Master of Mud Pill Palace, Xing Daoyuan, circulated the Dao Revolving Heart Scripture to refine the foreign primordial qi within his body. At last, the foreign primordial qi from the thousands of fishermen of Yuanshou was completely purged and refined.
The giant slowly stretched his limbs. Unlike the others, he had not rushed off to search for the Dragon Court's treasures, choosing instead to remain in the background, watching and observing.
Treasures and cultivation techniques in the Dragon Court were of questionable use to him. After all, the techniques here were tailored to the Dragon Race, whose physical anatomy differed fundamentally from humans; forcibly cultivating draconic arts might do more harm than good.
The Dragon Court's magic treasures were the same. Such artifacts typically required corresponding dragon techniques to activate; even if he obtained them, they would be far less useful to him than the treasures of fellow immortals from the Immortal Realm.
After a short while, over a dozen freaks with dragon heads and human bodies filed out of the True Suchness Hall and surged toward the depths of the Dragon Court.
Only after they had moved far away did Xing Daoyuan slowly reveal himself and step into the True Suchness Hall.
Scattered across the floor were the empty skins of the many immortals who had entered the hall earlier. As for their flesh and bones, they had already become the new vessels of the Dragon Court powerhouses.
"Since ancient times, the strong have preyed upon the weak. That has never changed."
Xing Daoyuan showed not the slightest reaction to the grisly sight. He walked straight forward. Suddenly, pitch-black silhouettes crept out from his shadow behind him—paper-thin, devoid of depth, moving on tiptoe like living shadows.
These silhouettes remained attached to his own shadow. Tall and short, fat and thin, male and female, each looked distinct. Had Xu Ying been present, he would likely have recognized many familiar faces from their silhouettes.
Their facial contours bore an uncanny resemblance to the fishermen the Master of Mud Pill Palace had devoured!
The people he consumed seemed to have become his chang ghosts, acting as minions to the tiger and doing his bidding!
Yet these shadows were not true chang ghosts. Rather, the people he had ingested seemed to have turned into his inner demons, refined by him into some dreadful divine art.
The shadows crept forward stealthily, rummaging through the discarded skins and stripping them of their treasures.
Such items were useless to the Dragon Court powerhouses and had simply been abandoned. But to the Master of Mud Pill Palace, the treasures carried by these immortals were what truly drew his appetite.
Most people set their sights on the treasures of the Dragon Court, but from beginning to end, his quarry was never the Dragon Court itself—his target was the immortals entering it.
To him, each of these people was a walking treasure vault.
Some shadows even burrowed into the immortals' Realms of Xiyi, searching to see if any riches lay hidden within those secret domains.
A moment later, the shadows emerged carrying various treasures and sank back into the shadow behind him.
Other shadows rolled up the human skins, handling them with great care for fear of tearing them.
They presented the skins to the Master of Mud Pill Palace. Caressing the texture of the human hide, he smiled. "Not bad. This time I obtained the Immortal Master of Tianlei City. With these skins, I now possess many different faces."
He gently puffed out a breath. The skin of the Immortal Master of Tianlei City suddenly puffed up. Meanwhile, the Master of Mud Pill Palace's giant frame seemed to leak air like an inflated bladder, shrinking smaller and smaller.
Before long, he had shrunk to ordinary human stature. Twisting his body, he squeezed through the hole torn at the crown of the Immortal Master of Tianlei City's head.
The Master of Mud Pill Palace limbered up. His posture was rather awkward at first, but he quickly grew accustomed to the skin.
Clearing his throat, he modulated his vocal cords repeatedly until his voice matched the Immortal Master of Tianlei City's to perfection!
The Master of Mud Pill Palace smiled. "From now on, I have a different identity! I am the Immortal Master of Tianlei City! Nor will I stop at being the Immortal Master of Tianlei City—I will become Imperial Monarch Xiao, Primordial Monarch Mingxia, and the Imperial Monarch of the Five Hells! Their identities, their status, their wealth, all will be mine to use!"
He strode toward the exit, murmuring, "I must claim even more identities!"
Once outside, he saw in the distance a band of dragon-headed freaks crowding around a shorter one, heading straight toward the place encircled by nine dragons.
"The Immortal God!"
The Master of Mud Pill Palace fixed his gaze on that figure, quite astonished. *Was he captured? Doesn't look like it. These dragon immortals treat him with great respect.*
Although the shorter dragon-headed figure looked like a dragon immortal, Xu Ying's features were still faintly discernible, and his garments remained unchanged. He recognized him in an instant.
Just then, the dragon immortals crossed paths with Imperial Monarch Xiao's retinue and clashed violently. The dragon immortals possessed terrifying strength; in a few trades of blows, the immortals suffered catastrophic casualties, leaving only Imperial Monarch Xiao to flee in panic.
*Has the Immortal God turned traitor to humanity?*
The Master of Mud Pill Palace was taken aback, then immediately discarded the thought. Although Xu Ying appeared to have gone traitor, he knew Xu Ying well enough to know the boy would never do such a thing.
*No matter whom the Immortal God meets, he either blends right in with them, or beats them all to a pulp.*
Paying Xu Ying no further mind, he quietly slipped away toward other immortal halls of the Dragon Court.
His goal was clear: regardless of what conspiracy or scheme the Dragon Court harbored, he wanted only what he was after, disregarding all else.
"Good thing I run fast!" Having barely recovered from his terror, Imperial Monarch Xiao looked back and saw that the dragon immortals had not pursued him.
*That shorter dragon immortal looked familiar, almost like that Xu Ying kid...* He had just been routed by Xu Ying and the pack of dragon immortals, shedding his armor in disgrace and escaping with his life by the skin of his teeth.
*It can't be Xu Ying. He's human. How could he possibly blend in among dragon immortals?*
His expression shifted between dark and light before he resolutely turned to leave, thinking, *This Dragon Court is a trap. It may hold countless treasures, but they're all bait to lure people here so they can be possessed! No wonder the Imperial Monarch and Heavenly Venerable didn't show up! They must have predicted long ago that this place was a trap!*
He rushed outside at top speed, only to see swarms of immortals still pouring in from the outside, clearly intent on reaping the Dragon Court's riches.
Imperial Monarch Xiao shook his head. "Men die for wealth as birds die for food. Even immortals cannot escape it."
He hesitated for a moment, but refrained from warning them that the Dragon Court was a death trap, thinking, *There are simply too many immortals in the Immortal Realm. If there weren't so many, perhaps I could obtain a Heavenly Monarch rank cave abyss and wouldn't need to tread so cautiously.*
He possessed the realm of a Heavenly Monarch in name only, unable to bring its full power to bear. The Immortal Monarch rank cave abyss bestowed by the Immortal Court was not even enough to sustain his daily cultivation!
He felt the overcrowding of the Immortal Realm acutely. There were already so many immortals that every single cave abyss housed anywhere from dozens to tens or hundreds of thousands of them!
Just as he was about to enter the Dragon Abyss, he spotted a tall figure flying toward him from within it. Imperial Monarch Xiao's expression changed abruptly. He spun on his heel, pretending to be an immortal who had only just entered the Dragon Court from the Dragon Abyss, and hurried back toward the courts.
*Heavenly Venerable! Why is he here?* Imperial Monarch Xiao was bewildered and alarmed.
Ever since receiving the Immortal Emperor Supreme's reward, the Heavenly Venerable had remained in seclusion to refine the Ginseng Dao fruit. The Imperial Monarch, Eastern King, Primordial Monarch, and others had announced their seclusion at the same time.
Only because of their seclusion had Imperial Monarch Xiao and his peers dared to set their sights on entering the Dragon Abyss to seize treasures once word spread that the Dragon Court was about to emerge.
In ordinary times, they would never have dared. For example, when the Ginseng Fruit Tree appeared last time, only the most reckless of rogue cultivators dared enter Wuzhuang Temple to vie with the Heavenly Venerable and Imperial Monarch for the Ginseng Dao fruits. Officials like Imperial Monarch Xiao rarely dared to attend.
*The Heavenly Venerable's appearance right now means he's here to reap the harvest!*
Imperial Monarch Xiao ambled slowly toward the Dragon Court, eyes darting, his mind racing.
Now that the greatest perils of the Dragon Court had been probed and exposed, and with the Heavenly Venerable having refined a Ginseng Dao fruit, the Dragon Court was no longer so dangerous to him—the time was ripe to claim the prize.
*Who leaked the news that the Dragon Court was emerging in the first place?* Imperial Monarch Xiao suddenly shivered. *With my knowledge and horizons, I couldn't spot a single sign of the Dragon Court's emergence. In fact, I didn't even know such a thing as the Dragon Court existed!*
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, rolling down like beans.
Even if someone knew a draconic immortal court had existed tens of millions of years ago, no one today should have known the details of its burial so intimately.
Yet the person spreading the rumor knew exactly where the Dragon Court lay buried and when it would surface.
There had even been rumors that people from the Longxing Great World possessed the Dragon Court's karmic fortune and only they could claim its treasures.
Imperial Monarch Xiao had doubted these rumors before, but in the lead-up to the Dragon Court's emergence, countless anomalies had manifested, forcing him to believe them.
Yet thinking carefully now, such secrets could never have been known by anyone of low rank or modest power in the Immortal Realm!
Whoever knew this had to be an authority holding immense power and terrifying cultivation!
And why would such a person spread the news? Only one reason: to find scapegoats to flush out the hidden perils of the Dragon Court on their behalf!
This entire setup was designed to send thousands upon thousands of immortals to die in the Dragon Court. Once every danger had been uncovered, the mastermind would come to harvest the fruits!
*That person is the Heavenly Venerable!*
Just as this thought struck Imperial Monarch Xiao, the Heavenly Venerable flew past not far away, sparing not a second glance at this "ordinary" treasure-hunting immortal.
Xiao let out a breath of relief and immediately turned around to fly toward the Dragon Abyss. *The Heavenly Venerable's aim in reaping the harvest might not be to exterminate the dragon immortals. He is wildly ambitious, aiming to become the Supreme of the Immortal Realm. Collaborating with the Dragon Court is his true primary objective! Therefore, he will never allow anyone to leave here alive!*
The Dragon Abyss lay just ahead. Joy blossomed in Imperial Monarch Xiao's heart. As long as he flew out of the Dragon Abyss, he would survive!
*Xu Ying struck me twice and failed to kill me either time. Truly, heaven favors the fortunate!*
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the Heavenly Venerable's voice drifted from behind: "Isn't this Imperial Monarch Xiao, Xiao Daoli? I thought your back looked familiar when I flew past."
Imperial Monarch Xiao froze.
The Heavenly Venerable's voice came from behind him, seemingly carrying a smile. "Why is Imperial Monarch Xiao departing in such a rush? And leaving without even greeting me?"
Suppressing the terror clutching his heart, Imperial Monarch Xiao forced on a smiling facade and turned around. "Heavenly Venerable—"
What met his eyes was the Heavenly Venerable's outstretched finger, thrusting forward like lightning straight between his brows!
*Crack!*
The back of Imperial Monarch Xiao's skull blew apart in a burst of crimson mist. The strike carried terrifying might, piercing through his bodhimanda, destroying his primordial spirit, and pulverizing even his Dao tree to dust, obliterating every last shred of vitality!
"Why run?" The Heavenly Venerable produced a white handkerchief, wiped the blood from his fingertip, and dropped the cloth over Imperial Monarch Xiao's face. He said indifferently, "Though I have already sealed all the Dragon Abysses and doubt you could break my seal, you are a Heavenly Monarch after all."
Imperial Monarch Xiao's corpse toppled backward and hit the ground with a thud, the handkerchief draped squarely over his face.
"Anyone who manages to become a Heavenly Monarch is a prodigy of heaven. I was worried you might break through my seal, so I had no choice but to eliminate you first."
The Heavenly Venerable strode toward the Dragon Court with a faint smile. "My move this time concerns my grand enterprise for the seat of Supreme; there must be no loose ends. Thus, all who enter this place must die."
***
Xu Ying and the others soon arrived at the place overseen by the nine dragons. Nine colossal dragons leaned down from the void, their gazes focused entirely upon the grand altar standing before them.
The Far Ancestor's summons that had been disturbing Xu Ying emanated from this very altar.
Upon arriving, the summons's influence on Xu Ying grew even more intense, rendering him almost unable to control his own physical body!
His flesh felt as though it had developed a mind of its own, breaking free of his command to act according to the Far Ancestor's call!
Suddenly, Xu Ying felt a prickle of intuition and looked toward the Dragon Abyss, startled and uncertain. *Such a powerful Heavenly Dao aura! Where is this Heavenly Dao coming from?*
This Heavenly Dao aura was intimately familiar to him. In the Heavenly Dao Ancestral Court, while comprehending Senior Brother Tian's Heavenly Dao, he had also comprehended this very aura.
*Yuan Daohai!* Xu Ying steadied himself and thought silently, *The Heavenly Venerable has arrived.*
The Heavenly Dao of the Dragon Court was markedly different from that of the outside world. This realm had suffered a cataclysm of apocalyptic scale; the Dragon Race had perished, and their Heavenly Dao had collapsed along with them. Yet as Xu Ying sensed the Heavenly Venerable's aura, the Dragon Court's Heavenly Dao was actually stirring back to life!
The Heavenly Dao of the primordial era had encompassed the mortal realm's Heavenly Dao and was not the same as today's. The Dragon Court's Heavenly Dao was rotten and broken, an impossibility to revive. Yet the impossible was becoming possible.
*The revival of the Dragon Court's Heavenly Dao is definitely tied to Yuan Daohai! His attainments in the Heavenly Dao run deeper than both mine and Senior Brother Tian's! He has received the Ancestral God's true heritage!*
Xu Ying's eyes flickered. Senior Brother Tian was the heaven of the Ancestral Court, a deity who comprehended only the Ancestral Court's Heavenly Dao, bound by inherent limitations. But the Heavenly Venerable, Yuan Daohai, was human, capable of comprehending even greater depths of the Heavenly Dao on his own.
He possessed monstrous talent and startling brilliance. Upon setting foot in the Dragon Court, he had begun deciphering the Heavenly Dao of the Dragon Court era.
His purpose in mending the Dragon Court's Heavenly Dao was certainly not out of benevolence; he wanted to take command of the Dragon Court! Once he controlled its Heavenly Dao, he would hold the absolute authority over life and death here!
Long Yu and the others evidently noticed nothing amiss with the Dragon Court's Heavenly Dao. One by one, they took to the air, floating with arms outstretched as if offering themselves as sacrifices.
By the time they reached the altar, countless dragon immortals were already suspended around its perimeter. The immense auras radiating from their bodies surged skyward, twisting the heavens and churning lightning and thunder!
There were also dragon-mutated immortals with dragon bodies and human heads. They had not been possessed, but rather tainted by the draconic qi and ferocious baleful energy here, transforming into dragon-like beasts. These creatures occupied a lower tier, prostrating themselves below the altar.
The dragon immortals and mutated creatures chanted an ancient incantation composed of the Dragon Race's Dao language. Every syllable represented an understanding of the Dao, brimming with immense power!
Having absorbed the Dragon Court's dragon qi and baleful qi, Xu Ying could understand fragments of the draconic Dao language. The general gist of the incantation was an offering of one's own Grand Dao in exchange for the awakening of the Far Ancestor.
*Dong! Dong! Dong!*
The big bell suddenly floated upward. As if infected by the dragon immortals, it began tolling to chant that ancient incantation!
"Lord Bell! Wake up!" Xu Ying surged his divine consciousness, slamming it into the bell to snap it out of its trance. The big bell remained oblivious.
Long Yu said, "Brother Long Ying, the Far Ancestor's heroic spirit is about to awaken. Go to the center of the altar and prepare to receive his heritage!"
Xu Ying looked toward the center of the altar, his heart jumping. The structure looked far more like a sacrificial altar.
"Senior Long Yu, tell me: what happens after I receive the Far Ancestor's heritage?" Xu Ying inquired.
The long dragon whiskers beside Long Yu's lips fluttered gently. His narrow eyelids parted slowly, and his voice sounded eerie: "At that time... you will be the Far Ancestor."
Chapter 548