Welcome Back, Great Emperor!

Rumor had it that the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom lay in the southwest, hidden deep within endless mountains. Divine Marquis Manor had dispatched many people to investigate the southwest, but they had found nothing.

Chu Yang felt that the legend was probably true. Judging by how active the demon race was in the south, they had to be in the southwest.

They had merely hidden themselves by some special method.

Just like Dragon Guard Villa.

Using naturally formed formations between heaven and earth to conceal one’s location was not uncommon. However, a nation as vast as the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom would require an even greater natural formation to hide it.

Could such an enormous natural formation truly exist between heaven and earth?

Chu Yang intended to look for it.

Riding his sword upon the wind, he reached the southwest in less than half an hour. Amid the endless mountains, lush vegetation stretched as far as the eye could see like an expanse of emerald waves.

"To see through a natural formation, I first need to stir the space around it."

Chu Yang summoned Fengdu and Tianque, guiding the two flying swords through every corner of the mountains. Wherever the swords passed, they carved long, narrow Space Rifts through the air.

Searching for the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom this way might cause some unnecessary trouble, but he could no longer afford to worry about that.

The method was crude, but effective. Before long, Chu Yang noticed an unusual place.

Deep in the mountains stood a dilapidated ancient temple. Inside was a faceless idol, and as he approached, he could faintly hear ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

Sunlight shone through the shattered roof, yet it still could not dispel the gloom within the ancient temple. Something in the corners seemed to be twisting.

"The spatial distortion here is this severe. The entrance to the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom should be here, but…"

Chu Yang looked around and muttered, "This ancient temple seems to be some kind of sealing measure. Was the entrance to the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom sealed by someone?"

"Who did it?"

A strange feeling rose in Chu Yang’s heart.

He shook his head. There was no point standing outside and thinking. It would be better to go in and investigate.

Then, he stepped into the ancient temple.

The inside of the temple seemed like an entirely different world from the outside. The instant he entered, all light vanished completely, leaving only pitch-black darkness.

It was not merely darkness to the eye. The five senses of his body seemed to have become useless, as if the surroundings had entered a state of absolute silence.

"Cheap tricks."

Chu Yang opened his palm, and blinding lightning abruptly exploded. Bolts of electricity slithered through every corner of the ancient temple like serpents.

Grotesque figures and an incomparably filthy aura emerged.

"Demons!"

The power of Five Worldly Extinctions swept outward with Chu Yang’s fist. One punch contained five forms, and the Five Spirit Power of wind, fire, lightning, earth, and water pierced through the Black Shadows around him.

The ancient temple shook!

Piercing wails rang out as the demonic figures in the darkness exploded one after another. Several breaths later, everything returned to nothingness.

Yet the filthy aura did not diminish. Instead, it seemed to grow more intense.

After the demons died, the ancient temple finally brightened somewhat. Chu Yang looked up at the faceless idol and saw a twisted vortex appear at its center.

"The entrance to the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom…"

Chu Yang pondered for a moment before walking into the vortex.

A familiar sensation of weightlessness came over him. It was a common feeling when crossing through space.

After landing, Chu Yang was somewhat stunned. As far as his eyes could see, there was no sign of a nation. There was only a grim, ghostly domain.

It felt as though he had arrived in the underworld.

The sky and earth were gray and hazy, the buildings dilapidated. As the fierce wind howled, many broken utensils rolled past Chu Yang’s feet.

Chu Yang picked one up and examined it. Some of the objects bore writing from the demon race.

This truly was the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom…

But why had the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom become like this?

"A country destroyed to such a state… No wonder the demon race abandoned their ancestral homeland and left as an entire race. The demon calamity truly is terrifying."

Where had the demons come from? Where had they erupted? When had it begun? There was absolutely no record in the history of the Ming Dynasty, as though they had suddenly appeared one day.

The Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom was frighteningly dead. There were no signs of life, only endless grayness, like an old black-and-white photograph.

Suddenly, a sound came from the end of the street—hungry, hurried breathing!

Not long after, a grotesque demon rushed out, charging straight at Chu Yang. It opened its mouth and let out an excited howl.

It seemed not to have seen a living creature for a very long time.

Its overwhelming excitement made it want to tear apart everything it saw!

Not only that, greedy gazes came from the ruined walls and rubble. When they fell upon him, it felt as though slick, damp venomous snakes had coiled around his body.

In the dead Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom, only demons remained, and these demons had been transformed from countless members of the demon race.

One demon after another appeared on the street, and even the air carried an indescribable stench.

The wind grew fiercer…

Suddenly!

Blinding brilliance bloomed between heaven and earth.

The sun and moon rose.

They illuminated the dim Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom.

Two flying swords circled Chu Yang’s side, slaughtering demon after demon with overwhelming force. That filthy power could not affect Fengdu or Tianque.

Chu Yang walked leisurely through the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom, while demon corpses piled into mountains behind him.

"Where did the demon outbreak originate? And where is the common ruler of the demon race that the Demon Emperor spoke of?"

"Whether they died or turned into demons, there should have been some trace left behind."

Other than demons, Chu Yang saw nothing here.

"Where is the imperial palace?"

The vast buildings of the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom had been reduced to ruins. Finding the location of the imperial palace among them was difficult.

Chu Yang could only move toward the place where the filthy aura was strongest. His instincts told him that it was the imperial palace, where the common ruler of the demon race was located.

Who knew how much time passed.

A great mountain appeared before him.

The mountain resembled a dragon’s head, its interior hollow. One had to enter through the dragon’s mouth.

"The answer is inside."

Chu Yang walked in. Along the way, murals were carved into the stone walls on both sides, seemingly telling the story of the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom’s origins.

Twelve Demon Kings… three Demon Emperors…

The murals described their circumstances before heaven and earth changed, then told of when they gained intelligence and when they cultivated to their current level.

For the demon race, this might have been an inspiring history of growth. But for humanity, it was a history written in the blood and tears of countless innocent people.

Every Demon King had risen by treading upon mountains of human corpses and seas of human blood.

The murals continued tracing further back until they reached the part about the common ruler of the demon race.

At the very beginning was an image of a small spiritual flower absorbing the essence of heaven and earth beneath the moonlight.

Its growth had not involved humanity’s blood and tears. It had merely bloomed quietly between heaven and earth.

The murals ended abruptly there.

Chu Yang also reached the deepest part of the imperial palace, an incomparably vast platform.

Demon corpses were piled everywhere. Some had even died only recently. At the very center, where the corpses were most numerous, bloomed an exquisitely beautiful flower.

On one side of the flower was the human world, while on the other side lay boundless hell.

This was…

The common ruler of the demon race!

"Who is it?"

A gentle female voice sounded by Chu Yang’s ear. It was weak and trembled with pain.

"You are the Emperor Lord of the demon race?"

As he spoke, Chu Yang strode forward. The twin swords beside him flew together, sweeping away the demon corpses around them. Before long, the entire platform was spotless.

"Emperor Lord of the demon race?"

"Those little ones do indeed call me that, but I do not think I am an Emperor Lord. I am merely a flower."

The flower’s voice was ethereal. After the demon corpses disappeared, she seemed to relax somewhat.

"As the common ruler of the demon race, you cannot even take human form?"

Chu Yang stood before the flower with his hands behind his back, staring coldly at it.

It was a very ordinary flower. Its appearance held nothing astonishing. Not only would one not spare it a glance while passing by, one might even accidentally step on it and crush it to death.

It was just such an unremarkable flower.

"I could before, but not now. All my power is being used to maintain the balance between the human world and the Netherworld…"

The flower trembled as she spoke.

The Netherworld?

Chu Yang’s heart stirred slightly.

"Are you human?"

The flower asked curiously, "How did you get here?"

Chu Yang replied calmly, "I walked in, naturally."

The flower’s petals spread as wide as possible, making her appear extremely excited. "Humanity has become powerful to such a degree. You should be able to resist these omens of misfortune. Then I will not have to worry about the Netherworld affecting the human world."

Chu Yang frowned. "Humanity is powerful. What is there for you, a member of the demon race, to be happy about? Are you not afraid your race will be exterminated?"

"What connection is there between humanity becoming strong and the extinction of the demon race?" The gentle female voice was filled with confusion. "Is the relationship between the two races not good?"

Chu Yang did not answer. Instead, he asked, "How long have you been here?"

The flower answered, "I have always been here…"

Chu Yang sighed. The so-called common ruler of the demon race did not know how irreconcilable the demon race and humanity were.

She had taught cultivation methods to the demons she encountered. As for devouring humans to increase their cultivation, that had been the demons’ own choice.

The flower seemed to guess something from Chu Yang’s silence and asked softly, "Did those children do bad things?"

Chu Yang laid out the conflict between humanity and the demon race in full, including how the demon race used humans as blood food to improve their cultivation, as well as the demon race’s current confinement in Japan.

A long silence fell between them.

"It is all my fault. I am the beginning of this calamity."

"The Netherworld and the omens of misfortune were both brought here by me."

The woman’s voice came intermittently, full of guilt and sorrow.

"The Netherworld?" Chu Yang frowned slightly. "Could it be the underworld?"

"No." The female voice paused. "More accurately, not yet. As heaven and earth revived, the Six Paths of Reincarnation restarted first. It is still in a state of chaos, so it is merely the Netherworld for now, without any order."

"The omens of misfortune come from the Netherworld. They are in a state of neither fully alive nor fully dead. They defile the living, desecrate the dead, bear all sins, and are the filthiest things between heaven and earth."

"Only when the Six Paths of Reincarnation fully revives and order emerges will the omens of misfortune completely disappear and return to heaven and earth."

"It was because I connected to the Netherworld that I brought those omens of misfortune, which did not belong in the human world, here. The demon race was cursed because of this. Whoever sees them encounters misfortune."

"The Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom rose because of me, and it perished because of me."

Chu Yang took a deep breath. Only now did he learn the demons’ true origin. He became even more curious about the flower that could connect to the Netherworld. "What… exactly are you?"

"I… am the first Hellflower of the Netherworld, yet I grew toward the sun, taking root in the gap between the human world and the Netherworld."

Hellflower revealed her identity and said regretfully, "If I had not longed for this beautiful world and forcibly taken root and sprouted in the human world, the Netherworld would not have been drawn closer by my influence."

"I am the true culprit behind all this…"

Chu Yang looked at Hellflower, who stood between the two worlds. To prevent the Netherworld from further affecting the human world, she had worn herself away to stop the worlds from drawing closer.

This flower was nearly withered.

She had merely desired sunlight, yet she had paid such a painful price.

It was not quite sympathy. After all, humanity had not lived well because of the demon race and the demons. Chu Yang merely felt somewhat moved.

"The Six Paths of Reincarnation…"

Ever since approaching Hellflower, Chu Yang had felt a stirring from Fengdu’s blade, as though it were urging him to enter the Netherworld.

Hellflower continued speaking to herself. "I do not know whether I can hold on until the Six Paths of Reincarnation is fully reshaped. After all these years, I am already very tired. I want to rest properly."

"Are those omens of misfortune growing more numerous because the killing in the human world is increasing?"

The filthy aura suddenly surged. Hellflower’s petals flickered with an eerie light, as though she could no longer hold on.

At that moment.

Tianque let out a clear sword cry. Gentle white light blazed forth, briefly bringing color to the gray world before them.

Hellflower calmed once more and asked in disbelief, "What was that power just now?!"

Chu Yang shook his head. He himself did not fully understand Tianque’s abilities, so he could not answer Hellflower.

"Can you send me into the Netherworld?"

"You want to enter the Netherworld?!"

Hellflower was first startled, then remembered Tianque’s wondrous power. Hope suddenly flared within her heart. "I can send you into the Netherworld, but you must be careful. The Six Paths of Reincarnation has yet to take shape. It is chaotic and dangerous there."

Chu Yang waved a hand. "It is fine. Please send me on my way."

A petal fell from Hellflower and drifted into Chu Yang’s hand. Hellflower’s voice rang by his ear.

"Hold my petal and walk forward. You will reach the Netherworld. But think carefully—I have no way to help you return."

Chu Yang nodded, gripped the petal, and strode across to Hellflower’s other side.

An icy aura rushed toward him. When he came back to his senses, he was already standing upon the Netherworld.

Bone-piercing cold, like Yomi Water, swept in from all directions. The deathly silence around him was also exceedingly similar to the Bridge of Helplessness.

Fengdu’s blade trembled continuously, as if it had become excited beyond measure. If Chu Yang had not forcibly restrained it, it would have nearly pierced the heavens!

"How could restarting the Six Paths of Reincarnation be complete without Fengdu City?"

A smile filled Chu Yang’s eyes. He spread his arms as though embracing this Netherworld.

Bankai!

Fengdu vanished, and a great seal appeared in Chu Yang’s hand. In the void, the shadow of Fengdu City flickered in and out of sight before gradually becoming real.

The instant Fengdu City descended upon the Netherworld, the entire Netherworld began shaking violently, undergoing some kind of drastic transformation!

The ominous roars echoed across the land of the Netherworld one after another, sounding like terror, yet also like release.

The chaotic aura wandering through the Netherworld all surged into Fengdu City, and the entire world gradually became clear as a result.

Wind rose across the earth.

The ominous forces vanished with the wind, one after another.

At the same time, the Four Famous Arresters were leading the constables of Divine Marquis Manor in a fierce battle against demons near the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom. The situation was exceedingly perilous, and everyone was wounded.

Sheng Yayu was unfortunately infected and stood on the verge of turning into a demon.

Just as she prepared to perish together with the demons, the demons before her slowly dissipated.

Even her injuries stopped worsening.

"The demons are gone!!!"

Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom.

Hellflower silently bloomed, and an incomparably beautiful woman stepped out from its stamen.

Facing the imposing figure within the Netherworld, she devoutly bowed and knelt, her voice choked with sobs.

"Welcome back, Great Emperor!"