Nine Astra Skies

"What about devils? What's a devil?" Little Wingsy asked. He was full of questions.

"What's a devil? A devil is the most powerful person in the world. A devil kills millions of people and the bodies of the ones he kills stretch for hundreds of miles. Ghosts cry and demons howl, and the world itself changes color. Becoming a devil means standing at the top of the world. Everyone will be scared of you and worship you!" The old man puffed his chest and instantly grew several centimeters tall.

"You have to kill people to be a devil? My grandpa told me that I'm not allowed to kill people. I don't think I'll become a devil." Little Wingsy immediately shook his head like a rattle.

"You have to be a devil!" The old man accentuated.

"I won't!" Little Wingsy shook his head and said firmly.

"You will!"

"I won't!" Little Wingsy was determined.

"I'll hit you if you don't!"

"I won't be one even if you hit me to death," Little Wingsy said seriously.

The old man steamed in anger. He looked around for something to hit Little Wingsy with.

"Master, have you killed anyone before?" Little Wingsy asked.

"I… Of course I have!" the old man said. His cheeks flushed slightly.

Little Wingsy looked at the old man with a skeptical expression. The old man felt even more guilty and coughed a few times before saying, "Little Wingsy, have you ever been bullied before?"

Little Wingsy thought of Tantai Ling and nodded. "Yeah."

"You've been bullied before too!" The old man immediately felt like he had found a confidant. "I was bullied since I was a child. When I was three years old, I was pushed into a cesspit. When I was five years old, I was schemed against and sat on hot coal. When I was six, someone tricked me into walking into the women's bathhouse, and I was thrown out…" The old man thought of those sad past events. The more he spoke, the sadder he got, and the more tears he cried. He recounted from when he was three to twelve, from twelve to one hundred, and from one hundred to one thousand.

"Master, you poor thing!" Little Wingsy looked at the old man with sympathy and patted him on the back. He had never seen anyone as unfortunate as Master.

"Little Wingsy, do you know why I want to accept you as a disciple?" The old man wiped his tears and choked out.

"Why, Master?" Little Wingsy asked with wide eyes.

"It's because you're the same as me. You've also been bullied since childhood," the old man said and sobbed again. After so many years, he finally found someone to talk to about his sorrowful history.

Little Wingsy thought long and hard. He seemed to have been bullied by Tantai Ling since he was young. However, when he met the dark spirit, he entered the Soul Pearl before he got bullied. He wanted to tell Master that he had been bullied only once, but upon seeing how pitiful Master was, he swallowed his words. He was very kind.

"When I turned two thousand years old, I realized that if I want to avoid being bullied, I have to be a big devil. Big devils are the best! I began to cultivate the Supreme Immortal Indestructible Darkness Ultimate Demonic Technique and cultivated until I almost wanted to puke blood. I took tens of thousands of chickens and ducks and killed them! Finally, when I was two thousand five hundred years old, I perfected the demonic technique and made these clothes. Do you see this? What a domineering and powerful attire this is! From then on, whenever I meet someone, I tell them that I cultivated a peerless demonic technique and even perfected it. I gave myself a name, called Heaven Devouring Devil Lord! Since then, no one has dared to bully me!" The old man wiped away his tears and patted his clothes arrogantly.

"Master, you're amazing!" Little Wingsy looked at the old man in admiration.

The old man's face flushed pleasantly. He had accepted dozens of disciples, but they never knew how to differentiate good and bad, and all walked away in disdain. Only Little Wingsy was to his liking. He patted Little Wingsy on the shoulder and said, "Master will nurture you well. How about it? Are you willing to become a big devil with Master?"

"But, you need to kill to be a devil!" Little Wingsy was a little reluctant.

"Then don't kill people. Killing chickens or ducks will be the same!" The old man's face grew red.

"Will I really stop getting bullied if I become a devil?" Little Wingsy blinked at the old man.

"Of course!" The old man assured Little Wingsy.

"Then, if I become a devil, Big Brother Ye Chen and Big Sister Little Tanuki won't be bullied as well?" Little Wingsy raised his head and asked.

"Of course!"

"Okay, then I'll become a devil!" Little Wingsy seemed to have made a difficult decision. He nodded, took a leg of lamb from his Heaven-Earth Pouch, and ate it in a few bites.

"Good good good. Very good! With someone as talented as you, there are no worries about not being able to perfect the demonic technique! I finally found someone willing to accept my mantle. Master will nurture you well!" The old man's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Little Wingsy looked into the Heaven-Earth Pouch. The lamb legs in the Heaven-Earth Pouch were almost gone. His expression fell.

The Soul Pearl flew to the depths of the sea.

"Master, why are you hiding inside this pearl?"

"It's because someone framed Master. I was trapped here by those bad guys who made this Soul Pearl."

"Master, didn't you say you won't be bullied after becoming a devil?"

"Ahem, that's…"

"Master, you're a good person."

"You're not allowed to say that Master is a good person. Master is a devil. I'll hit anyone who says that I'm a good person!

Ye Chen followed the instructions on the parchment roll and shuttled through another tunnel in the ancient tomb. He could feel that he was climbing up and getting closer to the ground.

With his right hand pressed to his chest, Ye Chen gently held the Illusory Pearl. He seemed to be able to feel Little Tanuki's warmth.

From that moment, Ye Chen seemed to have a deeper understanding of his feelings. He had not realized that Little Tanuki was irreplaceable in his heart until he felt that he was going to lose her.

"I only understand what true feelings are now." Ye Chen realized a lot of things. He raised his head with firm eyes. At this moment, he had grown and matured.

Sometimes, growth was an instant thing.

Along the long tunnel, Ye Chen's every move contained a trace of Absolute Martial Truth. It was as if he became one with his surroundings. His aura also seemed to have become stronger.

The Binding Array was still operating on the Exclusion Zone island.

Outside the array, the Xiwu Empire Earthly Venerable Rank masters tried several times to break into the Binding Array, but the array formed a powerful rebounding force which made it difficult for them to advance.

Great Emperor Mingwu, Nie Qingyun, the old man transformed from the Eclipsing Firebird, and the Golden Sun Condor tried to break through the array together from inside but they all failed. The array formed a huge restrictive space making it tough for them to break through the seals. The surrounding scenery was constantly changing, making them wonder where the center of the array was.

Great Emperor Mingwu rose in the air and bombarded the surrounding rocks and trees.

"Boom boom boom!" Palm energy dispersed everywhere, cracking trees and stones.

However, the array continued to operate and the trees and stones were soon restored to their original form.

This scene made him pause. "Could it be that everything we see is an illusion?

After several attacks, Great Emperor Mingwu found that the Celestial Chi in his body flowed quickly and a feeling of weakness surged up from within. He gradually understood why this array could continue to operate. The array needed Celestial Chi to run but it could not draw Celestial Chi from the outside. Instead, it was the Celestial Chi in their bodies that maintained the operation of this array!

With a grunt, the old man swiftly transformed into a large bird twice the size of the Golden Sun Condor with a wingspan of several tens of meters. Its entire body burned with flames as it roared upward and opened its mouth to spit out pillars of fire. The fire shot out and burned everything it touched.

"What a powerful flame!" Great Emperor Mingwu was frightened at the heat of the flames on the Eclipsing Firebird. It turned out that this mysterious old man who came along with Nie Qingyun was a transformed Celestial Beast. The power and aura on its body made him awestruck.

Great Emperor Mingwu was somewhat shocked. Why did such a powerful Celestial Beast as well as Nie Qingyun obey Ye Chen? He thought for a long time and finally secretly made a decision to ensure the continuation of the Yin Royal Tribe and the Xiwu Empire.

Rather than relying on those arrogant martial arts families of the Central Empire, the Yin Royal Tribe was better off taking refuge behind Ye Chen. The mysterious Beastmasters might be standing behind Ye Chen!

Although the flames of the Eclipsing Firebird were fierce, it still could not break through the array. After a while, it also started to pant.

In the center of the array, the wounds on Zuoqiu Gongye's body had already recovered. He was also shocked to see the powerful flames being spewed out from the Eclipsing Firebird. He was worried that the array would be destroyed but was relieved to see the flames slowly extinguishing. The trees in the sea of fire were still safe and sound.

"Although I was implicated by Tuoba Yan, I have to say that his array really is amazing." Zuoqiu Gongye sighed. Without this array, he would be no match for those four guys at all. Looking at Mingwu, Nie Qingyun, and the others, he smirked. "It won't be that simple to break through the array. Struggle! The more you struggle, the faster your Celestial Chi drains. In a few days, I'll come and collect your corpses!"

From time to time, loud rumbling noises sounded from underground. The earth shook constantly like landslides were occurring, making Zuoqiu Gongye slightly worried. He was unwilling to stay in this Exclusion Zone for too long.

'I wonder if this array has any more secrets. Can I use it to attack Mingwu and the others?'

Zuoqiu Gongye closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings. The center of the array was full of chi flow that seemed to be able to be moved with Celestial Chi. In the past, Tuoba Yan had moved a thousand kilogram stone in the array with one palm before. Inspiration flashed in Zuoqiu Gongye's eyes as a cold sneer appeared on the corners of his mouth.

"Old Mingwu, Nie Qingyun, and those two birdbrains, there's no more use in struggling against your death! Mingwu, I've never thought that an emperor like you would risk your life in the Exclusion Zone personally. Tsk tsk, what a shame. If you die here, all your wealth and riches will vanish into thin air. It's said that there are seventy-two concubines in the imperial harem, and each one looks as beautiful as a fairy. Don't worry, I'll take good care of your wife and children." Zuoqiu Gongye's odd cackling laugh echoed in the middle of the array.