novelHire Chapter 856.8: Bi Yuewu volunteered, Chen Huai'an followed.
Chapter 856.8: Bi Yuewu volunteered, Chen Huai'an followed.
Just like how they dealt with that monkey back then.But dealing with the monkey happened before the cycle began.
This Taotie is much harder to deal with than that monkey.
The monkey could be recruited to heaven to become the Protector of the Horses, but dare they let this Taotie come up? Wouldn't it just chew the entire Heavenly Palace to pieces?
The ancient Fierce Beast race harbors the deepest hatred for the Heavenly Palace. Now, with the souls of many Fierce Beasts fused into Taotie's being, its hatred for the Heavenly Palace has only grown stronger with each cycle.
When the Immortals and Gods tasked with capturing Taotie encounter it, it's a fight to the death.
As Shiqing's voice faded, the hall fell into an eerie silence.
The figure on the Nine Dragon Mystic Jade Throne remained silent for a long while before finally skipping Shiqing's question and suddenly stating, "The shifting of the nine Wells of Heaven's positions is a major event. Is anyone willing to descend and restore all nine Wells of Heaven to their proper places, while also checking for damage to the Nine Heavens Mystic Refining Array?"
All the Immortals and Gods present were shrewd individuals; they could clearly distinguish a bitter task from a desirable one.
As soon as the voice from the Nine Dragon Mystic Jade Throne finished speaking, a green-robed figure slowly stepped out from the end of the civil officials' queue.
This person wore a dark-patterned Daoist robe, with a bronze compass engraved with dense Formation Patterns hanging at his waist. His face was lean, but his eyes held a sharp, capable glint—this was Bi Yue Wu of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, renowned for his expertise in setting up arrays. Though his combat power only reached the early True Immortal stage, he possessed considerable attainment in the Dao of Formations.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to go." As Bi Yue Wu cupped his hands in salute, the pointer on his bronze compass seemed to sense something and trembled slightly. "The nine Wells of Heaven are the foundation of the Nine Heavens Mystic Refining Array. I can trace their origins through the Formation Patterns, restore them to their positions, and then reinforce the seals with my life-bound Array Disk to ensure nothing goes amiss."
Immediately after, another Immortal clad in earthen-yellow Immortal robes stepped forward—the Earth Vein Immortal Official in charge of the Lower Realm's earth veins.
His cultivation was average, but he was proficient in the flow of earth veins, making him perfectly suited to assist Bi Yue Wu in surveying and determining the Wells of Heaven's locations.
The Heavenly Emperor's dark, profound divine light swept over the two, and he said indifferently, "Granted. Go swiftly and return swiftly. If there is any negligence, you will be held accountable."
The two accepted the order and turned together to leave the main hall to make preparations.
With this matter concluded, the oppressive aura emanating from the imperial throne suddenly intensified.
"Kunlun Immortal Palace, is the premium Celestial Jade Marrow to be submitted for this cycle prepared?"
Before his words fully faded, a white-haired yet ruddy-faced Immortal slowly stepped forward—it was Patriarch Bixi the True One of Kunlun Immortal Palace.
Patriarch Bixi had crane-like white hair and a youthful face, with kind eyebrows and eyes, holding a jade whisk. He looked like a kindly old man.
However, any Immortal or God who had even a little interaction with him would not think so.
He approached the imperial presence, bowed, and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Kunlun Immortal Palace has prepared four pieces of premium Celestial Jade Marrow, which can be submitted in the coming days."
"Four pieces?" The Heavenly Emperor's voice suddenly turned icy, with anger churning within the dark golden divine light. "In previous cycles, the minimum was eight pieces. Why has it been sharply reduced by half this time?"
Patriarch Bixi trembled all over, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead. He hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! It is not that our palace has been negligent, but rather that a variable has appeared in the Lower Realm!
The Demon Race of the Blissful Wasteland and the monks of the Buddhist Kingdom have been secretly competing for the Celestial Jade Marrow veins, repeatedly disrupting mining operations. Kunlun Immortal Palace has also suffered heavy losses and barely managed to gather four pieces.
If not for this variable and the interference of these Demon Race members, it would never have come to this!"
His words were earnest, but his eyes held obvious panic.
Everyone knew what a shortage of premium Celestial Essence meant for the Heavenly Palace.
"The Demon Race moves the Wells of Heaven, the Buddhist Kingdom snatches jade marrow..." The Heavenly Emperor sneered, his oppressive aura bearing down like Mount Tai. "A bunch of useless failures!"
He looked at Patriarch Bixi, his tone sinister. "Go quickly and inform Hua Jin the True One. Within three days, the four pieces of Celestial Jade Marrow must be delivered to the Heavenly Palace treasury. Otherwise, to ensure the Heavenly Palace's operation, I can only resort to some... unpleasant measures. Presumably, none of you wish to see that, do you?"
These words were chilling to the bone. All the Immortals and Gods in the hall seemed to think of something terrifying and shuddered in unison.
"I... I obey your decree!" Patriarch Bixi was scared out of his wits, scrambling and stumbling as he retreated.
The air in the hall seemed to solidify, shadows silently spreading across the ground.
After a long while, the Heavenly Emperor finally brought the topic back to Taotie. His tone was casual, yet carried an indisputable authority. "Taotie has appeared in the world, causing turmoil in the Lower Realm. Which of my esteemed ministers is willing to lead troops to subdue it?"
As his words fell, the hall fell deathly silent.
All the Immortal Officials lowered their heads, even their breathing becoming lighter.
The precedent of Shiqing's True Soul being devoured was right before their eyes.
Taotie inherently countered True Souls.
Sending Quasi-Immortals down would be pure suicide. Even True Immortals performing a Divine Descent would be extremely perilous; the slightest misstep could damage their foundation. Who would be willing to risk their cultivation future?
Seeing this, the Heavenly Emperor added, "Whoever subdues Taotie will be rewarded with three ten-thousand-year Peach of Immortality, one Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir, and granted a side seat in Lingxiao Hall."
Even under such heavy rewards, no one responded.
Those Immortal Officials who usually fought for fame and profit were now as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to utter a single fart.
The divine light above the imperial throne grew increasingly dark, anger almost overflowing.
"Since no one volunteers for battle, then I will appoint someone."
The Heavenly Emperor's gaze locked onto two Immortals. "Kang Jin Long, Shi Huo Zhu, you two shall lead three thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals to descend to the Lower Realm and capture Taotie!"
The two Immortal Officials who were named stiffened, instantly putting on respectful smiles and bowing. "We obey your decree!"
However, the moment they lowered their heads, a flash of resentment and ill fortune simultaneously appeared in their eyes.
Kang Jin Long was skilled with a long spear, Shi Huo Zhu could spew fierce flames. Both were at the True Immortal cultivation level and possessed considerable combat power, yet they had to face a natural counter like Taotie.
Performing a Divine Descent to the Lower Realm—winning might not bring many benefits, but losing would mean the consequence of True Soul damage. This deal was a loss no matter how they calculated it.
But the emperor's command was hard to defy. They could only grit their teeth and accept the order.
The shadows in the hall seemed to grow denser, coiling behind them as they watched the two leave the palace and disappear beyond the great doors.
…
"Ancestor, now that Senior Taotie's vein refinement is complete, is there still any place where this junior can be of use?"
Elsewhere, Chen Huaian had already brought Renshou to a safe place.
Originally, he had wanted to take Renshou on a tour of Earth Star's magnificent landscapes and let him enjoy Earth Star's unique culture—for example, the full-service "big sword" experience.
But judging by Renshou's demeanor, he was already eager to return home.
"What? You're not interested in this world?" Chen Huaian looked curiously at Renshou. Among all the cultivators he had brought to Earth Star, Renshou's reaction was a first.
"It's not that I'm not interested." Renshou sighed, cupping his hands. "Although I haven't seen the full picture, just following you, Ancestor, on this tour and glimpsing the tip of the iceberg has already broadened this junior's horizons immensely. Those iron boxes moving on the roads, those big pipes emitting smoke... this junior is very curious about them all, but..."
He paused, suppressing the reluctance in his heart and his attachment to this new world.
"This junior seems to have gained some insight from Senior Taotie's matter. There might be a possibility to break through my bottleneck.
Although Earth Star is good, this junior still values the improvement of cultivation more. After all, only by improving cultivation can I fight for you, Ancestor, when changes come in the future."
Now that's what you call knowing how to speak.
Chen Huaian looked at Renshou with appreciation.
He patted Renshou's shoulder and laughed. "Good lad, having that intention is enough.
The path of cultivation should be free of distractions. Being able to seize an opportunity for Enlightenment is your Fortune."
His tone carried a note of approval. "There will be plenty of chances to see Earth Star's excitement in the future. Right now, breaking through your bottleneck is the top priority."
With that, Chen Huaian raised his hand and summoned the Sect Summoning Token, tossing it to Renshou.
"This is the Sect Summoning Token. Crush it to open a teleportation channel directly back to the Cangyun Realm's mountain gate.
Go back and focus on secluded cultivation. Once your cultivation reaches great achievement, This Venerable One will take you to see even more strange and wondrous things."
Renshou took the token and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Ancestor, for your understanding! This junior will surely live up to your expectations, break through and return as soon as possible, to serve you, Ancestor!"
Having said that, he crushed the token. A gentle spatial fluctuation enveloped his form, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared from the spot, leaving only a trace of lingering Spiritual Energy.
Not long after Renshou left.
The Sect Summoning Token reappeared in Chen Huaian's hand.
He put the token away, formed hand seals with his fingers, closed his eyes, and began deducing Zhang Yibai's location.
He didn't know how things were progressing on Zhang Yibai's side now; he needed to go investigate.
His Divine Sense spread out like a spider's web, traversing Earth Star's mountains, rivers, and lands. However, when it touched a certain region, it was abruptly blocked.
Just as Chen Huaian was about to focus his spirit for a detailed investigation, he suddenly felt a violent tremor in the heavens and earth above his head.
He looked up sharply and saw that the originally clear sky had, at some point, been covered by dark golden clouds and mist.
As the clouds churned, two brilliant star mansions actually broke free from their stellar orbits, dragging long trails of flame as they plummeted toward the ground.
The light from these star mansions was blazing, yet it was not ordinary fire, but rather spiritual light containing Immortal power.
Wherever they passed, the air crackled as if being scorched, and even space rippled.
What was even more heart-palpitating was that as the star mansions fell, a vast, boundless majesty pressed down from the Nine Heavens above, as if the entire firmament was bending down to gaze upon them.
This majesty was icy, heavy, and devoid of any human sentiment, making even Chen Huaian hold his breath.
It was an aura that only true Immortals could emit, utterly incomparable to Ascenders from the Lower Realm.
He formed hand seals again to deduce, but his Divine Sense was like crashing into a copper wall and iron barrier, shattered into pieces by that Immortal majesty.
Forget Zhang Yibai's location; he couldn't even clearly deduce the specific landing point of the star mansions.
He only vaguely sensed a strong aura of twilight interwoven with Immortal power, which then faded and disappeared.
"Interesting." Chen Huaian narrowed his eyes. "Muscle Tyrant just succeeded over there, and immediately someone descends from the Immortal Realm... But the direction of these Immortals doesn't seem to be toward Muscle Tyrant. It's toward the place where the last batch of Celestial Jade Marrow was born—the location of those four Demon Sealing Pagodas that Chen Niu moved over."
If it was related to Muscle Tyrant, getting involved might draw unwanted attention.
But since it's not related to Muscle Tyrant, why shouldn't he go watch the show?
With this thought, his figure flickered, transforming into a sword radiance that vanished into the void. Following the interwoven trail of Immortal majesty and twilight aura, he stealthily tailed after them.
…