Emperor Qing: I Have a Plan

After weighing the three spirit weapons, Qin Sheng returned the dagger to Ye Fan.

"Yezi, take it."

"Thank you, Qin Immortal."

Duan De was shocked. "You two are in this together? You joined forces to scam me?"

"Fellow Daoist, that is not quite right."

Qin Sheng said solemnly, "I truly wanted to avert disaster and resolve misfortune for you. It was for your own good!"

"For my own good, my ass!" Duan De turned red with fury.

Qin Sheng pointed at Ye Fan. "Do you know who Yezi is? If you dare rob him, you will suffer a great calamity in the future."

Duan De gave Ye Fan a suspicious glance. "What earth-shattering background does this kid have?"

"Heh."

Qin Sheng said, "Tell you about him, and you'll be scared out of your wits."

"Yezi has an Ancient Desolate Saint Body."

Duan De really was stunned. "There is still a physique like the Ancient Desolate Saint Body around?"

His eyes lit up as he examined Ye Fan. After a moment, he exclaimed in amazement:

"It's actually real."

"The Ancient Desolate Saint Body can stand shoulder to shoulder with the ancient Great Emperors once it reaches completion. By stealing his weapon, weren't you offending a future Great Emperor?"

"I stepped in now to resolve the grudge between you in advance. Isn't that wonderful?"

Duan De looked as though he had heard nonsense. "A Completed Sacred Physique? The Ancient Desolate Saint Body can't cultivate at all anymore."

"No, this kid has already opened up his Sea of Bitterness."

"Exactly." Qin Sheng smiled.

"The Ancient Desolate Saint Body cannot cultivate, yet Yezi has already broken convention. Now do you understand my good intentions?"

A Completed Sacred Physique, invincible above and below heaven—Duan De felt that he truly could not afford to offend one.

But he quickly came to his senses and grew indignant.

"You robbed me of my weapons before I ever met him!"

"I glimpsed a corner of the future in the river of time beforehand and knew that you would cross paths with Yezi."

Qin Sheng corrected him, "Also, that was not robbery. I was helping you avert a bloody disaster. Please mind your wording and do not slander my noble character."

Duan De was so furious that his body seemed to swell. He had never met anyone so shameless in his life.

Not counting himself.

Ye Fan, meanwhile, was having the time of his life.

At that moment, an indescribable aura suddenly erupted from the ancient hall. A beam of light exploded outward, flooding heaven and earth.

"It's the Demon Emperor Weapon!"

"Suppress it! We must seize it!"

The five Great Abilities went mad and attacked together.

Qin Sheng watched with his blood boiling. Very good—such spirit!

"Ah, a Demon Emperor Weapon. It is no less impressive than the Eastern Wilderness Human Race Supreme Treasure."

Duan De stared at the ball of light with longing written across his face.

"If only I could get it."

Qin Sheng tested the waters. "Daoist, don't you have a weapon of that level?"

Duan De looked at Qin Sheng as if he had lost his mind.

"There are only a few such weapons in the entire Eastern Wilderness. How could I possibly possess one?"

Then he gritted his teeth. "If I had a weapon like that, how could I have been..."

How could I have been robbed by a black-hearted brat like you!

Qin Sheng fell into thought. Duan De had not obtained the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy yet?

Then where exactly had he found that half-piece of an Emperor Weapon?

Ah, I have a plan!

"Qin Immortal, Daoist—wait, something is wrong! Why does the Demon Emperor Weapon seem to be heading toward us?" Ye Fan asked urgently.

"Leave."

Qin Sheng flew away with Ye Fan, while Duan De shrieked and fled as well.

The stone mountain where they had just stood exploded. A jade basin appeared and caught the Demon Race Emperor Weapon.

This was a trap set by Emperor Qing's descendants, hidden in the shadows to receive the Emperor Weapon.

A peerless beauty, gorgeous enough to outshine the world, put away the Treasure-Gathering Basin and the Demon Race Emperor Weapon before swiftly departing.

"Thank you for your assistance, seniors. Otherwise, even if descendants of the Demon Emperor had come in person, they would have found it difficult to retrieve the Emperor Weapon."

"I've seen her before. Pang Bo was with her!" Ye Fan said.

"The Demon Emperor's descendant hid in the dark with the Treasure-Gathering Basin and reaped the rewards without lifting a finger. How hateful! Why wasn't that person me?" Duan De's eyes reddened with envy.

Qin Sheng shook his head. The Emperor Qing Lineage had truly declined. Yan Ruyu, a descendant of Emperor Qing, knew virtually nothing about Emperor Weapons.

In this era, unless another Emperor Weapon was there to suppress it, no one could stop an Emperor Weapon that wished to leave.

The Treasure-Gathering Basin was indeed extraordinary if it could take away the Emperor Qing Weapon, but Yan Ruyu's presence as Emperor Qing's descendant had also played a part.

Qin Sheng truly could not understand this.

Emperor Qing had only passed away ten thousand years ago. How had his lineage collapsed so spectacularly in such a short time?

When Emperor Qing had "passed away," he had actually still been in his prime. His power would definitely not have been weak, and there must have been Quasi-Emperors among his forces.

Who could have slaughtered a Great Emperor Orthodoxy at the height of its glory until it reached such a state?

While a Great Emperor was alive and for ten or twenty thousand years after his passing, that should have been the period when their orthodoxy was at its strongest, enough to rule all under heaven.

The Emperor Qing Lineage...

Forget the universe's starry sky—even among the Demon Race of the Eastern Wilderness, it had become a minor player. It was truly lamentable.

The appearance of the Treasure-Gathering Basin drew over a large number of spirit weapons at once. Duan De rushed out in a frenzy to compete for them.

"As expected of the Demon Emperor's Tomb. There are so many treasures." Ye Fan looked awestruck.

"...These treasures are merely Four Extremes-level artifacts. They are valuable to us, but to the Demon Emperor, they were nothing."

More than nothing. A spit from Emperor Qing would have been worth countless times more than these weapons.

"Huh?"

Ye Fan was surprised. "Then why were they in the Demon Emperor's Tomb?"

"That ancient hall is not the Demon Emperor's Tomb." Qin Sheng shook his head.

"Perhaps it was a place where people connected to Emperor Qing once lived?"

"I see." Ye Fan nodded vaguely.

Qin Sheng had Ye Fan stay there while he also went to compete for the weapons.

Though they were not Emperor Qing's true legacy treasures, they were still valuable and could be exchanged for some Source.

Qin Sheng collected weapon after weapon, while Ye Fan... well, there was definitely something strange about this kid.

The Green Copper Block that Qin Sheng had never managed to find fell from the sky right in front of Ye Fan.

If one called it luck, it was difficult to understand; if one claimed someone had arranged it, there was no trace of such an arrangement.

Ye Fan actually bore some resemblance to Emperor Lord as well.

The Green Copper Block squeezed into Ye Fan's Sea of Bitterness and suppressed its center.

"That is a treasure of earth-shattering significance. If word of it gets out, the entire Eastern Wilderness will be thrown into turmoil. Don't tell anyone else," Qin Sheng warned.

Unlike the Bodhi Seed, which helped Ye Fan cultivate, the Green Copper Block had helped him survive many crises.

It was a fragment of the Immortal Cauldron. But since it had already reached Ye Fan's hands, Qin Sheng had no intention of taking it.

The Divine Elixir he had eaten earlier had only been possible thanks to Ye Fan.

"I didn't get to touch the Demon Emperor Weapon, but why is there no sign of the Eastern Wilderness Human Race Supreme Treasure either?"

Duan De was deeply frustrated, feeling that he had been rather unlucky this time.

"The Eastern Wilderness Human Race Supreme Treasure? What is that?"

"It is the Desolate Pagoda," Qin Sheng answered.

"Yes." Duan De agreed.

"The nine-level Desolate Pagoda is invincible beneath heaven. It has existed longer than the Human Race of the Eastern Wilderness itself. Legend says it once suppressed and killed immortals!"

Ye Fan was shaken. "Aren't immortals merely legends of mythology?"

"That is why I said it was a legend."

Duan De said matter-of-factly, "I could also say that Daoist Duan suppressed and killed a Great Emperor in my previous life."

Qin Sheng patted Duan De's shoulder. "It might be true. The moment I first saw you, Fellow Daoist, I felt Supreme aura surging into the skies from above your head. Your brow is distinguished, and your bearing is incomparably noble."

Duan De was so angry he laughed. That was not what you said when you robbed me earlier!

"What line of work are you in, Fellow Daoist?" Qin Sheng asked.

"I excavate underground structures, preserve ancient objects, restore lost history to the world, and let every person know the truth buried beneath the earth."

Duan De wore an expression of righteous dignity.

"Isn't that tomb robbing?" Ye Fan blurted out.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Archaeology. It is archaeology."

Duan De said, "Daoist Duan is no thief."

"Archaeology is good. Archaeology is worth learning." Qin Sheng nodded.

"Then where do you plan to make your fortune next, Fellow Daoist?"

"You are interested too?" Duan De's eyes lit up. Had he finally encountered a kindred spirit?

"No, no, no. I was just asking."

I am an upright disciple of Shaking Light. How could I possibly join you in your misdeeds!

"I have no particular destination. I'll go wherever my feet take me."

In other words, he would rob tombs wherever he went. There was nowhere he did not dare go.

Duan De looked around and said, "There is still something wrong with this Demon Emperor's Tomb..."

He began searching in every direction. In the end, he led Qin Sheng and Ye Fan to a pool of water.

The pool was deep and dark, its bottom invisible. Cold air spread outward until even the air froze.

"This is the Yin Tomb, corresponding to the Yang Tomb outside," Qin Sheng said.

"One yin and one yang, embracing the Taiji. The Demon Emperor's Heart guards the Yang Tomb, while here in the Yin Tomb..."

Qin Sheng looked at Duan De, whose expression had become grave.

"You truly are an expert as well. The Demon Emperor Corpse should be buried in the Yin Tomb."

"Qin Immortal, how do you think this Yin Tomb should be broken?" Duan De began addressing him as Ye Fan did.

"It cannot be broken."

Qin Sheng said, "Can you deal with the Demon Emperor, or can I? You understand the terror of an Emperor Corpse as well."

The Desolate Pagoda was inside the Yin Tomb, while Emperor Qing's Primordial Spirit hid within the Desolate Pagoda, and he had even dismembered his own body.

With such a formation, who in the world could break it?

Unless Ruthless awakened and left the Desolate Forbidden Land, even an ordinary Forbidden Zone Supreme would only be delivering himself to death here.

Duan De sighed. His cultivation was still low, but his spiritual senses were extremely sharp. This Yin Tomb gave him an unprecedented feeling of immense terror.

Staring at the Yin Tomb, Qin Sheng found Emperor Qing's experience difficult to put into words.

As the Great Emperor closest to the opening of the Immortal Road, Emperor Qing would have had no problem living until that day with his lifespan.

As one who had attained Dao after taking human form from an Immortal Elixir, perhaps no Great Emperor had ever possessed a longer lifespan than him.

With Heavenly Emperor-level combat strength at his peak, who could have stopped him then?

Even if he had not wished to enter the Immortal Domain through the Immortal Road, Emperor Qing's talent and foundations gave him a great chance of walking the Red Dust Immortal Path.

It could be said that the timing of Emperor Qing's Dao Attainment had given him every possible advantage. Throughout all ages, no other Great Emperor had been like him, able to freely choose among so many methods of "becoming immortal."

What an incredibly wealthy hand to play.

Yet, while still in his prime, Emperor Qing suddenly had the idea of evolving an Immortal Domain through his own power and becoming immortal that way.

I have a plan.jpg

If Immortal King Chaotic Green Lotus had been doing this, there would have been no problem. But a human-path Great Emperor...

Could he really evolve one?

He simply did not have that ability, you know?

Whenever Qin Sheng thought of Emperor Qing sitting inside the Desolate Pagoda, manually crafting the Immortal Domain of his dreams, he could not help humming softly.

Emperor Qing truly was the king of ideas in Shrouding the Heavens.