Chapter 1686: Confused Yan Emperor

Above the dim sky, fine black cracks suddenly appeared.

As soon as these cracks emerged, they began to spread wildly. In an instant, they covered the entire sky—and then the vast space encompassing the Yama Realm Imperial Region.

The central grand hall was collapsing, and dark storms raged, but Yan Jie, Yan Tianxiao, and all the Yama Devil cultivators who swiftly arrived froze in place. Their eyes were fixed intently on the black cracks in the sky, their pupils contracting violently.

Because... that was the Yama Realm Imperial Region's Guardian Formation!

The core regions of every star realm possess powerful protective barriers. The core imperial city where the King Realm God Emperor resides is undoubtedly covered by the world's mightiest barrier; to forcibly break through it would be incredibly difficult.

Its existence represents the King Realm's final barrier.

Yet now, the guardian formation of their Yama Realm's core Imperial Region, hailed as the Northern God Region's strongest defensive barrier, was... crumbling!?

The Yama Realm Imperial Region trembled, and so did everyone's hearts. Even Yan Tianxiao's eyes were instantly shot through with black and red blood vessels.

"Father!" Yan Wu arrived in a flash. She spoke in a deep voice, "What's happening?! How could the Yama Devil Grand Formation..."

Yan Tianxiao couldn't answer. His eyes were fixed intently on the sky above; more than anyone, he wanted to know what was truly happening.

Boom!! Another enormous roar exploded at the core of the Everlasting Darkness Devil Palace. The catastrophic dark storm also began to rapidly dissipate at this moment, while the cracks covering the Yama Devil Grand Formation stopped spreading, having barely avoided complete collapse.

It was like a nightmare that had suddenly descended and then abruptly paused. At that moment, Yan Tianxiao and everyone else's gaze fiercely turned towards the core of the Everlasting Darkness Devil Palace—which was also the entrance to the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea.

Because there, three hunched, diminutive figures slowly floated up, carrying a terrifying devilish might so immense it caused space and the world itself to instantly freeze.

At this moment, Yan Tianxiao finally understood the reason for the cracks in the Yama Devil Grand Formation.

Dozens of layers of barriers sealing the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea had all been broken through. Such a terrifying dark energy explosion was very likely a result of them being shattered in a single instant.

As the most crucial place in the Yama Realm, the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea's final and strongest sealing barrier was connected to the Yama Devil Grand Formation!

When this barrier was also shattered, the Yama Devil Grand Formation was undoubtedly affected, equivalent to having a massive hole forcibly carved into it.

However, in Yan Tianxiao's understanding, such power simply could not exist in this world!

Thus, this discovery shocked him even more.

"Old... Ancestors."

Staring intently at the three hunched figures floating in the air, Yan Tianxiao wasn't calling out; it was a low murmur. He instantly perceived that the aura of the three Old Ancestors was off. It was indeed the aura of the Yama Devil Old Ancestors, yet there was an indescribable difference.

In the past, when they occasionally left the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea to appear, dense black energy would always cling to them. This black energy would gradually dissipate, and they would have to return to the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea before it completely vanished.

But the three Old Ancestors in his sight had not a single wisp of dark yin energy connecting them to the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea. The dark aura on their bodies was clearly their own immensely profound Yama Devil aura.

And the barriers... they broke them?

"Old... Old Ancestors!?" Yan Jie cried out in surprise, his body instinctively kneeling in reverence.

Yan Wu also quickly bowed.

"Greetings to the three Old Ancestors!"

The dark storm had not yet completely dissipated, and everyone was still in extreme shock. But with the three Yama Ancestors appearing, the swiftly arriving Yama Devils and Yama Ghosts dared not show the slightest disrespect; they all immediately knelt down in obeisance.

Amidst his myriad doubts and shock, Yan Tianxiao was just about to bow when he suddenly caught sight of another black figure slowly floating up. It stood before the three Yama Ancestors, looking at him with a faint, enigmatic smile.

"Yun Che!" Yan Tianxiao's brow furrowed abruptly, his heart greatly shaken.

"What!?" Yan Jie, Yan Mo, and the others suddenly looked up.

No sooner had Yan Tianxiao's roar faded than a thunderous roar erupted: "Insolent wretch! Who gave you the audacity to call Our Lord by name?!"

Yan Tianxiao, who had just been about to ask a serious question, was instantly stunned into a daze by that furious roar.

Because the one who spoke was none other than the Great Yama Ancestor... Yan Wanchi!

From Yan Wanchi's furious voice, he seemed to hear... the words "Our Lord"!?

Before his mind could recover from its stupor, another roar rang out. Yan Wanhuo, his face contorted with rage, pointed at Yan Tianxiao: "Undutiful descendant! To be so disrespectful to Our Lord, yet you still refuse to kneel!"

Yan Tianxiao, the Northern Region's foremost Emperor who feared neither heaven nor earth, stood utterly dumbfounded. His vision swam with black spots, as if in a dream. His lips trembled, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

And at this moment, he also suddenly noticed that Yun Che, who had appeared, was actually standing *before* the three Yama Ancestors.

And with Yun Che's appearance, the three Yama Ancestors all instinctively lowered their postures slightly. Their heads were bowed, their gazes unwilling to meet his eyes, and even their furious roars carried a hint of trepidation. What they displayed was clearly a reverence akin to meeting a deity.

And then there was "Our Lord," uttered so clearly it seemed to rend their very souls...

Those were his three Grand Ancestors! The founding ancestors of the Yama Realm!

He was stunned, utterly and completely stunned. Mobilizing all his understanding and will, he still could not comprehend or accept what was before his eyes.

Not to mention Yan Jie, Yan Wu, and all the Yama Devils and Yama Ghosts.

They were either dumbfounded or their vision was hazy, because the scene before them and the voices they heard were simply too absurd.

"Tianxiao, are you deaf?!" Yan Wangu exclaimed furiously. "Kneel down, now!"

"Kneel!" Yan Yi demanded again.

The Yama Ancestors' prestige was ingrained deep into the very bones of every Yama Devil clansman. Yan Tianxiao's mind was reeling, but with a tremor through his body, he obediently bent his knees and knelt on the ground. The direction of his bow seemed more like he was kneeling before Yun Che.

"Heh, Yama Emperor, it's been ten days, I trust you've been well?" Yun Che spoke calmly. "The Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea truly is as interesting as rumored. This trip yielded much, and I must thank the Yama Emperor for making it possible."

Yan Tianxiao looked up, but did not respond to Yun Che. His gaze was fixed directly on the three Yama Ancestors, who didn't even dare to raise their heads while Yun Che spoke. He spoke in a voice clearly trembling: "Three Old Ancestors, this... what is going on?"

"Tell them," Yun Che said with extreme nonchalance.

"Yes," Yan Yi responded, then said, "Listen, all Yama Devil descendants! We three have been trapped in the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea, barely surviving for hundreds of thousands of years. Now, with rekindled aspirations, we have sworn allegiance to Emperor Yun as our Lord."

Yan Er said, "As Yama Devil descendants, you must obey the will of your ancestors and, like us three, pledge allegiance to Emperor Yun as your Lord. From this day forth, Emperor Yun's will shall be the Yama Devil's will. Emperor Yun's command shall be a decree from heaven, not to be defied!"

Yan San said, "This is the highest ancestral decree from us three, as the ancestors of the Yama Devils. No Yama Devil descendant shall question it, nor defy it! Otherwise, they shall be treated as traitors!"

Every word from the three Yama Ancestors pierced through their souls; each word was like a profound thunderclap from the nine heavens.

From Yama Emperor Yan Tianxiao to the guardian Yama soldiers on the outermost periphery of the Yama Realm Imperial Region, everyone stood utterly dumbfounded. Their minds felt as if countless black holes had been stuffed inside, devouring their wavering souls.

The three most highly esteemed Old Ancestors of their Yama Realm, the three guardian gods of the Yama Realm, had actually... sworn allegiance to Yun Che!?

And the entire Yama Realm was to consider Yun Che its Lord!?

Was this a dream, or an absurd joke from the heavens?

"Father, this..." Yan Jie was distraught and bewildered. He glanced at his father, only to find Yan Tianxiao trembling slightly from his pupils to his limbs.

As the Yama Emperor and the closest to the three Yama Ancestors, the shock he experienced was undoubtedly countless times greater than anyone else's.

"Have the three Old Ancestors... gone mad?" Yan Wu muttered in an extremely low voice.

"Three Old Ancestors..." Yan Tianxiao looked up and spoke, his voice agitated: "You... have you gone mad?!"

Yan Mo only muttered under his breath, but Yan Tianxiao shouted it out directly.

Because the words of the three Yama Ancestors were tantamount to simply handing over the vast Yama Realm to someone else!

He had already used profound energy to assault himself multiple times. The intense pain repeatedly told him that this was not a dream.

But other than dreaming, or the three Yama Ancestors having gone mad, he could think of no other possibility.

"Insolent wretch!" Yan Yi roared furiously. "Tianxiao, you brat! As the Yama Emperor of this generation, have you forgotten how to speak to your ancestors?!"

"No, how could Tianxiao dare to show even the slightest disrespect to the three Old Ancestors?" Yan Tianxiao bowed deeply, then said mournfully, "But... the three Old Ancestors are the supreme beings of this era; how could you possibly yield to others?!"

"The Yama Realm has stood in the Northern God Region for 800,000 years, stained with the countless efforts of our ancestors. Now, no one can shake it. Every Yama Devil descendant is proud of it. How could it... how could it suddenly be handed over to someone else?! Three Old Ancestors, you... how could you make such an absurd decision!"

"Absurd? Hmph, foolish!" Yan Er scoffed. "This Yama Realm was founded by us three. The ancestors you speak of are all our great-great-great-grandchildren!"

"Without us three, where would the Yama Realm be? Where would you undutiful descendants be?! The fate and future of the Yama Realm shall naturally be decided by us!"

Yan San said, "Our Lord, Emperor Yun, carries the Devil Emperor's inheritance and harbors a boundless ambition. We three survived in the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea for 800,000 years, all for this very day! We three founded the Yama Realm specifically to assist Emperor Yun in achieving his grand aspirations!"

"You have fully enjoyed the future empire that we three established. Now, are you trying to defy our commands?!"

When they rebuked Yan Tianxiao, their words were utterly severe, almost equivalent to outright scolding. But when they mentioned "Our Lord, Emperor Yun," they immediately displayed profound reverence, as if gazing up at a towering mountain.

Yan Tianxiao's vision swam with black spots. As the Yama Emperor, he was actually so overwhelmed that he felt dizzy.

"Oh, three Old Ancestors." Yan Tianxiao's voice was three parts indignant, seven parts pleading. He pointed at Yun Che and said sorrowfully, "Yun Che indeed carries the Devil Emperor's inheritance. But... but that is merely an inheritance! He is not the true Devil Emperor incarnate!"

"He comes from the Eastern Divine Region, and it's said his true origin is merely from a lower realm. How could you be so muddled-headed... What merits or abilities does a mere Yun Che possess to command such deference from the three Old Ancestors?!"

Though Yan Tianxiao was extremely grieved and indignant, he still dared not speak truly disrespectful words. Yet, he fiercely touched the three Yama Ancestors' reverse scales, making them erupt in fury. Their few remaining strands of hair all shot skyward amidst black light.

"Silence!" Yan Yi roared loudly. "How dare you be so disrespectful to Our Lord!"

"Wretch!" Yan Er exclaimed loudly. "Who gave you the audacity to humiliate Our Lord!"

"Impudent grandson!" Yan San said sharply. "Prostrate yourself and apologize immediately, or don't blame us for purging the family!"