The Evil Demon Forest was one of the most dangerous forbidden lands on the Sun and Moon Continent.
There was no alternation of day and night here. Thick black fog shrouded the forest year-round, so dense it could not be dispersed. The air was filled with nauseating rot and sinister aura, so oppressive that not even light could penetrate it.
Only the occasional flicker of ghostly green will-o'-the-wisps illuminated the ground, revealing mountains of piled bones, the final resting place of countless soul masters and soul beasts who had wandered in by mistake.
At the deepest part of the forest, a massive palace constructed from black bones and sinister crystals floated in midair.
At the very top of the palace, a gigantic eyeball with a diameter of over one hundred meters lay dormant.
The eyeball was an eerie purple-black throughout, its pupil deep like a vortex, surrounded by twisted dark red patterns.
Eighty-one thick tentacles extended from beneath the eyeball, each one reaching a length of five hundred meters.
The tentacles were covered in hard black scales, their tips gleaming with cold light. Faint purple lightning occasionally flickered across them, radiating a heart-stopping, sinister might.
He was the Evil Emperor, the true body of the Evil Eye Tyrant Sovereign, the absolute ruler of the Evil Demon Forest, and the most terrifying mental-type soul beast on the continent.
When the golden light of the Soul Beast Ranking forcibly pierced through the black fog and illuminated the skies above the Evil Demon Forest, the Evil Emperor's half-closed gigantic eye snapped open, a trace of humanlike surprise flashing through its deep pupil.
"Soul Beast Ranking… seventh place?"
A hoarse, low voice echoed through the void, as if it came from the depths of the underworld itself, carrying both disdain and arrogance.
He slowly rotated his eye, his gaze piercing through the black fog and landing on the information displayed within the light screen. Ghostly light flickered within his purple-black pupil.
"Seven hundred eighty-five thousand years… Hah. A bunch of frogs at the bottom of a well, daring to point fingers at this Emperor."
His voice was filled with unrestrained arrogance. As a veteran soul beast king who had lived for nearly eight hundred thousand years, he held himself in extremely high regard.
In his eyes, aside from that mysterious Di Tian of the Star Dou Great Forest, there was no other soul beast on the continent capable of contending with him.
Yet now, the Soul Beast Ranking had placed him at seventh. This ignited a trace of anger in his heart.
"However…"
The Evil Emperor's gaze fell upon the reward labeled "All effects of the innate divine ability Light of Space and Time increased by 20%." His pupil contracted slightly, and the anger in his eyes was instantly replaced by greed.
"Light of Space-Time… it can actually enhance its effects? Interesting. That might actually be useful."
Light of Space-Time was the Evil Emperor's most powerful innate divine ability, capable of briefly distorting space and time. Whether for defense, offense, or escape, it was virtually unbeatable.
If its effects were enhanced by another 20%, his strength would undoubtedly rise to an entirely new level.
Boom!
Before the Evil Emperor could think further, the golden light in the sky suddenly surged. A beam of pure, extreme ghostly purple light pierced through the black fog like a thunderbolt and poured down, instantly engulfing the Evil Emperor's gigantic eye.
This beam contained vast and boundless mental energy, along with a faint trace of space-time power. Like a breached flood, it surged wildly into the Evil Emperor's body.
The Evil Emperor felt his entire being relax as dormant soul power within him began to surge violently, his cultivation skyrocketing as if riding a rocket.
Seven hundred eighty-five thousand years, seven hundred ninety thousand years, eight hundred thousand years…
The torrent of energy was unstoppable. Even his body began to grow. The diameter of his gigantic eyeball broke through one hundred twenty meters, and the eighty-one tentacles extended to six hundred meters. The black scales covering them became even harder, while the ghostly purple lightning grew increasingly violent.
At last, when the energy torrent gradually subsided, the Evil Emperor's cultivation stabilized firmly at nine hundred thirty-five thousand years.
Nine hundred thirty-five thousand years of extreme mental-attribute cultivation caused the black fog of the entire Evil Demon Forest to churn violently. Countless sinister energies swirled around his body, forming a massive black vortex.
Even more astonishing was the way that pure space-time power fused into his innate divine ability. The Evil Emperor could clearly feel that the Light of Space-Time within him had become far more condensed and far easier to control.
Buzz!
The Evil Emperor slowly activated the Light of Space-Time. A ghostly purple light curtain spread outward from his center, enveloping an area of ten miles in every direction.
Within the light curtain, space twisted violently. Light warped, and sound could no longer travel normally.
The surrounding trees and rocks, under the influence of space-time power, became blurred at times, then stretched and compressed, as if they had entered a chaotic maze of distorted time and space.
"Hahaha… good! Excellent!"
The Evil Emperor let out a burst of wild laughter, his voice filled with excitement and arrogance.
"Nine hundred thirty-five thousand years! Light of Space-Time increased by 20%! From this day on, across the entire continent, aside from that Di Tian fellow, no one can stand against this Emperor!"
He suddenly rotated his eye, a flash of killing intent passing through his deep pupil.
"The Star Dou Great Forest… the Extreme North… you so-called kings, just wait. When this Emperor breaks through to one million years, I will trample every last one of you beneath my feet!"
Below, within the Evil Demon Forest, countless sinister soul beasts sensed the surging aura erupting from the Evil Emperor. They all prostrated themselves on the ground, letting out fearful and reverent roars.
The soul beasts of the Evil Eye clan roared with even greater excitement. In their eyes, the rise of the Evil Emperor would inevitably make the Evil Demon Forest the most terrifying force on the entire continent.
At the same time, forces across the continent were plunged into unprecedented turmoil by the Evil Emperor's appearance on the ranking.
...
Star Dou Great Forest, beside the Lake of Life.
Bi Ji, who had just stabilized the energy within her body, sensed the terrifying mental pressure coming from the Evil Demon Forest. Her expression changed slightly, and a trace of solemnity flashed through her emerald-green eyes.
"Nine hundred thirty-five thousand years… extreme mental attribute… That Evil Emperor has actually become this strong!"
Di Tian's golden pupils tightened as his dragon might burst forth, colliding with the Evil Emperor's mental pressure in midair and producing a dull, thunderous sound. He spoke in a deep voice.
"The Evil Eye Tyrant Sovereign truly is one of our greatest threats."
"With nine hundred thirty-five thousand years of cultivation, plus Light of Space-Time, even if I were to use the Dragon God Claw, defeating him would not be easy."
Gu Yuena gazed in the direction of the Evil Demon Forest. A chill flashed through her clear, cold eyes as her fingertip brushed across the waters of the Lake of Life, ripples spreading outward.
"The Evil Emperor… his temperament is twisted, brutal, and bloodthirsty, and his ambitions are immense."
"Now that his strength has increased so dramatically, it is bad news for Star Dou and for the entire continent."
She paused slightly before continuing.
"It seems we must make preparations as soon as possible."
"The Soul Beast Ranking is not yet over. The beings that come after may be even more terrifying."
...
Extreme North, Ice Palace.
The Snow Empress sensed the terrifying mental pressure radiating from the Evil Emperor. Her snow-white figure stiffened slightly, and a trace of gravity appeared in her cold eyes.
"Nine hundred thirty-five thousand years… the Evil Emperor…"
The Ice Empress's expression also darkened, her icy eyes filled with wariness.
"This fellow's mental power is far too terrifying. Once locked onto by his mind, escaping would likely be extremely difficult."
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