Zhu Ziyang and his group ascended East Heaven Peak, crossed over the summit, and located the Three-Headed Golden Lion King on the western slope of the mountain.
This slope directly faced the Demon Emperor Valley. The Three-Headed Golden Lion King resided here for a singular purpose — to await the Demon Emperor's summons at any moment.
When Zhu Ziyang and the others found it, the massive golden lion was sound asleep, completely unaware of the impending danger.
"This big lion really fits you well, Yiyi," Zhu Ziyang joked to Qian Lingyi.
"Light, flame, and holiness — it truly matches your Angel martial soul," Zhang Lexuan agreed, nodding.
"Even if it suits me, it's useless!" Qian Lingyi sighed. "I don't need any new soul rings right now — and besides, this guy's cultivation is way above what I can bear."
"That's not a problem. Just answer one thing — do you want its soul ring or not?" Zhu Ziyang asked, eyes lighting up.
"Of course I do! It's a Beast King with 300,000 years of cultivation! Who wouldn't want it?" Qian Lingyi replied without hesitation.
"Great, I got it!" Zhu Ziyang nodded and ordered, "Komeko, Rogier — capture that lion alive!"
"As you command!" The two Radiant experts nodded instantly. Acting in tandem, they unleashed their strongest abilities before the lion even had a chance to wake.
Komeko, the Holy Knight, summoned his Sanctuary Barrier, while Rogier, the Radiant Priest, unleashed Shadowlight Bind.
The Sanctuary Barrier stripped all light-attribute creatures within of their affinity to light and nullified their elemental resistance. Shadowlight Bind, on the other hand, wove light and shadow into a cage that locked down the target's movements.
By the time the Three-Headed Golden Lion King awoke, the battle was already over. Zhu Ziyang gave it no opportunity to resist. He opened a portal, and the golden Behemoth Bemonsitan tossed the lion into the Holy Law Demiplane.
Inside that demiplane, even a Beast King with 300,000 years of cultivation couldn't stir up a ripple. Its strength wasn't enough to cross spatial barriers.
"That's it? So fast!" Jiang Nannan and Qian Lingyi were shocked. A Beast King on par with a Rank 97 Super Douluo had been subdued in seconds — it felt unreal.
"Of course it was fast," Zhu Ziyang chuckled. "Komeko and Rogier are both at the level of Rank 98 Super Douluos. Capturing a completely unprepared lion was only natural."
The two girls nodded instinctively, agreeing with him.
"Alright. That was just the appetizer. The real challenge begins now," Zhu Ziyang's tone turned serious. "Next up — we make our move on the Demon Emperor. Nannan, Yiyi, you two go into the demiplane for now."
"Okay..." Though disappointed, the girls obeyed. Zhu Ziyang was clearly thinking of their safety. At Rank 75 and Rank 69 respectively, they'd be liabilities in a battle between Super Douluos.
Once they entered the Holy Law Demiplane, Zhu Ziyang, Zhang Lexuan, and the five Radiant experts made their way toward the western foot of East Heaven Peak. The western slope was 500 meters lower than the eastern side — unsurprising, since it was one of the four pathways into the Demon Emperor Valley.
The seven of them soon reached the base and stepped into the valley's perimeter. From here, they could faintly glimpse into the Demon Emperor Valley. The sheer cliff walls connecting the Four Heaven Peaks were unnaturally smooth and sloped inward. Black mist billowed within the valley, making it impossible to see the floor from their vantage.
Zhu Ziyang didn't care. After finding a flat clearing and confirming there were no threats nearby, he took out the God-Sealing Pillars and began constructing the Heavenly Stems God-Sealing Array.
The pillars expanded under his control, each placed with precision. Every placement drained his soul power — by the time the tenth pillar was set, his energy was completely depleted.
And that was only the preliminary step.
To activate the Heavenly Stems God-Sealing Array, he needed massive amounts of energy to link the pillars, engrave the specialized formation runes, and integrate the markings with the pillars — only then could it be called a completed array.
Under normal conditions, a Soul Douluo like Zhu Ziyang would need ten full days to construct the array, and that's assuming his recovery rate was maxed out.
But he didn't have ten days. And he didn't have enough soul power reserves either.
Fortunately, he had four soul spirits.
With their support, he only needed three days to finish the array. Over those days, Zhu Ziyang and his soul spirits took turns pouring energy into the pillars, slowly building the formation.
While Zhu Ziyang worked, the others weren't idle. Rogier, using his shadow powers, tried to probe into the Demon Emperor Valley — but every time he entered, an unknown force expelled him. After several failed attempts, he gave up to avoid alerting the Demon Emperor.
However, they gained valuable intelligence from the captured Three-Headed Golden Lion King, thanks to Elder Yi's interrogation methods.
First, the valley's layout: the Demon Emperor Valley was artificial — excavated by hand. Its base was a single, massive, polished slab of stone. At its center stood the Demon Palace, the Emperor's residence. No living being had ever entered the palace — not even the other four Beast Kings, who could only bow outside the gates.
Second, information on the Demon Emperor herself: the Beast Kings were permitted an audience once every hundred years. The next wasn't for another sixty or seventy years. According to the lion, the Demon Emperor rarely left her palace. In its memory, she had exited only three times — the last being ten thousand years ago when her presence alone had shaken the entire Four Heaven Peaks region.
Finally, the lion's dire warning — do not provoke the Demon Emperor, unless they wished for a terrible death. Three thousand years ago, a Rank 99 Limit Douluo attempted to challenge her. She didn't even appear — just extended a hand from her palace, conjured a scythe, and cleanly decapitated him.
From the lion's testimony, Zhu Ziyang learned that the Demon Emperor, despite being called the Heaven-Doomed Nether Spirit Empress, was actually a soul beast known as the Netherwitch — a one-of-a-kind spirit born of Heaven and Earth. She possessed ultimate darkness and death attributes. No one had ever forced her to go all out — not even the Northern Polar Bear King of the Extreme North.
The intel was valuable. They now knew her species and temperament — she was reclusive, yet sensitive to divine aura.
Why? Because the last time she left her palace — ten thousand years ago — aligned with a critical event in Douluo history:
The Twin Gods' War.
Now understanding her sensitivities, Zhu Ziyang had more confidence in drawing her out, and a better idea where the Fallen Scythe might be located.
Three days later, the Heavenly Stems God-Sealing Array — was complete!
(End of Chapter)
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