Chapter 781: The Martial Emperor Died Again

Thunder tribulation forges a new life!

Half-dead from the lightning strikes, Lanshan Hou roared wildly, shouting, pain and joy intertwined!

Sometimes, it is truly sorrowful for the dead to linger as living.

No taste, no pain, no touch.

The heavens and earth in her eyes, all that she saw, were but shades of gray.

But today, Lanshan Hou felt alive!

She was still alive, she had been reborn!

Those thunder tribulations in the sky seemed to tell her, you are a living person now!

Though it was agonizing!

Lanshan Hou roared, and when she finished, she suddenly said, “Your Majesty, I am of the Sword Path, but now there’s no Sword Path left for me to merge!”

“…”

Good heavens, you only just thought of that!

Su Yu was speechless, had you not even considered this before?

And here I was, giving it some thought!

I thought you trusted me, so you didn’t ask, but it turns out you simply forgot this detail—the Sword Path, such a common Great Path, needed by too many, had already been snatched by Xinghong.

For that, even Yunxiao was sent flying by him!

“Merge the Mace Path!”

Su Yu shouted in a low voice, and Lanshan Hou was momentarily stunned, then roared, “Your Majesty, I don’t know how…”

“Nonsense, holding a sword or a mace is the same to you—just slashing and chopping. What difference does it make whether it’s a blade, spear, sword, or halberd?”

“…”

No argument there!

Well, Lanshan Hou was resigned, thought for a moment, and roared, “Then… I’ll merge the Halberd Path. At least I’ve seen others use it; the mace is too rarely used—I can hardly distinguish it!”

“…”

Su Yu was at a loss for words. Fine, whatever makes you happy.

At that moment, in the world below, a Great Path like a long halberd

Hung in the air. Lanshan Hou was overjoyed, and her full power swiftly began to merge with this Halberd Path. As for insight… well, for a warrior’s path, the difference in insight was not great.

Besides, for Lanshan Hou, using a sword or a halberd made little difference; even giving her an axe would be much the same.

At that moment, Su Yu was shouting while observing.

He paid no heed to the dead giant over there; he extended the Path of Life and Death, through the Ink Path, into his own world. This time, he personally guided the forces of life and death, converting them.

And Su Yu observed Lanshan Hou, also worried that something might go wrong.

After a careful look, Su Yu quickly reached several conclusions.

First, these people indeed could not return to the River of Time, because the thunder tribulation had appeared—this was a genuine rejection. Su Yu’s own tribulation with the Dead Path was relatively mild; if the River of Time also struck, it would easily kill Lanshan!

Second, the issue of lifespan.

Su Yu observed further and concluded that if one had died in battle, such as dying young, their lifespan was roughly calculated as it was before death. The time spent as a dead spirit seemed to have been terminated!

When Lanshan Hou fell in battle, she was actually not old. She had died very early, before the Human Imperial Court was established; she was even enfeoffed posthumously. At death, she was about a thousand years old.

She was among the younger batch of Dao Mergers!

Compared to the ancient relics of today, her lifespan was far greater!

After restoration, she no longer feared dying of old age!

Third, the issue of strength.

Lanshan Hou was a Dao Merger in life, and after death, she had nearly reached the Heavenly King level. Later, after merging with the origin, she formally stepped into the Heavenly King realm, approaching the Celestial Venerable realm!

But Su Yu observed that after the fusion, though Lanshan Hou’s aura instantly grew powerful, compared to after merging with the origin, it was somewhat weakened, with some loss of power and rules in between.

Of course, it was far stronger than before merging with the origin.

At this moment, judging by her aura, Lanshan Hou should be at the top-tier Heavenly King level. However, it was uncertain how much power she could exert within his own Great Path. If it was like Daxia King and the others, then Lanshan Hou’s true strength would be between the peak of the second rank and barely the Heavenly King realm.

Su Yu frowned slightly. After the conversion, it seemed the power increase was not too great.

Well, it was related to him.

This could not be blamed on Lanshan Hou!

It was his own Great Path that was too weak, which instead limited their strength. Otherwise, Lanshan Hou would be a true top-tier Heavenly King, close to the Celestial Venerable level!

Su Yu was still assessing when, over there, Fatty Ball let out an “aww.” The darkened Fatty Ball was immensely powerful, but now, dog and boot together, they were skewered by a single fork, strung up like a kebab, causing Fatty Ball to howl in pain.

So painful!

The dead giant was growing stronger and stronger, wielding a massive fork, stabbing Fatty Ball into a furious roar. The dead giant advanced step by step, as if intending to skewer Sanyue and the others as well!

“Continue!”

Su Yu glanced over, frowned slightly, and shouted, “Next!”

The three Celestial Venerables were clearly no match for the dead giant now.

Mind you, the three Celestial Venerables were not weak, and Fatty Ball alone was equivalent to two of them. Earlier, the three Celestial Venerables had fought four dead Celestial Venerables without falling behind, but now they were being brutally beaten by this dead giant.

Obviously, this giant’s strength was increasing, already surpassing Su Yu.

Su Yu paid no attention to that. At this moment, he felt that his own Great Path power had grown again, and his world was expanding. Below, a large number of powerful beings were forcefully assaulting the Dead Path, weakening its power.

Originally, his world was ten thousand meters in radius. After the last mass merging of paths, it had expanded more than tenfold. Now, with Lanshan Hou’s integration, it expanded further. And Su Yu himself was also expanding his world, encroaching upon the territory of the Dead Realm!

Reborn!

At this moment, everyone looked at Lanshan Hou, who had merged with the Halberd Path, and were stunned—truly reborn!

Yes, now everyone could see!

In Su Yu’s world, in the sky, a spirited female warrior, holding a long halberd, clad in fiery red armor, with a blood-red cape fluttering in the wind, was indeed awe-inspiring!

She looked very young!

When Lanshan Hou did not speak or laugh, she was indeed a beauty in the making.

But now… Lanshan Hou, with one hand gripping the halberd and the other on her hip, laughed wildly, so boorishly that no matter how beautiful she was, no one noticed.

“Hahaha!”

“Hahahahaha!”

“…”

Lanshan Hou’s laughter shook the heavens and earth. She was laughing herself mad—I am the first dead spirit in the world to be reborn!

She was almost saying, let me put my hands on my hips and show off a little!

“Your Majesty, does my marquis’s robe look good?”

Marquis Lanshan laughed heartily: "This is the armor that King Wu himself personally brought to the Nether Realm and put on me back in the day! Your Majesty, if I can be crowned a king, would you craft me a new set of Marquis Lanshan's royal robes?"

Su Yu glanced at her and ignored her.

This fellow, now reborn, had changed her expression entirely. He hadn't noticed her arrogance before, but today he truly saw it—she was quite arrogant!

Before, her expressions were subtle; now... they were blatantly obvious!

At that moment, the Nether Giant also swept a glance downward and said coolly: "Marquis Lanshan's royal robes? I think Su Yu won't have the chance. Marquis Lanshan's burial shroud, now that's a possibility!"

His aura grew stronger and stronger. He looked into the distance and said indifferently: "And you few, do you also intend to defy me?"

He was looking at several top-tier Nether powerhouses.

The North King, the Nether Sovereign, the Blood Dragon Marquis.

Were these fellows also going to resist his orders?

The Nether Sovereign closed his eyes, as if he hadn't heard. He was a clever man; at this moment, he would not speak. Let Su Yu and this Nether Giant fight it out among themselves!

If he didn't help Su Yu, Su Yu wouldn't blame him—it was only right.

If he didn't help the Nether Giant... well, this giant was not the true Nether Lord himself, so he wasn't too afraid.

If the true Lord came... forget it, no need for his help; Su Yu would be killed in an instant!

...

In the distance, the North King was still controlling several Dao-merged subordinates.

At this moment, these Nether beings were trembling with fear.

What to do?

Helping the Nether Giant was too risky—that was the truth. Earlier, so many powerful beings under Earthly Branch Luo had been wiped out; who wasn't afraid?

But helping Su Yu was also impossible!

They had no chance of resurrection; as the undead, they were still bound by the Nether Dao!

The North King's expression was complicated.

Now, in the Nether Realm, a great number of Nether powerhouses had been killed, and the rest were being resurrected.

Only he, the Blood Dragon, and the Nether Sovereign were still truly Nether beings. Yet even they had defied the will of the Nether Lord, even if it was only a remnant will.

The Nether Realm was no longer pure!

Su Yu's arrival had thrown the entire Nether Realm into chaos.

The North King looked at the battle in the distance, then turned to his Dao-merged companions and sighed: "You could either follow the Nether Giant now, be careful, avoid trouble, and maybe not die. Or you could go and pledge allegiance to Su Yu—resurrection may be hopeless, but Su Yu has taken many Nether powerhouses with him, and if he wants to control the Nether Realm, he needs true Nether experts!"

They looked at him. One Nether Dao-merged couldn't help but ask: "And... what about you, my lord?"

"Me?"

The North King smiled bitterly: "I was never a decisive man. If I had been, none of this would have happened. In life, I was timid and hesitant, always looking ahead and behind, and that led to my death. After death, I remained the same... The East King sought me out, urged me to join forces, but I refused."

"The West King also sought me, and I refused."

"The South King came to me too, and I still refused."

"Alliance with the humans, or enmity with them—either way, it's a choice. But all I ever wanted was to stand on my own as king... yet I lacked the strength, the opportunity, the courage. I suppose I'm what people call 'great ambition but little talent.'"

He was hostile to humans and to all races, not out of pure enmity, but because he wanted to be independent, to be his own king, to shut the door and let no one bother him while he ruled!

But he lacked the strength and talent to back that up—that was what he meant by 'great ambition but little talent.'

If you don't want to rely on anyone, you need the power to stand alone!

He didn't have it.

"Choose for yourselves. I won't hold you back. As for me..."

The North King looked into the distance, at the Nether River—the river used to guide the dead. He smiled: "I'd like to retreat into seclusion there, but I wonder if I still have the chance. This Nether Realm no longer has a place for me."

Even the Land of Return to Ruin was no longer safe!

Su Yu had set foot there, and the Nether Sovereign was about to break free. What choice did he have left?

As he spoke, blood suddenly gushed from his mouth. The Blood Dragon Marquis's figure gradually materialized, and he said softly: "My lord, the world has changed. So... you may as well go in peace."

At that moment, the surrounding Dao-merged were horrified!

The Blood Dragon Marquis appeared, his claws piercing through the North King's Nether Mark, devouring his power. The Blood Dragon Marquis looked somewhat eerie. He glanced at the battle raging in the sky above and smiled a sinister smile.

"What a fine show!"

The other Dao-merged tried to flee, but he caught them instantly. The sound of claws tearing through Nether Marks echoed without cease.

The Blood Dragon Marquis chuckled: "Today is truly a grand spectacle!"

"The dead die, the resurrected come back to life. In the end, how many true Nether powerhouses are left in this realm?"

The North King's gaze grew hazy. He said nothing, only looked into the distance. After a long while, he suddenly spoke: "Blood Dragon, in every age, there are those who think themselves clever, only to end up toyed with in the palm of another's hand..."

The Blood Dragon Marquis laughed: "Are you referring to me, my lord?"

He crushed the North King's Nether Mark, continuously devouring his origin power.

The North King suddenly showed a faint smile, then sighed: "Perhaps... only you truly wish to remain a Nether being. Blood Dragon, you are not wrong. In this realm, you are the one who deserves to be king. Because... this is the Nether Realm! Only you relish it, while the rest of us... still long to be living men."

His aura grew more and more diffuse, his eyes dazed. "I never wanted to be a Nether being, never wanted to be this Heavenly King. The title of North Heavenly King... none of it was what I truly desired. What I really wanted was just a peaceful life."

"Better to be a dog in times of peace than a man in times of chaos."

The North King smiled, his figure beginning to fade. He sighed: "Blood Dragon, if you wish to be the Nether King, the road ahead is treacherous. You've had it too easy. I've seen your changes... Don't you find it abrupt? For years, you remained unchanged, and now your strength grows rapidly, as if heaven itself aids you..."

"You don't understand!"

The Blood Dragon Marquis sneered: "North King, you are truly old, too content with mediocrity. You don't understand that in this age, there are some beings beyond your imagination. My fortune, my talent, everything I have—it was all bestowed by the true Nether Lord!"

"And this one before us is merely a spiritual imprint. As Su Yu said, it's not the true body."

"In terms of status, he may not even surpass me. I am the true master of this realm! The real Nether Lord chose me. Do you understand?"

The North King turned his head with difficulty to look at the Blood Dragon. His figure grew fainter, but his eyes became clearer. Suddenly, he coughed blood and laughed: "You... what are you? Blood Dragon... you... are mediocre! Who can you compare to? The Human Emperor? Su Yu? Or King Wen, King Wu? Or do you truly believe you have more talent than the Four Heavenly Kings?"

He coughed black blood, his smile radiant: "You... are still too young. You... truly are unworthy. I say this not because you killed me, but because I hope you can see yourself clearly. Blood Dragon, see yourself clearly, and you might still have a chance. If you don't... your end will not be good!"

"Pity... you won't live to see it!"

The Blood Dragon Marquis laughed!

What do you know?

Just because you say something, does it make it true?

You say I'm unworthy—are you worthy?

Ridiculous!

...

While all this was happening, both the Nether Giant and Su Yu sensed it. The North King seemed to be in trouble!

Just as the Blood Dragon Marquis said the North King wouldn't see it, Su Yu suddenly cursed: "Damn it, I've been waiting forever!"

The three great celestial lords, beaten nearly to death, Fatball looked back at him in bewilderment. By now, Fatball had become a bloodball, dazed, muttering something like, "What do you mean, waiting for you to die?"

Su Yu cursed, "So slow!"

"I've been waiting for you to make your move against the North King, and you only just now do it!

So frustrating!"

Longxue, who had only recently advanced to celestial lord, killed the North King and those He Dao, his combat power soaring—Su Yu could feel it!

But he was still far from being a Ruler of Rules.

Yet at this moment, Su Yu didn't care anymore; he had reached his limit. In a short time, Longxue couldn't improve further!

Unless he went and killed the Death Spirit Emperor, but was that possible?

No way!

This Son of Heaven should fulfill his mission now!

This death spirit giant was growing stronger, which was still quite troublesome.

Especially now, Su Yu needed to preside over rebirth—how could he have time to deal with the death spirit giant? Wasn't it a nuisance?

The moment Longxue Hou devoured the North King, Su Yu let out a fierce shout!

In the River of Death, suddenly, a huge droplet of origin water appeared, within which floated a small page—this was the death spirit page Su Yu had buried earlier, a page he had invested heavily in, merging one of his divine runes, the Death character rune, truly integrated into it!

"Return to my Great Way!"

With a low cry, the next moment, that droplet of origin power swiftly flew toward Su Yu.

At the same time, Su Yu growled, "True body descend!"

Boom!

A dull roar shook heaven and earth. The next instant, everyone saw a scene: Longxue Hou, still gripping the North King, suddenly appeared in the Death Spirit Great Way.

Now, Longxue Hou was stunned.

The death spirit giant frowned slightly.

And the North King, with only a breath left, suddenly looked at Su Yu, then at the origin power, then at the page within it, and suddenly... laughed!

"Ha ha ha!"

His laughter shook heaven and earth; he had never laughed like this in his life, never felt such joy.

I'm dying of laughter!

I see it now!

Longxue... this fool, just as I said, this change came too fast, almost at the same time as Su Yu's arrival—indeed, it was all Su Yu's doing.

And Longxue Hou stood dumbfounded, what does this mean?

He looked at Su Yu, why am I suddenly here?

But Su Yu had no time to explain; he was in a hurry, and said quickly, "Don't ask, asking is useless. You're my son—bah, I'd even disdain you as a son. You say you're the Son of Heaven, but Heaven's Mandate is me... bah, Heaven's Mandate Hou isn't me. Forget it, it's pointless to say more. Hurry up and merge with the origin!"

Longxue Hou's face changed, and he roared angrily, "Su Yu, you're asking for death!"

"Shut up!"

I have no time for you; I'm about to die of impatience!

He swiftly forced that drop of origin to merge with Longxue Hou. Longxue Hou tried to resist but couldn't move. At that moment, he seemed to realize something, and said in shock and fury, "You... that... the Death Spirit Way I merged with..."

"I made it!"

Su Yu sneered, "Nonsense, with your lousy nature, if I didn't give you opportunities, where would you get them? Hurry up and merge! Merge, and see if you can reach Ruler of Rules. If not, it doesn't matter; close enough is fine. I'm busy, speed it up!"

"Impossible!"

Longxue Hou went mad, "Impossible! I am the true chosen heir of the Death Spirit Lord. Su Yu, you liar..."

"Shut up! Am I not more promising than the Death Spirit Lord?"

"Is there any difference between calling him father and calling me father?"

Su Yu couldn't be bothered with him. He reached out and grabbed. Longxue Hou was about to erupt, but—

Boom!

His Great Way fluctuated violently, and he vaguely felt he had completely lost control of his Great Way power!

Without his Great Way power, what was he?

Nothing!

In a blink, Su Yu caught him in his hand, picked up the drop of origin water, and smiled brightly: "Be good, eat this!"

At this moment, Su Yu transformed into some strange being, feeding Longxue Hou medicine... feeding him origin water!

"No... Su Yu... you..."

"Shut up, eat it!"

Su Yu punched him, forcing his mouth open, and poured the origin water in. Not stopping there, Su Yu gritted his teeth and even merged that page into him, sighing—afraid that if he pulled it out, Longxue would weaken, which wouldn't do!

With this merge, Longxue Hou's aura instantly surged!

In the blink of an eye, from just entering celestial lord, he reached an extreme, almost surpassing Su Yu.

"Su Yu!"

Longxue Hou struggled violently, but his Great Way power was out of control. Su Yu ignored him, and under the stunned gazes of others, he kneaded Longxue Hou like dough. Soon, Longxue Hou couldn't make a sound, only thrashing wildly.

His aura grew stronger and stronger.

Over there, the death spirit giant, who had been battling the three great celestial lords, suddenly stopped, looked at Su Yu, and said coldly, "What are you doing?"

"Don't you know?"

Su Yu laughed, "Your appearance is because I drained a lot of death spirit origin power! But... look, I've contributed my own death spirit origin power. I made Longxue kill so many strong ones, and he's stored plenty of origin power... Now I'm stuffing his entire being into the Great Way. I think, fellow Daoist, you have no reason to keep reviving, right?"

Su Yu's smile was radiant: "Fighting a clone imprint like you, even if we win, there's no benefit, is there? If we lose, people die. Why bother? Since I took some out, I'll put some back. Fellow Daoist should leave now, shouldn't you?"

Su Yu laughed heartily: "Look how strong he is!"

"Look, he's almost a true Ruler of Rules!"

"Also, in that page, there are my own insights into the Death Spirit Way. I'm stuffing them all in, filling the Death Spirit Way origin—that's generous enough, right? Of course, if the Death Spirit Lord doesn't notice before he returns, I'll be stealing his Great Way!"

At this moment, Su Yu's smile was utterly sly!

"Old pal, I don't want to fight a machine and lose my men badly. You'd better go back peacefully. Farewell!"

The next moment, Longxue Hou suddenly let out a roar, filled with reluctance, anger, despair, and madness, flying toward the death spirit giant. His aura grew stronger and stronger, terrifyingly so!

Su Yu shouted, "Fatball, you all retreat!"

The three great celestial lords were all horrified!

They fled in all directions!

Giant Axe and March Moon, while fleeing, cursed wildly in their hearts!

What kind of world is this?

They had just fought a Ruler of Rules—or rather, been beaten—and now another powerhouse nearing the Ruler of Rules realm was being forced by Su Yu to self-destruct. This world was too terrifying.

Is this still the lower realm?

Is this still the necromantic realm?

How does it feel so much more intense than the upper realm? In the upper realm, not a single Celestial Venerable fell, but here, a whole bunch of Celestial Venerables have fallen!

Now, these two are both at the Rule Master level—are they about to fall as well?

How terrifying!

The Necromantic Giant did not stop them from fleeing, nor did he stop Dragonblood Marquis from flying over. With a certain calmness, the moment Dragonblood Marquis arrived, he asked, "Su Yu, where do you think the gap lies between me and the true Lord of the Dead?"

Su Yu smiled. "Many places!"

"Would you enlighten me?"

The Necromantic Giant inquired.

Su Yu laughed. "First, strength!"

"Second, wisdom! You appear to have wisdom, but in truth, it is all imitation, a program. You have no emotions of your own; you are merely a piece of code. When the Lord of the Dead needs to activate you, you can only act according to the program he set!"

"Third, adaptability! You can only follow the script; in reality, you have no capacity to adapt..."

"Fourth, boldness!"

"Fifth..."

Su Yu continued speaking, and Dragonblood Marquis had already flown over to the giant. The giant showed a hint of contemplation. Su Yu suddenly laughed, "You see, you are doing well now—you are actually thinking... Perhaps... you truly wish to become the next Lord of the Dead, but after all, you are only an imprint. Of course, an imprint is not without opportunity! However, if I were you, the first thing to do would be to change your name, so as not to be confused with the Lord of the Dead!"

Su Yu said with a grin, "How about I give you a name?"

The Necromantic Giant looked at Su Yu. At this moment, he did not retreat. Even if he left, when Dragonblood Marquis exploded and filled the River of the Dead, he would also be about to vanish!

"Please do enlighten me!"

He was being polite. Should I have my own name?

Su Yu laughed. "Lord of the Departed!"

Su Yu said cheerfully, "The other is the Lord of the Dead; what do you think of being called the Lord of the Departed? In my opinion, even if you vanish this time, your imprint remains. From time to time, secretly siphon a bit of power from the Path of the Dead and transform it into your Path of the Departed! When the Lord of the Dead returns, heh... it's gone—the Path of the Dead becomes yours, and then you will be the Lord of the Departed!"

The Necromantic Giant seemed lost in thought, while the others were utterly silent.

Holy crap!

That shameless Su Yu—he actually incited the avatar of the Lord of the Dead to rebel! Can't he be a decent person?

The Necromantic Giant... no, perhaps now he should be called the Lord of the Departed. With a thoughtful expression, he impaled Dragonblood Marquis on his fork and mused, "Lord of the Departed? Fellow Daoist Su... where lies the difference between the dead and the departed?"

Su Yu laughed. "The difference in death is quite significant! When humans speak of death, it often signifies the destruction of the physical body. There is also a saying among humans: the flesh dies, but the spirit is immortal! That is what the Lord of the Dead pursues!"

"But 'departure' is actually an extreme—true annihilation: the flesh is extinguished, and the spirit is also extinguished!"

Su Yu laughed. "A pure death, an extreme death—that is called 'departure'! True departed spirits are, in fact, nothingness! The true Path of Death is actually more extreme, more extreme than mere death!"

At this moment, not only him, but the others also drifted off slightly upon hearing these words.

Is that so?

It feels... somewhat reasonable.

Is "departure" purer and more extreme than death?

At this moment, the Lord of the Departed's eyes flickered. "That is to say, the departed are more extreme and stronger than the dead?"

Su Yu laughed. "It depends on the individual. It's not like my blade is necessarily stronger than a spear, or vice versa. It still depends on how you cultivate and how you comprehend, right?"

"You speak well... Thank you for your guidance, fellow Daoist!"

"Then I... shall be called the Lord of the Departed!"

He suddenly broke into a smile and looked at Dragonblood Marquis. "Then today, I too wish to experience what true annihilation is!"

"Come!"

Boom!

Just as Dragonblood Marquis was about to go berserk, there was no need for him to self-destruct—this Lord of the Departed suddenly pulled Dragonblood Marquis and self-destructed together with him.

"Damn your ancestors!"

Dragonblood Marquis's madness, his unwillingness, his fury, his grievance that seemed to tear apart the river—he let out one final, piercing roar!

As for whom he was cursing?

Hard to say!

Most likely Su Yu, less likely the Lord of the Departed.

Meanwhile, South King and the others were all shaken. They looked at Su Yu, then at the monstrous waves surging in the Path of the Dead, utterly astounded. "This actually works?"

Su Yu, however, watched silently, frowning slightly. After a long while, he gave a wry smile. "He... couldn't he actually have gained some insight into the Path of the Departed? I was just talking nonsense... This... it feels like he really did comprehend something!"

The Lord of the Departed might have truly gained something in that final moment.

How damn strange!

As for his self-destruction, it made no difference to Su Yu. Even if he hadn't self-destructed, Dragonblood Marquis would have had to self-destruct anyway!

It was just a matter of who went first!

And in this explosion, the long-ignored North King's last wisp of will also completely vanished, carrying a hint of wistfulness, a hint of relief, and some indescribable emotion.

Indeed, this world still belongs to these cunning bastards.

They scheme and plot endlessly—don't they ever tire?

That brute Dragonblood thought he was the chosen one—how ridiculous. North King felt he was overthinking, but unexpectedly, Dragonblood left before him. His brief moment of triumph had instantly become a joke!

Of course, since they're dead, let them laugh!

North King no longer regretted anything. With a laugh, he completely dissipated from this world.

In that final moment, he was ultimately completely at ease!

I never had the heart of a hegemon, the strength of a hegemon, or the scheming of a hegemon. So my death was perhaps inevitable.

The Four Heavenly Kings—East, South, West, North—have all taken their final bow.

"The era of the Four Heavenly Kings... from today, it ends!"

North King left these final words!

The three kings of East, West, and North have fallen; South King is about to be reborn. The era of the Four Kings, passed down from antiquity, has come to a complete end. This also heralds that the ancient rule over the necromantic realm has also come to a full stop!

This necromantic realm now bears the surname Su!

Within the Ink Path, South King watched silently, saying nothing.

Yes, the era of the Four Heavenly Kings has ended!

Great waves surge skyward!

In the necromantic realm, the Great Path trembled violently; the entire River of the Dead surged fiercely. This time, even the entire River of Time was affected—the river quaked. The two still had a connection point!

This time, the tremor was extraordinarily intense!

...

And at this moment.

Deep within the river of time.

First, the tremor of Lanshan’s revival drew all eyes to the phantom.

Someone muttered: “Did the Martial Emperor die again?”

“...”

The phantom Human Emperor felt that this fellow was mocking him.

Twice now!

The first time, he said the Martial Emperor was killed; the second time, he said the Martial Emperor’s Sea of Will was shattered, utterly extinguished.

So now, this third fluctuation... what does it mean?

Clearly, everyone thought it might not be the Martial Emperor anymore; of course, with nothing better to do, ribbing their leader was also a kind of amusement.

The phantom pondered a moment, then thought, since these fellows had spoken thus, if he didn’t give them a proper explanation, he would be letting them down.

After a while, he said calmly: “The Martial Emperor died again!”

“...”

The crowd fell silent, waiting for His Majesty the Human Emperor to give them a reasonable and perfect explanation—this time, how did the Martial Emperor die?

Let’s hear it!

The phantom said calmly: “First time, physical form perished! Second time, Sea of Will perished! Third time, after turning into a death spirit, he was swiftly dragged out, and with formidable power, his death spirit was slain, shaking the River of Death Spirits, causing ripples in the River of Time!”

“...”

This... whoever believes it is a fool!

Someone chuckled: “Your Majesty, the Martial Emperor is no weakling, but after becoming a death spirit, dying again—could that really stir the entire River of Death Spirits? Even affect the whole River of Time? Is that possible?”

The phantom sneered: “Ignorance breeds fearlessness! The River of Time and the River of Death Spirits are actually connected. If you don’t even know that, what do you understand? Yet you dare talk nonsense and deny everything I say!”

Fine, the Human Emperor could always turn death into life, to the point where even King Wen and the others had to concede—alright, you have the final say!

However, when the fourth fluctuation came, this time with a somewhat unbroken feel, everyone was startled, looking at the phantom Human Emperor.

Go on!

The third time, you said even the death spirit avatar was gone; the fourth time, what will you say?

Someone chuckled: “Could it be... the Martial Emperor can die four times? Your Majesty, perhaps you should change the story—who died this time?”

The phantom stared at him silently, then after a long pause said: “Still the Martial Emperor!”

“...”

Everyone stifled their laughter!

This... His Majesty, to save face, has thrown all dignity to the wind!

Still the Martial Emperor?

Spit in your face!

He died three times, even the death spirit is gone—tell us, how can there be a fourth?

The phantom said calmly: “This fluctuation is connected to the previous one, not far apart in time! I speculate that earlier, only the Martial Emperor’s death spirit died, but the death spirit’s origin was not extinguished. This time, the death spirit’s origin was destroyed, causing the River of Death Spirits to tremble!”

Among the crowd, someone again did not understand: “Death spirit origin?”

“Of course, you ignorant fools, do not refute me!”

The phantom said lightly: “Death spirits have both an origin and a true self. Anyone who has delved into the Great Path of Death Spirits would know this. Those who don’t, probably aren’t worthy of discussing this with me!”

At this point, someone actually chimed in: “His Majesty is right—death spirits are indeed divided into two parts.”

“Really? King Ming, are you just saying that to save His Majesty’s face?”

“How could that be!” King Ming chuckled: “No need. In fact, I’m not the only one who knows. If you don’t believe me, ask those who have been to the River of Death Spirits!”

Soon, someone supported him: “There is indeed a theory of origin!”

Well, those who had thought the Human Emperor had no reason were now deflated.

This... they couldn’t refute it again.

The Human Emperor spoke with authority: first, the physical body; second, the Sea of Will; third, the death spirit’s true self; fourth, the death spirit’s origin...

Good heavens, the Martial Emperor died four times, each time shaking the River of Time—such a spectacle was extraordinary!

Someone joked: “If there’s a fifth time, that would be interesting!”

Everyone nearly died laughing—indeed, even the origin was destroyed; for the fifth time, what answer would His Majesty give?

And at that very moment, the fifth fluctuation came!

At this moment, in the Death Spirit Realm, Su Yu revived the Southern King. This fluctuation was even greater than that of Lanshan King, a violent tremor that made the entire river shake more fiercely than before!

Now, everyone looked at the phantom.

Go on!

The fifth time—if you can still say it’s the Martial Emperor dying, and give a reason, we’ll truly admire you!

And at this moment, the phantom turned to look behind him, a strange expression in his eyes.

Which bastard keeps stirring up trouble all day long!

Are you never going to let me off?

“Has someone opened the heavens? Some grandson who opened the heavens is causing trouble all day long?”

That was possible!

The Human Emperor now judged that it must be some grandson who had opened the heavens, constantly causing chaos, otherwise the River of Time wouldn’t keep trembling day and night.

This grandson sure had a lot of business!

Turning his back to the crowd, he pondered for a moment, then continued: “The Martial Emperor died again!”

“...”

Everyone waited silently—how did the Martial Emperor die this time?

“The death spirit’s origin exploding doesn’t mean the Martial Emperor can’t die anymore...”

The phantom thought for a moment, then suddenly said: “Yes, this time, the Martial Emperor’s Heavenly Gate completely burst. Before, when he died, his Heavenly Gate still existed, so he was technically still alive. But now that the Heavenly Gate has exploded, this counts as his complete fall!”

Someone said with a sly smile: “Your Majesty, so the Martial Emperor won’t die a sixth time?”

Count that as your fifth time passing!

But if a sixth fluctuation comes, what will you say?

The phantom was silent. Would there be a sixth?

Probably... yes!

As for when, he wasn’t sure.

The next moment, he knew—the sixth fluctuation had arrived!

Forget it, I can't find a reason anymore!

Since I can't find one... then don't let him have a sixth time!

The phantom said calmly, "He won't die a sixth time. This time, the Martial Emperor is truly dead!"

"I'll go take a look ahead... you continue defending. I want to see how much longer until we return to the myriad realms!"

He stepped into the void and left, soon arriving ahead. The next moment, he stomped down. The sixth fluctuation, not too strong, was suppressed by his foot!

Hmm, this is good!

No need to think about how the Martial Emperor died a sixth time anymore!

A bunch of guys, still picking a fight with me? Can I lose to you?

Heh!

I will never lose!

Seventh time, eighth time, come as you will, I'm not afraid. I'll trample them all flat!

However, when he conceived this thought, fluctuations appeared one after another, and he could face them calmly. But when the last, most violent fluctuation appeared, the phantom suddenly jumped in shock.

"Holy shit!"

A loud shout resounded in all directions!

The phantom's aura suddenly changed, a powerful force surging through the river of time!

The phantom's eyes widened, widened, widened!

Gazing into the distance!

Holy shit, am I mistaken?

Xingyue... resurrected?

"Holy shit!"

Another loud shout, the phantom was utterly shocked. How could it be!

A powerful being who comprehended the Great Dao of Life and Death?

No, that's not right. The myriad realms have no master of rules!

Who is it!

Damn it, could the Martial Emperor have ascended to heaven?

I won't believe it even if I die!

PS: Don't ask why the update is late. I explained earlier, but maybe you didn't see it. Little Eagle Baby's bronchitis relapsed, coughing and diarrhea to the point of dehydration. He's been on IV fluids at the hospital. He's only four months old. As a father, I have to take care of him. Everyone has emergencies, right? Well, I won't explain again next time. Mentioning it too much isn't good for the child. I didn't update less today, did I? Let's understand each other.

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