Chapter 301

Chapter 301: I Am Who I Am

"Senior Immortal, spare us!"

Terrified out of their wits, eighteen quasi-emperors knelt in unison, their eyes filled with fright and confusion.

Utterly bewildered, the crowd wondered: What did the matters of the Tian Huang Realm have to do with this woman before them? Why would she condemn them?

Lin Qianmo’s gaze swept over the group, finally resting on the eldest quasi-emperor. "What is your name and lineage? How do you recall time so precisely?"

The old man felt both flattered and awed. "This junior is a descendant of the late dynasty’s Prince Mu’s manor—Mu Qushan."

"Prince Mu’s manor…"

Lin Qianmo murmured softly. The title of Prince Mu had been personally bestowed by her; she remembered the manor well.

"From this day forth, you shall unify the Tian Huang Realm. As for the remaining obstacles…" Lin Qianmo’s eyes turned sharp. "I will clear them one by one for you."

The moment those words fell, the seventeen other quasi-emperors underwent a great change in expression.

Whoosh!

They immediately channeled their magic power, attempting to flee.

"You wish to escape before me?" Lin Qianmo’s voice was icy. Without any visible movement, the seventeen were instantly fixed in place, consumed by despair.

"Senior," one quasi-emperor pleaded desperately, "we bear you no enmity nor grudge. Why must you kill us?"

"Every day you live, the Tian Huang Realm remains unsettled," Lin Qianmo stated lightly.

Having once reigned as empress, she lacked nothing in decisiveness. She understood plainly: for the Tian Huang Realm to unify, these seventeen quasi-emperors had to die. For the sake of all living beings, Lin Qianmo would not hesitate to slaughter seventeen quasi-emperors.

"To think," another quasi-emperor laughed bitterly, brimming with resentment, "we fought one another for so many years, only to meet such a farcical end."

Clang!

A streak of sword light flickered through the air. The seventeen quasi-emperors were instantly slaughtered, their souls scattered to nothingness.

Mu Qushan trembled with mingled astonishment and elation. Never could he have imagined this person would slaughter his seventeen rivals, aiding him in unifying the Tian Huang Realm.

"I can raise you to unify the Tian Huang Realm…" Lin Qianmo spoke indifferently. "…or reduce you to ashes. I trust you will govern your people with wisdom."

"This junior obeys," Mu Qushan replied reverently. After a long pause, his curiosity still gnawed at him. "Senior, might I know… why you chose to aid me?"

"I share history with the first Prince Mu." Leaving those words behind, Lin Qianmo vanished from the spot.

"She…she…" Mu Qushan’s mind jolted violently. "She is the Empress of the Heavenly Edict!"

He realized her true identity at once.

"No wonder she selected me, of all people!"

…

Lin Qianmo soared toward the Sea of All Realms.

Rumble!

Suddenly, an anomaly erupted from the southwest. Massive waves of demonic energy and blood qi collided, coalescing into bolts of Blood Fiend Divine Thunder that struck relentlessly across the heavens. Amid the roiling crimson fog, two colossal bodies clashed in a brutal, entangled battle.

"The Heart Devouring Demon Domain?" Lin Qianmo’s brow twitched slightly. This forbidden land within the Tian Huang Realm harbored a great evil, a being at the late-stage Emperor Venerable Realm.

After all these years, it had likely reached peak Emperor Venerable Realm.

The power of this demon was terrifying; even peak Emperor Venerable Realm cultivators found it difficult to overcome within the Heart Devouring Demon Domain.

In the past, Lin Qianmo had personally descended, attempting to suppress the demon, yet always returned empty-handed.

Hundreds of thousands of years passed, yet this demon still thrived—indeed, troublemakers live long.

"Today I end you."

Lin Qianmo moved, heading straight for the Heart Devouring Demon Domain.

Roar! Roar!

Within the Heart Devouring Demon Domain, the demonic energy was oppressively thick, the sky perpetually veiled from sunlight. The two demons constantly shifted forms, their auras so alike it was nearly impossible to distinguish which was the master of the Heart Devouring Demon Domain.

"This aura… it’s Poison Emperor!" Lin Qianmo’s eyes flickered.

She had clashed with Poison Emperor before; his aura was long imprinted in her perception.

"His progress is too rapid," Lin Qianmo thought.

In barely half a year, Poison Emperor had reached the peak of the mid-stage Emperor Venerable Realm. Locked in combat with the Heart Devouring Demon Domain’s demon, he held his own for a time.

"Hehehe… You’re weaker than me, just let me devour you," the great beast’s heart sneered, its tone sinister. "Originally, we were one. Indistinguishable."

"I am Kui, but Kui is not me."

"I am me!"

"I am Poison Emperor!"

Poison Emperor roared, "Forbidden Poison Domain!"

Majestic power erupted. Half the Heart Devouring Demon Domain transformed into a toxic realm, obliterating all life. Even the great beast’s heart struggled under its effect.

"So that’s it."

Lin Qianmo finally understood why Poison Emperor had traversed vast distances to come here.

Kui was a Primordial being. Once its body parts fused, it could restore itself to its former peak.

Both Poison Emperor and the great beast’s heart sought to devour the other, to become Kui.

"On my territory, you think you can prevail?"

The great beast’s heart manifested its domain of the Great Dao. Darkness blotted out the heavens, vast blackness engulfing Poison Emperor’s domain. A claw tore through the poisonous field, impervious to all toxins, and ripped open Poison Emperor’s chest.

Poison Emperor suffered a grave wound.

"I refuse to accept this!" Poison Emperor bellowed. "I paid dearly at Heaven’s Secret Pavilion for this news! Why should you reap the reward? I cannot lose!"

"Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?"

Lin Qianmo had a sudden flash of comprehension.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

The attacks from the great beast’s heart intensified like a storm. It drove Poison Emperor back relentlessly; his injuries multiplied, bringing him perilously close to death.

Keng!

Suddenly, a sword light illuminated Heart Devouring Demon Domain; terrifying sword intent swept across the world, like a scorching sun; the dark domain instantly melted.

The sword light slashed down, slicing the great beast’s heart cleanly in half.

"Roar!" The great beast’s heart roared wildly; its two halves actually began slowly healing, and the power of the heaven and earth in Heart Devouring Demon Domain poured incessantly into its body.

The great beast’s heart’s strength surged dramatically.

"It’s you!"

Poison Emperor also saw Lin Qianmo; bewilderment flashed in its eyes. Poison Emperor and Lin Qianmo were absolutely not friends, or rather they were enemies; why would she help it?

"Back then, I failed to slay you; today, I shall make up for that regret," said Lin Qianmo coldly as her eyes narrowed; she lightly flicked her finger, and a wisp of sword energy leaped out.

Swish!

The great beast’s heart was pinned in the void by the sword energy, unable to move.

"True immortal!"

The great beast’s heart finally felt fear. "It’s you!"

At that moment, it also recognized Lin Qianmo. This woman, tens of thousands of years ago, had burst into Heart Devouring Demon Domain, attempting to subdue it, but since it was hard to be subdued in Heart Devouring Demon Domain, Lin Qianmo could only return in failure.

Yet, after tens of thousands of years, Lin Qianmo returned once more, surprisingly now already a true immortal.

Facing a true immortal, it stood no chance of winning.

"Lin… Daoist Friend Lin," said Poison Emperor, its eyes holding a bit of fear but mostly excitement; it looked at Lin Qianmo and asked, "Could you hand it over to me?"

"Do you want to consume it?" Lin Qianmo asked lightly.

Poison Emperor nodded.

"Then wouldn’t my action be doing the wedding dress for you?" Lin Qianmo’s gaze turned slightly cold. "We still have debts unsettled."

Poison Emperor inwardly recoiled in terror; immediately, it conceded defeat: "Senior Lin, it was my fault before; I’m willing to make it up to you."

"But the great beast’s heart is vital to my path; I hope Senior can accommodate me."

"Alright."

Lin Qianmo was unimpressed. Between her and Poison Emperor, there was no deep-seated enmity, yet she couldn’t simply let it acquire an advantage for free.

"Fellow Daoist Poison Emperor, you owe me a favor," Lin Qianmo laughed. "How about becoming my spirit pet? I’ll help you gather all the parts of Kui."

"No."

Poison Emperor retorted immediately.

At Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, the conversation with Ye Xu had awakened Poison Emperor’s self-awareness; it even refused for Kui to manipulate it, lose self-control; how could it willingly be a slave?

That would be more painful than killing it.

Whoosh!

Poison Emperor transformed into a black mist, enveloping the great beast’s heart.

Amidst unceasing roars, Poison Emperor shredded and consumed the great beast’s heart bit by bit; its aura grew stronger and stronger, almost reaching the critical point of Emperor Venerable, just half a step away from breaking through to True Immortal Realm.

But, Poison Emperor couldn’t break through.

For it, only by assembling the full body of Kui could it progress further.

Both being Primordial beings, Kui’s upper limit was much lower than Tai Sui’s.

Boom!

Having consumed the great beast’s heart, Poison Emperor’s aura became even mightier; its consciousness fused with Heart Devouring Demon Domain, mastering the domain’s power.

"Thank you Senior for your compassion," Poison Emperor transformed into a Beautiful Young Woman, its voice like pearls falling, and a sweet smile.

Lin Qianmo felt a wave of disgust.

This thing was neither male nor female; it was truly unbearable for her to look at.

"Remember, you owe me a favor," said Lin Qianmo as she handed Poison Emperor a communication spirit stone lightly; "When I need your help, I’ll call upon you naturally."

Poison Emperor took the communication spirit stone; "Junior understands."

"Senior, this junior is heading to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion; would you like to accompany me?" Poison Emperor asked.

By consuming the great beast’s heart, it naturally inherited the accumulated treasures of the great beast’s heart; this demon had dominated Tian Huang Realm for many years and amassed considerable wealth, enough for Poison Emperor to exchange for a piece of information.

"Alright."

A strange glint appeared in Lin Qianmo’s eyes.

She had originally planned to visit Heaven’s Secret Pavilion after attaining immortality.

She also had questions to consult Ye Xu about.