Volume Two: Fishing in Troubled Waters - Azure Emperor

Zhang Xingfeng's mind was filled with thoughts of Pangu. He could imagine that the reason Pangu became so powerful upon arriving in the Divine Realm, directly becoming a celestial being, was probably due to the Six Revolutions Profound Body. Didn't those two divine beings just say that Pangu's physical body was extremely strong, reaching the strength of a celestial being?

"Back then, Master Pangu wanted Xiao Lin to cultivate the Six Revolutions Profound Body, while I was instructed to cultivate the Limitless Power when I reached the final revolution. All of this was because Master Pangu wanted to know what the Limitless Power would become if it wasn't fused with the Immortal Undying Body to cultivate the Six Revolutions Profound Body. But now I know that the Six Revolutions Profound Body is extremely powerful even in the Divine Realm. Upon arriving in the Divine Realm, one becomes Lower Heavenly God. So what should I do? Should I continue to follow Master Pangu's arrangements, or should I cultivate the incredibly powerful Six Revolutions Profound Body like Master Pangu?" Zhang Xingfeng's mind raced.

The conversation between the two deities he had just heard forced him to think. The leap from deity to celestial being was a massive hurdle. Out of over a million deities, there were fewer than ten celestial beings; one could imagine how incredibly difficult it was to cultivate to become a celestial being. But... once one successfully cultivated the Six Revolutions Profound Body, one would directly become a celestial being upon arriving in the Divine Realm!

But... shouldn't I obey my master's orders? After all, this Six Revolutions Profound Body Art was passed down by Pangu.

Zhang Xingfeng shook his head a few times and muttered under his breath, "So what if he's a god? Who could have known that my Limitless Power would evolve back into Master's Mandate? Maybe my future achievements will even surpass those of Master Pangu!" Zhang Xingfeng comforted himself. He had already decided to give up the Six Revolutions Profound Body, after all, this was Pangu's hope back then.

"Who are you?" Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind Zhang Xingfeng.

Zhang Xingfeng's body jolted; his mind had been in a daze, preoccupied with other thoughts, and he had completely forgotten to pay attention to his surroundings, now allowing someone to get behind him.

Zhang Xingfeng's Divine Sense swept across the area. Zhang Xingfeng eyes widened in shock. "He... he... he's a late-stage Immortal Emperor!" Zhang Xingfeng's Divine Sense was stronger than that of experts in the Immortal Realm and the Demon Realm. This was a qualitative strength! Therefore, detecting the strength of an Immortal Emperor was quite easy for him.

Zhang Xingfeng adjusted his expression, slowly turned around, and bowed his head, saying, "This humble immortal greets the venerable immortal!" After saying this, Zhang Xingfeng slowly raised his head.

The person before him was dressed in a blue robe, with black hair casually draped over his shoulders. His gaze was indifferent, devoid of any sharpness, only possessing a depth like a still spring. On his forehead, however, was a flame-like mark. Upon seeing this mark, Zhang Xingfeng not only trembled but also involuntarily conjured up a certain image in his mind.

"The Azure Emperor, the sect master of the Fengyuan Gate Sect, is one of the three emperors of the Immortal Realm and one of the three most powerful Immortal Emperor in the Immortal Realm. He possesses the top-level divine artifact, the Fire Slash, which can easily Void Breaker. Those who possess the Fire Slash have a flame mark on their forehead."

"The Azure Emperor! The person before me is actually the Azure Emperor! He is actually the Azure Emperor!" Zhang Xingfeng was extremely shocked, but he still tried his best to hide his surprise.

Upon seeing Zhang Xingfeng, the Azure Emperor's eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his face, "Oh, you are Zhang Xingfeng!"

Zhang Xingfeng was startled, thinking to himself, "How does the Azure Emperor know someone as insignificant as me?" However, on the surface, Zhang Xingfeng still respectfully said, "This humble immortal is indeed Zhang Xingfeng. May I ask what business the immortal has with me?" Zhang Xingfeng still pretended to be deaf and dumb, as if he had not yet recognized the person in front of him as the Azure Emperor.

The Azure Emperor was taken aback. He was arrogant; if an ordinary immortal had asked him, he might have disdained to answer. Of the three emperors of the Immortal Realm, the Great Emperor Ziwei possessed King's Aura, high above all, and was adept at welcoming powerful individuals. Heavenly Emperor was domineering and incredibly generous, but the immortals of the Immortal Realm still considered Heavenly Emperor easier to get along with than the Great Emperor Ziwei, because how could ordinary people possibly discern the Great Emperor Ziwei 'Great Emperor Ziwei's mind was far too deep. The Azure Emperor, however, was unapproachable, absolutely arrogant, and almost never interacted with others except for those of his own level or members of his own sect.

However, Zhang Xingfeng is no ordinary person!

The Azure Emperor knew how powerful the person behind Zhang Xingfeng was, but Azure Emperor never confirmed Zhang Xingfeng's identity, since Zhang Xingfeng himself had never admitted it.

"Zhang Xingfeng, you seem to be only around the level of Nine Heavens Profound Immortal. How could you possibly reach the Source of the Forbidden Zone? It seems a bit hard to believe," the Azure Emperor said, shaking his head.

Zhang Xingfeng had long ago been circulating the Limitless Power within his body, mimicking the Immortal Yuan Power of Nine Heavens Profound Immortal. Zhang Xingfeng's Limitless Power was of a higher level than Immortal Yuan Power, yet the Azure Emperor still hadn't noticed.

"If you say so, Immortal, I find it a bit unbelievable. I'm probably just too lucky. Possessing a mid-level defensive artifact, I arrived here almost without any obstacles. The easiest place was the restricted space. One of the restrictions I encountered happened to be one that my master taught me about, so I easily passed through it and came directly here." Zhang Xingfeng seemed quite impressed with his good fortune. However, inwardly, Zhang Xingfeng smiled bitterly, "What kind of nonsense is this? This trip has been nothing short of unlucky, but I still have to pretend to be lucky, otherwise I can't explain how my strength allowed me to get here!"

The Azure Emperor nodded, understanding dawning on his mind.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the distance, and the Azure Emperor's eyes lit up. With a light slash of his flame-like blade, Azure Emperor tore through Void Breaker and easily retrieved the object from afar.

The Azure Emperor looked at the item in his hand, smiled, and said to Zhang Xingfeng, "Zhang Xingfeng, look, my luck is pretty good this time. I actually got a mid-grade divine artifact!" The Azure Emperor actually smiled; if other immortals found out, they would be utterly shocked. The Azure Emperor was known throughout the Immortal Realm for his cold and arrogant demeanor.

Suddenly, the Azure Emperor's expression turned cold. He turned to look at what was in front of him and saw a ripple, which was the presence of the Three Emperors of Taoya.

The Three Emperors of Taoya immediately seized the artifact upon seeing its radiance, but who would have thought that someone else would snatch it away? This was outrageous! The three brothers of Taoya, working together, were only a handful of late-stage Three Emperors of Taoya in the entire Immortal Emperor Realm who dared not offend them; they were not afraid of anyone else.

"Ah, Your Majesty the Azure Emperor, I was reckless. I beg Your Azure Emperor's forgiveness!" The eldest of the Three Emperors of Taoya immediately apologized upon seeing the Azure Emperor.

To Zhang Xingfeng's surprise, the Three Emperors of Taoya seemed to be trembling slightly. These Three Emperors of Taoya were all Immortal Emperor, yet they were trembling before the Azure Emperor. This piqued Zhang Xingfeng's curiosity.

The three brothers, the Three Emperors of Taoya, were filled with deep regret for offending the Azure Emperor. The three emperors of the Immortal Realm were not to be trifled with! The Great Emperor Ziwei valued his reputation highly, always regarding himself as a superior being and not allowing anyone to embarrass him. Otherwise, he would be killed without mercy. The Heavenly Emperor was domineering, killing anyone he disliked! The Azure Emperor, however, was utterly ruthless. If you didn't provoke him, he wouldn't settle scores, but once you did, you'd better immediately and respectfully admit your mistake; otherwise, your millennia of arduous cultivation would be over!

Zhang Xingfeng still pretended to be shocked as he looked at the Azure Emperor, and immediately said respectfully, "This humble immortal was unaware of Your Azure Emperor's identity before and has offended you. I hope Your Azure Emperor will forgive me."

The Azure Emperor, with an icy expression towards the Three Emperors of Taoya, turned to Zhang Xingfeng with a beaming smile, saying, "It's alright, it's alright, Xingfeng, you know perfectly well." Suddenly, the Azure Emperor remembered something and turned back to the Three Emperors of Taoya with an icy tone, saying, "You three, get out of here! Don't let me see you again!"

The Three Emperors of Taoya were overjoyed, bowed deeply in gratitude, and flew away.

The Azure Emperor smiled at Zhang Xingfeng and said, "Xingfeng, there's something I'd like to ask you!" The Azure Emperor was now being overly polite to Zhang Xingfeng, addressing him as the familiar Xingfeng!

Zhang Xingfeng immediately replied, "Your Azure Emperor, please feel free to ask me anything. I will answer you without hesitation."

The Azure Emperor smiled and said, "I know that Xingfeng possesses the top-tier offensive artifact Sun-Shooting Divine Bow. As far as I know, that Sun-Shooting Divine Bow belonged to the Sun-Shooting Demon Emperor, one of the Seven Fiends of the Demon Realm who once dominated the Seven Fiends of the Demon Realm. However, the Great God Pangu eventually hunted down the Seven Fiends of the Demon Realm, and they disappeared. It seems they were killed by the Great God Pangu. How did you obtain this Sun-Shooting Divine Bow, Xingfeng? I once suspected that you were a disciple of the Great God Pangu. However, according to my disciples, Xingfeng, you also possess the Skyfire Body, though it is clearly different from the Six Revolutions Profound Body Art of the Great God Pangu. Your Skyfire Body can emit Purple Skyfire (this information was obtained by the Azure Emperor from the battle between Zhang Xingfeng and Tian Nan), while the Heavenly Fire Body of the Great God Pangu did not emit Purple Skyfire. This makes me very curious."

Zhang Xingfeng's mind raced, and he made a decision in an instant.

"Your Azure Emperor, the great god Pangu is indeed my master, and what I cultivate is indeed the Six Revolutions Profound Body Art. However, my cultivation method has changed, mainly because I received guidance from a master. At that time, that master said that my Skyfire Body was not perfect enough and that I could still continue to cultivate. He then guided Xingfeng for a period of time. After that, that master drifted away and was never seen again."

As he said this, Zhang Xingfeng chuckled inwardly, "Heh heh, I'll bring Pangu and that person you're all afraid of here now, let's see how you handle it."

Upon hearing this, the Azure Emperor finally believed it. After all, he believed that Pangu would never have given the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow to anyone else, and when it came to the use of fire, he estimated that no one in the immortal and demon realms could surpass that person.

"It seems Zhang Xingfeng has quite a background. From what those two deities said, it seems that Pangu is also a formidable figure in the Divine Realm. When I go to the Divine Realm in the future, I will still need to maintain a good relationship with Pangu. For now, I must treat Zhang Xingfeng well. Moreover, judging from what he said, the Fire God seems to have a master-disciple relationship with Zhang Xingfeng. Although it's not explicitly stated, who knows if the God of Fire God is serious? But I wonder who would be stronger if the Fire God and Pangu fought? Pangu's Six Revolutions Profound Body is said to be much more powerful than the Immortal Undying Body, and he's not even afraid of divine fire. The God of Fire God's ultimate move is divine fire, so it seems that the God of Fire God is no match for Pangu."

The Azure Emperor's mind raced with countless questions, but how could he possibly know the true secret technique of the one he called the Fire God? The reason that person only used divine fire was because, apart from Pangu, it seemed no one in this realm could resist it. After all, even in the Divine Realm, only the celestial beings could withstand divine fire!

"Haha... Xingfeng, I never expected this! I never expected this! Pangu and I, Yuanmu, were such good friends back then. I never imagined that my friend would have already established himself in the Divine Realm, while I, Yuanmu, have made no progress in this realm." The Azure Emperor began to deliberately reveal that he and Pangu were good friends.

Zhang Xingfeng also knew that the Azure Emperor, Heavenly Emperor, and Great Emperor Ziwei were the titles of the leaders of the three major powers in the Immortal Realm, and each generation of leaders held these titles. The Azure Emperor and the others also had their own real names. He had heard the Azure Emperor say that his original name was Yuanmu.

"Oh, so His Azure Emperor is a good friend of Master Xingfeng. That is truly Xingfeng's good fortune!" Zhang Xingfeng exclaimed with delight.

The Azure Emperor smiled, quite satisfied. He already sensed that he hadn't been away from the Immortal Realm for very long, and the time until his Divine Tribulation as a god was probably only a few thousand years away. When he arrived in the Divine Realm, he would need Pangu's protection. Hadn't he heard what those two gods said? Of the millions of gods in the entire Yaochi City, there were only eight Heavenly Gods. With the Heavenly Gods' protection, things would probably go much more smoothly in the Divine Realm.

Suddenly, the Azure Emperor raised an eyebrow, a smile appearing on his face. He took Zhang Xingfeng's hand and said, "Xingfeng, come with me. I'll take you to see my brothers!"

Zhang Xingfeng was taken aback. "The Azure Emperor's brother? Who is that?" He then followed the Azure Emperor and flashed away.

"Chiyang, Chiyang!" The Azure Emperor appeared and shouted to a burly man in front of him.

The burly man immediately turned around, and smiled upon seeing the Azure Emperor. Zhang Xingfeng, however, was startled, staring blankly at the golden gauntlet on the man's right hand, and exclaimed inwardly, "The Heavenly Emperor! It's the Heavenly Emperor!"

"Come, Xingfeng, get to know my brother Chiyang better. By the way, my brother Chiyang isn't just any ordinary immortal; he also has another title— the Heavenly Emperor!" the Azure Emperor said with a smile.