He still did not want to do this, because he had no idea what would happen if he forcibly awakened Houtu.
He was unwilling to put Houtu at risk.
It was a helpless situation, really.
In truth, he had foreseen this long ago.
What he had not expected was how greatly the Netherworld Office and the Earthly Dao would affect Houtu.
As he understood it, Houtu had created the Earthly Dao, after all.
Its instinctive resistance would inevitably stir Houtu's compassion, triggering some sort of change.
But he had not expected it to do more than influence Houtu-to take direct control of her body.
This change truly caught him by surprise.
"Hmph. Since you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
The Demon Emperor's eyes turned crimson, and a blood-red hue spread across the entire sky.
Panic swept through everyone. Even the Heavenly Dao and the Lord of Fate felt terrified and uneasy, as though a horrifying demon were devouring them beneath that blood-red sky.
The two were utterly shocked. The Demon Emperor's strength was actually this terrifying.
Moreover, for some reason, this blood-red power felt extraordinarily frenzied, as though it could destroy heaven and earth.
Unease gripped their hearts.
"The Demon Emperor's strength is terrifying, but nothing like this happened before. Has something affected him?! If he starts thinking of destroying the world, I'm afraid not a single person here will survive."
The Lord of Fate was deeply agitated. Never had he feared anyone so much.
He desperately wanted to erase that feeling, yet he was powerless before this force.
It surpassed him by far, far too much.
"Alas, this is already beyond our capabilities. We're all at the peak of the Nine Heavens of the Saint Realm, so why does the gap