Undefeated, with Some Expectations

"Yes." Jiang Mian's gaze was resolute as he said, "Even if this road is covered in thorns, even if there seems to be no hope in sight, I can still keep walking forward, one step at a time."

"I hope so." The Dragon God Primal Core stroked his beard and smiled. "Our generation has worthy successors."

"Boy, stride boldly toward your goal. The divine path ahead belongs to you. The Dragon God blesses you!" The Dragon God Primal Core burst into laughter, and the entire space trembled with it.

"The Dragon God's blessing?" Jiang Mian raised a brow. The Dragon God Primal Core instantly transformed into seven streams of light and shot straight into Jiang Mian's body.

They resonated with Di Tian's reverse scale on Jiang Mian's body as eight elemental forces gathered together from every direction.

The blazing light made Jiang Mian unable to open his eyes. He only felt as though he had been cast into a boundless sea, his entire body immersed in waves of elemental energy.

Late at night, within the Evil Eye Forest.

Xie Yue lit a bonfire and sat opposite the Evil Emperor. The Evil Emperor had somehow procured a roast chicken, and the two shared this brief moment of leisure.

"You've got quite a bit of good fortune yourself, kid." With a chicken leg in his mouth, the Evil Emperor said indistinctly, "First Bear Lord became your master, then a god took an interest in you. And now the Nether Empress, who shares your attribute, is guiding you. You've got it much easier than Jiang Mian."

"You flatter me, Senior." Xie Yue smiled. "I am far inferior to Jiang Mian. The heights he will reach in the future are beyond anything I dare imagine."

"Ah, everyone has their own path to walk. Walking your own path well is already success." The Evil Emperor smiled faintly, his scarlet blood-red eyes glimmering beneath the moonlight. "After all, we're a few years older than you, so we understand a few more things."

"Senior is profoundly learned, far beyond anyone of the younger generation." Xie Yue clasped his hands respectfully. "And now that you are willing to help Jiang Mian, he will surely be even stronger."

"With Di Tian and the Silver Dragon King paving the way for him, I'm merely a bonus." The Evil Emperor chuckled. "After all, I don't have Snow Empress's beauty. Could Jiang Mian possibly have such unusual tastes?"

"Surely not." Xie Yue wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead and smiled. "Senior Evil Emperor, what do you think I should do next?"

"Your martial soul possesses both darkness and spiritual attributes. There's no need to discuss the darkness attribute with the Nether Empress helping you. As for spiritual power, I can offer a few words."

"There are only a few ways to increase spiritual power. If you are willing, I have a secret method that can rapidly raise your spiritual power, though it comes with certain side effects."

"Can it help Jiang Mian?" Xie Yue took a deep breath and asked, "I only feel that I'm far too weak right now. There are many times when I can't help Jiang Mian at all and instead become a burden he has to look after."

"Are you two the best of brothers?" The Evil Emperor glanced at the dejected Xie Yue and asked calmly.

"Yes." Xie Yue nodded firmly. "Jiang Mian and I are the best of brothers."

"Then isn't that enough?" The Evil Emperor chuckled. "Would a good brother be willing to let you charge into battle?"

"That's different." Xie Yue lowered his head and clenched his hands. "I want to help him."

"It's enough that you have the will." The Evil Emperor casually tossed another log into the fire. "After all, the enemies Jiang Mian will face in the future are stronger than you can possibly imagine."

"Even after becoming a god, I still won't be able to share his burden?" Xie Yue asked in surprise.

"His ambitions are too great." The Evil Emperor chuckled. "If we can truly benefit from him and become Divine Beasts, then we can help him as well. Perhaps with Di Tian and me, along with you outstanding human youths, we may not be unable to reach that step."

"When did Jiang Mian tell you that?" Xie Yue had followed the Evil Emperor and Jiang Mian from beginning to end. How had he not known that Jiang Mian had said such things to the Evil Emperor?

"Kid, as the number one spiritual power expert in the world," the Evil Emperor said with a smile, pointing to his head, "I have methods like that."

"Truly unfathomable." Xie Yue swallowed. The Evil Emperor could investigate another person's memories without anyone noticing. Such a method was simply unheard of.

"The vast world is full of wonders." The Evil Emperor said, "There are many things you have yet to see. But you're still young, so you'll have chances to learn about them slowly in the future."

Xie Yue smiled faintly. He removed the veil wrapped around his eyes and quietly felt the night breeze brushing across them.

"So it's Mind's Eye." Worthy of being ranked second among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, the Evil Emperor was exceedingly knowledgeable. He studied Xie Yue's eyes with interest and smiled. "I may already know which god has taken an interest in you."

"Which one?" Xie Yue pressed.

"During my long years, I once saw a book that recorded his deeds. It said that when the world fell into ultimate darkness, he stepped forward, absorbed all the darkness, and returned the light to everyone. Yet he himself became a traveler in darkness forever, never again able to remain in the bright and beautiful world."

"The Nether Nightmare God."

"The Nether Nightmare God?" Xie Yue's body suddenly shuddered. It was as though endless darkness instantly poured into him. Black mist continuously gushed from his seven orifices, suffocating all who saw it.

The Evil Emperor frowned slightly. He had not expected the Nether Nightmare God to place such a curse on Xie Yue. Once his identity was truly exposed, the power of darkness would be forcibly injected into Xie Yue's body. Although it would drastically raise Xie Yue's strength in an instant, if Xie Yue could not endure it, he might explode and die on the spot.

"This is force-feeding him." The Evil Emperor sighed. He could only silently pray that Xie Yue would remain safe.

The reason the Nether Nightmare God had acted this way was to declare his claim. If another god interfered during his trial, all his efforts would come to nothing.

"Ah!" With a miserable scream, Xie Yue finally swallowed all the black mist into his body. His hands trembled as though he wanted to destroy everything around him.

"Has he gone mad?" The Evil Emperor stood with his hands behind his back. Sure enough, too much dark power had entered Xie Yue's body and clouded the boy's mind.

There was only one way to save him: help him digest the energy in his body.

The Evil Emperor smiled lightly. In an instant, he stepped forward, grabbed Xie Yue by the head, and slammed him into the ground.

Boom!

Xie Yue's head smashed into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. Blood instantly flowed from his nostrils. He suddenly let out a furious roar, broke free of the Evil Emperor's restraint, then lunged at him with claws bared.

The Evil Emperor did not move, yet every attack Xie Yue launched struck only afterimages. The Evil Emperor formed sword fingers with both hands and gently tapped Xie Yue between the brows.

In an instant, the entire world spun. A gigantic eye suddenly appeared behind the Evil Emperor, seeming to pierce directly into one's soul and fill one's heart with fear.

"Ah!" Xie Yue covered his eyes and fell to his knees. He howled continuously, as though fighting some terrifying existence for control of his own body.

"A teachable child." The Evil Emperor twirled a strand of hair and smiled faintly. "I didn't expect him to wake up on his own after just one strike. I thought it would take some effort."

"Xie Yue!" Jiang Mian's voice suddenly came from the cave. Scales gleamed across the skin of his hands, as though he wore an unstoppable suit of armor. Jiang Mian rushed over in a few strides and asked, "What happened? What's wrong with Xie Yue?"

"Leave him alone." The Evil Emperor pulled Jiang Mian in front of himself and said calmly, "He's in the middle of a very crucial tug-of-war."

"A tug-of-war?" Jiang Mian did not understand.

"That's right. He is using his own soul to digest the dark energy that the Nether Nightmare God forcibly placed inside him." The Evil Emperor assessed, "If Xie Yue were a level seventy Soul Saint, this dark energy might be easy for him to digest. But he is only a level fifty Soul King now, so it is rather dangerous."

"I'm afraid that when the Nether Nightmare God placed this curse on Xie Yue, he never expected anyone to expose his divine position."

"No wonder." Jiang Mian muttered, "I remember Xie Yue telling me that the god told him to return when he reached level seventy. So that's what this was about."

"Oh? Then I've turned a good deed into a bad one." The Evil Emperor spread his hands and said indifferently, "Now we'll see whether this kid is truly blessed with great fortune."

"Xie Yue, wake up!" Jiang Mian shouted. Then inspiration struck him, and he released the ultimate darkness energy he had just obtained from his body.

It truly worked. Some of the dark energy inside Xie Yue began to flow outward, forming a protective barrier around him.

"This Nether Nightmare God has truly gone to great lengths for his successor."

Xie Yue's expression eased slightly. Jiang Mian continuously drew out the dark energy until Xie Yue had fully regained control of his body.

"Jiang Mian." Xie Yue swayed unsteadily. Jiang Mian hurried forward to support him and smiled. "Don't worry. I'm here. No one can hurt you."

Xie Yue suddenly gripped Jiang Mian's hand tightly, then fainted without realizing it.

"Is he all right?" Jiang Mian looked at the Evil Emperor and asked worriedly.

"Don't worry." The Evil Emperor said, "He's merely overly exhausted. Two days of proper rest will be enough."

"Overly exhausted?" Jiang Mian's mouth twitched. They had flown over the sea for fourteen days, and Xie Yue had vomited for all fourteen days. It would be strange if his body had not collapsed after such an achievement.

"Jiang Mian, you obtained that thing, didn't you?" The Evil Emperor asked, resting his chin on his hand.

"Yes." Jiang Mian nodded. A ray of light flashed from between his brows, and the Evil Emperor's expression instantly slipped out of control. But he immediately turned away, unwilling to let Jiang Mian see his lapse.

"This time, you've taken another huge step toward that goal." The Evil Emperor smiled sincerely. "We are several steps closer to that goal as well."

"This Dragon God Primal Core is truly miraculous. My cultivation speed was already fast, yet I never expected it to provide me with energy endlessly." Jiang Mian marveled.

The Evil Emperor said, "Your level is too low right now, which is why the effect feels so obvious. What level was Lord Dragon God at back then? The Dragon God Primal Core was merely a device that maintained Lord Dragon God's endless Soul Power."

"Even twice my level probably wouldn't compare to Lord Dragon God's level back then." Jiang Mian smiled awkwardly. Ever since he had absorbed the Dragon God Primal Core, all the Soul Power between heaven and earth seemed to be pouring into his body.

At this moment, Jiang Mian had already reached the astonishing level of sixty-six, and he was still growing rapidly without end. In just a few days, he would likely break through level seventy directly. Then he would have to trouble Di Tian and the others to help him obtain his seventh soul ring.

Moreover, Jiang Mian had already made up his mind. For his seventh soul ring, he would choose the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, who was on the verge of transforming into a dragon in the depths of the sea. Its soul ring was comparable to a million-year level, and even back then, the Asura God had only barely killed him with secret assistance. Strength like that was worth making a grand effort for.

And Jiang Mian calculated that after obtaining his seventh soul ring, he would more or less make it in time for the Spirit Master Tournament. As a Soul Saint, he would be bullying those Soul Ancestors. Just thinking about it made him want to laugh.

Tang San, don't you want to kill me? Go ahead and try. I, Jiang Mian, will be waiting.

Sometimes Jiang Mian felt that he was truly cheating. Even someone with cheats might not be as absurdly overpowered as he was. Perhaps this was what it meant when the times were right and heaven and earth worked together.

Jiang Mian planned to seize the Star Luo Empire once the Spirit Master Tournament ended, merging it with the Heaven Dou Empire and turning the world into one family.

When the Sun Moon Continent collided with them, war would surely erupt between the two continents. If Jiang Mian could lead everyone to godhood before then, that war would be an utterly one-sided victory without suspense.

Of course, dealing with the Star Luo Empire would take some effort. That nation worshiped strength, after all, and making them surrender to the Heaven Dou Empire was nothing short of a fantasy.

But now that the Heaven Dou Empire had Spirit Hall backing it, no matter how formidable the Star Luo Empire was, it could not hold on alone. Its downfall was only a matter of time.

Jiang Mian did not want to waste too much time on the Star Luo Empire. After all, he needed to ensure that enough people would be available for the war between the Sun Moon Continent and the Douluo Continent.

If Zhu Zhuqing could become the Empress and then surrender the entire nation, that would be perfect. Jiang Mian could recommend Qian Renxue as the supreme ruler of the world, while he himself became the empire's powerful minister and imperial tutor, beneath one person and above all others. Just thinking about it was thrilling.

Perhaps Jiang Mian could also create an alliance, gather the world's strong, wait for the right moment, and ascend to the heavens in one stroke.

Hmm, what should the alliance be called? How about the Heaven and Earth One Family Great Love Alliance?

Of course, that was all for later. Thinking about such things now was surely just a fool's dream. Taking things one step at a time was what truly mattered.

Jiang Mian laid Xie Yue flat on the ground. Green light bloomed from his hands as he began helping Xie Yue restore his vitality.

"Xie Yue, you're not allowed to sleep on the ground here." As Jiang Mian treated him, he continued to complain, "Wake up. Otherwise, they'll treat you like trash later."

The Evil Emperor stood to one side, unable to suppress a laugh. In truth, he could probe whatever Jiang Mian thought or said. What Jiang Mian had just been thinking truly had filled him with anticipation.

Back then, he had crossed the ocean to the Star Dou Great Forest to challenge Di Tian. The world said that the Evil Emperor had lost, though Di Tian had also been seriously injured.

But what others did not know was that in that episode never recorded in history, the Evil Emperor had been only slightly inferior to Di Tian. Both had been severely injured, and no true victor had been decided.

That was why, after hearing Jiang Mian's inner thoughts, the Evil Emperor could calmly say, "After cultivating for seven hundred and eighty thousand years, I have never tasted defeat. I have some expectations."