Chapter 664: Visitors from the Nether Capital
Ling Yuxiu gazed at the ten-zhang primordial spirit behind Qin Mu, her heart trembling slightly. "Heavenly Being realm?"
She was a pioneer of the Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit, having achieved remarkable heights in the art of the primordial spirit. It could be said that throughout all of Yánkāng, and even countless heavens across the world, only Qin Mu could rival her in primordial spirit cultivation at the same realm.
Qin Mu's primordial spirit accomplishments were slightly higher than hers, but not by much. This was because Qin Mu tended to get distracted during cultivation, sometimes tinkering with one technique, sometimes modifying another—his nature was quite restless.
She, on the other hand, was more focused, wholeheartedly refining and perfecting her own Ancestral Dragon Supreme Profound Art. Thus, she hadn't fallen too far behind Qin Mu in primordial spirit cultivation.
Yet even so, she couldn't manifest her primordial spirit into the form of a Heavenly Being realm primordial spirit at the Seven Luminaries stage.
This was because the primordial spirit form of the Heavenly Being realm was extremely powerful. Compared to the Seven Luminaries stage, it was like the difference between clouds and mud. A Heavenly Being realm primordial spirit could manifest outside the body, possessing unparalleled power and might. Even Ling Yuxiu, one of the founding masters of the Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit, couldn't achieve this step.
Thus, she could tell at a glance that the primordial spirit behind Qin Mu at this moment was a Heavenly Being primordial spirit!
Clearly, during these ten-odd days of Five Thunder Tempering, Qin Mu had seized the opportunity to break through the barrier, leaping straight into the Heavenly Being realm!
Entering the Heavenly Being realm at the age of twenty—truly a meteoric rise, surpassing countless predecessors.
Ling Yuxiu struggled forward, taking a few more steps, and finally could make out the colossal figure behind Qin Mu. It was the Dragon Qilin.
In the ten-odd days they hadn't seen each other, the Dragon Qilin had lost a lot of weight. More precisely, many parts of him had slimmed down, making him look as majestic as when he used to guard the mountain gate of the Imperial Academy. Only his belly remained large, presumably because the thunder strikes hadn't reached his stomach.
Suddenly, the Dragon Qilin lay down, rolled half over, limbs pointing skyward, and opened his massive mouth, letting the rolling heavenly thunder bombard his belly.
"Another trick? Using it to burn off the fat on his belly?"
Ling Yuxiu found it both amusing and exasperating. She struggled forward, her ears filled with the roar of thunder and the Eight Sounds of the Ancestral Dragon. She couldn't make out what Qin Mu was saying to her.
Qin Mu leaned close to her ear and shouted, "Be careful!"
"Careful of what?" Ling Yuxiu shouted back.
The heavenly thunder erupting from the Five Thunder Pot suddenly intensified, the strikes growing fiercer. Ling Yuxiu was charred crispy on the outside and tender within, and the Dragon Qilin was convulsing nonstop. But the Dragon Pearl and Qilin Pearl revolved around them, quickly healing their burns.
Ling Yuxiu endured the pain, inwardly astonished. "The Fatty Dragon's Dragon Pearl has this effect? Right, his dragon saliva can heal wounds quickly, so his Dragon Pearl probably has the same function. No wonder they can hold out so long at the center of the thunder strikes."
Still, she didn't dare to let her own primordial spirit leave her body to face the thunder.
Qin Mu had broken through the barrier and become a Heavenly Being realm cultivator. His primordial spirit was strong enough to withstand the thunder strikes. Ling Yuxiu couldn't do that yet.
Outside, True God Pang Yu saw the Nine Heavens Cloud Dragon Cover suddenly bulge, and his heart leaped. Worried that the cover might burst, he inwardly complained, "Lord Qin must be too trusting of me and my treasure. This Five Thunder Pot is no ordinary artifact! If its power fully erupts, not only would my Cloud Dragon Cover be destroyed, but even Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven would be plowed over by the heavenly thunder like a field!"
Fortunately, the Cloud Dragon Cover still held. But judging by the situation, it probably wouldn't last much longer before the Five Thunder Pot's power exceeded the cover's tolerance.
Suddenly, a deity approached and said in a low voice, "True God, some experts from the demon race have arrived outside. They say they want to challenge the cultivators of Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven."
True God Pang Yu chuckled, "Ever since the Heavenly Master and Furi Luo made the Earth Bo Pact, the two sides have been at peace for a year or two. Demons often come to challenge us, and we go to challenge them. Nothing unusual. The elders don't need to interfere; let the younger generation handle it. I have to stay here and guard Lord Qin, so he doesn't ruin my treasure."
For the past two years, there had been no war. Furi Luo hadn't violated the Earth Bo Pact, restraining his demon gods from provoking conflict, and Pang Yu hadn't initiated any either. Both sides were wary. Though there was no open conflict, covert struggles continued—disciples from the demon and human races would invade each other's territories to challenge one another, trying to kill the other side's young talents in fair duels.
Gradually, interactions between demons and humans increased. Even in human territories, one could occasionally see some young demon experts swaggering around.
The deity hesitated, then said, "This time, the visitors are unusual. Many of our young talents have already been defeated, and some have been killed..."
True God Pang Yu quickly asked, "Are the challengers by any chance Furi Luo and Luo Wushuang's disciple, Zhe Huali? The Demon Blade Zhe Huali—his cultivation and strength are indeed extremely high!"
"Not just Zhe Huali."
"Could it be Qi Jiuyi as well?" True God Pang Yu asked, alarmed.
The deity replied, "Besides Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi, there are several others. Qi Jiuyi calls them senior brothers and sisters, but they look like demons..."
"Demons?"
True God Pang Yu was astonished. "Qi Jiuyi is of the Nine Phoenix clan, not a demon. The disciple of the Southern Heavenly Red Emperor has never had any demons! I'll go see!"
He quickly arrived at the city wall and looked out. Indeed, he saw many demon disciples, including Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi, along with a few unfamiliar faces.
Besides these younger ones, he also saw Furi Luo, Lu Li, and several demon gods. Those demon gods were also unfamiliar faces, never seen before. Lu Li was chatting and laughing with them.
Pang Yu was alarmed.
At that moment, Yu He was fighting one of the young demons, while many young experts from Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven and Yánkāng watched nervously. Since Qin Mu built the Spirit Energy Teleportation Bridge, connecting Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven with Yánkāng, Yu He had studied Yánkāng's divine techniques and methods, making rapid progress in her strength.
Pang Yu even believed Yu He could become another True God in the future!
Yet now, facing that young demon, Yu He was in constant danger!
"These aren't demon techniques!"
True God Pang Yu, with his sharp eyes, immediately recognized that the techniques used by the one fighting Yu He weren't from the Luofu Heaven school. He knew every demon god of Luofu Heaven; any demon disciple who used a technique, he could name their master. But the techniques this demon used were from Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven and Yánkāng!
"How long ago did these demons come to challenge us?"
Pang Yu's face changed drastically as he asked the deity behind him, "Why wasn't I informed earlier?"
"They arrived six or seven days ago. At the time, I thought it was a trivial matter, so..."
True God Pang Yu took a deep breath, furious. "Furi Luo and Lu Li are both here—how could it be trivial? These demons aren't from Luofu Heaven; they're from the Heavenly Court!" With that, he leaped down from the city wall.
"The Heavenly Court?"
The deity stood dumbfounded, muttering, "How can the Heavenly Court have demons?"
"The Northern Heavenly Black Emperor rules the Nether Capital, so of course he has demon disciples! Qi Jiuyi's other identity is a disciple of the Northern Heavenly Black Emperor!"
True God Pang Yu went straight to the battlefield and called out, "Yu He, he's just using your techniques to observe our progress. Admit defeat and come back!"
Yu He quickly retreated, breaking away from the demon disciple. The black-robed demon disciple had already gained the upper hand and clearly had the strength to kill her but hadn't struck the fatal blow. Instead, he used the opportunity to observe the results of Yánkāng's reforms, giving her a chance to escape.
Furi Luo laughed, "Daoist Pang Yu, your city is quite lively—thunder roaring and dragon cries unceasing. What shady business are you up to?"
True God Pang Yu snorted coldly, his tone flat. "Furi Luo, you've really improved, even inviting the disciples of the Northern Heavenly Black Emperor! Don't forget, you made the Earth Bo Pact with the Heavenly Master. Violate it, and Earth Bo will take your soul!"
Furi Luo laughed heartily, "I did make the Earth Bo Pact with the Heavenly Master, and I naturally restrain the demons under my command. But I also told the Heavenly Master that I'm not the one who wants to destroy Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven. The real destroyers are others."
True God Pang Yu's heart tightened. His gaze fell on the demon gods opposite him, and he bowed, testing them. "Are you all disciples of the Nether Capital Black Emperor?"
The demon gods returned the bow. The leader said politely, "I am Lou Yunqu. These are my junior brothers, Wei Qingpei and Fu Yanqi. Brother Pang Yu, your ability to hold off King Furi Luo for twenty thousand years is admirable."
True God Pang Yu's eye muscles twitched violently. His voice hoarse, he asked, "How did you enter Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven? Furi Luo, have you slaughtered your own people again, using blood sacrifices to summon them?"
Furi Luo shook his head, indifferent. "None of my business."
Lou Yunqu smiled warmly, "Brother Pang Yu, don't suspect the King. Why would he, worried about losing his position, take the initiative to contact us? Actually, we came on the Southern Heavenly Red Emperor's ship. The Emperor Shakra Heavenly King defected from the Buddhist realm, and the Southern Heavenly Red Emperor happened to descend to capture him. Passing by Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven, he dropped us off."
Furi Luo smiled but said nothing, clearly uncomfortable.
Lu Li also seemed wary of Lou Yunqu and the others, apparently displeased but unable to show it. Furi Luo feared losing power and becoming a pawn for the Heavenly Court, while she saw Qin Mu as her prey. Now the Black Emperor was butting in, naturally irritating her.
Lou Yunqu introduced the young demon expert, smiling. "This is my master's disciple, Lou Qianzhong, Senior Brother to Junior Brother Qi Jiuyi. They study together at my master's palace. My master is very concerned about the Great Ruins, not so much about Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven. After all, the Great Ruins became what they are thanks to my master's seal. This time, we brothers came to help King Furi Luo annex Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven and perform a blood sacrifice. Then we'll enter Yánkāng, awaken the stone statues of the gods, and destroy Yánkāng."
He spoke amiably, as if chatting with an old friend, not about the bloody business of destroying Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven and Yánkāng. "Another matter is that my master wants to meet the Son of the Nether Realm. That's a bit tricky. It was originally entrusted to Junior Brother Qi, but unfortunately, he couldn't seal the Son of the Nether Realm and even lost the mirror used to capture him."
Qi Jiuyi's face reddened, and he said nothing.
Lou Yunqu rubbed his temples, looking troubled, and sighed. "My master said the Nether Capital needs someone like the Son of the Nether Realm. This time, we four brothers descended, but we didn't expect Commissioner Lu Li to be here too, with some ideas about the Son of the Nether Realm."
Lu Li forced a smile. "Brother Lou jokes. How could I dare to have ideas? And how could I dare to oppose the most powerful Nether Emperor of the Northern Heaven?"
"That's true."
Lou Yunqu smiled. "My master also had a selfish motive for sending us down—he wanted to see how far the reforms in the lower realm have progressed and have us record them for his perusal. We thought that the reforms in this little village of the lower realm, though insignificant, have changed the Heavenly Dao. Recording them would be troublesome. We heard that Yánkāng's Yanfeng Emperor and the National Teacher are the leaders of the reforms. So, for simplicity, if we could capture these two and bring them before my master, it would save a lot of trouble. Brother Pang Yu, could you invite them over, tie them up securely, and hand them to us?"
True God Pang Yu laughed heartily, but there was no smile on his face. His laughter was dry, fake, and hard. "You want to capture the National Teacher and Yanfeng Emperor? Why don't you do it yourselves?"
Lou Yunqu beamed. "Alright. But before that, let's destroy Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven first. Will the gods, demons, and cultivators of Grand Heavenly Emperor Heaven take their own lives, or should I help you tie the noose and tighten it?"
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