."

"Past matters are forgotten."

"Now, you three shall compete for the throne of Master of the Yellow Springs, the treasures I have stored here, and the supreme Will Realm teachings I have left behind."

"I had already attained the upper tier of the Supreme Will Realm, only a single step away from transcending into the realm beyond will—alas, I failed to achieve that final ascent."

"All the cultivation experience I've accumulated is preserved here."

"This kind of inheritance—surely you'll find it far more intriguing."

Upon saying this,

both Wusang and Tianyang Wuzhu's faces lit up with shock and exhilaration.

Was it an inheritance from a Supreme Supreme Will Realm?

Indeed, one of the very highest-level inheritances in the Supreme Will Realm!

Whoever obtained it would benefit for a lifetime, and in the future, even have the right to witness the breathtaking vistas beyond the pinnacle.

Zhou Zhan may not have been utterly stunned, yet he was still deeply astonished.

He hadn't expected the Yellow Quay Will to be so deeply concealed.

A Supreme Supreme Will Realm master—such a pinnacle of cultivation!

Even among the countless Supreme Will-level masters under the banner of the Supreme Will, he ranked among the very elite.

Yet this Yellow Springs Will had remained utterly silent and unseen.

Too understated.

Understated to the point of absurdity.