Zhu Ziyang and his companions climbed East Heaven Peak. Crossing the summit, they descended along the western slope, where they found their target—the Three-Headed Golden Lion King.
The western slope of East Heaven Peak directly faced the Demon Emperor's Valley. The Golden Lion King resided there for one reason alone: to heed the Demon Emperor's summons at any time.
When they found it, the massive golden lion was sound asleep, oblivious to the danger descending upon it.
"This big fellow is practically tailor-made for you, Lingyi," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile to Qian Lingyi.
"Light, flame, and holiness—it really does match Lingyi's Angel Martial Soul," Zhang Lexuan agreed with a nod.
"But what can I do? I don't need another spirit ring right now," Lingyi said helplessly, shaking her head. "Besides, this beast's cultivation far exceeds what I can endure."
"That's not a problem," Ziyang replied, his eyes lighting up as he thought aloud. "Just answer me this—would you want its spirit ring?"
"Of course I would! This is a three-hundred-thousand-year Beast King—we're talking about a dream-level spirit ring!" Lingyi answered without hesitation.
"Good. I understand." Ziyang nodded, then ordered firmly: "Komako, Rogier—capture it alive!"
"Yes, my Lord!" the two light-born warriors replied. Moving instantly, they unleashed their strongest techniques before the Golden Lion King even stirred from slumber.
Komako the Paladin cast his Holy Sanctuary, stripping all creatures within its bounds of their light-element resistance and reducing their affinity with light to zero. At the same time, Rogier the High Priest activated Shadowlight Imprisonment, a cage of interwoven light and shadow that locked its target in place, unable to move.
By the time the Golden Lion King awoke, the battle was already over. Ziyang gave it no chance to roar, opening a spatial gate on the spot. The great beast was hurled into the Holy Law Demi-plane by the Golden Behemoth, Bemons.
Within that demi-plane, even a three-hundred-thousand-year Beast King was powerless. Its cultivation was nowhere near the level required to traverse space.
"That's it? Already done? So fast!" Jiang Nannan and Qian Lingyi exclaimed in disbelief. To them, capturing such a creature—equivalent to a level 97 Super Douluo—so easily felt surreal.
"Of course it was fast," Ziyang said with a grin. "Komako and Rogier are both at the level of 98th-rank Super Douluo. To them, subduing an unprepared Three-Headed Golden Lion King is only natural."
Nannan and Lingyi, realizing he was right, nodded subconsciously in agreement.
"Alright, capturing the Golden Lion King was just the appetizer," Ziyang said, his expression hardening. "Now comes the truly dangerous task—dealing with the Demon Emperor. Nannan, Lingyi, both of you, enter the demi-plane for safety."
"Alright…" Though both girls were reluctant, they did not argue. They knew Ziyang was acting for their protection. With their current strength—one a level 75 Soul Saint, the other a level 69 Soul Emperor—interfering in a battle of Super Douluo level or higher would mean only death.
Once Nannan and Lingyi were safely inside the Holy Law Demi-plane, Ziyang led Zhang Lexuan and the five light-born warriors toward the western base of East Heaven Peak.
The western base was five hundred meters lower than the east—a deliberate design, for it was one of the four direct entrances into the Demon Emperor's Valley.
Reaching the valley's edge, they caught their first glimpse of it. The surrounding cliffs, linking the Four Heavens Peaks, were unnaturally smooth and sloped inward. Black mist filled the valley, veiling its depths. From the top of the cliffs, they could not see what lay at the bottom.
But Ziyang paid the obscuring fog no mind. He chose a flat clearing nearby, checked carefully for potential threats, then withdrew ten God-Locking Pillars.
Each pillar expanded at his command and flew into place with precision. Every placement drained a considerable portion of his soul power. By the time all ten were set, his soul power was completely exhausted.
And that was only the beginning. To truly construct the Heavenly Stems God-Sealing Formation, he still had to bind the pillars together with vast amounts of energy, engrave complex divine patterns, and fuse them perfectly with the pillars. Only then would the array be complete.
Under ordinary circumstances, a Soul Douluo like Zhu Ziyang would need at least ten full days to complete the formation, even with maximum recovery speed. But he had no such luxury now.
Fortunately, he was not alone. With the soul power of his four spirit souls supporting him, he could complete the formation in just three days.
So for three days, Zhu Ziyang and his spirits worked in shifts, pouring soul power into the pillars as the great formation slowly took shape.
Meanwhile, the others did not sit idle. Rogier attempted to use his shadow powers to infiltrate the valley and scout the Demon Emperor's domain. Yet each time he tried, a mysterious force repelled him from the shadows. After several failed attempts, he gave up rather than risk alerting their enemy.
Even so, they still gained crucial information—from the captured Golden Lion King, whose will crumbled under Electrolux's methods.
From it, they learned:
The Demon Emperor's Valley was not a natural canyon, but an artificial excavation. Its floor was a single enormous, polished stone slab, upon which stood the Demon Emperor's Palace. None had ever entered the palace, not even the four Beast Kings. They worshiped from its doors alone.
The Beast Kings were permitted to present themselves before the Demon Emperor only once every century. The Emperor herself rarely left the palace—only three times, in fact, in the Golden Lion King's memory. The most recent was ten thousand years ago, when she erupted from the palace, her oppressive might blanketing all Four Heavens Peaks.
The Golden Lion King also warned them grimly: never provoke the Demon Emperor. Three thousand years ago, a 99th-level Ultimate Douluo had invaded the Four Heavens Peaks, seeking to challenge her. The Demon Emperor had not even appeared in person—she had simply extended a single hand from her palace, conjured a scythe, and with one effortless stroke, severed his head.
From its testimony, Ziyang also learned the Demon Emperor's true identity. Though soul masters called her the Heavenworn Demon Spirit Emperor, she was in fact a unique soul beast: the Yellow Springs Witch. Born of heaven and earth, she was a one-of-a-kind spirit species, wielding the ultimate darkness and ultimate death attributes.
No living creature had ever forced her to reveal her full strength. Not even the Polar White Bear King of the Extreme North had achieved that.
One final revelation proved crucial: the Demon Emperor seemed unusually sensitive to divine auras. The Golden Lion King explained that her last emergence, ten thousand years ago, coincided with a certain fateful event—
The Battle of the Twin Gods.
With this knowledge, Zhu Ziyang grew more confident in his plan to lure her out. He also gained clues as to the likely location of the Scythe of the Dead.
Three days later, the formation was complete.
The Heavenly Stems God-Sealing Formation now stood ready.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 early chapters available on Patreon: [email protected]/facficmax10