Abyss Plane.
The Abyss Holy Monarch consecutively spat several mouthfuls of blood. The air was filled with a pungent, bloody smell.
"My power keeps declining." Leaning against a massive stone pillar, the Abyss Holy Monarch's handsome face was extremely pale, as though coated with a layer of white lime.
"Damn natives…"
"Ugh, pfft—"
He spat out several more mouthfuls of blood, and his aura weakened further.
"Holy Monarch…"
The seven quasi-god-rank Abyss Emperors showed worried expressions on their faces.
The Abyss Holy Monarch did not respond to any of their words, but as the seven Abyss Emperors sensed his increasingly deteriorating condition, their own faces turned pale.
The Abyss Holy Monarch was His Majesty's most favored child, the peerless powerhouse with the greatest hope of breaking through to God King level. Now…
None of them dared to continue that line of thought.
From the pitch-black, gloomy teleportation gate, a streak of blood light shot out.
"Mother…"
The Abyss Holy Monarch wanted to say something, but before he could speak, a trace of blood overflowed from the corner of the Crimson Mother's mouth. Her voice was cold:
"I failed. She was even more difficult to deal with than I imagined."
She glanced at the continuously collapsing Abyss passage, then turned her gaze toward the Abyss Holy Monarch, whose aura had fallen from first-level god to third-level god.
"If I could break through to God King, perhaps I could still save you. But now…"
The Crimson Mother shook her head.
"Heh, hahahahaha!" Upon seeing this, the Abyss Holy Monarch suddenly burst into wild laughter, causing his injuries to worsen even further.
"A bird that pecks all day will eventually be pecked by a bird."
Black-red thick smoke rose around the Abyss Holy Monarch.
"Wait, what are you doing!" The Crimson Mother's expression slightly changed.
"Mother, I cannot survive." The Abyss Holy Monarch laughed maniacally.
"My past has been frozen, my previous spacetime severed. Rather than dying like this, it's better to become your power."
"My strength has declined, but in essence I am still a first-level god. If we wait any longer…"
"Mother, you will avenge me, won't you!" The Abyss Holy Monarch's tone was sincere.
The Crimson Mother fell silent. Her blood-red long hair gently floated as she sighed: "I will. You are my child. I will completely devour the Douluo plane—even that Ning Rongrong will not be spared."
"Good, very good. With that, this child can rest easy."
The vast body of a first-level god began to collapse bit by bit, releasing terrifying pressure.
Waves of rules poured down.
"Return to origin—Heavenly Demon Disintegration."
The Abyss Holy Monarch's body turned into red mist, then condensed into a mass of liquid.
The liquid entwined with profound rules, like some supreme tonic. The massive flow of blood essence surged at extreme speed into the Crimson Mother's body, like small streams converging into rivers and seas.
In an instant, the slight chaotic aura on the Crimson Mother rapidly stabilized, and her presence became several times stronger than before.
The Crimson Mother slowly opened her eyes. A flash of cold intent passed through her blood-colored pupils:
"The Abyss Plane no longer needs to exist. You lot can die too!"
The Crimson Mother suddenly spread her palm. Profound rules swirled around it.
Abruptly, five of the seven Abyss Emperors discovered they had lost control over their bodies.
"Your Majesty, what are you doing?" The Demon Empress felt unease in her heart. Especially when meeting the unfathomable depths in the Crimson Mother's gaze, her body couldn't help but tremble.
"You failed to protect the Holy Monarch. What use is there in keeping useless trash like you?"
"Wait—"
Before the five Abyss Emperors could finish speaking, their bodies suddenly exploded. Their rapidly disintegrating forms converged into balls of blood qi that visibly merged into the Crimson Mother's body at astonishing speed.
"Still not enough. There's still a gap."
The Crimson Mother raised her head and looked toward the two Abyss Emperors who had never been to the Douluo plane.
With a "whoosh," the two Emperors shuddered violently.
They immediately straightened their postures, terrified that they too would become the Crimson Mother's blood food.
"Heavenly Ox Emperor, Black Emperor—do you have any objections to what I just did?"
The Crimson Mother said coldly.
"None, absolutely none."
The two quasi-god-rank Emperors shook their heads like rattling drums.
"Very good. The Abyss Plane has occupied forty percent of the energy belonging to my Crimson Plane. Next, I will reclaim it. From now on, there will be no more Abyss Plane—only the Crimson within the Abyss."
"Yes!" The two Emperors responded in unison.
"I remember Wisdom Emperor is still in the Douluo plane. Tell him to set up the Blood River Grand Array as quickly as possible."
"Hmph. I will personally go meet the living beings of the Douluo plane."
With a flick of her sleeve, the Crimson Mother transformed into a streak of light and departed from the Abyss Plane.
Heavenly Ox Emperor and Black Emperor exchanged glances.
"What do we do now, brother?" Heavenly Ox Emperor had only recently become the mount of the Abyss Holy Monarch and still ranked lowest among the top ten Emperors. Although Black Emperor wasn't much better, he had seniority!
"Find a way to contact Wisdom Emperor. What else can I do? If that one is personally taking action, we can only prepare as best we can."
Black Emperor said helplessly,
"If we mess this up, I'm afraid we'll end up with the same fate as those five Emperors just now."
This was the Abyss. Even though the Crimson Mother and the Abyss Emperors were in a mother-child relationship, when it came to interests, it was perfectly normal for them to fight fiercely and turn against each other.
Just now, the Crimson Mother wasn't grieving the fall of the Abyss Holy Monarch. She was furious at having lost face and dignity twice in other planes, and she simply needed an outlet to vent.
Thus, the five Emperors had neatly walked right into the line of fire.
...
Douluo Continent, Star Luo Empire Imperial Palace.
Zhu Zhuqing leaned back on the throne. Thinking of the ministers who had come to report on state affairs, she murmured:
"Tang San and Bo Saixi have disappeared somewhere. It seems I must make a decision."
Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing's elegant brows furrowed slightly.
She turned her head toward her left side.
In the space she was looking at, a faint tremor occurred. A man in black robes, wearing a leopard-pattern mask and holding iron chains, revealed himself.
"You're here." Zhu Zhuqing showed no surprise at the man's appearance.
"Everything is more or less ready. We're just waiting for your command." The leopard-masked man adjusted the mask on his face and spoke:
"Don't wait any longer. If we keep delaying, once the Title Douluo from Spirit Hall return from the Extreme North, even with me added, there won't be any hope."
"Huff—" Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath, slowly stood up. Black luster gradually gathered in her right hand. A few seconds later, it transformed into a scythe nearly as tall as she was.
"Then let's do as you say!" Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth. "Complete that grand array you mentioned as quickly as possible. To be honest, I don't trust you people."
"Heh, whether you trust us or not doesn't matter. But do you really have any other choice right now?"
The leopard-masked man in black robes gave a cold laugh.
After saying that, he turned into a wisp of black smoke and vanished from the grand hall.
A moment later, Zhu Zhuqing sighed and murmured: "Tang San, you even killed the Sea God. Since I've offended you, I'm probably not going to be an exception either."
"But I am also an inheritor undergoing a first-level god's divine trial. I'm not someone you can just toy with at will."
As she spoke, the Nether Spirit Cat martial soul attached itself to her body.
After twice absorbing the souls of soldiers who had fallen in the war against the Heaven Dou Empire…
Zhu Zhuqing's strength had already reached rank 95. With the amplification from her divine trial, her soul rings had become three purple, five black, and one red.
(End of chapter)