Chapter 176: Fat and Meaty
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
"Where did you go?" Lonemoon looked at Radish, who rarely took on human form.
"We went to the immortal palace nearby and walked one round there," Lan Hua answered before Radish could say anything. "You're back early today. Is the competition over?"
Lonemoon looked suspiciously at the two of them. They had already arrived for a few days at the Heavens beyond Heaven for a few days now. In the beginning, Lan Hua was extremely cautious. When he realised that nobody could detect his demonic identity, he fully let loose. He took the chance when the disciples went out to compete to form extremely good relations with the children left behind. As they went around the compounds to explore, their relationship got better and better.
"Oh yes, Little Big Sister." Radish seemed to have recalled something. It retrieved a storage bag and handed it over respectfully. "I've brought you something."
The group: "..." Did you freaking go on a tour?
Shen Ying was obviously distrustful of this vegetable. She did not take the bag, but Lonemoon did instead. "What is this?"
"Meat!" The Radish answered proudly. "I took very long to catch it!"
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Lonemoon opened the bag and reached inside. "What meat..." Before he could finish asking his question, he heard a whine from inside the bag. There was a gust of wind, and something black and white hit his face.
Lonemoon: "..."
Yi Qing: "..."
This...
This is not f*cking meat! This is obviously an immortal pigeon! This is the kind of pigeon that sent letters... Is that a communication talisman on its claw?
He felt his heart fall and a bad feeling rose in his chest. He firmly grasped the wing that was still hitting his face and pulled open the storage bag once again. More and more immortal pigeons flew out of the bag, each one of them fat and meaty.
"..."
Did you catch all the freaking immortal pigeons in the Heavens beyond Heaven?
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Lonemoon sighed deeply and repressed the urge to boil Radish alive. For a brief moment, he thought he saw all the immortal postmen looking for their immortal pigeons.
"Are these... the presents... you brought?!" Lonemoon gritted his teeth...
"That's right!" Radish showed no hint of guilt at catching others' business tools. Instead, it proudly proclaimed, "I caught the especially fat ones on purpose. Little Big Sister, look... This one is even fatter than Radish!" It would definitely be really yummy! As Radish spoke, it picked up an immortal pigeon that was struggling for its life.
Lonemoon pursed his lips and turned to glare at Radish's partner in crime.
Lan Hua raised both of his hands and said, "This has nothing to do with me – he insisted on catching them!" Lan Hua could not do anything about it either.
These motherf*ckers!
Something snapped in Lonemoon's brain. He could not take it any longer. He grabbed Radish and took long strides out, stuffing it into a big flower pot in the yard.
"What are you doing? Let me go!" Before Radish could say anything more, Lonemoon took a pile of soil and dumped it on top of Radish. Radish struggled and shouted, "You ugly thing, stop trying to contaminate my pure body! Wait, I don't want to turn back! I want to go out and meet the beautiful Little Big Sister. Why, you... Ji ji ji." Before Radish could finish speaking, Lonemoon conjured a spell to turn in back into a radish.
Then, Lonemoon dumped another three handfuls of soil on top of radish and stepped on the soil so that it tightened. Only then did he calm down.
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F*ck, one by one... they were causing him trouble!
"Shen Ying, let go of that immortal pigeon. This belongs to others, you cannot eat it even though it's so fat!" Lonemoon turned back and called, "Yu Hong, bring a few disciples over and help me release all of these immortal pigeons. Help to treat those that are injured. And... Shen Ying, release those that you are hiding behind your back."
"I'm not!"
"Not my ass – I can see their wings. Do you think I'm blind?"
Shen Ying tutted.
"Wait! Yi Qing, what are you doing? You can't exchange the spirit beast meat for these pigeons – do you think this is a market?"
"..."
"Try hiding one more – better believe I would deduct your allowance!"
——————
An hour later...
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"Chu Xuan?" Lan Hua paused, frowning and pondering for a long time. "Who?"
"You don't know him!" Lonemoon exclaimed. That can't be right?
"I don't know him." Lan Hua shook his head.
"Then why did he... look like he wanted so badly to stand up for you?" It also seemed like he kept causing trouble for Chen Ge for Lan Hua's sake.
"How would I know?" Lan Hua shook his head and glanced at Shen Ying, who was upset that she did not have a single bite of the immortal pigeons. He could not help but retrieve a few immortal fruits and placing them in front of her. "I have beef with all of the ten Celestial Emperors. If none of them has been replaced in these few years... he should be one of the people who attacked me after I turned into a demon."
That's strange. Chu Xuan did not look like he was putting on an act before. What happened in between?
It looked like they would only find out the truth when they went for the competition in the Interspatial Arena the next day.
Moreover, it remained to be seen if Hui Ling had replaced Xuan Tong as the female lead.
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***
The Interspatial Arena was a wasted ancient palace in the heavens beyond Heaven. It was said that during the ancient times, there was only one Celestial Emperor in the entire immortal realm. He managed all the four seas and six continents, and the Interspatial Arena was this Celestial Emperor's only heavenly palace.
As time went by, the heavenly palace lost its former glory. Now, it was just a wasted temple.
Although this competition was only meant to determine the top three from every stage, it was mostly going to be a competition between the two continents. Apart from the emperors who brought their disciples to take part, several strange immortals came to view the competition as well. The previously empty and desolate Interspatial Arena became filled with people.
Lonemoon and Lan Hua also came to find out the situation with the Interspatial Arena. They brought Feng Ying as well, just in case. The disciples stayed with the crowd and did not go along with them.
Apart from the five disciples taking part in the competition, the rest were resting in the immortal palace. They were also mainly watching Radish!
They obviously arrived early. Chu Xuan had not yet turned up. In the middle of the heavenly palace was a floating stage atop a pile of waste. That was clearly where the competition was going to take place.
Chen Ge led a crowd of people and flew toward a stage on the right. His expression was less kind than before, but stricter. Beside him was Hui Ling.
She did not look too well – she had completely lost her proud demeanour. From time to time, panic flashed across her face. She did not dare to look over at Shen Ying.
Lonemoon knew why she was afraid. Her Golden Finger was destroyed by Shen Ying and she was the victor in the Earth Immortal group. This was not a friendly competition within the same continent – her opponent would not show Chen Ge any respect. Of course, this meant her opponent would not hold back with her.
Lonemoon suddenly felt glee in his heart. Indeed, she had to pay for wanting to make it big.
The time for the competition drew near. Hui Ling looked more and more nervous. Finally, she tugged at Chen Ge's sleeve and said gently, "Master, I... I... I'm not feeling too well."
"Little Ling, what's the matter?" Chen Ge looked worried. "Did you get injured in the mystic realm yesterday?"
"No, Master, I'm thinking of..."
She lowered her voice and nobody around her seemed to care about the conversation, except Lonemoon, who noticed that she was acting strangely...
Suddenly, Lonemoon's eyes brightened. Before Hui Ling could suggest pulling out of the competition, he put on a wide grin and spoke.
"Celestial Emperor, is your honoured disciple feeling unwell? I happen to have a Core-Restoring Pill, Core-Formation Juice and a Evil-Cleansing Talisman... They're bound to solve any symptom you might be experiencing. Would Celestial Emperor care for some?" In exchange for some money, of course.
Hui Ling: "..."
Chen Ge: "..."
Chapter 177: The Battle Between Two Continents
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
"No... No thanks." Chen Ge hesitated. He was suspicious of Lonemoon's sudden politeness. Yet, he smiled courteously and said, "Exalted Immortal Lonemoon must be joking. Little Ling may be of low cultivation, but she is already an immortal and does not fall sick that easily. This must be due to the nerves of participating in a competition with immortals from other continents."
He turned and looked at Hui Ling with a comforting gaze. Hui Ling did not react. Instead, she turned pale and looked panicked. She looked like she had a million and one things that she was holding back from saying.
This was the first time Chen Ge had ever seen her this bothered. He could not help but say, "Little Ling, just take this as another ordinary competition. Just fight as how you normally would and it will be okay. Your master has faith in you. Don't get too stressed out."
"... Yes, Master." She became even paler. She did not know how to ask if she could back out of the competition.
"Your Majesty has a point," Lonemoon said, grinning until his eyes became slits. He glanced at Hui Ling, then turned to address his own disciples. "Did you hear that? Just fight as you normally would. I have faith in you too!"
The five disciples behind him answered, "Yes, Elder!"
Their voices resonated in the hall. Hui Ling repressed the sudden hesitation and doubt she was feeling.
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Hui Ling's expression turned nastier.
Even Chen Ge frowned. Was he imagining this? Why did he feel like Lonemoon's words were dripping with sarcasm?
Just as Chen Ge started to clarify this with Lonemoon, a white beam of light appeared in front of him. The people from He Chuan continent arrived.
There was a huge stage between them and the light, so Chen Ge and the others could see clearly this time. The white light illuminated a huge transportation array. After awhile, more than ten people appeared in the white light. At the forefront was Chu Xuan.
His gaze swept over where Chen Ge and the others were. Then, he laughed mirthlessly. "Chen Ge, I thought you would not dare to appear, just like you did the previous few times we were supposed to battle. I see that you arrived earlier today."
Chen Ge ignored this challenge. He maintained his gentlemanly demeanour and answered in a low tone, "Celestial Emperor Chu Xuan invited us here in the name of the He Chuan continent – how can Feng Cang continent not show up?"
"Oh, it looks like you are very confident!" Chu Xuan looked at him with contempt. Unwillingly, he continued, "Since that is the case, let me see how skilful the fighters from Feng Cang continent are!"
When he finished speaking, he waved his hand and three immortals flew out from behind him, landing atop the stage. All three of them were Stygian Immortals.
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"It is far too troublesome to compete one-by-one. Why don't we let everyone of the same cultivation level battle?" Chu Xuan suggested.
Chen Ge did not object. He nodded at the three Stygian Immortals who were taking part in this competition. The three of them flew toward the center of the stage.
Lonemoon glanced at the six people on the stage. He pondered for awhile and figured out why Chu Xuan wanted all three immortals to fight at once. The three Stygian Immortals from He Chuan continent may not have looked as skilful as the other three Stygian Immortals from Feng Cang, but it was obvious that they were used to co-operating with one another in battle. The Stygian Immortals from Feng Cang, on the other hand, were picked out from different countries. It was likely that they had never fought together before. Their teamwork and chemistry was obviously lacking.
Indeed, in a few moments, the three Stygian Immortals were broken apart. It could be said that they were shamefully defeated. The three of them were kicked off the stage. Suddenly, the expressions of the various emperors present changed.
The Mystic Immortal group's competition was much the same. This time, it came to an end far more quickly. The few Stygian Immortals could at least hold on for an hour, but the Mystic Immortals were defeated in little over a minute.
Chu Xuan was absolutely delighted by now. He had already expected this outcome. He was only awaiting to see Chen Ge's shameful expression. That was until... the Golden Immortal round.
If the key was co-operation, the few immortals from Invincible Sect definitely did not lose out to anyone. They trained together from the beginning. The most powerful among them, Si Yu, did not even have to transform. They depended on Yu Hong and the other disciple alone to force the three disciples from the other side to desperation. In about ten minutes, the oppositions were thrown off the stage. They looked... more pitiful than the immortals that they had defeated prior.
"Body cultivators!" Chu Xuan had not expected this outcome. He was initially extremely confident of winning every single group, but he left this possibility out of his calculations. The people from He Chuan continent did not know how to react.
This was freaking unfair. Where exactly did these body cultivators come from? They were female immortals, no less. How did they even make the decision to become body cultivators?
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The crowd from Feng Cang continent had already overcome their initial shock at seeing the body cultivators, so they did not express any shock this time. Instead, they were celebrating the victory in their hearts. They were not silly — it became obvious to them after the Stygian Immortal round that the opponents had done their calculations. They were just ashamed to change the rules of the battle after agreeing to letting the immortals compete in groups at the start. Thankfully, the group from Invincible Sect could transform... Wait, they were body cultivators. If the Invincible Sect managed to win the next round, they would at least be able to draw.
At last, it was time for the Earth Immortal group.
"Master, I don't want to..." Hui Ling, who had been trying to suppress her panic, could not hide her fear any longer. It was written all over her face. Subconsciously, she tugged at Chen Ge's sleeve.
"LIttle Ling." Chen Ge patted her hand and felt his heart sink. He very much wanted to allow Hui Ling to back out of the competition, but he was the Celestial Emperor after all. His own disciple had won the Earth Immortal group. If he allowed her not to fight, he would not be able to answer to the other emperors. His voice became much softer as he comforted her, "Just try your best. Trust Master – you will be alright." Hui Ling had never worked together with anyone to fight before. It was normal for her to feel nervous. Looking at how the previous round turned out, however, Chen Ge was confident that she would be alright.
Subconsciously, he turned to look at the Invincible Sect. He thought to say something encouraging to them, but he saw Lonemoon mutter instructions to his disciples and even set up an isolation array to protect them.
In his heart, he wondered if they were just discussing the strategy to defeat the opponents. He did not think too much of it. That was until the three of them went up the stage and Lonemoon broke the isolation array before saying, "Remember what I said to you."
"Yes, Elder." The two disciples bowed and flew to the stage.
Hui Ling straightened up, gritted her teeth and followed suit.
The moment she landed, Hui Ling drew her immortal weapon, a red paper fan. She gave it a gentle wave and bursts of fiery light flew toward the sky and charged at their opponents. It was the Fire Subduer Fan, another top-grade immortal weapon.
Lonemoon lowered his gaze. She was indeed the Celestial Emperor's disciple – so well-equipped!
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The three opponents did not expect her to carry such a formidable weapon either. They quickly retreated and dodged the bursts of fiery light, but it hit them nonetheless. One of their robes got singed so that only half of it was left. The Fire Subduer Fan was an immortal weapon which produced unnatural flames. Ordinary water-elemental techniques would not work on the flames. The opponents became far more serious, yet they had no choice but to keep retreating.
Hui Ling gained confidence. The panic that she felt earlier disappeared in an instant. She lifted her other hand and there was a sound of a bell. She drew another immortal weapon. It was a golden bangle. The moment Hui Ling drew it out, it multiplied by a million times so that they seemed to cover the heavens and the earth. A wall of bangles charged toward the opponents. The opponents who were already busy trying to avoid the flames hid further away from the wall of bangles.
Hui Ling smirked. She thought too much earlier on. The opponents may have been sent by Celestial Emperor Chu Xuan, but they were nothing more than ordinary cultivators. They were not the body cultivators sent by Invincible Sect. Even if they did not help her, the opponents were not her match. As she thought about this, the hatred toward that Sect Master Shen grew in her chest. If not for her, Hui Ling would not have lost that necklace.
She turned and glared at the other two disciples who had ascended the stage with her. She realised that the two of them were on the other side. Each one of them was holding an immortal sword and were trying to block off the sorcery cast by the opponents. Hui Ling could not help but scoff. So what if they were body cultivators? They were from a small sect afterall. No matter how strong they were, they would never compare to immortals from the Heavens beyond Heaven. She alone could help them win this round.
Suddenly, her attack became much more aggressive. The entire stage was filled with red deviant flames. Even the two disciples from Invincible Sect had no choice but to retreat to a corner. The three opponents had no room on the stage to stand anymore – they were forced to fly up into the air while fighting the dense wall of golden hoops.
Chapter 178: The Battle Of The Two Continents
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In less than five minutes, her opponent was about to be forced off the stage. Hui Ling twirled the sword in her hand and the dharma spell immediately changed. Thousands of steel rings immediately started gathering in the sky, then they transformed into a rope which flew towards her opponent.
Hui Ling heaved a sigh of relief. There was a triumphant look on her face as she said, "It's over."
"You're right!" Just then, a male voice suddenly rang out behind her. The next moment, a formidable blade came swinging towards her. Startled, Hui Ling wanted to defend herself but it was too late. The glittering sword blade had reached her face. "It's really over.."
"Ah!" Hui Ling screamed. The sword did not land on her body, for at the critical moment her dharmic protective vest activated and blocked off her opponent's attack.
"Huh?" Her attacker stepped back in surprise.
Hui Ling starting backing away. Now she could see clearly her attacker was one of the trio in the rival team. She had not even known when he had come up behind her, how could that be? Hui Ling's lack of combat experience showed; she was terribly flustered by her opponent's move. Subconsciously, she gripped the Fire Subduer Fan and swung it behind her. Instantly, the Deviant Fire burst into flames and began engulfing the only safe place on the platform.
Her opponent was stunned for a moment, then he broke into a derisive smile. Stupid fool! He conjured a seal to ward off the Deviant Fire. He had been racking his brains on how to force her into the Deviant Fire but she had trapped herself inside instead.
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Immediately, he turned to the front and commanded, "Activate the formation!"
At once, the two men descended from the sky.
Holding the dharmic seal in his hand, he bent down and struck the ground with it. The Deviant Fire covering the ground surged with a dazzling white light and the array formation started to glow brightly. The design of the array formation suddenly appeared on the platform. The Golden Steel Ring that was summoned by Hui Ling but was struck down by her three opponents was actually the medium that activated the array. The three men were the ones who had set up the array formation and it was also...
"The Five Elements Reversal Formation!" Someone in the crowd cried out in surprise.
The array formation on the entire platform was now lit up. The Deviant Fire, which had been burning brightly, was instantly extinguished. The whole platform was now sealed off by a layer of ice. Rays of sharp ice blades emerged from the array formation and headed straight for Hui Ling.
"Ah!" Hui Ling cried out in fear. She had wanted to use the Fire Subduer Fan to summon the Deviant Fire to melt the ice but felt a sudden weight on her hand. Looking down, she saw that her whole hand was covered by a layer of thick ice. Now she could not activate her Immortal Qi, let alone use the Fire Subduer Fan.
The Five Elements Reversal Formation reversed the Five Elements Sorcery in the array. The Fire Subduer Fan summoned the Deviant Fire. What had emerged from the array was the Ten Thousand-Year-old Ice, which froze everything that was of the fire-element.
Hui Ling was in a total panic. She wanted to rush out but the surrounding ice blocked her and was getting closer and closer to her, as if it wanted to freeze her too. There was nowhere for her to escape. Subconsciously. she looked towards the two people who had been forced to a corner by the Deviant Fire. They were now standing just outside the array formation.
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The two-women team from the Invincible Sect was at a loss as to what they should do. Then the sagely advice of a certain sect elder came to their mind.
Hence, Disciple Number One stepped forwards, stretched out her arms and dropped flat on the ground. At the same time, she yelled out in clear and ringing tones, "Ai yah! I fell down!"
"Junior Sister!" Disciple Number Two cried out anxiously. Suddenly she too dived to the ground. "Ai yah! I fell down too."
Shen Ying: "..."
Yi Qing: "..."
Chen Ge: "..."
The emperors: "..."
All at once, numerous pairs of eyes turned towards Lonemoon.
Lonemoon: "..."
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What the heck, I never told you to act so pretentiously!
(╯°Д°)╯(┴┴
The whole area fell into an eerie silence.
The trio in the opposing team were the first to react. Losing interest in the other two girls, one of them pointed at Hui Ling and said, "Finish her off first!" Then, clutching his dharmic weapon, he charged towards her.
"No..." Hui Ling instantly turned pale. Seeing that there was nowhere to hide, she took out her bracelet and summoned forth thousands of Golden Steel Rings. But she was obviously deeply frightened; her moves were totally chaotic. She only focused on summoning out ever more Golden Steel Rings but not on her target.
As to be expected, the rings did not hit any of her opponents, instead, they hit the surrounding ice pillars. These pillars had been conjured from the array set up by her Golden Steel Rings. As they were formed from the same elements, the rings not only did not destroy the pillars, they rebounded on her.
Hui Ling was unable to dodge in time. Within moments, her face was swollen and bruised. Her injuries were not caused by her opponents but by her own rings.
The trio in the sky: "..." Enemies voluntarily offering their lives were new to them.
The three men did not delay any further, they decide to strike at their enemy now that she had lost her focus. As her dharmic vest was impervious to their sword and immortal sorcery, they had to resort to attacking her with punches and kicks.
Before long, the whole area was filled with blood-curdling pig-like shrieks from a certain someone. Her pure and innocent persona vanished completely.
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Chen Ge's face darkened immediately. Clenching his hands, he took in a deep breath, and managed to resist the urge to rush up to the platform.
The three men stopped their attack after a while. Perhaps they could tell that their opponent was powerless to defend herself. One of them directly kicked her off the platform.
"Little Ling!" Chen Ge rushed forwards, caught his disciple in his arms and returned to the viewing platform. As he tended to the badly beaten Hui Ling, he glared angrily at Chu Xuan, who was sitting opposite. It was only a sparring practice, yet they had been so heavy-handed in their attack. He could not help feeling some resentment against the Invincible Sect. They had deliberately avoided coming to her aid.
"Mast ter...." Hui Ling called out to him pitifully. If she still had her pretty and lovable looks, she might have attracted some sympathy from the audience, but now no one...
Except Chen Ge. Still viewing Hui Ling through rose-tinted glasses, he said tenderly, "Be a good girl, don't talk till you're better."
"Ah... She's your disciple." Chu Xuan seemed to have become aware of the importance of Hui Ling to Chen Ge. Giving a cold snort, he said jeeringly, "That's right. Only a person like you would take in such a useless disciple."
"You..." Chen Ge was furious but he controlled his anger.
Chu Xuan laughed cockily. "Looks like my He Chuan team is the... Huh?"
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Before he could finish his sentence, he felt two beams of immortal qi surge up from the platform and subconsciously looked down. The two disciples that he thought would be easily dealt with now that Hui Ling was out of picture, stood on the platform, immortal Qi started spewing out from their bodies. Their previously short and puny bodies had shot up and muscles began to bulge out from their slender arms.
They were... body cultivators!
Holy shit! Did they still exist?!
Σ(°△°|||)
The trio on the platform, like Chu Xuan, did not know what to make of these body cultivators. Even the one who had rushed forward to attack them was in a daze. Just as he was about to pull back, a fist flashed before his eyes.
His felt a great throbbing pain in his chest. The next moment, he lay on the ground, flattened by the punch. Blood surged up to his throat and spurted out from his mouth.
"Junior Brother!" The two men in the air cried out in shock. Just as they were about to rush to his aid, they heard a whooshing sound behind them.
When the two men reflexively turned around to defend themselves, the other body cultivator was raising her leg to kick at the person on the right. He managed to summon a defensive array at the very last moment. Crash! The array shattered under her leg and he was kicked out of the platform.
Huh?
Before the one remaining man had time to react, a fist was already flying towards him. He could feel an irresistible force bearing down on him, then it struck him and the impact knocked him off from the sky. Boom! His whole body crashed through the platform and several inches of the ground. Then he passed out.
The two body cultivators...
Yay, without that nuisance, they could now fight without any qualms.
Oh, but the match has ended!
The crowd: "..."
Chapter 179: The Great Immortal Execution Array
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
There were four duels this time, and both parties won two each. Although the Stygian Immortals and Mystic Immortals were supposed to be the more interesting groups competing, the two duels at the end were won so beautifully. A few were won with a knockout. On average, therefore, every single group was equally interesting.
Chu Xuan's expression was pale. Chu Xuan was already prepared to mock the losers, but now Chu Xuan had to swallow it back. The various emperors of the Feng Cang continent also did not look too happy. All of them were prodigies that became immortals – who could not tell what happened in the last battle?
Hui Ling was the victor of the Earth Immortal group. Obviously, the remaining two people were defeated by her. Yet, how did she manage to lose so terribly to people from upper He Chuan? If their skills were too formidable, it was alright, but in the next battle, she lost to the other two body cultivators. Within a few minutes, they knocked her out. People began to wonder whether the previous result had been tampered with.
Almost at once, everybody looked at the person in Chen Ge's arms, thinking about all the possible conspiracy theories. None of them dared to speak up on account of the Celestial Emperor, but in their hearts, everybody knew that Hui Ling had cheated earlier on. They began to wonder whether Chen Ge had told Invincible Sect something to make them lose to Hui Ling on purpose in the previous competition.
Chen Ge's expression was extremely dark as he looked at Hui Ling with a complex gaze. He knew full well that everybody knew what had happened. Afterall, Hui Ling was his own disciple. Seeing her so seriously injured and knowing that the He Chuan people were still around made him feel terribly uncomfortable. He supported most of Hui Ling's weight as he addressed the people in front of him.
"Celestial Emperor Chu Xuan, each of us has won two battles in this competition. I think we can consider that we have come to the end. Why not we cease the competition here for today?"
"You want to forget about this now?" Chu Xuan tutted, his eyes filled with fury. "Dream on. This is a draw afterall. Why don't we have a sudden death round!" Once he finished speaking, he panned out his fan and a huge immortal force charged toward Chen Ge.
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"You..." Chen Ge's expression changed. He had no choice but to make use of his own immortal force to protect all the immortals who were around him. He was very obviously displeased. "Chu Xuan, why do you have to do this? I have no intention to quarrel with you. Both you and I are Celestial Emperors. If we insist on the battle, innocent people will be hurt. This is a competition meant for the immortals under us. If you insist on determining who is the winner... Ah, I'll let you win."
"Nonsense!" Chu Xuan's face contorted with rage. He glared at Chen Ge so intensely that it almost seemed as if he was going to hurt Chen Ge physically with his gaze. "Pui! I don't care for your so-called courtesy. Hold back that hypocritical tongue of yours. I said this before... If we meet again, I will take your life! The fact that I dared to come today shows that I am unafraid of never making it back."
Chen Ge's expression changed again. As if recalling something, he exclaimed, "What did you do?"
Chu Xuan did not answer him, but laughed mirthlessly. He raised his voice, "Why don't you act?"
"What?"
Before anyone could react, the emperor seated closest to Chen Ge, Ge You, exploded. He drew his sword and aimed for Chen Ge.
He did not realise that Chen Ge was a Celestial Emperor afterall. Instinctively, Chen Ge turned around and waved his arm, sending Ge You flying back. He successfully defended himself against the sword, but Ge You's sword still managed to break through Chen Ge's defensive array and cause a deep gash on his arm. Fresh blood flowed out of the wound.
"Ge You, you..."
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Not only Chen Ge, but all the other emperors looked extremely shocked as they stared at Ge You, who was now on the ground. Nobody knew that he had turned into a traitor!
"Celestial Emperor, you cannot possibly blame me for this," Ge You said as he struggled to get to his feet. There was a grin on his face and no sign of panic. "You are not able to discern right from wrong. You don't take the various emperors' request seriously and insist on protecting that Invincible Sect. You have no rights at all to manage Feng Cang continent. This continent needs a new master."
Chen Ge's expression darkened. "You think that by depending on Chu Xuan and injuring me, you can become the master of Feng Cang?" Without being a Celestial Emperor, how could Ge You even dream of taking control of the continent? This attack with his sword was nothing in Chen Ge's eyes. He waved his hand again with ease and the wound disappeared.
Ge You's grin widened. "Once you are all dead, of course I can!"
As he finished speaking, the array underneath everybody's feet suddenly burst with red light, covering the people on the stage. Everybody began to panic and attempted to fly up and protect themselves, but they found themselves rooted to where they were, unable to move. Underneath Chen Ge's feet, something the colour of blood began to move and form a strange talisman. On closer inspection, they realised that it was the blood that Chen Ge shed.
The attack earlier on was not intended to defeat Chen Ge, but to draw his blood for the array!
The disciples who had been watching the battle earlier wanted to run over and help, but Chu Xuan's immortals stopped them. Even those who managed to rush to the scene were stuck once they reached the red light – they too were unable to move. The red light expanded and the environment around them changed. What was originally the stage began to split apart, forming a valley in between. It was almost as if an entire world was forming on its own.
"What... What array is this?" Chen Ge was beginning to panic. He wanted to regulate his immortal Qi and get himself out of the array, but he found that the more he struggled, the more tightly he was bound.
"The Immortal Execution Array," Chu Xuan answered as he stepped forward. His eyes were full of self-satisfaction at the thought of finally getting his revenge. "I searched for more than a thousand years for this array, and I spent several hundred more years trying to figure out how it works. It is an ancient array found in the immortal realm and used to massacre the immortals here."
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An ancient array! Everybody sucked in a deep breath and immediately became pale. No wonder this competition was fixed at the Interspatial Arena. They were never meant to leave this place.
"As long as you enter this array, you can forget about escaping." Once he finished speaking, he conjured a spell and his body flashed. He flew toward Chen Ge and waved the immortal weapon in his hands. Suddenly, a hundred thousand wind blades appeared. They were clearly aimed at the various emperors and Chen Ge, who were helpless at that moment.
Out of nowhere, formidable sword Qi filled the air and swept his wind blades aside. Chu Xuan was evidently shocked. He retreated several steps to avoid the word Qi. Lowering his head, he saw that there was a man wielding a sword standing next to Chen Ge. His entire body was emitting rich sword Qi, and the red light for some reason did not seem to reach him.
Chu Xuan frowned. He had not thought that there would be such a powerful sword immortal in Feng Cang continent. Despite being trapped by the Immortal Execution Array, he still managed to wield his sword.
The red light was still fast expanding. It seemed like even Chu Xuan's disciples were going to be caught in it. The Immortal Execution Array was almost complete. They would never be allowed to leave his place.
"Ha!" He waved his fan and more wind blades flew toward the crowd.
"Yi Qing, on your right!" Lonemoon exclaimed. It was alright for them to get hid by a couple of wind blades, but on Yi Qing's right stood Yu Hong and the other disciples. They would not be able to withstand more than a few blows.
Yi Qing turned and swung his sword, sweeping his right side and blocking off the huge wind blades.
Chu Xuan took the chance to charge in. He glared at Chen Ge, determined. "If I don't kill you with my own hands today, I will destroy your disciples." Without further hesitation, he grabbed the first person he could reach on his left and flew away. He did not even turn back.
Shen Ying, who had been pulled away all of a sudden: "..."
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He's not left-handed, is he?
————
As Chu Xuan flew off, everybody whom he brought with him disappeared after him. The Immortal Execution Array was complete. The pile of waste was now covered in a blood-red dome – nobody could see what was happening inside.
Only a few of the disciples who were observing the battle outside were lucky not to have been trapped within the array. Yet, none of them dared to go any closer toward it.
Lan Hua and Feng Ying watched Chu Xuan fly off and naturally also saw that the person he grabbed was Shen Ying.
"That was..." Lan Hua stood up all of a sudden, turning around to chase after him.
"What are you doing?" Feng Ying held him back.
"I'm going to save her. Did you not see my good heart being taken away?"
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Feng Ying pursed his lips. "Trust me, she's the only one you wouldn't need to save! We should-"
"No!" Lan Hua could not be bothered with what he had to say. He shook off Feng Ying's hand and pursued Chu Xuan.
"Wait!" He had not finished speaking. Lan Hua disappeared into the skies.
Holy shit!
Lan Hua was flying so fast. He had been flying for more than a minute, yet he still had not caught sight of a single figure. Inside, he cursed the man who took Shen Ying away. Indeed, not one of the Celestial Emperors were good – every last one of them was rotten to the core. His heart felt extremely heavy.
He knew full well that this was the Heavens beyond Heaven, and that man was a Celestial Emperor. Even if he caught him, his demonic identity would surely be exposed the moment they fought. Then, he would have difficulty getting away. The smartest solution was to save the Young Emperor of the Invincible Sect, then think of saving Shen Ying together.
If he had been calmer, he would not even have gone to so much trouble. Shen Ying was his good heart – if she disappeared and died at the hands of that man, Lan Hua would benefit. Once his good heart was removed, he would be able to become a Skyfiend.
He knew that this was logical, but... he could not control himself!
○| ̄|_
At the thought that she was his good heart, his body went into overdrive. He could not stop himself as he tore the necklace from his neck and regulated his demonic Qi to increase his speed.
After a few moments, he felt the weak aura of that Celestial Emperor. His heart leapt as he flew in the direction of that aura. A few moments later, he felt ten distinct auras atop a mountain. Chest tightening, he shouted.
"Let go of that lady!"
The moment he spoke, the tallest figure paused and waved toward him. "Hey, Boss!"
"Good Heart? You're all..." right? Before he could finish speaking, he felt something beneath his feet as he landed. He looked down and saw that it was an immortal. He looked around and found that something was amiss.
Huh?
Why were there over ten people lying down here?
Why are there a few more people hanging on that tree?
Why was the man Shen Ying was stepping on so familiar?
What the heck... is happening here?
What happened in that one minute?
ლ(°△°ლ)
"Good... Heart?" You're Good Heart; I haven't got it wrong, right? "You're... alright?"
He scanned her from head to toe. That's good! She was not missing any limb and she did not have any broken bones. Even her hair was still in place. Only her robes looked a little dusty and ugly... Oh, it looked like that from the beginning.
"I'm alright." Shen Ying tilted her head as if recalling something. "Oh yes, Che..."
She was just about to ask how the others were, when the person beneath her feet jumped. He seemed to have heard something strange. Suddenly, he struggled to get up. "You're... Celestial... Celestial Emperor Lan Hua... You're Celestial Emperor Lan Hua, aren't you!"
He wanted to turn around, but the moment he moved, Shen Ying stepped on his chest so that he was lying down again. He turned his head around to get a glimpse of Lan Hua.
Lan Hua frowned as he looked at the man under Shen Ying's feet, who had been beaten almost beyond recognition. "Who... is this pig head?"
"Er..." Shen Ying thought for awhile and replied, "He calls himself your good comrade."
"... What? Chicken oil 1 "
"Celestial Emperor, it's me... it's me!" The pig head struggled to turn around to let Lan Hua see his full features. He tried to wriggle closer to Lan Hua. "I'm Chu Xuan, Master! You... You're still alive. That's great, Master..."
Hey, he's Boss' disciple?
Shen Ying paused and retracted her leg. Then, she turned to glance at the person beside her.
"Hey, hey, hey, you're spouting nonsense. Since when have I ever accepted disciples?" Lan Hua frowned.
"Mas... Celestial Emperor." Chu Xuan was obviously getting more agitated. He fixed his gaze on Lan Hua and said, "I'm really Chu Xuan. I'm the Chu Xuan... from the Shu Tai Peak 70,000 years ago!"
"Shu Tai Peak?" Lan Hua bent over and took a closer look at Chu Xuan. He thought long and hard for a long time and then declared, "I don't know you!"
Chu Xuan: "..."
Shen Ying: "..."
Er, why do I hear something breaking?
Chu Xuan's blue and purple face became pale instantly. It seemed like every last bit of anger seeped out of his body.
He slumped, and then suddenly realised something.
"Chu Xuan knows... that he is not worthy of being your disciple. I did not dare to ask before... And I dare to even less now... In the past, I was blinded and I let you down. Please, forgive me. All I ask... All I ask is for you to let me atone for my past mistakes." His tears started to flow down his cheeks, as if he could no longer hold them back. Soon, streaks of tears covered his face. Wow! He looks uglier now. "Even... even if you kill me, I will have no complaints."
Hey! He's so emotional! Shen Ying turned to look at Lan Hua.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lan Hua felt goosebumps raise on his hands and turned to glare at her. He took a step back, disgusted. "I don't even know him."
"Celestial Emperor..." Chu Xuan was looking more desperate now.
Shen Ying sighed, "Hey... control your emotions first!"
"..." Why must I freaking control my emotions–explain yourself!
"Hey, you're still alive. Since you're still alive, come back and break the array for me." I want to eat lunch soon and Chef is still stuck in there!
"Oh yes!" Lan Hua suddenly recalled the matter at hand. This is not the time to talk about all of this. He suddenly wondered again about how Shen Ying managed to free herself.
"You want to go back!" Chu Xuan could not believe his ears. Did the Celestial Emperor really want to go back and save Chen Ge, that ingrate?
"What's wrong?" Hungry Shen Ying's expression turned cold. "Do you have something to say about that?"
A few images flashed across Chu Xuan's mind, and he began to tremble. His still swollen face instantly displayed fear. Subconsciously, he retreated behind Lan Hua. "N-No." Compared to Celestial Emperor Lan Hua, this female immortal was much scarier!
Lan Hua did not bother about Chu Xian. Instead, he drew his flying sword, supported the pig head up, grabbed Shen Ying and flew into the sky.
They flew at an extremely high speed. In about a minute, they were back at the Interspatial Arena. On the road, they finally clarified the relationship between Lan Hua and Chu Xuan.
Chu Xuan and Chen Ge were immortals from Yun Feng continent's Shu Tai Peak. 70,000 years ago, when Chu Xuan was a Mystic Immortal, his skills and techniques were lacking given his itinerant cultivator background. As a result, a problem arose when Chu Xuan went through the Heavenly Tribulations. At that time, Lan Hua had not yet become a demon and was only an immortal emperor. He had been passing by and gave Chu Xuan a hand. He even taught Chu Xuan and Chen Ge a technique that suited them very well.
It was the work of fate. Chu Xuan had already taken Lan Hua to be his master. With the technique that Lan Hua taught them, Chu Xuan and Chen Ge trained and finally became Celestial Emperors. Later, they heard that demons were causing trouble and Chen Ge invited him, together with several other Celestial Emperors, to fight the demons.
At that time, he had no idea who the demon was. Moreover, when Lan Hua helped him, he did not leave his name behind. After Lan Hua became a demon, the demon Qi surrounding his body caused him to become unrecognisable.
After it all blew over, Chu Xuan found out that his techniques and training methods were all created by Celestial Emperor Lan Hua, who was the very demon that he had helped to defeat.
Chu Xuan felt extremely pained knowing that he had killed his benefactor with his own hands. Subsequently, he found out that Lan Yu, Lan Hua's brother, had caused him to turn into a demon, Chu Xuan decided to work with Chen Ge and seek revenge for Celestial Emperor Lan Hua. When Lan Yu finally became the Celestial Emperor of the Yun Feng continent, however, Chen Ge no longer wanted to have conflicts with him. He turned Chu Xuan down. Chu Xuan was angered by Chen Ge's ungratefulness and began to hate him as well.
That was why all these years, he caused Lan Yu and Chen Ge so much trouble.
As Chu Xuan recounted these things, he cried. It was obvious that he was experiencing excruciating anger. Lan Hua almost feared that he would jump off the flying sword.
Lan Hua, on the other hand, looked calm. He felt nothing in his heart. Instead, all he wanted was to eat seeds. Whatever Chu Xuan could not forget... Lan Hua could not recall whatsoever.
Lan Hua expressed that he taught so many people so many techniques that he hardly remembered any of them.
It was right – Boss Lan Hua was a child who dished out money freely. Shen Ying began to suspect that his younger brother wanted to kick him off his pedestal because he was wasting too much money.
Hmm... She'd better treat Father Niu nicely in the future.
Chapter 180: The Confusing Illusions
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
By the time Shen Ying and company returned to the Interspatial Arena, there were no immortals left outside the array. She did not know whether the remaining immortals fled or whether they entered the array to save people. All they say was a giant blood-red coloured dome with about a few kilometres radius.
They flew on top of the dome and tried to look in. Faintly, they could see a group of people at the right side. They were the various emperors who had been watching the battle. Chef and Father Niu were there too. At that time, however, all of them were lying on the floor motionless. Inside the entire array, everything was silent. Not one person seemed to be breathing. They all looked like they were asleep.
"What's going on?" Lan Hua turned to glare at Chu Xuan. Is this an Immortal Execution Array or a Soul Confundus Array? Why were they all unconscious?
"Celestial... Emperor, this is just a sign," Chu Xuan began to explain. "The array is complete and their primordial spirits have been trapped inside it." As he spoke, he conjured another seal, raised his hand and waved toward the array. The blood red colour hung for awhile, and then a golden light flashed and everything inside the dome changed.
The ancient wasteland was no more. In its place was a tall mountain peak with molten rocks and lava. Everywhere they looked, the place looked just as frightening as hell. The air inside was filled with wind blades and sword Qi. The immortals who were seen unconscious earlier were inside, scattered and fighting the wind blades, yet none of them were able to block off that many blows. Some of the wind blades hit the crowds. It seemed like the fight would go on forever. If this carried on, the people inside would be stabbed to death for sure.
"The immortals have a long life. As long as they have one last breath, they can be revived," Chu Xuan explained. "That is why an ordinary attack cannot be used to deal with immortals. The Immortal Execution Array traps the immortal's primordial spirit until it is destroyed and the immortal dies."
So those were just the bodies of the immortals that they saw lying down.
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"Stop your nonsense – break the array immediately!" Shen Ying dragged Chu Xuan out from behind Lan Hua. It was almost noontime.
"I... I... I can't break it!" Chu Xuan's legs turned to jelly and he almost fell to his knees.
"You conjured the array and you can't break it?" Lan Hua looked at him suspiciously. Was he kidding?
"I really cannot break it. This is an ancient array – it was here from the beginning. I only found out about it a few hundred years ago as well." Chu Xuan looked like he was on the brink of tears. If Celestial Emperors knew how to break the array, he would not have used it against Chen Ge. "This array is founded on the five elements of Yin and Yang. The closer you are to the centre of the array, the more dangerous it would be. The scene in the array is ever changing as well. One must destroy the heart of the array before they can dream of breaking the array, but the heart of this array is at the centre of the array. We won't be able to get to it if we don't enter."
So there was no way to break the array from outside, but the moment they enter, they can forget about ever escaping.
"Moreover..." He pointed toward the dome below and said, "The array has been completed and another world has formed inside the dome. The walls of this array are stronger than even realm gates. There is no way to..."
Crack...
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Ying bent over and reached out to the dome, pulling it apart with some strength.
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The walls of the array, which Chu Xuan said were stronger than realm gates, broke... broke... broke apart... just like paper!
Σ(°△°|||)
Chu Xuan: "..."
Lan Hua: "..."
Shen Ying, who was just trying her luck: "..."
Chu Xuan: This must be a fake Immortal Execution Array. He thought it was a strong and formidable ancient array?
Lan Hua: This must be a fake Immortal Execution Array. Indeed, he could not trust anything Celestial Emperors said!
Shen Ying: This must be a fake Immortal Execution Array. She read the Soul-Sealing List for no reason – wasn't it said that only saints could open it?
Hai, if she had known this earlier, she would not have brought Boss' good comrade here together with them. She would have left them there to continue sorting out their relationship.
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"Heh... Well, help me locate Chef!" She remembered the important task at hand. Shen Ying pushed Lan Hua aside and suddenly added, "And Father Niu."
Lan Hua looked at the opening of the array in disbelief. Then, he lowered his head and looked closely.
"They're there!" Lan Hua used his divine perception and located the group of people from Invincible Sect. He pointed at the lower right hand corner of the dome.
"Let's go over." Shen Ying was just about to go over and fetch them, but she was stopped by Lan Hua.
"Wait!" Lan Hua frowned. "Something is not right there."
On closer inspection, the group saw that the corner where the Invincible Sect held was indeed much quieter than everywhere else. There was no danger, no flying wind blades and no sword Qi. Instead, it was a peaceful garden of flowers and it looked extremely safe where they were. For some reason, apart from Yi Qing and Lonemoon who were standing together, everybody else was spread out. It looked like... They despised everyone else.
"That's the... Illusion Valley!" Chu Xuan sputtered, shocked. He turned to Shen Ying and then retreated two steps, as if afraid that she might reach out to hit him.
"What does that mean?" Shen Ying paused.
"The Illusion Valley is a place where illusions become reality." Lan Hua's expression fell and he frowned. He had not expected that this place would exist inside an Immortal Execution Array. "Inside, the fragrance of the flowers would condense into either the thing that a person fears or treasures most. It's very much like the mental demons, except whatever they interact with is tangible. That makes it very difficult for them to differentiate between imagination and reality."
Lan Hua conjured an array to protect the three of them. Then, he lowered his voice and instructed, "Do not go anywhere near that array or we will get affected by the fragrance of the flowers as well."
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"Oh," Shen Ying nodded.
Lan Hua mounted his flying sword and entered the hole in the array.
At that moment, Yi Qing and Lonemoon who were in the Illusion Valley realised something was amiss. They looked around.
"What's going on? Where's Yu Hong and the others?" Everybody was gathered together before this, yet the moment they entered the garden, only two of them remained. In front of them, apart from flowers, all they could see was a fog.
"I can't feel their aura." Yi Qing shook his head.
Lonemoon's face fell. "There is something wrong with his garden. Be careful."
Yi Qing nodded. Then, he paused and looked up in front of him. "That is... Master!"
From the white fog, a familiar figure emerged.
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But was pulled back by Yi Qing.
"Wait!"
"What's wrong?" Lonemoon paused. He turned to look at Yi Qing and then realised something. He stopped moving.
"What's wrong with you two? Why are you just standing there?" Shen Ying waved them over. "Come with me, it's very dangerous in this array!"
The moment she finished speaking, both Yi Qing and Lonemoon frowned.
"Shen Ying, you know how to get out of here?" Lonemoon asked.
"Of course – how do you think I was going to save you?" Shen Ying rolled her eyes.
"Where's the way?"
"Right there. Come with me, quickly. We just need to walk toward the east and we'll be out."
The two of them exchanged glances and raised their swords at the same time. They charged toward Shen Ying and stabbed her several times without any hesitation.
"Where did this freak come from? It's not even imitating her rightly. Shen Ying, that brat, doesn't remember any directions."
"What lousy acting – how dare she try to impersonate Master. After four years, she still has never returned alone from the backyard after watering the plants. How can this imposter say that she knows the way back?"
In a moment, a hundred thousand flashes of the sword filled the air in the garden. They cut the fake "Shen Ying" into pieces so that only a pile of branches and twigs remained on the floor.
Not far away.
Chu Xuan: "..."
Lan Hua: "..."
Shen Ying, who just landed: "..." Motherf*ckers!
The two of them were okay, but why was she feeling so terribly upset?