The vast sea stretched boundlessly beneath the open sky, waves rising and falling, while distant birds circled overhead, their cries echoing across the pier. There was a peculiar tranquility and sense of sudden liberation in the air, yet Huo Lishang only felt the cold wind brushing against his face.
He suppressed his complex and indescribable emotions, lowered his eyelids, smiled slightly, and murmured, “Interesting. Truly interesting.”
As he spoke, he began to activate a secret technique, searching for his warship!
The Night Emperor Ship was his traveling palace, one of his major strongholds, forged from numerous rare and precious treasures, and protected by layers of forbidden arrays. Naturally, it had hidden contingencies in case of emergencies. For example, if the original master approached, the imprint resonance would activate the ship’s hidden mechanisms, concealing his presence and silently transferring control back to him. Precisely because of this, and due to his disguise and the “light under the lamp” strategy, Huo Lishang dared to approach the Night Emperor Ship despite being gravely injured and having lost all his powers. He had the confidence to boldly declare, “The game is over.” However, his concubine’s unexpected reaction meant no one could assist him in controlling the array—With the ship’s forbidden arrays and the help of his concubine’s subordinates, defeating those without divine weapons or physical forms was not difficult.
Likewise, he had a secret method to sense the ship’s general condition and determine its location and movement.
“Huo Lishang,” also known as the “Night Emperor,” was renowned for his unrestrained and spontaneous nature, yet he was anything but foolish. Despite striving for authenticity during the identity switch—carrying no tokens, divine weapons, or elixirs, save for a single life-saving pill—he had still prepared other contingencies.
As the secret method activated, the sea before Huo Lishang’s eyes turned pitch-black, like an endless night sky. Within it, only one brilliant star shone—the symbol of the Night Emperor Ship—allowing him to pinpoint its location and track its movements.
Yet, his vision was filled with boundless darkness, with no sign of any shining star.
“Gone… it’s gone,” Huo Lishang interrupted his technique, pupils constricted, his gaze filled with bewilderment.
In his secret method’s perception, the Night Emperor Ship was gone!
It had actually disappeared!
Gone…
The sea wind, carrying the dampness of the ocean, flapped his clothes like a flag, as if he had stood like an ancient statue at the port of the Ten Perils Island for eons…
…
The Night Emperor Ship sailed across the vast ocean, wrapped in a faint darkness, as if causality, perception, sight, and sound had all been swallowed, making it exist yet nearly invisible.
Meng Qi sat cross-legged on a flower platform, with a hazy and chaotic auspicious cloud hovering above his head, emanating an eerie glow that filled the entire ship.
He smiled at Yun Yue, You Hu, and the others: “With this concealment, even a Celestial Immortal cannot directly locate us. Now are you reassured?”
His tone was calm, yet exuded confidence. The combination of the Infinite Seal, the Dao-Yi Seal, and the Eight-Nine Mystical Art was unparalleled in concealing heavenly omens and traces.
Even a Celestial Immortal cannot find our trail… Then how could the young master find us… Yun Yue, You Hu, and the others slowly opened their mouths, eventually forcing a smile: “Reassured, of course reassured. How could we not be reassured?”
They couldn’t be more “reassured”!
Meng Qi sensed their emotional fluctuations, assuming they were too afraid to anger him for impersonating the Night Emperor, especially after provoking the Celestial Immortal envoy of the Golden Tortoise Island and bringing a heap of trouble upon themselves. But for now, he could only pretend not to notice, as using the Night Emperor’s identity was far more convenient than suddenly appearing as a mysterious Dharmakaya cultivator when seeking help from the Golden Crow Sect for forging a divine weapon.
In his hand was a nautical chart marking the general directions and locations of the Seven Seas and Twenty-Eight Realms. After verifying with Liushang and Xiapi whether the position of the Yunhai Feixiang Realm was accurate, he extended his left hand. The void suddenly rippled, revealing layered dimensions. The Night Emperor Ship’s restriction arrays activated, traversing one layer of void barrier after another.
Soon, Liushang and the other concubines’ eyes lit up as they noticed the azure seawater transforming. Each wave turned into a small white cloud, merging with others to form a magnificent high-altitude sea of clouds. Yet, if one reached out to touch them, they would realize it was still seawater—only altered by some mysterious force.
The cloud sea undulated, occasionally forming wave patterns resembling statues—mountains, humans—like sailing high in the sky, full of imagination.
“We’ve arrived at the Yunhai Feixiang Realm…” Yun Yue glanced at the sky and seawater, murmuring her conclusion.
The Yunhai and Lihai Realms were separated by an immense distance, requiring even two teleportation array transfers to traverse. Their young master, proficient in void techniques, still needed one or two hours to make the crossing. Yet this false Night Emperor merely waved his hand and instantly transported the Night Emperor Ship to the Yunhai Feixiang Realm!
Just this single feat likely rivaled only the Hunyuan Immortaless!
Combined with his genuine “turning stones into gold” ability, Yun Yue, You Hu, and the other concubines felt a chill in their hearts. This “Taiyi Heavenly Venerable” Han Guang was probably a genuine ancient expert, far surpassing their young master in power.
Their young master swapping identities with him was incredibly reckless!
Would he even return?
Even if he did return, could he withstand the pursuit of the Celestial Immortal envoy?
As these thoughts swirled, Liushang narrowed her eyes, observing the stars obscured by sunlight, deducing their current location from the celestial changes. After a while, she forced a smile and said: “Young master, we’re not far from the Golden Crow Sect.”
“Excellent,” Meng Qi clapped his hands in delight.
Under Liushang’s guidance, the Night Emperor Ship sailed southeast. After some time, a towering dark shadow appeared at the horizon, seemingly a majestic mountain peak on an island.
As they approached, the silhouette grew more distinct. It was not a mountain peak, but an ancient tree towering higher than any mountain, split into yin and yang, mutually supporting each other. Its mulberry-like leaves bathed in sunlight, shimmering like flames.
The Fusang Tree… Numerous ancient texts flashed through Meng Qi’s mind.
In the depths of the Eastern Sea, there stood the Fusang Tree, where the ancient Haotian Shangdi had slain the Donghuang Taiyi. Its blood had soaked the tree, allowing it to endure through eons of destruction and giving birth to this Fusang Tree, capable of bearing the sun itself, unafraid of fire.
Was this truly that legendary Fusang Tree?
“Legends say that in ancient times, countless immortal caves surrounded the Fusang Tree, but after the demonic chaos ravaged the land, such things ceased to exist. Even the Fusang Tree itself can only be admired from afar, never approached, like a mirage,” You Hu explained, sensing Meng Qi’s confusion.
A mirage, impossible to approach? Meng Qi nodded thoughtfully, saying nothing more. He instructed Yun Yue to retrieve the Night Emperor’s collected texts and ancient books related to forging, flipping through them occasionally and asking them to provide materials from the treasure vault for experiments.
The atmosphere was harmonious and peaceful. By evening, the “Tianyi Island,” home of the Golden Crow Sect, was already in sight.
“Yun Yue, go ashore and pay respects to the Golden Crow Sect’s sect leader. Ask if he is willing to forge a divine weapon for this young master and what conditions he may have,” Meng Qi declared with the Night Emperor’s air.
Yun Yue smiled sweetly: “Young master need not worry. The Golden Crow Sect has always been amiable and prosperous, forging weapons and magical artifacts without asking unnecessary questions.”
Of course, the premise was being able to pay the price.
Thinking of this, Yun Yue silently mourned for her young master’s treasure vault for five heartbeats…
“Speaking of it, the Golden Crow Sect was once a top-tier sect, no less than the Sanxiao Island. However, after the ancient era, their ancestral land, the Wunest, vanished along with the Fusang Tree, becoming a mirage, visible only from afar, never usable,” Liushang sighed.
“Wunest?” Meng Qi’s left hand idly rubbed a piece of Gengjin metal.
…
The dominant hue of the Yin Ancestor’s cave dwelling was an eerie green. Pavilions and terraces appeared draped in black fabric, utterly impervious to sunlight. Throughout the space, luminous green lanterns and bronze candles cast their glow upon the surroundings.
Although he had attained the Dharmakaya and was no longer afraid of ordinary sunlight, Xu Bei, the “Yin Ancestor,” still harbored a deep-rooted aversion to it from his past.
When he emerged from a pond resembling the Netherworld, a figure was already seated inside the waterside pavilion, wearing feathered robes and a star-adorned crown, surrounded by swirling mists. Within, it seemed as if the sun rose and the moon fell, stars revolved, and a true realm had descended, intersecting with the Seven Seas and Twenty-Eight Realms, exuding an immense and boundless aura.
“Greetings, esteemed envoy,” Xu Bei bowed respectfully.
This was none other than the envoy of the Golden Tortoise Island—a mysterious Celestial Immortal!
The envoy’s gaze shifted. His eyes were filled with infinite vicissitudes, encompassing all things, as if connected to other worlds: “Yin Feilong was killed by a member of the mysterious organization?”
He had come upon sensing this event.
“Yes. At that time, I was confronting the Night Emperor and could not rescue him in time,” Xu Bei instinctively used a more humble title.
The envoy sighed: “I performed a divination for him and knew he would face a great calamity this year, but I never expected it to strike so soon. Poor descendant of my bloodline—he was the only promising one left. I will never forgive that mysterious organization or the one who took his life.”
On the Ten Perils Island, the “Night Emperor” Huo Lishang suddenly shivered.
So that’s why he favored Yin Feilong so much, using him to contact me… Xu Bei suddenly understood. Deliberately changing the subject, he revealed everything about the Night Emperor knowing of the Golden Tortoise Island yet refusing to join. Finally, he added: “Looking back, perhaps he only knew the surface and was deliberately testing me. I failed to notice and was deceived.”
“It matters not,” the Golden Tortoise Island envoy closed his eyes, appearing as if asleep.
After a while, he lightly exclaimed: “The Night Emperor is no simple man. He has hidden himself exceptionally well, showing no signs of merely being at the Human Immortal level. Moreover, he has laid false trails, with ‘Night Emperor’ sightings in many places, such as the Ten Perils Island and Chixia Island. However, in terms of strength, they are merely decoys… This method seems familiar, not like typical confusion tactics. There must be deeper meaning…”
Xu Bei listened in confusion, realizing the envoy was speaking to himself and dared not interrupt, remaining silent.
“Use the Heavenly Path Alliance to help me locate the Night Emperor as quickly as possible. Once I find him, I will personally eliminate him,” said the envoy from Golden Tortoise Island, rising to his feet. In an instant, he transformed into a streak of radiant light and vanished.
“Yin Ancestor” Xu Bei gazed at the spot where he disappeared, his mind turning over countless thoughts.
Becoming an external member of the Golden Tortoise Island, with at least a Celestial Immortal backing him, offered a rare opportunity to break through and achieve Earth Immortal status. However, resources were better shared among fewer people, and subordinates were more valued when fewer existed. Thus, Xu Bei regarded this matter as a secret, unwilling to share it with others, even the other Five Elders of Tian Dao. He preferred to let the Night Emperor have the advantage, as a 4-to-1 difference was significant.
However, he was unaware whether the Golden Tortoise Island had dispatched envoys to recruit other Dharma Body cultivators, such as how the Night Emperor’s information had been obtained. Thus, after the Night Emperor’s refusal, he made no attempt to confront him but instead waited for the envoy’s arrival, hoping to catch a glimpse of whether other Dharma Body cultivators were also affiliated with the Golden Tortoise Island.
Only by knowing oneself and the enemy could one decide the future path!
…
Huo Lishang stood at the edge of the dock, lost in thought. The wind blew cold against his body. After a long while, he couldn’t help but smile: “Interesting. This experience is truly interesting.”
The task wasn’t too difficult. He already had the strength of an early-stage Outer Scenery cultivator, enough to travel to other islands and find his other subordinates!
Although ordinary subordinates had never seen him and only recognized tokens, not people, and he had no tokens with him, the regional managers—subordinates equal in rank to his concubines—were his trusted men who recognized him personally. Once he met them, he could reclaim his identity as the Night Emperor, mobilize resources, recover quickly, and then announce the game’s end, declaring to the world that he was the true Night Emperor!
He turned his head, a smile playing on his lips, pondering which manager he should seek out first.
Just then, his vision blurred, and a man in feathered robes and a star-adorned crown appeared before him, exuding a terrifying and immense aura unlike anything he had ever encountered—far surpassing even the Hunyuan Immortaless!
“Are you the Night Emperor?” the feather-robed man asked.
Huo Lishang forcibly suppressed the fear-induced palpitations in his heart, his mind racing. Suddenly, he realized the other’s tone was uncertain and not definitive, so he smiled innocently:
“I’m not the Night Emperor.”
“How could I possibly be the Night Emperor?”
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