"In favor? Or opposed?"
The Taixiao Emperor's voice was high and cold, dripping with malice. "Eastern King, you took advantage of the Supreme's entrapment in the Cosmic Black Realm to unleash a massacre, butchering your peers in treasonous rebellion. To speak of ascending the throne and seizing supreme power is absurd—even hoping to walk away with your life is a fool's dream."
The Quelin Emperor stepped forward and barked, "You slaughtered the Imperial Monarch and Primordial Monarch without a shred of restraint. Gods and immortals alike rage at your crimes. Anyone has the right to strike you down!"
The Yanglong Emperor said impassively, "Meng Long, not a single Immortal Emperor across history attained power through the butchery of their colleagues—not even your father. He was chosen because he was virtuous and obedient. That was why the imperial throne belonged to him."
Even as they spoke, the Eastern King had arrived before the Nine Emperors. Nine great cave abysses wheeled and spun around him, surging with nine distinct varieties of marvelous Dao power that poured into his body in an unbroken torrent.
The technique he cultivated was the Ten Extremes Great Void Dao Scenery. It had originated with Qingxuan, passed down to his father, the Immortal Emperor, and from his father to him.
This technique shared the exact same origin as the method Qingxuan had devised to merge the Dao powers of various cave abysses. When the Eastern King channeled it, the harmony of the nine cave abysses brought him far more than a mere ninefold surge in cultivation!
His aura swelled so fiercely that he faintly seemed capable of standing on equal footing with the Nine Emperors.
"Respected uncles, when did we start debating morality?"
The Eastern King cast a sweeping, half-mocking glance over them. "By morality, do you mean when Emperor Qingxuan sought to implement reforms, and you joined hands to assassinate him? Or do you mean after his death, when you butchered one another to seize the throne? Where was your morality back then?"
Among the Nine Emperors, only the Changsheng Emperor had attained the Dao a hundred thousand years after the Immortal Court's founding. The others were all figures who had fought through the great war of that ancient age. At his words, their faces darkened to iron.
The Eastern King chuckled. "You became immortals, reached the Daluo realm, and monopolized the cave abysses, immortal mountains, and immortal spiritual qi. The immortals ascending from the lower realms had no resources whatsoever and had to risk their lives serving you. Where was your morality then?"
Killing intent boiled from every one of the nine emperors.
Unfazed, the Eastern King continued, "There are too many immortals in the Immortal Realm. Instead of thinking of expanding our borders into the cosmos to seek out more cave abysses, immortal mountains, and spiritual qi, you established the Heavenly Dao world, severing the path of ascension for others and framing Xu Ying for it. Where was your morality then?"
The nine emperors sneered cold responses.
"We are all whoring in the same brothel—let us not pretend to raise chastity monuments, lest they collapse and smash our faces,"
the Eastern King mocked. "Morality is something none of us possess. No one here is any nobler than the next. Now that my father is trapped, the only person qualified to inherit the imperial throne is me. Uncles, if you still care for the safety and survival of the Immortal Court, then decide on an Immortal Emperor now. Otherwise, the world will inevitably fall into chaos!"
He possessed the bearing of a ruthless hegemon as he proclaimed arrogantly, "Once chaos engulfs the realm, the high stations, reputations, wealth, and cave abysses you all fought so bitterly to maintain will be overturned and carved up afresh! When that happens, you will be the true sinners of the Immortal Court!"
Three of the Immortal Court's Six Heavenly Venerables were already gone. The Primordial Monarch, head of all female immortals, was dead, as was the Imperial Monarch, head of all male immortals. With the dragons left leaderless, upheaval was bound to erupt.
The vast majority of inhabitants in the Immortal Realm were unaffiliated wanderers who had suffered under the court for far too long. Given the chance, someone would surely rise in revolt and ignite an uprising to overthrow the Immortal Court!
Therefore, the court needed to elevate an Immortal Emperor to take command of the situation—someone around whom public will could rally, leaving the common masses too intimidated to rebel.
The Nine Emperors fell silent.
Growing impatient, the Eastern King pressed, "Uncles, both the Imperial Monarch and Primordial Monarch are dead. In this world today, only I command the stature to claim supreme power. Have you reached a decision?"
Eyes turned toward the Yanglong Emperor. Clearly, some among them were tempted by the Eastern King's proposal and chose not to voice open objection.
The Taixiao Emperor murmured, "Brother Dao, Mingzun has already grown disobedient. Why not prop up another one who listens?"
The Yanglong Emperor gave neither approval nor disapproval, saying in an unhurried tone, "Eastern King, even your father was merely a puppet we placed upon the throne. What makes you think you are any different? By murdering the Imperial Monarch and Primordial Monarch, you violated the rules of our Nine Emperors."
At these words, the Eastern King's heart sank. He instantly drove the nine cave abysses to their limits, ramping his cultivation and power to the peak to brace for disaster!
The Yanglong Emperor continued, "The rules of our Nine Emperors are the rules of the Immortal Realm. They cannot be broken."
With a thunderous roar, the Luhe Emperor struck first!
He was the Emperor of Biantian. As he charged forward, the aura bursting from his towering form swept the skies of the Yunguan World completely clear of clouds, leaving tens of thousands of li of pristine azure!
Behind him loomed a Dao tree woven of a thousand vines, with a Dao fruit suspended high above. His strike carried unmatched tyranny; with a single blow, the Great Dao of heaven and earth around them descended into chaos, shifting according to his will!
The Eastern King promptly channeled the Ten Extremes Great Void Dao Scenery to meet the Luhe Emperor's assault. As their divine arts collided, he immediately felt an onslaught of myriad, ever-shifting Dao laws—unpredictable and dizzying—whose surging Dao force threw him backward thousands of li!
No sooner had he regained his footing than the Quelin Emperor descended upon him. Behind her arose the Dao image of the Heavenly Gate, filled with thousands of palaces and myriad pavilions. An expanse of immortal halls covered the sky as the female emperor's sharp cry heralded their crushing descent.
The Eastern King raised his hands to clash with it head-on. With a booming crash, he was driven downward, plunging into the mountain ranges of Yunguan and shattering the peaks on impact.
As the Eastern King burst out from the shattered rock, the Qinghua Emperor flashed into view. Behind him, the sun shone in a clear sky, and an azure dragon spanned the heavens, reaching down with an outstretched claw.
*Boom!*
The Eastern King was knocked flying once more. Simultaneously, the sharp twang of a zither rang out. Before he could steady his frame, he was battered as though struck by repeated heavy blows, spinning through the sky without any foothold amid the notes.
The Fuyue Emperor swept her hand across the strings with several forceful strums. The Eastern King grunted, tumbling uncontrollably across an immense distance until he was blasted out of the Yunguan World and into the Taoguan World.
Yunguan, Taoguan, and Yuguan formed the Three Passes of the myriad worlds. Each had a massive Heavenly Gate left behind from antiquity, carved with dragon-form characters whose meanings had long since been lost to time.
The Eastern King crashed through the ancient dragon-inscribed Heavenly Gate of Taoguan, plummeting into a towering mountain.
He leapt back into the air, only to see the Caiwei Emperor's slender, jade-like hand descending from the heavens. Crushing the surrounding space, her palm ground the massive mountain flat and pounded him into the earth below!
Laughing uproariously, the Jiuyou Emperor descended and smashed a fist down where the Eastern King had fallen.
His physique was immense, resembling a fiendgod of the nine heavens. That single downward punch tore clean through the mortal plane, hammering the Eastern King into the netherworld.
Their colossal bodies slammed into the gloomy expanse of the netherworld, obliterating countless surrounding spirits and inflicting untold casualties among the ghosts.
The Jiuyou Emperor roared with laughter, soaring up into the air before stomping down viciously. He gave a strange cackle. "Nephew, even your father was under our control for six hundred thousand years! Only after his wings had fully grown did he dare stand against us! You have not even reached your father's past level, yet you dare challenge us?"
Before his foot could land, a hand reached out from the deep pit and seized his ankle. The Jiuyou Emperor was startled to discover that the power coursing from the Eastern King was astonishingly immense. The Eastern King swung him around by the leg and slammed him violently into the earth!
The Eastern King bolted from the crater, blood spilling from the corners of his mouth and fury soaring to the heavens. The next moment, the Taixiao Emperor fell upon him. Second in cultivation among the Nine Emperors, the Taixiao Emperor unleashed a flurry of devastating blows onto the Eastern King's chest, sending him hurtling backward.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The Eastern King crashed through one ancient, magnificent mountain after another across the netherworld before finally halting.
With thousands of palaces and halls wheeling behind her, the Quelin Emperor surged toward him. But suddenly, the Eastern King erupted from the shattered boulders and soared upward. With a single leap, the firmament tore open, showering down immortal radiance.
One after another, they burst into the Earth Immortal Realm and traded dozens of blows as they rocketed toward the Immortal Realm. Unable to block the Eastern King, the Quelin Emperor was forced back instead, secretly shaken.
"Give it to me!"
Returning to the Yunguan World, the Eastern King charged straight toward Ning Zhong, reaching out from afar to seize him. In his clash with the Nine Emperors, he had been reduced to a punching bag, barely able to retaliate and seemingly outmatched. Yet this claw strike displayed the overwhelming might of an unmatched expert!
Whether Ning Zhong, the Four Saints of the Northern Culmen, or Young Master Ning Qing, all felt that no matter how they tried to evade this grasp, there was nowhere to hide! The Four Saints rushed forward to intercept him, but having assimilated Ning Zhong's Shengzhou, the current Eastern King was simply too powerful, repelling the four of them one by one.
Young Master Ning Qing hurriedly summoned the Returning Dao Jade Platter to block the attack in front of Ning Zhong. Yet the Eastern King reached out, grasped the platter directly, and laughed heartily. "Many thanks!"
Ning Qing's heart jolted; only then did he realize that the Eastern King's true target had never been Ning Zhong, but the Returning Dao Jade Platter in his hands.
Had the Eastern King moved to snatch the jade platter directly, Ning Qing would never have deployed it to meet him. But by targeting Ning Zhong, he had exploited Ning Qing's concern for his father's life, leaving him no choice but to activate the treasure.
The Eastern King had refined and nourished this platter for four to five hundred thousand years. Now that it was back in his grasp, he activated it without hesitation.
The Supreme treasure hovered in midair, resembling a bright green moon suspended behind his head.
The Jiuyou Emperor was the swiftest, arriving first. Flickering like a phantom, he unleashed a frenzied assault upon the Eastern King.
Yet the next instant, pinned beneath the radiance cast by the jade platter, myriad fleshy buds sprouted uncontrollably from his body, turning into tender green shoots that rooted in midair and grew with wild abandon. In moments, they expanded into a lush tangle of vegetation, rising higher and broader by the second!
Knowing something had gone horribly wrong, the Jiuyou Emperor immediately mobilized his Dao tree and bodhimanda, summoning his Dao fruit to suppress the mutation and rapidly restore his physical body.
But the Eastern King's palm had already reached his chest. Coughing blood, the Jiuyou Emperor was sent flying.
The Caiwei and Fuyue Emperors attacked together from left and right. The Eastern King parried while retreating, until suddenly a beam of Dao light shot from the Returning Dao Jade Platter, blasting the Fuyue Emperor into the starry sky and instantly throwing the celestial bodies into disarray!
Left to stand alone, the Caiwei Emperor grunted as the platter's light swept over her. Her bodhimanda was pierced through, and in an instant, her Dao fruit took root and sprouted, growing into a second Caiwei Emperor.
Feeling her consciousness torn in two, she nearly fell into madness. With a cry of alarm, she spun to flee, only for the Eastern King to catch up from behind and strike her square in the back!
The Caiwei Emperor skimmed the ground for several hundred li, plowing a massive chasm into the earth.
The Eastern King flickered and vanished into the starry sky, just as the Fuyue Emperor attacked from above. The two exchanged dozens of blows in an instant, leaving the Fuyue Emperor coughing blood.
Just as she was on the verge of collapse, space around the Earth Immortal Realm—centered on the Yunguan World, flanked by the six worlds of Taoguan, Yuguan, Yunjian, Taojian, and Yujian—began to twist and warp, forming a cosmic curtain draping behind the Yanglong Emperor!
The Yanglong Emperor rose higher and higher, using his unfathomably immense magic power to mobilize all six worlds of Yunguan at once!
Among the Nine Emperors, the Yanglong Emperor stood supreme—a Daluo Golden Immortal at the very peak of his strength!
As he unleashed a palm strike, the Great Dao of heaven and earth across the six worlds behind him was instantly drained dry, channeled entirely into the force of this single blow!
The Eastern King drove the nine cave abysses to their absolute limits and channeled the Returning Dao Jade Platter to meet the strike head-on.
The Yanglong Emperor struck three palms in succession, clashing three times against the Returning Dao Jade Platter. He praised, "Creation Supreme, you truly live up to your reputation as someone who once contested the realm against Qingxuan."
Even as he spoke, blood suddenly burst from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and he plummeted from beyond the firmament!
Tearing through the void, the Jiuyou Emperor arrived and witnessed this scene with horror. When the Eastern King turned the Returning Dao Jade Platter toward him, the Jiuyou Emperor paused his stride. Through his magic power, the realms of Yin and Yang overlapped into one, their boundary blurred—dark, profound, and yet illuminated by the sun and moon hung high, at once magnificent and uncanny.
Ranked third in strength among the Nine Emperors, bolstered by the power of both the Yin and Yang realms, he pounced forward with a screeching cry. "You named Meng! You are draped in bells and whistles from head to toe, but which of them is truly yours? If you have the guts, take off your nine cave abysses and put away the Returning Dao Jade Platter!"
"As long as I can beat you, it matters not!"
The Eastern King roared, hammering him down into the netherworld and deep into the earth with a single strike.
The Luhe, Qinghua, and Taixiao Emperors charged forward, appalled by the sight. The Taixiao Emperor shouted, "Join forces!"
The three emperors surged forward together. Yet facing the Eastern King—who had unlocked all nine cave abysses and held the Returning Dao Jade Platter—they found their hands tied, and each soon suffered injuries.
The magic within the Returning Dao Jade Platter was bizarre in the extreme. When the Great Dao of Creation contained within shone upon them, it twisted their own Great Dao. Even their Dao trees, Dao flowers, and Dao fruits were warped beyond recognition by the treasure.
They had to aid one another in offense and defense just to counter the platter, all while withstanding the Eastern King's relentless assaults. Completely forced onto the back foot, they took wound after wound.
The Caiwei Emperor rushed back into the fray, but even her addition could not turn the tide against the Eastern King.
The wounded Fuyue Emperor arrived to assist, managing only to hold him to a standstill. The Quelin and Jiuyou Emperors struggled to their feet and joined the siege, yet all were held at bay by the Returning Dao Jade Platter wielded by the Eastern King.
The sheer terror of a Supreme-grade artifact crafted by an ancient pinnacle expert was fully laid bare once its might blossomed!
The Yanglong Emperor struggled to his feet, preparing to re-enter the fight. Just then, the Changsheng Emperor shifted like lightning, cutting straight into the Eastern King's bodhimanda. Slipping past the Great Void Dao Scenery and evading one divine art after another, he appeared directly behind him!
Between his fingers, he held a plum blossom branch with two or three blossoms clinging to its tip, meeting the Eastern King's fist as the latter whipped around to strike.
The moment blossom met fist, the Eastern King's expression twisted in sheer shock. "You—"
The plum blossom spun like a wheel, cutting deep into his body.
The Eastern King coughed great mouthfuls of blood, his face frozen in disbelief.
Taking advantage of the opening, the Yanglong Emperor struck, his overwhelming palm force slamming directly into the Eastern King's chest. Ribs snapped with sharp cracks, yet the Eastern King forced himself forward toward the Changsheng Emperor. Blood poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth as he snarled, "You!"
The Changsheng Emperor's expression remained as calm as ever as he drifted backward. Simultaneously, the Taixiao Emperor slapped a heavy palm down upon the Eastern King's crown, while the Jiuyou Emperor leapt up, throwing himself forward heedlessly to clutch the Returning Dao Jade Platter and wrench its lethal light away from the Changsheng Emperor.
The Luhe Emperor's divine arts shifted endlessly, unraveling the Great Dao within the Eastern King's bodhimanda.
The Caiwei Emperor plucked the Eastern King's Dao fruit; the Qinghua Emperor gathered his Dao flower; the Fuyue Emperor uprooted his Dao tree.
The Eastern King's aura deteriorated at terrifying speed. The Changsheng Emperor halted his retreat and pressed a single finger against the Eastern King's brow, a faint smile finally gracing his lips.
Seeing that familiar smile, the Eastern King's lips twitched. But the next instant, the force of the Changsheng Emperor's finger pierced through the Realm of Xiyi, blasting straight through his primordial spirit.
Swaying on his feet, the Eastern King finally dropped to his knees. His body pitched forward to the ground, utterly devoid of life.
The Taixiao Emperor coughed blood, his frame trembling as he nearly collapsed. The Jiuyou Emperor surged his cultivation to suppress his Dao injuries. The Luhe, Quelin, and Fuyue Emperors each tended to their wounds, lingering dread in their hearts.
Nine emperors, caught off guard, had nearly been wiped out by the Eastern King!
"Who in the world delivered this Returning Dao Jade Platter to him?" The Qinghua Emperor's eyes glinted with murderous intent.
With the Eastern King dead, the nine Heavenly Monarch–grade cave abysses became ownerless. Calmly, the Changsheng Emperor used his magic power to stabilize them and said, "Brothers, your injuries are severe, and the Immortal Court cannot remain without a master for even a single day. Each of you, take one cave abyss to heal your wounds."
The Yanglong Emperor shook his head. "Heavenly Monarch–grade cave abysses are insufficient to sustain even our daily breathing and refinement; they cannot heal our wounds. The only thing that can mend our damage is the Supreme cave abyss."
Panting heavily, he struggled to his feet and said, "Our only option now is to combine the strength of all nine of us to unseal the Supreme cave abyss and treat our injuries!"
He looked around at the others. "The world is far from peaceful. Many factions are stirring in the shadows, waiting for an opening to rebel. The Immortal Court cannot go a day without a ruler. Now that the Immortal Emperor is trapped, in this hour of grave peril, our only choice is to establish a new sovereign to weather the storm!"
The Taixiao, Jiuyou, and Luhe Emperors all nodded. The Immortal Court had far too many enemies: several factions lurked within the Ancestral Court, forces around the Wangxiang Platform were growing restless, and experts who had retreated into seclusion after losing past power struggles would surely seize this chance to stage a comeback!
The Changsheng Emperor said, "The situation is dire. If we do not crown a new emperor, others will, leaving us without legitimacy. Yet among those eligible to ascend the throne, only the lineage of the Imperial Son-in-Law remains, alongside Heavenly Venerable Taisui and the Heavenly Venerable of the Wealth Department."
Xu Ying's mother, Lan Suying, was the adopted daughter of the Immortal Emperor Supreme, making Xu Jing an Imperial Son-in-Law who possessed at least a shred of legitimacy.
As for Heavenly Venerable Taisui Ning Zhong and Heavenly Venerable Guan Zhaicai of the Wealth Department, they lacked even that connection, being far removed from any claim.
The Taixiao Emperor sneered, "Xu Ying was originally a rebel. Xu Jing is the rebel's father, which makes him a rebel too. Princess Suying is the rebel's mother, harboring treasonous thoughts herself. That entire family is born with rebellious bones; not one of them can be emperor! As for Heavenly Venerable Taisui or the Heavenly Venerable of the Wealth Department, don't even speak of it!"
The Changsheng Emperor pondered for a moment and said, "There are still many unaffiliated experts living in seclusion throughout the Immortal Realm, among whom are several mighty figures. Above the nine heavens, within the Daluo Heaven, there are also Heavenly Monarchs. Why not hold an open selection across the realm? Surely we can choose someone outstanding yet obedient from among them."
The emperors shook their heads one after another. "We are heavily wounded. If we hold an open selection, who knows how long it will take? By the time a choice is made, our old political rivals will have slaughtered us down to the last man!"
The Yanglong Emperor said, "I have an expedient plan. Changsheng, your injuries are not severe, correct?"
All eyes fell upon the Changsheng Emperor. With an unruffled expression, he replied, "My cultivation is shallow, so my injuries happen to be the lightest."
The Yanglong Emperor sighed. "This is the will of Heaven. Changsheng, do not refuse. From this day forth, you shall be the new emperor, acting on behalf of the Immortal Emperor."
The Changsheng Emperor said in shock, "How could that be permissible?"
The Yanglong Emperor said, "With you as Immortal Emperor, our minds will be at ease. We watched you grow, step by step, until you attained the realm of a Daluo Golden Immortal. You had the opportunity to prove the Supreme Dao back then, but the Immortal Realm could not accommodate a second Supreme. Now, however, you must take the throne!"
The Taixiao Emperor and the others chimed in with their urging. "Fellow Daoist Changsheng, if you do not agree to become the new emperor, the Immortal Realm will face destruction in short order!"
The Jiuyou Emperor said, "Fellow Daoist, if the Immortal Realm falls and the Old Dao surges back, none of us will have a burial ground in the days to come!"
The Caiwei Emperor added, "If you refuse the throne, the countless common people will suffer endless slaughter!"
The Changsheng Emperor's expression shifted erratically. He stamped his foot and exclaimed, "Sirs, you are placing me over the fire! If I take the throne, and the Immortal Emperor Supreme returns from the Cosmic Black Realm in the future, venting his fury upon me, how will I prove my innocence?"
The emperors responded at once, "Why would you need to prove anything? We will vouch for you!"
The Yanglong Emperor said solemnly, "Mingzun stopped listening to us long ago. We have harbored the intention to replace him for some time; it was only his deep foundations that prevented us from moving against him lightly. Now that he is trapped in the Cosmic Black Realm, you are stepping up to shoulder the mantle of the Immortal Emperor in an hour of crisis. If he dares cause trouble, we will not sit idly by."
They arrived beneath the Supreme cave abyss. It was an abyss summoned by Emperor Haocang, colossal and magnificent beyond compare. To access it required the combined unsealing of the Nine Emperors of the Nine Heavens; without their collective consent, not even the Immortal Emperor could make use of it.
The abyss appeared bottomless, its perimeter guarded by lines of immortal talismans, remaining in a sealed state.
For some reason, no immortal soldiers stood guard at the entrance.
The Yanglong Emperor said, "Furthermore, we hold the Supreme cave abyss. Once we undo its seal, you will use it to cultivate, discarding your Dao fruit to re-cultivate the Supreme realm. When that time comes, you will be a Supreme bolstered by the Supreme cave abyss, backed by all of us. What could Mingzun possibly use to contend with you?"
The Changsheng Emperor let out a long breath and bowed deeply. "With those words from my brothers, I have no choice but to force myself to temporarily assume the imperial throne."
The Yanglong, Taixiao, and other emperors coughed blood repeatedly, urging, "There is no time to lose. Let us unseal the Supreme cave abyss immediately."
The Nine Emperors each drew a deep breath, marshaling the remnants of their cultivation to break the seals of the Supreme cave abyss one by one.
This cave abyss was originally called the Haocang Cave Abyss, summoned from the other shore by the Last Lord of Ziwei, Emperor Haocang. Now that the seals were removed, an overwhelming torrent of Dao power surged forth, accompanied by an astonishing density of spiritual qi!
Supporting the Yanglong Emperor by the arm, the Changsheng Emperor said, "Allow me to help my brothers into the Supreme cave abyss to tend to your wounds."
Coughing continuously, the Yanglong Emperor said, "You must come in as well. You need to refine this cave abyss as quickly as possible. Only when it is under your control can you prove the Supreme realm. This is a secret unknown to outsiders..."
Heeding his words, the Changsheng Emperor walked with them into the Supreme cave abyss.
Shrewd and calculating as he was, he could barely contain his exultation, nearly abandoning all restraint to sing and dance with joy.
Yet he forced himself to hold back.
The interior of the Supreme cave abyss was brilliantly lit, its dazzling radiance greeting their eyes. Suddenly, from within the light, the Imperial Monarch walked toward them.
The Nine Emperors were shaken to the core. The Qinghua Emperor cried out in disbelief, "Imperial Monarch, you are still alive?!"
*Whoosh—*
The Imperial Monarch suddenly dissolved into a wisp of demonic qi, seizing the moment of the Changsheng Emperor's shock to bore directly into his glabella.
The Changsheng Emperor froze on the spot, utterly paralyzed.
Another figure emerged leisurely from the radiance, speaking in an unhurried drawl: "I have waited so long for you. Should I call you Zhou Wu, Bai Xianwu, or Chen Changsheng? Or perhaps... should I call you the Imperial Monarch?"
Chapter 589