Chapter 1621: Fire Heaven Master's Archway

“So, it’s the newly appointed Celestial Venerable Azure Dragon.”

Fire Celestial Venerable glanced at East Emperor Azure Dragon, who was striding towards them. East Emperor Azure Dragon was clearly in high spirits, looking around curiously at everything in the Southern Heavens.

“Celestial Venerable Azure Dragon, you were originally the East Emperor, ruling the Eastern Extremity Heavens. Now that you’ve become a Celestial Venerable, the Eastern Extremity Heavens will be directly controlled by Emperor Haotian.”

Fire Celestial Venerable said blandly, “Now you have nothing, just an empty title of Celestial Venerable. Do you think it was worth it?”

East Emperor Azure Dragon laughed heartily, “I still have my life, so it was worth it. By entrusting the Eastern Extremity Heavens and its Holy Land to His Majesty, he can trust me, and I won’t die. Previously, I allied with Celestial Venerable Mu, but alas, he was truly incompetent and still lost. For my life, this was the only path I could take.”

Fire Celestial Venerable showed disappointment, shaking his head, “With ancient gods like you as allies, no wonder Celestial Venerable Mu lost. You didn’t help much, only hindered. If it weren’t for you ancient gods, Celestial Venerable Mu might not have lost.”

East Emperor Azure Dragon chuckled, “If it weren’t for Fire Celestial Venerable, Celestial Venerable Mu might not have lost either.”

Their gazes met, both showing clear disgust.

At that moment, a procession approached, beating gongs and drums, carrying a coffin. Inside the coffin sat a sixty-year-old man, dressed in festive red and green, beaming with joy, continuously cupping his hands and thanking those around him.

The procession stopped when they reached Fire Celestial Venerable and East Emperor Azure Dragon, seeing them block the path.

East Emperor Azure Dragon lifted the old man from the coffin, weighed him, sniffed him, and then put him back down.

Seeing East Emperor Azure Dragon’s unusual appearance and resounding voice, the old man called out loudly, “Lord God, please eat!”

East Emperor Azure Dragon shook his head and said, “You’re a bit too thin, and too old. Fire Celestial Venerable, what do you think of forty years old? Your human race marries in their teens, has children in their twenties, and by forty, they already have grandchildren. At this age, the texture is just right to offer to demigods and ancient gods.”

Fire Celestial Venerable watched him expressionlessly.

The massive East Emperor Azure Dragon squatted down, looking at the procession, and chuckled, “Fire Celestial Venerable isn’t speaking, so you tell me. Do you think my words make sense?”

The people quickly put down the coffin, prostrated themselves on the ground, and said in unison, “Master speaks sense! It’s settled then!”

East Emperor Azure Dragon glanced at Fire Celestial Venerable, then suddenly laughed, “Forty is still a bit too early. How about thirty years old instead? What do you all think?”

The people chorused, “Master speaks sense. So it’s settled.”

East Emperor Azure Dragon cast another glance at Fire Celestial Venerable and grinned, “At thirty, the vitality of mortals already begins to wane. How about twenty years old instead? Your human race can marry and have children before twenty, and after having children, you can voluntarily offer yourselves to ancient gods and demigods.”

The people hesitated. The old man in the coffin tremblingly said, “Lord God, twenty years old is too young. I beg you to grant us a few more years, so we can raise our children before offering ourselves to you?”

The East Emperor laughed, “Do you have the power of choice? No. Do you have the power to resist? No. Since you have neither power nor choice, then it’s settled.”

Below, the young people wailed as if they had lost their parents.

“I’ll fight you to the death!”

The old man crawled out of the coffin and rushed towards the East Emperor, punching and kicking. However, his efforts were feeble and powerless, not even amounting to an itch.

East Emperor Azure Dragon was unconcerned. A cold gleam flashed on his dragon scales, and the old man instantly turned to dust.

Seeing this, the young coffin bearers silently stood up one by one and walked away. Not a single one spoke of avenging the old man.

“They accepted it so quickly?”

East Emperor Azure Dragon was surprised, and chuckled, “Fire Celestial Venerable, you must teach me. If your experience in subjugating the Southern Heavens spreads throughout the myriad heavens, why would His Majesty still need to worry about Celestial Venerable Mu? No one would ever rebel in the future!”

Fire Celestial Venerable sneered, “I did it to preserve the human race. Humans are weak and no match for demigods and ancient gods. Only this way can humanity survive. From the Dragon Han era until now, for millions of years, only the people of my Southern Heavens have lived prosperously, without fear of extermination.”

“Aren’t the people of Yankang also doing fine?”

East Emperor Azure Dragon said indifferently, chuckling, “Haven’t humans in other worlds also avoided extermination?”

Fire Celestial Venerable said coldly, “The human race in the Primordial Realm has endured the Dragon Han, Crimson Light, High Emperor, Founding Emperor, and Yankang calamities. When were they not nearly exterminated? Each time, they survived only after immense suffering. But my Southern Heavens...”

“Of the five calamities you mentioned, it seems you were involved in every one. And each time, you struck the hardest.”

Seeing Fire Celestial Venerable about to retort, East Emperor Azure Dragon waved his hand and chuckled, “I didn’t come here to argue about that. Fire Celestial Venerable, you’ve offended His Majesty.”

Fire Celestial Venerable burst into laughter, glancing at him, “So, Emperor Haotian sent you here to die?”

East Emperor Azure Dragon smiled broadly and said leisurely, “Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird was killed by Fire Celestial Venerable within her own holy land. I’m far from the Eastern Extremity Heavens, how could I be a match for Fire Celestial Venerable? Fortunately, Fire Celestial Venerable has a weakness, so His Majesty also sent help.”

The moment his words fell, Emperor Yintian emerged from the shadows, bowing respectfully, “Yin Chaoxin greets Fire Celestial Venerable.”

Seeing him, Fire Celestial Venerable burst into laughter.

“Yin Chaoxin, Celestial Venerable Yin?”

As his laughter subsided, his eyes were full of scorn, “You dare to come too? Is Emperor Haotian going to send Celestial Venerable Longxiao next? All you newly appointed Celestial Venerables are a bunch of useless trash!”

Emperor Yintian smiled, “Fire Celestial Venerable, your mastery over the soul is too low, leaving a huge flaw. That’s why His Majesty ordered me to come and harvest your soul, Brother Fire.”

Fire Celestial Venerable snorted coldly, his chest heaving as he spoke passionately, “You colluded with Celestial Venerable Haotian to kill my brother, Celestial Venerable Yu. I have constantly yearned to avenge him. Today, I can finally fulfill that wish!”

Emperor Yintian shook his head, “I had no choice but to kill Celestial Venerable Yu, but I only killed Celestial Venerable Yu. Whereas you, Brother Fire, have killed far too many human Celestial Venerables: Celestial Venerable Yun, Celestial Venerable Yue, Emperor Ming, Founding Emperor, Celestial Venerable Mu, Celestial Venerable You, Celestial Venerable Ling – you regarded them all as enemies, wishing to slice them into a thousand pieces. The human elites who died by your hand are a hundred times more numerous than those who died by mine! Do you still intend to avenge them, Brother Fire?”

Fire Celestial Venerable’s face turned cold. “They brought it upon themselves! I’ve always despised sycophants like you...”

“We are the same kind of people.”

Emperor Yintian said flatly, “In fact, I am a hundred times better than you. At the very least, under my rule, the humans in my territory live better than those in your Southern Heavens. Most of my disciples are also human. Heh heh, even I, whom you’ve always looked down upon, have done better than you. Even ancient gods you despise, like Southern Emperor, have humans under her command who fare much better than those in your Southern Heavens.”

Fire Celestial Venerable was enraged, about to strike, when suddenly the sound of trumpets and suonas drifted over. He saw that the young coffin bearers from the Southern Heavens who had left earlier had returned.

After returning to their village, they bid farewell to their wives and children, and one by one, dressed in red and green festive clothes, they walked back.

Not just them, but everyone in the village, from twenty to sixty years old, had come.

They didn’t sit in coffins because there were no longer any able-bodied young men in the village to carry them, so they walked.

Cries filled the village.

Yet, these people came forward with smiles, knelt down one by one, and cheerfully said, “Master, please dine!”

Emperor Yintian shook his head. “These people can no longer be called humans; they are merely humanoid walking corpses. Fire Celestial Venerable, you’ve taught them very well.”

He suddenly burst into laughter, pointing at Fire Celestial Venerable and bending over, tears streaming down his face from laughing. “And yet, you still look down on me, saying I have no backbone, calling me a sycophant, saying I only know how to grovel before Emperor Haotian! You, oh you, are truly hypocritical! No matter how bad or awful I, Emperor Yintian, may be, I’m a hundred times better than you!”

He jumped up excitedly. “I may be evil, but I’m an honest-to-goodness villain! And you, you’re clearly a harlot, yet you pretend to be so righteous, even trying to build a monument for yourself!”

He rolled on the ground laughing, unable to stand up. “You’re much worse than me! You look down on me, saying I’m not worthy of being a Celestial Venerable, saying I climbed my way up through flattery, while you claim to have ascended through virtue! But where is your virtue? Compared to you, I’m practically a saint who has risen above worldly desires!”

*Boom!*

Suddenly, space violently twisted. Behind Fire Celestial Venerable’s head, layers of flaming wheels rotated, distorting the entire heavens!

The starry sky of these heavens spun with the flaming wheels, and the land transformed into a colossal ring. Countless cities, villages, mountains, rivers, and oceans all became part of this ring!

The mask on Fire Celestial Venerable’s face showed anger and shame. Emperor Yintian and East Emperor Azure Dragon lost their footing, swept up by the massive flaming wheels, and involuntarily flew towards him.

Fire Celestial Venerable stretched out his hand, seized Emperor Yintian’s neck, and sneered, “You are merely Emperor Haotian’s dog. How can you compare yourself to me?”

Emperor Yintian was gripped by Fire Celestial Venerable. His legs kicked vigorously, and his hands pulled at Fire Celestial Venerable’s fingers, but he couldn’t pry them open. His face flushed, yet he still chuckled, “Aren’t you a dog too? You’re even better at fawning... No, you’re not a dog. Dogs are at least loyal, but you...”

*Crack!*

Fire Celestial Venerable twisted his neck, then a burst of Dao fire blazed, incinerating Emperor Yintian to ashes!

East Emperor Azure Dragon stood to the side, not daring to step forward.

Fire Celestial Venerable clapped the ashes from his hands, then looked at him and sneered, “Throughout my life, I have hated ancient gods the most...”

“Yet you groveled before Grand Emperor.”

A colossal gateway slowly rose. From within the gateway, the surging waters of the Underworld Sea poured out, quickly forming a vast sea in the starry sky.

The Celestial Gate of the Underworld Capital stood on the surface of the sea. Emperor Yintian walked out from the gate and chuckled, “You hated Grand Emperor the most, yet you defected to him. You hated Emperor Haotian the most, yet you defected to him too. It’s not that you hated them the most, but that you feared them the most! You fear power, and so you prostrate yourself before power! You want to become power! Even for your status, you killed Celestial Venerable Yun to gain Emperor Haotian’s trust. Fire, back then, you must have had thoughts of avenging Celestial Venerable Yu, right? You wanted to gain Emperor Haotian’s trust, then kill him to avenge Celestial Venerable Yu. I watched you like this, heh heh...”

He sat on the threshold, swinging his legs, his face full of mockery. “I watched you succumb to power, utterly corrupted, and my heart was filled with satisfaction because you quickly became just like me! But what I never expected was that you would become even more depraved and sinister than I am!”

Fire Celestial Venerable pointed a finger, and Emperor Yintian exploded into dust with a *pop*.

The next moment, waves stirred in the Underworld Sea, and Emperor Yintian walked out from the gate once more, chuckling, “No one in this world can kill me. Even Celestial Venerable Mu tried, but he couldn’t harm me. Don’t waste your effort. On the contrary, I can kill you.”

A light of excitement flashed in his eyes. “Back then, you couldn’t kill Emperor Ming, so you recommended me to do it. From that moment, I realized you and Emperor Ming shared the same weakness: your souls are too weak! Your cultivation techniques don’t train the soul!”