Reborn Shang Zhou, angry at the sage Nuwa at the beginning

The cheers atop Zhenxuan Mountain gradually subsided, and the golden afterglow cast a solemn, warm hue over the battlefield.

Di Xin stood on the altar, the bloodstains on his black dragon robe dried by the evening wind, only the beads on his twelve-tassel crown still swaying slightly, reflecting the solemnity that had not yet faded in his eyes.

Where the ink dust dissipated, a faint wisp of black mist lingered, the corrosive power remaining from the Heavenly Demon before its death.

Even after being purified by the righteous energy of Hongmeng, a lingering gloom still remained in the air.

"The Human Emperor,"

Bo Yi led the remnants of the Yin-Shang dynasty onto the altar, holding a brand-new black dragon robe in his hands.

"The great battle is over. Please, Your Majesty, change your clothes and rest. A mourning hall has been prepared at Tangyin Ancient Mausoleum for Mr. Mo Chen and the fallen soldiers of the Three Realms."

Di Xin took the dragon robe, his fingertips tracing the fine stitches, a wave of sorrow washing over him.

Mo Chen had followed him since the Yin Shang Dynasty, from being the emperor's bodyguard to becoming his right-hand man after his resurrected soul. They had weathered nine hundred years of storms together, but now Mo Chen's soul had been scattered while protecting him.

"There is no need to hold a sacrifice."

Di Xin's voice was slightly hoarse, "Issue my order: build 'Temple of Ten Thousand Spirits' throughout the Three Realms to enshrine the spirits of all the soldiers who sacrificed themselves to resist the Heavenly Demon. Regardless of whether they are human, god, demon, Buddha, or of any race in the underworld, they will all enjoy incense offerings in future generations. I will personally inscribe Mo Chen's merits on the first stele of the Temple of Ten Thousand Spirits."

"As the Emperor commands!"

Bo Yi bowed and accepted the order, then turned and left to make arrangements.

The Azure Phoenix Fairy stepped forward, her demonic aura mostly subsided, her face showing a weary yet determined expression:

"Your Majesty, the remnants of the Heavenly Demons in the Southern Border Miasma Forest and the Northern Snowfield have been cleared away, but the land in some areas has been polluted by the power of the Heavenly Demons, with no vegetation and no living beings. They need to be purified with Primordial Chaos Qi as soon as possible."

Di Xin nodded, raised his hand, and summoned the Human Emperor Cauldron. A wisp of primordial energy surged from the cauldron, transforming into countless points of light that flew towards various parts of the Three Realms:

"The righteous energy of the Primordial Chaos can purify all things, and within three days, polluted lands can be restored to life. However, the power of the Heavenly Demon is insidious and there may be remnants lurking. Each race needs to send people to patrol and we must not be careless."

His gaze swept over the crowd. "Jade Emperor, I request that the Heavenly Court send heavenly soldiers and generals to patrol the Nine Heavens and the mortal realm; Master Qingxu, the disciples of the Chan Sect are skilled in Taoist exploration and can be responsible for the Western Regions and the East Sea; Buddhist masters, please use your Buddhist light to illuminate the Southern Frontier and deliver the remaining resentment of the Heavenly Demons; Ancestor Mingyuan, the Avici Hell is adjacent to the Northern Snow Region, please request the Underworld Clan to assist in guarding the seal and preventing the remnants of the Heavenly Demons from escaping; Fairy Qingluan, the border area between the Demon Realm and the mortal realm needs to be closely guarded by the disciples of the Demon Clan."

"We obey!"

The leaders of all ethnic groups responded in unison, and each accepted the order and departed.

Only Emperor Xin and an old Buddhist monk remained atop Zhenxuan Mountain. The old monk turned the prayer beads in his hand, looking at him calmly.
"Human Emperor, although the Heavenly Demon Lord has been destroyed, I sense that there is still an even more powerful dark force surging in the outer starry sky. This invasion by the Heavenly Demon may not be a coincidence."

Di Xin's heart stirred: "What do you mean by that, Master?"

"When I was purifying the resentment of the Heavenly Demon, I sensed a familiar aura."

The old monk spoke slowly.

"That aura is extremely similar to the Netherfire Origin of the Netherworld Clan in ancient times, yet it also carries the corrosive power unique to the Heavenly Demons. Perhaps, there is some unknown connection between the Heavenly Demons and the Netherworld Clan."

Di Xin frowned, his mind flashing back to the words of the Netherworld Ancestor and the records in the Intercepting Sect's jade slips.

Back then, the gods seized the source of the Netherfire and suppressed the Netherworld race in the Avici Hell. Yet, the power of the Heavenly Demon Lord contains a trace of the source of the Netherfire. Is there some connection between these events?

“Master, I will investigate this matter thoroughly.” Di Xin said in a deep voice, “The Underworld Clan has surrendered and owes me a favor. I will personally go to the Abyss to ask the Underworld Ancestor for an explanation.”

Three days later
Emperor Xin rode a golden warship transformed from the Human Emperor Cauldron to the Avici Hell.

The Avici Hell is located at the lowest level of the Three Realms, where the cold wind howls, the River Styx rolls, and countless vengeful spirits float in the water, emitting mournful howls.

The Ancestor of the Underworld had already led the elders of the Underworld Clan to wait on the banks of the River Styx. Upon seeing Emperor Xin, he bowed and said, "The arrival of the Human Emperor brings great honor to the Underworld Clan."

"Ancestor Mingyuan, there's no need for such formalities."

Di Xin leaped off the warship, his gaze falling upon the turbid River Styx. "I have come here to inquire about something. Why does the power of the Heavenly Demon Lord contain the aura of the Netherfire's origin?"

Ancestor Mingyuan's expression changed, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes: "The Human Emperor did indeed notice."

He sighed.
He waved for the elders of the Underworld to step down, and led Di Xin alone to an altar deep in the River Styx.

The altar was constructed of black Netherstone, covered with ancient Netherworld runes, and inlaid in the center was a black crystal, a fragment of the origin of Netherfire.

"When the gods seized the source of the Netherfire, they did not completely refine it. Instead, they divided it into three parts: one part was integrated into the Heavenly Court's fortune, one part was given to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, and one part was entrusted to the Supreme Lord Laozi for safekeeping."

The voice of the Ancestor of the Underworld was filled with resentment and venom.

"But the source of Netherfire is the lifeblood of the Nether race, containing endless resentment and power. Although the gods can forcibly seize it, they cannot completely control it."

"One of them accidentally fell into outer space after the War of the Gods and was obtained by the Heavenly Demon Lord, which is why he is so powerful."

Di Xin suddenly understood: "So that's how it is. The gods' seizure of the Netherfire's source not only triggered a war between the human and Nether races, but also indirectly created the Heavenly Demon Lord. How ironic."

"It was not an accident."

The Ancestor of the Underworld suddenly spoke, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, “I have been sleeping in the Avici Hell for ten thousand years and sensed that the fragment of the Netherfire Origin fell into the outer starry sky back then. It was not a coincidence, but someone did it deliberately. That person’s aura is extremely similar to that of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable.”

Di Xin's face darkened: "Are you saying that the Primordial Celestial Venerable deliberately sent the fragments of the Netherfire Origin into the outer starry sky to cultivate the Heavenly Demon Lord?"

"I'm not sure, but it's highly likely."

The Ancestor of the Underworld said, "The Primordial Heavenly Venerable was ambitious. Back then, he plotted to frame the Jie Sect and seize the source of the Netherfire, perhaps in order to cultivate a powerful dark force to consolidate his hegemony in the future. He just didn't expect that the Heavenly Demon Lord's power would go out of control and invade the Three Realms instead."

Di Xin remained silent, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.

If what the Ancestor of the Underworld said is true, then the Primordial Celestial Venerable's conspiracy is far more terrifying than he imagined.

From the Investiture of the Gods to the suppression of the Underworld Clan, and then to the invasion of the Heavenly Demons, all of this may have been a grand scheme laid out by the Primordial Celestial Venerable, and all the spirits of the Three Realms were merely a part of his game.

"The Human Emperor,"

The Ancestor of the Underworld looked at him and said, "Although the Heavenly Demons have retreated, the conspiracy of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable has not been exposed, and there may be even greater crises in the future. Although the Underworld Clan has old grudges with the Human Clan, the fate of the Three Realms is now intertwined."

"If the Human Emperor requires it, the Underworld Clan is willing to lend a helping hand once again..." (End of Chapter)