Chapter 178

Chapter 178: An Impaired Intellect

"It didn’t attack us."

The two men stood rooted in place, their foreheads slick with cold sweat, not daring even to breathe loudly.

After a while, the man named Mu spoke solemnly.

Having devoured one Great Emperor, Tai Sui fell dormant, ceasing its aggression toward them. Given time, the man named Mu had pieced together this pattern.

"Likely because we didn’t initiate any attacks," the man named Mu surmised.

"Brother Mu, what should we do then?"

The remaining Great Emperor trembled uncontrollably, utterly terrified.

A mid-stage Great Emperor—a Daoist friend—was gone just like that, incapable of resistance. It was deeply unsettling.

"This thing is likely an ancient creature disguised as a meat spirit mushroom to hunt. Let’s not provoke it," the man named Mu reasoned with grave sincerity.

"As for Brother Li…"

He sighed softly. "His death was in vain."

Their companion’s demise made the pair abandon all thoughts of claiming Tai Sui. They edged away with exaggerated caution, only taking flight as beams of light when a safe distance separated them.

After their departure, Great Emperor Ziwei and Ye Xu walked toward the waterfall.

"Brother Qing Xuan, this Tai Sui is rather capable. Do you have a way to subdue it?" Great Emperor Ziwei crossed his arms, his posture brimming with confidence.

Ye Xu chuckled inwardly; Great Emperor Ziwei clearly believed he could tame the creature himself.

"If Brother Yu feels certain, why ask me?" Ye Xu smiled pleasantly.

"Ahem…"

Great Emperor Ziwei scratched his head awkwardly. "Can’t a man be humble?"

"Since Brother Ye trusts me, I’ll handle it."

"They say Tai Sui is immortal—its flesh regrows perpetually. If I tame it, I’ll never lack premium ingredients again." His eyes shone with excitement.

"Brother Yu, you’re not planning to use brute force, are you?" Ye Xu furrowed his brow strangely.

"Naturally."

Great Emperor Ziwei puffed out his chest. Like Dao King, he cultivated the Three Treasures—Essence, Qi, and Spirit—simultaneously, each reaching the peak of the Great Emperor realm. Even an Emperor Venerable wouldn’t necessarily overpower him.

Despite Tai Sui’s might, Great Emperor Ziwei judged himself its equal.

"Then all the best to you."

Ye Xu already foresaw how this would end.

Boom!

Great Emperor Ziwei gathered his power. Vital energy surged like pounding waves as he formed the Great Sun Fist Seal, slamming it toward Tai Sui like a falling sun.

Fist winds howled. Blazing heat vaporized the waterfall instantly.

Roar!

Tai Sui stirred. Layers of the meat spirit mushroom squirmed like a grotesque tumor, engulfing Great Emperor Ziwei’s fist. Its pulsating flesh began methodically grinding down his power of the Great Dao.

Great Emperor Ziwei was swallowed by the meat spirit mushroom.

Ye Xu frowned slightly but did not act.

Great Emperor Ziwei’s capabilities extended far beyond this.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As suspected, the meat spirit mushroom violently shook. Flesh shattered, spraying bloody fragments everywhere as Great Emperor Ziwei forcefully ripped open a gory path, charging deep into the heart of Tai Sui.

He intended to suppress Tai Sui’s primordial spirit and subdue Tai Sui.

"Ziwei Emperor’s Descent, Dragon Ascent Path!"

A great roar erupted from within the meat spirit mushroom. Great Emperor Ziwei’s Purple Palace opened wide. An emperor descended upon the mortal realm; as the Ziwei star manifested across time, a purple divine dragon coiled around him.

"Ziwei Rising Dragon Path!"

Ye Xu smiled.

The cultivation technique Great Emperor Ziwei practiced was actually a method for attaining immortality—the Ziwei Rising Dragon Path.

Ye Xu had some knowledge of this particular technique.

"No wonder this fellow possesses such confidence…"

Mastering a classic of the immortal path definitely placed him among the absolute elite within the vast mortal realm.

Boom!

Great Emperor Ziwei unleashed his full power. The Purple Divine Fire instantly engulfed the meat spirit mushroom, roasting Tai Sui and provoking anguished howls.

Like a divine dragon, he tore through the Tai Sui body, lunging straight for its primordial spirit.

But at that very moment, the flesh of Tai Sui began to multiply endlessly.

In the blink of an eye, it split into countless Tai Sui.

"Oh no!"

Seeing this scene, Great Emperor Ziwei instantly sensed grave peril.

Tai Sui were infinite and endless; he couldn’t distinguish the true body at all.

This was Tai Sui’s innate Divine Ability—Endless Division.

This specific Tai Sui itself evolved from a fragment of the very first Tai Sui’s body. Otherwise, given the formidable nature of a Primordial being, how could its power be so relatively weak?

Swarms of countless Tai Sui surged forth like a tide, crushing the Purple Divine Fire and beginning to seal Great Emperor Ziwei’s path of escape.

Once that escape route closed, Great Emperor Ziwei would be slowly refined to death, meeting the same fate as that earlier Great Emperor.

Whoosh!

Great Emperor Ziwei clearly knew his limits. His physical body rapidly shrank while the Purple Divine Fire morphed into the Ziwei star, frantically forging a path ahead.

Moments later, Great Emperor Ziwei finally managed to escape.

He collapsed onto the ground, his entire body covered in the thick, slimy bodily fat of Tai Sui.

Observing Great Emperor Ziwei’s utterly disheveled and miserable state, Ye Xu couldn’t help but laugh.

"Brother Ye, did you already know I was no match for Tai Sui?" Great Emperor Ziwei finally grasped it—Ye Xu had likely been waiting to see him make a fool of himself all along.

"Not at all."

Ye Xu shook his head and let out a light chuckle.

Great Emperor Ziwei remained unconvinced. Ye Xu’s expression had already betrayed his true thoughts.

"Brother Yu, while this Tai Sui isn’t one of the primal Primordial beings, its nature is quite extraordinary. Subduing it cannot be achieved by brute force."

Ye Xu offered guidance.

He had once glimpsed fragments of Tai Sui’s secrets within the memories of the Poison Emperor; though he hadn’t paid them much mind at the time, he never expected they’d prove useful today.

"I’d be honored to hear your wisdom," Great Emperor Ziwei’s eyes sparkled. Ye Xu’s origins were mysterious, his abilities profound. He was eager to witness the extent of Ye Xu’s capabilities.

"Most Primordial beings possess rudimentary intelligence, their wisdom shrouded and unawakened. Tai Sui especially suffers from this."

"To put it simply, Tai Sui has an intellectual deficiency," Ye Xu elaborated.

"…"

Great Emperor Ziwei’s eyelids twitched. Why did he feel Ye Xu was making veiled comments about him?

"The world Tai Sui currently parasitizes isn’t actually conducive to its growth. If we could offer it a superior habitat, we wouldn’t even need a confrontation to subdue it."

Ye Xu stated lightly.

Great Emperor Ziwei scratched the back of his head, still not quite grasping Ye Xu’s meaning.

"Let me demonstrate."

Ye Xu approached the waterfall. He activated the Creation Heart Sutra. His Purple Palace opened, unleashing the power of the Great Dao of creation. Instantly, the world within the Purple Palace underwent a startling transformation.

Strands of chaotic energy surged, morphing the Purple Palace into a Chaotic Sea.

Upon this sea, an immense nest materialized. Shaped like a cavern but with an extraordinarily intricate design, it resembled an oceanic eye. Chaotic energy converged towards it in a continuous flow.

"Brother Ye’s Great Dao of creation is profoundly advanced," Great Emperor Ziwei was profoundly shaken.

The Great Dao of creation was unfathomable; legend spoke of its ability to alter the fundamental nature of all things. This moment showcased Ye Xu harnessing its power to reshape the Purple Palace’s structure, even nurturing chaotic energy to evolve into the Chaotic Seas.

This was no illusion; it was reality. Such was the dominance of the Great Dao of creation.

Roar!

The chaotic tide surged violently, a ceaseless thunderous roar.

The Tai Sui, initially clinging to the waterfall, gently stirred as the chaotic energy aura washed over it. A fleshy tentacle extended towards Ye Xu’s Purple Palace.

It was testing.

The habitat of Primordial beings was chaos. Tai Sui exemplified this.

The power of chaos could temper their physical forms and augment their strength. Thus, since the Primordial Era to today, many surviving ancient beings and primordial creatures dwelled in the Sea of All Realms.

However, because the first generation of Primordial beings was overwhelmingly powerful, the Heavenly Emperor had consigned nearly all to the Upper Realm, barring their descent.

Consequently, any Primordial beings in the Sea of All Realms were either descendants of those primordial bloodlines, or resembled entities like Tai Chu or the Poison Emperor—merely remnant appendages—far removed from their peak power.

Swish!

Sensing the power of chaos and after its cautious probing, the Tai Sui began wriggling persistently, voluntarily entering Ye Xu’s Purple Palace space.

This spectacle left Great Emperor Ziwei utterly dumbfounded.

Is this even possible?

Great Emperor Ziwei felt his intelligence had been dealt a profound insult.

He had battled fiercely with all his might yet failed to secure victory.

Ye Xu had merely employed a simple stratagem, effortlessly luring Tai Sui into his trap. It was infuriating.

"See, Brother Yu? What did I tell you?"

With Tai Sui now within the Purple Palace, Ye Xu closed the space. The creature docilely entered its nest, settling onto the mountain wall within, luxuriating in the washing streams of chaotic energy.

He looked at the stunned Emperor Ziwei and smiled faintly. "This creature is fundamentally straightforward. Offer it the right bait, and resistance becomes impossible."

Great Emperor Ziwei could only nod silently.

"It’s sheer stupidity."

"Pity," he added, affecting deep regret. "I was hoping to battle it properly and test my own magical arts. Seems that chance is lost now."

His expression feigned deep remorse, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge Ye Xu’s wit and capability. It was, truly, shameless.

After all, admitting it would imply his own naivety—it would suggest an intellectual deficiency of his own.

He, Yu Ziwei, was a peerless talent destined for attaining immortality. How could he afford such a stain on his ascent to glory?