"On me?"
Ye Fan looked at himself but saw nothing remarkable. Besides, I have no quarrel with the Netherworld Ghost Clan. There’s no reason for them to seek me out!
"Although the Holy Clan annihilated my Evil Clan back then, there was one very important detail they missed: they never found the Divine Talisman!" Evil You Ancestor explained.
Ye Fan blurted out, "Are they also looking for the Divine Talisman?"
"That’s right. As the foremost of the Ancient Four Spiritual Artifacts, the Divine Talisman’s importance isn’t limited to restraining my Evil Clan! Within it lies the secret to reaching the peak of cultivation, allowing one to stand as tall as the heavens. Whoever obtains the Divine Talisman will become the master of heaven and earth!"
"Therefore, I suspect the Netherworld Ghost Clan is pursuing my Evil Clan because of the Divine Talisman. After all, when my people fled, we took the Divine Talisman with us."
"Then, by a twist of fate, it appeared on you. As long as they haven’t found the Divine Talisman, they will definitely return to this world!"
Hearing Evil You Ancestor’s explanation, Ye Fan knew the pressure on him had grown even greater. As things stood, the Netherworld Ghost Clan was not an enemy he could withstand, especially since they had Ancestor Realm experts in their ranks.
Evil You Ancestor continued, "You don’t need to worry too much. As long as the Ancestor of Netherworld doesn’t personally intervene, I can rally the old forces of the Evil Clan. Together with the power of your Divine Domain, we can certainly put up a fight against the Netherworld Ghost Clan. So, we don’t have much time. I’ll leave that Crownless God Monarch to you. Otherwise, if the Netherworld Ghost Clan attacks the Divine Domain, we’ll be in for a world of hurt!"
Although Evil You Ancestor’s words seemed to talk up his enemies while diminishing his own side, there was no denying that everything he said made sense.
Ye Fan replied, "Elder, rest assured. I will handle the Crownless God Monarch. Perhaps after I break through to the Subcestor Realm, I’ll have a better chance in a fight against the Netherworld Ghost Clan!"
"Mm-hm! As long as the Gun God doesn’t step into the Emperor Realm, he will certainly be no match for you within the same realm!" Evil You Ancestor encouraged him.
Ye Fan nodded, and the two parted ways at the summit of Spirit Mountain.
Ye Fan didn’t head back immediately. Just then, the Seven-Colored Demon Empress arrived. Ever since the Demon Clan’s calamity, she had been shrouded in a deep sorrow that seemed to spring from the depths of her heart. After all, the master she had trusted most had nearly killed her.
"I thought it was all over," the Seven-Colored Demon Empress said, "but in reality, it hasn’t truly ended."
"You’re right," Ye Fan replied. "After this calamity, what do you plan to do?"
The Seven-Colored Demon Empress declared, "Right now, I just want to manage the Demon Clan well. As a member of the Demon Clan, I must naturally give my all for my people!"
"Good! It’s always better to have a clear goal!" Ye Fan smiled.
"Where do you plan to go?" she asked.
"First, I need to flush out that Crownless God Monarch fellow, and then prepare to break through to become a Subcestor. There’s a mountain of trouble waiting for us in the future. Moreover, Senior Divine Dragon died at the hands of the Netherworld Ghost Clan. Sooner or later, they will invade this world again, and that will be the cruelest of times!" Ye Fan explained.
"You should count me in!" the Seven-Colored Demon Empress said. "As long as I can refine the heart of Spirit Mountain, I, too, can become a Subcestor. In the battles to come, you won’t be alone."
Ye Fan sighed with emotion, then pulled her into his embrace.
***
Back in the Outer Realm, Ye Fan gathered several of the Main Gods and told them everything that had occurred on Demon Mountain.
The Great Wilderness Main God spoke first. "That old fellow is the most ruthless person from the Divine Monarch Mansion. With him still alive, we’re in a terrible predicament!"
"The problem is, we can’t find any trace of him," the Red Sand Main God added. "As it stands, in the entire Divine Domain, our Junior Brother is probably the only one who can defeat him."
Ye Fan said, "If he goes into hiding, we certainly won’t be able to find him. This guy is simply too cunning. Luring him out won’t be an easy task!"
This presented a difficult problem for everyone. To beings of their power, the Divine Domain wasn’t that large, but the Crownless God Monarch was a master of concealment. If he changed his appearance and hid his strength, he could be right under their noses and they would never know. Furthermore, he was a Divine Monarch to begin with, and after absorbing the powers of the Undying Phoenix and the Absolute Cold God Monarch, he would only be stronger now.
Once he steps into the Subcestor Realm, killing him will be incredibly difficult. At that point, it will no longer be a matter of the Righteous Divine Lineage hunting him down. Instead, the entire lineage will have to be on guard against his surprise attacks.
"Where would he go?" the Slaughter God asked.
"Where do you think he’d go?" the Great Wilderness Main God retorted.
"How would I know? If it were me, I’d find some unknown place to hide. Once my strength broke through, I’d come back for revenge!" the Slaughter God replied immediately.
The Great Wilderness Main God said, "The most dangerous place is often the safest one, and that fits the Crownless God Monarch’s personality perfectly. Therefore, he might already be hiding in one of the territories under our control. In the short term, he definitely won’t slip up. But give him enough time, and besides you, Ye Fan, he’ll have the power to kill any one of us in an instant!"
The Great Wilderness Main God’s analysis was very logical.
Ye Fan spoke up, "It seems we can’t just sit here and wait to be killed. We must take the initiative. The world is vast, but everyone has a weakness, and the Crownless God Monarch is no exception! If I were him, I would contact my old subordinates and start gathering power. Once my own strength reached a new level and my forces were consolidated, that would be the perfect moment to strike!"
The other Main Gods nodded in agreement, and they began to formulate a meticulous plan.
***
Tianzhou was once the center of the Divine Domain—the center of its prosperity and the seat of the Divine Monarch Mansion. The area was now controlled by the Righteous Divine Lineage, which had suppressed the final vestiges of the Evil God lineage.
Here, too, was Tianzhou Prison, known as a place that could imprison even gods. The inmates were all experts from the Evil God lineage with a rank of Divine General or higher, so security was incredibly tight.
Tianzhou Prison was built deep underground, a place of absolute, boundless darkness. After all, the Martial Artists imprisoned within were no ordinary folk. They were villains who had once slaughtered innocent civilians. The prison also held a recently captured Main God from the Evil God lineage—or rather, a hidden one. He had remained in seclusion since the Middle Ages, and very few knew his true strength.
He was the Death God, a cruel Main God who cultivated using the Power of Death as his fundamental energy. He was discovered by the three great Evil Clan Divine Beasts and captured after a fierce battle. They hadn’t killed him at the time, merely sealed his Spiritual Spring.
Watching the surrounding prisoners wail, a look of contempt crossed the Death God’s face. They were once influential experts. It’s hardly surprising they’ve been imprisoned like this.
At that moment, a determined glint appeared in the Death God’s eyes. He knew an old acquaintance had arrived.
A figure in a gray robe slipped past all the defenses and appeared before his cell. Several Divine Generals imprisoned with him immediately began to wail, begging the figure to free them from this sunless pit. But with a flick of his hand, the visitor caused the Divine Generals to explode into a bloody mist.
"You’re here," the Death God said with a laugh.
The man struck the Death God with a palm, blasting a hole through his body and sending him flying backward to slam against the ground. Yet, a smile remained on the Death God’s face.
"What are you laughing at?" the visitor asked.
"There’s no need to test me. All my meridians have been sealed. I’m nothing but a cripple now, unless my Spiritual Spring can be unsealed," the Death God said. "I knew you’d come for me. Who would willingly stay in this sunless pit? If I couldn’t escape, I would have killed myself by now."
The person threw back his hood, revealing the face of a young expert whose features were strikingly similar to the Crownless God Monarch’s.