The Demon Emperor roared, appearing frenzied, his body glowing thunderously as his severed halves attempted to reattach.
Just then.
From within Ling Fan's body, the Samsara Divine Cauldron suddenly flew out. The third great formation, the phantom image of the Yama Palace, materialized and instantly separated the Demon Emperor's two halves, suppressing them and drawing them into the Yama Palace.
"Ah… this is the Samsara Divine…"
The Demon Emperor's voice, filled with utter horror, transmitted out. However, before he could finish, he vanished completely within the Samsara Divine Cauldron.
Bang bang bang!
Violent crashing sounds emanated from within the Samsara Divine Cauldron.
Although the Demon Emperor had been drawn into the Yama Palace, the third great formation of the Samsara Divine Cauldron, his sheer power meant he wasn't fully suppressed. He was still struggling.
Ling Fan let out a cold snort and further reinforced his own Heaven and Earth upon the Yama Palace.
Simultaneously, wielding the Emperor Sword, he carved out dense arrays of sword formations, layering them one after another onto the Yama Palace. This finally caused the crashing sounds within the Samsara Divine Cauldron to gradually subside.
Hoo!
Ling Fan exhaled a long breath.
To suppress the Demon Emperor, he had unleashed all his trump cards.
The spirit of the Emperor Sword, Cloud Dragon's Cry, a chubby young boy, emerged from the sword body, rendered speechless by the shock for a long while.
"Senior! We… we successfully suppressed the Demon Emperor?"
"Yes," Ling Fan replied with a faint smile.
"Incredible! Previously, when Master dealt with several high-ranking Demon Realm Emperors, even I suffered severe injuries, almost falling from the level of an Emperor Sword. Later, being refined for thousands of years by the Demon Emperor and nine Saint Kings working together, I was further weakened to the extreme. I never expected we could turn the tables!"
The spirit couldn't hide its excitement.
"Senior, are you my Master's Master?"
The spirit suddenly looked at Ling Fan with burning eyes.
At this point, Ling Fan saw no need to conceal it further.
Moreover, the Emperor Sword was considered one of his own. Since the spirit of the Emperor Sword had seen through the disguise, Ling Fan decided to be direct: "It is I. I have returned."
"Greetings, Azure Cloud Emperor Lord!"
The spirit lunged forward and prostrated itself on the ground.
"Azure Cloud Emperor Lord… It's been a long time since someone called me that. I am Ling Fan now."
Ling Fan's expression was filled with reminiscence.
After a long while, he stroked the spirit's head and said, "Get up. There's no need for such formality. My current strength might not even be as great as yours."
The spirit quickly shook its head. "Emperor Lord, please don't mock me. Who are you? I am merely a humble sword spirit. How dare I compare myself to you? Although you haven't recovered your full strength yet, it's only a matter of time. If only Master could know this!"
The spirit suddenly became melancholic.
Ling Fan also fell silent.
After a long pause.
Ling Fan said, "You were suppressed by the Demon Emperor for so long. Hurry and recover your strength. I am going to refine the Demon Emperor. Once I've refined him sufficiently, I will infuse his true body, the Demon Halberd, into your sword body to help you regain some of your former power."
"Thank you, Emperor Lord!"
The spirit said respectfully.
Its gaze towards Ling Fan was filled with fervor.
"Stop calling me that name. I'm not used to it anymore. Just call me Ling Fan."
The spirit dared not overstep.
No matter what Ling Fan said, it only dared to address him as Senior.
Deep within the Samsara Divine Cauldron.
A colossal divine palace, seemingly connecting the heavens and reaching the netherworld, stood eternally.
It was mottled with bloodstains, overgrown with moss, and bore the marks of countless weapons honed by the passage of time and battles.
At this moment.
Sounds of impact echoed from this Yama Palace.
Intermittently, they were accompanied by the Demon Emperor's furious roars.
Ling Fan's figure entered the Yama Palace.
Inside was another space.
Boundless and infinite.
In the center of the Yama Palace, countless formation patterns and talismans transformed into dense, thick chains, like colossal dragons, heavily binding a figure exuding demonic energy.
"You… you you you!"
Upon seeing Ling Fan appear.
The Demon Emperor, who had been roaring madly, shuddered. His roars involuntarily ceased, and he instinctively retreated a few steps, causing the numerous chains to clang together.
"Are you human or ghost! The Azure Cloud Emperor Lord is dead, annihilated by the combined forces of countless Celestial Venerables from the Ten Great Heavenly Realms. His body and soul were utterly destroyed. It's impossible for him to be alive. Who are you? Are you his successor!"
Ling Fan's lips curled into a cold smile. He remained silent, scrutinizing the Demon Emperor from head to toe, as if appraising a treasure trove.
An Emperor-level expert.
His entire being was a treasure.
His flesh, essence blood, bones, even his skin, possessed infinite wondrous uses. Whether for alchemy or weapon forging, they were considered supreme materials.
Especially the Emperor Dao origin within his body. This was a existence far surpassing the Saint Dao, a higher tier, containing the deeper principles and rules of the martial way in the heavens and earth.
The Demon Emperor's spine chilled under Ling Fan's gaze.
He struggled frantically, but the chains around him tightened, digging deeply into his body.
"By refining your flesh and Emperor Dao origin, perhaps my Heaven and Earth can expand a hundredfold or more."
"You… What did you say!"
The Demon Emperor was terrified by Ling Fan's words.
"Your Heaven and Earth? What Heaven and Earth!"
"It's fine to let you see, as you are already a dead man. Let you die with some understanding."
With a thought, Ling Fan summoned a Heaven and Earth, eighteen zhang in size, from the depths of the Samsara Divine Cauldron and enveloped the Demon Emperor's figure within it.
"This… this is truly a Heaven and Earth! A newly born Heaven and Earth! How is this possible… The creation of Heaven and Earth, this is a story that only exists in the most ancient myths! That is the method possessed by true transcendent gods. Moreover, whether gods truly exist is still a question. No one has ever confirmed the existence of gods. How could you possibly succeed in creating Heaven and Earth!"
The Demon Emperor's logic was becoming chaotic, his words jumbled. He was truly terrified.
A myth was unfolding before him.
It had delivered a massive shock to him.
It overturned his understanding.
"You must be the Azure Cloud Emperor Lord. Besides him, no one in the myriad realms possesses such a method. The creation of Heaven and Earth… this is a divine miracle of stolen creation!"
The Demon Emperor roared, his sanity bordering on madness.
"You are not entirely foolish."
Ling Fan stated indifferently.
With a gesture from him, the countless chains coiled around the Demon Emperor, like innumerable tentacles, plunged deep into his body. Utilizing the power of the Yama Palace, they began to refine the Demon Emperor.
Vast streams of Emperor Dao origin and fleshly essence were extracted through each dragon-like chain. A portion entered Ling Fan's body, while another portion entered Ling Fan's Heaven and Earth.
Ling Fan immediately sat down.
The Nirvana Tribulation Fire ignited around him, and he began to push towards the perfection of the Nirvana Tribulation Body.
Meanwhile, Ling Fan's Heaven and Earth began to rapidly expand. Nineteen zhang, twenty zhang… thirty zhang… forty zhang…
The power of a Demon Emperor was truly immense, comparable to a vast ocean.
Boom!