Who on earth had the guts to pull off a stunt like that?

Who in the Upper Three Realms didnt know that the Four Directions Palace belonged to Great Emperor Bian, and that he treated all his highnesses as if they were his own sons and daughters?

The Third Highness had disappeared without a trace. Hed almost certainly been kidnapped.

This.

This was tantamount to declaring war on the entire Four Directions Palace!

He thought back to when hed just arrived at the Xue Family estate. Great Emperor Xue Yang and the Hermit Emperor had been discussing something. Odds were, this was the very matter theyd been discussing.

Ye Zichen knit his brows and sunk into silence, then tapped out a response. Do you have any sense of the specific situation?

It happened too suddenly, and our Upheaval Alliance doesnt have the fastest information network. However, since were based relatively close to the ruins of Spirit City, when we heard that the troops of the Four Directions had their souls sucked out and died miserable deaths, Jingwan immediately led a few Outsider rulers over to investigate, said Xiao Yumei.

Zhou Wu hasnt made any movements, has he? asked Ye Zichen.

The God Emperors Estate is carrying on just as before. Theyve made no moves against either the Upheaval Alliance or Lady Providences Profound Pavilion.

Is there any word from Yang Jian?

...... Xiao Yumei just sent over a series of ellipses. Youll know if you look at the chat group. He hasnt been active at all lately.

Thats true. In their five-person chat group, Pu Jingwan occasionally said a few words, but there was really nothing else there.

Theyd heard nothing from Yang Jian since he ran into Bai Haoyu in the Lightning Emperors Estate.

He hasnt run into unexpected trouble, has he?

Ye Zichen knit his brows. He scrolled through his chats and found his private chat with Yang Jian. He stared at the empty message box, hesitating for quite some time. He wanted to contact him, but he was afraid. What if I send the message and the notification alerts someone to Yang Jians cell phone?

But I wont be able to rest easy if I dont send a message, either!

Ye Zichen hesitated for a while, but in the end, he put his phone away. Hed have to settle all this after returning to Heavenly God City.

Ding!

Ye Zichens phone suddenly buzzed. This time, the message wasnt from Xiao Yumei, but was rather from their group chat. Invincible Adorable Beauty had sent a video clip.

Look! The dead are walking!

Ye Zichen furrowed his brows, then clicked on the video. In it, Spirit City already looked like hell on earth. Clouds of purple and yellow death qi hovered in the sky. There were no more people living here, only walking corpses roaming the streets.

The clip was brief. A mere clip wasnt enough to fully explain what had happened in Spirit City.

It seemed Ye Zichen would have to pay a visit himself.

He closed the group chat, found the Great Sages name in his contacts, and sent him a message. You stay here and build up a good relationship with your future father-in-law. Im going to pay a quick visit to Spirit City. No need to worry!

As soon as he sent the message, he put away his phone. The Sea of Innocence had a transmission array leading to Heavenly God City, and he rushed right over.

...

Spirit City!

The Bai Family patriarchs self-destruction had destroyed over half the city. If it were just a matter of property damage, itd be a minor issue; given the abilities of the God Realms workmen, rebuilding a ruined city was just a matter of resources and manpower. With enough of both, they could repair the city, good as new, in just two weeks.

However, because of his self-destruction, far, far too many people had died. Their ranks included both the Bai Family itself, as well as the former inhabitants of Spirit City.

The dead included both earth supremes and rulers; none survived.

All of them had died violently, and their lingering resentment was profound indeed. The few survivors couldnt remain in such an environment, so theyd chosen to flee to other cities.

Bian was keenly aware of this, which was why hed sent his Third Highness to give the bodies a proper burial.

Your Majesty, weve confirmed the identities of the transformed corpses below, said a Four Directions Palace scout.

Bian looked at him, his expression grave. Say it. No one here is an outsider.

The corpses ought to be Bai clansmen or Spirit City civilians, said the scout.

Ought? I want a clear answer! Bian furrowed his bows.

Im certain that theyre Bai clansmen and citizens of Spirit City, said the scout through gnashed teeth. He pulled a torn strip of cloth from his pocket and said, I took this from a walking corpses robes. It bears the Bai Familys emblem.

Boom!

Bians divine power surged forth, so overpowering that the scout instantly flung himself to the ground.

Enough. Theres no more need for you here, so be on your way. Great Emperor Chao Feng walked over, then waved the scout off. He looked down at the walking corpses, then glanced pointedly at Bian. Your people arent as obedient as I imagined!

After the Bai Familys demise, the Four Direction Palace had stayed behind to clean up. Theyd been told to give the dead a proper burial, but from the look of things, theyd carried out this sacred duty with the utmost sloppiness.

Lingering resentment hovered overhead. If you closed your eyes, you could clearly hear the mournful howls of the dead.

A proper burial?

It seemed theyd properly filled their pockets!

Im afraid that if theyd merely ignored the dead and left them where they were, it wouldnt have ended up this bad, said Xuan Ji. It seems your people dealt with the corpses without the slightest care or caution, and furthermore, that they touched something they shouldnt have!

Go down and search for me! Find the source of the corpses transformation, and see if they still have their possessions on them.

Once he gave his orders, the scout rushed off. Bians expression was so taut and so sour, he looked like he might burst.

A full hour passed before the scout returned. Reporting to His Majesty, theres a mass burial pit three hundred miles ahead. It seems to be the site of the corpses initial transformation. Quite a few of the dead were burnt; nothing remains of them but bones. However, I didnt find any corpses that still had their former possessions.

Bring the dead Four Directions Palace members over too.

Before long, the scout returned with Bians already soulless subordinates. Bian solemnly summoned their spatial rings, then summoned his Hidden Dragon Sword and viciously hacked into the rings.

The rings immediately shattered on impact, and countless divine artifacts, medicines, and talismans rained down.

You filthy, wicked beasts! Great Emperor Bian roared, his voice booming like thunder.

There were so many resources accumulated in the rings, even he couldnt help but widen his eyes. He didnt even need to think about it; someone had clearly looted the corpses to obtain all these treasures.

Hed clearly and repeatedly ordered his Third Highness to give the dead a proper, respectful burial specifically to prevent their lingering resentment from accumulating.

But it seemed his Third Highness had ignored him. Hed even done the one thing he really, truly shouldnt have!

Looting the corpses of the dead? Ol Seven, you sure know how to teach em! Chao Feng snorted.

He wasnt saying this just to make fun of his brother; the Third Highness behavior had crossed Great Emperor Chao Fengs bottom line. The other emperors felt the same way. If the Third Highness hadnt gone so overboard, Spirit City wouldnt have wound up like this.

Your Majesty, how should we handle the walking corpses?

Kill them all!