Chapter 1544: Next Time Together

This was a boundless black sea, with cold, gloomy mist curling over its surface; the deep, dark waters gave off a feeling of dread, as if something unimaginably terrifying lurked in the depths.

Whoosh whoosh.

Suddenly, the dead-still black sea churned up waves at this moment, and black fog rose from the seabed, blanketing the heavens and earth.

Amid the surging black fog, a massive island, lit up with countless white lanterns, broke through the mist and drifted slowly across the sea surface.

Four incomparably huge black lotuses rose slowly from the seabed and floated on the surface of the sea.

At the center of the black lotuses, space twisted violently, and in the next instant, four figures radiating vast, overwhelming pressure silently condensed into being.

They stood still atop the black lotuses, their bodies all wrapped in thick, viscous black fog; the fog gradually rippled, and within it, four pairs of eyes, dark as abysses, slowly opened.

The moment those eyes opened, the energy flowing between heaven and earth seemed to freeze because of it.

"Void Heavenly King, the commotion you stirred up this time is far too great." On a black lotus, someone spoke first, his tone low; and as he spoke, one saw the vast black qi atop the lotus condense into a giant shadow—looking closely, that giant shadow was a pitch-black python of indescribable length.

The python's pupils were dark, and within them a face seemed to flicker in and out of view.

"Viper Heavenly King, don't stand there talking without feeling the ache in your own waist—do you think taking the Divine Fruit right under the noses of the Academies Alliance is an easy thing?" This familiar voice was unmistakably that of the Void Heavenly King, who had earlier stirred up an earth-shaking storm in the Celestial Mirror Tower.

"For the sake of this plan, we also deployed many measures to temporarily pin down the Heavenly Kings of the Academies Alliance; I suppose from here on, the Academies Alliance is bound to take action." On another black lotus, space twisted, reflecting a terrifying object—it seemed to be a peculiar, beehive-like existence, its hive covering ten thousand miles of sky, while from within it came billions upon billions of strange hissing roars like the chirping of insects.

Vitality and death qi swirled within it.

The Void Heavenly King glanced at the insect hive; the speaker was none other than another Heavenly King of their Return-to-One Society, the Gu Heavenly King.

"Being able to retrieve the Divine Fruit means the plan can be considered a success; there's no need for further words."

A calm, indifferent voice rang out at this moment, and upon hearing this person speak, the three Heavenly Kings, including the Void Heavenly King, all fell silent and cast their gazes over.

At the black lotus in the center, vast, mighty power churned, but there was no human figure there—only a slightly mottled and broken mask floating up and down amid the black qi.

In the eye sockets of that mask, pale-white flames flickered.

At the same time, a crack had split open at the brow of the mask; behind the crack, the faint outline of a black, mysterious fruit could be seen, pulsing slowly like a heart, releasing an extremely terrifying fluctuation.

Yin Heavenly King, the foremost among the four Heavenly Kings of the Return-to-One Society.

Beneath the broken and eerie mask, black fog condensed into an arm, which waved lightly.

At once, the pitch-black sea surface split apart, and an ancient black coffin slowly rose, suspended between the four Heavenly Kings.

The dark gaze beneath the broken mask fixed on the black coffin, and at the same time the Yin Heavenly King's low, indifferent voice rang out: "Take out the Divine Fruit."

The Void Heavenly King nodded; his finger traced across the void, and at once space split open, and an object flew out slowly from within, blooming with an incomparably wondrous fluctuation.

The entire pitch-black sea surface, at this moment, continuously sprouted countless crystals, dazzlingly beautiful.

From beneath the Yin Heavenly King's broken mask, a dark light shot out, within which billions of ancient talisman scripts surged forth, finally landing on the black coffin—at once the black coffin emitted a faint tremor, accompanied by a piercing scraping sound, and its heavy lid slowly began to open at this moment.

Boom!

From within the opened coffin lid, suddenly countless streams of blood-red smoke whistled out; those blood-red smokes rushed straight toward that "Crystal Phase Divine Fruit," and in the end, layer upon layer, covered it.

Gradually, the dazzling Divine Fruit turned blood-red.

In the end, the Divine Fruit fell, like a blood-red star, dropping into the mysterious and eerie black coffin.

On the body of the black coffin, at this moment, countless mysterious patterns flickered in and out of visibility, while its size swelled enormously, like a sky-obscuring giant, hovering above the black sea.

Vast crystalline light descended, transforming into towering crystal mountains that floated upon the sea surface.

Yin Heavenly King, Void Heavenly King, Gu Heavenly King, and Viper Heavenly King all looked up at the mysterious black coffin; deep within their pupils a trace of fervor welled up, and at the same time they bowed slightly toward it.

They could feel that the aura within the black coffin was drawing ever closer to true awakening.

When that day arrived, the world itself would undergo earth-shattering transformation because of it.

"Although the Divine Fruit is in hand, the Academies Alliance is bound to be alarmed by this; given that Jiang Heavenly King's temperament, I'm afraid that for some time to come, the Academies Alliance will shift its focus temporarily onto our Return-to-One Society." The Yin Heavenly King withdrew his gaze, and his indifferent voice rang out.

"They can still spare the effort to act? It seems we need to deepen our ties and cooperation with the Dark World." The Viper Heavenly King's voice was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

"The Academies Alliance is probably trying to find out from us whether the other aspects of the Sect Master of the Faceless Holy Sect are still completely preserved."

"How laughable—they style themselves the inheritors of the Faceless Holy Sect's legacy, yet they don't understand it in the slightest; it's nothing more than wishful self-indulgence." The Void Heavenly King said with some mockery.

"Let us also make some preparations from here on; if the Academies Alliance truly intends to move against our Return-to-One Society, we should make them understand that when our Return-to-One Society was founded, there was no such thing as their Academies Alliance in this world." The Yin Heavenly King said blandly.

"Oh, right, in that Celestial Mirror Tower this time, I discovered an Original Seed has appeared—a girl who is adept in the Light Aspect; we may need this perfect sacrifice." The Void Heavenly King suddenly spoke up at this moment, and at the same time the void before him condensed into a mirror surface, from which was reflected an absolutely beautiful figure—it was Jiang Jiang Qinge.

The other three Heavenly Kings also cast attentive gazes.

The Viper Heavenly King and Gu Heavenly King showed no particular reaction, but beneath the Yin Heavenly King's broken mask, his pale-white flame pupils flickered with a brief, abnormal pulse at this instant.

"Original Seed..."

The Yin Heavenly King seemed to be muttering.

"Once the Academies Alliance has settled down, find an opportunity to capture her."

"There's also a wild-path Many-Phase Seed." The Void Heavenly King flicked a finger again, and in the void's light-mirror, Li Luo's appearance was reflected.

"Don't be fooled by these two little things being only at the Marquis Realm; this contest over the Divine Fruit in the Celestial Mirror Tower caused me no small amount of trouble."

The Yin Heavenly King gazed at Li Luo in the light-mirror and said blandly: "Without a Many-Phase Golden Core, he can't go far on the path of the Many-Phase Seed; we can make contact. If he's willing to join the Return-to-One Society, we can let him go further. If he's unwilling..."

"Then destroy him."

"The Many-Phase Seed is not something every ant has the right to inherit."

The Void Heavenly King, Gu Heavenly King, and Viper Heavenly King all nodded; at the same time, they did not pay it too much heed—for existences at the Heavenly King level, whether Original Seed or Many-Phase Seed, before truly growing up, were merely ants that could be erased at any moment.

"Also..."

At the lips of the Yin Heavenly King's broken mask, billowing black smoke poured out; this black smoke condensed and finally transformed into seven black beads, which emanated an indescribable aura of malevolence, and when they appeared, the entire world between heaven and earth echoed with agonized wails.

"A new batch of 'Extremely Evil Demonic Seeds' has taken shape; suitable hosts need to be found. Hopefully this batch's prospects are better—last time, in the end, only one survived."

As the Yin Heavenly King's voice fell, one saw waves surge up on the black sea; the waves transformed into black cushions, and at the same time the space above the cushions twisted, and six figures were drawn over.

These six figures, appearing here, were all trembling slightly, and at the same time knelt on one knee upon the cushions.

"These six prospects were carefully selected and recommended by the Thirteen Underworld Kings; hopefully they're decent, and don't waste so many years of effort." The Yin Heavenly King said in an indifferent tone.

"I'll also recommend one here." The Void Heavenly King smiled; he stretched out his palm, and a patch of ash appeared in it; he flicked a drop of blood onto it with a finger, then rubbed lightly.

The ash turned into blood-mud that fell with a whoosh, landing on the last cushion; after several breaths, it condensed into a human figure.

He lifted his face, then bowed deeply to Void Heavenly King.

"Thank you, my lord, for reshaping my flesh body!"

That is... Shen Shen Jinxiao!

Void Heavenly King smiled and said, "Shen Shen Jinxiao, you were slain by Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge with the Unparalleled Art; your loss was not undeserved. After all, one is a Myriad Phases Seed, the other a Primordial Seed. However, if you can successfully refine this 'Supreme Evil Seed,' I believe you will still have a chance to take revenge."

"Yes!"

Shen Shen Jinxiao's face, which had turned deathly pale due to the reshaping of his body, now displayed a mad smile.

Li Luo, Jiang Jiang Qinge, do you think I would die so simply at your hands?

I am the ghost destined for you, and I will haunt you until the very end of death!

Shen Shen Jinxiao smiled sickeningly, then suddenly felt a slightly strange gaze fixed on him from nearby. He turned his head and saw a figure sitting silently on the cushion beside him, staring at him.

That was a young and pretty woman; numerous black snake scales grew on her skin. These scales, like close-fitting soft armor, covered her delicate body, revealing an extremely graceful and well-proportioned silhouette.

The pale skin and the black snake scales complemented each other, radiating an eerie beauty.

At the same time, she held a green bamboo and green snake staff in her hand; the staff emitted a faint bloody aura, as if it had slain countless heads.

Shen Shen Jinxiao looked at her, feeling an inexplicable sense of wariness deep within, yet the way she looked at him struck him as strange.

"Were you killed by Li Luo?" Suddenly, Shen Shen Jinxiao heard the other party ask.

Shen Shen Jinxiao was stunned, then smiled and said, "Oh? So you know him too? Do you have a grudge against him? Shall we go kill him together next time?"

He thought that since they would all be colleagues of the Unified Society in the future, some cooperation was necessary.

Hearing these words, the woman before him seemed to curl her red lips into a strange arc. Shen Shen Jinxiao felt the other party seemed somewhat pleased, and then he saw her nod with a smile.

"Good."

"Together next time."