Ning Province, Heavenly Mist Domain.
The secret of Cangwu Mountain sent shock waves through the entire Cultivation World.
The An Clan, a cultivation family that had risen rapidly and dominated Ning Province for thousands of years, was finished.
The An Clan members were now suffering a merciless slaughter.
Many sects blamed the An Clan for their elders' deaths, sending out elite forces to hunt down its members in droves.
Anyone twelve or older was to be killed without mercy.
At that moment, a massive flying vessel sailed above the clouds.
"Ye Xi!"
"This was all his scheme. From beginning to end, his goal was to find out who was behind the An Clan!"
Jiang Youlong's expression was grim as he spoke in a chilling voice.
He reviewed everything that had happened. Ye Xi had seemed not to lift a finger, yet in truth, he had controlled it all.
Even the conflict between Ye Qingge and Yuan Ruoyu...
From the moment Great Emperor Zhitong appeared, the An Clan had already fallen into their trap.
With an emperor present, the An Clan had been forced to risk refining the Alien Seed.
Then they had deliberately exposed the transformed appearance of the An Clan's three old ancestors to every cultivator.
"So that was why..."
Jiang Youlong's breathing grew ragged. He murmured, "Venerable Heavenly Punishment only showed himself to keep the transformation from being exposed, and then he killed everyone!"
"But by doing that, he fell right into Ye Xi's trap. In the end, Ye Xi severely wounded Venerable Heavenly Punishment!"
As the thought struck him, Jiang Youlong couldn't help feeling a deep fear of this Great Emperor Nicholas.
He both admired him and feared him!
Silence fell over the flying vessel once more.
Zuo Qingtian and Hua Hongyi stood on opposite sides of the deck, staring blankly into the distance.
Jiang Youlong raked his fingers through his hair without a care, a sense of helplessness rising in his heart!
Then another thought hit him, and he sprang to his feet!
"No!"
"Ye Xi is formidable, but the truly terrifying one is the Immortal Great Emperor!"
Jiang Youlong paced across the deck, speaking rapidly:
"The Immortal Great Emperor never showed himself, not once, yet everything was under his control!"
"All because of a single Diary!"
"With it, he stirred the winds and clouds across the land, swayed the course of events, and made everything unfold according to his will!"
The deeper Jiang Youlong thought, the more a chill crawled down his spine!
He looked up at the heavens.
"The Immortal Great Emperor even dragged those who had once been players into the game!"
Jiang Youlong swallowed hard and said with difficulty, "Now, it's still unclear who the prey is!"
"Everything points to the Immortal Great Emperor finally striking back!"
When he finished, he let out a long sigh.
The Immortal Court had actually sent them to track down the Immortal Great Emperor. Was a being this dangerous really someone they could take on?
Jiang Youlong's heart sank. "Could it be that even we've been caught in his scheme from the start?"
But just then!
Hua Hongyi suddenly went mad. She looked up at the sky and cried out at the top of her lungs:
"Tell me, in all the world above and below, are there really immortals?!"
At her words, Jiang Youlong and Zuo Qingtian's expressions darkened even further.
In Cangwu Mountain, they had found the remains of emperors who had once ascended.
The truth dealt a fatal blow not only to other cultivators, but to them as well.
The three of them had served the Immortal Court. What had they been seeking?
Hadn't they hoped that one day, the Immortal Court would reward their years of toil by letting them ascend to the Immortal Realm?
But now!
The truth about Cangwu Mountain told them that ascending didn't necessarily mean becoming an immortal.
They might instead become a skeleton to be devoured.
"Pfft—"
Hua Hongyi suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, looking utterly deranged.
Her obsession with becoming an immortal ran deepest.
The exposure of Cangwu Mountain's secret had hit her hardest.
Jiang Youlong and Zuo Qingtian were alarmed and started toward her.
But then Hua Hongyi suddenly took out an object: a jet-black brush.
She tossed it to Jiang Youlong and said coldly, "If all these immortals do is eat people, then I'm done being an Immortal Envoy!"
Jiang Youlong froze, then said solemnly, "Hua Hongyi, have you thought about the consequences?"
Zuo Qingtian also tried to dissuade her. "You'll have to face Heavenly Punishment!"
"Heh—"
Hua Hongyi scoffed, laughing almost wildly. Her chest heaved, but her voice rang with resolve:
"Heavenly Punishment? They'll only eat me alive, same as the rest."
Hua Hongyi gave them a mocking look, then changed tack. "Can you guarantee that won't be your fate?"
Zuo Qingtian's face darkened, his expression frighteningly grim.
Jiang Youlong gaped. He realized that he didn't feel so sure of himself either.
"Perhaps those emperors made some mistake, and that's why they—"
Hua Hongyi didn't want to hear another word. "Enough! I've made up my mind. From now on, we each go our own way!"
"So what if I face Heavenly Punishment? I'll enjoy a few carefree days first."
But just then.
All three of them sensed something at once and whipped around.
Their faces changed dramatically.
At some point, someone had appeared aboard the flying vessel.
A young man in white, handsome as jade and possessed of an extraordinary bearing, stood smiling at them.
It was none other than Great Emperor Nicholas, Ye Xi!
Jiang Youlong's face changed dramatically, an unprecedented sense of danger rising in his heart.
Only then did he finally realize the truth.
Ye Xi had schemed everything. How could he have failed to scheme against them, too?
It wasn't that he hadn't known about them. He had only come to close the net now!
Zuo Qingtian was also terrified.
Hua Hongyi, though startled at first, gave a self-mocking smile and showed little reaction.
Jiang Youlong took a deep breath and cupped his hands. "May I ask why the Great Emperor has come in person? Do you have some instruction for us?"
He still clung to one last shred of hope.
Fight him?
They wouldn't stand a chance.
Ye Xi's smile never wavered. He said calmly, "I came here to kill you."
"All lackeys of the Alien Seeds must die. You're simply dying a little earlier!"
Jiang Youlong and Zuo Qingtian turned even paler.
With death upon them, both men's legs trembled...
"Run!"
Only one thought remained in Jiang Youlong's mind. No one dared resist an emperor.
But as he and Zuo Qingtian sprang into action, ready to unleash every life-saving treasure they had and flee, they found their bodies would not obey them.
Even the spiritual power throughout their bodies had been completely sealed. They couldn't move.
Ye Xi had no interest in toying with them. He flicked a finger, sending out a ball of true fire that engulfed the two men.
"Ah—"
Their shrill screams rang out from the flames, but only for a moment before they fell silent.
The two men had been reduced to ashes.
Not even a wisp of their nascent spirits remained.
Hua Hongyi hadn't tried to escape. She had closed her eyes and waited for death, but Ye Xi still hadn't struck.
She opened her eyes and saw him smiling at her.
Hua Hongyi asked in surprise, "You're not going to kill me?"
A moment later.
Ye Xi smiled and shook his head, reaching out to her. "Join me in rebellion, and I'll lead you to immortality!"
"To true immortality, free and eternal!"
A glimmer lit Hua Hongyi's eyes, only to fade quickly. She said:
"But I once..."
Ye Xi continued, "That wasn't your fault. The fault lies with this cannibalistic Immortal Court!"
"I've only just started building my cause, and I need people. Come help me bring them down!"
"What we must do is reshape heaven and earth!"
Hua Hongyi shuddered. After a moment's hesitation, she took a deep breath and bowed solemnly to Ye Xi!
"Hua Hongyi is willing to follow the Great Emperor for the rest of her life!"
Ye Xi smiled. "Good. Get up. From now on, we're comrades, fighting together for the ideals and light in our hearts!"
He thought to himself, Master once said...
When the enemy is too strong, you can't afford to waste anyone you can win over or any resource you can put to use.
Then Ye Xi left the flying vessel, with Hua Hongyi close behind!
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