"No, you cannot interfere! I know the power of a Demon Emperor better than anyone. Anyone who intervenes, even you, will only become a burden. I must be completely focused to have any chance of suppressing this Demon Emperor!"
Ling Fan said.
His attitude was beyond question.
Xue Yi also looked at Ling Fan stubbornly.
She opposed it out of worry.
But seeing that Ling Fan's attitude had not softened in the slightest, she finally gave up her insistence and said, "Alright, but you have to promise me you won't get hurt."
"Naturally. Don't worry, a mere Demon Emperor is not enough to leave me helpless," Ling Fan said with a faint smile.
"Okay, then I'll go and arrange everything with the Zhou family's experts."
"Mm, go ahead."
After Xue Yi left.
In the vast and boundless Sacred Dao Origin Point of the Nine Flowers Realm, only Ling Fan's solitary figure remained, along with the Emperor Sword Yun Long Yin.
"Senior, when do we start the plan?"
The spirit of the Emperor Sword Yun Long Yin spoke.
"Wait a moment longer. The third grand formation of my weapon is about to recover some of its abilities."
Ling Fan smiled slightly.
With a wave of his hand.
An ancient and majestic bronze cauldron appeared in the void, spinning rapidly, emitting an unparalleled suppressing power.
Mysterious mists permeated the air.
An ancient stone slab road emerged from the mist, as if to guide the souls of all heavens into the world of reincarnation.
At the end of the ancient stone slab road.
A shimmering blood river appeared.
An ancient stone bridge, seemingly spanning heaven and earth, was built over this blood river, its other end extending to the endless shore.
And at the other end of this ancient stone bridge.
A majestic palace, seemingly connecting the heavens above and the netherworld below, stood quietly.
With the power of the martial dao origin of the Nine Flowers Realm's Sacred River, and the countless wealth reserves of the various sacred lands of Xingzhou and Yaozhou, Ling Fan had finally reshaped the third grand formation of the Samsara Divine Cauldron, the Yanluo Palace.
However.
This was only a preliminary recovery of some of the Yanluo Palace's power.
To truly restore this grand formation, the cost in heavenly treasures was an astronomical figure that made even Ling Fan somewhat of a headache.
It was possible that even with all the resources of the Nine Flowers Realm, the Yanluo Palace could not be truly repaired.
And most crucially.
The Yanluo Palace required the suppression of eighteen supreme Great Emperors!
Only then could this Yanluo Palace grand formation be fully activated.
This was something that was impossible to achieve in the Nine Flowers Realm.
Where would one find eighteen Great Emperors?
If Ling Fan had recovered to this extent now, he wouldn't need the power of the Samsara Divine Cauldron.
Wouldn't it be more direct and simpler to suppress a mere Demon Emperor with a flip of his hand?
But now, he was not dealing with a Heavenly Venerate, only a Demon Emperor.
It was enough for the Yanluo Palace to exert some of its power.
After replenishing many more formations.
Finally, Ling Fan showed a hint of a smile.
"Senior, are your preparations complete?" the spirit of the Emperor Sword Yun Long Yin emerged from the sword body, sat on the Emperor Sword, and asked, resting its chubby hands on its cheeks.
"Mm. Our plan can begin."
"Good! That damned brat, he's suppressed me for so many years, I've long wanted to kill him. Moreover, those bastards from the Heavenly Demon Realm also killed my master. I will wash this blood debt with the blood of all the Heavenly Demon Realm experts from beyond the domain."
The spirit of the Emperor Sword Yun Long Yin was a young boy with pigtails, his voice was childish, yet his words carried hatred and ruthlessness.
He leaped up, then transformed into a streak of blue light, returning into the Emperor Sword.
And Ling Fan flicked his fingers, demonic energy surged from his body, and his own world was projected from the Samsara Divine Cauldron.
After refining several Saint Kings from the Heavenly Demon Realm, a demonic path within Ling Fan's world had become the most powerful rule. With a flick of Ling Fan's finger, that demonic path violently spewed demonic energy, and figures appeared. Ling Fan had actually replicated Demon King Yan Ke, Black Hand King, Deer Horn King, Heart Demon King, and a host of other experts.
Ling Fan's figure faded from the Sacred River Origin Point.
And the replicated Saint Kings of the Heavenly Demon Realm, with ferocious and sinister expressions, just as before, sat around the Emperor Sword Yun Long Yin, beginning to suppress and refine it.
After a period of "resistance and struggle," the Emperor Sword Yun Long Yin's aura began to wane and weaken, as if it was unbearably oppressed by the several experts, reaching its limit.
Ling Fan himself couldn't help but give a thumbs-up to the acting of this Emperor Sword.
It was too seamless.
The several Great Saint Kings suddenly raised their hands upwards, and several torrents of power pierced through the barriers of heaven and earth, reaching directly into the outer domain.
"Great Demon Emperor, we have suppressed the Emperor Sword to its absolute limit. You can descend at any time!"
"Rumble!"
In the boundless void beyond the domain, a rumbling sound echoed, as if a colossal war chariot was crushing the firmament, or like an immeasurably large existence was approaching.
An eye, larger than the sun and moon combined, appeared within the sight of the several Great Saint Kings.
"Good, well done. Maintain this state, you must suppress the Emperor Sword's death throes. I will now use my divine abilities to blast open the realm gate!"
A voice like rolling heavenly thunder sounded.
It could be seen that behind that eye, densely packed Heavenly Demon Realm experts, like locusts, filled the starry sky, watching menacingly, like a pack of hungry wolves, eager to rush into the Nine Flowers Realm to slaughter and plunder.
"Boom!"
An incredibly terrifying roar.
It was like a colossal, boundless primordial meteorite colliding with the Nine Flowers Realm.
The originally sturdy realm gate.
At this moment, it trembled violently, loosened by the impact.
"The Emperor Sword's power has indeed weakened significantly. The realm gate can no longer withstand this Emperor."
That Demon Emperor's terrifying voice, which could shatter souls, rang out.
Nine consecutive loud bangs.
Boom!
The realm gate, millions of miles wide, was completely opened, revealing its portal to the Heavenly Demon Realm army.
"My children, you must be thirsty. Descend with me and kill!"
The Demon Emperor gave an order.
Immediately, countless Heavenly Demon Realm experts, including no less than a hundred Saint Kings, countless Saint experts, and even more Golden Core realm Heavenly Demon Realm experts, densely packed like ants and insects.
So many experts, forming a torrent, ferocious and evil, rushed into the Nine Flowers Realm's realm gate.
The Demon Emperor's colossal body shrunk, becoming three heads taller than a normal person. He wore a flat-topped demon crown, wielded a three-zhang demon halberd, and also stepped through the realm gate, heading towards the interior of the Nine Flowers Realm along this inter-domain passage.
Just then.
Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred!
The several Great Saint Kings who were originally suppressing the Emperor Sword Yun Long Yin at the Sacred Dao Origin Point of the Nine Flowers Realm suddenly dispersed into streaks of demonic energy. Ling Fan's figure appeared, roaring, "Yun Long Yin, now is the time! Quickly close the realm gate and crush all the Heavenly Demon Realm experts!"
The Emperor Sword Yun Long Yin, whose aura had weakened and declined to its extreme, suddenly erupted with world-shattering power. The Sacred River of the Nine Flowers Realm completely boiled, the Great Dao roared, and the realm gate immediately began to close with a rumbling sound.