Chapter 42: The End

Everyone was still reeling from Ye Jiuyao’s strike, yet he had already appeared beside the two men from Ye Han Province. His long staff erupted once more, and Qi Duanzi and Ming Jiuyin snapped to their senses—but it was already too late. The staff fell directly upon them.

With the crack of breaking bones, the two were hurled away like falling stars, landing by the side of that formidable man, both struggling to catch their breath.

“Yuanhua, what are you waiting for? Are you planning to keep Xidan You as a trophy to bear your children?” Ye Jiuyao glared at Zhong Yuanhua and his companions, who were still frozen midair. He roared angrily.

“Understood!” Zhong Yuanhua snapped out of his daze at the shout, and in an instant, the three of them attacked in unison, charging straight for Xidan You.

Despair filled Xidan You’s face, and then he suddenly burst into laughter. “Hahaha... To think that I, Xidan You, would die like this...”

But the four paid him no heed. Instead, a terrifying power erupted from them, and they struck at Xidan You without mercy.

With a dull bang, Xidan You joined the ranks of the defeated alongside the three from Ming Jiuyin’s camp, instantly forming a group of four cripples.

“Your masters are dead—do you still dare to fight?” Ye Jiuyao swept his gaze around, his voice ringing out. The crowd’s expressions grew grave; to stop or not to stop, neither felt right.

“Since that’s how it is—kill them all!” Ye Jiuyao saw the hesitation among the people of the Western Desert Realm. He was no benevolent saint; he had given them a chance, and since they wasted it, there would be no second opportunity.

Thus, the people of Great Zhou unleashed a power far beyond their own level. The warriors of the Western Desert, their resistance crushed after the defeat of Xidan You and his companions and Ye Jiuyao’s overwhelming presence, lost all hope. The rabble was quickly subdued. Some quick-witted individuals dropped to their knees, begging for mercy and narrowly escaping death.

“Is that enough?”

“Yes.”

“A bunch of useless fools—it took you this long to finish the job.” Ye Jiuyao snorted in dissatisfaction. The others felt stung, but none dared retort. After all, he had swept aside several top experts single-handedly; a few harsh words were hardly excessive. They could only swallow their resentment.

“Seal their cultivation. We’re heading back,” Ye Jiuyao instructed curtly. The others nodded in understanding, sealing the powers of Xidan You and the other three, as well as those of the rest.

The group marched back in grand procession—grand in name, but by now, only the people of Great Zhou remained in any real numbers. The others, from the minor factions, were mostly dead or wounded; their total barely matched that of Great Zhou’s own.

In the blink of an eye, they had returned to the territory of Great Zhou.

“They’re back!” Suddenly, someone spotted Ye Jiuyao and the others, and a cheer erupted. Instantly, the crowd’s spirits soared.

News of their victory in the Central Heaven Realm spread like wildfire, sweeping through the entire territory. Word soon reached the Western Desert as well.

Panic gripped the hearts of the people. Countless minor sects and families concealed their names or uprooted themselves entirely, migrating to safer regions. They knew the Western Desert was finished—what awaited was only the Central Heaven Realm’s dominance and annexation.

Meanwhile, in the southern Barbarian Realm, news reached the Hall of Yellow Springs. The ancestor of Yellow Springs sat in the great hall, his face ashen and grim, a visible aura of anger radiating from him.

“Ming Jiuyin, that fool, went out behind our backs. This time, the Hall of Yellow Springs is truly finished,” someone said despondently in the hall.

“Hmph! Do they really think the people of the Central Heaven Realm would dare encroach here? Does the Southern Barbarian Realm’s lord count for nothing?” another retorted.

The hall buzzed with anxious discussion. The ancestor of Yellow Springs grew more and more sullen until, unable to bear it, he shouted in fury.

“Silence!” At this, all fell silent, as none dared challenge the authority that came with his seniority.

“From this day forth, the Hall of Yellow Springs is dissolved...” As he spoke these words, it was as if he aged decades in an instant. When he finished, he dragged his weary body from the hall, leaving those within staring at each other in stunned silence.

At the same time, at the Qi Family estate.

Chaos reigned at the Qi residence. Many began hastily packing their belongings, preparing to flee. There was no clearer example of the saying: when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

With the loss of Qi Duanzi, their mighty champion, the Qi Family had no hope left. Even with other powerful members, how could they withstand the onslaught of the Central Heaven Realm? Clearly, it was impossible. Thus, the Qi Family began to disperse, as did several other sects and clans.

The opportunistic minor sects and factions from the other three realms had been all but wiped out during the conflict between the two realms. Overnight, countless small sects within the three realms disbanded, and many spent their days in fear.

News of the dissolution of the Qi Family, the Hall of Yellow Springs, and other small factions spread even faster than the news of the Central Heaven Realm’s victory, reaching other realms with astonishing speed.

“If the other realm lords have nothing else, you’d best go home for supper. We have pressing business to attend to,” Ye Jiuyao said bluntly, issuing a clear dismissal. The other three nodded in silent understanding and turned to leave.

“Outsiders? From the Realm of the Thousand Emperors? I thought the secular world and the Hidden World were separated?” Ye Jiuyao’s knowledge was still confined to what he’d read in books. Zhong Yuanhua spoke up to clarify.

“Secular and Hidden—that’s just the simple version. In truth, our world is merely an experiment. The Hidden World you speak of is the true realm of cultivation. I believe you sent that young girl there, didn’t you?”

Ye Jiuyao did not deny it and nodded. Having received his answer, Zhong Yuanhua sighed and continued, while the others looked puzzled, unable to follow the conversation.

“That realm is called the Thousand Emperors’ World. Even our highest cultivators here are considered mere beginners there. The people of that world call it the Awakening Realm.”

“What?!”

Everyone was stunned—everyone except Ye Jiuyao, who simply nodded in understanding.

“So that old man is from the Thousand Emperors’ World?”

“Yes. The realm lord has been searching for traitors from his world. Who could have guessed he’d stumble upon Xidan You by accident?”

Only now did they all truly understand: it was not merely about the enmity between Xidan You and Zhong Yuanhua, nor the grievances between the Qi Family and Great Zhou. There were deeper machinations at play.

“Let’s just kill them. No one will dare object. I’m planning to pay a visit to the Thousand Emperors’ World myself. You all stay here and cultivate—this place is too small.”

A murderous glint flashed in Ye Jiuyao’s eyes. His vital energy surged. With a squeeze of his palm, a blade of condensed sword-qi appeared, and he slashed at the void.

In an instant, the four bound prisoners died in utter silence—so swiftly and ignominiously that these once-mighty figures had not even a chance to struggle.

Somewhere in the Thousand Emperors’ World...

A seated elder suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His aura weakened drastically, his face turned deathly pale, and a dreadful anger welled up within him.

“The Central Heaven Realm? Very well. Just wait—once I find a way, I, Qin Yu, will see you all destroyed!”

This was the same elder who had sent an avatar into the newborn world. Now his face was twisted in fury, yet he was helpless. He could only bottle up his hatred.

Ye Jiuyao discussed matters with the others for a while longer, then departed to make preparations for his journey to the Thousand Emperors’ World. Though many were reluctant to see him go, they knew they could no longer keep pace with him.

Better to let him soar than to hold him back.

The war between the two realms had come swiftly and ended just as quickly. With Ye Jiuyao’s execution of the four, it was, for all intents and purposes, over.

As for the fate of their respective factions, Zhong Yuanhua, Ye Han Province, and the others would handle those matters. Ye Jiuyao’s only concern now was to prepare for his venture into the Thousand Emperors’ World.

For aside from the Heavenly Jade Sect, he knew nothing of that world.