In the heavens, people become emperors by being bad.

Chapter 562 [Murder and Arson, Ruthless Daoist Master]

The methods of the underworld are bizarre, originating from the burial priest system, which was created by the dark patriarch of the past and has countless connections with the source of the bizarre.

It can be said that the Netherworld of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths is a branch of the ancient Netherworld, possessing various ominous curses, and inheriting various advantages and disadvantages.

Compared to the internal strife between the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and the Immortal Realm, the Dark Faction has united to an incredible degree.

This unity stemmed from a strict hierarchy, the supremacy of bloodlines, and an almost insurmountable class system that held the power of life and death.

Those who attained enlightenment throughout history were all beings of unyielding integrity. They dared to challenge the Beginningless and defy the Emperor, each one self-righteous and defying all others. Yet, upon hearing the name of the Underworld Emperor, the Corpse Emperor was nearly terrified, proving the terrifying power of the Reincarnation Seal.

When the underworld's ghostly soldiers and generals saw Duan De, they were like puppets, obeying only Duan De's commands. The black-robed gods and demons inside the bronze coffin kowtowed repeatedly, trembling like subjects bowing to an emperor.

"The Underworld Emperor is truly remarkable."

Lin Xian sighed slightly. He was so shocked, let alone the others. The Great Saints of all races were in an uproar, and everyone became trembling with fear.

I thought a quasi-emperor from the Heavenly Court or the Buddhist sect had arrived, but it seems that an ancient relic from the Underworld has already emerged.

The infamous name of the underworld is no less than that of the forbidden zone of life, and it even travels alongside the forbidden zone of life.

After each period of darkness and turmoil, once the Supreme Being had eaten and drunk his fill and returned home, the Yin soldiers and generals of the Underworld would appear, traversing endless galaxies and void, dragging away the corpses from the ancient life-bearing planets, transforming them into countless ominous creatures.

From the age of mythology to the present, the underworld has accumulated countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and even the remains of quasi-emperors are not lacking.

The appearance of a being suspected to be a quasi-emperor of the underworld caused all races to tremble. Many cultivators did not dare to linger and turned to leave. Although the emperor's tomb was good, survival was the most important thing.

The remaining people were either ambitious or extremely powerful individuals confident that they could escape from the hands of a quasi-emperor.

"Hehehe, we have a holy spirit, why not capture it and use it to brew wine?"

The Black Emperor turned his gaze and let out a strange laugh. Looking towards one side of the starry sky, he saw a stone chariot more than a meter long, pulled by dragons and tigers, carrying an extremely powerful stone holy spirit with an aura of dominance over the world.

The golden crow beneath him trembled, thinking to himself, "Old demon, truly an old demon of many years. He's always trying to capture a Holy Spirit or Great Sage to brew wine. Luckily, I submitted quickly, or I would have become roast meat."

"Fellow Daoists, are we just going to let them be so arrogant? If they were truly Quasi-Emperors, they would have already made their move. Most likely, they have only glimpsed that level and haven't truly entered it."

"When dealing with evil forces like the Underworld, what's the point of talking about江湖规则 (jianghu rules)? Let's all attack together!"

The Holy Spirit Stone Man's expression changed drastically. He called upon his friends and his battle aura surged to its peak. A dazzling green light tore through the chaotic mist and rushed into the void, leaving behind tear-like marks and blazing light, exuding a vast and powerful aura.

"Celestial Tears of Green Gold?!"

The expressions of the great saints changed drastically. This was actually a Celestial Golden Saint, a rare sight throughout history, a heaven-defying existence whose physical body was destined to be incredibly powerful, capable of contending with quasi-emperors.

“It looks a bit like that stone figure from the Undying Mountain.” The Black Emperor’s eyes narrowed instantly. After scanning it for a moment, he slowly breathed a sigh of relief and said, “It is not perfect. It was born incomplete. It is only a part of the immortal metal, and most of it is stone.”

“If it is a flawless Immortal Golden Holy Spirit, it can transform into a Great Perfection Emperor, destined to sweep across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and it will not be our turn to fight it.” Duan De chuckled slyly, “A flawed Holy Spirit is just right, this humble Daoist wants the ruler in his hand.”

"A Celestial Golden Ruler?" Longma gasped. In the Holy Spirit's hand appeared a measuring ruler, radiating celestial light and green glow, dotted with tear stains, forged from celestial tears and green gold.

The Holy Spirit, under the protection of Heaven, bestowed upon them many extraordinary qualities. Some of the stone figures were born with divine beings within their bodies, hidden in the stone embryos, which evolved into their Daoist soldiers and were born together.

The Holy Spirit is not a flawless celestial gold Holy Spirit, but that ruler is made of genuine celestial gold.

"Ninety-nine percent, a rare find!" Black Emperor's saliva was practically dripping.

"Perhaps this Immortal Golden Ruler can be used to reforge the Demon Emperor's imperial weapon." Lin Xian pondered. In the darkness, there was a destiny at play. In his later years, the Demon Emperor was unable to fight on the path to immortality, so his weapon, the Demon Emperor Ruler, fought in his place, and was eventually damaged.

The Heavenly Court has no shortage of experts in the Imperial Path; if they are properly trained, they might be able to forge an Imperial Weapon.

The Immortal Golden Holy Spirit was even more powerful, but it was not the flawless Immortal Golden Holy Spirit. The Great Sage of the Divine Organization, the Divine General of the Underworld, and the Ancient Buddha of the Amitabha Star Domain were not to be underestimated. With the three powerful figures attacking, Lin Xian did not even need to lift a finger to surround that Holy Spirit.

"Crash!"

Finally, the Devouring Demon Jar fell, and no matter how powerful or invincible you were, it was of no use.

"Do not!!!"

The flawed Immortal Golden Saint roared, "I have the Measuring Ruler in my hand, and I have a chance to achieve perfection in this life and become an emperor. How can I perish under a weapon?"

"Don't even mention that you haven't yet attained enlightenment and become emperor. Even if you were a holy spirit who had attained enlightenment, this weapon has already killed many before."

Lin Xian sneered. Back then, the Ruthless Great Emperor used this very magic weapon to flatten the Holy Spirit Forbidden Zone with a single sword strike and then refine the Imperial Holy Spirit. Its ferocity was unparalleled, and its magical power reached the heavens. Even the Undying Mountain dared not utter a sound.

“That…that’s the Devouring Demon Jar.”

Duan De used the Devouring Demon Jar to suppress the Holy Spirit, which made the Great Saints of various races realize something. Some of them trembled and said, "Could they be the successors of the Ruthless Man?"

"It's impossible that the Ruthless Great Emperor never married in her life. She was unparalleled in the world, and there was no one who could compare to her in that life. How could she possibly have taken a liking to someone?"

A great sage countered that the only recorded enlightened being who married is the Western Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother of the West's Daoist partner was a peerless, fully-fledged Saint Body. Even when the Queen Mother of the West was young, he already reigned supreme over the world and was an idol in the hearts of countless cultivators, which led to their marriage.

Otherwise, how could the Great Emperor, who is the greatest in the world and invincible in this era, possibly get married?

"The Ruthless Great Emperor has a successor who left the imperial weapon to someone who had done her a favor." A Great Sage also mentioned a secret history.

"Wasn't that lineage destroyed by the Holy Spirit?" The Great Sage Bull Demon's expression changed. Their clan had existed since the age of mythology, so they had very detailed historical records.

The ruthless woman's murderous aura was too intense, which offended the heavens and ultimately brought disaster upon her descendants. They were cursed by the heavens, and thus her lineage rapidly declined.

People believe that this "heaven" is the heavens, but truly profound races know that there is a forbidden zone in the Big Dipper.

It is highly likely that a supreme holy spirit from the forbidden zone of the heavens intervened, leading to the destruction of the Ruthless Daoist lineage.

"That's right, it explains everything. Back then, when the Holy Spirit Supreme destroyed the Ruthless Man's lineage, the surviving Ruthless Man's successors were extremely hostile to the Holy Spirit."

The saints whispered among themselves, believing that this was the return of the Ruthless Great Emperor's lineage, who had taken revenge on the Holy Spirit.

"Then they won't try to devour the heavens again, will they?"

A Great Sage's voice trembled as he spoke, "Back then, the Ruthless Great Emperor devoured all the Kings, a time of unparalleled darkness. The strongest beings of all races perished, leaving almost no Quasi-Emperors alive, a period comparable to the Dark Ages." He continued, "Fellow Daoists, why aren't you making your move? Are you waiting to be devoured by the Ruthless Great Emperor's successor?"

The Immortal Golden Holy Spirit also recognized the Devouring Demon Jar. He roared, trying to incite the hatred of the Great Saints of all races in order to gain a chance of survival.

The powerful figures exchanged glances, eager to make their move. The return of the Ruthless Ones was bad news for everyone; they were the common enemy of the entire universe.

"In this lifetime, you might not even be able to reach the Quasi-Emperor realm. Even if you were to devour the source, it wouldn't come after you."

"Don't be too confident."

Lin Xian spoke softly, launching a pure physical attack on the Holy Spirit to assist the Devouring Demon Jar in refining it. Then, he surveyed the entire scene, intimidating the Great Saints of all races, and said calmly, "Do you really think our Ruthless lineage eats everything? Without the level of this Holy Spirit, we wouldn't even bother to make a move."

"They really are a lineage of ruthless people!" Even though they had guessed before, the saints still couldn't help but gasp when Lin Xian confirmed it himself.

The Devouring Demon Emperor's fearsome reputation was second only to the Dark Sovereign of the Forbidden Zone.

He single-handedly slew all the kings, stood alone in the heavens, and even the gods could not stand in his way. With a physique inferior to that of mortals, he ultimately reached the pinnacle. It was an incredibly glorious achievement, but it was also a source of sorrow and pain for all races.

"That's right, we are the Four Emperors of the Ruthless Lineage!"

Duan De covered his face and, like the Black Emperor, let out a strange, cackling laugh. He put his hands on his hips and said, "I am the Great Protector of the Devouring Heaven Holy Land, the Southern Ridge Holy Emperor!"

"I am the Second Protector, the Devouring Heaven Demon Emperor!"

Black Emperor roared arrogantly, "From today onwards, the Demon Emperor's Tomb is under the exclusive control of our Devouring Heaven Holy Land."

"Get out of here if you don't want to die," Ryoma said menacingly. "Otherwise, we won't leave a single one alive."

At this moment, Lin Xian combined the refining process, and the Holy Spirit in the Devouring Demon Jar immediately let out a miserable scream. By using the life of a supreme expert of the Holy Spirit Clan to forcibly establish his authority, countless Saints turned pale.

"go!"

The Great Sage of the Mighty Bull Demon Clan was very pragmatic and turned to leave. Otherwise, their race would not have survived for thousands of years and never perished. They knew when to bow their heads.

The great saints sighed and left one after another. How could they fight this? They all believed that they were no match for the immortal golden spirits, and that going forward would only lead to their deaths.

A divine donkey attained enlightenment, and the stubborn Daoist Baijie was very unwilling to give up. He caught up with the Great Sage Bull Demon and tentatively asked, "Brother Daoist, are you just going to leave like this?"

“Otherwise, how could it be like this?” The Great Sage Bull Demon shook his head and said, “Daoist Baijie, I know you are a rogue cultivator with no ties and no worries, and you are always fearless. But I advise you, don’t seek death this time.”

The Taoist Master Bai Jie, who was always fearless despite having nothing to lose, was immediately angered by the Bull Demon King's mockery and retorted, "In my opinion... they may not be the successors of the Ruthless Man's lineage."

None of those who can cultivate to the level of a Great Sage are fools. The fact that Great Sages from the divine organization, the underworld, and Buddhism have successively submitted to them is enough to explain everything.

The so-called ruthless lineage is likely fake, and the newcomer is very likely a powerful figure from one of the three major organizations.

Some well-informed cultivators even vaguely guessed the true identities of the four people.

"So what? They all claim to be from the Ruthless Daoist lineage."

The Great Sage Bull Demon's expression turned serious, and he said meaningfully, "Do you dare to stay? Hundred Tribulations, don't think you're the only smart one."

What is the ruthless path? That is the demonic path. The demonic path is about doing things without restraint, and they will do anything.

By calling himself the Ruthless Master, he was making his stance clear: he would no longer hold back, and anyone who dared to try would face a bloodbath.

"What a ruthless lineage! What a ruthless lineage!"

Bai Jie Dao Ren was initially furious, then sighed helplessly. He acted under the guise of a ruthless person and possessed the Devouring Demon Jar, making it difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake.

Even if someone knew the four people's true identities, who would dare to reveal it?

Murder and arson, a ruthless patriarch; high virtue and prestige, a holy teacher, Lin Xian.

Nowadays, wearing a mask is a way of leaving room for maneuver in others' lives. If you don't expose me, I won't expose you either, so that we can meet again in the future.

"Not everyone is like you, a rogue cultivator who fears neither heaven nor earth." The Great Sage Bull Demon sighed. Many of the Great Sages who came today had their own races and lineages, and they all had their own reservations.

Today they fight each other, tomorrow they calculate races, and they even do business with the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist sect.

In the vast universe, fighting and killing can naturally lead to temporary dominance, but races that may endure for millennia can do more than just fighting and killing. After all, a single generation can last for tens of thousands of years, with emperors in every generation.

Daoist Baijie nodded, but a question remained in his mind: how could the people of the Underworld be mixed up with the Heavenly Court? Weren't they irreconcilable with the divine organization?
"Actually, we have long been people of the Heavenly Court."

A group of underworld ghosts and gods kowtowed and proclaimed that they had been subordinates of the Heavenly Court since the age of mythology, and that their abandonment of darkness for light and their reformation of evil was a move to set things right.

Duan De smiled and didn't say much. He just kept marking the Yin soldiers and generals with his own reincarnation mark. In an instant, a cold wind blew and ghosts howled.

The underworld spirits, who had initially submitted only out of pressure, now looked on with fervent eyes, like the most loyal subjects, and cried out, "Thank you, Your Excellency, for granting us new life!"

"This is really weird." The Great Sage of the Divine Organization swallowed hard. They had been fighting against the Underworld for many years, and this was the first time they had encountered such a situation.

"No wonder the Corpse Emperor is so terrified of the Underworld Emperor; he's truly destined to become a war slave." Lin Xian sighed, then ordered the three major organizations to search high and low for Ye Tianxuan's whereabouts. Little Ye said she came to explore the Emperor's Tomb, so she should be nearby.

However, as time passed, there was still no trace of Ye Tianxuan, and even more Great Saints from more distant star regions arrived, including many rogue cultivators from the Ninth Heaven.

"We can't delay any longer. If the news of the Emperor's Tomb spreads completely and attracts a real quasi-emperor, it will be very troublesome."

The big black dog coughed and said, "We'll send a copy to Xiao Ye later. Let's get started."

"I can't wait any longer! I am the chosen one!" Longma roared, he was the most agitated these days because he sensed a voice calling to him from inside the Emperor's Tomb.

Therefore, Longma believed that the Demon Emperor Xueyueqing was waiting for him, a genius of unparalleled talent, and that the Emperor's Tomb was prepared for him. Once he became the successor of the Demon Emperor and obtained the Emperor's Weapon, he would definitely return to Fanqilin Xian.

Finally, after some discussion, the group worked together to open the secret realm, stormed into a divine realm, and entered the Demon Emperor's tomb.

Within the imperial mausoleum, towering mountains stretch endlessly, shrouded in wisps of pure white mist, resembling a fairyland.

The most eye-catching of them is a sacred mountain with three characters inscribed on it: Dibing Mountain!

(End of this chapter)