The overwhelming War Souls, like a black tide, swept in, carrying the bloody Sha Qi of a thousand years ago.
Each drifting Soul Body exuded a suffocating sense of oppression, as if it could devour all life in the world.
The Imperial Palace's Protective Formation shook violently within the Soul Sea, cracks spreading, and it looked on the verge of completely collapsing.
Haha, Sheng Yu.
You've brought this upon yourself; you deserve to die.
"Sheng Yu, die!"
The people who were turned away stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with undisguised excitement and resentment.
Some even pointed at the Imperial Palace and laughed wildly, as if they could already see Zhang Yu being torn to pieces.
"He deserved it for standing by and watching someone die."
"Hahaha, now it's his turn to reap what he sowed."
People from all over the country watching the Image Jade Token were excited, waiting for Zhang Yu to be torn to pieces.
A faint, cold smile played on Zhu Wuyuan's lips.
He silently urged in his heart, "Father, please come quickly."
"Kill--!"
Longqie a roar, Long Qi unleashed the combined power of his War Souls army, their ferocity soaring to the heavens, poised to break through the final line of defense.
Just then, a calm yet undeniable voice suddenly rang out:
"Step back!"
Zhang Yu was startled; it was the system.
The voice that had been silent for so long suddenly rang in his ears.
"Stop!"
Longqie's movements suddenly stopped, and the rage on his face turned into shock and ecstasy.
He suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed intently on Zhang Yu: "It's... you?"
The system's voice came again, devoid of any emotion:
"Stop talking. Although you have broken free from the seal, your War Souls power has not yet recovered. It is best to keep a low profile."
Without a word, Longqie knelt on one knee and bowed his head deeply. "This humble general obeys His Majesty the Holy Emperor's Edict."
In an instant, tens of thousands of War Souls bowed down in unison, their uniform posture resembling an invisible army paying homage to their king.
The Sha Qi in the sky subsided, as if forcibly suppressed by some higher will.
The entire room fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone was stunned.
Those War Souls that had originally vowed to destroy everything were now kneeling before Zhang Yu!
The viewers in the live stream stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape but no sound came out;
The smiles on the faces of the people on the street froze, turning into bewilderment and fear;
Even Zhu Wuyuan's pupils contracted violently, and the Jade Thumb Ring in his hand was almost crushed.
"What... what's going on?"
Why would War Souls kneel before Zhang Yu?
"Could it be...?"
The murmurs spread like a tide through the crowd, but no one dared to voice their shock.
All eyes were focused on the figure standing alone in front of the Imperial Palace.
At this moment, Zhang Yu had become a stranger and a source of fear in their eyes.
Zhu Wuyuan's face turned ashen; his plans had been shattered.
His previously certain fate was completely overturned by this kneeling.
Zhang Yu stood there, stunned, his mind buzzing.
With just a single sentence from the system, thousands upon thousands of War Souls could kneel down in unison?
This is... a hundred times more outrageous than he imagined!
"System..." he tentatively began, wanting to get some clarification.
Before he could finish speaking, the system abruptly interrupted him, "Host, don't ask any more questions. When it's your time to know, you will naturally find out."
Zhang Yu's lips twitched—this system, why does it feel like it's getting more and more unreliable?
The system ignored his inner grumbling and directly ordered, "This world is guarded by that traitor's subordinates. Leave immediately and find a safe place to recover your strength."
Longqie and said:
"Your Majesty, the Nine Great Demon Caves were originally one, but only two are open now, and my king's War Souls is still unable to escape."
He needs to open at least seven Demon Grotto to completely escape.
The system's voice remained calm:
"Then just a moment."
Soon, this little guy will open a new Demon Grotto.
At that time, the Human Race War Souls suppressed here will be able to see the light of day again.
Zhang Yu was taken aback— Human Race War Souls?
He vaguely felt that those so-called "Demon Grotto" were not places to imprison Demons at all, but rather places to imprison the wronged souls of some Human Race he knew well who should have been remembered in history.
He looked up at the image in the direction of Qingyan Prefecture —and saw a blood-soaked phantom suddenly burst out of the Demon Grotto, roaring to the sky, "I, Zhongli Mei, have seen the light of day again!"
Another Old Department of Western Chu?
These Nine Great Demon Caves suppress the Western Chu War Souls. Were the Human Race War Souls from the Qin Dynasty, Han Dynasty, and Tang Dynasty dynasties also suppressed elsewhere?
Zhang Yu was shocked and couldn't help but ask the system in his mind:
"It seems like you've been hiding a lot from me..."
You said that you were late, which led to the original owner's death, and that's why you asked me to take the blame. Is that believable?
He now seriously suspects that the system has been deceiving him from the very beginning.
You believe me just because I say so? You idiot.
The system's tone was full of disdain.
Zhang Yu was speechless after being scolded, but still cautiously asked:
"Um... why do I feel like you're not so much a system, but more like the soul of some superhuman?"
Are you... very strong?
The system responded calmly in its mind:
I used to be very strong.
But now, I have sacrificed everything, merged with the Origin World Principle, and condensed them into the 'Rebellious Dao Seed' —which is what you call the system."
"I currently lack direct Combat Power, but I can infiltrate the Heavenly Dao of various worlds and reverse cause and effect within a certain range."
"Reverse cause and effect?" Zhang Yu was a little confused.
"That's really stupid."
The system sighed:
"The normal cause and effect is -- you need to cultivate to gain Cultivation."
And I, like the hackers of your era, can tamper with the operating rules of the 'program,' allowing you to gain Cultivation while in jail—that's reversing cause and effect."
"That's awesome?"
Zhang Yu's eyes lit up.
"Then can you let me do any task and become a supreme Immortal?"
"Daydreaming."
The system was annoyed:
"Hackers know how to operate stealthily. If I were to openly and blatantly change the rules, the Heavenly Dao of this world would immediately discover it, and you would be the one to die the fastest."
It paused, then said:
"Moreover, when I invaded this Heavenly Dao, the system's operating mode was already deeply bound to the rules of this world, making it impossible to make any major adjustments."
In other words, the system's tasks and causal changes are already fixed, and even I cannot change them.
Otherwise, it would be immediately detected by the Heavenly Dao Will.
Zhang Yu listened in a daze, his heart churning with turmoil.
This system is not a simple cheat code, but a "Dao Seed" that can manipulate the rules of the world, a "hacker" who walks on the edge of the Heavenly Dao, and an ancient being who is willing to sacrifice himself to carry out his mission.
And I am the "executor" it has chosen.
As Zhang Yu was pondering, a Short Saber pierced through the air, and another Demon Grotto opened.
The place where this Demon Grotto opened was precisely where the Liuli Kingdom's army, which had invaded East Sheng, was located.
The Liuli Kingdom Commander was completely stunned by the overwhelming Devil Qi.