As the armies of the major divine kingdoms gradually retreated, the Ten Thousand Underworld Mountains fell silent once more.
Meng Po and the Black and White Impermanence trio were utterly stunned, unable to snap out of their daze.
The scene of Ye Ling single-handedly suppressing hundreds of thousands of allied forces and provoking the rulers of the divine kingdoms was deeply etched into their souls.
Black Impermanence murmured, lost in thought, "To witness such a breathtaking spectacle in this life, I can die without regret..."
Meng Po and White Impermanence nodded in complete agreement.
They had interacted with Ye Ling for some time and understood him reasonably well, knowing he wasn't one to boast.
Since Ye Ling dared to provoke the major divine kingdoms of the immortal realm, it meant he possessed sufficient confidence!
To think they knew a powerhouse whose strength surpassed all three realms...
The mere thought sent shivers of excitement through them!
Not long after Ye Ling had driven back the allied forces of the immortal realm, Chu Yuan also crawled out of the pit, his head swimming.
Ye Ling's forceful blow earlier had not only been to subdue Chu Yuan but also to extract all the underworld energy within him, reverting his power back to the Saint realm.
At this moment, Chu Yuan was stripped of his underworld energy.
Seeing Chu Yuan emerge from the pit, Ye Ling also descended and stood before him.
Chu Yuan, having climbed out of the pit, shook his dizzy head before clearly seeing Ye Ling standing in front of him. He quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Emperor, for saving my life."
If Ye Ling hadn't intervened in time, he wouldn't have been killed by the immortal realm's allied forces; he would have been completely consumed by the underworld energy, losing his sanity and becoming a beast.
He didn't want to die like this before seeing Wu Xue.
Ye Ling looked indifferently at Chu Yuan, who was bowing to him, and immediately unleashed a ball of demonic energy, striking Chu Yuan fiercely.
"Pfft!"
Struck with immense force, Chu Yuan was sent flying, crashing through the Soul-Forgetfulness Tree and gouging a long trench in the Ten Thousand Underworld Mountains!
"Emperor?"
Seeing Ye Ling suddenly attack Chu Yuan, Meng Po was greatly alarmed and rushed towards Ye Ling, intending to stop him from killing Chu Yuan!
She couldn't understand why Ye Ling would attack Chu Yuan after saving him.
Not only Meng Po, but the Black and White Impermanence were also bewildered, unable to grasp the current situation.
Ye Ling saw Meng Po rushing towards him anxiously and said calmly, "This matter is not for you to interfere with. Step back."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Meng Po froze, standing dumbfounded before Ye Ling, unsure of what to do.
After all, Chu Yuan was her benefactor, and her primary purpose for coming here was to save him. Yet, it was Ye Ling who was now attacking him...
She knew very well that with her strength and status, she had no right to intervene with Ye Ling!
All she could do was watch anxiously from the side.
The Black and White Impermanence hurried over, sensing the tense atmosphere. They quickly grabbed Meng Po and whispered, "Meng Po, the Emperor seems to be in a fit of anger. Don't provoke him."
Although the Black and White Impermanence didn't understand the situation, they remained clear-headed enough to know that as long as they didn't defy the Emperor, they would be fine.
Chu Yuan, who had been blasted away by Ye Ling's demonic energy, struggled to get up from the ground, stabilizing his injuries. He looked at Ye Ling with confusion and asked, "Emperor, what are you..."
Ye Ling grabbed at the air, and Chu Yuan immediately felt an irresistible pull, drawing him directly towards Ye Ling!
Ye Ling gripped Chu Yuan's neck, his fingers tightening slightly, and said coldly, "What is your purpose here?"
Chu Yuan struggled to speak, "I, I don't understand what you mean, Emperor... What purpose could I have?"
"Still not telling the truth?" Ye Ling sneered. "Are you confident I won't search your soul? Or do you believe your memories have been altered, making you foolproof?"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Chu Yuan still looked confused, asking, "Emperor, what exactly are you trying to say? I truly don't understand..."
"Still want to keep up the pretense?"
Ye Ling released Chu Yuan and took out Wu Xue, who was still in the form of an infant, holding her in his arms.
"Xue'er?"
Seeing Wu Xue appear, Chu Yuan's emotions suddenly became incredibly agitated. He rushed towards Wu Xue, only to be repelled by Ye Ling's demonic energy!
Chu Yuan fell back to the ground. Seeing Ye Ling's demonic energy coiled around Wu Xue's neck, his pupils constricted sharply, and he cried out in panic, "Emperor, stop!"
Ye Ling glanced at Wu Xue, who was sleeping peacefully in his arms, and then said to Chu Yuan, "You have no disciples in the Three Realms, do you?"
"You have always been able to enter and leave the Ten Thousand Underworld Mountains and move freely within the Three Realms. It is precisely because of this that you noticed my recent activities in the Three Realms..."
"You wanted me to come to the Ten Thousand Underworld Mountains, so you used some means to hint to Meng Po, leading her to bring me here to meet you, is that right?"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Chu Yuan fell completely silent.
*Thump...*
Soon, Chu Yuan knelt before Ye Ling and said in a low voice, "Emperor, please forgive my actions. Everything I did was solely to save Wu Xue. I never intended to use you!"
Seeing Chu Yuan confess, Ye Ling's expression softened slightly. He continued, "With your strength, you should not have been able to escape the underworld energy within the Ten Thousand Underworld Mountains. Your ability to move within the Three Realms must have had the help of others behind you."
"Tell me, who is behind you?"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Chu Yuan's pupils constricted slightly, and he quickly said, "Emperor, please spare Xue'er and me, and do not continue to ask this question!"
Seeing Chu Yuan's reaction, Ye Ling's brow furrowed slightly, and he said gravely, "What? Is the person behind you still threatening you and Wu Xue?"
Chu Yuan replied, "I have no choice. That person uses Xue'er to threaten me, forcing me to do their bidding. A portion of both my soul and Xue'er's soul is in their hands. If I betray that person, it's fine if I die, but Xue'er will die too!"
"I truly have no other choice but to do these things!"
As Chu Yuan spoke, he began to kowtow frantically to Ye Ling, begging him to spare Wu Xue.
Meng Po and the Black and White Impermanence, watching Chu Yuan kneel and beg for mercy, felt as if a thousand emotions were churning within them, their hearts filled with an extreme complexity.
After all, the Chu Yuan kneeling now was the legendary figure who had fought his way through hundreds of thousands of immortal realm allied forces just moments ago.
Such a figure could only kneel and beg for mercy before Ye Ling. This scene was truly...
Heart-wrenching.
Meng Po and the Black and White Impermanence were moved, but Ye Ling seemed unmoved. He said to Chu Yuan, "The more you say this, the more curious I become about who is behind you."
"You say that a small portion of your soul and Wu Xue's soul is with that person. But now, both your lives and Wu Xue's have been saved by me. How they are handled should be decided by me."
"Since you have been deceiving me from the beginning, there is no need for me to consider you a friend..."
"This Wu Xue... it's better if she dies!"
"Emperor!!!"