Late at night, Yanhuang City, which had been bustling all day, finally fell into a moment of quiet.
In an inconspicuous corner of the northern city, several shadowy figures gathered in an abandoned tile-roofed hut.
As a ghostly blue flame erupted within the hut, it illuminated their grim and ferocious faces.
*Boom!*
The moment the bonfire exploded, an old man with a pockmarked face and silver hair slowly entered the hut, holding a crescent-shaped instrument.
"Greetings, Venerable Haoyue!"
The robed figures surrounding him knelt in unison.
This was Nine Nether Yellow Springs, the Right Protector of the Asura Empire—Venerable Haoyue.
A skeletal throne materialized before Venerable Haoyue. Once seated, his crimson eyes swept coldly across the room. Twirling the crescent instrument in his hand, he spoke in a raspy voice:
"Daoist Heavenly One and Venerable Nightmare met untimely deaths today. Have you determined the culprit?"
Before the words had faded, a Nine Nether Apostle replied: "Reporting to Venerable Haoyue, your subordinate has investigated thoroughly.
Daoist Heavenly One was slain by the Fearless Lion's Roar Seal, while Venerable Nightmare was killed by a powerful, forceful finger strike.
The cultivation foundation of the one who wielded these techniques is unfathomably deep."
"Unfathomably deep? Daoist Heavenly One was at the eighth rank of the Selfless Realm, and Venerable Nightmare at the sixth. Yet both were killed in a single day.
Within all of Yanhuang City, aside from Empress Song Yanran, who else could have so easily eliminated these two?"
"Moreover, with such cultivation, he couldn't even discern his identity? What have you all been doing?"
Everyone lowered their heads in unison, the atmosphere becoming so suffocatingly tense it was almost unbearable.
At that moment, a masked youth entered the thatched hut. "I know who did it."
"How dare you! Who are you?" A Nine Nether Apostle grabbed the youth by the neck.
In an instant, the masked youth's feet left the ground as he began to struggle desperately.
"Wait, let him speak," Venerable Haoyue commanded. The masked youth visibly relaxed.
He bowed to Venerable Haoyue. "The one who murdered the two elders is named Chu Liuxiang. He only recently entered the Imperial City."
"Chu Liuxiang? Never heard of such a worthless fool," Venerable Haoyue scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain.
The masked youth countered, "Chu Liuxiang is merely an alias. He has another true identity that has yet to be revealed."
"What identity?" Venerable Haoyue demanded.
The masked youth remained silent, standing frozen in place.
"Insolent! Speak when ordered! Do you think you can bargain with a Venerable? You don't know how to write the character for 'death'!" another Nine Nether Apostle threatened.
The masked youth lowered his head. "I request a condition in exchange for this information."
"A condition? You filthy insect dares to negotiate? You truly don't know how to write the character for 'death'!"
"Speak. What are your terms?"
The masked youth's breathing grew ragged. After a brief silence, he suddenly knelt with a *thud*.
"I wish to join the Netherworld and the Asura Empire. I implore Venerable Haoyue to grant my request!"
Venerable Haoyue's blood-red eyes narrowed sharply. "You know our identities?"
Instantly, the atmosphere in the thatched hut turned icy, and a palpable killing intent filled the air.
Every Nine Nether Apostle glared at the masked youth as if he were already dead.
But the youth mustered his courage. "If you refuse, I will die before speaking. However, I must warn you: this person's true identity poses an existential threat to the Nine Nether."
After a long silence, Venerable Haoyue waved his hand, signaling the others to lower their killing intent.
With a flick of his palm, he pulled the masked youth directly into his hand. After a brief examination, he understood. "Your cultivation has been crippled?"
"Yes." The masked youth's face twisted in a silent snarl.
"Very well. I will grant your request. Not only will you join the Asura Empire, but I will also restore your Qi Sea and help you cultivate anew, surpassing your previous level."
"Thank you, Venerable."
"Now, tell me everything you know."
Venerable Haoyue released the youth.
"Chu Liuxiang, the one who killed the two elders, is actually named Shen Zhao."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Venerable Haoyue, who had been maintaining a composed demeanor, suddenly shot up from his skull throne and exclaimed, "What did you say? What was his name?"
"Shen Zhao!" the masked youth repeated.
In an instant, a tremor of unshakeable fear clearly flickered in Venerable Haoyue's blood-red eyes.
"Are you certain his name is Shen Zhao?"
"Even if he were reduced to ashes, I would still recognize him!" the masked youth replied with absolute certainty, his voice dripping with hatred.
No one noticed the cold sweat now drenching Venerable Haoyue's back, nor the uncontrollable trembling that seized his body.
*Shen Zhao.*
The lingering nightmare of the Nine Nether Yellow Springs.
Indeed, Venerable Haoyue had also been reborn. He had personally experienced the Great Battle of the Nine Nether Gates.
The image of Shen Zhao, like a demon god, had left an indelible shadow on his mind and the minds of his surviving kin.
Only after learning of Shen Zhao's death had he found some measure of peace. He then went to the Peak of the Nine Heavens to mock and boast, only to be struck down by a beam of bloody light and sent spiraling into the cycle of reincarnation.
Even after being reborn, he walked on eggshells, determined to avoid any entanglement with that madman for the rest of his life.
"Hear my command! This plan is canceled! All our forces hidden in Yanhuang City must withdraw from the Central Region with utmost speed—the faster the better! Before dawn, we must leave Yanhuang City!"
The command left everyone stunned.
A Nine Nether Apostle asked, "Venerable One, why? We've planned for over a year, and we're on the verge of closing the net. Why abandon it now?"
"Shut up!" Venerable Haoyue roared. "If we don't leave now, we'll all die here! Shen Zhao is not someone we can handle!"
This only deepened their confusion. Who was this Shen Zhao to make Venerable Haoyue lose his composure so completely?
Venerable Haoyue inwardly cursed: *You bunch of idiots! If you knew this guy almost tore the Nine Nether apart during the Great Battle of the Nine Nether Gates, would you still be here waiting to die?*
The masked youth grew anxious. "Venerable One, I didn't tell you this to make you retreat. I just wanted to say I can help you deal with Shen Zhao."
But Venerable Haoyue scrutinized the masked youth. "Young man, who do you think you're addressing? Don't try to claim a connection with me. It's inappropriate and could lead to misunderstandings. If you persist, I'll have no choice but to send you to the afterlife with a single palm strike."
The masked youth froze in place.
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, the masked youth suddenly shouted, "Venerable One, please trust me just once! Shen Zhao isn't as terrifying as you think!"
He had a weakness, and that weakness was the Great Yin Empress, Yu Xiyan. If Yu Xiyan could be controlled, Shen Zhao could be slaughtered at will.
Venerable Haoyue heard this and wanted to kill the creature with a single palm strike.
Of course, he knew that Yu Xiyan was Shen Zhao's Achilles' heel. But didn't you realize that in his previous life, anyone who dared to covet Yu Xiyan ended up buried so deep they ran out of coffin lids? And you're asking me to target her to deal with Shen Zhao?
Moreover, even if it worked, the Great Yin was a million li from the Central Region. Did you expect me to spend months capturing Yu Xiyan to threaten Shen Zhao?
This fool couldn't be allowed to live. He was too stupid.
Just as he was about to strike down this fool, he saw the masked youth suddenly pull a booklet from his robes.
"This contains all of Shen Zhao's cultivation techniques and energy-channeling methods. I've marked the countermeasures to suppress them. If you study this carefully, Venerable, you'll have a chance to kill Shen Zhao."
Venerable Haoyue froze.
As he gazed at the thin booklet, his resolve began to waver.
If Shen Zhao could truly be eliminated, then in this lifetime, the Nine Nether's ambition would be unhindered. They could openly claim the Immortal Martial Continent as their own...
-----------------------
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