Chapter 1438, The Demon Emperor’s Return

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silvain

“We pay our respects to the Demon Emperor!”

“We pay our respects to the Demon Emperor!”

…

The unified roar surged through the void, shaking the very stars.

“Master… you’ve finally returned.”

Nine Tails bit her lower lip, her gaze fixed on the distance There, a figure stood bathed in a radiant, moonlike brilliance, solitary and supreme.

Her shimmering eyes grew glassy, a trace of moisture glinting at the corners.

[Ten years… it’s been ten years since that day. Ten years since Master disappeared without a word.]

“It’s alright now. I’m back.”

At some unknown moment, a hand reached out and gently wiped away the tears at the corner of Nine Tails’ eyes. Only then did Yu Zi Yu turn his gaze toward the gathered throng.

“I am back,” he said softly.

The words were simple, and spoken softly, like sighing, yet they sent a tremor through the souls of the assembled experts.

“Master…”

“Welcome back, Master!”

“I… I almost thought…”

The silence of the void was instantly shattered by a cacophony of voices.

Even Yu Zi Yu felt a rare stir in his heart; [These ‘little ones’ have truly been consumed by worry.]

His gaze drifted to the side, landing on Golden Ant, who had returned without anyone noticing.

Although he said nothing and merely stood, his chitinous frame was trembling with a violence that spoke louder than any shout.

“Sorry for making you guys worry,” Yu Zi Yu said with a faint chuckle. He then took a single step forward, making for the Demon Palace of the Celestial Realm.

*Booooooom…*

With that solitary step, the universe seemed to fold, space and time distorted around everyone. And before Nine Tails or the others could even draw breath, they were no longer in the open void, they were standing within the grand hall of the Demon Palace.

The ends of the world had become but a single step.

Yu Zi Yu watched with a faint, amused smile as Nine Tails, Bull Demon, and Golden Monkey stood frozen, their eyes wide with a shock that bordered on terror.

He had transported over a dozen Tier-6 Overlords, and even Half-Step Hegemons, instantly, without a sound, and without their consent.

[What kind of method is this!?]

Golden Monkey’s pupils shrank to needlepoints.

“Master… have you truly opened Heaven’s Door?”

“En.” Yu Zi Yu nodded his confirmation.

He made no grand gesture. He just allowed a sliver of his aura to leak, the unfiltered aura of a Level-2 Hegemon.

*Boooooooom…* A sky-shaking clap, like the eruption of a sudden storm, echoed.

It was as if an invisible mountain had suddenly dropped from the sky. The atmosphere grew heavy, viscous, and suffocating.

Nine Tails Bull Demon, and others found themselves drenched in a cold sweat, their spines bowing under an astronomical pressure.

*Crack… crack…* The sound of straining bone filled the air.

But a more terrifying sight was the palace itself.

In an instant, spiderweb fractures raced across the ornate pillars and the obsidian floor.

The Demon Palace itself was a Tier-6 Artifact, a masterpiece of construction, yet it was groaning, failing, and threatening to shatter simply because Yu Zi Yu had released a bit of his aura inside it.

Golden Monkey swallowed hard, his face turned pale.

“Level-1 no, this is Level-2…” His voice cracked with disbelief.

[Master hasn’t just opened Heaven’s Door, he has ascended the stairs. And knowing Master’s nature, if he is showing Level-2, the truth is likely far more terrifying. In other words… he is at least Level-3, perhaps even Level-4…]

The thought roared through Golden Monkey’s mind like a gale.

To leap multiple levels of Hegemony in a single step… it was a concept that defied the laws of cultivation.

[With such power, Master can probably suppress every race in the cosmos!]

*Phew…* Golden Monkey exhaled, his fear giving way to a frantic, wild excitement. “Master, Eternity is within reach… truly, Eternity is within reach!”

His repeated shouts made Nine Tails and the others tremble.

“Eternity… within reach?” Nine Tails and the others mumbled to themselves, their hearts pounding loudly as they looked up at the throne.

And at that moment, they noticed…a subtle smile curled on his lips. It was a look of quiet pride tempered by the weight of reflection.

“Heh…” With a soft chuckle, he turned to Old Ninth, the Panda. “Old Ninth, this Demon Palace is only a Tier-6 Artifact. That won’t do anymore. It can’t even withstand my aura.”

“Understood, Master,” Old Ninth replied, his expression hardening into a mask of iron determination. He resolved to refine this palace into a Tier-7 Artifact even if it cost him his life. If his Master’s residence could not endure his Master’s presence, what kind of impression would it send?

“Good.” Yu Zi Yu’s gaze then swept across the others: Qing Gang, Little White, Aisha… his Envoys, they truly represented the Five Elements.

“The five of you,” Yu Zi Yu began, his hand rising.

*Boooooom…* Five streaks of light erupted from his palm, homing in on the group.

Their bodies jerked as the light fused into their consciousness, their expression changing drastically.

“Master… what is this?” Qing Gang gasped, a look of incredulity taking over his face.

“An inheritance,” Yu Zi Yu replied calmly. “A seed that can be passed down to the future generations. And if you can master it, that will be even better. It’s a Combination Divine Ability. If all five you master your respective parts, you may manifest the Grand Divine Ability: the Wheel of Five Elements. At that point, Heavens and the Earth will be but grain for your mill. All things shall be crushed beneath its rotation.”

The group stood in stunned silence before dropping to their knees in a synchronized bow. “We thank the Master for his grace!”

“En.” Yu Zi Yu then turned to Nine Tails, Lightning Dragon, and others. “As for the rest of you, be patient. I will find legacies suited for you, powers that you too can pass down to future generations that will endure through the ages. These things are guided by destiny; they cannot be forced, even by me.”

A resolute look appeared on Yu Zi Yu’s face.

He couldn’t favor one over the other.

However, these things were guided by destiny; they could not be forced.

Even someone as strong as Yu Zi Yu had to rely on fate.

Just then, as if remembering something, Yu Zi Yu opened his right hand.

A jagged, hazy fragment of chaos shimmered in his palm. It was a piece of the shattered Heavenly Court Secret Realm, plucked from the void and sealed within another Spacetime Dimension.

He tossed the fragment toward Nine Tails.

“Nine Tails, take this and inventory it. See what spoils of war the ‘Heavenly Court’ has left for us.”

“Yes, Master,” she replied softly, clutching the swirling fragment of chaos.