Chapter 753: Life's Greatest Bitterness A Hero Bows

In the dim and tranquil Hall of Reincarnation, everyone's expressions were a mixture of complexity, astonishment, and admiration.

At that time, when the Emperor spoke of Di Qi's era of the innate ancient gods, it was not only a warning to Lord Youshan but also a message to all the Great Sages present: Lord Youshan was a man with ulterior motives, destined to become a second Di Qi, one who would personally overthrow his own era. No matter which side controlled the next era, he would emerge victorious, for he was already a king to both factions.

While Lord Youshan was terrifying, the Emperor was even more so.

Everyone looked up, their hearts profoundly shaken, at the young Emperor in black, calmly sipping his tea.

Xu Yingluo's voice was hoarse as she suddenly looked up, gazing at him. “He saw through Lord Youshan's schemes long ago and paid them no mind, as if watching a mere jester. He even seized the opportunity to manipulate Lord Youshan and break through to the path of immortality.”

All the Great Sages remained silent.

This was the true brutality of the martial world: the winner takes all, the loser loses everything. They felt no great anger or indignation; a loss was a loss, and their inability to see through it was simply that.

“So, are you ready?” The Emperor, seated high above, put down his teacup and looked down at them all.

The Great Sages again fell silent.

If it were Avici Hell, they would have answered without hesitation, firm in their resolve: no preparation needed, simply descend into hell. But facing *this*... they wavered. This was the true Purgatory on Earth.

What they were about to face was endless flight, torture, and being refined into powerful 'divine ability fruits' by Lord Youshan, their former comrade, who would lead ordinary people in capturing them. They would be imprisoned alive and carried around as an evil weapon.

How would they then face the outside world? How would they face this entire era?

This was the most cruel fate.

“Your faces are bitter, filled with complex emotions. It seems you still need some time to adjust. So, there’s no rush to enter this earthly purgatory, no rush to reincarnate,” the Emperor said earnestly, unperturbed. “Clearly, your combat power is too great, your capabilities too immense. Even as infants after reincarnation, they might not be able to catch you. Instead, let the ordinary talented individuals, the ordinary Heavenly Emperors, reincarnate first... Let those more than ten thousand people be captured first and enter this earthly hell. Let the common people of the new era adapt, get used to it, and master the patterns of hunting you down. When the old enter the underworld and the new ascend the immortal gates, it will be an era of prosperity for the newcomers. Gradually, under Lord Youshan’s leadership, they will establish authority and acquire skilled methods for capturing you... Only then will you be allowed to reincarnate, as the very last ones.”

“This is your punishment, and a destiny you yourselves have forged.” The Emperor rose serenely from his throne, swept his sleeve, and descended the steps, gazing distantly at the sky. “Do you see it? The moment you are born, you will be betrayed by all those close to you. Your screaming parents will try to kill you. Excited neighbors will raise their axes. Passersby on the street will rush over in a frenzy. Young lovers, abandoning their trysts, will rush to the scene, skirts swaying. You will know no familial love. From a wet, umbilical-cord-attached infant, still covered in amniotic fluid, you will utter your first cry in this world – a cry of life's suffering, bitter as purgatory. You will use your innate talents to flee your home, racing into the forest on a rainy night, crawling painfully through the mud...”

This mastermind of eons past spoke as if recounting an ordinary birth story, yet it sent shivers down their spines!

Whoosh—All the Great Sages sagged, as if they had aged by a decade and a half in an instant.

Brute force could not break the spines of these heroes, but this sight made them age, their former heroism fading as they became demons reviled by all. The winner takes all. Lord Youshan won; no matter how devious he was, he was a hero. They lost, and thus became wicked ancient forbidden zone creatures, hated by all.

And the Emperor won; no one dared to condemn or slander him. This was the brutal truth, the harsh reality!

“If I were to cast you into the ‘Avici Hell of Relentless Burning Torment,’ you could choose not to struggle, for there would be no hope, no escape, only endless suffering in despair, devoid of light or prospect.”

“But this earthly purgatory is different. You will struggle fiercely, yearning to change, attempting to find salvation. You will dash through the muddy waters of despair, climb cliffs in dark rainstorms, cultivate yourselves anew, even hoping to break through to immortality. You will hate, you will rage, you will grieve, transforming everything you possess into astonishing obsessions that cultivate even more powerful talents, enabling you to pursue Lord Youshan and kill the man you hate to your very core.”

All the Great Sages choked, their minds greatly shaken, unable to compose themselves.

“Mutual destruction, perhaps, is quite beautiful,” the Emperor murmured softly.

It was like a mountain collapsing or a tsunami striking.

At this moment, all the Great Sages swayed violently, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Xu Yingluo pressed her pale lips together, feeling as though the world was spinning. “You— Was this also your scheme?! It was truly horrifying, truly malicious!”

“You no longer have a choice.” The Emperor walked down, his gaze eternal and unwavering, like the vast, ancient sky, cold and merciless. “My Avici Burning Hell, that kind of despair without hope, has never been true despair. True despair lies in the long, sorrowful cycle of human existence: constantly chasing hope only to stumble and despair again, trapped in an abyss of eternal, inescapable struggle. *That* is...”

“...Interminable Purgatory.”

Online forums.

Screenshots, screenshots, screen recordings—

Countless people were going wild as if on adrenaline, watching this scene involving the Emperor. It was as if a historical, dramatic moment had fully unfolded. It felt like the entire mythological film had reached its absolute peak, stirring their hearts.

These words brought about an unimaginable qualitative transformation and sublimation!

The Emperor, this age-old antagonist and mastermind, was now completely etched into their hearts!

“Too cool, too dominating! Too impactful—My Avici Burning Hell, that kind of despair without hope, has never been true despair... Ahhh! I’m in awe! Such a charismatic, tyrannical villain! (Cool)”

“Despair with hope is the most terrifying despair in the world. (Frightening)”

“Simply too powerful! Weren’t you always hoping for reincarnation? Then let you reincarnate! This approach is unimaginably explosive!”

“Now, these Great Sages and Lord Youshan are sworn enemies. They will battle, while the Emperor watches from the sidelines, still the mastermind, cutting across the ages. This is a brilliant strategy, pulling the rug out from under them!”

“This is the true historical myth of the supernatural world, a hymn to history, full of twists and turns! Darkness and light intertwine! The schemes defy heaven! A brutal truth! Far more exciting than anything in a movie! I’m going to make it into a major film, ‘The Emperor’s Latter Half,’ releasing in the second half of this year. Welcome...”

Everyone was incredibly excited, but some had complex expressions.

Those heroes, unafraid of eternal torment in the fiery depths of hell, now had to endure an earthly hell more painful than purgatory itself, constantly struggling. The greatest suffering in life is the humbling of a hero. At this moment, someone couldn’t help but ask,

“Those players, only half of you died! Some of you traveled around, asking people to unleash Spirit Bombs, and you actually managed to survive?”

Yuan Qinghua was utterly miserable, as if his entire worldview had been shattered. He said weakly,

“It’s too tragic... too tragic... I simply thought the human world couldn’t be this treacherous, but I never imagined there was such an extreme. Lord Youshan, that miracle scholar, was so stirring. We players should never have trusted him. We got on his pirate ship, and now we’ve lost even our underwear.”

Everyone else fell silent.

It was truly awful.

Even the notoriously cautious and sly players got caught up in the fervor and joined him. There was nothing to be done; Lord Youshan was too fierce. When his war drums began to beat, the momentum was overwhelming; anyone would have been fooled.

Earth Mother Qingteng: “This is reporter Meng Mei, evolved into a dragon, interviewing you. What are your post-event thoughts? (Shoves microphone)”

As the current player representative, Yuan Qinghua composed himself and spoke with profound earnestness: “Yesterday, Lord Youshan passionately told us: ‘If you get off the train to pee, you will be mercilessly left behind by the wheels of history, because this is a miracle train heading towards a one-in-ten-thousand future.’ Moved by his words, we didn’t get off. We just peed in our pants directly. It felt warm at first, but now it’s a bit cold.”