Xolotl didn't say anything, but his mind was racing.

If he were to keep the gate shut, then he would be able to receive the unreserved assistance from one of the four pillars. Even though this promise applied to several centuries later, it was still an extremely tempting proposition, was it not?

However, if a divine artifact were being thrown into the mix...

The seconds ticked down in a torturous fashion, and Xu Fu had withdrawn his gaze, but he was on high alert. Meanwhile, Yang Jiye's army had their undivided attention focused on the giant gate.

Xolotl's final decision would decide everything.

No one could've anticipated that Xu Fu would be so decisive, willing to give up the Judgment Pen and the Peach Blossom Spring just like that. Even though he was a traitor to the Cathayan Underworld, he had to be praised for his decisiveness and mental fortitude.

Inside the palace, Xolotl's fingers were gently drumming against his armrest, and close to a minute later, a smile seemed to have appeared on his face.

The decision was still quite easy to make.

Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa were in a bubble of their own, desperately trying to find a way to extend their own lives. At this sensitive time, any underworld that dared to encroach upon the Usonian continent would be seen as an act of provocation. However, context was extremely important as well.

They weren't insane enough to provide a safe harbor to a Yama-King who had stolen one of the Cathayan Underworld's divine artifacts. That would invoke the wrath of the Cathayan Underworld, and that wouldn't be extending their lives, that would be bringing them to an even earlier grave.

If a divine artifact like this were to make its way into Usonia, a regional war would inevitably erupt. Once the powder keg that was Usonia was set alight, everything would descend into turmoil. At that time, all of the international underworlds would intervene, and it was clear that the death gods below Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa still weren't sufficiently prepared for that.

"So that's why Quetzalcoatl refrained from divulging this information to me, it's because he's already predicted my decision. As expected of my brother..." He licked his own lips, and his voice rang out out on the other side of the gate like rumbling thunder. "Fallen Eagle and Venomous Viper Lock, activate, level 10. My apologies, but you have to die here. That is my answer to you."

He seemed to be speaking to himself, but in reality, his voice was clearly audible across the entirety of Xolotl's Screen. The soundwaves of his voice were like giant palms, sweeping up massive waves close to 20 meters tall across the surface of the sea.

The Eagle Warriors who were crouched down in hiding immediately raised their heads upon hearing this, and their crossbows seemed to have only shifted minutely in position, but they were suddenly all aimed directly at the vital points all over Xu Fu's entire body.

Immediately thereafter, they let loose a collective roar, and boundless scarlet radiance erupted from their bodies, forming a tattoo of a sun on each of their faces.

Powerful Yin energy swept forth in all directions, and even Xu Fu's robes were sent flapping backward behind him. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he slowly exhaled through his mouth, which was slightly open.

"This is the Golden Sun Military Array of Tezcatlipoca." [1] He gritted his teeth tightly. In the face of the Golden Sun Military Array formed by countless Eagle Warriors, even he couldn't help but be overcome by a hint of apprehension. However, instead of turning to observe the Eagle Warriors around him, he cast his gaze toward the gate up ahead instead.

The stark white stone gate seemed to have suddenly sprung to life, instantly splitting up into several dozen fragments that hovered in front of the opening of the gate in an erratic yet rhythmic manner. What lied beyond the gate wasn't just empty space. Instead, it was a vast expanse of eerie green netherflames.

In the next instant, boundless green netherfire erupted out of the opening in a frenzy, spreading along the sides of the dam. In the blink of an eye, the entire area had been transformed into a massive beacon tower. Countless ghostly wails and shrill cries could be heard ringing out within the area, and it was as if the world of the dead had descended upon this place.

Meanwhile, the fragments of the stone gate warped and revolved as countless scarlet vines surged forth from all directions, assembling them into a peculiar rune.

A faint crack rang out, following which a symbol depicting a golden vertical pupil appeared in mid-air.

Xu Fu closed his eyes and shook his head as a wry smile appeared on his face.

The Fallen Eagle and Venomous Viper Lock was the most potent form of defense in Xolotl's Screen, and even if five Yama-Kings were to join forces and attack it for an entire month, it would still remain intact. It was renowned as the most powerful defensive barrier in the entire Pacific Ocean, and it consisted of 10 layers. It was said that only a single person in history had passed through all 10 layers and reached the other side.

That person was the second King Yanluo.

Aside from him, none of the other death gods, including Thanatos, Anubis, and Yamaraja, all had to wait for this barrier to open for them upon coming here. This was a masterpiece created by the five death gods of the sun during the heyday of Usonia, and it was essentially the face of Usonia. Attacking Xolotl's Screen would be seen as a gesture of provocation toward the Usonian Underworld, and right now, this screen was what Xu Fu was facing.

Xu Fu took a glance at the intricately crafted pocket watch.

There were only 10 seconds left.

Gui Xu should've already initiated its self-destruct sequence, and he only had half an hour more at most to leave this place.

"Seeing as there's no path for retreat, then there's no need to retreat." In that instant, the wind around him seemed to have fallen completely still, and his voice seemed to have congealed. The aura of an advanced Yama-King swept through the entire area like a violent storm, sweeping up waves on the surface of the sea that reached several dozen meters in height!

He made a grabbing motion, and an azure longsword was pulled out of space inch by inch. With each inch that the sword was pulled out by, the space around him wailed with all its might. He cast his gaze toward the Yang Clan's warriors and the dozen or so treasure ships, and they were as good as dead in his eyes as he smiled and mused, "We all originated from the same roots, why be in such a hurry to strike down one another?"

The only response he received were the furious war cries of Yang Jiye and the other Yang Clan's warriors, and all of the underworld emissaries around him were basked in white light.

The Yin energy emanating from each underworld emissary's body spiked drastically, and streaks of black and white energy proliferated outward from beneath their feet, connecting all of the underworld emissaries as one. It wasn't all that remarkable a change, but there was a profound air about it.

Inside the palace above the giant gate, the netherfire in Xolotl's eyes flickered slightly. "That's the top-tier military array of the Cathayan Underworld, Wumu! Wasn't it lost in history a long time ago?"

Indeed, it had been lost, but the third King Yanluo had rediscovered it within the treasure trove left behind by the Zhu Clan.

"Wumu, eh?" Xu Fu licked his own lips as fearsome true energy revolved all around him, and his robes and black hair danced around him like the wings of a black crow. He took a step forward and declared, "Have a taste of my sword!"

In that instant, it was as if all sound had vanished from this world.

A full-force attack from an advanced Yama-King far exceeded the speed of sound, and it was unleashed in the blink of an eye, displaying itself as a resplendent sword projection.

The power of an advanced Yama-King was truly formidable!

The netherflames in Xolotl's eyes flickered erratically as he looked on from within the palace. It was impossible to describe this sword strike. It was like a beautiful flower that was blooming in a moonlit night, only to disappear just as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind a faint fragrance as the only reminder of its existence. In the wake of the sword strike, a massive trench appeared over the surface of the entire ocean!

The sea had been parted by a single sword strike!

Across from Xu Fu stood thousands of figures that were basked in black and white radiance, and with a collective deafening war cry, they rushed forward like dragons out of the sea, charging toward the formidable sword strike without any hesitation.

Black and white true energy and inky-black Yin energy instantly clashed, transforming this area of the sea into a lethal death zone.

…………………………………………………..

Screaming, fleeing, chaos.

It was as if doomsday had descended upon Ashmound, and countless netherworldly citizens were fleeing the bustling city as if their lives depended on it. Yin spirits were flooding through the 72 gates of the city, and a chaotic and desperate commotion could be heard ringing out incessantly.

"Move! Move out of the way!!"

"Run! Everyone, run!! Look at what's happening at Ashmound Port!"

"We can all see what's happening there! Hurry up and run! I don't want to die again!"

"How did this happen? What could've led up to this?"

On the city walls, all of the Yin soldiers looked on with gritted teeth as the citizens of the city fled first. They had already escorted Gou Yongjun out of the city first, and he was currently three kilometers away from Ashmound, frantically leading the other officials of the city to rally the fleeing netherworldly citizens.

In the sky above, Qin Changxin was also looking on with gritted teeth, and he felt as if his heart were bleeding.

Ashmound was a city that he was also extremely emotionally invested in. This was the foundation from which the current Hell had developed, and it was an extremely beautiful city.

However, how much of it would be left in the aftermath of this explosion.

"All of the preparations are complete, Father." Qin Xinzhong approached Qin Changxin before cupping his fist in a salute. "Please withdraw the Reflection Palace now."

Qin Changxin remained silent as he continued to observe the proceedings unfolding down below. There, only around a tenth of the netherworldly citizens had escaped, and at the center of the city was a massive trench. On the other side of the trench, only around 30% to 40% of the netherworldly citizens had managed to exit the city.

He then cast his gaze toward Ashmound Port, where there were still countless netherworldly citizens screaming and sobbing as they desperately tried to flee. Only roughly a kilometer away from there, a massive ball of light had risen up above the entirety of Ashmound like a rising sun.

Boundless Yin energy and true energy were revolving around it, and even the surrounding space was warping and twisting. The ball of light was around two to three kilometers in size, and the extreme power and pressure that it was giving off was striking Qin Changxin with a sense of asphyxiation even though he was standing so far away.

"Father, we have to act now!"

Qin Changxin shook his head and heaved a faint sigh before making a rapid string of hand seals while chanting an incantation. As his voice rang out, the entirety of Ashmound shuddered violently, then surged rapidly toward the Reflection Palace like an ink painting.

Buildings were falling away and receding like the tide. The Reflection Palace had only replicated the past Shanhai Pass of Fengdu, but during the past six years, extensive construction had taken place. Thus, as the buildings projected by the Reflection Palace receded, countless buildings were left behind, looking as if they formed the abandoned wreckage of a past civilization.

"It truly pains me to see all of this go down in flames..." Qin Changxin heaved a long sigh before suddenly bringing his palms together, and a beam of incandescent light appeared, illuminating heaven and earth. Crimson shockwaves abruptly proliferated outward in all directions, then drifted down as a rain of light. In the blink of an eye, the main section of Ashmound, which spanned an area in excess of 100 square kilometers, abruptly vanished.

The only thing left behind was an antiquated copper mirror in his hand.

"Let's go!" he said as he immediately departed with Qin Xinzhong. There was no time to look at the netherworldly citizens down below any longer as there was only a minute left until the explosion of Gui Xu!

On the ground below, countless netherworldly citizens were still desperately fleeing for their lives, and their deafening collective voices were ringing out incessantly. Meanwhile, the netherworldly citizens that had managed to flee further away were panting heavily as they cast their eyes back to Ashmound with lingering fear in their hearts.

They saw countless more netherworldly citizens fleeing for their lives behind them, and they also saw a single lonesome figure standing on the other side of the trench right outside of Ashmound Port.

He stood there without even a single Yin soldier around him, and directly ahead of him was the ball of light that Gui Xu had transformed into, which had already swelled to its maximum size.

He was like a single man facing the might of the sun on his own.

From a distance, he was nothing more than a black dot in the sky, yet this black dot instilled all of the netherworldly citizens with immense confidence. He was so tiny yet so massive at the same time. The fierce wind raised his blood-red cape directly upward, and he remained standing on the spot in a resolute manner.

Everyone knew that this was the most powerful being of Hell, Ghost King Zhao Yun!

He didn't retreat, nor did Gou Yongjun, who was busy rallying up all of the netherworldly citizens, and they gathered together as they stared intently at the heroic figure in the sky.

They were praying and hoping with all their hearts that Zhao Yun would be able to bring them salvation.

We don't want to die again! This is our home, and we built it up painstakingly with our very own hands. We're leaving all of it in your care now!

The Harken was perched on Zhao Yun's shoulder, and it suddenly said, "There are only 30 seconds left."

The light from the "sun" had reached an unprecedented level of brightness, and the devastating power that it was radiating was enough to strike fear into the hearts of any Emissary of Hell.

This was what a forbidden art felt like.

"Shouldn't you be leaving?" Zhao Yun asked. "Your powers are only at 30% to 40% at the very most, you won't be able to do much here."

"Leave?" The Harken burst into raucous laughter upon hearing this. "Ghost King Zhao, don't forget that I'm a divine beast, a national guardian! Since when did you have the right to command me to leave?"

A smile appeared on Zhao Yun's face, and right at this moment, the enormous sun up ahead finally began to release its golden radiance of annihilation!

In the blink of an eye, everything was devoured!

At the same time, Zhao Yun and the Harken released their Yin energy without any reservation, creating a shadow within the resplendent sun!

[1] [Tezcatlipoca is the first major god of the sun in the Aztec religion.]