Slaying Immortals
Just as he was considering whether to tell his master about the dragon with the aura of a king, he heard Bi Changchun say, "Yue Qianchou, if one day I were to pass on the position of the Punishment Envoy of the Demon Ghost Domain to you, would you accept it?"
"Uh..." Yue Qianchou was taken aback. He immediately forgot about the dragon and thought to himself, "I'll find a chance to figure this out first." He rubbed his hands together with a broad smile and said modestly, "Master is joking. With my current cultivation level, how could I possibly suppress the Demon Ghost Domain?"
"Yes! With the profound techniques you cultivate, reaching the Tribulation Transcendence stage shouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, I don't have that much time to wait. It seems I'll have to ask Nong Zhu to support you for a while." Bi Changchun sighed.
He Li peace, Crane! I will continue the work you left unfinished. Yue Qianchou prayed silently in his heart, then asked, "Master, who is this Mr. Nongzhu, and why do you admire him so much?"
Bi Changchun smiled and said, "He is a cultivator in the mid Spirit Transformation stage. He lives in the South Sea Purple Bamboo Forest and occasionally goes to the mortal world to play. The previous Punishment Envoy the Demon Ghost Domain originally chose him to succeed him, and he reluctantly agreed. However, because he was carefree and lazy, and I happened to appear at the right time, this fellow tricked me into coming to the Demon Ghost Domain. By chance, I became the Punishment Envoy of the Demon Ghost Domain."
The South Sea Purple Bamboo Forest? Is Mr. Nongzhu the Bodhisattva Guanyin? Yue Qianchou asked doubtfully, "Master, is Mr. Nongzhu male or female?"
"He's a man, of course, but he does have a female disciple. I'll have you visit him in the South China Sea when I have the chance, since you'll still need his support after I leave." Bi Changchun paused, then asked, "Why are you asking this?"
"Oh, it's nothing, just asking." Yue Qianchou scratched his head and said, "Master, do you really have to go to the 'Eastern Pole Sacred Land'? I heard He Li say that it's extremely dangerous there, and very few people who go in come out. Besides, even if you go there, you might not be able to find the method to ascend to the Immortal Realm. I heard you talk about the High Antiquity times earlier, so the Immortal Realm must not be comfortable either. Why go there to suffer? It's much more carefree and comfortable to stay in the mortal world."
Bi Changchun shook his head and smiled slightly, "I went to the 'Eastern Pole Sacred Land' not to seek the method to ascend to the Immortal Realm. My lifespan is nearing its end, and I seek to break through to the late Spirit Transformation stage of the Nascent Soul realm and achieve immortality. Besides..." At this point, a strange light suddenly flashed in his eyes, "Since immortals can live forever, there must still be a large number of immortals trapped in the Eastern Pole Sacred Land. Even if I cannot achieve immortality, I will still seek a thoroughly enjoyable battle. To suffer a crushing defeat in my lifetime is my long-cherished wish. Yue Qianchou, since I reached the late Tribulation Transcendence stage realm, I have never been defeated. It has been more than two thousand years. You would never understand my feelings."
I understand! How could I not understand? It's just like the legendary swordsman Dugu Qiubai! All that fancy talk, he's clearly just looking for excitement because he's spiritually empty. And all those excuses! He could use that time to feast his eyes on all the beauties in the world; nobody could possibly beat him. Looks like I should find that Mr. Nongzhu to spar with sometime; he's one of us!
Yue Qianchou muttered to himself, then frowned and said, "Although Master's cultivation is unmatched in the mortal realm, to challenge an immortal... Master, the cultivation of an immortal must be extraordinary!" His words were nothing more than advising his master to think twice before acting, as immortals were not so easy to bully.
"Hmph! I originally thought immortals were all that great." Bi Changchun suddenly snorted coldly, stood up straight, and revealed a hint of arrogance on his weathered old face. He said, "Two hundred years ago, I went to inspect the outer perimeter of the Eastern Pole Sacred Land and happened to encounter an immortal who had descended to the mortal world. After learning his identity, I treated him with great courtesy and humbly asked him some questions. However, he was arrogant and disrespectful. In a fit of anger, I fought with him, and he died under my sword in less than half a day... Hmph! Immortals are nothing special. They can't satisfy me. This made me even more determined to enter the Eastern Pole Sacred Land."
You're amazing! You even killed an immortal! Forget what I said before. Yue Qianchou stared at him, speechless. It seemed his master's confidence was extremely inflated!
"Yue Qianchou, you should understand now what a heavy responsibility you are about to shoulder!" Bi Changchun walked to the door and looked at the distant horizon. Yue Qianchou stood up and followed, smiling bitterly, "Master wants me to continue guarding the Demon Ghost Domain." He himself didn't understand why; what he had once longed for so much now seemed rather uninteresting and lacking in enthusiasm.
"Hmm!" Bi Changchun nodded and said, "Not only that, but also... well, there are some things you don't need to know for now. I will tell you when I leave. Now I need you to do two things."
"Master, please give your orders," Yue Qianchou said respectfully. Bi Changchun said without turning his head, "First, go to the Demon Ghost Domain and find a reliable person to help you cultivate the Deficient Flame Mysterious Fruit. You can choose anyone in the Demon Ghost Domain; you shouldn't waste your time on this now. Second, after you've finished the first thing, go to the South Sea Purple Bamboo Forest and find Nong Zhu. Once you arrive, he will understand what I mean and will arrange some things for you to do. This is a good opportunity for the two of you to get to know each other."
"Disciple obeys." Yue Qianchou replied, thinking to himself, "The first matter is easy. Tomorrow, the Demon King and the Ghost King will be gathering together. I can just pick one. I'm sure as soon as I announce it, people will be scrambling to come. As for the second matter, it will give me a legitimate opportunity to go back and take a look. A month has passed. I wonder what the situation is like outside now?"
Just as Yue Qianchou was pondering his own scheme, he suddenly heard Bi Changchun give a cold "humph." Looking up and following his gaze, he saw that something was amiss in the distance; the gloomy clouds in the sky were swirling and turning, with flashes of lightning faintly visible within them. Yue Qianchou was startled. Wasn't that the location of Wood Lady Mu? He couldn't help but ask, "Master, what's happening over there?"
"A ghost cultivator has broken through to the late Ghost King stage and is undergoing tribulation." Bi Changchun said, then suddenly turned and glanced at him, asking, " In the Demon Ghost Domain, the Demon King and Ghost Kings I have recognized are all gathering in that place. Was that your doing?"
"Uh..." Yue Qianchou nodded awkwardly and said, "After the Demon King and ghost kings learned that I had become your disciple, they all wanted to come and pay their respects. I couldn't bear to refuse their kindness, so I designated a meeting place for them and prepared to meet them tomorrow. If you think it's inappropriate, Master, I will tell them to disperse now."
"You don't need to ask me about such things. You have the right to decide for yourself." After saying that, Bi Changchun returned to his original seat, sat cross-legged, and calmly closed his eyes to rest.
Yue Qianchou secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The old man had delegated authority to him. He figured that as long as he didn't cause any trouble, everything should be fine.
Now, Yu Ji received news that Yue Qianchou was summoning Demon Ghost Domain Demon King and ghost kings of the Demon Realm for a meeting. She was overjoyed and determined to remind Yue Qianchou of his promise to her, fearing he might forget. So she arrived a day early. Upon reaching Wood Lady Mu's stronghold, she discovered that some people had arrived even earlier than her, some even nearly ten days earlier.
Guests are always welcome, and as the Wood Lady Mu of this place, and given that it was Yue Qianchou's order, Yu Ji naturally gave a warm welcome to the ghost kings and Demon King from all over. Yu Ji had just sat down in the mountain stronghold when her expression suddenly changed, and she realized something was wrong. She was originally a mid-stage ghost king, and had recently broken through to the late Ghost King stage. She calculated that she would be undergoing her tribulation within a year, but of all times, the tribulation had suddenly arrived today.
The strange phenomenon in the sky was obvious to the experienced Demon King and ghost kings. Wood Lady Mu quickly led Yu Ji to an open area far away from the mountain stronghold. Although she was worried about the stronghold being affected, she was also helping Yu Ji. This was all she could do to help Yu Ji. If anyone else intervened, Yu Ji would suffer an even more severe heavenly tribulation.
At this moment, a group of Demon King and ghost kings stood watching from a distance. The sky was filled with dark clouds, as black as ink, and ferocious lightning bolts flashed through them. As the lightning increased, the wind howled, and with a deafening roar, a beam of intense light finally slammed down. Yu Ji on the ground was like a piece of duckweed in the wind, desperately resisting the continuous strikes of lightning...
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