Chapter 1465: Carrying the Emperor's Corpse to Restart the Great Battle

"Everyone, you must believe me. The creatures from First Mountain are venting their rage, taking personal revenge for Li. They are preparing to attack us, so get ready!"

The Master of Soul-light Cave coughed up blood clots. His heart was pierced through, front to back, and vital parts of his body had been perforated; even his glabella had a shocking blood-hole. If his soul-light hadn't been strong enough, that strike to his glabella would have severely injured him, at the very least diminishing his power. It was a soul-killing blow!

"Bang!"

Number Nine's fusion body struck him again, sending him flying. With a boom, his true blood exploded, and his body was torn into pieces.

"Do you think I'm too lenient?" Nine-Six-Three grinned, revealing his stark white teeth. As he spoke, he picked up a weapon from the scattered blood and bones. It was shaped like a sword but had sharp edges—a Soul-Striking Whip, an ultimate weapon!

Normally, the Master of Soul-light Cave relied on his supreme soul to wield this whip, specifically targeting opponents' soul-light. It was an unstoppable and formidable killing tool. But now, Nine-Six-Three simply took the Soul-Striking Whip, put it in his mouth, and *crunch, crunch*... he chewed it! Without even blinking, he fiercely bit it apart and swallowed.

Around them, several people's pupils constricted. This "dead skin's" teeth were incredibly strong, harder than an ultimate weapon in its initial refinement stage, which had been forged for millennia. He just ate it?

"You are what you eat," Number Nine's fusion body grinned and said. He munched away, clearly enjoying it, and eventually swallowed everything.

Beside them, the Martial Lunatic's mouth twitched. He had once lost a weapon, and his train of thought was broken. That faint, mysterious summons he'd felt had now completely ceased.

The Master of Soul-light Cave's body reappeared. For a being of his caliber, death was not so simple; they could be reborn after facing countless deaths, or manifest their soul with a single thought.

"Everyone, do you really want First Mountain to defeat us one by one?!" The Master of Soul-light Cave's face was grim. The grand Dao and chains of order surrounding his body couldn't fully re-connect. Some of them were simply broken and needed time to be rebuilt. His power was significantly diminished at the moment.

Nine-Six-Three raised an eyebrow and said, "So that's how it is. You have accomplices in the shadows, creatures from the Soul River? You hope they'll save you." Upon hearing this, the others' eyes deepened. They didn't want to be implicated. Furthermore, some people genuinely harbored killing intent towards the Master of Soul-light Cave and were deeply dissatisfied, having long suspected there was something amiss with him.

"Let's go. We'll visit Soul-light Cave; everything will become clear once we're there," said an ultimate being from a certain dark source in the underground world.

"Let's go!" Tai Yi, in particular, also nodded. This old man had lived for an incredibly long time, his power was unfathomable, and his word carried great weight.

"Then let's all go take a look!" The others nodded in agreement.

"Everyone, I sense something unusual and wish to return to my dojo first to check," the Martial Emperor frowned. His recent perception was too peculiar; he felt uneasy, almost unsettlingly so. He had witnessed countless grand events throughout history; why would he feel this way now?

Tai Yi frowned. Although no one had called him, he also sensed something amiss. He'd had a premonition earlier that something seemed to have happened behind his own domain. The Master of the Black Blood Institute also couldn't help but frown. He too felt something was wrong, a tightness in his chest. Was someone deliberately trying to obstruct him?!

"How about this: we go to Soul-light Cave first. A little delay won't hurt," Nine-Six-Three suggested. The group felt that things were strange today. Perhaps staying together was better than splitting up; if something truly happened, they could join forces and unleash a massacre! So, they quickly agreed to head to Soul-light Cave first!

At this moment, Number Nine looked at the portal to the Great Netherworld. Through a crack, he saw the coffin blocking the entrance. His expression was complex, with a multitude of emotions deep in his eyes. "I'll investigate later," he whispered. In truth, he knew well who was behind this, recognizing the consistent style.

In an unknown celestial layer beyond the domain, a large black dog had a gloomy black face. It bared its broken fangs, grumbling and growling, truly wanting to... bite someone! It was extremely annoyed, its emotions repeatedly provoked; this was definitely intentional.

"This world has changed. These little whelps are getting out of hand, forcing me, the Emperor, to come out! Do they all wish to die?!" Though indignant, it truly couldn't hold back. It had heard the sound of a bell, fragments of the Heavenly Emperor's great bell, and it had to go see.

"I, the Emperor, am truly old. Why hasn't that damned Dao Bone been pulled back yet?!" In the past, it would have been retrieved long ago. Why was it so slow now, like an old ox pulling a cart? In fact, if people knew it was beyond the realms, several layers of heaven away, and capable of such feats, they would surely be amazed. This was already quite extraordinary. How many people in this era could traverse realms to cause mischief? The black dog was doing just that!

"My imperial aura seems a bit weak. Wherever I pass, it should be like a north wind sweeping the earth, bending all grasses, and a thousand great waves washing the starry sky. I should be able to devour the star ocean!" It gritted its teeth and finally dragged the Dao Bone back. And, guided by its senses, it detected an anomaly on another island.

A huge mouth reappeared with a boom, biting towards the dark place where the Martial Lunatic had been in perpetual seclusion! That dark area shattered. Faintly, a dog's bark could be heard: "What the hell is this place? It stinks to high heaven! This Emperor has suffered a massive loss this time, ptui!"

In the Martial Lunatic's dojo, the previously frenzied group fell silent, the entire world hushed. They were utterly shocked. The Martial Emperor's place of seclusion—what was *that*?! The grand underground palace was broken open, iron chains clanged, and a rotting creature was chained there, emitting an indescribable, heaven-piercing stench. The dog was retching because it had damaged the underground palace with one bite and bitten off a lot of rotten flesh from that humanoid creature.

"What... is going on? There's some of the Martial Emperor's aura. That's an... ultimate being. How is it chained in the underground palace? What is this situation?" Even the Great Heavenly Venerate trembled, feeling a wave of horror. They had accidentally uncovered a secret today; would they be silenced?

"This Emperor has truly had the worst luck imaginable. This current era conflicts with me. These little whelps are all rotten to the core, ugh!" The black dog was genuinely vomiting. It swiftly and decisively retracted its massive mouth and fled completely.

In the underground palace, the rotting creature, with disheveled hair, slowly lifted its head, its eyes vacant and filled with confusion. Finally, the underground palace slowly closed again. His figure vanished, but those in the distance all felt a chill run down their spines. The final image was too terrifying; that rotting creature really looked a bit like... the Martial Emperor! Besides that, a few others saw something even more horrifying. In the deep darkness of that underground palace, there were two more disheveled figures, similar in build, also rotten and chained there motionless.

"What cultivation, what technique, what Dao is Ancestor practicing, performing, creating?" The Great Heavenly Venerate's lips trembled. Then, he turned and left, feeling intensely uneasy, fleeing the dojo swiftly and decisively. Many people were surprised and suspicious, but did not leave.

Outside the realm, the black dog retched repeatedly, its face filled with sorrow. "I'm having such a hard time," it said. It sighed deeply, saying, "Now, I, the Emperor, am extremely weak; less than one percent, perhaps even less than one-thousandth, of my power remains. It's truly helpless, too weak. I can't even travel through the world now. How tragic."

"Otherwise, I'd skin a dragon for a snack, roam the myriad realms, travel around to see things, and perhaps find the whereabouts of old friends." Its face was full of sorrow, but if anyone heard it, they'd be speechless: "You just want to roast a dragon for no reason?" Do dragons know? If they could hear, they'd surely gang up and kill you!

Then, the black dog truly became sad, not like its previous self-deprecating attempts to console itself. It felt genuine melancholy, confusion, and boundless loss. "Those people from the past... will I ever see them again? After countless generations, how many are still alive? The grandeur of that era, the brilliant great age, the struggle of prodigies, the peerless contention—all have concluded. After prosperity, the whole world withered, and they are no longer to be seen!"

"In this vast world, I can't find a single familiar face. The rest of my life is too lonely and desolate, like drinking cold water. I can't find any of those people; too much time has passed, I can barely remember what you looked like." The old dog was sorrowful, tears almost falling from its eyes. Its fur was dull, some areas even bald, making it look incredibly aged.

But in the end, it collected itself, embraced a broken bell, and prepared to force its true body into the Yang Realm! It naturally sensed certain circumstances and knew where that place was, yet it still wanted to go see—it wanted to venture once more into the place where it had once fought!

"Filthy creatures, even if I, the Emperor, am old, I'll still slaughter a good number of you today. I refuse to believe that after that war back then, nothing happened to your side, that you weren't scared, weren't crippled. Impossible! You must be nearly wiped out!" The black dog showed no fear; it truly intended to press forward, suggesting another battle at the end of the Soul River. It had personally participated in that war back then.

"Great Emperor, please rest. I'll go find that crucial item you lost!" The black dog threw caution to the wind, adopting a desperate, make-or-break stance! It seized this opportunity to go to the ultimate land at the end of the Soul River again. It looked like it was going all out, ready for another decisive battle.

At this moment, it straightened its hunched back, raised its head, its large bell-like eyes blazing with fury, and its gaping maw seemed ready to swallow the cosmos. Simultaneously, an boundless murderous aura accompanied it, seemingly tearing apart all heavens and myriad realms, causing blood rain to pour down in many regions, shocking all domains! This was the power of slaughter and tribulation it had accumulated from countless wars concerning the survival of worlds, defeating innumerable enemies and slaying throughout the heavens, with the great tribulation itself borne upon its own body.

"I've killed countless enemies and am an Emperor of great merit. Does Heaven think I'm going to die, weeping for me? Sending me off?" The black dog looked up at the sky. Was this a journey of no return, its final path? But it moved nonetheless; it was going to the Soul River!

"Dong!"

The broken bell chimed softly, and the Emperor's corpse lying upon it seemed to tremble slightly.

"Imperial Bell, are you giving a warning? But there's no other way; I still have to go to the ultimate land at the Soul River. I truly can't find that medicine anywhere else; perhaps it's only there. I must save the Emperor. There's no time left; I can't hold on any longer. Today, I'll step into the Soul River again, re-enter that battlefield!" The black dog was solemn and sorrowful, completely unleashing the boundless fighting spirit deep within its bones. It had lain dormant and endured for far too long.

"Great Emperor, I believe you will awaken one day. I refuse to believe you are truly dead. Now, I will go find the medicinal primer. I want you to live!" It set off, its gaze growing more intense, dazzling and intimidating, burning through the walls of the great realms!

"Great Emperor, you saved me when I was young, raised me by your side, and that's how I became who I am today. Although I'm no longer in my strongest Dao-achieving form in this era, I will still fight for you once more." At this, the black dog stood upright, then lifted the Emperor's corpse, placing it on its back. Carrying the great bell, it suddenly took a massive step forward! It was going to fight while carrying the corpse, bearing the Heavenly Emperor from back then. It would never abandon him, never let the corpse leave its sight, remaining loyal forever.

"You adopted me back then; in this life, I'll fight with all my might to restore your imperial body to this world!" The black dog growled, tears in its old eyes, as it recalled countless past events.

Beyond the realms, in the chaos, someone sighed. "Why go to such lengths? You're already so old, yet you're still fighting desperately. Aren't you forcing me to accompany you to your death? Are we really going to fight in the ultimate land again?" This person, too, felt wistful and heartbroken, whispering, "Actually, you're not alone. I'm still half-alive, you dog. Why can't you just accept it? Fine, let's go together, and be quiet together!"