"Your flesh is truly delicious. I like it very much," Emperor Venerable said. "My little darling, grow some more meat for me to eat."
With that, his blood-dripping mouth moved in to kiss Huashe.
"Ah..." Supreme Huashe let out a piercing, mournful scream.
Meanwhile, Annihilation Heavenly Venerable, bound fast by ropes formed from Emperor Venerable's black Weird Substance, was practically going mad.
Gou Chen Star.
It was an ancient planet teeming with life.
At this time, the Gou Chen Great Emperor had yet to be born on Gou Chen Star, but it was already a paradise for the demon race.
One day, an enormous rift in spacetime suddenly appeared in the Great Wilderness of Gou Chen Star.
A divine bird wreathed in immortal Qi tumbled out of the rift. Crushed by the surging, violent power of spacetime, it seemed to turn into a piece of charred coal in the blink of an eye and fell into a great river.
Countless demonic beasts fled in terror.
In that area, the void shattered completely and erupted, a violent storm sweeping in every direction.
Rumble!
It was as though the world were being destroyed. Anyone caught in that terrifying power would surely be reduced to ash.
The young Undying Heavenly Emperor was flung away by the dreadful spacetime storm.
Even the treasures he carried crumbled in an instant.
His incomparably powerful body cracked and popped, nearly roasting to a crisp before falling into the water.
The young Undying Heavenly Emperor's name was Feng Ge.
Feng Ge could hear his body sizzling as it roasted, as though it were burning and oozing oil.
He also heard his bones cracking and snapping.
His body had suffered unimaginably grievous injuries.
With a splash, he fell into the water in a daze.
The river was over a thousand meters wide and flowed between the mountains.
Feng Ge bobbed up and down as the current swept him into the distance.
The river soon joined a broad, placid waterway.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor awoke once, only to find that he had not a shred of strength. He felt the divine power throughout his body being suppressed by this world, as though it had completely dissolved. He could no longer use his astonishing divine power.
He did not know how many bones in his body were broken. His body had nearly been burned into a piece of charcoal, and it was recovering very slowly.
Clearly, his body had not yet had time to adapt to the Dao rules of this world.
Only after drifting for a full week did the Undying Heavenly Emperor gradually regain consciousness.
By then, his whole body was wracked with pain, making him bare his teeth and grimace.
Before long, the Undying Heavenly Emperor washed up at a dock, where numerous fishing boats and cargo vessels were moored. A small human city stood nearby.
With a thud, he bumped into a large ship, and the sailors spotted him at once.
"What rotten luck. We've run into a floating corpse."
"No, look, he's still breathing. He's obviously not dead yet."
"He's charred black all over, like he was struck by lightning. Disgusting."
"Fish him out and take a look. Maybe he can still be saved."
"He's been struck by lightning like that and still isn't dead. Could he be a peerless expert?"
Several sailors hauled the Undying Heavenly Emperor aboard. One of them probed his Sea of Bitterness Secret Realm, then cursed and said, "He's a cripple. There isn't the slightest fluctuation of divine power in his Sea of Bitterness."
The others gathered around as well and examined the Undying Heavenly Emperor closely.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor's divine sense was perceptive, and he quickly understood what they were saying.
His body had suffered grievous injuries, and his divine power was suppressed by the Dao rules of this world. Until it had been completely replaced, he could not use it at all.
It would probably take him a long time to recover.
"What do we do with him? We don't keep freeloaders aboard."
"His bones are broken and he's charred black all over, but he doesn't look all that ugly."
"Find the ship's doctor and have him try the Rejuvenation Technique on him."
Someone soon came over. He repeatedly formed hand seals, producing a soft glow that he pressed onto the Undying Heavenly Emperor's body.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor's bones soon knitted back together, and the dead skin peeled off his body.
But he still could not use the slightest bit of the divine power in his body.
After changing into clean clothes, the Undying Heavenly Emperor became a graceful, handsome young man.
His looks were so impeccably beautiful that even beautiful women would go mad at the sight of him.
His body was translucent and lustrous as jade, with faint five-colored divine light flowing over it, making one suspect he had an extraordinary background.
Yet the Undying Heavenly Emperor did not have the slightest trace of a cultivator's presence.
His breath was weak instead, and at first glance he seemed no different from a mortal.
At the sight of the Undying Heavenly Emperor's handsome face, the ship's captain's eyes began to dart about.
"We sailors risk our lives to earn our money," the captain said. "We can't save someone for nothing. He has no talent for cultivation, but he's handsome. Why don't we sell him to a brothel as a catamite? That would give him a way to make a living."
"That's right. He's handsome, so some lord might take a fancy to him. Then he could feast on delicacies and live comfortably for the rest of his life."
"I hear a Pleasure Grove just opened in Xinzhou. They specialize in finding beautiful catamites. Why don't we sell him there?"
The Undying Heavenly Emperor was shocked and furious. A tiger fallen on the plains was bullied by dogs; these people actually wanted to sell him as a catamite.
The captain said to the Undying Heavenly Emperor, "Pretty boy, behave yourself and we won't beat you. Don't go looking for trouble."
"Stay here and recover quietly. We'll sell you in a few days."
The Undying Heavenly Emperor felt that his strength would return soon, in just a few days, so he stayed obediently on the ship.
The captain was very pleased and soon delivered the Undying Heavenly Emperor to the Pleasure Grove.
"Not bad, very good indeed. A pretty boy like this will surely fetch a fine price." The people at the Pleasure Grove were delighted.
Although the Undying Heavenly Emperor was only nine years old, he was already an expert in the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm.
If he had not sought to lay a stronger foundation while in the Immortal Domain, he might already have become an Immortal Second Realm Mighty Figure.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor had just been purchased by the Pleasure Grove. He had thought his strength was about to return and that he would be able to use this world's divine power, but he suddenly spat out a mouthful of five-colored blood.
Then he pitched headfirst onto the ground and transformed into a five-colored Phoenix.
"How beautiful! This is actually a Phoenix with a pure bloodline." The man from the Pleasure Grove spoke in a high, shrill voice like a eunuch's.
"This is actually a male of the demon race? How handsome." A tall, powerfully built man appeared, as imposing as an iron tower.
Beside him stood an effeminate man with powder and rouge on his face. Though a man, his feminine bearing was far too pronounced.
"Such a handsome demon is a rare sight indeed." The effeminate man clicked his tongue in admiration.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor, now a Phoenix, felt a wave of nausea, and his gaze grew colder and colder.
"This little Phoenix has quite a temper. Look at that cold stare. Watch how I tame him," the iron-tower-like man said to the effeminate man.
"Ah, Brother Tie, your methods are far too rough and brutal. Let me train him instead." The effeminate man shook his head.
He picked up the Undying Heavenly Emperor in his Phoenix form and said with a gentle smile, "Little fellow, come home with me."
As he spoke, he paid for the Undying Heavenly Emperor.
Under the two men's gazes, the Undying Heavenly Emperor felt wave after wave of revulsion and seethed with rage.
Five-colored flames seemed to blaze in his eyes.
"Kid, don't be ungrateful. If you don't behave, we'll feed you to the demonic beasts," the Pleasure Grove's brothel keeper said, a hint of threat in his voice.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor's lungs were about to burst with rage. As a young prince of the Immortal Phoenix Race in the Immortal Domain, when had he ever been humiliated like this?
"What shameless scoundrels!"
"The human race's tastes are so perverse!"
"Every one of you looks so respectable, but behind closed doors you're filthy!"
"You don't even like beautiful women. You like men instead. Even the stones in a cesspit smell a hundred times better than you!"
"Get as far away from me as you can!"
The little Phoenix erupted, cursing them in the human language.
Hearing the little Phoenix's words, the effeminate man's face immediately darkened.
"You shameless ingrate!"
"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"
"Teach him a lesson!"
The effeminate man threw the little Phoenix onto the ground and stomped on his head. He also plucked the five brilliant feathers from his tail.
"These five Phoenix tail feathers are quite nice. Just right for refining into a Five Elements Fan."
The effeminate man was quite powerful. In the blink of an eye, he refined the five Phoenix tail feathers into a fan that shimmered with five-colored divine light. With a gentle wave, the light flickered, and it almost seemed as though the five elements could evolve into chaos. It was extraordinarily wondrous.
The effeminate man was very pleased.
Planting one foot on the little Phoenix's head, he said smugly, "This little Phoenix didn't know what was good for him, so I plucked his feathers for a fan as a small punishment."
"Such a beauty inspires pity at first sight. I can't just kill him like this."
"I'll take him back and work him over properly. He'll make a perfect birthday gift for Lord Bei."
"Lord Bei's five-thousandth birthday is coming up. I was just worrying that I couldn't find a precious enough gift, and this beautiful little Phoenix delivered himself to my door. My luck is wonderful."
This effeminate man was also a direct descendant of an influential clan, and his ancestor was a Saint. He and Great Saint Bei were birds of a feather, colluding like wolf and bei as they ran rampant across part of Gou Chen Star, leaving nearly every handsome man fearing for his safety.
He had been looking to curry favor with the Great Saint, and the little Phoenix's appearance immediately made him see a rare treasure worth holding onto.
At this moment, the effeminate man's old servant quietly said, "Young master, that little Phoenix has an extraordinary bloodline and a bearing unlike any ordinary person's. Perhaps he also comes from a noble race. Should we investigate his background first?"
"Hmph! Old man, do I need you to teach me how to do things?" the effeminate man said coldly.
"Just stand guard for me. Don't say another word about anything else," he said in displeasure.
"But..."
"But what? Are you telling me how to do things?"
"He's nothing but a homeless, scruffy-feathered Phoenix. If he had even the slightest background, he wouldn't have reached this age without cultivating a trace of divine power."
What the effeminate man said did seem to make sense.
"As you command, young master," the old servant said respectfully, lowering his head.
The little Phoenix was dragged away by several people and taken into a room.
Suddenly, just after the door closed, a deafening boom rang out, and the entire room exploded.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor transformed back into a young man, five-colored divine light flashing around him as he erupted with the presence of the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm.
"Good! Good!"
"You really are a genius with an extraordinary bloodline. My favorite thing to do is snuff out geniuses." The effeminate man was both startled and delighted.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor had finally recovered his Dragon Transformation Secret Realm strength. With fury soaring to the heavens, he instantly entered the Eight Prohibitions.
As a genius of the Immortal Phoenix Race in the Immortal Domain, when had he ever been looked down on like this? When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
Five-colored divine light burst from his body, vaporizing the Pleasure Grove and reducing it to ash in blazing flames.
The effeminate man suddenly drew a divine sword as black as ink and pierced the Undying Heavenly Emperor's body with a soft pfft. Five-colored blood sprayed everywhere. The Undying Heavenly Emperor had actually been wounded.
The effeminate man was an expert in the Immortal Platform Secret Realm, and was almost ready to enter the realm of an Immortal Second Realm Mighty Figure.
The iron-tower-like man was also almost at the realm of an Immortal Second Realm Mighty Figure.
As for the servants still eyeing him like tigers watching their prey, barring the unexpected, they should at least have the strength of Immortal Second Realm Mighty Figures, and might even be Severing the Dao experts.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor felt a surge of anxiety.
He had never expected to encounter such a calamity just after being stranded in this world, and more recently to run into a group of villains.
The supreme treasures he carried had been utterly destroyed in the turbulent currents of spacetime.
The forbidden weapons his clansmen had given him had also long since been destroyed by this world's Dao rules.
Did he really have to burn his Phoenix origin and fight for his life now?
These human experts had mediocre talent, yet they were forcing a genius like him to burn his Phoenix origin. It truly was not worth it.
If this were the Immortal Domain, his clan's ancestor would probably already have come knocking with the clan's ancestral immortal weapon.
While the Undying Heavenly Emperor hesitated, the people surrounding him had already struck one after another, forcibly trapping him in a mysterious cage.
No matter how hard he struggled, he could not escape.
Just as the Undying Heavenly Emperor fell into despair, a tremendous boom rang out. It was as though peals of thunder had sounded in the sky, and the entire sky suddenly turned purple.
Everyone saw a great purple hand appear in the sky. The purple radiance it emitted carried a terrifying killing intent.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The iron-tower-like man and the servants were reduced to ash in the blink of an eye.
Just as the effeminate man was about to be reduced to ash as well, two figures suddenly flew out of his body. One was his ancestor, and the other was Great Saint Bei himself.
"Who are you, to dare harm my descendant?"
"This man is under my protection. Who dares show me such disrespect?"
The figures of the two Saints looked awe-inspiring as they angrily rebuked the great purple hand in the sky.
The effeminate man was both shocked and delighted.
"Ancestor!"
"Lord Bei!"
He had never expected the imprints of both great lords to be inside his body, and he could not help breathing a sigh of relief.
Although the great purple hand that blotted out the sky and sun was terrifying, he had faith in the strength of the two great lords.
"Who dares provoke my Ye Clan? Are you tired of living?" The effeminate man pointed at the sky and shouted with a vicious expression.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Three muffled sounds rang out, and the effeminate man and the imprints of the two Saints were instantly reduced to ash.
On that day, the people of Gou Chen Ancient Star saw only a great purple hand blotting out the sky and sun as it swept across the heavens.
The Bei Clan, which had endured for countless tens of thousands of years, and the influential Ye Clan, which had endured for countless generations, were reduced to ash with a boom after the great handprint that blotted out the sky and sun flashed past.
After the terrifying energy storm dispersed, someone flew into the sky and looked from afar, discovering that the sites of the two great clans had become a crater ten thousand meters deep.
After flying into the starry sky and looking from afar, he discovered two immense handprints on the surface of Gou Chen Ancient Star.
It was as though a supreme being had casually struck it with two palms.
Tyrant Body Ancestral Star.
Inside the Heavenly Pillar Mountain Ancient Cave.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor, who had been gravely injured and unconscious, slowly opened his eyes. Feeling the strikingly different Immortal Spirit Qi here, as well as the incomparably rich scent of Immortal Divine Medicine, he felt as though he were dreaming.
"Oh, you're awake. It seems your body has recovered."
A majestic voice rang out.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor, only nine years old, jolted and immediately turned toward the voice.
There stood a man, tall and handsome. He seemed ordinary, yet there was a faint bearing about him that looked down upon the world and stood tall between heaven and earth.
That bearing could even rival the old ancestor of his clan.
"As expected of an immortal phoenix from the Immortal Domain. Your bloodline is so pure and powerful that it inspires envy."
This man was none other than Xiao Ping'an. After a round of deduction, he had finally traced the Undying Heavenly Emperor and brought him back to safety-or perhaps captured him and brought him back.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor's heart jolted when Xiao Ping'an exposed his identity with a single remark.
He had just been thinking about how to conceal his identity and origins, but it was as though the man before him had seen through those thoughts at a glance.
His expression grew somewhat restrained, and he did not know how to begin.
After a hesitant sound, he said, "Thank you for saving me, my lord. Might I ask where this is, and how I can return to the Immortal Domain?"
"If you can send me back to the Immortal Domain, my clan's old ancestor will surely reward you generously!" the Undying Heavenly Emperor said.
"Haha..." Xiao Ping'an laughed happily.
"This is the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. So many people want to enter the Immortal Domain and become True Immortals, but cannot. Stop dreaming and focus on your cultivation."
"If you achieve Red Dust Immortal Ascension in this world, perhaps one day you can return to your homeland."
Xiao Ping'an casually tossed the Undying Heavenly Emperor four Supreme scriptures from Beast God Mountain.
"These are the scriptures of four demon Supremes. Study them carefully, and cultivate whichever one you like."
"The rules of this world are utterly different from those in the Immortal Domain. The scriptures from your side are basically unusable here, so cultivate the Supreme scriptures of this world."
"When you become a Saint, set out on the Starry Sky Ancient Road.
"Once you become a Quasi-Emperor, come find me again."
After he finished speaking, the starlight before the Undying Heavenly Emperor shifted, and he was thrown onto the Big Dipper.