Chapter 323: Talisman Emperor and Wick Devil
At the Eternal Sword Prison, at the entrance to Demon Continent, hundreds of shadows loomed around the swirling vortex.
Within a hundred miles, the air was thick with a deadly stillness. Even the wind had ceased to move.
As impatience grew among those harboring deadly intent, a message arrived from the direction of the Sword Ruins.
The bearer of the news lost his voice in shock.
"Ling Chen is already dead!
"The Heavenly Land was taken by Yun Xiao!
"The Ku Family lineage has been wiped out. The Sword Ruins is united as one!"
These three pieces of news struck like three giant swords, piercing the minds of the prominent figures of the eight hells.
The scene fell into a deathly silence.
Every shadowed figure had warped expressions, their eyes aflame with deep malice. They had been played, and played thoroughly! Respected figures, made fools by a young man. If word got out, their reputations would be in tatters.
In the crowd, upon hearing her Ku Family was essentially annihilated, Qingzan cried out in heart-wrenching agony. Her children, gone! Her original home, gone!
Such was the price for scheming against Yun Xiao.
Her frosty face contorted as if trampled upon, exuding an unbearable stench. Her icy cyan sword energy lashed out chaotically, warning all to keep their distance.
"Shall we head to the Sword Ruins and obliterate them?" In the midst of this deathly stillness, Qingzan suddenly raised her head, her voice chilling to the bone.
These powerhouses of the eight hells did not respond at once. After all, even if she was enraged, she did not represent the will of the Calamity Seal Purgatory.
All eyes turned to the man behind her.
Just then, another messenger arrived.
"By the edict of the Immortal Asylum, the Nine Hells Conquest Clash is brought forward to tomorrow morning!"
The news plunged the scene into another round of silence.
"Tomorrow morning? We'd better hurry back to prepare..."
"Is the Central Heaven Immortal Asylum trying to save the Sword Ruins?"
"Not necessarily. Even if we succeed in attacking the Sword Ruins together, it would come at a cost. Once the Nine Hells conflict is resolved, the Sword Ruins loses its home-field advantage."
"So, what exactly is the intention of the Immortal Ruins?"
Hundreds of shadowy figures exchanged glances, their brows slightly furrowed.
"The waters seem to be getting deeper."
"That Exile Yun is more troublesome than we thought."
In such a situation, everyone was weighing their own positions and interests.
"Let's retreat."
With the news from the Sword Ruins, the siege by the eight hells was effectively a failure.
Though called a siege by the eight hells, in reality, only seven had shown up. This was the reason behind the War Princess's comment about three against five.
More and more began to leave!
"Gathering the power of the eight hells and going directly to the Sword Ruins would guarantee the death of that Exiled Sword Immortal!" Qingzan, with fiery eyes, turned to the man behind her.
Enveloped in a colorful mist, the man sported dazzling, multicolored long hair and wore a loose black robe, floating barefoot. Through the mist, he appeared much younger than the Sword Warden, with colorful irises and a strikingly handsome face with thin lips.
"Who benefits the most from killing the Exiled Sword Immortal and weakening the Sword Ruins?" the man asked.
"We do," Qingzan replied, biting her lip.
"We only have one night, and the other hells won't risk their necks for our Inscription Cultivators' benefit," the man said.
Clearly, apart from the Inscription Cultivators, most of the hells also wanted the Exiled Sword Immortal dead. However, they also didn't want to incur significant losses, preferring to reap the benefits without getting their hands dirty. So, they indeed left more decisively!
In the blink of an eye, the shadows near the vortex passage had mostly dispersed. Apart from the Inscription Cultivators, a group of dark figures remained.
"Talisman Emperor." A tall and imposing shadow stepped forward towards the man with the colorful hair.
He was a fearsome sight, his body adorned with black blood patterns, eyes blazing like torches. Larger in stature than the devils of the Endless Netherworld, his red hair atop his head burned eternally. Inside him raged a blood-red volcano, scorching the earth beneath his feet to black, smoky wasteland.
His visage was devoid of horns but boasted a tail like a steel whip, his face more akin to a fierce demon than any human, with ferocious fangs and a ghastly grin.
Clearly, he was from the Yang Devil Clan!
"Wick Devil." The man with the colorful hair glanced at the newcomer.
They met, and those around them tactfully dispersed. Man and devil, hands behind their backs, stood atop a mountain, the world before them lifeless and still, a thousand miles without a breath of wind.
"Our opponent dares to claim the Calamity Seal Sword for themselves, an opportunity as big as the sky itself," the Wick Devil's voice was deep and rumbling, his fangs dripping blood as he spoke, his eyes a volcanic fury, a terrifying sight to behold.
"What a pity, the other hells fear I might profit too much," the Talisman Emperor mused with a wistful smile.
"I, from the Rising Sun Inferno, fear nothing," the Wick Devil declared, looking at him.
"You're always so straightforward. Such a forthright ruler of a hell is rare," the Talisman Emperor praised.
"And your intention?" The Wick Devil raised an eyebrow.
"Let's continue to win together," the Talisman Emperor proposed.
The Wick Devil laughed heartily. After his laughter subsided, he mused, "The mysteries of the universe are endless! When Inscription Cultivators and Sword Cultivators unite, their offspring, especially male Inscription Cultivators with female Sword Cultivators, are inevitably Inscription Cultivators. These hybrid Inscription Cultivators often possess commendable talents with the sword like Fu Longxiang, even without a Sword Soul, using Life Sigils instead. Like this, a new generation proficient in both sword and sigil is born, strengthening your human race."
"And your hybrid offspring of male Yang Devils and female Yin Devils, do they not also combine two great talents? The beauty lies in the fact that such offspring are still fundamentally Yang Devils... The principle is the same." The Talisman Emperor chuckled.
"My brother, to prove this rule among top-tier bloodlines, you even married a Sword Cultivator yourself, quite the daring move." The Wick Devil's lips curled slightly, glancing at Qingzan in the distance.
"Sadly, I lost a pair of hard-raised children and even the Calamity Seal Sword..." The Talisman Emperor's gaze turned towards the Sword Ruins, his eyes shimmering with colorful runes and deep-seated vengeance forming a tumultuous sea within.
"Such deep hatred and grave provocation provide the perfect excuse for Inscription Cultivators to disregard the Immortal Asylum and wage war on the Eternal Sword Prison. By killing the men and claiming the women, you could unify the human race, becoming the first human Emperor of the Nine Hells!" the Wick Devil's voice was fiery, the flames atop his head burning even brighter.
"If I become the Emperor of Man you shall be the sole Emperor of Devils. I have no doubts that you'll eventually devour the Yin Devils with your Yang Devil bloodline. As the saying goes, only by uniting Yin and Yang can one find the true path," the Talisman Emperor said.
"It's a pity that my Rising Sun Inferno doesn't have as good of a justification as the Calamity Seal Purgatory," the Wick Devil lamented.
"Ah, the wars between your two devil clans have always been a spectacle since ancient times. With the Nine Hells in chaos, who needs an excuse?" The Talisman Emperor chuckled.
"True." The Wick Devil nodded.
"If you really need an excuse, I might have cooked up one for you," the Talisman Emperor said, his lips curling slightly.
"Oh?"
"After the demise of the remaining Exiled Sword Immortal, the War Princess and her awakened Nine-Tiered Bloodline might harbor thoughts of dominating the Nine Hells. To prevent her from becoming the next scourge, naturally, everyone should want her gone, right?" the Talisman Emperor said with a sly smile.
"Is that so?" The Wick Devil laughed again, his raspy and magnetic voice like rocks grinding, unnervingly chilling.
"Speaking of which, the daughter of that doting son of a bitch is quite the gem," the Wick Devil said cheerfully.
"What do you mean?" the Talisman Emperor asked.
The Wick Devil patted his stomach and said coldly, "In this world, I have the greatest Yang attribute among the devils, and that little devil girl has the greatest Yin attribute. If we join forces, complementing Yin and Yang, what kind of offspring would we produce?"
The Talisman Emperor was momentarily stunned. After a while, he laughed dryly, "You old devil, chasing after young girls now?"
"It's not about the beauty of the maiden, but about passing on the bloodline," the Wick Devil said earnestly.
"I believe you!" the Talisman Emperor replied. Pausing, he smiled coldly, "He's always been defeated by you, living under your shadow. And now, he has to offer up his daughter. That must be infuriating enough to make him spit blood."
"A devil is fierce by nature! Female devils may be gentle, no problem there. But a gentle male devil is a laughingstock; such existence is meaningless. They should have been extinct long ago," the Wick Devil declared.
"Indeed... Sword Cultivators are also a pointless system, slowing down the progress of our human race," the Talisman Emperor said coldly.
"So, what now?"
The two exchanged glances.
"The Immortal Asylum's strength is unknown, but apart from it, our two hells are the strongest, in a league of our own. The Endless Netherworld and Eternal Sword Prison can't match us one-on-one. So, getting the four demon hells on our side is crucial," the Talisman Emperor said.
"Demons are simple-minded beasts! As long as they see the benefit, they will join," the Wick Devil said.
"Tomorrow morning is the Nine Hells Conquest Clash. Let's do it this way. Tonight, you go to the Undead Depths, and I'll find Azure Phoenix?" the Talisman Emperor suggested.
"Agreed!"
Man and devil, having reached an accord, suddenly vanished into the wind.
Foll𝑜w current novℯls on fre𝒆web(n)ovel.co(m)