Chapter 3043: The Hope Gambit

Chapter 3043: The Gamble of Hope

The quasi-desolate level saint demon, Qi Huan, had been obliterated.

The dim heavens and earth finally fell into silence, as everyone gazed at the spot where Qi Huan had been destroyed, their expressions dazed and lingering with disbelief. A quasi-desolate emperor-level saint demon had simply vanished, her soul scattered to the winds?

Many were overcome with sorrow.

What past events could drive a quasi-desolate emperor-level saint demon to utter despair, unwilling to face the world any longer?

Xiao Ling Wa murmured blankly,"Why is it like this? Isn't living good?"

No one answered his words.

Living wasn't bad, but it depended on how one lived. Like Nu Di, without her mission, she would have long turned to dust. Like Qi Huan, who had killed her lover and was left with a lifetime of grief, the longer she lived, the more torment she endured. Worn down by the vicissitudes of time, covered in scars, such an existence was no different from a puppet. For her, returning to dust and earth was the release she truly desired.

Bai Zhi whispered,"Even the strongest can't escape the bonds of emotion."

She had thought that a supreme being like Qi Huan would have achieved complete detachment, free from all attachments. Little did she know that the stronger the person, the more they were ensnared by emotion—Ye Chen was, Nu Di was, and so was the quasi-desolate saint demon.

Ah!

Zao Hua Shen Wang sighed, taking out his wine gourd and sprinkling a libation into the cauldron as a tribute to Qi Huan.

This tribute had nothing to do with allegiances.

It was simply because she was a formidable powerhouse who had shaken the universe, crippling the Sacred Body Supreme and the Commander of All Living Beings in battle. In the previous moment, she was a living myth; in this one, she was a fallen legend.

Ren Wang took a deep breath and said,"A quasi-desolate emperor-level death is truly a waste."

"And all living beings should be grateful that she stood with the various heavens before her end."

As mentioned earlier, Qi Huan could have tipped the scales of the war. If she had chosen to destroy Ye Chen, Nu Di, and the various heavens' expeditionary forces, she could have done so at any time. Had she, it would have meant defeat for all living beings.

Yuan Huang scratched his monkey fur, puzzled,"If she had already chosen a side, why not just let us pass? Why did she have to cripple Lao Qi and Nu Di?"

Kui Niu beside him was equally baffled.

Thinking about it, Qi Huan had first killed the beloved one, then crippled her brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Since she had picked a side, wasn't that just unnecessary?

Long Ye said flatly,"Tempering."

At first, he hadn't fully understood, but now, looking back, Qi Huan's intentions were clear. It was a unique form of tempering—killing her own sister to enrage Ye Chen and force him into nirvana.

And the results proved it: the Sacred Body Supreme had performed admirably, unlocking his eternal bloodline in the depths of grief and fury.

As for the subsequent battle, it was tempering Ye Chen's combat mindset. Not everyone had the qualification to face a quasi-desolate level saint demon. It was a calamity, but also a heaven-defying opportunity.

In the end, it came down to Qi Huan's faith in Nu Di.

Because of that, she believed in Nu Di's choice. Ye Chen carried Nu Di's blessings, the fortunes of the Heavenly Court, and the beliefs of all living beings. He was destined to be the one in this gamble, but his cultivation was too weak, so he needed this nirvana. She was his tribulation and his fortune, pushing him toward greater peaks so that in the future battle, there might be a chance to win.

Tempering?

Yuan Huang and Kui Niu exchanged glances, vaguely understanding but not quite, their intellect not quite up to the task. They only knew that Qi Huan had acted for Ye Chen's benefit.

Nu Di murmured to herself, her emotions complex, not knowing whether to hate or be grateful. It was that woman named Qi Huan who had killed her brother; yet it was also that quasi-desolate level saint demon who had saved all living beings. True, she had committed many sins, but in this war, she had reignited hope for the masses.

Nu Di's thoughts wandered as she said with a weary smile,"Brother, if it were you, would you still hate her?"

In asking that, she might have already let go of her grudge. After two epochs and endless years of torment, for her, it had been the ultimate punishment.

She was hateful, yet also pitiable.

A mist suddenly clouded Nu Di's beautiful eyes. If her brother were still alive, he certainly wouldn't hate Qi Huan. He had never hated her; she was the woman he loved most.

Ye Chen remained silent, only watching quietly.

By now, he fully understood Qi Huan's painstaking intentions. This illusory tempering had shown him another realm. He should thank her for the opportunity she granted and for bestowing hope upon all living beings.

The heavens and earth were eerily still.

Ye Chen, Nu Di, the various emperors, and the divine generals all still gazed at that spot. Qi Huan was gone, but her beloved remained, suspended in the clouds, sleeping peacefully.

From her, one could still glimpse Qi Huan's shadow—ancient, weathered, and tragic, still turning her back on the world, perhaps ashamed to face all living beings because of the sins she had committed.

The past was too bitter.

Right and wrong, success and failure, had all become fleeting clouds.

No one knew if that hateful yet pitiable woman could catch up to her lover, or if their ancient bond could be renewed.

Ah!

The long silence was finally shattered by a roar—fierce and enraged, brimming with demonic power and boundless hatred.

That roar made the entire Tai Gu Lu tremble, overturning the heavens and earth, shaking the very fabric of the universe. The divine generals couldn't stand steady, the emperors couldn't, and even Nu Di and Ye Chen couldn't.

The generals' faces turned pale as they said,"What in the world is happening?"

They all felt as if a supreme great demon was about to break its seal. That single roar carried a pressure that made the heavens quake, nearly shattering their minds.

Nu Di immediately said,"Repair the universe."

She knew exactly whose roar it was—from Yi Dai Sheng Mo. He must have sensed Qi Huan's death and was now raging in Tai Gu Hong Huang, trying to break the seal. The vibrations were so immense they had affected Tai Gu Lu.

Ye Chen said nothing and stepped into the sky.

But then, he plummeted straight down, too weak to even stand, let alone repair Tai Gu Lu.

Thud!

Nu Di also spat blood, her condition even worse than Ye Chen's. Though weakened, she lacked the strength to act.

She swayed unsteadily and chuckled oddly,"Qi Huan, I underestimated you."

Now she understood: In her final moments, Qi Huan had set up a gamble—a contest solely between Yi Dai Sheng Mo and the various heavens' expeditionary forces. It was about whether the expeditionary forces could enter Tai Gu Hong Huang first, or if Yi Dai Sheng Mo would break the seal first.

That was precisely why Qi Huan had left both her and Ye Chen as cripples, rendering them unable to repair Tai Gu Lu or open the gates to Tai Gu Hong Huang in the short term.

In other words, while granting them hope, Qi Huan had also given hope to Yi Dai Sheng Mo.

After all, she belonged to the saint demon lineage, bound by an ancient loyalty. This had turned into a deep guilt toward Yi Dai Sheng Mo—her master, whom she had betrayed. Thus, it became a gamble between one hope and another.

Victory or defeat would depend on their abilities.

But regardless of who won, she was destined to be a sinner. If the various heavens' expeditionary forces entered Tai Gu Hong Huang first, she would have betrayed Yi Dai Sheng Mo; if Yi Dai Sheng Mo broke the seal first, she would have betrayed all living beings.

Nu Di said, already sitting cross-legged to recover her strength,"The outcome is still uncertain."

Since it was a fair gamble, both the various heavens' forces and Yi Dai Sheng Mo had a chance to win.

Nu Di saw it clearly, and Ye Chen did too. He also sat down cross-legged, needing to repair the Tai Gu universe before Yi Dai Sheng Mo broke the seal, thereby forcing open the gates to Tai Gu Hong Huang.

Their conditions were dire, far beyond mere exhaustion of divine power. The wounds all over their bodies still harbored Qi Huan's killing intent, making them hard to heal and causing chaos within.

The emperors and divine generals didn't understand it as well. With Tai Gu Lu shaking, none of them could stand steadily, sensing a catastrophe lurking beneath the hope.

Ah!

Roars and howls echoed endlessly through Tai Gu Lu and Tai Gu Hong Huang. Tai Gu Lu was in chaos, and Tai Gu Hong Huang was even more so, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring, and vast demonic energy surging from the depths. A massive, twisted ghostly face appeared, grotesque and savage, its maw wide as if to devour all living things.

He roared in fury,"Why? Why is this happening?"

He was beyond angry.

He could sense Qi Huan's destruction, a sacrificial self-annihilation.

This baffled him. Qi Huan was his greatest general. With victory within reach and the power to sway both sides, why had she joined the various heavens' camp? Her actions might mean eternal damnation for him and a catastrophic calamity for the saint demon lineage.

He bellowed,"You deserve to die! You truly deserve to die."

Yi Dai Sheng Mo howled at the sky like a maddened demon, each roar a soul-shaking scream.

He had endured two epochs, through countless changes, only to be betrayed by his own at the end, outmaneuvered by his top general.

His rage clouded his mind and manifested as infinite demonic power, forcing him to break the Tai Gu seal and drown the world in blood and corpses to quench his fury.

Boom! Boom!

Under his assault, cracks appeared in the Tai Gu seal.

In that instant, the successive supreme beings guarding the formation all spat blood. The emperors with weaker foundations had their bodies explode, leaving only their spirits to barely hold on. If any part of the formation broke, it would mean total disaster.

Tian Xu Tian Di shouted resoundingly,"Hold on!"

He blood-sacrificed his spirit's power once more, and the other supreme beings did the same, fighting with their lives to maintain it.

Their eternal schemes had reached the critical moment. Qi Huan had even taken her own life, so no one could stop the various heavens' forces now. They had survived endless ages—failing now would be absurd.

Tai Xu Long Di roared hoarsely,"Go open the gate!"

But Wu Qing Tian Di thundered across the universe,"Don't move!"

Opening the gate required time.

And it needed supreme beings to do it. In the current situation, not only the successive supreme beings but even the successive divine generals were tied to the formation. If any supreme being left, Yi Dai Sheng Mo could break free.

In the same instant, many supreme beings echoed,"Don't move!"

Normally, a slight shift might not matter, but at this pivotal moment, the pressure was immense. If another supreme being abandoned their post, Yi Dai Sheng Mo would escape before the gate could even open.

So, they had to place their hopes on Nu Di and the others.

At the very least, they needed to fully repair Tai Gu Lu first, as it was part of the seal and connected to the gates of Tai Gu Hong Huang. Without fixing the road, the gate couldn't be opened.