"Nine Nether?"

Julius Reed pushed the True Lord of Nine Nether.

The latter directly fell onto the sofa.

"Don’t wake him," Nelson stopped Julius Reed, shaking his head, "We’re still not sure. If everyone only has one chance to enter the Dual Dragon Jade Pendant, wouldn’t doing this waste that chance?"

"Hmm." Julius Reed nodded, standing by the window, starting to ponder about the Jade Pendant.

And the True Lord of Nine Nether indeed fell asleep.

There was no reaction at all.

From Nelson’s words, and Julius Reed’s own personal experience, he deduced that the time inside the Jade Pendant was completely different from the outside.

There’s a feeling of just a day passing in the cave while a millennium goes by in the world.

Having experienced so many things inside the Jade Pendant, so much time passing, but upon waking up, it only took three to five minutes.

So Nelson discouraged Julius Reed, and Julius Reed agreed.

Three to five minutes is bearable.

He pondered outside, while Nelson stared blankly at the Dual Dragon Jade Pendant.

As for the True Lord of Nine Nether, he fell into a very strange state.

The surroundings were utterly dark.

Nothing could be seen.

No mountains, no seas, no sand, no wind.

No gray-robed men, no South Sea Goddess, no Elaenor Wood, and no Hiddy.

Nothing at all.

Only an endless, pitch-black world.

"What’s going on?" The True Lord of Nine Nether stood in the darkness, looking around, finding that he couldn’t see a thing.

Truly, reaching out his hand, he couldn’t see his own fingers.

He even doubted whether there was something wrong with his eyes.

Clearly, there were things around, but he couldn’t see them.

But next, he saw a beam of light.

Light shone from afar, falling upon him.

In the brightness, a person emerged.

At first, he could only see a silhouette, but as the distance closed, he saw an outline.

Later, he saw this person’s features clearly.

"Emperor Azure River?" The True Lord of Nine Nether exclaimed.

He looked at himself and found his appearance was still his own, not the body he had occupied.

In other words, he was now in spirit form.

"Is it you, Emperor Azure River?" The True Lord of Nine Nether called out excitedly.

But soon, he calmed down.

According to Julius Reed and Nelson, he was now in an illusion.

Everything in the illusion wasn’t real.

But this illusion wasn’t like a normal one.

According to Julius Reed, he found happiness inside, and Nelson gained swordsmanship.

And it was extremely powerful and domineering swordsmanship!

This was completely out of the ordinary.

The True Lord of Nine Nether watched the figure warily, prepared for battle at any moment.

"Are you Quentrell Davenport?" The figure suddenly spoke.

As the voice rang out, the surroundings began to brighten.

The brightness was so dazzling that the True Lord of Nine Nether couldn’t open his eyes.

"Emperor Azure River!" The True Lord of Nine Nether said in surprise, "You... know my real name?"

His real name was Quentrell Davenport, the most outstanding child of the renowned Davenport Family at that time.

In the ancient martial arts world, ordinary people were simply unqualified to touch martial arts.

Only nobility had the right to train in martial arts.

And the Davenport Family was a top noble family.

Nine Nether’s original meaning was referring to the ghost of the Nine Provinces.

And True Lord was a term for top martial artists at that time, just like the current Great Grandmaster.

Back then, there were only a few dozen people who could be called True Lord.

A True Lord was already at the very top of this world.

Of course, except the Emperor, and Great Emperor.

And the King of Nine Provinces.

There were only three Great Emperors.

Great Emperors who also held the title of the King of Nine Provinces.

The Blood Soul Emperor wandered across the Nine Provinces with a violent temperament, killing people at a whim.

Then there was the Emperor Azure River, indifferent to fame and fortune, rarely seen by people, but earth-shattering upon action!

The King of Nine Provinces had the greatest power.

The Blood Soul Emperor had the worst reputation and was the most feared.

And the Emperor Azure River, who left countless legends, was as elusive as a dragon.

The True Lord of Nine Nether was now facing his idol, the figure he aspired to.

The Emperor Azure River!

"I am Quentrell Davenport, Great Emperor, why are you here?" He was joyful yet uneasy.

This was an illusion. Was the Emperor Azure River before him real or not?

There’s no way to tell!

"I am in your heart, so I appeared," the Emperor Azure River said with his hands behind his back, his jet-black hair draping over his shoulders. "The scene arises from the heart, and so I appeared."

"Emperor Azure River, how were you after that disaster?" The True Lord of Nine Nether finally asked the question that had puzzled him for years.

During that disaster, countless people died.

The martial arts world suffered an unprecedented catastrophe.

Even with his strong telekinesis, he had to hide for over five thousand years before he could emerge.

"Disaster?" The Emperor Azure River smiled, "It wasn’t a disaster, it was punishment, it was the heavens’ punishment for us. It was the rules’ punishment for us."

"I died and my path perished, dissipating into nothingness. Only leaving behind some remnants, some fragmented souls."

Speaking of his own end, and the shocking disaster of that year, this Great Emperor seemed to have no resentment at all.

In his words, there was only calmness.

"You... as strong as you are, still died?" The True Lord of Nine Nether’s mouth gaped, unsure of what to say for a moment.

"Those are the rules, the Heavenly Dao. The stronger, the less likely they are to survive. Because what the Heavenly Dao destroys is us. On the contrary, ordinary people all survived unscathed."

The Emperor Azure River faintly smiled, "Humans are born, grow old, get sick, and die; it is the natural cycle. Life and death, there’s no need to be so entangled."

"But why! The heavens are unfair!" The True Lord of Nine Nether roared in anger, "Why do powerful people like us have to die, while those worthless ones live on! This is the Heavenly Dao! What kind of nonsense rules are these!"

That disaster was not without warning.

And combining it with the events that followed, indeed all martial artists died.

Those who survived were the slaves of those days.

The nobles who once oppressed them, those martial artists, all died.

Completely wiped out, the entire martial arts world restructured over the long years.

Everyone can practice martial arts, everyone can become a martial artist.

The True Lord of Nine Nether couldn’t understand and was discontent!

Why!

This resentment had maintained in his heart for thousands of years!

"Fairness? Our very existence is unfair," the Emperor Azure River shook his head, "In the eyes of the Heavenly Dao, we are all human. But we enjoyed the best resources, enslaving those ordinary people. In the eyes of ordinary people, we are the greatest unfairness."

"Therefore, there’s no fairness in this world. Dead is dead. We died, yet the world continues to operate as before, without any difference."

"No one is irreplaceable. There’s no person who cannot die. Let go of your obsession and be an ordinary person."

The Emperor Azure River extended his hand, and the True Lord of Nine Nether woodenly placed his hand upon it.

"Start anew." The Emperor Azure River smiled kindly, his body turning into starlight, gently dispersing.

Inside the hotel.

The True Lord of Nine Nether opened his eyes, tears streaking down his cheeks.

"Be an ordinary person," he murmured to himself, "Regaining a new life."