Chapter 201: The Brothers' Feud
"Lan Hua!" Lan Yu was the first one to get up. Although he had no more strength left, he still glared angrily at his brother. "You haven't changed at all. You're still mean and despicable!" He had even enlisted people to help him!
"In what way am I mean and despicable?" Lan Hua's anger had reached a boiling point as well. As both of them had no energy left to fight, they could only engage in verbal sparring. "Wasn't it you who deceived me into becoming a fiend?"
"So what if I did?" Lan Yu got even angrier. "What you did to me was even worse. I won't forgive you even if you die a thousand times. I should never have let you off!"
"What did I do?" Lan Hua returned his glare. "You're my only brother, I guided you in your cultivation practice, and even let you rule the kingdom of Yun Zhe. What did I do wrong?"
"What did you do? You have the cheek to ask me!" Lan Yu snorted. "You know very well what you did." "Tell me! What did I do?"
"Don't tell me you had no hand in what happened to Wen Qin?"
"Wen Qin?" Lan Hua looked baffled. "Who's he?"
"You bastard!" Lan Yu exploded in anger. He charged towards Lan Hua and grabbed his neck. "You're still trying to pretend? You're not fit to be a human being!"
Lonemoon directed a meaningful glance at Chen Ge. They went up to the brothers and dragged them apart.
The duel between the two emperors had degenerated into a cat fight! Even the female immortals guarding Heavenly Gate were appalled. Was this… really our emperor?
"Let go of me!" Lan Hua yelled, struggling to break free. "I want to get to the bottom of the matter today. Why am I not fit to be a human being? What have I got to do with that Wen fellow?"
"When have you ever behaved like a human being?" Lan Yu retorted. "Wen Qin's my Dao partner. You dare tell me you don't know her?"
"Dao partner?" Lan Hua looked blank. Then wearing a look of surprise, he asked, "When did you have a Dao partner? Haven't you always been single?"
"And it was all thanks to you!" Lan Yu eyes reddened in anger. "Wen Qin and I were together for three thousand years. If it were not for you, she would not have abandoned me at our dual cultivation ceremony. She only wanted to marry you! All the time you were in seclusion, she waited outside your door, thinking about you everyday!
Lan Hua was dumbstruck by this revelation. "I… had no idea about this?" Thinking back, the only thing he could remember that there was a commotion during one of his seclusions, so he had set up an isolating array formation. Could Wen Qin be the person outside?" I know nothing about this matter. I don't know anybody called Wen Qin." "All right! Even if I overlook that matter," Lan Yu took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing, "What about Yun Yu, Ruo Shuang and Qiao Zhen?"
"Huh?" Lan Hua looked even more baffled. "Who are they?"
"Don't pretend! Yun Yu is my cousin. We grew up together; Ruo Shuang was my fiance in the lower realm; Qiao Zhen was my junior sister! You dare tell me you don't remember any of them!"
"I really don't remember…"
"Shut up! I gave you many chances but you kept ruining my marriages! If you really loved them, I have nothing to say. But you played with their feelings, causing them to leave me. You stole their hearts but you refuse to marry them. You're a scumbag, a degenerate!"
"Oh…" Everyone was shocked. They understood what happened. Lan Yu had been cuckolded by his lovers! They turned to look at the person responsible. "Why are you looking at me?" Lan Hua was hopping mad. "I didn't do anything. From the time I was in the lower realm, I've been practicing my cultivation. I was either in seclusion or doing experiential training. I've no impression of those people he mentioned."
He did not know any of them, let alone abandon them. From young, he had only been interested in cultivation practice, how could he be involved in such matters of the heart? He had even less contact with the opposite sex. The only female he knew besides his mother were Good Heart and the bunch of girls from the Invincible Sect. He really did not know those girls that Lan Yu mentioned!
"Then what about Xue Zhi? Lan Yu asked, "Don't tell me you've even forgotten her?"
"Xue Zhi! That sea hare demon?" Lan Hua nodded, this one he knew. "Isn't that the demon you were rearing? What happened to her?" Lan Yu loved that little demon. He had brought it along with him to the heavenly realm. When Lan Hua started his fiendish cultivation that little demon was already an exalted immortal. "She became like that after listening to you!"
"…" Became like what?
"You knew that sea hares have no gender, they only select their gender once they have confirmed their Dao partner. If you had not told it…" Lan Yu gritted his teeth and continued, "It would have not become a male!"
"Oh!"
This was getting exciting. Everyone was stunned at this development!
Lan Yu must be the world's most unfortunate younger brother!
Lan Hua looked dumbstruck. He knew that Lan Yu loved that sea hare. "He became a male, how could this be…" He paused as he recalled something. Thousands of years ago, he vaguely remembered someone asking him whether it was better to be a man or woman. Being a full-blooded male, he naturally chose the former! A man was strong and could fight, what could be better than that!
Could that person who had asked him the question be the sea hare?
He turned pale with the thought.
Lan Yu's temper rose. He had reared this sea hare for so long with the intention of making it his wife. Just because of his one word, it became a male! Whenever he thought about this, he felt like chopping Lan Hua into pieces.
It had been that way since they were in the lower realm. Whenever Lan Hua came out of seclusion, Lan Yu's girl friend would transfer her affections to his brother and abandon him. Every time… without fail.
"You've done this wife-snatching thing too many times.
Turning you into a fiend was much too lenient of me." "Brother Yu…" Lan Hua seemed at a loss. "I knew nothing about this. How would I know she… Hey! Can the rest of you say something. It wasn't my fault!"
Lan Hua looked imploringly at his teammates.
They immediately stepped back. Even Chen Ge, who was holding onto Lan Yu, dropped his hands. Everyone acted like they did not know him!
"You…" They were openly betraying him!
Lan Yu, who had recovered some of his immortal qi, stepped forward. "Do you have anything to say now?"
"…" Lan Hua was speechless.
The onlookers retreated further as if wanting nothing to do with him. They all stood behind…. Lan Yu. "Emperor Lan Yu, why don't you resume your fight? This has nothing to do with me."
"Every family has a black sheep, I understand your feelings!
Please continue!"
"Do you need weapons? Take mine!"
"Do you want some melon seeds? You need energy to fight."
Lan Hua: "…"
Whose side are you people on? He was innocent! Apart from exchanging a few words with the sea hare demon, he had not even spoken to the others!
"Ah Hua!" A sweet and gentle female voice called out.
Lan Yu, who was preparing to do battle, trembled on hearing the voice.
Everyone: "…"
Lan Yu was about to put on another green hat[1]!
[1] Wearing a green hat means being cuckolded in Chinese
Chapter 202: Celestial Emperor Ying Zhi
The fragrance of a flower wafted past their noses. All around them, there were little flowers floating in the air. A figure dropped from the sky. The lady was combing her hair, and a golden hairpin with jades caught their eye. In her hand, she held a cotton fan with peonies on it. She was wearing a moon- white robe with golden laced flowers, and walked with a sway, looking at them somewhat excitedly.
"Ah Hua, is that you?" Her voice was gentle and smooth., filled with emotion. Her eyes began to well up with tears. "I knew it.. I knew you were still alive. Ah Hua!"
She dashed toward them, reaching out for Lan Hua's hand.
Lan Hua jumped backward to avoid her. "What are you doing?" He had not recovered from hearing all the stories Lan Yu told him. Now, seeing this woman, his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He subconsciously hid behind Shen Ying.
The female immortal stared at him, hurt evident in her eyes. "Ah Hua… You still hate me for joining forces with the other celestial emperors to attack you?" A tear rolled down her cheek. She looked pitiful. Any man would have been moved. "But… the way you treated me back then… I was angry, so I-"
"Hey, stop coming any closer. If you take one more step toward me, I'll hit you!" Lan Hua cautioned her.
The female immortal looked wounded. Emperor Lan Yu next to her laughed mirthlessly. It was as if Lan Yu was used to this.
"Ah Hua, you're really not going to forgive me?" The female immortal was sobbing by now. "So many years have passed and I still held on to the belief that you were alive. I told myself that as long as you came back to my side, I would pretend that nothing ever happened."
"Hey, hey, hey. Watch what you're saying. What even happened between us? Did we have a past?"
The female immortal continued to stare at him in disbelief. "Ah Hua, how could you do this to me? I didn't dare to betray you before, but there were some things you did wrong as well. I've lived in regret for more than a thousand years. I've even given you my most precious possession."
"What precious possession?" Lan Hua asked, somewhat afraid.
The female immortal wailed. "I… I gave you my first time. My only first time… I gave it to you."
The audience: "Oh…"
What wonderful gossip!
(⊙ o ⊙)
"What first time? I did not! Wait, why are all of you looking at me like that?" He did not do it! "I'm warning you–don't think that I won't hit you just because you're a woman! I don't even know you–who are you?" The female immortal swayed. She was utterly heartbroken. "You don't even want to acknowledge me?"
The audience looked at Lan Hua pointedly, not even wanting to blink.
(「「)~→
"Believe me, I don't know her!"
"Ah Hua…"
"Stop calling me 'Ah Hua'. It's so disgusting! Who exactly are you!"
"In the past, we… really did it for the first time…"
"Shut up, who the hell did it for the first time with you? Stop insulting me!" Lan Hua was so angry he was about to explode. His face was flushed. He shouted, "I haven't even done it before. I'm a virgin! A virgin!"
The audience: "Oh…"
(⊙_⊙)
"I'm telling the truth!" Lan Hua became increasingly anxious, afraid that they would not believe him. "Believe me! I have never had a Dao Partner. I haven't even done it before. I'm a squab[1, Chinese slang for virgin.] ! I'm a squab, alright!" He became flustered. For some reason – maybe because he had spent too much time with Radish–he pulled apart his top and started to pull down his pants, as if wanting to prove himself.
He was so quick to prove himself. The heavenly gates echoed every single sentence back to him: I'm a squab… a squab… I'm a squab… squab…
The four people and the radish: "…" Lan Yu: "…"
The female immortal: "…"
All the immortals: "…"
At last, Chen Ge was the first to react. He held on to Lan Hua's hands just as he started to pull his pants downward, shouting, "Celestial Emperor Lan Hua! We believe you! We believe you, alright?" Don't be rash – there are a bunch of female immortals standing right there!
Even the female immortal seemed shocked at Lan Hua's revelation. Her mouth fell open–she was unable to react.
"Heh! Well…" Lonemoon cleared his throat. Lan Hua was the boss that Lonemoon brought with him after all. It would not be right if he did not step in to clear the air. "Fellow Immortal, what exactly happened between you and Lan Hua? Could you make yourself clear?" "I don't know her!" Lan Hua added, glaring at the female immortal. He dared her to utter one more word–he would surely hit her if she dared to.
"Hmph, you really don't know her?" Lan Yu, who was standing aside, snorted. He looked at Lan Hua even more condescendingly. It was obvious that he knew who that woman was, but he did not look like he liked her very much at all. Instead, he seemed to… look down on her?
"I don't know her!"
Lan Yu's gaze hardened. He said purposefully, "She's the Celestial Emperor Ying Zhi of the Cloud Sea."
Everybody was shocked. They were too engrossed in the gossip. They did not realise that she was a Celestial Emperor.
"You must remember her other name…" Lan Yu smirked. "Xue Zhi!" The four people and the radish: "…"
All the immortals: "…"
Lan Hua: "…"
This was huge news! Isn't Xue Zhi the sea hare demon that Lan Yu raised? When did it become the Cloud Sea's Celestial Emperor?"
"You're spouting nonsense!" Lan Hua could not believe his ears. "I've seen the human form of that sea hare demon! You said that it chose to become a male…"
Wait! Before he finished speaking, his eyes widened. He looked again at the female immortal. This female immortal did look a bit too tall and strong. There was also… a… a bulge on his throat!
Σ(°△°|||) This beautiful, gentle and fragrant person was… a… man!
Lan Hua turned pale. His legs turned to jelly. He had to hold on to the heavenly pillar beside him to keep from falling.
This Celestial Emperor was indeed extremely scary. I want to go back to Invincible Sect to refine pills!
"After Xue Zhi chose to change his gender, he naturally transformed." Lan Yu looked extremely entertained as he explained. "At the time, he was extremely loyal to you. That was why he took your advice." Lan Yu took a long time to persuade the hare to turn into a female. One sentence from Lan Hua was enough to convince the hare to become a male! For hundreds of thousands of years, Ying Zhi had grown used to the lifestyle of a female. It was extremely difficult for Ying Zhi to adjust in such a short time.
"Ah Hua…" Xue Zhi, no, Celestial Emperor Ying Zhi still looked at Lan Hua longingly. "We sea hares only have one chance to choose our gender. That really is our first time–our only time. Believe me!" So that's what he meant by "first time". Lan Hua frowned and sucked in a deep breath. He straightened his back and said, "Sea Hare… Xue Zhi… No! Celestial Emperor Ying Zhi, I was wrong for not clarifying things with you! But I really did not know that was what you mean… What's more, I've only met you less than five times, right? You also nearly killed me once. Let's call it a draw. In any case, we're both men."
"I don't mind…"
I mind!
Ying Zhi looked like he had made up his mind, but Lan Hua felt like vomiting blood. He turned to Lonemoon and said, "Where's the bag that you keep Radish in?"
"What for?"
"Put me in as well, I'm begging you!" If this carried on, he would really puke. Lonemoon: "…"
Yi Qing: "…"
Shen Ying: "…"
Chapter 203: The Mischievous Cloud Beast
The only daughter of a Celestial Emperor had become a transexual. They did not know what to think. Lan Hua, realizing that this transexual had designs on him, felt on the verge of a breakdown. Especially after being the object of Ying Zhi's adoring gaze for four hours.
Lan Yu seemed delighted to see Lan Hua's suffering. He had a 'You finally got what you deserved' expression on his face.
Since entering the Heavenly Gate, Lan Hua had not let go of Radish. Wearing a guarded expression, he followed closely behind Shen Ying, as if afraid of being violated.
"Emperor Xin Han?" said Ying Zhi. After they had told Ying Zhi the purpose of their visit, she finally pulled herself together and shifted her attention to them. "You're saying he has dealings with the fiend tribe?"
"Hmph! A real-life fiend is sitting here now. There are other fiends in the immortal realm, what's so surprising about that?" Lan Yu snorted. His eyes shot daggers at Lan Hua.
Lan Hua's mouth twitched but he refrained from retorting.
"This is not the only reason we came here." Chen Ge frowned and explained worriedly, "Since he's able to plant a demonic seed in me, he can do the same to the other celestial emperors. He definitely has some other plan up his sleeve." Besides, there could be people above him involved in this too.
"Then why are you here?" Ying Zhi asked.
"We heard that unusual phenomena was sighted in Cloud Sea." Lonemoon stepped up to explain. "When Xin Han escaped, he used a sorcery technique that generated large amounts of demonic Qi, which could trigger unusual phenomena. So we came here to investigate."
Ying Zhi and Lan Yu fell silent. Both wore a strange expression. "Then you have wasted your time." Lan Yu replied coldly. "Cloud Sea's strange phenomena was not caused by demonic Qi."
"It's not?"
"No." Ying Zhi could not help stealing a glance at Lan Hua as she said this. Lan Hua shuddered and shrank behind his friends. Ying Zhi retracted her gaze in disappointment and continued, "Cloud Sea's phenomenon is due to… The cloud beast in the sea throwing his temper."
"What?" What the devil! He tore a hole in the clouds just to vent his anger? The Lan ancestors would turn in their graves if they knew how childish their descendants were.
"What kind of animal is this Cloud Beast?" asked Lonemoon.
"The Cloud Beast is the avatar of the Cloud Sea." Ying Zhi explained. "As all of you have seen, We in Cloud Sea and the other continents are different, our sea is suspended at the edge of the sky. The reason it's like this is because of the presence of the Cloud Beast. Once every million years, the Cloud Sea will develop spirit wisdom and become a Cloud Beast. The Cloud Beast controls all the living creatures in the sea. Even the Marine immortals in the Cloud Sea depend on it to survive."
Everyone nodded their heads. "But the phenomenon…" How do you explain the hole?
Ying Zhi expression stiffened and even Lan Yu turned his head away. After a moment, Ying Zhi said, "In the past, all Cloud Beasts born in the sea would all sign a contract with the Cloud Sea Emperor. It's like a contract beast of the Celestial Emperor. But… when I ascended the throne, the cloud beast had not been born yet. So the Cloud Beast now is still a child, only five thousand years-old."
He gave a sigh, then as if recalling something, he shook his head and continued, "In the past, Cloud Beasts hardly left the Cloud Sea. After all, they are in fact one body. Although they have avatars, once they leave, the Cloud Sea would dry up and shrink by half. But this particular cloud beast is still a child."
"It wants to leave Cloud Sea?" Lonemoon asked. They had sure raised a wilful child! "It's not only this…" Ying Zhi's expression became even more unreadable. "I asked Emperor Lan Yu over because of this matter. But…" He turned to look at Lan Yu. The latter was frowning as if not sure of how to broach the subject. After a while, Ying Zhi gritted his teeth and stood up. "Please follow me to take a look and you'll understand."
Everyone looked baffled. But they had come to investigate the strange phenomenon. Although Emperor Ying Zhi had said that it had nothing to do with the Fiend Tribe, it was better to see with their own eyes. So they got up and followed him.
With Ying Zhi in the lead, they flew eastwards. Below them lay a stretch of blue sea, through which they could faintly see the silhouettes of forests and mountains.
After ten minutes, they arrived at their destination. Lonemoon looked around him and confirmed that it was the spot where the strange phenomenon was reported. Previously, when they were below the Cloud Sea, they could only see a huge waterfall, but now that they were above it, they saw a huge eddy. On top of it glowed a golden array that reached down to the sea bed. It seemed to be some sort of protective wall. A few immortals were guarding the place. In contrast to those guards at the Heavenly Gate, these were all males. All of them were exalted immortals and above, and a few were even young emperors and immortal emperors. All of them seemed to be talking frantically to someone in the eddy below.
As they drew closer to the eddy, a huge wave suddenly rose up. It formed into the shape of a fish tail and flapped itself down towards the group of immortals. A few of them did not manage to escape in time and were knocked into the water.
"Fellow Immortals, you see what's happening." Ying Zhi said. "The Cloud Beast insists on leaving and even tore a hole in the cloud sea, causing the strange phenomenon. Thanks to Emperor Lan Hua, who put up the arrays, we were able to stop him. But these arrays can't hold up for long…" He looked at Lan Hua again and asked hopefully, "Ah Hua, you are an expert at sorcery, can you…"
"I'm afraid I can't help you." Lan Hua stepped back immediately. This Cloud Beast and Cloud Sea were obviously of one body. Even if he patched up this hole, it would just tear another hole elsewhere. "Why does the Cloud Beast insist on getting out?" Chen Ge asked. By right, these avatars are highly territorial and won't easily budge."
"Because…"
Ying Zhi was about to explain when they heard a child-like voice rise up from the bottom of the sea.
"You ugly things! Let me out! I want to find the pretty sisters!"
Ying Zhi: "…"
Lan Yu: "…"
Everyone from the Invincible Sect froze. This voice… Instantly, all eyes locked on a certain radish.
"Why are you looking at me for?" A certain plant that was sitting on Lan Hua's shoulder looked startled. However, when Shen Ying turned to look at it, its eyes brightened. Passing her a dandelion flower which it had plucked from its head, it said, "Little Missy, for you!"
Yi Qing: "…"
Lonemoon: "…"
Lan Hua: "…"
Chen Ge: "…"
Do all your avatars behave like this?
"Get lost!"
"…" The radish's heart broke into little pieces.
Chapter 204: The Reason for Leaving Home
"Ugly, it's you again!" That was the same voice again. When the few of them got to the top of the eddy, those below seemed to notice something. Compared to the pranking tone they heard earlier, this voice was much angrier. A moment later, a water column charged toward Ying Zhi. "You liar how dare you come any closer!"
Ying Zhi seemed to be used to this already. He raised a hand and a defensive array formed, blocking off the water column. Unfortunately, that was not the end of it. On top of the seabed, a wave took the shape of a huge fishtail. One by one, the waves started to attack them.
"Get lost, you liar!"
The immortals who were on top earlier landed on the water one by one. Ying Zhi looked at them apologetically. Then, he led the group back by a few metres. The waves stopped.
"Celestial Emperor Ying Zhi, why is the Cloud Beast doing this?" Chen Ge asked. It was obvious that the attacks were targeted at Ying Zhi. Yet, the Cloud Beast was supposed to be his contracted immortal beast. It should not be attacking him like that.
"Well…" Ying Zhi's expression changed. He looked like he did not know what to say. After awhile, he spoke again, "It's a misunderstanding." He subconsciously glanced at Lan Hua. In his eyes, there was a hint of blame mixed with indignation. Lan Hua's goosebumps rose when he felt Ying Zhi's gaze.
"I'll say it!" Lan Yu could not help but speak up. He sighed and then told the story of Ying Zhi and the Cloud Beast.
The Cloud Sea was different from all the other six continents and three seas. It had a special kind of environment, so that anyone who became the Celestial Emperor of the Cloud Sea not only had to be of a celestial emperor cultivation level, but also had to be affirmed by the Cloud Beast. Afterall, the Cloud Beast was the embodiment of the Cloud Sea. Whoever wanted to stay on the Cloud Sea would have to apply for something like a land permit. This "land permit" was the contract between the Cloud Beast to make it a contract beast. Only one Cloud Beast would be born every couple of hundred years. Once it matures, the Cloud Beast's strength would be comparable to that of a Celestial Emperor. Before Ying Zhi's cultivation level increased, the Cloud Sea did not have a new Cloud Beast. At the time, although the Cloud Sea did not normally interact with the other continents and seas, it was not as isolated as it is now. Ying Zhi had a water-elemental body- type, but he was not yet a Celestial Emperor. He always took on his human form when he walked next to Lan Yu, so everybody thought that he was an immortal. To this day, everybody thinks that the Cloud Sea's Celestial Emperor is an immortal and not a demon. What's more, Yun Feng had always been right next to the Cloud Sea. Half of the Cloud Sea even overlapped into Yun Feng continent's skies.
The water-elemental beasts naturally loved to stay near water. That explained why Ying Zhi often went from Yun Feng to the Cloud Sea to train. As time went by, he became close to the demon immortals in the Cloud Sea. Later, he became the first to achieve the level of Celestial Emperor. When he took over the Cloud Sea, he did not meet any resistance or objections whatsoever.
Later, when the Cloud Beast was born, Ying Zhi thought that it would take awhile before he would earn the validation of the Cloud Beast. If he went to battle the Cloud Beat immediately, he would either become an official Celestial Emperor sooner or he would be eaten by the Cloud Beast. Unexpectedly, when he first met the Cloud Beast, it was especially attracted to Ying Zhi. In fact, the Cloud Beast took the initiative to request to become Ying Zhi's contract beast. That was how Ying Zhi officially became the Celestial Emperor Ying Zhi.
It could be said that among the ten Celestial Emperors, Ying Zhi had the easiest time becoming a Celestial Emperor. After a few thousand years, perhaps Heaven thought it strange to let people go without any pain or troubles. As the Cloud Beast grew more mature, it became more and more intelligent. Suddenly, it hated Ying Zhi!
"You stupid, ugly liar! To think that I thought you were a beautiful lady before. It was all a lie!" An angry roar came from the seabed. "You lied to me when I was pure and simple. Hmph! I will never validate your ugly face. I'm leaving this place to look for a beautiful sister!"
"Mm, that's what happened!" Lan Yu concluded.
The four of them turned to look at the accused… "What are you looking at me for? I'm not the one who dressed him up as a lady!" Lan Hua exploded, blushing. Why are you blaming me for the Cloud Beast being mistaken?
Lonemoon: "…"
Yi Qing: "…"
Chen Ge: "…"
Shen Ying: "…"
So the Cloud Beast so easily agreed to enter into a contract with Ying Zhi because it mistook him for a lady. Speaking of that… was this a common problem faced by all avatars?
What's more, the Cloud Beast took a few thousand years to realise that Ying Zhi was a male. Was the Cloud Beast slow or did Ying Zhi play the role very well? "The Cloud Beast is not yet fully mature - that's why it's acting this way," Celestial Emperor Ying Zhi sighed. He had a pained expression on his face. "When it throws a tantrum, there's nothing I can do as well. Anyway, the more we try to stop it, the more it insists on going out to look for a new Big Sister."
"It's just throwing a tantrum - why can't you get a female immortal to pacify it? Why must you let it out of the Cloud Sea?" It seemed that the Cloud Beast only wanted to find a Big Sister to form a contract with from the very beginning. When it found out that Ying Zhi was a male, it could not help but lose its temper. The problem would be solved if they could just find it a female immortal. The Cloud Beast was not yet mature anyway - nothing much would happen if they did not let it out of the Cloud Sea to cause trouble.
"We tried that method…" Ying Zhi's expression fell. "But while the Cloud Beast throws a tantrum, its true body is hidden in the deepest corners of the Crystal Palace. Whenever it says it wants to escape from the Cloud Sea, it would only turn into an avatar and appear at the water surface. In order to enter the Crystal Palace, one has to at least be an Exalted Immortal."
So that's the case. No wonder they only saw the waves but did not catch a glimpse of the Cloud Beast - it was hidden at the bottom of the sea.
"All the demons that are Exalted Immortals in the Cloud Sea have tried to persuade it," Ying Zhi continued. "But all of them have been chased out."
"Why?"
Ying Zhi pursed his lips. "It says… they look ugly."
Everyone: "…"
Lonemoon subconsciously looked at Ying Zhi's face. Honestly, if one did not bother that Ying Zhi's body was that of a man's, his face was really exceptionally beautiful. His eyebrows and other features were so feminine, and he was even dressed in women's clothing. It was no wonder that the Cloud Beast would despise the other female immortals for being ugly. Ying Zhi already set such a high standard.
"There's nobody else in the Cloud Sea that we can use. We've run out of solutions - that's why we started looking outside of the Cloud Sea and invited female immortals from all around to come and try." Ying Zhi frowned. "The immortals in the Cloud Sea have never had relations with the other continents. Our immortals have always been extremely pure. It took us a long time to find a couple of immortals to come and try things out, yet all of them were male and each had their own personal motives. It was extremely irritating."
That was why they set up that sign outside the door?
"That's why we have not removed the spell to this day." Ying Zhi frowned even more deeply. He wanted to ask the few of them whether they knew any worthy females who were Exalted Immortals.
Shen Ying, who had been munching on a fruit up till then, suddenly spoke. "Why not I give it a shot?" She was quite experienced in educating children.
"You?" The moment Shen Ying spoke, Lonemoon retorted. "Save it! Didn't Celestial Emperor Ying Zhi already say that the Cloud Beast has high expectations?" Shen Ying tilted her head. "Am I not of a high enough standard?"
Lonemoon rolled his eyes and turned to look at her. "Don't you have an inkling whether you are of a high enough…"
Before he could finish speaking, his eyes focused on the familiar yet foreign face in front of him. He lost his train of thought all of a sudden. He had not paid much attention to her face before, and this was the first time he was paying attention to it and looking at it from a male's perspective.
It seemed that… she was quite pleasing to the eye!
Chapter 205: Looks Matter
She had chubby cheeks, small cherry lips and a fair complexion. She looked at them with wide opened eyes, two strands of hair dangling from her her forehead. She was not as beautiful as Qi Chengyu or as seductive as Ying Zhi, but she was unexpectedly… adorable! Very adorable! Exceptionally adorable!
╰(*°▽°*)╯
Lonemoon felt his heart lurch. He suddenly felt breathless.
Holy shit! Why had he never discovered that Shen Ying was actually so… attractive? He even felt an urge to take her in as his god-daughter?
ლ(°△°ლ)
"What's up?" Everyone looked at Lonemoon curiously as he suddenly turned around and clutched his chest, gasping for air. Yi Qing stepped up worriedly and pulled Shen Ying to him to take a closer look. "Master, what happened to your face…"
He paused in mid-speech, a dumbstruck expression on his face. A blush spread over his normally stern-looking face and his heart started pounding.
He had never noticed that Master was actually… so attractive.
(⊙_⊙)
"Hey, what happened to the both of you?" Seeing the stunned expressions of the two men, everyone thought that there was something wrong with Shen Ying's face. They rushed up and examined her face closely.
Chen Ge: "Sect Master Shen, you…"
Lan Hua: "Good Heart, you're not… Holy Shit!" Ying Zhi: "Fellow Immortals, what's the matter… So, so very adorable!"
Radish: "Get lost, all of you! Stop looking, Little Missy is mine!"
Lan Yu: "Little Sister, how old are you, do you have a Dao partner? Do you fancy Celestial Emperors, the younger type?"
"Get lost!" *4
Yi Qing immediately kicked Lan Yu away and pulled out his sword!
Shen Ying: "…" This bunch of retards! Don't tell me that apart from Radish, none of you have ever noticed how I look?
——————
Cloud Sea, Crystal Palace. A small, short person was squatting in a golden array. He was striking at the ground with something in his hand. With every strike, golden sparks would burst out of the array, and the talisman on the ground would darken correspondingly.
As he was striking at the ground, he kept muttering to himself, "Hmph! That liar! He thinks that this stupid array can hold me back. Nobody can prevent me from looking for pretty young ladies!"
Shen Ying squatted beside him. She glanced at the object in his hand and asked, "What is this thing in your hand?"
"A tooth!" The little child replied without hesitation.
"What kind of tooth?" It looked like a piece of stick.
"It's my tooth, naturally." The child continued, "It's the tooth that came loose when I was four thousand and five hundred years old. Until now, my tooth has not regrown!" He suddenly opened his mouth wide and showed her the gap between his teeth. "My tooth is the hardest object in the Cloud Sea," he bragged.
"Oh…" Shen Ying nodded. "Since it's so strong, why don't you tear it open with your teeth?"
The child paused in thought, then apparently convinced by her logic, lay down on the ground and bit down on the array.
Alas, in the end…
His tooth cracked!
ε(罒ω罒)з
"You lied to me!" He glared angrily at her, rubbing his cracked tooth. "Biting the array is painful!"
Shen Ying said earnestly, "It won't hurt once it has totally broken off." "You… you….Hmph! You made me angry, I can't be bothered with you anymore!" The child snorted angrily and resumed striking the array with the huge tooth in his hand. After two strikes, his body stiffened. Shen Ying's presence finally registered in his brain. He turned to look at her with a stunned look in his eyes.
"You… who are you!" He fell onto the floor in shock. "When did you enter?"
"Oh, I came in just when you said you wanted to look for pretty young ladies."
Turning pale in embarrassment, the child glared her angrily. "I warn you, don't try to stop me from breaking the array. Or else… I'll devour you!" Then he deliberately opened his mouth and displayed his teeth.
"Why would I stop you from breaking the array?" She had come to persuade him not to leave Cloud Sea.
"Huh?" The child swept her a suspicious look. "You're not? When why are you here?" Then a thought came to him and he said accusingly, "Are you sent here by that liar? Hmph! I've seen all the female immortals in Cloud Sea. None of them are to my liking! You too…"
He paused suddenly, looking at Shen Ying with interest. He had not seen this young lady before. She was quite pretty! If it were her…
A blush spread across his face as a thought came to him. "Ahem… I'll obey, but only if you become my pretty little sister."
"Oh." That's all? It seemed that he had a beauty obsession. "Then…"
The child suddenly rushed up to her and grabbed her hand. "I'm going to eat you up now!" He opened his mouth, which was full of sharp teeth, and bit down on her wrist.
Then… Crack! One of his teeth broke and fell out of his mouth.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" He pressed his hand to his bleeding mouth, whimpering. This Little Missy is really tough!
"Why did you bite me?" Shen Ying asked, appalled by the child's action.
He answered with an aggrieved look, "The demon immortals told me to devour pretty young ladies."
What the hell? Who was the one who put such lewd ideas in his head?
"That's not exactly what they meant."
"I don't care!" The little Cloud Beast wiped off the blood off his mouth and transformed back into his original form— a gigantic fish that was so big that it blocked out the sun. What a huge… fish!
(⊙ o ⊙)
"It has taken me so long to find a young lady that suits my taste," he said in a arrogant voice. "Although you are a little too short, thin and fierce for my liking, but I still want to eat you!"
"…" Thanks a lot!
"And… most importantly, your breasts are too small. I like big ones. Yours are too flat."
Shen Ying's mouth twitched. Flat?!
"It's even flatter than Ying Zhi's!"
"…" Shen Ying felt his words echoing in her brain: Flatter than Ying Zhi's… Flatter than Ying Zhi's!"
"But as I can't see you once you're inside my stomach, I guess it doesn't matter!" With that he opened his mouth. Instantly, the surrounding sea water formed into a huge eddy in his mouth and began sucking everything nearby into his mouth.
Just as it seemed that Shen Ying was about to be swallowed up, she reached out and grabbed one of his razor sharp teeth with her hand.
"Little Cloud Beast…" She smiled and said menacingly, "Didn't anyone tell you that little animals who talk rubbish … will be devoured!"
True to type, little children were… most annoying!
The cloud beast felt a terrifying aura rush towards him like a tidal wave. Crack! The tooth in his hand was crushed to pieces. Then he felt something hit his head. Bang! Before he knew it, his head had struck the sea bed. His world turned pitch-black. The sound of someone's enraged voice reverberated through the sea bed.
"You are the one with a flat chest! As flat as an a runway, as small as a dumpling!"
"…" Had he used these similes?
So, an hour later.
"Do you still want to eat me up?
"Oooh… No."
"Do you still want to leave Cloud Sea?"
"No, no, never!" "What you said about me…."
"Your breasts are the biggest, they are so big that I can't see your face."
"…"
Chapter 206: Stealing a Girl
On top of the Cloud Sea.
"Hey, that fellow immortal in there… Are you alright?" Ying Zhi's face was a mask of worry. That Lady Shen looked like an Earth Immortal, but for some reason, all of these people were extremely confident in sending her into the Crystal Palace. Ying Zhi knew the Cloud Beast the best - he was understandably worried that something would go wrong in there.
"Don't worry, Celestial Emperor. Shen Ying knows what to do," Lonemoon responded. He thought for awhile and added, "I think?" He just hoped that she would not cause trouble.
"…" What does he mean by he thinks? Now, Ying Zhi was even more worried than before!
"The eddy on the sea is gone!" Someone shouted.
All of them paused and turned to look. Indeed, a few metres from them, the eddy which was protected by the golden array had disappeared. Instead, there was calm. Even the waves had stopped.
Now that the eddy was gone, the hole that was probably opened by the Cloud Beast had closed as well. Ying Zhi was elated. Indeed, an immortal came up to report awhile later that the Cloud Sea was no longer leaking. Ying Zhi heaved a sigh of relief. It looked like the Cloud Beast had been persuaded.
The few of them waited for awhile longer. Faintly, they saw a huge bubble rising from the seabed. It cut through the sea and flew toward the crowd. Inside the bubble stood two figures - a tall one and a short one. The taller one was Shen Ying, but the one next to her looked like a child, and must have been the Cloud Beast.
"Ying Zhi…" Before they reached them, the Cloud Beast suddenly charged out of the bubble and fell into Ying Zhi's arms. It started to wail like a baby. "Wah! I will never despise you again! I will never threaten to leave the Cloud Sea again!" The Big Sister out there is super scary!
Ying Zhi stared blankly at the Cloud Beast, who suddenly had a complete change in attitude. It was even more affectionate than it had been before it realised Ying Zhi's true gender. Ying Zhi did not know how to react. He patted the patting Cloud Beast awkwardly and sighed, "It's good that you've figured things out."
"How did you do that?" Lonemoon whispered to Shen Ying, who was now sitting atop Yi Qing's sword. Everyone heard how much the Cloud Beast despised Ying Zhi before. How did she manage to get them to reconcile after just five minutes? Was she that good at the art of persuasion?
"I didn't do anything. I just went in to talk some sense into it," Shen Ying calmly answered.
"Oh." Lonemoon nodded. Then, he jumped.
Wait a moment!
Shen Ying's reasoning techniques were just…
He turned and pursed his lips. The Cloud Beast's face was indeed still swollen. That freak must have been responsible for it!
"Thank you, Fellow Immortals. You helped my Cloud Sea avert a great danger," Ying Zhi thanked them sincerely. He looked at Shen Ying gratefully and said, "It must have been tough on you, Fellow Immortal. If you ever need help from the Cloud Sea in the future, Ying Zhi will definitely do what he can."
"It's alright. Everybody's household has children in need of disciplining," Shen Ying replied.
The child in Ying Zhi's arms trembled and buried its head deeper into Ying Zhi's embrace. It did not even dare to look back at Shen Ying.
"Since that's the case, we will not hold you up any longer," Lonemoon announced. He stepped forward and cupped his fists, bidding his farewell. He was going to take the chance while Ying Zhi had not realised something was wrong to escape. "Friends… You're leaving so soon?" Ying Zhi looked longingly at Lan Hua, obviously not wanting him to leave.
Lan Hua shivered. He rubbed the goosebumps on his hands and chucked Radish into Lonemoon's hands, saying, "Let's hurry. Didn't we want to look for Xin Han?" Lan Hua turned and flew out.
"Ah Hua…" Ying Zhi tried to stop him, but he was stopped by the Cloud Beast and was not fast enough.
The few of them followed closely behind Lan Hua and flew out of the heavenly gates in a flash.
"Where are we going now?" Lan Hua asked.
"The Bo Sea, in the Void Land," Lonemoon replied.
"Celestial Emperor Lan Hua, although people have said that the Celestial Emperor of the Bo Sea had already scanned the place," Chen Ge began explaining, "But the Bo Sea is not far from here. It would not be too much trouble for us to go there and take a quick look around."
"I know, but…" Lan Hua pursed his lips and turned back to face Lan Yu. "Why are you following us? Do these things even concern you?"
"Why does it matter to you where I go?" Lan Yu rebutted, glaring at Lan Hua. "Hmph, we'll settle the scores between us in the future! Don't think that I'm going to let you off." Lan Yu turned and stared at Shen Ying instead. Now, his gaze was much more gentle and affectionate. He smiled extremely widely and said, "Lady Shen, the road to the Void Land is extremely dangerous. Why don't you let Lan Yu follow you so that I can protect you?"
"Er…" Shen Ying paused. Do I know you very well?
"Don't worry - I'm a Celestial Emperor, and a talismans one at that. I know all there is to know about dharmic talismans. I have all kinds of talismans with me - just tell what you want?" He stepped forward and pulled a long list of talismans out of his bag. The list was as thick as a dictionary. Lan Yu stuffed it in Shen Ying's hand. Everyone: "…"
Speaking of that… Was giving out their family fortune part of the Lan family tradition?
( ̄△̄;)
"What are you trying to do?" Lan Hua exploded before anyone could react to Lan Yu. He stepped between the two of them and glared warningly at his brother. "Are you trying to use my good heart to get rid of me? Dream on! I'm warning you - attack me if you want to! Leave her alone!"
"Hmph, you're allowed to steal my people, but I'm not allowed to steal yours?"
"Who stole your people!"
"You're trying to deny-" "I wasn't the one who courted your girl. I did nothing."
"If not for you, would she have treated me that way?"
"What has it got to do with me!"
The two of them were going to start arguing again. Yi Qing could not help but draw his own sword and shout, "Master, which one do you want me to kill first?" These two bastards are trying to steal my master!
凸(艹皿艹)
Lonemoon: "…"
Chen Ge: "…"
Shen Ying: "…" Lan Yu thought simply. His older brother stole his girl, thus he will reciprocate by taking an eye for an eye. All these years, other than their mother, Lan Hua did not have any woman by his side. Shen Ying was the first love interest that Lan Hua ever had, and she was quite beautiful too. Lan Yu guessed that she was Lan Hua's companion - he was determined to steal her.
Lan Hua's thinking was even simpler. This younger brother of his was out to cheat him of all of his possessions. His younger brother always wanted to copy him, but this was understandable.As the older sibling, Lan Hua was willing to forget all the debts that Lan Yu owed to him. But it was obvious that Lan Yu was in the wrong for eyeing his good heart. It became obvious that he wanted to use Lan Hua's good heart to take revenge on him. Lan Hua would actually benefit from having his good heart killed, but… he could not control himself! The thought of someone hurting his good heart was too much for him to bear!
(╯°Д°)╯(┻━┻
"Lady Shen, I'm serious." Lan Yu turned around and grabbed Shen Ying's hand. Very passionately, he said, "Believe me. I will be good to you. Let's forget about going to the Void Land - why not you return with me to Yun Feng?" "Bastard! Let go of her!" Lan Hua drew his weapon and charged at his younger brother."
The two of them were going to engage in battle.
"Well…" Shen Ying suddenly spoke. Very calmly, she said, "Lan Lu…"
"I am Lan Yu." Who's Lan Lu?
'Oh. Let me ask you something."
"Please do, Lady."
"Is it addictive… to be a spare tyre?"
Lan Yu: "…" Lan Hua: "…"
Yi Qing, who was about to attack them: "…"
Everyone: "…"
Crack! It sounded like something just broke.
Chapter 207: The Missing Team Members
Lan Yu thought about his many failed relationships and finally decided to abandon his initial plan to sabotage Lan Hua. He would never be his brother's match in winning over a lady's affections. So defeated and dejected, he left without a word, leaving behind a pile of talismans.
Everyone could not help feeling sorry for Lan Yu, who looked as if he had lost his only goal in life. Lonemoon suddenly felt he understood the meaning of the old saying, "Life is already hard, so don't expose the truth!" After shaking his head in sympathy, he happily took over the talismans from Shen Ying.
-_-|||
"Let's set out!" Lonemoon turned to hurry his companions. It was getting late.
"Fellow Immortal Lonemoon!" Chen Ge called out from behind, sounding worried. "I…" "Your highness?"
Turning around, Lonemoon's eyes widened in surprise. Chen Ge's body was slowly fading away under a faint halo of light.
"What…" Lonemoon instinctively reached out to grab him, but discovered that his hand went right through Chen Ge's body. He immediately conjured a few hand seals to stabilize Chen Ge's body.
Both Lan Hua and Yi Qing tried to help by putting up an array, but to no avail. Chen Ge slowly vanished before their eyes.
"What happened?" Everyone was baffled by this sudden turn of events. Lonemoon tried without success to search for Chen Ge using his divine perception. Even his aura seemed to have vanished without a trace.
"What kind of sorcery is that?"
"I don't know." Lan Hua, who was most experienced in such matters, shook his head. "Never seen it before."
As he was thinking, Lonemoon's message transmission talisman lit up. He had left one at the sect, so that they could contact him in case of emergency. He felt a sudden tightening in his chest. Something must have happened in the sect!
He took out the talisman hurriedly and directed some immortal qi to activate it. Instantly, Yu Hong's worried- sounding voice came out from the talisman.
"Elder, Chicken… Chicken has disappeared!"
"What?" Lonemoon paused in surprise, then answered automatically, "Just buy another one then." Invincible Sect reared many chickens on its farm.
"No! I don't mean that!" Yu Hong clarifed, "It's Emperor Chu Xuan. He suddenly vanished."
Lonemoon's expression darkened. "Stay calm. Tell me clearly what happened? How did he vanish?"
"I'm also not sure what happened." Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Yu Hong continued, "A while ago, Emperor Chu Xuan was teaching our disciples at the training yard when he suddenly vanished."
"Did he turn into a shadowy form before disappearing?"
"How do you know? This was exactly what happened."
Lonemoon frowned as Chen Ge's image came to his mind. He instructed soberly, "All of you are to leave the training yard at once. Gather all the disciples at the front palace. Check whether they are all right. We'll be back soon."
"Yes!" Yu Hong replied grimly.
Lonemoon frowned and turned to look at his companions. "Chu Xuan has vanished as well. Let's get back quickly." He was about to turn to leave when he noticed that the other three persons remained still. They were gazing at him with startled expressions.
"Lonemoon, you…" Lan Hua's eyes widened in surprise, pointing to Lonemoon.
"What's wrong?" Lonemoon instinctively looked down at himself. "Holy shit! Like Chen Ge, his whole body was also emitting a glow and was slowly becoming transparent. But he himself felt no sensation at all.
"Father Niu!" Shen Ying reached out to grab him but it was too late. He had disappeared even faster than Chen Ge.
Everyone was stunned!
"Master, what do we do now?" Yi Qing's expression was grim. Lonemoon and Chen Ge had both disappeared in a mysterious way. Shen Ying stared at her empty fists, then she clenched them and replied, "Let's discuss after we get back."
Yi Qing and Lan Hua both exchanged glances. Then they nodded and flew off in the direction of their sect.
They flew at maximum speed towards Invincible Sect. Once there, they found that not only Chu Xuan, but Little Shortie and Xuan Tong were also missing. They had vanished in the same way, but one day after Chu Xuan.
Lan Hua and Yi Qing searched everywhere but could not find any clues as to what happened. None of the their tracking talismans could trace their locations, even Lonemoon's message talisman did not respond.
At first, they had thought of contacting Xun Shu for help, but they received a reply from the city that Xun Shu had also disappeared.
"Sect master, a demon immortal by the name of Little Biao asks to speak to you!" "Little Biao?" Lan Hua repeated. What kind of stupid name was that?
"Let him in." Shen Ying nodded.
Moments later, Emperor Biao Ting rushed in excitedly. His eyes brightened when he saw Shen Ying, but his legs reflexively gave way. Falling into a heap at her feet, he said imploringly, "Exalted Goddess! Please save Little Bird!"
"What happened to Bird?"
"I don't know exactly." Biao Ting answered, an anxious expression on his face. Probably because of living under the constant fear of being eaten (by Shen Ying), he and Wu Hong had developed a bond forged from mutual sympathy. "A few days ago, we went to the Shu Sea to look for immortal herb seeds for you. Then he suddenly disappeared. I searched for many days but could find no trace of him."
"Was there a white glow on his body when he disappeared?" Yi Qing asked. "How did you know!" Biao Ting asked in surprise.
Another one.
"Who did this?" Lan Hua scratched his head in frustration. "This is the fourth person who's disappeared."
"The fifth!" Shen Ying corrected.
"What?"
"Radish has disappeared too."
That's right. Brother Radish too! Lan Hua's anxiety deepened. The radish had been sleeping on Lonemoon's leg when they both disappeared.
Wait a moment! "Radish…
There was a gleam in Lan Hua's eyes as an idea struck him. "Good Heart, I have a way to find them. But it's a bit troublesome and we can only rescue Lonemoon. The rest of them… We'll have to think of some other way."
"What way?"
"Heart Entrapping Array!"
"What's that?" Yi Qing asked.
"It's a entrapping array." Lan Hua explained. "It traps the victim inside the array, then causes him to be slowly eroded by demonic Qi. Once this array is activated, it will be able to entrap its target as long as he is within the immortal realm."
"You're thinking of using this array to locate him!" "That's right! Lan Hua nodded. "However, for this array to work, we need something from the victim's body."
Body…
Shen Ying's mouth twitched as she remembered the dandelions that the radish had given her as a present.
"Radish is attached to Lonemoon's leg, their auras are interlinked. So once Radish is entrapped, Lonemoon would also be pulled into the array." Lan Hua continued, "Although he will be affected by the demonic Qi, he should be strong enough to withstand it."
"All right, let's do this!" Shen Ying went to search for the dandelions.
We have to find Father Niu first to solve the problem of food!
Chapter 208: Emperor Ascension Array
Lan Hua said that Radish hung out at the rear mountain the most. Its aura could still be sensed there. That was why it was most appropriate for them to set up the array there. Yu Hong followed his instructions and place Radish's dandelion in the pit that it always laid in before. Lan Hua set cross-legged atop the rear mountain, conjuring different spells with his hands. Huge amounts of black demonic Qi filled the entire rear mountain in a very short span of time. Shreds of black condensed to form a huge black array formation.
They watched as everything around them turned darker and darker. The dandelion was filled with spirit Qi before, but now it looked slightly wilted under the dim lighting. The other immortal herbs scattered around the field also began to look listless as the demonic Qi filled the air.
But Radish remained motionless in the pit. It did not even look like it was going to transform into a human anytime soon. Lan Hua, on the other hand, began to perspire. Drops of perspiration formed on his forehead and the demonic Qi in the air seemed to get weaker.
"The immortal Qi here is too strong," Biao Ting suddenly said, as if sensing something. "The demonic Qi is being suppressed. Let me try to help him."
He conjured a spell. There was a flash of golden light. Among the immortal herbs on the rear mountain, a faint golden meridian formed. It pushed Lan Hua's demonic Qi aside. Biao Ting quickly conjured another spell and withdrew a long rectangular jade box. He quickly retracted the spell that he cast. The golden light turned into sparks of gold that flew straight into the box.
"Exalted Goddess, I've temporarily sealed the immortal meridian on this land," Biao Ting said as he handed the box over to Shen Ying. "Without the immortal meridian suppressing it, Celestial Emperor can set up his array more easily."
Shen Ying nodded. "Thank you for your hard work!" She took the box and handed it over to Yu Hong, then turned toward the Radish field in the rear mountain. Indeed, after Biao Ting kept the meridian, the faint demonic Qi became much richer. All the immortal herbs were now collapsed on the ground, looking wilted.
The Heart Entrapping Array was almost complete. The array looked almost whole. What looked like a dense spiderweb enclosed the entire rear mountain. Radish began to glow red as it lay in the pit. The red glow became brighter and brighter, and looked like it was condensing to form something.
They're going to succeed!
————
At the same time.
Lonemoon's face fell as he sat within the array.
"Radish, have you discovered anything?"
"No!" Radish retracted its long leaves and shook its head. "My leaves can't stretch out of this place. The moment it touches something, it bounces back." Lonemoon's expression turned uglier. They had been stuck within the array for a couple of days now. All the immortal power in his body had been suppressed. He could not even move. What's worse was that the array under his feet was extremely strange - he had not even seen it before. It looked like it could stretch out for miles and miles in all directions, but he could see no further than a two feet radius. Everything else was covered in a white fog.
That was why he could not tell where exactly they were trapped. Even Radish, who was sprawled out on his legs, was limited. Only two of its leaves could move. At first, Lonemoon wanted to make use of Radish's leaves to find out about the array, but now even Radish's leaves couldn't stretch out far enough.
"Little Big Sister will surely come and rescue Radish," Radish assured Lonemoon. "Don't worry."
Lonemoon frowned. Even if Shen Ying wanted to rescue them, she had to first find out where they were. Given the way that they were captured, Lonemoon guessed that it would be extremely difficult for Shen Ying to find clues as to where they were. He was just thinking about how to send a message out to Shen Ying when a blinding white light shot out from the array underneath them. Even the white fog began to dissipate. They saw a figure somewhere nearby.
"Radish, quick, hide!" Lonemoon called out. He turned to focus on the man on his right.
Beside him, the figure was becoming clearer and clearer. A moment later, he could make out a man in blue robes. He looked extremely familiar.
"Tao Shu!" Why was it him!
Hearing Lonemoon's cry, the man jumped. "Lonemoon, what are you doing here?"
Lonemoon just started to explain, but a familiar voice came from his left. "Lonemoon? Its Young Emperor Lonemoon!"
He turned and his eyes widened. "BIrd! Ah pui… Celestial Emperor Blackbird, why are you here too?" "I don't know!" He shook his head. "When I opened my eyes, I found myself here. I think there are others!"
Lonemoon scanned his surroundings. Indeed, there were a couple more figures in front of him now, not far away. Only after the white fog completely cleared did he recognise everybody.
Needless to say, Chen Ge was there. There were four others and they were all the Celestial Emperors of various continents: Lan Yu, Ying Zhi, Ji Zhe, and even Chu Xuan. Six out of ten of the Celestial Emperors were here. They were just like him - there was an array underneath each of them. All of them were trapped at different spots, and they formed a circle. The arrays connected with one another to form a huge array that he never saw before.
"Brother Lonemoon, you're here too!" Chu Xuan's eyes brightened when he spotted Lonemoon. He looked around and asked, "Where's the Exalted Goddess? Is that Exalted Goddess here as well?" Ji Zhe, Blackbird and Tao Shu began to look around the place as well.
"She's not!" Lonemoon shook his head. "I got transported here all of a sudden as well. She could not stop me in time and she doesn't even know where I am." He tried to get up to scan the surroundings.
"This is the Emperor Ascension Stage," Chen Ge suddenly said.
There was panic in his eyes.
The few of them paused and looked at him. One by one, they studied their surroundings.
"It really is the Emperor Ascension Stage!" Ji Zhe exclaimed. "Who would set up an array here?"
"Celestial Emperor Chu Xuan, you're the most experienced in arrays. Can you tell what array this is?" Chen Ge asked.
"I'm not sure either," Chu Xuan shook his head. "I have never seen an array like that in my life. What's more… this array doesn't look like it's just meant to trap us. The person who trapped us here is likely only at stage one of his plan. I don't know what he's up to!" "Who cares what he's up to!" Blackbird exploded. "This array has trapped me here for a couple of days now. Do any of you know how to break out of this array?"
They all fell silent.
"None of you have a plan?!" Blackbird's expression darkened. "What kind of array is this? Why is it so freaking powerful?"
"This is not an array!" A voice announced coolly from on top of them.
At the next moment, a few figures landed in the middle of the Emperor Ascension Stage. There were two men and one woman. Right in front of the group was an immortal with a long white beard. The immortal Qi in his body was much richer than that of all of them combined. He looked extremely benevolent and righteous. He looked just like those high and mighty divine beings that Lonemoon always saw on the television
"Celestial Emperor Zi Chen!" Everyone exclaimed. "Who?" Lonemoon paused.
"He is the Celestial Emperor of the Bo Sea, Celestial Emperor Zi Chen," Tao Shu explained in a low voice.
Lonemoon suddenly understood. So it was him. He looked closely at the people behind Zi Chen. It was no wonder that he informed Chen Ge there was no phenomenon spotted at the Bo Sea when the few of them wanted to go there. They were in cahoots! The two people behind him were Xin Han and Hui Ling.
"Master!" Hui Ling shouted.
"Little Ling?" Chen Ge was obviously shocked as well. "What are you doing here?"
Hui Ling walked toward Chen Ge, but Xin Han pulled her back. "Little Xuan, you forgot what I said to you earlier."
"But… But…" Hui Ling looked at Chen Ge, clearly tortured. Alas, she had no other choice.
Chapter 209: Plotting to Seize The Divine Weapons
Everyone was baffled. Zi Chen was the least famous among all the emperors and was also the first to ascend to the level of Celestial Emperor. Nobody knew how long he had lived and when he became a celestial emperor.
Unlike the other emperors, Zi Chen was very low-key and did not have a high level of cultivation. His skills, compared to the other emperors, could be considered only mediocre. He did not involve himself in the usual intercontinental fights and struggles and also did not take sides. The impression he gave was that of a kindly emperor who got along well with the other celestial emperors.
That was why everyone did not expect him to be the mastermind. Moreover, they discovered that he had, in fact, a surprising high level of cultivation; his immortal qi seemed to be denser than that of the other celestial emperors. Had he deliberately concealed his cultivation level?
"Long time no see. How are all of you?" asked Zi Chen, stroking his snow-white beard He was still wearing the same kindly look, but there was a gleam in his eyes. "By the way, I haven't thanked Emperor Chen Ge for taking care of my daughter all these years."
"Your daughter?" Chen Ge paused in surprise. Then wearing an expression of disbelief, he turned to look at Hui Ling. "You…"
Flustered, Hui Ling explained anxiously, "I… I only knew about it just now."
Everyone was greatly surprised. They had never known that Zi Chen had a daughter.
"When the divine weapon was born, there was chaos in the immortal realm. My daughter and disciple descended to the mortal world by accident, but unexpectedly, Emperor Chen helped me get her back."
So Hui Ling was from a distinguished family in her former life.
What's more… "Your disciple?" Lonemoon turned to look at the person behind him, Xin Han.
"That's right. Xin Han is my disciple." Zi Chen did not seem to care about revealing his information.
Everyone's expression turned even darker. Xin Han was his disciple! No wonder his cultivation had increased so rapidly, becoming one of the ten Celestial Emperors in the short span of ten thousand years. It was because he was already an immortal.
"Why have you abducted us here? Chu Xuan asked loudly.
Zi Chen smiled but did not answer. It was Xin Han who answered for him. "We invited you here to do us a small favor." Pointing at the surroundings, he said, "I'm sure all of you know where this place this?"
Everyone wondered why he asked this question. They were naturally familiar with the Emperor Ascension Stage. "The Emperor Ascension Stage is only its current name. " A look of excitement spread over Xin Han's normally cold countenance. "A long time ago, this was the site of the heavenly pillar, the pillar that links the immortal and divine realms!"
"Divine realm!" Everyone was stunned to learn of such a place in the immortal realm.
"Unfortunately, in a battle fought a million years ago, the divine realm destroyed the heavenly pillar, with the result that people in the immortal realm could no longer ascend to the divine realm. This Emperor Ascension Stage is only a seal." His expression turned cold as he swept his gaze at his audience. "So we invited all of you here today to help me activate the heavenly pillar, to reopen the passage between the divine and immortal realms. This is something that will benefit the whole of the immortal realm."
There was a stunned expression on everyone's faces. The highest level that could be attained in the immortal realm was Celestial Emperor. Nobody had ever succeeded in becoming a divine being.
"If that was the case, you could have just discussed it with us, why did you abduct us?" Ying Zhi could not help asking.
Xin Han was about to reply when Xun Shu, who had guessed his motive, cut in, "You want the divine weapon!"
"Young Emperor Xun Shu is smart indeed. You truly live up to your Wandering Flame race's reputation."
"How did you…" Xun Shu's eyes widened in surprise. How did Xin Han know his identity? Apart from Lonemoon's group, he had not told anyone about it. There was no longer any record of their race's existence in the immortal world.
"Naturally, I know about the Wandering Flame race, makers of divine weapons." Xin Han's gaze turned icy. He said disdainfully, "If it were not for your race, the immortal and divine realms would not have fought against each other in that great battle. Fortunately, there is a solution."
Xun Shu's expression darkened at his words but he did not rebut him. None of them knew about the Wandering Flame race, but everyone present carried divine weapons.
"Little Han, it's time." Zi Chen suddenly reminded.
"Yes, Master!" Xin Han nodded and conjured a hand seal. Instantly, the array around the Emperor Ascension Stage lit up brightly. Everyone felt the array closing in on them.
Xin Han suddenly turned and looked at Hui Ling, who was behind him.
Hui Ling still seemed unable to make up her mind. She glanced at Chen Ge with a worried expression.
"Junior Sister Xuan, you promised me." Xin Han urged.
Hui Ling bit her lip as if finally making up her mind. Walking to the center of the array, she conjured a hand seal and began chanting a series of spells. Chen Ge looked at her in disbelief. These spells were…
Before he could ask further, he felt a jolt of pain. His divine weapon, which resided in his divine perception, flew out and landed in Hui Ling's hands. The spell she was chanting was able to control the divine weapon in his body!
"Little Ling, you…" Chen Ge could hardly believe that she would use the spell he had taught her against himself.
"Master…" Hui Ling looked at him and cried. She looked aggrieved and conflicted, but not at all remorseful. "Please understand, Father said that only these divine weapons can open the seal of the heavenly pillar. I do this for the immortal realm, for the greater good." The more she spoke, the more determined she sounded. She spoke as if she was the champion of righteousness.
Everyone was shocked. A few passed Chen Ge sympathetic looks. To term such an act of betrayal against her master as a righteous deed was something only she could do. The forced removal of the divine weapon cause Chen Ge's body to suffer a backlash. He coughed out a mouthful of blood. He gazed at Hui Ling with widened eyes as if seeing her clearly for the first time.
"Master!" Hui Ling exclaimed, startled. She subconsciously started walking towards Chen Ge.
"Little Xuan." Zi Chen called out suddenly.
Hui Ling halted in her tracks. She looked at Chen Ge with an innocent expression and said, "Master, He's my father, I must obey him. I know you understand my position, right?"
Chen Ge gave her a cold look and then closed his eyes as if to shut her out. He felt a pang in his heart. He had rescued her from the demons in the lower realm and brought her to the upper world. Knowing that she had been mistreated as a child, he had treated her better than his other disciples. Seeing her unharmed just now, he had even wondered whether Xin Han had coerced her. Due to the circumstances of his previous reincarnation, he relied on this divine weapon to restore his primordial spirit. Hui Ling knew this very well, yet she had sided with a man she had met for just a few days, a man who was her father in her previous life. Moreover, she did not even seem to remember her previous life.
He suddenly remembered a passing comment Shen Ying had made as they were leaving Invincible Sect: You are a good chap, just a little blind!
He had thought she was just joking, now he had to admit that he was indeed blind!
Chapter 210: The Heart Entrapping Array
""Little Xuan, we don't have much time." Xin Han reminded again.
Hui Ling finally looked away from Chen Ge. Then holding onto Chen Ge's divine weapon, she took out another divine weapon from her robes. It was the Six-Flame Pearl divine weapon that Biao Ting had reported missing.
Hui Ling stepped forwards and chanted a series of incomprehensible spells.
Everyone felt a jolt of pain. The divine weapons they had been incubating in their divine perception flew towards Hui Ling. Their own immortal qi attacked them. One by one, they started vomiting blood. Apart from Lonemoon, who had kept his divine weapon in his storage bag, everyone else suffered serious injuries.
Zi Chen threw out his divine weapon as well. All the divine weapons had now flown into the center of the array. Together with the Six-Joint Mystics Sword, there were a total of eleven divine weapons. The array imprisoning Lonemoon and his companions suddenly emitted a dazzling white light which covered the entire Emperor Ascension Stage. The divine weapons gradually disappeared under this light as if melting into the array. Within minutes, all the weapons had totally vanished.
The next moment, a pillar of light shot into the sky, like a passage to heaven.
"The heavenly pillar!" Xin Han exclaimed in joy, looking excitedly at the pillar.
"There's still one more step." Zi Chen reminded him.
Xin Han thought for a moment, then said, "That's right. The realm gate has to be opened." He fished out a jade gourd and conjured a hand seal. Instantly, a girl dressed in green appeared in the center of the array.
"Lady Xuan!" Chen Ge was the first to react. He tried to get up but was pressed back down by the force of the array.
Lonemoon was shocked too. How did this unlucky child get here? She did not have any divine weapon on her.
Xuan Tong looked at Chen Ge a little blankly, then turned her gaze to Lonemoon. "Chen… Elder Lonemoon!" She got up and started to walk towards them. Xin Han immediately pulled her back using a chain created from his immortal qi.
"Xin Han." Chen Ge asked anxiously, "What are you doing? Set Lady Xuan free at once!"
Xin Han ignored him. He conjured a seal and pressed it onto Xuan Tong's forehead. Xuan Tong felt a great rush of immortal qi pressing on her primordial spirit. Unable to bear it the pressure, she transformed back into a white fox with nine long tails.
"According to legend, the Nine-tailed White Fox is the descendent of the divine race, bearing an ancient bloodline." Xin Han explained with a smile as he laid Xuan Tong down in the center of the array. Then sweeping his gaze over his captives, he said, "Although you're not willing to sacrifice yourselves for the array, but with your combined cultivation power, I am sure that the gate to the divine realm can be opened!"
With a wave of his hand, Xin Han conjured a dozen wind blades which he directed at the white fox. The blades cut into her body, creating a deep gash. Large amounts of blood spurted out from it. Xuan Tong doubled up in pain. Unable to resist, she could only watch helplessly as her blood covered the whole floor.
The white beam of light at the Emperor Ascension Stage suddenly turned red. Everyone felt their bodies grow heavy. The immortal qi in their bodies started flowing out from their bodies into the array as if being sucked out by some unknown force.
"This array can drain away a person's cultivation!" Chu exclaimed in shock. He wanted to resist the force using his qi in his body, but the pressure from the array prevented him from moving.
Everyone in the array struggled but to no avail. The loss of their immortal qi further worsened their injuries.
They would surely die once all their qi was drained away.
Lonemoon was in a state of panic. Why the hell hasn't Shen Ying come to rescue them yet! Just then, the radish on his leg spoke up, "Ugly, I think… someone is pulling me!"
Lonemoon looked at him with his divine perception. He discovered a faint black qi surrounding the radish. Then he felt his divine perception stirring inside his body.
Was this… demonic qi?
(⊙_⊙)
——————
At Invincible Sect. "Boss, how are you getting on?" asked Shen Ying, looking at the frowning Lan Hua.
"Lonemoon seems to be under some kind of restriction. The Heart Entrapping Array is not strong enough to pull him back. And there seems to be other people around him."
"It must be Little Bird!" Biao Ting said anxiously, "Emperor Lan Hua, please try again."
Lan Hua's frown deepened. "I can sense that their aura is highly unstable. They must have met with some danger. But I'm not sure what is restricting them. If I pull them back by force, I can't guarantee, apart from Radish, that it can work on the others."
"Didn't you say they were in danger? We have to risk it." Biao Ting urged, "Let's save as many as we can."
"Good Heart?" Lan Hua look to Shen Ying for her feedback. Shen Ying and the chef exchanged glances. Then in unison, they nodded, "Pull!"
Lan Hua activated the Heart Entrapping Array, this time using all of his demonic qi to control it. The array followed the trail of Radish's aura. However it stalled once it hit the restrictive wall holding back the people at the other end. Lan Hua took a deep breath and began to force-start the array.
A black qi slowly spread over the back of the mountain. The surrounding plants started to wither. The restrictive force at the other end grew stronger. Gritting his teeth, Lan Hua produced another hand seal to force-pull the people at the other end.
A beam of red light flashed across the radish pit. Dong! Something landed into the pit, covering it entirely. Then another one crashed down beside the pit.
He had succeeded!
Everyone rushed over there excitedly. "Radish…"
Huh?
Wait! There were two radishes!
Σ(°△°|||)
Lying beside Radish was another bigger… red radish?!
"Chef!"
"Here!"
"When did it… become pregnant?"
"…" "Shen Ying!" The red radish shook its leaves. A familiar voice came out of it, "You've come at last."
Shen Ying: "…"
Yi Qing: "…"
Lan Hua: "…"
The others: "…"
"Who is he?"
"Are you blind, I'm Lonemoon… Holy shit!" Lonemoon took a look at himself and let out a shriek, "What happened? Why have I turned into a radish? Where's my body?"
Shen Ying asked him tentatively, "Father… Niu?" "What the hell have you done to me?" Lonemoon felt as if he was about to lose his sanity!
Everyone instinctively backed away.
"Wait! Is this Invincible Sect? How did I get here?"
Everyone turned to look at a certain someone in the array.
Lan Hua: "…" Shit! What has this got to do with me. How would I know that only his primordial spirit was pulled over!"
But the next moment, a series of plopping noises could be heard near the pit.
One by one, radishes sprung out from the ground like shoots after a spring rain. There were red ones, white ones, purple ones and green ones,forming a circular pattern on the ground. "This is…"
"How did we get here? Weren't we at the Emperor Ascension Stage just now?"
"Where are we? Why is there so much demonic qi? Is this another of Xin Han's schemes?"
"This place looks familiar. Huh? Exalted Goddess, you're here too. I'm Chicken, Chicken!"
"Exalted Goddess, I'm Bird! I'm Bird!"
Everyone: "…"
"Chef!"
"Master?" "I just remembered I haven't taken my dinner. Why don't we… we leave now."
"Yes Master, no problem Master!"
A furious Lonemoon hopped out of the pit: "Get the hell back, both of you!"