After I stopped trying, a rich woman trained me into a demon emperor.

As soon as Zhou Ran stepped out of the dark room, the main hall was already filled with kneeling Yin soldiers.

The leading guard raised his head, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhou Ran, and his throat tightened.

"Grand Commander, urgent report from the direction of Wangchuan."

"The outpost on the north bank of the Naihe Bridge has fallen, and all the soldiers guarding the bridge are gone."

The gloomy atmosphere in the main hall pressed down, even the lamps hanging between the beams and pillars seemed to dim.

Emperor Song pressed his palm on the armrest of the throne, and the wood grain cracked as he pinched it.

"Who did it?"

The garrison commander bowed his head and replied.

"Black Impermanence personally supervised the battle. The Fifth Court rebels raised their flags on the north bank, and the Eighth Court's fusion troops also arrived."

As he said this, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he pulled out a blood-soaked talisman from his robes, handing it over with both hands.

"The last message from the outpost was that the Ten Kings of Hell personally participated in the battle!"

Zhou Ran stopped in his tracks.

The soul fires of several underworld messengers in the hall were all in disarray.

Qiao Kun stood to the side, his usual laziness completely gone, and the black robe of the Night Wanderer was soaked with blood and became heavy.

"Personally...joining the battle?"

The bird-beaked ghost shook its crest, and its voice changed tone.

"Doesn't this mean we have to shatter the entire underworld?"

Leopard Tail gripped the spear, his knuckles taut and white.

"If all five Yama Kings were to mobilize together, how could we possibly hold them off with our limited forces?"

No one responded.

Emperor Song, with a stern face, first glanced at Zhou Ran.

"You've only just broken through to the next realm, and you've already lost most of your true essence."

Going to the River of Oblivion now would be futile; a direct confrontation would offer no chance of victory.

Zhou Ran raised his right hand, a flash of icy blue light appeared in his palm, and then he withdrew it in the blink of an eye.

That was the underworld authority left behind after Bai Wuchang refined his original essence.

"The odds aren't high, but we still have to go."

Emperor Song stared at him.

"What do you think you can use to stop Yama, the King of Hell?"

Zhou Ran turned his gaze outside the hall. The sky was very low, and even the distant dark clouds seemed to be skimming the ground.

If you can't stop them, then stall for time.

"If we can't hold them off, we'll dismantle their bridge."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Kun immediately frowned.

"Great Commander, the Bridge of Helplessness must not be demolished."

Once that bridge breaks, the old path to the River of Oblivion will collapse first, and even the frozen river cannot be saved.

Zhou Ran turned around.

"I didn't say to demolish the bridge."

"I need to go under the bridge to get something."

The Song emperor's eyes flickered and then fell on him.

"Do you know what's under the bridge?"

Zhou Ran raised his hand and took out the Yin Gathering Banner.

A gust of cold wind swept up the banner, revealing faint specks of light emerging from the black cloth's texture.

The divine sense left by Li Zhiyao inside was stirred by the energy of the River of Oblivion, and slowly a faint human figure appeared.

She didn't actually show herself, but left behind a message, every word of which was clear.

"Zhou Ran".

"When you arrive at the River of Oblivion, go to the third pier of the connecting bridge."

"My elder brother left a wisp of Nascent Soul Sword Intent there back then."

"That thing only recognizes the primordial energy and blood."

"The underworld is in such chaos, you can take it out."

The main hall fell silent.

Qiao Kun swallowed hard.

"Transformation Sword Intent?"

Was it left behind by Li Chengfeng?

Judge Cui was supported by two ghostly soldiers and stood by the pillar, his severed arm still bound with black chains.

Hearing this, he slowly raised his head.

"When Li Chengfeng entered the underworld four thousand years ago, he did indeed stop by the Wangchuan Bridge for half a day."

"A sentence was left in the old records."

"The wind blows under the bridge, but the sword remains sheathed."

Zhou Ran put the banner back into his arms.

At this moment, Meng Po stood in the shadows by the door, holding a chipped porcelain bowl in her hand, her expression even worse than before.

She spoke slowly.

"If you want to obtain the sword intent, you must descend to the bottom of the River of Oblivion."

"The River of Oblivion has been frozen over."

Beneath the ice lies a vast expanse of dead souls.

"You only need to dig one hole, and the river will find its way out through the opening."

Zhou Ran asked:

"How big of an opening do we need to make to extract the sword intent?"

"A radius of half a zhang."

Meng Po looked up at him.

"At most half an hour."

"Half an hour later, the ice patterns will start to spread from the cave entrance, and the waters of the River of Oblivion will first flood the Bridge of Helplessness, and then head towards the back gate of the Third Palace."

Qiao Kun felt a chill run down his spine.

"In half an hour, we also had to break through the ice, retrieve the sword, and seal the mouths while the rebels were right under their noses."

"This job is truly risking your life."

Zhou Ran said calmly.

"I've done a lot of jobs that risked my life."

He didn't care.

As long as you can break through and improve your strength.

It's worth taking any risk.

Meng Po gently shook her head.

"You forgot one more thing."

"The entrance to the cave must be suppressed by someone using the power of pure Yang."

"If no one holds you back, once the ice breaks, the River of Oblivion will wash away your memories first."

"When you stand in front of the bridge pier, you might not even remember who you are."

Zhou Ran raised his left arm, and the Primordial Golden Pattern lit up along his skin, while the intense blood energy broke through the gloomy mist in the hall.

"I'll have my brother put pressure on him!"

Qiao Kun hurriedly took half a step forward.

All eyes turned to Qiao Kun.

The elder brother he spoke of was the Day-Roaming God.

They are among the few underworld deities who can travel to the mortal realm during the day.

There is naturally no need to worry about the extreme yang energy within him.

"You broke through the ice yourself, retrieved the sword yourself, and now you're guarding the cave entrance yourself?"

"Do you really think you have three lives?"

Zhou Ran glanced at him, then nodded meaningfully.

It would be best if the Day-Roaming Deity could go and keep watch.

However, the yang energy and Buddhist vows within him are also formidable.

Leopard Tail whispered:

"Grand Commander, I can bring fifty Yin soldiers with me."

"Need not."

Zhou Ran replied crisply.

"The ice of the River of Oblivion is too oppressive to the Yin soldiers."

"If you go up there, you'll only be adding to the rebels' ranks."

The bird's beak was unwilling to give up.

"So we're just going to stand here and watch?"

Zhou Ran raised his hand and pointed outside the hall.

"Go and set up defenses on the south bank of the Naihe Bridge."

"Qiao Kun led the team, and all the guards of the three palaces pressed forward."

"Don't fight Black Impermanence head-on, stall his fusion soldiers."

"Use the terrain, use the remnants of the enemy formation, use the hidden fire trenches."

"The South Bank cannot be lost until I return."

Qiao Kun gripped the Yaksha tightly.

"What if Yama, the King of Hell, were to intervene personally?"

Zhou Ran looked at Emperor Song.

"Will he come in person?"

Emperor Song pondered for a moment.

"The Fifth King of Hell is half a step into the Divine Realm."

"If he crosses the Bridge of Helplessness and attacks with all his might, the backlash from the River of Oblivion's sealing will also fall on him."

"He won't easily overturn the table."

The projection of King Qin Guang flickered above the main hall.

"He might not be afraid."

"If the laws of the Void Realm have already fallen upon him, he can simply use someone else to take the fall."

Zhou Ran nodded.

"Then we need to hurry."

He looked at Qiao Kun and began to arrange the details.

"Three layers of defense have been deployed on the south bank."

"Release the first layer, leaving an empty formation and a false flag."

"The second layer is buried with Yin Fire, specifically to target the Western undead skeleton of the Fusion Soldier."

"The third layer only guards the bridgehead, does not pursue, does not plunder, and does not rescue the isolated army."

Qiao Kun was taken aback.

"Should we just put it on the first layer?"

Zhou Ran stated frankly:

"The rebels have just seized the north bank, and this is precisely the time when they most want to push forward."

"The tighter you defend, the harder they will suppress you."

"Give them a little something to make them think that the Third Palace has already backed down, and they will then step into the second level."

Qiao Kun understood, and a hint of ruthlessness appeared in his eyes.

"Put a bite in first, then cook the bones."

"That's a pretty underhanded tactic."

Zhou Ran looked at him.

"It suits you."

Qiao Kun grinned, then knelt down on one knee.

"Your subordinate obeys."