Chapter 1741: The End of Reincarnation

This must be a supreme being from the Underworld. That aura cannot be mistaken; only such a person could exert this kind of pressure over the Nine Heavens, even while shedding black blood.

The Yin soldiers and generals had long since dispersed, not daring to approach. They trembled in fear, unable to withstand the aura of two supreme beings, and were utterly terrified.

"Nether Emperor?!" Ye Fan demanded.

The other party was indeed a supreme being, but Ye Fan himself was also an existence of that caliber. He directly challenged him, utterly fearless, having come precisely to settle matters.

The Nether Iron battle armor shimmered with dark light, but many parts were broken and dripping black blood. That person sat on the steps in front of the Prison Suppression Hall, leaning on a battle-halberd. His pupils were like two blades, gazing coldly.

His entire head was covered by a black Nether Iron helmet; only his eyes and mouth were visible. Not even a strand of his hair could be seen, making it impossible to discern his true appearance.

"You're too late," he said. The simple sentence conveyed a great deal.

From his cold tone and slightly unstable fluctuations, Ye Fan could sense that the man was severely wounded. He was clearly referring to someone who had died, and he himself was no longer at his peak.

Ye Fan stared at him. Through the half-open palace door behind him, he saw specks of blood and several fragments of a broken stone staff. That was Ying's blood and weapon.

Even knowing he was too late and that it was already a foregone conclusion, he still felt sorrow in his heart. It was precisely on the day he underwent his tribulation that the First Divine General of the Ancient Heavenly Court had vanished from this world.

"Then you shall be buried with him!" Ye Fan said coldly.

He did not want to waste words. He pressed a palm forward, slowly but powerfully. Wind and thunder raged in this place, and gods and devils roared. Such a casual strike dimmed the heavens and earth, extinguishing the light of the sun and moon!

"Clang!"

The Nether Emperor blocked with his black battle-halberd. Sparks flew in all directions as he was sent flying sideways, spitting large mouthfuls of blood, crashing into the magnificent palace behind him. Large sections of the ancient structure collapsed.

It was a shocking sight to see the mighty master of the Underworld bleeding so profusely within the magnificent ancient hall. All the distant Yin soldiers and generals were terrified, their hearts utterly chilled.

From another perspective, it also proved the Nether Emperor's terror. Despite having already suffered severe injuries, he did not shatter under the unparalleled strike of the Great Accomplished Sacred Body and still managed to block the attack, showcasing his supreme battle power.

"You truly are old!" Ye Fan said mercilessly.

"Yes, I am old," the Nether Emperor said, standing up with black blood spilling from his mouth. Leaning on his battle-halberd, he added, "Had you not come, I would not have much time left anyway. Consider it... being buried with him."

Ye Fan was astonished by these words. He knew the First Divine General of the Ancient Heavenly Court was powerful, but he had never imagined him to be so heaven-defying. No wonder the Heavenly Emperor valued him so highly and personally sealed him, saying that if he had lived in a different era, he would have become an Emperor.

At the same time, he felt something was very wrong with the Underworld. Was there only one Nether Emperor left now? If so, he could flatten this place today and ensure the Underworld would cease to exist in the world!

Ye Fan remained indifferent, pressing forward. His footsteps echoed through the great hall. Imperial Dao array patterns were densely spread here, but they could not stop him for even half a step.

"Don't you want to talk with me? I am but a dead man. Even if you don't kill me, my time is running out anyway," the Nether Emperor said with a laugh. Blood flowed from his mouth, his glabella was cracked, and black blood oozed out.

"Speak. I want to hear it," Ye Fan said, standing in the center of the grand hall and looking down at the former supreme being.

The Nether Emperor was also an extraordinary person and did not want to be treated this way. He let out a cold snort, turned around, slowly walked to the highest throne, and calmly sat down, looking down.

Ye Fan's blood energy swirled, his vitality as vigorous as an ocean. He could certainly kill the severely wounded, dying Nether Emperor now, but he did not make a move. He watched him coldly, waiting for him to speak.

"I am a supreme being. I once achieved the Dao, then fell into the Underworld to study the methods of immortality." From the throne, that voice echoed, rumbling, making heaven and earth seem to submit.

"I know," Ye Fan said expressionlessly.

"What if I told you I am not the Nether Emperor? Would you believe me?" On the cold throne, the figure appeared majestic and inviolable, yet uttered such a surprising statement.

Ye Fan's expression froze. The news that the other party was not the Nether Emperor was indeed shocking and beyond his expectations.

"In the past, the Nether Emperor allied with others to ambush the Heavenly Emperor at the most critical moment," Ye Fan asked, "Was he killed then?"

"No, the Nether Emperor was already gone by that time," the figure above said forlornly. "It was I who wielded his Imperial Dao artifact and participated in that battle."

Clearly, that battle had a considerable impact on him. Several Imperial Dao experts attacked together, yet none could kill the Heavenly Emperor; instead, the Heavenly Emperor's might resonated through the ages. This was a huge blow to Imperial Dao figures.

Ye Fan mused. Considering Ying's century-long confrontation with the Underworld, there were indeed many suspicious points. The Underworld, which had endured for eons, surely had more than one supreme being; how could it be so weak, unable to do anything when someone attacked its very gates?

"The Nether Venerable, or the Nether Emperor, was exceptionally brilliant, almost unparalleled since ancient times. He was the first to achieve the Dao as an Imperial Dao supreme being in life, and then again from a corpse after death. His path is impossible to replicate!"

Ye Fan had also heard some rumors, especially those told by the old deity, a descendant of the Ancient Heavenly Court, who said the Nether Emperor was unfathomable, capable of exchanging blows with the Heavenly Emperor and contending for supremacy, even if he ultimately lost.

"Heh heh, the true Nether Emperor would not have ambushed the Heavenly Emperor at that moment, because their relationship was complex, both master and friend."

This Imperial Dao expert revealed such a secret that it was truly earth-shattering, leaving Ye Fan speechless. Corroborating and analyzing this with the old deity's words, it seemed the Nether Emperor still held some favor toward the Heavenly Emperor; it was only after the decisive events on the Immortal Ascension Road that their relationship appeared somewhat muddled.

"At that time, the Nether Emperor had already passed away many years prior," he said very calmly. "It was I who emerged with his Imperial artifact, striking at the heavens on his behalf."

"The Nether Emperor died?" Ye Fan's gaze shifted, like two vast currents of coldness surging.

"If he were truly dead, the Underworld wouldn't be like this," the figure above muttered, revealing some astonishing secrets. He was about to die, clearly because he had encountered someone of his kind, or of his same level, and wanted to reveal ancient secrets he had long held within, not wishing to take them to the grave. As for the Yin soldiers and generals, in his eyes, they were perhaps just ants, having no common ground or communication with a celestial dragon like himself, perched in the clouds.

Ye Fan was stunned, having heard things that sounded like revelations from heaven.

At the end of the Mythological Era, the Nether Emperor passed away. That should have been millions of years ago.

Yet, over a million years ago, the supreme beings within the Underworld sensed his aura and knew he had revived. This contradicted the known outcome of his passing.

"This doesn't prove he's still alive now," Ye Fan said.

"The Heaven-Penetrating Immortal Treasure, or rather, the Heaven-Penetrating Nether Treasure, flew away tens of thousands of years ago," the person on the cold throne above said. "Aside from his reappearance, no one else could summon it away from the Underworld."

Ye Fan knew of this divine artifact. When Emperor Wushi was about to attack the Underworld, it was this secret treasure that concealed the Underworld, making the vast Netherworld disappear from the universe.

At the same time, he also understood why Ying had attacked so fiercely and why he himself could storm in: the Underworld was clearly weakened, yet it did not hide. It turned out that it had lost the Heaven-Penetrating Nether Treasure.

The Underworld was in decline, nearing its end!

When Ye Fan reached this conclusion, he was genuinely stunned. One must know that this was a truly immortal major power throughout history, an organization capable of challenging the Ancient Heavenly Court, terrifying to the extreme.

"At the end of reincarnation, all will conclude; the Underworld is the destination for all spirits..."

These words still echoed in his ears, and Ye Fan could not believe that the Underworld was about to end.

In recent years, Yin soldiers borrowing paths had roamed various star systems, searching for ancient divine corpses. This had increasingly demonstrated their terrifying and unchallengeable prosperity. How had they now reached this point?

"Because the Nether Emperor is returning," the person on the cold throne said without any emotional fluctuation. "He will reclaim everything that belongs to him."

This single sentence was enough to explain everything: the current supreme beings of the Underworld feared the Nether Emperor's return, afraid he would settle scores with them.

From this, Ye Fan drew another conclusion: the Nether Emperor was absolutely terrifying and boundless. His battle power might be far greater than he had imagined; otherwise, this would certainly not be the case.

"I am the Prison Suppression Emperor, and also a former ancient venerable." Finally, the person above revealed his origin. He did not mention his title before becoming the Prison Suppression Emperor.

Ye Fan's heart surged, unable to calm down. The ruler of the Underworld had an astonishing background; perhaps he was a Heavenly Venerable in the Mythological Era.

"Yanluo died in the Underworld, naturally passing away," he stated. "The Longevity Heavenly Venerable entered the Immortal Mausoleum and never returned. Another person, feeling uneasy when the Heaven-Penetrating Nether Treasure flew away, entered the Primordial Ancient Mine. Currently, the Underworld only has one Imperial Dao expert: me."

If these pieces of news were to spread, they would surely shock the human world; it was too staggering. The Underworld had already undergone immense changes, completely unknown to the outside world.

For tens of thousands of years, the Underworld had been frequently active, searching across various star regions. In truth, they were searching for the Heaven-Penetrating Nether Treasure, aiming to ferret out the Nether Emperor.

The Prison Suppression Emperor believed that the Nether Emperor was undergoing transformation, and he could be killed before he fully awakened.

Unfortunately, so many years had passed. The Underworld had dispatched many armies and suffered great losses, yet still had no results.

Therefore, the Underworld was empty. The Longevity Heavenly Venerable refused to return, Yanluo was dead, the other person had entered the Primordial Ancient Mine, and now, only he remained.

The Prison Suppression Emperor said, "The Nether Emperor possesses immense talent, instilling great fear in people's hearts. I know he will return sooner or later. For immortality, he has been forging a path, navigating between death and life. No one has gone further than him."

Ye Fan's heart churned like crashing waves, unable to find peace.

After a long time, he felt like laughing loudly, filled with inexplicable emotion, and said, "The Underworld, a vast forbidden zone, originating countless ages ago, is now actually nearing its end. Is it the Nether Emperor, or me, who will bring it to an end?"

This felt very unreal. The Underworld had exerted too much pressure on people, and its influence had deeply permeated the hearts of all powerful individuals to this day. This outcome now struck Ye Fan as absurd.

"You are mistaken. As long as the Nether Emperor lives, the Underworld will remain," the Prison Suppression Emperor said. "It will never truly end, only experience a temporary decline."

"'The Underworld is the destination for all spirits...' These words are somewhat laughable. Were they spread by you all?" Ye Fan asked coldly.

"The Nether Emperor said them, and there is evidence to prove it," the Prison Suppression Emperor said. He staggered to his feet, coughing up several mouthfuls of blood, clearly on the verge of collapse.

He walked out of the Prison Suppression Imperial Hall, gazing at the vast Netherworld. With a gentle sweep of the battle-halberd in his hand, the earth instantly cracked open. "What do you see below?" he asked.

In fact, the large fissure he opened was vast, connecting to the massive craters left by crashing stars, but it was still insignificant compared to the boundless Netherworld.

Without needing to look closely, Ye Fan knew there were many terrifyingly ancient skeletons underground.

"Tell me, if all life on one star, two stars, ten stars, a hundred stars were to perish, could it create the terrifying scene before us?" the Prison Suppression Emperor asked.

It was a very strange dynamic. The two sides were clearly enemies, yet they were now discussing seriously. The reason was simple: they were both supreme beings, and individuals of this caliber were far too rare.

A chill ran through Ye Fan's heart. He had pondered how this vast Netherworld had formed before, and the more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.

"It has buried all life from an entire universe, and not just one, but multiple eras," the Prison Suppression Emperor said. "This is reincarnation!"

"'At the end of reincarnation, all will conclude; the Underworld is the destination for all spirits...'" Ye Fan murmured. He hadn't before, but at this moment, he found those words truly terrifying.