[Ding! Your Lord God Controller authority has been upgraded!]
The prompt from the Main Temple sounded.
Yet this time, it seemed somewhat different from usual.
Even without the temple’s notification, Wu Ming could sense something mysteriously arcane from Yu Qingzi being seized into his possession.
With a mere flicker of consciousness, he could perceive the omnipresent transcendental radiance of the Main Temple.
Vast power seemed ready to be summoned with just a thought.
Such immense might stirred a sense of awe within Wu Ming.
He understood that his long-standing accumulation and numerous life-and-death struggles had finally elevated his authority to its peak—only removing the final obstacle remained before breaking through!
Only then would the title of Lord God Controller become truly deserved!
“Huh?”
Suddenly, Wu Ming’s eyebrows twitched. Communication with the Main Temple revealed a surprisingly new power, or rather, a previously undiscovered privilege.
“Initiate tasks?”
Before, he could only passively modify tasks, not create them.
Now, however, it seemed possible!
“It’s not without limitations…”
Wu Ming closed his eyes, sensing the limits of his authority through communion with the Main Temple.
“Although my accumulated privileges have brought me to the level of task initiation, I must still… follow the trend naturally?!”
He wasn’t entirely sure: “Follow the trend naturally? Go with the flow? Should I give it a try?”
He also understood clearly that before becoming the sole ruler of the Main Temple, task creation couldn’t be entirely arbitrary. Otherwise, he could have eliminated all other Reincarnators and privilege holders, consolidating authority before erasing the Main Temple’s will.
“Follow the trend naturally? Follow the trend naturally?”
A sudden realization struck Wu Ming as he remembered how the will of the Main Temple had once reversed time and interfered with the dungeon.
Here in Shengjing, he sensed the strongest traces of the Main Temple.
It was where, three hundred years ago, the Main Temple’s will had twisted space-time, and the glory of the Main Temple had descended, defeating numerous powerful cultivators!
Or perhaps… traces of Dao!
“If I attempt to create a task here, it should be tenfold easier than outside!”
Wu Ming’s eyes gleamed with determination. “If that’s the case…”
He remained silent for a long while, contemplating the plan repeatedly, convinced it was feasible. Yet he did not act immediately, instead heading to the central hall, to a patch of bloodstains.
Earlier, Yu Qingzi had used a demonic cultivation method, sacrificing his physical body to gain immense power. Alas, he was still drained to death by Wu Ming.
Now, aside from a faint blood silhouette on the floor, only scattered robes and a whisk remained.
Wu Ming’s eyes flickered, and from the debris, he picked up a small Bagua mirror, ignoring the other items as he stepped onto the cloud bed at the center of the hall.
“Command!”
This Bagua bronze mirror formation was controlled by Daoist techniques. With Wu Ming’s expertise at the Earth Immortal level and his familiarity with Yuqing Daoist methods, he quickly mastered it after only a little experimentation.
A clear glow enveloped the formation. The oil lamp flame atop the Bagua array flared brightly, and the eight bronze mirrors simultaneously illuminated, projecting vast images that continuously shifted angles.
“This is…”
Wu Ming stared, his breath catching slightly: “A tomb? And not just any tomb—it’s of the highest imperial rank… an Emperor’s mausoleum?!”
Under the imperial palace of the Shang Dynasty, there was actually a space spanning ten thousand mu?
That alone was shocking enough, but this underground palace housed an imperial tomb—it was even more incredible.
“Are you kidding? Who builds a grave beneath their own home?”
Wu Ming was astonished: “Unless… this isn’t the tomb of the Shang emperors, but something modified later?”
His eyes narrowed, emitting sharp light, as he observed more carefully.
The imperial tomb was grand and vast. Along the central burial path were uniquely shaped stone dragon sculptures, with a style that carried an exotic, savage aura.
“If this place isn’t the tomb of the Shang emperors, then it must have been built later by Ji Yi…”
A sudden realization struck Wu Ming: “Imperial tomb… malevolent energy… Mandate of Heaven… dragon beast… damn it! Ji Yi and Yu Qing—you two really have guts!”
Dragon-tainted malevolence corrupts; any living being that comes into contact with it undergoes mutation.
Ordinary people can absorb only a trace before their bodies explode from the overload.
Such dragon beasts would be of little use to the Zhou Dynasty.
Who, then, is best suited to absorb dragon-tainted energy? Naturally, those with the fate of emperors—the ultimate sovereign!
“Therefore… if the Zhou Dynasty wishes to cultivate dragon beasts, absorbing the tainted energy and repurposing it, the best medium would be the corpses of emperors… given that this malevolence is a mutation of imperial dragon energy.”
Wu Ming’s face twisted slightly: “So, if Ji Yi didn’t want to bury himself, he’d have to dig up the ancestral tombs of the Shang Dynasty, place the emperors’ remains there, and attract the malevolent energy from the capital region into the imperial tomb, creating the most suitable dragon beasts… truly the ruthless nature of emperors!”
Historically, the tombs of the Shang emperors were well-preserved by the Zhou Dynasty.
But Wu Ming trusted his own eyes more, knowing that after severing the dragon energy, neither Ji Yi nor Yu Qing would show mercy to the Shang Dynasty—they would surely dig up the graves.
“Tsk tsk… I was wondering how the Zhou Dynasty recovered its strength so quickly after seizing power, and how lavishly it rewarded its officials… turns out they looted the Shang ancestral tombs and took the treasures buried with the emperors…”
Wu Ming felt a twinge of envy, but his gaze toward the underground palace in the bronze mirror was heavy with concern.
What kind of draconic creature would be born from the fusion of an emperor’s destiny and the tainted essence of the Xuan Niao (Mystical Bird)?
Even he dared not confront it directly!
“The Shang Dynasty ruled for a thousand years, with over fifty emperors. Even if only half, no—just a tenth of them mutated into dragon beasts, it would be terrifying… and if the founding emperor of the Shang was among them…”
A chill ran down Wu Ming’s spine.
Most of this tainted energy bore the mark of the Xuan Niao. Was there a better vessel than a Shang emperor?
And the Shang founder was himself a great dragon. Combining the two…
“If that’s truly the case, capturing the dragon beast formed from the Shang founder and extracting its mandate might extend the Zhou Dynasty’s rule by another fifty years!”
Wu Ming’s eyes gleamed as he quickly calculated approximate figures: “No wonder the imperial court is in such a rush… but why are only a few Yuqing Daoists guarding this place, without any military presence? That’s strange indeed!”
He also understood that this place was filled with strange and dangerous energies; ordinary troops couldn’t remain here long, and logistics and supply lines would be easily overwhelmed.
With the world in chaos, revealing the secret of this underground palace could bring disaster if it fell into the hands of rebellious lords.
This time, it seemed the imperial court had finally resolved to send elite and loyal experts to complete the task.
“Roar!”
Suddenly, a roar echoed, sounding like a mix of dragon and tiger, mighty and formidable.
Wu Ming’s eyes gleamed with brilliance as he observed a section of the imperial tomb. The condensed malevolent energy had congealed into liquid, forming a small pond, with a crystalline formation at its center, sparkling like a diamond.
Suddenly, a black shadow flashed.
The pond was drained almost entirely, and the crystal vanished in an instant.
“A dragon beast!”
Although the shadow moved like lightning, Wu Ming still caught glimpses.
A scaly body, a horn on its forehead, a physique twice the height of an ordinary man, and the wild dragon energy radiating from it would cause an oppressive, suffocating sensation in any ordinary person.
“This is essentially a death zone… who needs guards here…”
Wu Ming’s forehead slightly broke into a cold sweat: “That creature alone would be difficult for even a typical martial saint to handle… such a perilous place, sending ordinary people here is just throwing them away!”
He understood clearly that if not for the dragon beasts rarely leaving their pools of tainted energy, the entire Shangzhou region—or even the entire world—would be thrown into chaos and bloodshed.
“The Nine Malevolent Veins… the Yuqing Daoists must have invested considerable effort into setting this up.”
Wu Ming stroked his chin: “After all, we were once friends. Now I’ll just take advantage of it for my benefit!”
He immediately pressed the small Bagua mirror in his hand into a groove on the cloud bed.
Creak!
The two pieces fit perfectly, accompanied by the sound of hidden mechanisms.
Wu Ming smiled slightly, turned it a few times, and suddenly, a loud noise came from outside the hall.
A thick iron wall, a meter thick and gleaming metallic, slid open, revealing a tunnel leading downward. Intense black qi surged out violently.
Buzz!
A ring of Daoist light activated, carrying sealing power that contained the visible malevolent energy within the tunnel.
“There really is a tunnel leading to the imperial tomb…”
Wu Ming took a deep breath and stepped into the endless darkness…
…
Within the Yuqing Daoist Palace, inside a quiet chamber.
“Ancestor…”
The current head of the Yuqing Daoist sect, Daoist Jing Xu, knelt respectfully on a cushion, addressing the figure seated above: “The soul tablet of Senior Uncle Yu Qingzi has shattered. I fear… he has already departed to the void…”
In reality, this was a euphemism for complete annihilation of the soul.
Above the cloud bed, a mass of clear light gathered, forming a human shape radiating benevolence—it was the Yuqing Daoist elder.
Though his face remained unchanged from three hundred years ago, there was now a calm composure as he replied lightly:
“I already know.”
Daoist Jing Xu was startled and cautiously asked: “Shall we send people to investigate?”
“There’s no need. You may leave. The world is entering another era of contention for supremacy. Issue orders to recall all core disciples and seal the mountain gates!”
The Yuqing Daoist elder said slowly.
“What?” Daoist Jing Xu was shocked, nearly rising.
After all, the Yuqing sect was now a prominent Daoist school, mighty and influential. To suddenly abandon everything was difficult even for him, the sect leader.
“Leave!”
The Yuqing Daoist elder waved his hand.
Within the Yuqing sect, none outranked the Yuqing Daoist elder. Despite his reluctance, Daoist Jing Xu dared not disobey, bowing and retreating.
The Yuqing Daoist elder remained silent for a moment before performing a divination technique. He frowned: “Yu Qingzi has always been somewhat mysterious. This time, his demise… I cannot even detect the slightest clue…”
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