Hua Jiuming’s questions drew no response.
All he felt was the endless onslaught of vengeful souls, and one by one the things he feared most coming true.
By sheer willpower, Hua Jiuming still clung to consciousness.
He also knew he couldn’t hold on much longer.
With a roar, he bellowed, “Say something!”
In the dim sky, a pair of eyes slowly materialized.
“What is there to say? A loser who knows everything still walks away with nothing. Savor your fear!”
At those words, Hua Jiuming paused, then allowed a resigned smile to cross his face.
Indeed.
To the victor go the spoils; to the defeated, oblivion. Even omniscience won’t change that.
Only the winner has the right to choose!
A fierce battle intent ignited in Hua Jiuming’s eyes. He thrust both hands forward into the void.
In an instant, countless blue blossoms burst into being around him, ruthlessly eradicating every vengeful soul.
From afar, he appeared as though standing in a sea of flowers, his sable pelt adding to the ethereal beauty of the scene.
But this alone was not enough.
True terror in the Hell of Fear does not lie in these miscellaneous souls, but in your deepest nightmares becoming reality, over and over, until you die!
After sustaining this for the length of half an incense stick, the flower sea shattered—and Hua Jiuming’s body fragmented along with it. Yet these were not flesh and blood, but shards of porcelain.
A sliver of his divine soul survived, though it was feeble and wan.
At his feet lay a vessel shattered beyond recognition.
This must be the semi-artifact the Corpse God Dongfang had mentioned.
Ye Yu’s figure loomed before Hua Jiuming’s spirit.
Hua Jiuming made no move to resist or flee. He sank into a cross-legged posture and, voice weak, said, “No need for the Soul Search Technique. Ask what you will—I’ll tell you everything. No question unspoken, no secret withheld. After it’s over, may I ask you one thing?”
“I don’t trust you, and you have no right to bargain!” Ye Yu replied, and immediately unleashed the Soul Search Technique.
After so many battles, he understood one truth: pity for one’s enemy is cruelty to oneself.
Who knew what hidden trump cards Hua Jiuming might still possess?
Ye Yu would give him no chance of a comeback!
Under the Soul Search Technique, in mere breaths Ye Yu gleaned every memory of Hua Jiuming.
It turned out that this being had shattered the void of the Underworld millions of years ago and crossed into the Celestial Realm.
Through relentless cultivation, he ultimately rose to the Heavenly God Realm.
(Reminder, from lowest to highest the realms of the gods are: New God, True God, Great God, Heavenly God, Gold God, Ancient God, God Sovereign, God Lord.)
Though not among the absolute strongest, he was already renowned throughout the Celestial Realm.
His fame rested on his true specialty—the art of refining divine implements.
During his time among the gods, he forged countless supremely powerful artifacts.
One could say that, if he had brought any of those artifacts down here, he could have slain Ye Yu—or even ambushed a Gold God–level powerhouse—with ease!
Of course, these were mere suppositions. There is no “if” in this world.
In the Celestial Realm, Hua Jiuming was revered as the Artifact-Refining Heavenly God. Countless deities sought his craftsmanship.
Yet geniuses often carry their own pride.
Hua Jiuming was no exception.
He refused to work for anyone without the right “affinity”—his personal quirk, and the very reason he nearly met his end.
Some time ago, a peak Gold God–level warrior requested an artifact from him.
Hua Jiuming refused outright, citing lack of affinity.
The Gold God warrior said nothing and left his divine city.
After all, that was truly Hua Jiuming’s home turf.
A Heavenly God animating an artifact to kill a Gold God would be no great feat.
Thus, hardly anyone dared provoke Hua Jiuming’s city—death by arrogance would come swiftly.
Hua Jiuming assumed the matter ended there.
But fate had other plans. On one outing he unexpectedly encountered that same Gold God warrior.
The warrior produced a rare refining material, hoping to trade.
Hua Jiuming, intrigued, leaned in to study it—only to be betrayed by an unscrupulous sneak attack.
He was grievously wounded and left for dead.
Fortunately, he carried a teleportation artifact capable of instant relocation.
That artifact could also manifest multiple mirage shadows to mislead foes and obscure divine machinations from prediction.
By its power alone, Hua Jiuming escaped with his life.
Yet the Gold God warrior had aimed for a one-hit kill.
No number of elixirs could save Hua Jiuming then.
As death drew near, he caught sight of the legendary Mount Wuwang.
Legend said that any deity ascending Mount ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Wuwang would have their divine body shattered and face nine deaths and one survival—then, with tiny chance, be cast down to the Lower Five Realms.
Of course, it was merely legend. Few gods had ever seen Mount Wuwang, and none who entered it returned alive.
That alone proved the tale false—no one should dare test it!
But Hua Jiuming, staring at his broken divine body, offered a bitter smile.
Better to gamble on death-by-legend than surely die here—perhaps he might truly survive to the Lower Five Realms and start anew, one day returning to the Celestial Realm to exact vengeance!
Clinging to this hope, Hua Jiuming mustered his last breath and stepped into Mount Wuwang.
The moment he entered, his divine body shattered completely, leaving only his divine soul.
What befell him inside, he could not recall—only that he endured unbearable agony.
When he next awoke, he found himself in the Demon Realm.
His divine soul battered, his divine power transformed into demonic energy, his cultivation fallen from Heavenly God to Demon Emperor.
Even so, his soul was on the brink of destruction.
He sought out the Demon Lord’s palace, met Qu Zhengding, and subdued him with immortal arts.
Qu Zhengding became his obedient servant, provisioning him with elixirs and refining materials.
Through endless toil, Hua Jiuming crafted the semi-artifact Liuli Heaven Vase and used it to reconstruct his body.
It was not that he could not forge a true artifact—but true artifacts could not exist in the Lower Five Realms.
A semi-artifact was already pushing the limit. Anything greater would attract the attention of the Heavenly Dao!
Yet what Hua Jiuming truly desired was vengeance.
Thus he scoured the Lower Five Realms for suitable materials while urging Qu Zhengding to incite rebellion against Heaven.
His aim was simple: in the Celestial Realm lay a legendary refining holy relic, the Tears of the Celestial River.
With that treasure in hand, he could boldly claim that, upon his return to the gods, his enemies would surely perish!
(Once a year—happy birthday to me! Handsome gentlemen, any small gifts to cheer me up?)
