Chapter 523: The First Great Emperor: Dijun

Only four people remained in the Cloud-Viewing Tower.

Ye Wushuang took out the Holy Bone, tossing it playfully in his hand. He asked lightly, "I can give you the Holy Bone, but there’s only one, and there are three of you. Who should I give it to?"

As he spoke, Ye Wushuang glanced at the other three from the corner of his eye.

Hearing this, the three men’s expressions darkened. Just as Ye Wushuang had said, there was only one Holy Bone. Only one of them could have it.

No one was willing to let go of a treasure like the Holy Bone. A fight was inevitable!

At this thought, the three grew wary of each other.

Elder Demon Bai said, "Kid, you can stop with the tricks. Do you think I can’t see what you’re plotting? You just want the three of us to fight to the death."

"Elder Bai, I think you’re mistaken!"

Ye Wushuang retorted.

"Mistaken?"

Elder Demon Bai, Old Monster Baili, and Xiang Zong’en exchanged a look.

Their eyes were filled with doubt. If Ye Wushuang wasn’t doing this to make them fight to the death, then what was his goal?

The three of them couldn’t figure it out. How could they possibly know that Ye Wushuang’s intention from the very beginning had been to recruit them?

Previously, a group of Nirvana Realm experts had come up, and most of them, like Zong De, were arrogant and looked down on everyone.

Only these three had shown restraint, which was why Ye Wushuang had singled them out.

And just as he’d expected, after he vanished, the three of them didn’t assume he had fled in fear like the others. Instead, they had cleverly grasped a hint of his intention and returned to the Cloud-Viewing Tower!

"Kid, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Old Monster Baili’s expression was grim. They were esteemed Nirvana Powerhouses, yet from the very beginning, they had been led by the nose by this young man. If word of this got out, they would become a laughingstock.

Noticing the impatience in their eyes, Ye Wushuang seized the opportune moment and said, "There is only one Holy Bone. Among the three of you, two are bound to go empty-handed. This is indeed a regrettable matter. However..."

"However what?"

Hearing the hidden meaning in Ye Wushuang’s words, the three of them stared at him intently.

"However, I, Ji Xuanyuan, am willing to help you all succeed. I can make it so that all three of you can possess a Holy Bone, but only if you agree to one request of mine."

A smile touched Ye Wushuang’s lips.

"You have more Holy Bones on you?"

Hearing the implication in Ye Wushuang’s words, the three men’s breathing grew ragged.

The more Holy Bones, the more Holy Patterns. The more opportunities they would have to comprehend the Heaven and Earth Rules. This also meant they would have a greater chance of becoming the legendary Saints!

The thought of that legendary realm was so tempting that the three of them were a hair’s breadth away from seizing Ye Wushuang and torturing him until he handed over the Holy Bones.

However, the three of them also knew that Ye Wushuang must have come prepared. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so high-profile earlier!

"I don’t!"

Looking at the three expectant faces, Ye Wushuang uttered two words.

"You don’t? Then are you going to split this one Holy Bone into three pieces?"

Xiang Zong’en asked.

"No!" Ye Wushuang shook his head, nearly making the three men jump up in frustration. ’This kid is just messing with us!’

"I don’t have any on me, but there are others in a different place. Many others, in fact. It all depends on whether you can agree to my request!"

Ye Wushuang said, emphasizing the words "many others."

The three men’s eyes trembled, their emotions in turmoil.

But these men had lived for many years and possessed exceptional mental fortitude. As soon as conditions were mentioned, they calmed down and asked, "What is your request?"

"It’s not too great a request. I just need you to pledge your loyalty to me for ten years!"

Ye Wushuang stated calmly.

This was his true goal.

In ten years, Ye Wushuang was confident he could reach the Nirvana Realm. By then, the three of them would have no choice but to submit to him obediently.

"Within those ten years, I will also give you Holy Bones to help you ascend to the Saint Sage Realm, and perhaps even go further!"

"Of course, you can think I’m just bragging. But you have to take this gamble. Otherwise, you’ll have no other chance."

"The Celestial Dao is merciless. You should all be well aware of this. You need a leader, and I am that person. Only by staking your future with me will you have a chance."

Ye Wushuang spoke to the three of them like a silver-tongued charlatan.

Hearing this, the three fell silent, mulling over Ye Wushuang’s words.

"My time is limited. I won’t give you long to consider. Ten years is nothing to people like you."

Ye Wushuang tossed out the sentence and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Elder Demon Bai called out to stop him. "Is everything you’ve said true?"

Ye Wushuang nodded.

Seeing this, the three men looked at each other, forming a united front. After a long moment, they said, "Fine. We will follow you and pledge our loyalty for ten years. We hope you aren’t deceiving us."

"If I deceive you, you are Nirvana Realm experts. You can kill me then."

A smile finally appeared on Ye Wushuang’s face.

The three then swore an oath on their Dao Hearts. This was the most solemn of vows. If broken, their Dao Hearts would suffer a backlash!

"How many Heaven and Earth Spiritual Veins do you have on you?"

Now that the three had pledged their allegiance, Ye Wushuang didn’t stand on ceremony and asked them directly.

The three thought for a moment and handed over their Heaven and Earth Spiritual Veins. There were thirty-seven in total, all of which were absorbed by his Spirit Core.

’It seems I still need quite a few more to fill it up.’

"Young Master, as for Heaven and Earth Spiritual Veins, the Holy Palace and the Noble Families have plenty. However, as you know, no one dares to provoke either of those places," said Elder Demon Bai.

"Holy Palace! Noble Families! Zong Family!"

Ye Wushuang muttered the names, a frosty chill radiating from his face. ’Then I’ll start with you, Zong Family!’

"The three of you, go back and prepare. In a few days, I’ll need your help with something."

After giving the three their instructions, Ye Wushuang returned to the inn.

He went into seclusion for two days to practice his Combat Skills before emerging.

"We’re going to the Holy Palace!"

On the third day, Ye Wushuang, the Shadow Demon King, and the Xiaoo Yue Celestial Roc headed toward the Holy Palace.

The Holy Palace was located in the center of the Holy City. It was a city within a city, incredibly vast!

As he stepped onto the edge of the Holy Palace grounds, Ye Wushuang could feel a wave of Dao Charm wash over him, and he could even hear the faint roars of dragons.

This was a place where Dragon Veins converged!

At that moment, a sea of people had gathered before the main gate of the Holy Palace.

Furthermore, these people were all young prodigies at or above the Yin Yang Realm, and they were all lining up to enter the Holy Palace gate.

Ye Wushuang arrived before the gate and gazed into the distance, his eyes landing on a massive statue within the palace walls.

The statue was so immense that the upper half of its body towered over the palace walls!

The statue depicted a heroic man holding up the Donghuang Bell. Hovering behind him was a fiery-red True Spirit Divine Bird—a Golden Crow!

The Golden Crow appeared illusory, bowing in submission behind the heroic man, who looked like a true Lord of Ten Thousand Demons!

"Master, that is the first Great Emperor of the Grand Emperor Country: His Majesty, Dijun!"

The Shadow Demon King also gazed at the statue, his eyes full of reverence.

"Dijun!"

Ye Wushuang’s pupils constricted as he stared, feeling a trace of familiarity from the statue!

"His Majesty, Dijun, is rumored to have been a powerhouse from the Azure Celestial Domain. Before the great cataclysm, for some unknown reason, he descended upon the Grand Emperor Domain, annihilated the Original People Clan, forced them into the East Marsh Wilderness, and established the Grand Emperor Country here," the Shadow Demon King explained.

"Then where did he go?"

Ye Wushuang asked suddenly.

"No one knows," the Shadow Demon King said. "Legend has it that before Ancient Times, the Grand Emperor Domain went through a dark age when the world collapsed. His Majesty, Dijun, vanished during that time. Some say he returned to the Azure Celestial Domain, while others claim he perished in that dark age."

’A dark age? Could it be the Celestial Destruction World?’

Ye Wushuang thought to himself, his mind filled with questions. It seemed the Grand Emperor Domain and the Azure Celestial Domain had far too many close connections.

’It wasn’t just Dijun. There was also King Yama, whom I spoke of, the powerhouse from the Divine Temple, and the hundred thousand warriors who bled across the starry sky. They were all from the Azure Celestial Domain.’

’And what’s more, even I am from the Azure Celestial Domain!’

’Is all of this really a coincidence?’