Chapter Forty: Encircled, Ancient Shadow Soldiers!

“I will ask you once more: do you submit?”

With a profound and unfathomable gaze, the Lord of Shadows looked down indifferently at the young man below, his tone calm and detached.

The young man, who had taken the form of an ice dragon, trembled at these words. A look of grievance flashed in his eyes, and he muttered with a trace of resentment, “If you’d said from the start that you were His Majesty the Celestial Emperor, things would have been much simpler...”

“What did you say?” The Lord of Shadows narrowed his eyes, a brow arching as impatience flickered within him.

The young man was startled by this question, his entire body jolting with fear. He dropped to his knees in a hurry, panic clear in his eyes, his voice quivering as he stammered, “Your Majesty is as handsome as he is elegant, a paragon among men—how could one as lowly as I harbor the slightest reluctance?”

“I did not recognize Your Majesty’s true visage before and meant no offense. In truth, I have long wished to serve the Divine Court. Had my cultivation been complete, I would have sought Your Majesty out long ago to bask in your presence.”

As he spoke, the young man seemed to grow more earnest, straightening his posture and cupping his fists in a respectful salute. With utmost solemnity, he declared, “Your Majesty’s divine might is unsurpassed, and your stance, tall and proud as a green pine, is something us lowly cultivators can only look up to from afar!”

“All I wish now is to follow Your Majesty each day, to witness your divine power with my own eyes—that alone brings clarity to my heart and mind!”

“I beg Your Majesty to grant me this favor!”

Having spoken, the young man fell silent, awaiting the Lord of Shadows’ decision.

The Lord of Shadows had already found this one overly verbose, and the recent tirade only made his impatience grow. Yet, when he heard himself praised for standing proud as a pine, he could not help but sigh inwardly.

He supposed that, while this one’s words were excessive, a ruler should not be so severe as to forbid heartfelt admiration. After all, the art of command required both restraint and indulgence.

“In the future, you will follow me,” he said after a brief pause, his deep eyes glinting as he issued the order in a calm voice. Then, with a touch of severity, he added, “But if you dare flatter and fawn with such words again, I will not be merciful.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Han Lin shall remember your guidance!” Han Lin’s eyes brimmed with reverence as he bowed deeply, his voice ringing with sincere devotion.

“Your Majesty’s patient instruction moves me to tears! From this day on, I pledge my undying loyalty, forever gazing up at your peerless presence!”

With emotion blazing in his eyes, Han Lin looked at the Lord of Shadows, his voice trembling with excitement.

“Let us go,” the Lord of Shadows said, casting Han Lin a deep glance before turning away, striding toward the main city of the Immortal Cloud Realm.

Qingli, meanwhile, shot Han Lin a cold glance before following the Lord of Shadows, her steps light as she walked on air.

Though Han Lin looked down on Qingli, he dared not linger and hurried after them, flying along with a servile eagerness. In his years of experience, anyone who could remain by the Lord of Shadows’ side was no ordinary figure.

He recalled how, in days past, the Ten Lords of the Underworld were each more terrifying than the last. Moreover, the footwork this woman employed was clearly of the same origin as the Lord of Shadows’.

She must have won favor through constant flattery and opportunism, he thought. “One day, I’ll make sure this woman gets what’s coming to her...” Han Lin swore silently as they flew onward.

“Keep up!” Qingli, moving ahead upon the empty air, seemed to sense Han Lin’s intentions and snapped coldly at him before ignoring him once more.

“Is this how the living speak?” Han Lin muttered angrily, his resentment simmering as he followed behind, not daring to fall behind. For now, she held the upper hand; he could not afford to act rashly.

Meanwhile, in the far distance stood a grand and imposing city. Its vast expanse and golden splendor exuded an indescribable sense of majesty.

Yet at this moment, the city was shrouded by a massive green barrier, enveloping it completely, from which waves of oppressive energy emanated.

Outside the walls, a dense army of a hundred thousand soldiers in black armor stood in silent formation, encircling the city without a gap.

At the head of these ranks was a spectral youth clad in heavy armor, his expression serene as he gazed at the city with a leisurely air. Beside him, a colossal sword was thrust into the earth.

Within the city, all eyes were fixed anxiously on the besieging forces, an atmosphere of dread hanging over them.

In the city’s grandest hall, dozens of formidable cultivators stood respectfully before a young man seated at the highest seat.

The youth wore a white robe embroidered with golden phoenixes. He sipped tea with an unruffled air, not the slightest sign of panic on his face.

“Sir, one hundred thousand Yin Soldiers have now completely surrounded our main city...” a venerable elder said suddenly, bowing respectfully to the youth, his voice trembling with unease. “What should we do?”

“Only a mere hundred thousand Yin Soldiers, and you let yourselves be so cowed?” the young man replied, unperturbed. He lifted his exquisite teacup, studying it as he spoke with gentle indifference.

“But these Yin Soldiers are no ordinary troops!” the elder cried, his panic growing. His body shook, fear etched on his face, his voice increasingly urgent. “Each one of them possesses cultivation at the Quasi-Emperor level! If they were ordinary Yin Soldiers, how could they be so formidable?”

“Is that so...” The young man was taken aback. After a brief pause, he set down his teacup and spoke calmly, “If that is the case, then come with me. Let us see for ourselves.”

He rose and strode from the hall. As he stepped out the door, a celestial crane manifested beneath his feet, bearing him aloft toward the city walls.

The others exchanged glances, then hurried after him, flying up to the ramparts.

In moments, the group stood atop the highest part of the city wall. As his gaze swept over the hundred thousand black-armored figures exuding a violent aura, the leading youth’s pupils contracted sharply, shock crashing through him like a tidal wave.

Four words blazed suddenly in his mind: Ancient Yin Soldiers.

“Didn’t they all perish long ago...?” Though his heart was shaken, the youth hid it well, his brow furrowing as his thoughts whirled.

He remembered witnessing scenes from the final battle in a secret realm established by one of the Divine Dynasties. The Yin Soldiers who had followed the Lord of Shadows into that last war had all been shattered in spirit and nearly annihilated by divine power.

Yet now, those once-vanquished Yin Soldiers had returned.