Chapter 446

Chapter 446: The First Secret Realm, The Great Bandit Strikes (Third Watch)

"Master, please inform us of Lin Qianmo’s whereabouts."

Martial Emperor Lingxiao spoke solemnly.

He had already decided to confront Lin Qianmo first.

"Ten days from now, I shall return to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

Li Ruoyu, his eyes tightly shut, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

"Do you wish to purchase the information together?" Ye Xu scanned the Immortal Emperors.

"Might that be possible?"

Qin Emperor asked politely, a trace of unease in his heart.

Being newcomers, a certain degree of caution was inevitable.

"Of course it is possible."

Ye Xu beamed with delight.

Calculating the time, Lin Qianmo and the others had likely already entered the ultimate void, and the Place of Origin was on the cusp of being opened. Once the Place of Origin was accessed, the commotion would surely be impossible to hide from everyone.

There existed a time gap here.

Ye Xu could make a tidy profit just in time.

"The place Lin Qianmo is located is a top-tier Secret Realm within the Pangu universe, extraordinarily profound," Ye Xu said with a smile. "They spent tens of trillions of Star Yuan just to purchase the information about that Secret Realm."

"Tens of trillions?"

Hearing the price, their eyelids twitched.

Tens of trillions of Star Yuan was far from a small sum.

"A top-tier Secret Realm?" Li Ruoyu’s expression changed slightly; any place that could interest Lin Qianmo and her companions must surely involve the secret of Transcendence.

However, Li Ruoyu couldn’t complain.

He was like a clay Buddha fording a river – barely able to save himself – and could only hunker down in Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, not in a position to complain about others.

"Dear friends, do not worry," Ye Xu said. "I fully understand your sentiments."

"This time, I will accept a loss and offer you a fifty percent discount."

"Twenty trillion Star Yuan."

Xuan Du Ancient Immortal had paid forty trillion Star Yuan for the complete information on the Place of Origin; selling it to them certainly shouldn’t be for much less.

Resold information at half price was perfectly reasonable.

Anyway, it was pure profit for Ye Xu.

Li Ruoyu gazed at Ye Xu with a strange look; he didn’t believe such kindness existed.

"Twenty trillion Star Yuan, for dear friends like yourselves, is just a tiny fraction," Ye Xu said jovially.

"This concubine will pay four trillion."

Empress Yan stepped into Heaven’s Secret Pavilion with her long, straight legs. With a mere thought, two innate supreme treasures flew out from her Purple Palace—one a divine weapon, the other an innate divine medicine.

Qin Emperor declared, "Two trillion total. A billion Star Yuan each."

A billion Star Yuan per person? A mere drop in the bucket.

In the next breath, treasured artifacts, immortal pills, and immortal medicines drifted through the air.

"Here lies the information you seek."

Ye Xu channeled his magic power, directing over a dozen jade slips into the hands of the Immortal Emperors. Within these jade slips were fuzzy details of the Place of Origin, along with its precise coordinates.

Beyond that, nothing more.

He had no intention of handing them complete information about the Place of Origin, after all, this was a joint venture funded by their two-trillion collection.

Most importantly, their deepest desire lay within intel concerning Lin Qianmo.

"And I must forewarn you," Ye Xu spoke earnestly, "The Place of Origin ranks as the foremost Secret Realm within the Pangu universe, fraught with countless dangers. What fortune you reap hangs entirely upon your own capabilities."

"A single misstep could very well mean death."

"So perilous?"

Martial Emperor Lingxiao trembled with exhilaration. "Then this Emperor has certainly not come in vain."

"Dear friends! Let us bear witness to the Pangu universe’s greatest Secret Realm!"

He raised his arm high, rallying the multitudes who gathered behind him instantly.

Martial Emperor Lingxiao halted abruptly, turning a fierce glare upon Li Ruoyu. "Li Ruoyu! Stay put right here in Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. In ten days, this Emperor will return to settle our score!"

Li Ruoyu’s face darkened.

Swoosh!

The Immortal Emperors bade their farewells in unison, releasing their magic power as they soared towards the Place of Origin.

"Master," Li Ruoyu inquired, "Is this ‘Place of Origin’ perchance the realm ranked second on the Secret Realm Ranking?"

Ye Xu gave a slow nod.

"To surpass even Pangu’s Daoist Temple… surely it must be extraordinary?" Li Ruoyu murmured wistfully.

"You wish to know as well?" Ye Xu teased.

"Alas, you lack the courage to venture there."

Li Ruoyu’s expression dimmed, defeated. The truth stung. Even holding the secrets of the Place of Origin, his mere Innate Dao Body dared not risk the journey under the watchful eyes of those Immortal Emperors.

"With them departed," Li Ruoyu said, steadily rising to his feet, "This Emperor, too, shall take his leave."

Xixi looked startled.

"But Senior," she blurted out in confusion, "Didn’t you just pay your lodging fee?"

A sharp glint flashed in Li Ruoyu’s eyes and a chilling smile played on his lips. "That expenditure was solely for their presence within Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. With them gone? This Emperor also departs."

Twelve hundred billion Star Yuan could keep a bunch of sticky plaster away from him, and it was well worth the spending.

"Master, with this departure, I do not know when we shall meet again," Li Ruoyu felt a bit sentimental and said. "However, when we meet again, I should have already transcended."

"If I have not transcended, then I will ask for the Master’s help to lend me a hand."

Although he hated Ye Xu, he truly admired him.

Of course, it was merely fear of Ye Xu’s strength.

Li Ruoyu straightened his clothing and bowed respectfully.

After paying his respects, Li Ruoyu strode out of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

"Senior, where is he going?" Xixi asked.

"He intends to learn from Mad Daoist." Ye Xu’s gaze was complex. Nowadays, the Immortal Emperors on the Golden List of the Unparalleled Rankings had almost all emerged from the six universes, descending upon the Pangu universe, and the defenses of those universes must have been very weak.

Moreover, the Immortal Emperors from the Qing Xuan plane and Li Ruoyu and the others had the initiative. The details of Mad Daoist’s transcendence were crystal clear to them.

With this journey, the six universes would certainly be thrown into chaos.

Regarding Li Ruoyu, Ye Xu felt deeply touched.

In the first half of his life, he was the Heavenly Emperor. Protecting all beings was his great aspiration. After becoming the Heavenly Emperor, he attempted to transcend by relying on fortune, rallying the power of all beings to forge the Immortal Realm and gather the world’s fortune.

Yet, that method did not allow him to transcend.

From then on, Li Ruoyu sought every means to attempt transcendence.

It was also from that time that he was no longer the Heavenly Emperor.

Now, he was Li Ruoyu!

Li Ruoyu left Heaven’s Secret Pavilion and arrived at a Daoist sanctum where Yin and Yang had not yet separated, awakening the Immortal Emperor Taisu.

"Daoist friend Taisu." Li Ruoyu descended into the sanctum.

"Your Majesty." The Immortal Emperor Taisu wore plain robes, five Divine Mountains encircled him, the divine patterns of the Five Innate Elements flowed, emitting boundless mystery, the Dao rhythm was imprinted in heaven and earth, extremely profound.

He was comprehending the mysteries of the Five Innate Elements.

The Immortal Emperor Taisu looked at Li Ruoyu, his expression showing surprise. "Is this Your Majesty’s Innate Dao Body?"

Li Ruoyu’s purpose in collecting the Innate Dao Seed and the Ziwei Spirit Root had not been concealed from the Immortal Emperor Taisu and Mu Fanyin, so the Immortal Emperor Taisu had also noticed the uniqueness of that body.

"Any insights?" Li Ruoyu asked.

"I have already comprehended some profound wonders from it and am currently organizing and summarizing them. Within a month, I will fully compile the mysteries of the Five Innate Elements," the Immortal Emperor Taisu said.

"This method can assist me in transcending." Li Ruoyu nodded.

The Immortal Emperor Taisu was born from Taishi Divine Mountain, and his Transcendence Method suited only him.

“Let’s pause for now,” Li Ruoyu said. “I shall journey to the six great universes to seize certain resources.”

“Is Your Majesty imitating the Mad Daoist?” The Immortal Emperor Taisu frowned.

Li Ruoyu smiled faintly.

“It never hurts to secure a backup plan.”

“As Your Majesty commands.”

Together, they departed from that place.

Several hours later, both traversed the Cosmic Passage, arriving at the Qing Xuan plane, within the Primordial Daoist Sect.

“Daoist brother Heavenly Emperor.”

“Daoist friend Taisu.”

Daoist Qing Xuan emerged to welcome them, as three other Immortal Emperors simultaneously made their appearance.

This sect’s heritage was indeed profound.

“I have already informed the Taishang Palace, the Hall of Ten Thousand Immortals, Lingshan, and the Dragon Emperor of Lei Ze,” Daoist Qing Xuan stated slowly after everyone was seated.

“But what is Daoist friend Mu’s take on this?”

Li Ruoyu answered, “Daoist friend Mu has no interest in plundering. She is currently immersed in solitary cultivation. Moreover, most top-tier Immortal Emperors from the six universes are presently in Pangu universe, completely manipulated by the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.”

“When we invade the six universes, we won’t face significant resistance.”

“Swiftness is the essence of warfare.”

“Immovable as a mountain, fierce as fire.”

“This time, we must strike swiftly, seize what we need, and depart at once.”

“Well said.” Daoist Qing Xuan erupted into laughter.

Li Ruoyu must have planned this long ago. Otherwise, his considerations wouldn’t be so meticulous.

After the time it took a stick of incense to burn,

The Dragon Emperor of Lei Ze and the others arrived.

“Daoist friend, when do we move?” the Dragon Emperor of Lei Ze asked impatiently.

“Immediately.”

Li Ruoyu declared, “We have at least ten days.”

“More than enough,”

Immortal Emperor Xuanji remarked.

“Dear friends, have you considered the repercussions?” Taishang Immortal Emperor furrowed her delicate brows. “If we plunder alien universes, Heaven’s Secret Pavilion will eventually uncover our actions.”

“Hahaha…”

Daoist Qing Xuan let out a cold laugh. “Daoist friend Taishang, despite your hundreds of millions of years cultivating, you still fail to grasp this. Once we gather sufficient resources, we’ll purchase the method of transcendence from Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. After transcending…”

"Striking first gives the advantage!"

Daoist Qing Xuan’s expression turned frenzied.

To transcend, sacrificing six universes was something he would absolutely do.

"Well said."

Immortal Emperor Xuanji responded, "At worst, with our power after transcending, we could still permanently seal the alien universe passage."

"Reasonable."

Dragon Emperor of Lei Ze laughed heartily, "That Mad Daoist only transcended by plundering the Qing Xuan plane."

"This time, we’ll plunder others."

"What does the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s sin have to do with us?" Immortal Emperor Xuanji smiled gracefully.

"Amitabha Buddha."

Amitabha Emperor clasped his palms together.

"We depart immediately."

Li Ruoyu said solemnly.

Swish!

Seventeen Immortal Emperors flew into the Pangu universe.

This time, nearly all Three Yuan Proof experts from the Qing Xuan plane’s five major factions mobilized, aiming to plunder maximum resources in the shortest time to achieve transcendence.

"Your Majesty, that monk seems peculiar."

Immortal Emperor Taisu transmitted his voice to Li Ruoyu, "Though his aura reaches the Peak of Immortal Emperor realm, it feels utterly bizarre—unlike his true form."

"Pay it no mind."

Li Ruoyu said lightly.

He wouldn’t waste precious time over some old bald monk.

After all, they had at most ten days.

Besides these two, none—including Daoist Qing Xuan—detected anything amiss with Amitabha Emperor.

……

Within Lingshan’s forbidden grounds.

Upon the Eight Heavenly Dragons pillar, the eight luck dragons had been fully refined by Dao King under Amitabha Emperor’s guidance. The entire Lingshan’s fortune now resided solely within Dao King.

His cultivation had ascended from Immortal King realm to the Peak of Immortal Venerable.

Vast fortune energy filled Dao King’s core. The Enlightenment Tree burgeoned robustly, merging completely with his primordial spirit to become a vessel of destiny.

Over eons, bathed in this fortune, the Enlightenment Tree seemed to have mutated.

Paired with Dao King’s Wuyou Dao Canon, it was as if tailored for him.

"Disciple, they have made their move."

A figure approached. Amitabha Emperor, gentle-eyed and benevolent, clasped his palms together.

"Congratulations, master."

Dao King rose hastily, bowing deeply to Amitabha Emperor.

"They have at most ten days."

"That equally means we possess only ten days."

Amitabha Emperor smiled.

"Ten days are more than sufficient." Dao King’s smile turned sinister as he urged eagerly, "Master, we must act now without delay. Lest long nights breed strange dreams."

"Amitabha Buddha."

Amitabha Emperor chanted the sacred name.

Swoosh!

Both vanished from their spots.

Instantly,

the golden Buddhas enshrined throughout Lingshan began sprouting spiderweb-like cracks. The entire mountain shuddered as its spiritual energy withered at visible speed.

Exotic flora withered rapidly.

Countless disciples meditating grew disturbed, slipping into qi deviation.

Some dissolved instantly—merging with the Dao—reduced to ashes.

The fortune accumulated over Lingshan’s countless eras dissipated entirely.

From this moment, Lingshan would become a wasteland—a forbidden zone.