The two rulers were perplexed.

"Could it be because of the trial? I heard Ziwei sent a message this afternoon saying that Xue Fuxiao and Duan Xiyang were both present," said the Heavenly Emperor.

"That can’t be. Even if they were present, what does it have to do with the Yin Yang Realm? They can’t even enter!" The Earth Lord immediately denied.

"There must be some other reason! Or perhaps, it’s something from inside the Yin Yang Realm, something stirred up by the boys undergoing the trial."

"Perhaps that’s it."

"They are already on their way back. Let’s wait a bit."

Just then.

The two of them received a message at the same time.

With a loud bang, they both slammed the table and stood up.

"Duan Xiyang, you have gone too far!"

The message was unanimous.

"On the way back, they were ambushed by White Bone Shattering Dream Spear Duan Xiyang, resulting in the slayings of the Deity of the Sun, King Chu Jiang, and others."

Such news was simply intolerable to the two rulers.

The Earth Lord was about to head back.

"There’s no explanation given above, so let’s wait for Ziwei to return and hear what she has to say," the Heavenly Emperor waved his hand, keeping the Earth Lord back.

But neither of them maintained the previous calm demeanor.

The smiles were gone from their faces, brows furrowed, worries occupied their thoughts, and a killing aura occasionally filled the air.

"Duan Xiyang!"

The Heavenly Emperor’s eyes flashed coldly as he took a deep breath and said, "Earth Lord, are you interested in doing something big?"

"Taking down Duan Xiyang?" The Earth Lord asked grimly, his face showing discontent.

"Exactly. This fellow is simply too arrogant."

The Heavenly Emperor said calmly, "How about we take action ourselves, mobilize some high-ranked elders, set up a deadly trap, and take down Duan Xiyang?"

"Not interested."

The Earth Lord shook his head lightly, having no interest whatsoever in this proposal.

He turned to the Heavenly Emperor: "Were you part of the battle when Duan Xiyang reached the Peak of Martial Arts, his true rise to fame?"

The Heavenly Emperor shook his head: "No."

"I was."

The Earth Lord closed his eyes. Once he closed them, the liveliness disappeared from his vision, and his face, already filled with Yin Qi, lost all semblance of life.

His solitary voice, echoed like a ghastly tune from an empty ghost realm.

"That battle... I, along with eighteen junior brothers, participated in the ambush, with two elders leading the team. When Duan Xiyang was going downstream, in our ambush spot, there were other mountain gate experts totaling three hundred seventy-five in all, simultaneously leaping out from both banks."

"Additionally, several hundred experts from the Jianghu Alliance burst out from underwater, with over a hundred experts hidden below the water."

The Earth Lord’s eyelids trembled: "Duan Xiyang, holding the White Bone Shattering Dream Spear, stood at the bow, drifting downstream without accelerating, merely moving along with the water flow."

"Nearly a thousand individuals charged simultaneously, from all directions, above and below the water. At the time, they all found it spectacular, but I alone felt a chill creeping into my heart, so I deliberately delayed, turning from the first wave into the second."

"Then I saw Duan Xiyang rise silently, spear in hand, unbelievably lifting the entire boat with him, with black spear lights shooting out explosively."

"By the time I charged forth, received a spear with my long sword from Duan Xiyang, I saw corpses flying in all directions. The first wave of seventy-five people were all struck in the forehead by a spear, leaving a bloody hole, regardless of their cultivation level."

"Many people did not even realize they were dead until the moment of their demise, their eyes still wide in surprise, falling into the water. That day’s water was crimson red!"

"Those people were on par with me at the time, and among my eighteen junior brothers, just one spear killed nine of them!"

"My lone sword blocked Duan Xiyang’s spear not because I was strong, but because... Duan Xiyang was retracting his spear for the next strike; with his following spear, came the second wave... and my block rendered half of my body numb, sending my body flying obliquely, just in time to witness over a hundred others in the second wave spurting fresh blood from their hearts, throats, and foreheads."

"My body fell into the water, simultaneously watching those corpses sink in. Water scattered everywhere! At that moment, I felt my heart grow cold."

"Duan Xiyang, supporting the boat, surged out from amidst the rain of corpses, stabbing downward into the water, causing blood flowers to bubble up incessantly, as if blood was boiling in muddy water."

"Every time I watched the spear in Duan Xiyang’s hand descend, my body trembled, until finally a spear came my way. Unable to block it, I grabbed the corpse of a Qingming Palace elder beside me as a shield in front of my chest."

"The spear light pierced through the corpse, I barely managed to swing aside my shoulder, yet it still left a hole in it. Opening my eyes to float up to the surface, all I saw were over eight hundred bodies. Some were floating, others half-sunken, all those were renowned figures in the Jianghu."

"Duan Xiyang drifted downstream, looking back just as I surfaced, being already several hundred meters away, he said: there’s still one survivor. But back then, as he drifted along, slaughtering the Jianghu, he couldn’t turn back. Thus, I survived."

"Since then, I returned to the Underworld, devoting myself to cultivation, not setting foot into the realm for thousands of years. People say I’ve become ascetic, but I know myself... Heavenly Emperor!"

The Earth Lord finally opened his eyes, staring at the Heavenly Emperor: "I was afraid!"

The Heavenly Emperor remained silent.

Picturing the Earth Lord’s experience, he now felt a chill running down his spine.

"For so many years, countless times at midnight, I found myself back in that battle. Each time in the dream, I felt like a scared little child, trembling all over, witnessing the bloody storm before me. Rows of blood sprayed in front of my eyes."

"So, as for besieging Duan Xiyang, I won’t do it."