Chapter 44: Youmingzi

The three-day recuperation period vanished in an instant.

In a corner of the vast War God Platform, Ye Wuque and Duan Xiuluo sat cross‑legged in the Void, closed their eyes to regulate breath, kept their condition at its peak, and awaited the opening of the Eternal God Tomb.

Around the starry sky, countless Dark Cultivators still lingered, gathering ever more, all eager to witness the grand opening of the Eternal God Tomb and the moment when ten thousand Heavenly Pride entered it.

Yet, within this relatively tranquil atmosphere, several cold, sinister, unabashedly murderous Dark Shadows slipped in like specters, stopping not far from Ye Wuque and Duan Xiuluo.

At the forefront was a young man clad in a deep violet robe.

His complexion was pallid, his lips a strange purple‑black, his slender eyes cold as a venomous snake, and a chilling death aura of discomfort enveloped him, as if he had just crawled out of a tomb.

His aura was overwhelming, astonishingly reaching the Immortal tier, and was exceedingly refined, bearing a bizarre quality that corroded the soul.

The moment the violet‑robed man appeared, Duan Xiuluo, who was regulating his breath, snapped his eyes open, his complexion changed abruptly, a knife‑sharp light flashed from his pupils, and his Asura war intent surged instantly, as if facing a great foe!

"Youmingzi!"

Duan Xiuluo's voice carried cold murderous intent, each syllable enunciated with a pause as he spat the name.

The man named Youmingzi, upon hearing it, let a chilling smile spread across his pallid face, his voice hoarse as if Bones were rubbing:

"Duan Xiuluo, long time no trouble. I didn't expect you could actually secure a slot; it seems the Asura Divine Hall was willing to spare the cost for you."

His words were laced with mockery and malice, his gaze like a venomous snake's fang scanning Duan Xiuluo as if appraising a corpse.

"However, your luck ends here," Youmingzi's smile grew more bizarre, "The Eternal God Tomb has a unique scenery; as your burial place, it couldn't be more fitting. Cherish these last dwindling moments, hehehe…"

Finishing, his snake‑like gaze turned toward the ever‑closed‑eyed, seemingly oblivious Ye Wuque beside him, a flash of surprise flickering before turning into even stronger malice:

"Oh? You even found a helper? Your aura is indeed dense, but… your judgment is poor, mixing with you."

"Kid," he said coldly to Ye Wuque, "Take my advice: scram right now, stay away from Duan Xiuluo, and you might still save a life. Otherwise… once inside the God Tomb, you'll be chopped up along with me to feed my Youmingzi corpse puppet!"

As his words fell, several other cold‑aura Dark Shadows behind him let out low, eerie laughter, full of mockery and cruelty.

"You're courting death!!"

Duan Xiuluo erupted in sheer fury; his Asura bloodline thundered, dark‑gold battle markings spread across his body in an instant, and a punch roared out, a terrifying fist‑storm tearing through Space, aiming straight at Youmingzi!

He dared to act here without regard for the setting!

However, Youmingzi seemed to have anticipated it, a triumphant sinister grin appearing on his face; without flinching or dodging, a violet jade talisman etched with countless ghost patterns suddenly materialized in his hand, which he crushed forcefully!

Buzz!

A bizarre force that twisted Space erupted instantly, enveloping Youmingzi and his companions!

"Duan Xiuluo! Within the God Tomb, I'll take your life! Wait patiently! Hahaha!"

Amid Youmingzi's arrogant, venomous laughter, their figures blurred in an instant, and the next moment vanished completely from the spot, leaving only faint ripples in Space.

Duan Xiuluo's angry punch struck empty air; the terrifying force collapsed a distant stretch of Space, yet the opponent was nowhere to be seen.

"Youmingzi Void‑Escape Talisman!"

Duan Xiuluo's face turned iron‑blue, his fist clenched tightly, murderous intent nearly spilling from his eyes, "You scum! Truly a lingering ghost!"

Ye Wuque only now slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calm, as if nothing that just occurred had happened.

He glanced at the spot where Youmingzi vanished and said lightly, "What's the origin of this beast? So arrogant."

Duan Xiuluo suppressed his boiling murderous intent, inhaled deeply, and said in a low voice:

"He hails from the 'Youming Celestial Realm', an extremely bizarre and poisonous faction that specializes in Corpse Dao, Ghost Dao, and Poison Dao; his methods are exceedingly vicious. In my early wanderings, I forged a mortal feud with him, chasing each other many times, never fully resolving Causality. Our strengths are on par, each unable to subdue the other."

"But this time…"

Duan Xiuluo furrowed his brows, a hint of doubt and gravity flashing in his eyes, "He's acting overly arrogant and confident, as if certain to have me at his mercy inside the God Tomb! He must have prepared some poisonous backup or found a powerful patron! Brother Ye, this God Tomb expedition may encounter unforeseen setbacks because of me, dragging you into trouble."

Ye Wuque, upon hearing this, simply patted Duan Xiuluo's shoulder, his tone still calm yet exuding unquestionable confidence: "No problem. When troops come, I'll block; when water comes, earth will cover. I'm here."

Those simple seven words seemed to contain the power to set the world, instantly calming Duan Xiuluo's restless murderous heart.

He nodded heavily, placing absolute trust in Ye Wuque: "Alright! Then let the two of us, brothers, see what tricks Youmingzi can actually pull!"

This little interlude caused no major stir and was quickly drowned out by other commotions.

Three days of Time passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, atop the massive War God Platform, ten thousand qualified Heavenly Pride gathered once more.

After three days of recuperation, everyone had tuned their condition to the optimum, their spirit, energy, and mind full, battle intent soaring, awaiting the arrival of the final moment.

The entire starry sky's atmosphere once again became solemn and tense.