Fate-Defying Demon Emperor

High above, dark clouds rolled in from afar, swiftly pressing down on the army’s encampment. An invisible, oppressive force enveloped the area, making everyone’s chest feel heavy, as if pinned down by a giant boulder.

The dark clouds churned, seeming to hold a hundred thousand celestial soldiers and generals. They represented the Heavenly Dao, here to destroy every living creature. An utterly terrifying Holy Might descended, blotting out the sky and sealing the cosmos, driving all to despair.

"This is bad!" Inside the encampment, Wei Wenzheng and the others sensed it instantly. Their expressions changed drastically as they rushed out to look up at the sky.

The dark clouds surged like a turbulent sea, forming a curtain that covered the entire sky. It imprisoned the surrounding space-time, ensuring that not a single soul within the encampment could escape.

BOOM!

A thunderous roar shook the heavens and the earth. Its sheer force instantly caused many soldiers in the encampment to bleed from all seven orifices and die.

Pale lightning flashed from within the dark clouds, becoming the only light between heaven and earth. It cast a deathly pallor upon the faces of everyone below, making them look like Fierce Ghosts.

This lightning pulsed with a potent Aura of destruction. It seemed born for the sole purpose of annihilation, destined to destroy heaven, earth, and even space-time, reducing everything to nothingness.

WHOOSH!

The heavy clouds unleashed a torrential downpour. Ink-black rain cascaded from the sky, drenching the entire land in an instant. This black rain was saturated with a dense Death Qi that turned the ground pitch-black and extinguished all life wherever it fell.

More than twenty thousand soldiers were still inside the encampment. Drenched by the black rain, they let out piercing screams, but the cries did not last long. Death Qi swiftly invaded their bodies, draining them of all life until they collapsed into the rainwater as cold corpses.

Dark clouds, lightning, and black rain—all three descended at once, like an Apocalyptic Disaster intent on bringing ruin to the world.

Wei Wenzheng and the others had not even seen the enemy’s face, yet nearly all of the twenty thousand soldiers in the encampment were already dead.

Although these soldiers were all Martial Artists, their strength was limited; the strongest among them had only reached the Supreme Realm. In the face of such a cataclysm, however, even the Supreme Realm was not enough.

"What coward dares to provoke the Heavenly Sword Dynasty!" The Martial Might General’s heart bled. These were his soldiers, and he could not bear to watch them die one by one. His Holy Might erupted, and a silver spear beam shot toward the sky like a silver dragon, attempting to tear through the oppressive gloom.

However, the black rain fell in columns, lightning struck down, and the heavy clouds pressed in. The Martial Might General’s silver spear beam was instantly annihilated, utterly unable to resist.

The enemy was extremely strong. That single failed thrust was enough for them to deduce their foe’s terrifying power. Even the mighty Heart Sword Saint felt a profound sense of crisis.

"Do all of you from King Yama’s Palace enjoy skulking in the shadows, too afraid to show your faces?" Wei Wenzheng stepped forward, his voice ringing out, sharp and resonant.

There was no need to guess the enemy’s origin. Who else could it be but King Yama’s Palace?

But this foe is even stronger than the Hundred Poisons Saint. It’s not one of the Ten Great Yama Kings, but it must be one of the Ten Great Shadow Marshals.

"Where is the Nineteenth Prince? Have him come out and meet me!" an icy voice commanded. A figure slowly floated down from the dark clouds, materializing before them.

He was an old man in a black robe with white eyebrows. His face was resolute, showing no signs of age despite his white hair and beard. A profound and terrifying Aura burst forth from him, and with each breath he took, the very heavens and earth seemed to tremble.

White eyebrows and a black robe—these distinct features allowed Wei Wenzheng and the others to instantly identify the old man.

"The Black Cloud Great Saint!"

The so-called Great Saints were the cream of the crop within the Saint Realm, equivalent to the prodigies among ordinary Martial Artists. They possessed extraordinary innate talent and powerful strength, allowing them to fight opponents of a higher level.

The white-eyebrowed, black-robed elder before them was none other than the renowned Black Cloud Great Saint. His strength surpassed that of the Heart Sword Saint and could likely rival the Mysterious Great Sword Saint.

And this Black Cloud Great Saint had another identity: he was one of the Ten Great Shadow Marshals of King Yama’s Palace.

Within the grim hierarchy of King Yama’s Palace, below the Ten Great Yama Kings, were the Ten Great Shadow Marshals. All of them were Great Saints, each possessing immense power and the potential to achieve Path Enlightenment and become an Emperor.

The assassination of the Hundred Poisons Saint and the eradication of nine of their strongholds within the Heavenly Sword Dynasty were undeniable provocations, so the retaliation from King Yama’s Palace had arrived. Wei Wenzheng and the others knew why the Black Cloud Great Saint had come, but it was all too sudden. The world was still awaiting King Yama’s Palace’s official response, yet the Black Cloud Great Saint had already infiltrated the Heavenly Sword Dynasty and struck with the force of a thunderbolt, catching everyone completely by surprise.

It had to be said, the Black Cloud Great Saint was clever. The Heavenly Sword Dynasty was not an enemy to be trifled with. Though they had defeated the Nangong Imperial Clan a century ago, they had paid a heavy price. A full-scale war against the Heavenly Sword Dynasty would likely cost even more. King Yama’s Palace was not prepared for an all-out war, and a single Director was not worth such a conflict. Therefore, the best strategy was a surgical strike—to assassinate Su Han with overwhelming, lightning speed. This would preserve the prestige of King Yama’s Palace while avoiding the threat of total war.

"You have some nerve, daring to kill members of King Yama’s Palace. Today, none of you will escape. You will all die!" a sharp voice shrieked. A massive bolt of lightning suddenly blazed across the sky, illuminating everything as if it would cleave the world in two.

Within that gargantuan bolt of lightning stood a figure: a middle-aged man with a hooked nose. He wore a white Holy Robe, yet there was not a hint of sanctity about him. Instead, he radiated an Aura of destruction, and the dazzling electrical arcs framing him made him resemble a reincarnated god of lightning.

"The Annihilation Lightning Great Saint!" The Heart Sword Saint’s pupils constricted, his sense of crisis instantly doubling.

This was the Annihilation Lightning Great Saint, a powerhouse no weaker than the Black Cloud Great Saint and another of the Ten Great Shadow Marshals—a terrifyingly formidable foe.

"Rain is born from the heavens and dies upon the earth. None can escape this cycle of reincarnation. By setting foot upon this ground, your deaths are already certain!" A voice heavy with Death Qi drifted from the distance. Startled, the group turned toward the sound. Through the curtain of rain, they saw a figure slowly approaching.

It was a woman in palace attire. Her graceful figure was completely drenched, giving her a unique, seductive allure that could stir the heart and send the mind wandering.

But for Wei Wenzheng and the others, alarm bells blared in their minds. Their hearts seized in terror, as if they had just witnessed some horrifying entity.

"The Death Rain Great Saint!"

This woman in palace attire was also a Great Saint and yet another one of the Ten Great Shadow Marshals of King Yama’s Palace.

This time, there may be no escape. Wei Wenzheng’s expression was graver than ever before, his heart sinking into an abyss.

The Black Cloud Great Saint, the Annihilation Lightning Great Saint, and the Death Rain Great Saint. All three were top-tier powerhouses among Saints, each no less mighty than the Mysterious Great Sword Saint. With the three of them appearing at once, Wei Wenzheng’s group was utterly powerless to resist.

Is our situation truly hopeless this time?