Xu Ying bowed in greeting and said, "Thank you for your praise, Senior Brother Lou."
Lou Mingyu smiled. "This is no mere flattery. Slaying Emperor Changsheng in three moves shocked the entire world. Even the Holy Venerable praised you as an extraordinary youth when he saw it, showing immense appreciation for you. Mingzun, Junior Brother Xu, this way, please."
He led the way forward, heading Above the Nine Heavens.
Xu Ying bowed slightly and said, "Senior Brother Mingzun, after you."
The Immortal Emperor raised his brows, quite surprised by this address of 'Senior Brother.' Xu Ying caught his expression and thought to himself, *Calling you senior brother this time means I'll be calling you nephew next time!*
As the Immortal Emperor walked ahead, Xu Ying followed behind him, stealthily reaching out a hand toward the back of the Emperor's neck.
As his hand reached forward, he noticed a ring of goosebumps prickling the Immortal Emperor Supreme's neck, and he could not help but let out a quiet chuckle.
Without moving his body, the Immortal Emperor twisted his head straight around. His gaze was sharp as a sword, cutting through one's spirit and severing one's resolve—naturally imposing without even a hint of anger!
Xu Ying offered a candid smile and slowly withdrew his hand.
The Immortal Emperor turned his head back. Xu Ying once again stealthily reached out, curling his fingers into a claw and lazily grasping toward the Emperor's neck.
Murderous intent flared within the Immortal Emperor Supreme, and he could barely restrain himself from striking Xu Ying down.
Xu Ying pulled his hand back just in the nick of time.
The Immortal Emperor halted his steps and said, "Xu Ying, come walk beside me. Do not trail behind me."
Xu Ying chuckled softly and fell into step alongside him.
Just then, Xu Jing arrived in a hurry, accompanied by the Yanglong Emperor, Taixiao Emperor, and the others. Catching sight of the Immortal Emperor and Xu Ying from afar, they were all startled. When the emperors saw Lou Mingyu leading the way, they were even more astounded.
The Yanglong Emperor, Taixiao Emperor, and the others hurried forward to pay their respects. "So it is Junior Brother Lou. Rather than attending to the Holy Venerable, when did you find the leisure to come out?"
Lou Mingyu smiled. "The Holy Venerable ordered me to invite Mingzun and Junior Brother Xu up to the Great Luo Heaven for an audience."
The Yanglong Emperor and Taixiao Emperor treated Lou Mingyu with great courtesy and invited him to come sit in the Nine Heavens. Lou Mingyu smiled and said, "The Holy Venerable's affairs take precedence, so I must temporarily decline your kind intentions; I beg your understanding. Next time, I will pay a visit to apologize to all my senior brothers."
He referred to the emperors of the Nine Heavens as his senior brothers, clearly sharing the same seniority as them.
The emperors halted, watching the three figures depart into the distance.
Once the trio had gone far, the emperors breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Yanglong Emperor said to Xu Jing, "Rest assured, with the Holy Venerable stepping in, Xu Ying will come to no harm. However, now that the Immortal Emperor has shown himself, your throne has gone up in smoke."
He sounded rather regretful.
Mingzun had already slipped from their control and begun to turn on the Nine Emperors of the Nine Heavens. Replacing Mingzun with someone more obedient had been the shared intention of all nine emperors. None of them had expected Mingzun to return to the Immortal Realm so quickly.
To the Holy Venerable, it made no difference who served as the Immortal Emperor, as it could never alter his supreme standing. But to the Nine Heavens, replacing him with a compliant Immortal Emperor was evidently of vital importance.
Xu Jing cared nothing for gaining or losing the throne, concerned only for Xu Ying's safety. He asked, "What is the Holy Venerable's background? Isn't the Immortal Emperor the greatest in the Immortal Realm?"
The emperors all sneered cold laughs.
The Jiuyou Emperor said, "What does the Immortal Emperor amount to? Back then, he was nothing more than an insignificant nobody. Were it not for our backing, could he ever have reached his position today?"
The Quelin Emperor said, "Mingzun has long been playing petty tricks and flaunting his cleverness in secret, thinking we were none the wiser. But who didn't know of his wild ambitions? Even your son, Xu Ying, was raised by him as a..."
The Yanglong Emperor gave a cough. Catching the hint, the Quelin Emperor promptly swallowed the word 'chive' back down his throat.
The Yanglong Emperor said, "Mingzun has committed many unrighteous deeds in recent years. Sooner or later, he will stir up trouble. The Holy Venerable summoning him this time is most likely to knock him down a peg and teach him some restraint."
He cast a glance at Xu Jing and added, "Though the seat of the Immortal Emperor has slipped away, your contributions are monumental, and other rewards remain. How about coming to the Nine Heavens to take the position of Emperor Changsheng?"
Xu Jing hesitated slightly, saying, "I have only just achieved the Heavenly Monarch realm and have no real accomplishments at that level. I fear I will never attain the Daluo Golden Immortal realm. The seat of Emperor Changsheng had best be left for other capable Heavenly Monarchs to vie over. I shall remain as my Celestial Venerable of the Dou Bureau."
The emperors exchanged glances and nodded one after another. They had not entirely trusted Xu Jing to begin with, fearing he was not of one mind with them. If Xu Jing were to become Emperor Changsheng, he would only prove to be an impediment to them.
The Yanglong Emperor said, "Since that is the case, we will not force you. In a moment, we shall draft an edict for the Immortal Emperor to issue, conferring upon you the title of Celestial Venerable of the Dou Bureau, bearing the authority of Celestial Venerable and overseeing the Six Bureaus. As for your esteemed son, Xu Ying, he shall be enfeoffed as Imperial Monarch, bearing the title of Imperial Monarch to lead all other Imperial Monarchs, standing as the head of all male immortals."
Xu Jing was inwardly overjoyed. Emperor Changsheng held no real authority, but a Celestial Venerable possessed genuine, immense power. And while an Imperial Monarch possessed no nominal administrative power, it afforded unfettered freedom!
Moreover, the title of Imperial Monarch could easily encompass real authority: since other Imperial Monarchs held a degree of power, exercising command over them was tantamount to holding actual authority.
*A'Ying's blessing has finally arrived—he's no longer a rebel!*
When Xu Jing thought of Lan Suying, his heart sank again. Lan Suying remained an imperial princess, still firmly within the grasp of Immortal Emperor Mingzun.
In truth, they could already rescue Lan Suying from the Immortal Court, but the world was vast—where could they possibly hide? Wherever they fled, they would never escape the Immortal Emperor's divine foresight!
Furthermore, neither Xu Ying, Xu Jing, nor Lan Suying was willing to spend the rest of their days running and hiding.
The purpose of their ascension to the Immortal Realm was not mere survival, nor to drag out a wretched existence, but for revenge—to avenge the kin and friends who had perished at Xujiaping and Kunlun!
Since neither hiding nor fleeing could shake off the Immortal Emperor's schemes, they might as well stay and bide their time for an opportunity!
Xu Ying followed Lou Mingyu Above the Nine Heavens, finding Great Luo Heavens scattered throughout the expanse. The moment he arrived, he was awed by the Dao rhythm of this place. Waves of profound Dao sounds surged into his mind, captivating and profound, while Dao light spread like dawn mist, manifesting into layers of miraculous phenomena that showcased the sublime depths of immortal Dao methods.
However, many of the Great Luo Heavens were deserted, bereft of masters, inhabited only by Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits.
Surprised, Xu Ying looked around at those empty heavens.
Above the Nine Heavens of the Immortal Realm, only three existences of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo were publicly known: Jiugong, Taiyuan, and Saint Luo. Yet the number of Great Luo Heavens here far exceeded three.
Lou Mingyu smiled. "Junior Brother Xu, this way, please."
Xu Ying inquired, "Senior Brother Lou, where did the masters of these Great Luo Heavens go?"
Judging by the number of Great Luo Heavens here, the Immortal Court once possessed more than a dozen powerhouses of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo or the Supreme realm. In its golden age, it far surpassed the present.
Yet now there were only three masters of the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo dwelling in the Great Luo Heaven, making him naturally curious about the fate of the others.
Lou Mingyu hesitated for a moment, then said, "I do not know either."
The Immortal Emperor said meaningfully, "Among the masters of these Great Luo Heavens, some compromised their integrity in their later years, committed errors, and were imprisoned. Some grew disheartened and chose seclusion. Others rebelled and fled, while still others vanished without a trace, their life or death unknown. In short, there are many reasons, but only one outcome."
Lou Mingyu added with equal weight, "Senior Brother Mingzun, these are matters that must not be discussed."
The Immortal Emperor dropped the subject.
The three arrived at a secluded Great Luo Heaven. Xu Ying followed them inside, only to see scenic wonders where the Dao gave form to all things. Immortal peaks, long rivers, and crystalline lakes formed an immortal sanctuary. With every step, the scenery shifted; within a few paces, the landscape transformed endlessly, as if a small world sheltered an entire boundless cosmos.
Above their heads, a Supreme cave abyss rotated unhurriedly, revealing an impossibly deep space. Rolling immortal mountains stretched on without end, looking like a landscape walking straight out of a painting, vast and limitless.
Xu Ying's view was blocked by this cave abyss. Only when he shifted his gaze did he spot a second Supreme cave abyss.
*Two cave abysses...* Xu Ying felt somewhat dizzy.
The second Supreme cave abyss differed from the first. It held no immortal mountains, only an other shore, and appeared quite shallow, lacking the profound depth of the previous abyss.
Yet the immortal spiritual qi and spiritual power emanating from this cave abyss were unimaginably terrifying and domineering, and the Great Dao harbored within was fierce and unyielding as thunder!
*The Holy Venerable possesses two Supreme cave abysses...*
Just as this thought crossed Xu Ying's mind, he saw a third Supreme cave abyss, leaving him utterly stupefied.
The third Supreme cave abyss drifting within this Great Luo Heaven did not appear to be summoned from the other shore. Instead, it was condensed from the native immortal peaks of the Earth Immortal Realm!
The spiritual qi and spiritual power contained within this abyss were identical to those of the Earth Immortal Realm. Someone must have gathered blessed lands and sacred mountains from across the Earth Immortal Realm, refining them all together to forge this Supreme-grade cave abyss!
Such an astonishing feat was something that could no longer be witnessed today.
For even if one combined all the immortal peaks and blessed lands remaining in the modern Earth Immortal Realm, they might not be able to piece together such a cave abyss!
Xu Ying felt lightheaded. The three Supreme cave abysses were distinct from one another, harboring different Great Daos, and their Dao powers were naturally worlds apart. To cultivate using all three of these cave abysses was an unthinkable extravagance.
The resources represented by these three cave abysses surpassed the entire Immortal Realm—surpassing even the whole Earth Immortal Realm!
If one added together all the sacred mountains and blessed lands controlled by countless sects throughout the myriad heavens and worlds, the wealth of rogue immortals in the Immortal Realm, the immortal officials of the Immortal Court, and even the Immortal Emperor Supreme and the Great Emperors of the Nine Heavens, it would still fall short of these three cave abysses!
*Perhaps only by adding the wealth of the Ancestral Court could one compare,* Xu Ying thought.
The Shangqing Dao Sect of the Ancestral Court possessed a Shangqing Cave Abyss. The Shangqing Cave Abyss, combined with all the wealth of the myriad worlds and the Immortal Realm, might just rival the Holy Venerable's riches.
"Although the Holy Venerable holds an extraordinary status, he lives an extremely frugal life," Lou Mingyu said with a smile. "The venerable elder resides in the Daming Palace just ahead."
The Daming Palace was built atop an immortal mountain. It was indeed not particularly opulent, covering modest ground and rising to no great height. Around it stood several smaller buildings, three to five in total, looking from afar like a wall-less temple.
As they drew near, the three descended to the ground and walked toward the Daming Palace. Lou Mingyu introduced the sights as they walked: the bricks paving the ground came from Emperor Shaohao's Golden Throne Hall; the water vat over there was the third-generation Demon Emperor's fish-dragon vat; the tiles adorning the eaves were fire-warding glazed tiles dismantled from Emperor Haoying's imperial harem; and that peony over there had been personally planted by the empress of the ninth-generation Demon Emperor, the only one of its kind left in the world.
And so it went.
Xu Ying's Dao heart went numb. The Daming Palace was indeed not luxurious, but every single brick, tile, blade of grass, and tree had an astonishing origin.
Plucking a single stalk of grass from here would likely surpass the immortal plants cultivated with painstaking effort by the Great Emperors of the Nine Heavens!
Xu Ying glanced at the Immortal Emperor, only to see him with eyes fixed on his nose and nose on his mouth, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. Clearly, he had long known just how extravagant the Holy Venerable's Daming Palace truly was!
The three arrived before the Daming Palace without stepping inside. From within the palace emanated an ancient, mighty aura, as high as the heavens, as deep as the sea, and as solid as the earth.
Thriving with vitality, this aura filled heaven and earth, coexisting with the Dao, fathomless in depth.
The Immortal Emperor Supreme bowed, and seeing this, Xu Ying bowed before the Daming Palace as well.
Without a word, Lou Mingyu quietly slipped past from the side, ascended the steps, and soon entered the Daming Palace. Moments later, layers of light radiated from within the hall, and a heavy voice echoed out. With every utterance, each word seemed inscribed by the Great Dao itself, gems of speech that became law the moment they were spoken, infinitely sublime.
"Mingzun, the Earth Immortal Realm has been restored, the Mortal Realm has appeared, and traces of immortals are faintly emerging in the Heavenly Immortal Realm. As the Immortal Emperor, you must not neglect public duties for private ends."
The Holy Venerable's voice carried out, saying, "Whether you wish to be the emperor of the three realms or merely the emperor of the Earth Immortal Realm is something you must weigh carefully in your heart. In this grand era, do not let your vision be narrow; take the long view."
The Immortal Emperor said, "I respectfully obey the Holy Venerable's teachings."
The Holy Venerable said, "I permit you to nurse your injuries within the Supreme cave abyss. You may withdraw."
The Immortal Emperor Supreme raised his brows, a trace of fury rising in his heart. Just when he had been about to kill Xu Ying and reap the harvest, he had been called all the way here merely to be reprimanded with such a remark?
Did they truly refuse to treat him, the Immortal Emperor, as an actual emperor?
And that Supreme cave abyss—it was supposed to be his cave abyss, yet every single time he wished to use it, he required the consent of either the Nine Emperors of the Nine Heavens or the Holy Venerable!
Was he truly the Immortal Emperor Supreme, or merely a decoration, an ornamental mascot?
Though he harbored such thoughts, he dared not show the slightest displeasure on his face. Bowing, he said, "Understood." With that, he turned and left.
Once the Immortal Emperor Supreme had departed, the Holy Venerable's voice sounded from above: "Xu Ying."
Xu Ying bowed. "Your subject is here."
Just then, the shifting layers of Dao light from the Daming Palace gradually moved. Sensing a pair of eyes examining him, Xu Ying raised his head to look. Amidst a halo of Dao light stood a hazy figure, looking down upon him from on high!
"What audacity, daring to look up at me."
The Holy Venerable's voice drifted from that cluster of Dao light, dark and chilling. "A successor of Qingxuan is bold indeed, harboring such wild ambitions!"
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly said, "I am no successor of Qingxuan! I am a victim! I was manipulated by the Immortal Emperor's schemes and guided into learning Qingxuan's techniques! I beg the Holy Venerable to execute this ambitious traitor, the Immortal Emperor!"
The Holy Venerable fell silent.
To the side, Lou Mingyu was also left somewhat dazed. The Holy Venerable had accused Xu Ying of harboring wild ambitions, so how had it turned around in Xu Ying's mouth to claim that the Immortal Emperor was the ambitious traitor who had to be executed?
The Holy Venerable said, "Xu Ying, Mingzun has his uses; do not always think of killing him. I saw that you were very close to Qingxuan. How did the two of you meet?"
Xu Ying's heart jolted, instantly realizing that the Qingxuan the Holy Venerable spoke of was not the real Qingxuan, but the good-for-nothing Qingxuan.
During Xu Ying's battle with Emperor Changsheng, the Holy Venerable must have been secretly observing the duel as well. Seeing that good-for-nothing Qingxuan had frightened him, and not daring to seek out the good-for-nothing Qingxuan directly—believing him to be the true Qingxuan—he was now fishing for information from Xu Ying.
Xu Ying blinked and said, "Your disciple has never met Qingxuan."
"Liar!" a furious roar thundered from above.
Xu Ying's face turned the color of dirt, and he trembled uncontrollably.
Taking in his expression, the Holy Venerable—whose eternal Dao heart had stood unshakable through countless ages—felt it violently churn, and he blurted out, "Qingxuan truly isn't dead yet!"
Chapter 603