Chapter 1472: Where Does the Soul Lie

The iron rod, peerless and heavy as a mountain, charged into the battlefield, sweeping aside all evil spirits and monsters, and shattering countless creatures from the Soul River.

This strike was overwhelmingly powerful, dominating heaven and earth. The colossal iron rod pulverized everything, annihilating all enemies.

The Ancient Crow shrieked. After losing another true life, it was utterly terrified.

Reappearing in its true form, it felt uneasy, harboring a desire to flee and never reappear. That unparalleled iron rod had crushed something within its spirit and will.

Who was this? Hiding in the distance, it felt an intense unease.

"Ah..." Faintly, a furious roar echoed through the battlefield, shaking all the heavens, filled with unwillingness and endless rage.

In a trance, everyone saw a Holy Ape, standing tall between heaven and earth, looking down upon all past, present, and future. It held an iron rod, pointing towards the ultimate realm of the Soul River.

He struck again. The iron rod shattered the world barrier, cleaving the Soul River in two, causing countless soul-lights to burn and transform into soul-matter particles, all evaporating.

Furthermore, one end of the iron rod plunged into the ultimate realm, blowing it apart. The boundless Land of Misfortune collapsed, utterly exploding.

At this moment, all the heavens heard wails of despair. Countless vengeful spirits and innumerable Soul River creatures screamed. That place, their nest and the source of all strangeness, had now been shattered.

The heavens trembled, and countless blood rains and bizarre phenomena thundered and erupted across all realms.

All the powerful beings were shocked. Many saw a blurred yet visible ape, radiating a faint golden light that shone in various celestial domains.

The supreme experts felt it even more intensely, discerning part of the truth through the shattered soul-light passage and that path.

Was that the one from the past... the most powerful Holy Emperor in the history of the Battle Race?!

He was incredibly strong. Where was he fighting now? It was... the Soul River!

All the powerful beings were stunned. This was truly against all odds. The Holy Emperor who had fought the Soul River in the past had reappeared, charging in once more, wielding his rod with a single arm, and actually... blowing up the Soul River's Land of Misfortune!

With a resounding crash, all the old monsters in the various heavens were startled into action, emerging from their seclusion.

Hadn't he perished? Yet today, he reappeared. Perhaps it wasn't the living Holy Emperor; his state seemed very wrong, merely an afterimage!

Even so, his aura and his invincible, domineering posture still struck fear into all the heavens, peerless in their might.

He stood there, gazing down at the end of the Soul River!

What incredible bravery! Unrivaled throughout the ages, it was truly breathtaking.

At this moment, the Black Dog shed tears, immensely agitated, roaring, "Do you see? This is our brother from back then! He's here, fighting the Soul River again!"

Then, it was also filled with boundless sorrow, for it clearly knew what this signified.

It let out a low growl: "Holy Emperor... brother!"

The Black Dog's heart was filled with grief and immense pain, because it was merely an afterimage of the Holy Emperor, not his true self. The strongest individual of the Battle Race had ultimately died.

The afterimage, still potent, heard its call. Its weapon, carrying the faint imprint left by the Holy Emperor in his lifetime, broke through all obstructions. The iron rod pressed down on the Soul River, reaching this very spot!

"Monkey!" From afar, the Corpse also let out a great roar, filled with endless sorrow and pain. The most powerful and invincible figure of the Battle Race, so domineering and valiant, was now seemingly gone forever.

Back then, the grim news shook the world, but the surviving old friends were unwilling to believe it, thinking that someone so powerful would surely stubbornly survive.

Today, he appeared, blowing up the Soul River's Land of Misfortune, still unparalleled in his dominance, yet his appearance brought such deep melancholy that one couldn't help but shed tears.

The iron rod spanned the sky, and the blurred, faint golden figure slowly descended, moving towards the red-furred monster whose eyes had been gouged out—his own son!

A low growl emanated. Though a peerless overlord, the strongest Holy Emperor in the history of the Battle Race, his afterimage was now filled with such profound sorrow. Wielding the rod, he roared, tearing apart the Soul River and crushing the Land of Misfortune.

The afterimage felt sorrow. Even in its muddled state, purely out of some instinct, it still reached out a trembling hand, wanting to touch the red-furred monster's head.

The afterimage, originally a fierce monkey that never yielded, never bowed, and fought its entire life without expressing its emotions, now had a trembling hand, fully revealing its parental affection. At this moment, many were deeply moved.

"Brother!" the Black Dog cried out.

"Monkey!" the Corpse also growled.

Jiudao Yi also sighed softly. This Holy Emperor's life had been fraught with misfortune; he lost his father in childhood, struggled tenaciously on his own, rising amidst chaos, but then lost his son in middle age, experiencing various great sorrows in his life.

Even for the Saint Battle Race, whose will was tougher than iron, such blows and setbacks must have been unbearable. Even the old monster Jiudao Yi was sighing.

"My... son!"

Beneath the colossal iron rod, the afterimage's trembling hand rested on the red-furred monster, uttering a barely audible sound, as if wanting to caress its head like when it was a child.

The monster, covered in fresh red corpse fur, roared and struggled violently, striking out at the afterimage!

At this moment, the afterimage did not dodge, allowing the heavy blows to land on its chest. It remained motionless, its hand trembling again as it caressed the monster's head, deep in its eyes seeing the child it once was.

"Roar!"

The red-furred monster's entire body was decayed, emitting an ominous and eerie aura. It had three heads and six arms, but its body was already incomplete, and its eye sockets were terrifyingly empty, its Fiery Golden Eyes gouged out.

"I... failed to protect you," the afterimage whispered, as if apologizing, showing such a vulnerable side for a fierce monkey—it was simply unimaginable!

Moreover, it should have been muddled, yet now it was swayed by some emotion, a trace of its true spirit emerging, filled with immense sorrow and pain.

The Black Dog looked down, filled with regret, saying, "Don't blame yourself. None of us protected him back then. We should have forced this child to leave, not let him fight."

Indeed, they had wanted to send him away back then, but he stubbornly insisted on staying, wanting to be with everyone and fight to the death at the Soul River.

The Corpse also spoke, saying, "You must have... died in battle first. With your fierce personality, once you engaged, you would certainly charge at the very front. You wouldn't allow your child to die before you, unless you died first."

Back then, the battle was too terrifying, widespread everywhere. Both factions were scattered, with ultimate powerhouses clashing violently and blood flowing everywhere. The horror was inescapable.

Even the Black Dog and the Corpse had fought to a frenzy, getting separated and fighting desperately in their respective areas.

They could guess that the Monkey must have died before his own son.

With the iron rod suppressing the Soul River, the afterimage extended its hand again, immobilizing its child, the red-furred monster. Then it let out a sorrowful roar, and strands of a special substance emanated from its faded shadow, flowing into its child's body.

What was it doing?

Many were astonished.

"Live!" the afterimage growled.

From the red-furred monster with three heads and six arms, blood-tears inexplicably streamed from its empty eye sockets. Its body stiffened, unable to move, as the afterimage infused it with a massive amount of divine radiance.

The Black Dog was heartbroken. Could this... still be saved?

It had long perceived that there was no way to save it, but what could it say now?

The Black Dog's eyes were red and swollen, recalling too many past events. The image of the little Holy Ape as a child, so innocent and lovable, reappeared before its eyes.

During a certain special period, the little Holy Ape had been sealed, but it kept running out on its own, crying for its long-lost parents. Then, the Heavenly Emperor placed it on his shoulder, traveling the world together. How pampered it was, cared for by everyone!

In the end, this beloved little monkey had become like this, so tragically heart-wrenching.

"Kill them all!"

In the depths of the Soul River, the Ancient Crow finally recovered its senses and issued this command.

It still had its last two true lives. In its prime, it had possessed nine—not a secret art of nine-lives cats or the Phoenix Race's Nirvana art, but genuine, tangible true lives.

Today, it had been continuously blown apart, filling it with rage. It no longer advanced itself, instead ordering its army to move out. The Soul River had nothing if not abundant servant armies and vast forces of ominous and strange native creatures.

"Kill!"

The great banners of the Soul River unfurled, and a massive number of powerful beings surged forth, their aura shaking heaven and earth.

Besides the Ancient Crow, three more leaders appeared, seemingly no lower in status. Each led their own army, charging out, and all of them were humanoid.

At this moment, the Black Dog, Jiudao Yi, the Corpse, and others were enraged. They all wanted to rush forward and deliver lethal blows. Their hearts were already filled with grief and indignation, and now this Ancient Crow dared to launch a proactive attack.

"Don't even dream of saving that little monkey; it's utterly impossible! But I will still stop you, leaving you not even a sliver of hope or thought!" the Ancient Crow shrieked viciously.

It radiated white light from its entire body. Today, it was filled with intense hatred; repeatedly losing its true lives was a significant, lifelong loss for it.

The next moment, before the Black Dog or the Corpse could act, the heaven-piercing iron rod vibrated, and the afterimage erupted, radiating billions of feet of golden light, as if a Holy Emperor had fully revived.

That aura, that world-shaking combat power, was terrifying, causing all the heavens to tremble.

It seemed to possess an indestructible obsession, now re-ignited, making it irreconcilable with the Soul River creatures. The Ancient Crow, in particular, was locked onto by it.

Divine light burst from the afterimage's pupils—runes born from the Super Fiery Golden Eyes. His own son's eyes had been gouged out, and now he used this supreme mystical art to attack his enemy.

"Hm?!"

The Ancient Crow had already retreated into the Land of Misfortune, far from the battlefield, but now it horrifyingly discovered that the gaze, those special pupils, were pulling it, forcing it to fly back to the battlefield involuntarily.

"The most powerful Holy Emperor in the history of the Battle Race has truly revived?!" Outside, many exclaimed in shock.

While still in mid-air, the Ancient Crow's feathers bristled all over. It sensed impending death, the arrival of its doom. Instantly, it employed all forbidden techniques, unleashed the strongest spell it could in this life, and activated that special sword, even sacrificing a pair of Fiery Golden Eyes.

"Vile bird!"

In the distance, the Black Dog was furious. Right before their eyes, the Ancient Crow was still sacrificing the little Holy Ape's eyes; even instant execution wouldn't quell their anger!

The great bell vibrated, directly encasing the unimaginable sword within it. Though its sharpness was peerless, it could neither pierce through nor escape.

"Ah..."

The Ancient Crow shrieked. It was pulled by an immense force; while still in mid-air, it was seized by a pair of large golden hands and torn apart.

Even its soul-light suffered the same fate, ripped into fragments, losing yet another true life.

In an instant, it reappeared in the distance, but it terrifyingly discovered that those golden eyes still locked onto it, crossing space and time, binding it as if it were in a cage, and once again pulling it to stand directly before the Golden Holy Ape.

"Help me! Save me!" the Ancient Crow shrieked, utterly terrified.

In the distance, the three newly appeared humanoid leaders attacked together, leading their armies forward. They pierced through the void, appearing before them in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, the Ancient Crow chanted a spell, attempting to use its most effective life-saving technique to escape. Furthermore, it commanded the little Holy Ape, covered in red corpse fur, to block its father.

However, no matter its myriad methods or desperate struggles, nothing could change the outcome. At this moment, the Golden Holy Ape was invincible, as if it had truly fully erupted and revived.

The strongest monkey of the Battle Race once again tore the Ancient Crow apart, then delivered a punch that turned it into blood rain and beams of light, utterly annihilating both its form and spirit.

Until its death, the Ancient Crow couldn't believe that it had been utterly obliterated and killed right in front of the Soul River, at its very doorstep, unable to ever revive.

Next, the afterimage suppressed the red-furred little Holy Ape with one hand, infusing it with divine radiance once more. With its other hand, it wielded the massive black iron rod, swinging it as if to pierce through past, present, and future, smashing it forward with a resounding crash.

Although it was a place of Imperial Battle, the entire battlefield was violently shaking, and indistinctly, cracking sounds seemed to emanate.

The former Holy Emperor, now an afterimage, with one swing of the rod, caused massive numbers of Soul River creatures to roar, howl, and explode in waves, unwilling to accept their fate.

Even the three leading creatures, who had charged close, now saw one of them shattered by the iron rod, splattering blood across the battlefield, while the other two were sent flying.

At this moment, the afterimage summoned its son's Fiery Golden Eyes, released the little Holy Ape, returned its eyes to their sockets, and then, holding the rod with both hands, leaped up and charged into the Land of Misfortune.

The first to bear the brunt were naturally the two powerful creatures attacking it, enveloped by the colossal black iron rod, which bore countless Great Dao patterns, obscuring the battlefield.

Bang! Bang!

These two creatures were very powerful, but they too were blasted apart, their blood raining down.

They also possessed true lives, but at this moment, the Holy Emperor was enraged. The pain of losing his son ignited a certain emotion within him, preventing him from being muddled, allowing him to retain a shred of spirituality and embark on a massive slaughter.

He confined the surviving leading creatures, who, despite having true lives, could no longer survive.

In succession, the afterimage blasted them all apart, utterly annihilating them. Only large patches of burning blood remained, dissipating with the flying ashes.

"Do you see? This is my brother! Who can stand against him?!" the Black Dog cried out excitedly.

It knew that the Holy Emperor had little time left and likely wouldn't last long; he would either become muddled or dissipate entirely.

It roared, "Trample the Soul River's Land of Misfortune!"

"Caw!"

In the distance, the White Crow shrieked. Its father had been killed, unable to protect himself even with true lives, which filled it with uncontrollable rage, trembling, fear, and panic.

It turned and fled towards the Land of Misfortune. It truly didn't want to fight anymore; this group of people was too terrifying, and besides, it wasn't even in its complete form yet.

Staying any longer would be suicidal.

"This path is blocked!"

Just then, a black light, so dark it made it panic, suddenly appeared and struck swiftly, severing its head with a *thwack*.

"Caw!" the White Crow shrieked, reviving from a drop of blood in the distance, reforming its true body. It abandoned its original true form, which caused its strength to decline further.

It wailed in despair. Targeted by this formidable dark force, was it destined to die here?

"Kill them for me! Annihilate these soul-brats! If any big ones are truly alive and revive, I, this Emperor, have also brought the Heavenly Emperor's old items. I swear I'll kill them!"

The Black Dog roared, rallying everyone to charge.

The Corpse also shouted, "Exactly! There's a big problem here, otherwise, those so-called supreme Soul River creatures would have appeared long ago. Overthrow the Soul River, quell the rebellion in one battle – today's the day!"

At this moment, with a pickaxe in one hand and a shovel in the other, he pierced and shattered the scaled monster in front of him. Stimulated by the Holy Ape father and son, he too went berserk.

"Alas, much of my soul is missing. Where does it wander now?!" the Corpse said with some reluctance.

"I'll blast you apart!" On the other side, Jiudao Yi, with his unbound gray hair, impaled the Peacock, splattering blood across the void.

Although that Peacock was incredibly terrifying, with eye after eye opening on its tail feathers, shooting out eerie light beams that even wounded Jiudao Yi, demonstrating its heaven-defying power, it was still impaled and blasted apart by Jiudao Yi.

The incomplete shield couldn't even block it; the ancient shield flashed and vanished, flying away.

The Peacock Soul Mother's sibling had died, which seemed to have provoked a great disaster. More Soul River creatures, including many powerful ones, swarmed out in dense masses. The battle, far from ending, intensified.

"Today, let's kill to our hearts' content!" Jiudao Yi shouted, as if possessed. Wielding his rusted, tattered spear, he strode swiftly towards the Land of Misfortune.

"Kill!"

At this moment, the Black Dog was breathing heavily. It had also charged at the forefront earlier, killing a top-tier powerhouse. Now, it sat down, panting loudly. Indeed, its vitality was low, and it was greatly weakened and very tired.

However, it still had a great killing move. Who was it? A master of spatial formations, a giant in this field. Although its powers were sometimes unreliable, there were specific times when they worked!

At the very least, it was very reliable now because it was highly focused and extremely serious. It had secretly laid out a large-scale destructive formation, which now erupted.

It sat in the center of the formation, roaring, "Kill!"

Instantly, amidst rumbling sounds, continuous explosions occurred, pushing forward. Soul River creatures died in droves, as if a celestial blade was reaping scarecrows. A row of dazzling light beams spun past, harvesting broadly and obliterating all resistance.

At this point, the Holy Emperor's state indeed became abnormal; he gradually became lost, growing muddled, and even starting to dissipate.

He continuously infused all his divine radiance into his child's body.

What could the Black Dog say? It could only guard nearby, watching and painfully gasping for breath.

"I was never truly here. My child, live!" the Holy Emperor's afterimage spoke. Was this to comfort the Black Dog, or to ask it to care for the little Holy Ape?

"Alright!" Although the Black Dog knew that what was lost was lost forever and could not be retained, it could only respond this way, not wanting to sadden the Holy Emperor's afterimage.

"I, this Emperor, will kill all of you!"

At this moment, the Black Dog roared, standing up again, determined to kill all the way to the end of the Soul River!

It was activating its last true blood. Although its internal blood was almost depleted, with not even a trace of blood dripping from its wounds, it still pushed on!

Instantly, its body swelled, its power surged, increasing significantly, astonishing everyone.

Was this dog crazy? Old and at the end of its life, it still dared to fight as if in its prime?!

Beams of light surged to the heavens as the Black Dog went berserk. With a single paw, it slapped countless Soul River monsters to death. It pressed forward relentlessly, annihilating swathes of enemies.

In a blur, many figures could be seen appearing around it: giant apes standing between heaven and earth, immensely domineering human powerhouses whose vital energy surged to the sky, the Heavenly Emperor soaring across the void, his tripod shaking myriad realms, and even the Empress descending, sweeping across the Soul River's Land of Misfortune...

These were all figures it had conjured. It missed those old friends, yearning for the era when they fought side by side. Now, its emotions stirred, manifesting them all.

This was utterly terrifying; in a trance, it seemed to have gained new life; its decaying true blood glowed, and its combat power continuously increased!

"Doggy, you must live!" the Corpse roared, worried that such exhaustion would quickly lead to its death.

"Old friends from the past, where are your souls?!" the Black Dog growled, carrying the Emperor Bell and striding forward fearlessly, charging ahead without hesitation of death in battle.

The bell waves exploded, instantly shaking the world and blasting through all obstructions ahead. The boundless army scattered like paper figures, burning to ashes.

"Martial Uncle, I'm here! I'm still alive!"

A bald man arrived, forcing his way here. He was dirty, in tattered clothes, and his body was somewhat damaged—undoubtedly caused by the lingering aftermath of a supreme being's spell in the past, an injury difficult to completely eliminate.

"It's you... Good! Good! Good!" The Black Dog and the Corpse were all surprised, delighted, and agitated. To meet another living old friend—there could be no better news. Their hearts instantly felt warm, filled with endless joy.

"It's good that you're alive!" the Black Dog said.

"I was too far away, crossing layer after layer of heavens to get here, but at least I'm not late!" After arriving, the bald man wasted no time, immediately unleashing a fierce slaughter.

He roared, "Though I have always been compassionate, it depends on who I'm dealing with! Today, I shall be the master of slaughter! A single thought can make one a Buddha, another a great demon. Kill!"

Countless petals flew, blooming around him, then all transformed into his likeness, surging forward and slaughtering in all directions!

The Black Dog cried and laughed simultaneously, yet felt a pang of sadness. Finally, a living person had appeared. Would anyone else return?

"Are there others?" the Black Dog asked hopefully.

"Probably not," the bald man replied softly, his voice low and bitter, then exploding into a single word: "Kill!"

In the distance, Li appeared and disappeared like a ghost, eliminating some extremely powerful Soul River creatures and also helping his allies by secretly attacking enemies.

"Bastard!" a powerful being from the Soul River side roared in fury.

Soon after cursing, he was ambushed. From a great distance, he was struck by a wondrous technique, his occiput nearly pierced through.

The battle situation was highly favorable for the Black Dog, Jiudao Yi, and others. They were now fighting so fiercely that the Soul River creatures were intimidated, even feeling some fear, as blood flowed like rivers and countless died or were wounded.

However, at this very moment, something ominous occurred. A sigh emanated from within the Soul River's ultimate realm, causing everyone's vital energy to churn and their minds to buzz.

Then, a very blurred, faint, yet energy-rich and immensely powerful hand reached out, slowly but forcefully descending towards the battlefield.

At this moment, everyone was terrified. Had an unimaginable being revived within the Soul River's ultimate realm?!

"It didn't appear after so long, we thought it was extinguished. Now it's actually here. Is it fake or real?" Jiudao Yi's eyes sharpened.

At this moment, the Monkey, who had been half-muddled and caring for the little Holy Ape purely by instinct, stirred. It suddenly looked up, then grabbed the iron rod and strode resolutely towards the great hand!

"Monkey, don't be reckless! I still have a trump card; perhaps I can settle this place!" the Black Dog cried out, trying to stop the Holy Emperor's afterimage.

"No need. I have finally been awakened! I have been waiting for this day for a long time, waiting to unleash the strongest strike of my life! To fight a joyous battle! Who am I? I am from the Saint Battle Race, born to fight, and I shall perish in the final battle! It's just a pity that I am incomplete, merely a shadow. I will do my best to deliver the strongest blow!"

The Monkey roared, striding forward, holding the iron rod high with both hands, then leaped up.

The iron rod glowed, reaching up to the heavens and plunging deep into the earth. It stood between heaven and earth, piercing through the firmament; nothing could block it!

The golden Holy Ape was burning, erupting with dazzling light. Then, with a thunderous roar, it held the iron rod with both hands and smashed it towards the great hand.

"Stop! You don't need to go yet!" Jiudao Yi shouted.

"This is my choice. I was going to dissipate anyway. Now, for my strongest battle, I act according to my nature. In such a restrictive world, what use is it for an afterimage like me to linger? Fight!"

A mighty roar echoed through all the heavens and myriad realms!

A heaven-piercing Holy Ape, a powerful being whose golden fur bristled all over, swung its iron rod, undergoing ultimate sublimation as it charged forward!

He alone faced the unimaginable being.

Utterly brilliant, boundless light illuminated the world. All the heavens were filled with the Holy Ape's battle intent and his roars.

He was the Heavenly Emperor's brother, who had walked alongside the Heavenly Emperor in his youth, not much weaker. He had cultivated diligently for countless years, almost stepping onto the Heavenly Emperor's path.

But even so, what did it matter? He had boundless regrets: he couldn't protect his child, couldn't quell the great chaos. Now, he only wished for one final battle!

Undergoing ultimate sublimation, the Holy Ape burned all its energy, unleashed its strongest strike, and blasted it out!

At this moment, all the heavens trembled.

True blood splattered out. That great hand was actually torn apart, sent flying high by the iron rod, and then effortlessly pierced through by one end of the rod, like an unmatched spear piercing a palm!

Blood rained down, the heavens thundered, and myriad realms trembled.

The great hand gradually faded, leaving behind traces of blood!

The Holy Emperor had shattered that great hand—such a feat was simply heaven-defying!

Outside, all the powerful beings were stunned, their bodies involuntarily trembling.

"Do you see? This is my brother!" the Black Dog cried, knowing that this was a final farewell, never to meet again.

That being had issues; it had been repelled, but it was, after all, an unimaginable existence. How could its blurred great hand be repelled without a price?

The Monkey became ethereal, its body disintegrating, cracking, about to completely dissipate.

The iron rod had pierced through the hand, leaving it bloody, while the rod itself was corroded, breaking inch by inch, and then exploding!

The Monkey retreated, using its last strength to turn, stepping before its child, struggling to keep its own form from collapsing.

In its final moments, it forcefully infused all the remaining divine substance from its body into the little Holy Ape.

"Monkey, hold on! I'll save you!" the Black Dog roared.

The Corpse also roared, rushing over.

"I die, he lives!"

These were the Holy Emperor's afterimage's final words. Looking at its child, it was incredibly resolute. This was its last will; all its remaining essence was infused into the little ape's body.

Then, it disintegrated, dissipated, and the golden rain of light suddenly... exploded!

"Ah..." the Black Dog cried out, tears streaming down its face. The iron rod was gone, the Monkey had vanished, and its last hope was now forever lost from sight.

"Come back to life!" the Corpse howled.

Jiudao Yi also rushed over, but it was powerless to reverse the outcome.

"Uncle Holy Emperor!" the bald man cried out, filled with immense sorrow, then rushed to embrace the little Holy Ape, calling out "Brother."

Li stepped forward and handed the Black Dog several ancestral talisman papers, saying, "I'll only keep one; the rest are yours!"

Then, Li added, "It's too few, not enough. Perhaps a hundred, or even five hundred, would be needed. To resurrect a powerful Holy Emperor who has vanished, ceased to exist, and become nothingness—it's too difficult!"

"I want a thousand!" The Black Dog suddenly stood up, seizing Jiudao Yi's arm and roaring, "I beg you, whatever that person left behind, I want it all! Find everything!"

A thousand?!

Jiudao Yi wasn't angry. He understood this pain. What if there really were a thousand? It still likely wouldn't save the Holy Emperor. To vanish and become nothingness, ultimately, meant no reappearance.

But could he refute it? Would he reveal the bloody truth? Perhaps, agreeing for now was the only option.

People should always have hope. What if, one day, the Holy Emperor truly reappeared?

"Many in this world wish to see that Monkey reappear," Jiudao Yi sighed.

"My brother, the Monkey, he shouldn't have died! He'll come back, he'll appear alive!" the Black Dog cried loudly, sobbing and shedding tears. It trembled, looking up at the sky: "Where is his soul?!"