The Eternal God Emperor and the Demon Ancestor

Chapter 83 The Lord of the Second Palace 2

The Temple of Destiny, located atop the World Tree of Destiny at the heart of the Forest of No Return, is one of the core regions of the Underworld. At this moment, the aftershocks of the betrayal of the God of Fortune and the exposure of the King of Kuiliang's identity have not yet subsided, and the entire divine realm is shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere of fear. The gods are uneasy, all watching to see what turmoil and changes will follow in the Temple of Destiny.

Deep within the temple, in a hidden secret realm, a spiritual spring gurgles and celestial mist swirls. Dozens of powerful deities, all pillars of the various palaces and halls of the Temple of Destiny, gather here in private to discuss the most important matters at hand while the situation remains unstable.

A cultivator dressed in a bluish-gray divine robe, whose cultivation had reached the Great God level of the Void Realm, spoke first in a low voice, his tone filled with excitement and anticipation: "Have you heard? Rumor has it that the Demon Refining God Master has returned to the temple and is about to take over as the Lord of the Ferocious Palace!"

These words caused an uproar in the secret realm. The gods who had been whispering to each other turned to look, their faces filled with joy.

The Demon Refining Master was originally from the Temple of Destiny, but he spent most of his cultivation years traveling and comprehending the Dao, not concerning himself with the temple's worldly affairs. Yet, his fame had already spread throughout the Hell Realm. He mainly cultivated spiritual power, and his attainments were unfathomable, having reached a level infinitely close to that of a Supreme Being. He was considered a top expert in the field of spiritual power in the Hell Realm and was widely recognized as a future Supreme Being candidate.

The Temple of Destiny is currently in turmoil due to the Kui Liang Emperor incident, with its upper echelons alienated and its lower-ranking gods filled with fear. It desperately needs a pillar of strength to stabilize the situation. Mo Lian's return to take charge of the Ferocious Palace is undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the beleaguered Temple of Destiny, enough to stabilize morale and deter any potential villains.

Among the crowd, the burly god Yan, from the Palace of Death, spoke in a booming voice, full of admiration: "The Demon Refining Master's willingness to return is entirely due to the powerful persuasion of the God of Death himself. The God truly has foresight! Our temple is in such chaos now; with a powerful figure like the Demon Refining Master in charge, we will surely be able to quickly quell the chaos and return to normalcy!"

The assembled deities nodded in agreement, having no objection to Mo Lian taking over as the master of the Ferocious God Palace.

Everyone knows that Mo Lian is the future Supreme Lord, a powerful figure whom no one dares to easily provoke. Establishing a relationship with him through this opportunity would be immensely beneficial to one's own future and that of one's faction. Many powerful figures secretly plotted their moves, their eyes filled with anticipation, eager to immediately pay their respects to this newly appointed Lord of the Ferocious Divine Palace.

Just as the gods were discussing and their minds were calming down, a phoenix cry that shook the divine realm suddenly pierced the sky!

"Hey——!"

A resounding phoenix cry, carrying the majesty and arrogance of a divine beast, echoed from outside the Divine Realm of Destiny, rising in succession and resounding through the heavens. The gods within the secret realm were all startled, quickly concealing their auras and extending their divine senses to gaze towards the entrance of the Divine Realm. Even the many divine venerables on the distant Divine Mountain of Destiny turned their gazes in that direction.

Beyond the Divine Realm, in the starry sky, four phoenix divine beasts, their bodies radiant with iridescent light, soared through the air, their wings scattering a shower of seven-colored celestial light. Together, they pulled an extremely magnificent palace carriage, crafted from rare divine wood and carved with countless divine patterns, shrouded in misty celestial fog and boundless divine power. The carriage slowly entered the Divine Realm of Destiny, its passage causing faint ripples in the space around it—a display of extraordinary grandeur and unparalleled luxury.

At the summit of Mount Destiny, on the temple plaza, all the controllers of the three departments and twelve palaces of the Temple of Destiny, except for those in seclusion or stationed on the star field battlefield, revealed their true forms and stood on both sides of the plaza to welcome the return of the demonic cultivator.

The Death Goddess, Feng Caiyi, stood at the forefront of the crowd, her black divine robe trailing on the ground, a faint mist of death swirling around her. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, yet she possessed an inherent cold and dignified aura. She raised her eyes to the luxurious carriage pulled by four phoenixes, her beautiful eyes showing no sign of welcome, but rather a deep displeasure, and the aura of death around her became even more oppressive.

Venerable Tianyun and Venerable Judgment exchanged a glance, then quietly took several steps back to avoid the sharp edge of the God of Death. They knew in their hearts that this welcome would not be peaceful.

The carriage slowly came to a stop. Ling Che, dressed in a black divine robe, stood tall and composed, exuding an unfathomable aura. He walked slowly out of the palace, arm in arm with the charming and beautiful goddess Xue Linglong beside him.

Looking at the entire high-ranking members of the Temple of Destiny gathered in the square, Ling Che smiled gently yet domineeringly and spoke loudly, his tone somewhat casual: "Hahaha, esteemed deities, I apologize for keeping you all waiting. I am truly sorry to have troubled you all to wait here."

The words had barely left his mouth when the Death God's icy voice...

Suddenly, a voice rang out, full of sarcasm and dissatisfaction, piercing the solemnity of the entire hall: "Demon Refining Master, what a grand entourage! Your carriage is pulled by four divine beasts of the high god level. With such a magnificent display, anyone who didn't know better would think that the current Heavenly Venerable was sitting inside!"

These fiery words immediately made the assembled deities feel uneasy, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

As expected, the exquisite goddess, already spoiled and unable to tolerate the slightest grievance, immediately flew into a rage upon hearing this. Her beautiful face turned frosty, and she stepped forward, retorting without showing any weakness: "I heard that a certain old woman tried to gain an advantage in the starry battlefield, but instead was dragged down by the enemy and perished, ending up severely injured. Why doesn't she hide in her Death Palace lair to recuperate, instead of running around barking and causing trouble everywhere?"

These words were sharp and directly hit the Death God's sore spot. The other gods present were in a panic and quickly retreated tens of thousands of miles away, afraid of being dragged into the conflict between the two gods.

The space around the Goddess of Death instantly fell silent, an extreme aura of death spreading wildly, causing the void to wither inch by inch and even swallowing the light. Her face appeared calm, but raging black divine flames had already ignited around her, the flames rolling and exuding a chilling, world-destroying power, completely revealing the boundless rage within her.

Feng Caiyi stared coldly at Linglong Divine Venerable, his voice as chilling as the ice of the deepest hell: "Xue Linglong, hundreds of thousands of years have passed, and your audacity remains as reckless as ever. But with your meager cultivation, you dare to provoke me? Don't think that just because you have Mo Lian and Xue Hai Emperor protecting you, I won't dare to attack you!"

Before she finished speaking, she quickly pointed her jade finger, and several extremely refined black divine flames shot out instantly at such a speed that the gods present had no time to react.

Several mournful phoenix cries echoed through the sky, and the four phoenix beasts pulling the carriage were instantly engulfed in black divine flames. The divine flames contained the ultimate power of death, specifically designed to destroy the life force of living beings. In the blink of an eye, the flesh and blood of the four phoenixes were burned away, their feathers and bones rapidly decaying, leaving only four pale skeletons floating in the air, barely clinging to life.

Upon seeing this, the Venerable Linglong trembled with rage, her eyes wide with fury: "Feng Caiyi, you…"

Just as she was about to speak again, Ling Che gently pulled her behind him. Ling Che shook his head slightly, signaling her with his eyes to calm down. Seeing this, Linglong Goddess, though filled with anger and her little face puffed up with rage, obediently stopped her outburst, but still glared hatefully at Death Goddess.

Ling Che stepped forward, his expression calm, showing no fear in the face of the enraged God of Death. He slowly extended a finger and gently touched it. A pure and boundless life force instantly burst forth from his fingertip, condensing into a golden ribbon in the void, which wrapped around the four phoenix skeletons on the verge of death.

This life force contains the fundamental mysteries of the Way of Life, and is inherently opposed to the death power of the Death God. The pure light of life quickly dispelled the death power on the phoenix skeleton, and then, a miraculous scene unfolded.

On the skeleton, flesh and blood rapidly regenerated at a visible speed, feathers grew back, and wings became full again. The four phoenixes seemed to have undergone a rebirth. Not only were their injuries completely healed, but their aura was even more powerful than before, and their cultivation showed signs of a breakthrough in the tempering of life and death.

All the gods present were shocked by what they saw, and their gazes toward Ling Che were filled with awe.

The Wrathful God's eyes lit up, and he immediately clapped his hands and cheered, his voice booming with praise: "As expected of the quasi-Supreme of my Hell Realm, I never imagined that your attainments in the Dao of Life, Demon Refiner, would be so profound, and that you are a God of Life. Judging from your understanding of the Great Dao of Life, you are in no way inferior to the Life God of Wei in his prime!"

The other deities of the Temple of Destiny also praised Ling Che's extraordinary cultivation, but deep in their eyes, they all harbored a deep sense of apprehension.

Everyone knows that Mo Lian primarily cultivates the Dao of Spiritual Power, but the Dao of Life he has now revealed can easily suppress the Dao of Death of the Death God. This glimpse reveals the whole picture; his martial arts cultivation is likely even above that of the Death God. Currently, within the Temple of Destiny, apart from the reclusive Xu Fengjin, probably no one else can suppress Mo Lian. This quasi-Supreme Being's strength is far more terrifying than anyone imagined.

The Death Goddess Feng Caiyi was filled with mixed feelings, both shocked and angry, yet she had to admit that Ling Che's act of bringing the dead back to life had completely stunned her.

The Path of Life was not Ling Che's primary cultivation path, yet he could easily shatter her divine flames, demonstrating the depth of his cultivation foundation, which had already surpassed her own. She thought to herself that it probably wouldn't be long before Ling Che broke through to the Undying Boundless Realm, at which point, apart from Xu Fengjin, no one in the entire Temple of Destiny would be able to contend with him.

When Feng Caiyi personally persuaded Ling Che to return, her intention was to win over this quasi-Supreme Elder and strengthen her own power, confident that she could subdue him. But now it seems that this powerful figure, who has kept a low profile for many years, is no longer someone she can control. If Ling Che breaks through to the Immortal Realm, the power of the Temple of Destiny will likely change hands in the future.

The Wrathful God took in everyone's expressions, but inwardly he was pleased with the outcome.

However, the God of Death has always been powerful and has repeatedly opposed the people he has chosen. Now that the great Buddha Mo Lian has entered the game, the situation has completely exceeded Feng Caiyi's expectations. The balance has been broken, and he is naturally overjoyed.

The Wrathful God stepped forward and spoke loudly, finalizing the matter: "Mo Lian, now that you have officially returned to the Temple of Destiny, we, in the name of all the high-ranking officials of the Temple, will issue a divine decree to all the heavens and myriad realms, declaring that from now on you will be the master of the Ferocious Palace of the Temple of Destiny, in charge of all affairs of the Ferocious Palace!"

He paused, then added, "By the way, the Ferocious God has already died in battle. His name carries bad luck. Now that you've taken over as the Lord of the Divine Palace, it's no longer appropriate to call him the Ferocious God. You should change his title. Do you have any ideas?"

The Twelve Palaces of the Temple of Destiny correspond to the twelve aspects of destiny: "birth, death, misfortune, fortune, joy, anger, calamity, auspiciousness, illusion, reality, past, and future." The Palace of Ferocity represents the aspect of "malice." Since the title of the previous deity has been abolished, Ling Che naturally needs to establish a new title.

Ling Che pondered for a moment, and the Twelve Capital Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation that he cultivated flashed through his mind. This formation required the gathering of countless primordial evil energies from the universe to condense, and its power was boundless, perfectly matching the concept of "evil".

He immediately spoke, his voice steady and powerful: "I have made up my mind. I will change my name to Fiend, and from now on, I will be the Fiend God of the Temple of Destiny." Upon hearing this, the Wrathful God nodded immediately: "Very well! Then we will proclaim to the heavens that the Demon Refining Master is the Fiend God, who will take over the Fiend Palace, oversee all affairs of the Fiend Palace, and wield the power of the Palace!"

A golden divine decree was immediately issued from the God Realm of Destiny, transforming into a stream of light that spread throughout the entire Hell Realm. Wherever the news reached, the various races of the Hell Realm were shaken, all knowing that the Temple of Destiny had welcomed a new top-tier god, and the chaos was about to be quelled.

At the border between the Netherworld and the Illusory Star Sea, in a secluded temple beside a tributary of the River Sanzu, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

Dressed in white, the Seventy-Two Lotus stood in the hall, her figure ethereal, the blue lotus mark between her brows gleaming faintly. Opposite her, the God of Fortune and Prosperity, Luo Can, sat upright, his face pale, his breath weak, his soul fluctuating slightly, still bearing the marks of considerable injury—the result of being severely wounded by Ling Che and the others, and then eroded by the Fiend Qi of the Twelve Capitals.

The two were already aware of the messages sent by members of the external organization.

The Seventy-Two Lotus looked at the God of Fortune and Prosperity, her tone calm but tinged with helplessness: "God of Fortune and Prosperity, the depths of your soul have been eroded by the cosmic origin evil energy of the twelve divine banners that the Demon Refinement has left twelve evil energy imprints. The laws of this evil energy are extremely profound and of astonishingly high quality. It seems to not belong to the conventional Great Dao of this universe. Even I do not have a way to resolve it immediately. You can only rely on time to slowly remove it."

The God of Fortune and Prosperity slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with weariness and gloom. His weak voice slowly emanated from them: "I have also felt the power of this evil aura. It is domineering and stubborn, penetrating deep into the soul. Even with my cultivation, it would probably take tens of thousands of years to completely remove it."

His deep gaze fell upon the seventy-two-petaled lotus, his tone grave: "Now that Mo Lian has joined the Temple of Destiny, with the temple's vast resources and foundation, it won't be long before he breaks through to the Undying Boundless Realm. Given his hatred for the Quantity Organization, for the next tens of thousands of years, the Quantity Organization's fate will depend solely on you. Our original plan must not be changed, even if it requires a long period of dormancy, we must wait until the time is ripe."

The Seventy-Two Lotus nodded slightly, said nothing more, and her figure slowly faded away, turning into a wisp of time imprint, dissipating in the Hall of Measure. This was merely an avatar of hers; her true form had long since disappeared into the depths of the River of Time.

Watching the seventy-two lotus petals depart, the God of Fortune and Prosperity sighed softly and couldn't help but cough. He gripped the ebony staff in his hand, forcing his weak body to slowly walk into the depths of the Hall of Measure, where he began to seclude himself to heal his injuries, suppress the evil energy in his soul, and wait for the opportunity to rise again.