Section 117 (Part II): An Open Conspiracy and the Sovereign of the Underworld
In fact, Lin Qiye had already hit upon an idea when Ghost Thunder looked down on him in his nightmare.
After awakening, he continued following that flash of inspiration, thinking it through.
“Three billion people sacrificed... From the perspective of the Underworld Heavenly Emperor, wouldn’t such an enormous mass of corpses be the most delightful thing imaginable?”
“If I were the Underworld Heavenly Emperor, I’d do everything in my power to get in there!”
“Although, to ensure that the Immortal Summoning Plan proceeds flawlessly, the Evil Demons have undoubtedly raised their defenses to an unprecedented level during this period.”
“Humans cannot infiltrate them, but the Underworld Heavenly Emperor can...”
Lin Qiye murmured to himself.
The top-tier divine-realm zombies controlled by the Underworld Heavenly Emperor could look exactly as they had in life.
Moreover, the Underworld Heavenly Emperor could control zombies from a distance and share their vision.
If it wanted to send a divine-realm zombie into the sacrificial site, the difficulty would not be too great!
“The Underworld Heavenly Emperor really is the best choice. If it controls a divine-realm zombie and silently infiltrates the sacrificial site, then... turns all three billion corpses into zombies, perhaps it will be able to fight the Puppet Immortal Body.”
“Using this method to drive the tiger away by borrowing the wolf, then sit back and watch them fight... Not bad at all.”
Lin Qiye’s eyes gleamed.
He immediately activated his authority and connected to Huaxia’s satellite surveillance system.
The surveillance resolution of these satellites had reached the centimeter level. Like countless Eyes of Heaven, they swept across the entire world. Their precision was such that they could detect even the slightest anomaly in a single stone.
Lin Qiye set the surveillance area directly over the northern battlefield.
The reason was simple.
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor’s innate talent would drive it toward any region where large numbers of corpses appeared.
And the northern battlefield had only recently witnessed a tragic war that had left four million dead and wounded.
Bones lay piled like mountains.
Blood filled the land like lakes.
Baleful energy, resentment, and the aura of death had combined into a dense miasma.
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor would absolutely not pass up such a blessed land.
After all, the battle between the Evil Demon Emperor and the Wind Emperor had resulted in the deaths of top-tier divine-realm experts.
To the Underworld Heavenly Emperor, this place was an exceptional treasure trove.
It would certainly come here.
One satellite after another monitored the northern battlefield.
At the same time, inside a cavern beneath the battlefield, the Underworld Heavenly Emperor was refining high-level zombies.
Suddenly, the hair on its body stood on end. Its scalp prickled, and it felt an inexplicable chill spreading through its heart.
“What’s going on?”
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor looked around in alarm.
It felt as though some terrifying existence had set its sights on it.
“What the hell is going on? Have I seen a ghost?!”
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor cursed as it wiped the cold sweat from its brow.
“What exactly is happening?”
It did not understand.
It only knew that it felt as though it were being watched by a venomous snake.
And this feeling refused to fade, leaving it deeply uncomfortable, as though thorns were pressing into its back.
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor grew restless and irritable.
It hurriedly ordered its vast army of zombies to search the surroundings.
Yet after an exhaustive search, the Underworld Heavenly Emperor detected nothing unusual.
This only left it more puzzled.
“Was it an illusion?”
“Impossible. At my level, I can’t simply suffer hallucinations. Someone must be spying on me! But from where? And why didn’t my zombie army discover them?”
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor’s expression darkened.
Its heart sank to the bottom.
During this period, it had frantically refined zombies and developed its innate talent to a flawless one hundred percent.
It was virtually invincible!
Even superexperts such as the Evil Demon Emperor and the Wind Emperor would gain no advantage against it.
Every aspect of its abilities had been greatly enhanced by the explosive increase in its zombie population. Its defense, attack power, control, and mental domination had all undergone a complete transformation.
It could not be suffering an illusion!
Therefore, the Underworld Heavenly Emperor became certain of one thing.
There was absolutely a terrifying powerhouse secretly watching it and plotting some sinister scheme!
“Who is it? Who’s spying on me?”
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor controlled its zombies and searched inch by inch, but unfortunately found nothing.
“Could it be... that person from River City?”
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor recalled what had happened in River City and could not help making the guess. But then it shook its head and rejected the idea.
“No. That fellow’s strength should be about equal to the Evil Demon Emperor’s.”
“And now I possess the power to confront the Evil Demon Emperor head-on. There shouldn’t be anyone in this world capable of making my hair stand on end!”
“Could there truly be an existence in this world more terrifying than the Evil Demon Emperor and the Wind Emperor?”
At that thought, the Underworld Heavenly Emperor felt a chill creep up its spine.
“No. I must become stronger!”
“If I don’t grow stronger, that fellow may toy with me in the palm of his hand someday! I need more corpses. I need more zombies. One hundred million, two hundred million, even a billion zombies! If I had that many zombies, I would be invincible beneath the heavens!”
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor yearned desperately.
At that very moment, Lin Qiye, monitoring the northern region through the satellites, saw the zombie army.
The entire northern battlefield was shrouded in an aura of death so dense that it made one recoil. Within that darkness, an immense mass stretched as far as the eye could see.
Millions of zombies roamed the battlefield.
Together, they formed a zombie kingdom.
Above that kingdom, bizarre zombies covered in long red hair soared through the sky.
Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow.
“Flying zombies? They’ve reached the divine realm. If this force moved south, it would inflict a considerable disaster upon humanity.”
“As I expected, the Underworld Heavenly Emperor’s growth is tied to the number of zombies it controls. At present, its combat strength is enough to contend with the Evil Demon Emperor.”
Lin Qiye nodded slightly.
His gaze settled on one of the zombies.
This zombie moved with extreme stealth.
No hair had grown on its body. Or rather, its hair had already fallen away. It had returned to its living state and looked exactly as it had before death. Its form resembled that of an Evil Demon, and an evil aura radiated from its body, without the slightest trace of a zombie’s presence.
Lin Qiye’s eyes lit up.
“It’s you. A divine-realm Evil Demon condensed by the Underworld Heavenly Emperor at great cost, with its innate talent developed beyond ninety percent—a flawless zombie!”
“If this zombie infiltrates the altar, the Evil Demons won’t discover it!”
Lin Qiye smiled faintly as he analyzed the situation carefully.
“The Underworld Heavenly Emperor’s abilities are linked to the number of zombies it possesses. Every additional zombie increases its own defense and strength, while also enhancing its control over the zombie army.”
“At this stage, its innate talent should have surpassed one hundred percent... That aura of death only needs to cling to a corpse before instantly turning it into a zombie...”
From these scattered clues, Lin Qiye had already learned some of the Underworld Heavenly Emperor’s secrets.
“So sending the Underworld Heavenly Emperor to sabotage the Immortal Summoning Plan really is perfect.”
“Three billion Evil Demon corpses offered willingly as sacrifices—of course it will be tempted! After all, aside from this sacrifice, there may never be another once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to obtain three billion corpses all at once.”
Lin Qiye smiled.
“All it takes is dangling a little bait to hook the Underworld Heavenly Emperor. There’s no need for elaborate schemes. A straightforward strategy will do.”
With that, Lin Qiye began writing furiously.
In only a short while, he had composed a letter.
The letter described in detail the methods and plan for infiltrating the sacrificial site.
It also instructed the Underworld Heavenly Emperor to infect every participant in the sacrifice with the aura of death beforehand. That way, it would be easier to claim the corpses afterward.
In short, the letter offered the Underworld Heavenly Emperor an overwhelming temptation.
To seize this opportunity, it only needed to send a few flawless zombies.
Even if they were lost, the cost would not be great.
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor simply could not resist such temptation.
When it received the letter and finished reading its contents, both its hands began to tremble.
Its face, pale as though coated in white powder, revealed an expression of wild delight.
“The Evil Demon race is actually going to sacrifice three billion Evil Demons?!”
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor was so excited that its heart trembled with pleasure.
“Three billion Evil Demon corpses! If I can plant the aura of death on them in advance, then erode them with that aura at the moment they take their own lives... With my current strength, I can transform all three billion into zombies within ten minutes!”
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor began to laugh strangely.
It seemed to see a broad road leading straight to invincibility!
“If I fail to seize such a heaven-sent opportunity, I’ll regret it even in my dreams decades from now!”
Zombies transformed from Evil Demon corpses were naturally stronger than those made from human corpses.
And now there would be a full three billion of them.
As long as it captured this opportunity, invincibility would be within reach!
True, absolute invincibility—practically within arm’s reach!
“Whoever you are, lurking behind the scenes; whatever you are, Evil Demon Emperor; whatever you are, Wind Emperor—even if all three races join forces, they’ll all be worthless before me, the Underworld Heavenly Emperor!”
Happiness was close enough to touch.
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor immediately began preparing for the plan.
It knew very well that it was not yet strong enough to oppose the entire Evil Demon race, so it intended to follow the instructions in the letter and carry out the corpse-stealing plan.
It would send flawless zombies into the Evil Demon Imperial City.
They would blend into the sacrificial procession.
Then, little by little, they would infect the participants with the aura of death.
Once the sacrifice began, it would instantly possess three billion zombies.
It would be invincible beneath the heavens!
“Gah ha ha ha! Keh keh keh!”
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor let out a crazed, villainous laugh.
It had to be understood that its abilities were not limited to simply infecting and controlling zombies.
It could also establish a link between its consciousness and its zombies, allowing it to control them with far greater precision.
It could even alter their appearances.
In only half a day, the Underworld Heavenly Emperor had created more than thirty flawless zombies belonging to the Evil Demon race.
Their appearance, temperament, aura, and evil energy were all identical to those of true Evil Demons.
As long as they did not expose themselves, they would not be discovered.
“That should do it. Send the thirty-odd informants into the Evil Demon Imperial City!”
Lin Qiye lurked in the distance, personally controlling the thirty-odd Evil Demon experts as they arrived at the Southern Martial Gate of the Evil Demon Imperial City.
“Stop! Where did you come from? The imperial city is currently closed to outsiders!”
The moment the thirty Evil Demon zombies reached the city gates, the guards stopped them.
“My lord, we come from the countryside. We heard that His Majesty the Evil Demon Emperor intends to summon a True Immortal into this world, so we came especially to pay our respects!”
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor controlled one of the Evil Demon zombies and spoke respectfully to the guard.
“Country folk? Go back. The city is under martial law. Not just anyone may enter.”
Seeing that the guard refused to let them pass, the Underworld Heavenly Emperor grew anxious.
It hurriedly said, “My lord, I also wish to contribute to our sacred race! For the sake of our race’s great cause, I am willing to offer my heart!”
“Although I was not chosen, I still wish to witness the glorious moment of the True Immortal’s descent with my own eyes!”
In order to infiltrate the Evil Demon Imperial City, the Underworld Heavenly Emperor made the Evil Demon zombie display an expression of extreme piety.
The dozens of zombies behind it likewise wore solemn expressions, appearing as fervent devotees willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause.
“We are willing to offer our hearts! It is our glory to give everything for the sacred race!”
The thirty Evil Demon zombies shouted in unison, immediately drawing the attention of the surrounding Evil Demons.
Feeling their sincerity, even the city gate guards were moved.
They had never expected a group of country folk to be so devout.
When they declared their willingness to offer their hearts for the race, they did not even blink.
That fervor quickly spread like a virus.
More and more Evil Demons joined them.
One after another, they shouted loudly:
“Long live the Holy Emperor!”
“Our sacred race shall surely rule the world!”
“I am willing to offer my heart and dedicate everything to the sacred race!”
The commotion at the city gates grew louder and louder, eventually attracting the captain of the imperial patrol.
This was the crucial moment in the summoning of the True Immortal. Not the slightest accident could be allowed.
“What’s happening over there?”
“My lord, a group of country folk has arrived. They worship His Majesty the Evil Demon Emperor to an extraordinary degree and wish to join the list of those making offerings, so they can contribute to the sacred race.”
“Oh? Let’s go take a look.”
The captain of the imperial patrol descended outside the city.
The frenzy and clamor at the scene instantly diminished by ninety percent.
“Who is making such a disturbance?”
The ordinary Evil Demons immediately turned their gazes toward the more than thirty “zombies.”
The patrol captain raised an eyebrow.
He approached the thirty-odd Evil Demon zombies, his sharp gaze sweeping repeatedly over them.
Seeing this, the Underworld Heavenly Emperor hurriedly controlled the group of Evil Demon zombies and made them adopt an exceedingly respectful posture.
“You wish to contribute to the sacred race?”
The patrol captain scrutinized the “zombies” controlled by the Underworld Heavenly Emperor.
“We are willing to offer everything to the sacred race!”
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor replied in a loud voice.
The captain of the imperial patrol stared at the zombies for a moment.
He discovered that the evil energy emanating from these country folk was astonishingly pure—so pure that even some Evil Demons who lived within the imperial city could not compare.
Clearly, all of this came from their devout faith!
“Excellent! Your faith is exceptionally pure!”
The patrol captain descended before the zombies and patted one of them on the shoulder with great satisfaction.
“Far too pure!”
“Even within our imperial city, eyes and faith this pure are exceedingly rare. I will recommend you to the higher authorities.”
“Thank you, my lord!”
The Underworld Heavenly Emperor was overjoyed.
The zombies under its control became even more fervent and pure in the eyes.
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