Chapter 440 - 439: Speculation
"This... this power... How can this be...?"
The Earth Nether Ancestor’s eyes went wide as he collapsed. With half his body gone, he was completely immobile. They possessed no rapid regeneration abilities, and with their lifespans nearing their end, both their Recovery Power and Life Force were drastically weakened. Even minor injuries took a long time to heal on their own; only with the aid of Elixir Pills could they recover any faster.
But even with Elixir Pills, the healing effect was still painstakingly slow. Their bodies were simply in too poor a condition, rendering the elixirs far less effective than they should have been.
"There’s no ’how can this be.’ This is the fate of your Netherworld Empire! You were too tyrannical, too brutal. Now, I will deliver justice and eliminate you. This is the price you pay!" Yi Tianyun’s eyes glinted. ’Even the system couldn’t stomach it and tasked me with wiping out the Netherworld Empire. That just goes to show how savage they truly are.’
"Haha... Deliver justice? What a load of crap. The victor is king, and the loser is scum..." The Earth Nether Ancestor laughed bitterly. He couldn’t care less about being "tyrannical." His philosophy was simple: kill anyone who disobeyed and sacrifice anything for his own gain. It was as simple as that.
"’The victor is king, and the loser is scum,’ you say...? You’re not wrong. But a true king doesn’t build their throne on the suffering of the innocent. It’s about the contest between the strong!" The moment the words left Yi Tianyun’s mouth, without waiting for a reply, he thrust his weapon down and pierced through the ancestor’s head.
The Earth Nether Ancestor’s eyes bulged. He wanted to say something, but it was too late. His life ebbed away. The final look in his eyes showed not only hatred, but an even deeper sense of unreconciled bitterness.
"Ding! Successfully killed the Earth Nether Ancestor. Obtained 162,000,000 Experience, 43,000 Madness Value, and 15,000 Sin Value. Obtained Martial Arts: Netherworld Divine Palm, Netherworld Divine Technique, Netherworld Body Burning Technique. Obtained Items: Nether Array, Netherworld Fire (Mid-Grade Earth Level, Rare), Nether Soul (Rare), Netherworld Passage Key (Rare)!"
"Ding! Congratulations, Player ’Yi Tianyun,’ for successfully breaking through to the Third Layer of the Void Spirit Stage!"
He had once again gained a massive amount of experience, allowing him to smoothly break through to the Third Layer of the Void Spirit Stage. The two ancestors alone had provided over three hundred million experience. Paired with the experience from absorbing the Netherworld Fire earlier, he had rapidly advanced, making him even more monstrously powerful.
’My breakthrough speed is a joke. I reached the Third Layer of the Void Spirit Stage in the blink of an eye. Who else could possibly do that?’
’But I still didn’t get a bonus reward for fighting above my level. Looks like I’ll really have to kill a Spirit King Stage expert to get one of those.’
"Ding! Your Fiftyfold Experience Card has expired."
"Ding! Your Thirtyfold Experience Card has expired."
"Ding..."
One after another, his Experience Cards expired, all running out before he could kill the Netherworld Emperor. ’I let a huge prize get away. What a shame.’ He wasn’t about to buy a new stack of Experience Cards just for the Netherworld Emperor. That would be an incredible waste.
Unless, of course, there was a whole horde of enemies to fight. Then it would be a different story.
’The time is up already? What a shame...’
Yi Tianyun’s eyes flashed. ’This Nether Array is a menace. It has to be destroyed.’ A moment later, the Spirit Race Ancestor and the others flew over. Only now did they dare to approach. It wasn’t that they were cowardly, but approaching before would have been a meaningless suicide.
"Spirit King, you are truly incredible... You killed both the Earth Nether Ancestor and the Celestial Nether Ancestor! It’s simply unbelievable!" The Spirit Race Ancestor was utterly horrified, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.
The two great ancestors had been killed with ease. He had thought it would be a victory just to dampen the Netherworld Empire’s spirit, but Yi Tianyun had cut down the two ancestors as if it were child’s play. There was no struggle at all.
It wasn’t just the Spirit Race Ancestor who was stunned; Ren Long and the others were at a loss for words. All their earlier worrying had been completely pointless. They felt like fools.
"This isn’t the time for that," Yi Tianyun said. "Ancestor, can you and the other elders destroy this Nether Array?"
"It won’t be easy, but it’s not a problem. As long as no other powerful experts attack us, we can dismantle this array!" the Spirit Race Ancestor said firmly. They might not have been able to fight alongside Yi Tianyun, but they could certainly handle this.
"Good. I’ll leave this to you, then. I’m going after the Netherworld Emperor. He must have fled downward, which is why this Nether Array must be destroyed. If we don’t, it will grant him a significant power boost," Yi Tianyun said grimly.
He had witnessed the power of the Nether Array firsthand. It had boosted their strength by tens of millions. If it wasn’t destroyed, his task would become that much harder. More importantly, he wanted to avoid any unnecessary complications—the less power his enemy had, the better. He certainly didn’t consider himself invincible.
"No problem. Leave it to us!" The Spirit Race Ancestor nodded, but his expression immediately turned to one of concern. "But if you go down there, you could be walking into a trap. We have no idea what’s below. It could be anything."
"But if I don’t, and the Netherworld Emperor escapes, he could just establish a new Netherworld Empire!" Yi Tianyun’s gaze turned cold. ’It’s not an impossibility.’
’As long as the Netherworld Emperor lives, he can found a new Netherworld Empire! The biggest problem would be if he hides in the shadows, launching sneak attacks. An open spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. I have to be cautious.’
"Besides, his descent might not be an escape. He could be plotting something. He’s been avoiding a direct confrontation, choosing to flee or hide... I think he might be preparing for a breakthrough," Yi Tianyun voiced his suspicion.
’For the Netherworld Emperor to have reached this point, he can’t be a coward who clings to life. He is, without a doubt, a true emperor!’
’He wouldn’t just run away, especially not after only a few skirmishes. That’s not the bearing of an emperor. Therefore, he must be scheming to gain some new power, or preparing for a breakthrough.’
’When preparing for a breakthrough, you can’t afford to get injured, or the process becomes much more difficult. If he manages to break through to the Spirit King Stage, things will become truly terrifying.’
"Break through to the Spirit King Stage..."
Everyone’s expression changed drastically. To them, the Spirit King Stage was the stuff of legends. Breaking through to the Spirit King Stage meant entering a completely new realm of power. The leap in strength from crossing a major cultivation stage was beyond their imagination.
"If that’s true, are you still going, Spirit King?" the Spirit Race Ancestor asked grimly.
"All the more reason to go! I have to nip this crisis in the bud before he can break through to the Spirit King Stage!" Yi Tianyun’s eyes were filled with resolve. "Otherwise, none of us will be safe. I am responsible for my people!"
His words warmed their hearts. What more could they ask for in a Mansion Master? Other Mansion Masters disregarded the lives of their subordinates, but Yi Tianyun was different.