Realmlord Demonseal sighed as he glanced at the broken corpse on the ground. The kilometer surrounding the corpse was charred black, and some parts of the ground were partially glass. Coupled with the faint remnant tribulation essence, anyone who passed by would think that the cultivator died due to failing his heavenly tribulation.
However, Realmlord Demonseal knew the truth.
Descending towards the corpse, he reached out and closed Lushu's eyes, wide-open eyes filled with hatred and the shock of betrayal. Upon closer inspection, he could see the signs of healing Lushu's body was undergoing, but it was cut short. Now, burnt skin peppered the corpse's body, but what truly made it terrifying to look at was how withered it was, as if someone had drained all its blood.
It is a pity. This old man was thinking of taking this youngster as my first and final disciple. He had supervised the Demon Cage Realm for over a hundred thousand years. At first, it was only a prison for demons that the Buzhou Immortal Sect captured. Later, after the seclusions of the demons after the Human-Divine Beast War, the Demon Cage Realm had changed into a farm in all but name.
Lushu was the first native of the Demon Cage Realm that Realmlord Demonseal saw adequate talent. He wanted to take him as a nominal disciple and further appraise Lushu's talent before fully accepting him as his personal disciple. If Lushu passed, then he would take Lushu and his family to the Huang Realm and become a member of the Buzhou Immortal Sect.
Realmlord Demonseal glanced at a side and concealed himself. If a cultivator were present, Realmlord Demonseal appeared to have disappeared into thin air, but to Realmlord Demonseal himself, he was still standing at the same spot. Not long after, a few residents of Fan City had come out towards ground zero of the heavenly tribulation.
His name seems to be Zhangya? Realmlord Demonseal thought. As an immortal, the lifespan of the denizens of the Demon Cage Realm, even the cultivators, was akin to a blink of an eye to him, so he hardly bothered paying attention to them.
Zhangya and four others walked forward and saw Lushu's corpse. He released a howl of grief and punched the ground, shattering it and revealing the earth beneath the charred surface. He wasn't just mourning for the loss of his friend, but the future guardian of Fan City.
Lushu had told that he needed to meet someone outside of Fan City. Although Zhangya didn't know who, he trusted Lushu and so bid farewell, but after months of no response, Zhangya left the safety of the Starry Star Immortal Grotto to search for Lushu.
Immediately after leaving, Zhangya could see the unnatural landscape due to the Soul Nourishing Heavenly Tribulation. Wondering who it was, Zhangya came to investigate, but he never expected to see Lushu's corpse.
"How is this possible?" Zhangya muttered to himself. After he suppressed the sadness threatening to burst out, Zhangya analyzed the scene and noticed the remnant aura of tribulation.
Lushu was indeed the one at the most advanced cultivation of all of Fan City, but he had heard Lushu say that he was still far from the next realm, the Soul Nourishing Realm. So why was it that Lushu suddenly died to tribulation? If a stronger demon killed Lushu, Zhangya wouldn't have been so puzzled, but this was death due to tribulation that Lushu said he was far from.
Off at the side, Realmlord Demonseal saw the confusion in Zhangya's eyes. When he heard Zhangya mutter about 'immortals,' a withered old hand reached out towards Zhangya but ultimately stopped.
Forget it. He's a good seed that can protect his fellow humans. If I kill him, I'll just ruin the chances of them rising even more after Lushu's death, unlikely as it is. Even if he suspects something, he won't be able to live long to investigate anyway. Lamenting at the death of a promising disciple, Realmlord Demonseal returned to his abode and entered deep sleep to extend what little longevity he had left.
Unknown to Realmlord Demonseal, when Zhangya brought Lushu's corpse back to Fan City, Ziye, Lushu's wife, had collapsed in sorrow. After inviting a doctor to examine her, it was discovered that she was pregnant with Lushu's child. Despite the fetus being less than a month old, it already exuded a massive amount of vitality.
That child would be named Jinshu after he was born and inherit the golden crow bloodline from his father, giving him the Lesser Yang Physique and allowed him to cultivate the Pure Yang Feather Manual further than his father.
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A black lotus was placed at the center of a sealed-off room. The room was filled with sigils and runes that formed a formation that continuously supplied the lotus at the center with energy. The black lotus flickered between transparency and solidness as if it was an illusion ready to be snuffed out at any moment.
At the center of the lotus, where the stigma was, lay a girl who appeared to be sixteen years old. The girl's skin was sickly white, her lips devoid of all color, eyes tightly shut, and dark brown hair. The girl was completely naked and curled up in a fetal position.
"Chun'er." The speaker was a man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He had a pleasant if ordinary face with black brows but bone-white hair that reached his waist and a single white horn coming out of his forehead. He was Emperor Soulfish, and the room was part of the immortal artifact Soul Pagoda.
With the comparison of Emperor Soulfish by the side, the black lotus, the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus, only reached his knees. The naked girl on the lotus was like a miniature replica of a human devoid of all signs of life. She showed no signs of movement, her chest did not heave up and down, and there were no signs of the girl awakening at all.
Emperor Soulfish reached out and gently brushed against the black petals as if he was caressing the skin of his love. I already placed the remnant soul of Chun'er into the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus and used thousands of materials and formations to nurture it, but it is still not enough.
There is nothing wrong with the physical body. After ten more years of nurture, Chun'er's body will be reborn with a Nine Yin Physique, but the problem is her soul. I've already used the best materials I have, but the chances of her soul fully recovering is still fifty-fifty. I have to make up for the deficiency of her soul. When Begonia Tower was destroyed, Emperor Soulfish had only managed to save a tiny remnant of Chun's soul, resulting in his current troubles.
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The best and easiest method would be to collect the souls of humans and refine them into pure soul essence. Using that pure soul energy, I can nourish Chun'er's soul. Thinking of the day his precious childhood sweetheart fully revived, Emperor Soulfish's eyes reddened. He had been waiting for this day for so long.
But the amount of souls I need to harvest is astronomical. I can decrease the numbers of I go after souls of strong cultivators, but that would draw unwanted attention. The act of refining souls was a heinous sin dictated by all the hegemonic sects. Anyone caught in the act would be labeled a devilish cultivator and hunted by all the sects.
Emperor Soulfish was not afraid of anyone. Even if he was caught, he could easily hide, but that would result in his actions being closely monitored. If the hegemonic sects raised their guard against him, how could he harvest vast amounts of souls?
The souls of mortals are too weak but not insignificant. I should focus on the souls of weak cultivators and mortals on the side, but the problem is where I should target. I can easily target the islands in the endless seas with my power, but the population compared to the continents is too low. If I were to target a continent, which one should I target?
Mortal Continent is wholly grasped by the Saintly Scholar School. There are no large-scale conflicts, and the chances of me exposing myself are too great. And I always have a feeling that the master of the Saintly Scholar School is too queer. His rise is too mysterious; better not entangle with him.
Earth Continent is in a state of high tension, and the subordinate sects under both forces will occasionally clash, creating significant casualties. But due to the tension on both sides, the immortal monarchs are likely to be overseeing each battle. If I am unlucky, I might get discovered immediately. I'm not afraid of their immortal monarchs, but I will have trouble if they send their immortal emperors after me. If I kill one immortal monarch, it might lead to the Anti-Earth Alliance and the Eight Pillars Sect jointly attacking me. Their motives will include the death of an immortal monarch, but the resources of Begonia Tower are also another source.
Emperor Soulfish glanced at the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus, and his eyes darkened. If they really capture him, then they will definitely stop Chun's revival. So no matter what, he can't get captured. If he is killed, as long as he doesn't reveal the location of the Soul Pagoda, Chun will have a chance at revival.
That leaves only Heaven Continent. At the thought of Heaven Continent, Emperor Soulfish's thoughts drifted towards the Buzhou Immortal Sect. That year when Begonia Tower was destroyed, the hegemonic forces contributed the most.
The Heaven Continent isn't as peaceful as the Mortal Continent but calmer than the Earth Continent. Even so, the Buzhou Immortal Sect is comparatively hands-off compared to the two other hegemonic sects. Lately, the wars between the weaker sects and clans are getting more and more heated. None of the first-rate sects or the Buzhou Immortal Sect is paying them much attention for now.
Mentioning the rising wars at the periphery of the Heaven Continent, Emperor Soulfish couldn't help but analyze the situation deeper. The increasing wars are queer. Someone, or rather, some force is acting in the dark. But that's better for me, I can use their hands to hide my actions.
After an unknown period of time, a colossal red whale emerged above the sea. A sprout of water erupted from its blowhole and created a rainbow. A figure in a red robe with white hair and a horn on his forehead appeared not long after. Emperor Soulfish waved his hand, and the red whale monster submerged itself into the deep once more.
The red whale was Emperor Soulfish's soul puppet. The soul residing within the red whale was not the original, and the body had been converted into an immortal grotto. Although the outer appearance of the whale appeared normal except for its coloring, the inside appeared to be a separated world where the Soul Pagoda was situated at the center. The mobile pagoda wasn't as elusive as an immortal grotto formed from spacetime laws, but it still allowed Emperor Soulfish to be undiscovered.
After making sure that the Begonia Whale Immortal Grotto had completely submerged and hidden itself, Emperor Soulfish flew towards the Heaven Continent while concealing his traces.
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While flying through the air of the Buzhou Immortal Sect, Sect Master Xia examined the sphere in his hands and couldn't help but sigh. The sphere was naturally the Vast Heaven Islands that he had borrowed from Tianyi. When he heard that Tianyi created a pseudo realm by carving out a piece of the Demon Cage Realm, Sect Master Xia thought he had misheard. He was an immortal monarch. How could he have misheard?
When Tianyi came back, he had planned on asking Tianyi how he accomplished such an act. It had to be known that no one in the history of the Buzhou Immortal Sect had come close to replicating the act of creating a realm. Even if it was a pseudo realm, Tianyi had accomplished something that not even the immortals could replicate. Did the Concealed Emperor foresee such a day? Is that why he told me to pay special attention to Little Xi?
Sect Master Xia wanted to examine the Vast Heaven Islands some more, but he still had an errand to finish. As for who could make the sect master of the Buzhou Immortal run errands? It was naturally the Concealed Emperor! In fact, the end of the Demon Slaying Expedition was also the will of the Concealed Emperor.
After a considerable amount of time, Sect Master Xia landed in front of the entrance to the Buzhou Immortal Sect's forbidden grounds. The Buzhou Immortal Sect only had one forbidden ground, and it was surrounded by mountains from all sides.
The name forbidden grounds wasn't just an empty title either. The secrecy of the forbidden grounds was to the point that even true immortals did not know what it contained. No one was allowed to enter without permission aside from the head elders, grand elders, and sect master. Even then, none of the above-mentioned figures would lightly enter without good reason. Even Sect Master Xia only learned the truth after he ascended to his position, and upon walking in, he was shocked to his core.
Sect Master felt his breath hitch at the magnificence before his eyes upon walking through the entrance and entering the forbidden grounds. Although he was the sect master, this was only the sixth time he entered during his tenure.
The forbidden grounds of the Buzhou Immortal Sect did not exist within the Huang Realm. To be more precise, it was situated in a realm within the Huang Realm, a realm within a realm.
Tiles formed of white jade, walls built on divine clay, bridges formed of primordial stones, pillars forged from divine steel, shingles refined from dragon scales, and palaces constructed from glorious chaos jade. Not only were his eyes lambasted by the splendor, but the dense immortal qi also impacted Sect Master Xia.
Regaining his wits, Sect Master Xia made his way towards the largest structure. The structure was a palace yet not a palace because it had walls, pillars, tiles, and everything except the roof.
When Sect Master Xia entered, he didn't take any detours and went straight to the throne hall. Except for the roof, it greatly resembled the throne room of the Xi Dynasty. Or rather, all throne rooms or halls resembled the throne hall Sect Master Xia entered. Upon entering, Sect Master Xia kneeled and bowed to the figure on the throne.
The throne was a masterpiece not of mortal make. It seemed to be forged from the hands of divinity. On it, the story of creation could be seen, from the time when the world was still an egg not yet split by Pangu to the creation of the Immortal Court.
On the throne sat a figure wearing jade-green robes embroidered with lotuses from golden silk. The figure's face was that of a peerlessly handsome man in his thirties with long black hair and beard. His eyes seemed to contain the heavens within, and atop his head was a crown of stars.
He was the Concealed Emperor of the Buzhou Immortal Sect and a survivor from the primordial era.