The sky of Nether City had transformed into a web of lightning. The booms of heavenly thunder sounded like they would never end. 

In fact, the power of the Heavenly Lightning Pool was so great that Auston’s purple rings were blasted into nothing.

The black light made of the Nether Monarch’s soul fragments also had to return to the sky after the emergence of the Heavenly Lightning Pool.

“He had planned for your bloodline to connect with the Nine Soul Hell! Everything he gave you is for the sake of today!”

Ming Xiao looked at Ling Yushi and persuaded, “You don’t need to sacrifice yourself for him.”

“Have you gone insane?” Qin Lie was also yelling at her.

At this point, Qin Lie realized that the Nine Soul Hell made of Austin’s soul fragments had chosen Ling Yushi as his flesh and blood puppet.

He was the source of Ling Yushi’s bloodline, and she had even awakened the bloodline ability “Soul Hell”.

This proved that Ling Yushi’s bloodline was probably purer than even Ming Xiao’s, and that her body was an excellent material to use to remake his own.

Austin was different from Castor. All he had left now was his soul fragments. Since he wasn’t really able to enter the ultimate realm, his body was utterly annihilated when he was killed.

He didn’t have a body. He couldn’t unleash his true power with just his soul fragments.

That was why he needed Ling Yushi, a descendant and a resurrection tool whose blood was so pure that she had even awakened his core bloodline ability, Soul Hell.

It was why he had contacted Ling Yushi and taught her all kinds of soul secret art in the first place.

It was true that he had given her hope and power at her most desperate and powerless, but he hadn’t helped her out of altruistic purposes. He had simply wanted to use her to resurrect himself.

Of course, Ling Yushi was aware of this, but she couldn’t muster the strength to resist him because he was her ancestor, and because he had given her aid during her time of need.

This infuriated both Ming Xiao and Qin Lie.

“How many more of our kin do you plan to kill?!”

The Nine Hells Monarch, Auston, finally arrived at the airspace of Nether City.

He glared at the ball of black light with furious eyes.

“Whoosh whoosh!”

The black light swelled back into the Nine Soul Hell’s natural form in an instant.

“My dear younger brother, don’t you find that ironic when you are the one who worked together with outsiders to kill me and become the Nine Hells Monarch?”

A cold and heartless voice came from inside the Nine Soul Hell. “If you hadn’t done that, I would’ve broken through to the ultimate realm and become the Abyss Master before Castor. If you helped me become the Abyss Master, I would’ve helped you to kill Castor before his potential was fully realized. You would’ve replaced him instead to become a Devil Monarch.”

“But you chose to work together with outsiders and kill your own older brother.”

“You had walked over my dead body to climb to your current position. What right do you have to ridicule me?”

Austin’s cutting taunt came from inside the Nine Soul Hell. It was filled with hatred and malice.

It was clear that the former Nether Monarch, Austin, hated his younger brother to his very core.

He had no doubt that the first thing Austin would do after he regained full strength was to kill Auston and take back everything he lost.

And to accomplish that goal, he must first possess Ling Yushi and resurrect himself. That would be the first step to regaining peak bloodline power.

“Help me?” Auston wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at that statement. “To enter the ultimate realm, you had killed every kin who shared your bloodline. Who do you think killed our father, younger brothers, and sisters? It was you! The only reason I was able to survive until the end is because I was strong enough to make you wary. You know that you would pay a huge price even if you managed to kill me, which is why you had left me for last. Even then, if I hadn’t learned that you were the one who had killed our father, brothers, and sisters at the very end, I still wouldn’t have taken your life.”

“But you had completely lost your mind in your pursuit to become the Abyss Master before Castor. You would’ve taken my life if I didn’t stop you first.”

“I was given no choice but to fight.”

Qin Lie abruptly realized how similar Austin and the Yellow Springs Monarch, Grom, were after hearing Auston’s words.

In order to learn the essence of the power of dead souls, Grom had purposely instigated his descendants into killing each other. He even killed all of his descendants later to better his chances during the war.

When Grom was at the brink of death, he even tricked Lawton and dragged him to the grave as well.

Right now, Qin Lie didn’t realize yet that Grom’s model was in fact the Nether Monarch.

In fact, Grom had worked under Austin for a time while he was still a weak Abyss Devil.

In Grom’s mind, Austin was the most powerful Abyss Devil. He believed that he was stronger than Castor, even after the latter had become the Abyss Master.

That was why Grom had always hated Auston for the murder of Austin. The only reason he hadn’t taken action was because they were both Devil Monarchs. Neither of them really had enough power to wipe out the other.

Grom had always thought of Austin as his model and worshipped his modus operandi. Naturally, his actions turned out to be similar to Austin’s as well.

Even to his death, Grom never doubted that Austin had done the right thing. He believed that Auston’s betrayal was the only reason Austin had failed to become the Abyss Master before Castor.

“Natural selection and survival of the fittest have always been the cruel laws the Abyss obeys. If I could enter the ultimate realm and become the Abyss Master, my dead father and siblings would only be proud of my achievements,” Austin said coldly and heartlessly as his voice emerged from the Nine Soul Hell. “Dear brother, the fact that you’re just a Devil Monarch even though Castor had been dead for so many years proves that this is the limit of your talent and potential.”

“The Nether River of Nether Realm is drying up. I know that Castor has begun to act.”

“I will become the Abyss Master before he returns to peak form and resurrects in full.”

“Are you going to stop me again?

The Nine Hells Monarch stared at him calmly and declared, “I’m not going to stop you. I’m going to kill you and make your death permanent!”

“Hehehe! You really are my dear brother! You’ve already killed me once, and now you plot against me again!” Austin was so furious that a savage laugh burst out from the Nine Soul Hell. He yelled, “Last time, you managed to kill me with the aid of outsiders. This time though, the outsiders are on my side!”

“Sir Austin, please don’t forget our promise,” Great Sage Tian Qi said with a smile.

“Of course,” Austin replied immediately.

In that moment, Qin Lie realized that Tian Qi had come to an agreement with Austin a long time ago. He even suspected that Tian Qi had thrown him into Yellow Springs Purgatory and invaded Nine Hells Purgatory for the sole purpose of reviving Austin.

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