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

The deathly aura in Jiuyou's eyes stopped.

For 30,000 years, no matter how many cities they controlled, when others mentioned them, they would still first add the words "former concubine of the Demon Emperor".

Chi Lin was even certain that she would punish those who had left over from the Ye Futian era.

Zhou Ran, however, put the decision-making power back in their hands.

Huanyin was the first to laugh.

She parted her fingertips, and a dark red musical note flew out from her natal soul, landing on the left side of the Devouring Heaven Seal.

"I'm only responsible for replacing the hostage's coordinates."

If you offer yourself up without permission, the Soul Imprint will drag you back to the Formless Pavilion first.

With a cold, bloodthirsty snort, the spear sliced ​​across his palm.

A crimson spear mark landed on the right side of the Devouring Heaven Seal, repelling the dark red musical note but not clashing with it.

"I'll sever seven ley lines for you. If you don't return within twenty breaths, the Blood Navy will launch a direct attack on the city. Don't blame me for dismantling the Nine Nether Well then."

Jiuyou raised his hand one last time.

A wisp of natal death energy separated from the black mark between his brows, condensing into a small black coffin that landed directly in front of the Devouring Heaven Seal.

"I suppress the earth's veins and am also responsible for crippling the Crimson Scales. If you are taken away by the Emperor's chains, I will follow the karmic ties between master and disciple and pursue you to the Anchor Heart."

All three natal marks lit up simultaneously.

The outer layer of the Devouring Heaven Seal was reshaped by the Illusionary Sound Soul Power, the inside contained the God Envoy's Killing Order, and the deepest part left the coordinate space carved by Zhou Ran with a broken pen.

Qin San carried the Taihuang Black Blade behind his back.

"I will lead 6,000 demon soldiers to guard the city. After the hostages' coordinates are released, the Demon Palace army will take over the first to third levels of the array."

Xiao Rou placed a completely transparent Gu worm into Zhou Ran's sleeve.

"It doesn't devour the Emperor's bones, it only eats the threads of cause and effect. Once Empress Huanyin changes the coordinates, it will tell me which thread is still connected to the real person."

Zhou Ran put away the Devouring Heaven Seal and walked towards the teleportation array.

Bloodlust suddenly blocked his path with his spear.

She lowered her head and approached the Taihuang Black Blade.

Red lips landed on the end of the hilt, leaving a faint bloodstain on the Demon Emperor's pattern.

Qin San's hand holding the knife froze.

Bloodlust looked up at Zhou Ran, his smile becoming flamboyant once more.

"If you come back alive, next time it won't be a knife."

Outside Nine Nether City, all the guardian spirit flames have been extinguished.

Zhou Ran walked through the first array gate alone.

There were no soldiers on either side of the city wall, only ghostly guards suspended by black gold bone needles.

Those people retain consciousness, but their bodies have become nodes in the causal anchor array.

The transparent Gu worm was hidden in Zhou Ran's sleeve.

As each hostage passed by, tiny points of light would illuminate on the shell.

Xiao Rou is recording the actual coordinates outside the city.

When the second layer of the array gate opened, Chi Lin's voice came from the bottom of the well.

"You didn't bring them in after all. Zhou Ran, you're willing to exchange yourself for the people of a city; your courage surpasses Ye Futian's. It's a pity that the Imperial Prince is best at erasing people like you who think they can bear everything."

Zhou Ran did not answer.

He continued downwards along the corridor of cause and effect.

Starting from the fourth floor, numerous blue star tidal array patterns appeared on the walls.

The patterns were very faint, yet they subtly echoed the black patterns of the path home that Lin Qingxue had left on his sleeve.

Red Scale did indeed obtain some of the coordinates of Blue Star.

Zhou Ran pressed down on the black pattern of the return path, preventing it from responding to the causal anchor.

The seventh-level array platform soon appeared in front.

Thousands of hostages knelt on the ground according to the positions of the Nine Netherworld Twelve Formations, with the bone needles between their eyebrows connected to the anchor core.

Chi Lin stood in the center of the array platform, his black robe covered with crimson scales, and the imperial decree in his hand had become one with half of his arm.

Behind him, a towering black anchor pierced through the deepest earth veins.

The anchor body is inlaid with the secondary images of three domain seals: Wuxiang, Xuehai, and Jiuyou, with only the central position remaining empty.

The moment Chi Lin saw Zhou Ran, his gaze locked onto the Devouring Heaven Seal in Zhou Ran's palm.

"Place the seal into the array platform, and I will remove the bone needle between the eyebrows of the hostages from the Nine Cities."

If you try to change the rules, I'll first have a thousand people suffer the backlash with you.

Zhou Ran stepped onto the battle platform, holding the Devouring Heaven Seal in his palm.

"I'm here. Release the hostages first."

Chi Lin smiled and pressed the imperial decree downwards.

The outermost hundred Netherworld Guards' brow bone needles withdrew half an inch on their own.

He didn't release them completely, but only restored some of their mobility.

"I've lived in the Nine Nether Domain for three thousand years and have seen far too many people deceive others with promises. Only by handing over the complete Domain Seal will I release the rest of the people."

A Netherworld Guard commander struggled to raise his head.

He recognized the Heaven-Devouring Seal and knew what the consequences would be if the seal fell into the anchor core.

"Your Majesty, do not worry about us. The Nine Nether Guards are guarding the wellhead. The array diagram was taken from us, so it is only right that we die here."

Red Scale raised its foot and stomped down.

The commander's head, which he had just raised, slammed into the ground again, the bone needle between his eyebrows sank, and his soul fire dimmed.

"Those taught by our master always love to talk about their responsibilities. It's a pity that once the decree to erase names is issued, not even your names will remain. What have you upheld, and who will remember?"

Zhou Ran looked at Chi Lin.

"I can give you the Heaven-Devouring Seal, but the divine envoy must verify it first. You haven't even seen the Emperor's son's avatar, yet you want to open the interdimensional causal anchor with just an imperial decree? Aren't you afraid you'll become a sacrifice yourself?"

A gloomy look flashed in Chi Lin's eyes.

After the divine messenger arrived at the Sea of ​​Blood ahead of schedule, they lost contact.

He had suspected that the Mountain Splitting had failed, but he did not believe that the Executioner Body in the late stage of the Tribulation Transcending would fall into Zhou Ran's hands.

"The Emperor's son and divine messenger have returned to the Upper Realm. You've chosen the wrong target if you try to buy time with a few provocative words."

Zhou Ran raised his hand and pressed down on the Devouring Heaven Seal.

"Yeah?"

The unified military register was projected onto the sky above Jiuyou City.

The black coffin was sent outside the city by the Nine Nether Domain Seal, and the coffin lid slowly opened.

The divine messenger, whose shoulder bone was pinned by the Taihuang Black Blade, appeared in the global projection.

The twelve imperial bone tokens were bound by blood pact chains.

The censorship left by the execution order still burns on his chest.

Chi Lin's smile froze.

The divine messenger stared intently at him through his slits, and the soul fire contained not a cry for help, but only a warning.

Having been in contact with the divine messenger for hundreds of years, Chi Lin knew all too well the meaning behind that look.

The prince is prepared to abandon this executor body, and may also abandon all delivery routes related to him.

including yourself.

Chi Lin suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and the Imperial Decree in his hand lit up again.

"You captured the divine messenger but dared not kill him."

"This only proves that the Emperor's rule is far superior to yours. As long as I complete the causal anchor, a new divine messenger will descend."

He raised his hand and grabbed.

The Devouring Heaven Seal detached from Zhou Ran's palm and fell into the empty space of the anchor core.

Dozens of imperial chains rose from beneath the array platform, piercing through Zhou Ran's limbs and primordial spirit.

The aura of a peak Nascent Soul cultivator was completely sealed, and even the broken bone pen was nailed to his waist by the black and gold rules.

Red Scales did not give Zhou Ran any chance to make contact with the domain seal.

The four seals of authority began to close together.

The outer layer of the Devouring Heaven Seal, the Formless Soul Shell, merged into the anchor core, and the thirty-six demonic veins of the Demon Palace lit up in turn.

As Chi Lin sensed the complete authority, his last bit of vigilance vanished.

Zhou Ran did indeed bring the true seal.

Chi Lin opened his arms and poured his early-stage Tribulation Transcending cultivation into the Causal Anchor.

"My master said I betrayed the Nine Netherworlds, but she never thought that if I hadn't pledged allegiance to the Emperor's son beforehand, the Nine Netherworlds would have long since become a wasteland under the nameless decree."

"Once I hand over the coordinates of Blue Star, the Emperor's son will acknowledge me as the new ruler of the Sixth Heaven. You call me a traitor today, but seven days from now, you will rely on me to leave your mark on the Demon Realm."

The anchor core suddenly spun around.

The outer shell of the Devouring Heaven Seal cracked inch by inch.

The bright red character "诛" (zhū, meaning to punish) hidden at the bottom of the seal then came into view.