Chapter 902

Yan Wang heard the words, the ghostly fire in his eyes suddenly surged, the stone tiles of the entire Yan Luo Hall actually began to seep out viscous blood plasma. Those originally wooden judges suddenly turned their heads in unison, hundreds of pairs of hollow eye sockets simultaneously fixed on Yan Buji.

"Who do you think you're speaking to?" Yan Wang's voice suddenly mixed with a metallic scraping noise, three tentacles covered in star spots stretched out from beneath his black dragon robe: "I could let you walk alive to this day, I can....."

Boom!

Yan Buji stared at the dragon heart in his hand, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

He raised his head to look at Yan Wang on the throne, the other's expression remained calm, as if the earlier upheaval had never happened.

"Lord of the Starry Sky," Yan Buji spoke slowly, his voice low and dangerous: "Since you went to great lengths to lure me here, why not speak plainly—what exactly do you want me to do?"

The Lord of the Starry Sky gave a faint smile, his fingertip lightly tapping the throne's armrest, the yin qi of the entire hall trembled accordingly.

He did not answer directly, but waved his hand, the sky of the Youming Jie suddenly split open a crack, revealing the firmament beyond.

However, that firmament was not azure blue, but shrouded in a layer of dim chaos, countless chains faintly visible crossing and locking, tightly sealing the entire Heavenly Dao!

"Did you see it?" the voice of the Lord of the Starry Sky said with a hint of heaviness: "The Heavenly Dao is being suppressed, the Three Talents are out of balance, and Youming Jie bears the brunt. The Yellow Springs flow backward, the cycle of reincarnation is chaotic; if this continues, the entire Youming Jie will collapse."

Yan Buji furrowed his brows; he had indeed sensed the anomaly in Youming Jie, but did not expect the situation to be this severe.

But what does it have to do with him?

"So?" he said coldly.

"Therefore, we need someone who can break this stalemate," the Lord of the Starry Sky's gaze fell on Yan Buji's Dragon Heart on his chest: "And you happen to be that variable."

Yan Buji sneered, "Me? A cultivator who is not even a saint or sage, what gives me the right to solve a suppression that even the Heavenly Dao cannot break?"

"Because you stole one of the Fundamental Ways of Wisdom, the 'Way of Desire'," the Lord of the Starry Sky's voice suddenly turned icy: "Did you think I didn't know?"

Yan Buji's pupils contracted, but soon returned to calm. He had indeed obtained the Way of Desire, yet he had never mentioned it to anyone; how did the Lord of the Starry Sky see through it?

"So what?" he said lightly.

"The Way of Desire is one of the Fundamental Ways of Wisdom, and the Fundamental Way of Wisdom is the primal power when this world first opened," the Lord of the Starry Sky rose slowly, Youming Jie laws swirling around him: "If you fully absorb the Dragon Heart and step into the realm of saints and sages, you can use the Way of Desire as a guide to draw out the true Fundamental Way of Wisdom and break the Heavenly Dao's suppression!"

Yan Buji was silent for a moment, then laughed suddenly: "Sounds good, but unfortunately, I'm not interested."

The Lord of the Starry Sky's gaze hardened: "Did you think you had a choice?"

Before the words finished, the entire Yanluo Hall twisted suddenly, countless shadow soldiers and ghosts surged from all directions, encircling Yan Buji. Even more terrifying, water from the Yellow Springs seeped from the ground, turning into countless chains that coiled around his feet.

"Either absorb the Dragon Heart, or... die," the Lord of the Starry Sky's voice was bone‑cold.

Yan Buji stared at the Lord of the Starry Sky, a flash of bloodlight in his eyes.

He knew that he truly had no way out now. The Lord of the Starry Sky's power far exceeded his imagination, and with Youming Jie's suppression, any forced resistance would guarantee death.

"Ha, what a fine combination of threat and inducement," he sneered, then raised his hand to press his chest, "Since Lord Yan is so generous, then I... will do as you wish!"

As the words fell, he suddenly forced his internal Dragon Heart into action!

But the next moment!

Boom—

At the instant Yan Buji was about to fully absorb the Dragon Heart—

Boom!

A pitch‑black Youming Imperial Seal suddenly fell from the sky, smashing hard onto Yan King's back!

Puff!

The Lord of the Starry Sky was caught off guard, staggered forward from the blow, spitting a mouthful of dark‑golden blood. He suddenly turned his head, fury blazing in his eyes: "Nether God Emperor?! How dare you—"

Deep within the hall, a figure slowly emerged.

The person was clad in a dark‑black imperial robe, a massive set of antlers sprouted from his head, surrounded by a forest of deathly aura; it was the previously allied Master of the Reincarnation Tree Sea, the Nether God Emperor!

"Ha, High Priest, you've performed long enough; it's time to end," the Nether God Emperor sneered, his gaze slicing toward Yan King like a blade.

The Lord of the Starry Sky's expression wavered, but soon regained composure, and in a grim tone said: "Nether God, what nonsense are you spouting? I am the Youming Yan Lord; when did I become some High Priest?"

"You play the part quite well," the Nether God Emperor scoffed, raised his hand and waved, Youming laws coalesced into an ancient mirror; reflected was a twisted body eroded by starlight, not the true form of Yan King!

"The High Priest of the Starry Sky Sect, the incarnation of the Lord of the Starry Sky... you think you can hide that from me?"

Although Yan Buji had previously exposed his identity, he had never admitted he was the Lord of the Starry Sky. But now he finally shed the disguise; starlight surged around him, his once dignified visage gradually twisted into a bizarre face riddled with star scars.

"Nether God, you're courting death!" the Lord of the Starry Sky's voice was hoarse, carrying a hum not of this realm: "On the day the starry sky descends, your Youming Jie will be the first to be annihilated!"

Yan Buji was startled, carefully recalling his experiences in Youming Jie.

From the first accidental entry into Youming Jie, to later being chosen by the Lord of the Starry Sky and forced to become his High Priest, and then the founding of the Starry Sky Sect....

Consequently, the role he played in the later Youming Jie war was far from minor; it could even be called the spark that ignited the war.

But Yan Buji knew, especially after mastering the Law of Motion, that he now vaguely sensed some previously unreachable gazes fixed on him, and he could even vaguely discern who was watching!

For this reason, Yan Buji pretended to placate the Lord of the Starry Sky here, feigning submission, with the purpose of provoking the Nether God Emperor's appearance!

Though the Nether God Emperor is no good either.

Yan Buji, caught in the middle, watched the two sides about to clash, and silently stepped aside.

Yet, seeing a horde of merged‑path realm ghost cultivators suddenly surround him, he dared not act rashly.

The Lord of the Starry Sky glanced at Yan Buji, then at the Nether God Emperor, and suddenly smiled: "Why must you and I fight to the death? Since Yan Buji possesses the ability to steal the power of the Wisdom Source, we should join forces and put it to good use."

Yan Buji's complexion darkened.

The Nether God Emperor shook his head: "Now that's awkward for me; Yan Buji has long been in my grasp, otherwise how do you think he could have met you back then?"

"You!"

Huh?

Yan Buji's pupils contracted: "You placed the Rift Stone?!"

The Nether God Emperor smiled faintly: "Otherwise, why would those ordinary mortals turn a blind eye?"

Yan Buji took a deep breath.

So that's it.

Back then, the Rift Stone obtained on Huang Songshan was only lightly concealed; even a mortal like himself could notice it, so there was no reason a cultivator couldn't.

How could the Nether God Emperor have schemed for so long, and why would he place a bet on me?

"I don't understand." Yan Buji looked at them, asked lightly: "Even if I am now sufficiently 'unique', back then I was merely a mortal; why would you target me?"