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There were still seals they’d yet to open?

Ye Zichen furrowed his brows, a bit uncertain as to whether the emperor was telling the truth or not. 

But everything else Emperor Hades had said was true. If he really wanted to steal from Ye Zichen, there was nothing Ye Zichen could do to stop him.

At the end of the day, their strength was on two different levels.

He recalled the way Emperor Hades had helped him reach small success in all five elements not long ago, and decided the emperor most likely wouldn’t harm him. Ye Zichen didn’t hesitate any longer. He took the Xuan-Yuan Sword from the Yao-Sealing Pagoda.

When the sword emerged, all of Emperor Hades’ seasonal palace shook.

Pale, incomparably dazzling light filled the room, and the name “Xuan-Yuan” on the sword’s hilt looked invincibly sharp.

“No wonder it’s the top divine sword in existence. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been; it’s just as despotic and domineering as ever.” Emperor Hades gently brushed his fingers across the blade and sighed with emotion. His fingers tapped lightly against the sword. Xuan-Yuan Xiang emerged from the blade.

She seemed somewhat confused. “Why am I outside?” She looked around in bewilderment, then looked at Ye Zichen. Emperor Hades looked at her, his gaze complex and nostalgic.

“Xuan-Yuan Xiang, long time no see.”

When she heard his voice, Xuan-Yuan Xiang whipped her head around. When she saw Emperor Hades, she seemed visibly shaken. “Emperor Hades?”

She examined her surroundings again, more scrupulously than before. “This… This is Emperor Hades’ secondary palace. Why am I here?”

“Big Sister Xiang, you recognize Emperor Hades?” This time, Ye Zichen was stunned despite himself.

Xuan-Yuan Xiang nodded. “I know him, but we’re not friends. Do you know where my seal came from? He’s the one who put it on me. Just thinking about it makes me upset.” She rolled her eyes in irritation.

Despite himself, Emperor Hades chuckled. “I did it for your own good. When the Yellow Emperor was forced into the cycle of samsara, I had to seal your sharp edge. Otherwise, it would have been far too easy for the God, Demon, and Yao Emperors to seize you.”

“Then I really ought to thank you, huh?” said Xuan-Yuan Xiang, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Big Sister Xiang.” Ye Zichen warned her. After all, this was one of the top experts of the Upper Three Realms, Emperor Hades. Wasn’t it better to be polite?  

“No harm done.” Emperor Hades waved away his concern. To Ye Zichen’s shock, when the emperor looked at Xuan-Yuan Xiang, his gaze….was doting.

No way!

Could it be that his excellency, the glorious Emperor Hades, had fallen in love with the Xuan-Yuan Sword’s artifact spirit?  If word of this got out, all three realms would practically explode.

“Hmph!” Xuan-Yuan Xiang snorted without leaving him any face at all.

Emperor Hades only laughed, but when he realized that Ye Zichen and Su Yiyun were both looking at him strangely, he suppressed his affectionate gaze. “As you can see, Xuan-Yuan Xiang and I are old acquaintances, so you can relax and entrust her to me.”

“What for?” said Xuan-Yuan Xiang in bewilderment. 

Emperor Hades pressed his lips into a smile. “Over the years, you broke through the first few seals, but no one can break the last two except for me. I asked Ye Zichen to summon you so I could break them for you.”

“Did you discover your conscience?” Xuan-Yuan Xiang sneered at him.

Emperor Hades nodded slightly. Xuan-Yuan Xiang turned to Ye Zichen and said, “You can trust him with the sword. He most likely wouldn’t steal it. Besides, you should know that my heart belongs to you exclusively.”

“....” The corners of Ye Zichen’s mouth twitched, but Xuan Yuan Xiang’s words put him at ease. He handed over his sword and said, “Then I’ll just leave it up to you, Emperor Hades.”

Emperor Hades nodded, then carried the Xuan-Yuan Sword out of the main hall. 

Even after they disappeared, Ye Zichen’s gaze lingered where they’d once been. Su Yiyun walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. There’s absolutely no way master will steal your treasures.”

Ye Zichen nodded, and Su Yiyun laughed, “I’m afraid you can’t leave until Master finishes breaking the seals. What perfect timing! It’s been too long since we hung out together. I recently acquired quite the stash of alcohol from various divine souls and vicious beasts. How about we drink together?”

“Yeah! We won’t stop ‘til we’re both drunk!” 

Although they said their aim was to get drunk, Su Yiyun drank with restraint. Besides, at their current cultivation, it was difficult to get drunk even if they wanted to.

They sat by a table covered in bottles of alcohol. Ye Zichen burped intermittently as they discussed stories from their time in the Modern Realm.

“What do you think it’s like there now?” Su Yiyun leaned into a pillow and murmured. By now, he’d already taken off his shoes.

“It’s probably still sealed in ice.” Ye Zichen sighed. “Wasn’t it fully sealed when we left? Only a few of us wound up in the Lower Three Realms.”

“This life feels like a dream, don’t you think?”

“You’re telling me!” Ye Zichen laughed, but despite himself, countless memories of the past surfaced in his mind.

Ye Zichen didn’t want to get lost in nostalgia and ruin the mood, so he changed the subject. “You said there were hints of movement among the yao, right? Did you find out what was going on?”

After Ye Zichen mentioned the yao, Su Yiyun put down his bottle, and his gaze turned solemn.

“They haven’t been quiet at all lately. The River Styx is their only way into the God Realm, so we’re under an enormous amount of pressure. 

“They only way?” Ye Zichen furrowed his brows.

Su Yiyun nodded slightly, then poured some alcohol on the floor and drew a picture with the liquid.

“Let’s say this is the River Styx. The Yao Realm lies to the north, while the south belongs to humans. The humans have their Divine Mountains, and so do the yao. You can’t travel between divine mountains, though, not unless you use a transfer formation.”

“The God and Yao Realms haven’t openly come to blows. If they did, the humans would just break all the transfer formations to and from the yao realms. In that case, the yao would have no means to directly teleport into human territory. In that case, their only way in would be to cross the River Styx and push their way into the Divine Mountains that way. 

“When the two sides come to blows, the River Styx is sure to become their principal battlefield. This is especially true since news that Master entered his low ebb has spread amongst the more observant of the yao. They’re just itching for battle. You said you saw Subterranean Beasts on the Northern Divine Mountain? That might have been the yao testing the waters.”

“But now that master’s left seclusion, this should be no problem at all. So long as he’s here, no matter how much the yao want to invade, they’ll have no choice but to endure.”

As soon as he mentioned his master, Su Yiyun’s words filled with confidence. For Ye Zichen, this further reinforced just how strong Emperor Hades really was.

He could single-handedly intimidate the entire Yao Realm, forcing them to repress their longing for human territory.

Emperor Hades, the first emperor of the ancient area, really did live up to his reputation.

“But now, things are relatively uncomfortable.” Su Yiyun sighed. “It’s not just the yao who want to take the God Realm. The demons want it too!”