RETURNING FROM THE IMMORTAL WORLD

Chapter 1331 - Chapter 1340

Chapter 1331: Star Tears' Suspicion

 

After hurrying back to the Misty Spring Ocean, Tang Xiu chose to retreat in seclusion directly. But instead of immersing himself in cultivation, he spent his time refining Five-colored Toadstools into poison pills.

The work occupied him for an entire month. When Tang Xiu took the 10 Myriad Poison Pills and came out of Repose Cliff, he saw Gu Xiaoxue sitting cross-legged on the edge of the cliff while playing with two Immortal Crystals. Her face, however, looked thin and pale.

"Xiaoxue!"

Tang Xiu walked and smilingly asked, "Looks like you have something weighing in your mind, yes?"

Gu Xiaoxue floated up and intimately grabbed Tang Xiu's hand and forced a smile. "We're broke. We have no money left, Grand Master. I think we'll only be able to support military expenses for two more months at most."

"Huh?" Tang Xiu froze for a moment and looked bewildered. "Didn't I leave quite a lot of Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences before? How can all of them be used up this fast?"

"Well, most of the Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences were used to purchase cultivation resources. The consumption rate of those 400,000 soldiers doesn't need to be mentioned, while we also must give each Perfected Golden Immortal 1 million Immortal Crystals. We only have 2.6 million Immortal Crystals and a few hundreds of Crystal Essences left as of now."

Tang Xiu frowned slightly, remembering that before returning from Agaric Castle, he had paid that old man 500,000 Crystal Essences and then sent tens of millions to Agaric Castle to pay the remaining 7 million Crystal Essences he owed and back with some Seven-colored Toadstool.

It was still the same kind of problem time and again where their spending kept flowing enormously.

Furthermore, Tang Xiu clearly remembered another thing. When Apotheon Mu returned from Immortal Lyceum, he told him that Apotheosis Bella gave him all the Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences the Immortal Lyceum had, so the Immortal Lyceum's financial situation was also very tight now.

Tang Xiu didn't plan to visit the Convict Arena again. He just recently returned to the Immortal World, yet he visited the Convict Arena many times already, either to buy their deathmatch fighters or to gamble. It was bound to attract the attention of the high-level people there. Back when in the Immortal Domain when he left the Convict Arena, the other party was investigating him, though he did quickly leave the place without a trace.

And now, if he were to visit the Convict Arena to gamble again, it was very likely that he'd easily be noticed by the other party.

"Seems like going back to the old business can't be avoided."

Tang Xiu's eyes flickered. After sending a message with the Message Token, Apotheon Mu came shortly after. Without waiting for him to speak, Tang Xiu straightly asked, "Do the star regions near the Misty Spring Ocean have some rich and wicked people?"

Apotheon Mu thought for a while before replying, "I think there are some. I remember there's a place about thousands of kilometers away from Misty Spring Ocean called Myriad Demons Grotto. The owner of this Myriad Demons Grotto is called Barefooted Demon, an old lunatic fiend. Ruthless and merciless as he is, he stops at nothing in doing all kinds of evil deeds. More importantly, many indigenous people in that star region are forced to flee because of their helplessness facing the persecution of this group of ruthless experts that plunge the region into chaos. Those that cannot escape can only be enslaved there."

"And you haven't dealt with him all this time?" asked Tang Xiu inquisitively.

"To be honest, I'm not even a match for Barefooted Demon, Master." Apotheon Mu bitterly smiled. "He's a very powerful Perfected Golden Immortal, and he still also has two other Perfected Golden Immortals and tens of Golden Immortals under him. I've been there and attempted to remove him before but returned back wounded."

Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and sneered. "Hmph, he's a devil, alright. Robbing him won't leave any guilty feelings nor psychological burdens. Notify everyone except for Seaway Monarch and Zenith Venerable. You lead the rest to remove these fiends and bring back their wealth."

"Do you really want to take our people to slaughter them, Master," Apotheon Mu was surprised.

"We're heavily short on money." Tang Xiu nodded. "Since Myriad Demons Grotto is such an evil place, then we might as well massacre these fiends and snatch their wealth. In this way, we still help those weak people so they can go on living indirectly."

Apotheon Mu smiled at his statement. He had been following Tang Xiu for millenniums and naturally understood his nature well. Whenever they needed massive funds, his Master, Tang Xiu, always used such a slogan of helping the weak by slaughtering some fiends so he could obtain wealth.

"Well, then I'm going, Master," Apotheon Mu replied and left quickly.

Several days later, Apotheon Mu and the rest returned and brought back a lot of wealth. Just the number of Crystal Essences alone was around 20 million, and around 400 million Immortal Crystals.

Tang Xiu gave part of the Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences to Apotheon Mu and the rest as their rewards and gave the remaining half to Gu Xiaoxue.

The whole boundless sky was clear and speckless.

Tang Xiu sat cross-legged on the Repose Cliff. His eyes seemed to be able to penetrate the endless void and saw the trembling scenes of countless stars from the distant universe. The planets inside his body simultaneously roared and, while lifeforce energy from the Heavenly Path Universe Tree kept drilling into the planets one after another, causing these celestial bodies to gradually appear alive.

BOOM...

Finally, the third layer of the Soul Smelting Stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis had been broken through.

"This feeling of power..."

Tang Xiu floated up, allowing the inexhaustible Immortal spiritual force to be infused into his body from all directions, and then being absorbed and refined continuously before it was integrated into the space in his Dantian.

Before this breakthrough, it was nearly impossible for Tang Xiu to kill a Golden Immortal Stage powerhouse, though he did have the ability to fight average Golden Immortals. With this breakthrough, however, his power grew tremendously and, even though he had yet to have the capability to kill a Perfected Golden Immortal directly, he could still slay a weak Perfected Golden Immortal by unleashing some divine abilities.

But as for Golden Immortals, Tang Xiu now had all the confidence to crush any of them to pieces.

Tang Xiu stood high in the sky. His white attire fluttered by the wind as he sent messages through the Message Token. Two hours later, 12 figures appeared in front of him. 10 of them were Perfected Golden Immortals in the Great Tang Empire, together with Gu Yan'er and Battle Peng, and all stood with respectful faces and waited for Tang Xiu to speak.

"It's about time."

Tang Xiu took the Message Token from the interspatial ring and took a deep breath, stating, "Yan'er and Battle Peng, you both will stay in the Misty Spring Ocean to ensure the safety of the Great Tang Empire. During our leave, if any strong enemies were to appear here, immediately order the Great Tang Empire's soldiers to evacuate and hold fast to defend the Repose Cliff."

Gu Yan'er felt a bit unwilling inwardly, but her cultivation had not been fully restored and she was only at the Golden Immortal Stage now. Hence, she could only suppress her unwillingness and nod. "I understand."

Tang Xiu nodded and continued, "This campaign will take half a year at the fastest, or 10 years at the slowest. But nonetheless, we'll definitely come back to this place. The Great Tang Empire doesn't need to continue expanding its territory for the time being and only needs to recruit more troops and train in secret for the war preparation. The army I need must at least consist of hundreds of millions of soldiers, so we still have a long way to go."

"Please rest assured, Master," replied Gu Yan'er in a deep voice.

Tang Xiu smiled lightly in response and immediately shifted to the 10 Perfected Golden Immortals and said in a deep voice, "We'll have a slim chance of survival with this trip to the Heavenly Mountain. That's why I want to ask you. Who among you dares not to go there? Tell me now and I'll allow you to stay here to take care of the Great Tang Empire."

The 10 people looked at each other, but none of them came forward.

"Very well, then," Tang Xiu said with satisfaction. "You're all worthy of becoming people this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor has selected. You're going with me to Heavenly Mountain in order to rescue four disciples of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. If you're still alive after rescuing them, each of you will be rewarded handsomely with precious treasures."

Seaway Monarch's expression shifted and he asked, "May I ask what kind of treasure you're going to bestow us, Master?"

A long spear suddenly emerged out of nowhere in Tang Xiu's hand as he said in a deep voice, "This is a Praecantator artifact. I can bestow you with this artifact comparable to an 8th grade Immortal artifact. You all should be very clear about the divine armament the Diabolos Praecantator Clan once possessed. Their artifacts are definitely a treasure for battles and conquests. Once you obtain it, your combat power will definitely skyrocket."

Seaway Monarch looked happily surprised and asked aloud, "Since we're about to fight against strong enemies, why don't you give us this Praecantator artifact now, Master? Having a weapon comparable to an 8th grade immortal artifact will surely make us more powerful, so we can kill more enemies later."

"You also know that it will take a long time to fully refine a high-grade Praecantator artifact," said Tang Xiu lightly. "You won't be able to unleash its full might when we get there if I were to bestow you the artifact now. It's much better to continue using your current weapons now."

"Understood!"

Seaway Monarch and the rest knew that Tang Xiu was telling the truth, so he didn't say much.

Tang Xiu shook his right wrist and said lightly, "Star Tears, you are to follow me and everyone else in the Heavenly Abode artifact. This time is of great importance to us. We're not only going to slay our enemies to rescue some people, but we must also keep our identity confidential. Thus, we need to change our appearance to hide our identity."

Shortly after, the nine Perfected Golden Immortals entered the Heavenly Abode artifact, and Tang Xiu shifted to Star Tears and lightly said, "I'm sure you have some questions in mind. You can speak it out now."

"Apotheon Mu is someone from my Vermilion Bird Holy Sect, yet he calls you Master," said Star Tears slowly. "I just really want to know when did you accept him as your disciple since he has been accepted by my nephew? Further, why do you also go so far so as to take huge risks to rescue the juniors of my Vermillion Bird Holy Sect?"

"Apotheon Mu has become my disciple a long time ago," replied Tang Xiu indifferently. "You should be very clear that there are too many occasions where one can have many Masters at the same in the Immortal World. As for why I decided to save the disciples of your Vermillion Brid Holy Sect, it's because of the condition of the exchange between me and Apotheon Mu. He gave me the Misty Spring Ocean to be the Great Tang Empire's stronghold, and I'll save his martial brothers and sister in return."

Star Tears shook her head. "No, there's something amiss. Apotheon Mu's respect towards you is much like what he gives to someone else."

"I presume that someone else is Star Cultivation Great Emperor, yes?" asked Tang Xiu with a smile.

Star Tears took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Yes. It was Star Cultivation Great Emperor, my nephew."

Tang Xiu thought for a while and then said, "If anything, if our trip goes well and we can rescue Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu, and you and I are both still alive, I'll give you the explanation you want."

"It's a deal. I'll hold you to your words." Star Tears shot a deep look at Tang Xiu and replied in a deep voice.

"Well, aside from us, I've also invited some foreign aids to save the people in the Heavenly Mountains, though. By then, Apotheosis Bella Fern Regalia, who is now a Supreme, will also take her people to join forces with us," said Tang Xiu with a smile.

Chapter 1332: Trap

 

13 Immortal Domains separated the Misty Spring Ocean and the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Domain, and Star Tears brought Tang Xiu all the way. It took them nearly 3 months to finally reach the Heavenly Mountain region.

The Heavenly Mountain region itself was a desolate region in the Immortal World. Aside from Sunset City and Starmoon City, there was no other concentration of living beings in the region, and the vast Star River was filled by countless floating meteorites. Oftentimes explosions happened as meteorites crashed into the planet.

The Heavenly Mountain Immortal Domain itself was shrouded by mysterious world law, thus the reason why it could survive in this desolate and dangerous place where the two landmasses connected to each other—the two lands where Sunset City and Starmoon City were located.

This region had no Domain Master and was a chaotic zone. In order to be able to collect resources from the Heavenly Mountain region, the forces from other Immortal Domains had secretly established their foothold here, and the very reason for the intertwined connections and chaotic situation.

Sunset City was located atop a towering precipitous and majestic mountain in the western side, surrounded by a ring of glowing clouds that then enveloped the entire mountain and formed a special gravity space. In this place, even Perfected Golden Immortals could only unleash their strength to a limited extent, at most to the Immortal Stage level. It was this powerful suppression that made countless Immortals unwilling to visit this place easily.

At the moment, 16 thick chains made of thousands of years black, with four of them used to chain a person, consisting of 3 men and a female, on a cliff on the mountainside. There was also a Nine Thunder Array surrounding the four people, and nine lightning bolts bolted down every day and struck the four chained people.

Dao Lord Green Firmament sat cross-legged on a floating futon, sipping the immortal wine in the purple gold gourd in his hand while smilingly watching the chained four people. Several thousands of kilometers away from him, three long-haired twin brothers were being besieged and beaten up by tens of his Golden Immortal subordinates.

"Stop fooling around and just slay them directly!"

Dao Lord Green Firmament comfortably hiccupped, expelling alcohol stench from his nostrils as he hummed with a lack of interest.

Immediately after, the tens of Golden Immortals a few thousand kilometers away unleashed their respective immortal weapons and struck the three twin brothers at the same time. The twin Golden Immortal brothers had to face the fierce bombardment of tens of powerful enemies, and one of them looked desperate and shouted unwillingly, "Master, your disciple is incompetent! We can't save you and Martial Uncles. If there's an afterlife, the three of us will be your disciples again."

In the next moment, the three of them wore a decisive expression and exploded themselves at the same time. The powerful explosion blasted in the middle of the tens of Golden Immortals, sending them flying upside down and coughing a mouthful of blood at the same time. Four of them who were the closest to the triplets were directly killed by the explosion.

"Teng Yun, Teng Xiang, Teng Le..."

A pained expression painted Enchantress Yu's beautiful face and two lines of tears slipped down her fair cheek. No matter how hard she struggled, however, she still couldn't break free from the shackles of the four chains.

Dao Lord Green Firmament cursed angrily. "Hmph, a bunch of fools who have no long memory even after going through so many battles. All of you can't even avoid something like those self-exploding bastards?"

Having cursed at his goons, he shifted to look at Enchantress Yu, whose face now became twisted. A faint smile painted his handsome face as he said, "They die and that's it. If anything, we captured those ants hundreds of years ago, to begin with. I don't give a damn even if they died. But Apotheon Enchantress Yu, you raised those three disciples of yours, right? You surely have tried your best to teach them so that they became more and more powerful. Too bad that they are dead now... you must really feel sorry now, yes? Hahaha..."

Enchantress Yu glared at Dao Lord Green Firmament and roared furiously, "Green Firmament, I beat you and made you a cripple then. If it wasn't for your damned Master who used many treasures to save you, your shitty corpse would have been fed to the Immortal Beasts already!"

Dao Lord Green Firmament's expression hardened and he immediately let out some killing intent, retorting fiercely, "B*tch, if it wasn't for Master, who forbade me to kill you, I'd have already severed your muscles, skinned you alive and refined you into a puppet slave girl. Just you wait! Wait until you've been fully used up here and those who want to rescue you have been slaughtered. I'll personally refine you into a puppet slave girl, so you'll face the most brutal torment for endless years."

Apotheon Enchantress Yu clenched her first. If stares could kill, she would have killed Dao Lord Green Firmament countless times already.

Dao Lord Green Firmament happily hummed twice and then threw the purple gold gourd in his interspatial ring. He clapped his hands and, as two Golden Immortals came, he ordered with a smile, "Notify the rest that I'm going to Sunset City to rest. Tell them to take care of this place and don't easily notify me unless there are some strong enemies."

"By your command, Sir," said the two Golden Immortals respectfully.

Dao Lord Green Firmament glanced at Enchantress Yu once again and grinned. "Well, I'm going to Sunset City first to gather enough auxiliary materials to make you my puppet slave."

Having said that, he laughed uproariously and flew towards Sunset City.

The calm, serene-looking Apotheon Myriad Notes shot a deep and calm look at Apotheon Enchantress Yu, who was thousands of meters from him, and lightly said, "Junior Sister Yu, evil has never vanquished good since ancient times. The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect has been in existence for hundreds of thousands of years in the Immortal World and our sect's foundation is very deep and something we cannot imagine. I believe some experts in our sect are going to save us. Wait until the day we are freed from this trouble and that will be the day when we massacre these enemies."

Apotheon Enchantress Yu shook her head with a pained expression and no longer spoke.

Despair had almost overwhelmed her. During this short period of time, at least 1,000 people had died here because the four of them were used as bait. More than half of those 1,000 people were people they cared about. If they continued to be in such a predicament, in less than a century all their loved ones would be completely gone.

****

Sunset City.

Tang Xiu quietly sat in a teahouse while watching the endless stream of people on the street outside the window. He completely restrained his aura and looked like an ordinary mortal who enjoyed savoring the scented tea. Star Tears, who sat in front of him, stared blankly at the tea in her cup and didn't even move in the slightest for a long while.

Whoosh....

A figure suddenly emerged next to Tang Xiu out of the blue—Seaway Monarch. He reported by transmitting his voice, "Master, we've investigated around and Myriad Thunder Supreme, Zither Demon Jiuyao's Martial Uncle, is holding the fort at the Heavenly Mountain. Further, hearsay outside has it that of the 12 Perfected Golden Immortals here, 6 of them are at the helm, whereas there should be a group of 30-plus Golden Immortals. Other than that, I also picked up some good news."

Tang Xiu's expression shifted and he asked, "What good news?"

"Myriad Thunder Supreme's disciple Dao Lord Green Firmament came to the Sunset City two days ago and has been staying in the Golden Scent Tower for two days, fooling around with some Immortal prostitutes," answered Seaway Monarch with a voice transmission.

Coldness gleamed in Tang Xiu's eyes. He had met this Dao Lord Green Firmament in the past. However, this guy was just a nobody back then and followed his Master Myriad Thunder Supreme to visit his mansion as a guest. But the vermin from the past had now turned into an abominable bastard who persecuted his disciples.

"Get rid of him!" Tang Xiu clenched his fists and transmitted his order while reminiscing for a long while.

Seaway Monarch, who wore a quirky expression, smiled when he heard the order and nodded. "I'll need Zenith Venerable to assist me on this one."

Tang Xiu nodded and summoned Zenith Immortal and Sablefiend Scorpio from the Heavenly Abode artifact, saying, "The two of you will temporarily follow Seaway Monarch's orders and help me get rid of Dao Lord Green Firmament. Our time is tight, so how about half a month?"

"That won't be a problem," said Seaway Monarch lightly.

Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, "Then go! I'll be waiting for you in the Fullmoon Star River."

Afterward, Tang Xiu left with Star Tears and headed straight to the Eastern suburbs of Sunset City that led to the Fullmoon Star River. As they arrived in the region, Tang Xiu observed the surrounding environment and began to draw array patterns and buried some Immortal Crystals to arrange the Nine Chains Curve Array.

After finishing, he sat cross-legged with Star Tears and waited in silence.

****

At the Golden Scent Tower.

Two belles occupied the left and right side of Dao Lord Green Firmament as he was surrounded by a group of alluring females, enjoying the services of the group of Immortal prostitutes. No one noticed that streams of Yin energy were continuously being extracted from the group of Immortal prostitutes and were silently absorbed by Dao Lord Green Firmament.

It was the Vast Yin Demonic Art, a wicked and fearsome evil technique created by a certain fiend in the Immortal World that allowed those who practiced it to steal the Yin Essence of women around him secretly, to be refined and then absorbed to increase his own cultivation.

Dao Lord Green Firmament looked like he was a righteous Immortal on the surface, yet he had been secretly cultivating the evil art of Vast Yin Demonic Art that harmed others to benefit himself. Countless women had fallen victim to him.

BAM...

A loud bang passed to Dao Lord Green Firmament's ears.

His grim and cold eyes instantly shifted to the source of the sound and he suddenly saw a burly man fly in and pulled in the female brothel keeper in the pavilion hall full of women. The belle looked like a docile little bird next to the burly man, who now kicked the chest of the old brothel keeper and nearly killed her.

"What vulgar b*tches!"

"Everyone of you here is nothing but cheat sl*ts. All the men who take a liking to b*tches like you here are nothing but blind idiots!"

The woman—Sablefiend Scorpio in disguise after shapeshifting—contemptuously glanced at everyone around. Looking at the angry eyes aiming at her, she contemptuously said, "My man is a super expert, an invincible Perfected Golden Immortal in the Immortal World. If you have no more beautiful Immortal prostitutes here, you can see how I burn you all along with this place!"

"What a crazy b*tch!"

A grim voice was heard from one of the private rooms. A lean man then emerged and his eyes greedily swept across the sensitive areas of Sablefiend Scorpio as he said with a bizarre smile.

Seaway Monarch raised his brows and indifferently glanced at the guy and slapped that Golden Immortal and sent him flying. Afterward, he looked disappointed and shook his head. "Heh, what a disappointment! The women here are so bad and disappointing. Might as well go to the casino to gamble."

Sablefiend Scorpio smilingly said, "Do you still need to gamble after getting so many treasures and tons of Crystal Essences from Demon Dragon Grotto a while ago, Master? Besides, winning money from this dirt-poor bunch is really boring!"

Chapter 1333 - Each with a Sinister Plot

 

In the Immortal World, the Demon Dragon Grotto was famous as a treasure trove. It was well-known as a place ridden with grave dangers. Yet there were still countless powerhouses who went there and attempted their luck to take risks and braved deaths for treasure hunting. According to statistics, there were a total of 72 Demon Dragon Grottos in the entire Immortal World, and one of them had even rewarded some lucky people with Primordial Chaos treasures that were a level higher than a 9th grade Immortal artifact.

In a flash, all the guests in the entire Golden Scent Tower shot hot-burning stares at Seaway Monarch. Among them were immortal prostitutes whose burning eyes were as though able to melt him.

Dao Lord Green Firmament pushed the prostitute in his embrace away. His eyes gleamed and different thoughts kept churning in his mind. He looked at the back of Seaway Monarch and Sablefiend Scorpio leaving. After taking out 100 Immortal Crystals from his interspatial ring and throwing them to the surroundings like throwing garbage, he ignored the prostitutes around who were fighting to get the Immortal Crystals and flew away.

The moment he appeared out of Golden Scent Tower, he quickly pinched a Message Token.

Thousands of meters away from him, however, Zenith Venerable was leaning on a shop's wall, watching Seaway Monarch and Sablefiend Scorpio leave. He also saw Dao Lord Green Firmament come out of the interior to trail them and sent a message. A sneer suddenly appeared in the corner of his mouth.

At the Fullmoon Star River, eastern suburbs of Sunset City.

Tang Xiu sat cross-legged on the riverbank and received a message from Zenith Venerable. Then, he sneered. "Hmph, I originally planned to kill this Dao Lord Green Firmament. But I didn't expect him to summon his companions. I hope he'll call some more people, else it will take us more effort when we go rescue those guys."

"Dao Lord Green Firmament is very weak. He's much weaker than me," said Star Tears. "Getting rid of him is very easy, and I expect that more enemies appearing will be much better."

Tang Xiu pointed to the Fullmoon Star River in front and smilingly said, "Well, if the number of Perfected Golden Immortals who come with him is more than 3, then the Nine Chains Curve Array I've arranged will only be able to give them some troubles at most but won't be able to trap them inside. But if their number is only 2 or 3 people, they can only enter and stay there for good."

"The Nine Chains Curve Array is an offensive array as I reckon," said Star Tears. "But you sound like you have altered it into some entrapment array, is that true?"

"Well, if anything, all the arrays in the world are subjects for changes. I once heard a line that the best defense in the world is taking the offensive initiative. Although the Nine Chains Curve Array itself was an offensive one, a slight alteration and improvement are enough to make the stacking layers of this array to ultimately form an entrapment feature. When attacking, it will also create that trap effect. Such a feature can give some headaches to Perfected Golden Immortals, am I right?"

Star Tears' eyes lit up. She didn't expect that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor's attainment in arrays was much better than her.

Speaking about it, she felt that the young man in front of her was really too mysterious. Through the few contacts she had with him, she found that the more she knew him, the more she couldn't see through this person at all. Back in the past, she had also met countless outstanding peerless geniuses, even meeting the best one among them, her own nephew, Star Cultivation Great Emperor. But compared to them all, the young man in front still seemed to be much more outstanding.

Where did this guy come from?

The thought flashed in Star Tears' mind, though she no longer spoke again.

Time fleeted by, and finally, when the figures of Seaway Monarch and Sablefiend Scorpio appeared in sight, Tang Xiu and Star Tears directly bolted away into a concealment array that had been arranged in advance.

"Lead him into the Fullmoon Star River." Tang Xiu sent a message to Seaway Monarch.

Seaway Monarch didn't reply but flew directly to the surface of the 10,000 meters wide Fullmoon Star River with Sablefiend Scorpio in tow. After their feet stepped on the sparkling wave of the river surface, only then did they slowly halt their pace.

"Some brigands and the like are stalking, huh? From which stone did you come under? Only daring to hide your head and tail and stalking us all the ways?" Seaway Monarch intentionally looked angry and glanced around as he shouted aloud.

I was discovered?

Dao Lord Green Firmament was surprised. But after ruminating for a moment, he sent a message again and then waited a few minutes. His figure then appeared in the line of sight of Seaway Monarch and Sablefiend Scorpio. Dao Lord Green Firmament then looked at the vigilant look on their faces and laughed aloud. "Hahaha, I just happened to pass by, but I didn't expect to run into two Immortal Friends here. It was fate that brought us, predestined friends, to meet here!"

Seaway Monarch frowned and indifferently said, "I don't think our meeting is coincidental since you've been stalking all the way here, yes? I've been vaguely sensing that someone was following us since we left Sunset City. That someone must be you. Am I right?"

Dao Lord Green Firmament wanted to stall him and immediately wore a smile and waved. "Well, you misunderstood, Fellow Immortal. I haven't been to Sunset City before and just passed by here. However, seeing how vigilant you both are as though you're facing an enemy kind of amazed me! Could it be that you've done something wrong and got a lot of enemies pursuing you?"

"Mind your own business. You got nothing to do with whatever we've done," said Seaway Monarch indifferently. "But since you just passed by, then scram fast! Else, don't blame me for being hostile and killing you here now."

The smile on Dao Lord Green Firmament gradually disappeared. He shot a deep look at Seaway Monarch and shook his head. "It seems being polite has never been in your dictionary, doesn't it, Sir? I greeted you with a smiling face, yet you threatened me directly. That makes me unhappy. I demand an apology from you!"

"Heh, I've never and will never apologize to anyone." Seaway Monarch sneered. "Be wise and know your place and get the fuck away. Else, today will be the time of your death!"

Dao Lord Green Firmament took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I've seen countless arrogant people like you, but none is more rampant than you. You refuse to apologize, so don't blame me for being ruthless. However, you're a stranger and I'm giving you a chance to introduce yourself. Tell me, where do you come from? You even dare to act so arrogantly in front of Dao Lord Green Firmament?"

With that said, he unleashed an immortal sword stored in his body and was ready to strike at any time.

Seaway Monarch's expression slightly shifted. He then recalled the message Tang Xiu sent him that told him to delay him, so he said in a deep voice, "Shouldn't you be the first to introduce yourself before asking others' details?"

Dao Lord Green Firmament relaxed. He was also afraid that Seaway Monarch would attack him straight away. After all, he could sense that this guy was not weak. It was even likely that he was much more powerful than him. Therefore, he needed to wait for his companions to arrive. After thinking for a while, he said, "I've already told you my name previously, yet your shallow knowledge just made you ignorant. But I have no problem telling you again. I'm Dao Lord Green Firmament and my Master is Myriad Thunder Supreme. Don't tell me you have never heard of the name of my Master!"

Seaway Monarch intentionally looked shocked and quickly cupped his fists. "Well, well, I didn't expect you to be a disciple of Myriad Thunder Supreme. Who in the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Domain doesn't know Myriad Thunder Supreme? I admit that I've been offensive a bit and for that, I hope you can forgive me. I'm Skyhole Immortal Monarch. I just recently arrived in the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Domain after adventuring the Demon Dragon Grotto."

Dao Lord Green Firmament loosened up and a smile climbed up his face again. "You're not to blame since you didn't know. But daring to venture deep into the Dragon Demon Grotto shows that you're very capable, Skyhole Immortal Monarch. I presume that you gained quite a lot from there, yes?"

"The gains are just so-so, not worth mentioning," replied Seaway Monarch with a smile.

Suddenly, Dao Lord Green Firmament flew towards Seaway Monarch and Sablefiend Scorpio. As he descended tens of meters away from them, he smilingly said, "Well, I'm sure Skyhole Immortal Monarch doesn't know the custom of this place. Those who harvest or gain benefits here mush share it with the others who know."

"You..." Seaway Monarch's expression changed and he immediately looked vigilant again.

Whoosh...

A hazy figure bolted from the distance and appeared beside Dao Lord Green Firmament in just a few breaths. Wearing greaves and a lance in his hand and donning a scarlet robe, majestic aura exuded from the person.

"Styx River Venerable?" Seaway Monarch's expression changed and he blurted out in a deep voice.

"Styx River Venerable raised his brows and looked a bit surprised, saying, "I never thought to run into you here, Seaway Monarch. It's been thousands of years. I didn't expect to run into you here in the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Domain. This is truly the work of fate!"

Dao Lord Green Firmament stared blankly for a moment and was confused. "Senior Brother Styx River, what did you just call him? Seaway Monarch? He just claimed to be Skyhole Immortal Monarch!"

"Skyhole Immortal Monarch, huh?" Styx River Venerable wore a strange expression and immediately laughed aloud. "Junior Brother Green Firmament, he got you played! The dignified Seaway Monarch is a Perfected Golden Immortal, how could he become that Skyhole Immortal Monarch?"

Seaway Monarch squinted and his eyes lingered on Dao Lord Green Firmament and Styx River Venerable before smilingly said, "Well, well. You followed me to this place after I left the Golden Scent Tower. You also intentionally hit a conversation with me surely because you were waiting for Styx River to arrive here to join forces with you to rob me of my treasures?"

Dao Lord Green Firmament grinned and said, "Knowing it now is still too late for you. Senior Brother Styx River, this guy has some treasures from Demon Dragon Grotto. Since we Martial Brothers ran into him, we mustn't miss this God-given opportunity!"

"This is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Styx River Venerable nodded with a grin. "The treasures in the Demon Dragon Grotto that can make Seaway Monarch happy must be of great value."

With an eager attitude and itching to strike, Dao Lord Green Firmament grinned. "Then let's slay him and rob him."

"Hahaha..." Seaway Monarch burst into laughter. "Dao Lord Green Firmament, did you forget the name I just told you? I'm Skyhole Immortal Monarch, the hole in the sky that will become a grave for idiots like you.

Buzz...

In the dark, invisible energy surged.

In the next moment, Tang Xiu and Star Tears appeared out of the blue. After coming to the side of Seaway Monarch and Sablefiend Scorpio, Tang Xiu grinned and said, "Well, I'm kinda disappointed here. I thought I could lure a few more Perfected Golden Immortals, but I didn't expect to only have a stinking Styx River coming here."

Dao Lord Green Firmament's expression changed. He never thought that someone else had been hiding in a concealment array. That young man looked like he had a low cultivation level, but the woman beside him exuded a formidable aura and should be at least a Perfected Golden Immortal.

Is this... actually a trap?

Dao Lord Green Firmament and Styx River Venerable exchanged glances and the former immediately said in a deep voice, "Just two Perfected Golden Immortals. Do you think you can trap us with this line-up?"

Chapter 1334: - Going with the Flow

 

"Setting up traps for your prey means you naturally have an absolute advantage." Tang Xiu slightly smiled and said, "Hey, what are you waiting for, Zenith Venerable?"

A figure bolted fast from the distance and quickly appeared with his enormous aura. With a smile on his face, Zenith Venerable spoke aloud, "I've long known this Green Firmament bastard, Master. But this is my first time seeing him with this kind of big face, to think that he deserves so many people to smack him together."

"Ah, so you know this Dao Lord Green Firmament?" Tang Xiu smiled.

"Yeah, I not only know him, but I also have a feud with this guy." Zenith Venerable grinned. "A just and righteous guy on the surface, but an absolute hypocrite on the inside. Thousands of years ago, we were both Golden Immortals. At that time, his Junior Brother found a Floodlight shuttle artifact and was killed by him. But he gave a few million Crystal Essences to help him get rid of him."

Dao Lord Green Firmament's expression turned pale with incredulity on his face, shouting fiercely, "Zenith Venerable, you're a Perfected Golden Immortal, yet you unexpectedly lowered yourself to serve others? You, you... do you not have face anymore?"

"Heh? What face? Is that a very important thing to have?" Zenith Venerable sneered. "What's more important, preserving your face or your life?"

Gasp...

Dao Lord Green Firmament suddenly couldn't help but gasp after hearing it. He did hear that Zenith Venerable had his life under the control of some people, so he could only take orders and serve that person as his Master. However, this guy was a Perfected Golden Immortal, so who could make him submit?

Tang Xiu shot a look at Dao Lord Green Firmament and Styx River Venerable and smilingly said, "Well, what do you guys think now? Do you think all of us can slay you?"

Dao Lord Green Firmament scoffed. "Hmph, 3 Perfected Golden Immortals may sound a lot, but you're dreaming if you want to kill us two Martial Brothers with such a lineup."

"So you say that we're not enough, huh? But how about adding more people?" Tang Xiu responded with a smile.

With that said he directly summoned the other 6 Perfected Golden Immortals from the Heavenly Abode artifact and smilingly said, "10 Perfected Golden Immortals ganging up to kill the two of you inside the Nine Chains Curve Array. I think it should be enough now, yes?"

Only now was Dao Lord Green Firmament scared stiff and dumbstruck. His whole being was as though falling into an ice hole, overwhelmed with fear. He wouldn't be this scared if they were just besieged by 10 Perfected Golden Immortals. But they were now trapped inside the Nine Chains Curve Array. What shocked him the most was that his Messenger Token couldn't be used and no messages could be transmitted from the inside, neither could he use his life-saving treasure, the Floodlight Shuttle.

Beside him, Styx River Venerable also looked panicked. Especially after he heard Tang Xiu say "10 Perfected Golden Immortals", he felt a chill down his spine. He could sense the auras the 9 Perfected Golden Immortals exuded. Though his vision lingered on Tang Xiu, it then finally focused on another particular person, Sablefiend Scorpio.

"How about giving that Styx River guy to me, Master?" Sablefiend Scorpio came to Tang Xiu and respectfully asked.

Tang Xiu raised his brows and asked, "Do you think you can kill him quickly with your current strength?"

"Well, I can kill him in half an incense time, Master," said Sablefiend Scorpio confidently. "Also, this retainer of yours dares not to hide it from you, Lord. Styx River has a deep feud with me. Although I made him pay a terrible price in the past, this hatred has never dissipated. If it wasn't for his Master, Myriad Thunder Supreme, sheltering him, I'd have already scattered his soul into oblivion never to be reincarnated again."

"You got a feud with this guy? What happened between you two?" asked Tang Xiu in surprise.

"He killed my four children and massacred my Scorpion Village," replied Sablefiend Scorpio.

Styx River Venerable's eyes shrunk after hearing Sablefiend Scorpio's words. Panic overflowed in his eyes and he roared fiercely, "You're Sablefiend Scorpion? Damn! Even a poisonous scorpion like you has become this guy's slave?"

Sablefiend Scorpio revealed her real face and grimly said, "Yell and roar as much as you want, Styx River. I'll definitely beat you up and make your soul disappear as long as Master orders me."

Styx River Venerable clenched his fists. Right as he was about to speak, his expression drastically changed all of a sudden because he saw his Junior Brother, Dao Lord Green Firmament, actually kneel in the void.

"Green Firmament! You coward!"

Dao Lord Green Firmament ignored him and fearfully looked at the 10 Perfected Golden Immortals around before his eyes finally landed on Tang Xiu. He then desperately begged for mercy. "This... Lord... I, Dao Lord Green Firmament, was confused and even thought of plotting against your people. Please spare me and I'll definitely serve you as my Master in the future. As for my Senior Brother... uh, I spoke wrongly. As for Styx River Venerable, this damn asshole has a blood feud with your retainer. I'll help you kill him if you spare my life."

"Green Firmament! You shameless bastard!"

Styx River's eyes turned bloodshot. He was invited by Dao Lord Green Firmament this time. But now that he saw the formidable line up of the enemy, this guy just begged for mercy from the enemy like a dog and even vowed to kill him. This abominable bastard was simply a fiend.

Dao Lord Green Firmament turned to Styx River Venerable and grinned hideously as he sharply said, "I don't wanna die, Senior Brother Styx River. That's why you can only die in my stead. Who made you and his retainer to have such a deep blood feud? But rest assured, though. As long as this Lord is willing to spare me, I'll definitely make your soul disappear."

Wearing a bizarre expression, Tang Xiu looked at Green Firmament and suddenly recalled Zither Demon Jiuyao.

Trash is trash, nothing good comes out of them!

Tang Xiu grimly sighed inwardly and said, "How wise you are, Dao Lord Green Firmament. One who understands the situation is wise, and to live is indeed much more important than anything else. You chose to submit, so send a wisp of your Immortal Soul into this Soul Plate. I'll spare your life as long as I can control your life. It's not easy to get a Perfected Golden Immortal as a subordinate, after all."

Dao Lord Green Firmament hesitated for a while before finally gritting his teeth and releasing a wisp of his Immortal Soul. After integrating the soul into the Soul Plate, he watched as Tang Xiu received the plate and refined it. He could only feel bitter inwardly as his life was now under the control of others. He would be dead as long as the holder willed it.

However, that predicament was much better compared to getting beaten and have his soul disappear by 10 Perfected Golden Immortals!

"Sablefiend Scorpio, we're pressed for time and can't waste much time here, so you strike with the rest to kill him as quickly as possible. However, the rest of you listen to my order! Reserve the final blow to Sablefiend Scorpio and let her scatter that guy's soul to pay back the karma."

"Understood!"

The 11 Perfected Golden Immortals, including Dao Lord Green Firmament, launched a fierce onslaught on Styx River Venerable at the same. It took only a few breaths for the latter to be gravely injured. Although his whole body was not dismembered, the ghastly shocking wounds he received were very grave.

Slash...

An immortal sword suddenly slashed down on the head of Styx River Venerable the moment the latter resisted the others' attack. The slash directly split him in half, and the moment his Immortal Soul rushed out to flee, Sablefiend Scorpio quickly cast a seal and a thunderbolt instantly blitzed down and struck Styx River Venerable's Immortal Soul.

"Extinguish!"

Sablefiend Scorpio manipulated her immortal sword powerfully. Right as the thunderbolt struck Styx River's Immortal Soul, her immortal sword slashed the devastated soul and directly wiped it out.

This killing mission had been accomplished so easily—something that Tang Xiu didn't expect. He then looked at the fearful Dao Lord Green Firmament after receiving the interspatial ring Star Tears threw to him. Without checking the contents inside the ring, he calmly said, "I'm now giving you a chance to live. Immediately send messages to the Perfected Golden Immortals in the Heavenly Mountain region to come here and you'll be eligible to follow me in the future."

Dao Lord Green Firmament froze for a moment and then bewilderingly asked, "Who exactly are you, Master? Why..."

Tang Xiu's complexion turned cold and he replied with a chilling tone, "I won't hide anything you should naturally know. But you are not to ask anything you shouldn't know. I can tell you that I'm the Sovereign of the Great Tang Empire, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, the one who you will pledge your allegiance to in the future."

Dao Lord Green Firmament's complexion slightly changed before he nodded silently. Then, he said, "But I need to leave the Nine Chains Curve Array before I can send the messages, Master."

Tang Xiu finally decided to open the Nine Chains Curve Array and said, "You should know what to say and what not to say."

"This subordinate understands," said Deep Lord Green Firmament hurriedly.

Quickly after, he sent messages through his Message Token.

Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Be prepared and wait for the prey to arrive. I hope we can harvest more from this."

Prey and harvest?

Dao Lord Green Firmament faintly realized that this Master didn't seem to have any feud or hatred against himself and the rest of his acquaintances but rather to kill and rob them of their possessions. Yet, it couldn't be denied that the resources and strength poured into this endeavor were really enormous—something that only a handful of people in the Immortal World could pull off!

Time fleeted by and two days passed by in a flash. However, the message sent by Dao Lord Green Firmament was like a rock sinking into the ocean. There was no response from anyone whatsoever.

While sitting cross-legged in the concealment array, Tang Xiu's eyes gleamed and he occasionally glanced at Dao Lord Green Firmament nearby. He found that the guy was looking uneasy and kept glancing at the direction of Heavenly Mountain.

Suddenly, Tang Xiu's expression shifted. His expression turned complicated when he saw a beautiful woman in full red battle armor and combat boots, leading four Perfected Golden Immortals to appear in his field of vision.

He had not seen this woman for so many years, yet time didn't leave any trace on her appearance. Apotheosis Bella Fern Regalia was as beautiful as ever with her stunning grace and gorgeous face and bearings.

He was not a man with a heart of stone, nor was he a man who regarded reputation and fame as important. No matter the situation and place, he could brave himself to show his love, especially towards the women who show their care for him. It was something that his heart couldn't help but grow some tender feelings towards them.

It was just that tenderness was not exactly the love between men and women.

Chapter 1335: A Plan to Subdue and Kill a Supreme

 

Apotheosis Bella approached fast as she stepped on the void and saw Tang Xiu emerge from the concealment array with a group of powerhouses behind him. Her eyes glanced at Tang Xiu's handsome face first but didn't stay long as she shifted to the other Perfected Golden Immortals around him.

All of them are unfamiliar faces?

Apotheosis Bella slightly pursed her brows and led the four Perfected Golden Immortals a kilometer away from Tang Xiu's group before her pace immediately came to a halt.

Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and said in a deep voice, "The rest of you except Dao Lord Green Firmament enter the Heavenly Abode!"

"At your words, Lord!"

The crowd cupped their fists and entered the Heavenly Abode artifact one after another. Star Tears, however, glanced at Apotheosis Bella with a strange expression before she left, her heart was filled with unclear feelings.

Tang Xiu looked at Apotheosis Bella and motioned her. Right as her expression drastically changed, he sighed. "It's been hard on you all these years."

Apotheosis Bella's eyes fixedly stared at Tang Xiu's facial features. She could see the familiarity in his eyes very easily—the eyes she used to look at and long for countless times either in days and nights.

"You guys stay here and wait for me."

Apotheosis Bella looked to the side and issued an order before she flew towards Tang Xiu. When she came in front of him, she cast a concealment array and pulled Tang Xiu's wrist as they entered it.

"Are you really... you?"

Lips squirming, crystal tears emerged in Apotheosis Bella's eyes.

Tang Xiu nodded without a word. He could feel the turbulent emotions flooded inside her. He sighed again inwardly and said bitterly, "Everything happened and changed so fast in the past, whoever thought that we could meet again in such a situation in this place? Thank you, Bella. But still, I need to say that I'm really sorry to you again."

The teardrops in Apotheosis Bella's eyes flowed even though she tried her best to suppress her emotions. She rushed into Tang Xiu's embrace and hugged him tightly. She had pangs of doubts before, but now she was 100% sure that the man in front of her was Tang Xiu—the man she had fallen in love with for thousands of years.

His smell was still so familiar to her.

"I missed you."

Her Immortal body shivered ever so violently and her tears quickly wet Tang Xiu's shoulders. Endless thoughts and lovesickness turned into tears as though venting all the grievances she had been enduring all these years.

Tang Xiu's body went stiff before he finally raised his hand gently and softly patted her back, giving her comfort through his action.

After a long while, Apotheosis Bella stopped crying and looked at Tang Xiu's face with teary eyes. Carefully holding this strange yet familiar face, she muttered, "Back in the past, I've been dreaming of this scene so many times that I even woke up crying countless times. Xiu, I really miss you so much."

"..."

Tang Xiu couldn't utter any words. He didn't know what kind of response he should give her. Despite some things he had learned about Apotheosis Bella, she had really paid too much for him.

She had gone through fire and wither, risking her life to protect the people he once cared about. Her family and friends died in the battles one after another, just because of her true feelings for him. Yet, she still insisted and persevered even though she faced death countless times.

Tang Xiu was now perfectly aware that since then, there was still one more person he cared about in this world—a woman he would never want to see wronged.

After a long while, tears still trailed down Apotheosis Bella's cheek, but a smile now painted her face as she said softly, "I've not touched your cheek ever since you met her. I also never hugged you ever since you got together with her. You know what? Those days when we entered the Dao and got along together were the happiest of my life."

"I'm really sorry." Tang Xiu was filled with guilt.

Apotheosis Bella gently raised her hand to shut Tang Xiu's lips and shook her head and continued with a gentle voice, "Please don't apologize to me. That's a word I never want to hear. Xiu, I'm now very happy because I already know that you've repented and straightened yourself out."

I've repented and straightened out myself? Tang Xiu was puzzled and asked, "What do you mean?"

Apotheosis Bella smiled. "Mu told me before that you have more than one woman now."

Tang Xiu froze for a moment as a touch of awkwardness and embarrassment appeared on his face. He forced a smile and said, "I was not a native of the Immortal World, originally. I returned to the place I belong to after Great Emperor Danqing, Zither Demon Jiuyao, and she ambushed me. I have parents, relatives, and friends in that place. But then again, I really have to thank them since I wouldn't have been able to eliminate my mental demon without them."

"So... it turns out that you..." Apotheosis Bella was surprised.

"A wisp of my soul flew away and went to the Immortal World back then and I eventually became the young Lord of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Those people there are also my parents and relatives, but I still also have my blood parents and family members in another world."

Apotheosis Bella understood in a flash and she said, "I don't care who you are. I just need to know that I, Bella Fern Regalia, am your woman from now on. Back in the past, I had some scruples since you were with her—the reason why I tried everything to make you accept me. My obsession still exists even though she's gone now."

"You..."

Tang Xiu's lips wriggled, but Apotheosis Bella raised her hand to stop him from speaking.

Deeply staring at Tang Xiu, Apotheosis Bella continued and emphasized every word she said. "There has been only one man that Bella has ever recognized in life. I don't care how many women you have. As long as you have me in your heart, your affection and love, that's enough for me. Unless you want me to grow old in loneliness until my last breath and my soul is gone—a woman who couldn't love anyone and has no one to love her back."

Tang Xiu gently grasped her wrist and said, "Why do you still choose to be like this, Bella?"

"I love you, so I choose and am willing to do so. That's what my heart wants me to do," replied Bella Fern Regalia with all seriousness.

Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said, "I have wronged you and troubled you too much. I'm the one who's at fault here. But if you don't shut me out, then I want to take you with me."

"I accept!"

Apotheosis Bella burst into tears and hugged Tang Xiu again.

Suddenly, her expression slightly changed and quickly stopped her tears and converged her aura. She then lowered her voice and said, "I sense a powerhouse's aura. That person should be a Supreme!"

A glimmer of light flashed in Tang Xiu's eyes and he said in a deep voice, "If my guess is right, that person should be Myriad Thunder Supreme. Before you came here, my retainer killed Styx River Venerable, his disciple. And I made another disciple of his, Dao Lord Green Firmament, as my slave. Myriad Thunder Supreme must be here due to the death of his disciple."

Apotheosis Bella's eyes were full of murderous intent as she replied in a deep voice, "Then let's make him stay here for good since he's already here!"

Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Quickly change your appearance and the aura of your qi. I've investigated clearly, the only Supremacy Stage powerhouse here is Myriad Thunder Supreme. He's assisted by 6 Perfected Golden Immortals, one of whom has died and another one whose life is controlled by me now. We have a Supreme and 4 Perfected Golden Immortals to face now."

"Anyway, I just saw that you have quite a lot of Perfected Golden Immortals around you." Apotheosis Bella suddenly asked, "Who are they?"

"I bought all of them from the Convict Arena, including Auntie Star Tears," said Tang Xiu. "However, I have yet to tell her my real identity, so I cannot tell anyone except you and Mu. Else, we'll have to face endless pursuit once Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao find out about it."

"Mu has already told me about this issue as well." Apotheosis Bella nodded and said, "Rest assured! Nobody will ever know it from me."

Tang Xiu nodded in response and pulled her out of the concealment array to then appear beside her four Perfected Golden Immortal subordinates.

"What happened here, Green Firmament? The Life Token of your Senior Brother Styx River shattered, meaning his soul has vanished. Explain it to me!" Myriad Thunder Supreme was alone, but a fierce light flashed in his eyes as he inquisitively asked with a heavy voice.

Dao Lord Green Firmament couldn't help but panic inside, yet he didn't dare to tell the truth even when facing his Master, Myriad Thunder Supreme. No matter how much he respected his Master, his life was, after all, being controlled by Tang Xiu. He didn't want to die and he was even willing to take any action in killing his own Master.

"Master, Senior Brother Styx River just ran into a strong enemy who seems to be called Sablefiend Scorpio. That person is fearsomely strong and only a hair away from the Supremacy Stage. Further, that person also has a very fearsome artifact in hand. When I arrived here, Senior Brother Styx River was already dying and I was too late to rescue him when he was killed by Sablefiend Scorpio," explained Dao Lord Green Firmament hurriedly.

"Sablefiend Scorpio?!"

A strong murderous intent burst out from Myriad Thunder Supreme. He knew that there was a blood feud between his disciple and Sablefiend Scorpio. If it hadn't been for Sablefiend Scorpio escaping too fast, he would have helped his disciple get rid of this hidden danger. He then looked at the pale-looking Dao Lord Green Firmament and asked in a deep voice, "Then where did that damn scorpion go? And why did she let you off?"

Dao Lord Green Firmament hurriedly replied, "Sablefiend Scorpio seemed to have been hit hard as well after she killed Senior Brother, Master. I wanted to avenge Senior Brother Styx River, but she didn't want to get entangled by me and just fled away directly. Her speed was too fast for me to catch up, so I could only send messages to some Martial Brothers to help me pursue her together."

"Is that so?"

A cold light flashed in Myriad Thunder Supreme's eyes. His big hand quickly moved and slapped Dao Lord Green Firmament, sending him flying for hundreds of kilometers. Then, he grimly and coldly said, "You may be my disciple, but you should be very clear what your fate will be for deceiving me!"

Dao Lord Green Firmament flew back again and replied in pain, "Everything this disciple of yours just said is true, Master. I mentioned in the messages I sent to Martial Brother that there's a Perfected Golden Immortal with a powerful artifact. It was because I needed his help and I worried that he wouldn't come, so I lied in the message I sent him. If you don't believe me, I can take you to the direction Sablefiend Scorpio escaped."

"Heh, pursuing her?" Myriad Thunder Supreme sneered. "It's been so long. Which direction are we going to chase her? Do you even know where she fled to?"

"I know, Master," said Dao Lord Green Firmament hurriedly. "I've secretly poured Soul Chasing powder on her previously."

Chapter 1336: Playing People Is Fun

 

Myriad Thunder Supreme didn't notice that Dao Lord Green Firmament had already stood in mid-air above the Fullmoon Star River after flying back from a distance. He paced a step forward and directly appeared in front of Green Firmament. He grabbed his shoulder and was about to ask Sablefiend Scorpio's escaping direction.

At this moment, however, there was a sudden change in the atmosphere in the dark surroundings, along with the emergence of some figures. The moment Myriad Thunder Supreme shifted his focus to these figures, a cold light flashed in the eyes of Dao Lord Green Firmament as he unleashed the 8th grade Floodlight Shuttle artifact to impale his body.

An enormous and destructive Immortal Force was poured into Myriad Thunder Supreme's body like a tide, causing him to scream in the next moment and fly towards the distance.

Immediately after, a rainbow-like sword beam flashed and seemingly tore the space as it slashed fiercely toward Myriad Thunder Supreme's immortal body. The strike didn't give Myriad Thunder Supreme the time to avoid it. The sword beam slashed his body and what followed was the strikes from other immortal artifacts. Even though Myriad Thunder Supreme instantly mended and combined the two halves of his immortal body instantly, the tens of immortal artifacts still inflicted wounds on his whole body, causing the flowing blood to wet his tattered clothes red.

"WHY?!!"

A resentful and hating expression painted Myriad Thunder Supreme's face after he was badly wounded. He unleashed 13 black flags and quickly arranged overlapping layers of defensive shields around him as he glared at Dao Lord Green Firmament.

Wearing a guilty expression, Dao Lord Green Firmament didn't dare to look back at Myriad Thunder Supreme's eyes. With a helpless face, he said bitterly, "Please forgive your disciple, Master. I was forced. My life is in the hands of the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor and I would've been the one who died the next moment if I didn't attack you. You've been working hard to groom and cultivate your disciples, wasn't that because you wanted us to be formidable and live well? The current you are now near to the limit, so you might as well give hope of surviving to your disciple."

Dao Lord Green Firmament's words made Myriad Thunder Supreme furious. It was like the line that said that a new Buddha may be born after two former Buddhas ascended to Heaven. Deep regret turned into an ocean of bitterness as he wished to smash Dao Lord Green Firmament's body into pieces.

"Deceiving your Master and destroying your own ancestry. You truly are an evil disciple!"

After taking a healing elixir from his interspatial ring, Myriad Thunder Supreme swallowed it and looked around with boiling killing aura. Afterward, a mirthless smile was cast on his face as he said aloud, "A Supreme and 14 Perfected Golden Immortals. What great line-up and formation just to kill me. Truly unexpected! Truly awesome. Well done!"

Standing in mid-air tens of thousands of meters away and being protected by Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio, Tang Xiu sneered. "You're Myriad Thunder Supreme, yes? You know, we have no interest in you, only in your wealth. Take out your interspatial ring, all your treasures, and hand them over to me! Maybe we can spare your life, else today will be the anniversary of your death next year."

The demand made Myriad Thunder Supreme seem to hear the most unbelievable thing in the world. While quickly healing himself, he asked with an incredulous face, "You mean... you set a trap here just to capture and rob me of my wealth?"

Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at his words and hummed. "Hmph, if we didn't rob you of your wealth, do you think we just need to stay still and not find you as our prey even if we had no enough things to eat? Do you think you're so heavenly handsome that we fell for you or something?"

Myriad Thunder Supreme trembled while a bizarre emotion surged inside him.

This was all for my wealth? Seriously?

Just for his wealth, these damned bastards even went so far as to harm him? If he wasn't strong enough, they might have just wiped him out. Despite this, he had been very severely injured and he must find a safe place to heal himself before the injuries became more and more serious.

"You guys have set up an array here in advance, haven't you?" Myriad Thunder Supreme looked around and asked coldly.

Tang Xiu gave him a thumbs up in response and exclaimed in praise, "Wow, you're worthy of being a Supreme, aren't you? You're even able to see the array laid out by us here. You're on the mark. These 18 consecutive arrays are just some small arrays that won't pose any threat to a Supremacy Stage powerhouse, hehehe..."

Seeing that Tang Xiu harbored bad intentions, Myriad Thunder Supreme nearly went mad and almost crushed his own teeth and quickly took a deep breath. He knew that he might not be able to defeat these people even though he didn't get hit so badly. But now, he had been gravely injured. He would be the first to die if he were to confront toughness with toughness.

Therefore, he shot a cold stare at Tang Xiu and asked, "Are you... the one giving orders here?"

"That's right." Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly said, "I decide the course here."

Myriad Thunder Supreme took another deep breath, took off his interspatial ring, threw it toward Tang Xiu, and spoke indifferently, "That's my interspatial ring with all my wealth in it. Can you let me go now?"

Tang Xiu took the interspatial ring and noticed the mark left by Myriad Thunder Supreme had been erased. He immediately sent his spiritual sense to check the contents inside it, and his eyes immediately shone afterward. The wealth in this ring was much more than all the wealth he had obtained before.

Shortly after, Tang Xiu put it into his own interspatial ring and grinned. "Well, I just told you to hand over all your wealth, didn't I? Else, I'll completely have you annihilated."

"All my wealth is inside that ring!" Myriad Thunder Supreme roared furiously.

"Are you so fucking stupid?" Tang Xiu sneered. "Do you think it's funny to get your eyes open yet speaking rubbish like you did? I'm sure that the set of flags around you must be a superb-grade immortal artifact, am I right? That's a 9th grade defensive artifact with a quite sky-high value. Take off that Innate Natal Artifact and hand the rest to me!"

"DREAM ON!"

Myriad Thunder Supreme was furious. He would have already moved to slap this bastard to death if he wasn't being stared at by a Supreme and more than a dozen Perfected Golden Immortals.

"Heh, although the wealth in your ring is quite a lot, we deliberately plotted to rob a Supreme here, so we got Three All Policies here. You wanna know what Three All Policies are, huh? They are the kill all, burn all, and loot all. So get your ass up faster and hand over that set of flags as well as your Innate Natal Artifact. Else, you can expect me to issue an order to kill you!"

Myriad Thunder Supreme was so furious by Tang Xiu's demand that he coughed up a mouthful of blood and roared angrily. "DO YOU THINK I'M A FOOL?! Once I hand over the flags and my Innate Natal Artifact, I'm sure you'll strike me in the next moment!"

Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "You know, we may have to pay quite a terrible price if we want to kill a Supreme. I'm not that stupid to lose my people for wealth, mind you. Hence, I can assure you that I'll spare your life as long as you give me that set of flags and your Innate Natal artifact to me. In any case, you cannot recognize us."

Only now did Myriad Thunder Supreme realize that these people had changed their appearances. They even went so far to change the aura of their Qi.

"Who exactly are you, people?" asked Myriad Thunder in a deep voice.

Tang Xiu rolled his eyes in response and snappishly said, "It's said that the older someone is, the more mature they are. Yet, how do I feel that the longer you live, the more muddled you become? Has it ever crossed your mind that we have to kill you if we tell you our real identities?"

Myriad Thunder Supreme was stunned and he cursed himself for being stupid. Then, he indifferently said, "I can give you this set of flags, but it's absolutely impossible for me to give you my Innate Natal artifact! I'll give you the flags now if you want. Otherwise, I'll make sure to drag some of you to hell with me even if I must die today!"

"Deal!" Tang Xiu happily nodded and slightly smiled.

Myriad Thunder Supreme took back the set of flags and threw it to Tang Xiu. Then, he said in a heavy voice, "Now remove the array and let me go!"

Tang Xiu took the flags and, after playing with it for a long while, he laughed. "Hehe... what are you guys staring at me for? Didn't you all hear what I just said? Quickly open the array and let him go!"

Myriad Thunder Supreme was suddenly relieved after hearing it. As long as he was still alive, there would be a chance for him to get revenge. No matter who these people were, they were bound to leave some clues in this Immortal Region. He would make them pay him back thousands of times when he found them later.

However, after waiting for a few minutes, he was shocked and fearful to find that the Supremacy Stage powerhouse and the dozen Perfected Golden Immortals didn't move at all. Even the killing aura they exuded was a bit more intense than before.

"What's going on here? I've already given you what you wanted! Why haven't you removed the array and let me go?" Myriad Thunder Supreme angrily shouted in exasperation.

Apotheosis Bella, who had changed her appearance, looked at him as though looking at an idiot. She shook her head and sighed. "I originally thought that Myriad Thunder Supreme was a wise powerhouse, but to think that you're this stupid is truly unexpected. This Lady is a Supreme, so why should I listen to a weak man who has yet to reach the Golden Immortal Stage? He gave you his promise and that was his business. He doesn't want to hit you since he's weak. But do you think so many of us here can still let you off? We'll only do that if you also hand over your Innate Natal artifact!"

Puah...

A sweet yet sour taste penetrated Myriad Thunder Supreme's throat as he crazily spurted out a mouthful of blood. At this moment, how could he not understand that the other party was just playing him?

Why would they only snatch his wealth but avoid killing him? That was total bullshit!

Boiling killing aura burst out of Myriad Thunder Supreme's whole body. He unleashed his Innate Natal immortal sword to hover around him as he shouted loudly, "What shameless people! For good or bad you all can be considered as powerhouses in the Immortal World, yet you go back and forth even though you want to kill me. If so, then let me drag you all to the grave with me! BRING IT ON!"

"HAHAHA..."

Tang Xiu uproariously laughed and said, "Damn, this is really thrilling and pleasing, isn't it? A dignified Supreme has unexpectedly become a muddle-headed idiot and got played by an insignificant nobody. This is really great and interesting, don't you think? Anyway, I seemed to have recorded all the scenes here with a Nanolight Immortal Mirror Recorder. If I were to make 10 million copies of it and sell them, I'm sure I can sell them for quite a sky-high price, no?"

Chapter 1337: Killing and Extinguishing a Supreme

 

Myriad Thunder Supreme was as though getting struck by a lightning bolt that made him stupefied. Never in his wildest dream had he ever dreamed that the scene had just been fooled was actually recorded by this damned bastard with a Nanolight Immortal Mirror Recorder. He didn't expect that this bastard was unexpectedly so vicious that he would make 10 million copies of the recorded scene and sell it at a sky-high price.

This was... simply taking advantage of his dumped reputation and making profits out of it!

Apotheosis Bella's expression shifted. She could sense that Myriad Thunder Supreme's mental state turned into a mess and immediately launched a powerful strike. She instantly unleashed her 9th grade immortal sword and the seemingly chaotic sword moves yet full of charm cut off one arm of Myriad Thunder Supreme in nearly a flash.

"Death Strangle!"

"Shadowless..."

"Deicide Curse..."

"..."

More than a dozen Perfected Golden Immortals swiftly launched powerful strikes, especially after Tang Xiu's orders. Sablefiend Scorpio even shapeshifted and left flashing afterimages as her sharp hooked tail stinger impaled Myriad Thunder Supreme's buttock and tore a piece of his flesh and left a shocking bleeding wound.

"What a good chance!"

Tang Xiu, who stood tens of thousands of meters away, silently crushed a poison pill and wrapped it with his Primal Chaos energy and sent it away. The colorless and odorless poison gas quickly covered the area around Myriad Thunder Supreme.

"GET. THE. FUCK. AWAY. FROM. ME!"

Myriad Thunder Supreme flew fast and clashed with Seaway Monarch and Zenith Venerable, his Innate Natal immortal sword instantly piercing Celestial Litho Monstrum's abdomen. As Celestial Litho Monstrum screamed, his punch hit the chest of Flaming Demon Feline. Everything happened in nearly a flash, but four Perfected Golden Immortals were severely injured by Myriad Thunder Supreme.

Still, his injury was much more serious because he couldn't fully avoid the strikes from the rest. He could only rely on his formidable physique to avoid getting hit on his vital parts as he was sent flying and spurted out some mouthfuls of blood.

"BREAK..."

As he was sent flying backward, Myriad Thunder Supreme shouted and a shuttle-shaped immortal artifact came out from his mouth and bombarded the Nine Chains Curve Array. Raging energy burst out as the consecutive layers of Nine Chains Curve Array barely withstood Myriad Thunder Supreme's frantic blows.

"Myriad Filament Coils—Ignite!"

A transparent coiling silk thread that was invisible to the naked eye instantly wrapped around Myriad Thunder Supreme's bare feet. After shouting those words, Apotheosis Bella instantly made the transparent silk threat burst into flames. It was the Evil Karmic True Flame, a fearsome Immortal Relic Apotheosis Bella had succeeded in refining after absorbing the Heart Fire from thousands of enemies she once killed.

"B*TCH!!!"

Myriad Thunder Supreme roared furiously. He wanted to control and manipulate his Innate Natal immortal sword to cut off the line of fire, but the rest of his attackers were crazily launching their strikes at him, leaving him no chance to retract his Innate Natal sword. Just as he roared, however, he suddenly felt as though he was falling into a glacier cave and his instinct told him of the impending grave crisis.

"Impeccable Kill..."

Lupus Chimaera Monstrum suddenly appeared in front of Myriad Thunder Supreme. The two sabers in his hands were as though turning into a scissor that powerfully cut the neck of Myriad Thunder Supreme.

So easy?!

Lupus Chimaera Monstrum was stunned, watching in disbelief as Myriad Thunder Supreme's head flew out and then exploded after getting hit by Apotheosis Bella's immortal sword.

"Huh?"

Lupus Chimaera Monstrum suddenly shivered and his figure suddenly retreated ten thousand meters before he turned around and stared at Tang Xiu with fear.

He sensed a very potent poisonous qi back there.

He realized something that just made him puzzled. The reason Myriad Thunder Supreme was easily beheaded was very likely because he had unknowingly been poisoned previously.

Blast, slash, puff...

A series of immortal weapons' bombardment then hit Myriad Thunder Supreme's mangled body. After his Immortal Soul flew away from his broken body, a lightning bolt suddenly struck the Nine Chains Curve Array and a breaking mirror-like sound was heard. The Nine Chains Curve Array then shattered, but the Immortal Soul of Myriad Thunder Supreme also suffered heavy wounds. As a screaming voice was heard, it fled away towards the distance. However, he was hit by an arrow of light and eventually exploded and turned into a chaotic energy flux.

Tang Xiu's figure instantly came floating and appeared next to the mangled remains of Myriad Thunder Supreme. He grabbed the Innate Natal artifact of Myriad Thunder Supreme with a smile and loudly said, "Who said nobody can kill a Supreme? Myriad Thunder Supreme is Great Emperor Danqing's Martial Uncle, yet didn't he finally die in our hands? However, this matter must be concealed and no one is allowed to utter anything on what happened today!"

"By your words!" Everyone around answered.

Tang Xiu shifted to the sad-looking Dao Lord Green Firmament and lightly said, "Do you feel sad? After all, Myriad Thunder Supreme was your Master."

Dao Lord Green Firmament's complexion changed and he hurriedly shook his head. "No, Myriad Thunder Supreme deserved this death!"

Tang Xiu intentionally looked satisfied at his response and nodded. "Well, being wise and understanding the situation means that you're quite good. Especially when it comes to someone excellent like you. Anyway, do you know any other powerful Immortals nearby? If there are, let's continue hitting the rest and grab some more wealth."

Dao Lord Green Firmament hesitated for a moment. But he eventually gritted his teeth and replied, "There are some. Four Senior Brothers of mine are in the direction of Heavenly Mountain, and all of them are Perfected Golden Immortals, along with tens of Golden Immortals. Their total wealth is likely not much less than my Master's... umm, Myriad Thunder Supreme."

Tang Xiu's eyes lit up and he grinned. "Well, that's great then! Let's go straight to Heavenly Mountain now. We must butcher those guys and snatch all their wealth. Dao Lord Green Firmament, as long as our operation runs smoothly, I'll reward you with a tenth of the wealth we obtain. I can even give you a secret and divine art—some fearsome divine arts only Supremacy Stage powerhouses can create."

Dao Lord Green Firmament's eyes lit and he immediately replied with a grateful face, "Thank you, Master. Green Firmament will definitely do his best to serve you!"

Tang Xiu happily nodded. He then came to him and patted his shoulder, smilingly saying, "Lead the way, then! Let's finish our work early, so we can go back earlier."

****

At Heavenly Mountain.

The four people, Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu, who were chained to the cliff of the mountain, had been immersing themselves in recuperation. Although they didn't have any healing elixir, they were still able to heal their injuries in at least half a day with their strength.

They kept insisting and persevering, unwilling to give up even though the chance of them getting rescued was slim. Hatred became their support, hoping that one day, they would be able to get away and escape and kill all their enemies.

"Senior Brother Myriad Notes."

Apotheon Soaring Plumb's eyes that were closed while recuperating suddenly opened and gleamed as he called out.

Apotheon Myriad Notes, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu opened their eyes at the same time and looked towards Apotheon Soaring Plumb.

"What is it, Junior Brother Soaring Plumb?" asked Apotheon Myriad Notes.

Soaring Plumb looked around and said, "Have you noticed the number of people guarding us recently? The number seems to be much fewer than before."

Apotheon Myriad Notes slightly lifted his brows and slowly nodded. "Since Green Firmament left, Styx River who has been guarding us also quietly left. Just recently, I also lost track of Myriad Thunder Supreme who usually stays at the summit."

Apotheon Soaring Plumb nodded and said, "You're right, Senior Brother. I can sense there are only 4 Perfected Golden Immortals in Heavenly Mountain now, along with some tens of Golden Immortals. If we can break free from this chain and sacrifice, say, 2 or 3 of us, perhaps some of us can escape."

"No." Apotheon Myriad Notes shook his head and said, "Firstly, assuming that we're not seriously injured, we are still under the seal cast by Myriad Thunder Supreme, while we also got no chance of fighting those 4 Perfected Golden Immortals. It wouldn't be a problem to kill those four had we not been injured. But doing so now is not something we can pull off."

"I just hate it that we are chained too close to each other, else I would've exploded my Immortal Soul!" Apotheon Soaring Plumb was fuming. "I'm absolutely sure I can blast out these chains and even shatter the chains shackling one of you!"

"You're right on that, but none of us can withstand the explosion of your Immortal Soul with our current injuries," said Apotheon Myriad Notes with a nod.

As they spoke up to this point, Apotheon Myriad Notes' expression suddenly shifted and he quickly asked, "Junior Brother Soaring Plumb, the seal on your body..."

Apotheon Soaring Plumb nodded silently and then said, "Right, I've been using the lightning bolt strikes to attract the thunderbolts and guiding it into my body to erase the seal on me. There won't be anything else that hinders me exploding my Immortal Soul."

A cold light flashed in Apotheon Myriad Notes' eyes and he said in a deep voice, "Brother Soaring Plumb, do you still remember the Soul Severing and Returning Art our Master has taught us?"

"Ah, I remember it!" Apotheon Soaring Plum's eyes shone and he said excitedly, "I have especially practiced this Soul Severing and Returning divine art. If those 4 Perfected Golden Immortals are not here, I'm absolutely sure I can use this divine art to cut off these chains on us."

Apotheon Myriad Notes pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Instead of sitting still like this, it's much better to fight for our lives than to resign ourselves to death. If those two Perfected Golden Immortals and Myriad Thunder Supreme haven't returned within three days, you can cut off your chains first in exchange for a damaged Immortal Soul after you cast the Soul Severing and Returning Art. Remember, do not think to even help us and just immediately run away if you succeed. You must do anything you can to try to escape from this place should any chance to escape appear!"

"No!" Apotheon Soaring Plumb hurriedly said, "I can't just leave you all here and escape alone, Senior Brother Myriad Notes. We, brothers and sisters, must leave and die together!"

"You're really silly, you know that?" Apotheon Myriad Notes chided him in a deep voice. "If you stay here you'll be buried with us. You might as well escape and try to come back to save us in the future. You're the smartest among our Martial Brothers and Sisters, I'm sure you can save us in the future."

"I understand your thoughts, Senior Brother. I do." Apotheon Soaring Plumb shook his head bitterly and said, "For the four of us to be in one group and still be alive is very fortunate in itself. However, I will never leave any of you behind. Once I can really cut off my chains, I'll cut off the chains on you as fast as possible. Then I'll rush to those 4 Perfected Golden Immortals to explode my Immortal Soul. Should any of us survive, then it must be you guys."

Suddenly, four figures appeared out of the blue. They were the 4 Perfected Golden Immortals who guarded them, while tens of Golden Immortals also appeared one after another in the surroundings.

Chapter 1338: Insta-killing Perfected Golden Immortal

 

In front of the four Perfected Golden Immortals, a jet-black Soul Stone suddenly shattered and turned into ashes before it was scattered by the wind.

In that instant, the expression of the four Perfected Golden Immortals drastically changed and disbelief fully covered their faces. They knew the reason why the Soul Stone shattered.

"Master... Master is dead?" The long red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal in combat armor muttered in disbelief.

The lips of the other 3 Perfected Golden Immortals wriggled, but none of them were able to utter anything. Who was their Master? A Supreme of the Immortal World!

How many Supremacy Stage powerhouses were there in the entire Immortal World? Less than 100. Yet, their Master who was a Supreme died?

Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu, who were chained on the cliff, all wore uncanny expressions. They were similarly shocked upon hearing the sudden death of Myriad Thunder Supreme.

Suddenly, Nine Immortal Fingers uproariously laughed. "HAHAHA... Myriad Thunder Supreme is dead? It's great that he died! A sinful man, yet he can live to the present, the Heavens truly have bestowed its blessing to make him dead now! You guys just wait! Maybe it won't be long before your turn to die comes and your souls vanish!"

Apotheon Enchantress Yu was wild with joy and laughed aloud. "That's right! Senior Brother Nine Immortal Fingers is right! It's great that such a ruthless and despicable Myriad Thunder Supreme had his soul destroyed. He died now and that's it! The more of you dies, the happier I will be."

The long red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal looked furious and a frosty long whip appeared in his hand out of the blue as he powerfully whipped it toward Enchantress Yu's direction several thousands of meters away.

Whip-crack, whip-crack...

Series of whipping sounds were heard, and each whiplash made Enchantress Yu's skin and flesh rot. After dozens of whiplashes, Enchantress Yu's wounds were covered in ice and froze the spilled blood. However, the injuries were not the most critical damage she received because the whip that flogged her was called Soul Whip that caused damage to her Immortal Soul. Despite her firm and tenacious will, the soul-splitting pain felt by her soul made her immortal body shiver unceasingly, causing her to grit her teeth and bite her red lips.

Enduring such endless pain, Enchantress Yu's face was twisted, yet she let out a smile and shouted in a shrieking voice, "Bring it on, keep hitting me! Kill me if you have the ability! Else, you can expect this lady to shred you into pieces in the future. At that time, I won't destroy your Immortal Soul but will torment your soul day and night until my last breath. Hahaha..."

"You don't need to extinguish this bloke. How about I help you?"

A voice came from the distance and a figure appeared tens of thousands of meters away just as the voice faded away.

Crazy killing intent flashed in Tang Xiu's eyes as he shouted aloud, "That guy is mine, the rest of you can deal with the others! It's been a long time since I last time fought a Perfected Golden Immortal, so I hope this guy won't let me down."

"KILL!"

Apotheon Bella was the fastest to move and appeared in front of the four Perfected Golden Immortals. Her Innate Natal immortal weapon was as though turning into Grim Reaper's scythe. Even though her strikes weren't aimed at those Golden Immortals, the impact waves from her immortal sword were enough to kill several of them and some tens of others to fly upside down to the back.

"Who are you, people?!"

The red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal's face greatly changed and a look of fear was evident on his face. His complexion instantly became pale the moment he sensed Apotheon Bella's aura. "Was it you who killed my Master?"

Tang Xiu's figure flashed and appeared in front of the red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal in nearly a second. Although Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio had been following him, he transmitted his order to them to prevent them from getting involved in his fight.

"Don't act recklessly, Your Majesty!"

Star Tears was very anxious. She may have no deep affection toward this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor guy, but this man was the person who bought her from the Convict Arena and he had promised to give her freedom back after 5,000 years. Even after getting along with him for some time, she discovered that the man seemed to be very hostile toward Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao.

Thus, she thought that this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor could be of great help to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect if he kept aiming Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao.

However, she didn't expect that Tang Xiu, who had never showcased his strength and only had an aura comparable to an Earth Immortal, was going to clash with a Perfected Golden Immortal, even though his opponent was just at the early stage.

The pale-looking red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal wore a contemptuous look when he saw Tang Xiu lunged at him. He didn't have the will to fight knowing that he wouldn't be able to turn the tide here. Right as Tang Xiu came at him, he lashed his whip as though whiplashing a lamb and then planned to escape afterward. Even at this moment, most of his attention was still focused on Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio a 100 meters behind Tang Xiu.

"DEVOUR!"

A cold light flashed in Tang Xiu's eyes. A terrifying suction force erupted from him and everyone within a kilometer radius from him shivered uncontrollably.

The red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal was stunned when he realized that his body was forced to move forward a bit toward Tang Xiu, while the whip he lashed at Tang Xiu instantly changed its trajectory and just brushed past.

"Go the fuck away!"

He waved his whip yet again as he kept being pulled toward Tang Xiu.

"FUSION!"

Tang Xiu's figure suddenly transformed into eight shadows that instantly appeared in eight directions and surrounded the red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal. As the latter slightly frowned, the man's body suddenly shook. When the man thought that dozens of his soul-whipping whiplashes were going to pull Tang Xiu, he was shocked to find that the whiplashes only passed through Tang Xiu's several figures and didn't seem to hit nor touch anything.

BAM...

The red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal suddenly looked down and saw a palm piercing through his left chest, a scene that birthed insane fear inside him.

In the next moment, pain followed, an overwhelming pain that engulfed his whole being.

Madness gleamed in Tang Xiu's eyes. The terrifying devouring force coming from him was as though a magnet that controlled the body of the red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal. Every drop of his blood, lifeforce, energy, a wisp of his Immortal Force, and his qi essence were being extracted by Tang Xiu.

It took only a second for everything to unfold, yet Tang Xiu had fully cast the last step of the Fusion supernatural ability. At the moment when the red-haired Perfected Golden was desperately struggling, the eight figures he scattered out finally fused and merged with his hand on the red-haired man's chest, his right foot stretched out from the red-haired man's right foot, and his head from...

The unfolding scene was as though Tang Xiu had just drilled out from inside the body of the red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal, causing the man to explode into a bloody mist and his Immortal Soul to be shredded. The terrifying devouring force devoured all the energies into Tang Xiu's body, and the universe inside his Dantian swallowed them before fusing it into the planets.

"How is that possible?"

Star Tears' pupils shrunk and disbelief overflowed in her eyes. She was furious just now and chided Tang Xiu for being reckless and bit more than he could chew to clash with a Perfected Golden Immortal head-on.

But now, the means Tang Xiu just showcased made her completely shocked to the core.

Everyone in the surroundings, either the Perfected Golden Immortals and Apotheosis Bella, who were attacking the other Perfected Golden Immortals on the enemy side, couldn't help but shift their attention to the clash between Tang Xiu and that red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal.

However, that instantaneous fight ended instantly, blowing their mind and shaking them greatly.

Sablefiend Scorpio, who stood in mid-air 100 meters away, had been watching that helpless red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal and was then killed by Tang Xiu in an instant. Her mouth was agape and her eyes turned saucers as though she couldn't believe what she just saw. She even raised her hand and rubbed her eyes vigorously.

"That was not hallucination... right? My eyes didn't deceive, did they?

"Master... he... truly insta-killed a Perfected Golden Immortal?"

She felt that her cognition and world view were subverted. It was obvious that her Master had just broken through to the Immortal Stage, yet being an ordinary Immortal, he had actually slaughtered a Perfected Golden Immortal by his own hand?

Ignoring the attention, Tang Xiu didn't even wipe the blood covering his hands and just stepped on the void and came to the chained Enchantress Yu on the cliff step by step. He took out a healing elixir from his interspatial ring and directly stuffed it into her mouth and said in a deep voice, "Take this and heal yourself."

Apotheon Enchantress Yu stared blankly at Tang Xiu, feeling a sense of familiarity from the young man in front of her as though she had seen him before. But no matter how desperate she tried to recall who he was, she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.

"Who are you?"

Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said, "Just someone who saved you. No worries, I'll never be your enemy."

Enchantress Yu remained silent for a short while. As she took the healing elixir Tang Xiu stuffed into her mouth, he watched him cut off the chains that shackled her limbs. She shot a grateful look at Tang Xiu and said, "I won't say thanks for this life-saving grace, but this Enchantress Yu will forever remember it."

Tang Xiu didn't speak to her anymore but appeared in front of Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, and Nine Immortal Fingers in a flash. Using his divine sword, he cut off the chains that shackled them and also took three healing elixirs and handed them over, saying, "Don't speak and don't ask anything. Heal yourselves immediately right where you are. Star Tears, Sablefiend Scorpio, you both are responsible for protecting them!"

Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio came to the four people and, after checking their conditions, they quickly lifted the seal cast by Myriad Thunder Supreme on their bodies before taking them to the ground and guarding them while they recuperated from their injuries.

At this moment, all the Golden Immortals had been slain. One of the other three Perfected Golden Immortals who lost their will to fight had been killed by Apotheosis Bella, whereas the other two were still being besieged by several Perfected Golden Immortals.

"Don't waste more time and just kill them!" Tang Xiu shouted.

Chapter 1339: Nephew and Paternal Aunt Recognizing Each Other

 

Apotheosis Bella shouted and her figure instantly bolted to the remaining two Perfected Golden Immortals. Her Innate Natal immortal sword continuously unleashed sword moves and quickly beheaded the two of them.

"Aaaargh..."

A shrieking scream came from Dao Lord Green Firmament. His facial features began to contort and blood spilled down from the corner of his mouth.

"Heh, I killed your Senior Brothers and slew your Master." Tang Xiu sneered. "That's a deep blood feud between you and me. Yet, I have your life in my hands, so you now look like a loyal dog in front of me. But I'm sure this deep blood feud will be your motivation to become stronger once I release you from my control. That's why you have no choice but to die so as to eradicate the roots of future troubles."

"You treacherous bastard! I..." Dao Lord Green Firmament miserably wailed.

"Explode!"

Tang Xiu didn't give him any more chance to speak and directly exploded his Immortal Soul.

Afterward, he shifted to the rest and ordered in a deep voice, "Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio, you stay here. The rest of you, enter the Heavenly Abode artifact!"

"Understood!"

It was everyone's first time seeing Tang Xiu's ruthlessness, so their attitude became even more respectful. They then entered the Heavenly Abode artifact one after another.

"Xiu..."

Apotheon Immortal Bella just opened her mouth and then realized the mistake. She hastily shifted the address and topic. "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, our cooperation has ended and those four people of Vermillion Bird Holy Sect are yours to take care of."

Tang Xiu slightly nodded in response and said, "I'd like to thank you for your help this time, Apotheosis Bella. I'll be waiting for their injuries to get better first, so I can't make you stay here. But I'll be sure to visit the Immortal Lyceum when I have time in the future to express my gratitude."

Apotheosis Bella was feeling reluctant to leave, but she knew that Tang Xiu's identity couldn't be exposed. So, she nodded and said, "Then I'll be waiting for you at the Immortal Lyceum. Fare thee well, we shall meet again later."

Having said that, she led the four Perfected Golden Immortals and left at a breakneck speed.

Tang Xiu took back his vision and walked straight to the huge boulder nearby and directly sat cross-legged, waiting for Apotheon Myriad Notes' group of four to finish recuperating.

Time fleeted by quickly and six hours passed in the blink of an eye. The moment Apotheon Myriad Notes floated up, the figures of the other three also moved and instantly stood side by side next to him. They then looked at Tang Xiu sitting cross-legged on the huge boulder nearby. The four of them understood that even though there was a Supreme and several Perfected Golden Immortals here, the true leader among those people was this mysterious young man who seemed very weak yet was able to slay a Perfected Golden Immortal.

"Sablefiend Scorpio, you too enter the Heavenly Abode Artifact now. Star Tears will stay to protect me," Tang Xiu opened his eyes and calmly said.

Sablefiend Scorpio slightly nodded in response. Her figure then turned into a streak of light and entered the Heavenly Abode artifact.

Star Tears?!

Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu turned to Star Tears with gleaming eyes.

Star Tears' expression slightly changed. After she restored her original face, she wryly smiled at the four people. "You've been suffering in these hundreds of years."

"Martial Aunt?"

Apotheon Myriad Notes' group of four looked incredulous before ecstatic expressions appeared on their faces. Even Enchantress Yu burst into tears and plopped down in front of Star Tears.

Star Tears lifted up the four people and sighed. "The four of you are really great. You all deserve to be the juniors of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and worthy to be my nephew's great disciples."

While suppressing his tumultuous emotions, Apotheon Myriad Notes respectfully replied, "Thank you for coming to save us, Martial Aunt. Too many of our people have come here over the past hundred years and died because of us. We would have long chosen to commit suicide had it not been for the fact that we were barred to do so."

"You don't need to thank me since the person who really saved you is him, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor." Star Tears sighed. "I had been in deep trouble myself, in fact. If it wasn't for Great Tang Heavenly Emperor who purchased me from the Convict Arena, I would have very likely lost my life there soon."

"Pardon?!"

The four people were shocked. They shifted to Tang Xiu at the same time and cupped their fists and bowed. "Thank you for saving all of us, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor."

Tang Xiu serenely looked at them while countless thoughts churned inside his mind. He wanted to tell them his true identity but was afraid that after telling them, if one of them was captured in the future, they might reveal his identity. Unless they could advance to the Supremacy Stage, the other way to work around it was to cast a Soul Sealing Spell on them.

After a while, he sighed secretly and said, "You guys just need to serve me for 5,000 years to thank me! You don't need to worry about the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect for the time being."

The four people's expressions changed. Immediately after, Apotheon Myriad Notes paced forward and cupped his fists. "We do have the obligation to stay by your side and serve you for 5,000 years since we owe you our lives, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. However, my sect is in a precarious situation now, or rather facing imminent dangers, to be honest. I hope Great Tang Heavenly Emperor can forgive us since we must return to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. We must protect the sect and fight against the enemy."

"You can also fight the same enemies if you stay with me," Tang Xiu said lightly. "When I killed Zither Demon Jiuyao's Martial Uncle, Myriad Thunder Supreme, along with 6 hostile Perfected Golden Immortals, it's safe to say that I've been helping the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, no?"

"This..."

The four people exchanged glances. Immediately after, Apotheon Myriad Notes said, "You're right. What you've done indeed helped the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Yet, we can't help but feel anxious and uneasy if we don't return to our sect. We really hope that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor can forgive us on this matter."

Suddenly, Star Tears looked at Tang Xiu and interjected in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, you promised me before that you'll give me an explanation after we saved these four about my wish to know who you really are."

"Is it really that necessary for you to know who I am?" Tang Xiu wryly smiled in response.

"Yes," Star Tears categorically replied.

"Why do you keep insisting on this issue, though?" asked Tang Xiu helplessly.

"My life was saved by you and you asked me to be your retainer for 5,000 years," said Star Tears. "I don't have a problem with that, but you must give an explanation if you wish to make them pledge their loyalty to you."

Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then slowly said, "Let's go back to the Misty Spring Ocean First. I'll tell you my true identity after we get there. However, there's one condition I want you to promise me."

Apotheon Myriad Notes' expression shifted and he immediately asked, "What condition?"

"You've recovered your ability to move and your injuries have mostly been healed," Tang Xiu said. "However, you must not have any contact with any of your old acquaintances before I tell you my true identity. You must also stay in the Heavenly Abode artifact."

"About this..." Apotheon Myriad Notes hesitated.

Star Tears took a deep breath and interjected with a deep voice, "I promise you on their behalf."

Tang Xiu nodded. "Then you must enter the Heavenly Abode artifact now! We just had a battle, and the death of Myriad Thunder Supreme, in particular, should have reached Zither Demon Jiuyao by now. It's likely that he'll catch up soon, so we need to leave fast."

"Then we can no longer use the spatial teleportation array if we want to completely erase our traces," said Star Tears. "At the very least, we can't use the ones in three Immortal Domains nearby."

"I know that," said Tang Xiu with a smile.

As Star Tears' group of five entered the Heavenly Abode artifact, Tang Xiu summoned Sablefiend Scorpio out and told her to fly with him in tow.

A year later, Tang Xiu finally returned to the Misty Spring Ocean. A smile appeared on his handsome face when he saw Gu Yan'er sitting cross-legged on Repose Cliff.

"Yan'er." Her soft call made Gu Yan'er wake up from cultivation.

The instant after, an excited expression painted Gu Yan'er's stunning face as she rushed to Tang Xiu's front like a bolt of lightning. She plunged herself into his embrace and said with a bit of grievance, "You're finally back, Master! You've been outside for more than a year this time. I've been missing you and worrying about you all the time. There's no way I want to be separated from you again later!"

Tang Xiu gently patted her back and smilingly said, "Don't worry, Yan'er! There are only a few people in the entire Immortal World who can kill me now unless I run into some misfortunes."

Gu Yan'er nodded vigorously and, after releasing Tang Xiu, she hurriedly asked, "Did you save the four... four of them?"

"Yeah, I've rescued them," said Tang Xiu with a light smile.

"That's great!" Gu Yan'er was excited. "Can I see them now, Master?"

Tang Xiu shifted to Sablefiend Scorpio and lightly said, "You enter the Heavenly Abode first. I'll summon you out later, so you can live and cultivate outside."

"By your words, Master!"

After Sablefiend Scorpion entered the Heavenly Abode artifact, Tang Xiu summoned Star Tears, Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu from the Heavenly Abode. He led the crowd into the cave abode inside Repose Cliff and then shifted his vision to the painting scroll hanging on the wall.

Star Tears' expression shifted and she said, "We've returned. Now we're all waiting for your explanation."

As Tang Xiu turned around, two lines of tears trailed down his cheeks. He recalled Star Tears' miserable appearance the first time he met her at the Convict Arena. He remembered the tragic scene of his four disciples being chained on the cliff of Heavenly Mountain. Under the gaze of everyone's eyes, he knelt down in front of Star Tears as he took out her Soul Plate and slowly handed it over to her.

"You..."

A disbelieving look painted Star Tears' face for she never dreamed that this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, who controlled her life, would actually kneel to her. It never crossed her mind that this mysterious Great Tang Heavenly Emperor would give her her Soul Plate.

"Why?" Star Tears didn't receive the Soul Plate but stared at Tang Xiu and inquisitively asked.

Tang Xiu's facial features shifted and slowly adjusted as he changed his appearance into his previous face in the past and muttered, "Auntie Star Tears, Xiu'er has been unfilial and has caused you to suffer so much. I've sinned too much, yet I don't dare to easily reveal myself and recognize you in order to conceal my identity."

BAM...

Gu Yan'er and Apotheon Mu, who stood behind Tang Xiu, also plopped down and knelt towards Star Tears.

Star Tears herself was as though getting struck by lightning bolts as her whole body trembled. She staggered back a few steps, dumbly looking at the familiar face. She didn't even realize that her nails hand deeply pinched into her palms and blood was dripping down through her fingers.

Chapter 1340: Soul Sealing Spell

 

While kneeling on the ground, Tang Xiu looked at Star Tears' disbelieving expression and wryly said, "I'm Xiu'er, your nephew, Auntie Star Tears! I once died but am back alive."

Star Tears took out a dagger and stabbed her own thigh under everyone's attention. The moment her blood flowed and she felt the pain from the wound, she pulled out the dagger and didn't even think to use her Immortal Force to seal it up. She lunged towards Tang Xiu, tightly grabbed his hands, and asked in a trembling voice, "Y-You... are... really Xiu'er?"

Tang Xiu firmly nodded and let his tears fall, emphasizing every single word he said, "10,000 years ago, you tortured me enough with your training to lay a solid foundation for me to cultivate. 9,000 years ago, you took me to the Demon Realm to fight against demon powerhouses for three years. 8,000 years ago, you went to the Asura Realm by yourself in order to find materials to refine the Universe Origin Pill for me.

 Eventually, you found Matriarch Floret and returned with serious injuries. 7,000 years ago, you went to Desolate Deluge Secret Mansion alone to save me and brought me out in a narrow escape. 6,000 years ago, you watched me slaughter a Five-clawed Golden Dragon. You extracted the Golden Dragon's tendon yourself to refine the Rainbow Phoenix Zither. 5,000 years ago, you gave me the Nine Transformation Mind Art to improve my spiritual sense. 4,000 years ago, it was you who..."

"Enough! Enough."

Star Tears hated to shed tears the most in her life. But at this moment, she burst into tears and was unable to control her emotions as she hugged Tang Xiu and cried.

Back in the past, when she learned that her nephew failed his tribulation and his soul vanished, the pain she felt was like her art was gnawed by millions of ants. She traversed countless Immortal Domains to rush to the place where her nephew crossed his tribulation.

Back then, she blamed herself countless times for not rushing to be his protector in crossing that divinity tribulation, and neither was she able to see her nephew's last moment.

For the last 8 centuries, she had been living in pain and blaming herself every day, praying countless times that her nephew's soul didn't vanish, praying that her nephew was still alive in a corner of another world.

Her dream had truly come true.

Star Teas hugged Tang Xiu and cried like a child.

"M-Master... y-you're Master?"

Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu were totally dumbfounded. They had made countless guesses on Tang Xiu's identity for a year and thought of countless possibilities of his identity. Yet, it never crossed their minds that their Master Star Cultivation Great Emperor was still alive. In fact, it was something that they didn't dare to think about.

The four of them were in great pain after their Master died. If it wasn't for the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect being attacked by powerful enemies, they would've probably retreated and lived in seclusion to guard the place they once lived with their Master.

But right now, their Master turned out to be alive and appeared in front of them. He even braved the risk to rescue them from the Heavenly Mountain.

No wonder that some people were willing to take the risk of being enemies of some Supremes and rescue them from the Heavenly Mountain. It turned out that the person who pulled it off was their own Master!

PLOP...

The four of them knelt down behind Tang Xiu and cried like children.

After a long while, Tang Xiu loosened Star Tears' hand and pulled her up from the ground. Then, he turned and pulled Apotheon Myriad Notes' group of four one by one. Looking at these disciples who he had raised and trained by himself, Tang Xiu patted Myriad Notes' shoulder and bitterly said, "You've been suffering all these years."

"We didn't suffer, Master," replied Apotheon Myriad Notes as he shook his head vigorously.

Tang Xiu took a deep breath and shifted to Star Tears, saying, "Auntie Star Tears, please take the Soul Plate, but I must cast a Soul Sealing Spell on you."

Soul Sealing Spell?

After ruminating for a moment, Star Tears understood Tang Xiu's intention and directly lifted her soul protection and said in a deep voice, "I was going to tell you about this later even if you didn't mention it. The news that you're still alive must be concealed. I don't want you to be forced to reveal your identity because of me. Hence, feel free to cast the Soul Sealing Spell on us. If we were to be captured in the future and the enemy wants to check our memory through the Soul Scouring Art, they will touch the Soul Sealing Curse first and it will directly erase our memories."

Apotheon Myriad Notes firmly nodded. "That's right, Master. Please do it. Our souls will be under the threat of that soul art unless we reach the Supremacy Stage. Your identity can only be kept a secret later if you cast the Soul Sealing Art on us."

"That's right!"

"Please do it, Master!"

Soaring Plumb and the rest also voice their opinions.

Tang Xiu took another deep breath. He not only cast the Soul Sealing Art on Star Tears and Myriad Notes' group of five, Apotheon Mu and Gu Yan'er turned out to ask to be treated the same.

After finishing the spell, Tang Xiu said, "Auntie Star Tears, as a matter of fact, I succeeded and survived the tribulation back then. It was just..."

After detailing what really happened in the past, he finally said, "I just didn't expect that the two brothers I once trusted the most turned out to hide such evil intentions inside. They even went so far to weed out the source of future troubles that is the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. But I'm still alive and have come back now, so their ends in the future are inevitable. But I'll need your help in the future to cultivate a huge immortal legion and groom countless experts out of them. I'll do my best to obtain cultivation resources for them while doing everything I can to return to the Supremacy Stage."

"This issue is not your responsibility alone. It's the common purpose of all of us," Star Tears said. "Xiu'er, you'll become the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire and we're all officials of the empire. I firmly believe that the empire will continue to grow and prosper under your leadership, where peerless geniuses and true powerhouses will constantly emerge. At that time, we will storm the dens of our enemies and annihilate them completely."

****

Time fleeted by and years passed by in flash.

It felt like a flash moment, but Tang Xiu had returned to the Immortal World for 10 years. During this decade, except for the early years that he spent wandering around, he stayed in the Misty Spring Ocean and immersed himself in his cultivation, while the situation in the Misty Spring Ocean itself constantly changed.

At present, the entire Misty Spring Ocean was firmly under Tang Xiu's control. The region may not be a huge star domain, but he had formed a large army here.

All four legions, the Dragon Army, Tiger Army, Phoenix Army, and Martial Army, now consisted of 500,000 people each.

Four major legions with a total of 2 million soldiers. Although most of them were children raised from a very tender age, they all had reached the first threshold after 10 years of training. Even in these 10 years, the four army commanders, Tang Guang, Mo Awu, Hao Lei, and Chen Shaohua, had been leading their respective army continuously in the campaign to sweep over the surrounding starfields. This tempering from frequent life-and-death battles yielded rich combat experience to them.

On Repose Cliff.

Tang Xiu stood on the edge of the cliff and watched the four rows of military officers of the Great Tang Empire, who stood in front of him. Then, he spoke in a deep voice, "I hereby announce that the expansion campaign starts now!"

"By your command, Your Majesty!"

Hundreds of generals and military commanders of the four major legions knelt on one knee and shouted loudly.

The moment after, Gu Yan'er appeared next to Tang Xiu after they left. A smile adorned her beautiful face as she started to speak, "I just received the news from Jin Shi. His intel operatives have found some leads to the Secret Palace of Drunken Immortal Supreme. There are still 3 years left before that place opens, but experts from tens of Immortal Domains have begun to hurry towards the Immortal Abode region. Shall we get involved in this event?"

Immortal Abode domain? Drunken Immortal Supreme?

With a surprised look on his handsome face, Tang Xiu said, "Drunken Immortal Supreme was an extremely powerful expert with few rivals in the entire Immortal World about 80,000 years ago. Rumors have it that he left his legacy in the Immortal World when he ascended to the Gods Realm. I didn't expect it to be discovered now, more so in the Immortal Abode region."

"For hundreds of thousands of years, the number of powerhouses in the entire Immortal World who ascended to the Gods Realm is definitely less than 100 people." Gu Yan'er sighed. "It's said that Drunken Immortal Supreme was an eminent one, the leading figure among these less than 100 people as well. The inheritance he left behind in that Secret Palace will absolutely drive countless Immortal powerhouses crazy."

"If memory serves, from the historical records, Drunken Immortal Supreme said that the Secret Palace he left behind bars the Supremacy Stage powerhouses from entering. You must be at most at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage if you want to get his inheritance. Further, the danger you'll face in that Secret Palace will be more dangerous the higher your cultivation is."

"Well, I think that would be quite a suitable place for us, no?" Gu Yan'er smiled.

Tang Xiu nodded in response and then thought for a moment. Then, he said, "This is a huge opportunity, so we must go there. I don't have much interest in the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme, to be honest, but we need the countless immortal treasures he left there. It should be noted that Drunken Immortal Supreme was the richest Immortal 80,000 years ago!"

"That Secret Palace is going to open about 3 years from now," Gu Yan'er said. "It will take us about nearly 2 years to get there from here. I'm afraid that it will take us longer should we encounter some troubles and delays on the road."

"Yan'er, I want you to stay here and guard the Great Tang Empire for me," said Tang Xiu.

"No. I don't want to stay, Master." Gu Yan'er refused with a forced smile. "Just ask Martial Aunt Star Tears to help you manage the Great Tang Empire."

"No can do." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, " Auntie Star Tears' character is not suitable for the job."

"But..." Gu Yan'er's lips wriggled and she wanted to argue more.

Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and stated with all seriousness, "I understand what's in your mind, Yan'er. I do. But you're one of the people who can make me feel at ease with enough cultivation level and management ability to control the entire Great Tang Empire. I can only feel at ease to fight for this opportunity if you're the one at the helm here."

"But I..."

"Please promise me, Yan'er."

Tang Xiu grabbed and hugged her. With his lips pasted on her ears, he softly said, "Yan'er, Drunken Immortal Supreme's Secret Palace is very likely ridden with grave dangers. I've got you back and I never want to see you run into any accidents again. I can only feel at ease if you stay here. I'm sure you're very clear about your Master's abilities, yes? I'm sure my chance of getting the treasures in that Secret Palace will greatly increase if I have nothing else weighing on my shoulders. Just wait for me to come back."

Although Gu Yan'er was very unwilling, she couldn't say anything since Tang Xiu took the initiative to hug her and spoke to her like this. She could only feel helpless and silently nodded before saying, "But you must be extra careful, Master. You must return safely even if you gain nothing over there!"