Chapter 177
by fanqienovelChapter 177: Tai Sui
"Daoist friend Su."
Emperor Venerable Mi Luo clasped his hands in greeting, offering a gentle smile.
He disregarded Dao King and looked down upon the emperors, yet upon seeing Su Miao Zhen, he voluntarily paid his respects, leaving everyone astonished.
What background did this ice-cold beauty possess?
Su Miao Zhen remained frostily silent.
Clad in black robes, her stern countenance resembled a snow plum atop the Tianshan Mountains, standing solitary between heaven and earth.
Within a ten-mile radius of where she stood, none dared approach.
Her features paled far in comparison to Lin Qianmo or Lan Youruo—lacking any nationally captivating beauty—yet her mere presence commanded attention.
No one could overshadow her brilliance.
"Since the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest has emerged, let us enter." Su Miao Zhen strode toward the forest like an unsheathed divine sword; her aura caused the Emperor Venerables to tremble.
"Daoist friend," frowned the Palace Master of the Holy Mother Palace, her gaze sharp. "We paid a steep price to obtain the location of the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest from the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. You utter not a word yet seek to enter? This is utterly unreasonable."
"No matter." Dao King smiled wryly. "Fellow Daoist Su acts with unconstrained freedom, caring little for worldly formalities. Now that Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest has appeared, she naturally cannot miss it."
"If a fight ensues, chaos is certain."
Emperor Venerable Yama nodded in agreement with Dao King.
Su Miao Zhen and Emperor Venerable Mi Luo’s arrival represented two rival factions: cultivators from the Five Realms versus Great Emperors and Emperor Venerables across all realms.
A deadlock between them would inevitably spark massive conflict.
Those gathered for Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest naturally wished no accident to occur before its sighting.
Yet the very fact that Dao King showed restraint revealed Su Miao Zhen’s formidable strength.
"Dao King. Hailed as Number One in the Lower Realms, yet someone slipped right under your nose into Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest undetected. Truly unworthy of the title."
Su Miao Zhen showed zero appreciation for Dao King’s yielding.
She curled her lip, unleashing a ruthless sneer.
"Someone slipped into Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest?"
Emperor Venerable Zi Zai’s expression warped with disbelief. "We guarded the rainbow bridge as secure as Mount Tai—not even a fly could’ve passed! How could anyone possibly enter?"
BOOM!
Abruptly, an unnatural surge pulsed from within Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest as power erupted. Every face instantly hardened.
Dao King’s countenance darkened.
"Hahahaha! Dao King, it appears the title of ‘Number One in the Lower Realms’ shall soon pass to another!" Emperor Venerable Mi Luo roared with laughter.
Whoosh!
Ignoring everyone, Dao King swept Yan Duxing and the Elder of Taihao Heavenly Sect into his wake as he charged into Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest.
The Emperor Venerable Yama’s gaze was grave as he followed swiftly.
Various Emperor Venerables one after another took flight toward the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest.
In an instant, streaks of multicolored light crisscrossed the heavens and earth, converging toward the world’s entrance.
Ye Xu and Great Emperor Ziwei were the last to enter.
No sooner had they stepped into the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest than an overwhelming ripple of power erupted from the east. There, two Emperor Venerables had unleashed their attacks; their domains of the Great Dao warped the very landscape and skies.
These two Emperor Venerables were the Palace Master of Empress Nuwa Palace and Emperor Venerable Mi Luo.
Clashing fiercely over a miraculous Nine-Colored Flower.
"The Nine-Colored Flower?"
"A ten-million-year-old Nine-Colored Flower!"
Great Emperor Ziwei’s eyes bulged, licking his lips. The Nine-Colored Flower nurtured the soul and spirit, priceless beyond measure, let alone one ten million years old!
A single Nine-Colored Flower was nearly comparable to a top-tier Emperor Venerable’s magical treasures.
"Brother Ye," Great Emperor Ziwei said excitedly, "the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest is truly dripping with riches. Even a scrap of benefit we might scrape here could sustain us for eternity."
Ye Xu remained unimpressed.
Nurtured over countless millions of years, the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest held untold treasures of celestial and earthly rarity. Any single one taken out would be hailed as a supreme treasure.
The Nine-Colored Flower before them was merely a drop in the bucket.
Boom!
The battle between Emperor Venerable Mi Luo and the Palace Master of Empress Nuwa Palace ended astonishingly fast.
Emperor Venerable Mi Luo, being a peerless powerhouse on par with Dao King, Emperor Venerable Yama, and Su Miao Zhen, naturally dispatched the mere Palace Master of Empress Nuwa Palace with ease.
However, two more Emperor Venerables from Empress Nuwa Palace swiftly rushed into the fray.
The battle’s equilibrium was instantly restored.
But just a quarter hour later, accompanied by a piercing cry, the Mi Luo Heavenly Tower spun violently, devouring the Nine-Colored Flower. Emperor Venerable Mi Luo vanished from the sight of all onlookers.
"Outrageous!"
The face of the Palace Master twisted in fury. Three Emperor Venerables ganging up on a single Emperor Venerable Mi Luo had still allowed him to seize the Nine-Colored Flower and escape unscathed.
Utterly humiliating.
"Palace Master, Dao King, Emperor Venerable Yama and the others have all penetrated deep into the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest,"
"Should we pursue immediately?" one Emperor Venerable suggested.
The Palace Master nodded. "The master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion foretold that the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest holds seven distinct segments, each guarding one of seven supreme treasures. The Nine-Colored Flower, while precious, cannot compare to the Seven Great Treasures."
"We cannot let Dao King and Emperor Venerable Yama seize the advantage."
Her words fell, and the group chased toward the forest’s heart.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In that moment, deafening booms of battle erupted from countless directions. Innumerable Great Emperors clashed over the treasures of the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest. Order shattered; the world plunged into darkness.
"Brother Qing Xuan, come quickly!"
Great Emperor Ziwei seemed to have made a discovery. He and Ye Xu flew toward a waterfall. The waterfall was grand and majestic, plunging three thousand feet down in a mighty cascade.
And growing there on the waterfall was a meat spirit mushroom.
The meat spirit mushroom wriggled slowly, devouring the vital spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Within it, an entire miniature world seemed contained.
"This is superb culinary treasure."
Great Emperor Ziwei’s eyes gleamed intensely.
"Tai Sui?"
Ye Xu’s gaze flickered, swiftly recognizing the plant’s true nature.
"Brother Ye? Truly extraordinary. You discerned its origin at a single glance." Great Emperor Ziwei’s expression showed surprise.
"I read about it in ancient texts."
Ye Xu replied with a faint smile.
"Brother Yu, this thing is a type of primordial creature. Though its nature may be placid, it is far beyond the measure of any mere ancient ferocious beasts."
"This particular Tai Sui has slept for tens of millions of years. Clearly, it was deliberately placed within the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest. You’d best curb any covetous thoughts."
"Heh heh…"
Great Emperor Ziwei rubbed his hands eagerly. "In my entire life, I’ve never tasted a primordial being."
"The flavor of Tai Sui… I simply cannot miss it!"
"…"
Ye Xu found himself speechless.
Faced with the lure of rare delicacies, arguing with a dedicated foodie was utterly pointless.
"Brother Mu, look—a spirit mushroom!"
Just then, several more Great Emperors arrived, lured to the spot.
All three possessed roughly similar levels of cultivation.
The strongest among them merely touched the late stage of the Great Emperor realm.
"This mushroom looks… peculiar. Why does it resemble a blob of flesh?" The man named Mu, the late-stage Great Emperor, frowned, a sense of unease prickling at him.
"The Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest holds inheritances stretching back tens of millions of years. Naturally, it has nurtured many strange and wondrous treasures."
"This object is likely one such marvel."
Chimed in one Great Emperor with a laugh.
"Don’t fret over what it is. Test it with action—its true form will reveal itself soon enough." Another Great Emperor shrugged, unconcerned.
Boom!
He summoned his cultivation energy.
His imperial sword clanged fiercely as he drove its point directly toward the Tai Sui meat spirit mushroom. Sword energy crackled violently, aimed at shredding the Tai Sui into countless pieces.
"These fellows truly have no eye for rare treasures."
Great Emperor Ziwei scoffed sarcastically. "With strength like theirs, provoking Tai Sui? It’s practically inviting death."
Ye Xu shared the sentiment.
The Tai Sui before them, even diminished in power, remained a primordial being—one of the most formidable lifeforms across heaven and earth.
Mere Great Emperors couldn’t hope to scratch it, let alone inflict real harm.
Clang!
The imperial sword struck.
Cultivation energy exploded forth.
Endless waves of sword energy slammed into the body of the meat spirit mushroom.
Rooooar!
Instantly, a low, strange roar erupted.
The flesh mushroom convulsed, rippling.
In a flash, it engulfed the descending imperial sword.
A colossal force of absorption surged out.
That attacking Great Emperor had no time to react before he was hauled bodily into the undulating flesh-mass.
Swallowed whole. Clean swallowed.
Everything happened in the snap of a spark.
The two remaining observers hadn’t regained their senses before their companion was devoured.
"Wh-what kind of monster IS this?!"
Horror bloomed uncontrollably within them, their hair standing on end in dread.
Frightened stiff, they recoiled. Utterly cowed.