Chapter 288: The Void Emperor

“Flood Dragon Emperor!”

The plump woman gasped, covering her mouth in shock. Everything happening before her felt like a dream.

Just a second ago, the master she had newly pledged allegiance to was displaying unparalleled might, taking the initiative with overwhelming dominance—even against a true immortal. But in the next instant, the one coughing up blood was actually Flood Dragon Emperor?

More importantly, even though she couldn’t fully grasp the intricacies of Flood Dragon Emperor’s technique, she had clearly seen him forcibly expel the essence blood from his brow to enhance its power.

He held the advantage, had even burned his essence blood—so by all logic, he should not have been the one coughing up blood!

Could it be that, at the level of great demons, coughing up blood was some kind of special attack method?

Flood Dragon Emperor staggered back a few steps, his eyes wide with disbelief, standing rigidly as if struck by lightning.

His face had gone ashen, and his pupils flickered with a stunned, incredulous light—like a meteor tearing through the night sky, brilliant yet utterly shocking.

The sensation of binding the very heavens and earth, followed by the indescribable backlash he had suffered, allowed him to experience, for the first time, a powerlessness unlike anything before. And with it came a fear that ran deep into his bones…

“I had originally hoped for Flood Dragon Emperor to take me to meet the Void Emperor. Things turning out like this was never my intention.”

As he spoke, Gu Ning’an’s spectral projection turned to glance toward a certain direction. After revealing a faint, knowing smile, his figure faded into nothingness.

When his projection dissipated, the white feather that had manifested it simply drifted down to the ground.

Saying nothing, Flood Dragon Emperor walked over, picked up the feather, carefully examined it for a moment, then turned and left the imperial palace—leaving behind Lustful Ghost, who stood frozen, her face filled with shock and confusion…

Meanwhile, the two true immortals of the Hunling Immortal Sect were likewise watching the water mirror’s projection with expressions of disbelief.

Daoist Ling Xi set down her fishing rod and stood up, the yin-yang fish swirling in her eyes fading away. At the same time, the water mirror suspended above the river surface shattered with a soft splash.

“Senior Brother Ling Xuan, did you get a clear look at that person’s face just now?”

Ling Xuan shook his head. “If even you couldn’t see clearly, how could I?”

“I thought so.”

Daoist Ling Xi nodded before continuing, “But at the very end, he must have sensed our observation. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have turned to look at us—I could clearly feel his gaze.”

“That’s not the main point. What matters is that he was clearly caught by Flood Dragon Emperor’s Soul Restraining Technique—even after the essence blood was forced out to strengthen it—yet he remained completely unharmed, even counterattacked, and in the end, Flood Dragon Emperor was the one coughing up blood!”

“Keep in mind, if Flood Dragon Emperor had pulled that move on us out of nowhere, we might have been able to resist, but we definitely wouldn’t have been able to counterattack instantly.”

“Since when did Great Wu produce such a formidable true immortal?”

Daoist Ling Xi shook her head. “Perhaps he’s not from Great Wu—he could have just been passing through from another region.”

“That’s true.”

After a brief pause, Ling Xuan asked, “How is Junior Sister’s condition?”

“The Five Decays of Heaven and Man¹ show no signs of reversal.”

Daoist Ling Xi’s tone was calm, showing not the slightest trace of distress over the impending catastrophe.

“Sigh…”

Ling Xuan let out a deep sigh. With a casual wave of his hand, he summoned a white cloud, stepping onto it.

“I’ll return to guard the borders first. Since Flood Dragon Emperor suffered a setback, who knows what madness he might resort to?”

“Your situation, Junior Sister—”

Before Ling Xuan could finish speaking, Daoist Ling Xi directly activated the spell, propelling the cloud forward.

Even so, she did not forget to bid him farewell.

“Take care.”

…

Opposite Demon Capital, an ancient city stood in solemn silence—the dominion of the Void Emperor.

Deep within this city, a grand temple loomed, its presence commanding awe. And at the heart of this temple stood a magnificent statue.

Carved entirely from jade, every inch of it exuded an aura of archaic mystery.

This was the statue of the Void Emperor, the second great leader of the Northern Huangtian’s demon race!

He was clad in a crimson robe, embroidered with intricate golden patterns resembling an ancient celestial map. His features were solemn and majestic, and what stood out most was his unique nose—broad and shaped much like that of an ox.

The statue had only a single eye, half-lidded yet deep and piercing, as if capable of discerning all the secrets of the world.

But the most striking detail—one that inspired an instinctive reverence—was its bizarre posture:

One foot firmly planted on the ground, while the other was grotesquely growing from its waist.

This defiance of natural anatomy seemed to embody an unfathomable, transcendent power.

Outside the temple gates, armored demon soldiers patrolled constantly. Their sharp gazes swept across every corner, their weapons glinting in the dim light.

They stood guard, ensuring that no one could breach the sacred domain of the Void Emperor.

However, when the Flood Dragon Emperor, dressed in plain robes, descended from the sky and walked straight into the temple, none of the armored demon soldiers patrolling the area reacted. Even as he passed right by them, they continued their patrols as if they couldn’t see him.

Stepping into the temple’s depths, the Flood Dragon Emperor stopped before the statue of the Void Emperor. After casually setting up a restriction, he bellowed in anger, “Void Emperor! The situation is critical! You’d better not still be sleeping!”

His cold voice echoed throughout the vast temple, but even after waiting a long while, there was no response.

“Void Emperor! If you don’t wake up right now, I swear I’ll smash your statue and slaughter everyone in your Eternal Slumber City!”

Even with such a blatant threat, the statue remained completely still.

Already frustrated, the Flood Dragon Emperor exhaled sharply and said, “A true immortal from the Hunling Sect has come knocking at our door! They’re setting up a formation outside, planning to take their time killing you, this lazy demon who sleeps all day. I’m thinking of lending them a hand and just finishing you off myself.”

“A true immortal has come knocking?!”

“Where?! Where?!”

A flash of blue-black light streaked across the hall, and in an instant, a disheveled, sleepy-eyed old man with black hair appeared before the statue. He looked at least eighty or ninety years old, his face covered in wrinkles.

After scanning the surroundings, he swept his divine sense over Eternal Slumber City dozens of times. Only after confirming there was no immediate danger did he finally turn to the Flood Dragon Emperor, roll his eyes, and say, “Are you out of your damn mind?”

“I was having a great sleep, and here you are making a racket. What the hell do you want?”

“I told you not to bother me. Do you not understand words?”

Bombarded by this string of complaints, the Flood Dragon Emperor’s face momentarily froze in disbelief before he clenched his teeth and roared, “You’re a mighty Great Demon, you’ve lived countless years longer than me, and yet you spend your days cowering in this city, sleeping away your time! You’re an embarrassment to demonkind, a disgrace to the great fate bestowed upon our race!”

Hearing this, the black-haired old man lazily dug his ears and sighed, “Here we go again, here we go again… Kid, you do realize I’m older than you, right?”

“Then why don’t you know how to respect your elders? I’m an old man—I need my sleep. How does that concern you? Dragging an old man like me out to fight… you really are something else!”