Chapter 727 - 528: Audience with the Celestial Monarch

Chapter 727: Chapter 528: Audience with the Celestial Monarch

"Truly living up to the name of the Ten Sovereigns, these injuries will never heal."

Such terrifying injuries, yet he spoke of them lightly, as if they were nothing. His voice remained calm, but it contained an immense confidence, as though everything in the world was under his control.

Lu Qian’s heart pounded fiercely; he wished to restrain his emotions, but the man’s words and those names rang like a great bell in his heart, making it impossible to suppress his shocked expression.

"As for who I am," the man chuckled softly, "I bear many titles. Master of Ten Thousand Thunders, Thunder Pool Monarch, Celestial Punishment Officer, Doctor Tianwei..."

"Or perhaps, the thirteenth True Immortal to ascend in the Primordial Realm, the Nine Heavens Thunder Killing Celestial Monarch."

It truly was him?!

In that moment, it was as if a thunderclap exploded in Lu Qian’s heart, but he raised his head, mustering all his courage to speak, "May I ask, how can you prove your identity, Upper Immortal?"

The man was taken aback, showing a confused expression for the first time, "Prove?"

Lu Qian spoke in a deep voice, "I can’t be sure you’re not the Miao Fa Celestial Monarch in disguise."

The man suddenly burst into laughter, the golden leaves shivering and shaking, their glow spreading throughout the space.

"Very well, originally I was three parts curious, but now I’m eighty percent convinced that what you shouted might actually be true." The man smiled, "You’re correct, if it were the Miao Fa Celestial Monarch, he might actually do that."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he flipped his palm, and a pitch-black lotus flower sprouted in his hand. Instantly, the space trembled, lightning roared, and thunderbolts spread from the lotus, densely scattering into the surroundings. The destructive aura was overwhelming, and Lu Qian couldn’t stop his body from trembling.

"Before the World-Destroying Thunder Lotus descended, I heard your shout, so I brought you here. I think that while the Miao Fa Celestial Monarch’s methods are strange, he shouldn’t be able to use this technique in the Thunder Path."

Lu Qian no longer had any doubts and humbly bowed again, "Mortal cultivator Lu Qian, pays respect to the Nine Heavens Thunder Killing Celestial Monarch."

The Killing Celestial Monarch retracted the black lotus and nodded, "Lu Qian... then, which Immortal Technique have you obtained?"

Originally, before Lu Qian was struck by thunder, he cried out eight words.

I shall kill Miao Fa, and offer the Immortal Technique!

Lu Qian was unaware of what had actually transpired, didn’t know how the Miao Fa Celestial Monarch lingered, or why it led to the intervention of the Killing Celestial Monarch, but facing this divine thunder that would have reduced him to ashes, those words were the only solution he could think of.

The fact proved that Lu Qian had gambled correctly. His words successfully piqued the interest of the Killing Celestial Monarch, who pulled him out from beneath the Thunder Lotus.

Without hesitation, Lu Qian lightly tapped his forehead and extracted a strand of spiritual light, injecting it into a Jade Scroll.

"It is the Great Dao Dream Butterfly Celestial Book, for the Celestial Monarch’s perusal."

In that moment, even the Nine Heavens Thunder Killing Celestial Monarch showed a surprised expression. He slightly frowned, received the Jade Scroll, and gently stroked it, with tiny flashes of thunder shimmering across its surface.

After a long time, he nodded.

"It is indeed the foundation of Miao Fa’s enlightenment, truly unexpected for it to land in your hands."

He chuckled softly as he spoke, "If Miao Fa knew, he would probably be furious beyond measure!"

"Lu Qian, you have truly surprised me."

With many questions in his heart, Lu Qian could only proceed step by step, following the lead upward. He bowed once more, "This time, I crossed the Celestial Tribulation, and the Miao Fa Celestial Monarch suddenly appeared to harm me. I thank the Celestial Monarch for the rescue, and offer this Immortal Technique to you."

"You need not embellish your words for me," the Killing Celestial Monarch stated calmly, "I initially planned to kill you. As soon as I sensed Miao Fa’s aura, it was a natural decision to destroy everything related to him for safety’s sake."

Lu Qian lowered his head, feeling a chill in his heart, and listened as the Killing Celestial Monarch continued, "But since you called out, it intrigued me. How could a mere new Golden Core cultivator kill a Miao Fa and obtain his Immortal Technique?"

Lu Qian activated the power of Consciousness Collection, employing the Mirror Lake Technique to maintain a tranquil heart like a still pond. Only then did he recount the incident at the Immortal Temple from start to finish, subtly omitting mention of the Sealing and Forbidden Talisman, simply stating that a chance encounter with an Exotic Treasure trapped the Miao Fa Celestial Monarch’s residual soul.

Afterward, he destroyed the residual soul, with the Exotic Treasure and the soul shattering simultaneously. Perhaps due to anomalies in his Consciousness Collection, or maybe aided by destiny, somehow he acquired the Great Dao Dream Butterfly Celestial Book.

The Killing Celestial Monarch listened quietly, then suddenly smiled, "So, the ones present that day were you three."

Lu Qian said, "In the face of the Celestial Monarch, we are but ants. In a battle, who would notice the ants beneath their feet? The Celestial Monarch naturally wouldn’t recognize me."

"Do not belittle yourselves," the Killing Celestial Monarch replied. "The Miao Fa Celestial Monarch’s methods are bizarre; who knew he had hidden a fragment of his soul? Without your intervention, he might have escaped, causing further chaos. Achieving this with your modest cultivation is indeed a rare feat in the mortal realm."

"Most importantly, despite knowing he is a world-threatening demon, resisting his temptation is truly commendable. On this point alone, you’ve surpassed past human champions."

Finally given the opportunity, Lu Qian quickly asked, "We are ignorant, having only heard legends of the first ten Celestial Monarches, pioneers among cultivators who performed many great deeds. In particular, the Miao Fa Celestial Monarch was said to have widely spread the True Technique, greatly contributing to our world’s flourishing. What is the truth of the matter?"

The Killing Celestial Monarch seemed lost in thought, as if recalling many past events. After a moment, he sighed lightly.

"Merciful Propagation of Miao Fa Celestial Monarch. Thousands of years ago, I too received his teachings, treating him with the respect due a half-teacher."

"Regrettably, his Mystic Sound Celestial Realm became corrupted by bizarre forces... By the time we discovered it, he had already fallen from Immortal to Demon, beyond salvation."

Lu Qian was stirred, suddenly recalling scenes from memory fragments obtained from the Miao Fa Celestial Monarch.

An extremely filthy, extremely bizarre, extremely wicked aura soared skyward. Originally filled with auspicious clouds, golden blossoms, and the Mystical Sounds of the Great Dao echoing throughout the Immortal World, it quickly decayed and fell, the Immortal Maidens undergoing horrifying transformations amidst the murky atmosphere.

"Now his sole aim is to completely destroy the Primordial Realm. Even though his main body is sealed by me within the Mystic Sound Celestial Realm, he left behind many traps in the Primordial Realm. The Immortal Temple and split souls you encountered are among them."

"You vanquished his split soul, but became tainted with his soul fragments."

Lu Qian hurriedly said, "Exactly, we sensed anomalies in our Divine Souls but, being novices, could not probe or eliminate them. Being tainted by the soul shards, does it mean every move we make is watched by the Miao Fa Celestial Monarch?"

The Killing Celestial Monarch shook his head, "From the perspective of connection with the Miao Fa Celestial Monarch, the soul shards are merely a mark, providing him a coordinate. Besides, with him suppressed by me, his contact with the outside world is severed, rendering him unable to act further."

"Only, the soul shards themselves have strange properties. They possess no intelligence, but you might consider them an obsession, one that inevitably seeks to kill you."

"Miao Fa Celestial Monarch possessed many abnormal techniques, and his methods only became more peculiar after his fall. These soul shards can sense a person’s fate and condition, then choose the optimal moment, often during life-and-death situations, to suddenly interfere, plunging you into doom."

Lu Qian felt a chill, unable to maintain his calm demeanor.

Suppress the main body, still a split soul; kill the split soul, yet a residual soul; destroy the residual soul, and the soul shards remain...

It truly made him shiver, invoking both fear and gratitude.

Reflecting on it, his most perilous time in recent decades must have been during the defense of Lingsha City. But during that time, the soul shards remained dormant; perhaps they sensed it wasn’t the right moment? In fact, although it was a perilous situation, akin to walking a high-wire, there was always strong backup and trump cards in place, alongside the Life Substitution Puppet, ultimately allowing him to survive.

And in these past decades, the soul shards within himself, Master Cangfeng, and Ye Xiao never activated, indicating a relatively peaceful period, with no battles leading to a point of no return.

If they hadn’t activated for decades, why did they suddenly manifest after successfully crossing the tribulation?

"Cultivators who cross the Golden Core Celestial Tribulation temporarily gain exemption, during which moment of Celestial-Human Communication, the faint aura of the soul shards can reach the Immortal Realm, alerting me," stated the Killing Celestial Monarch. "The shards deliberately reveal their aura to draw my hand, using Immortal Thunder to directly incinerate them along with you."

"If an Immortal intervenes, how could there be escape?"

"Simply put, they’re using another’s power to carry out their own vengeance."