Chapter 710: The Bride in the Ice Coffin

The Calamity God roared repeatedly, desperately trying to shake off Qin Mu, but Qin Mu seemed glued to his back, continuing to gnaw at his head.

CRACK!

The Five Thunder Pot flew over, and five massive thunderclouds crackled and struck around Qin Mu. The Firebell Divine Weapons within the thunderclouds burst forth, and rolling thunder bombarded Qin Mu, finally blasting him away.

The Calamity God regrouped and charged at Qin Mu again. Suddenly, teleportation runes swirled around Qin Mu, and he vanished, reappearing the next moment behind the Calamity God, clinging to his back and gnawing at his head.

Heaven Duke and Crimson Emperor exchanged glances, both at a loss for what to do.

In the Netherworld, the Netherworld Heavenly Gate was firmly suppressing the Netherworld Sea. Two Yin Heavenly Sons stood on either side of the gate, surprisingly resisting the attacks of Tian Shu, Yama, and Heavenly Yin Empress simultaneously.

With this Netherworld Heavenly Gate activated, he stood beneath it, virtually unkillable. Any injuries inflicted upon him by Tian Shu, Yama, and Heavenly Yin Empress would instantly heal as the Netherworld Heavenly Gate's power of reincarnation briefly circulated through them, keeping him constantly at his peak.

Yama, Tian Shu, and Heavenly Yin Empress grew increasingly alarmed the longer they fought. The current Yin Heavenly Son was, without a doubt, invincible; unless they could directly obliterate him, they simply couldn't defeat him.

The Netherworld Heavenly Gate was a treasure forged by the Yin Heavenly Son. Such divine abilities and methods were truly worthy of a God Seat expert, truly worthy of someone revered as the Black Emperor of the Netherworld.

At this moment, in the Netherworld Continent's Netherworld Prison, countless suppressed souls also sensed the terrifying fluctuations and vibrations from outside. The prisoners awoke, filled with confusion and doubt.

"The best way to enter the enemy's interior," the Woodcutter Sage's soul whispered, opening his eyes, "is to have the enemy invite you in."

He had been summoned by the Book of Life and Death and sent to the Netherworld Prison for suppression. The walls of this cell were specifically designed for souls, covered in runes and seals meant to lock them down. Additionally, chains ran through his body, restricting all his divine abilities.

The Woodcutter examined each of the runes. After a moment, his gaze fell upon the chains binding him, and he quickly comprehended the principles contained within these seals.

*Clank.*

The chains, like nimble serpents, successively withdrew from his body. The Woodcutter lightly floated to the ground and walked toward the cell door.

With a creak, the door opened automatically.

He had actually comprehended a method to break out of the Netherworld Prison in an extremely short time, moving through it with effortless ease.

The Woodcutter Sage stepped outside. He approached another cell in front of the guards, and with a wave of his hand, the cell opened, and the chains binding the First Ancestor Human Emperor fell away.

The First Ancestor Human Emperor leaped out of the cell, slaying the charging Netherworld Prison guards. He then broke open other cells, rescuing Furi Luo, Angler Elder, Chi Xi, and others.

"Gentlemen," he instructed, "break open the cells as you go and release all the prisoners. The more chaos you cause in the Netherworld, the better!"

The Woodcutter Sage's expression remained calm and unperturbed. "The more chaotic the Netherworld becomes, the safer Eternal Peace will be," he said. "Ideally, it should be in turmoil for decades or even centuries, and then Eternal Peace will be safe for decades or centuries!"

The others nodded. They fought their way through, slaying the surging Netherworld Prison guards and opening cells along the way to release the prisoners.

This Netherworld Prison was the Netherworld's most heavily guarded prison. It held gods and devils who had disrespected the Celestial Heavens, their physical bodies stripped away and their souls imprisoned here to suffer.

There were many guards in the Netherworld Prison, as it housed dangerous individuals. However, they encountered formidable figures like Angler Elder, Chi Xi, and Furi Luo, who immediately unleashed lethal moves without hesitation.

Angler Elder cast his fishing hook, pulling out souls with deadly precision. Chi Xi possessed three heads and six arms, and Furi Luo's demonic arts were astonishing. The three of them wreaked havoc in the Netherworld Prison, and when they encountered an insurmountable opponent, the First Ancestor Human Emperor was there to assist.

Ever since the First Ancestor Human Emperor broke free from his mental shackles, his cultivation and power had grown increasingly stronger, showing a strong tendency to break through the God-slaying Platform and enter the Jade Capital realm.

They continued fighting their way down. The Netherworld Prison had many layers, extending deep underground within the Netherworld. The deeper they went, the heavier the seals and the stronger the guards became.

By the time they reached the lowest level, everyone was exhausted from fighting. Fortunately, they had released many Netherworld Prison inmates, who had drawn away most of the guards, alleviating their pressure.

"This is the place!"

The Woodcutter Sage looked around. The area was dim and eerie, strangely sinister. On the walls, numerous massive, gecko-like fiends scurried with remarkable speed.

"That person should be suppressed here."

The others looked around. There weren't many cells here, but each had a door crafted from divine metal, covered in various edicts. Each edict contained extremely potent seals, left by an unknown individual.

"Who exactly is the person we're rescuing?" Furi Luo asked in a deep voice. "Can you tell us now, Dao Brother?"

The Woodcutter Sage walked forward, examining the edict seals on these cells and identifying the types of seals within the edicts to deduce who was imprisoned there. He calmly stated, "This person is the First Heavenly King of Emperor Kai's era. During Emperor Kai's era, the Celestial Heavens had thirty-six heavenly palaces, and among them, four were the most esteemed. These four heavenly palaces were held by four Heavenly Kings. Among them, the Azure Emperor of the East was the oldest, Indra Heavenly King of the West was the youngest, the Netherworld Heavenly King of the North was incomparably fierce after drinking, and the most powerful was this Heavenly King of the South."

The First Ancestor Human Emperor's heart skipped a beat, and he said in a deep voice, "Indra Heavenly King's 'Indra' is a Buddhist title; he was originally a god skilled in forging divine artifacts. However, the 'Emperor' in this Southern Heavenly King's name is neither a Buddhist title nor a surname."

The Woodcutter Sage carefully distinguished the edicts. "Your Highness is correct," he said. "The 'Emperor' in the Southern Heavenly King's name is an honorific. Her power even surpassed the Azure Emperor. In Emperor Kai's era, she was qualified to contend for the imperial throne with Emperor Kai. Although she was defeated by Emperor Kai, she was still revered as an Emperor."

The First Ancestor Human Emperor was silent for a moment, then said, "Di Yiyue, one of the Four Heavenly Kings—it was rumored that she died in battle before the calamity erupted."

"I also thought she had died in battle," the Woodcutter Sage replied. "However, she didn't."

The Woodcutter Sage stopped in front of a cell, examining the edicts, and said in a deep voice, "My eldest disciple once entrusted my third disciple to deliver some geographical maps to me. One of those maps was of the Netherworld Prison, and the marked location on it was the deepest part of the prison."

His expression turned somber. The founding patriarch of the Heavenly Saint Cult had done many things in pursuit of the Saintly Dao, many things that even the Woodcutter Sage himself dared not contemplate or undertake.

However, this eldest disciple was still nowhere to be found; no one knew if he was alive or dead.

"He must have visited the Netherworld and thus wanted to send a message to me," he continued. "On the geographical map Qin Mu gave me, there's a tiny rune at the marked location. This was left by my eldest disciple, and this rune mark is Di Yiyue's usual divine ability imprint."

He fell silent here, deeply worried about the founding patriarch's situation.

Angler Elder praised, "Your eldest disciple is indeed extraordinary, capable of sneaking in here undetected and finding Di Yiyue's whereabouts. Your other two disciples are also exceptional. I've met the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor; his talent is unparalleled, even surpassing your own in your youth. It's just that your youngest disciple is a bit mischievous. But speaking of which, is it really okay that you're hiding this operation from your youngest disciple and using him as bait?"

The Woodcutter Sage's eye twitched slightly. He meticulously analyzed the edicts on the cell door, then said, "He has a big monster hidden in his glabella; he can't die. Taking a bit of a loss is good for him; he's too young and a bit naive."

"Naive?" Furi Luo and Chi Xi both grunted in unison. They had both suffered significant losses at Qin Mu's hands.

The First Ancestor imagined Qin Mu's "naive" appearance, and his own expression also soured slightly.

The Woodcutter discerned the edicts on the door, his vital qi flowing and forming runes. The runes lit up, illuminating the edicts one after another.

Each time a rune shone, a seal within the edict would be undone. He was incredibly fast, transforming countless vital qi runes, and the layers of seals within the edict opened one by one.

After a long while, the Woodcutter Sage raised his palm and gently peeled off the edict.

Although everyone admired his methods, they weren't overly surprised. As the Woodcutter, chief of the Four Heavenly Masters, he was renowned for his vast knowledge; there was hardly any seal in the world he couldn't break!

The cell door creaked open, the sound jarring. A cold wind rushed out, flapping their clothes, and soon, ice fragments clung to their eyebrows, beards, and hair.

"From ancient times, passion has only brought empty regret;Good dreams are always the quickest to awaken from.Is it truly so hard to find liberation while plucking flowers?Alas, the floating catkins drift too forlornly."

A sorrowful sigh echoed from within the cell, chilling them to the bone. Furi Luo asked in surprise, "Is this renowned Heavenly King Di Yiyue a woman?"

The Woodcutter Sage nodded and was the first to step into the cell.

Inside was an ice chamber, terrifyingly cold. Nine ice dragons coiled around the chamber, hanging upside down. Their heads pointed downward, encircling an ice coffin. Inside the coffin lay a woman of breathtaking beauty, dressed in black but adorned with a phoenix crown and embroidered robes, quietly resting in the transparent coffin.

Her skin was whiter than snow, made even fairer by the contrast with her black wedding dress.

Lying in the ice coffin, she seemed to float amidst clouds and mist, appearing serene and mysterious.

The nine ice dragons were exhaling frigid ice mist toward the ice coffin, seemingly attempting to freeze the female corpse within.

However, the bride-corpse in the coffin had already awakened, opening her eyes. She slowly raised a hand, her index finger, like a white jade onion, curled upwards. On her finger was a magnificent black ring with sharp spikes.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

One by one, the ice dragons shattered, leaving only the last one. This last ice dragon showed signs of terror and coiled into a ball.

The Woodcutter Sage stepped forward and took the hand of the female corpse in the coffin. The bride-corpse slowly floated up from the ice coffin and landed on the ground, her eyes filled with weariness.

"Southern Heavenly King, please resume your position!" the Woodcutter said in a deep voice.

"What good is resuming my position?" Di Yiyue said forlornly. "I am already dead."

Only then did everyone notice a finger-sized hole in her forehead, damaged by something unknown. Through this wound, they could see the wall behind her.

Although she wore black clothes, they were in the style of a wedding dress. She also wore a phoenix crown and a ceremonial cloak. The violet-red veil, which had been over her phoenix crown, was now lifted, revealing her beautiful face.

She must have been sitting quietly by the wedding bed on the night of her marriage, feeling both a little nervous and sweet, when at the very moment her violet-red veil was lifted, an enemy strike took her life.

The only one who could get close to this First Heavenly King of Emperor Kai's Celestial Heavens was her beloved, her groom.

It was her groom who stabbed her to death as he lifted her veil.

"Back then, Emperor Kai was preparing to invite the Heavenly King to fight the calamity," the Woodcutter Sage explained. "However, news of the Heavenly King's death came shortly after her marriage. The calamity then erupted, causing countless deaths and injuries among the common people."

The Woodcutter Sage said, "The Heavenly King once sought knowledge everywhere and cultivated under the Four Emperors specifically to combat natural disasters. Now the calamity has returned. The Heavenly King missed it once; she must not miss it a second time. As for your death, my youngest disciple has already resolved it. You can be resurrected."

"I can be resurrected?" Di Yiyue murmured.

She turned her head to look at the ice dragon cowering in the corner.

The ice dragon trembled, stammering, "Your Highness, spare my life! We were just following orders; we had no choice but to freeze Your Highness's body and soul..."

"Your Highness?"

Di Yiyue's expression turned cold. "You call me 'Your Highness'?" she snapped. "When has Di Yiyue ever relied on a man? Even Heavenly Masters dare not call me 'Your Highness'; they can only address me as Heavenly King. You dare to call me 'Your Highness'? Call me Di Yiyue!"

The ice dragon hesitated, then cautiously said, "Di Yiyue..."

SPLAT—

It exploded instantly, turning into flying ice shards. Its soul shattered beyond repair.

"Calling my name was disrespectful to me; you deserved to die!"

Di Yiyue turned around and smiled. "Let's go. Let's go see the groom. I haven't seen that faithless man for twenty thousand years, and he didn't even come to see me after my death. I really want to make a bloody wound like mine in his glabella too..."