Hell Emperor.

Chapter 583 Ye Jie - The Realm of a Saint
"Success!"

As the last snake head was severed by the Demon-Subduing Celestial, the immortals in the arena erupted in a thunderous roar of celebration, all reveling in their hard-won victory.

After a bitter battle, with countless comrades sacrificed and a terrible price paid, the battle has finally paid off. Xiang Liu's nine heads have all been destroyed, leaving only wreckage scattered everywhere.

"so close……"

Ye Jie breathed a sigh of relief. With Nan Linghe's strong luck, his Yin-Yang Bombardment successfully pierced through all eight snake heads, except for the last one, which managed to escape. If it weren't for the Demon-Slaying Heavenly Venerable's all-out attack, Xiang Liu might have really escaped this calamity.

"Have we... won?"

Nan Linghe tilted her head. Although she didn't know what was happening, judging from the cheering immortals nearby, they must have won.
Ye Jie smiled and was about to speak when Li Feie and Shen Qingge arrived. Upon seeing Nan Linghe, they immediately grabbed her and expressed their longing for each other after so long. As the companions reunited, the old friendships spread through everyone's hearts.

In the distance, Zhao Gongming walked slowly forward and came to the snake head of Xiang Liu, who had transformed into the Heavenly King Duowen, and sighed deeply.

"What's wrong? The demon god has been eliminated, so why are you still looking so worried?" Behind him, the God of Prosperity asked with concern.

Zhao Gongming sighed, "Although the demon god was eliminated, the price paid was far too tragic. Even the Heavenly King perished in the demon god's mouth, almost causing an irreparable disaster..."

He paused, then shifted his gaze, fixing it on Ye Jie in the distance: "However, I truly did not expect that the key to defeating the Demon God in this expedition would actually rely on the power of the Palace Master of Ziwei. The Demon God's might was already unstoppable. If he hadn't used a surprising move to shatter so many snake heads in one fell swoop, I'm afraid no one on this continent would have been able to stop the Demon God..."

Following his words, all the immortals turned their gazes to Ye Jie, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

Not long ago, there was a deep rift between them and Ye Jie, and they even led their troops into battle. However, no one expected that Ye Jie would step in and save everyone on this continent. Otherwise, they and the rest of the continent would have been slaughtered by the resurrected demon god.

The shift in identity between enemy and savior left everyone with complex expressions. Ye Jie's feat of defeating the demon god had made him a hero of the entire continent, and if they continued to dwell on past grievances, they would undoubtedly become the common enemy of the entire continent.

Further away, unlike the others with their differing thoughts, the Demon-Slaying Celestial Venerable did not rush to join the celebration after severing the snake's head. Instead, he walked quickly to the massive, mountain-like snake head that had fallen to the ground. The Seven Star Divine Sword once again unleashed its power, its fine sword light weaving into a net that cleaved the snake's head into countless tiny fragments. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Even an ordinary venomous snake, after its head is cut off, can still leap up from the ground and make a final stand. How much more so a ferocious demon god like Xiang Liu? Without completely destroying it, there is no way to feel at ease.

"Huh? That's..."

As the snake's head shattered, a crystal-clear drop of blood, radiating boundless malevolence, fell from it. The moment the blood drop appeared, a raging demonic flame shot straight up to the ninth heaven, and an ancient and terrifying aura dominated the entire scene. This sudden change stunned everyone present, each person filled with astonishment and doubt, unable to understand what kind of monster could exude such an aura when even the Demon God was dead.

Upon witnessing the appearance of demonic blood, the Demon-Subduing Celestial Venerable's pupils constricted, and he could no longer maintain his composure: "That's the demonic blood of the Six Brahma Lords! Xiang Liu actually harbored such an extremely evil substance within his body; this is troublesome!"

Before the Celestial Venerable could react, the blood bead suddenly shifted and returned to Xiang Liu's body. As the blood bead entered his body, the ruptured snake head twitched incessantly, and the demonic body trembled.

The Celestial Venerable caught a glimpse of Zhao Gongming and his group conversing beside the Heavenly King Serpent's head out of the corner of his eye, and immediately shouted, "Be careful! Get out of the way..."

Unfortunately, his warning came a beat too late. A strong wind swept across, and the snake's body, which had long been lifeless, suddenly attacked. Zhao Gongming and his group were caught off guard and were immediately struck by the snake's body. Countless people were instantly crushed into mincemeat.

With a loud tearing sound, the shattered snake head, which had been completely blasted open, shed its entire skin, and in its place, a brand new snake head was reborn below!
The majestic snake head lunged at Zhao Gongming, who tried his best to defend himself, but still could not escape being swallowed. At the critical moment, it was Zhao Bao Tianzun who came to his aid, releasing a massive amount of harmonious energy, which forcefully slowed down the snake head's devouring speed.

Disrupted by the God of Wealth's gentle influence, the strength of all living beings around will be greatly reduced, and even the Demon God will be unable to exert even a tenth of his power.

Before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, boundless demonic energy erupted from Xiang Liu's body. The demonic flames swept across, instantly shattering the harmony. It couldn't even hold out for a moment before being completely dispersed. Even Zhao Bao Tian Zun, who was at the forefront, was tragically devoured by the snake's head.

With a series of terrifying cracking sounds, Zhao Bao Tian Zun disappeared beneath the grotesque maw. The snake's head also deformed, its skin torn apart, and its bones twisted, revealing the true form of Zhao Bao Tian Zun.

The harmony that once belonged to the God of Wealth is gone, replaced by an aura of utter ferocity. The crimson aura of ferocity swept across, and all those shrouded in it lost all reason, turning on each other and ultimately being devoured by Xiang Liu.

"What...it's still alive?"

Ye Jie was slightly taken aback. It wasn't just Zhao Gongming and the others who were attacked. When the nine heads moved at the same time, almost everyone suffered a terrible blow before they could react.

Ye Jie, who had previously made a name for himself, also became a thorn in Xiang Liu's side. The two snake heads coiled around him, launching a pincer attack from different directions. Their fierce power was enough to make anyone tremble with fear.

Ye Jie fixed his gaze, simultaneously pointing both palms at his sides. One palm blazed with golden light, while the other was writhing with a whirlwind of dark wind. Two distinct beams of light shot out, shattering the two attacking snake heads once again.

Severely injured, the two snake heads collapsed to the ground, unable to continue. However, the wounds that were constantly healing on them showed Ye Jie that Xiang Liu would not fall like this. What awaited everyone was its even stronger rage. It would not stop until it had devoured all living beings!
"Oh no, if this continues, I'm afraid everyone will be doomed..."

Ye Jie's face was grim. All nine heads were shattered, yet Xiang Liu was still alive and has now recovered. Looking across the world, who can be its match?

Just then, a voice, imposing yet subtly powerful, rang in Ye Jie's ears. Upon closer listening, it was clearly the voice transmission of the Demon-Slaying Heavenly Venerable:
"Xiang Liu's body contains the demonic blood of the Six Brahma Lords. No matter how many times it is destroyed, even if all the snake heads are cut off, it can still regenerate if the demonic blood is not removed. To kill Xiang Liu, you must first remove the demonic blood from its body!"

"What……"

Ye Jie took a deep breath. The victory he had finally achieved had ended in such a way, which was truly hard to accept.

Beside Ye Jie, Nan Linghe also felt the pressure of the demon god up close, and couldn't help but curl up, murmuring, "Did we... fail?"

Li Feie formed a hand seal, controlling the lightning, while gripping the Purple Lightning Frost Sword tightly in her other hand, her bright eyes revealing utmost vigilance:

"We haven't failed! At least that attack just now showed us Xiang Liu's true weakness. Even a demon god is not invincible. As long as we can remove the demonic blood from its body, victory still belongs to us!" Shen Qingge's cold eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a clear and resolute determination: "Even if we know the weakness, how exactly do we remove the demonic blood from Xiang Liu's body?"

Soon, the words of the Demon-Subduing Celestial Venerable rang in everyone's ears again:

"It's no use. It's too late now. The blood of the Six Brahma Lords is not something that ordinary people can break; only a saint can eliminate it. I underestimated Xiang Liu's power. Unless a saint descends, Xiang Liu is unstoppable. This continent has already fallen into the hands of the demon god. Before all living beings are slaughtered, quickly lead everyone to evacuate. Escape as many as you can..."

Upon hearing this, Su Miao turned pale. The entire continent would be destroyed by Xiang Liu's hands; all the people she knew, the towns she cherished, would be wiped out by the demon god. She couldn't bear to imagine what that scene would be like.
"Is there... no other choice?"

In the distance, Zhao Gongming, his face filled with grief and indignation and heavily wounded, also retreated to this place: "I am very sorry, but there is no other choice. We have failed... At this moment, the only thing we can do is to withdraw from the continent and ask the Heavenly Court for instructions. Once the heavenly soldiers and generals have fully assembled, we can then come back to punish the demon god."

In the bloody battle against the demon god, even several of the God of Wealth were lost. This devastating loss was something no one could afford, and it also foreshadowed the worst possible outcome: their battle against the demon god had been a complete failure.

The crowd fell silent, a deathly stillness enveloping the area. In the distance, the remains of many immortals who had died in battle were still warm. The only thing echoing in the sky was Xiang Liu's fierce roar, like an invisible blade piercing the spines of the immortals.

In the silence, a calm voice broke the stillness: "A sage... what kind of realm must one reach to be worthy of the name sage?"

Looking in the direction of the voice, the one who asked those questions was none other than Ye Jie, whose brows were furrowed.

Zhao Gongming glanced at him and explained, "To be worthy of the title of a sage, one must not only reach the eighth level of cultivation, but also master the immortal techniques used to reach the supreme level that transcends heaven and earth. Both are indispensable. Only in this way can one have a chance to fight Xiang Liu. It is a pity that no immortal in Beiju Luzhou has been able to reach the sage realm for a long time. Defeating Xiang Liu is destined to be just wishful thinking."

As Zhao Gongming recounted his story, the immortals all showed expressions of desolation, and boundless despair enveloped them once again.

"Perhaps I have a way."

Ye Jie suddenly spoke, and his words instantly awakened everyone's last hope, like a drowning person grasping at a last straw.

In the previous battle, Ye Jie had already proven his strength. If he hadn't gone all out, the immortals wouldn't have even had a chance to contend with Xiang Liu, let alone severely injure him. Now, hearing Ye Jie say that he had a solution, the immortals all cast hopeful glances at him.

Zhao Gongming shook his head: "Palace Master Ziwei, your strength is indeed beyond my expectations, but with such power alone, you cannot defeat Xiang Liu. Didn't you hear what the Demon-Slaying Heavenly Venerable said? As long as a sage does not appear, Xiang Liu will not die. Only a sage can kill Xiang Liu!"

"Since that's the case, then I'll become a saint!"

Ye Jie smiled faintly, a near-mad courage flashing in his eyes: "You should be carrying the main account of the Azure Lotus Palace's Book of Life and Death, right? Give me the main account, and I will ascend to the Saint Realm and fight Xiang Liu!"

"what?"

Ye Jie's words deeply shocked everyone present. His proposal sounded crazy and almost impossible to achieve, but the way he said it made it seem so believable.

Even Zhao Gongming was momentarily incredulous, his voice trembling: "This...this is impossible. No saint has been born in this continent for thousands of years. You are only at the fifth level. How could you possibly reach the saint realm?"

Ye Jie replied calmly, "Whether it succeeds or fails, we can't make a hasty judgment without even trying. If Xiang Liu really destroys the entire continent, the so-called Azure Lotus Palace will only become an empty shell. Or do you plan to flee to another continent and rebuild the Azure Lotus Palace there?"

Ye Jie's words did indeed make Zhao Gongming pause, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts. His subordinates were also discussing the matter, some saying that the main tent should be lent to Ye Jie, while others said that it should absolutely not be lent to him. Opinions were divided, and no conclusion could be reached.

In the distance, Xiang Liu's overwhelming demonic power terrified all living beings. In just a short while, countless people died at its hands, and the ranks scattered and fled. The demon god was seemingly unstoppable!

Zhao Gongming gritted his teeth inwardly: "Even if I were willing to lend it to you, I'm afraid I still wouldn't be able to. To prevent thieves from stealing the main tent, I used the Xuanjin Binding Dragon Rope to firmly bind the main tent of the Azure Lotus Palace. Unless you use enough Yin Virtue to break the restriction outside the Binding Dragon Rope, even I can't untie it."

Ye Jie pressed further, "How much good karma do you want?"

Zhao Gongming sighed: "Just like the price of selling the main account, it will take 100 billion units of Yin virtue to unlock the Xuanjin Binding Dragon Rope."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Jie was now in a dilemma. This amount of merit was probably too much for all living beings on the entire continent to accumulate: "Can't you make it cheaper?"

Zhao Gongming was also quite helpless: "I would like to lower the price, but my Xuanjin Binding Dragon Rope will not agree. The Xuanjin Binding Dragon Rope can guarantee the absolute safety of my magic weapon, but the price is that when I want to use the magic weapon, I must also abide by its laws."

Upon hearing this, Ye Jie sighed: "One hundred billion yin virtues... Let alone me, even if the Underworld Emperor were here, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to produce that much."

Zhao Gongming shook his head and said, “No, you think that hidden virtue is bestowed upon people by Heaven? You are wrong. So-called hidden virtue is something issued by the Great Emperor of the Underworld. The good and evil deeds people do will not increase or decrease in the slightest for the indifferent and ruthless Heavenly Dao. You should know that Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs. The good and evil in the hearts of all living beings are no different in front of the Heavenly Dao. It is the Great Emperor of the Underworld who uses hidden virtue to define good and evil, and it is he who bestows hidden virtue upon people.”

After a pause, Zhao Gongming continued, "If the Underworld Emperor were here, let alone a hundred billion yin virtues, he could easily take out even a billion yin virtues. In front of him, yin virtues are nothing but a string of meaningless numbers."

Zhao Gongming's words also gave Ye Jie some inspiration. Ye Jie gripped the Underworld Emperor's Ghost Seal tightly, and a bold idea emerged in his mind.

"Does anyone have pen and ink? I can borrow them!"

Ye Jie's words left everyone puzzled. Finally, the official in charge of the year reached into his robes and pulled out a third-grade Thousand Star Ink Brush, wanting to see what Ye Jie was up to.

Before the eight-page spread-out pages, Ye Jie picked up his pen and wrote a series of elegant, flowing characters:
[By the mandate of Heaven, the Underworld Emperor decrees: In the summer of the 640th year of the Moro calendar, Ye Jie, the master of the Ziwei Palace, is hereby granted ten billion yin virtues. This is the imperial decree.]

The Ghost Seal was pressed down, and the vast and powerful seal was imprinted on the sewn pages. The words that were originally meaningless suddenly came to life, bursting forth with layers of mysterious light. The will of Heaven and the call of the Netherworld converged here at this moment, and the entire world trembled incessantly!
(End of this chapter)