The Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation has been successfully deployed.
Next, it's about how to lure the Demon Empress out and then into the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation. Zhu Ziyang already had an idea for this, though it was quite risky. But how can one catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger's den? He shared his idea with Zhang Lexuan and the five powerful cultivators of light.
"No, that's too dangerous!" Zhang Lexuan immediately objected after hearing it. "I don't agree!"
"Sister Lexuan, I'm just informing you, not asking for your opinion." Zhang Lexuan's reaction was within Zhu Ziyang's expectations. He said, "This is the most probable method I can think of to lure out the Demon Empress. Whether you agree or not, I will do it!"
"Then why tell me? Wouldn't it be better to just do it?" Zhang Lexuan's face flashed with a bitter smile after hearing Zhu Ziyang's words, and she said.
"Because I don't want to deceive you, and you'd find out sooner or later. Rather than you being anxious after the fact, I'd rather tell you now so you can be mentally prepared!" Zhu Ziyang said with a smile. He took a step forward, put his arm around Zhang Lexuan's shoulder, and said, "Sister Lexuan, don't worry, I never do things I'm not confident about!"
"Mm!" Zhang Lexuan was embraced by Zhu Ziyang, but she had no mind to dwell on their intimate contact. She just said, with red eyes, "You must protect yourself. If anything happens to you, then I will surely follow you!"
"Haha! Just for your words, Sister Lexuan, I will definitely preserve my life!" Zhu Ziyang laughed heartily. Afterward, he looked at the five powerful cultivators of light and began to assign tasks.
Kou Marko, Rogier, and Olivier were assigned to the west, south, and north directions, respectively, naturally to guard against the Beast Kings of the other three Heavenly Peaks. Zhang Weiwei and Beimonstan were kept by his side as his last line of defense. As for Zhang Lexuan, at her own strong request, Zhu Ziyang kept her by his side.
With all preparations complete, Zhu Ziyang walked into the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation. Since the grand formation had not yet been activated, the ten pillars standing there showed no extraordinary features.
After entering the center of the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation, Zhu Ziyang closed his eyes and silently recited. The other shore flower mark on his forehead instantly flickered, and an extremely special aura was released from the mark. That aura, containing the majesty and supremacy of a god, slowly spread out from around Zhu Ziyang.
Zhu Ziyang's plan was simple: isn't the Demon Empress very sensitive to the aura of a god? Then he would use a god's aura to attract her. For this, he directly used himself as bait, personally entering the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation to release the Power of Death through the other shore flower mark.
Facts proved that the Demon Empress's perception of a god's aura was extremely strong. As soon as Zhu Ziyang released a bit of a god's aura, the black mist over Devil Emperor Valley instantly churned, followed by a terrifying majesty that instantly filled the entire world. Zhu Ziyang felt a great mountain pressing on his back, forcing him to exert his full strength just to resist this terrifying pressure.
The black mist was dissipating, the pressure was accumulating, and a figure appeared above Devil Emperor Valley. The moment that figure appeared, the Four Heavenly Peaks seemed to shrink significantly. The figure took light steps, not moving fast, yet in the next second, she appeared before Zhu Ziyang.
Zhu Ziyang might have been the first living being to encounter the Demon Empress at such close proximity. Her appearance greatly astonished Zhu Ziyang. Cold, enchanting, noble, peerless, majestic, and so on—a series of words flashed through Zhu Ziyang's mind, yet none were sufficient to describe the stunning sensation the Demon Empress brought him.
The Underworld Enchantress, indeed, like the Ice Snow Maiden, is a humanoid Heaven and Earth Spirit Species!
"You... are not from the Martial Soul Continent!" The Demon Empress spoke, her voice surprisingly soft and sweet, completely at odds with her appearance. Her eyes, as black as night, carefully scrutinized Zhu Ziyang, with a hint of curiosity and doubt in her indifference.
The Demon Empress's words instantly roused Zhu Ziyang. Looking at his target so close, Zhu Ziyang did not hesitate. With a thought, the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation instantly activated.
The moment the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation activated, the Demon Empress sensed something was amiss, but having never tasted defeat since her birth, she didn't take it to heart. After all, although this human youth carried a god's aura, his strength was very weak. She could resolve him with just one finger. As for Zhang Lexuan and the others nearby, she didn't even notice them.
The Demon Empress now only wanted to know how this youth acquired the god's aura on his body. She had had enough of endless heavenly tribulations; she wanted to advance further!
One could only say that everything was a choice of fate. If the Demon Empress hadn't been so arrogant, then she wouldn't have been bound by the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation, would she?
As the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation fully activated, the Demon Empress finally panicked. Because in that instant, she felt her power vanish, as if in a single moment, she transformed from the invincible Demon Empress into a weak woman with no strength to bind a chicken. This feeling of extreme weakness and powerlessness was something she had never experienced, not even when she was just born.
"You... I..." The Demon Empress was somewhat at a loss, looking at Zhu Ziyang in a panic. Even if she were dumber, she would know that all of this was related to the young man in front of her, so she subconsciously reached out, wanting to grab Zhu Ziyang.
However, at this moment, their roles had already completely reversed. The powerless Demon Empress, in front of Zhu Ziyang, who was at the Spirit Douluo realm, had a power gap no smaller than that between Zhu Ziyang and the Demon Empress at her peak.
"Don't struggle!" Zhu Ziyang smiled slightly, easily grasped the Demon Empress's small hand, and then exerted a little force, instantly subduing her. He said, "This Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation can even trap a god. Trapping a Spirit Beast of your strength is simply effortless, isn't it?"
As Zhu Ziyang spoke, he bound the Demon Empress's hands and feet, making her unable to move, eliminating the possibility of her walking out of the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation. Although this possibility was even smaller than finding a needle in a haystack, it's always good to be careful. To be honest, Zhu Ziyang had not expected to capture the Demon Empress so easily and quickly.
"Hmph!" When the Demon Empress heard Zhu Ziyang's words, her face instantly turned extremely ugly, and a sense of despair and sorrow rose in her heart. She hadn't expected that she, a generation's Demon Empress, would fall in such a humiliating manner. The more she thought about it, the more indignant and sad she became. She snorted coldly, then closed her eyes, adopting an attitude of resignation to her fate.
Zhu Ziyang watched the Demon Empress's actions and pondered how to deal with this 800,000-year-old Spirit Beast. But before that, he needed to inquire about the whereabouts of the scythe of the dead from the Demon Empress.
He said, "Demon Empress, right? I want to know if the scythe of the dead is in your possession."
"..." The Demon Empress kept her eyes closed, displaying a cold attitude, unwilling to speak or cooperate.
"Hehe!" Zhu Ziyang wasn't annoyed, but rather chuckled and said, "Even if you don't say it, I can guess. It should be in your Devil Emperor Palace, right? After all, the scythe of the dead is the weapon of the God of Death. Although you are a naturally born Underworld Enchantress, you are not qualified to touch the scythe of the dead, which is why you built a palace outside the scythe of the dead, attempting to seal the Power of Death emitted by the divine artifact, right?"
"You..." Zhu Ziyang's guess was correct. The Demon Empress could no longer maintain her aloof demeanor, opening her eyes, which were filled with terror and confusion.
"Hehe, to tell you the truth, I am the successor of the God of Death. I came here this time to retrieve the scythe of the dead." Zhu Ziyang said with a smile, "As for you, the Underworld Enchantress born from the scythe of the dead, you are indeed beyond my expectations. However, I might also give you a chance to become my spirit ring, and I can take you with me to the God Realm."
"Are you serious?" The Demon Empress finally spoke, but her tone was full of mockery. She said, "Become your spirit ring, help you become a god, and then you ascend to godhood with my spirit ring and Spirit Bone? Hehe, ridiculous. If you want my spirit ring and Spirit Bone, just kill me. Why bother insulting me with words!"
"Ha!" Zhu Zi Yang chuckled upon hearing this. He said, "You misunderstood my meaning, but that's not your fault."
With a thought, the Snow Empress instantly appeared beside Zhu Ziyang.
The Snow Empress's appearance instantly caught the Demon Empress's attention. She immediately recognized that this little girl in white, like herself, was a naturally born Heaven and Earth Spirit Species. However, the Snow Empress's state greatly puzzled her; that spiritual body state, somewhere between physical body and soul, was something she had never seen before.
"She is the Snow Empress, the Ice Snow Maiden, and also my Soul Spirit!" Zhu Ziyang introduced with a smile.
"Soul Spirit? What is that?" The Demon Empress instantly grasped the key information in Zhu Ziyang's words, asking with a face full of surprise.