Moon G.o.d Realm, Divine Moon City.

Xia Qingyue had just returned from the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm. The moment she stepped into Divine Moon City, she sensed that something was amiss.

Many of her Moon Guards were currently spreading out and rus.h.i.+ng toward the exits of the Moon G.o.d Realm.

“What’s happening?” Xia Qingyue asked in a soft voice, her eyebrows sinking in consternation.

The voice of their G.o.d emperor caused the entire Divine Moon City to grind to a halt. Yao Yue, Lian Yue, and Jin Yue swiftly appeared before Xia Qingyue. Lian Yue anxiously replied, “Master, Shui Meiyin… is no longer in the Moon Prison!”

“!?” Xia Qingyue’s eyes instantly turned into chips of solid ice. Her head swivelled towards Jin Yue as she said, “Jin Yue! Didn’t this king tell you to keep a close watch over her!?”

Jin Yue’s delicate body bent over as she said in a panicked voice, “Master, this maidservant immediately went to the Moon Prison after I received your orders. But when this maidservant reached the bottom of the Moon Prison, I discovered… that Shui Meiyin had vanished without a trace.”

“So you’re saying that Shui Meiyin escaped before that?” Xia Qingyue suddenly s.h.i.+fted her gaze to the side as she called out a name. “Hengzhi!”

A tall man wearing silver armor swiftly ran towards her. He knelt at her feet and said, “I greet the G.o.d emperor.”

Yue Hengzhi, the commander-in-chief of the Moon Prison’s guards.

“It has been six months since this king has personally entered the Moon Prison. During these six months, did anyone forcefully break through the thirty-three layered barrier at the bottom of the Moon Prison?” Xia Qingyue said as she looked down at his kneeling figure.

Yue Hengzhi answered with no hesitation, “Absolutely not. If the bottom of the Moon Prison is impacted by even the slightest force, Hengzhi would definitely sense it. Furthermore, the only one who has opened up the barrier at the bottom of the Moon Prison in the last six months is…”

He glanced at Jin Yue before his voice dropped several octaves, “Divine Envoy Jin Yue.”

Yao Yue, Lian Yue, and Jin Yue were the three personal maidservants of the Moon G.o.d Emperor, so they possessed many special privileges. There was no place in the Moon G.o.d Realm which was forbidden to them… and this included the bottom of the Moon Prison.

“Hmph!” The look in Xia Qingyue’s eyes subtly changed. At this time, Jin Yue looked up in panic… This was the first time that Xia Qingyue had ever looked at her so coldly and it felt like she had been cast into a cruel icy h.e.l.l.

“Jin Yue.” Xia Qingyue’s cold voice contained traces of pain and disappointment. “Just how many benefits did the Glazed Light Realm give you? To think that you’d actually dare to betray this king right under my very nose!”

Jin Yue was greatly shocked by those words. She spoke in a fl.u.s.tered voice, “This maidservant wouldn’t dare! This maidservant has never…”

“You still dare to make excuses!?”

Xia Qingyue flung out her sleeve and a beam of purple light smacked into Jin Yue, blasting her into the air.

“Jin Yue!” Lian Yue cried out in great shock as she hurriedly flew to catch Jin Yue.

Yao Yue spoke up in an anxious voice, “Master, Jin Yue has accompanied you for so many years and she has always been most loyal to you. Serving Master is the greatest joy of her life, so she definitely wouldn’t do anything to betray Master.”

“Shut up!” Xia Qingyue said in a cold voice. “You don’t have the power to plead on her behalf.”

“...” Jin Yue slowly wiped away the blood that trickled down the corner of her lips. She lay dazed in Lian Yue’s arms, her eyes were blurry and swimming with confusion and they glimmered with the light of a million broken stars.

Of the three maidservants closest to the Moon G.o.d Emperor, she was the one who had served Xia Qingyue the longest. When she was not the Moon G.o.d Emperor yet, they were practically as close as sisters and Jin Yue even thought that Xia Qingyue was the only person she could divulge everything to.

But after Yue Wuya had died and she had been crowned Moon G.o.d Emperor, Xia Qingyue started growing distant… She grew so distant that she had even started to become a stranger to Jin Yue.

But… this was the first time that Xia Qingyue had ever attacked her. Compared to the pain her body was feeling, her heart, a heart that Xia Qingyue’s image had been engraved into, had shattered to pieces. The pain and sorrow she felt were so deep that they cut through her very soul.

“Master, this maidservant didn’t do it.” She knelt to the ground once more, her words accompanied by sobbing tears. “Even if this maidservant were to die, I would still never betray Master.”

“Oh really?” Xia Qingyue’s eyes remained chips of cold hard ice in spite of Jin Yue’s distress. “Fine, on account of your long service to this king, this king can take it that you were bewitched by Shui Meiyin’s Divine Stainless Soul.”

“Do you know why this king wanted to take Shui Meiyin into custody!? The moment her Divine Stainless Soul completely awakens, she will become incredibly terrifying! The devils are currently plaguing the Eastern Divine Region, and now that she has escaped, it is very likely she will join their side! In the future, she will become an incredibly dangerous threat to us!”

“Therefore the crime of letting her escape is so heavy that even if you truly were bewitched by the Divine Stainless Soul… how can I be allowed to spare you!?”

She did not wait for Jin Yue to explain herself. Xia Qingyue coldly p.r.o.nounced her judgement, “You are to immediately leave the Moon G.o.d Realm. From today onward, you are not to take a single step into the Moon G.o.d Realm!”

“Master…”

“Anyone who dares to plead on her behalf will share her punishment!”

Lian Yue and Yao Yue bit their bottom lips at the same time. Their eyes swam with confusion and bewilderment but they did not dare to say anything.

Jin Yue’s beautiful eyes lost their color. She slowly pressed a hand against her chest as she looked at Xia Qingyue. “Master, this maidservant… is willing to prove my innocence… with death.”

“Death?” Xia Qingyue remained unmoved and her voice was as cold and detached as it had been from the start. “You should know that this king will always tie up any loose ends. If you die in front of this king, then your parents, your siblings, and anyone directly related to you will be buried with you… But you can try it if you want.”

Jin Yue’s body swayed violently. Her delicate and beautiful face, which already evoked feelings of tenderness and pity, turned an even more pitiable shade of white.

“Jin Yue…” Lian Yue called out to her as she slowly shook her head.

Jin Yue finally lowered the palm that she was holding to her chest as the tears that she had fought to hold back instantly burst from her eyes. She deeply bowed her delicate head toward Xia Qingyue as she said, “Master, Jin Yue knows that she has… committed a grave mistake. So from now on, I won’t be able to stay by Master’s side.”

“I hope that Master… will always take care of herself”

“...” Xia Qingyue did not reply. She coldly turned around, as if she did not want to take another look at Jin Yue, but it was also as if she did not want anyone else to see her face.

Jin Yue slowly rose to her feet. She gave Xia Qingyue another deep bow before she started to leave in a dazed and dispirited manner.

“Wait,” Xia Qingyue suddenly said.

Jin Yue’s exquisite body shuddered and she thought that Xia Qingyue had changed her mind. However, the only things she heard were merciless words that shattered her heart even further. “This king does not even want to see a trace of you in this lifetime. Take your entire family and leave the Eastern Divine Region within the next seventy-two hours! Otherwise, don’t blame this king for being heartless!”

“...” Jin Yue felt as if her body had been thrust into a cold gale as it swayed violently. She let out a miserable voice that teetered on the edge of despair. “Jin Yue… will obey Master’s command.”

Jin Yue departed, tears falling to the ground in her wake.

But Xia Qingyue had not even turned around to look at her once.

“Lian Yue.” Xia Qingyue’s back was facing everyone as she gave an icy command. “Immediately gather troops and sweep the surrounding star regions. I don’t care if you have to uproot the ground, recapture Shui Meiyin at all costs!”

“When you’re searching for her, remember to spread the news that she has fled the Moon G.o.d Realm. Heavily reward anyone who gives us any clues.”

“Yao Yue, you are to personally surveil the Glazed Light Realm!”

“Yes, Master.” Both Lian Yue and Yao Yue acknowledged their orders.

At this time, the northern territories were being invaded by devils. The moment the situation started going out of control, the Moon G.o.d Realm would immediately move out to suppress them. Yet they were now choosing to split off such a big portion of their core forces at such a delicate time, just to find one Shui Meiyin.

However, in the wake of Xia Qingyue’s fury and Jin Yue’s exile, they did not dare to question her.

At the same time, Xia Qingyue’s figure slowly turned diaphanous as she swiftly disappeared from their vision and spiritual senses.

………..

Shui Meiyin had escaped from the Moon G.o.d Realm; this news swiftly started to spread after the Moon G.o.d Realm started their wide-scale search. But with the plague of devils upon them, this news only made people glance to the side. It was not significant enough to cause another great wave.

In the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm, Zhou Xuzi was already standing in front of the teleportation profound formation. He had quietly stood there for more than an hour as he carefully considered all the possible scenarios for the upcoming battle.

When news of Shui Meiyin’s escape from the Moon G.o.d Realm reached his ear, he paid it no mind.

In the end, he constructed a precise map of the Eastern Region’s northern territories in his mind, highlighting the star realms which had been conquered by the devils and visualizing the distribution of the enemy’s forces. When he finally opened his eyes, a cold light flickered in them. “Activate the grand formation.”

White light erupted from the grand dimensional formation and blanketed an area that was dozens of kilometers wide.

“Tai Yu.” Zhou Xuzi sent a sound transmission to Honorable Tai Yu, his deep and heavy voice ringing in his mind. “Be ready for a sound transmission from me at any time. When the time is right, immediately use the Voice of Eternal Heaven to mobilize all of the star realms and profound pract.i.tioners in the central and southern territories. Press toward the north with all of your might and cut off those d.a.m.nable devils.”

“Tai Yu understands.” Honorable Tai Yu quickly sent a sound transmission back to Zhou Xuzi.

The grand dimensional formation started to violently swirl. Dimensional energy that was far too vast started causing the surrounding s.p.a.ce to ripple and undulate like a tsunami.

The only power that could construct such a gigantic grand dimensional formation in the short span of a few days was the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm.

“Ladies and Gentlemen.” The Eternal Heaven G.o.d Emperor turned to face all the upper star realm kings as he said, “This disaster occurred because of this me. This old one is greatly heartened to have received all of your support in this time of need.”

He did not tell them that he had been framed and made a fool of, because he knew that no one would believe him. If he tried to forcefully prove his innocence now, it would only achieve the opposite of what he desired.

“What is the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Emperor even saying? The Eternal Heaven G.o.d Emperor is the one who has preserved order in the Eastern Divine Region. You’re the hero who quelled the disaster of the Evil Infant, who quelled countless other disasters. Your contributions to the world are immeasurable. How can today’s disaster blot out even a fraction of Eternal Heaven’s sacred light?” a higher realm king immediately replied.

“This disaster is a disaster that is afflicting every member of our Eastern Divine Region! How can we allow the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm to bear it alone? Those cowardly and useless star realms in the northern territories… We’ll settle our debts with them after we’ve exterminated these devils!”

“Given the strength gathered here today, we’ll definitely be able to get rid of all of these lowly devils within the next ten days!”

Even though the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm had become the main culprit for this incident, their divine might and sacred reputation, things which had existed for hundreds of millenia, were things that could not be shaken.

Six Guardians, thirty Eternal Heaven elders, more than one hundred and forty higher realm kings and the core fighters of their realm.

When they added him, Zhou Xuzi, into the mix, they had nearly two hundred Divine Masters, thousands of Divine Sovereigns, and a vast amount of Divine Kings and Divine Spirits… There were also some profound artifacts which were radiating incredibly shocking auras in their midst.

Just as the Moon G.o.d Emperor had said, the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm had not made a single move over the last few days, but now that they were finally springing into action, they were prepared to turn the tables on the invading devils.

“Once we pacify the chaos caused by these devils, this old one will personally give all of you, and the Eastern Divine Region, an explanation.”

Once he finished speaking, Zhou Xuzi waved a hand. “Activate the formation! Move out!”

Dimensional power was released as wave after wave of the Eastern Divine Region’s elite forces were directly teleported to the borders of the northern territories—which placed them squarely behind the invading devils.

In less than thirty minutes, all of their forces had been teleported over.

The Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm immediately returned to its usual peace and quiet.

However, no one ever discovered that there was something a little odd about this peace.

Not long after the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Emperor had departed, three bent and crooked shadows emerged from a patch of darkness at the borders of the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm. Three figures split up and flew in different directions before vanis.h.i.+ng into the darkness yet again.

A dense white light erupted from a point along the northern border of the Eastern Divine Region. A grand dimensional formation appeared out of thin air and a large number of people emerged from it. The aura radiating from them was exceptionally powerful.

Zhou Xuzi and Zhou Qingfeng were the last to emerge from the profound formation.

The area around them was incredibly quiet. In fact, it was so quiet that it was a little eerie and they did not catch sight of any devils.

“My lord, how do we proceed from here?” A Guardian asked as he released his divine senses to sweep the area around them.

Zhou Xuzi stretched out a hand and a gigantic projection appeared in front of him. A map of all the star realms in the Eastern Divine Region’s northern territories was displayed on that screen and the star realms conquered by the devils were dyed black.

He tapped his finger in the air, causing dozens of bright dots of light to appear on the screen. “We will launch our attack from these fifty starting points, every squad will take three star realms and we’ll completely cut off any path of retreat that these devils have… There’s no need to concern yourself with the state of the star realms, devote all of your strength and attention to wiping out the devils.”

“Once the Voice of Eternal Heaven rings out across the heavens, we will have encircled them from both the north and the south, and they’ll be in desperate straits then!”

The Eternal Heaven G.o.d Emperor’s voice was incredibly low and heavy.

There were quite a few Divine Masters among the invading devils, but no one had seen any of their king realms in action. Even though he was inwardly sneering with contempt, he was still glad that he did not have to fight them.

“The Eternal Heaven truly does live up to its reputation of being supremely skilled at using spatial energy. What a fantastic encirclement strategy. Let me first congratulate you on your success.”

A woman’s voice rang out from behind them and it was as gentle as a light breeze but as seductive as a devilish moan.

Zhou Xuzi’s eyes suddenly went cold as everyone else spun around simultaneously.

A woman quietly floated in the skies to the north of them a few kilometers away… No one had sensed when she had appeared in that place, and this included Zhou Xuzi.

“Devil Queen!” The projection flickered out of existence as Zhou Xuzi turned around. He stared at Chi Wuyao before he gave a dry laugh. “This old one was actually under the impression that you didn’t have the courage to step out of the darkness.”

The two words “Devil Queen” caused the expressions of the Eternal Heaven Guardians and the highrt realm kings to dramatically change.

She had appeared alone, and no other auras could be sensed around her.

Boooommbzzzz!!

All six Eternal Heaven Guardians prepared to attack as they released their Eternal Heaven divine power at the same time. Thunder and lightning roiled the heavens as the sky threatened to collapse under their divine might.

“Don’t make any sudden moves.” Zhou Xuzhi raised a hand to stop them.

An incredibly frightening array of strength was arrayed on one side, and Chi Wuyao seemed to be facing them alone.

But Zhou Xuzi had only faced Chi Wuyao twice in his life and each time he had taken a big loss… Even though there seemed to be a ma.s.sive force arrayed against her alone, he remained completely on edge and he felt as if thousands of mountains were weighing down on him.

Because it definitely was not a coincidence that she had appeared at this exact time, in this exact place!

“This queen is only a weak woman in the end, so where would I find the courage to personally step into the fearsome tiger’s den that is the Eastern Divine Region?” Chi Wuyao’s voice was soft and cottony, and when the Divine Masters in Zhou Xuzi’s party heard it, they felt their bodies go numb. All the Divine Sovereigns and Divine Kings felt their vision go blurry as they unconsciously withdrew their profound energy into their bodies.

“Hmph!” Zhou Xuzi let out a soft snort, but he was busy clearing the hearts and minds of his party. The profound pract.i.tioners who had lapsed into a small daze shuddered as cold sweat drenched their bodies.

The image of Zhou Qingchen’s miserable death floated into his mind as Zhou Xuzi slowly curled his hands into fists. He forcefully restrained the wild rage that threatened to seize him, but his voice was growing deeper. “Get all of your lackeys from the Soul Stealing Realm to show themselves. Hiding a part of your strength will only earn you ridicule!”

Chi Wuyao pursed her lips before she started laughing softly. Her smile was ripe with meaning as she said, “The Eternal Heaven G.o.d Emperor’s bad habit of being overly suspicious really hasn’t changed at all. This queen’s cute children aren’t here right now. They’re in a place… that will really ‘surprise’ you.”

“?” Zhou Xuzi frowned deeply.

Chi Wuyao calmly turned her eyes toward them. As she faced this incredibly frightening array of force, this aura which could suppress everything, no fear appeared on her face. On the contrary, her smile grew even deeper. “To think that you managed to a.s.semble such a large amount of strength and create such a frightening grand dimensional formation in this short amount of time. The Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm truly is outstanding.”

“However.” She gave a languid sigh before speaking in that soft and sultry voice of hers. “Since you’ve moved such a large amount of force out of the Eastern Divine Region, what exactly would happen… if you weren’t able to instantly move it all back?”

When she finished speaking, the grand dimensional formation which had just completed its job started to violently shudder. After that, it exploded into fragments of shattered white light which filled the air.

“!!!” This sudden bizarre change caused Zhou Xuzi’s expression to dramatically change.

The foundations of this grand dimensional formation existed in the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm. Its sudden collapse meant only one thing… The main formation that was located in the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm had been destroyed!

………...

The Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm.

An earth-shaking explosion rang out from three different directions.

After that… a dark aura rushed toward the sky. It felt so gloomy and sinister that it sent chills down the spines of all those who felt it.

At this time, the grand dimensional formation that had teleported Zhou Xuzi and his army to the northern borders of the Eastern Divine Region collapsed and exploded under a terrifying barrage of black energy beams.

At the same time, the grand dimensional formations that connected the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm to the other king realms and important regions of the Eastern Divine Region were destroyed by a sudden explosion of darkness.

All of this had happened far too suddenly, there was no warning at all.

These main dimensional formations had existed for hundreds of thousands of years and every single one of them was incredibly st.u.r.dy. No normal power could destroy them.

However, the ones who had destroyed these main profound formations just so happened to be the three most dreadful existences in the Northern Divine Region—the Yama Realm’s Three Yama Ancestors!

The Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm was violently rocked. Countless figures flitted into the air as they rushed towards the explosion of dark energy.

Furthermore, in the center of the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm, a place that even an Eternal Heaven elder could not casually approach, a dark figure materialized out of thin air.

Yun Che!

No one knew where he had come from or when he had arrived.

Even the Eternal Heaven Guardians who had stayed behind had not detected any strange people or auras.

A gigantic bell lay in front of them. That was another divine artifact left behind by the G.o.ds. When the Eternal Heaven Realm became a king realm, they changed its name to the “Eternal Heaven Bell”.

The “Voice of Eternal Heaven” which allowed the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm to project anyone’s voice across the entire Eastern Divine Region was produced using this bell.

He placed a hand on the Eternal Heaven Bell as he used dark profound energy to forcefully activate its power. His lips curved up into a smile that was as dark and sinister as demon’s.

“Children of darkness, dance wildly!”

The Eternal Heaven Bell thundered in the air as it transmitted that dark and horrific devilish voice to every corner of the Eastern Divine Region, causing it to resound in all of the skies above the Eastern Divine Region.

Upon hearing that the devilish voice that seemed to have crawled up from the abyss, the entire Eastern Divine Region seemed to suddenly grow murky and oppressive.

Countless Eastern Region profound pract.i.tioners raised their heads in shock and terror. At this moment, dark eyes which had been waiting in the darkness sprang to life as an infinite amount of malice glowed within them.

————

Author’s Note:

【Everyone, you definitely mustn’t forget about Jin Yue, she has an extremeeeely important item on her person.】