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

The seal at the bottom of the Abyss of Annihilation has been triggered.

Qin San's first reaction was to retreat. But he didn't leave.

There was no murderous intent in that sigh.

The pressure emanating from the spirit's voice came from the speaker's own superior level, not from any deliberate act.

"Everyone retreat thirty feet."

Qin San gave the order in a deep voice.

"Xiao Rou stays at the end, don't let the Gu worms come out."

The Blood Sea Elite—or rather, the remaining nine—retreated back-to-back to a safe distance. Xiao Rou huddled in a corner, clutching the Golden Gu tightly; the crack in its shell split open again with the lingering echo of that sigh.

Qin San stood alone at the junction of the third and fourth floors.

The space below lit up.

It wasn't the light emanating from the Soul Abyss Stone on the mine wall. It was a cloud of dark golden mist rising from the deepest part of the abyss, gradually condensing into a human shape.

The figure was about seven feet tall. He wore black armor, had a sharp profile, and deep-set eyes. The details of his features were not clear, but his physique and aura made him stand out from the crowd.

The style of the black armor was exactly the same as the pattern branded on the cover of the Unified Army's official document.

The night bears the weight of the sky.

The previous generation of Demon Emperor.

To be more precise—the afterimage formed from the essence of the night sky.

The afterimage didn't see Qin San.

The gaze passed over the passage, over the seven layers of rock walls of the Soul-Slaying Abyss, and over the sky at the intersection of the four domains, fixing directly on the location of the Devouring Heaven Demon Palace.

It is speaking to the new emperor.

The main hall of the Devouring Heaven Demon Palace.

The unified military register was opened. A dark golden image appeared on the blank page, hanging above the long table.

Zhou Ran was holding a bowl of spirit rice porridge. He put the bowl down and stared intently at the screen.

The afterimage of Ye Futian in the scene spoke.

"You should step into this place."

The voice came from the military register, its tone strained—it wasn't a lecture to a junior, but more like a soliloquy.

A person who already knew the ending is going to examine the suicide note he left behind.

"I sealed off the Soul Abyss not because I was afraid people would steal the ore."

The afterimage extended its right hand, and a dark golden orb of light floated in its palm.

The sphere of light unfolded, transforming into a star map.

The star map is densely marked with thousands of points of light.

Most of the light spots were dark gray, with only a very few flashing with a faint golden light.

One of them was located at the edge of the star map, a bluish-green color, about the size of an inconspicuous grain of sand.

Blue Star.

Zhou Ran's eyelids tightened.

Night's shadowy finger touched the blue star.

"The imperial prince is not the only judge."

No one dared to breathe loudly in the hall. The writing brush of the underworld hung in mid-air.

Above the emperor's son, there is the imperial court.

The Imperial Court has jurisdiction over all realms and holds judicial power.

The imperial prince was merely a hand sent down by the imperial court.

The Imperial Court will not personally intervene in matters concerning the Sixth Heaven for the time being. But what about the matter of Blue Star…”

The afterimage's tone turned somber.

"The reason why the Emperor's son is so fixated on Earth is not because of you, the new Emperor."

I drew a circle on the blue starlight with my finger.

A blurry image emerged from within the circle—its shape and color were indistinct, but the aura it emitted caused something deep within Zhou Ran's primordial spirit to jolt violently.

"There exists a forbidden artifact of the Imperial Court on Earth."

Zhou Ran tightened his grip on the bowl.

"That thing was hidden very well; even the Emperor's son could only sense its location but could not find its physical form."

But as long as it remains on Earth, the Emperor's son will not stop. Because once it is awakened by mortals—"

The afterimage turned its head.

His dark gold face was expressionless, but the way he tilted his head carried an indescribable air of arrogance mixed with regret.

"The entire judicial system will be shaken."

Mingcang's pen holder fell. It hit the stone slab, bounced twice, and rolled to the base of the wall.

Zhou Ran ignored him. His entire attention was focused on what the afterimage would say next.

Ye Futian changed the subject.

In the end, he finally got to what he really wanted to say.

"Soul Abyss Stone".

The afterimage lowered its head and looked at the mine wall that was embedded with translucent stones.

"It can cultivate more than just the primordial spirit."

It can also repair bone pens.

Zhou Ran put down the bowl of porridge.

"The scribe is one of my men."

The Bone Pen is my pen. Do you think it only has one chance left?

The afterimage shook its head.

"A broken pen does not mean the pen is dead."

The Soul Abyss Stone can reforge the brush bones and mend broken lines. However, stone alone is not enough.

The afterimage stretched out its other hand, its palm empty.

Zhou Ran understood the movement of his five fingers coming together and then opening.

"I need the blood of the Emperor."

The sound of the afterimage was extremely faint.

"When I was alive, I was secretly attacked by the emperor's son three times."

The armor was pierced, and imperial blood seeped into his bone marrow. Those three hidden nails remained unremoved until his death.

These were the anchors left on me by the Emperor's son. After my death, the hidden anchors dissipated.

"But you are different."

The afterimage finally shifted its gaze from the mine wall, passing through layers of space, and looked directly at Zhou Ran on the other side of the military book projection.

"When the imperial prince beat you, he also nailed things into your body."

Zhou Ran lowered his head and looked at his right hand.

A crack in the primordial spirit.

The aftershock of the palm strike when the Emperor descended pierced his meridians, leaving three hair-thin cracks deep within his primordial spirit. He had always thought it was just a simple injury.

"The black-gold liquid seeping from the crack—that's the Emperor's blood."

After the afterimage finished speaking, the dark golden humanoid figure began to dissipate.

"Soul Abyss Stone for bones, Emperor's Blood for glue. The White Bone Pen can be reforged."

"But I'm only telling you the method; I can't guarantee you'll live long enough to use it."

As it dissipated, its lingering image left behind a single sentence, echoing the opening scene.

"New Emperor—hold on for a few more days."

The image disappeared completely. The blank pages of the military register returned to their gray-white background.

The main hall remained quiet for a long time.

Mingcang picked up the pen holder from the wall, his fingers still trembling. He wanted to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

Zhou Ran ignored him.

He looked down at the palm of his right hand.

Spread your fingers open and then close them.

Deep within the rift in the primordial spirit, a very small amount of black gold liquid was indeed slowly seeping out.

The temperature of that liquid was completely different from his own true essence—it was completely cold, heavy to the touch, and its origin did not belong to the Sixth Heaven.

Imperial blood.

The remnants left by the Emperor's son's secret assassination attempt.

Zhou Ran had always wanted to get rid of this thing. It was embedded in his primordial spirit like a fuse that could explode at any moment.

Each time the Demon Emperor's essence is activated, the crack widens slightly, and a little more of the Emperor's blood seeps out.

But now—

Zhou Ran clenched his fist. The black-gold liquid was squeezed by the force of his fist and flowed along the lines of his palm.

The prince stabbed him three times. The blood left by each stab was used to repair the White Bone Pen.

"Mingcang".

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Record. Imperial Court—a judicial body superior to the Emperor's son. Blue Star—contains forbidden items of the Imperial Court. White Bone Pen—can be reforged using Soul Abyss Stones and Emperor's Blood."

Mingcang wrote quickly, each character crooked and shaky—his hand was shaking terribly.

Zhou Ran picked up the Primordial Black Blade. The last layer of its pattern flickered in the gray light. He carefully channeled the few drops of imperial blood from his palm into a jade bottle and sealed the opening.

The black and gold liquid sloshed in the bottle, reflecting his downcast eyes.

Zhou Ran tucked the jade bottle into his sleeve.

Qin San's message squeezed into the military register. His voice was hoarse and smelled of mineral dust.

"My lord! The first batch of Soul Abyss Stones has arrived! Six bags in total!"

There was a pause.

"The senior below finished speaking and then dispersed, leaving not even a trace behind."

But the mineral vein passages are all open, and there's no obstruction from the fourth to the seventh level. I estimate there are at least several hundred kilograms of Soul Abyss Stones waiting to be mined.

Zhou Ran leaned back in his chair. The Taihuang Black Blade rested on his knees, its last remaining pattern shining brighter than before.

"Dig it all out. Leave not a single piece."

The black mark on his left wrist twitched.

It was as thin as a spider's silk. But it jumped.