by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
The old Emperor was so furious he felt like coughing blood. He had never expected that a puny King would dare to threaten an Emperor like him, yet he was completely helpless about it.
"Haha, you are right, young brother. This is the Devil Domain, and nobody will find out how you die. Apart from the devilflame snake vine, I also have a few devilish emperor medicines and some devil crystals and devilish energy stones with me. You can have all of them," said the red-haired youth as he took out the treasures he had harvested from the Devil Domain.
"Smart choice." Xiang Shaoyun did not press on as he had a feeling this youth was much scarier than the old Emperor.
Why was that? Because he could sense that this youth was only a fourth-stage Emperor, yet in the Nether Soul Domain, he could sense that this youth was not weaker than the old peak seventh-stage Emperor. If a person like that started fighting with his life on the line, the Nether Soul Domain might not last. Thus, Xiang Shaoyun knew when to stop.
"How about you, old man? Do you have something to say?" Xiang Shaoyun asked with a smile.
The old Emperor grew even more annoyed when he saw Xiang Shaoyun's smile. However, he had no choice but to really take out something of value. After all, he could always earn more wealth in the future. His life was more important. Thus, he did the same and took out a pile of treasures he had harvested from the Devil Domain.
"This should be enough, right?" said the old Emperor indignantly.
In the past, whenever he revealed his identity as an elder of the Dark Devil Sect, nobody would dare to touch him. This time, it didn't work. But when he recalled the domain's prowess, his courage dropped.
After stowing away all the treasures, Xiang Shaoyun smiled. "That will do, I guess. Alright, you may leave. I won't be keeping you around then."
As he said that, the Nether Soul Domain vanished. The moment the Nether Soul Domain vanished, the old Emperor and red-haired youth quickly distanced themselves from Xiang Shaoyun, worried that he would pull them into his domain once again. That sensation of being completely suppressed was not something they wanted to relive.
Meanwhile, Xiang Shaoyun nonchalantly cupped his hands and saluted them. He said, "Goodbye!"
He then dashed toward a different direction.
"What kind of luck do I have to encounter someone like this?" grumbled the old Emperor unhappily as he returned to the second layer.
As for the red-haired youth, after a short hesitation, he chased after Xiang Shaoyun. When Xiang Shaoyun sensed the pursuit, he stopped, turned, and asked coldly, "Are you regretting your previous choice?"
The red-haired youth waved his hands and smiled. "No, not at all. I only wish to be your friend. My name is Ouyang Chuanqi, from—"
Xiang Shaoyun did not give him the chance to finish his sentence and said, "I don't care who you are. Nor am I interested in being your friend. Please leave."
Ouyang Chuanqi blanked out for a bit before grinning. "I guess it has been too presumptuous of me."
He then left.
Inwardly, he wondered, That is the Nether Soul Domain, but this fellow clearly has the aura of a human without an ounce of the Imperial Nether Clan's aura. He is definitely of mixed blood. But the Imperial Nether Clan has always considered themselves a high-class race and has always looked down on humans. Why would there be someone like this, then?
Ouyang Chuanqi had only tried to befriend Xiang Shaoyun out of curiosity. Unfortunately for him, Xiang Shaoyun did not seem to care much for his friendship. That caused him to feel rather gloomy. His name was extremely well-known among the younger generation, yet Xiang Shaoyun had no idea who he was. He even started wondering if he was as well-known as he had thought.
But he subsequently recalled that Xiang Shaoyun was only a King and was related to the Imperial Nether Clan. It wouldn't be weird for someone like this to not know him. He stopped thinking too much about it and started returning to the second layer as well.
Meanwhile, Xiang Shaoyun was in a good mood after obtaining a pile of treasures from the two. These treasures were rather valuable to him, as they would be useful for increasing the overall strength of the ghostrunes.
Before long, he reached Meng Gansu and the Han Clan sisters. The three had been waiting not far away from the entrance and had not been attacked by any devils.
"Master!" Meng Gansu stepped forth and greeted.
The Han Clan sisters asked at the same time, "Are you fine, Xiang Shaoyun?"
Xiang Shaoyun nodded at Meng Gansu, then looked at the Han Clan sisters and smiled. "Do I seem like I'm not fine?" He then asked Meng Gansu, "I thought the third layer was filled with Devil Emperors? You didn't encounter even one of them?"
"Master, there won't be too many of them near the entrance. But if you go in slightly deeper, you will encounter a lot of them," said Meng Gansu.
"I see. If that is the case, you should stay here. I will explore around," said Xiang Shaoyun.
"Don't you want us with you?" Han Xuewei was getting anxious.
She had completely fallen for Xiang Shaoyun and did not wish to part with him.
"I'm going to hunt some Devil Emperors to earn some contribution points. If you come, you will only slow me down. If you want to stay alive, just stay here with Old Meng. I will bring you out after I return," said Xiang Shaoyun seriously.
Chapter 495: Devil Severing Edge
The third layer of Devil Domain was undoubtedly filled with danger. After all, this was a place with Devil Emperors and Devil Sovereigns. Although Xiang Shaoyun was capable of keeping himself alive here, it did not mean that he would be able to protect the Han Clan sisters as well. They understood that and could only agree to his request.
"Alright. This is your antidote. In case I get myself killed, you won't have to be afraid of the poison anymore," said Xiang Shaoyun as he handed them two pills.
Back at the Skeleton Gang, Xiang Shaoyun had once lied to them that he had poisoned them. Naturally, this antidote was a lie as well. The two women were unaware of that, but they were overjoyed to see that Xiang Shaoyun was willing to relinquish his grasp on them. Finally, they were free.
Just as Han Xuewei was about to swallow the pill, Han Qianwei stopped her and said, "Hold on, little sister."
"Why?" Han Xuewei asked in confusion. Instead of saying anything, Han Qianwei stared at Xiang Shaoyun suspiciously.
Xiang Shaoyun did not mind. He shrugged and said, "Eat it if you want. I'm going."
He then ignored the two and left alone. After he left, Han Xuewei swallowed the pill.
"Why are you in such a rush? What if this is yet another poison?" Han Qianwei asked anxiously.
"Big sister, I know you don't like Xiang Shaoyun, but if he really wishes us ill, why would he save us? Does he even need to use poison if he wants to harm us?" asked Han Xuewei. She had been able to view everything in a rational manner, which caused Han Qianwei to feel both shame for not being able to see what her little sister saw and guilt for suspecting him.
"Since he is our savior, I will say something nice on his behalf after meeting Uncle Pojun," said Han Qianwei.
"Uncle Pojun might be strong, but I don't think he will be of much help to Xiang Shaoyun," said Han Xuewei with a sigh.
...
Xiang Shaoyun advanced alone, and before long, he was met with the attack of some devils. These devils were only Kings, and he had not much problem dealing with them. But the deeper he went, the more pressure he felt.
Powerful peak Devil Kings and Devil Emperors were starting to appear. He hadn't even gone far, yet the devils he encountered were already much stronger than the ones in the second layer. From this, it was evident that he would encounter even more Devil Emperors the deeper he went.
Instead of charging ahead blindly, Xiang Shaoyun started killing the devils in the area. He would first gather enough contribution points before thinking of anything else.
In that manner, five days passed.
His contribution points had increased greatly
. His Nether Soul Domain and ghostrunes had played a great role in helping him accumulate that many contribution points.
Escape was nearly impossible for any devilish beasts trapped in his Nether Soul Domain. He would only release the Nether Soul Domain when he faced more than 10 devils at a time. Any devil killed in the Nether Soul Domain would be considered his kill, awarding him contribution points even if the ghostrunes were the ones doing the killing. There was nothing surprising about that since the ghostrunes resided in his personal domain. One could even consider the ghostrunes his personal cheat.
Presently, Xiang Shaoyun was resting in a cave he had snatched from a Devil Emperor blackstone beast. His body was covered in injuries, and his aura seemed to be in disarray as well. It was obvious he had just ended an intense battle.
"I need to spend some time and refine the devil edge grass and increase my offensive prowess before doing anything else," said Xiang Shaoyun to himself as he started the refining process.
The reason Xiang Shaoyun had waited until now before refining the devil edge grass was because he was now laden with injuries, the perfect condition to use the devil edge grass. The devil edge grass could strengthen his meridians and body, and in his current condition, he would be able to better absorb the power of the devil edge grass.
When he dissolved the devil edge grass in his astral cosmos sea, strands of sharp energy started coursing through his meridians and acupoints, torturing him with an intense pain as if he was being sliced from within. He did not make a single sound as he resisted the pain and continued the refining process.
He was one who had survived numerous lightning strikes, and he had also undergone the pain of being burned by unique flames. He possessed a far higher endurance than an ordinary person.
He understood clearly that this pain was a sign of the devil edge grass working on his body. If he could endure it, his meridians would become more tough and durable. His acupoints would expand in size, while his flesh and bones would also become much tougher. This was a process of forceful strengthening that few Kings could endure. Any carelessness could result in one's meridians and acupoints being destroyed during the process.
After an unknown amount of time, the devil edge grass's power started weakening. At this time, Xiang Shaoyun suddenly sensed a devil blade power coursing in his blood, and a scene of a unique blade energy flying around at an odd trajectory appeared in his head. The blade seemed to be something formed by nature, possessing a boundless might.
He focused on observing the trajectory of the blade and etched it in his brain. The trajectory revealed to him the usage method of the Devil Severing Edge. One generally needed to use devilish energy to power this attack, but a human could also use it with dark energy.
Xiang Shaoyun met both requirements and could fully comprehend this technique. He woke up from his meditation and formed a blade with his palm before hacking sideways.
Bang!
A blade of devilish energy formed and sliced the nearby stone into two before leaving a deep cut on the ground.
"Is this the power of Devil Severing Edge? It is not weaker than any emperor technique. In fact, it is much stronger. This is a strength of a technique formed by nature!" Xiang Shaoyun exclaimed in admiration.
Half a month passed. Xiang Shaoyun had spent the time battling the numerous devilish beasts while heading toward the location Meng Gansu had told him of. Xiang Shaoyun had also recently completed the fourth wall of his Six Goldplate Manual, fully mastering the second stage. Ordinary Emperors would no longer be able to break through his defenses.
If he continued growing and completed all six walls, transforming the walls into a platemail, he would be able to fully master the emperor technique. Presently, he was at the mid seventh-stage Skysoar Realm. His growth had been rapid.
Xiang Shaoyun knew the reason for his rapid growth. When refining the silver lightning core and yin devil wind, his nine stars had been fully activated.
He traveled while he cultivated, and without realizing it, he was nearing his destination. Suddenly, a humanoid devil appeared before him. The devil stared at him greedily with a pair of lustful eyes, as if the only thing the devil wanted was to strip him naked.
"Kekeke, what a sturdy human. I like it," said the devil.
When Xiang Shaoyun saw the devil, he shivered and cried out in alarm, "A yang devouring devil!"
Chapter 496: Yang Devouring Devil
The yang devouring devil was humanoid, much taller than humans, and had an ugly face and a pair of pointy ears that looked like dog ears. His skin resembled the skin of a frog, with protrusions all over his body. Numerous veins ran all over his body, and he stood there completely naked with his disgusting appearance.
The yang devouring devils enjoyed absorbing yang energy to grow their strength, with their prey being males of any life form. In this yang devouring devil’s eyes, Xiang Shaoyun looked fair and tender, emitting a youthful masculinity, and was his favorite type of food.
"Pretty boy, be good and don't resist. I like your type, so I will treat you nicely," said the yang devouring devil as he strode toward Xiang Shaoyun while salivating.
Xiang Shaoyun frowned. "Disgusting thing, die!"
He dashed forward and sent a Hurricane Kick toward the yang devouring devil. A powerful hurricane crashed forward. He might be fast, but his speed was nothing special in the eyes of the yang devouring devil, who was a fourth-stage Devil Emperor.
The yang devouring devil dodged the attack and pounced on Xiang Shaoyun. When he neared Xiang Shaoyun, a long tongue shot out to lick Xiang Shaoyun's face. Xiang Shaoyun quickly dodged to the side and threw a series of Lightning Bolt Fists. The yang devouring devil merely swatted the fist energies away with his palm before grabbing at Xiang Shaoyun's chest with one of his hands.
Xiang Shaoyun reacted almost immediately, but the yang devouring devil still managed to caress his chest. The disgust of having been caressed by this yang devouring devil gave him goosebumps.
"Tsk, tsk, what a muscular body. I like it," teased the yang devouring devil.
Xiang Shaoyun couldn't take it anymore and roared, "Disgusting bastard! You dare to take advantage of me? I will rip you apart!"
He released the Nether Soul Domain and enveloped the yang devouring devil with it.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Eight chains shot out from different directions and wrapped around the yang devouring devil. The Imperial Nether Prison had never failed Xiang Shaoyun before. For the very first time, it failed him.
"Nether Soul Domain!" the yang devouring devil cried out in alarm before transforming into a clump of fire that burned the chains into nothingness.
Xiang Shaoyun raised his brow. "What thick yang energy. Something like this is the perfect nemesis of my nether soul power."
The Nether Soul Domain was powered by soul power, which was a power of yin weak to the powers of the yang attribute. Of course, the amount of yang energy this yang devouring devil had was still not enough for him to break out of the Nether Soul Domain. He could only do so if he possessed a unique flame or if his level of strength was much higher than Xiang Shaoyun's soul power. After all, this was Xiang Shaoyun's personal space where he was the ultimate overlord.
"Y-you're a noble Imperial Nether Clan prince? Y-your servant knows his mistake. Please spare this lowly servant. I won't ever dare offend you anymore," begged the terrified yang devouring devil.
"You know the Imperial Nether Clan?" Xiang Shaoyun asked in astonishment.
"Yes, of course I do! The Imperial Nether Clan is an imperial devil clan. Who wouldn't know them? This servant did not mean to offend you, esteemed prince. Please spare this lowly one's life," the yang devouring devil continued begging.
Xiang Shaoyun said, "Tell me more about the Imperial Nether Clan."
The yang devouring devil blanked out as he thought, You're an Imperial Nether Clan prince. Why do you need me to tell you more? Unless...
"You're not an Imperial Nether Clan pr
ince! You're a human! You dare to lie? I'll absorb all your yang energy!" shouted the yang devouring devil as he transformed into a fireball and shot toward Xiang Shaoyun.
As a response, Xiang Shaoyun sent his soul over. His soul was as powerful as a top Emperor, and with a kick, he sent the yang devouring devil flying away. The kick broke the teeth of the yang devouring devil and sent him crashing heavily onto the ground.
"W-wait, y-you're really an Imperial Nether Clan prince! Mercy...please, mercy..." When the yang devouring devil was attacked, he could sense a suppression on both his bloodline and cultivation base. This space was completely the same as the legendary Nether Soul Domain. Thus, he quickly begged for forgiveness.
"Answer my question, or you die now," said Xiang Shaoyun. He knew that a majority of the devils did not fear death, but surprisingly, this yang devouring devil was not one of them. Just one kick was enough to make him submit.
"Yes, yes. The Imperial Nether Clan is one of the Four Paramount Devil Clans. They possess the most noble of bloodlines, the most supreme of devilish powers, and rule a vast territory, having the loyalty of countless devils...," the yang devouring devil started singing the Imperial Nether Clan praises.
Xiang Shaoyun stopped him, "I don't need you to tell me all that. I'll ask, and you'll answer. In which layer of the Devil Domain is the Imperial Nether Clan residing?"
There was already no doubt that the Imperial Nether Clan was part of the devils. What he wanted to know more now was which layer they stayed in.
"I don't really know. I think they reside across the seventh to the ninth layers?" answered the yang devouring devil.
"You don't even know that? How useless are you?" Xiang Shaoyun berated him.
Even you, a member of the Imperial Nether Clan, don't know that. How am I supposed to know? cursed the yang devouring devil inwardly. However, he still smiled and said, "This lowly one is too weak to know information like that."