The silver rings contracted in midair into a black point with neither size nor thickness, then expanded again and returned to their original form. Yama's head had already fallen from his black body.
There was no blood, no warmth. It was as if the floating figure before them was merely a clay statue, one that had never possessed life.
Emperor Fengdu curled his fingertips slightly in midair, and the three rings flew lightly back into his palm. They then slipped over the rotating silver sphere, all six silver rings returning to orbit around it along a mysterious trajectory.
He turned his palm over, and the silver sphere vanished.
Emperor Fengdu slowly rose from the Divine Throne and stepped down from the air onto the palace floor. His black imperial robe swayed gently with his steps as he walked toward the center of the hall.
His calm gaze swept over Lin Qiye and the other three. No joy or anger could be seen between his brows, as though all emotion had left him, leaving behind only faint imperial majesty and absolute composure.
Suddenly, he stopped in the middle of the hall.
As if sensing something, Emperor Fengdu turned toward the palace doors. He slowly pivoted around and respectfully bowed toward the empty space before him.
"Supervisor of the Underworld, greetings, Primordial Celestial Venerable."
Lin Qiye and the others froze slightly at the sight, then turned together toward the empty palace entrance.
A Daoist figure wearing a coarse cloth Daoist robe slowly took shape from the void. His hair was bound and secured with a hairpin, his eyes bright as stars. With his hands behind his back, he slowly walked forward and spoke with a smile.
"I wonder, should I address you as Emperor Fengdu, or... Li Deyang?"
Emperor Fengdu's body trembled