Setting Off!

Earth Ruins Realm.

A one-horned man in a golden robe stood atop the mountain peak, gazing at the vast, pitch-black lake in the distance, his eyes as somber as water.

Behind him stood three figures: the Withered Wood Heavenly Immortal, the Obsessive Heart Heavenly Immortal, and the Golden Cloud Heavenly Immortal immortal from the Shaoyan Clan.

"Ancestor!" The white-haired old man, ' Withered Wood Heavenly Immortal,' with a withered face like decaying wood, said anxiously, "Xuan Guang threw his storage magic treasure into Blackwater Lake before he died. The Heaven-Earth Spirit Mirror must be inside. What should we do?"

"What should we do?" the one-horned man in the golden robe said coldly. "Why don't you go in and retrieve that storage magic item?"

"I..." The Withered Wood Heavenly Immortal shivered.

That's Blackwater Lake, a deadly forbidden zone for cultivators. The Nightmare Dragon Emperor, which resides there, ranks among the top five Necro Race in the entire Earth Ruins Realm.

Even if one is at the half-step Pure Yang stage, being able to withstand a few moves from the Nightmare Dragon Emperor would be something to be proud of.

Ordinary Necro Race kings possess bodies comparable to celestial gods, while the Nightmare Dragon Emperor is like a true celestial god who has cultivated supernatural powers. If an ordinary celestial immortal were to encounter him, a single breath from him would be enough to kill them and annihilate their souls.

Even the one-horned golden-robed man, the strongest ancestor of the Shaoyan Clan, ' Poison Ugly Heavenly Immortal ', wouldn't dare to take the risk of entering Blackwater Lake on his own. That would be unless he had lost his mind and wanted to die.

"Ancestor, Withered Wood is just being impatient." The weathered-looking ' Obsessive Heart Heavenly Immortal ' quickly smoothed things over, "The Mysterious Heaven Sect still has two Celestial Immortals who were rescued by the Third Prince. If they were to tell the Third Prince about the Heaven-Earth Spirit Mirror, with the strength of the Xia Mang Clan, it wouldn't be impossible for them to gather enough manpower to take over Blackwater Lake. In that case, we would get nothing."

"It concerns the Heaven-Earth Spirit Mirror that grants access to Five Village Temple, so they won't tell the Third Prince." Poison Ugly Heavenly Immortal shook his head. "If the Xia Mang Clan really gets involved, the biggest benefit will definitely go to them. Their Xia Mang Clan Mysterious Heaven Sect wouldn't be that foolish."

"Ancestor, don't forget, their Mysterious Heaven Sect still has Zhou Hao," the Obsessive Heart Heavenly Immortal said solemnly. "According to the intelligence we've obtained, Zhou Hao personally killed several Celestial Gods and True Immortals in the Heavenly Realm and destroyed the Ten Thousand Demon Palace in Wushan Gorge. With his strength, even the Nightmare Dragon Emperor probably couldn't stop him."

"That's exactly what I was worried about," the Poison Ugly Heavenly Immortal said, frowning.

Entering Blackwater Lake, having many ordinary celestial beings is of little use; only the most outstanding celestial being capable of directly confronting true immortals and gods can offer any hope.

Even a powerful clan like the Xia Mang Clan doesn't have a monster with near- Pure Yang True Immortal strength within their ranks. If they want outsiders to risk their lives to attack Blackwater Lake, who would risk their lives for nothing without giving up the vast majority of the benefits?

After all, nobody's a fool.

On the contrary, it was Zhou Hao.

The celestial being from the same sect has perished, and since it concerns the Heaven-Earth Spirit Mirror, he will surely rush here from the Heavenly Realm upon receiving the news.

"If my other clones bring all the poisonous insects and strange beasts, and with Devoted Heart and the others joining forces, we should be able to enter Blackwater Lake..."

"No! That would put me in mortal danger." The thought had barely crossed the mind of the Poison Ugly Heavenly Immortal when he immediately rejected it.

Not carrying all poisonous insects and strange beasts onto a single clone—this is an ironclad rule! It's the main reason he's lived for countless years!

Even if he fails to obtain the Heaven-Earth Spirit Mirror this time and loses the opportunity to enter Five Village Temple, he must not violate the ironclad rules.

"The only option is to find someone to join forces with. Even if it's just sharing a small portion, it's better than getting nothing at all." After a moment's thought, the Poison Ugly Heavenly Immortal's clones, hidden in other worlds, immediately sprang into action.

"The Corpse Puppet has long coveted my secret method of raising poisonous insects. This time, I'll give him a taste of his own medicine. If I can obtain the Heaven-Earth Spirit Mirror, enter the Five Village Temple, and acquire the treasures left by Lady Nuwa that will aid my enlightenment, along with other secret treasures, Ginseng Fruit... perhaps I can take the final step and become a Pure Yang True Immortal." Poison Ugly Heavenly Immortal's eyes were filled with deep longing.

He's been stuck at the bottleneck of Pure Yang for far too long; this is his chance.

The Poison Ugly Heavenly Immortal's gaze swept over the three Celestial Immortals before him, and he ordered, "The three of you will set up a barrier outside Blackwater Lake to prevent anyone from approaching. This time, I will join forces with the Corpse Puppet to enter Blackwater Lake."

Corpse Puppet?

Corpse Puppet Old Devil?

The eyes of the Withered Wood Heavenly Immortal, the Obsessive Heart Heavenly Immortal, and the Golden Cloud Heavenly Immortal all lit up.

There are countless celestial beings in the Three Realms, but few can break through to the level of True Immortal. Yet, they possess a reputation no less than that of True Immortals and Heavenly Gods. Their Shaoyan Patriarch is one such example, as is the ' Corpse Puppet Old Devil ' mentioned by the patriarch.

"The Corpse Puppet Old Devil's eighteen demonic corpses are all fearless and can even contend with a true god when they join forces. With his help, the Nightmare Dragon Emperor is nothing to fear," said the Withered Wood Heavenly Immortal happily.

"It only guarantees that you won't die if you enter Blackwater Lake," the Poison Ugly Heavenly Immortal said solemnly.

Even if Necro Race, who has cultivated to the level of the Nightmare Dragon Emperor, is compared to a true celestial god in the Three Realms, the only difference is that their Dao realm is lower and their moves are more clumsy.

In contrast, in the eerie environment of the Earth Ruins Realm, they are like immortals. Even if their bodies are temporarily destroyed, they can recover after some time, and their power is even stronger than that of the gods.

Otherwise, over countless years, a supreme ruler of the Necro Race like the Nightmare Dragon Emperor would have been killed by cultivators from the Three Realms long ago, and his lair would not still have such a prestigious title as a forbidden zone for cultivators.

"The Corpse Puppet has agreed and is on its way. You all hurry and prepare to set up the formation." A look of joy flashed in the eyes of the Poison Ugly Heavenly Immortal.

"Yes." The three celestial beings immediately soared into the sky, transforming into three streams of light and flying towards the outer edge of Blackwater Lake.

"As long as we can enter Blackwater Lake and find that storage magic treasure before Zhou Hao arrives, even if we lose some children, it will be worth it to use some trump cards," Poison Ugly Heavenly Immortal thought to himself.

This time, he not only invited the Corpse Puppet Old Devil, but also gathered all the poisonous insects brought by his other clones, except for one or two left to save his own life. These poisonous insects were brought by another clone.

This is the limit he can achieve without violating the ironclad rules he has set for himself.

After all, poisonous insects can be re-cultivated after they die, but if you break through the bottleneck and lose the chance to achieve pure Yang, you'll never have another one.

In the Heavenly Realm, within the Perching Dragon Gorge and the Limitless Palace.

"Disciple, are you really going by yourself?" Kong Fang asked anxiously when he heard that Zhou Hao was going to the Earth Ruins Realm alone. "Although the Shaoyan Clan are all just Celestial Immortals, they have survived since ancient times and have offended many Celestial Gods and True Immortals. They must have some trump cards up their sleeves."

"Yes, Your Majesty," True Immortal Yu Lin also advised, "Even if True Immortals and Celestial Gods cannot enter the Earth Ruins Realm, bringing a team of Celestial Immortals can still be of some help in crucial moments."

The celestial immortals who have now come to Perching Dragon Gorge, along with the Dust-Avoiding Heat-Avoiding Cold-Avoiding great demons brought by the three great celestial demon kings Bichen, Bishu, and Bihan, number over a thousand. They could easily form an army of cultivators composed of hundreds of celestial immortals.

"No need," Zhou Hao shook his head. "With so many people around, there's bound to be some gossip. Among those celestial beings, there might be spies from the Wujian Gate. I don't want to easily reveal my whereabouts."

With his master, the Three Pure Ones, in the Heavenly Realm, and a host of powerful figures from the Dao Sect protecting him, he was not afraid of being plotted against by the Wujian Gate.

But once they leave the Heavenly Realm, things become uncertain.

Although the Earth Ruins Realm has a magic array set up by the Lady Nuwa, who knows what kind of methods the Wujian Gate might possess?

You must know how important the Underworld then; even the Six Paths of Reincarnation were destroyed in the end. How could I dare to be careless?

"It's easier for me to act alone. Right now, time is of the essence, and we can't afford to waste any time." Zhou Hao looked at Yu Lin Zhenxian. "Regarding the matter of establishing the new Yinglong Guard in the Heavenly Realm that I just mentioned, we will begin immediately after I leave. I hope to see some results when I return."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the disciples in the sect are all veterans of the Yinglong Guard. Moreover, Your Majesty holds the position of the Great Emperor of the Heavenly Court, so recruiting Loose Immortal from the Three Realms is also a great help," said True Immortal Yu Lin solemnly.

"Okay." Zhou Hao nodded.

With the Yinglong Guard of the Great Xia World as an example, Yu Lin Zhenxian only needs to follow suit and use his Heavenly Emperor reputation to recruit cultivators. Building a large army of cultivators should not be difficult.

Now that his strength has greatly increased, his trip to the Earth Ruins Realm will not only avenge Jade Dragon and Xuan Guang and reclaim the Heaven-Earth Spirit Mirror, but also seize the treasures occupied by the Necro Race to build his own power base.

"Your Majesty, what should we name our newly established army?" asked True Immortal Yu Lin. The regulations and system could be modeled after the Yinglong Guard, but the army couldn't still be called the Yinglong Guard.

"I am the Heavenly Court Emperor, the rightful ruler of the Three Realms. To serve under me is to obey the mandate of Heaven and protect the Three Realms," Zhou Hao said slowly. "Let us be called the ' Yingtian Guard '."

"Yingtian Guard." Yu Lin Zhenxian nodded.

At this moment, Zhou Hao's Asura God clone, dressed in black robes, flashed out from outside the hall and entered his personal Immortal Mansion.

"Let's go." Zhou Hao poured his Origin Power into the Cosmos Diagram, and the void in front of him was torn apart, creating a passage with distorted colorful light.

"Be careful, apprentice." Kong Fang looked at Zhou Hao with deep concern.

He knew that he couldn't help Zhou Hao with his own abilities, and that going with him would only be a burden.

"Don't worry, Master," Zhou Hao said with a smile. "Whether it's the Shaoyan Clan or the Necro Race, they're nothing but dirt chickens and dogs in my eyes, not worth mentioning."

Before he mastered the Great Chaos Hole Palm, he was able to kill even celestial gods and immortals. Now that his supernatural powers are just beginning to take him seriously, he will not care about them at all.

Wow~~~

As Zhou Hao stepped into the passage, the void quickly closed up and returned to normal.

Throughout the entire Perching Dragon Gorge, apart from Yu Lin Zhenxian and Kong Fang, no one knew that the Emperor, who had just returned, had already quietly departed again.

First update.