Everlasting Immortal FirmamentEverlasting Immortal Firmament
Xuanyuan City:
Using the Eight Nines Profound Technique’s seventy-two transformations, Shangguan Hen had assumed the appearance of Cangjie. As he moved through the palace, intending to reach Lifespan Nangong’s location, he unexpectedly encountered Emperor Kong.
“Mister Cangjie, why are you here? Weren’t you at…?” Emperor Kong expressed with surprise.
The seventy-two transformations appeared too realistic; Emperor Kong did not notice anything strange.
“I ran into an issue,” Cangjie explained in a hushed voice. “His Holy Eminence sent me to find Lifespan Nangong. I can’t believe he dared betray His Holy Eminence!”
Emperor Kong’s face paled. “What?”
Cangjie warned in a low tone, “Keep your voice down. Lifespan Nangong isn’t aware that His Holy Eminence saw through him.”
Astonished, Emperor Kong replied, “Lifespan Nangong has been loyal to His Holy Eminence for so long. Could his loyalty have shifted after passing the inheritance down one generation? That’s impossible, right, Mister Cangjie?”
Cangjie glanced at Emperor Kong. “Whether or not he’s changed is for His Holy Eminence to decide. Emperor Kong, would you like the honor of capturing him?”
A gleam appeared in Emperor Kong’s eyes. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Mister Cangjie, doesn’t Lifespan Nangong obey your every command? With your means, why go through all this?”
“If you’re unwilling, let it be,” Cangjie responded nonchalantly.
“No, I’m in.” Emperor Kong laughed, “Haha! I trust you more than Lifespan Nangong. However, he isn’t in the palace. He’s underground, cultivating the vermilion fruit.”
Cangjie urged, “Let’s not waste time. Lead the way.”
This Cangjie was Shangguan Hen in disguise. At this moment, he felt startled. Fortunately, I met Emperor Kong. Otherwise, my trip would have been in vain.
Emperor Kong led the way. Soon, they arrived at a restricted area within the palace. Although the place was heavily guarded, no one dared to block the two when they appeared.
The duo descended into what resembled a volcanic crater.
Shortly after, a pungent stench wafted up.
“Lifespan Nangong asked His Holy Eminence for this place. No one comes here. The vermilion fruits he offers to His Holy Eminence all come from here. I wonder how they are made. Does Mister Cangjie know?” Emperor Kong asked out of curiosity.
Cangjie remained silent, descending further.
Soon, the two reached the bottom, which glowed red—no, there was a glowing pool of blood.
It looked like the volcanic crater was being suppressed below by the churning blood on top. Many corpses floated in the blood, all with a vine stabbed into them, apparently using their flesh and blood as nourishment.
The countless vines were actually the roots of a large, black vine tree with a fruit in the shape of a human head shining red.
“Is the vermilion fruit maturing again?” Emperor Kong’s eyes lit up.
Cangjie gazed at the pool of blood, where numerous bodies lay. Some were still alive, entangled and pierced by vines. Despair filled their eyes as they became fertilizer.
“Spare me, Great Immortal! Spare my life!”
“You demon, even in death, I’ll haunt you and demand vengeance!”
“You’ll meet a bad end!”
…
The living ones cursed in desperation.
Not far away, a child-sized figure wrapped in a white robe, Lifespan Nangong, smirked. “You all are convicts of the Huang Heavenly Dynasty. Why struggle? Since you’ve broken the law, why not become nourishment for the vermilion fruit to honor His Holy Eminence?”
“You devil, you’ll meet a terrible end!”
“We may have broken the law, but we were not meted the death penalty!”
“I’ve been wronged!”
“Ji Dihong will meet a bad end for feeding this demon!”
…
The prisoners clamored.
“Humph! His Holy Eminence doesn’t know what I’m doing, but if you dare insult him, die!” Lifespan Nangong waved dismissively.
Whoosh!
The vines sucked the life out of the shouting prisoners. Their voices went silent as all the prisoners withered and died.
The vermilion fruit looked even more enticing and vibrant.
“Humph! Even without you lot, I have an endless supply of prisoners. If not, I have the armies of enemy nations.” Lifespan Nangong revealed a cold smile.
Shangguan Hen wanted to save them, but he was a moment too late. His face turned stony.
“Who’s there?” Lifespan Nangong shouted suddenly.
“Lifespan Nangong, how capable of you! So, this is how the vermilion fruit is made? Consuming one adds five hundred years to one’s life. It’s a lifespan plant,” Emperor Kong said coldly.
“Oh? Lord Kong, why have you come to my Vermilion Fruit Palace Hall? Ah, Mister Cangjie!” Lifespan Nangong exclaimed in surprise.
However, his expression immediately changed. “No, you’re not Mister Cangjie!”
Whoosh!
Shangguan Hen acted swiftly, grabbing Lifespan Nangong by the neck and sealing his cultivation.
“What—” Lifespan Nangong gasped in shock, choked into silence as his neck was grabbed.
Emperor Kong was somewhat taken aback.
A fake? What’s fake?
Upon seeing Cangjie make a move, Emperor Kong realized something was wrong, because Cangjie never engaged in physical combat. Even if he faced Lifespan Nangong, he would use a technique. However, the earlier movement…
A fake? Emperor Kong immediately reacted.
“Oh no!” The shocked Emperor Kong turned towards the cave entrance to flee.
“Guards, seize the assassin!” Emperor Kong roared skywards.
With one hand gripping Lifespan Nangong, Shangguan Hen shattered the pernicious, demonic vermilion fruit tree with a palm strike and instantly pursued Emperor Kong.
Boom!
Emperor Kong burst out from the cave, shattering the palace hall outside. With a massive bellow, he immediately drew the attention of many experts in Xuanyuan City.
Shangguan Hen shot towards the sky, not lingering for a moment. He tightened his grip on Lifespan Nangong and headed for Borderless Heavenly Capital.
“Emperor Kong, many thanks for joining forces with me, working with me from the inside! Hahahahahaha!” As Shangguan Hen flew away, his laughter echoed in Xuanyuan City.
The expression of Emperor Kong, who was now free from danger, changed. “Shangguan Hen, it’s you!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Fengbo, Limu, Ao Ying, and Xiong You, among other consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm experts, arrived swiftly.
“Emperor Kong, why is Shangguan Hen in Xuanyuan City? What did he mean by his words?” Fengbo asked in confusion.
“What did he mean by joining forces? Emperor Kong, what did you do with him?” Ao Ying questioned with a frown.
“……
Emperor Kong: “…”
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Boundless Mountain’s peak, the hungry ghost path of reincarnation:
Ji Dihong, Cangjie, Bing Ji, and a man in azure clothing stood on this peak.
The azure-clad man was exceptionally handsome, holding a wooden ruler and tapping it lightly against his palm.
“Ji Dihong, I’ve dispatched the hungry ghosts under me, as you requested. Now, can you tell me who the dragon-shaped hungry ghost is?” the azure-clad man asked calmly.
“Ju Mang, as one of the five ghost kings of the hungry ghost path of reincarnation, an overlord of this realm, why do you need to know so much about the Divine Continent?” Cangjie countered with a smile.
“Don’t think I’m unaware. In ancient times, the hungry ghosts of this world could leave this path of reincarnation and be exalted by Heaven after reaching a certain level. Now that the Six Paths Immortal is in control, he sealed the hungry ghost path of reincarnation. We’re trapped here, forced to devour each other, striving to become the strongest hungry ghost. And for what? To be refined by him as a physical soul to enhance his physical body. Do you think we, the five great hungry ghost kings, tolerated you all these years for no reason? It is because we know you can open an exit and let us escape. We’re not assisting you in capturing the dragon-shaped hungry ghost for rewards. We want to leave!” Ju Mang declared.
“I’ll let whoever captures or kills the person I’m seeking leave,” Ji Dihong said solemnly.
“Is that a promise?” Ju Mang’s eyes sparkled.
“Is that a promise?”
“Is that a promise?”
“Is that a promise?”
“Is that a promise?”
Four voices rang out from various directions, clearly the anxious responses of the other four hungry ghost kings.
“A sovereign’s words are always taken seriously!” Ji Dihong said solemnly.
“Well, for that promise, so what even if I have to slaughter every dragon-shaped hungry ghost in this realm?!” Ju Mang laughed.
“I have a report!”
Suddenly, a gigantic snake with wings on its back approached from the distance. This three-odd-kilometer-long, massive snake radiated an intense malevolent aura.
“What’s the matter?” Ju Mang asked gravely.
“An evil dragon attacked a small fortress near the northwest Azure Lake,” the giant snake reported.
“An evil dragon?” The group’s eyes lit up.
“Yes, but that evil dragon was so ferocious. Nearly all three thousand troops inside were devoured, with only two hungry ghost officers managing to escape to relay the news to the city. By the time this subordinate arrived, the evil dragon had already fled. Its current whereabouts are unknown,” the giant snake explained.
“How big was this evil dragon that it devoured three thousand soldiers?” Cangjie asked anxiously.
“This subordinate’s officer said it was over three hundred meters long and was incredibly ferocious,” the giant snake responded.
“Over three hundred meters? It can’t be Gu Hai. How could he be that big?” Cangjie shook his head.
“No!” Ji Dihong’s face sank.
“We have a feeling… it’s him,” Ji Dihong said, his expression changing.
“It can’t be. He’s grown to over three hundred meters?” Cangjie was skeptical.
Ju Mang said solemnly, “You said he devoured three thousand troops? Three thousand? Isn’t he afraid their wills will overwhelm him?”
“This subordinate does not know,” the giant snake replied, frowning.
“It must be Gu Hai. He’s grown to over three hundred meters. Over three hundred meters! We must find him. Where is he? Where did you say he was earlier?” Ji Dihong asked with a sullen expression.
“At the mouth of Azure Lake to the northwest!” the giant snake replied.
“The mouth of Azure Lake to the northwest?” Ju Mang’s eyes sparkled.
Then Ju Mang prepared to start his search. The other hungry ghost kings in the surroundings felt invigorated after hearing that.
“I have a report!
“An evil dragon appeared in Yellow Lake City to the northwest and consumed a million hungry ghosts there!” another giant serpent reported urgently.
“You’re saying a million hungry ghosts? Consumed by one evil dragon? What did this evil dragon look like?” Ju Mang’s eyes widened in shock.
“It was a seven-hundred-meter-long black dragon. No hungry ghost noticed it initially for some uncanny reason. Those few hungry ghosts that managed to escape mentioned an enticing fragrance in the air that made their mouths water and paralyzed them. If it weren’t for a twist of fate, they’d have been devoured by the evil dragon!” the snake said anxiously.
“Could it be another evil dragon?” Ju Mang said, frowning.
“That’s not right. It’s most likely him, Gu Hai!” Ji Dihong’s expression darkened.
“A million souls? How has he not gone mad?” Cangjie exclaimed in disbelief.
“It used to be three hundred meters; now, it’s seven hundred. Wait, it just consumed a city’s worth of hungry ghosts, totaling a million?” Ji Dihong’s face changed.
“We can’t let him grow stronger. We can’t let Gu Hai grow. He must have found a loophole in the laws. We can’t let him escape again!” Cangjie voiced his concern.
“Hungry ghost kings, starting now, whoever kills this evil dragon will be allowed not only to leave but also take their armies with them,” Ji Dihong declared gravely.
“Hahaha! You said it!” Ju Mang said joyfully.
“Hah!”
“Hah!”
“Hah!”
“Hah!”
Four thunderous roars came from far away in all directions as if the other four hungry ghost kings had mobilized their forces.