Chapter 1786: End Song Prelude

"Cultivating inner peace and understanding the Dao?" Yun Che scoffed, "He's just another old fossil who hid away and only crawled out with his tail between his legs when his nest was about to be overturned!"

Even after "departing" for many years, Nangui Zhong was once the Emperor of the Southern Sea and the ruler of the Southern Divine Region. How could the God Realm dare to forget his prestige? Today, he had reappeared like a myth, his immense, star-like aura even more imposing than before. Yet, what greeted him was not the bowing reverence of all beings, but the nightmarish devastation of the Southern Sea and the merciless mockery of a junior.

"Hmph, as expected," Qianye Ying'er murmured. She was not particularly surprised that Nangui Zhong was still alive. For powerful individuals who stood at the pinnacle of the profound way and had experienced countless eras, their greatest desire in their later years was often to explore the world beyond the limits of the profound way. They would, therefore, feign "death" to withdraw from the world and seek enlightenment. There were many such precedents in the history of the God Realm. Unfortunately, none of them, even after retreating until their lifespan ended, ever managed to glimpse the ultimate profound way as they wished.

"Yun... Che!!" Nan Wansheng slowly raised his head, blood furiously gushing from his seven orifices, indicating the depth of his rage and hatred. "This King... will personally... you... Ugh!" His vision momentarily blackened. He gritted his teeth, barely managing to suppress the reverse-flowing blood that nearly burst forth. Although Nan Wansheng had been arrogant his entire life, he held his father in extreme reverence. Given his father's status and prestige, who in this world would dare to insult him so?

Nangui Zhong cast a deep glance at Yun Che, then lowered his eyes to the Southern Sea God Emperor. "Wansheng, your father spent tens of thousands of years cultivating your temperament, yet now it has crumbled to this extent. Even if the Southern Sea were perfectly intact today, you would still be utterly defeated before Yun Che."

"... " Nan Wansheng slowly closed his eyes and said, "Father, your son is useless. Because of a moment's apprehension, I used the Sea God Cannon. For this grave sin... your son is ashamed to face the ancestors, ashamed to face the Southern Sea."

Nangui Zhong, however, shook his head and slowly said, "I witnessed everything today. Had it been me, facing such an arrogant devil, I would have made the same choice as you. Otherwise, regarding the Sea God Cannon, I would have already sent a voice transmission to stop you... Your defeat is not unjust."

Indeed, the forbidden power that transcended limits, the Sea God Cannon, which even the Dragon Monarch dared not approach when entering the Southern Sea, had its power instantly turned back, striking the Southern Sea God Emperor and his divine region... Nan Wansheng could not have imagined it, Nangui Zhong could not have imagined it, and even if all the ancestors of the Southern Sea God Realm were resurrected and present, they absolutely could not have imagined it.

"Alas." Instead of striking out in anger, Nangui Zhong let out a long sigh and said, "Senior Wugu, Brother Bingzhu, you were both once Brahma Emperors who looked down upon the cosmos, and both were highly respected by this old man. Why are you now associating with such extremely evil individuals who have fallen deep into the demonic path and are causing chaos in the world? Are you truly willing to commit a sin that cannot be redeemed for ten thousand generations?"

Qianye Wugu's face was unruffled as he calmly replied, "In my youth, I believed I deeply understood right from wrong, good from evil. However, as my lifespan extended and great changes occurred, the lines between right and wrong, good and evil, have only become blurrier."

"When the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor broke through the boundary and appeared, she ultimately caused no calamity but revealed the myriad aspects of living beings. The right and wrong, good and evil in my eyes were once again confused and overturned within these few short years."

Nangui Zhong: "..."

"Guizhong," Qianye Wugu said, using his seniority to address him by name, "Between our two sides, who is good and who is evil, who is right and who is wrong – can you, who have been secluded for ten thousand years, truly see clearly?"

"... " Nangui Zhong was silent for a moment, seemingly in thought, then said, "Very well, given the current state of my Southern Sea, it is indeed difficult to sustain further damage."

"Devil Master," he said, looking at Yun Che, his voice softening, "The Southern Sea and you indeed have grievances, but there is no irreconcilable hatred in this world. Even if my Southern Sea has suffered heavy losses, if we were to truly engage in a frontal battle, we would certainly be able to inflict severe damage upon you. Moreover, there are three Southern Region God Emperors by your side. I believe the Devil Master is aware of this."

"Oh?" Yun Che quirked an eyebrow.

"The outcome for the Southern Sea today was caused by Wansheng's use of the Southern Sea Cannon, and is not directly related to the Devil Master and your group." Nangui Zhong's voice softened slightly further, his hands silently clenching. "However, for offending the Devil Master, my Southern Sea will offer an explanation. Please state your terms, Devil Master; my Southern Sea will certainly fulfill them, and for the next ten thousand years, we will absolutely not be your enemy from the Northern Divine Region!"

"Father King!?" Nan Wansheng abruptly turned his head, and the faces of the other Southern Sea cultivators also changed dramatically. The Southern Sea had just suffered such heavy losses and humiliation under Yun Che's cunning plot, and Nangui Zhong, who had just appeared... was actually going to concede and accept defeat.

Nangui Zhong forcefully stretched out a hand, firmly suppressing Nan Wansheng's agitated aura, his voice as deep as an abyss: "In this way, the Devil Master gains all advantages without expending a single soldier, leaving my Southern Sea with great humiliation and completely solidifying the Devil Master's prestige. The Devil Master surely has no objections, right?"

Nan Wansheng trembled all over, his contorted face almost crushing his forehead, but he ultimately remained silent. He knew that the Southern Sea truly could not endure any more damage now, and what Nangui Zhong had decided was the most humiliating, yet the most rational choice.

Simultaneously with a rumbling sound, three bursts of violently erupting dark aura arrived.

"Wh-what!?" Everyone in the Southern Sea was utterly horrified, and the composure on Nangui Zhong's face vanished instantly. These dark auras came from three directions and numbered just over thirty individuals. Though few, every single one possessed the aura of a Divine Master! The strongest among them was astonishingly another Level Ten Divine Master! They had been completely undetected until now!

And the direction from which the dark rumbling came was clearly...

"This... this is bad!" Emperor Xuanyuan felt a chill run down his spine.

"This... how could this happen!" Emperor Ziwei's hands and feet also turned cold. "When did they..."

The spatial profound formations connecting the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm, the Xuanyuan Realm, and the Ziwei Realm to the Southern Sea God Realm were simultaneously destroyed by dark power. This cut off the Southern Sea God Realm's reinforcements... and even its retreat path.

It was common knowledge among profound practitioners of the God Realm that devils found it difficult to conceal their dark aura. However, the devils "purified" by Yun Che through the Dark Everlasting Tribulation could perfectly conceal their dark aura. This "information asymmetry" was the most crucial factor in the Northern Divine Region catching the Eastern Divine Region off guard.

When Chi Wuyao attacked the Eternal Heaven God Realm, she first lured out nearly half of the Eternal Heaven Realm's core fighting force, then destroyed its spatial profound formations to cut off its support and escape routes, before proceeding with a cruel yet satisfying slaughter within the Eternal Heaven Realm.