Sure enough, the Empress gently clapped her hands.
“Come out, old ghosts.”
In an instant, a group of 【Divine Emperor Soldiers】 clad in magnificent armor and radiating terrifying pressure appeared out of thin air, moving in perfect unison, like heavenly warriors descending.
“Hehehe!! Prison Lord, I told you! The biggest traitor has jumped out himself!!”
“Jie jie jie!! Betraying one’s master and devouring one’s own mother—this is true demonic style!!”
“Swear to defend the Prison Lord to the death! Kill!!”
The old ghosts, revelers all, howled excitedly, eager to tear Su Xiaohei to shreds. Their frenzy resembled a pack of sharks smelling blood.
Su Xiaohei retracted his spear and swept his gaze over the soldiers, whose cultivation fluctuated between Golden Core and even a few Foundation Establishment 【Divine Emperor Soldiers】. He raised an eyebrow.
“So this is Master’s backup? Or is Master hoping these useless fellows can hold me off while he gathers the other generals to set up an ambush?”
“If that’s Master’s intention, then today this disciple will become the one who betrays Master and ancestors, the ultimate traitor!!”
Suddenly, a huge rift split open behind Su Xiaohei, as if the gates of the Nine Nether Hell were violently torn apart. From the deep darkness, strands of the Nine Nether’s unique aura spread out like tangible mist—cold, deathly silent, and terrifying.
One by one, White Bone Yakshas emerged from the rift, their eye sockets burning with ghostly blue flames. Their skeletal bodies were draped with tattered black cloth, and their sharp claws dragged marks across the ground with each step, exuding the stench of death.
Behind the White Bone Yakshas, a large group of Nine Nether demonic cultivators poured out in succession. They wore black robes, surrounded by swirling demonic qi, their faces twisted in either ferocity or fanaticism.
Su Bai’s brow furrowed. “You have pledged allegiance to the Nine Nether Sect.”
“True Qingyang, you are mistaken.”
At that moment, a demon cultivator stepped forward from the crowd. He removed his hood to reveal a familiar face—an aged countenance enveloped by demonic qi, golden core cultivation evident. This was none other than Meng He, who had been dispatched by Su Bai after losing the political struggle and had since disappeared.
“Since the disappearance of the Five Lords, Xuantian True Lord has become the new master of the Nine Nether—the Su Master!”
“Very well, very well!!!” Su Bai laughed bitterly, uttering three sharp “very wells” in a row, “Never expected to raise a traitor like you, one who betrays Master and ancestors and abandons all living beings!”
“Today, you will see how your Master managed to unify the Five Domains for two days—not just with strength, but also with this!!”
Su Bai yanked a jade pendant from her waist. It was an ordinary piece, nothing special. Yet this utterly plain jade pendant instantly stirred a wave of terror in the hearts of the Nine Nether demons, as if they faced the wrath of heaven itself.
It was the core of the 【Celestial Emperor Spirit Lock Array】!
Su Bai held the jade pendant, her eyes gleaming with smugness—as if to say, “Your dad’s always your dad.”
But one second, two seconds, three seconds passed…
The 【Celestial Emperor Spirit Lock Array】 remained utterly silent.
Su Bai fell silent.
She raised the pendant again, but still no response.
Lowering her hand, she fixed her calm gaze on the man in the dark robe wielding a spear at the forefront, sighing lightly as if making a last plea before resigning to fate.
“When? When did you tamper with the 【Celestial Emperor Spirit Lock Array】? I clearly—”
A faint spark of inspiration flashed through her mind, swiftly captured by her. Her brows knitted tightly.
“It was then, when I journeyed south carrying the Treasure of Spirit Transformation to carry out an assassination during my tour!”
“Afterwards, I secluded myself to recover from injuries, so the affairs of the Central Plains’ 【Celestial Emperor Spirit Lock Array】 had to be entrusted to you.”
“He is your man!”
Su Xiaohei did not deny it.
Su Bai gave a cold smile. “Use all your methods, then. Let your Master become a clear ghost beneath the Nine Nether’s yellow springs.”
“Hahaha! Qingyang True Lord, Eternal Demonic Calamity, today is your day!!”
No sooner had these words fallen than several powerful auras shot out from the rift—each one a Nascent Soul cultivator, radiating overwhelming pressure!
Su Bai’s eyes swept over them as she coldly recited, “The Summer family of the East Sea, the Fang family of the Western Desert, the Hei family of the Northern Plains, the Xiong family of the Southern Frontier, the remnants of the Water Tribe in the Central Plains’ Tianhe Sect… Hahaha! Self-proclaimed paragons of the righteous path, yet colluding so closely with the Nine Nether demons!”
“Bah! Demon! You slaughtered over ten thousand of my Hei family! How do you intend to repay this blood feud!” A heroic golden-armored woman glared fiercely, shouting.
“Qingyang Demon Lord, don’t try to resist anymore. Today, the great sects of the righteous path have joined forces with the Nine Nether Sect to crush your demonic nest.”
“Qingyang True Lord, Eternal Demonic Calamity, you are the unparalleled evil!! For your 【Celestial Demon Spirit Lock Array】, you destroyed the Immortal Alliance and annihilated ten thousand sects in the Central Plains! You have committed crimes beyond measure, unforgivable and unrecordable!!”
“No more words! Don’t try to reason with this demon—attack together!!”
Su Bai stood in her cyan imperial robe, the patterns alive with spiritual resonance, dragons and phoenixes intertwined in vivid detail, exuding majestic authority.
The night wind swept through the palace chamber, wildly tossing her hair, and her robes fluttered in the breeze.
Bright red blood dripped continuously from a pierced wound in her lower abdomen, drop by drop, like crimson tears streaming down her body to her feet.
Surrounded by enemies, with no way out.
The outcome was settled; today, death seemed inevitable.
“Hahaha, hahaha!”
Without warning, Su Bai burst into loud laughter. She turned her back and sat upon the throne, the symbol of supreme status, one hand propping her forehead, hair partially obscuring her face.
“Interesting, very interesting, absolutely interesting!!”
“Good and evil, human and demon, two paths united to surround and kill me alone—looks like I truly am the number one in the world.”
Blood seeped through her fingers, but her eyes, seen through the crimson and gaps, held a faint smile as she regarded the wolves and tigers surrounding her.
The cultivators all froze, hearts skipping a beat, then the smiling Empress softly murmured, “Everyone, it’s time to make dumplings~”
In an instant, a golden light shot straight into the sky, spreading rapidly with devouring force, enveloping the entire Qing Emperor Divine Palace, sealing off inside from outside!!
Nine auras, as if ripping the sky, ascended like mad dragons. Outside the Qing Emperor Divine Palace, the overwhelming momentum came from all Nascent Soul cultivators!!
“Damn it! An ambush!”
“What is going on here!!!”
“Don’t panic! Capture the demoness quickly! Her cultivation is destroyed!”
Chaos erupted. In just a breath’s time, the entire Qing Emperor Divine Palace was surrounded by a golden light formation, forming a giant circle, trapping everyone inside—including Su Bai.
A star-lit chain shot out like a spiritual snake, aiming to coil around Su Bai’s neck, binding her tightly.
The Empress in her imperial robes on the throne gently tapped her finger. The starlight dissipated, and the thick chain crumbled and shattered in the wind.
The eyes of all onlookers contracted sharply. The Nine Nether demon cultivators were dumbfounded, and the 【Divine Emperor Soldiers】 let out various cries of surprise!!
The piercing wound in her abdomen healed immediately, with no visible process. Su Bai rose calmly and smoothly, her once-fallen aura soaring steadily, no longer hidden—fully revealed!
It was Spirit Transformation cultivation!!