Chapter 120 - 119

(AN: Thanks for the donation Alberto Rojas, I hope all of you enjoy the chapter and sorry for the delay ????).

Issei tapped his finger on the throne while observing the Divine Phoenix Empire group.

The Divine Phoenix Empire felt their heart thumped loudly in rhyme with his tapping...

Feng Xue'er was about to say something but she finally erases the thought... She can't keep asking for leniency at her Grandmaster.

"...To be honest, I didn't really need to do anything if I wanted for your clan destruction... And even if your clan vanished, there's still a second Phoenix clan ready to replace you." Issei said after waiting for a while.

Feng Hengkong raised his head feeling dumbstruck, he unconsciously let out a confused voice when he heard Issei's words: "Eh? What do you mean, your lordship?" Only after he let out his voice that he remembered how impolite he was: "Th-This subject apologize for his rudeness!"

He hastily apologized on the spot but Issei pays no heed to his outburst and calmly continued speaking: "What do I mean? Do you know what I discovered when I searched Ye Xinghan's memories before?"

Among them, there's someone who shuddered fiercely hearing Ye Xinghan's name being mentioned... He started sweating profusely and couldn't stop his body from trembling.

"You should know what I'm talking about right... Feng Feiyan, was it?" Issei's eyes homing in on one specific individual.

Feng Hengkong and the others also had their gaze locked onto him.

"What did his lordship mean by that... brother?" Feng Hengkong asked the trembling Feng Feiyan while restlessness started to creeping on him... Can it be...

Although Feng Feiyan was only seven years older than Feng Hengkong, he looked twenty or thirty years older.

"I-I-I..." Feng Feiyan repeatedly stuttered when he heard Feng Henkong's question.

"No need to fabricate lies in front of me... Unless you wanted to suffer the same fate as them." When Issei finishes saying that, they heard two shrieks coming from nearby Issei's location.

"AAAHHHHHH!!! IT HURTSSSS!!!" Both of them screamed in horror.

The onlookers' faces went deadly pale when they saw these two individuals. Aren't they Xuanyuan Wentian and Huangji Wuyu who just died? How come both of them are 'alive'? Wait... That's not... That's not their physical bodies but rather their spiritual body?! But there's something different about their spiritual body... they can't tell just what it is but there's something sinister about it.

Both of them are currently being shredded to pieces by the very same hand that was encircling Zi Ji not long ago.

Xuanyuan Wentian and Huangji Wuyu soul are shredded into pieces right before their eyes... Starting from their legs, stomach, chest, arms, and finally their heads...

If it wasn't their spiritual body, then perhaps there will be a large pool of blood in their previous place... The onlookers' had their whole body went cold when they saw the two poor bastard fate...

"So... Should I tell them myself or would you rather tell them yourself?" Issei set his gaze back on Feng Feiyan.

"I-I-I confess!!!" Feng Feiyan practically screamed in terror. He rather be killed by Feng Hengkong rather than having this Devil taking his life!

Then he confessed his little plan... He is the one who leaked out rumors that the Divine Phoenix God had died and transferred his legacy to Feng Xue'er. He sold out information about Xue'er's divine body to Ye Xinghan with the intention to curry favor with the future leader of Sun Moon Divine Hall.

He was going to assist Ye Xinghan in capturing Feng Xue'er within the Primordial Profound Ark. He wanted to take advantage of Feng Xue'er's trust in him as Great Elder of her sect then proceeded to land a sneak attack to seal her profound strength using the Phoenix Sealing Imprisonment Formation...

That way Feng Xue'er won't be able to put any resistance at all while Ye Xinghan will have his way with her...

Feng Xue'er who heard this news had her eyes widen in shock... She can't believe that her own family member she was trying to protect was going to harm her all along...

If it wasn't for her Grandmaster's prevention then her fate would've been...

"BASTARD! ANIMAL!" Both Feng Hengkong and Feng Ximing shouted in fury when they heard his confession.

Feng Hengkong becomes so enraged that he practically sprinted towards Feng Feiyan's location disregarding everything just to end this animal's life.

He wastes no moment and instantly lands a killing blow that blasted Feng Feiyan's head open just like a watermelon.

Feng Feiyan himself doesn't offer any kind of resistance since he believes that dying by Feng Hengkong's hand is a hundred times better compared to dying in Issei's hand... Which is true and might be the best decision he will make in the last moment of his life...

Issei then decided to just put a curse on the Divine Phoenix Empire. It's the same curse as the Phoenix clan he met before meaning that this curse will affect them the moment they do evil deeds.

Feng Ximing face become like a dying ember knowing that they've been cursed... That means that he can't have any more indecent thoughts towards Feng Xue'er...

Feng Hengkong and the other clan members, on the other hand, felt relieved... They basically got off easy if their punishment is just to this extent...

Feng Xue'er also felt relieved and she becomes very grateful for her Grandmaster benevolence... She wanted to hug her Grandmaster so badly for some reason but she manages to hold it in at the last second...

This is the first time she wanted to hug someone out of her own volition like this... Xiaotao who saw this act of Feng Xue'er smiled thinly...

It seems that her disciple is still too inexperienced... well, it doesn't matter. She's still young so she has a lot of time to grow.

He also told them to find the Phoenix clan and take them into their Empire.

The Little Demon Empress goes back to their for now while Issei told Xiaotao to take care of the rest while he headed towards a certain location. The location that he obtained from Xuanyuan Wentian and the others...

"...We have finally fulfilled our Frozen Cloud Ancestor's wish..." Feng Qianhui said softly.

Gong Yuxian who's beside her also nodded at her statement: "And it's all thanks to him yet again..."

"Indeed... The debt we owe him is too many to count... Aiii... I can only hope that we will be able to repay him in the future..." Feng Qianhui said with a sigh.

"Don't worry Grand Mistress... We can surely repay him and if not we can just follow him forever." Gong Yuxian said with a tinge of blush adorning her face.

"Oh? That's true... Heheheh..." Feng Qianhui giggled softly.

While Chu Yuechan's group also blushed at the thought. The other sect members such as Xia Qingyue, Cang Yue, and the others are kind of clueless about their whole conversation.

They only joined the palace recently after all so it's understandable that they don't know about this topic.

...

Black Fiend Empire, land of enormity.

Dense sinister aura and gray fog lingered around this whole place, and the sound of wind rang out incessantly, which bore a similarity to the cry of a ghost or the howl of a devil.

There was a huge jade coffin before his eyes. The jade coffin was semitransparent, and there was a barely visible black fog moving around within it.

Issei who saw this fog felt disappointed since this thing is useless to him...

"Who are... you!?" The gray fog inside the jade coffin suddenly started to sway, and an eerie voice rang out.

"You must be Ye Mufeng. The leader of the previous Eternal Night Royal Family" Issei said calmly.

"How did you know of this king's identity?! Are you one of those bastards that called themselves the sacred grounds!?"

The Eternal Night Royal Family was one of the Four Great Sacred Grounds, or in the past, the Five Great Sacred Grounds.

Among the Five Great Sacred Grounds, the Eternal Night Royal Family was the only family-oriented force. Unless they have taken in a wife, they would never recruit outsiders. Making them the most firmly united force within the Five Great Sacred Grounds.

They have the weakest strength in the five sacred grounds as the other four Sacred Ground heads acknowledge that the Eternal Night King the ruler of the Eternal Night Royal Family is weaker than them. Even though there may have been some friction amongst the Five Great Sacred Grounds, there had never been great grievances.

But after Xuanyuan Wentian, the current sword master of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region assumed his position he tricked the other Great Sacred Grounds into exterminating them under the pretense of protecting the Profound Sky Continent and that they where exterminating evil, only so that Xuanyuan Wentian could steal the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword from the Eternal Night Royal Family.

Before the framing the Eternal Night Queen had saved Mu Bingyun, the Frozen Cloud Ancestor, therefore becoming her benefactor. But when they were framed, her power was insufficient and was unable to help them, so after she founded Frozen Cloud Asgard she passed down the truth about the framing, which had long been lost in the flow of time, with the hopes that the future generations could avenge the Eternal Night Royal Family.

"I'm not. But those sacred grounds that you hated already doesn't exist in this world... well, only one of them exists to be precise but they're not the one you hated the most. The one you hated the most should be Xuanyuan Wentian and the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region... Am I right?" Issei's words made the black fog react intensely.

"You're lying! There's no way that bastard Xuanyuan Wentian is dead just like that!" The black fog or Ye Mufeng denied his words instantly.

"You should recognize this sword." Issei took out the sword he received from Xuanyuan Wentian's spatial ring.

"The Heavenly Sin Divine Sword!!!" The black fog shouted in disbelief.

The Heavenly Sin Divine Sword is also known as the , it is the only known Sovereign Profound weapon in the Profound Sky Continent. It was found by the Eternal Night Royal Family's Ancestor 10.000 years ago, nobody knew where it came from.

After it was found the Devil Spirit inside gave him one drop of devil blood and the Illusory Devil Tome of Eternal Night in exchange for breaking the seal on the sword. But Eternal Night Royal Family's Ancestor broke his promise and added several more seals and it became the Eternal Night Royal Family's forbidden Artifact. Because of this sword, the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region framed and exterminated the Eternal Night Royal Family.

There's a rumor that whoever can control the sword would be unrivaled in the Profound Sky Continent. It's kind of true but that's about it... In the upper realm, this sword is only so-so at most.

And the devil that was residing within the sword has been easily eradicated by Issei... At first, it tries to hide its presence but there's no way it could hide from Issei's discerning eyes. The Devil enticing words also couldn't sway Issei at all and it met its end just like that...

"And if that's not enough. Here..." Issei tossed a memory fragment of Xuanyuan Wentian's death towards Ye Mufeng's soul.

At first, Ye Mufeng went silent for a while five breaths... But then...

WOOSH!!

Eerie wind started to blow from all directions as the Soul Sealing Coffin suddenly opened up. The soul sealed inside the coffin immediately escaped out of it, and laughed out wildly in extreme joy.

"Hahahaha… Hahahaha…. A millennium, it has already been a millennium! My Eternal Night Royal Family had finally achieved our revenge! Hahahahaha, you old dog Xuanyuan Wentian, you get what you deserved at last! Looks like the heavens have at long last showed some compassion towards our clan! Hahahahahaha!!!"

His voice resounded loudly and in the next moment, his voice started to get smaller and smaller until it completely disappeared... He has finally found peace...

"...thank... you..." Before it completely disappears, Issei could hear a faint but relieved voice coming from above...

"...May you find everlasting peace." Issei muttered softly.

When Issei about to leave, he saw something in the coffin. It's a dark jade with the word written on top of it...

Issei inspected it for a moment before he tossed it away into his feeling disappointed that it's of no use to him... but perhaps he could use it for something later in the future.

Then Issei also disappeared from that eerie land... he's heading towards the next location received from Qu Fengyi's memories... A place called the .

...

There was a gloomy blue light that was intermittently flickering about five kilometers ahead of him. There was a small island that was nearly perfectly round and on top of the island lay a dome-shaped barrier that fully engulfed it. The gloomy blue radiance was coming from the barrier that engulfed the small island.

The ocean surrounding the small island had sunk so low that it formed a trench around it. It was almost as if the seawater was being pushed away by some unimaginable power.

This is the barrier that is used to seal the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest. The Moon Slaughter Devil Nest is inside this barrier.

This place is located in the ocean and it is more than one thousand five hundred kilometers away from the mainland. Normally, no one will approach this place because there are always disciples of the Supreme Ocean Palace keeping watch. Even if someone manages to enter by accident, the Sovereign of the Seas will be alerted immediately once that person comes into contact with the barrier.

But today there are no disciples that keeping watch of this place... It's because their palace has been besieged by someone just now... Even though this newcomer was planning to destroy their palace at first. Midway their impending slaughter, this newcomer suddenly stopped her assault.

That person is obviously Zin herself... She, along with a pack of profound beasts that is.

Issei then proceeded to land on the island...

"This place is not simple..." Jasmine muttered.

"Hm, I sensed a similar devil energy signature with that devil I just eradicated before." Issei nodded slightly at her statement: "...And something far more dangerous..." His voice turned a bit dire at the end.

Jasmine and Xun'er who heard his statement had their eyes widen in shock. Something even Issei considered dangerous?!

"...What is it Ise?" Jasmine nervously asked him.

"If it's dangerous then perhaps we should visit this place another time?" Xun'er worriedly advised.

"No need... If my guess is correct then this thing is just what I needed to help me recover. And this thing also shouldn't be able to harm me either but just to be safe, you both shouldn't exit the pearl."

"...En". Both of them nodded gravely at his words.

"And you shouldn't be too worried. I have my own methods of escaping that way you both won't be in harm's way." Issei reassured both of them.

"...I'm not worried about that... you should think more about yourself for once... dummy..." Jasmine said with a slight pout.

Xun'er also sighed wryly at Issei's words...

Issei doesn't hear Jasmine muttering and he calmly walks forward to enter the nest.

He doesn't do anything to the barrier that is currently protecting it and when the barrier comes into contact with his body, they offer no resistance at all and he easily go through it...

When someone entered the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest, it felt as if they had stepped into a desolate, icy abyss. A chill washed through them, body and soul... But Issei felt none of those things.

The sun was shining really brightly over the South Ocean. But, after he went inside the barrier, there's not a single glimpse of light that can be found... This place looks very similar to the abyss where Bai'er was. Complete darkness...

The dark energy in this place is extremely dense. Issei calmly absorbs every ounce of dark energy around him... It's like his body is a black hole that keeps absorbing the surrounding dark energy...

He's akin to a King of darkness with how the dark energy swirling around him... Even though Jasmine and Xun'er already saw this side of him in the abyss before, they can't still stop themselves from feeling awed by his sight... Truly a flawless sight...

"The yin energy in this place…" Jasmine's voice grew extremely heavy, and there are traces of disbelief in that voice as well, "What exactly is going on here!?"

Within the Sky Poison Pearl, Jasmine had a serious expression on her face: "This level of darkness energy... is even worse than that abyss! Just what sort of thing could release such an aura of darkness!" Xun'er also shares the same thought as her daughter.

"Um... That's because there's not only dark energy that is present in this place... but there's also a energy mixed in it as well." Issei said in a serious manner.

His fist unconsciously tightens on its own... Can it be there's a second Nyarlathotep in this place? Sure the amount of this 'thing' contain is not on par with Nyarlathotep's but it's still quite huge.

Compared to Bai'er from before, the amount of energy within Bai'er body previously was akin to a jar of water while this 'thing' is akin to a lake.

"Ah? energy? What is that?" Jasmine asked in confusion.

"Heeheeheehee… Kekekehahahaha… Huhuhuhu… Wahahahaha…"

At this time, an incomparably sinister laugh rang out from the darkness ahead of them.

"Hm? This sound..." Issei who heard this sinister 'laugh' let out a muse. He's familiar with this 'laugh' since this is the same laugh that he heard when he met Bai'er.

Up ahead, he could see a bright, pulsing, purple light.

The purple light gently flickered. However, that bone-chilling and terrifying devilish laughter had also come from that purple light.

"A Netherworld Udumbara Flower!" Jasmine shouted lightly. Seeing the flower blooming here is not weird at all considering just how densely packed with darkness energy this place is: "But it still hasn't fully bloomed yet... It is only half bloomed."

Within the deep darkness, the Netherworld Udumbara Flower's appearance was still clear for all to see, as if it was right in front of them. It was slightly taller than three meters in height, its stem and leaves were greenish-black in color. In the middle of that fantastical bright, purple light, a bewitching flower could be seen. Every petal seemed to be made of radiant purple jade, but the flower bud was still faintly curled up and the petals had not fully unfurled. Even though it had an extremely bewitching and enchanting appearance, it had not fully bloomed yet.

The Moon Slaughter Devil Nest was a desolate place, and the air was stale and stagnant. Yet the half-bloomed Netherworld Udumbara Flower gently swayed as it released a light purple mist that seemed to come from the underworld itself. And from time to time, it emitted that nightmarish sound that seemed to be a mix of both wailing and laughter.

And just as Jasmine had said, it had not fully bloomed yet.

But, even though this Netherworld Udumbara Flower had not fully bloomed, it looked like it would not be long before it reached full bloom. Perhaps it would take a few more days, or even a few more hours, for it to bloom.

Jasmine already obtained the Udambara flower and the other materials that she needed from Issei so she doesn't really feel upset or anything like that seeing this half bloomed Udambara flower.

She only needs to wait for a bit longer, around two or three years to completely erase the poison from her body and when that time comes she would be able to reconstruct her physical body.

Then Jasmine noticed something is hiding nearby their location: "Ise... There's something hiding there..."

"Um, I know. It's the owner of the similar devil energy signature from before and he's also the one who's releasing these dark energies in the surrounding but he's not the dangerous one that I mentioned. Just to be safe, remember not to go outside the pearl for now."

The surrounding darkness energy is indeed dense but not as dense as the abyss. And that's because the one who's releasing this dark energy is very weak, at most, it only has the strength of a monarch. And the real reason behind why this place becomes extremely dangerous was because of the owner of the energy that's hidden deep within this nest.

The one that's releasing the dark energy is still right above the Netherworld Udumbara Flower, roughly one hundred meters above it. It hasn't moved from its previous spot.

It is warily observing Issei since it saw that the surrounding dark energy isn't affecting him at all. This is the first time it saw this phenomenon...

But it shuddered fiercely when it saw that Issei is also gazing back at him.

"...Foolish human! You dare to step into this King domain!? Did you think that this King will let an intruder like you act however you want?! Know your place!" He lets out a hoarse and raspy voice that was filled with violence and arrogance.

He became angry thinking that he, the great Moon slaughter Devil sovereign just shuddered when he's gazed by this measly human who entered his domain.

He's so unbelievably weak right now that he couldn't even tell that Issei is clearly not a human... And this mistake will be the last mistake he made.

He was nearly five meters tall, black light radiating from his body. The devil's skin was a deep gray color while his hair was bone-white, trailing all the way to his feet.

At first glance, besides the devil enormous build and the dusky hue of his skin, his appearance was basically no different from a human's. And from a human's perspective, he could be considered quite handsome. Furthermore, he did not look much older than a thirty-year-old man.

"Noisy." Issei pointed a finger at his direction and there's a small black orb at the size of a marble slowly float forward to the Devil direction.

"Hahahahaha! What a laughable attack! You think this tiny black ball can harm me?" The Devil let out a burst of laughter thinking just how ridiculous Issei attack was.

"But it's quite surprising seeing that you could also control the darkness energy..." But then it muttered bewilderedly at Issei: "Well, no matter. I gratefully accept this small gift from you!"

He opened his mouth and proceeded to swallow the tiny black orb thinking that it could absorb the dark energy within it.

"Hmm, it tastes good but too bad it's too small... Hahahahaha!" It let out another laugh.

Issei raised his eyebrows seeing this devil's act...

Amidst his laughter, the devil suddenly felt an unbelievable suction force coming from inside his body.

"Now you can go and di- Eurgh...!!! Wha-What was...*CRRACKK* AHHHHHHHH!!!"

He felt an unbearable pain assaulting him from within. He felt his insides being wrecked upon by something foreign.

He continues to let out a gurgling noise while vomiting a large amount of dark blood: "Grrghhh, gah... *Splurt!*... forgive... me... take... it... *CRACK!* *CRUNCH!*" His body bends inwards because the black orb is forcibly twisted it from the inside out. It sucked in his entire body like a whirlpool of a black hole... well, it is indeed a black hole in the first place though...

And just like that, he joined the fate of the previous devil that Issei eradicated not long ago...

"..." Jasmine and Xun'er become speechless at this idiot act... How can someone be this stupid? Why would you swallow your enemy's attack? They've seen someone underestimating their opponents before but this incident just took it to a whole another level...

But then again... If it was Xun'er then perhaps she could handle that tiny black orb but that's because she has the inside her body. And although this devil also has some affinity for the Dark energy, it should still be weaker than Xun'er. Needless to say if he were to face off against someone like Issei...

After he killed the devil, Issei walks forward to the swaying Udambara flower... it sways its flower petal even more fiercely when he came closer to its location. It seems very jubilant seeing that the person it was trying to "call" responded to it.

Issei calmly plucked the flower and put it inside the to unite it with its friends...

What's left from the devil previous spot is the same tiny black orb Issei just released which also disappeared soon after... But there's something else left behind other than that... It was a round piece of black jade.

"What is that?" Jasmine asked suspiciously.

"..." Issei doesn't say anything before he took the jade with his hand.

It fit perfectly in his palm. It was heavy and cold to the touch and it was flawlessly jet-black all over. It was extremely smooth and glossy and he did not see a single marking or rune anywhere on its surface.

The moment the black jade came into contact with his hand, it let out a bright silver glow that illuminates the surrounding area.

Issei at first narrowed his eyes at this jade before he injected a tiny bit of energy into it. Somehow he can tell that this jade will only react to the energy... and he was right.

The silver light that had been radiating from it had now disappeared and it had regained its usual glossy black appearance. But above it, in the space between the floor and ceiling, there now hung a large cl.u.s.ter of silver motes of light which was rapidly diffusing, separating and twisting… In the end, it finally formed into several hundred motes of light that were roughly the same size. The shapes of these motes were different and they were all laid out neatly in the empty air.

"?!" Jasmine's gaze stiffened at this sight. These motes of light did not emit any sort of aura at all and if she were to close her eyes, she would not even be able to sense their existence at all.

These silver motes of light appeared to be coalescing into a bunch of characters but at the same time, they seemed to be one character as well. However, when Jasmine looked at them from left to right, she could not understand these words at all…

"...World-Defying Heaven Manual." Issei muttered after reading the text.

"What did you say?!?!" Jasmine let out a voice filled with shock and disbelief.

Even Xun'er covered her mouth in shock.

The is a legacy by the Ancestral God. It is divided into three fragments. It is said to be an all-powerful profound art created by the Ancestral God over millions of years. Legends said that she didn't want to see the fruit of her labor disappear but she was also afraid the profound art was too powerful. She divided it into three fragments and sent it to different corners of the Primal Chaos.

Deciphering the divine texts of the absolute beginning is as difficult as ascending to the heavens. However, if a mortal can cultivate the World-Defying Heaven Manual, he or she will have the possibility of becoming a True God. This was engraved on the totem in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning.

According to the records, two of the three parts of the Ancestral Divine Art lay in the hands of the god race, while the last one lay in the hands of the devil race. But in actuality, two of them had belonged to the devil race and one of them had belonged to the god race. It's just that no one knew exactly where the first part of it was... To think that it's located here... Jasmine thought to herself...

The other fragment is in the possession of that "woman" hand. She knows this since her elder brother is the one who gives it to "her"...

"This is great Ise! This thing is a priceless divine treasure!" Then Jasmine told Issei briefly about the history of the manual... With this, they will be able to stop that damned woman's plan from collecting the World-Defying Heaven Manual.

"...This thing is anything but a priceless divine treasure... It's a death trap." Issei said in a serious tone.

"Ah?" Jasmine let out a dumbfounded voice.

"Perhaps this thing will indeed help whoever could collect the three fragments and successfully decipher it... but when they 'gain' the 'treasure' within this World-Defying Heaven Manual... they will meet their end at the same time..."

"How is that possible?!" Jasmine asked in shock.

"Because as far as I know, this 'treasure' is something that could only be controlled by two individuals in the entire universe... The element..." Issei gravely said.

"Just what is this you keep mentioning about? How can you be so sure about it?" Jasmine inquired further.

"That's because I'm one of the two individuals while the other one is... the one who injured me to this extent..." Issei's words left both Jasmine and Xun'er speechless...

"'Before the great explosion of the Primal Chaos Dimension, there was no order in heaven and earth, no difference in light and darkness. The origin power of the world was bound by the heavenly law. Barren in the first era, boundless after a hundred eras and endlessly flourishing after myriads forth. The stars formed the universe, the fallen heaven formed the realms. All that was extraordinary were in the opposition, all prosperity was a mere illusion.' This is what's written in this jade..." Issei narrated the content of the jade for Jasmine and Xun'er.

"This jade explained the struggle for power that has been going on ever since the first creation of this world... The one who's able to reach the top is doomed to be extraordinary but it is a mere illusion, a fake. 'The great explosion of the Primal Chaos' is actually describing them being devoured by the very same strength they obtained... and this 'heavenly law' itself is just a 'system' which is created by the one who created this manual itself..."

"Now I know the reason why I arrived here is no mere coincidence... This place is, no, this world is the world where the element is born. The place where, my enemy, the first and the primal God of Chaos was born. This world is its birthplace, or should I say this world is her main 'body'... Am I right, Nyarlathotep?" Issei suddenly asked out of nowhere.

When Jasmine and Xun'er are feeling confused about his act, they soon heard a voice...

"...Ufufufufufu..." There's faint laughter coming from behind Issei... to be precise, from his shadow.

"Who?!" Jasmine said in an alarmed voice. This voice just made her hair stand on end.

"Aaah~ to think that I've been found this soon~... since when you discovered my presence, Dragon King?" The owner of the voice is none other than Nyarlathotep who was assumed to be dead by the others... Even Issei thought that he succeeded in killing her...

She emerged from his shadow and had a wide grin adorning her face... She put both of her arms around Issei's neck and put her entire body weight on his back.

Jasmine and Xun'er who saw this woman started to shiver uncontrollably... even their teeth also started clattering since just from gazing at her, they felt like their whole body and soul is being corrupted by some unknown energy.

Issei who sensed this immediately blocked their connection from the outside world. A normal person won't be able to handle the energy that Nyarlathotep is currently emitting... They will turn feral just like a crazed beast if he let it be.

"I didn't discover you right away... But my instinct is telling me that you're the one behind the sudden increase of my strength and only when I found this jade that I'm certain about my guess." Issei calmly answered Nyarlathotep's previous question.

A ten years difference in time is not a short amount of time...

"Oh? I thought it's normal for someone such as you to grow stronger and stronger?" She let out an amused chuckle.

"Not when the strength came out of nowhere. It would be even weirder for me to not be doubtful of it." Issei said in a cold voice: "And it seems my guess was right... You are the reason behind the increase in my strength."

"..." Nyarlathotep's grin grew wider before she let out another unrestrained laughter: "Fufufu... Uhuhuhu... Ahahahahahaha! Truly magnificent! You are truly the one being that couldn't be easily corrupted by something trivial such as this! You're truly incorruptible... How wondrous... How wondrous indeed! Ahahahahaha! Your attainment of is truly perfect!"

'Ahh~ How irresistible... He's so unbelievably pure that it makes me want to corrupt him so so badly~, I wanted to paint his whole being with my color~'. In Nyarlathotep's past experience, when she saw someone gained a huge amount of strength, they never question it and thought that it's their natural talent or something similar.

Their arrogance and pride will grow by a huge amount and even though they claimed to be a righteous person, they will be corrupted as time goes on... They will be drowned in their search for power.

Issei is the first person who's immune to this corruption... Looks like this tactic won't work either...

Even when she tried her best to suppress his 'love', it still didn't change his personality in the slightest... Although it's kind of irritating that she can't have her way with him, it's also kind of fun as well~.

"Did you know, Dragon King... Your 'love' is not enough to grant you full mastery over the energy... I know this because I myself also possess 'love' inside my body. I am the Devilish Bodhisattva that will savor all living things, without regard for whether they are sentient or not... and that is my 'love'!" Nyarlathotep said with glee.

"That's not 'love'... That is 'l.u.s.t'." Issei said dismissively.

What she has is not that kind of l.u.s.t but a l.u.s.t for battle and destruction... a l.u.s.t to 'taste' every living being power and souls...

"Perhaps... But the real reason why you can control is because you have already mastered the ." Nyarlathotep pointed out.

"This universe is the beginning of everything, the starting point and it is also the origin of all the laws and principles of the element."

"The , the , the , the , the … These are the five most basic elemental laws of this universe."

"The , the , these are the higher grade elemental laws that stand above the five basic elemental laws."

"The , the , these are the supreme laws of creation which stand above the elemental laws."

"And the origin of all of these laws, the law which stands above the supreme laws only second to the … ! Only those that have experienced life and death, having stepped across the dimensions and reincarnation itself could master ... Sounds familiar, Dragon King? Does it ring any bell in your memories?" Nyarlathotep asked Issei with a knowing grin.

"..." Issei went silent while he remembered his past... On his first and second life, presumably, he was Adan according to Eve... At least he can tell that Eve isn't lying when she told him about it.

On his third life, he experienced "Death" yet again when he saved Forzelotte. Then at that time when he's "reincarnated" by Rias Gremory into a Devil... when he's inflicted with Samael's poison and had his body reconstructed with the help of Ophis and Great Red... when he "reincarnated" into a Dragon with the help of Ddraig... The amount of times he experienced "Death" is by no means little...

And with the gift he received from the world, . The gift from Semiramis, ... Perhaps that's also why he's able to meet Semiramis... because her 'reincarnation system' thought that he's supposedly a dead person...

He thought that the reason why he can control the element was because of his 'love' but it seems that things are not that simple... Granted it helped as well but it's not enough to help him gain full mastery over the element.

Also, because of his 'love', those who are affected by his doesn't become a mindless beast but rather only a little lovestruck... At least that's what he thought...

At first, Nyarlathotep was curious about this as well but after she did some memory reading, she finally put the clue together and find out the real reason behind his mastery...

element is able to corrupt anything but it can't corrupt ... It can't corrupt what doesn't exist in the first place.

But the reason why the law of nothingness is considered weaker than the law of chaos was because it can't be used as an attack unlike the law of chaos... but it will make any attack impervious to the bearer of the law. You could say that the Law of Nothingness is the weaker version of the Law of Chaos...

"I too have also experienced all of the above, Dragon King... I am the one who is known as the once by this world inhabitants... It's been a very long time and I just remembered about it after I'm defeated by you..."

The was the first existence that existed in this universe. As the first being that existed here, she carried the universe's most original, purest, and strongest power. She was the absolute supreme existence.

Her power connects the entire universe. The power of this world was her strength. As long as this world existed, she would never be destroyed. They are one...

As time passed, her consciousness became more mature and she became a complete lifeform with very high intelligence. She created language, created the way that power works and is stored, in which all the creatures in the later generations could cultivate profound energy. She created profound arts that could maximize power. However, as the only existence of this universe, what accompanied her was everlasting loneliness.

All the life energy in this universe was connected and concentrated on her body. If she existed, no other beings could be born here. And so, after existing for a short ten million years, she finally made a choice to dissipate, spreading life to every corner of this world, allowing the universe to birth millions of creatures and the Era of Gods began from there.

Before she vanished, she placed part of her memories in eight pieces of life shards. In the end, these eight pieces of life shards were scattered into the Primal Chaos Dimension along with her disappearance. Four pieces fell into the Northern Primal Chaos and birthed the Four Great Devil Emperors who led the Devil Race later on. Four pieces fell into Southern Primal Chaos, birthing the four Creation Gods who led the God Race.

And perhaps because of a twist of fate, she doesn't truly dissipate... she regained her consciousness in the void and created a brand new element from the new law she obtained, the and with it, she created the .

Back then, this world is not known as the Primal Chaos Dimension...

As time goes on, she becomes stronger and stronger until her very existence is unrivaled... but with it, there's another unending boredom that crept into her being... and at the same time... a crazed madness of wanting someone who could satisfy her boredom... she also metamorphosed into something else, into something inhuman...

That's when she created the "World-Defying Heaven Manual" for the inhabitants of the . She separated it into 3 parts and scattered them throughout the corners of the Primordial Chaos... And Chaos happened across this whole dimension because of it...

The 'treasure' she scattered made them greedy and it created conflicts such as war...

Parents sacrificed their children for some benefits and vice versa... A Dao companion/husband and wife betrayed each other and so on...

This is one of the reasons why this universe is called the by many...

Sadly... Even after waiting for thousands of millennia, there's still not a single person who's able to master the . So she left behind a fragment of her body in this realm that acts as the "Heaven" that will continue to judge and search for the new bearer of ...

This world is the first and also the last world Nyarlathotep ever created.

She visited worlds after worlds just to find someone who could rival her strength... and if that world isn't up to her satisfaction, she will destroy it... From then on she's known as the God of Chaos by the multiverse...

"I am the center of this universe and this universe is my center. I won't die unless this whole universe is destroyed... Now how about it, Dragon King. Will you destroy this universe just so that you can kill me? Go ahead, I won't stop you from destroying it. I will even help you~. Or you can just 'devour' this universe and if you were to do so, you will undoubtedly become the strongest in the whole multiverse~" Nyarlathotep whispered enticingly.

"..." Issei doesn't say anything for a good while before he slowly spoke: "Tell me, Nyarlathotep... What did you do to me to have my strength increased like this? What are you planning?"

"Hmhm, who knows~? And do I seem like someone who had plans? I just do... things... things that I find amusing~" Nyarlathotep circled Issei's body and this time she hugged him from the front: "But since you're the only one who can fulfill my unquenchable longings and desires. You don't need to be worried about me harming you. You are unbelievably precious to me... We shall be as we are forever and ever~"

"So, how about it, Dragon King? Perhaps we could have another grand battle in this world and we can destroy everything in the process. That sounds great, don't you think so as well? Or perhaps... you prefer doing those 'things' you did with your loved ones?" Nyarlathotep made her clothes disappeared and had her bare body pushed up against Issei.

"I have to say that I do enjoy the sight of you and your loved ones being entangled with each other... perhaps you could teach me about it~?" Nyarlathotep licked her lips seductively: "I can do everything they do and all you had to do was ask me of it~... Perhaps I can replace your 'loved ones' position? You could just stay here in this universe with me and we shall conquer the multiverse and we can do whatever we want with it~".

There was never any living being that's able to come close to Nyarlathotep's main body and stay sane for a long period of time. They will either be a mindless beast that brings destruction or they will die being consumed by her ...

Issei frowned at her words before he proceeded to push her off his body: "Get off."

Nyarlathotep doesn't resist his push but she calmly floated above him letting Issei sees her bare body in full view...

"Oh? Is my body not to your liking? I thought I created a perfect body that should satisfy you?" She started to inspect her own body: "Or is it because my chests are not big enough? Some of your 'loved ones' indeed have a huge one but to be honest it would just hinder my movement if I were to make it that big. But if you want then I would make it bigger~"

Issei ignored her and set his gaze forward where the devil was standing.

He waved his hand creating a shockwave that destroys the rock formation ahead of him.

Bang… bang… bang, bang, bang...

The rocks continued to fall to the ground... Finally, after a few seconds, half of the pitch-black stone wall that was at the end of the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest had crumbled, shattered stones littering the ground.

Beyond that wall lay a black hole that gave off the feeling of a deep abyss.

"That is... Behind that wall, there seems to be another dimension..." Issei muttered ignoring Nyarlathotep who's currently resting her two big marshmallows on top of his head. She flailed her gorgeous legs behind her while treating his head as a pillow to rest upon.

"Hmm, maybe?" Nyarlathotep said offhandedly: "It's been a very long time ever since I returned to this world after all."

"...There's something hidden inside. Something that possesses your energy signature..." Issei said with narrowed eyes.

"Why don't you go in and find out?" Nyarlathotep chuckled at him.

"..." Issei thought for a moment before he calmly steps forward...

After he entered the world beyond the stone wall, he sees an object that was emitting the dark energy and dangerous aura... this object is emitting quite a huge amount of energy...

At the very least, it is only weaker than him and Nyarlathotep. If it were to run amock in this world then perhaps no one will be able to stop it... but it seems that there's some limitation that has been set on this object...

If Jasmine were to see this object, she will have her body frozen stiff in fear and shock.

It is an absolutely frightening object that would even cause the ancient true gods and devil gods to tremble... Its name is the which is ranked second in the Seven Heavenly Profound Treasures ranks. Although ranked second, in terms of destructive ability, the Wheel is even more terrifying than the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword.

It is said that the Wheel came into existence in the darkest place of the universe where the yin energy is the strongest...

It is in fact not a treasure but the most frightening existence with its own soul. It is still an object that requires a living being as a medium to release its full power but it possesses extremely strong spiritual consciousness and strength. It is able to control the living being and even devils.

When the Evil Wheel is activated, the voice of a baby crying echoes and spreads to every corner of the universe together with extreme darkness. The shadow and breath of death envelop every location of the universe. It can release the most vicious poison of the primordial world, , which killed all the gods and devils, causing the era of gods and devils to come to an end by extinction.

It is later revealed that it can not release this poison without using the Sky Poison Pearl as a medium... but this is yet another misconception... the real reason behind this misconception was because the Evil Wheel was far too strong to be activated by those who haven't obtained the energy needed to activate it.

The Sky Poison Pearl being able to purify any poison is not some empty words because it is created with the law of nothingness by none other than the Ancestral God or Nyarlathotep in the past. It serves as a trigger because they won't be able to activate the Evil wheel without it...

Its might and terror were not something any current living being of this world could imagine or comprehend.

After the end of the era of gods and devils, it had disappeared along with the Heavenly Punishing Ancestral Sword and never appeared ever again. However, in the past million years, humans had never given up the search for the Heavenly Punishing Ancestral Sword as they hoped to possess its invincible "Heavenly Punishing" power.

However, no one had ever tried to search for the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations because it would only bring about the world's most frightening catastrophe...

At this time, this frightening object that had vanished for a million years now has finally been discovered...

"...This thing..." Issei said in a low voice: "It contains a very pure energy..." He knows that it must be created by Nyarlathotep herself... There's no way an object like this is a natural phenomenon...

If not, Nyarlathotep won't say that he's the second being that could control the element.

"Ahh, it has been so long ever since I saw it... It sure brings back memories." Nyarlathotep said.

She created this object in the past thinking that perhaps with this object, she could increase the chance of the new bearer of to appear... but the result disappoints her...

In the end, she let it be without the intention of taking it back...

Although she said that it brings back memories, that is a lie since she barely had any memories about it...

"Sniff…"

The dark glow on the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations shook. In Issei's mind, a shrill yet soft voice that seemed to possess a feeling of being wronged, sadness, and pleading rang out, sounding similar to a baby's cries of helplessness.

"Please… Save me…"

A meek voice that caused one's heart to shatter in sadness pleaded softly… Three short words, yet they sounded quite shaky along with that overly tender voice. It sounded like an infant that had just learned how to speak.

"..." Issei silently observes the Evil Wheel.

"Please… save me… Bring me… away from here…"

The infant's voice brought more begging and even a slight hint of weeping.

The baby's voice now brought about more sadness and weeping, "I'm not evil… I'm not a… bad child… I only want… to leave this place… It's so dark, so cold, and it's always so quiet…"

"You're not going to save it, Dragon King?" Nyarlathotep tilted her head at Issei: "Don't you think that it's very pitiful? How about you give it some of your 'love'?" Nyarlathotep's eyes are slightly narrowed.

"As long… as long as you are willing to bring me away… away from this darkness and loneliness… I am willing to… submit to you…" The infant's pleading voice resounded once again.

"You... You're the same as me... Both of you are the same as me... My power won't be able to harm you... So you can safely carry me away from this place... please... save me... I will... I will be an obedient child... I will listen to all of your words..." There's a slight joy that can be heard from the infant's voice when it sensed a similar energy signature coming from Nyarlathotep and Issei's body.

"Ufufufu, how cute... It thinks that it is the same as us. Hey, Dragon King... Why don't you take it away?" Nyarlathotep gives a faint chuckle at the Evil Wheel words.

"..." Issei doesn't sense any evil intent coming from the Evil Wheel and every word that it spoke is completely true... but he can't decide if he should bring it away or not. Or should he destroy it instead?

He could not feel any cunning, fear or evil. Instead, he felt patheticness, helplessness, and sadness coming from it...

Seeing that Issei doesn't have any intention of doing anything, Nyarlathotep's eyes flashed briefly before she floats towards the Evil Wheel.

"It must be hard on you being an inanimate object after all this time... Here, let me help you with that~" Nyarlathotep lightly tapped the Evil Wheel...

In the next second. there's a huge surge of Dark and Chaos energy enveloping the Evil Wheel as a whole...

At first, it let out a horrified voice... but soon that voice turned shrill and jubilant.

When the whirlpool of energies disappeared, the Evil Wheel is nowhere in sight and in its place... There's a small humanoid girl that looks not older than five.

She has long, silver-colored hair and green colored eyes. Her most distinctive feature is a long strand of hair on top of her head which sometimes moves on its own... just like an antenna.

(AN: Ahoge. For those who don't know what that long strand of hair is).

She's seated on the ground feeling dazed while observing her brand new body just like a curious child... She tried to stand up only to fall down to the ground right away... but she doesn't give up and keep trying to stand up on her own...

"Isn't she adorable, Dragon King? If you don't want to bring her away then how about you 'devour' her instead? I reckon that if you were to absorb her then perhaps you will be fully healed?" Nyarlathotep said after she glomped Issei's back once again.

"..." Issei still doesn't say anything other than observing the Evil Wheel, no the toddler right before his eyes...

After a numerous attempt, the toddler is finally able to barely stand up on her own... Her body is still slightly shaking just like a newborn fawn, but soon she sets her gaze on Issei and Nyarlathotep.

Her eyes shone brightly before she started to take a small baby step towards their direction...

"The same... the same as me..." She mumbled joyfully with her hands spread out.

"Ah!" After a few moments, when she almost reach their location, perhaps because she's being too overly excited, she lost her step and fall face-first to the ground...

Issei who saw this reflexively catches her fall.

"..." The girl dazedly looks at Issei before she flashes him a timid smile: "Thank... Thank you..."

"You're not going to 'devour' her, Dragon King?" Nyarlathotep asked.

"I..." Issei went silent for a second before he started speaking...

...

-Three years later-

After Xuanyuan Wentian and the others had been annihilated, both the Profound Sky Continent and the Illusory Demon Realm eased into tranquility. All citizens of the Profound Sky Continent had long since known that the current hegemon was no longer any of the Sacred Grounds but the or to be exact, their mysterious 'Elder'...

The now has the same standing as the . And it's because the Blue Wind Nation Princess is the disciple of the ... Cang Wanhe couldn't stop himself from smiling for an entire year when he finds out about this...

The Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace had become the holy land to all of the continent's profound practitioners. Back then, very rarely would anyone set foot into the Snow Region of Extreme Ice and it's mostly males but now... the ratio has changed...

The past three years have been the busiest day for the ...

Mainly because there are so many female cultivators who wanted to join their palace and also because of how many sects wanted to gain their favor...

From the time of Issei's appearance three years ago, not even a day had passed. Yet this short appearance had caused the entire profound world of the Profound Sky Continent to tremble in fear and it caused dramatic changes in even the most isolated parts of the continent.

It is said that Xuanyuan Yufeng has also disappeared the day the is eradicated. Nobody knows just where did she go...

The high and exalted Four Great Sacred Grounds have reduced to just one sacred grounds left. The profound practitioners of the Profound Sky Continent who were present that day still had a profound feeling that they had not woken up from a dream, every time they recalled that day... where even the profound beasts obeying him like he's their king... where those from the treated him like their Supreme Overlord...

This was a result that had been created by absolute power… and it was a result that could only be created by absolute power. Granted he barely makes any move back then just the sight of all those armies ready to obey his order at any given time send shivers down to their spine. Not to mention he even has the exalted Phoenix God and also the Golden Crow as his servants!

Before it had even passed nine in the morning, there's already a large line of female practitioners lining up in front of their palace gate. Chu Yueli, Murong Qianxue, and the other palace disciples could only deny access to their palace per usual but the envious gaze those women had made them feel helpless but also smug at the same time.

There's no way they will let these annoying vixens bother their sect elder...

All of them raised their head proudly and it's not like they will dare to do anything anyway. If they wanted to stay then let them stay... Without their permission then they won't be able to enter.

There are many sects, palaces, clan masters that paid a visit as well bringing a lot of gifts with them.

The girls shamelessly accepted these gifts since there's no harm from accepting it anyway. They can just give it to their sect elder later on.

Meanwhile, the center of the attention of this whole commotion is resting in his room...

Issei is resting on his bed inside the palace when there's a small figure that manages to sneak into his room... The long strand on its head keeps wriggling around acting like some sort of an antenna.

This sneaky figure eyes glistened brightly when it saw its target. Issei sensed this newcomer presence but before he could fully open his eyes... The intruder wastes no time before it basically flew towards his bed accompanied by a loud shout.

"Yaahhh!!!"

*Poof!*

The intruder landed squarely on Issei's body: "Good morning, Father!" The intruder said with a giggle.

Issei who saw this intruder smiled wryly before he lightly patted her head: "Good morning, Nyaruko... And didn't I told you to stop calling me that..."

"No! Mother said that it's only natural for Nyaruko to call Father with the word Father since Father is Nyaruko's Father!"

Nyaruko is none other than the Evil Wheel who has been transformed by Nyarlathotep. Nyaruko is the name Nyarlathotep has given her... She said that since she can be considered as her daughter then it's only a given that her name should be similar to her.

She basically just combined half of her name with the word "Chibbiko(Tiny)", hence why she's named Nyaruko aka Tiny Nyarlathotep for short.

At first, Issei felt annoyed that Nyarlathotep used the nickname Kathryn used to call Gurigura but soon decided to just ignore it... Nyaruko herself seems quite happy with this name.

And because of Nyarlathotep's influence, she started calling him Father...

Issei has already repeatedly told Nyaruko to not call him Father over the past three years but the latter won't listen to his words... She would listen to most of his words just like an honest obedient child but not in this case...

Issei erased Jasmine and Xun'er's memories about seeing Nyarlathotep since it won't do them any good to know about her... They only remembered about the Devil.

Jasmine and Xun'er have already reconstructed their physical bodies as well. They're currently residing within the Primordial Profound Ark.

The girls from the palace were extremely curious about the girls that are surrounding him but they didn't force Issei to tell them either...

They do know that Xiaotao and Lieyan are a Divine being but that just made them adore him even more... They already think of him as a Godly being because of it. Which is not wrong...

They were nervous if they should treat him differently but seeing that there's no difference from the way he treated them after all this time, they finally also treated him the same way as before.

"Ufufufu~ That's right, daughter... He's undoubtedly your Father~" A sultry voice resounded from behind Issei.

"After all, if it wasn't for him then you wouldn't have been 'born'~" Nyarlathotep's blew at Issei's ear while encircling her arms around his neck.

"Get off. You're heavy." Issei said with an annoyed voice.

His interaction with Nyarlathotep after three years hasn't changed in the slightest... because he doesn't trust her in the slightest.

"Ahhh~ so cruel~, we've been together and also shared a bed for the last three years but you still treated me this coldly~ daughter, come and comfort your poor mother~" She said with a fake tear.

"Father, bad!" Nyaruko puffed her cheeks 'angrily' at Issei. Nyaruko is already used at this sight so she's not really angry...

"Sigh..." Issei could only sigh tiredly at their antics.

"Big brother! Let's play!" Hong'er popped out from the along with Bai'er.

"Ah? Little sis Nyaruko is already here? And the scary big sis as well!" Hong'er said while pointing at Nyaruko and Nyarlathotep.

Hong'er and Bai'er are unaffected by Nyarlathotep's since they both are linked to him.

It seems that because of it, they can also tell that Nyarlathotep is not 'normal'... If any outsiders were to see Nyarlathotep then they would, without a doubt, will say that she's extremely beautiful. To the point that they will have their souls stolen just at the first glance of her... literally that is...

"Uhuhuhu... Why don't you ask me to play along with you, little brat?" Nyarlathotep said with a faint chuckle at Hong'er.

"Don't want!" Hong'er said without delay: "You're too scary! And don't call me a little brat! Call me Hong'er!" Although she said that, her face doesn't show any hint of fear at all... It seems that even though she knows that Nyarlathotep is dangerous, she won't be able to harm her as long as her reliable big brother is here.

"Ahh~ how saddening to be treated as a monster like this~ well, I guess I will just go back to sleep~" After she said that, Nyarlathotep head back to Issei's shadow once again...

"Have a good sleep, Mother!" Nyaruko said with a smile.

Nyarlathotep waved her hand before she completely disappeared into Issei's shadow... Issei who saw this narrowed his eyes slightly before he heaved another sigh...

"Come big brother! Let's play!" Hong'er then excitedly dragged Issei out of his bed...

While Issei is being dragged by the three tiny tots. He started thinking that it is time for him to leave this place...

Although he enjoys his stay here... He needs to go back to his wives' side. He needs to go to the upper realm to hasten his recovery...

But he needs to say his farewell towards the girls first before he leaves this place. With their current strength, no one should be able to threaten them in this lower realm. As for Xia Qingyue... Perhaps he could ask the two "visitors" that are watching them from above.

...

High above the skies beyond anyone's perception, a pair of icy eyes that were like a quiet spring was silently watching the new Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace... This person felt a little stupefied at this sight.

She was dressed in white clothes that resembled snow. Her whole body was shrouded in dreamy mist and her face could not clearly be seen. Only a glimpse of a silhouette, that was ethereal like a fairy but also graceful like a phantom, could be caught by the eye.

A blue-clothed girl with an exquisite figure was next to her. The girl looked like she was only eighteen or nineteen years old. Her eyes were like ice crystals, her face resembled the first snow, and what surrounded her were floating ice spirits even more transparent than the world's purest crystals. She wrapped her hands around the white-clothed female's arms as though she was holding onto her carefully.

"Master, the appearance of Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace seems to be completely different from before. Did this disciple remember wrongly?" The blue-clothed girl was also looking at the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace below them as she asked in confusion.

"No." The white-clothed female whispered, "Not only Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace, but the aura of the elements here has also gone through a great change… cough cough, looks like, Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace had gone through an enormous change when we weren't looking... Perhaps some miracle happened and they somehow survived the prophecy... cough, cough cough…"

The voice of the white-clothed female was very soft and it faintly revealed her frailty. There were many painful coughs in between her few words. Enshrouded by mist, the paleness from the sickness seeped through her snowy face.

The blue-clothed girl said softly, "Over these years, this disciple has accompanied Master here three times and we see a completely different Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace each. Looks like Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace had always suffered setbacks during all these years."

"The worst is over. This time, not only are they reborn, there are big changes in the aura of many of the disciples. The Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace from now will only become more prosperous. Cough…" The white-clothed woman said slowly. Every time she coughed, her aura weakened a little bit more.

Although now they can see the palace, they couldn't see the Primordial Profound Ark above them... Issei lifted the illusion barrier surrounding the palace but in return, he put a new one on the Ark.

"Yes, compared to last time, their aura is a lot stronger... Perhaps even too strong for this realm standards... And also too fast..." All of the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace sect members have reached the peak of the Sovereign Profound Realm... And if they were to be brought to the upper realm then perhaps they will immediately enter the Divine Path straight away...

Their cultivation speed is too fast even for the upper realm standards and although she's curious about this, she doesn't have much time left so she decided to just let it be...

"All of them are already at the peak level Monarch… that's really fast!" The blue-clothed girl was even more shocked. "They were only at the Sky and Emperor profound realm when we last came here..."

"But with this... Master can also finally have peace of mind. Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace is really lucky to be kept in Master's mind." The blue-clothed girl turned her cheek, "Master, we have already seen a result better than the one predicted. Can we return now? The aura in this world is too contaminated. If we stay here for too long, it will worsen your condition."

"Cough cough…" The white-clothed female covered her mouth and when her fingers left her lips, there was a slight stain of red blood on the center of her palms. She clutched her snowy hands and covered the bloodstains. Looking below to the edgeless snow region, she said softly, "Xiaolan, stay with me here a little bit longer this time."

"Ah?" The blue-clothed girl looked at her with surprise.

The white-clothed female's gaze slightly dimmed and blurred like mist. "After looking back at my entire lifetime's rise and fall, it was actually here, where I had lost my memory and my divine power, that I was the happiest and at peace. In the years since I've returned to the Snow Song Realm, this damaged life of mine once more struggled on death's door for a millennium and there was not one day when I was genuinely happy."

"All these years, Ice Phoenix Palace used countless precious treasures to forcefully lengthen the life of a person bound for death. I understand that they are still respectful of me, but that is only because of Big Sister. I know everything about what they think and say behind my back." The white-clothed female closed her icy eyelids. "Before leaving this time, I have already left my last words to Big Sister: My time is up. I will choose where I want most to be my last resting place. Do not look for me."

"And here, might just be most suitable as my last resting place."

"Mas… ter…" The blue-clothed girl didn't cry or yell because of these words. Her eyes filled with tears as she lowered her head and started sobbing. She knew… everyone knew, that it was already a great miracle that she had made it till today.

At this moment, their bodies were close together and she was able to clearly feel how withered her life force was.

"Hmm, it looks like our visitor time is almost up..." Altair muttered in a low voice while observing their hidden visitors.

"Mhm." Esdeath hummed uninterestedly.

"...Should we tell Master?" Sirius asked.

The three of them are observing the two visitors from the nearby distance. Altair then received a message from Issei...

"No need... Master has already given his instructions." Altair dismissed Sirius's words before she informs them of what Issei just told her.

Both Esdeath and Sirius then nodded calmly... they just need to wait and it should be any second now...

"..." The white-clothed female let out a faint sigh. It was unknown what she was sighing about. She slowly turned around and then said softly, "Xiaolan, let's go."

"Ah? Go?" The blue-clothed girl was stunned.

"This place… I can finally stop worrying about it now." The white-clothed female closed her eyes. "As for the last place, I wish to have a look at the Cold Star Realm again."

"Master…" The blue-clothed girl's limpid eyes suffused with mist once more. She only gently nodded, "The Dimensional Jade ought to have enough power to go to the Cold Star Realm once. This disciple… this disciple will immediately head there with Master."

The blue-clothed girl shifted to the side, as though she did not have the heart to give the white-clothed female's deathly pale complexion another glance. When she extended both hands, a jade-colored round stone slowly appeared. She closed her eyes and a mysterious power silently circulated. The round stone immediately released a dim radiance as a bizarre profound formation slowly spread out.

"Cough, cough cough…"

The white-clothed female let out painful coughs as her jade hands pressed at her chest. At the same time, scarlet blood instantly gushed from the corner of her mouth, dyeing the chest area of her snowy clothes. It was this smear of blood that caused the last faint color on her face to disappear, leaving barely any color behind. The light in her icy eyes quickly dulled as her body, which had been enshrouded by icy mist, violently swayed. Then, after losing the power to stay afloat, she fell.

"M-Master!!!"

The sound of something falling behind her made the blue-clothed girl turn around, then pale with fright. She wanted to pounce forward to retrieve her master but the Dimensional Jade in front of her had just opened halfway and forcibly pulled her into place. The blue-clothed girl was as impatient as fire as she acted in a flurry. It was only after several breaths later, when the Dimensional Jade's power withdrew, that she charged straight down with an alarmed cry and at this point, the white-clothed female had already dropped quite far...

"It's time." Altair said.

The three of them flew over, Sirius firmly catches the snowy silhouette that had been in mid-fall.

The woman in her embrace seemed to be a fairy of peerless beauty who had come from the peak of an ice mountain. Her snowy flesh shone with the l.u.s.ter of ice and seemed to glow with an almost transparent jade light.

Though her complexion was incredibly pale and the pain in her face had yet to dissolve, her beauty was still one that even the best painting in the world would find hard to portray. The eyes beneath her slightly knitted slender brows were closed and her full, snow-white lips were slightly opened… she had already completely lost consciousness.

"Master!!!" The terribly panicked voice of a girl quickly approached from above. The blue-clothed girl becomes alarmed seeing three women appear out of nowhere and what's even worse is that they have her Master with them.

"W-W-Who are you?! Let go of my Master!" The blue-clothed girl said nervously.

"Greetings, honored visitors from the upper realm... Our Master wants to have a word with the two of you." Esdeath said with a smirk.