Chapter 129: Heaven and Earth are merciless, treating all things as straw dogs!
The weird scorpion's words fell into Cheng Guang's ears, making his mind jolt with alertness.
Immediately afterward, Cheng Guang saw that the wisp of wine offered by the weird scorpion was filled with a rich, intense aroma of wine.
The fragrant scent rushed straight to his nose, causing the blood and vital energy throughout Cheng Guang's entire body to stir and surge uncontrollably.
Even before drinking a single drop, Cheng Guang acted as if he were already heavily intoxicated—his blood churned, his vital essence echoed, and his cultivation realm suddenly soared, causing his body to sway unsteadily.
Seeing Cheng Guang in this state, the weird scorpion was slightly stunned at first, and then burst out laughing.
"With a tolerance for alcohol like yours, I'm afraid even the local Earth Deity couldn't compare to you."
The weird scorpion smiled, shook its head, paid no more attention to Cheng Guang, and poured a mouthful of wine into its own mouth.
Just as it was pouring the wine into its mouth, it suddenly seemed to sense something. Its eyes drooped slightly, staring fixedly toward the distant horizon, motionless.
A moment later, the weird scorpion shifted its gaze back to Cheng Guang and the others.
"The Heavenly Dao has collapsed, and the ways of the world are frigid and desolate."
"Though I know not whence you came, you had best leave quickly now. This is no place for you to linger."
The weird scorpion spoke in a deep voice.
Hearing this, Cheng Guang hurriedly put the wine offered by the weird scorpion away into his storage ring.
Merely by approaching and smelling this wine, his entire body's blood and vitality had surged so violently; if he were to take a direct sip of it, wouldn't it cause his body to explode on the spot?
Lost in thought, Cheng Guang raised his gaze to look at the weird scorpion, intending to ask how to leave this secret realm, when he suddenly noticed the distant mountain gate of the Taoist temple where they had first entered.
The cavern entrance that had initially appeared illusory suddenly let out a rumbling sound.
Powerful figures in the surrounding area cautiously approached it, and then, with a slight flicker of their bodies, vanished right where they stood.
"We can leave!"
"We can finally leave!!"
The many powerful cultivators who had been lingering near the mountain gate, whose states of mind had long since been shattered and broken by the entities within the secret realm, rushed frantically toward the cavern entrance without the slightest hesitation.
Cheng Guang looked at the distant secret realm, and then glanced back at the weird scorpion perched on the roof of the Immortal-Circumventing Residence.
The cavern entrance had opened precisely as the weird scorpion finished telling them to leave early.
Whether it was the weird scorpion's doing or not, Cheng Guang did not dwell on it.
He turned around, called out to Cheng Zhihai and Qin Beifeng, and led the Great Wei Empress toward the cavern entrance.
Upon reaching the vicinity of the cavern entrance, Cheng Guang did not step through immediately, but instead turned his head to look back toward the Immortal-Circumventing Residence.
He watched as the weird scorpion stood up from the roof of the residence, its gaze fixed intently upon the depths of the Five-Dao Mountains.
And from deep within those Five-Dao Mountains, something seemed to be awakening—the mountain mass began to tremble and quake imperceptibly, while the blood-red canopy of the sky grew even more vibrant and intense in color.
It looked almost as if drops of bloody tears were falling.
"Grief... grief... woe unto our clan..."
A voice, somewhat ethereal and void-like, drifted out from the distance.
Upon hearing these words, Cheng Guang felt his soul shake violently, and an overwhelmingly intense sorrow inexplicably rose from the depths of his heart, making him desperately want to throw his head back and wail aloud.
At that exact moment, the Divine Decree Diagram within his mind trembled slightly.
Cheng Guang felt a cool stream of energy flow out from the center of his brow, instantly pulling him back from that abyss of overwhelming grief.
His mind reeled in shock.
What manner of entity could possibly reside in the depths of those Five-Dao Mountains?
A mere sentence was enough to influence the emotions of others.
Cheng Guang swept his gaze to his side.
Cheng Zhihai and Qin Beifeng were faring far worse.
Though they did not immediately burst out crying, traces of tears welled up at the corners of their eyes.
Only the Great Wei Empress, after a brief moment of trance, experienced a shudder through her delicate body and instantly snapped back to her senses.
Immediately afterward, she hurriedly cast her gaze toward Cheng Guang.
The Great Wei Empress had expected Cheng Guang to be affected by that unfathomable voice, but instead, she saw that his expression remained calm, and he was holding up far better than Qin Beifeng and Cheng Zhihai, both of whom were pinnacle Martial Emperor realm experts.
Her red lips parted slightly in astonishment, before she pressed them together into a thin line, the corners of her alluring eyes curving slightly.
This Marquis of Zhenguo's Heir...
He truly is not simple...
The Great Wei Empress looked at the young heir, and seeing that his eyes remained fixed on the depths of the Five-Dao Mountains, she followed his line of sight to look far away into the distance.
Gazing into the depths of the Five-Dao Mountains, the Great Wei Empress was able to perceive far more than Cheng Guang could.
With just a single glance, her brows knitted together slightly, as she sensed that somewhere in the deep recesses of the mountains, a massive, indistinct entity was gazing back at them.
Just as the Great Wei Empress intended to look closer, a sudden sense of alarm rose in Cheng Guang's heart, and he resolutely said, "Let's go!"
Cheng Guang stepped through the cavern entrance.
The Great Wei Empress, Qin Beifeng, and Cheng Zhihai closely followed behind him, passing through the portal in succession.
And the very instant the three of them crossed into the cavern entrance, an ancient, decaying elder clad in greyish-white robes suddenly materialized in their place.
His eyes were filled with numbness and bone-chilling cold, his expression steeped in extreme sorrow.
"Grief... grief..."
As the decaying elder stood there, the surrounding cultivators rushing toward the secret realm acted as though they could not see him at all. Turning a blind eye, they walked straight through his body.
Passing through the elder's form was like walking through an illusory wall of air, without feeling the slightest bit of obstruction.
The decaying elder simply stood in place, watched the cavern entrance for a moment, let out a lingering sigh, and slowly vanished from where he stood.
…………
Cheng Guang stepped through the threshold of the secret realm.
Before his eyes was a vast expanse of brilliant white light.
After a dizzying spin of the heavens and earth, his feet once again touched the solid ground of the Great Zhou territory.
At the same time, as Cheng Guang emerged from the secret realm, numerous other powerful cultivators burst out from the portal one after another.
Most of them wore looks of lingering fear.
As the crowd surveyed their surroundings, they suddenly realized that aside from the Great Wei Empress, not a single one of the many Heaven-realm masters who had entered the secret realm earlier had reappeared. Their expressions changed drastically in an instant.
Those Heaven-realm experts who had entered the realm were either emperors of various dynasties or ancestors of major sects; almost all of them held extraordinary status and influence.
If it were just one or two Heaven-realm experts missing, it might not have mattered much.
But if so many of them vanished all at once...
The world, I'm afraid, was about to plunge into chaos once again!
The wars across the realm that had only just quieted down not long ago would likely ignite anew due to the sudden disappearance of the top-tier Heaven-realm powerhouses from all four directions!
"Where are those Heaven-realm masters? I was at the foot of the mountain the entire time and didn't dare go up."
"I have no idea either. What on earth happened up on that peak??"
The crowd of cultivators murmured in low voices, stirring up wave after wave of uproar around the secret realm's entrance.
The Heaven-realm experts had mostly stationed themselves around the Immortal-Circumventing Residence. Because of the weird scorpion's presence there, aside from those experts, only Cheng Guang, Cheng Zhihai, and Qin Beifeng had ascended to the summit and approached the residence.
Though the vast majority of cultivators knew that Heaven-realm masters had perished within the secret realm, they had no idea that aside from the Great Wei Empress, every single other Heaven-realm expert—including the Great Zhou Emperor—was completely unaccounted for.
Could it be that they had been delayed by something and simply hadn't come out yet??
Some cultivators’ eyes flickered as they resolved to wait quietly in the distance.
They did not care about the life or death of just any Heaven-realm expert; their concern lay solely with the masters of their own respective factions.
Only once a faction possessed a Heaven-realm expert could it truly plant its feet firmly in the world, and even the imperial dynasties of the realm would not easily provoke them.
This was true for the various sect forces within Great Zhou that even the Great Zhou Emperor could not suppress, and it was equally true for the Four Great Secluded Sword Sects.
Almost all of them possessed powerhouse-level figures of the Heaven realm.
The royal families across the world shared a tacit understanding: as long as a faction had a Heaven-realm master, they would not easily make an enemy of them.
And now...
If roughly eighty percent of the world's Heaven-realm experts had suddenly vanished because of this secret realm...
How could the world not descend into chaos??
Not only would it plunge into chaos!
Even the fiends and demons that had always lusted after the mortal realm would likely pour out in full force, turning the entire mortal world into a living purgatory!
At this thought, many of the cultivators felt their scalps tingle instantly.
While the surrounding crowd stared at the secret realm, Cheng Guang was observing it as well.
Ever since he had received the system quest prompt earlier, he had known that the vast majority of the Heaven-realm experts who entered the secret realm this time would not be coming back out.
However, the system's prompt made no mention of these surrounding cultivators.
Whether they were intentionally or unintentionally omitted, or if they had all perished within the realm, remained unknown.
Lost in thought, Cheng Guang took a deep breath.
"Those bizarre white worms—the chicken-monster referred to them as the Dao Fruit of Sagehood. What is a Sage, and what is a Dao Fruit?"
"Why did the weird scorpion guard the Immortal-Circumventing Residence bitterly and refuse to leave?"
"What manner of entity resides in the depths of those Five-Dao Mountains???"
One question after another arose in Cheng Guang's mind, massive mysteries forming a thick fog that completely enshrouded him.
The deeper his understanding of this world grew, the more ignorant he realized he was.
Just as Cheng Guang was deep in thought, the cavern entrance of the secret realm suddenly trembled slightly, shifting from solid to illusory.
Within moments, it dissipated like a bubble.
The strange phenomena in the firmament faded away alongside the disappearance of the secret realm, gradually subduing their sounds and sights.
The vault of heaven returned to a clear, azure blue dotted with drifting white clouds.
A gentle breeze blew past, bringing a sense of peace.
And yet...
With the sudden vanishing of the secret realm and not a single Heaven-realm expert emerging from within, a chill struck everyone to their core.
Even though the scorching heat of midsummer approached, every cultivator felt as though they were plunged into the bitter cold of winter.
They felt a bone-piercing chill!
Seeing the cavern entrance vanish completely, everyone realized that the many Heaven-realm masters who had yet to emerge from the secret realm were likely never coming out.
Some cultivators stood frozen in place, pondering for a moment before turning to the survivors beside them and uttering a single word: "Let's go!"
With that, they channeled their vital energy and sped away.
Within moments, the figures around the secret realm grew sparse.
"Guanger, let's go as well."
Seeing the dwindling crowd around them, Cheng Zhihai spoke to Cheng Guang.
Hearing his father's words, Cheng Guang did not reply immediately. The moment the secret realm's entrance vanished before his eyes, a cold, emotionless voice had simultaneously rung out in his ear.
[Quest completed. Do you wish to claim the reward?]
When this voice sounded, Cheng Guang was briefly stunned, followed by an overwhelming surge of joy.
He had originally thought that the system quest "Re-exploring the Five-Dao Mountains" would require a thorough, complete exploration of the entire secret realm.
Never had he expected that after barely entering the realm and reaching the vicinity of the Immortal-Circumventing Residence, it would already be over.
Such a system quest could actually be completed this way.
Suppressing the elation in his heart, Cheng Guang decided to claim the system quest reward after returning home.
"Let's go."
Cheng Guang nodded slightly, acknowledging Cheng Zhihai.
Once he finished speaking, Cheng Guang glanced toward the Great Wei Empress. Seeing that she had not yet departed, he asked in confusion, "You're not leaving?"
The Great Wei Empress gazed at him with her beautiful eyes, studying his peerless, handsome face for a moment before slowly turning away. Without a word, she soared up toward the distant vault of heaven.
In the blink of an eye, she vanished from Cheng Guang's line of sight.
After her figure disappeared, Cheng Zhihai withdrew his gaze and looked at Cheng Guang. "Guanger, although this Great Wei Empress is young, her methods are by no means inferior to anyone else's. If it is not necessary, it is best not to have too much contact with her."
Cheng Guang nodded slightly.
A hint of worry suddenly surfaced in Cheng Zhihai's eyes, and he muttered, "With so many Heaven-realm masters trapped together in the secret realm and unable to come out—leaving only this Great Wei Empress safe and sound—Great Wei's strength will likely rise to an even higher level."
"Who knows what the world will look like in the future."
As Cheng Zhihai spoke, Cheng Guang glanced at him and offered a reminder.
"Father, instead of worrying about these things now, you should consider what kind of movements Great Zhou will make. My uncle didn't come out either."
At the mention of this, Cheng Zhihai's expression paused slightly before he slowly shook his head and gave a wry laugh. "You child, of course I know about this. Why would you need to remind me?"
With a look of mixed emotion, Cheng Zhihai continued:
"If the Great Zhou Emperor is truly dead this time and can never break free from the secret realm, it is a tremendous stroke of fortune for the Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate."
Cheng Guang nodded slightly. "Aside from the Great Zhou Emperor, there will no longer be anyone else in the future capable of keeping our Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate in check."
"One could say that once the Great Zhou Emperor dies, our estate will practically become the uncrowrowned ruler of Great Zhou."
"Within the entire Great Zhou imperial court..."
"There is only my grandfather, the Marquis of Zhenguo, as a Heaven-realm master."
Cheng Zhihai sighed. "However, once the Emperor dies, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty will outwardly be left without a leader, and God knows how many gazes will be drawn to pry upon it."
"Even with your grandfather, the Marquis of Zhenguo, as a Heaven-realm master, he cannot withstand the covetous gazes of everyone else in the world."
"The Great Zhou Dynasty is bound to plunge into chaos in the future."
Cheng Guang nodded slowly, then added:
"There may be turmoil everywhere, but it is simultaneously an opportunity."
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第(2/3)页 "Under such circumstances, the Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate might just be able to break away from the Great Zhou Dynasty and stand on its own."
"Establishing a dynasty of our own is not entirely out of the question, either."
"Establish a dynasty of our own."
Hearing this, Cheng Zhihai stared blankly at Cheng Guang. He never imagined that Cheng Guang's ambition would be so grand.
In Cheng Zhihai's view, simply maintaining the status quo and standing at the pinnacle of power within the Great Zhou Dynasty was enough; he had never once considered establishing a dynasty of their own and becoming its emperors.
To become the emperor of a dynasty required imperial bloodline and the cultivation of the spiritual Dao, using one's cultivation to suppress all factions in the world.
Only with this advantage could one truly be called a royal family.
Without the advantage of spiritual Dao cultivation, even if one managed to suppress all opposing voices with formidable cultivation for the moment, as time passed, a generational gap and decline would rapidly ensue.
Under normal circumstances, the cultivation speed of the vast majority of martial artists was slower than that of cultivators possessing imperial bloodlines who could practice the spiritual Dao.
You could guarantee your own strength, but you could never guarantee that your descendants would remain powerful forever.
This was precisely where the superiority of the imperial bloodline manifested itself.
Unless one resorted to plundering members of other royal families, siring children through them, and thereby acquiring an imperial bloodline.
Yet doing so would invite the relentless pursuit and assassination of every royal family in the world.
No imperial family would ever allow their bloodline to leak out.
This matter concerned their very foundation.
Compromise and concession were utterly out of the question.
"Guanger..."
Thinking of this, Cheng Zhihai couldn't help but call out to him.
Cheng Guang looked at him. "What is it?"
Hesitating for a moment, Cheng Zhihai ultimately swallowed the worries in his heart.
He shook his head.
"Never mind, let's take things one step at a time."
With that, Cheng Zhihai channeled his vital energy and carried Cheng Guang away toward the Great Zhou capital.
Cheng Guang returned to the Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate in the company of Cheng Zhihai.
During these recent days, the estate appeared somewhat more desolate than usual.
Upon arriving, Cheng Guang headed straight back to Myriad Phenomena Garden.
Just as he stepped inside, Qingluan came to greet him, offering a slight bow, calling him "Young Master," and then proactively bringing him a cup of clear tea.
Cheng Guang walked over to a nearby stone table and sat down.
At this moment, in Myriad Phenomena Garden, Qin Yanqiu and Ning Qianxue were still chatting nearby.
For the most part, Ning Qianxue was the one talking.
Qin Yanqiu would occasionally respond with a word or two.
One was a chatterbox, while the other had little to say; their personalities were completely different.
Hearing the sound of Cheng Guang's return, both of them turned their gazes toward him.
Cheng Guang exchanged a smile with the two of them and was just about to take the cup of tea handed over by Qingluan to take a sip, when he suddenly sensed something. He turned his head to look toward a quieter corner of the garden where the Dowager Princess of Nanming sat.
At this moment, the Dowager Princess was also staring fixedly at Cheng Guang without blinking.
For some inexplicable reason, however, Cheng Guang felt that this Dowager Princess possessed a subtle difference from the one he was familiar with.
Under Cheng Guang's gaze, the Dowager Princess suddenly stood up and walked toward him, her opulent and peerless face devoid of much of a smile.
As she walked toward him, Blackie—who had been lying nearby and had grown delightfully plump and round over these past few days—quietly opened its eyes and watched the Dowager Princess.
It seemed to find her slightly strange.
Its pitch-black eyes revealed a trace of human-like confusion.
Reaching a spot not far from Cheng Guang, the Dowager Princess gracefully seated herself across from him and resumed her unblinking stare.
Cheng Guang was left quite puzzled by her inexplicable actions.
However, he was in no rush to ask anything.
He raised his teacup, took a sip of tea, and waited for her to speak.
While Cheng Guang could sit still, the Dowager Princess could not.
After sitting in silence for a short while, she spoke up:
"She has already sensed my abnormality."
"And a portion of her consciousness has already descended upon me, though she is only temporarily failing to fully control me at the moment."
When the Dowager Princess said this, Cheng Guang was visibly startled for a moment.
She had already sensed the Dowager Princess's abnormality?
Who was "she"?
Pondering this for a moment, Cheng Guang quickly realized that the Dowager Princess was likely referring to her true body—the Fiend Emperor.
The original purpose of the Dowager Princess existing as a Fiend Emperor avatar was to assist the Prince of Nanming in overthrowing the Great Zhou Dynasty and digging up massive benefits for the Fiend Emperor.
By now, that plan had already failed.
Having gone without any movement for so long, even if she wanted to hide it, she couldn't keep it concealed forever.
Lost in thought, Cheng Guang's eyes flickered slightly.
"Are you saying that the Fiend Emperor's true consciousness has already descended upon you, but she still cannot control you yet?"
At Cheng Guang's question, the Dowager Princess nodded slightly.
Cheng Guang asked again, "Does that mean whatever I'm saying to you right now, she can hear it too?"
The Dowager Princess nodded once more, a trace of deep helplessness crossing her autumn-water eyes.
"She's still trying to control me right now... and wants to slap you to death."
"Because of that... silk stocking thing you made me wear before... it completely changed my personality..."
"And that influence seems to have affected my true body as well."
"She is furious right now."
Listening to her words, the corners of Cheng Guang's mouth twitched slightly.
Dead memories suddenly began to attack him once more.
If the Dowager Princess hadn't suddenly brought it up just now, he would have completely forgotten about those silk stockings.
Now that the true body had suddenly come looking for him...
Cheng Guang guessed that the root cause might not be the failure of the mission that alerted the Fiend Emperor's true body.
Rather, it was because the influence of the stockings had bled over and affected the true body itself.
That was why the true body had come knocking.
And right now, she was presumably frantically trying to control the Dowager Princess to slap him to death.
It was entirely predictable that this Fiend Emperor's true body was likely racing frantically toward the mortal realm at this very moment.
The Dowager Princess wore a beaming smile as she looked at Cheng Guang. Though her face carried a smile, her complexion was pale—her delicate pear-flower face and slender willow waist exuding a deep, bone-weary exhaustion.
"Young Master, what do you plan to do now? Is there any way to erase the influence of that bizarre... silk stocking..."
"My true body communicated with me just now, telling me to ask if you have a way. If you do, she can spare you."
Hearing this, Cheng Guang raised his eyes to stare at the Dowager Princess and retorted with a question:
"Do you believe her when she says that?"
The smile on the Dowager Princess's face stiffened slightly, and her beaming expression inevitably turned into a bitter smile.
As an avatar, no one understood the true body's mindset better than she did.
This was undoubtedly just an excuse; even if Cheng Guang managed to eliminate the influence the stockings had brought upon the Fiend Emperor, the other party likely would not let the matter rest.
The Dowager Princess shook her head. "Aside from that, there is no other way."
"The Fiend Emperor's strength far surpasses that of ordinary Heaven-realm masters. It's beyond anything you can imagine."
Hearing her words, Cheng Guang smiled, stood up, walked over to her, hooked her jade-white chin with one finger, and stared into her autumn-water eyes.
"Can you let her take control of your body?"
"Let her come out, and I'll have a chat with her myself."
The Dowager Princess did not feel much aversion to Cheng Guang's action—perhaps after getting along for all this time, she had long since grown used to it, or perhaps the influence of the stockings ran so deep that her instincts failed to stir up any rebellious resentment.
A few flickers of worry flashed across her autumn-water eyes as she stared at him. "Are you confident you can handle her?"
"Even if it's just her consciousness descending, she can still unleash the strength of the ninth rank."
Cheng Guang chuckled. "Merely the ninth rank? The ones I've been dealing with lately are all top-tier Heaven-realm players. If her true body came in person, I might perhaps be wary; but right now, she's simply not in a tier that can make me fear her."
Though the Dowager Princess didn't believe a word of it, since Cheng Guang had put it that way, she didn't argue further and nodded in agreement.
Anyway, whenever she wanted to, she could still retake active control of this body within a short time.
Closing her eyes slightly, the Dowager Princess remained silent for a few breaths before opening them once more.
She immediately fixed her gaze upon Cheng Guang.
The clear autumn-water pupils no longer held their previous opulence; in its place was a remarkably intense fury.
An ineffable, overwhelming pressure emanated from her body, pressing down directly toward the crown of Cheng Guang's head.
"You mere mortal! How dare you humiliate me like this!"
The Abyss Fiend Emperor had already been furious, and seeing Cheng Guang hook her chin like this, an unprecedented sense of shame caused her entire being to feel as though it were exploding from the inside out.
Discarding any lingering concern over whether the influence of the silk stockings could be undone, she wanted nothing more than to grind Cheng Guang into dust right then and there.
Yet as these terrifying auras rose from her, Cheng Guang—though fully capable of feeling the horrifying pressure radiating from the Abyss Fiend Emperor—felt very little fear.
At the same time, several gazes suddenly descended upon the surrounding air.
Some came from Blackie, some from Qin Beifeng, some from Qin Yanqiu, Ning Qianxue, and Qingluan.
Just as the Abyss Fiend Emperor's aura rose halfway...
Blackie could no longer sit still. Letting out a yawn, it pointed a pitch-black dog paw forward, and a wisp of dark, inky energy drifted onto the Fiend Emperor.
The Abyss Fiend Emperor's expression suddenly changed drastically, her jade face draining of color as she abruptly snapped her head to look at Blackie.
"You..."
"You..."
When facing the gaze of a ninth-rank Martial Emperor like Qin Beifeng, the Abyss Fiend Emperor hadn't felt much of a threat; yet merely by locking eyes with Blackie, she felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles.
"What on earth are you..."
Staring at Blackie in utter shock, the Abyss Fiend Emperor stammered slightly, finding it hard to believe as she blurted out: "What in the world are you?"
"Why do you carry the aura of that fellow from Hell on you?"
Glancing at the Fiend Emperor and listening to her words, Blackie wore a strange expression on its dog-like face.
It truly was too embarrassed to answer, especially about the fact that it had already submitted to a mortal as its master.
As a majestic, peerless Fiend Emperor of Hell, one of the masters of the Ten-Layer Fiend Sea and the ruler of Hell itself, it had actually gone and acknowledged a human master.
If word got out, it would lose all face as a dog.
Quietly shifting its gaze away, Blackie stopped looking at her.
Right now, the Abyss Fiend Emperor had only descended in aura and consciousness.
Her true body had not yet arrived.
If her true body were here in person, Blackie's current methods might not truly be enough to deal with her; but for a mere projection, it was more than enough.
Supressed by Blackie's aura, the Abyss Fiend Emperor felt as though a massive mountain were pressing down upon her shoulders. No matter how much she exerted herself, it was to little avail.
Even moving a finger felt exceedingly difficult.
In an instant, her face turned as pale as paper. Not knowing how to respond, she glared hatefully at Cheng Guang and spat out:
"What kind of trick did you use on my avatar to alter her personality like this!"
"Do you have a way to undo this bizarre influence?"
The Abyss Fiend Emperor demanded, questioning Cheng Guang.
Faced with her interrogation, Cheng Guang remained entirely unfazed. He leisurely studied the Abyss Fiend Emperor before him.
Although she shared a body with the Dowager Princess, her temperament was vastly different.
Perhaps the Dowager Princess had spent too much time in the mortal realm and inevitably picked up habits native to humans.
That was why she appeared opulent and dignified.
The Abyss Fiend Emperor, on the other hand, was entirely unconstrained.
There was virtually no etiquette to speak of.
If not for Blackie's aura suppressing her right now, the Abyss Fiend Emperor would likely have pounced straight onto Cheng Guang and started tearing into him wildly.
After examining her for a moment, Cheng Guang helplessly spread his hands and slowly replied, "No way."
Hearing this, the Abyss Fiend Emperor paused, her face turning unsightly.
She had no idea whether Cheng Guang was telling the truth or lying.
If it were true...
If this kind of personality-altering influence could not be removed, then she, a dignified Abyss Fiend Emperor, would be reduced to acting like a succubus—wouldn't that make her the laughingstock of the entire fiend race?!
"I don't care! You'd better find a way to fix this before my true body arrives!!"
"Otherwise, even if that fellow from Hell descends in person, he won't be able to save you!!"
With a final, hateful snap, the Abyss Fiend Emperor retreated back into the depths of consciousness.
As she withdrew, the Dowager Princess's original demeanor reemerged, and she gazed at Cheng Guang with helpless, autumn-water eyes.
"Young Master, what now?"
Cheng Guang was far less nervous than the Dowager Princess appeared. Calm and composed, he released her chin, walked over to Blackie, patted its dog head, and slowly spoke:
"Blackie, release her."
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第(3/3)页 Blackie let out a soft woof and withdrew all the suppressive pressure weighing down on the Dowager Princess.
Once her body regained complete freedom, Cheng Guang returned to the stone table, poured himself a cup of tea, and looked at her.
"How much longer until your true body arrives in the mortal realm?"
The Dowager Princess hesitated for a moment before replying, "The distance from the Ten-Layer Fiend Sea to the mortal realm is immense. It requires tearing through spatial rifts, which takes at least a month."
"However, by now, the true body must have set out long ago. Who knows how long she has been traveling."
Cheng Guang nodded slightly, took a sip of tea, and said, "I suppose she'll be arriving quite soon, then. You don't need to worry; I'll handle that true body of hers."
Listening to his words, the Dowager Princess felt a wave of sheer disbelief.
That was the Abyss Fiend Emperor.
One of the ten strongest entities in the entire Ten-Layer Fiend Sea.
Ordinary Heaven-realm masters were utterly incapable of opposing her.
Where on earth did the Marquis of Zhenguo's Heir find the confidence to think he could deal with the Abyss Fiend Emperor?
The Dowager Princess could not understand it.
Cheng Guang had no intention of offering her an elaborate explanation. After uttering those simple words, he drained his teacup and walked slowly toward his bedchamber.
Before stepping inside, he left instructions with Qingluan.
"Qingluan, don't let anyone disturb me."
Qingluan respectfully acknowledged the command.
Entering his bedroom, Cheng Guang checked the system quest he had just completed and decided to claim the reward immediately.
"System, claim the reward."
As his words fell, dazzling golden brilliance began to materialize out of thin air before him.
That brilliance flowed like liquid water from the void, converging right in front of him into the shape of a pill.
Cheng Guang slowly reached out. The moment his fingertip touched the pill, it instantly solidified, falling heavily into his palm.
Clenching his hand around the pill, Cheng Guang felt a wave of comforting warmth.
Held in his palm, the pill was far from being ice-cold; instead, it felt like a miniature stove radiating heat.
Simultaneously, as the pill solidified, a rich, dense medicinal fragrance diffused into the surrounding air.
Startled, Cheng Guang swiftly swept his hand to project a barrier of vital energy, isolating the room from the outside world.
Though it couldn't block everything entirely, it at least kept the scent from becoming overwhelmingly pungent.
Gazing at the pill in his hand, a piece of information surfaced in Cheng Guang's mind:
[Heaven-Transforming Dao Pill: An essential pill on the path to Sagehood. Consuming it grants you the Dao Fruit of Sagehood, but simultaneously turns you into a slave of the Heavenly Dao—possessing immense strength, yet devoid of all freedom, acting entirely in accordance with the will of the Heavenly Dao.]
Looking at the pill in his palm, Cheng Guang was deeply shaken.
Consuming this Heaven-Transforming Dao Pill actually granted the Dao Fruit of Sagehood?
Back in the secret realm, the chicken-monster had treated those bizarre white worms as Dao Fruits in its quest for Sagehood.
And now, by merely swallowing a single pill, he could obtain a Sage's Dao Fruit.
From a superficial standpoint, at least, his path was the orthodox one.
While the chicken-monster's methods were clearly heterodox and heretical.
Clenching the Heaven-Transforming Dao Pill, Cheng Guang stared fixedly at the word "slave" in the system's prompt.
Consuming the pill brought benefits: it directly granted the Dao Fruit of Sagehood.
With the Dao Fruit of Sagehood secured, his future achievements would likely surpass the Heaven realm entirely.
The realm of Sagehood—perhaps that truly lay above the Heaven realm.
Reaching the Sage realm might allow one to genuinely walk unhindered across the world.
Yet, consuming the Heaven-Transforming Dao Pill also carried severe drawbacks.
It might turn him into a slave of the Heavenly Dao.
And yet...
Having experienced two secret realms, Cheng Guang recalled what the weird scorpion had said.
The Heavenly Dao had collapsed.
The Heavenly Dao likely no longer existed anyway.
Even if one became a slave of the Heavenly Dao, nothing would necessarily go wrong.
Pondering this, Cheng Guang gripped the pill tightly. For a moment, he felt a strong urge to swallow it immediately, yet he still harbored doubts.
After all, if something went wrong and he genuinely became a slave of the Heavenly Dao...
"Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs."
This was no laughing matter.
After thinking it over, Cheng Guang decided to set the Heaven-Transforming Dao Pill aside for the moment.
Even though this pill, if cast out into the outside world, would be something countless people couldn't even dare to imagine, and something the chicken-monsters in the secret realm yearned for in their dreams...
Cheng Guang did not dare to consume it rashly right now.
Instead, he took out some of the items he had acquired from the secret realm and began to inspect them one by one.
After checking for a short while, Cheng Guang picked up the scrolls he had obtained from the Immortal-Circumventing Residence once more.
The surfaces of those scrolls were pitch-black and devoid of any writing. When unfurled, however, intricate and complex scriptures came into view.
Merely holding them in his hand, without even looking closely, was enough to hear a Taoist priest softly chanting something by his ear.
Resisting the discomfort in his heart, Cheng Guang decided to listen closely.
Relying on the Divine Decree Diagram within his mind, his state of mind remained relatively uninfluenced.
After a long while, however, the chanting voice of the old Taoist priest by his ear grew increasingly sharp, piercing, and frantic.
"Heaven and Earth are ruthless! Heaven and Earth are ruthless!"
"All you immortals and Buddhas, it matters not if you all die! But why must you block this old Daoist's path to Sagehood!!"
"This old Daoist is not resigned! Unresigned!!"
Listening to the voice, Cheng Guang felt as though he were witnessing an abandoned temple with crossbeams and a dim green Buddha lamp, where a tattered-robed old Taoist priest stood pointing at the sky, cursing bitterly.
Then the vault of heaven lost its color, and thousands of strands of thunder gathered, forming a bolt of lightning that crashed downward.
After a flash of lightning,
The old Daoist was completely unharmed. He first burst into loud, hearty laughter, yet mid-laugh, tears began to stream down his face.
"Even lightning is this feeble!"
"This world! Is this still a world belonging to us?!"
For a time, only the desolate, sorrowful laughter of the old Daoist echoed in Cheng Guang's ears.
Just listening to it for a brief moment made Cheng Guang once again experience that extreme, overwhelming sorrow from the secret realm.
This old Taoist...
Could he possibly still be alive within that Five-Dao Mountains secret realm...
This old Taoist who dared curse the ruthlessness of Heaven and Earth—could he still be living?!
Thinking of this, a chill spread from the soles of Cheng Guang's feet straight up to his heart.
Taking a deep breath, he managed to calm his racing emotions.
He slowly laid the scrolls down.
Gazing out the window at the world outside, he remembered the phrase: *Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs.*
Since the Heavenly Dao had already collapsed, how could it still possess the ability to treat all things as straw dogs?
If even an old Taoist could curse the heavens, why couldn't he?
The thought of consuming the Heaven-Transforming Dao Pill rose once more within Cheng Guang's heart.
For the sake of the Dao Fruit of Sagehood alone, it was a gamble worth taking.
However, before doing so, he had to figure out a way to resolve the hazards associated with the Heaven-Transforming Dao Pill.
After the collapse of the Heavenly Dao, the chicken-monsters had wanted to obtain the Dao Fruit of Sagehood, which meant they surely relied on the Heavenly Dao while simultaneously seeking to break free from it.
They must have made certain preparations.
Perhaps the items placed upon the chicken-monster's offering altar would prove useful.
With this in mind, Cheng Guang retrieved the few pills and the bowl of water he had taken from the altar.
After studying them closely,
He was still somewhat baffled.
He could not quite figure out the purpose of these pills and that bowl of water.
Just as Cheng Guang was feeling somewhat bewildered, the system seemed to detect the two items in his hands, and two pieces of information flooded directly into his mind:
[Curse-Warding Pill: Nullifies any backlash and wards off certain curses. Must be consumed together with Rootless Water.]
[Rootless Water: Nullifies any backlash and wards off certain curses. Must be consumed together with the Curse-Warding Pill.]
Cheng Guang perused the information that had appeared in his mind.
As he finished reading, his eyes suddenly lit up.
Weren't these precisely the items prepared for him to safely consume the Heaven-Transforming Dao Pill?!
Realizing this, Cheng Guang hesitated no longer. He popped several Curse-Warding Pills into his mouth and washed them down with the bowl of Rootless Water.
Instantly, Cheng Guang felt a warm current spread throughout his body.
Without delay, he fished out the Heaven-Transforming Dao Pill and tossed it into his mouth as well.
The moment Cheng Guang swallowed the Heaven-Transforming Dao Pill,
Outside his bedchamber,
Heaven and earth underwent a drastic transformation!
The wind and clouds lost their color!
The very instant he consumed the pill, the entire world seemed to fall into absolute silence.
Cheng Guang's body was bathed in a faint golden glow, making him look like an immortal descended to the mortal realm.
The power of the Heaven-Transforming Dao Pill surged like spring water, filling his entire body and radiating a dazzling, brilliant golden radiance.
Above Cheng Guang's bedchamber,
A rift suddenly tore open in the sky, from which drifted the melodious chime of a bell.
The bell's toll pierced through the clouds, rippling across the heavens and earth, instilling a sense of solemnity and profound mystery.
Following the bell chimes, multicolored clouds began to gather in the sky, displaying brilliant hues of red, yellow, blue, and green like a magnificent, resplendent painting.
Immediately afterward, the mists and clouds in the firmament surged, faintly revealing the figures of a gathering of immortals and Buddhas.
Their countenances were refined and handsome, draped in colorful garments, radiating multicolored light from behind them.
They seemed to be celebrating Cheng Guang's achievement.
A scene of such magnitude stirred an indescribable sense of shock and deep emotion.
Immortal music drifted through the air, and the light of Buddha illuminated the world.
At this moment,
Cheng Guang remained completely oblivious to everything happening in the outside world.
Meanwhile, inside Myriad Phenomena Garden,
An absolute, breathless silence reigned.
Whether it was Qin Yanqiu, Ning Qianxue, or Qingluan, all of them stared in utter astonishment toward Cheng Guang's bedchamber.
They felt an aura as vast and boundless as the heavens themselves, a terrifying pressure that made them instinctively want to drop to their knees and look up in awe.
At this moment, their minds suffered a tremendous shock.
For a time, not a single one of them could utter a word.
Simultaneously,
This terrifying aura also drew the attention of countless powerful figures across the entire world!
Countless gazes pierced through layers of space, converging like a tide upon the Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate in Great Zhou!
"This!! What is this!!"
"A Heaven-realm master?! No, no, no, no—this doesn't feel like the Heaven realm!"
"It feels rather like an aura existing above and beyond the Heaven realm!!"
"Could someone within this Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate have stepped into the realm above the Heaven realm?!"
Following a deathly silence came an earth-shattering wave of uproar!!!!!
…………
(End of this chapter)