Chapter 980: Immortality, So What

"I'm genuinely curious how you ended up here, and why you orchestrated such an elaborate deception, tricking everyone in the Western Regions, to reach the Endless Sea and even assemble this naval fleet. What exactly is your objective? Based on my assessment, you must possess an extremely crucial secret that compelled you to abandon half of the Western Regions just to get here."

Xu Yang's intuition and judgment were often exceptionally accurate. Considering the situation from the perspective of another high-ranking individual, he knew that without a sufficiently powerful driving force or a deeper, more profound desire on the Western Emperor's part, such an extreme course of action would never have been chosen.

The Western Emperor slowly raised his head and stood up. Although he was merely a skeletal frame supporting his soul, his spiritual power was overwhelmingly strong, almost suffocating. Even Xu Yang, immensely powerful himself, sensed that the Western Emperor's spiritual energy had reached the soul strength of a Purple-tier spiritual cultivator. While this was far from enough to threaten Xu Yang, from a broader perspective, the Western Emperor at this moment was undoubtedly a figure of paramount power.

"With your intelligence, you managed to enter the Western Emperor's Tomb; how could you not guess my purpose? The reason is simple: my soul is already immortal. However, my physical body is far from capable of containing my current immense power. I yearn for a powerful physical body that can perfectly match my soul. Only with a sufficiently strong physical foundation can I achieve my ambitions and fulfill my desires. My previous, already decayed vessel, like the withered corpse you found in the Western Emperor's Tomb, was nothing but a hinderance. That's why I embarked on a journey to Demon Dragon Island in the Endless Sea, hoping to achieve my goal there: to acquire a body strong enough to house my almost perfect immortal soul. It's as simple as that."

Xu Yang nodded, a half-smile on his face. "Hearing you say that, it differs slightly from my initial assessment. Even if you obtain a sufficiently powerful physical body, then what? Will you cultivate the world's most powerful techniques and then unify the entire Yingzhou Continent?"

The Western Emperor nodded gravely.

"You've guessed correctly, young man. For someone with an immortal soul, failing to achieve dominion over the entire world would be the greatest insult to the very concept of immortality! I must fulfill this promise, to reign over the entire Yingzhou Continent as the sole emperor, the divine representative of this world."

However, Xu Yang burst into laughter, his laughter filled with mockery and disdain for the other party. The Western Emperor seemed greatly displeased.

At that moment, the Western Emperor's demeanor and expression towards Xu Yang immediately turned cold. He gazed icily at this arrogant, unrestrained, yet incredibly powerful young man.

"What is the meaning of this attitude? Do you believe I cannot achieve this goal? No one in this world can extinguish my soul. If I don't strive for this, then what purpose does my existence in this world serve?"

Xu Yang, however, shook his head with an indifferent expression. "If every being with immortal power harbored thoughts like yours, this world would likely have ceased to exist long ago. To you, the power of immortality should be a supreme honor. You should uphold this honor to further realize your life's value, not to endlessly satisfy your desires! With your mindset, even if you truly achieve all your goals and eventually unify the entire Yingzhou Continent, what then? Will you really venture beyond the desolate end of the world to conquer even vaster domains? To be frank, I came here from an ordinary world. With your limited strength, once you break free from the Yingzhou Continent's system, you'll be less than an ant! In fact, at this very moment, crushing you would be as effortless for me as stepping on an ant! Do you want to find out?"

Xu Yang's words sounded less like a threat and more like a declaration, yet how could the Western Emperor, possessor of an immortal soul, tolerate such threats and humiliation from a mere junior?

The Western Emperor had already decided to unleash his anger, gently rising to his feet. He then slowly advanced his somewhat heavy skeletal frame, moving towards Xu Yang.

"I hope you will retract your audacious remarks before I lay hands on you. I will certainly forgive you. Trust me!"

However, Xu Yang merely wagged a finger at the arrogant Western Emperor before him.

"In front of me, Xu Yang, no one dares to make such unreasonable demands. You'd better return to your seat immediately, or I won't hesitate to personally dismantle you into a heap of shattered refuse! Even your most cherished immortal soul will turn to ashes before me!"

As their conversation continued, it seemed to take a turn for the worse. An immediate tension, a readiness for conflict, quickly developed between them, especially as an incredibly cold aura of killing intent began to emanate from Xu Yang.

At this moment, the Western Emperor still seemed unaware of the gravity of the situation. In his mind, no matter how powerful this young man was, he could not possibly threaten his most cherished immortal soul.

However, in the very next instant, the Western Emperor began to regret his dismissive attitude. He saw that an unfamiliar, special power was already gathering in Xu Yang's palm. It was the manifestation of Xu Yang's current strongest cultivation system: the primordial force.

Without delay, Xu Yang did not unleash this primordial energy directly from his palm. Instead, it transformed into a powerful vortex of devouring force, locking onto the skeletal frame of the Western Emperor. In a mere instant, the Western Emperor found that every bone in his remaining skeletal body was being pulled by an incredibly powerful devouring force, rendering him unable to escape or resist.

In the very next moment, Xu Yang subtly moved his finger. The devouring energy in his palm expanded to an unparalleled degree, literally engulfing the Western Emperor's damaged skeletal frame into his palm.

"Still unwilling to apologize for your arrogant demeanor, are you? Then I'm afraid I never give second chances to those who refuse to repent."

As Xu Yang's words faded, the devouring power in his palm grew even more violent. It then began to spread outward, bit by bit.

"Still not submitting? Very well, the game continues!" The smile on Xu Yang's face deepened. He had already determined that the Western Emperor would not yield to him, so there was nothing left to hold back.