Immortal Envoy's Bloody Death, Secret Journey to the Eastern Sea

"Buzz."

The heavy Mystic Ice Stone door slowly rose.

Li Qingxiao stepped out of the secluded chamber.

At this moment, not a trace of magical power leaked from his body.

His late Daluo Golden Immortal realm had been completely stabilized, his aura returning to its original simplicity.

To others, he looked like an ordinary mortal with no cultivation whatsoever.

Yet when the Twelve Ancestral Witches, who had been waiting outside, set their eyes on him, their hearts all shuddered.

Dijiang, the eldest Ancestral Witch, narrowed his eyes slightly. He vaguely sensed that—

within Li Qingxiao's seemingly slender body lay a terrifying physical strength capable of tearing apart the Primordial Stars.

That pressure was even comparable to the pinnacle of Daluo.

Even they, the Orthodox Lineage of Pangu, felt a trace of dread!

"Great Venerable, your foundation and comprehension are truly rare throughout the ages!"

Dijiang praised him sincerely.

Zhurong's eyes widened even further.

"Good heavens, after this round of seclusion, I reckon that even if I gave it everything I had, I still couldn't break through Great Venerable's protective immortal light!"

Li Qingxiao smiled and nodded, just about to exchange a few words with the Ancestral Witches.

At that moment, an exceedingly arrogant fluctuation of magical power suddenly came from above the earth veins at the outskirts of Mount Buzhou.

"An edict from Dong Wang Gong, Chief of the Immortals, has arrived—!"

A shrill voice like a drake's pierced through the earth veins.

Carrying lofty arrogance, it exploded over the Wu ancestral land.

"The Immortal Court upholds Heaven's command and governs the Primordial World!"

"You barbaric Wu, why do you not immediately leave the mountain, kneel to receive the edict, cede your lands and submit, and offer divine materials and spirit mines as annual tribute?! What are you waiting for?!"

The instant those words were spoken, the entire underground world fell into silence.

Dong Wang Gong had only recently risen to high status. Relying on the Dragon-Headed Cane bestowed by the Dao Ancestor—

and bolstered by his title as the "Chief of Male Immortals"—

his mind had long been completely clouded by overwhelming ambition and the tribulation aura sweeping through heaven and earth in the dark.

He had actually arrogantly believed that even these Wu, who revered only Pangu—

would bow and submit beneath his feet as Chief of the Immortals!

Immediately afterward, an uncontrollable, violent killing intent erupted from millions of Wu warriors!

"What dog bastard dares come to our Wu and make trouble?!"

Zhurong, the most hot-tempered among them, had flames blazing in his eyes as scarlet fire swirled around his body.

He could not be bothered to waste words. His knees bent slightly, and his entire body shot upward like a meteor defying the heavens, smashing through the earth in an instant.

Outside Mount Buzhou.

An early-stage Daluo immortal envoy clad in the brocade robes of the Immortal Court stood arrogantly amid the clouds, holding a scroll in his hands.

Backed by the edict personally penned by the Dao Ancestor, he was certain these Wu barbarians would not dare touch him.

Yet in the next moment—

Boom!

A massive fist blazing with boundless Zhurong Divine Flame—

shattered the void and slammed viciously into the immortal envoy's head.

Before he could even let out a scream, that swaggering immortal envoy—

together with the edict in his hands, was blasted into a cloud of blood mist that scattered across the sky!

His primordial spirit was utterly destroyed!

Dijiang watched the rain of blood falling from above with cold eyes and sneered disdainfully.

"A mere rogue cultivator propped up by bestowed treasures thinks he has the right to point fingers at Pangu's bloodline?!"

"What a fool who doesn't know his own limits."

Li Qingxiao watched the scene and shook his head helplessly.

Dong Wang Gong had truly become so arrogant that he had lost his mind.

He even dared send people to provoke a peerlessly dangerous place like the Wu.

Just then, Li Qingxiao's sleeve grew faintly warm.

He took out a Communication Talisman emitting a soft white glow. It was the one he had once given Ancestor Hong Yun.

When he crushed the talisman, Hong Yun's slightly anxious yet admiring voice rang out in Li Qingxiao's sea of consciousness.

"Brother Qingxiao! Your words from back then have truly come to pass!"

"For some reason, Dong Wang Gong has gone mad. The Immortal Court's reach is spreading everywhere."

"A few days ago, a group of immortal envoys even went to Five Villages Temple on Mount Wanshou. Their attitude was extremely overbearing, forcing this poor Daoist and Brother Zhenyuan to join the Immortal Court and serve under him."

"Brother Zhenyuan was so angered that he immediately sealed the grand protective formation around the temple. This poor Daoist faithfully followed your earlier warning and firmly refused without yielding an inch."

"Now, undercurrents are surging across the Eastern Sea. The Immortal Court's arrogance has reached the heavens, and it is making enemies everywhere."

"From what this poor Daoist sees, a great calamity may be approaching. Thus, I have sent word to you, brother. Please take utmost care!"

As he listened to Hong Yun's transmission, a hint of approval flashed through Li Qingxiao's eyes.

Though this kind-hearted old man was softhearted, at least he listened to advice.

He had avoided the fatal predicament of being dragged into the muddy waters of the Immortal Court.

Li Qingxiao condensed divine sound with his Daluo magical power and calmly sent back reassurance.

"Brother Hong Yun, do not worry. The Immortal Court is merely a whetstone for the tribulation established by the Heavenly Dao."

"Dong Wang Gong lacks the virtue for his position and is entangled in karma. His fortune has already run out, and his destruction is only a matter of time."

"You and Fellow Daoist Zhenyuan need only remain safely within your abode and keep the grand formation sealed. You will be able to avoid this killing tribulation."

After severing the karmic connection of Hong Yun's message, Li Qingxiao turned around and solemnly looked at the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

"Brother Dijiang, fellow Ancestral Witches. Stillness has made me restless, and I have divined that a great opportunity will soon appear in the Eastern Sea. I must make the journey."

"Today, I bid you all farewell."

When they heard that Li Qingxiao was leaving, the Twelve Ancestral Witches all revealed reluctance.

Dijiang strode forward and took from his robes a dark golden bone talisman engraved with Wu totems.

He solemnly placed it in Li Qingxiao's hand.

"Great Venerable, the road ahead is long. This is the Wu Supreme Venerable Bone Talisman!"

Dijiang patted his chest and made a bold promise.

"If Great Venerable ever has any orders for us, simply crush this talisman."

"No matter who the enemy may be, we brothers will lead millions of Wu warriors to your side at once!"

"Thank you, brother."

Li Qingxiao put away the bone talisman close to his person and cupped his hands in farewell.

Without any unnecessary lingering, the phantom of the White Lotus flashed beneath Li Qingxiao's feet.

He instantly transformed into a streak of light and vanished beyond the horizon.

The Eastern Sea was vast and magnificent.

Li Qingxiao stood above the clouds of the Ninth Heaven, fully circulating the concealment and purification essence of the Twelfth-Grade Purifying White Lotus.

A pearly white glow flowed around him, completely erasing his figure, aura, and even his karmic traces within the Heavenly Dao.

At that moment, even if a peak Daluo expert or a quasi-sage swept the area with divine sense—

they would find it nearly impossible to detect even the slightest trace of him.

Relying on such undetectable stealth—

Li Qingxiao quietly arrived at the outskirts of Zifu Continent.

Looking down, he saw the Immortal Court's island clusters below, where pavilions and towers stretched endlessly beneath dazzling immortal light.

Countless immortal birds and exotic beasts flew about. On the surface, it appeared that ten thousand immortals had come to pay homage, presenting a scene of immense prosperity.

But in Li Qingxiao's eyes, which saw through all things—

the skies above the Immortal Court had long become a foul, chaotic mess.

Dense black tribulation aura and deathly baleful energy too thick to disperse—

hung heavily over the entire island chain like leaden clouds.

"Flowers in full bloom, oil poured onto raging flames."

Li Qingxiao stood in the void with his hands behind his back, watching coldly as he sneered inwardly.

"They have gathered so many heavenly treasures. That saves me the trouble of searching everywhere for them."

His purpose in coming this time was exceedingly clear.

He would never serve as a hired hand, much less block the Yao's butcher's blade for Dong Wang Gong.

He would only be the fisherman hidden behind the scenes!