Chapter 203

Chapter 203: Ambitious

"He didn’t know if those fellows were alive or dead."

Ye Xu descended from the Jianmu divine tree, his gaze lingering.

The Jianmu divine tree supported the world of the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest, and not being able to take it away was a great regret for Ye Xu.

Lin Qianmo, Nangong Zhandao, and others had already left. The Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest was deserted. Ye Xu traversed the Sea of the Universe and slowly flew out of the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest.

The instant he flew out of the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest, the world entrance instantly closed.

After that, not a trace of its aura could be sensed anymore.

Its next appearance was far off and uncertain.

"Brother Ye." Great Emperor Ziwei was waiting at the exit. Seeing Ye Xu come out, he immediately stepped forward to greet him.

"Brother Yu, why haven’t you left yet?" Ye Xu said with a smile.

Great Emperor Ziwei said, "I want to go with Brother Ye to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion to meet the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

Ye Xu had a strange expression.

"Does Brother Ye not want to go to Yuan Realm?" Great Emperor Ziwei added.

"Yuan Realm is the ancestral home. Naturally, I have to go there," Ye Xu said smilingly. "Since Brother Yu wants to go to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, I’ll accompany you on this trip."

"That’s excellent."

Great Emperor Ziwei laughed heartily, put his arm around Ye Xu’s shoulder, and both flew out of Tianxu, crossing the Sea of All Realms.

Landing on the Sea of All Realms and looking at the boundless sea, Ye Xu felt complicated emotions.

This was formed from the blood of Pangu.

No wonder since ancient times, the Sea of All Realms had been eternally indestructible, and the primordial beings born from the Sea of All Realms were naturally powerful, almost immortal.

"This journey to the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest took a month. In another ten days or so, the seal at Godfall Ridge will be released, and the great change in Yuan Realm will come," Ye Xu thought inwardly.

He had waited a full four months and was finally about to witness the great change in Yuan Realm.

He looked at Great Emperor Ziwei. This guy insisted on inviting him to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, probably because he knew about the great change in Yuan Realm and wanted to get a piece of it.

The two walked across the Sea of All Realms. The sea was sparsely populated, different from before, and extremely unusual.

"I heard there is a habitat on the Sea of All Realms, called the Three Thousand Immortal Islands?" Ye Xu asked.

Great Emperor Ziwei nodded and said, "The people of the Three Thousand Immortal Islands are rogue cultivators gathered from all over. The islands are scattered like stars all around, able to endure the erosion of the power of chaos without damage, not ordinary things."

"Legend has it that behind the Three Thousand Immortal Islands, there is a top expert whose strength is no less than Su Miao Zhen, Dao King, and others, but elusive, seen neither head nor tail, and no one has ever encountered this person."

"Building such a vast domain on the Sea of All Realms probably isn’t something an ordinary top expert could achieve," Ye Xu laughed.

The Three Thousand Immortal Islands had a broad territory, masters as many as clouds, and were an unignorable force in the lower world.

"Even if stronger, it couldn’t be an immortal, could it?" Great Emperor Ziwei said dismissively. "True immortals are bound by the rules of the heavenly path and cannot reside long in the lower world."

"The stronger the cultivation, the greater the restraint."

Ye Xu did not argue with him, but he did not agree with Great Emperor Ziwei’s view either.

After all, at this time, the human ancestor might well be enjoying life carefree in some corner of the lower realm.

The two of them headed straight for the Yuan Realm.

……

In the Spirit Realm, at the Taihao Heavenly Sect.

Dao King and the second elder of the Taihao Heavenly Sect had already returned to the sect.

Dao King said lightly, "Second elder, pass down the order to gather all the elders to the Taihao Divine Hall."

"Yes."

The second elder bowed and retreated, coming to a high platform. Above the platform hung an ancient bronze divine bell, carved with mysterious divine patterns and totems.

Dong!

The second elder stirred his mana and struck the ancient bell.

The clear and melodious sound of the bell instantly resounded through the Taihao Heavenly Sect, and instantly resounded in countless Purple Palaces of the Taihao Heavenly Sect. No matter how far, everyone could hear the bell sound.

"It’s the Taihao Divine Bell!"

"The Taihao Divine Bell is the treasure of our sect, passed down from the founding ancestor. Without a major event, it should never be sounded! What has happened that requires the Taihao Divine Bell to be rung?"

The sect members who heard the bell sound, whether disciples, deacons, or elders, were all extremely shocked.

Since the founding of the Taihao Heavenly Sect, the Taihao Divine Bell had been rung only three times. Each time it rang, the sect faced a major crisis.

Even when the previous sect master, Withered Wood Daoist, was killed, it did not reach the level of using the Taihao Divine Bell.

At this moment, countless disciples rushed to the sect from distant places.

Half a day later, in the Taihao Divine Hall.

A total of twenty-eight elders gathered together. This was the first time since the fall of Withered Wood Daoist that the experts of the Taihao Heavenly Sect had regathered.

A white-haired old woman asked, "Why is the Hall Master’s Elder not here?"

The second elder said, "The Hall Master’s Elder entered the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest and was blinded by the desire for attaining immortality. Now he has stepped into the Immortal Realm, and we cannot reach him."

"Has the Hall Master’s Elder attained immortality?"

The elders upon hearing this were all exhilarated and full of envy.

The high-ranking members of the Taihao Heavenly Sect knew quite a bit about the affairs of the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest, but those qualified to go there were exceedingly few.

It should be noted that the Taihao Heavenly Sect only had five Emperor Venerables in total. Even when the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest appeared, only Dao King, the Hall Master’s Elder, and the second elder went.

The remaining members were ordered to safeguard the sect.

Dao King’s voice sounded, "Attaining immortality isn’t that easy."

"We pay respects to the Sect Master," everyone said, kneeling down.

Dao King ignored it and said, "The Immortal Realm is no longer what it once was. If they enter the Immortal Realm, they won’t attain immortality; instead, they will turn into a pile of bones."

"How can that be?" everyone said with disbelief.

The second elder said sternly, "Do not speak any further about the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest. Since the Sect Master has spoken thus, there must be reason for it. Today, summoning you all here was not to discuss this matter."

The elders were utterly bewildered.

"The leaders of the Spirit Realm, the Mysterious Realm, and the Shadow Realm, along with their top experts, have all entered the Immortal Realm. Currently, each realm is without a ruler. This presents a prime opportunity to annex them."

Dao King spoke unhurriedly, "Obey my command. Ready the armies and prepare for battle. Tomorrow, we crush Empress Nuwa Palace and the Holy Sect of Transformation."

Dao King’s eyes were ablaze, a frenzied grin spreading across his face.

His ambition had finally erupted.

"Sect Master, this elderly one has a suggestion." The old woman’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Though Empress Nuwa Palace and the Holy Sect of Transformation have lost their Palace Masters and leaders, they still have experts at the Emperor Venerable level."

"Naturally, these people could be annihilated in an instant by you, Sect Master."

"However…"

"Out with it."

Dao King wore a smile, listening to the old woman’s suggestion with keen interest.

The old woman took a long breath. "Both the Holy Sect of Transformation and Empress Nuwa Palace have ancestors who gave rise to true immortals. Their sect-protecting grand formations are the pinnacle of defensive arrays in this lower realm."

"With our current strength, breaching their grand formations quickly would likely prove very difficult."

"As everyone knows, the upheaval in the Yuan Realm is imminent. If we miss the fortunes of the Yuan Realm because we are attacking Empress Nuwa Palace and the Holy Sect of Transformation, we would likely gain less than we lose."

"There’s another point."

She laid out her perspective all at once and continued, "Even if we expend time and effort to conquer Empress Nuwa Palace and the Holy Sect of Transformation, once news spreads, the Mysterious Realm and the Shadow Realm will inevitably form an alliance."

"Our forces are insufficient for the Taihao Heavenly Sect to simultaneously capture both the Mysterious Realm and the Shadow Realm."

"Hmm, that’s sensible."

Many elders pondered in agreement.

"Well said."

Dao King laughed. "However, since I have made my decision, I will certainly conquer all realms and make the Taihao Heavenly Sect the sole ruler over the Spirit Realm, the Mysterious Realm, and the Shadow Realm."

"Step forward!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, numerous figures materialized out of thin air within the Taihao Divine Hall.

There were men and women.

Nine in total.

Each of them possessed cultivation at the Emperor Venerable Realm. The moment the nine Emperor Venerables appeared, they bowed deeply to Dao King, their expressions vacant, and chorused, "We pay homage to the Master."

"Emperor Venerable Qingluo!"

"Emperor Venerable Shechan!"

"Emperor Venerable Wuji!"

"Emperor Venerable Ziyue!"

"…"

Witnessing these nine figures appear from nothing, everyone present shook with awe.

These nine Emperor Venerables, each with their own name and fame, were renowned rogue cultivators from various realms, yet without exception, they all addressed Dao King as their master at this moment.

It was utterly absurd that Emperor Venerables of such stature would acknowledge someone as their master.

"Something’s wrong… their condition is far too strange." The old woman spotted the anomaly; the nine appeared numb, like puppets, their eyes vacant and utterly unlike normal individuals.

"Could it be…?"

A terrifying conclusion struck the old woman: Dao King had completely refined their primordial spirits, turning them into puppets he could manipulate at will.

"Over the past few centuries, I expended significant effort to suppress and refine each of these nine one by one, making them my puppets. Though mere puppets, they still possess Emperor Venerable level power."

Dao King chuckled lightly; these individuals were once influential figures, yet now they were but Walking Corpses.

"So it was all the sect master’s doing…"

The old woman was both shocked and terrified. For centuries, these once prominent figures had vanished without a trace, yet no one knew the truth.

Who could have imagined Dao King had secretly refined them, all for this very day: to conquer Empress Nuwa Palace and the Holy Sect of Transformation in one fell swoop.

"Take action!"

With a wave of his sleeve, Dao King vanished.

…

Empress Nuwa Palace.

"The Palace Master’s soul lamp has extinguished!"

The Empress Nuwa Palace Great Emperor guarding the soul lamp hall stumbled into a grand hall. Inside were the Hall Master’s Elder of Empress Nuwa Palace and an exceptionally handsome youth.

This youth was the only child of the Palace Master and Vice Palace Master of Empress Nuwa Palace.

"We know."

The Hall Master’s Elder looked grave, his eyes filled with deep worry.

"Both Palace Masters pursued attaining immortality and entered the Immortal Realm. Now one has fallen, the other remains missing, leaving this wretched mess for us."

His voice burned with anger.

"Hall Master’s Elder, now is not the time to dwell on this," the youth said calmly. "Before they departed, they both sent me word: Dao King did not enter the Immortal Realm."

Swoosh!

Hearing this, the Hall Master’s Elder’s pupils contracted instantly.

"How… how did he resist the allure of attaining immortality?" The Hall Master’s Elder was profoundly terrified.

The youth shook his head.

"Dao King is wildly ambitious. Now that the leaders and top experts of nearly all sects have entered the Immortal Realm and cannot return, he will surely seize this chance to strike and swallow both Empress Nuwa Palace and the Holy Sect of Transformation."

"What can we possibly do?" panicked the Great Emperor who guarded the soul lamp hall.

"Perhaps," muttered the Hall Master’s Elder solemnly, "pledging allegiance to the Taihao Heavenly Sect, submitting to Dao King’s command, is still an option… and not too late."

A flash of disappointment flickered in the youth’s eyes.

"It’s too late."

The youth spoke indifferently. "Dao King is ruthless and cold-blooded, capable of killing his own master. He would never leave a potential threat behind. Were I him, I wouldn’t spare a Taihao Heavenly Sect that could be crushed effortlessly and offered no value."

"Surrender offers only death."

"Even if we must die, let us die with dignity."

"We are the descendants of Empress Nuwa, the blood of the Sacred Ancestor flows in our veins."