Chapter 245: Chapter Six: The Secluded Emperor Qing

The capital of the Yanfeng Ancient Nation, Qingdu, is the most transcendent of all cities; no powerhouse, not even the three alien races of the Origin Continent, dares act recklessly here!

At this moment, within the Diqing Palace.

"During my master's seclusion, no one is allowed to disturb him." A puppet creature stood outside the palace gate, coldly eyeing the eight figures before it.

The eight Di Jun—Di Fu and the others—had gathered here together.

"This is a major crisis," Di Fu spoke. "Di Yuan, one of our thirteen Di Jun, has been killed. This is no trivial matter—you must immediately report it to your master."

Though they had all sent messages to "Di Qing," Di Qing ignored all such messages during his seclusion.

"You servant, hurry and report to your master!" Di Yan snapped.

"Quickly report it," Di Jiu Feng urged.

The puppet creature looked at the eight Di Jun, expressionless, and shook its head. "My master ordered that, during his seclusion, no matter how great the matter, he must not be disturbed."

"You—" Di Chu couldn't help but say, "You servant, haven't you heard that Di Yuan was killed?"

"Even if all the Di Jun were killed, you still may not disturb my master," the puppet creature said coldly. He would execute his master's orders absolutely—no one's influence mattered!

The eight Di Jun grew furious.

What kind of nonsense was this?

If all the Di Jun died, Di Qing wouldn't care?

"This puppet servant is too rigid—he's impossible to reason with," Di Kong added.

"Enough. Di Qing must be occupied with something important," Di Fu said. "Let's go see the Ancestor."

Though deeply dissatisfied, the eight Di Jun dared not forcibly breach Di Qing's seclusion chamber—they could only leave helplessly.

…

Within a hidden world of Yanfeng Ancient Nation stood an ancient, simple cave dwelling.

The eight Di Jun stood respectfully outside the cave entrance, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.

"Ancestor, a black-robed powerhouse accompanied by an old servant killed Di Yuan, forcing him to reincarnate," Di Fu said respectfully at the cave entrance. "That black-robed powerhouse is immensely powerful—we eight combined could not match him. He is likely above the Divine King realm. How should the Yanfeng Ancient Nation respond to this black-robed powerhouse? We beg your instruction."

After Di Fu finished, the other seven Di Jun stood respectfully beside him, waiting patiently for a response.

Long moments passed…

The cave remained silent, offering no reply.

"I reported as well, but the Ancestor didn't respond—he must also be in seclusion," Di Fu said to his companions. "By custom, the Ancestor will know everything upon emerging."

"Mm." The other seven Di Jun sighed helplessly.

If the Ancestor's avatar were awake, it would respond immediately.

But if in seclusion, when it would respond was uncertain.

"Let's go."

The eight Di Jun could only withdraw, not daring to step even one pace into the ancient cave.

All forces across the Origin Continent sensed Di Yuan's causal thread vanish completely! This meant… Di Yuan was either utterly dead or forcibly reincarnated. This was a monumental event.

"Di Yuan is dead?" A middle-aged man arrived at the former battlefield. He walked along the timeline of the past, easily discerning the scene before the fight: Tie Xiao, the Demon Lord, within a hidden palace, Di Yuan concealed nearby.

Suddenly, the surrounding scene became indistinct.

"The killer is at least Ultimate Realm," the middle-aged man exclaimed. "The Dao is complete—no trace remains."

"That battle was immense—I only saw from afar the endless blood river colliding with the eight Di Jun's formation," the man thought. "I still don't know who the killer is."

"Interesting."

"Daring to defy the respect owed to both nations' Ancestors and kill Di Yuan," the middle-aged man was intrigued.

…

The clash between the endless blood river and the Hunyuan Space Eight-Phase Array was too terrifying—and too difficult to observe. Across the entire Origin Continent, only a handful—three alien races, the rulers of the Ten Thousand Worlds, the Heavenly Wood Nation's beast, and a few others—could glimpse even faint traces.

As for Luo Feng's appearance, no one saw it at all.

All sides investigating the truth could only conclude—

Di Yuan was killed by a killer at least of Ultimate Realm!

"Di Yuan had a complete set of supreme treasures—how could he die in two or three breaths?"

"Even the eight Di Jun of Yanfeng Ancient Nation couldn't save him?"

This news spread among the monarchs of Thunder Ancient Nation.

These monarchs felt a chill.

On the Origin Continent, the two ancient nations appeared equal. But in terms of deterrence, Thunder Ancient Nation was slightly inferior—Yanfeng Ancient Nation had Di Qing.

"If this killer targets any one of our monarchs, he could kill them easily."

"This one is likely above the Divine King realm! He might kill us with just a glance—shatter our minds, drive us mad." These monarchs grew uneasy; their cultivation of Hunyuan bloodline had glaring flaws.

Before a being above the Divine King realm, a single glance could make them lose control.

"We must be far more cautious in the coming period—find the killer's identity as soon as possible." These monarchs grew far more vigilant.

…

In the days that followed, the entire Origin Continent was gripped by paranoia!

The once-arrogant imperial clans of the two ancient nations had greatly curbed their arrogance; the rampant consumption of billions of lives had vanished entirely. Everyone knew the killer despised evil.

"Di Jun of Yanfeng Ancient Nation was killed—that's never happened in history." "Di Yuan's been dead for half a eon. No word of his return—has he truly perished?"

"The eight Di Jun rushed to save him—they delayed just enough. Di Yuan had time to reincarnate! He probably dares not return to the imperial clan, fearing the killer will hunt him again."

A group of Marquises from Di Chu's lineage gathered, discussing this matter.

Now, the hottest topic among gatherings of both imperial clans was Di Yuan's death!

Di Chu's lineage and Di Yuan's lineage had never been close—these Marquises spoke with great delight.

"That killer despises evil—but he wouldn't even notice us ordinary Chaos Realm imperial clan members," Di Chu Yu chuckled.

The power gap was too vast.

Ordinary imperial clan members merely watched the spectacle.

The truly uneasy were the Divine King Realm cultivators of the second layer, the Di Jun, the monarchs, and those imperial clan members burdened with grave sins!

Diqing Palace.

"Boom—!" The ancient great hall finally opened its gates.

Di Qing, the most transcendent of Yanfeng Ancient Nation's thirteen Di Jun, had emerged from seclusion—this news reached every Di Jun instantly.

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Instantly, Di Fu, Di Yan, Di Xi, and others arrived—some in true form, some as avatars—all hastened.

"All of you, sit."

Di Qing sat upon the main seat.

The eleven Di Jun took their seats separately, all in humble postures.

They all knew: though they were all Di Jun, in time they would all leave the Origin Continent to venture out. Their power paled in comparison to Di Qing's—they were not even on the same level.

"Di Qing, you must know what happened," Di Fu said. "What should we do now?"

"Hah…"

Di Qing sat there and laughed. "With Di Yuan dead, Yanfeng Ancient Nation now has twelve Di Jun."

Di Fu, Di Yan, and the other eleven Di Jun were speechless—how could Di Qing laugh at such a thing?

"Has Di Yuan returned after reincarnation?" Di Qing asked.

Reincarnation identities were uncontrollable. Given the population of the Origin Continent, Di Yuan was most likely reborn as a tribal being in the wilds. With his realm, he could rapidly regain his strength.

He could even reunite with the imperial clan! Confirming his identity would be easy—his unique Ultimate Realm secret arts, his detailed service credits owed to the clan—all would reveal him.

"He hasn't returned," Di Fu said. "He owes the clan too much—he lacks sufficient credits to acquire the resources needed to reattain an Ultimate Realm life form."

"Clever," Di Qing nodded. "As long as he doesn't reveal himself, no one knows his reincarnation identity—that's the safest path."

Di Yan said: "Di Qing, are we just going to accept this?"

"It's a trivial matter—why take it so seriously?" Di Qing laughed. He treated it as mere entertainment.

"Trivial?" Di Wu couldn't hold back. "One of thirteen Di Jun killed—it affects the entire Yanfeng imperial clan!"

Di Qing's gaze fell upon Di Wu.

Di Wu's heart trembled—he dared not speak further.

"No one died completely—all reincarnated. What's the big deal?" Di Qing's gaze swept over the eleven Di Jun. "You've lived too comfortably on the Origin Continent. This minor setback means nothing."

Di Qing had left an avatar on the Origin Continent—he had long since begun venturing beyond.

Outside, that was where one fought for survival in darkness—that was true peril!

There, the worst case: your avatar dies, and all your precious treasures are lost. The worst: your avatar's death severs your connection to your origin world, causing your true self to perish.

The Ancestors of both nations ventured out with equal trepidation and caution.

In Di Qing's view…

The Origin Continent was far too safe. These Di Jun were far too comfortable.

"Yes," Di Fu said. "Compared to the dangers beyond, this is trivial. But we still need a response strategy."

"You eight together already reach the Origin Continent's power limit," Di Qing said calmly. "With formations and secret treasures, your techniques surpass Divine King level. Yet you were still suppressed by that black-robed one."

"The black-robed one either has an extremely high realm or wields an immensely powerful treasure! Either way, his endless blood river… is superior to your formation's realm." Di Qing shook his head. "Even if I intervened, I'd be barely equal. Even if I gained the upper hand, I couldn't defeat him."

"Under the Origin Continent's rules, even the Ancestor cannot overcome him," Di Qing said.

The eleven Di Jun fell silent.

"Don't speak of revenge," Di Qing looked at the eleven Di Jun. "When you leave the Origin Continent, you'll face countless powerhouses. Learn to make friends—don't create too many enemies."

"If this black-robed one has reached above Divine King realm and is invincible on the Origin Continent, we must learn to adapt to his existence," Di Qing smiled. "If you can't kill him, you must learn to live with him."

The eleven Emperor Lords understood the logic, but the imperial family of Yanfeng Ancient Nation had long been dominant, and now they were expected to accommodate this black-robed figure?

"We're willing to befriend him, but what if he keeps opposing us and tries to kill us?" Emperor Yan asked.

Emperor Qing smiled faintly: "If we reach out to him and he still refuses to show us respect, then we're enemies. Since we're enemies, every time we encounter him beyond the Origin Continent, we kill him." Outside, making friends mattered, but so did killing.

Strength and status are won through slaughter.

"The foundation of our Yanfeng Ancient Nation lies in the Origin Continent," Emperor Qing said, looking at the eleven Emperor Lords. "So we must do our best to befriend him. After all, even if I and the Ancestor can hunt him down beyond the Origin Continent, within it he could turn everything upside down."

"Mutual destruction is unacceptable," Emperor Qing said.

"Understood," the eleven Emperor Lords all replied.

(End of Chapter)