"Farewell," Zhou Hong cupped his fists and immediately turned to leave.
However, Zhou Hong hadn't flown a few meters before a voice suddenly came from the sky behind him: "Wait."
Hearing that voice, Tianxuan Fairy's body trembled uncontrollably.
From Tianxuan Fairy's reaction, Zhou Hong could guess that it must be the Immortal Emperor of the Nine Paths Immortal Kingdom.
"I've been screwed," Zhou Hong cursed inwardly.
As expected, less than half a second later, a figure appeared behind him. That figure instantly imprisoned the entire area of several thousand meters in front of Zhou Hong. Zhou Hong suddenly felt an unprecedented power, like prey stuck in a spiderweb.
"It's over, I can't escape," Zhou Hong's grandfather wailed in his mind.
"Grandfather, can I really not leave today?"
"You can feel it yourself, how terrifying his star power is. You can barely move now, can you?"
"Yes, I didn't expect that with his star power reaching 80, he could seal such a large area of the sky. Now that this area is sealed by him, it's like his territory."
"Exactly, just like in your sub-world, everything is controlled by you. Now that this area is sealed by him, it is under his control. You can't even move, so how can you escape?"
Zhou Hong also felt immense bitterness, realizing he had been too careless this time.
"Zhou Hong, don't blame me for not telling you earlier. If there's no other way, just do as I say."
Zhou Hong asked doubtfully, "What method?"
"If you are about to be killed, immediately strip your soul, tear through the small space, and enter the lower realm to start over."
"Ah?" Zhou Hong was stunned. Did he really have to start over? He had worked so hard to reach this point, only a few steps away from the Demon Emperor. If he had to abandon everything and return to the lower realm to start over, wouldn't that be like starting from scratch, like a novel returning to the first chapter?
"I don't want to! I worked so hard to get here."
"Heh, was it any easier for me back then? I didn't even have a chance to start over. You need to make a decision now. If it truly comes to that moment, you must make a swift and decisive choice. That way, you can start over. Otherwise, if you hesitate for even a moment, your soul will be annihilated, and you'll have no chance to begin again."
"What do you mean by stripping the soul?"
"This is something I've researched for many years. When you reach the point of certain death, the way to escape is to strip your soul. Leave the outer shell of your soul, and let the core of your soul transform into airflow, enter the lower realm, possess someone else's body, and start over. Under normal circumstances, the enemy won't discover it and will think your soul has been scattered, never to be reborn. This is what I've researched over the years. If I had this method when I was killed, I wouldn't have ended up like this."
"But...!"
"No buts. If it truly comes to that point, you must be decisive...!"
Zhou Hong sighed helplessly.
At this moment, the man in the distant sky had already flown over. Zhou Hong could feel from his aura that he was a very powerful Immortal Emperor.
"Greetings, Nine Paths Immortal Emperor," Tianxuan Fairy immediately bowed to the man.
However, the man ignored Tianxuan Fairy and looked at Zhou Hong.
"You... are the one from the Demon Realm... who used a powerful artifact to kill Immortal Emperor Ye Chen?" the Nine Paths Immortal Emperor asked Zhou Hong condescendingly.
"Yes, that's me. We have no enmity. I was just about to leave. I advise you not to act rashly. My ability to kill Ye Chen is not just for show." Zhou Hong issued a weak threat, trying anything, regardless of whether it would work. Zhou Hong could sense that this Nine Paths Immortal Emperor was not here with good intentions.
"Hmph!" As expected, the Nine Paths Immortal Emperor snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain.
"What do you mean?"
"Zhou Hong, I predicted this day three days ago. Do you think someone at my level wouldn't have any foresight? And you still dare to threaten me? It's truly laughable."
"Foresight?" Zhou Hong frowned, surprised that the other party had this ability. Foresight was akin to prophecy; although not entirely accurate, the stronger the person, the higher the accuracy.
"Indeed. Three days ago, I predicted that someone would deliver themselves to my doorstep today, and I didn't expect it to be you. Just now, I calculated again, and your probability of defeating me is zero."
"Hmph, even Immortal Emperors shouldn't be so confident sometimes."
"That's true, but unfortunately, you are just a Demon King, too low-level. The accuracy of my calculations is very high. Do you think I would believe your threats? I also calculated that your weapon can only contend with Immortal Emperors of 30 stars at most."
Zhou Hong was secretly shocked. He hadn't expected this Nine Paths Immortal Emperor to be so accurate, mainly due to his own low cultivation level.
"Nine Paths Immortal Emperor, what exactly do you want?"
"Hahaha, are you an idiot? Do I need to explain this? If I'm not mistaken, you should have a sub-world, perhaps several star units. Although I have 80 stars now, who would refuse more?" The Nine Paths Immortal Emperor's lips curved into a slight smile.
Zhou Hong tried to struggle. His limbs couldn't move at all. He couldn't even send out a thought from his mind. He wanted to release the giant puppet, but it wouldn't come out.
"Don't waste your strength. You couldn't move even from a distance. Now that we're so close, do you think you can still move? Even if you have a powerful demon artifact in your sub-world, you can't take it out."
"Damn it, I didn't offend you, did I?" Zhou Hong cursed in frustration. Did he really have to do as his grandfather said, abandon this life, and start over? Return to Earth, or another mortal continent? Possess a weak body and start everything from scratch?
Zhou Hong felt despair just thinking about it. It seemed he had miscalculated this time. For the sake of a few fairies, he had gotten himself into this situation. What a fool he was.
Tianxuan Fairy quickly flew over. She was not immobilized.
"Nine Paths Immortal Emperor, please spare him. He didn't do anything to the Firmament. Besides, he heard about my relationship with you and was about to leave...!"
The Nine Paths Immortal Emperor glanced at Tianxuan and said, "Do you remember my warning that our secret should not be known by anyone? Anyone who knows will die. Unfortunately, you didn't listen and had to tell this person. He will die today, all thanks to you. If you hadn't told him just now, I wouldn't have rushed here."
"Ah...!" Tianxuan was stunned.
Zhou Hong was also full of depression. The price was too high.