After a century of searching, Zhu Yong resigned himself. He had tried to find texts from five million years ago, only to discover almost nothing—as if the Celestial Realm had been a blank slate then. Not only were there no books, but no immortal sects either. The oldest surviving sect had only been founded five million years ago.
These facts wove together into a terrible truth: the calamities recorded on that bamboo slip might indeed be real. Zhu Yong could only laugh at the irony. When he had still been mortal, he had cultivated to survive—and ultimately ascended to immortality, believing he could control his fate. Yet even as an immortal, there were always greater immortals. Very well—he would become the strongest immortal himself. But above the strongest stood the Gods. What did it matter if he became an Immortal Emperor? In the eyes of the Gods, he would still be an ant.
Knowing this, all of Zhu Yong’s resolve drained away. After so many years of arduous cultivation, he was exhausted—truly exhausted—and wished only to rest. Thereafter, he spent his days drowning himself in wine, living a drunken stupor. He wrote the bamboo slip and carved the stele to warn future immortals to seize pleasure when they could, for beyond the highest there was always something higher—and none could triumph over the Gods.
Of course, the Calamity had not yet come. When it did, Zhu Yong vowed to see a God with his own eyes; if the prophecy proved false, he would destroy the manuscripts and the stele. If true, he would accept it with a clear heart. With those words, the bamboo slip ended.
The Demon Heavenly Lord, having acquired it anew, noted from the decay of the immortal bamboo that it was at least several centuries old—confirming the Godly War and the Celestial Calamity were genuine. A profound helplessness filled him, but comforted by his two brothers, he resolved to steel himself and study the text closely.
He learned that once the Six-Realm Passages closed, only a million years remained before the Calamity struck. From this, they could calculate when the current cycle’s Calamity would begin—and they found they had less than a century left. Unfortunate news indeed, but the three brothers refused to fall into despair. Already half an Immortal Emperor in cultivation, they began preparations at once.
They hollowed out the area beneath the Three Corpses Hall and stashed countless treasures to serve as their sleeping sanctuary. Then they summoned their most trusted disciples and revealed the prophecy: when they awoke after the Calamity, they must immediately pillage the blood qi of other immortals to nourish this underground lair. By extracting that blood qi for their own immortal power, they would awaken sooner—sooner, the better.
This explained why, before the Calamity, the Three Corpses Hall’s name had been little known. After the Calamity, they struck with terrifying ferocity, nearly swallowing the entire Central Celestial Realm—because their obedient disciples, upon awakening, had relentlessly attacked the righteous immortals to harvest their blood qi.
Yet, the Demon Heavenly Lord ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) still overestimated his plan. He had believed they would awaken at the Immortal Lord Realm, but in truth they only managed to awaken upon Ye Yu’s last massacre—when all the evil immortals’ blood qi soaked into the earth. Had Ye Yu not come and slaughtered them, the Demon Heavenly Lord would not have awakened early.
Having heard the full tale, Ye Yu’s expression turned grave. Five million years, Celestial Calamity, Godly War—such things defied belief. But to verify the Lord’s claims, one simple question sufficed.
“So then, by your account, the Calamity in the Celestial Realm has fully passed, and immortal qi has returned to its peak. When did the Six-Realm Passages reopen?”
“Within a year—perhaps even sooner,” the Lord replied. “It depends on the density of the world’s qi. Then the Great Era of five million years begins! I, the Demon Heavenly Lord, am not like Zhu Yong—I cannot learn his decadence. In this time, I will journey through the Celestial Realm. If they insist on another Calamity in five million years, then I will not hesitate to attempt to slay a God!”
He lifted his gaze to the sky, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. Ye Yu’s own expression grew complicated. He did not wholly trust the Lord—after all, they had only just met—but neither did he dismiss him entirely. If another Celestial Calamity truly loomed, what choice did he have? Perhaps he too would join the Lord in attempting to slay a God—after all, Ye Yu had his Consorts to protect; he would not willingly lose any of them.
Silence fell again in the hall until the Demon Heavenly Lord spoke first. “Immortal Ye, I greatly admire you. When you last stormed through here as an Immortal Lord, you slew countless foes—even Immortal King Realm adversaries fell before you. Now that you have reclaimed the Immortal King Realm, your power surely soars even higher. I wish to invite you to join me in slaying a God in the future. You need not answer now—think it over. When you are ready, come find me.”
To ally with the Lord of the Three Corpses Hall? Before his arrival, Ye Yu would have deemed such an alliance absurd—a fairy tale. Yet now, it seemed hardly impossible. He gave no answer, instead turning and departing the hall.
As he left, the Demon Heavenly Lord tapped the table lightly, maintaining his refined demeanor. Behind him, two shadowy figures emerged. Both wore his face and robes: the one on the left radiated brutality, while the one on the right looked sullen.
“Brother Three, really—why didn’t you just finish off that brat who killed our disciples? Why all the courtesy?” snarled the brutal shade.
“You’re mistaken, brother,” said the sullen shade. “Ye Yu is unlike any ordinary immortal—did you forget the five supreme treasures he produced? Immortal weapon, demon weapon, monster weapon, ghost weapon... treasures from every realm. That proves he bears immense destiny. He will be at least half an Immortal Emperor. If we could harness his sharp sword for our own ends, wouldn’t that be splendid?”
