“This young master, please show some self-restraint.”
The night sea breeze was slightly chilly, stirring up waves like a thousand piles of snow, crashing against the dock’s edge with echoing sounds. Huo Lishang felt as if a lake of icy water had poured over him from head to toe on a bitterly cold winter day, watching helplessly as You Hu turned and walked into the cabin.
What he once believed was firmly under his control proved fragile beyond imagination.
“Something must have happened on the ship. What exactly did that ‘Taiyi Heavenly Venerable’ Han Guang do?” Huo Lishang, though seemingly carefree and unrestrained, was no fool, as no one who had achieved the Dharma Body status could be. Witnessing You Hu’s attitude, he vaguely grasped the key point, “Perhaps we’ve let a wolf into the house…”
Not just letting a wolf in, but swapping places with a tiger!
His thoughts raced like lightning, and soon he made a decision: “You Hu is intelligent and profound, cautious and careful. Without confidence, she wouldn’t act rashly. As for Yun Yue, she’s lively and straightforward, unable to hide her feelings, and deeply infatuated with me. It seems I must first investigate the situation and obtain healing pills from her.”
Was You Hu worried about being detected by that ‘Taiyi Heavenly Venerable’ Han Guang?
Yun Yue had a habit of facing the first rays of dawn to inhale floral fragrances, and no one could disturb her surroundings—that was his opportunity!
Huo Lishang returned to the dock’s cargo pile, closed his eyes to rest, and waited for dawn without any further anxiety, fully displaying the mental state of a Dharma Body expert.
A red streak dyed the horizon, and Yun Yue stepped out from the cabin wearing small leather boots. Her face was naturally beautiful, her eyes shining as brightly as the morning star.
“Yun Yue! Yun Yue!” Huo Lishang, hiding nearby, disguised himself as a Night Emperor servant, whispering her name.
His breath was so weak that, without deliberate disguise, he was indistinguishable from an ordinary person, easily becoming a blind spot to deceive ‘Taiyi Heavenly Venerable’ Han Guang.
In the quiet early morning, though the call was faint, it reached Yun Yue’s ears without obstruction.
Yun Yue turned her head toward the dock, spotting a young man in servant’s attire. His smile was bright and clean, his eyes filled with admiration and anticipation for her.
In Huo Lishang’s hopeful gaze, Yun Yue’s pretty face turned stern:
“Young master, who are you?”
“Young master, who are you…” Huo Lishang felt as if struck by a thunderclap, once again frozen stiff at the dock.
“I am your master, I am the true Night Emperor…”
Had even his beloved Yun Yue ceased to recognize him as the ‘Night Emperor’?
In an instant, he suddenly recalled the previous fake Night Emperors frantically shouting as the game ended. Now it felt like a repetition, only the fool was himself this time.
“When the false becomes true, even truth becomes false?”
When his concubines, subordinates, friends, and enemies all regarded the other as the true ‘Night Emperor,’ was that other effectively his replacement?
Then who was he?
Huo Lishang stood in a daze, as if plunged into metaphysical confusion or struck by a heavy blow. At that moment, he saw Yun Yue turn her gaze back to the flowers, her left hand subtly moving behind her back and giving a slight flick. A faint green glow silently landed inside his collar.
It was a pill the size of a longan, green in color, brimming with vitality. Just the fragrance seemed to improve his injuries slightly.
“The Night Flowing Youth Pill…” Huo Lishang calmly pocketed the pill, feigning disappointment and slowly leaving the dock.
With this healing pill, he could at least recover to the level of an Outer Scene expert!
Yun Yue was still loyal to him, the young master!
And her ability to prepare healing pills in advance must have been informed by You Hu. You Hu, that clever girl, also supported him but dared not openly interact with him due to Han Guang, the ‘Taiyi Heavenly Venerable,’ and the changes on the ship, nor could she offer better immortal pills for now… As Huo Lishang walked, he gradually regained his composure, seemingly becoming the ‘Night Emperor’ once again, with all matters and trajectories firmly under his control, lofty and all-encompassing, impartially observing everything.
“When I recover to the Outer Scene level, I will find other ways to contact Yun Yue, You Hu, and the others, obtaining more and better pills to strive for an early return to my peak, then openly declare to that ‘Taiyi Heavenly Venerable’ Han Guang, ‘The game is over.'”
“Actually, it might not even be that complicated. I’m currently severely injured and unable to transmit power to the Thousand Illusions Mask anymore. Once Han Guang exhausts the remaining power, he’ll be exposed. A mysterious strong figure impersonating the Night Emperor would surely make the Yin Ancestor think of something…”
Huo Lishang grew increasingly confident and resolute as he walked.
…
Inside the Night Emperor’s ship cabin.
Meng Qi removed the Thousand Illusions Mask, pondering its principle of remotely transmitting power. Unlike the Dharma Body talismans he had crafted, it wasn’t a direct extension of his will, suggesting something more complex at play.
Speaking of which, the ‘Night Emperor’ Huo Lishang had ceased transmitting power for half a day now. Could the curse of the ‘Green Emperor’ or ‘Taiyi Heavenly Venerable’ be so terrifying? Could Huo Lishang have suffered a setback merely by impersonating the title without inheriting any techniques? Or had he simply been extremely unlucky, directly encountering Golden Tortoise Island’s methods? Meng Qi pondered with a furrowed brow.
“Master, the Yin Ancestor has come for your reply,” Liushang and Yun Yue and others lifted the jade curtain to report.
Meng Qi nodded, his face and aura simultaneously changing, instantly transforming into the Night Emperor, seemingly indistinguishable from the real one!
“Mas-ter…” Yun Yue swallowed hard.
Without relying on the Thousand Illusions Mask, he could change to this extent?
An almost perfect imitation!
Meng Qi smiled and said, “If I couldn’t mimic him after studying Huo Lishang’s residual aura and transmitted power, then I would’ve wasted my cultivation of arcane techniques.”
You Hu and Liushang gazed at ‘Master’s’ smile, a feeling of being unable to distinguish reality from illusion arising.
Even the final constraint, the ‘Thousand Illusions Mask,’ was no longer effective…
Meng Qi stepped out of the inner cabin and saw the ‘Yin Ancestor’ Xu Bei standing by the window, hands clasped behind his back, gazing toward the direction of Golden Tortoise Island.
“Master Lishang, have you made your decision?” the Yin Ancestor turned his head, eyes flickering with ghostly flames.
Meng Qi smiled slightly, “I’ve always been a free-spirited wanderer. Honestly, I don’t wish to become anyone’s subordinate.”
This was his carefully considered decision, a direct refusal to Xu Bei’s proposal!
The fact that Golden Tortoise Island had sent a Celestial Immortal as an envoy made him cautious and unwilling to act recklessly. Since he didn’t desperately need the Green Sword, why must he wrest it from a tiger’s mouth?
Golden Tortoise Island was clearly targeting the ‘Immortal Trace’!
Faced with a Celestial Immortal, he might have the ability to survive and escape, but what if he were required to visit Golden Tortoise Island to meet the island master?
Even if the island master were merely a decoy, a Celestial Immortal with the advantage of terrain and reinforcements would be enough to eliminate him. This matter wasn’t as crucial as breaking free from the control of the Demon Buddha—it simply wasn’t worth taking such a risk!
Meng Qi embodied the traits of Legend and the Other Shore, with an extraordinary inner world already manifesting signs of a cave heaven. In just a few more years, he could effortlessly advance to the Earth Immortal realm, and might even attain Celestial Immortality within a decade. Taking time to consolidate his strength and return later would be no issue. By then, not even a Celestial Immortal envoy would pose a threat!
Meng Qi had seriously considered inviting allies to surround and kill the Celestial Immortal. With his current connections, he could indeed organize a force capable of eliminating a Celestial Immortal. Even with just five people—Master Lu, Su Wuming, the humorous big brother, the already Earth Immortal Xiao Bai, and himself—there was a chance of success. However, this depended on Golden Tortoise Island having only one Celestial Immortal envoy without other strong figures or support from high-level experts in the Seven Seas and Twenty-Eight Realms. Since he couldn’t be certain, the risk was too great. A miscalculation might result in the destruction of the righteous sects’ backbone. It would be better to temporarily retreat and advance later.
The Yin Ancestor Xu Bei looked deeply at Meng Qi: “Golden Tortoise Island sending a Celestial Immortal as an envoy demonstrates its might. I always thought no one in the world could resist, yet Master Lishang remains unmoved, decisively rejecting the offer upon realizing things differ from expectations.”
“Golden Tortoise Island acts mysteriously, yet now you know of its existence. Take care of yourself.”
He offered no further persuasion. At the Dharma Body level, without other compelling reasons, one’s will was usually firm.
Meng Qi had suspected the Yin Ancestor exaggerated Golden Tortoise Island’s strength to intimidate him. However, upon careful reflection, he realized that for someone of the Yin Ancestor’s seniority among the Human Immortals to submit so completely and follow loyally, it must indeed be a Celestial Immortal.
The Celestial Alliance itself had Earth Immortal-level figures, so a mere Earth Immortal couldn’t intimidate the Yin Ancestor.
Watching the ‘Yin Ancestor’ disappear from the deck, Yun Yue finally regained a bit of composure from her fear: “Master, Master, what shall we do now?”
Yesterday, they had merely offended the Five Elders of the Celestial Dao, making enemies of the entire world. Today, they had escalated to rejecting Golden Tortoise Island’s invitation, possibly facing pursuit and assassination by Celestial Immortal-level figures!
Such a capacity for causing trouble was unimaginable, perhaps truly unparalleled!
Liushang, Xiapi, and You Hu shared Yun Yue’s expression, conveying their inner fear.
A Celestial Immortal! An existence unseen for countless years, comparable to the sun and moon!
Meng Qi smiled and said, “Even a Celestial Immortal would find it difficult to trace my whereabouts. Don’t worry. If danger arises, I will provide you with a safe place to weather the crisis.”
At worst, he could sail this tower ship back to the world of Fengshen, back to his real world!
Liushang’s expression changed repeatedly before she finally forced a smile: “If the master feels it’s fine, then it must be fine. We should have killed the Yin Ancestor earlier; then Golden Tortoise Island wouldn’t know of your refusal.”
She still felt somewhat disoriented.
“This is the Ten Island Region. I’d have quite a challenge defeating the Yin Ancestor, let alone killing him outright. Besides, if the Yin Ancestor perished, wouldn’t Golden Tortoise Island investigate? That would only sever any possibility of reconciliation.” Meng Qi casually explained, “Do you know of any sects or hermits skilled in forging divine weapons or treasures?”
Since the path to the Green Sword was temporarily blocked, he would try finding someone to forge one instead. However, the Immortal Trace’s exploration of the Seven Seas and Twenty-Eight Realms was insufficient, leaving many specifics unknown, so he had to ask.
Xiapi blurted out, “The Golden Crow Sect in the Cloud Sea Non-Thinking Realm. It’s said the Red Emperor’s divine weapon was forged in collaboration with them.”
The Golden Crow Sect? The Eastern Sea Golden Crow Sect mentioned by Yun He Zhenren? Meng Qi’s heart raced, never expecting to find traces of the Golden Crow Sect here.
What was the relationship between these Seven Seas and Twenty-Eight Realms and the ancient Eastern Sea?
After careful questioning, Meng Qi became increasingly certain this Golden Crow Sect was indeed the same one, immediately declaring, “Raise anchor and set sail for the Cloud Sea.”
…
Huo Lishang meditated for half a day, gradually regaining strength, once again reaching the level of a novice Outer Scene expert, his aura becoming profound, exuding confidence with every movement.
He stood up and walked toward the dock, planning to find Yun Yue and the other concubines again, striving to recover to his peak as soon as possible and then return to his rightful Night Emperor ship in broad daylight.
With a refreshing smile, he arrived at the dock, gazing into the distance, only to see emptiness, the sea swaying, his smile instantly freezing.
Where was the Night Emperor ship?
Why was the Night Emperor ship gone?
Huo Lishang quickly grabbed a passerby, urgently asking, “Old sir, where is the Night Emperor ship?”
“An hour ago, the Night Emperor ship left the Ten Island Region, destination unknown,” an old man with white hair answered, puzzled. Was this person seeking an adventure?
The sea breeze blew against Huo Lishang’s face, his vision filled with blue waves and white foam, but the flower-adorned tower ship was gone.
Unknown destination… destination…
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage