Chapter 255: Chapter 193: Longevity Heaven Great Might and Virtue Saint Nether Empress, Ten Kings of the Underworld, Great Nether Divine Venerable

Shanhai Pass.

Late at night, the stars and moon were nowhere to be seen.

The last wisps of signal smoke drifted feebly upward. The ground was littered with countless corpses, their blood long since dried and turned black. A gaping hole had been torn in the hundred-meter-tall black city wall, as if punched by some colossal beast. The sight was horrifying.

Beyond the walls, a sinister wind howled like the wails of ghosts and gods, chilling the soul.

Shanhai Pass had stood for over four hundred years, predating the founding of the Great Yan Dynasty. It had been repaired twenty-three times and had repelled demons and foul creatures on numerous occasions. This was the first time in history it had ever been breached.

On a clearing dozens of miles from Shanhai Pass, a magnificent complex of halls and palaces had appeared at some unknown time. Numerous fragrant candles were lit, and in the ink-black darkness, the complex shone like a beacon.

Strangely, the candlelight was not a bright, flickering orange-red, but a steady, ghostly green!

Moreover, everyone entering or leaving carried a candle in their hand.

The sinister wind howled, but it recoiled from the candlelight, stopping abruptly in its path.

Packs of massive black wolves, each the size of a grown man, were sprawled throughout the military camp, sleeping soundly.

Soldiers clad in black-patterned heavy armor wore bizarre, twisted masks that hid their faces. The arms visible beneath their armor were a terrifying, deathly white.

A middle-aged General in a black robe, with a Piyao embroidered on his chest, carried no candle. His body radiated an overwhelming Evil Qi, as if he were an Asura who had walked out of a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses. The sinister wind instantly retreated before him. He strode effortlessly through the palace courtyard, stepped up to the entrance of the main hall, and called out:

"Greetings, Her Majesty the Empress."

"Enter."

A cool, clear voice, tinged with indifference and calm, drifted from within the great hall.

The black-robed middle-aged General stepped into the dimly lit hall and saw sixteen palace lanterns, each lit with an emerald-green fragrant candle.

A dozen or so palace attendants with placid eyes waited upon a woman with a bewitching, demonic charm.

The Great Nether Empress, seated on the central throne, was not at all solemn. Far from sitting primly and properly, she had her smooth left leg crossed over her right, was leaning languidly against the armrest, and supported her pale cheek with the back of her hand.

Her scarlet, blood-red dress reached only to the top of her thighs, leaving her long, jade-like legs and her fit, powerful waist completely exposed. Only a single strip of red cloth covered her chest, her firm breasts threatening to spill out, revealing tantalizing glimpses of white skin. On her bare, jade-like feet, her five red-painted toenails glimmered faintly.

Her jade-like hands were adorned with five sharp, golden finger guards, and her eyes glowed with a pair of green, demonic pupils.

Various gemstones adorned her snow-white collarbones and forehead. A floral headpiece made of multi-colored agate pendants veiled half of her face like a mask. Her red lips were so luscious they made one’s mouth water; any man who saw her would find it impossible to restrain his desires.

What a peerless and stunning Great Nether Empress.

Judging by her figure, her bust and hips were quite full. Her waist was not slender, but flat and toned. As she sat on the throne, she radiated an aura of dominance.

The black-robed middle-aged General gazed at the woman before him, not daring to let his guard down for even a moment.

The woman before him was the new ruler of the Great Nether Sacred Country. Her honorific title was the Longevity Heaven Great Might and Virtue Saint Nether Empress, shortened to the Great Nether Empress.

"Have you gathered the intelligence? Has the Great Yan Court welcomed back the Princes?"

In response to the Great Nether Empress’s calm inquiry, the black-robed middle-aged General replied, "Your Majesty the Empress, the Desolate Demons have been repelled by the Three Religions’ Saints. I’ve heard that the four Throne Great Demons were all ambushed by the Dao Alliance’s Sun Wheel Celestial Monarch and suffered heavy injuries."

A strange fire seemed to burn in the Great Nether Empress’s green, demonic pupils. Her gaze was scorching as she said, "The overlords of the Ancient Era have now fallen to such a state. It seems this world still belongs to the Holy Netherworld."

The black-robed middle-aged General said respectfully, "But of course. The Great Netherworld will eventually rule the world. The various Netherworld forces under the Ten Kings of the Underworld are already waiting at the city walls. Soon, we can launch a full-scale invasion of Great Yan."

The so-called Underworld was a massive power within the Holy Netherworld that governed Cultivators. Its status was equivalent to that of the Three Religions in the Central Plains World, a terrifying force that set the rules and maintained order.

On the surface, it claimed to maintain order, but in reality, the most inhuman and cruel power in the Great Netherworld was the Underworld itself.

The Underworld was divided among Ten Kings, each of whom established their own Divine Hall. These were spread across the various prefectural cities of the Great Nether Sacred Country. They appointed different Lord Envoys to accept incense offerings from the common people, with the positions held by the most noble and powerful individuals from various races, such as the Evil Charm Netherworld.

"The Underworld’s demands are simple. They want to split half of the incense offerings from this war. The Taoist Sect’s lineage has stood for a thousand years and is overflowing with wealth; they’ve sworn to tear a few pieces of flesh from it."

The Great Nether Empress said coolly, "What of the Wutong Saint Mother, who rules over Western Capital Buzong Mountain? Can she help me retake Xiong Wu State and Feiniu State?"

"The Wutong Saint Mother has agreed to act. She said she will hold up Great Yan’s main forces in the Northwest. This is to repay Your Majesty the Empress for the mercy you showed by not killing her during the purge of the previous Sovereign. As for whether you can retake Xiong Wu State and Feiniu State, that will depend on Your Majesty’s own abilities."

Hearing the name Wutong Saint Mother, the black-robed middle-aged General’s expression grew solemn.

The Wutong Saint Mother was one of the five Divine Venerables of the Great Netherworld.

She controlled three of the top Grotto Heavens in the Western Capital: Shiniu Cave, Xiangyun Cave, and Dayu Cave.

Rumor had it that three hundred years ago, the Wutong Saint Mother had snatched the Cyan Lotus Candleholder—an ancient relic of the Taoist Sect used to guard the Great Wall—from the hands of the Dao Alliance’s Dao Lord Fuyao. She was an incredibly powerful Fourteenth Realm Divine Venerable.

The Wutong Fragrant Candles she bestowed could allow one to travel through the lands of the Netherworld for seven days and seven nights. By contrast, the Green Willow Incense Candles they currently held would only last for a single night before extinguishing. The number of her followers gave the Wutong Saint Mother a status in the west comparable to that of a Buddha in the Central Plains.

In the Holy Netherworld, ghosts and other sinister creatures ran rampant at night, making travel through the mortal realm fraught with trouble.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, the Divine Venerables of the major powers would issue their own tokens, which acted as beacons to clear the way.

No matter their level, all ghosts and demons had to give way!

The Great Nether Empress saw the black-robed middle-aged General’s hesitant expression and said coolly, "If you have something to say, just say it."

The black-robed middle-aged General finally couldn’t help but ask, "Your Majesty the Empress, what has that Lu Mingyuan done to deserve being specifically named in your Holy Decree for all the world to see?"

"Does Your Majesty have some ulterior motive?"

"What motive do you think I have?"

The Great Nether Empress didn’t answer. Instead, she raised a jade-like hand adorned with sharp, golden finger guards, gazed at them, and posed a question of her own.

The black-robed middle-aged General had already considered this and spoke directly, "The only reason I can think of is to sow discord among the various Princes under the Emperor of Great Yan."

"The Emperor of Great Yan wants to monopolize power, but he was sanctioned by the Three Religions, weakening his Destiny to the point that he must now rely on a Secret Technique to prolong his life. We must therefore prevent him from grooming a successor. The goal is to intensify the conflict, make the Sixth Prince’s reputation among the people of Great Yan plummet, and create an opportunity for the other Princes. It would be best to make them turn brother against brother."

"Or perhaps, since Your Majesty the Empress has just ascended the throne, you wish to make a show of your might by attacking Great Yan and need a proper pretext for war, so you came up with this method."

The Great Nether Empress smiled faintly. She neither praised nor denied his words, saying only, "Whether it’s for revenge or a show of force, it is all just part of the plan."

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