Chapter 227

A colossal golden dragon phantom burst forth in the heavens, sweeping away all traces of the Underworld’s yin energy in an instant.

Above, countless immortals materialized—each clad in shining battle armor, immortal aura thick and oppressive. In the blink of an eye, they filled the entire sky, their number rivaling the disciples of the Heavenly Master Hall below.

At their center stood a man in a golden robe.

He looked young, yet the divine energy coiling around him was almost solid, like molten gold burning in the air. His presence exuded such crushing authority and dragon might that it made everyone’s hearts pound with dread.

Even the Daoist immortals—Yuanjiang and his peers—frowned under the suffocating pressure.

Below, the disciples of the Xuanmen could barely stand; if not for the protection of the mountain-guarding formation, they would already have collapsed to their knees.

The dragon soul, Feng Xiaohuang, who had only just been floating proudly moments ago, took one glance upward and immediately froze.

With a terrified shiver, he yelped and bolted back into the soul-sealing talisman with a whoosh.

“Emperor!”

Zhu Yan, who had been on the verge of being captured, suddenly lit up with wild joy. He scrambled forward and dropped to his knees before the man in gold, pointing frantically toward the Yama Kings.

“Emperor, save me! These vile Yama of the Underworld dared to strike down a Celestial—they tried to kill me!”

“Hmph!”

The man’s cold snort cracked through the air like thunder.

“Mere wraiths from the Netherworld dare raise their hands against my Southern Court?”

His gaze shifted to the Seven Yama Kings, sharp and deadly. The weight of his divine aura intensified until even their immense dharma bodies trembled under the strain.

Yuanjiang’s brows furrowed deeply. His heart tightened.

He stepped forward quickly. “Southern Celestial Emperor, this matter is not the fault of the Yama Kings!”

The Emperor paused, finally glancing toward the Daoist immortals.

“So, you are the few mortals who ascended from the Eastern Court,” he said, his tone dripping disdain. “Only that useless Xíng Xī would recruit filthy mortals like you as ‘Heavenly Lords.’”

“What did you say?!”

Wenqing’s temper ignited. He took a step forward, face dark with fury.

“Junior Brother!” Yuanjiang grabbed his arm, restraining him.

“What’s the matter?” The Emperor sneered, contempt gleaming in his eyes. “Do you truly think ascending makes you equals? A mortal will forever be a mortal. Even wrapped in a shell of immortality, your roots remain impure—filthy by birth.”

“You—!”

The Daoist immortals’ faces flushed with anger.

In the Celestial Realm, discrimination between bloodlines and ascended immortals had always existed—but never this brazenly, not among those of equal rank. To hear such words from the Emperor himself was both shocking and infuriating.

If not for Yuanjiang’s restraint, they would have already drawn blades.

He himself was furious, but he forced his anger down. This was not the time.

The Southern Emperor had brought an army of immortals—many at the rank of upper immortals. The Daoist elders could fight, but with so many disciples and the seven Yama Kings nearby, an all-out clash would bring disaster.

“Southern Celestial Emperor,” Yuanjiang said firmly, stepping forward. “This began because Zhu Yan used the Soul Origin Pearl to devour tens of thousands of mortal souls. The Yama Kings pursued him for justice—that is why they acted.”

The Emperor showed no surprise at all. His arrogance only deepened.

“Hmph. Just a few mortal souls. What of it?” His tone was cold, dismissive. “Such trifles hardly deserve investigation.”

The Yama Kings’ expressions darkened in disbelief.

“Emperor,” Xiuling said gravely, “you know as well as we that once a soul is destroyed, it can never reincarnate. He annihilated tens of thousands! That imbalance alone could shake the heavenly order. Do you still call this a ‘small matter’?”

The Emperor’s face remained impassive, his gaze laced with scorn.

“That is your realm’s problem. If a few mortal souls could disturb the heavens, that only proves the Underworld’s incompetence. Are you saying mortals’ lives outweigh the Southern Court’s immortals?”

“You—!”

King Xiuling’s massive dharma form quivered with fury. He had never imagined that a sovereign of the heavens could be so shameless.

“Emperor, are you mocking the entire Underworld?”

“Hmph!”

The Southern Emperor’s eyes narrowed, his voice dripping venom.

“You are nothing but shades of the dead. Only that fool Xíng Xī would bother signing treaties with your kind. Your power is beneath even my lesser immortals. What right have you to challenge me?”

Then his divine might erupted in full force. The sky shuddered as his killing intent surged.

The Seven Yama Kings groaned; their dharma bodies flickered, and the very air seemed to crush them.

“Southern Emperor!” Yuanjiang shouted, horrified. “Would you start a war between Heaven and the Underworld?”

“So what if I would?”

The Emperor’s smirk was cruel. He raised a hand, summoning his personal weapon—a golden scepter that pulsed with dragon light.

“The Underworld was never worthy of my regard. Since they dare stand before me, I will cleanse them myself.”

At his command, the army of immortals behind him drew their weapons in unison and surged forward, their power crashing toward the Yama Kings like a tidal wave.

Yuanjiang and his brothers paled.

So this was his plan all along—he had never come to reason. He meant to wipe out the Yama Kings and the Xuanmen together.

“Stop!”

All seventeen Daoist immortals rose together, forming a protective formation that intercepted the descending army.

“Southern Emperor!” Yuanjiang’s voice rang across the sky. “If you strike the Yama Kings, you strike at the Eastern Court as well. Are you ready to make war on both the Underworld and the East?”

At that, the Emperor’s expression darkened. His gaze turned icy, voice filled with disgust.

“Hmph. You pitiful mortal-borns dare lecture me? If you have a problem, let that cripple Xíng Xī come face me himself!”

He turned back to the Yama Kings, fury blazing. Divine energy surged around him like molten gold.

“If the Underworld wants to talk about inter-realm law, then let a true ruler come forth—not these pitiful ghosts!”

He unleashed his full strength.

A colossal dragon-shaped blast of celestial energy roared into existence, so powerful that even the immortals behind him were forced to retreat. Yuanjiang and his comrades’ defenses shattered like glass.

The Yama Kings gathered their yin energy to resist, but the Emperor’s might dwarfed theirs by two entire realms. The golden dragon tore through their power, threatening to crush their dharma bodies and shatter the mountain-protecting formation behind them.

Just as the blow was about to land—

A calm, low male voice echoed across the heavens.

“As you wish.”

At once, a strange force swept across the sky.

The golden dragon, forged from the Emperor’s full tenfold immortal power, dissolved in an instant—vanishing like mist in sunlight.

“……”

Everyone froze.

Who had just spoken?

(End of Chapter)