Imperial God Emperor

Most people would not have been able to identify what it was, but for top-level experts such as Great Saint Zhong Yuan, he knew with just one look that this red fire was the legendary [Red Lotus Hellfire], which had the power to burn everything.

Once ignited, this flame could burn anything into ashes. Even the Great Saint would not be spared from its power.

Every living thing that walked in this universe would not be spared from the trappings of the mortal world and would be tainted with karma. When it came to experts such as Great Saint Zhong Yuan, he must have killed many opponents and encountered lots of good fortune to become a Great Saint. Therefore, his karmic debt would be as high as a mountain and he would never be able to escape. Any living thing that had karma would immediately be burnt to dust by the power of laws once the [Red Lotus Hellfire] touched them. This had nothing to do with how powerful the individual was.

According to legend, only divine beings with some self-restraint, newborns who had yet to be tainted by karma, or the ultimate Saints with impeccable morals and conduct would not be afraid of being burned by this [Red Lotus Hellfire]. They would be able to walk freely through it as though they were walking on air.

The Black Moon Divine Palace had committed many crimes, and therefore, its karmic debt was as plentiful as the sand in the Ganges River. Once the [Red Lotus Hellfire] came upon it, flames roared through the Black Moon Divine Palace's representative station as though kindled by oil. Hundreds of experts within the representative station caught fire and screamed piteously as they tried to escape, but to no avail. They were burnt into dust and their ashes disappeared into the Void.

"Ah..."

"Help!"

"No!"

"[Rebirth Golden Lotus]... protect me... Ah! What are these flames? Why can't my divine item block them? I don't want to die..."

All sorts of screams and cries could be heard from the representative station of the Black Moon Divine Palace.

Human torches dashed around all across the place.

Those who were outside, including Great Saint Zhong Yuan and Master Zhu, felt their hearts sink.

No one dared to rush into the place to kill Ye Qingyu or to save their comrades. This was especially so in the case of Master Zhu since he was someone who enjoyed hatching devious plots. Therefore, his karmic debt was even greater than Great Saint Zhong Yuan, who had killed countless people. Furthermore, he was not yet a Saint, so he obviously could not afford to risk it.

"Bastard, why are you not stopping this... Stop it!" Great Saint Zhong Yuan bellowed angrily as he gnashed his teeth.

He then released a long chain of formations from his body, which shone with mysterious divine splendor, protecting those around him.

Those who had been lying in wait inside were all the top experts from the Black Moon Divine Palace and many experts who had been invited from the various other sects and forces. At least one-third of the Black Moon Divine Palace's elite experts were inside, and now that the [Red Lotus Hellfire] had come upon them, the chances of anyone making it out alive were close to zero. This was probably a hundred years worth of yuan qi burned off from the Black Moon Divine Palace.

"Hahaha. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. As such inhumane jackals, do you even feel pain?" Ye Qingyu laughed maniacally with rage. His laughter rang out from the depths of the hellfire and was filled with rage, murderous intent, and the need for vengeance.

"Stop it. You..." Great Saint Zhong Yuan felt his heart squeeze in pain. "Let's have a civil discussion. Let us talk this out."

For someone like this old man who had developed such a strong attachment to the Black Moon Divine Palace and who thought of the palace as his own family, the scene in front of him was unbearable, especially as he could only watch helplessly as these people went up in flames one by one before turning into ashes. These were the elite experts who had been painstakingly groomed by the Black Moon Divine Palace. Over the years, the Black Moon Divine Palace had been secretly cultivating and grooming these talents with the help of several forces, and these elite experts could have turned them into a top force. However, after this hellfire, at least half of their efforts had come to naught.

He knew that even if he rushed out, he would not be able to save any of them and might even be trapped within.

"Hahaha. Old dog, did you just ask to talk things through? Are you kidding me?" Ye Qingyu's figure was barely discernible through the red flames. He was not affected by the flames since he was under the protection of the [Cloud Top Cauldron]. He was like an avenging death god who had crawled out of hell, and wherever he went, he left a trail of bodies burning in his wake, screaming in pain. His anger-filled voice reverberated across the land. "So, now you want to have a civil discussion? Why did you not think of doing so when you ruthlessly slaughtered the Heaven Wasteland envoy mission? When they begged for mercy before they were killed; when those pitiful women were defiled by you bastard and died without their chastity and dignity; why did the thought of having a civil discussion not cross your mind? I've had enough. Today is the day where all you inhumane bastards will experience the true meaning of karma. I have reined in my anger and my urge to kill over the past three days and did not kill a single person even as I sealed your representative stations. To me, the Black Moon Divine Palace was a human sect and I thought that there might have been some within the sect who were innocent and that they only acted in such a manner because they were deceived or hoodwinked by that bastard Yang Wanqu. However, what happened next? You old dog, how dare you even think of sticking the heads of your fellow humans on poles in order to force me to show myself? All of you no longer have a shred of conscience. You are just a pack of dogs and pigs who deserve to rot in hell... Therefore, let us all perish together. May you be baptized in this [Red Lots Hellfire] and cleanse yourself of your evil deeds. As for me, the fact that I have single-handedly managed to wipe away centuries of your efforts makes this all worth it. Hahahaha!"

His voice was magnified by yuan qi and thus echoed throughout all of Falcon City.

Countless living creatures across the city heard the condemnation and rage in his voice.

Everyone could feel his rage and grief and could also clearly sense his readiness to perish along with the Black Moon Divine Palace.

Everyone was stunned.

Regardless of what was right or wrong and regardless of what Ye Qingyu had done in the past, whether or not he was a malicious troublemaker as the Black Moon Divine Palace had made him out to be, at that moment, everyone was moved by the grief and anger in his voice. To all these people, Ye Qingyu was a tragic hero and a fearless, outstanding young man.

This was a tragedy to this solemn and stirring young man.

Great Saint Zhong Yuan's face alternated between turning pale and flushing red.

In fact, he had not really agreed with the palace master's decision to ambush the Heaven Wasteland envoy mission.

Unfortunately, he did not have the authority to put a stop to it.

Furthermore, this was a great opportunity for the Black Moon Divine Palace. This was an opportunity for them to rise, an opportunity that their ancestors had searched so hard for. Therefore, Zhong Yuan finally gave his approval for the mission because his desire for his sect to rise outweighed the guilt that he felt in harming his fellow humans of the Heaven Wasteland.

However, as he stared at the flames that filled the air, he suddenly started to waver.

Was it truly right to have done such a thing in pursuit of the rise of my sect?

As he looked at the scene in front of him, he felt as though he was caught in a trap of his own making.

Layers of formations and traps as well as countless restraints had been laid out within the representative station of the Black Moon Divine Palace in order to ambush Ye Qinyu. The representative station was now virtually impregnable and would be an iron prison to Ye Qingyu, but wouldn't it be the same to the elite experts within it?

Everyone was running about in a state of panic, and in that chaos, those who had been controlling the restraining formation had either died or fled.

These formations could not stop the [Red Lotus Hellfire] as it continued on its warpath.

As things stood, the majority of the thousands of Black Moon Divine Palace's elite force would not be able to escape at all. They were already starting to find themselves trapped in the chaotic formations within the area and could only watch helplessly as their bodies were consumed by the [Red Lotus Hellfire]. They cried out and then they were turned into ashes...

Great Saint Zhong Yuan's eyes flashed and he clenched his jaw so hard that his teeth were almost crushed.

He was already starting to regret his actions.

A myriad of expressions flashed across Master Zhu's face as well.

However, he soon managed to calm himself down.

A cold smile appeared on his thin face and his eyes turned cruel and terrifying.

He paused for a moment, then approached Great Saint Zhong Yuan and said, "It's too late to turn back now that the arrow has left the bow. This might have turned out a little differently compared to what we had expected, but the result was what we were expecting. Since this idiot wishes to perish alongside us, let us grant him his wish. As long as Ye Qingyu dies, it doesn't matter how he died, the sect will still see it as a great accomplishment. With the support of that person, we would be able to build back what we have lost today in a matter of three to four years. This is a critical moment, so you mustn't waver!"

Zhong Yuan was shaken by those words.

Only then did he realize what a fix the Black Moon Divine Palace was in.

It was impossible for them to back down.

The only way forward was to advance, not retreat.

Although he did not like Master Zhu's deviousness and maliciousness, he had to admit that Master Zhu was right.

He did not have time to think any further.

"Lay out the [Black Moon Pentagon Immortal Trap Formation] and lock this area down," Zhong Yuan said with a sigh as he turned to the five Saints beside him. "After the flames have been quenched, all you will need to do is to retrieve that bastard's body. As for the rest, I will answer to the palace master myself and bear all responsibility for all that has happened. No one else will be held accountable for this."

"As you wish."

"We are willing to share the blame with the Highest Elder."

The five Saints of the Black Moon Divine Palace felt almost the same way as Zhong Yuan. They had nothing further to add now that they were in such a situation. They transformed into flowing lights and flickered constantly before they reappeared, taking their places in five spots that surrounded the representative station. At the same time, they clenched their fists in the Void and a mysterious divine weapon that resembled a black moon appeared in their hands with a flash of black splendor. They all had varying shapes—some were as round as a full moon, some were shaped like a half moon, while others were only as small as a new moon—but they were all imbued with a mysterious power. Under the control of the five Saints, a ray of dazzling black splendor burst forth from these five divine weapons and they constantly intersected and shattered across the sky above the representative point to finally form a large black web, completely sealing the surrounding area of the representative point.

This was to prevent Ye Qingu from escaping.

The [Black Moon Pentagon Immortal Trap Formation] was the strongest formation of the Black Moon Divine Palace and was said to have the ability to even trap Immortals and demons. The Vast Thousand Domains had once been in awe of this formation, but following the decline of the Black Moon Divine Palace, the mystery behind the formation was no longer complete. However, even though the formation was not complete, it still had the ability to trap experts who were at the Great Saint level.

These five Saints had deliberately kept their distance in order to avoid the [Red Lotus Hellfire].

"Dear all, today marks a catastrophe for the Black Moon Divine Palace and thus, we must kill Ye Qingyu. I hope that no one will try to stop us or you will be my eternal enemy. I will bring him down even if I die doing so," Great Saint Zhong Yuan said ruthlessly as he stood in the middle of the formation. He spoke authoritatively as he was worried that Ye Qingyu's accomplice might attempt to rush into the formation with the final bit of [Red Lotus Hellfire]. Although the chance of that happening was low, he wanted to make sure he took all precautions.

Time flew by.

In an instant, thirty minutes had passed.