What was the purpose of proclaiming those words to everyone on the Flameyellow Continent? It was very simple: they wanted everyone to resent Tianming. By pouring all the guilt onto him, they wanted everyone to isolate Tianming so he would suffer even greater pain.
As sovereign of the Divine Moon Realm, Sovereign Xi knew very well how excruciating it was to be resented and abandoned by the people. This was a deadly approach capable of toppling any emperor. They were the ones doing the slaughtering, but they wanted the people to blame Tianming. Offending the divine moonrace could only bring such a catastrophe. But in fact, as part of the divine moonrace who were supposed to protect mortals, Sovereign Xi had instead threatened the lives of all of them in order to overcome her lifesbane, which was a serious dereliction of duty. Destroy Flameyellow to atone for his crimes, indeed!
"What great power!"
Countless people heard the imposing voice of the totems in the sky. Fortunately, they knew the truth and hadn’t been kept in the dark. Knowing what Tianming had done for them, they weren’t stupid enough to be fooled. They knew what kind of people the divine moonrace were.
"So these are so-called gods?"
“They can't deal with the Human Emperor, so they come to threaten our lives. How pathetic.”
“I heard they oversee worlds like ours.”
“They’re just another specter race.”
“They’ve never shown up before, but lately they’ve all come out of the woodwork. They didn’t do anything to solve our trouble with the specter race, and now they’ve come to slaughter us?"
Destroy Flameyellow to atone for Tianming’s crime—this sentence wasn’t demonstrating how much the divine moonrace resented Tianming. Instead, it only showed how worthless they considered the lives of the people on this continent.
“If they had even the slightest bit of conscience, they wouldn't do such a thing."
“Who would’ve thought there were such gods on the moon?”
No matter how resentful they were, the facts remained the same.
“Hide.”
“Go, hide deep in the mountains and forests."
“The specters are in the Abyssal Battlefield, and now we’ve got the divine moonrace on our doorstep. When will we finally see the sun?"
Taiji Peak Lake, Tianming Palace, the Swordsoul Mountains, as well as thousands of cities and countless towns in the Tianming Dynasty were almost empty. The Archaic House of Xuanyuan and disciples of the Archaion Sect had all dispersed. They left their homes alone. With the appearance of the gods, no one knew when they could go home.
Xuanyuan Dao, Li Caiwei, Yi Xingyin, Ouyang Jianwang, Jiang Qingluan, Xuanyuan Muxue, as well as the samsaran powerhouses of the old Nine Divine Realms had also all hidden themselves. Even a twelfth-level samsaran had little chance against an ascendant. At this point, life and death was a matter of luck. Tianming was completely helpless against Sovereign Xi’s move.
When the totems finished speaking, Prince Fengyue roared, "Li Tianming, I know that you’re near so I will give you thirty breaths to appear in front of me. Otherwise, don't blame us for being merciless."
This was an ultimatum. Thirty breaths would pass in the blink of an eye. The fate of the Flameyellow Continent would be revealed at this moment. Majestic and arrogant, a hundred thousand gods stared down at the continent below, a cold smile on their faces.
"The whole world is trembling. Brothers, do you think Li Tianming will dare show himself? I don’t think so! It's best not to come out, but hide in the dark instead. Take a good look and see what the price of offending the divine moonrace is. We can't have come here for nothing, can we?"
During this short period of time, Tianming did one last thing—he went over to the Heaven Cauldron. The big black cauldron stood atop Heaven Sacred Mountain, towering above everything. Heaven Sacred Mountain was the cultivation site for the Archaion Sect’s disciples, but now there was no one. Even the Heaven Cauldron seemed lonely.
After comparing, Tianming determined that the Heaven Cauldron was indeed an orderian cauldron. However, the two-hundred-thousand-year seal had consumed more than four-fifths of its strength. If he were to use it once more, its amplification effect would be inferior to the orderian cauldron in Tianming's hands.
“In other words, the Heaven Cauldron is useless." Perhaps that was the reason it still existed here.
But in fact, the orderian cauldron’s amplification effect on Tianming in battle was already immense. The orderian cauldron was different from the Grand-Orient Sword. The Grand-Orient Vortex contained boundless power, while the orderian cauldron had reached its limit and its power was fixed. So once Tianming made a few more breakthroughs, the role of the cauldron would be minimal. However, its presence during this period of time was a timely assist.
Thirty breaths were almost over! In the Flameyellow Continent, hundreds of millions of people hiding in the mountains and wilderness were stifled as they looked up at the numerous gods in the sky. What they saw was their totems.
At the end of thirty breaths, Prince Fengyue raised his hand. "People of the Flameyellow Continent, unfortunately, your Human Emperor has absconded and abandoned you in fear of punishment. He doesn’t care about your lives. In this case, I represent the divine moonrace in deciding the fate of your humble lives. You must remember and pass down the truth to your descendants—it is not the gods who caused your deaths, but the sinner, Li Tianming!”
A hundred thousand gods, all fiery-eyed and gearing up to kill. The moment Prince Fengyue's hand fell, they would spread out and begin slaughtering.
The thunderous voice brought tragic despair to the people of Flameyellow. Throughout the mountains and the valleys, everyone turned ashen. Could they even hide from gods?
In that moment of deadly silence, a tiny figure ascended into the sky from the Heaven Sacred Mountain. Bright as a star, he stood before the hundred thousand gods. Compared to the hundreds of thousands of totems, he was indeed very small. However, the people knew that his appearance was the reason the gods stopped their attack.
It was the Human Emperor! He was still the same as before, unflinching when they needed his support.
……
"He appeared!"
On a snow-capped mountain, dozens of Archaion Sect disciples were hiding.
It was Jian Xueyi who spoke. Those around her were all disciples of the Swordking Faction. The haze in their hearts was swept away by their excitement.
"I knew he wouldn’t abandon us!" said Jian Xueyi. She was now an enthusiastic fan of Tianming.
Many were previously pessimistic, but now breathed a sigh of relief, as if they finally had something to rely on.
"But how can he deal with a hundred thousand gods alone?"
"He’ll be captured and brought back to the Divine Moon Realm.”
"As long as he appears, that's for sure."
"We should be fine. I hope he lives...."
This was merely a microcosm of the entire Flameyellow Continent. After learning the truth, the entire continent was concerned about Tianming’s fate. From the day the Tianming Dynasty had been created, their hearts were one with Tianming.
……
In the sky up above, Tianming appeared before a hundred thousand gods. As soon as they caught sight of him, their eyes seemed to burn with hatred.
Tianming's long hair fluttered in the clouds, his face calm as he declared before the entire world. "I’m the one to blame. I take full responsibility and will follow you back to the Divine Moon Realm. Please assume your role as guardians of the world below. Don't play with human lives."
Once the gods spread out, there would be no end to the killing. Even if there were hundreds of Tianmings, he couldn't stop them. This was destined to be a war where he admitted defeat.
However, he wanted to know one thing—would these gods really turn around and leave without touching the Flameyellow Continent if he surrendered at the beginning? He would soon have an answer.
Upon seeing Tianming, Prince Fengyue smiled and stroked his mustache. "You’ve come to admit to your sins, so it seems you have a conscience. You must not resist. I’ll escort you back to the Divine Moon Realm at once."
“Alright!” Tianming narrowed his eyes.
Prince Fengyue pulled out a grade-three divine artifact from his spatial ring. It was a chain of thunder and fire, hard and fierce, with spikes on every link. Then, throwing the chain around Tianming's body, Prince Fengyue bound him tightly, just as the Moonsoul Blooddragon had shackled Feiling. From top to bottom, the chains wrapped him layer after layer, the spikes piercing into his flesh and pricking holes in his face. However, Tianming didn’t even frown.
“Let’s go.”
Bound and awaiting capture, he turned toward the gods who looked at him with ridicule. With the Prime Tower, he could handle meeting Sovereign Xi. In any case, as the Human Emperor, he couldn't allow the gods to descend and kill his people.
However, Tianming discovered that he had underestimated the pride and indifference carved into the bones of the divine moonrace. Prince Fengyue should have turned around and taken Tianming back to see Sovereign Xi as soon as he had him secured. Instead, he and all one hundred thousand gods with him stayed where they were, laughing coldly at Tianming.
“Go,” said Tianming.
“What’s the rush? You haven’t atoned for your crimes," Prince Fengyue said coldly.
“And how should I do that?”
“More than six thousand of the Divine Moon Royals perished. Their deaths are on you! Your life alone cannot compensate for your debt. How can I answer my dead compatriots if I bring a hundred thousand people down and go back empty-handed? How can I face my parents, my wife and children, the old and young?!" Prince Fengyue laughed.
"Li Tianming, you must be a man of character to have become the Human Emperor. Then why are you so naive? If capturing you would solve everything, why would I bring a hundred thousand with me? Would I need that many people just to catch you? Don’t you understand? The death of six thousand Divine Moon Royals requires atonement, and your life isn’t enough! For your surrender, we’ll be compassionate. Each of us will only kill a thousand."
Compassionate? Only kill a hundred million?
"Li Tianming, you were bold enough to wreak havoc in the Divine Moon Realm. A hundred million lives to make up for your sins isn’t too much, is it? After all, your people are too good at breeding. In one or two years, you’ll make up the difference. How can a boy be an emperor? It's ridiculous!"
Prince Fengyue couldn't forget how his heart had ached upon returning to Fengyue Mansion and seeing the corpses of his entire family. His resentment toward Tianming was understandable. But every crime had its criminal, and every debt its debtor. Was it reasonable to vent his anger on a hundred million innocent lives and pacify his hatred with a massacre?
From Prince Fengyue's twisted look, Tianming knew the worst had happened. It was useless to surrender; in the end, he would have to fight.
What was the purpose of proclaiming those words to everyone on the Flameyellow Continent? It was very simple: they wanted everyone to resent Tianming. By pouring all the guilt onto him, they wanted everyone to isolate Tianming so he would suffer even greater pain.
As sovereign of the Divine Moon Realm, Sovereign Xi knew very well how excruciating it was to be resented and abandoned by the people. This was a deadly approach capable of toppling any emperor. They were the ones doing the slaughtering, but they wanted the people to blame Tianming. Offending the divine moonrace could only bring such a catastrophe. But in fact, as part of the divine moonrace who were supposed to protect mortals, Sovereign Xi had instead threatened the lives of all of them in order to overcome her lifesbane, which was a serious dereliction of duty. Destroy Flameyellow to atone for his crimes, indeed!
"What great power!"
Countless people heard the imposing voice of the totems in the sky. Fortunately, they knew the truth and hadn’t been kept in the dark. Knowing what Tianming had done for them, they weren’t stupid enough to be fooled. They knew what kind of people the divine moonrace were.
"So these are so-called gods?"
“They can't deal with the Human Emperor, so they come to threaten our lives. How pathetic.”
“I heard they oversee worlds like ours.”
“They’re just another specter race.”
“They’ve never shown up before, but lately they’ve all come out of the woodwork. They didn’t do anything to solve our trouble with the specter race, and now they’ve come to slaughter us?"
Destroy Flameyellow to atone for Tianming’s crime—this sentence wasn’t demonstrating how much the divine moonrace resented Tianming. Instead, it only showed how worthless they considered the lives of the people on this continent.
“If they had even the slightest bit of conscience, they wouldn't do such a thing."
“Who would’ve thought there were such gods on the moon?”
No matter how resentful they were, the facts remained the same.
“Hide.”
“Go, hide deep in the mountains and forests."
“The specters are in the Abyssal Battlefield, and now we’ve got the divine moonrace on our doorstep. When will we finally see the sun?"
Taiji Peak Lake, Tianming Palace, the Swordsoul Mountains, as well as thousands of cities and countless towns in the Tianming Dynasty were almost empty. The Archaic House of Xuanyuan and disciples of the Archaion Sect had all dispersed. They left their homes alone. With the appearance of the gods, no one knew when they could go home.
Xuanyuan Dao, Li Caiwei, Yi Xingyin, Ouyang Jianwang, Jiang Qingluan, Xuanyuan Muxue, as well as the samsaran powerhouses of the old Nine Divine Realms had also all hidden themselves. Even a twelfth-level samsaran had little chance against an ascendant. At this point, life and death was a matter of luck. Tianming was completely helpless against Sovereign Xi’s move.
When the totems finished speaking, Prince Fengyue roared, "Li Tianming, I know that you’re near so I will give you thirty breaths to appear in front of me. Otherwise, don't blame us for being merciless."
This was an ultimatum. Thirty breaths would pass in the blink of an eye. The fate of the Flameyellow Continent would be revealed at this moment. Majestic and arrogant, a hundred thousand gods stared down at the continent below, a cold smile on their faces.
"The whole world is trembling. Brothers, do you think Li Tianming will dare show himself? I don’t think so! It's best not to come out, but hide in the dark instead. Take a good look and see what the price of offending the divine moonrace is. We can't have come here for nothing, can we?"
During this short period of time, Tianming did one last thing—he went over to the Heaven Cauldron. The big black cauldron stood atop Heaven Sacred Mountain, towering above everything. Heaven Sacred Mountain was the cultivation site for the Archaion Sect’s disciples, but now there was no one. Even the Heaven Cauldron seemed lonely.
After comparing, Tianming determined that the Heaven Cauldron was indeed an orderian cauldron. However, the two-hundred-thousand-year seal had consumed more than four-fifths of its strength. If he were to use it once more, its amplification effect would be inferior to the orderian cauldron in Tianming's hands.
“In other words, the Heaven Cauldron is useless." Perhaps that was the reason it still existed here.
But in fact, the orderian cauldron’s amplification effect on Tianming in battle was already immense. The orderian cauldron was different from the Grand-Orient Sword. The Grand-Orient Vortex contained boundless power, while the orderian cauldron had reached its limit and its power was fixed. So once Tianming made a few more breakthroughs, the role of the cauldron would be minimal. However, its presence during this period of time was a timely assist.
Thirty breaths were almost over! In the Flameyellow Continent, hundreds of millions of people hiding in the mountains and wilderness were stifled as they looked up at the numerous gods in the sky. What they saw was their totems.
At the end of thirty breaths, Prince Fengyue raised his hand. "People of the Flameyellow Continent, unfortunately, your Human Emperor has absconded and abandoned you in fear of punishment. He doesn’t care about your lives. In this case, I represent the divine moonrace in deciding the fate of your humble lives. You must remember and pass down the truth to your descendants—it is not the gods who caused your deaths, but the sinner, Li Tianming!”
A hundred thousand gods, all fiery-eyed and gearing up to kill. The moment Prince Fengyue's hand fell, they would spread out and begin slaughtering.
The thunderous voice brought tragic despair to the people of Flameyellow. Throughout the mountains and the valleys, everyone turned ashen. Could they even hide from gods?
In that moment of deadly silence, a tiny figure ascended into the sky from the Heaven Sacred Mountain. Bright as a star, he stood before the hundred thousand gods. Compared to the hundreds of thousands of totems, he was indeed very small. However, the people knew that his appearance was the reason the gods stopped their attack.
It was the Human Emperor! He was still the same as before, unflinching when they needed his support.
……
"He appeared!"
On a snow-capped mountain, dozens of Archaion Sect disciples were hiding.
It was Jian Xueyi who spoke. Those around her were all disciples of the Swordking Faction. The haze in their hearts was swept away by their excitement.
"I knew he wouldn’t abandon us!" said Jian Xueyi. She was now an enthusiastic fan of Tianming.
Many were previously pessimistic, but now breathed a sigh of relief, as if they finally had something to rely on.
"But how can he deal with a hundred thousand gods alone?"
"He’ll be captured and brought back to the Divine Moon Realm.”
"As long as he appears, that's for sure."
"We should be fine. I hope he lives...."
This was merely a microcosm of the entire Flameyellow Continent. After learning the truth, the entire continent was concerned about Tianming’s fate. From the day the Tianming Dynasty had been created, their hearts were one with Tianming.
……
In the sky up above, Tianming appeared before a hundred thousand gods. As soon as they caught sight of him, their eyes seemed to burn with hatred.
Tianming's long hair fluttered in the clouds, his face calm as he declared before the entire world. "I’m the one to blame. I take full responsibility and will follow you back to the Divine Moon Realm. Please assume your role as guardians of the world below. Don't play with human lives."
Once the gods spread out, there would be no end to the killing. Even if there were hundreds of Tianmings, he couldn't stop them. This was destined to be a war where he admitted defeat.
However, he wanted to know one thing—would these gods really turn around and leave without touching the Flameyellow Continent if he surrendered at the beginning? He would soon have an answer.
Upon seeing Tianming, Prince Fengyue smiled and stroked his mustache. "You’ve come to admit to your sins, so it seems you have a conscience. You must not resist. I’ll escort you back to the Divine Moon Realm at once."
“Alright!” Tianming narrowed his eyes.
Prince Fengyue pulled out a grade-three divine artifact from his spatial ring. It was a chain of thunder and fire, hard and fierce, with spikes on every link. Then, throwing the chain around Tianming's body, Prince Fengyue bound him tightly, just as the Moonsoul Blooddragon had shackled Feiling. From top to bottom, the chains wrapped him layer after layer, the spikes piercing into his flesh and pricking holes in his face. However, Tianming didn’t even frown.
“Let’s go.”
Bound and awaiting capture, he turned toward the gods who looked at him with ridicule. With the Prime Tower, he could handle meeting Sovereign Xi. In any case, as the Human Emperor, he couldn't allow the gods to descend and kill his people.
However, Tianming discovered that he had underestimated the pride and indifference carved into the bones of the divine moonrace. Prince Fengyue should have turned around and taken Tianming back to see Sovereign Xi as soon as he had him secured. Instead, he and all one hundred thousand gods with him stayed where they were, laughing coldly at Tianming.
“Go,” said Tianming.
“What’s the rush? You haven’t atoned for your crimes," Prince Fengyue said coldly.
“And how should I do that?”
“More than six thousand of the Divine Moon Royals perished. Their deaths are on you! Your life alone cannot compensate for your debt. How can I answer my dead compatriots if I bring a hundred thousand people down and go back empty-handed? How can I face my parents, my wife and children, the old and young?!" Prince Fengyue laughed.
"Li Tianming, you must be a man of character to have become the Human Emperor. Then why are you so naive? If capturing you would solve everything, why would I bring a hundred thousand with me? Would I need that many people just to catch you? Don’t you understand? The death of six thousand Divine Moon Royals requires atonement, and your life isn’t enough! For your surrender, we’ll be compassionate. Each of us will only kill a thousand."
Compassionate? Only kill a hundred million?
"Li Tianming, you were bold enough to wreak havoc in the Divine Moon Realm. A hundred million lives to make up for your sins isn’t too much, is it? After all, your people are too good at breeding. In one or two years, you’ll make up the difference. How can a boy be an emperor? It's ridiculous!"
Prince Fengyue couldn't forget how his heart had ached upon returning to Fengyue Mansion and seeing the corpses of his entire family. His resentment toward Tianming was understandable. But every crime had its criminal, and every debt its debtor. Was it reasonable to vent his anger on a hundred million innocent lives and pacify his hatred with a massacre?
From Prince Fengyue's twisted look, Tianming knew the worst had happened. It was useless to surrender; in the end, he would have to fight.
