The Evil Emperor was clearly trying to destroy Yi Tianxing's soul directly.
"Is this Evil Emperor looking to die? No, something's off. The divine light from the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda isn't suppressing him as strongly as it should. There's something strange about him—he's not an ordinary being."
A thought flashed through Yi Tianxing's mind. From the Evil Emperor, he sensed something abnormal. The divine light emitted wasn't destroying the black mist to the extent he had expected. The Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda, having fused with the Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Bodhi, had transformed into a soul-type treasure, capable of suppressing souls and repelling evil. And yet—it wasn't working as expected.
"No! I was wrong. I don't know what this Evil Emperor is, but clearly it's some terrifying evil entity. He has already condensed a Dao Fruit. This is a manifestation of that fruit. It's extremely sinister. The Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Bodhi—at its core—is itself an evil treasure. It suppresses souls, devours and destroys evil using the powers of ghosts and asuras. If the opposing evil is on the same level or just a bit stronger, it can work wonders. Even if it can't destroy it, it can still suppress it."
"But if the evil being's level far exceeds the Bodhi's suppression threshold, the Bodhi's power could be resisted. The suppression effect would be minimal. Since the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda relies on the Bodhi for its soul-suppressing ability, it likely can't restrain the Evil Emperor. All his prior emotions—were just an act."
A torrent of thoughts surged through Yi Tianxing's mind. He instantly guessed the Evil Emperor was not giving up—instead, he was preparing to strike directly at his soul, to devour it and replace him.
His injuries were superficial; the real threat was the fatal blow he was secretly preparing.
"You think I have no way to deal with you?"
Yi Tianxing gritted his teeth and, with a thought, summoned an ancient bell from within the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda. The bell was entirely black, inscribed with ancient patterns. Just looking at it seemed to draw one's soul in. It was the Soul-Shattering Bell he had obtained from Dog-Buli.
The Soul-Shattering Bell could destroy illusions, awaken consciousness, and even shatter souls. It could crush a target's divine soul and will, erase memories, and obliterate spiritual awareness. When pushed to its limit, a single chime could kill all living beings within earshot, reducing their souls to dust.
This terrifying soul-based treasure, though still at Yellow Grade, had once shattered the illusion within the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation and awakened kobold warriors—despite barely being used before its previous wielder was killed.
Now without hesitation, Yi Tianxing fully refined the bell as a life-bound treasure.
As expected, the domineering Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda immediately absorbed it and integrated it into itself, giving birth to another tier.
The pagoda was upgraded—now a 19-layer treasure tower!
With this evolution, a new Minor World formed inside, and the existing tower spaces shrank slightly, though they still maintained their level as Minor Worlds. The Soul-Shattering Bell, thanks to its Primordial Treasure heritage, instantly ascended to become a Profound Grade Treasure, undergoing a fundamental transformation.
BOOM!!
The Soul-Shattering Bell emerged from the pagoda and began to ring violently. Sonic waves roared like a tidal surge, smashing into the black mist.
"AAAHHH!!"
A miserable scream erupted from the black mist as it writhed violently, nearly breaking apart.
"Damn it! A soul-attacking treasure? A soul-based treasure and an offensive treasure? Are you some kind of walking arsenal?" the Evil Emperor roared in rage. He had just tried to possess Yi Tianxing, only to be exposed and countered by this horrifying black bell. The sound tore at his consciousness like countless blades.
Agonizing pain engulfed him.
He couldn't resist this kind of attack. He had no soul treasure to defend his spiritual core.
Sonic waves swept over him endlessly, grinding and tearing at his awareness.
Even the Evil Emperor felt a wave of terror. He knew—if his consciousness was truly shattered, it would mean true annihilation. The body may live, but without a will, he'd be a vegetable, a soulless husk.
SWOOSH!
He tried to flee, but the relentless bombardment of the bell had left his awareness in chaos. He couldn't control his body anymore. At that moment, the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda released a massive devouring force, sucking the black mist—his true form—into its interior.
This time, he was not sealed inside any of the existing layers—especially not the one tied to the Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Bodhi. Instead, he was sent directly into the Chaos Realm.
In that space, all creation ceases to exist—only primordial chaos remains.
"What is this place? How can this be? This is… Chaos!"
"Damn it! Let me out! I'm the Evil Emperor! The greatest being under heaven! I am destined to rule all!"
"I am immortal! As long as evil qi exists, I shall never die! You can't kill me! I will return!"
Trapped in the Chaos Realm, he immediately felt the terrifying nature of its chaotic energy—the mother force of all creation. Despite his strange origins, he couldn't survive in that environment.
Yet strangely, the chaotic energy didn't harm him. It merely immobilized him, locking him in place.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
As he screamed, the Soul-Shattering Bell descended once more and enveloped him within it. The bell shook violently, and sonic waves surged at him, aiming to obliterate his consciousness.
This wasn't a casual strike—this was an all-out assault, a frenzied bombardment of the soul.
The bell tolled like a storm.
One quarter-hour.Two quarter-hours.An hour.Two hours.Three hours.
Through it all, the Evil Emperor's anguished cries echoed continuously. The sensation of having one's consciousness ground to dust was more terrifying than even the most brutal tortures.
By the second hour, the screams had stopped. Silence.
But Yi Tianxing let the bell ring for another full hour, pushing it to its limits.
When the Soul-Shattering Bell finally rose once more, only a cluster of black mist remained—which then coalesced into a pitch-black, humanoid Dao Pill. But unlike before, this pill lacked any trace of spiritual awareness. It was utterly inert. No will. No soul.
"Finally erased the Evil Emperor's consciousness. But what was that thing?" Yi Tianxing exhaled, gazing at the humanoid pill stored in the Chaos Realm. He felt deep uncertainty.
This thing was far too strange. Without his many trump cards, he might not have survived its assault. He still couldn't determine its origin—that was the most unnerving part.
"Maybe the Evil Emperor had been hiding his existence. Now that his will is gone, maybe I can finally uncover the truth."
With that thought, Yi Tianxing activated the Wordless Heavenly Tome to investigate.
This time, unlike the blank results before, a string of information appeared in his mind.
And upon reading it—his expression changed dramatically.
"Evil Emperor Dao Pill: Formed by gathering all evil thoughts, desires, and malice from between Heaven and Earth into one terrifying lifeform. It exists outside the Six Realms and Three Worlds. It has no physical body, shifting freely between form and formlessness. As an incarnation of wickedness, its power grows through negative emotions—seven emotions, six desires—all nourish it. It was once sealed in the Four Symbols Pill Furnace, refined with earth, fire, water, and wind, but still condensed into a humanoid Dao Pill."
"It can invade any human, corroding the soul and seizing the body. It also draws out the evil desires in others, eroding their minds. Even if expelled, the host cannot survive. It has no fixed form and can split or change at will. Only direct attacks on its true self can harm it. Unless its soul-will is completely destroyed, it cannot be killed. As long as evil thoughts remain in the world, it will always regenerate. Undying and indestructible."**
Just reading this passage filled Yi Tianxing with horror.
If the Evil Emperor had escaped and merged with the evil thoughts of the world, he could easily become an unimaginably powerful evil cultivator. The damage, the chaos—would be beyond comprehension.
He might even have shattered the great progress of Xuanhuang City.
"Good thing he tried to possess me. Otherwise… the whole world could have plunged into chaos."
The Evil Emperor's very nature was ever-shifting and unpredictable—finding joy in manipulating human hearts.