Read A Will Eternal - Chapter 1060 - Crazed Dragonfish online free - Novel Full
Everyone in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty was both proud and elated with how Ghostmother was traded away.
After all, the Vile-Emperor had given up three prefectures to seal the deal, prefectures which had belonged to the Saint-Emperor Dynasty to begin with, but had been lost over the years of minor conflict between the two dynasties.
To cultivators who were not in the know, it might seem like a major victory in the overarching conflict between the dynasties.
But the powerful and influential individuals in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, and of course the Saint-Emperor himself, knew that the three prefectures in question had been reduced to virtual wastelands over the course of the occupation.
To the Vile-Emperor Dynasty, they were now of little value or interest. But to the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, anything was better than nothing. Furthermore, the Saint-Emperor knew that if he pushed things too far, the Vile-Emperor could very well just abandon Ghostmother and refuse to offer any concessions at all.
If that happened, then the onus would be cast on the Saint-Emperor Dynasty for being greedy, and would ensure that not even the Vile-Emperor would take blame from his subordinates.
After all factors were considered, an agreement was reached that appeased both sides, and prevented greater issues from arising.
None of it had much to do with Bai Xiaochun. In fact, neither side mentioned him at all during the negotiations. Although he had played a critical role within the entire affair, it was in the interests of both parties to just pretend as if he hadn't.
Bai Xiaochun didn't care about that. At the moment, he was sitting in his blessed land, scowling on the verge of tears, a thousand thoughts running through his head as he contemplated the issue of the heavenly dragonfish.
In an attempt to stop thinking about them, he took some time to make inquiries regarding pill concocting in Saint-Emperor City. What he came to find was that the techniques used here were in the same vein as those in the Heavenspan Realm. However, there were also some major differences that made the concocting process very difficult. They were also very expensive to produce.
In terms of medicinal pills that were appropriate for demigods, not only were they rare, they were ridiculously overpriced.
Another problem was that Bai Xiaochun didn't exactly have a huge savings built up. Worse, although he had some medicinal plants, he had no pill formulas, and creating new formulas from scratch was a very gruelling and expensive process. Unless he could think of some ways to earn a lot of spirit stones, he would definitely go broke trying to rely on medicinal pills.
"The best way to save money would be to use heavenly dragonfish!" It was with bloodshot eyes that he stared in the direction of the heavenly pond, which seemed the only viable path to further his cultivation. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I'm not gonna just give in. Considering those fish dared to despise me, I'm definitely going to teach them a lesson!"
Grabbing his fishing pole, he hurried over to the edge of the lotus leaf. Picking a different area than last time, he spent a few days fishing, but in the end, sighed and gave up again.
The fish really were like immortal beings. No matter which fishing spot he picked, they would just swim right past his line, and would often gaze at him with contemptuous looks in their eyes.
Several days passed in which Bai Xiaochun was eyed disdainfully by thousands of individual fish. Eventually, his world began to grow dark. At the same time, people noticed what he was doing, and gossip began to spread.
"Duke Heavenspan is fishing?"
"Well he is a barbarian foreigner after all. Back when he was talking himself up at court, he really sounded like some amazing figure. But it turns out he's just a moron who doesn't understand the true meaning of the Saint-Emperor's rule about the heavenly dragonfish. I'll tell you what, if that guy manages to catch a fish, I'll change my surname to match his!"
"Seems the lotus leaves of Saint-Emperor City have gained another obsessed fool like Preceptor Seadeep."
Not a single kind word could be heard among the aristocracy. Everyone was making fun of Bai Xiaochun.
After all, they looked down on the people of Heavenspan to begin with, just like Gu Tianjun did.
As far as they were concerned, the only thing the people of Heavenspan were good for was to be servants. At best, the Saint-Emperor Dynasty would pity them and take them in for charity's sake.
The Saint-Emperor eventually heard what was happening, and shook his head.
"It doesn't matter," he said with a smile. "If Duke Heavenspan just spends his time fishing, that will save me a lot of effort down the road."
The only person who reacted differently was Liu Yong. When he heard about the matter, he was initially shocked, but then he penned a formal request to the Saint-Emperor, in which he begged him to prohibit Bai Xiaochun from fishing.
Sadly for him, the fact that he was from the Heavenspan Realm ensured that everybody ignored him. The Saint-Emperor merely looked at the written request and then tossed it to the side.
Whether it was the fish in the pond, or the officials in the city, they all looked at Bai Xiaochun with contempt. Eventually, it reached the point where he couldn't take it anymore.
"Fudge! Fine, screw this fishing business!" As he glared at the scornful fish, a vicious smile suddenly played out on his face. After sending some divine sense out to make sure that no one was watching him, he produced a Fantasy Pill from his bag of holding and threw it into the heavenly pond.
No one noticed, and the pill melted as soon as it hit the water. Within moments, it was absorbed by the nearby fish.
Giving them a final look, Bai Xiaochun snorted coldly and left. Over the course of the following days, he would frequently go to the edge of the lotus leaf and surreptitiously toss some Fantasy Pills into the water.
In order to avoid attracting notice, he was careful to only throw two or three pills in each time, and occasionally just one. He knew that some things could only be accomplished over time, and required patience. And thus, more than half a month slipped by….
Gradually, more and more of the heavenly dragonfish began to react to the Fantasy Pill.
Eventually, it reached the point where all Bai Xiaochun had to do was walk up to the water, and a large group of them would swim over in the hopes of getting some of the water affected by the Fantasy Pills….
Two things worked to his advantage. The first was that it was common for heavenly dragonfish to congregate near someone who was fishing, and cast contemptuous glances at them. The second was that Bai Xiaochun made sure to find remote locations where he was less likely to attract any attention.
To play things extra safe, he also pretended to be fishing as he went about his work.
As the days went by and he watched the heavenly dragonfish gobble up his pills, his heart swelled with more pride than ever.
"Measly heavenly dragonfish! I'll show you how awesome Lord Bai is! Everybody who gets a taste of my Fantasy Pills gets addicted. I refuse to believe that you will be any exception!"
Bai Xiaochun was feeling very proud and confident in his pills. He was absolutely sure that the fish in the pond were developing a dependency on Fantasy Pills.
Eventually, he stopped throwing the pills in the pond, and waited for the heavenly dragonfish to begin showing signs of withdrawal.
One day as he was strolling near the edge of the lotus leaf, he saw a crowd forming, and people crying out in alarm.
"Heavens! The heavenly dragonfish are so smart! Look, guys! That one knows how to go fishing!!"
Bai Xiaochun hurried over and saw one particular heavenly dragonfish with a long string of seaweed in its mouth, acting just like a cultivator holding a fishing pole. Excited, he realized that the crucial moment had arrived.
Excitement surging, he pulled out his fishing rod, which he had already prepared for this very moment by coating the hook with the aura of a Fantasy Pill. Looking around, he realized that he was very close to Preceptor Seadeep, who was sitting there as motionless as usual. Hefting his fishing pole, he hurried over and sat down next to him, then prepared to cast his line.
The first thing Preceptor Seadeep did was frown. He knew that Bai Xiaochun was Duke Heavenspan, and yet, was as contemptuous of the people of Heavenspan as everyone else in the city. Clearly, he wasn't happy that Duke Heavenspan had come to his fishing spot to fish without first asking permission.
Even worse was that Bai Xiaochun's fishing rod looked completely ordinary in nature. Preceptor Seadeep's was made from soft jade, making it incredibly flexible. It was also filled with spiritual energy. To top everything off, the look of anticipation on Bai Xiaochun's face was very annoying.
As a demigod expert of the same age as Gu Tianjun, and someone who had even deigned to give advice to the younger Chen Su, Preceptor Seadeep was profoundly qualified in all respects.
"Well met, Duke Heavenspan," he said, his eyelid twitching a bit. "Fishing requires patience, you know. As the ancient saying goes, luck brings achievements, fate brings failure. Understand that, and it will help you remain tranquil and even-tempered. Fix heaven and earth within your heart and mind. There are countless living beings within creation, all of which are intelligent in their own way. Remember, everything is connected; if a heavenly dragonfish has sown destiny with you, it will come to you. It's how life works.
"Many people think that I sit here to fish, but the truth is that I am contemplating life. With a temperament like yours, you probably shouldn't waste your time here." As he spoke, he seemed to thrum with an otherworldly aura.
Bai Xiaochun was taken aback by how mysterious the old man sounded, although he didn't understand anything that had just been said. However, the man looked pretty cool as a fisherman, and therefore, Bai Xiaochun nodded a few times, and then cast his line out into the heavenly pond.
Upon seeing that Bai Xiaochun really was going to make an attempt at fishing, Preceptor Seadeep got even more annoyed, and the contempt in his eyes grew more intense.
"You…."
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Chapter 1061: Come With Me, Heavenly Dragonfish
In the very instant in which Preceptor Seadeep's eyes flickered with derision, Bai Xiaochun's fishing hook hit the water. Before it could even sink down, and even as the sound of the splashing water was still echoing out, a 3-meter-long heavenly dragonfish appeared and bit down on the hook….
It clamped its jaws down very vicious fashion. Apparently worried that the hook might get away, it actually swallowed it down into its belly. Delighted, Bai Xiaochun yanked back on his fishing pole, pulling the entire 3-meter-long fish out of the water. Water droplets sprayed around in all directions, and the fish's golden scales glistened dazzlingly.
The entire scene was quite eye-catching. As the heavenly dragonfish flew through the air, Bai Xiaochun reached out and grabbed it with ease. Eyebrows dancing up and down with joy, he quickly put the heavenly dragonfish into his bag of holding.
It happened so quickly that some people who were watching wondered if they had been seeing things. Preceptor Seadeep's mind began to spin, and he almost didn't want to believe that what he had just seen was true. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the spot where the fish had flown out of the water, and then back at the excited Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun couldn't help but marvel at how much of a genius he was. The heavenly dragonfish had dared to glare at him with contempt, and with almost no effort, he had put them in their place. Even as he contemplated such things, he remembered that Preceptor Seadeep had been about to say something further.
"Eee? What were you just saying?"
Preceptor Seadeep's heart was already racing, and his mind was spinning so hard he could barely speak. After taking a few breaths to recover, Bai Xiaochun's question registered. Rubbing his nose, he said said, "I… um… I guess you got pretty lucky, Duke Heavenspan."
With that, he tossed his own line back out, hitting almost exactly the same spot Bai Xiaochun had just hit.
Considering how many heavenly dragonfish had gathered in the area, he couldn't help but look at the spot nervously, wondering if he would get any bites….
Bai Xiaochun was very pleased with Preceptor Seadeep's response. Clearing his throat, he cast his own line out again, but in a different direction. This time, his hook landed right in front of Preceptor Seadeep.
The instant his hook hit the water, Preceptor Seadeep looked over at that spot, whereupon his eyes went wide.
It was with seeming madness that the heavenly dragonfish rushed toward the hook. Waves began to roll out over the water as they struggled with all their might to get to the hook. It only took the blink of an eye for one of them to bite down on it. The excitement in its eyes was completely evident….
Preceptor Seadeep felt like he was being struck by lightning. Nearly dropping his fishing pole, he jumped up and shouted, "Impossible!!"
Never before had he witnessed events as shocking as this. It was so unimaginable that he felt like he was about to collapse mentally.
He had been fishing in this same spot for more than a hundred years, and although he had seen people successfully hook a dragonfish before, it was usually a situation in which a particularly picky fish took the bait on purpose. It was more like the fish intentionally wanted to switch homes and owners….
But what he was witnessing now had him feeling completely bowled over. This wasn't fishing… this was the fish fawning over Bai Xiaochun, seemingly worried they might not have the chance to bite down on the hook he cast….
Completely dazed, Preceptor Seadeep looked at the water, and then at Bai Xiaochun, and opened his mouth as if to speak. However, no words came out.
Meanwhile, the people off in the distance who had been watching were all clearly shaken. Initially they were too stunned to say anything, but before long, cries of shock could be heard.
"I can't believe he actually caught a heavenly dragonfish!!"
"Heavens! He didn't just catch one. He actually caught two in a row!!"
"How lucky can this guy be? It's heaven-defying!!"
"It's not luck! He's connected by destiny to those dragonfish!!" Normally speaking, such a commotion would have scared all the dragonfish away. But right now, the exact opposite was happening, leading to even more shocked cries.
"Hey, look over there everyone…. Heavens! Look at how many dragonfish there are! Why… why are they all coming over?!?!"
Everyone looked over at what was a completely shocking scene. Waves rolled across the surface of the heavenly pond as one heavenly dragonfish after another rushed over from all directions….
At a single glance, it appeared as if there were several thousand of them, creating a spectacle that left everyone gasping.
Preceptor Seadeep looked on, gobsmacked at the sight of Bai Xiaochun tossing the second heavenly dragonfish into his bag of holding.
Bai Xiaochun was also feeling a bit taken aback. Considering how crazy the heavenly dragonfish were acting, it seemed like his Fantasy Pills were actually working much better than he had imagined they would.
It was probably made worse by the fact that, after days of feeding the fish Fantasy Pills on a daily basis, he had suddenly stopped for several days. When the withdrawal symptoms hit, the fish felt like they were completely starving. Therefore, even the scrap of the Fantasy Pill aura on the hook was enough to drive them crazy.
"This is big…." he thought nervously. Thankfully, his Fantasy Pills were colorless and odorless, and would not leave traces behind that could be detected.
Besides, medicinal pills from the Heavenspan Realm were different than those in the Eternal Immortal Domains. Their structure was different on a fundamental level.
Most importantly, he couldn't ignore all of these fishes that were clearly connected to him by destiny. Considering that they apparently wanted to leap right into the fire and be devoured by him, he gritted his teeth and cast his line a third time.
Everyone looked on nervously. Preceptor Seadeep even stopped breathing.
This time, the result was even more dramatic than the first two times. In fact, it was so climactic that it instantly led to a huge commotion among the crowd, and caused Preceptor Seadeep to stagger backward as if he had been struck by lightning from the heavens!
This time, the fishhook never even reached the water. Dozens of dragonfish leaped up into the air to try to get it.
Water splashed out everywhere as the fish writhed and fought to try to be the first to reach the hook.
More and more dragonfish began to erupt from the water, causing the crowd to cry out in shock. Eventually one of them succeeded. It was with great excitement and pride that the fish bit the hook, and allowed Bai Xiaochun to reel it in. It was only with great effort that Bai Xiaochun managed to get the hook out of its mouth before putting it into his bag of holding.
In fact, the only reason he succeeded in getting the hook at all was because, in the struggle, the aura of the Fantasy Pill had been rubbed off it.
The crowd, of course, couldn't keep quiet.
"Is… is this even fishing?"
"I've never seen anyone connected by destiny to so many heavenly dragonfish…."
"Something strange is going on here. Something very strange!!" After hearing what people were saying, Bai Xiaochun started to feel a bit guilty. He also felt bad by how profoundly shocked Preceptor Seadeep seemed. After putting away his third heavenly dragonfish, he decided that now was a good time to stop fishing.
"They… were actually fighting over the hook?!" Preceptor Seadeep muttered to himself, staring at Bai Xiaochun in dumbfounded shock. Then he thought back to his own hook, which not a single fish had ever even nibbled at…. All of a sudden, he realized that his over one hundred years of fishing experience seemed like nothing compared to Bai Xiaochun's skills….
Seeing that Bai Xiaochun was about to leave, he suddenly lunged to block his path. As Bai Xiaochun looked at him warily, the man's gaze slowly came to rest… on Bai Xiaochun's fishing pole.
"Fellow Daoist Bai, is that fishing pole for sale?!"
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Chapter 1062: Something Big
"Huh?" Bai Xiaochun was initially confused. However, after seeing the crazed Preceptor Seadeep's bloodshot eyes shift to look at his fishing pole, he realized the truth. The man had clearly come to the conclusion that there was something special about his gear that enabled him to hook so many heavenly dragonfish.
"Well, I guess it makes sense," he thought. "This awesome demigod fisherman has been fishing here for more than a hundred years, and obviously has really sharp eyes!"
From the way Preceptor Seadeep was breathing, it seemed he was having a hard time keeping himself under control.
"Name your price, Fellow Daoist Bai," he said. "I want that gear of yours!"
If he had been dealing with anyone else, he would probably have just tried to forcefully take the fishing rod. But Bai Xiaochun was Duke Heavenspan. He had both a high position in the government and also a high cultivation base. Even more potentially threatening was the fact that he was the leader of the Heavenspan Realm.
Therefore, using force on him wasn't an option. He could only try to work out a deal.
When the crowd heard what was being said, they suddenly looked at the fishing pole, and started to wonder if there was something suspicious about it. Soon, many eyes began to burn with passion over the thought of what it might be able to do.
Preceptor Seadeep was the type of person most people would avoid offending, and yet, there were still a few cultivators in the crowd who pulled out jade slips to send messages to important people.
"Fellow Daoist Bai, since you're new to Saint-Emperor City, I wouldn't be surprised if you're a bit short on funds. How about this… I'll pay you 1,000,000 spirit stones for that fishing pole. What do you say?!" With that, he stood there nervously, worried that others might try to jump in and outbid him.
"Uh…." Bai Xiaochun said, hesitating. It wasn't that he didn't want to sell the fishing pole, but rather, he knew that it wouldn't work at this point. Whoever he sold it to would be completely screwed over.
As a good person, he wasn't comfortable with the idea of conning people in such a way.
"Preceptor Seadeep," he said, "even if I sold you the fishing pole, it wouldn't work."
Preceptor Seadeep was really starting to get anxious, and prepared to say something else, but Bai Xiaochun cut him off with the wave of a hand.
Slinging the fishing pole over his shoulder and tucking his other hand behind his back, he sighed loftily and said, "Preceptor Seadeep, fishing requires patience, you know. As the ancient saying goes, luck brings achievements, fate brings failure. Understand that, and it will help you remain tranquil and even-tempered. Fix heaven and earth within your heart and mind. There are countless living beings within creation, all of which are intelligent in their own way. Remember, everything is connected; if a heavenly dragonfish has sown destiny with you, it will come to you. It's how life works.
"You saw me fishing just now, but the truth is that I was contemplating life. With a temperament like yours, you probably shouldn't waste your time here."
Preceptor Seadeep's expression darkened as he heard the very words he had spoken to Bai Xiaochun parroted back to him. Although the detestation he felt toward Bai Xiaochun only continued to grow, he simply wasn't willing to be refused.
"I'll add in three Godbarrier Pills!" he said through gritted teeth. He was absolutely determined to get the fishing pole. Even if he could only use it to catch one or two heavenly dragonfish, it would be worth it.
Starting to feel frustrated, Bai Xiaochun said, "Preceptor Seadeep, I really can't sell it. It won't work for you! Why are you making things hard for me?"
Eyes completely bloodshot, Preceptor Seadeep said, "Hogwash! I want it even if it won't work! Look, I'll add in ten Immortal Ruins Pills! Deal?! Think this through clearly. I'm a very important person in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty. When Chen Su sees me, he calls me Master!" It was an obvious threat that Seadeep normally wouldn't resort to. However, he was feeling very nervous at the moment.
When Bai Xiaochun heard that, he glared back at him.
"Alright, old man," he said coldly. "If I sell you this fishing pole and it doesn't work, then don't blame me. Everybody here can bear witness to what I just told you!"
At this point, Preceptor Seadeep hesitated for a moment, but then got too nervous and said, "No problem!"
It was a huge amount of spirit stones and medicinal pills. To most demigods, it would be a ridiculous amount of wealth, but Preceptor Seadeep was very rich, so he could afford it.
With that, he pulled out his bag of holding and handed over what he owed. Bai Xiaochun inspected it, then gave Preceptor Seadeep a deep look before handing him the fishing pole. Then he swished his sleeve and walked off toward his blessed land.
After he left, Preceptor Seadeep carried the fishing pole over to the very spot where Bai Xiaochun had been standing earlier. Instead of casting his line, though, he simply studied the area for a bit, then turned and left.
Everyone watched as he walked away, anxious to know the truth about the fishing pole. However, they clearly wouldn't get an answer now, and so the crowd departed.
Preceptor Seadeep took a long walk through the city until he found a spot where he had a bit of privacy. There, he performed a few tests. Unfortunately, every time he cast out the line, the heavenly dragonfish would just swim past the hook. Eventually, he pulled in the line, his face completely expressionless, but his eyes flickering.
"Does he think I'm an idiot or something? That money was nothing. Maybe the fishing pole doesn't work anymore, but there's definitely something suspicious about it. It might not be obvious right away, but I'll figure out what it is eventually!"
With that, he studied the fishing pole a bit more closely. Eventually, his gaze came to rest on the hook, which he pulled closer to his face. He even sniffed it.
"Looks normal, but there's definitely something unusual about it! Well, in the end, a lot of people saw this thing hook three heavenly dragonfish, and never saw it fail. If I play my cards right, I can probably sell it to someone and make some of my money back!"
Before long, news began to spread in Saint-Emperor City about the events of the day. Many of the court officials were shocked, especially when they heard about how Preceptor Seadeep ended up buying the fishing pole. That in itself led many people to come up with their own ideas about what had gone on.
Even the Saint-Emperor heard the news. Considering that the heavenly dragonfish all belonged to him, he knew more about them than anyone. Although the matter of being connected by destiny was ostensibly true, there was no way someone would be able to catch three fish in a row that way.
Curious, the Saint-Emperor sent his Archaean Realm divine sense into the heavenly pond to check on all the dragonfish. However, he didn't detect anything unusual.
He eventually sent down orders to have the fishing pole brought from Preceptor Seadeep for him to inspect. But the fishing pole didn't bear any unusual clues either.
Although the Saint-Emperor was still a bit suspicious, he decided that three heavenly dragonfish weren't worth making a big fuss about. Besides, he was reaching a critical juncture in a certain Daoist magic that he was cultivating. Not wanting to be distracted any further, he entered a private chamber and began to cultivate in seclusion.
The night passed uneventfully. Bai Xiaochun was very nervous the entire time, but by the time the light of dawn came, his eyes began to shine.
"Nothing happened!" Laughing heartily, he licked his lips and got to work. One fish he roasted, the other he stewed, and the third he sliced up and ate in a hotpot…. By the time he finished his breathing exercises, it was evening. Opening his eyes, he excitedly grabbed another random fishing pole and found a good place to do some more fishing….
In one fell swoop, he hooked more than twenty! The people in the area were as stunned as wooden chickens.
On the third day, after confirming that no one had come to cause problems for him, he gritted his teeth and hooked more than a hundred fish in one shot…. The court officials were stunned, but as for the Saint-Emperor, he was still in secluded meditation, and had no idea what was happening….
On the fourth and fifth days… Bai Xiaochun's courage grew. Soon, he was catching hundreds of fish every day!!
"Heavens! Something big is happening!!"
"Bai Xiaochun has already caught thousands of fish! There are only 20,000 or so left in the heavenly pond!!"
"He's undermining the foundation of Saint-Emperor City!! The pond is going to run out of fish soon!"
By this point, news of Bai Xiaochun's fishing was sweeping through the whole Saint-Emperor Dynasty!! All of the important officials were in a huge uproar. Even the celestials were shaken. And yet, Bai Xiaochun's status was sensitive, and none of them could come up with any clues about what was happening. All they could do was brace themselves for the moment that the Saint-Emperor came out of secluded meditation.
Meanwhile, the crestfallen Heavenly Marquis Liu could only sigh and murmur, "Don't say I didn't warn you!"
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Chapter 1063: Your Fish, Your Majesty….
The matter of the heavenly dragonfish was the talk of Saint-Emperor City. Not only were a lot of people grinning maliciously in their hearts, many even began to denounce Bai Xiaochun publicly.
Deep in the imperial palace was a cistern surrounded by a forest of ornamental rocks, where the spiritual energy was stronger than anywhere else in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty.
There were many restrictive spells in the area, as well as precious treasures. Close examination would reveal that the cistern was actually connected to the entire mountain upon which Saint-Emperor City and the heavenly pond was built. Anyone who even got close to this place would be physically and mentally shaken.
It was one of the most well-protected places in all of the Eternal Lands. Even if the Vile-Emperor came, he would be unable to get close without being affected by the restrictive spells.
Of course, there was little need to mention celestials such as Gu Tianjun. Unless the circumstances were absolutely dire, they would never even think of disturbing the Saint-Emperor's secluded meditation. After all, cultivators would only seal their divine sense and go into absolute seclusion when a very critical cultivation step had been reached.
Although someone with a cultivation base as high as the Saint-Emperor's would not likely experience a dangerous energy deviation if he were to be interrupted, distractions could lead to mistakes or failures.
But at this point, they felt that they had no choice…. Gu Tianjun, Chen Su, and a middle-aged man wearing a scholar's robe were all present, and currently in the middle of exchanging awkward glances. These were all of the celestials in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, with the exception of the fourth, who was currently stationed in the second immortal domain.
Gritting his teeth, Chen Su spoke in a loud voice laced with lamentation, "If things keep going this way, by the time the Saint-Emperor comes out of seclusion, his heavenly dragonfish… will be extinct."
The scholar was inwardly despising Chen Su for his showy display of grief. However, his eyes shone with cold light as he loudly said, "That damned Bai Xiaochun! Maybe we should just arrest him and come up with some random crimes to charge him with…."
Gu Tianjun snorted coldly. Eyes flashing with killing intent, he said, "In my opinion, there's no need to disturb the Saint-Emperor. I'll just go cut down that traitor Bai Xiaochun myself!"
He hadn't liked Bai Xiaochun from the beginning, and was just itching to do something to him. It was only Chen Su and this other middle-aged cultivator who had prevented him from doing so.
In the opinions of Chen Su and the scholar, they were the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, not the Vile-Emperor Dynasty. In the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, it was important to follow the rules, and so far, Bai Xiaochun had not violated any. Plus, he had a special status. Despite being celestials, they couldn't simply make a move against him.
Most importantly, they knew that Bai Xiaochun had a world treasure. Although all three felt confident in being able to handle him, the result of such a battle would not be determined quickly.
If they joined forces… the consequences could be severe, and if the heavenly dragonfish were affected as a result, that would be even worse.
Gu Tianjun had been listening to such lines of reasoning for days now, much to his annoyance. For one thing, he knew that the other two had other reasons for preventing him from taking action. And all of it made him even more anxious to do something about Bai Xiaochun.
Another factor was that all three of the celestials knew that if these heavenly dragonfish belonged to them, and Bai Xiaochun did something like this, they absolutely would not let the matter slide. They would already have done something. Unfortunately… the heavenly dragonfish belonged to the Saint-Emperor, not them.
And there was one final aspect, the most important of all…. Bai Xiaochun had been fishing every day for half a month, and despite the fact that all of the aristocracy was grumbling angrily about it… none of them did anything to stop him.
And that was because he never ate alone!
Every day, he would send some heavenly dragonfish to certain officials of the court. That included Chen Su, the scholar celestial, and even Gu Tianjun, to whom he had sent several.
Of course, all of them would have loved to get even more fish than they had. But they were clever schemers one and all, and did not hold back from expressing outrage over what was happening. Now they had come here to warn the Saint-Emperor about what was happening, which would also ensure that they weren't blamed for holding back.
Moments ago, they had made sure to speak especially loudly about their complaints, bolstering their voices with their cultivation bases in the hopes that they would be heard by the Saint-Emperor within his secluded meditation facilities.
Moments later, powerful fluctuations erupted from within the cistern, fluctuations that began to shake Saint-Emperor City as a whole.
Around that time, Bai Xiaochun was in his blessed land, in the middle of eating a roast fish. Suddenly, he shivered, and looked in the direction of the imperial palace.
"A few days ago, that wily fox Chen Su hinted that the Saint-Emperor was in secluded meditation…. Seems the Saint-Emperor is about to come out!" Bai Xiaochun was a bit nervous, but reminded himself that he had given away about thirty percent of the heavenly dragonfish he had caught in the past half a month or so.
"The law fails when too many people are guilty. Besides, I kidnapped a celestial for him. I doubt he'll care much about a few fish." Rubbing his nose, he cleared his throat and ravenously devoured the rest of the fish he had roasted.
In the depths of the imperial palace, the cistern opened, and the Saint-Emperor slowly emerged, his green garments rustling in the wind. The three celestials who had gathered quickly bowed in greeting.
An unsightly expression could be seen on the Saint-Emperor's face. Considering how loudly the celestials had spoken moments before, bolstering their voices with their cultivation base, it was impossible for him to have not heard what they were talking about. After sending his divine sense out into the city to check the situation, he knew exactly what was going on.
The entire thing had him feeling very shaken. After all, nearly twenty percent of the fish in the heavenly pond were gone, leaving him feeling stabbed to the heart.
"My fish…." he murmured angrily, doing his best to control his breathing as he glared at the three celestials. Naturally, he knew exactly what they were up to. They were trying to both benefit from Bai Xiaochun, and at the same time, make sure they weren't implicated.
Then he considered how many fish Bai Xiaochun had gifted to other members of the aristocracy. Although he hadn't given fish to everyone, he had made sure to include all of the most important people.
Face twitching, he realized that anything he did now would be as ineffective as punching a pillow. Not only was Bai Xiaochun's status particularly unique, but he had given away fish to too many people. The Saint-Emperor could already feel a big headache coming on.
In terms of punishing Bai Xiaochun… he obviously couldn't execute him. And locking him up didn't seem like a viable option either. He could levy a fine, but at the moment, Bai Xiaochun had almost no wealth. Clearly, he didn't have anything to fear in that department.
In terms of his special status… the Saint-Emperor had come to the conclusion that the best thing would be to just send him away from the capital city!
"Well played, Bai Xiaochun. You're forcing me to let you go!" A moment later, the Saint-Emperor waved his right hand toward the heavenly pond, causing a frigid qi to erupt out from the imperial city.
In the blink of an eye, cracking sounds filled the air as the heavenly pond began to ice over. After ten breaths of time passed, the surface of the lake was solid ice!!
It was now completely sealed, making it impossible for anyone with a cultivation base lower than the Saint-Emperor's to do any fishing!
"Let's see how you fish now!" he growled to himself. Swishing his sleeve, he ignored the three celestials and went back into the cistern to continue his session of secluded meditation.
The celestials eyed each other, cleared their throats, and then left.
Soon, news was spreading everywhere about the pond having been sealed. Bai Xiaochun got word from the court officials that he had become friendly with. Although there was a bit of a commotion, it wasn't a huge deal.
In fact, despite not being very happy with how it had been handled, many people breathed sighs of relief that this particular crisis had now been resolved.
"So stingy!" Bai Xiaochun grumbled. "He's a mighty Saint-Emperor! There are more than 20,000 heavenly dragonfish left in that pond! I only got about 3,000 so far. I'd say 10,000 would be a good limit. I invested a lot of Fantasy Pills into this venture!" Despite all of the heavenly dragonfish he had eaten so far, he was still quite a distance away from a cultivation base breakthrough. It was a real pity.
However, the sight of the heavenly pond covered in ice caused him to hesitate….
"Weird. Something about it seems off."
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Chapter 1064: Youre Gonna Regret This….
Bai Xiaochun was already famous for kidnapping Ghostmother, as well as for his status as the Arch-Ancestor of the Heavenspan Realm. But now… he was even more famous, thanks to the heavenly dragonfish.
It was almost overnight that the name of Duke Heavenspan Bai Xiaochun rocked all of Saint-Emperor City.
"Did you hear? Duke Heavenspan caught over 3,000 heavenly dragonfish, but in the end, His Majesty the Saint-Emperor didn't punish him at all!"
"Not only did he not punish him, the venerable Saint-Emperor actually sealed up the entire heavenly pond!"
"He actually forced the Saint-Emperor to seal the heavenly pond…? This Bai Xiaochun is totally unfathomable! I bet if you gave him another half a month, he would catch so many heavenly dragonfish they'd go extinct!" All sorts of talk spread within the city, and once again, Bai Xiaochun felt what it was like to be the center of attention. The number of eyes that locked onto him when he went out was now many times greater than before.
Wherever he went, people would point at him and whisper to each other….
"Seems I really am just too outstanding. Not even the cultivators in the Eternal Immortal Domains can restrain their emotions when looking at me." He cleared his throat as he reveled in the sensation. To him, it didn't feel strange at all. After all, he had experienced situations like this many times before.
However, even as he was sighing in contentment, the Wildlander Heavenly Marquis Liu decided to take this opportunity to pen a long speech to deliver to the Saint-Emperor, in which he thoroughly excoriated Bai Xiaochun!
The next time court was in session, Heavenly Marquis Liu walked out in front of all of the court officials, and clasped hands formally to the Saint-Emperor. Then he delivered his speech, barely stopping to take a breath as he spoke.
"I, your servant, will explain the means by which Bai Xiaochun stole the heavenly dragonfish!
"Based on your servant's extensive analysis, as well as my understanding of Bai Xiaochun, plus a significant expenditure on my part to purchase an actual heavenly dragonfish to study, I finally understand what happened!
"Your Majesty, Bai Xiaochun definitely used some type of medicinal pill!
"I don't know much about the medicine concocting techniques of the Heavenspan Realm, but I do know that they are different from those in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty. Therefore, I am convinced that he used some special medicine to wreak calamity on the venerated heavenly dragonfish, and steal them away!
"The heavenly dragonfish are innocent victims, and also national treasures. They are unfamiliar with the wickedness that lurks in the human heart. Thus, they were cruelly slaughtered, in the most egregious and unprecedented miscarriage of justice to have ever been perpetrated since the founding of the dynasty! Men and gods alike are angered, and thus, I wish to demand redress for the grievances of the heavenly dragonfish. Your Majesty, I implore you to throw Bai Xiaochun into the heavenly pond and let the fishes eat him!"
Bai Xiaochun gasped in response to his words. Court was held once a month, and this was his first time attending. He had been nervous at first, worried that someone would bring up the heavenly dragonfish. As the court session went on, it seemed like no one planned to. The Saint-Emperor was as warm as ever, and had seemingly calmed down.
But then, in completely unexpected fashion, Heavenly Marquis Liu had suddenly jumped out with his accusations. It was really infuriating.
"Alright, Old Liu," he murmured inwardly. "I see how it is. Back when I was handing out heavenly dragonfish, I gave some extra to you, for the sake of the Heavenspan Realm. And now you want to feed me to the fishes? Oh, you just wait and see what I've got coming for you!" Chuckling coldly in his heart, he began to come up with a plan for how to teach Heavenly Marquis Liu a lesson. Back in the Wildlands, he'd ended up running away to the Great Wall, but now, he had nowhere to escape to!
Many strange expressions could be seen on the faces of the officials in the square. They looked at Heavenly Marquis Liu, and then at Bai Xiaochun, and nobody spoke. Quite a few people were frowning coldly at Heavenly Marquis Liu.
It wasn't that people had suddenly switched to siding with Bai Xiaochun. Normally speaking, they would have loved to hit him when he was down. However, they had all accepted gifts of heavenly dragonfish from him. Although they regretted doing that, what was done was done. Even the Saint-Emperor didn't want to bring the matter up again, and was a bit frustrated that this Liu fellow was so foolish as to bring the matter up in court.
A frown appeared on the Saint-Emperor's face. After all, Bai Xiaochun was the ringleader of the heavenly dragonfish disaster, but almost all of the other important people in the aristocracy had joined in….
It was a big headache no matter what way he looked at it. Furthermore, in the past, he would never have even thought to eat a heavenly dragonfish. As they were national treasures, he only gave them out as gifts. But now….
As far as what Heavenly Marquis Liu had just pointed out, it was nothing the Saint-Emperor didn't already know. After the main event played out, he did a deeper investigation of the heavenly pond, and found evidence pointing to that very conclusion. However, by that point, it didn't matter. Besides, Bai Xiaochun had been very careful, and only the most trace and vague evidence had been left behind.
If the Saint-Emperor had truly wanted to pursue the matter, he could have. But after considering everything, he decided not to. He did have a bottom line, though. If he unsealed the pond later, and Bai Xiaochun went back to fishing, then he would be courting death.
Stifling his annoyance, the Saint-Emperor coolly said, "Do you have any evidence, my dear subject?"
"Just do an investigation, Your Majesty!" Heavenly Marquis Liu replied excitedly. "You'll definitely find evidence!"
"Very well. You're dismissed. I'll arrange for an investigation." With that, the Saint-Emperor rose to his feet, indicating that court was adjourned. As the crowds dispersed, many a cold glance was cast in Heavenly Marquis Liu's direction.
Heavenly Marquis Liu could sense that something was off, and suddenly shivered as he realized the implications of what the Saint-Emperor had said.
"You people just don't get it!" he cried in his heart. "You're gonna regret this. Bai Xiaochun… is a natural-born disaster!!"
Heavenly Marquis Liu was filled with grief and indignation, whereas Bai Xiaochun was actually furious. Snorting coldly, he cast a burning glare at Heavenly Marquis Liu, more determined than ever to teach him a lesson.
It was currently late autumn. After leaving court and heading back toward his blessed land, Bai Xiaochun continued to ponder how to deal with Heavenly Marquis Liu, and at the same time, considered what to do about the frozen surface of the heavenly pond. Eventually, he sighed.
"Well, considering that the heavenly dragonfish were starting to lose effectiveness anyway, I guess it's fine if I don't fish for them." Shaking his head, he continued on his way to his blessed land. However, at one point along the way, he happened to look over at the thick layer of ice on top of the heavenly pond, and could just barely make out what appeared to be a heavenly dragonfish banging its head against the ice as if to break it. Unfortunately, the magical technique which had been used to seal the pond was far too powerful, making the ice impossible to break.
However, what Bai Xiaochun was seeing caused sweat to break out on his forehead.
"I knew I forgot something!" he thought, his eyes widening and his heart starting to race. He had just now realized that there was something he had overlooked….
"The fish… were already addicted to Fantasy Pills. Back when I was fishing for half a month, I would still occasionally toss some Fantasy Pills into the water to curb their craving.
"But now that the pond is sealed, the fish have absolutely no Fantasy Pills! They've basically gone off the pills cold turkey…." More sweat began to drip down his face.
"Well, it's not like the fish will actually go crazy, right?" Heart pounding, he considered going to warn the Saint-Emperor. However, that seemed like it would just be asking for trouble.
"Well… he probably won't blame me for this, right? He's the one who sealed the heavenly pond…." Muttering to himself in this fashion, he hurried back to his blessed land.
For the following few days, he stewed in anxiety. Even the slightest rustling leaf would startle him. For some reason, he was convinced that the heavenly dragonfish were going to go completely crazy at any moment.
"I should think of a way to get more Fantasy Pills to them!" Even as he sighed and pondered the issue… all of Saint-Emperor City trembled!
Everything shook, from the lotus leaves to the buildings on them. Even the imperial palace and the lotus flower trembled. Instantly, cultivators everywhere rushed out into the open to see what was going on.
"What just happened?!"
"Is the enemy attacking!?"
The court officials were all shaken. Chen Su and the other celestials sent their divine sense out to see what was happening. Divine sense also poured out from the imperial palace to sweep all heaven and earth.
"That's…."
"Heavenly dragonfish!"
"They're… they're going crazy!! They're eating the lotus leaves!!!"
Because the fish couldn't get through the layer of ice, they had begun to chew at the lotus leaves, the very base of the city!
When Bai Xiaochun realized what was happening, his jaw dropped, and he nearly began to weep!
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All of the heavenly dragonfish in the pond were going violently crazy.
Although the heavenly pond had been sealed with ice by the Saint-Emperor, that only affected the surface of the water. Because of the magical technique used, the fish couldn't break the seal. However… there were thousands of lotus leaves in the pond as well!
It wasn't possible to seal the leaves. If the heavenly pond was the foundation of Saint-Emperor City, then the thousands of lotus leaves were the ground upon which the city was actually built. Countless buildings rose up from those leaves, and the flower in the middle of them all housed the imperial palace.
Because the lotus leaves weren't sealed, when the heavenly dragonfishes' withdrawal symptoms reached a certain point, they changed targets. Specifically, they began to ravenously attack the roots that sank down into the water.
It got so bad so quickly that some of the leaves began to tilt to the side.
Soon, holes were bitten in the edges of some of the lotus leaves as countless heavenly dragonfish attacked them….
From the look of things, Saint-Emperor City was about to be hit by a huge catastrophe….
Most shocking of all was that a significant amount of the heavenly dragonfish weren't attacking the lotus leaves, but rather… the root of the lotus flower upon which the imperial palace was built!!
The crazed fish laid into it with such force that it began to visibly tilt to one side….
Massive waves of shock were battering all cultivators present. Soon, an enraged voice erupted from the imperial palace.
"Bai Xiaochun!!" All creation shook under the force of that voice. Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun sat in his blessed land, scowling on the verge of tears, and also extremely alarmed.
"This isn't my fault! I just ate some fish…. And I'm not the one who sealed the heavenly pond…." That much was true. The events which had occurred after he ate his fish had been beyond his control. He was even trying as best he could to come up with a solution to the situation.
"I performed a great service for the dynasty! All I did was eat some fish! The Saint-Emperor was the one who sealed the pond…." Unfortunately, he couldn't think of any way to fix things.
By this time, all of Saint-Emperor City was astir. The Saint-Emperor appeared up in midair, his cheek twitching as he surveyed the city. Although he had no evidence which could prove that Bai Xiaochun was responsible for what was happening, it seemed obvious that it must have something to do with his fishing activities.
He really felt like killing someone, but had to suppress that desire. And right now, he had to worry about the safety of the city, not spend time thinking about Bai Xiaochun. Therefore, he extended his right hand and shoved it down toward the heavenly pond.
The boundless power of his archaean cultivation base erupted out, covering everything in sight. As it did, the frigid qi began to rush toward him from all corners of the Eternal Lands.
The sky went dim and filled with rumbling sounds as, in the blink of an eye, the frigid qi gathered in the area around the Saint-Emperor. Then, he performed an incantation gesture and pointed out, causing the frigid qi to pour into the heavenly pond!
Cracking sounds rang out as the ice began to spread from the surface down into the depths of the pond!
All of the violent heavenly dragonfish were rapidly sealed in place as the entire pond transformed into ice!
And things weren't over yet! Grim-faced, the Saint-Emperor performed another incantation gesture, then waved his right index finger, transforming his archaean cultivation base power into a holy energy. At that point, the Saint-Emperor started to glow so brightly that he looked like a sun!
Dazzling sunlight shone out in all directions, and yet, it didn't contain any heat, only the most pure and holy of energies.
Holy purity filled all of Saint-Emperor City, entering the frozen heavenly pond and then reaching out to touch the thousands upon thousands of sealed heavenly dragonfish.
All hidden ailments and all violent tendencies within them, even scars from the fighting that had gone on between the dragonfish before Bai Xiaochun's arrival, suddenly vanished…. In the shortest moment, the dragonfish were cleansed and purified.
Bai Xiaochun could sense what was happening, and he gasped in shock. As of this moment, he came to an even better understanding of how powerful archaeans were.
Everything happened very suddenly. The Saint-Emperor waved his hand, and the heavenly dragonfish calmed down. It only took a few breaths of time. After the dragonfish were purified, the ice melted, and soon, the fish began to swim about lazily just like they had in the past, without any trace of violence or madness in them….
Bai Xiaochun breathed a sigh of relief, as did all the other cultivators in Saint-Emperor City, the Saint-Emperor included. However, the magic he had just used did nothing to repair the damaged lotus leaves, or the lotus flower, which was still tilted at an angle. As such, anger still burned among the populace of the city.
The Saint-Emperor was so furious he had a hard time keeping himself under control and not smacking Bai Xiaochun to death.
Unfortunately, appointing Bai Xiaochun as Duke Heavenspan not only gave hope to the Heavenspan cultivators within the Eternal Immortal Domains, but it had also raised a banner of recruitment within the Saint-Emperor Dynasty.
The Saint-Emperor was already getting reports that Heavenspan cultivators were flocking to offer their services to his dynasty. Because of that, he definitely could not kill Bai Xiaochun.
"One of these days, your usefulness will come to an end, and then we'll settle accounts!" Gnashing his teeth, he took a moment to decide on what punishment to dole out because of what had happened. After a moment, he snorted coldly and issued a Dharmic decree.
"Duke Heavenspan's salary shall hereby be reduced by a full rank for the next 10,000 years. Furthermore, he will henceforth be assigned to collect and dispose of the excrement of the heavenly dragonfish!
"The powers of his colored belt will be limited, and he will personally repair all of the lotus leaves in Saint-Emperor City!"
After he finished speaking, even the Saint-Emperor realized that this punishment wasn't very severe. And then he thought about everything Liu Yong had said, and realized that he had indeed been forewarned about everything.
"Appoint Liu Yong as the parole captain!" With that, he swished his sleeve and returned, grim-faced, to the imperial palace.
The entire city was angry with Bai Xiaochun, who currently sat sullenly in his blessed land. As for Heavenly Marquis Liu, he couldn't have been more excited at his promotion. Clearly, the Saint-Emperor now knew how troublesome Bai Xiaochun could be, and had assigned Heavenly Marquis Liu to watch over him.
"Fear not, Your Majesty. Your servant will watch Bai Xiaochun like a hawk! And I will also make sure to create an official record of every single crime he has committed!"
As everyone seethed with anger, Bai Xiaochun sighed and looked in the direction of the imperial palace.
"I nearly cracked the foundation of Saint-Emperor City, and this is how I get punished?" He blinked a few times, thinking about how obvious it was that the Saint-Emperor really wanted to kill him. Thankfully, he still had a measure of safety.
Over the course of the following days, the scowling Bai Xiaochun had no choice other than to clean the excrement of the heavenly dragonfish, and simultaneously ignore all the people pointing and staring at him.
Of course there was an upside. While he was working hard, he had a chance to hear a lot of the gossip about the Eternal Lands as a whole. For one thing, he was able to confirm that Gongsun Wan'er had not been lying to him about nature of cultivation levels. After the Celestial Realm was the Archaean Realm, and beyond that, the Sovereign Realm.
He also got a message from the Giant Ghost King, confirming yet again that the people of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty and Vile-Emperor Dynasty were unable to perform spirit enhancements, while the people of Heavenspan were. That was one of the reasons why both dynasties were eager to absorb the newcomers.
The Giant Ghost King also had some complaints. It turned out that Godsifter Prefecture was completely impoverished and sparsely populated. However, because of the public nature of how Bai Xiaochun had kidnapped Ghostmother, many Heavenspan cultivators had taken the initiative to go there.
Unfortunately, Godsifter Prefecture was located in the second immortal domain, and the celestial who ruled there stepped in to scatter many of the newly arrived Heavenspan cultivators into other random prefectures. The Giant Ghost King was worried that if things went on like this, they would eventually be assimilated into the Saint-Emperor Dynasty. Eventually, there would be no more so-called Heavenspan cultivators.
Bai Xiaochun was not very happy about the news. Perhaps it would be good for individual Heavenspan cultivators, most of whom simply wanted to settle down and live peacefully. However, Bai Xiaochun wanted to at least give them a choice in the matter.
Either assimilate into the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, or chose to remember their true home…. The Saint-Emperor Dynasty was not giving them an option, but Bai Xiaochun hoped to do just that.
And he would respect whatever they chose.
"The only way I can do that is to get stronger!" Having reached this point in his train of thought, his eyes began to glitter. Eating thousands of heavenly dragonfish had eventually reduced their effectiveness. However, the process had come with great benefits.
His Live Forever Codex was now only a hair away from the great circle!
Once he reached the great circle, he could make his attempt to leave the Demigod Realm and become a celestial by stepping into the Mahayana Realm!
"I need more spirit plants that can be used to concoct immortal pills!" Taking a deep breath, he looked around at Saint-Emperor City and tried to think of what he could use to increase his cultivation base….
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Chapter 1066: Lotus Banquets
However, even after much consideration, he couldn't think of anything that would help him speed up his cultivation progress. And the heavenly dragonfish weren't really an option anymore.
"I guess I'll have to concoct some pills," he murmured under his breath. Although the techniques in the Eternal Lands differed from those in the Heavenspan Realm, and were very costly, Bai Xiaochun couldn't think of any other options.
Most importantly, he had a lot of medicinal plants in his bag of holding.
"I also have some fish jerky left over…." He had actually caught too many fish to eat at once, and had therefore dried some of it out to save for later. "I bet people would pay a pretty penny for jerky like this!"
Although concocting some pills seemed like an exciting prospect, he also hesitated. After all, throughout all the years, it had become obvious that strange things happened whenever he concocted pills.
And if anything disastrous happened in Saint-Emperor City so soon after the heavenly dragonfish incident, it would likely be very bad for him.
Another half a month went by in which Bai Xiaochun went about his cleanup work. The dragonfish were completely back to normal, and he could only grit his teeth as he watched the days go by.
Eventually, he made his decision. He bought the equipment he needed to concoct medicine, and then spent several days making all the necessary preparations. Only then did he murmur, "I'll just be really careful. Everything… should be fine…."
Perhaps it was because his skill in medicine concocting had improved, or perhaps it was because he was being overly cautious. Either way, even after concocting several batches of pills, nothing out of the ordinary occurred.
Bai Xiaochun was elated, but at the same time, had learned his lesson from all the times in the past in which he proudly assumed that he had succeeded. Therefore, he continued to be very careful. Although it made things take more time, it also ensured that things went very smoothly.
Time continued to go by. Bai Xiaochun would attend court every month, but most of the time, he just stood there bored, or even just closed his eyes and ignored what was going on. His only other main activity was concocting pills.
A few more months passed. His cultivation did not progress as quickly as it had when he was eating heavenly dragonfish, but it grew more stable, and did experience some progress.
From what he could tell, it would only take a few more years for him to reach the great circle of the Demigod Realm.
In the months that passed, the court officials and the Saint-Emperor noticed that he was keeping a low profile. There were no nasty incidents, and therefore, they began to breathe sighs of relief inwardly. On the outside, they were as sanctimonious as ever with both their smiles and words alike.
To the people of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, it didn't matter how much of a low profile Bai Xiaochun kept, he was still a foreigner.
Bai Xiaochun simply pretended to not understand their condescending way of speaking. He spent his days concocting pills and working on his cultivation. Eventually, Saint-Emperor City entered a period of protracted peace and quiet.
The only person who wasn't happy was Heavenly Marquis Liu. He had been sharpening his proverbial swords as he waited for Bai Xiaochun to cause a problem, but even after all the time that had passed, nothing happened. All the peace and quiet was making Heavenly Marquis Liu very nervous.
"He must have hatched some big plot!!" Convinced of this, he began to watch Bai Xiaochun even more closely.
And thus the days passed. Autumn became winter, and cold settled onto the lands of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty. Eventually, lotus seed pods began to appear on the surface of the water.
When the cultivators of Saint-Emperor City noticed this, they got very excited, and word quickly began to spread.
"The lotus seed pods are out!!"
"Don't tell me we're going to be blessed with a series of grand lotus banquets!?!?"
"The last time the lotus seed pods appeared was half a sixty-year-cycle ago! I heard that anyone lucky enough to eat some lotus seeds will have significant cultivation base advancement!"
"It must be because His Majesty the Saint-Emperor used that special divine ability on the heavenly pond earlier in the year. That's why the lotus seed pods have appeared earlier than usual!"
As word spread, crowds would gather at the edge of the lotus leaves to look at the lotus seed pods, of which there were dozens. Along with the pods came a fragrant aroma which filled Saint-Emperor City, and would stimulate the cultivation base of anyone who inhaled it.
There was such a buzz in the city that Bai Xiaochun heard about what was happening even though he hadn't left his residence. And before long, he was able to smell the unusual aroma.
"Lotus seed pods!" Curious, he went out and started to ask around. What he discovered caused his eyes to light up.
"I was too focused on the heavenly dragonfish before. How could I have forgotten that the heavenly pond also has these other precious materials in it!?" He simply couldn't suppress the look of joy that appeared on his face.
The reason Saint-Emperor City had been built on this heavenly pond to begin with was because of the consummate immortal lotus which existed in it. It was the only lotus like it within all the Eternal Lands, and was the envy of the Vile-Emperor himself. It was considered a precious treasure belonging to the entire city.
Its roots spread far and wide, and although it only had one flower, it had many leaves. Furthermore, every hundred years or so, it would send lotus seed pods to the surface of the water.
The seeds in those pods were nothing like ordinary lotus seeds, and in fact, once they were harvested, were almost like immortal pills.
Such seeds were considered precious treasures within the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, and of course, the Saint-Emperor had set strict rules regarding how they could be harvested. In fact, only he himself was qualified to do so. Furthermore, he would only harvest 1,000 seeds in total. Usually, from the time the first lotus seed pod appeared until the last, and all of the 1,000 seeds were harvested, only a few weeks would pass.
Another custom was that, when the lotus pods appeared, and the seeds were harvested, the Saint-Emperor would throw a series of banquets. All of the court officials would attend, and would sip on immortal alcohol while the Saint-Emperor graced them with a performance of archaean magic. Then, he would reward certain individuals with lotus seeds.
Of the total of 1,000 seeds, only about 300 or so would be given to individual members of the court. Another 200 would be given as rewards to people who had performed great services for the dynasty. An additional 200 would be sent out and sold at auction.
The remaining 300 would remain in the imperial palace to be used as ingredients for concocting pills.
A few dozen lotus pods had already reached the surface of the water, and therefore, everyone was already talking about the possibility of a series of lotus banquets. People throughout the two immortal domains controlled by the Saint-Emperor Dynasty were getting excited, and the major clans began to make preparations to send representatives to the capital city.
"Lotus seeds that are similar to immortal pills?!" Bai Xiaochun couldn't help but lick his lips as he thought about what he had learned.
"As Duke Heavenspan, I should receive one of them as a gift, right?" His anticipation grew as a few more days passed. Then, the sound of tolling bells echoed out from the imperial palace. The lotus banquets that the court had been waiting for were about to begin.
Trying to keep his excitement in check, Bai Xiaochun arranged his garments and headed toward the palace. Upon arriving, he saw that the huge square was filled with thousands of banquet tables, upon which was spread a variety of delectable alcohols and immortal fruit, which numerous palace handmaidens drifted about to serve.
Quite a few important cultivators were already present, seated at various tables and engaging in small talk. Chen Su was there, as was Gu Tianjun and the other celestials. When Gu Tianjun caught sight of Bai Xiaochun, he simply looked the other way. As for Chen Su, he didn't really like him very much, but still plastered a warm smile onto his face.
Most of the other important cultivators reacted similarly. The disdain that flickered deep in their eyes was something that most people wouldn't notice. But considering the level of Bai Xiaochun's cultivation base, and his familiarity with the nature of people, he could see it clearly.
"Well, if it isn't Duke Heavenspan. He's usually late when he comes to attend court, but now he's early!"
"Duke Heavenspan comes from a very small world. Presumably, he's never even seen immortal lotuses before. Considering his rank, though, the Saint-Emperor will probably give him a seed as a gift."
"Now that you mention it, I bet Duke Heavenspan is the first person from the Heavenspan Realm to have ever eaten one of these immortal lotus seeds. Few ordinary people could be as lucky as him. He'd better make sure to eat it slowly and savor the flavor."
Bai Xiaochun heard all of the talk about him, but merely cleared his throat and pretended he hadn't noticed. Laughing heartily, he found a spot near the front of the square, where he sat down in the crowd.
Clearing his throat, he said unblinkingly, "Now that I think about it, I really miss how, back in the Heavenspan Realm, I would constantly munch on 100,000-year-old lotus seeds. I would usually spit them out though. I mostly just put them in my mouth for the flavor. The aftertaste would last for a whole day, and was truly unforgettable. I'd assumed I would never enjoy that again. Who would have thought I would run into some immortal lotus seeds here?
"It's too bad there aren't any spirit tail chickens here. You know, there was one kind of immortal fowl back where I come from that evolved directly from the natural laws of heaven and earth. We called them heaven-destroying, earth-extinguishing spirit tail chickens. We would usually roast them with 10,000-year-old snow lotus seeds, and then add in a few 500,000-year-old immortal peppers. Ah, now that is a flavor that will go with you through reincarnation!
"Sadly, I was only important enough to eat a few thousand of them." With that he sighed, the gleam of reminiscence flickering strongly in his eyes.
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Chapter 1067: Good Stuff
Silence prevailed for a long moment as everyone nearby looked over at Bai Xiaochun, strange expressions on their faces. Bragging was nothing uncommon, but not this level of fakery….
Furthermore, he said it with such a completely straight face that it seemed very convincing. Then people started thinking back to how he had bragged that the Vile-Emperor essentially got lucky to not be kidnapped by him. At this point, Chen Su cleared his throat and changed the conversation topic, striking up a conversation about cultivation with Gu Tianjun.
The others present looked away, and began to chat and laugh amongst themselves again. No one brought up the lotus seeds again, apparently not wanting to give Bai Xiaochun a chance to brag. His boasting left them with goosebumps.
"A 100,000-year-old snow lotus…? I guess it got lucky to not be picked for that long!"
"Heaven-destroying, earth-extinguishing spirit tail chickens…? Bragging is fine, but does he really need to take it so seriously? That name is certainly fancy enough! If that were true, then I bet if they had heavenly dragonfish, they would call them starry sky invincible immortal realm paragon unmatchable heavenly dragonfish!"
"The worst was the 500,000-year-old immortal peppers. Dammit! I've never heard of anything that's 500,000 years old!!"
Cursing silently, everyone ignored Bai Xiaochun, which left him feeling quite pleased. Looking proudly over the crowd, he snorted in his heart. Although he didn't feel himself to be an accomplished braggart, if he was pushed far enough, he could unleash boasts the likes of which the Eternal Lands could likely not withstand.
More excited cultivators began to arrive, including Preceptor Seadeep.
Although Preceptor Seadeep hated Bai Xiaochun with a passion, he smiled and offered a polite greeting. Other people who Bai Xiaochun had given heavenly dragonfish also came up to chat a bit.
They all despised him with a prejudice that their smiles could not hide. However, considering how much time Bai Xiaochun had spent in Saint-Emperor City so far, he was used to it. In fact, if they ever changed their ways, he would find it odd.
Since he was used to their way of interacting, he plastered a smile onto his own face and chatted amiably, taking every chance he was given to brag and boast.
Soon, the seats were mostly full, and more bells tolled. Everyone went quite as the Saint-Emperor entered, smiling warmly as the crowd rose to their feet and bowed in greeting.
After taking his place at the seat of honor, he looked around at the crowd and even gave Bai Xiaochun a nod.
"Sit, everyone. Ladies and gentlemen, today is the lotus banquet, in which I will bestow immortal lotus seeds upon many of you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" everyone said in unison, and then sat.
Bai Xiaochun followed along, then looked around in anticipation as he waited for the Saint-Emperor to start doling out the rewards.
He didn't have to wait long. Smiling, the Saint-Emperor waved his hand, causing a powerful wind to kick up as a huge, illusory hand appeared up in the sky.
It radiated a holy glow that caused shock to fill Bai Xiaochun's heart. As everyone looked on, the huge hand began to descend toward the heavenly pond.
As it swept over the lotus pods that floated on the surface, they opened, allowing golden lotus seeds to fly out of them!
The pods which had been harvested remained intact after the seeds were taken out of them, and slowly sank back down into the heavenly pond.
The largest of the seeds were fist-sized, and the smallest were more like a walnut, or even smaller. In total, only a few dozen appeared within the palace in front of the Saint-Emperor.
The dozens of lotus seeds shone with golden light, and filled the entire hall with their fragrant aroma. At the same time, a thin mist appeared, making the imperial palace seem exactly like a celestial paradise.
The aroma lifted the spirits of everyone present, and as for Bai Xiaochun, it caused his cultivation base to vibrate in anticipation.
"Celestial Chen Su, Celestial Gu, Celestial Sima. You three are the protectors of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty. Without you, the dynasty would not exist. As I once said, it is important to share with those around us in creation, measly immortal lotus seeds included." The three celestials all rose to their feet and clasped hands formally, then accepted the large collection of lotus seeds that flew their way.
"The heavenly kings defend the dynasty, assisted by the various dukes under their command. As I have sworn, the blessings of heaven will most certainly be shared with you as well!" The Saint-Emperor waved his hand, sending another group of immortal lotus seeds out. Those who received them all bowed deeply in thanks.
Of the first group of lotus seeds, only five remained, most of them smaller than a walnut. Clearly, these seeds were not fully ripe.
As Bai Xiaochun saw the lotus seeds disappearing without a single one going to him, he started to get anxious. Feeling a bit jealous, he held his head high and his chest out, hoping to attract the attention of the Saint-Emperor.
"Hey, I'm a duke too!" he thought. Apparently, his actions worked. The Saint-Emperor's eyes flickered, and after looking over at Bai Xiaochun for a moment, he hesitated, then waved his right hand.
"The other dukes and marquises who have performed services for the Saint-Emperor Dynasty will not be left out!"
The five remaining lotus seeds flew out, with one of them heading toward Bai Xiaochun. He reached out excitedly and grabbed it, but afterward, frowned slightly.
It was impossible to tell if it was a coincidence or not, but it seemed like his lotus seed was the smallest and least ripe.
The truth was that because of the heavenly dragonfish incident, the Saint-Emperor didn't have a good impression of Bai Xiaochun at all. However, because of his title, and the loyalty the Heavenspan cultivators showed toward him, the Saint-Emperor had to at least make a show of treating him well.
"On this first day, 49 immortal lotus seeds have been bestowed upon my dear subjects. There is no need to be anxious. All those who have performed services for the Saint-Emperor Dynasty will eventually be rewarded." The Saint-Emperor didn't actually need to be present for the entire banquet. After offering a few more words of encouragement, he turned and left.
After his departure, the buzz of conversation grew loud. Those who had received lotus seeds were of course congratulated by the cultivators around them, and before long, the sound of laughter filled the air.
People crowded around Bai Xiaochun as well, and when they saw how small his lotus seed was, they mocked him in their hearts. On the surface, though, they offered perfunctory congratulations.
Bai Xiaochun was feeling a bit depressed, but there was nothing he could do about it. After those around him finished with their congratulations, he looked around and noticed how some people were already consuming the lotus seeds they had been given. Therefore, he looked down at his and, seeing no reason not to, popped it into his mouth. Instantly, a pleasant aroma filled him, accompanied by a scorching heat.
All of the energy passageways in his body thrummed for a full ten breaths of time. After that, the heat vanished. And yet, he could sense that his cultivation base had risen with volcanic speed during that short time!
Although he wasn't quite yet in the late Demigod Realm, the progress he had just made surpassed anything from the heavenly dragonfish.
"So incredible!" he thought, shocked. He had known that the lotus seeds were extraordinarily effective, but could never have guessed that they would provide all those benefits in only ten breaths of time.
Furthermore, the seeds contained no impurities whatsoever, and also conformed automatically to whatever techniques were used by the cultivator who consumed them. They were like consummate medicinal pills that didn't contain even the slightest toxic element!
"Ten more… or maybe even five! With that many, I could reach the late Demigod Realm!" His heart pounded and burned at how effective the lotus seeds were, and he couldn't stop pondering how to get more.
Eventually, the banquet ended, and he went back home, where he sat down to think.
"The Saint-Emperor definitely won't give me any more….
"There are plenty to be had in the heavenly pond. But getting my hands on them would cause a huge scene…. If only I could harvest them secretly…." Frowning anxiously, he looked out at all the lotus pods on the heavenly pond, filled with seeds… that he couldn't eat.
"I ate thousands of fish. I refuse to believe… that these lotus seeds will stump me!"
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Chapter 1068: Keep Your Voice Down!
Bai Xiaochun felt like his ears were itching in frustration. He was determined to wolf down as many lotus seeds as he could, and yet, despite pondering the issue for an entire night, had nothing to show for it.
He had no interest in attending the second lotus banquet. Instead, he strolled along the edge of the lotus leaf, looking at the seed pods that floated on the lake's surface, as well as those which were further down in the water, and had yet to rise.
"This Saint-Emperor Dynasty is way too rich," he muttered to himself, his eyes bloodshot. "I can't believe they just keep dragonfish and lotus seeds sitting around in this heavenly pond of theirs….
"You can see them… but you can't eat them…." If he were capable of beating the three celestials in a fight, and the Saint-Emperor too, he would just have dived into the water and started grabbing seeds.
His desire only grew stronger as time passed. After the destruction of the Heavenspan Realm, and his arrival in the Eternal Lands, he had come to realize more than ever that getting stronger was the only way to achieve his goals.
It was going to take a lot to achieve a cultivation base breakthrough in these unfamiliar Eternal Lands. It would have been one thing if he had a lot of time on his hands, but right now, time was not something he had the luxury of wasting.
A few days passed in which his anxiety fermented, and the lotus banquets continued. All of his energy was focused on trying to figure out how to get more lotus seeds, to the point where he spent every day walking along the edges of the lotus leaves.
A lot of people noticed this behavior of his. But most people were wrapped up in thoughts about the lotus banquets. Besides, lotus seeds were not dragonfish, and everyone assumed it would be impossible for him to secretly harvest some.
Furthermore, the Saint-Emperor was no longer in secluded meditation. He was there every day, presiding over the lotus banquets. Because of that, the court officials who could guess what Bai Xiaochun was thinking didn't really give it much weight.
"We have rules in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty. Nobody, no matter how important they are, would ever think of taking an immortal lotus seed without permission. Anyone who did… would be breaking a very important rule!" Many a cold laugh echoed within the hearts of the people of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty.
Of course, they all knew that Bai Xiaochun was important to the Saint-Emperor. But even if he were more important than he already was, there were certain lines that could not be crossed. Bai Xiaochun had escaped any real punishment in the heavenly dragonfish incident both because of his usefulness to the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, and also because of the fact that he had been very careful. Because of that, the Saint-Emperor Dynasty chose to simply let the matter slide.
But the lotus seeds were inanimate objects that could not fly into Bai Xiaochun's hands of their own accord. The only way for him to get them would be to outright steal them!
And if he did that, he would be doomed, no questions asked!
Because of all of these things, most of the aristocracy didn't put too much thought into the matter.
With the exception of Heavenly Marquis Liu.
He had noticed Bai Xiaochun's odd behavior in recent days, and it immediately put him on guard. Filled with excitement, he began to surveil Bai Xiaochun even more closely than usual. Back when he had first been appointed parole captain, he had been very enthusiastic about monitoring Bai Xiaochun. But after a few months went by in which Bai Xiaochun behaved well, Heavenly Marquis Liu had begun to get nervous that nothing more would happen.
"You're as crafty as a rat, Bai Xiaochun. But you won't be able to evade my discerning eyes!" When it came to monitoring Bai Xiaochun, Heavenly Marquis Liu couldn't see what happened inside of his blessed land, but as soon as he went out into the open, he could watch him secretly from the shadows.
Another three days passed. The officials proudly continued to attend the lotus banquets, and Heavenly Marquis Liu maintained full vigilance. Bai Xiaochun eventually became aware that Heavenly Marquis Liu was shadowing him. But around the same time, he came up with a plan that he was fairly certain would succeed.
"This is the only way I can do it!" he thought. From that point on, he didn't go to the heavenly pond to look at the lotus pods anymore. He remained in his blessed land, where Heavenly Marquis Liu couldn't see him. There, he performed an incantation gesture to seal the area, and then settled down cross-legged to meditate.
Outside, Heavenly Marquis Liu found a good spot nearby to stake out Bai Xiaochun's blessed land, where he remained, eyes glued to the immortal's cave for several days in a row.
He was so excited about what was to come that he didn't even get tired. He was absolutely sure that whatever evil plan Bai Xiaochun had come up with was about to be carried out…
"All I have to do is catch him in the act, and it will count as a huge service to the dynasty!" The mere thought got him more excited, and he poured all of his energy into making sure that Bai Xiaochun didn't get a chance to harm even a single lotus seed.
"I don't care what your plan is. I know you're after the lotus seeds. And with me watching you so closely, you'll never be able to get them without being spotted!"
Eventually, Heavenly Marquis Liu was getting antsy with excitement, whereas Bai Xiaochun was still sitting there meditating. For several hours, he didn't even move, until finally, night fell. At that point, he surreptitiously sent some divine sense into his bag of holding.
"Get out here, little turtle!" he said. However, there was no response. After the destruction of the Heavenspan Realm, Bai Xiaochun hadn't seen the turtle, but was absolutely convinced that he was in his bag of holding. The end of the world would definitely not hurt him.
Impatient, Bai Xiaochun yet again called out with his divine sense. "Enough with the act! Get the hell out here!"
He snorted coldly, and yet, there was still no reaction. "Not gonna come out, huh? Fine. Fine, let's settle accounts…."
Another long moment passed.
"You're really not there?" he said, surprised. Shaking his head, he sighed. "Well, that's too bad. I guess he won't have a chance at this treasure…."
Perhaps it was the word 'treasure' itself, which was too enticing. As soon as he spoke it, he got a reaction from inside his bag of holding.
"Treasure? What treasure?" The little turtle's voice was faint in his mind, as though he had been sleeping, and just woken up. However, it only took a moment for it to get back to normal
"Alright, little Xiaochun, you tell Lord Turtle what treasure you've found immediately!" At this point, the little turtle's head popped out of Bai Xiaochun's bag of holding. Before Bai Xiaochun could even respond, he sniffed the air, and his eyes lit up.
"Aha! Lord Turtle has detected the aroma of treasure!! Dammit! I didn't realize that all that blood I lost made me a lot less sensitive to treasure!!" Eyes widening with excitement, the little turtle prepare to burst into motion. Before he could, Bai Xiaochun grabbed him and shoved him back into the bag of holding.
"Keep your voice down!" he said urgently via divine sense. "We're being watched!" In response, a spark of killing intent appeared in the little turtle's eyes.
"Who? Who is watching the mighty Lord Turtle?! Who dares to try to steal Lord Turtle's treasure?!"
Bai Xiaochun cleared his throat and said, "It's this guy named Liu Yong! He's staking us out right now! He's the one who wants to steal our treasure!"
"How dare he! Lord Turtle will beat him to death!!" The little turtle hated nothing in life more than people who stole treasure from him.
"Hold on, we can worry about that later. Little turtle, look at how many lotus seed pods are in that heavenly pond out there. There are too many to count, and each one… is like an immortal pill!
"You sneak out there and keep yourself hidden. We split things 30/70. I get the 70. After all, I'm the one who came across this treasure. Plus, I'll help cover for you!"
This was Bai Xiaochun's plan. Since the lotus seeds were inanimate objects that lacked any intelligence whatsoever, all he had to do was figure out a way to get them.
However, because of who he was, and how many people were suspicious of him and watching him, he would get the stealthy little turtle to do his work for him. It was the perfect plan.
The most difficult part was coming to an agreement on the split. He and the turtle haggled for a bit, and eventually agreed to split everything 50/50. Then, the little turtle blurred into motion, vanishing from the bag of holding and leaving the blessed land.
Despite how closely Heavenly Marquis Liu was keeping watch, he didn't even notice the turtle speed past him. Some distance away, the little turtle looked back proudly at Heavenly Marquis Liu there in his hiding place. Then he suddenly began to burrow down into the ground. Before long, he was in front of one of the underwater seed pods, which he sniffed at a bit before opening his mouth and taking a big bite. After chewing it up, his eyes glittered.
"So, little Xiaochun wasn't lying. Crispy and delicious!" Licking his lips, he ate the entire seed pod. After that, he realized he needed to be more careful, and began to go around carefully extracting seeds without damaging the pods.
Before long, he was back in the blessed land, where he proudly threw eight lotus seeds over to Bai Xiaochun.
"Eat up!" he said. Then he burped. Clearly, he had stuffed himself before coming back….
The lotus seeds were very small, about the size of a fingernail. However, as soon as Bai Xiaochun laid eyes on them, his eyes lit up. Grabbing them, he stuffed them into his mouth.
Although they weren't as strong as the one he had been gifted earlier, when they melted into his mouth, they gave birth to a huge blast of heat that roared through him.
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Chapter 1069: The Turtles Spoils
The night went by peacefully. Soon dawn was approaching, and Heavenly Marquis Liu remained outside of Bai Xiaochun's blessed land, unmoving and even unblinking. Although he was exhausted, he also couldn't suppress his exuberance.
When the sky was bright, Bai Xiaochun swaggered out of his blessed land, causing Heavenly Marquis Liu to stir in excitement. However, he quickly realized that there was something strange about Bai Xiaochun.
"Huh?" he murmured to himself.
Bai Xiaochun seemed in extremely high spirits compared to normal. He didn't go to the edge of the lotus leaf like he had in the past, but instead, hummed a little tune as he headed toward the imperial palace.
"Something's wrong!" Heavenly Marquis Liu thought as he began to follow stealthily. Bai Xiaochun strolled happily to the imperial palace, where a lotus banquet was going on. Although not every government official went to a banquet every day, the banquets were still lively and exciting.
Like usual, snide and derisive comments could be heard when Bai Xiaochun came, but he ignored them like usual. Laughing heartily, he sat down to enjoy the delicious alcohol and wonderful immortal fruits.
The Saint-Emperor didn't attend every single banquet. But through his archaean powers, he would always ensure that lotus seeds were distributed.
Bai Xiaochun was in a wonderful mood. Heavenly Marquis Liu shadowed him the entire day, convinced that something fishy was going on. However, he couldn't pin down what exactly it was, and eventually, had to settle down again outside of Bai Xiaochun's blessed land to keep watch overnight.
"It was an act!" he thought. "He's doing all of this just to get the people used to seeing him!!"
Five more days flew by, and the same thing happened every time. It was nearing the end of the period of lotus banquets, and Bai Xiaochun was enjoying himself to the full. During the day, he would go to the imperial palace, and in the evenings, the little turtle would get some lotus seeds for the two of them to share.
Although the seeds were all fairly small, they were numerous…. In the few short days which had passed, Bai Xiaochun had already gotten his hands on over a thousand of them.
The sheer number involved outweighed how weak they were, and pushed Bai Xiaochun's cultivation base all the way into the great circle of the Demigod Realm.
However, he made sure to keep the aura of his breakthrough suppressed. Now, he was one step closer to being a celestial. In fact, he was sure that it would likely only take a few years to form his Daoseed and achieve his breakthrough.
Bai Xiaochun was aware that the little turtle had benefited even more than he had, although he wasn't sure by how much. The turtle's face glowed, and his shell looked smoother and shinier than ever. Considering how treacherous the little turtle was, Bai Xiaochun could only speculate that, if he had handed over a thousand seeds, he had most likely eaten thousands himself.
The more he thought about that fact, the more worried he got. Not that he felt bad for the Saint-Emperor, but rather, was worried that their lotus-seed-stealing activities might be discovered….
"Be careful down there, and don't eat so many. Quit while you're ahead!" The little turtle always agreed to comply with such repeated exhortations.
Bai Xiaochun didn't feel any better about the situation, but… it was too late to go back now. The worst came when, a few days before the lotus banquets were to end, the little turtle didn't return.
Bai Xiaochun was instantly on guard.
"Don't tell me he got caught?" Considering what Bai Xiaochun knew about the little turtle, he didn't have any confidence that he could keep a secret. Surprisingly, though, the Saint-Emperor never came knocking. A few days later, the banquets came to an end, and the turtle still was not back. Bai Xiaochun was extremely nervous at this point.
Ironically, there was one person who was even more nervous than Bai Xiaochun, and that was Heavenly Marquis Liu, who was still on watch outside of his blessed land.
"Dammit! What's going on here? Why has Bai Xiaochun been so calm and quiet? My intuition can't be wrong! He definitely has a secret master plan!!"
As the two of them sat there anxiously, the last formalities to end the banquets occurred.
Bells rang out from the imperial palace, drawing all of the officials for a final meeting in the palace hall. It would be the last distribution of lotus seeds by the Saint-Emperor, and would also involve a ceremonial expression of thanks by the citizens.
As people gathered, Bai Xiaochun was much quieter than everyone around him. He was in quite a perturbed state of mind, and was constantly glancing around at the expressions of the people around him, hoping to notice if anyone was looking at him strangely.
Eventually, the Saint-Emperor strode out and took his place in front of everyone. After looking around briefly, he smiled warmly.
"My dear subjects, I have already distributed 800 lotus seeds. Now, we will give all cultivators under the heavens a chance to acquire one of the final 200, by distributing them to the open market.
"It is my wish that our Saint-Emperor Dynasty will be just like lotus seeds that slowly grow into mature, beautiful lotuses that exist for all eternity!"
In response, the gathered officials all clasped hands formally and joined their voices to respond.
"May the Saint-Emperor Dynasty exist for all eternity!"
Despite how nervous he was, Bai Xiaochun joined in with them.
The Saint-Emperor's smile grew even warmer when he heard the voices of the hosts of officials. Then he waved his hand, unleashing the power of his archaean cultivation base. Instantly, a holy aura swept out, causing an enormous hand to appear high above. The water in the heavenly pond rippled, and numerous lotus pods floated up to the surface.
The hand descended, sweeping over the pond to harvest the lotus seeds. However, this time… when the hand swept over the pods, no seeds came out!!
The pods opened to reveal… empty holes where the seeds should have been!!
The huge hand suddenly stopped moving.
"…….." The Saint-Emperor was stunned, as were all of the court officials. Eyes went wide, and numerous streams of divine sense suddenly sprang out to check the situation.
Chen Su, Gu Tianjun, and the scholarly celestial were all flabbergasted.
Bai Xiaochun's heart was already pounding as he sent his divine sense out. When he saw all of the numerous empty seed pods, he immediately plastered a look of shock onto his face.
The Saint-Emperor's expression slowly sank into something very grim. Waving his hand again, he caused more of the seed pods to rise to the surface and open up.
Yet again, almost no seeds could be seen, only empty holes…. The court officials all gasped, and a moment later, devolved into a hubbub.
"This… this…."
"Where are the lotus seeds?"
"How could this be happening. Why are there no lotus seeds?!?!" All of a sudden, Bai Xiaochun's voice rang out in extremely loud and exaggerated fashion.
"Heavens! How could this be happening!? Don't tell me the heavenly dragonfish ate them all!?!?!?"
Amid the cacophony of shocked exclamations, the Saint-Emperor's expression turned even grimmer. Then, he performed an incantation gesture and waved his finger at the heavenly pond, sending a shocking stream of divine sense into the water. The sky went dim, and a huge wind kicked up as the water seethed and all of the lotus pods in its depths rose to the surface!
Whether they were mature or not didn't matter. All of them rose up and then opened, over 10,000 in total. When the crowd saw the result, they were stunned.
Everyone was shaken to the core as they saw… that every single seed pod, without exception, was almost completely empty!
If that were all there were to it, it might not be a big deal. But the Saint-Emperor, the three celestials, all of the demigods, and even the devas saw… that on one of the lotus pods was little turtle, munching away at a fist-sized lotus seed.
When Bai Xiaochun saw the little turtle, his eyes went wide, and his heart began to pound even harder. He had assumed the little turtle had secretly eaten a few thousand seeds. Never could he have imagined that he would have eaten this many.
"Dammit! What kind of turtle is that!? How dare he secretly eat the Saint-Emperor Dynasty's immortal lotus seeds!!"
"Look at how many of the pods are empty! He must have eaten tens of thousands of seeds!"
"Dammit, I'm gonna turn him into turtle soup!!"
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Chapter 1070: Bai Xiaochun Made Me Do It!
The anger in the shouting of the crowd couldn't have been more apparent, and the Saint-Emperor's expression continued to turn grimmer. Suddenly, he reached out with his right hand. The little turtle was incredibly fast, and usually was able to vanish without a trace, but in this case, he was no match for the Saint-Emperor.
Even as the little turtle prepared to teleport away, a magical sealing settled down in the area surrounding him. He struggled, but to no avail. A moment passed, and then a powerful force grabbed onto him and sent him flying into the imperial palace in a beam of light, right into the outstretched hand of the Saint-Emperor!
The turtle was clearly frightened, and fought back with all four of his legs, but it did no good. As soon as he realized he had been captured by such a terrifying figure, he shrieked, "I was forced to do it! It was Bai Xiaochun! Bai Xiaochun made me do it! He's the ringleader in this whole thing! You people have no idea! He's a walking disaster! He forced me to steal the lotus seeds! I'm completely innocent! I'm the victim!!"
When the cultivators in the infuriated crowd heard the little turtle's words, they slowly turned to look at Bai Xiaochun.
To have so many people staring at him caused Bai Xiaochun to break out into a cold sweat. Although he knew that the little turtle was a scoundrel who wasn't exactly the trustworthy type, he had never imagined that it would immediately sell him out.
What was worse was that the little turtle had personally taken what was likely tens of thousands of lotus seeds, and had only given a thousand to Bai Xiaochun. Inwardly, Bai Xiaochun was cursing up a storm, but on the outside, he simply looked startled. Then he leaped to his feet and pointed an accusatory finger at the little turtle.
"Who are you? And how do you know my name?! Your Majesty, this is a conspiracy! Somebody is definitely framing me!!" From the rage that seemed to echo in his voice, he was clearly furious at being unjustly accused.
If it weren't for the matter of the heavenly dragonfish, the surrounding cultivators would likely have been convinced. But now, it seemed obvious that this little turtle was working together with Bai Xiaochun!
The turtle was accusing Bai Xiaochun, whereas Bai Xiaochun was accusing the turtle. Obviously, they were the seed-thieves, and now, they had been caught red-handed!
Worse was that the Saint-Emperor had just been about to harvest 200 lotus seeds to be sold at auction to the general populace. The Saint-Emperor himself wouldn't benefit from the resulting auctions, but many of the officials present would have.
There were numerous factors that played into the lotus seed auctions, factors which ensured that everyone involved profited. But now… there would obviously not be any auction. With seventy percent of the lotus seeds gone, the Saint-Emperor obviously wouldn't be doing any more harvesting. The lotus pods had been so heavily damaged that it would be a long time before there were any more lotus banquets.
That realization caused fury to boil up in the hearts of the celestials, whose clans would definitely be affected negatively by this development. Important clans like theirs had huge operating expenses, and now, they would be losing out on a very important source of income.
"How brazen and reckless of you, Bai Xiaochun! How dare you steal the immortal lotus seeds!!"
"Saint-Emperor, I would like to submit an official request to the court that Bai Xiaochun be executed!"
"Your Majesty, I second the motion! This Bai Xiaochun must be punished immediately!"
The imperial palace instantly became like a hornet's nest, with raw killing intent surging in all directions. If it weren't for the fact that they were actually in the imperial palace, many of the cultivators present would have already started fighting Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun was sweating hard, and gasped numerous times in response to what people were saying. Scalp tingling in fear, he was just about to open his mouth to speak when he suddenly noticed that the little turtle had just winked at him in odd fashion.
Then, the turtle cleared his throat and spoke in a high-pitched voice that cut through the crowd.
"My noble ladies and gentlemen, everything I did was on the orders of Bai Xiaochun. He is my master, and I have no choice but to follow his commands!"
Bai Xiaochun was glaring furiously at the turtle, but inside, he was actually a bit curious. After all the years of dealing with the little turtle, he had come to know him well, and could tell that there was something very odd about the way he had winked a moment ago.
And the fact that the turtle had immediately accused him in loud and public fashion seemed to indicate that he was planning something!
The entire place was in complete chaos. Numerous cultivators were submitting requests to the Saint-Emperor, the little turtle was yelling at the top of his lungs, Bai Xiaochun was shouting… it was a madhouse.
At this point, Gu Tianjun suddenly spoke in a voice as cold as ice. Killing intent was visible in his eyes as he stared at Bai Xiaochun and said, "Saint-Emperor, this Bai Xiaochun absolutely must be put to death! He has committed a capital offense of truly shocking nature! And I'd wager that the Giant Ghost fellow is in on the conspiracy! He should be killed too!!"
Heavenly Marquis Liu was there in the crowd, his eyes shining brightly. Ever since he had been put in charge of keeping an eye on Bai Xiaochun, he had been unable to find any incriminating evidence. No matter how hard he tried, not a single clue had ever turned up. But now that the little turtle had been discovered, everything made sense.
Heavenly Marquis Liu couldn't help but get excited at the sight of Bai Xiaochun being cursed by everyone in the crowd.
"Ah, what a familiar scene!" he thought, trembling in excitement. "It's just like what happened in the Grand Heavenmaster's hall in Arch-Emperor City. That was also the first time I lost to Bai Xiaochun….
"The heavens do have eyes! The same thing that happened back then is happening today, but this time, I definitely won't lose!" With that, he threw his head back and laughed maniacally.
Striding out into the open, he ignored the rest of the crowd to glare at the turtle for a moment. Then he clasped hands and bowed deeply to the Saint-Emperor.
As of this moment, Heavenly Marquis Liu felt like he was one with all creation. Raising his voice loudly, he said, "Your Majesty, I have summarized 500 crimes that this Bai Xiaochun has committed, and would like to take the opportunity today to list them out publicly. First is the crime of–"
However, before he could even speak out the first crime, the Saint-Emperor, who stood there in front of the crowd holding the little turtle, threw his head back and laughed uproariously.
His crisp, clear laughter filled all of Saint-Emperor City, causing heaven and earth to shake violently. Heavenly Marquis Liu was interrupted, and the fury of the gathered officials was suddenly suppressed.
"Good. Great! Excellent!!" The Saint-Emperor then laughed some more, his face a mask of joy and excitement as he eyed the little turtle.
Considering that he was an archaean, it was unusual to see him acting in such emotional fashion. Everyone was shocked, and had no idea what was going on, except for the three celestials. Their eyes flickered as they looked at the little turtle, and a moment later, looks of astonishment could be seen on their faces.
"The Eternal Turtle," the Saint-Emperor said, his voice quavering a bit. "The Eternal Turtle! It's the Eternal Turtle!! The legendary, one-of-a-kind, completely unique companion spirit of the Eternal Flower!
"To have the Eternal Turtle in Saint-Emperor City is a good omen! It shows that the Saint-Emperor Dynasty is the true and orthodox force in the Eternal Lands, something that will stand the test of time and endure forever!!"
Bai Xiaochun was stunned. Back when the gravekeeper had extracted blood from the little turtle to help Bai Xiaochun, he remembered hearing something about an Eternal Turtle, but he had been mostly unconscious, and had never pursued the matter.
Eventually, the Saint-Emperor flicked his sleeve and issued a proclamation!
"Let the Eternal Turtle be named the Saint-Turtle of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty! This turtle is now the symbol of our nation, and represents me wherever he goes! For offering this turtle as a gift, Bai Xiaochun will be given a seven-colored belt, and ten immortal pills!" Gasps could be heard from the gathered cultivators as they looked over at the little turtle.
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Chapter 1071: There Are Still Lotus Roots….
No one could ever have predicted that the little turtle who had secretly eaten such a vast number of lotus seeds would be appointed as the Saint-Turtle of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty. Although it seemed completely preposterous, it certainly resolved the issue of the lotus seeds.
The rewards given to Bai Xiaochun ensured that the matter was already a thing of the past. Everyone was effectively silenced as the Saint-Emperor departed the scene happily. However, unlike past incidents, the officials did nothing to cover up their frustration and anger at Bai Xiaochun as they glared at him.
After all, the Saint-Emperor hadn't really lost out on anything in this incident. Only they had….
Bai Xiaochun was just as stunned by this turn of events as everyone else. However, after thinking about it, he realized that the little turtle must have planned on this from the beginning. He knew that the Saint-Emperor would recognize him immediately if he ever saw him in person.
That was why the little turtle had dared to so brazenly eat the lotus seeds, and was also why he had so openly declared his relationship with Bai Xiaochun.
There were still a few things he wasn't completely sure about, but in the end, now that the incident was concluded, they didn't really matter.
Clearing his throat, he looked around at the court officials, stuck his chest out and stood up taller and straighter, and finally, swaggered out of the palace.
The cultivators' eyes glittered with cold light as they watched him go. At this point, many of them were coming to realize the reality of the situation…. Early on, they might have been able to come up with ways to have Bai Xiaochun punished, but now, that had changed.
The little turtle had been appointed the Saint-Turtle, which meant that Bai Xiaochun was even more important than before. As of now, there was no one in Saint-Emperor City who could do a single thing to him.
Although the Saint-Emperor still had his misgivings, the way events had played out spoke volumes.
The truth was that if the little turtle's identity hadn't been revealed, the Saint-Emperor would have crushed Bai Xiaochun the moment he saw the empty seed pods.
For the Saint-Emperor, enough was enough. Never before had any cultivator dared to do the things Bai Xiaochun had done in Saint-Emperor City. But the little turtle was too important. That was especially true considering that the Eternal Turtle was rumored to be able to give cultivators better control of Willpower. To the Saint-Emperor, that was beyond crucial, and could give him the edge he needed to break out of the Archaean Realm.
The mere thought of that caused his heart to race with joy.
The little turtle had worded things in a very clever way. Although some people might not have picked up on it initially, the Saint-Emperor had understood the implications immediately.
The Eternal Turtle belonged to Bai Xiaochun!
Once the Eternal Turtle bonded a master, it couldn't be changed. Not even killing Bai Xiaochun would do anything, and would in fact enrage the turtle.
The only way to get the Eternal Turtle to willingly stay in Saint-Emperor City was… to get Bai Xiaochun's approval!
The Saint-Emperor knew that everyone had value in some way. Whether they were celestials or demigods, it was the same. Bai Xiaochun was valuable because of his status in the Heavenspan Realm. In fact, in some ways he was even more important than a celestial. When you added in the matter of the Eternal Turtle, it made him so important that the Saint-Emperor even feared him to a degree.
Although the rest of the officials in Saint-Emperor City didn't quite understand all of that, they could guess at it.
"This damned bastard ate tons of heavenly dragonfish, and then a bunch of lotus seeds, and in the end, everything worked out fine for him!"
"He really is a walking disaster! He defiled the heavenly dragonfish, and then nearly wiped out all of the lotus seeds. And yet his co-conspirator ended up being named the Saint-Turtle!!"
"He should never have been allowed to stay in Saint-Emperor City!!"
Filled with various negative thoughts, the crowd dispersed, until Bai Xiaochun was the only one standing there.
As for Heavenly Marquis Liu, he was already slipping into a major depression. He had just been preparing to list out the 500 crimes that Bai Xiaochun had committed when the Saint-Emperor interrupted him with roaring laughter. He was more stunned now than he had ever been in his entire life.
"Just like back in the Wildlands…." he thought, shivering.
Another half a month went by.
News of the lotus seed incident spread throughout Saint-Emperor City. Furthermore, the fact that there would be no lotus seed auctions had major repercussions in both of the two immortal domains controlled by the Saint-Emperor Dynasty.
What was even more shocking, though, was the news about the Saint-Turtle, which caused a stir even in the Vile-Emperor Dynasty.
As for Bai Xiaochun, he was uncharacteristically quiet, spending the entire month consuming lotus seeds and immortal pills to advance his cultivation base.
Although he didn't achieve a breakthrough to become a celestial, he was getting closer and closer to that point. By the time the lotus seeds and immortal pills stopped being effective, he was at the very peak of the great circle. Now, it was as if he were right up against a huge, seemingly insurmountable barrier.
"So close…." he murmured sadly. At this point, he could tell that no amount of slow and steady progress would get him past that wall. He needed something amazing to help him break the barrier down in one shot.
Meanwhile, much attention was paid to the little turtle. The half a month passed in somewhat of a whirlwind for him. Of course, the Saint-Emperor didn't cause any problems for him. He only asked that the turtle accompany him for three or four hours a day during cultivation. Other than that, there were no limitations placed on him.
The little turtle could go about freely in Saint-Emperor City. In fact, he could have or do just about anything he wanted. He could even eat heavenly dragonfish if he felt like it….
As far as the lotus seeds went… it all depended on the little turtle's mood. Eventually, he went to talk with Bai Xiaochun about everything that had occurred earlier. When Bai Xiaochun heard the whole story, he was a bit jealous, but didn't dare to say anything. Even worse, the little turtle's shell seemed to shine more brightly every time he came to visit, an indication of how well he was eating….
And that wasn't even mentioning how the turtle seemed to be gaining a lot of weight….
"Ai, there's really nothing I can do, little Xiaochun. You have no idea how rough life is.
"I've eaten so many immortal pills I can hardly stand them anymore. The Saint-Emperor, and even that celestial named Chen Su, stuffs me with them.
"The worst of them is Gu Tianjun. Can you believe that he gave me an entire harem of female turtles? They're completely shameless! All they want to do is fight over who will be the first to lay a batch of eggs!
"It's so annoying!" Despite the turtle's sighs, it was impossible for him to conceal how pleased he was with his wonderful life.
Despite the fact that the little turtle kept providing Bai Xiaochun with a supply of immortal pills and other such things, now that Bai Xiaochun was in the great circle, none of them were enough to break through the barrier that held him back.
Whatever item it was that could help him break through apparently didn't exist in the Eternal Lands. If it did, then the Saint-Emperor Dynasty wouldn't only have four celestials.
After seeing how proud the little turtle was with himself, Bai Xiaochun thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Hey little turtle, I know you can eat the dragonfish and the lotus seeds, but what about… the lotus roots down at the bottom of the lake? Can you eat those too?"
"Lotus roots!?" The little turtle's eyes suddenly began to shine brightly.
"I bet they're more effective than anything else!" Bai Xiaochun was licking his lips just thinking about it. "How about you go down and grab one? We can try it out together!"
The little turtle was already looking excited at the prospect. After all, it had only eaten the lotus seeds up to this point.
Seeing this reaction, Bai Xiaochun decided to strike while the iron was hot, and began to negotiate.
"50/50?" the little turtle said, glaring. "No way. 90/10!"
Bai Xiaochun sighed.
"Listen, little turtle, we've known each other for years now. From the Blood Stream Sect to the River-Defying Sect, then the Wildlands. And now here we are in the Eternal Lands. We have to rely on each other to survive! We're partners! You know, in some respects, we're basically family. You ate tens of thousands of lotus seeds, and I didn't say anything. Now I'm trying to achieve a cultivation base breakthrough! What's the point in you being so stingy?" It was with bloodshot eyes that Bai Xiaochun tried to appeal to the little turtle's emotions, even putting a look of pain into his own eyes as he spoke.
This was the little turtle's first time seeing Bai Xiaochun talk to him in this way, and he was clearly taken aback. Suddenly feeling a bit sorry, he sighed.
Sounding hurt, he said, "Ah, whatever. Look, 90/10 it is. 90 for you, 10 for me! I won't sneak any extra before you make your breakthrough!"
With that, he turned and blurred into motion toward the heavenly pond.
At that point, Bai Xiaochun's eyes began to shine.
"Who would have thought that this was the way to deal with the little turtle!?"
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Chapter 1072: The Lotus Flower Wilts….
Considering the speed the little turtle was capable of, and his current standing in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, unless the Saint-Emperor personally had divine sense locked onto him, it would be impossible for anyone to keep track of him.
Nobody even noticed as he slipped into the heavenly pond and headed down toward the lotus roots!
There were quite a few of them in the pond. They formed the foundation of the huge flower, as well as the numerous leaves up above. Most were imbedded in the silt at the bottom of the pond, but many floated in various positions within the water.
The little turtle didn't need to do any searching. It took almost no time at all for him to find a lotus root several meters long. Although it was hard to say exactly how he accomplished it, he easily dragged the root up and out of the water.
It was evening, and not many people were out and about. Therefore, no one caught sight of him as he whizzed back to Bai Xiaochun's blessed land.
A whooshing sound could be heard as he appeared right in front of the cross-legged Bai Xiaochun, his eyes shining with anticipation.
"I did it! As you know, when Lord Turtle takes the field, he never loses!" A blur could be seen as the huge lotus root then appeared between the two of them.
Almost immediately, a fragrant aroma filled the air that lifted Bai Xiaochun's spirits, as well as a strong spiritual energy that vastly surpassed anything from the heavenly dragonfish or the lotus seeds.
Excited, Bai Xiaochun quickly cleaned the root, then a crunch could be heard as he took a deep bite.
It was sweet and sticky, and altogether delicious. Almost immediately, Bai Xiaochun's eyes lit up, and a warm current began to flow through him.
When the little turtle saw how excited Bai Xiaochun was, he cleared his throat and said, "Ah, whatever. Lord Turtle won't fight with you over this one."
After all, he had secretly munched on some other roots while down in the water. Blurring into motion, he left the blessed land and headed back to the heavenly pond.
Bai Xiaochun was very happy to see the little turtle acting in this way, and quickly went about munching down more of the lotus root. Heat flowed through him as, in a relatively short time, he consumed the entire lotus root.
The spiritual energy from the lotus root was first like a stream, and then a huge river, and then an ocean, raging through his energy passageways.
Rumbling sounds echoed out that only he could hear, making it seem as though he were in a world of his own, a place filled with boundless spiritual energy!
At this point, his cultivation base began to batter against that invisible barrier!
"That one lotus root was better than all of the lotus seeds and heavenly dragonfish put together! This is incredible!" His face glowed a healthy red, and his eyes shone with the glow of anticipation.
He very much wanted to get out of the Demigod Realm and into the Celestial Realm. After all the progress he had made, he finally seemed to be just on the verge of doing that. Closing his eyes, he rotated his cultivation base and focused his divine sense, controlling the flow of spiritual energy to batter at the barrier over and over again.
Soon, he began to tremble physically as an illusory vortex sprang up around him.
It was a very difficult thing to break the barrier that separated the Demigod Realm from the Celestial Realm. Even with the power of the lotus root, he was only able to strike at it unsuccessfully about ten times.
Time passed, and when the tenth attempt failed, blood oozed out of his mouth, and his eyes snapped open to reveal an unyielding defiance.
"Not a good enough of a foundation…. Or is it unusually difficult because of the Undying Live Forever Technique…?" Closing his eyes, he thought back to how he had broken out of the Nascent Soul stage and the Deva Realm, and slowly came to an understanding of what was happening.
All of his previous breakthroughs had to do with the Undying Live Forever Technique. All of them had been like approaching a gate, which he then simply opened.
But now both codices of his Undying Live Forever Technique were complete. He had reached the end, with no more divine abilities to unlock for either. And upon reaching the end of a road, there would be no more gates to open, only a barrier!
"So what if there's a barrier? I'll just break it down!" He gritted his teeth, and a moment later, a gleam of determination appeared in his bloodshot eyes.
"I can't just keep trying over and over again. Despite my powers of regeneration, I can sense that making endless repeated attacks on the barrier will be harmful!" He sent out some divine sense to make contact with the little turtle, and asked him to bring more lotus roots.
"I need to succeed in one shot. I need to build up a huge reserve of power, and then launch a single decisive attack on the barrier!" He considered trying to use his turtle-wok. After all, he hadn't used it to enhance either the heavenly dragonfish or the lotus seeds. But he wasn't in the Heavenspan Realm any longer. These were the Eternal Lands, and if people found out about his turtle-wok, it could cause major problems. Therefore, he had made a decision not to use it unless absolutely necessary.
Giving up on any thoughts of breaking the barrier, he waited for the little turtle to return. When the little turtle saw the blood oozing out of his mouth, he immediately got a sense of how important the lotus roots were to him. Not bothering to haggle over the split, he gave him another lotus root.
Half a month passed by in a flash, during which time Bai Xiaochun didn't make any more attempts to break the barrier. He kept building up energy, and the little turtle kept delivering lotus roots. Sometimes he would bring seven or eight, sometimes dozens. Whenever Bai Xiaochun asked for more, he got more, until a wild vortex rose up around him. Clearly, his accumulation of spiritual power had reached an astonishing level.
He looked like he might explode at any moment, to the point where the little turtle's scalp tingled with anxiety.
"Gotta be careful. Don't want to get fried if he blows up." The little turtle then went on to place some magical sealing marks around Bai Xiaochun, creating some type of shield. Not only would it contain the force of any potential explosions, but it would also mask Bai Xiaochun's aura from outsiders.
However, the little turtle was still feeling a bit nervous, especially when he realized that Bai Xiaochun's body seemed to be growing unstable!
He was so frightened that he spent most of his time submerged in the heavenly pond munching on lotus roots. He would only occasionally head over and throw some extra roots at Bai Xiaochun.
The truth was that the little turtle had actually become somewhat addicted to the delicious roots, and couldn't hold back from eating as many as he could.
Unfortunately, there was only one lotus flower in the heavenly pond. Although it had many roots, many leaves, and many seed pods, it was still just one plant.
If the little turtle had only eaten a few of the roots, it wouldn't have mattered. And although Bai Xiaochun was consuming quite a few, when compared to the total amount, it wasn't anything to mention. However… the little turtle was addicted, and in the half month that passed, he gave only a few more than a hundred roots to Bai Xiaochun, and yet ate several thousand.
Because of the decreasing supply of spiritual energy, the lotus leaves upon which Saint-Emperor City was built… slowly began to show signs of wilting. Some of the edges even began to turn yellow….
Most shocking was that the lotus flower which housed the imperial palace, which had already begun to tilt to the side thanks to the heavenly dragonfish incident, was now having its very foundation removed….
Gradually, it began to turn listless….
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Chapter 1073: Celestial Tribulation!
The lotus leaves were turning yellow, and the flower itself was wilting. All of Saint-Emperor City was shocked to the core.
"The leaves are yellowing!?!?"
"Heavens! What could be causing this disaster? Dammit. What's going on in Saint-Emperor City this year?!?!"
"Don't tell me it's that Bai Xiaochun again!?!?"
"Look everybody, it's not just the leaves that are affected. Check out the flower! Something's definitely wrong with it!" The court officials were all shocked, and the three celestials were both enraged, and at the same time, exhausted.
After all, this year had been filled with one major event after another. However, all three celestials knew that the little turtle was to blame, and that they were absolutely helpless to do anything about it.
"That damnable Eternal Turtle! Does he have it out for our Saint-Lotus or something?!?! Eat anything you want, but keep your hands off of the lotus! Not even the heavenly dragonfish would eat it!!"
"It's one thing to eat lotus seeds, but that turtle is actually eating the roots!!"
"Dammit, if this goes on, one of these days he'll eat the whole flower!!"
To the Saint-Emperor, the little turtle was essentially a precious treasure, and therefore, no one else in the nation qualified to berate it. And unfortunately, he was in a session of secluded meditation, and could not be disturbed except under the direst of circumstances.
Eventually, he emerged, and when he saw the yellowed lotus leaves and the wilting flower, even he was stunned.
By now, he truly had a love-hate relationship with the little turtle. And of course he couldn't punish the turtle. He could only bring him back to the palace and try to persuade him with words.
Looking at the little turtle standing there on the palm of his hand, he said, "You… you can't eat the lotus roots."
"What?" the little turtle said, sounding guilty and looking like the picture of innocence. "Really?!"
Although the Saint-Emperor was actually furious, he didn't let any of that show. He would save that for Bai Xiaochun. Instead, he did a bit more work to persuade the turtle of the error of his ways, and then summoned Bai Xiaochun to the palace.
However, it was in that very moment that, in Bai Xiaochun's blessed land, his eyes suddenly snapped open!
"After months of building up spiritual energy from over a hundred lotus roots, I have exactly what it takes to break through!" Laughing heartily to the heavens, he sent cultivation base power coursing through his energy passageways and toward his divine soul.
The spiritual energy of over a hundred lotus roots erupted out, a virtual ocean of power that flowed through him toward the invisible barrier….
A huge boom echoed out inside of him, as well as something that got Bai Xiaochun very excited. It was… the sound of a barrier cracking!
"Be destroyed!!" He lowered his head, veins bulging as he put all of the energy reserves he had into the effort of attacking the barrier!
He had no gates to enter, no paths to walk. He could only… bash his way onto the great way of the celestial!
Pain filled him as his divine soul cracked and splintered. But he simply endured the pain, a vicious, maddened expression on his face as he stuck to his plan!
His cultivation base was now at the absolute limit of the Demigod Realm. In the blink of an eye, his divine soul shattered, and his fleshly body began to crumble. At the same time, that seemingly unbreakable barrier also began to fall apart!
By this point, Bai Xiaochun's mind was almost a complete blank, devoid of thought or feeling. He could see what was happening, but it was almost as if he were an outside observer. Slowly, everything around him turned dark, with the only light coming from inside his body.
That light grew brighter and brighter as countless bright motes appeared, little spots that almost looked like wispy, flying seeds!
It was almost like a cloud of dandelion seeds…. They filled the area, floating and flying toward… one particular flying seed inside of him!
Everything seemed to go into slow motion for Bai Xiaochun. Meanwhile, in the instant that the barrier began to crumble, shocking fluctuations rolled out from his blessed land, as well as powerful rumbling sounds!
The vortex that had come to surround him swept up high into the sky and far out in all directions. All of the residents of Saint-Emperor City noticed, and were completely shocked.
After a brief silence, people began to cry out.
"Those fluctuations…."
"That aura…."
"Someone is breaking out of the Demigod Realm and into the Celestial Realm!!"
Numerous beams of light shot up into the air, and countless streams of divine sense came to focus on Bai Xiaochun's blessed land.
After all, in all of the Eternal Lands… there were only ten celestials in total!
From that alone, it was possible to see how difficult it was for demigod experts to achieve breakthroughs. As of this moment, the Saint-Emperor was right in the middle of putting the little turtle out of mind and sending some divine sense to Bai Xiaochun's blessed land.
Everyone was now completely focused on Bai Xiaochun, and the massive energy fluctuations that were coming from his direction.
As for the vortex, it continued to spin, causing strange signs and portents to appear in heaven and earth. All the while, Bai Xiaochun's aura was roiling out in full madness.
Everyone in Saint-Emperor City was shaken, but the first to react was actually Gu Tianjun. He blurred into motion, appearing near the vortex that surrounded Bai Xiaochun. As soon as he examined it, his expression flickered.
"Bai Xiaochun is going to break through!!"
Chen Su and the scholarly celestial appeared out of thin air, their eyes sparkling at the thought of how long it had been since a new celestial had appeared in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty.
If the person breaking through was someone other than Bai Xiaochun, then it would have been a cause for rejoicing, and a stirring inspiration to all of the people in the nation. It would also have left the Vile-Emperor Dynasty quite shaken.
With another celestial, the power of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty would increase by thirty percent!
However, the person breaking through was not truly someone from the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, but rather, Bai Xiaochun!
As people began to realize the implications of this fact, they were struck with mixed feelings. That was especially true of the three celestials, whose expressions turned very grim.
At this point, the scholarly celestial said, "When someone becomes a celestial, the Eternal Mother gets involved. Unless an archaean takes action… no one could possibly interfere!"
"This Bai Xiaochun is a crafty fox," Chen Su said, his eyes flashing. "He knows that because he's in Saint-Emperor City, the Saint-Emperor will have to assist. And the Vile-Emperor definitely won't come to cause problems. There couldn't be a safer place!"
"It doesn't really matter," Gu Tianjun said coldly. "Many cultivators throughout history have reached this step. But who can even count how many have been killed facing the three heavenly tribulations? All he's done is break the barrier, which begins the first tribulation. He might not even survive it, let alone the two to follow!"
All of Saint-Emperor City was shaken, and the Saint-Emperor was paying close attention, as were the three celestials. In that moment, incredible rumbling sounds echoed out as the enormous vortex grew in size by a hundredfold!
Nearly half of the sky became a vortex, filled with countless bolts of dancing lightning. Saint-Emperor City was completely covered by the tribulation clouds, which roiled out to fill much of the surrounding immortal domain!
"The second tribulation is starting!" Gu Tianjun said, his eyes narrowing.
Beneath the epicenter of the vortex was Bai Xiaochun, who sat there cross-legged, trembling within a world of darkness. The only thing he could see were the countless floating seeds, which were oh-so-slowly forming together into one.
That process was the second tribulation to which Gu Tianjun referred!
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Chapter 1074: All Creation Notified Of A Celestial!
When a demigod became a celestial, they would endure three great tribulations. The first was the formless barrier, a heavenly obstacle that only demigods with abundant resources could break through. Each failure was harmful, and after too many such failures, success would become impossible.
After all, most people did not have the powers of regeneration that Bai Xiaochun did, and not even he had the ability to make unlimited attempts.
Of course, some demigod cultivators who had extensive backing and resources would actually pass the first tribulation on the first try!
After the first tribulation was the second, which was even more profound and abstruse. It had different names. Some people called it Reattaining Purity and Simplicity. Other people called it Retracing Essence. Whatever its name, it was about a fusion process!
The countless dandelion-like seeds needed to become one!
Although that process seemed simple, the reason it was known as a tribulation was that ninety percent of cultivators who made it past the first tribulation would fail at this point.
For many years, the cultivators of the Eternal Immortal Domains didn't understand the second tribulation. It was only after the Saint-Emperor became an archaean, and gained control of the power of resurrection, that the secrets were unlocked.
This tribulation was a test of divine abilities!
At this critical point, the demigod cultivator would call upon all of the techniques he or she had cultivated in his life, and combine them in a unique way. It would be different every time, based on the specific techniques involved.
Only by combining fifty percent of one's techniques could one pass the critical point. The first tribulation essentially had to do with building up enough energy, whereas the second… was not something that could be passed by having access to special resources. One could only succeed after having cultivated some of the ultimate Daoist magics that existed in the Eternal Immortal Domains. Without that foundation, the only option would be to destroy one's cultivation base and start practicing cultivation from the very beginning again.
These two tribulations would weed out ninety-nine percent of all cultivators, although not necessarily by killing them.
However, the third tribulation could definitely be considered deadly in nature!
If one succeeded, one would become a celestial. If one failed, one would be reduced to ashes and become, as the legends said, a part of the Eternal Flower.
The third tribulation was about… approval!
The approval of the Eternal Flower, also known as the Eternal Mother, was absolutely required. It had nothing to do with access to resources, or the nature of one's techniques. In fact, even the archaeans weren't fully sure of how the process worked. The Saint-Emperor Dynasty and the Vile-Emperor Dynasty all descended from the original emperors, and cultivated similar techniques. And yet, people from both dynasties had failed at the third tribulation in the past.
Right now, Gu Tianjun, Chen Su, and the scholarly deva were all thinking about these various tribulations as they looked at the vortex surrounding Bai Xiaochun. It was the same with the Saint-Emperor.
The fact that Bai Xiaochun had passed the first tribulation was no surprise to them. After coming to the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, Bai Xiaochun had consumed heavenly dragonfish and lotus seeds. As far as the lotus roots, all of them were fairly certain that he had been part of that as well.
With resources such as that at his disposal, it was only natural that he would pass the first tribulation.
The Saint-Emperor was obviously not very happy about that point. In fact, if he had known that things would turn out this way, he would never have let Bai Xiaochun stay in Saint-Emperor City.
"It would be inappropriate for me to interfere. It will all come down to Bai Xiaochun's personal good fortune." If Bai Xiaochun had been making his attempt at some other location, the Saint-Emperor might have interfered. But here in Saint-Emperor City, with so many people watching, he couldn't meddle easily.
And thus, all eyes in the city were fixed on Bai Xiaochun's blessed land, and the enormous vortex which surrounded it. With each moment that passed, the vortex grew in size, forcing the three celestials to inch away from it.
Suddenly, a bellow erupted from within the vortex. It was Bai Xiaochun, and he almost sounded like a dragon roaring in a voice that echoed to the highest heavens. The entire city trembled, and in the water of the heavenly pond, the heavenly dragonfish shivered and sank down as far into the water as they could.
Then, to the shock of the Saint-Emperor and the celestials, the vortex began to spin and expand with unimaginable speed. The sky seemed to be on the verge of tearing apart as the vortex spread out to cover, not only Saint-Emperor City, but also the ten prefectures which surrounded it!!
Any given immortal domain was vastly larger than the Heavenspan Realm had been, and right now, all of the cultivators in that area, all of the living beings, no matter what they were doing, were shaken down to their very souls as the vortex filled the sky.
Even the people from the adjacent immortal domains could see what was happening, and began to cry out in shock and alarm.
The celestials gasped from the utter shock of it all.
"Impossible!!"
"How did he pass the second tribulation so quickly?!?!"
"Even if he did cultivate the techniques of the Arch-Emperors, he shouldn't have been able to fuse them with such speed!"
Suddenly, the Saint-Emperor vanished from within the imperial palace, to reappear in midair above the city, his expression very somber as he looked in the direction of Bai Xiaochun's blessed land.
"Back when I became a celestial, it took me the time it takes an incense stick to burn to pass the second tribulation. The third tribulation took three days… but Bai Xiaochun used only ten breaths of time…. The Undying Live Forever Technique, huh…. I wonder how long it will take him to pass the third tribulation?"
Of course, there was little need to mention how shaken the other court officials and powerful experts in Saint-Emperor City were. But what caused even more visible shock was when… they suddenly heard a voice whispering in their ears!
It sounded like a host of living beings speaking at the same time! It was as if the Eternal Mother were calling to them, speaking into heaven and earth from countless ages in the past!
That was what would happen when the second tribulation was passed. An eternal murmuring would be heard, indicating that the Daoseed had been successfully formed!
It wasn't just the cultivators in Saint-Emperor City who heard it, everyone beneath the massive vortex also heard it!
Even the people of Heavenspan who were in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty were included, and they were shaken!!
Although many people had no idea what exactly it meant, there were some who had been party to something similar in the past, and quickly realized what it meant.
"Someone… is becoming a celestial!!"
The news quickly began to spread through the prefectures of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, leading to widespread shock.
In the Vile-Emperor Dynasty, the first person to understand what was happening was the Vile-Emperor himself. Deeply shaken, he looked in the direction of Saint-Emperor City, eyes flickering with shock. Gongsun Wan'er was also in Vile-Emperor City, where she led a vast army from her bone galleon. When she realized what was happening, her expression flickered with shock, and she looked in the direction of Saint-Emperor City.
"It's my sweetie…."
The appearance of a new celestial was something that would rock the entire cultivation world!
Of course, Bai Xiaochun had no idea that any of that was going on. His mind was currently blank and calm, as he acted on instinct alone.
The fusion process, which to the shock of the Saint-Emperor and the other celestials had gone very quickly, wasn't anything Bai Xiaochun had even worried about. He had felt himself split apart into numerous dandelion-like seeds, floating about aimlessly. At the same time, though, he sensed something like a hidden voice speaking within his soul.
It was like a voice speaking to him, and although he didn't know what it was saying, it made him feel safe. It was like a mother speaking to a child. He forgot everything, as though he really had become a bunch of dandelion seeds floating within a void.
He wasn't sure how long it lasted. A year. Perhaps a hundred or even ten thousand…. There was no time or thought within the void. But then, one day, he heard a very clear voice.
"Tell me your name, my child…."
"I'm… Bai Xiaochun!" The words he spoke echoed like heavenly thunder, destroying the void, and crushing the world around him. Bai Xiaochun suddenly woke up from within the dandelion seeds, to find himself within his blessed land in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty.
All of his memories flooded back as, right there in front of him… was something that looked like a dandelion seed!
It was none other than his Daoseed!!
In that moment, the clouds in the sky seethed. Then, everyone in Vile-Emperor Dynasty, and everyone in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, regardless of the level of their cultivation base, and regardless of who they were… heard a voice murmuring something in their mind!
An eleventh celestial exists in the world, named… Bai Xiaochun!
Also in that exact moment, outside of the Eternal Immortal Domains, next to the enormous sovereign, out in the darkness of the starry sky, was an enormous object that looked almost like a landmass. Closer inspection, though, would reveal that it was half of a fan!
Despite being damaged, it sped smoothly through the starry sky like a shooting star.
Originally, it had not been heading toward the Eternal Immortal Domains, but after Bai Xiaochun's cultivation base breakthrough, when that voice spoke to all living beings, a vortex sprang up which changed the trajectory of the damaged fan. As of this moment, it was clear that it would soon pass by the Eternal Immortal Domains!
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No one was aware of the impending arrival of the huge fan, not even the archaean emperors!
However, in the moment that Bai Xiaochun became a celestial, all living beings in the two dynasties heard the name Bai Xiaochun ringing in their ears!
It was as if the spirit of heaven and earth were announcing to all creation that a new celestial had arrived!
It was just as Gongsun Wan'er had explained some time ago. All living things proceeded through their lives as though they were climbing a ladder. Everyone had Will, and beyond that was the Daoseed, both of which could affect the wider world.
Back in Saint-Emperor City, the eyes of the three celestials glittered brightly as they looked over at Bai Xiaochun's blessed land, and the boundless energy which currently swept out from it into the larger world.
Mixed emotions could be seen in the eyes of the Saint-Emperor. He knew that, as of this moment, Bai Xiaochun from the Heavenspan Realm had made a major step in pursuing his personal Dao. Furthermore, instead of there being two major factors that made him important to the Saint-Emperor, there were now three!
He was now a celestial!
The Saint-Emperor consciously suppressed the frustration and anger he had felt because of the lotus roots.
All of the officials in the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, even Heavenly Marquis Liu, stood there in silence, shocked at how smoothly Bai Xiaochun had stepped into the Celestial Realm.
As for the Vile-Emperor, he was just as shaken as the Saint-Emperor was. And then there were the cultivators from the Heavenspan Realm, scattered throughout the two dynasties, whose hearts surged with excitement as that mysterious voice spoke to them.
In Godsifter Prefecture, the Giant Ghost King had been sitting sullenly in his preceptoral manor, grumbling about how destitute he and his followers were. All of a sudden, he shot to his feet, his eyes shining with unprecedented brightness.
"Bai Xiaochun is a celestial!?!?" He threw his head back and laughed uproariously.
The Grand Heavenmaster was speeding along through the wastelands of a neighboring prefecture when, all of a sudden, he turned to look in the direction of Saint-Emperor City. Mixed emotions could be seen in his eyes, including relief, happiness, and determination.
"I need to go see the Giant Ghost King…." he murmured. Turning, he began to head toward Godsifter Prefecture.
The Giant Ghost King and the Grand Heavenmaster weren't the only ones to be excited. In the Vile-Emperor Dynasty, Bruiser had taken it upon himself to protect Song Junwan. No matter what insidious motives people had, with Bruiser there, she was safe.
Bruiser's battle prowess had improved steadily, placing him within the Deva Realm. It was as the two of them were traveling along that both heard a voice speaking to them.
A tremor ran through Song Junwan, and Bruiser suddenly looked up in the direction of Saint-Emperor City.
"Bruiser, Xiaochun just became a celestial!" Song Junwan could not have been more elated. After arriving in the Eternal Immortal Domains, she had been significantly enlivened by three particular pieces of news.
The first was that the Saint-Emperor had appointed Bai Xiaochun as Duke Heavenspan. The second came not long after that. She got a message from Patriarch Spirit Stream, stating that he, Li Qinghou, and some others were banding together. The River-Defying Sect was being re-formed! In fact, she and Bruiser were right in the middle of heading to that very location.
It wasn't that she hadn't thought of trying to get to Saint-Emperor City. It was just too far away. Right now, the closest safe place was with Patriarch Spirit Stream.
There within the Vile-Emperor Dynasty, Patriarch Spirit Stream, Li Qinghou, and the others who had already gathered together were all extremely excited. They had a bitter life right now, but as of this moment, their hope only continued to solidify!
"The fact that Xiaochun is a celestial will inspire everyone from the Heavenspan Realm!" Patriarch Spirit Stream threw his head back and laughed, a laugh filled with relief and anticipation. "Qinghou, it was not in vain that we reached out to so many River-Defying Sect disciples. More and more will be joining us in the coming days! Saint-Emperor City is too far away for us to reach, but I have faith that Xiaochun will find us sooner or later!"
A broad smile covered Li Qinghou's face, making him look almost as young as he had been when he first caught sight of that youngster atop Mount Hood….
Song Que had made much progress over the last year in the Vile-Emperor Dynasty. He had participated in many deadly fights, causing a powerful murderous aura to build up in his bones. He had chosen not to go to Patriarch Spirit Stream. Instead, he was like a lone wolf, prowling the vast immortal domains of the Vile-Emperor Dynasty in a constant journey to grow stronger.
He was now on the cusp of a breakthrough, half a step into the Deva Realm!
When the voice spoke to Song Que about Bai Xiaochun becoming a celestial, he stopped in place. After a moment of silence, he smiled. And yet, the determination never left his eyes. Turning, he vanished into the night.
There were quite a few lone wolves like Song Que. For example, there was Zhou Zimo. Because of her deva cultivation base, as well as her extreme caution, no one had any idea who she truly was. Furthermore, she didn't go around slaughtering people like Song Que. Instead, she gained power.
Over the course of the past year, she had come to control five entire sects. Despite that, no one was ever able to get any hint about who she truly was.
Because she had five sects under her control, Zhou Zimo was in a much better position than most of the other lone wolves from the Heavenspan Realm. Whether it was her cultivation, or her access to information, she was far beyond the masses. When she heard the voice murmuring Bai Xiaochun's name, she was undercover in a sixth sect, one that she hoped to soon gain control of. A tremor passed through her, and she rubbed her belly, a radiant smile playing out on her face.
"Hey little buddy, that useless dad of yours is pretty awesome, isn't he?"
In Vile-Emperor City was a certain immortal's cave that was kept under heavy guard. Inside, a middle-aged man sat cross-legged, listening to the voice speaking Bai Xiaochun's name. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
"Bai Xiaochun…. You may be a step ahead of me, but that won't matter in the end!" Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, whereupon energy began to build up to break a barrier within him!
As the Eternal Immortal Domains were shaken, Bai Xiaochun was there in his blessed land in Saint-Emperor City, bursting with excitement at the feeling of the dandelion-like Daoseed inside of him.
"I finally broke through!"
A long moment passed, after which he waved his hand, causing the Daoseed to float out from inside and hover in front of him. A strange light flickered in his eyes as he studied it closely.
"So this is a Daoseed, huh…." It was covered with innumerable magical symbols, and contained boundless Will. In fact, because he had cultivated the Frigid School Will-Evolving Incantation, it was easy for him to identify the strand of Willpower that had long existed in him, which was now part of the Daoseed.
After a long moment, he looked away, and the Daoseed floated back into him. At that point, he took a deep breath and assessed his cultivation base power, which now vastly surpassed the level of a demigod.
If he were to face Ghostmother right now, he was confident that he wouldn't need to slowly whittle away at her. Given his current cultivation base, he would be able to cleave the defensive shields of her battleship apart with a single blow!
Furthermore, because of his level of control over his Willpower, he felt as if he were at the peak of all creation, and that a single thought of his could affect the minds of all living beings.
He suddenly thought back to the time over the Eternal Sea when Gongsun Wan'er had used her Daoist magic of Willpower. In that moment, it was as if all living things had been completely incapable of resisting her or fighting back. Were it not for the scrap of Willpower he had possessed back then, not even his heaven-defying powers of regeneration would have saved him!
As of this moment… Bai Xiaochun was absolutely certain about one particular thing he could now do!
Although it would be difficult, he could… control the Will within all living beings around him!
He closed his eyes for a long moment, and then opened then. "Before, I didn't understand why there was no further path for the Undying Live Forever Technique after becoming a celestial….
"But now I know….
"The human body has five mountains, five shackles, that lead to the Undying Live Forever Technique. Although it seems to end with the Mahayana Realm, the truth is… that the final step comes by deepening the previously built foundation! Progress comes, not by advancing along a path others have already walked, but rather… by forging one's own Dao!
"Even the powerful Arch-Lord was defeated by the sovereign from beyond. That just goes to show that following the methods that others have attempted will lead to a dead end.
"With the proper foundation, progress comes based on one's personal experiences, thoughts, and decisions. Presumably, it would be the same, not just with the imperial clan from the Heavenspan Realm, but with the Vile-Emperor and the Saint-Emperor too!" At long last, Bai Xiaochun understood.
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Chapter 1076: Forging A Personal Dao!
"The Undying Live Forever Technique is like soil. What grows in that soil is up to one's personal Dao….
"Above demigods are celestials, and above celestials are archaeans. If I want to become an archaean, then according to what Gongsun Wan'er said, I need to get my Daoseed to sprout, and become Dao Will. Those who have Dao Will are archaeans!
"Daoseed. Dao Will. That is the difference between celestials and archaeans!" Before his cultivation base breakthrough, his understanding had been somewhat muddled. But now that he had a Daoseed, he suddenly felt much clearer about the Dao Will of archaeans.
"Celestials can use their Daoseed to borrow Will from all living beings, and become one with them. But archaeans can use their Dao Will… to transcend heaven and earth! They can exist on a higher level than anything else, in a position that celestials cannot even touch. The Dao Will of an archaean can cover the whole world!
"Their Will can shape fate. That's why they can resurrect fallen celestials…." Although he wasn't sure if his analysis was absolutely correct in every aspect, he was confident that, overall, it was close enough.
"In other words, I have to create… my own third codex of the Undying Live Forever Technique!" At this point, his eyes began to shine brightly.
"The point of the third codex is to get my Daoseed to sprout, and bloom into Dao Will!" As he murmured these things, his aura, his cultivation base fluctuations, and everything else about him focused inward. Nothing was detectable on the outside. At the same time, he sank into a state of utter calm, without any traces of either joy or sorrow.
"Being undying is a state. Although regeneration seems like an important aspect, the truth is that it has more to do with time. Only by being indestructible for endless years can something be considered truly undying!
"Being able to live forever is a state of mind, and yet, also has to do with time, and the ability to continue to live…. In that case, what should the third codex be about…?"
Closing his eyes, he descended further into calm contemplation. He recalled years past, he recalled cultivating the Undying Codex, and he recalled acquiring the Live Forever Codex. He recalled the Heavenspan Realm, and he recalled his own history….
Those memories existed within him as clear as day.
As he worked on creating his own new technique, his cultivation base focused completely inwardly. Meanwhile, the vortex outside of his blessed land had vanished entirely.
The voice which had murmured into the ears of all living beings faded off into the distance. The world returned to normal. The three celestials still hovered in midair, looking down quietly at the blessed land. Although few other people knew what Bai Xiaochun was doing right now, the celestials obviously new.
"He's creating a new technique!" Chen Su murmured. All three of the celestials had done a similar thing back when they broke through. They knew how important this step was. Not only would it determine Bai Xiaochun's battle prowess as a celestial, but it could also… lead to a situation in which the Eternal Immortal Domains might have a third archaean emperor sometime in the future!
As for the court officials and other important cultivators in Saint-Emperor City, none of them knew exactly what Bai Xiaochun was doing at the moment, and yet, their eyes still flickered with fear as they looked in the direction of his blessed land.
Although there were no more powerful fluctuations rolling out from the blessed land, people could sense from the utter stillness and quiet there that something powerful was inside, like a wild beast with its eyes closed, that could open them and devour anything that got too close!
Back when Bai Xiaochun had been a demigod, they weren't too worried about mocking or deriding him. But now… he had become a celestial. In all of the Eternal Immortal Domains, there were only ten others. As of now, he was not the type of person that others could point and laugh at.
Everyone lived in an imperial dynasty with laws and rules, but it was also the cultivation world, in which… people respected the powerful!
If Bai Xiaochun were not from the Heavenspan Realm, everyone would have been very excited and proud. But Bai Xiaochun was different, and therefore, it caused many mixed feelings to rise up in the hearts of the cultivators of Saint-Emperor City.
Many of them were thinking back in fear to how rudely they had reacted to the incidents with the heavenly dragonfish and the lotus seeds. Others had submitted official requests that he be executed.
If he had remained a demigod, it would have been one thing. But he was now a celestial, a fact that caused bitterness to grip the hearts of the officials. Now, none of them wanted him in Saint-Emperor City. For one thing, based on past events, they could only imagine what the future might bring…
"Back when he was a demigod, he nearly destroyed the foundation of Saint-Emperor City…. Looking forward, that means that the city is in grave peril!"
"We have to get him out of here. It's been made clear that Parole Captain Liu was right! He's a walking disaster!"
"He's only been in Saint-Emperor City for about a year, and during that time… more than half of the heavenly dragonfish vanished, seventy percent of the lotus seeds disappeared, and the lotus roots… suffered a serious blow!! The venerable Saint-Emperor might be able to weather such disasters, but we can't!"
"I'm absolutely convinced that if things keep going on the way they have, this guy's ability to cause disasters, backed by a celestial cultivation base, will leave us completely powerless! Even worse, he's a master at quibbling his way out of problems! We're in serious trouble!!"
Virtually everyone was thinking the same thing, and many people began to make petitions of the Saint-Emperor.
"Your Majesty, Duke Heavenspan becoming a celestial is a grand occasion for the Saint-Emperor Dynasty! I would like to submit an official request to the court. Based on Duke Heavenspan's status and meritorious services, it is not appropriate for him to be kept behind in Saint-Emperor City. He should be sent to take command of the second immortal domain!"
"Your Majesty, the second immortal domain is constantly at odds with the Vile-Emperor Dynasty. Celestial Zhao Yuanhan has been stationed there for years now, working very hard and performing great services for the Saint-Emperor Dynasty. The time has definitely come for him to retire!"
"That's right, Your Majesty. I would also like to submit an official request to the court that Duke Heavenspan be sent away…. We really shouldn't be such a disappointment to him. After all, he kidnapped a celestial to give as a blood tribute. Meritorious service like that deserves a truly substantial reward!"
The official requests began to pile up in front of the Saint-Emperor. Many people even petitioned for personal audiences in which they offered all sorts of persuasive arguments. In the end, the message was the same: no one wanted Bai Xiaochun to stay in Saint-Emperor City!
The truth was that Bai Xiaochun had even become a headache to the Saint-Emperor, who had also come to the realization that it had been a big mistake to keep him in the city. Never could he have imagined how much of a torment that would be.
Not only did he cleverly make sure that there was never any good evidence that could be used against him, he also managed to constantly make himself more important. The Saint-Emperor couldn't help but lament the loss of the heavenly dragonfish, and how it would be years before the lotus seeds could be harvested again. And then there were the yellowing lotus leaves and the wilted flower. The Saint-Emperor was absolutely convinced that if Bai Xiaochun remained behind, he would be the end of them all.
He also sympathized with all the other cultivators in the city, and could well imagine how scared they were about what would happen when Bai Xiaochun emerged from secluded meditation….
"Damn that Bai Xiaochun!" The more the Saint-Emperor thought about the situation, the angrier he got, and the more worried about the future he became. Finally he sighed, aware that if you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off. No matter what decision he made, it would have negative ramifications. And that was without even thinking about what the Vile-Emperor Dynasty would do to take advantage of the situation….
"Damn this Bai Xiaochun. How could he be such a torment!?!? If I'd have known things would end up like this, I would never have accepted his blood tribute!" Sighing, he was just about to make his decision when he realized that if he got rid of Bai Xiaochun in the way everyone was requesting… then the second immortal domain would be in great peril!
In the past, he would never have come to this conclusion. But the events of the past year, and his personal experience with Bai Xiaochun's torments, caused fear to grip the Saint-Emperor's heart. Unfortunately, now that Bai Xiaochun was a celestial, he couldn't be put in charge of a prefecture. It could only be an immortal domain.
Even as the Saint-Emperor wrestled with the issue, and the court officials continued to submit requests, Bai Xiaochun was seated cross-legged in his blessed land, thinking about everything that had happened in his life. Eventually, his eyes opened, partly blank, partly alive with enlightenment!
"My memories of the Heavenspan Realm, from the time I was born until everything ended. All of the former things….
"The Daoseed needs to sprout roots, and eventually bloom into Dao Will….
"Put it all together, and you have…. Former Will!"
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Chapter 1077: Time Immemorial Codex!
"Although the Undying Codex and the Live Forever Codex aren't technically connected in any way," Bai Xiaochun murmured, "they still conform to the same general idea. Therefore, my third codex….
"My memories of the past will be Former Will!
"My current Dao will be Present Will!
"And my upcoming destiny will be Future Will!" As he uttered these words, the enlightenment in his eyes grew clearer, and the blankness faded. Clarity began to take over.
His voice thrummed in strange fashion, as if with the power of natural law. It seemed as though his voice existed around him, beyond the heavens, in the past, and in the future.
Rifts opened up in the area, as well as a series of spinning vortexes. It was almost like a tempest, and yet, it was only visible within the blessed land, and nowhere outside!
Anyone who might have been able to cast their vision into the blessed land would have been able to sense time twisting and distorting, flowing in a different way than in the world outside!
It was as if the past, the present, and the future were all fusing together within that blessed land!
It was impossible to truly describe or understand, and was profoundly shocking!
The truth was that this technique Bai Xiaochun was making surpassed anything that anyone else could imagine. And if anyone could have it described to them, they would be deeply shaken.
After all, celestials could temporarily reverse time, but they could only do so by means of certain Daoist magics. And in some situations, it was only possible with the help of an archaean emperor. But Bai Xiaochun… was essentially probing the Dao of time!
As the rifts filled his blessed land, and the tempest raged with increasing intensity, Bai Xiaochun murmured, "Former Will. Present Will. Future Will…. When I master those three types of Will, then I will break through from the Celestial Realm and reach the Archaean Realm!
"This codex describes time immemorial. Therefore, it will be called the Time Immemorial Codex!" Bai Xiaochun's eyes shone as brightly as if they brimmed with lightning. Rumbling sounds filled the blessed land as Bai Xiaochun became what appeared to be an enormous black hole!
It was a black hole that existed in a different dimension than the Eternal Immortal Domains. As it spread out, it didn't affect the blessed land in even the slightest aspect!
"From here on out, I cultivate… the Undying Live Forever Time Immemorial Technique!" He waved his hand, and heavenly thunder rumbled as the previously calm sky suddenly filled with flashing colors. Whether it was court officials submitting requests in the imperial palace, the three celestials, or the Saint-Emperor, all of them suddenly looked up into the sky.
The officials suddenly had very ill premonitions, and as for the celestials, they began to pant in shock.
"That aura… what kind of technique is Bai Xiaochun making?!?!"
The Saint-Emperor's eyes shone with scintillating light, and although he managed to remain calm, a faint scrap of killing intent appeared within his heart.
"The Dao of time…."
Of course, Bai Xiaochun was unaware of all of that. He was wrapped up in creating his technique. Although he was now clear as to the nature of it, he still had much to do in the way of analysis and augury.
"The Time Immemorial Codex has three Wills, which cannot be created simultaneously. For now, I will work on that which comes from my past. I will use the countless memories of my life to feed my Daoseed. When that process is complete, the true Former Will will appear!
"When that happens, then even if I am killed, and cease to exist, my Daoseed will still remain, along with my memories and my obsessions." A smile broke out onto his face.
"If I don't take some of my Daoseed and give it to the Saint-Emperor, then I would have no hope of being resurrected. But with my Former Will, perhaps… to some extent, I will have achieved my Dao, and reached the point of being able to exist for all eternity.
"In the Heavenspan Realm, I experienced death, and thus, in some ways I also experienced reincarnation. Therefore, the divine ability associated with my Former Will shall be…
"The Sutra of Former Reincarnation!" All of a sudden, the light of augury faded from his eyes as he saw everything, from Mount Hood all the way to the destruction of the Heavenspan Realm!
"Spiritual power. Divine abilities. Willpower. My memories… they are all expressions of power!
"Henceforth, anyone who hears this sutra spoken aloud will find the memories of their lives transformed into magical sealing symbols. Those with deeper and more ancient memories will find the power of the magical symbols shocking to the extreme!
"The Sutra of Former Reincarnation can destroy memories and eradicate minds!!" Bai Xiaochun rose to his feet, and in that instant, the black hole that seemed to exist in another reality expanded. In the blink of an eye, his blessed land seemed to fade, as though a shocking power was about to wipe it out of existence. A moment later, the air distorted, and everything went back to normal.
Rippling fluctuations spread out in all directions, causing both the living entities they passed, and even the inanimate objects like buildings, to flicker back and forth between being blurry and being clear.
Gu Tianjun and the other two celestials were still in the area, and were touched by the fluctuations. They had originally thought to evade them, but then decided that it would be a good way to test out the divine abilities and techniques that Bai Xiaochun had created, and perhaps get a sense for his battle prowess.
However, as soon as the fluctuations reached them, their expressions flickered dramatically, and they retreated at full speed. After they were out of the range of the fluctuations, it was impossible for them to conceal the shock they felt.
"Ordinary in terms of might, but the Daoist magic involved is peculiar to the extreme. It's almost like I was just looking at my own past…."
"What did I just see? It was like my own memories, come to life in front of me!" The three celestials exchanged very serious glances.
Throughout the rest of the city, numerous cultivators felt their hearts pounding in fear. As for the Saint-Emperor, he retracted his vision, spent a moment in thought, and then prepared to issue a proclamation.
However, even as he did, a boundless energy suddenly descended onto the Eternal Immortal Domains.
Expression flickering, the Saint-Emperor suddenly vanished, to reappear high in the sky. He didn't just hover there, he continued to rise higher and higher!
Something was happening now that was more shocking to him than Bai Xiaochun's cultivation base breakthrough, or the technique he was creating that was based on the Dao of time. Although other people would only be able to sense some faint pressure, as an archaean, the Saint-Emperor could tell that a very oppressive energy was approaching from the starry sky!
Outside of the Eternal Immortal Domains, behind the body of the gargantuan sovereign, out in the boundless void, the massive, damaged fan that had responded to the vortex that Bai Xiaochun created upon becoming a celestial was approaching with incredible speed.
As of this moment… it had entered the borders of the region considered the edge of the Eternal Immortal Domains. As it closed in, it adjusted its trajectory again, almost as if the shapeless vortex created by Bai Xiaochun was drawing it in!
After these adjustments, the fan was not going to just brush by the Eternal Immortal Domains… it was going to hit them!
More precisely, it was actually going to hit… the gargantuan sovereign right above them!
It moved with incredible speed, unleashing powerful fluctuations. Furthermore, it was moving so quickly that it trailed flames as it moved!
With every moment that passed, the fan got closer and closer to the Eternal Immortal Domains!
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Chapter 1078: The Damaged Fan Hits!
Anyone who could view the scene from out in the void would see something that looked like a burning meteor, descending with shocking energy and momentum!
The speed involved defied imagination!
Earlier, despite the fact that the damaged fan had changed trajectory because of Bai Xiaochun, it hadn't been on course to hit the Eternal Immortal Domains. Furthermore, its speed hadn't been that shocking. As such, neither the Vile-Emperor nor the Saint-Emperor had noticed it. But now….
As the fan's momentum built, and its trajectory became locked in, strange signs began to appear in the Eternal Immortal Domains. The first place to be affected was the Eternal Sea!
The water was tugged at as if by tidal forces, and rumbling sounds echoed out in all directions. Mist began to rise up from the sea, and the shores of the immortal domain were battered by massive waves.
The living beings in the Eternal Immortal Domains were all struck with deep shock. Meanwhile, as the Saint-Emperor flew up into the sky, Gu Tianjun and the other two celestials looked up in astonishment. As for Bai Xiaochun, he had just completed his breakthrough and created his Former Will, and had been about to leave his blessed land. That was when he felt an incredible pressure, along with an indescribably intense sensation of crisis.
"Something dangerous is coming from above!" Blurring into motion, he flew high into the sky!
It wasn't just the Saint-Emperor Dynasty in which such things occurred. In Vile-Emperor City, the archaean Vile-Emperor blurred into motion to appear up above, where he headed up to the very limits of the sky.
He was followed by four beams of light, which were the celestials of his dynasty. Two celestials did not come, one of them being Ghostmother. Of those present, all wore looks of incredulity as they peered high into the sky.
When people in both of the capital cities saw the dramatic events playing out with the emperors and the celestials, their hearts filled with sensations of unease.
"That… that's…."
"What is that?!?!"
As people cried out in alarm, they began to look up into the sky, where something like a burning meteor was now visible. Based on their vantage point, it didn't seem to be moving very quickly, although that couldn't have been less the case.
The Saint-Emperor and Vile-Emperor teleported to the limits of the world, until they were almost hovering out in the void itself. Their senses were more acute than those of anyone else in the world, and they could also physically see the bright, glowing light of the approaching fan. It was moving so incredibly quickly that it would arrive within only about ten breaths of time.
Both emperors could tell that the thing was going so fast that… neither of them could possibly stop it!
It was at this point that both of them breathed sighs of relief. No one else would be able to see it, but because of their incredible cultivation bases, they were able to pick up on clues which pointed to the fact that the fan would not strike the Eternal Immortal Domains, but rather, the enormous sovereign.
As the fan neared, their hearts calmed to some extent. However, they were still shocked as they realized that the aura of the fan seemed to be that of an archaean.
Despite the fact that the moment of crisis seemed to have passed, the two of them remained in place just in case something unexpected occurred.
The Vile-Emperor turned to look at the Saint-Emperor, and spoke in a sinister and cold voice. "It's big, but it's nothing more than a damaged archaean treasure. It won't cause any problems. Now that it's here, though, I'll take six spots!"
The Saint-Emperor smiled, and in response to the Vile-Emperor's coldness, spoke in the warmest of voices. "It's been a long time since any damaged treasures fell into the Eternal Immortal Domains from the void. If it weren't for the vortex created by Bai Xiaochun upon becoming a celestial, it would never even have come. The Saint-Emperor Dynasty can claim credit for this damaged fan. Based on that, do you really think I'll let you have six spots? Impossible!"
The Vile-Emperor chuckled coldly. Ignoring the Saint-Emperor, he focused on the incoming fan, which was now little more than a streak of light.
Anyone other than these two who were this close to the fan would likely have been killed. But they were archaeans, and were therefore qualified to observe it from this close distance.
Closer and closer….
After a few breaths of time passed, the huge fan slammed into the continent-sized hand of the gigantic sovereign, causing a massive rumbling sound to fill the Eternal Immortal Domains!
It was louder than heavenly thunder, and caused the five immortal domains to tremble. The Eternal Sea churned and heaved wildly.
Bai Xiaochun hovered in midair as the deafening sound rolled out, looking up in the direction of the enormous sovereign's right hand. There, teetering back and forth… was an enormous, damaged fan!
He could sense something otherworldly about the fan, and the aura which spread out from it into the Eternal Immortal Domains reminded Bai Xiaochun very much of what it felt like to be in the presence of the Saint-Emperor.
"That's…." Not too far off, Gu Tianjun and the other celestials were also in the air, shaken as they stared up at the fan.
"An archaean magical item…."
"That aura… is described in certain ancient records. It's the aura of the Immortal from before the great destruction!!"
It wasn't just Gu Tianjun and the other celestials who were shaken. The celestials in the Vile-Emperor Dynasty were equally stunned. Even Gongsun Wan'er, who was in a distant location at the moment, was taken aback.
There were also many demigod experts within the Eternal Immortal Domains who were now staring up at the enormous damaged fan, their eyes burning with passion.
The enormous hand was not harmed by the fan slamming into it, and in fact, didn't even move at all in response. But as for the fan, it was severely damaged by the force of the impact. Cracks spread out on its already damaged surface, and then, chunks and rubble began to fall down off it, becoming like blazing meteorites that rained down onto the Eternal Immortal Domains.
There were millions of chunks of such rubble, all of which shot down with shocking speed and energy.
In that very moment, both the Saint-Emperor and the Vile-Emperor took action. Their hands blurred with incantation gestures, causing two immense fields of light to shoot out.
One field was blackish violet, the other was made of five colors, and wherever they went, they transformed the falling rubble into ash. Afterward, both of the emperors sent divine sense out to touch the huge fan.
Although the huge fan was severely damaged, both the face and the frame of the fan remained intact. As for the image depicted on the face of the fan, it was that of an entire world.
"It's a world treasure. Sadly, it's energy is fading. Who knows how many things it struck on its journey through the stars. It's already crumbling and worthless." Both the Vile-Emperor and the Saint-Emperor shook their heads as they continued to scan the fan.
In the end, they confirmed that the fan did not, in fact, have any of the aura of a sovereign on it. It only contained archaean fluctuations, much the same as the two of them emanated. In fact, it was a bit weaker than that.
Had the fan been a sovereign-level treasure, they would have been very excited, and would have gone to investigate it themselves. But it was not such a treasure, making it of little interest to the two emperors.
However, even as they retracted their divine sense, something else happened. Among all of the countless bits of falling rubble that were being destroyed by the divine abilities they had just unleashed, there was a mountain-sized building. When the building was shattered, a lump of decaying black stone shot out from it!
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Chapter 1079: I'm A Bit Under The Weather, Saint-Emperor….
The black rock was vastly smaller than the building around it. But as the building fell apart, the rock completely ignored the beams of light sent out by the Saint-Emperor and the Vile-Emperor, and continued downward toward the Eternal Immortal Domains.
As it descended, it burst into intensely hot flames!
The suddenness of the development caused the faces of the Vile-Emperor and the Saint-Emperor to fall. Both of them could tell that the rock didn't come from the fan… it came from the enormous sovereign who loomed over the Eternal Immortal Domains!
"Dammit!" Eyes radiating anxiety, the Saint-Emperor burst into motion, heading directly toward the black rock. The Vile-Emperor also began to advance. However, at the same time, he performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, and then pushed it out toward the Saint-Emperor.
The Saint-Emperor immediately vanished, reappearing some distance away with a look of rage on his face.
"What are you doing, Vile-Emperor?!?!"
"What am I doing? Either one of us could use a chunk of that sovereign's flesh for augury purposes. It could contain secrets about how to break through to the Sovereign Realm! You think I'll just let you have it?!" Chuckling coldly, he began to rush toward the chunk of black stone.
Killing intent sprang up in the eyes of the Saint-Emperor as he too began to rush toward the rock again. Moments later, the two of them began to launch Daoist magics back and forth against each other as the black rock continued to speed downward. As it did, the rock suddenly split open and began to spew out a dark liquid, as well as something that sounded like a howling voice!
Then, a boom rang out as the rock and the liquid slammed into the surface of the Eternal Sea. As a massive wave rolled out, the rock began to sink down to the bottom of the sea.
The Vile-Emperor and the Saint-Emperor rushed down into the sea to follow it, causing more massive waves to roll out across the surface of the water. Even the immortal domains trembled as a result of what was happening.
Thankfully, the process didn't last for very long. Moments later, both of the emperors emerged from the sea, grim looks on their faces as they exchanged murderous glances.
"You'd better compensate me for this, Saint-Emperor!"
"It got away! You should be the one compensating me!" They stared at each other icily for a few breaths of time, then turned and left the Eternal Sea to return to their respective immortal domains to search for clues about where the black rock was.
No one except for the two emperors knew exactly what it was they were searching for. After all, few people qualified to have been able to observe what happened with the black meteorite. Furthermore, the aura emanating from the teetering fan up above had completely attracted the attention of the celestials and demigods!
Much talk spread through the immortal domains of the two dynasties during the following weeks.
"Back when the Saint-Emperor Dynasty was surrounded and about to be defeated by the Vile-Emperor Dynasty, the Saint-Emperor suddenly reached the Archaean Realm. It was all because he found a palace that had been floating in the void for countless years!"
"No one knows exactly what he found inside of that palace, but after coming out from it, he was in the Archaean Realm!"
"According to the ancient records I've read, every ten thousand years or so, a ruined object from beyond the heavens will fall into the Eternal Immortal Domains. They're always objects of good fortune for us cultivators!"
Quite a few cultivators began to eye the damaged fan with deep hope.
Demigods and celestials alike were all convinced that there was an archaean aura in the fan, which indicated… that there was a high likelihood that it could provide assistance in reaching the Archaean Realm!
Bai Xiaochun heard a lot of talk about the fan. Furthermore, now that he was a celestial, he had access to ancient records that most other cultivators could never peruse.
"According to the legends, that enormous sovereign destroyed all of the tens of thousands of realms that once existed in the starry sky….
"In that moment, the entire starry sky turned dark as countless worlds were exterminated. Nothing remained alive. The only things left behind were endless wilds and ruins, never-ending amounts of dust and bone….
"Occasionally, some of those ruins will float past the Eternal Immortal Domains…. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, they become good fortune for the cultivators of the Eternal Immortal Domains!"
After studying the jade slip carefully, Bai Xiaochun was quite certain about the origin and nature of the fan.
"An archaean aura…. a damaged world treasure!" He looked up at the huge fan with excitement. From the way it was visibly teetering back and forth, anyone could see that before long, it would fall off the sovereign's hand and then continue on its way through the starry sky!
For unknown reasons, neither the Saint-Emperor nor the Vile-Emperor seemed inclined to try to keep the fan. Nor did they issue any orders for their subordinates to explore it and search for good fortune. And without their help, not even celestials could possibly reach the fan!
The celestials from the two dynasties spent half a month waiting in eager anticipation, during which time neither the Saint-Emperor nor the Vile-Emperor even made public appearances.
A few more days went by, and finally, the Saint-Emperor returned. When he did, he sent his divine sense out into Saint-Emperor City and summoned the court officials for an audience.
It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but there was definitely something grim to his expression. As the officials gathered in the imperial palace, they could see that, and began to get nervous.
Even Bai Xiaochun was acting especially cautious. Thankfully, he hadn't done anything to arouse public wrath recently, which made him a bit more confident.
The Saint-Emperor currently stood in front of the Dragon Throne, looking around at the gathered cultivators. He didn't bother with the warm expression he usually wore. It almost seemed like he had taken off a mask to reveal his true expression. His eyes were cold, and his cultivation base emitted powerful fluctuations that weighed down heavily on all of the cultivators in the imperial palace.
Gu Tianjun and the other celestials exchanged glances, their hearts pounding with sensations of foreboding.
The imperial palace was completely silent as the Saint-Emperor looked at his subordinates, and mentally reviewed everything he had done in the past half month. Unfortunately, no matter what he did, no clues had turned up.
As far as the damaged fan went, although it contained good fortune, it was nothing that the Saint-Emperor cared too much for. Furthermore, the black rock was a bad omen that he didn't want to have much to do with.
However, it demanded an investigation. Only after performing that investigation had he returned and summoned his subordinates to make arrangements to send people to the fan!
"Gu Tianjun. Sima Yunhua." In response to his words, Gu Tianjun and the scholarly celestial both stepped forward and clasped hands respectfully.
"I would like to trouble the two of you to take a trip to the damaged fan up in the sky. If there is good fortune to be had, the two of you will have a chance to get it." As Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua both looked up, the Saint-Emperor suddenly transmitted some words into their minds that only they could hear.
"Furthermore, you will check to see whether the damaged fan has anything to do with the gigantic sovereign! A chunk of the sovereign's flesh and blood fell in the form of a stone, which landed in the Eternal Sea and then vanished."
In response to his words, serious expressions overtook the faces of Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua.
Bai Xiaochun maintained full vigilance as this happened. Although he wasn't sure what the Saint-Emperor had just said to Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua, he had the feeling that it had something to with the fan, which only seemed to grow more and more mysterious.
As he pondered the situation, the Saint-Emperor began to list the names of some of the demigods who would assist Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua in their venture. Eventually, his gaze came to fall on Bai Xiaochun, who was trying to remain hidden toward the back of the crowd. Thinking about all of the official requests he had received half a month ago, the Saint-Emperor snorted coldly in his heart.
"Duke Heavenspan has become a celestial, so therefore, has earned the title of King Heavenspan. He will also participate in this mission."
Bai Xiaochun's heart leapt into his throat. A few days ago, he would have been excited by this opportunity, but now, he had a very ill premonition.
"Saint-Emperor, Your Majesty, um, I've been feeling a bit under the weather lately and–"
At this point, the Saint-Emperor turned and began to walk off.
"The matter's settled!" he said with decisiveness that could sever nails and chop iron. "In three days, I'll personally send all of you off!"
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Chapter 1080: Arriving At The Damaged Fan
Bai Xiaochun scowled miserably as the Saint-Emperor walked off. By now, he could see that there was more to this damaged fan mission than met the eye.
That was especially true considering that the Saint-Emperor had essentially gone missing for half a month. Clearly, that had something to do with the fan. When you added in the grim look in the Saint-Emperor's eyes, it caused Bai Xiaochun to feel very nervous.
Of course, the surrounding court officials were all delighting in Bai Xiaochun's potential misfortune. By now, all of them were very clear about how well Bai Xiaochun could cause disasters. Whether it was the heavenly dragonfish, the lotus seed, or the lotus roots, all of them were convinced that if Bai Xiaochun stayed in Saint-Emperor City, it would definitely cause chaos.
As far as they were concerned, the Saint-Emperor was being very wise, intelligent, and courageous to send Bai Xiaochun away.
However, none of them allowed their true feelings to show on their faces. Some of them took the initiative to call out greetings to Bai Xiaochun, and even chat with him.
"Congratulations, King Heavenspan! You're a celestial now. Ha ha, how careless of me to have forgotten to congratulate you earlier! Please, I hope you take no offense!"
"Oh how the Saint-Emperor dotes on you, King Heavenspan! And how jealous I am that you get to search for good fortune in that treasure from beyond the heavens!"
"Best wishes, Heavenly King. I'm sure you'll meet with instant success, and achieve great benefits!"
After clasping hands and offering such words, the cultivators would leave, chuckling sarcastically in their hearts.
Only Heavenly Marquis Liu seemed to think that the Saint-Emperor had made a bad decision, based on everything he knew about Bai Xiaochun. However, he also felt as though there was more to the story than he understood, and in the end, just sighed and left.
The truth was that the little turtle had come to be a source of much frustration. Although he had been in high spirits because of the incident with the lotus roots, considering he had no evidence to support his claims that Bai Xiaochun was at fault, he didn't dare to say anything publicly.
After everyone left, Bai Xiaochun stood there miserably for a long moment, before finally shaking his head and heading back to his blessed land. There, he sat down and began to mull over the situation further.
"I'm a celestial, which makes me a lot stronger than before. But for some reason, the Saint-Emperor is in a really bad mood. Furthermore, that damaged fan is definitely going to be very dangerous." The more he thought about it, the less at ease he felt about the Saint-Emperor's orders. Furthermore, his final words had been spoken with extreme decisiveness, and also in very threatening fashion. Clearly, if Bai Xiaochun didn't follow orders, he would be gravely punished.
"Maybe instead of being so cautious, I should go all out from the beginning?" After some more thought, he gritted his teeth and nodded. It wasn't that he suddenly didn't fear death. Rather, considering that he would be part of a large group of people, as long as he was careful and didn't get greedy, his celestial cultivation base should be enough to protect him.
If he had been sent in alone, then he wouldn't have agreed to go inside the fan no matter what.
"Well, since I'm going, I need to make sure I'm fully prepared." His hair was already getting disheveled from all the worry. Not wanting to waste any time, he went out and began to spend all the resources he had built up during his time in Saint-Emperor City to start making the proper preparations. Talismans. Magical items. Medicinal pills. He bought all sorts of things.
Meanwhile, word was spreading both within Saint-Emperor City, and in the rest of the dynasty at large, that the Saint-Emperor was sending three celestials into the damaged fan.
There were many people who weren't in the know that, upon finding out the names of the celestials who would be going to the damaged fan, reached out in the hopes of coming along. The Saint-Emperor didn't stop that from happening. In fact, it wasn't just the celestials who this happened to. Even demigod experts such as Preceptor Seadeep began to get groups of followers, all of whom would theoretically have a chance to benefit from going on the mission.
Word spread, and the fact that the mission was rumored to be very dangerous only made some people more interested than before. After all, many people in the cultivation world believed that rewards came only with risk. Therefore, a few days later, when the bells tolled in the imperial palace, Gu Tianjun, Sima Yunhua, as well as the six demigods, including Preceptor Seadeep, each arrived with teams to back them up, teams that had dozens of devas in them.
Everyone was gathered, except for Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun had just hurried out of his blessed land. Looking back over his shoulder at the place where he had lived for over a year, he sighed.
"I'm not sure when I'll be back…." Slapping his bag of holding, he produced several suits of leather armor. If he had had more multi-colored flame, he would have performed more spirit enhancements. But right now, he couldn't afford to even perform twentyfold enhancements on all of them.
As he walked along, he put on all of the armor, each piece of which was branded with a defensive magical symbol….
Still not happy, he checked around quickly to make sure no one was watching, and then took out his turtle-wok and hung it on his chest like a breastplate. Then he covered it with leather armor. From a distance, his normally thin frame now looked much the opposite. He almost looked like a big ball rolling along. In addition to all of that, he had a black helmet that glowed with the light of a defensive spell formation, as well as a second, larger wok that he strapped on his back.
Anyone from the River-Defying Sect would find this sight very familiar. But these were the Eternal Lands, and thus, everyone who saw him was stunned. The guards outside the imperial palace hardly recognized him.
And when he arrived in the palace square, Gu Tianjun, Sima Yunhua, Preceptor Seadeep, and all of the others who were already there waiting were all visibly stunned. Only when he trundled to a stop next to them did people finally get around to reacting.
"Uh… why is he wearing so much stuff…?"
"Heavens! This Bai Xiaochun has enough defensive magical items to protect a hundred-man army!!"
"Look at that helmet! It's so hot today, isn't he uncomfortable…?"
"Forget the helmet. Look at that wok! Unbelievable! Where did he even get it?"
If Gu Tianjun and the powerful experts like him were stunned, then there was little need to mention the deva cultivators. At the same time, many of them suddenly started wondering exactly how dangerous this mission was going to be. Was it really so terrifying that a mighty celestial would go to the extent of preparing in this fashion?
When Bai Xiaochun saw the reactions of the crowd, he cleared his throat proudly. After all, if he hadn't dressed up like this so many times in the Heavenspan Realm, he would probably have long since lost his poor little life.
"Maybe I am a celestial now, but that doesn't mean I can just forget about danger! Caution can keep you alive for thousands of years!" Sighing, he prepared to say something when, all of a sudden, a cold snort rang out that caused all hearts present to tremble, including Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua. Everyone reflexively clasped hands and bowed respectfully.
The Saint-Emperor strode out into the open and glanced around. When he saw Bai Xiaochun and his getup, even he was taken aback.
Trying to pretend he hadn't noticed, he took a deep breath and waved his right hand through the air. Instantly, the power of an archaean cultivation base erupted out into heaven and earth. The sky went dim, and a holy light erupted, not from the sky, but up toward it!
It moved with incredible speed, as though it intended to split apart heaven and earth. At the same time, intense fluctuations rolled out in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, the light turned onto a passageway connecting them to the damaged fan up above!
"Well, get going, men!" the Saint-Emperor said. Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua took deep breaths and then headed into the tunnel!
The others present flew up after them. As for Bai Xiaochun, he took a deep breath before joining them, being the last to head into motion.
As the damaged fan got closer and closer, Bai Xiaochun looked down to see Saint-Emperor City growing smaller and smaller. Before long, it was too small to see clearly. At the same time, the enormous sovereign grew larger and larger, emanating pressure that even celestials couldn't resist. Because of that pressure, it was obvious that no one present could ever leave the Eternal Immortal Domains, even if they wanted to.
Only archean experts could theoretically resist it, and perhaps use their cultivation base power to get people past it!
Intense rumbling sounds could be heard, and Bai Xiaochun felt his body vibrating. Then, he suddenly felt lighter, as though he had broken free from some force that had been tugging on him. At that point, he looked around and saw…
A black void!
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Chapter 1081: Ready To Set Out
A tremor passed through Bai Xiaochun, and his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might explode.
This was the first time in his life he had ever personally seen the true starry sky! Except, it was no starry sky!
This was not what he had seen when looking up into the sky inside the world that existed in the Arch-Sovereign. Neither was it what he saw when looking up into the sky in the Eternal Immortal Domains. What he saw was an endless, black void.
Originally, he had assumed the Heavenspan Realm was as large as any place could be. Later, he found out that it was actually only as large as one of the prefectures in the Eternal Immortal Domains.
Originally, he had assumed that what he was looking at from within the Eternal Immortal Domains was the true starry sky. He had known all along that it was large, but now that he could actually see it with his own eyes, he realized that the Eternal Immortal Domains counted for almost nothing compared to it.
He was so profoundly and deeply shaken that he completely forgot about any potential dangers. He forgot about everything except for the endless void, and… the shockingly large sovereign!
He wasn't the only one to react in such a way. Gu Tianjun, Sima Yunhua, Preceptor Seadeep, and everyone else felt profoundly shaken.
No one spoke. They simply looked around as they traveled through the tunnel of light that the Saint-Emperor had created.
Down in the Eternal Immortal Domains, it wasn't possible to feel the true pressure from the sovereign, but now that they were getting closer and closer, it was a very different story.
It was the type of pressure that caused the heart to tremble. There was something boundlessly evil about it, something filled with infinite madness.
It was like being in the presence of a deadly killer. The pressure was so intense that everyone was sure that if the giant opened his eyes and gazed upon them, all of them… would instantly be turned into ash.
His fleshly body radiated power and strength, and there was a slight sneer on his face that struck everyone to the core.
Even Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua unconsciously felt the desire to be more careful.
More so, they realized that this enormous sovereign who existed right outside the Eternal Immortal Domains was profoundly dangerous. If he were dead, then it probably wouldn't matter. But if the legends were true, and he was just asleep, then if he ever woke up, he would likely bring an end to the world they lived in.
The pressure grew stronger and stronger, and yet, the target destination of the group was not the sovereign. The tunnel of light created by the Saint-Emperor led to the damaged fan, which had flown through the void for an indeterminable period of time before coming to rest on the hand of the sovereign!
Now that they were much closer to the fan, it seemed even bigger than when they had observed it from the Eternal Immortal Domains. It was an open fan, damaged to the point where only half of it existed. However, even that part was enormous. As for the ribs that made up the fan, there were more than a hundred, each of which seemed like a mountain range that was connected to the outer edge of the fan!
As for the fan's face, it was decorated by an image of a mountain, a river, and other features, making it look like an entirely different world….
It was majestic to behold, and as they got closer and closer, their eyes began to shine with even greater anticipation.
Although they were still some distance from the giant sovereign, the pressure was still incredible. Thankfully, the divine ability the Saint-Emperor had used protected them to a large degree.
Bai Xiaochun and the others eventually reached the end of the tunnel, at a point where the ribs of the fan all intersected to create a half-circle handle!
The pressure of the damaged fan itself actually negated some of the pressure from the gigantic sovereign. Therefore, even after leaving the protection of the Saint-Emperor's light, they were still not in danger.
However, the pressure was still uncomfortably strong, like numerous mountains weighing down on them. The specific level of pressure, of course, depended on the cultivation base of the individual cultivator.
In some ways, it was not so much because of the nearby sovereign, but rather, the incredible pressure of the fan itself. In fact, it was so powerful that no one could even send out divine sense!
Even their ordinary senses were limited to a certain degree, making it impossible to see others' cultivation base fluctuations.
No one spoke. They just looked around, sizing up their surroundings.
From Bai Xiaochun's perspective, this handle area where the fan ribs converged was like a public square of sorts.
As for the ribs, upon close examination, they didn't seem like mountain ranges, but rather… like they were paths of some sort.
"This fan is strange…. The fan ribs are like paths. What exactly is this treasure supposed to be used for…?" There were many speculations, and many eyes glittered as people considered their own personal plans and motives. Of course, no one gave voice to such things out loud.
Soon, people began to move toward the ribs, intent on getting into the world inside of the fan. However, before they could even start moving, rippling fluctuations suddenly appeared around them, much to their shock.
The Archaean Realm aura on the fan itself caused the eyes of Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua to burn with anticipation, and yet, they hadn't forgotten the instructions from the Saint-Emperor. Even as they sized up the fan, their eyes slipped to the end of it, where they could make out the right hand of the enormous sovereign!
"It's not letting us in?" Bai Xiaochun thought, eyeing the fan ribs. He looked around vigilantly, and then tried to decide what exactly to do. It was in that moment that, all of a sudden, another beam of light appeared, shooting up in their direction from the Eternal Immortal Domains!
The eyes of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty cultivators widened as they realized where that beam of light was coming from. Its source was… the Vile-Emperor Dynasty!
Bai Xiaochun was not surprised at all. It was only natural that, if the Saint-Emperor dispatched people to the fan, the Vile-Emperor would as well. Figures began to materialize in the area, provoking cold, vigilant glances from the cultivators of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty.
The first to appear were three celestials.
One of them was an old man with a red tumor on his face that made him look like a vicious, fiendish killer. When he looked over the cultivators present, his eyes glittered with sinister light.
"Sima Yunhua!" he said, his eyes locking onto that very cultivator and then glittering with open killing intent.
"Reverend Devourer!" Sima Yunhua replied coolly, his eyes narrowing.
Before either of them could continue speaking, the second figure grew clearer. He was a young man who resembled Sima Yunhua in some ways, dressed as he was like a scholar. There was something elegant about him, and he was so handsome he almost looked like a woman. Although a smile covered his face, it somehow made him look very vile.
The young man chuckled as he looked around. When he noticed Bai Xiaochun, he looked at him for a long moment before saying, "Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua! Who would have thought you two would be here? It's too bad that my old Master, Chen Su, couldn't come along. I was hoping to see him."
The person to respond to him was neither Gu Tianjun nor Sima Yunhua, but rather Preceptor Seadeep. "Hmph! From the moment you betrayed the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, Prince Ur-Demon, you lost the right to call Chen Su your Master!"
Beaming from ear to ear, but eyes as cold as ice, Prince Ur-Demon looked back at Preceptor Seadeep and said, "Oh, you're here too, Sect Grandfather? You listen to me, you useless fool. When royalty like me talks, people like you need to keep their mouths shut!"
His gaze shook Preceptor Seadeep down to the center of his being, and forced him to stagger backward, blood oozing out of the corners of his mouth. Clearly, he was shocked at how different Prince Ur-Demon was from the person he had known in the past.
Ignoring the grim gazes of Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua, Prince Ur-Demon looked back at Bai Xiaochun, and was about to say something further when the third of the Vile-Emperor Dynasty's celestials arrived!
Rumbling sounds could be heard as a towering, burly man appeared. When Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua saw this newcomer, their expressions flickered.
"Celestial Virūpākṣa!"
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Chapter 1082: Come On, Hit Me!
In response to Gu Tianjun speaking out the name 'Celestial Virūpākṣa', Bai Xiaochun's eyes flickered. He had heard of Celestial Virūpākṣa before. The town that Bai Xiaochun had stayed in for a time in the Vile-Emperor Dynasty had been in the immortal domain overseen by him.
Later, Ghostmother took over that immortal domain. If things had not suddenly changed, it would likely have been Celestial Virūpākṣa that he tangled with. And considering the level of his cultivation base at the time, it would have been difficult for Bai Xiaochun to kidnap him.
The man was built like a tower, and as he stood there, intense pressure radiated off of him that caused the pupils of Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua to constrict.
"The Vile-Emperor Dynasty sent three celestials…?" Bai Xiaochun thought, blinking a few times. "I guess they could only send six in total."
Clearly, the two emperors had come to an agreement about how many people to send.
Even as Bai Xiaochun considered the matter, Celestial Virūpākṣa looked over at him. Then, he spoke in a cold voice that demanded answers from anyone who heard it.
"Are you that useless stray dog Bai Xiaochun?"
From the way the man singled him out, Bai Xiaochun could tell that he had nothing but ill intentions toward him. Furthermore, it seemed highly likely that he hoped to start a conflict that would escalate into an actual fight.
Otherwise, why would he be so overtly insulting?
"Does he really want to attack me physically? Maybe use me to put pressure on everyone else?" Alarmed, he tried to decide what to do. Before he could, Prince Ur-Demon stepped forward and looked at Bai Xiaochun, his eyes shining with strange light.
"I heard that the secret of spirit enhancement is locked inside the blood of the people of Heavenspan. Do you mind… giving me some of your blood to taste?" Bai Xiaochun sucked in a breath. First Celestial Virūpākṣa started causing problems, and now this clearly villainous Prince Ur-Demon was joining in. Bai Xiaochun already had a bad feeling.
And yet, before that bad feeling could even begin to fade, Reverend Devourer chuckled hoarsely, looked at Bai Xiaochun, and then licked his lips.
"I'm curious, not only about spirit enhancement, but also the unique flame conjuring techniques of the lands of Heavenspan. Supposedly you use souls as the main ingredient. I asked around, Bai Xiaochun, and everyone said that you are the only heavenly necromancer to ever exist." A greedy gleam flickered within Reverend Devourer's eyes.
At this point, Bai Xiaochun's heart was pounding harder than ever, and his scalp was tingling like mad. With the vicious-looking Reverend Devourer in the mix, he now had three celestials all focused on him!
"Dammit! I haven't even gotten to say anything! I was trying to keep a low profile! I didn't provoke any of these lunatics, and yet they're already teaming up to target me?!" Bai Xiaochun was nervous, and scared about being in such a passive position. Glancing over at Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua, he could see that they were obviously not going to back him up.
From their perspective, this was the perfect opportunity to see what Bai Xiaochun's battle prowess was like now that he had broken through and become a celestial.
Bai Xiaochun's anxiety mounted when he realized what they were thinking. Although he was scrambling to try to decide what to do, only a few breaths of time had passed so far. Seeing the three celestials all staring at him, Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Time to put everything on the line," he thought. "I can't be scared. In fact, I need to strike fear into their hearts. How to do it, though? If they join forces, the probably won't kill me, but would beat me up pretty badly. I guess one upside to this place is that neither divine sense nor ordinary senses work well in this place. I can't see anything about their level, but they can't see anything about mine either." Inwardly anxious, he threw his head back and laughed uproariously. Flicking his sleeve, he stared at the other celestials, battle spirit flickering in his eyes, as well as a bit of derision.
Sneering, he said, "It's been a long time since anyone has dared to say such things in my presence."
He almost seemed to regret that fact, as though he were thinking back to wonderful things from when he was younger.
"Now that I think about it, the last person who said something like that to me was another celestial from the Vile-Emperor Dynasty. Who was it? Oh, right. Ghostmother." Chuckling, and seemingly thrumming with battle spirit, he looked at the three celestials, pursing his lips as if to suppress his laughter. Although his heart was racing with anxiety, his eyes shone with utter madness.
"I've been restraining myself for some time now," he sighed. "I'd hoped to keep a low profile here in the Eternal Immortal Domains, but, ah, whatever…. Come on. I'll let one of you to try to make me cough up some blood. If even a drop comes out, then you can keep it!"
When Celestial Virūpākṣa heard Bai Xiaochun's words, his eyes flickered with cold light. Smiling viciously, he blurred into motion, placing himself right in front of Bai Xiaochun, upon whom he unleashed a fist strike.
Bai Xiaochun didn't even attempt to dodge. He knew that he had to strike fear into the hearts of these three celestials from the Vile-Emperor City. If he tried to evade this strike, or fought back, the three of them would surely team up on him.
As for the damned Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua, they seemed content to just watch the excitement. Unless they were personally threatened, they wouldn't do anything to stop it. There was no time for thought or planning. However, he didn't need to. He had long since donned numerous layers of leather armor, beneath which lurked his turtle-wok….
He had been prepared from the very beginning to dodge if the fist strike wasn't aimed at his torso.
But it was, and therefore, Celestial Virūpākṣa's fist, which let out a string of sonic booms as it closed in, slammed directly into Bai Xiaochun's chest!
Bai Xiaochun didn't even attempt to move out of the way, causing the eyes of all five of the other celestials to widen.
And of course, there was no need to even mention the reaction of all the other cultivators present. When the fist landed, Bai Xiaochun didn't move. A huge boom rang out, and much of his leather armor was destroyed, but he himself was not harmed. Not even a drop of blood oozed out of his mouth.
In sharp contrast, the towering, burly Celestial Virūpākṣa grunted in pain. To him, it felt as though he had struck an immovable mountain. An indescribably powerful backlash hit him with devastating force, shattering his hand and sending him staggering backward several paces, blood oozing out of his mouth. His five yin organs and six yang organs vibrated dangerously, and his eyes widened as surely as if he had seen a terrifying ghost.
"How is this even possible!?!?" Celestial Virūpākṣa blurted in shock. "You just became a celestial! Even if you have a strong fleshly body, you shouldn't be able to stand up to a strike like that! You must have some precious treasure, don't you!?"
Unfortunately for him, he couldn't use his divine sense, and therefore had no way to even look for clues to figure out what had just occurred.
"So weak!" Bai Xiaochun sneered. "Don't you have any defensive precious treasures to protect you from measly backlashes?!" The madness in his eyes seemed to flare brightly, and he even laughed in joy. That joy was actually real. After all, thanks to his terrifying powers of regeneration, the wounds that he had received moments ago were already healed. As for the turtle-wok, although it was easy to absorb back into his body, it could not be brought back out again so easily.
Looking very proud, he ripped off the tattered remnants of his leather armor and tossed them off to the side. Taking a confident step forward, he looked at the confused Celestial Virūpākṣa and then laughed maniacally.
"Come on. Bring it on! Hit me again!" He took a few more threatening steps toward Virūpākṣa, who backed up without even thinking about it. His right hand was completely destroyed, which meant that unless he called upon a unique celestial Daoist magic, there was no way he could do anything to Bai Xiaochun's fleshly body power, which seemed like a defensive treasure. Ordinary magical techniques and fleshly body power would be useless against him.
And the horrific backlash had Celestial Virūpākṣa shaking in fear.
Seeing that his opponent was backing up, Bai Xiaochun laughed madly. Waving his arm dismissively, he turned to Prince Ur-Demon and Reverend Devourer.
"You're Prince Ur-Demon, right? Want some of my blood? Well, come on. Hit me and get some!
"And what about you, Reverend Devourer? Come on, hit me. Hurry up! Hit me!"
Prince Ur-Demon: "…….."
Reverend Devourer: "…….."
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Chapter 1083: Sovereign Energy
More people were arriving from the Vile-Emperor Dynasty, and yet, nobody cared. After all, none of them were celestials, only demigod experts. And after they arrived, all of them looked over to the scene that was playing out.
Everyone was watching Bai Xiaochun mouthing off, almost as if he wanted someone to attack him….
"Bring it on! Hit me! Come on, Prince Ur-Demon. Come on, Reverend Devourer! Are you guys gonna hit me, or what? Hurry up! I'm ready. Bring it on!" He really seemed to be getting worked up.
Extremely unsightly expressions could be seen on the faces of both Prince Ur-Demon and Reverend Devourer. Just like Celestial Virūpākṣa, they couldn't use their divine sense, and therefore couldn't confirm what was really going on. Although they were relatively certain that Bai Xiaochun had a precious treasure of some sort, it was obvious that only a celestial-level Daoist magic could do anything to it. Ordinary magic could not.
And the mere backlash from hitting that defensive magical item was shocking to the extreme. Celestial Virūpākṣa's shattered right hand, and the blood oozing out of his mouth, bore testimony to that. Neither Prince Ur-Demon nor Reverend Devourer had fleshly bodies at the same level as Celestial Virūpākṣa, so if such a backlash hit them, they would suffer even more.
Although it might not permanently cripple them, they would be badly hurt. And the whole point of this venture was to seek good fortune. Earlier, they had assumed that they could crush Bai Xiaochun to intimidate everyone else. Never could they have imagined that he would be so tough. The two of them were obviously not going to attack him casually at this point.
Worse, they had never seen any celestial that would go to these lengths to try to get someone to hit them….
"Completely incorrigible!"
"He obviously has some defensive precious treasure. That's why he's trying to get them to hit him again!!"
"He's doing all of this on purpose!"
The people from the Vile-Emperor Dynasty were starting to get angry, and off to the side, the cultivators from the Saint-Emperor Dynasty were starting to get embarrassed. Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua exchanged awkward glances as, all of a sudden, their worldview changed….
Back before Bai Xiaochun had become a celestial, if Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua had learned that he had a precious treasure like this, they would have started scheming of a way to get it. But now that Bai Xiaochun was a celestial, everything was different. In fact, it might not even be possible for the Vile-Emperor or the Saint-Emperor to get that treasure easily.
After all… Bai Xiaochun was the only person in the Eternal Immortal Domains whose Daoseed was not under the control of someone else. Although that would place him in a certain amount of greater danger, it also meant that he had a lot more freedom!
Anyone else who betrayed the emperor they served would have to suffer the destruction of part of their Daoseed. But not Bai Xiaochun!
As everyone stood there with mixed feelings, Bai Xiaochun continued to make a huge scene.
"Alright, Virūpākṣa," he shouted loudly, "they're obviously not going to hit me. So it's back to you. Bring it on! Your right hand is broken, so I'll ignore it for the time being. Use your left hand!"
Celestial Virūpākṣa was visibly livid. Snorting, he pretended that he hadn't heard.
However, there was one particular demigod preceptor among the Vile-Emperor Dynasty forces who couldn't hold back from chuckling coldly, a middle-aged man whose burly frame made it obvious that he was an apprentice of Celestial Virūpākṣa.
"Celestial Bai," he said, "shouldn't you act with a bit of propriety, considering your status? What's with the hooting and hollering? You're like an old woman! If you had any face at all, you would remove that defensive treasure of yours!"
Looking at the man askance, Bai Xiaochun said, "Who are you?"
Bai Xiaochun was already on guard. Although this man seemed like little more than a muscle-head, from the sharpness of his tongue, it was clear that he was quite clever.
"Your humble servant Li Donghao!"
"Alright, Li Donghao" Bai Xiaochun replied, glaring, "I'll remove the magical item, and then you can come hit me! If you don't hit me, then I'll hit you!" This level of shamelessness was too much for even the people from the Saint-Emperor Dynasty to take….
For a celestial to ask a demigod to hit them, even without a defensive treasure, was ridiculous. Given the power of a celestial's Daoseed, any demigod would be severely injured by doing so.
It would be like a Foundation Establishment cultivator asking a mortal to hit them….
Li Donghao was enraged by Bai Xiaochun's words, and was about to offer a furious retort when the last of the Vile-Emperor Dynasty cultivators teleported to the fan. By this point, there were more than fifty people present…. At that point, the damaged fan's restrictive spells seemed to activate, and the ribs and fan face alike all began to glow with bright light!
It was so blinding that, in the blink of an eye, the minds of everyone present went blank!
Even the celestials were powerless. Everyone was instantly struck so deeply that they lost consciousness!
As of this moment, the damaged fan looked almost like a new star within the starry sky that people saw from down in the Eternal Immortal Domains!
This brightness caused the fan to surpass the gigantic sovereign, and provoked many shouts of alarm from the cultivators below!
"What's that light!?"
"Heavens, what's… what's going on?!?!"
"It's the damaged fan! Why is it shining so brightly!?!?"
Within the five immortal domains that made up the Saint-Emperor Dynasty and the Vile-Emperor Dynasty, countless people noticed what was happening, and looked up in shock. They could all sense an indescribably powerful energy radiating from the damaged fan, an energy that filled all of the Eternal Immortal Domains!
After Chen Su, Gongsun Wan'er, and the other celestials sensed that energy, their minds and hearts leapt with shock.
"That energy… it surpasses the Archaean Realm!"
The Saint-Emperor and Vile-Emperor felt like they were about to collapse mentally, and their faces fell. Both of them instantly vanished, to reappear in the sky near the fan!
Unfortunately, the shining light made it impossible for them to get any closer, let alone enter the fan.
"The aura of a sovereign!!"
"Dammit! That's not an archaean magical item! It belonged to a now-perished sovereign, left behind as a precious treasure!!"
The difference between archaean treasures and sovereign treasures was so vast that they almost couldn't be compared to each other. An archaean treasure would be something that neither of the two emperors would care much about. But a sovereign treasure… would be the type of thing the two dynasties might be willing to go to war over!
Both emperors had been in the Archaean Realm for a very long time, and weren't even sure of how to advance beyond it. A sovereign-level precious treasure would give them much more hope of being able to break through.
To see such hope vanish right in front of them was a maddening thing. But nothing they did, no attack or technique, could do anything to the light that blocked their paths!
Eventually, the light faded, but it left behind a barrier that was just as impossible for anyone to get through. Only those on the inside could possibly acquire the good fortune of the damaged fan, forcing the Vile-Emperor and the Saint-Emperor to look on helplessly with bloodshot eyes.
The only thing that made them feel better was the possibility that some of the important celestials and demigods they had sent in could theoretically achieve breakthroughs.
But then the Saint-Emperor noticed Bai Xiaochun, and felt deep regret. "Dammit, I can't believe I let him go in!"
It was at around this time that the group who had already reached the fan began to come to their senses. When they did, they saw something like a mist around them that separated them from the piercing gazes of the Saint-Emperor and the Vile-Emperor!
It left them shaken, but at the same time, they trembled with anticipation as they looked over at the fan ribs.
Even the celestials among them were included. They had the strongest cultivation bases, and therefore, had a much better chance of coming out on top.
It was the same with Bai Xiaochun. Although the entire group seemed to have fully lost consciousness, the truth was that a message from the spirit automaton of the fan had been implanted into their minds. The nature of that message left Bai Xiaochun totally stunned. Never in his wildest dreams could he have guessed that his earlier judgement about the fan had been completely wrong. The fan was not a place of profound danger, but rather… a place of unprecedented good fortune!
"Someone will become… the new owner of the fan!?!" Bai Xiaochun thought, his chest heaving. It was at this point that everyone began to fly at top speed toward the various ribs.
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Chapter 1084: Legacy Destiny!
"The legends… are true…." No one, not even Celestial Virūpākṣa, was paying any attention to Bai Xiaochun anymore. Everyone was focused on entering one of the fan rib paths.
Bai Xiaochun joined them, his heart pounding, his mind ringing with the message that had just been transmitted.
This fan was not, in fact, an archaean precious treasure. It was… a world treasure that had once belonged to a sovereign!
The Sovereign Realm was something that could drive the countless cultivators in the Eternal Immortal Domains completely crazy. They would do just about anything to become that powerful!
Qi Condensation cultivators and archaean emperors alike would go to any lengths to achieve that goal!
From ancient times until this moment, there had only ever been three sovereigns in the Eternal Immortal Domains, all of whom had perished. After their deaths, the three dynasties had come to be: the Vile-Emperor Dynasty, Saint-Emperor Dynasty, and Arch-Emperor Dynasty!
Obviously, the Sovereign Realm was supreme and unparalleled!
Of course, there were different levels within the Sovereign Realm. For example, the enormous sleeping giant outside of the Eternal Immortal Domains was supremely powerful among sovereigns. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to call him a paragon entity!
There used to be innumerable worlds out in the starry sky, all of which could have potentially given rise to sovereigns. But things were different now. A catastrophe occurred when the Enemy from Beyond, that enormous sovereign outside the Eternal Immortal Domains, personally destroyed the entire starry sky. All worlds and all living beings died, giving birth to endless darkness.
The damaged fan had once belonged to some unknown sovereign who was killed in body and soul. However, that sovereign's legacy had remained behind. It was damaged, but… it was still a legacy treasure!
What was generally referred to as a legacy was essentially a set of core Daoist teachings and doctrines.
This fan… was a precious treasure that contained the legacy of a sovereign's Daoist teachings and doctrines!
After that unknown sovereign died, this damaged fan kept floating through the dark, lifeless void. Years upon years passed, an endless cycle in which it traveled without cease. From the moment its journey began until now, it never found a second owner!
And there could only ever be one person to become the successor of that unknown sovereign, only one person to inherit that sovereign's core Daoist teachings and doctrines!
"Every rib on that treasured fan… is a path to the legacy. Every path contains a hundred levels. Whoever can get through the most levels in three months… will become the new owner of this magical item!
"According to the voice that spoke in my head, the one hundred levels within the various fan ribs are all the same. Furthermore, passing each level comes with a reward…. After all, the goal of the fan is to find a successor, not to kill people!" That last point was why all of the cultivators from the two dynasties were so excited.
And it was also why the devas were already filled with so much passion.
As of now, they realized that they could contend with celestials to gain ownership of the fan, and acquire the core Daoist teachings and doctrines of a sovereign. Even better, the levels all came with rewards. Although no one knew exactly what those rewards were, this item had once belonged to a sovereign, so any rewards would be significant, enough to drive the devas and demigods crazy.
And thus, everyone raced toward the paths in the fan ribs. There were already people disappearing inside as Bai Xiaochun hurried onward.
After selecting a fan rib, he was just about to enter when, all of a sudden, a different nearby fan rib glowed with bright light. A moment later, a deva cultivator from the Saint-Emperor Dynasty tumbled out, coughing up blood. After staggering backward a bit, he settled down cross-legged to meditate, a defiant gleam in his eyes.
Bai Xiaochun was obviously surprised by this.
"That guy failed? He's a deva, but he couldn't even get past the first level?!" All of a sudden, Bai Xiaochun felt the need to be more on guard than ever. After a moment of thought, he turned and hurried over to the deva cultivator.
When the man saw Bai Xiaochun approaching, it didn't matter that he was from the Heavenspan Realm, he was a celestial. The deva quickly rose to his feet and clasped hands formally.
"What happened in there?" Bai Xiaochun asked. "You failed? On the first level?"
The deva hesitated for a short moment. Not daring to hold back the truth, he lowered his voice and explained that he had come close to passing the first level, but had failed in the end.
According to his description, the first level featured five deva-level puppets.
At that point, Bai Xiaochun breathed a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, seven or eight more devas emerged from the fan ribs in bad shape. All of them had various injuries, but none were life-threatening. At this point, Bai Xiaochun felt a bit more confident. After taking out a few more sets of leather armor and putting them on, he took a deep breath and headed back to where he had been about to enter the fan rib.
The moment his foot touched the rib, rumbling sounds filled his ears, and his vision swam. When he could see clearly again, he was in a ring-shaped arena.
Great pressure weighed down on the arena, at the front of which was a huge statue, half-human, half-beast, with a very vicious expression.
Five monkeys sat in meditation at the foot of the statue, their fur as bright as fire. When they opened their eyes, they were all equally crimson. Growling, they transformed into five beams of light that shot toward Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun was initially struck with fear. After all, it was impossible to use divine sense to check the cultivation base fluctuations of the monkeys, which looked incredibly fearsome.
But even as Bai Xiaochun began to back up, he blinked a few times.
"I can't check their cultivation base, but… they're so slow! So, I guess the levels don't adjust to your cultivation base…." Eyes shining with confidence, he charged toward the five monkeys.
Raising his voice, he shouted, "Anyone who gets in my way… dies!"
Feeling very pleased with how heroic he sounded, he picked up speed, causing a tempest to spring up as he closed in on the monkeys.
He didn't need to use any divine abilities or magical techniques. He had so much momentum that three of the monkeys exploded before he could even touch them, becoming nothing more than wisps of smoke.
The other two held on for a moment longer, but then similarly exploded into smoke as he passed.
Feeling very relaxed, Bai Xiaochun came to a stop on top of the head of the statue. Clasping his hands behind his back, he proudly swished his sleeve.
"All who dare to block the path of Bai Xiaochun, are doomed… to be reduced to ashes." Just when he was about to continue onward, the wisps of smoke formed together into a medicinal pill, which he grabbed. It was translucent, and emanated a strange, fragrant aroma. Although he didn't know the name of the pill, based on his Dao of medicine, he could quickly tell that this could be described as an immortal pill for people in the Deva Realm.
In fact, to people from the Eternal Immortal Domains, it would probably be more valuable than ten deva-level immortal pills.
Feeling wonderful, he put the medicinal pill away, whereupon the world around him vanished, and the fan rib appeared ahead of him. Without any hesitation, he proceeded on to the second level, and then the third….
He crushed each and every level as easily as dried weeds, until he found himself in the sixth level.
This level was different than anything before it. Ruins stretched out around him, along with nine steps leading upward. After lifting his foot off the eighth and final step, he realized that the secret of this level had to do with the pressure which would crush down, and was based on the level of one's cultivation base!
"That can't stop me!" Snorting coldly, he drew upon his boundless fleshly body power to place his foot down and complete the sixth level!
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Chapter 1085: I Hate Cheaters!
Bai Xiaochun's vision blurred as he left the world of the sixth level, and returned to the path on the fan rib. Upon rematerializing, he held a feather in his hand, which was the reward for passing the sixth level.
It seemed like nothing more than an ordinary feather, and not even a close examination revealed anything special about it. Bai Xiaochun could only guess that it might be part of some larger construct. Putting it away, he headed to the seventh level.
The seventh level was much harder than the previous levels. It was a test, not of the cultivation base, but rather intuition. After all, it was impossible to use divine sense here. The entire seventh level was… a maze.
"I hate mazes…." he muttered. Two hours later, he found himself teleported back to the square formed by the handle of the fan. He had failed, and currently felt his head swimming from having wandered back and forth in the maze without being able to find the right path.
As it turned out, there was a time limit to these lower levels. If one spent two hours within a given level without passing it, they would automatically be teleported away.
There were other devas and demigods who would be teleported out occasionally, most of them having been unable to pass the sixth level. Up to this point, only seven people had made it past the seventh level!
In addition to Bai Xiaochun and the other celestials, there was only one demigod among that group: Preceptor Seadeep.
Varied thoughts ran through the heads of the trial-takers.
"Dammit, this is hard! Especially the sixth level. It's impossible to get past!"
"These tests are definitely not designed for devas. The sixth level… is definitely suitable for celestials only! Maybe a demigod could pass it… but not many!"
"I have to get past it! These rewards are so incredible! Especially the reward for the fifth level. I got a bottle of Meridian-Tempering Serum of peerless quality! Back home, a bottle like that would go for over 10,000 spirit stones!!"
The cultivators of a given dynasty did not mix with those of the other. However, those of shared origins would gather after failing a level to discuss their results with each other. Up to this point, everyone was still excited about the situation, and didn't worry too much about failing.
"If the reward for the fifth level is Meridian-Tempering Serum, then what do you think the rewards for the sixth and seventh levels will be? Whatever they are… they'll probably be more unique and precious than Meridian-Tempering Serum!"
"We probably don't qualify to even find out. Although, I noticed that Celestial Virūpākṣa seems to be the fastest of us all. He's already on the tenth level!"
"Yeah, I saw him going into the tenth level. So far, the rest of the celestials are in the seventh and eighth levels. Up to now, none of them have come back out."
Bai Xiaochun was not very happy about what he was hearing, and also had a bad premonition about what was happening.
"How is that Celestial Virūpākṣa going so fast!? With muscles like that, there's no way he's very smart. How did he get through the maze?" The more he thought about it, the more he started to suspect what was happening.
If things kept going this way, it didn't seem likely that he would be able to compete with Virūpākṣa. Although he wasn't quite willing to just give up, in the end, he sighed.
"Ah, whatever. It just keeps getting harder the further along you go. And I just became a celestial. He has a lot of experience, so if I can't beat him, I just won't worry about it. I'll go through the levels as best I can. Even if I don't get the fan in the end, I'll at least get some of the other rewards." It was in this manner that he tried to convince himself not to worry about the situation. Then he started to try to think of a way to get through the maze.
However, it was at this very moment that the light of teleportation appeared in both the seventh and eighth levels. When that light reached the square formed by the handle of the fan, Gu Tianjun and Prince Ur-Demon appeared.
Both of them wore very unsightly expressions as they sat down to think and recover. From what Bai Xiaochun had seen, Gu Tianjun had failed in the eighth level, while Prince Ur-Demon was stuck in the seventh.
"There's something fishy about that eighth level!" he thought. Even as he pondered the situation, other celestials began to be teleported out.
One of them was Sima Yunhua, who was stuck in the seventh level, and another was Reverend Devourer, who was teleported back from the eighth level.
Bai Xiaochun couldn't dispel his confusion and suspicions. For a moment, he considered going over to Gu Tianjun to ask for some advice, but decided that, considering how much the man didn't like him, it probably wasn't a good idea.
At this point, Sima Yunhua gritted his teeth and used some unknown method to communicate with Gu Tianjun and get some information on the seventh level. Afterward, his eyes shone brightly as he headed back into the challenges.
Prince Ur-Demon did the same thing with Reverend Devourer. After getting the information he needed, he did the same as Sima Yunhua, and headed back into the challenges.
Bai Xiaochun looked on anxiously to see what was happening, and was stunned to realize that both parties passed the level in the time it takes half an incense stick to burn. Laughing heartily, they then proceeded on to the next levels.
"So fast!?!?" Bai Xiaochun's mind raced as he tried to analyze what was going on. Meanwhile, the tenth level suddenly began to shine with bright light.
All of a sudden, a voice spoke into the minds of all present.
"The first person to pass the tenth level has acquired Top Contender status, and will henceforth have four hours to pass every level!"
As the voice faded away, everyone observing on the outside looked around in shock. Meanwhile, the light of teleportation shot out to the square where everyone was standing, and then resolved into the form of Celestial Virūpākṣa.
As his hulking, tower-like frame came into view, the fan trembled, and the shield protecting the entire area rippled like water.
Those ripples were caused, not by Virūpākṣa's cultivation base, but rather… because he had gained Top Contender status by passing the tenth level and gaining the approval of the sovereign's damaged fan!
What was most shocking, though was that Celestial Virūpākṣa had been given extra time to pass the levels!
Based on that, it seemed likely that other privileges would be bestowed upon passing the twentieth level, which would make things even easier for Celestial Virūpākṣa. If things kept going like that, then by the time the three months were over, it was highly likely that Virūpākṣa would become the new owner of the fan!
If that happened, then not even the Vile-Emperor would be able to take it away from him easily. Perhaps Virūpākṣa could loan it to him or even sell it, but either way, it was good fortune that would likely give him a chance to become an archaean!
The crowd knew it, and Celestial Virūpākṣa knew it as well. Inside, he was beaming with joy and excitement, although he didn't let that show on his face. However, there was no question that he was very pleased to have acquired the approval of the fan.
The prickly feeling in Bai Xiaochun's heart grew even stronger at this point. Snorting softly, he prepared to simply look away, and yet, was too slow. All of a sudden, Celestial Virūpākṣa looked over at him with coldly glittering eyes.
It was impossible to say what exactly he was thinking, but something like the light of augury flickered in his eyes, and he suddenly chuckled.
Raising his voice, he said, "You're stuck at the seventh level, aren't you Bai Xiaochun? Moron. You're the only celestial who hasn't passed it."
Everyone else was taken aback. After all, this was Celestial Virūpākṣa's first time returning from the challenges. And yet apparently, he knew how far everyone else had proceeded.
Even as suspicions arose, Bai Xiaochun looked sharply at Celestial Virūpākṣa, fully aware of the implications of his words.
Obviously, he had some unknown way of seeing how far everyone else had progressed.
Celestial Virūpākṣa could tell that Bai Xiaochun was on to him, but merely laughed coldly.
"Didn't you ask me to hit you earlier, Bai Xiaochun? Don't worry. As soon as I become the owner of this fan, I'll be happy to oblige!" With that, he chuckled and sat down cross-legged to do some breathing exercises.
In the resulting silence, the cultivators from both the Vile-Emperor Dynasty and the Saint-Emperor Dynasty all came to realize that the Top Contender status gave more benefits than merely an extension of time.
As for Bai Xiaochun, he was feeling more irritated than ever.
"What kind of legacy is this? He's obviously cheating! Dammit! There's nothing I hate more in life than cheaters!!"
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"What's the point of winning by cheating!?" Bai Xiaochun grumbled angrily to himself.
"I, Bai Xiaochun, a mighty celestial, am straightforward and upright in everything I do! I absolutely detest anyone who cheats!" Gradually, the jealousy he had felt regarding his opponent's tactics turned into anger.
What was worse was that he was being looked down upon. And Celestial Virūpākṣa had even threatened him!
"No," he said through gritted teeth. "This is getting dangerous. I definitely can't allow Virūpākṣa to succeed!" Eyes bloodshot, he pondered what to do. However, he knew that despite the fact that they were all celestials, and that he himself was particularly strong, he had only just become a celestial. Furthermore, if things did get down to a real fight with Virūpākṣa, the man wouldn't be afraid of being killed; he could just be resurrected by the Vile-Emperor.
In sharp contrast, Bai Xiaochun had not given part of his Daoseed to the Saint-Emperor. That meant that if a fight did break out, he would be in great danger.
"What shameless bullying!" The more he pondered the situation, the more incensed he was. After enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, he still had not come up with any good ideas. Meanwhile, Celestial Virūpākṣa had risen to his feet from meditation. Glancing coldly at Bai Xiaochun, he then went back into the fan rib to head to the tenth level.
Everyone else looked on in envy. After Virūpākṣa disappeared, they too went back into the challenges.
Before long, only four or five people were left on the outside, Bai Xiaochun included.
"If I were here by myself, maybe I could fight him. But I'm not alone. And Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua aren't going to help me…. I guess the only option is to stop Virūpākṣa from winning the treasure! And the only way to do that is to become the owner of the fan before him!" After putting more thought into it, he came up with a variety of ideas, and yet none of them seemed particularly promising.
"There's only one thing I can do! A tenfold spirit enhancement will erase any personal branding marks. If I enhance the fan, then maybe… I could brand it with my own divine sense! If it works, then I would become the new owner of the fan!" At this point, his heart was starting to pound a bit. In fact, he quickly forgot that his entire purpose in the matter was to stop Celestial Virūpākṣa.
"If I can become the owner of the fan…." His thoughts began to race in excitement for a while before he finally managed to calm himself down.
Unfortunately, the fan was huge. Bai Xiaochun usually enhanced things by putting them into the turtle-wok. Therefore, he wasn't sure how he would go about enhancing the huge fan.
"The fan can't shrink…. I wonder if just clamping the wok down onto it will work…?" Although his heart was itching with anticipation, he was still fully on guard. After all, if someone saw what he was doing, it could cause major problems.
Therefore, he put on a big show of snorting coldly and walking over to head back into the seventh level. Once inside the maze, he took out his wok, put it upside down on the ground, and then went about with a spirit enhancement.
Unfortunately, after putting a one-colored flame into the wok, and finding no reaction, he frowned. After all his years of using the turtle-wok, he could tell that the enhancement had failed.
Feeling very disappointed, he picked up the turtle-wok again and then sat there in a bit of a daze.
"Maybe it won't work inside one of the challenges. It might work outside though…." Not quite willing to give up, he backed out of the seventh level and then sat down on the fan rib itself.
At the moment, the main square of the fan was still occupied by a handful of cultivators who were resting after having failed one of the challenges. Bai Xiaochun waited patiently for six hours until all of them finished resting and headed back into the challenges. The square was completely empty. At that point, he took the turtle-wok out and put it down in front him.
With that, he placed one hand onto the wok, and used the other to pull out another one-colored flame from his dwindling supply.
"It's definitely going to work!" he murmured anxiously. The one-colored flame disappeared into the wok, and a single silver flash of light shot out and hit the fan!
As a result, the fan trembled!
"Did it work?" he thought excitedly. However, there was no time for an inspection, as the light of teleportation appeared, and someone was sent flying out from one of the levels. Quickly putting the turtle-wok away, Bai Xiaochun hurried into the seventh level.
Of course, he had no intention of trying to make his way through the maze. After staying inside for a while, he left, plastering a look of confused disappointment onto his face.
The truth was that his heart was pounding. Although there was nothing physically different about the treasured fan, he had definitely seen that silver flash of light. After paying very close attention to who was outside of the challenges, he found an opportunity when no one was looking, whereupon he took out the turtle-wok and a two-colored flame!
Almost immediately, a silver flash of light could be seen. Not pausing for even a moment, Bai Xiaochun quickly performed a third and then a fourth spirit enhancement. In nearly one breath of time, he completed six total enhancements. At that point, more people emerged from various trials, and he put the wok away and sat there sighing.
Inside, he was laughing cheerfully, and eagerly awaiting the moment when everyone was back inside the challenges. He was hoping for an incense stick's worth of time, in which he could perform all of the rest of the enhancements in one fell swoop.
Seven days passed. By that time, Celestial Virūpākṣa was in the fifteenth level. He seemed to be crushing every level with impunity, and maintaining a clear lead.
The other celestials were in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh levels. As for the demigod Preceptor Seadeep, he had reached the eighth level, and seemed stuck there. However, he wasn't willing to give up, and went back in constantly to make further attempts.
Everyone else was roughly in the same situation, although no one else had proceeded past the seventh level. As for Bai Xiaochun, his lack of progress had become the butt of many jokes.
"Bai Xiaochun is a celestial, but he's stuck on the seventh level just like the rest of us!"
"That makes it completely obvious that he's the weakest of all the celestials. Even Preceptor Seadeep is stronger than him!"
"Well, he is from that backwater Heavenspan Realm. It makes sense that he would be embarrassingly weak even after becoming a celestial!"
It wasn't just the demigods and devas who reacted with derision. Gu Tianjun and Sima Yunhua completely ignored him, and secretly scorned him. It was the same with the celestials from the Vile-Emperor Dynasty.
Bai Xiaochun didn't have the inclination to pay them any more attention than they paid him. He could sense the ridicule in their eyes, but didn't care. By this point, the treasured fan already had a seventeenfold spirit enhancement!
Upon performing the tenth enhancement, he had been excited, but found that no golden light appeared, nor was there any sign that the branding mark controlling the fan had been removed. Although he had hesitated about what to do after that, he decided that a twentyfold enhancement was probably the answer!
"Thirty is the limit for spirit enhancement, but this is an extraordinary sovereign-level magical item. I guess I just have to push things further. All I want to do is erase the branding mark. It shouldn't be that hard. It will all be worth it in the end, considering how much I hate cheaters." Bai Xiaochun worried constantly during the next three days. Eventually, he found his chance to perform the enhancements he needed.
Eighteenfold. Nineteenfold….
He had very few twenty-colored flames left in his bag of holding, but he took one out and pushed it down into the turtle-wok. The wok vibrated violently, and then the whole fan did the same. At that point, the light finally changed from silver to golden!
The power of the spirit automaton of the fan appeared, the same automaton that had previously spoken into the minds of the cultivators. However, the power of the spirit automaton was clearly in the process of dissipating, being erased by some other power that surpassed it!
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Bai Xiaochun sucked in an excited, nervous breath.
The two forces struggled, but the power of the spirit enhancement was clearly at a higher level, and began to gain dominance.
However, the spirit automaton was by no means weak. It was like a tiger cub fighting a full-grown dog. In fact, it fought with such ferocity that the spirit enhancement's power began to weaken, and was gradually driven away.
Gritting his teeth anxiously, Bai Xiaochun pulled a twenty-one-colored flame out of his bag of holding. He only had two such tongues of flame left, and thus, it was with a great deal of pain that he tossed it into the turtle-wok.
Golden light flared, and rumbling sounds echoed out, along with land-shaking, mountain-rocking power. The power of the spirit enhancement once again rushed out to erase the branding mark inside the fan. Yet again, a battle erupted between the automaton and the spirit enhancement.
The automaton could clearly not hold out for long, but was putting up a good struggle. At the same time, the spirit enhancement had reached a critical juncture.
As of this moment, twenty percent of the the branding within the damaged fan had been wiped away. That in turn allowed the restrictions on divine sense to loosen a bit.
Bai Xiaochun knew that time was of the essence. On the one hand, people might come out of the fan at any moment, and on the other hand, the power of the twenty-one-colored flame was growing weak.
"Dammit, I've got to go for broke!!" Taking advantage of the loosening of the restriction on divine sense, he sent his divine sense out.
As the spirit automaton and the power of the enhancement struggled mightily, he shoved his divine sense into the empty section of the fan!
Normally speaking, this was a thing that he could never do. Not even one of the archaean emperors would have been able to accomplish such a task. The only type of person who possibly could have would be another sovereign.
But now, the impossible was happening thanks to the heaven-defying powers of Bai Xiaochun's turtle-wok. Whichever sovereign it was who had created this fan could never have dreamed that their treasure could possibly be stolen in this manner….
Bai Xiaochun howled from the effort, blue veins bulging out on his neck and face. As he pushed out madly with his divine sense, his own branding mark slowly began to take shape.
The spirit automaton struggled, and the power of the spirit enhancement began to fade, but Bai Xiaochun took advantage of every moment….
Although things were almost over, the automaton wouldn't give up, and continue to drive away the power of the spirit enhancement. However, Bai Xiaochun took advantage of his authority over twenty percent of the fan to fight back relentlessly. Eventually, the automaton was forced to give up.
The branding mark faded away, and the fan went calm. It was almost as if nothing had happened. As for Bai Xiaochun, he had been holding nothing back, and was currently drenched in sweat. Quickly putting away his turtle-wok, he sat there panting.
Although this type of fight was different than magical combat, it had been extremely draining. He felt hollowed out, and yet at the same time, was extremely pleased.
As of this moment, he could feel a very faint connection to the fan, something almost dreamlike in nature.
"I can't believe I did it!! Hahaha! I branded my own divine sense mark onto this fan!! Virūpākṣa, you cheater, this fan is mine. How do you think you'll get it now!?" He was so excited that he began laughing out loud, a fact that some returning cultivators noticed, and looked over in shock.
To them, he looked a bit insane.
"Did he go crazy because he's been stuck in the seventh level for too long?!"
As they chuckled coldly, Bai Xiaochun was recovering from the effort of the struggle. As he sat there cross-legged, his eyes shining, he took a moment to analyze the situation. He was already aware that although he had authority over twenty percent of the fan, he didn't actually control the fan as a whole.
Essentially, the part of the fan that he had authority over was equivalent to the first through twentieth levels!
At this point, even if Celestial Virūpākṣa made it to the twentieth level, whatever rewards he got wouldn't compare to what Bai Xiaochun had acquired. One would have an empty reward that could be taken away, and one would have a substantial reward that could directly contend with the fan's spirit automaton.
"Same as the twentieth level, huh. That's good enough for me!" Bai Xiaochun was very excited; this obviously made him the clear frontrunner in the competition. With this advantage, he was much more confident in being able to become the new owner of the damaged fan.
The main thing he needed to do was make sure nobody realized what he had done.
"Alright, Celestial Virūpākṣa. Bai Xiaochun hates cheaters more than anything. Let's see you try and cheat now!" Calling upon his mysterious connection to the fan, he was now able to see images of all the cultivators participating in the various challenges!
He was also able to sense what the rewards were for the various levels. Some of the most enticing were the rewards for the thirtieth level and beyond, which were on the same level as world treasures such as the Greatsword of the North. Even more eye-catching was the reward for the sixtieth level, which was on the archaean level!
There were also plenty of medicinal pills to be had. As for the reward for the hundredth level, it was a glowing ball of light that pulsed with a sovereign aura. It was none other than… than the legacy itself!
Convinced that he would become the owner of the fan, he realized that all of these rewards essentially belonged to him!
"It's not just the later rewards that are mine. Everything in the early stages is mine too!" Just when he was about to check specifically on Celestial Virūpākṣa, he happened to notice a Vile-Emperor Dynasty demigod in the sixth level who was having trouble reaching the eighth step there.
Bai Xiaochun recognized him! Back when he had been confronting Celestial Virūpākṣa, it was this burly demigod who had ridiculed him, Li Donghao!
He was currently looking excitedly at the last step in front of him. He had attempted this level over thirty times already, and had failed each time. However, he had learned from each failure, and had progressed significantly each time.
As of now, he was absolutely confident in being able to succeed!
As for the reward, a feather, he had already been told about it by some of his friends. It had been identified as belonging to a now-extinct immortal roc. If it were fused into a magical item, it would provide astounding benefits to it.
"Only one more step. I can definitely do it!" Li Donghao excitedly lifted his foot up and prepared to step onto the ninth step….
Even as he did, Bai Xiaochun's gaze fell upon him. When Bai Xiaochun saw the situation, he thought about how, if Li Donghao succeeded, it would mean the reward for that level, the feather, would be gone.
Before, that fact wouldn't have meant much to him. But now that he was destined to become the owner of the fan, it meant that the treasures inside of it all belonged to him. Therefore, Li Donghao was essentially preparing to steal from him. Although Bai Xiaochun didn't view himself as being the miserly type, he really didn't like Li Donghao, and therefore, was not happy at all about the idea of him stealing.
"I guess this guy's just too lucky. Ai. If only the level could be a bit more challenging so that he fails."
Back in the sixth level… the air rippled around Li Donghao.
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Chapter 1088: So, I'm The Guardian
The ripples came because Bai Xiaochun was connected to the fan, and were something that no one else but him could notice.
In the sixth level, Li Donghao looked as confident and excited as ever. He was absolutely and completely focused on this next step. Heart filled with hope, he put his foot down!
"I've been waiting a long time for this!" he chuckled. "All of that work and improvement is for this moment! Only by working hard can you get good results! I've finally done it!"
He threw his head back and laughed uproariously, then sighed at the feeling of accomplishment after all the effort he had expended. He felt like he had experienced something completely life-changing in this sixth level, something that would make his future more wonderful than he could imagine.
"Next comes the seventh level. A lot of the other demigods are going to be quite shaken by my success. After all… I'm only the second after Preceptor Seadeep to pass the sixth level!" Amidst echoing laughter, he stretched his hands out wide in anticipation of the applause he would receive after being teleported out.
However, his smile soon grew stiff as he realized that something strange was going on.
Shocked, he looked around, and found that he was still in the sixth level. "Huh? Why haven't I been teleported out?"
Based on everything he knew and had experienced, he should have been teleported out immediately.
"What's going on?" At this point, he looked down, and his eyes went wide as his mind was battered by massive waves of shock, and no less than 100,000 lightning bolts of astonishment.
"This… this…." To his complete and utter astonishment, he found that there was actually a tenth step in front of him!
It looked exactly like the ninth step, and from all points of view, seemed to have always been there. And yet, Li Donghao was absolutely certain that in the past, there had only been nine. In fact, he had talked with others about this level, and it had always revolved around nine steps. But now… there was a tenth!
"Could I have discovered some mysterious aspect to this level?" Panting, his uneasy feeling was replaced with one of excitement. Perhaps what was happening wasn't bad! Perhaps it was fate!
However, even as he began to get excited, his jaw dropped in utter shock!
There, right in front of his eyes, another stair appeared right after the tenth, radiating intense pressure!
11. 23. 35. 49. 67. 81…. All the way to 100!
"How could this even be possible? 100 stairs!?!?" Li Donghao suddenly felt dizzy, as if he might fall over at any moment. The scene playing out in front of him was almost completely absurd, a massive staircase stretching out. Furthermore, the pressure he could sense from the final stair was virtually beyond imagination.
Li Donghao was trembling, his eyes vacant, as though his mind had collapsed. He seemed completely bowled over by the sight of 100 stairs.
"How… how could this be happening…?" he mumbled, his face ashen. Even as the massive pressure threatened to overwhelm him, the power of teleportation gripped him, and he was whisked out of the sixth level.
When he reappeared, he was back in the main square!
Because of the massive blow he had just taken, as soon as he appeared, he coughed up a massive mouthful of blood and staggered backward, his face completely overtaken by shock and disbelief. As of this moment, his previous confidence was absolutely gone.
"This is impossible…" he murmured. "How could this be happening…? There were only nine steps before…."
He actually didn't believe what he had just seen, and was convinced that it was all an illusion. He even went to some of his demigod compatriots from the Vile-Emperor Dynasty to ask them their opinion.
Grabbing one of them by the arm, he asked, "Fellow Daoist Xu, um… how many stairs are in the sixth level?"
When the man saw how bloodshot Li Donghao's eyes were, he was quite taken aback.
The demigod hesitated for a moment, then said, "Uh, nine. Why, what's wrong, Li Donghao?"
Li Donghao's mind was spinning, and he began to pant. He quickly hurried over to another demigod who was stuck in the sixth level, and asked the same question.
"Nine!"
"Um, nine. Everybody knows that, it's not a big secret or something."
"What are you doing, Li Donghao? Do you really need to ask things like that? Just go look for yourself!"
Li Donghao was trembling violently by now, and felt completely and utterly humiliated. At the same time, he was getting angry.
"Nine? All of you? Why…? Why do I have a hundred!?!?"
Back within the level, he had been unsure, but now he was convinced that the damaged fan hated him! And that filled him with profound despair.
People were shocked to hear the information from Li Donghao, and were a bit suspicious. However, most of them assumed that the levels would occasionally become more difficult for some unknown reason.
"Ah, Li Donghao got really unlucky…. The levels probably don't change very often, he just happened to be in there when it happened."
"We'd better hurry. You never know when those hundred stairs could appear in our version…."
Off in the distance, Bai Xiaochun was listening in. Of course, he had witnessed everything firsthand. And the truth was that even Bai Xiaochun was not confident in being able to handle a hundred stairs like that.
At first, he was actually shocked by what had occurred.
But then, his heart filled with joy!
"I… I just thought about the level getting harder, and it did! A hundred stairs appeared!" His eyes began to glitter brightly at the realization that a huge door had just been opened in front of him.
"So, now that I've successfully taken control of twenty percent of the fan, it means I can alter the first twenty levels!
"Heavens, how stupid of me! I don't even need to think about how to pass the first twenty levels!
"Considering the powers I have to control the level of difficulty… fudge! I'm like a god in this place!!
"My original goal wasn't to make things easy for myself, it was to prevent others from passing the twentieth level. Once this trial by fire ends… I'm going to come out in first place!!"
All of a sudden, this mission to the damaged fan seemed much more interesting than it had been before.
"Hahaha! I'm basically the guardian of this fan! I need to prevent everyone else from succeeding!" With his new mission having been made clear, he stuck his chin up and then sighed. Around this time, he could sense that Celestial Virūpākṣa had passed the seventeenth level.
Not even stopping, he then proceeded on to the eighteenth!
"So fast!?!?" Bai Xiaochun murmured, shocked. However, a sly smile quickly spread out on his face.
"Virūpākṣa, you villain. I absolutely hate cheaters like you. Well, if you make it past the eighteenth level, then I'll change my name to match yours!"
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Meanwhile, in the eighteenth level of the damaged fan….
A vast, scorching desert stretched out in all directions, covered by screaming winds that sent dust and grit scraping across jutting rock outcroppings.
Anyone who stood in that desert would be able to sense how barren and desolate it was. Barely visible within the never-ending sandstorm that filled it were numerous skeletons, apparently the remains of countless beings which had died here throughout the years.
It was actually impossible to tell whether the skeletons were indeed people who had been killed here, or whether they had simply been put here. In any case, as soon as Celestial Virūpākṣa entered this level, he felt a sensation of profound danger.
However, that didn't slow him down at all. Instead, it made him feel even more grand and heroic.
"After snagging the position of Top Contender, I can get through each level before anyone else!
"It's obviously destiny! It's obviously good fortune belonging to me, Celestial Virūpākṣa. It's obviously fated… that I will become the owner of this sovereign-level precious treasure!" As he stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, he looked like the picture of confidence.
And he was, in fact, completely confident that he would be the first to get through every level, including this, the eighteenth. Much of his confidence came from the fact that he was in the great circle of the Celestial Realm. The only other person in the entire damaged fan that could possibly be a cause for concern was Gu Tianjun.
Celestial Virūpākṣa wasn't too worried about Bai Xiaochun. He had only recently become a celestial, and was little more than a clown. Celestial Virūpākṣa was fairly certain that, although he had been frustrating to deal with earlier, he could easily be killed if necessary.
"Although this eighteenth level will likely be more difficult than the previous levels, I won't be stopped! I wonder what kind of powers I'll receive after passing the twentieth level!" Smiling, he blurred into motion as he headed deeper into the sandstorm.
In almost the exact same instant, the countless grains of sand that made up the storm began to form together into an enormous head. Celestial-level cultivation base fluctuations erupted out, along with a powerful roar as the head then lunged toward Virūpākṣa as if to consume him.
Celestial Virūpākṣa's eyes narrowed as, without pausing for a moment, he shot like an arrow toward the fearsome sand head.
The resulting boom caused the entire eighteenth level to shake violently.
As these things played out, something happened that Celestial Virūpākṣa didn't notice. High above in the sky of the eighteenth level, two eyes were watching everything. Those eyes, of course, belonged to Bai Xiaochun.
No one had any idea what was happening, of course. And as for Bai Xiaochun, he didn't rashly do anything in the eighteenth level. He first observed the situation.
Celestial Virūpākṣa was definitely a very powerful fighter. Booms rang out as he engaged the enormous head in combat, causing shockwaves to spread out in astonishing fashion. Soon, it became apparent that this head of sand with its celestial-level battle prowess was no match for Virūpākṣa.
"Observe how I bring you to ruin!" Bai Xiaochun murmured, snorting coldly. Although it felt wonderful to be in such a position of authority, he was actually shocked by Celestial Virūpākṣa's battle prowess.
"This guy has actually surpassed me in terms of fleshly body!! Although his powers of regeneration don't even come close to mine. And his divine abilities are way weaker…. Plus, there's no way he can keep up this level of fighting for long!" Eyes flickering, he watched Celestial Virūpākṣa perform a double-handed incantation gesture to summon a massive tree, which he used to batter the head of sand.
One blow. Two blows. Three blows!!
Each blow caused the head to shriek in pain. As for Celestial Virūpākṣa, he advanced with each blow until he was actually inside of the head! Instead of resorting to any sort of magical technique, he was simply blasting the head in two!
The mere sight was enough to make Bai Xiaochun a bit uneasy. The destructive aura of that huge tree was so shocking that it caused the sky to go dim, and sent sand exploding out in all directions!
Finally, Virūpākṣa resorted to a divine ability that combined his fleshly body and cultivation base to unleash a devastatingly destructive blow.
The head of sand was destroyed, and the faint light of teleportation began to build up. Despite being shocked, Bai Xiaochun couldn't forget what he had said earlier about changing his name to match Virūpākṣa's. Therefore, he didn't hesitate to call upon his connection to the fan to change the difficulty of the eighteenth level.
In that moment, Celestial Virūpākṣa's uproarious laughter was echoing out through the desert as he looked at the two halves of the defeated sand head he had just fought. Although the battle left him seriously drained in both cultivation base and fleshly body power, his heart was bursting with pride.
"Perhaps Gu Tianjun or Reverend Devourer could deal with this little eighteenth level, but most other celestials could not! It gives a good indication of how difficult the nineteenth and twentieth levels will be!
"Very well. The harder things get, the better the rewards will be. It just goes to show that I truly qualify to contend for this legacy!"
Chuckling, he looked around at the light of teleportation that was building up around him, and prepared to go back to the main square to do some breathing exercises.
"Once I become the owner of the fan, the first person I'll kill is Bai Xiaochun. His powers of regeneration are too strong! If he lives, he'll definitely cause problems in the future!"
He quickly checked Bai Xiaochun's progress, and upon seeing that he had still not passed the seventh level, snorted in derision. He was absolutely convinced that this damaged fan was a land of good fortune for him, and would likely be his ticket to reaching the Archaean Realm.
Celestial Virūpākṣa's heart swelled with pride and courage. However, it was in that very moment that, with no warning whatsoever, the light of teleportation that had been building up suddenly went out.
"Huh?" He looked down at himself, and then at the desert around him. "What's going on…?"
Before he could do anything else, the enormous sandstorm sprang up again, with even more fury than before. Furthermore, two enormous heads formed, each of them with battle prowess surpassing the previous solitary head!
Howling, they charged toward Celestial Virūpākṣa!
Celestial Virūpākṣa was struck with the feeling that something odd was going on, but there was no time for thought or planning. As the two heads closed in, he took a deep breath and unleashed his divine abilities and magical techniques, jumping into combat!
The fury of their battle was so great that the world seemed to tremble on the verge of being destroyed. Celestial Virūpākṣa held almost nothing back. With the exception of Daoist magics relating to Willpower, he called on everything he could, even all of his trump cards. After two incense sticks' worth of time passed, he destroyed both of the heads. He was spattered with blood and trembling from the effort, but he had come out on top.
"So, I underestimated this eighteenth level. And yet… who cares if I did?!" He threw his head back and laughed uproariously.
Bai Xiaochun was not happy at all to see Celestial Virūpākṣa laughing in such fashion. Eyes bloodshot, he murmured, "Such a savage! Come on, I want to see you in despair! Fine, I'll push the difficulty as far as it will go!!"
The eighteenth level twisted and distorted, to the point where Celestial Virūpākṣa actually noticed what was happening. Expression flickering, he looked around, feeling very uneasy.
"Don't tell me it's still not over?" Even as he let out a gasp, the entire world around him filled with shocking rumbling noises.
The sandstorm yet again screamed into existence, filling the world and then transforming into… ten enormous heads!
If that were all there were to it, it might not be a big deal. But to Celestial Virūpākṣa's profound astonishment, a 30,000-meter-tall hand also appeared, stretching up out of the ground. Then another, and another. As it turned out, several giants were crawling up from the depths of the earth!
There were a total of ten. The tops of their heads touched the sky as they surrounded Celestial Virūpākṣa, making him look like a helpless girl surrounded by a gang of ruthless thugs!
Their energy caused the entire world to vibrate and turn terrifyingly dark!
As for Celestial Virūpākṣa, he looked around trembling, and said, "…….."
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Chapter 1090: Taken Advantage Of
"Impossible…. This is impossible…." Celestial Virūpākṣa looked around, trembling, his eyes blank from the terrifying nature of the ten giants' energy!
Although it wasn't quite on the archaean level, it was immeasurably close. This was only a trial by fire, but at the moment, Celestial Virūpākṣa had completely forgotten about that point. The enemies he now faced were so outrageously powerful that he almost wondered if the damaged fan were playing a practical joke on him!
There was simply no way that he could fight enemies like this. Rumbling booms echoed out as the ten giants unleashed heaven-destroying, earth-extinguishing power onto Celestial Virūpākṣa.
They were like ten vicious beasts, all of them stamping down without mercy….
It was such a fearsome sight that even Bai Xiaochun couldn't help but gasp….
Bloodcurdling screams filled the world of the eighteenth level, but thankfully, they didn't last long. Celestial Virūpākṣa soon vanished. After all, this trial by fire was not deadly in nature, and did not permit fatalities. Anyone who failed would, at worst, be teleported out of the level.
As for Celestial Virūpākṣa, although he wasn't dead, he felt like he was. All of his pride, all of the momentum he had built up through the levels, vanished.
He could only be grateful that the natural laws within the damaged fan kicked in and pulled him out. If that hadn't happened, he would have been in a truly miserable and hopeless state.
Outside in the main square, teleportation light glittered, and Celestial Virūpākṣa appeared. The first thing he did was cough up a huge mouthful of blood, and stagger backward to look at the fan rib he had just come from, his eyes shining with disbelief.
"How could this be happening…? It's impossible!! That level of difficulty… if the eighteenth level is really that hard, the levels after it would have to be outrageously difficult. There's something strange going on here!" Not only was Celestial Virūpākṣa completely crestfallen, he was also starting to get a bit angry.
The others who were gathered in the main square could see how confused Celestial Virūpākṣa was, and how badly he was trembling. Obviously, it didn't take much guesswork to come to the conclusion that he had failed to pass the level.
"Celestial Virūpākṣa is still on the eighteenth level? And he actually failed!?"
"There must be something unusual about that level. Otherwise, how could the incredible Celestial Virūpākṣa possibly have failed, and come out of it looking so out of sorts?!"
As the talk spread, Bai Xiaochun sat there, clearing his throat and blinking. Peeking out of the corner of his eye at Celestial Virūpākṣa, his heart swelled with excitement and pride.
"I guess you shouldn't have cheated, huh? How dare you try to contend with Lord Bai!?" The corners of his mouth even turned up into a slight smile.
Celestial Virūpākṣa's bedraggled state eased some of Bai Xiaochun's anger. After all, the man had openly provoked him, and then even threatened him. Considering that, simply making the level a bit harder was actually going easy on him.
"Ai, that's my biggest weakness. I'm too kind. In the cultivation world, the law of the jungle prevails! I really shouldn't be this nice." Sighing, he looked over again at the dazed Celestial Virūpākṣa for a moment before checking on the situation with some of the other trial-takers. In one fell swoop, he increased the difficulty level for all of them.
Before long, teleportation light began to flicker as demigod and devas from both dynasties were sent back to the main square. All of them were coughing up blood, and looking very confused.
"Impossible! Yesterday in the third level, I fought three beasts. But today, there were three hundred!!"
"Heavens! You guy have no idea what just happened. In the fifth level, I actually had to fight a celestial-level puppet!!"
"That's nothing! Dammit. I was really getting places in the seventh level, but right before reaching the end, the maze came to life and started changing around me!"
Everyone was crazily talking at once until Celestial Virūpākṣa's eyes suddenly began to turn very grim.
"The level of difficulty increased!" Even as everyone started to come to this conclusion, Gu Tianjun, Sima Yunhua, Prince Ur-Demon, and Reverend Devourer all teleported out. That entire group of celestials had been stuck in the sixteenth level, a fact they could have lived with, until the difficulty increased. At the moment, all of them had very unsightly expressions on their faces.
Bai Xiaochun was obviously delighted, but didn't let it show on his face. Instead, he wore a scowl. To further the act, he hurried into the seventh level as if to look around.
Upon emerging, he exclaimed, "The seventh level did change! Heavens! You people wouldn't believe what I saw in there. Absolutely terrifying!"
On any other occasion, Bai Xiaochun's exaggerated cries would have provoked cold laughter. But right now, everyone was so grim-faced that they didn't even notice.
All of them were trying to figure out why, all of a sudden, all of them had experienced failures!
The trials of the damaged fan had only been open for half a month, and now all of them were feeling very dazed and bereft of any hope.
Bai Xiaochun's plan was just to wait for the time limit to run out two months later. However, who could have predicted what was to come only half a month later? Suddenly, the spirit automaton of the damaged fan, which had faded away into slumber after being assailed by the power of the spirit enhancement, woke up!
Rumbling sounds filled the entire damaged fan, and all of the levels instantly went back to normal. None of them had increased levels of difficulty anymore!
Furthermore, after awakening, the spirit automaton locked its attention onto Bai Xiaochun, as though it wished to wrest full control of the fan back. That was quite startling to Bai Xiaochun, who sat there rotating his cultivation base and doing his best to maintain his strange connection to the fan!
He was like a rowboat on stormy seas, his mind reeling as his connection was attacked ferociously. If he had been in the Demigod Realm, his mind would have already collapsed, and his connection broken.
But Bai Xiaochun was a celestial now, and although he couldn't fight back, he could defend himself. Unfortunately, he didn't know how long he could hold out!
No one in the area had any idea what was happening, not even the celestials. This was a level of combat that far surpassed them, and they couldn't even detect it!
Four hours passed in which Bai Xiaochun trembled, his face slowly turning ashen. He was pushing his cultivation base to the limits, and was reaching the point where his mind couldn't handle the stress. At that point, right when his strange connection to the fan was about to be severed, he heard a howl of defiance as the spirit automaton slowly faded away into slumber again!
Bai Xiaochun opened his eyes. He was drenched with sweat, and was mentally exhausted. It had been a vicious struggle in which he could clearly sense how much the damaged fan hated him.
"Thankfully, the spirit automaton is also damaged, and can't stay awake for very long…." He took in a shaky breath. However, now that he had full control of the fan back, his face suddenly fell. "Dammit, they took advantage of me again!"
As of this moment, he realized that in the four hours that he had been struggling with the spirit automaton, quite a few people had gone back into the challenges!
Li Donghao had passed the sixth level! Preceptor Seadeep was in the ninth level! Gu Tianjun and the other celestials were in the sixteenth and seventeenth levels!
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Chapter 1091: I'll Add Some More!
What was most infuriating was that Celestial Virūpākṣa had somehow figured out a way to bring Prince Ur-Demon and Reverend Devourer with him into one of the fan ribs. The three of them had teamed up to challenge the eighteenth level!
Apparently, Celestial Virūpākṣa's experiences in the fan allowed him to identify a loophole that not even Bai Xiaochun was aware of. As soon as that enormous celestial-level head appeared in the desert, they cut it down!
After easily passing the level, the group of three used the same method to get through the nineteenth level. As of this moment, they were already in the twentieth level!
Thankfully, the twentieth level was significantly harder than the previous levels. The three celestials were fighting a type of minotaur-like monster. Whether it was in terms of speed or fleshly body strength, the minotaurs were far superior to Celestial Virūpākṣa and his companions.
In addition, these were male minotaurs, all of them huge in size and violent in temperament!
The vast plane that made up the twentieth level was filled with their thunderous grunts and howls.
It went without saying that the minotaur monsters were extremely intelligent, and didn't need to perform incantation gestures to unleash magical techniques. They were innately able to utilize various divine abilities, which manifested in the form of yellow halos of light that shot at rapid speed toward Celestial Virūpākṣa and the other celestials.
Any of them who got hit by one of the halos would be shaken all the way down to their soul.
Any demigod cultivators in this situation would be defeated instantly, and then teleported out of the level. In fact, even celestials on their own would have had trouble. Only by teaming up in a group of three were they able to hold their own.
Apparently, this twentieth level was a watershed mark, and therefore, was extremely difficult. In terms of the difficulty, none of the previous levels could even come close.
The only person who might have had a chance was Bai Xiaochun, with his incredible powers of regeneration.
Another factor that played into it was that these monsters were things that didn't exist in the Eternal Immortal Domains.
Clearly, they were native to whatever world the owner of this fan had come from!
Because of how difficult the level was, Celestial Virūpākṣa and his companions were not able to simply pass through the level. If they had, then Bai Xiaochun would have awoken to find them further along.
As Bai Xiaochun watched them fighting, he came to the conclusion that it would be very dangerous if they passed this level. Besides, he had worked extremely hard to acquire some level of authority over the fan, and there was no way he would just hand it over to someone else.
"It seems I really was too kind before. Alright, Virūpākṣa, you codger. You may be dead set on cheating, but I simply can't allow it! Trying to compete with me in cheating? Want to see how badly I'll torment you? Fudge! Bai Xiaochun hates nothing more in life than cheaters!" Not having time to concern himself with any of the other cultivators in the various challenges, he focused all of his mental energy on the three celestials from the Vile-Emperor Dynasty.
There really was no way that he could possibly allow them to succeed in their effort. Calling upon his connection to the fan, he sent some divine sense into the twentieth level to set the difficulty level as high as it would go!
He held nothing back, and did not hesitate at all. Instantly, the air around the three celestials began to ripple and distort.
Celestial Virūpākṣa and his companions were in the middle of fighting ten of the minotaur monsters. The fighting was fierce, and intense booms filled the air, causing the three celestials' eyes to flash.
"I have the feeling that if we can get past this level," Celestial Virūpākṣa said with a growl, "then the levels after that will be much easier. As for who gets the legacy in the end, it will depend on luck!"
One of the reasons that Celestial Virūpākṣa managed to figure out the loophole in the levels was because of his status as Top Contender. More importantly, the damaged fan was incomplete, which influenced the levels within it.
After figuring out the secret, he made an agreement with the other two about how to go through the levels. At the moment, Prince Ur-Demon was laughing proudly, and even the cold-faced Reverend Devourer was having a hard time concealing his excitement. Although these minotaur monsters were very strong, all three of them were sure that, in the end, they would defeat every last one of them.
Although their level of cooperation couldn't be described as perfect, they had all known each other for many years, and had worked together before. Celestial Virūpākṣa acted as the muscle, Reverend Devourer provided backup with divine abilities, and Prince Ur-Demon used the power of his spell formations to defend them as a group. Although they experienced setbacks throughout the battle, they still fought with skill and efficiency.
By now, the minotaur monsters were clearly running out of energy. Once they faltered, the three celestials would make their move and wipe them out.
Bai Xiaochun chuckled coldly. Earlier, he had been a bit nervous about adjusting the difficulty levels. But now he didn't feel nervous at all. Besides, he could sense that after his previous struggle with the spirit automaton of the fan, his own level of control had improved.
Furthermore, his divine sense was telling him that he now had the power to delay the activation of the teleportation function in the challenges….
"I wonder how long I can delay it…?" he thought, licking his lips. After a moment, he rubbed his bag of holding, and an evil glint passed through his eyes.
Meanwhile, back in the challenge, the ten minotaur monsters finally collapsed, indicating that Celestial Virūpākṣa, Reverend Devourer and Prince Ur-Demon had met the requirements and finished the challenge.
"We did it!" Celestial Virūpākṣa said, smiling. Prince Ur-Demon and Reverend Devourer were both quite excited. However, as the three of them waited to be teleported out, a great weight suddenly pressed down on them from above.
"That aura…." Celestial Virūpākṣa was the first to feel uneasy, considering what he had experienced before. Backing up, he shouted, "Something strange is going on again!"
It was only at this point that Prince Ur-Demon and Reverend Devourer sensed the same pressure filling the twentieth level.
Faces flickering, they also started backing up. That was when rumbling sounds rolled out in all directions as monstrous figures began to materialize up above!
1.
10.
50….
Soon there were 100 minotaur monsters, all of them bursting with violence and energy as they stared at the three celestials. Then, howling, they charged forth in attack.
In the blink of an eye, the lands were shaking, and the nearby mountains were trembling. Celestial Virūpākṣa's face fell, and both Prince Ur-Demon and Reverend Devourer were left gasping.
"Dammit, Virūpākṣa! Didn't you say that nothing like this would happen?!"
"Ten of these minotaur monsters were exhausting enough, and now we have to deal with a hundred?!?!" It wasn't that Prince Ur-Demon and Reverend Devourer weren't willing to go all out in their fighting. But they had barely been able to defeat the minotaur monsters from before. And now, just when they had gotten their hopes up that things were over, they suddenly realized how wrong they had been.
As the celestials backed up, the minotaur monsters charged through the air toward them, and Bai Xiaochun chuckled coldly.
"Think you can just run? If a hundred aren't enough, then I'll add some more!" Gritting his teeth, he decided that he absolutely had to kill Celestial Virūpākṣa's momentum. Otherwise, the next time the fan's spirit automaton came back to struggle for control, he would definitely take advantage of the moment to pass the twentieth level.
Having made his decision, Bai Xiaochun followed through!
Rumbling sounds filled the twentieth level as, to the utter shock and madness of Celestial Virūpākṣa, Reverend Devourer and Prince Ur-Demon, more minotaur monsters began to rise up from the grass around them. One after another, they howled with passion as they charged!
Even the powerful Celestial Virūpākṣa felt his scalp tingling on the verge of exploding.
"Heavens…."
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