Aspiring to the Immortal Path - Chapter 1158: Immortal Emperor

An Immortal wind blew, and clouds danced across the sky.

With the death of that Celestial Heart cultivator, more cultivators appeared in the air.

Their leader was a man with a face as red as a date and a beard that reached to his belly. “Who dares to intrude on the ancestral hall and kill the people of my sect? Do you think that no one in the Celestial Frost Sect can deal with you?”

Yu Cheng continued to stare up at the sky, at that court in the rainbow.

“Impudent!” The cultivators attacked Yu Cheng in unison.

Given what had happened to the Celestial Heart cultivator, they were much more cautious, applying barriers as they attacked.

Yu Cheng slightly frowned. “Noisy!”

The moment he said this, the cultivators who had attacked seemed to be struck by lightning. A thunderclap resounded in their ears and then entered their bodies, upon which the cultivators all exploded in clouds of gore. Shockingly, their barriers didn’t shatter, floating like glass balls as their insides were drenched in crimson.

True Lord Violet Yang was stunned.

Yu Cheng turned his gaze to True Lord Violet Yang, and with just a glance, True Lord Violet Yang felt himself falling into a bottomless hole, from which he couldn’t escape no matter how he struggled. Realizing that he was in trouble, he mustered up all the energy in his body and bellowed, “Break!”

All of his energy flooded out in a thunderous explosion, and True Lord Violet Yang rushed out of that hole. Only then did he realize that he was still floating in the air. All he had done was release his energy in a thunderous boom.

True Lord Violet Yang was aghast that this man was able to force him into an illusion that required all his energy to break free from with just a single glance. Looking at the man, he saw that the man was still cold and uncaring, never once taking him seriously.

To Yu Cheng, that glance really contained only a single glance’s worth of power, not even a ten-thousandth of his power. It wasn’t strange that it couldn’t hold down a Soul Projection True Lord.

But a moment later, Yu Cheng let out a snort. “Hmph!”

Two jets of air shot out of his nostrils, flying toward True Lord Violet Yang like arrows.

True Lord Violet Yang found himself unable to dodge, or even think of resistance. All he could do was stand there.

At this moment, a voice bellowed, “No!”

A hand reached out from the clouds, flicking its fingers twice and neutralizing the two arrows of air.

A long-browed Immortal appeared in the clouds.

True Lord Violet Yang came to his senses and called out “Master!” as he dropped to his knees.

This long-browed Immortal was the guardian Immortal of the Celestial Frost Sect.

The moment he appeared, he sensed the immense pressure emanating from Yu Cheng. Only someone of at least this level could sense how terrifying Yu Cheng was, just like how only a veteran captain could truly understand the vastness of the ocean.

Thus, he brought his hands together in a salute and said, “I am unfamiliar with the venerable one gracing our unworthy sect with his honorable presence…”

True Lord Violet Yang was stunned by this attitude.

He knew his master’s personality, and even when facing a True Immortal, he would be just barely polite, never so fearful and respectful. Could it be…

He didn’t dare to continue this line of thought. Meanwhile, Yu Cheng said, “Where is Scarlet Pine?”

The long-browed Immortal was surprised and replied on instinct, “Master became Returned Remnants ten thousand years ago…”

“‘Returned Remnants’…” Yu Cheng chuckled and suddenly shouted, “Scarlet Pine, since you already know I’ve returned, what are you still waiting for? Hurry and show yourself.”

As he spoke, far off at the base of the mountain, that youth called Yu Lincong suddenly screamed, and his entire body began to distort. An immense energy erupted from his body, raising his cultivation level from Mortal Shedding all the way to Immortal Platform, only stopping at True Immortal. By the end, his appearance was no longer that of a wealthy young master, but a man adorned in crimson armor and holding a blood-colored spear.

The man stood among the clouds, shining like the sun and commanding reverence from all who gazed upon him.

But this divine and majestic figure prostrated in joy upon seeing Yu Cheng. “Guard Captain of the Sacred King’s Court, Scarlet Pine, pays respects to His Majesty the Immortal Emperor! Your Majesty, you’ve finally returned!”

Scarlet Pine’s body trembled all over, displaying his intense excitement.

Yu Cheng smiled and nodded. “Thank you for all your efforts in the last few years. Is everyone doing well?” Googlᴇ search NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt

Scarlet Pine replied, “Twenty years ago, Your Majesty returned, and through your supreme powers, you notified us all to awaken. But unexpectedly, there was no more news from Your Majesty after that. Master Tianyan calculated that the Heavenly Dao was interfering, which was both good and bad. It was bad because Your Majesty would have encountered danger on your way back, but it was good because Your Majesty’s plan was on the verge of success. We were advised to wait and endure.”

“Then why did you go back into hibernation?” Yu Cheng asked.

He had originally believed that he would have returned to an Immortal sect already under his name, but to his surprise, this sect knew nothing at all, and even Scarlet Pine had been nowhere to be seen. If not for his knowledge of the Fake Sky, False Sun Immortal Art allowing him to detect someone hibernating in the vicinity, he wouldn’t have realized that Scarlet Pine was still in hibernation.

Anger and resentment flashed on Scarlet Pine’s face. “It’s all because of the Stellar Net Gate and Heaven’s Equal Sect. Those two sects both received the will of the Heavenly Dao, and after Your Majesty’s return, they led their disciples against use. Without Your Majesty’s leadership, we were still in disarray and unaware of the situation, so we were taken by surprise…”

“What did you say?” Yu Cheng’s face darkened.

Scarlet Pine kowtowed. “The Stellar Net Gate and Heaven’s Equal Sect brought together the 72 sects of Vast Wilderness and the 33 Heavens of the void to hunt us down. Scarlet Silk, the Ghost Valley Immortal, the Little Plum Queen, and others all died in battle. Of the 128 returned Immortals, 22 died before Your Majesty could even begin your grand undertaking!”

“Bastards!” Yu Cheng turned green from anger.

These hundred-some former subordinates of the court had all been hand-picked by him. Other than the Azure Dragon, they were all loyal to him, and after using the Fake Sky, False Sun Immortal Art, they all had potential to attain the Great Daos. How could he not feel pain from losing twenty-two of them right as they had started?

This loss couldn’t be recovered by recruiting a few more Immortals.

Scarlet Pine continued, “We were without Your Majesty’s leadership, so it was impossible for us to oppose them. We could only retreat and yield for the moment. Some of us took on the task of luring away the 74 sects and 33 Heavens while the others once more entered hibernation. Master Tianyan calculated that Your Majesty would return through the Celestial Frost Sect, so I arranged to hibernate here and await Your Majesty’s return!”

“I see…” Yu Cheng nodded, finally gaining some understanding of the situation in Vast Wilderness.

The interference from the Heavenly Dao had not only delayed his return by twenty years, it had also caused him to lose elite subordinates and given the Stellar Net Gate and Heaven’s Equal Sect twenty years to make preparations.

Since these two major sects had already been preparing for twenty years, it probably wouldn’t be long until they made their move.

Yu Cheng chuckled. “Good, very good! I never expected a smooth unification. I’ve chosen to walk this path, so I will take it to the end, and if they want to interfere, then whether they’re from the positive plane or the negative plane, they will all be slain without mercy!”

Yu Cheng flew high into the sky.

A vortex of energy formed, and Yu Cheng stood in the center of this vortex and bellowed, “Come out! I have returned, and all of you should have already noticed! Just how long do you plan to stay in hiding!?”

Ripples of energy began to spread across the sky.

A person strode out from the east: a middle-aged scholar with book in hand, shaking his head as he chanted, “Oh, to recall those glorious days, the golden age of the court, when all domains were united. But that which flourishes is bound to wane, and all taken to the utmost will eventually turn to the opposite. The rulership over all domains was ultimately but a brief moment in time, all of its glory and fame fated to sink into the sea of history. So they say that mountains and rivers are easily shattered, and the ageless Immortal should not vie with the heavens and earth. Better to roam free across the cosmos!”

Scarlet Pine was about to charge forward when Yu Cheng stopped him. “Scarlet Pine, fall back. This isn’t a battle you can take part in.”

“But, Your Majesty…”

Scarlet Pine still wanted to say more, but Yu Cheng said, “What? You don’t believe in me?”

Scarlet Pine froze before saying, “This lowly villain could never hinder Your Majesty’s divine might.”

He retreated.

Yu Cheng turned to the scholar and laughed. “Wandering Ferry, so it was you. A pedantic scholar of the cultivator world dares to discuss history with me? The audacity!”

Wandering Ferry stroked his book. “I dare not compete with the Immortal Emperor, but while the Immortal Emperor is strong, you are not stronger than the Heavenly Dao. Why go against the heavens?”

Yu Cheng proudly said, “You dare not vie with the heavens, but are an incompetent old man who seeks only freedom, so how can you understand my ambitions?”

“You!” Wandering Ferry was rendered momentarily speechless.

“The ambitions of the Immortal Emperor are grand indeed, and his might is prodigious. Alas, these are all things of the past. The court is shattered, its prosperity no more. While you are called ‘Immortal Emperor’, you are simply an old soul borrowing a body, unable to let go of past glories.” A voice came from the west, and then appeared its owner, a black-armored man wielding a black cudgel staff. Though he was walking on the air, his every step seemed as heavy as the earth.

“Wu Antian, you came as well,” Yu Cheng chuckled. “Since you’re here, I’m sure that the Sage Mother of the West and my traitorous disciple are coming as well.”

A person appeared in the north, and another in the south.

From the south, a woman strode across clouds, holding a gleaming umbrella above her, her entire body exuding a sacred aura. With a compassionate expression, she smiled at Yu Cheng. “This former subordinate of the court, the Sage Mother of the West, pays respects to Your Majesty. After ten thousand years, Your Majesty is as elegant as ever.”

From the north came a man with straight brows and an aloof aura. His hands were empty, and the auroras emanated by his body made him unreal. He said to Yu Cheng, “Disciple Gu Daocheng pays respects to his master!”