109: Chapter 109 Stirring

The Nine Dragon Emperor Boots trampled the sea of clouds above Heavenly Saint City.

From behind that gate of light, a ten-thousand-foot-tall Dharma Body emerged. It was the Nine Heavens Immortal Emperor, Tai Hao. He did not look down, his gaze level with the distant Central Continent Mountain Range. Four Immortal Kings followed behind him, flanking him on both sides, holding Immortal Seals and Dharma Swords.

Heavenly Saint City was so quiet that one could hear the sound of the wind brushing past the eaves.

The Cultivators all looked up with aching necks, not even daring to breathe. The Dominator of the Upper Realm had arrived in person, and such pressure weighed down on the Laws of the Lower Realm, causing dark red Tribulation Lightning to seep from the cracks in the sky.

At the periphery of the exhibition area, Su Jiuer squeezed through the crowd carrying half a bucket of paste. She slapped a bright red poster onto the wall of the Star-Plucking Tower and smoothed it out with a brush.

Black text on a red background: Immortal Emperor exhibition booth opening soon. Pre-sale tickets are fifty thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones, installments accepted. The first ten people to pay will receive a special Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Recording Stone.

The Body Cultivator at the front of the line swallowed hard, pulled a bulging Storage Pouch from his robes, and slammed it onto the desk.

"Shopkeeper, I'll pay extra! I want a seat in the first row!"

With someone taking the lead, the Loose Cultivators queuing behind all snapped out of it. Fear wouldn't solve anything, but buying a ticket could save their lives. The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion even dared to hang an Immortal Venerable on a pillar to sell tickets; even if an Immortal Emperor came, he would still have to follow the rules.

"I want a Recording Stone!"

"Fifty thousand Spirit Stones, I'll pay half as a deposit first!"

The crowd surged forward, surrounding the payment desk so tightly that not even water could trickle through.

The Nine Nether Devil Emperor was tied to a Profound Iron Pillar. Watching the group of Lower Realm Cultivators below scrambling for tickets, he was so enraged that he saw stars. He craned his neck and shouted toward the sky.

"Immortal Emperor, save me! The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion has insulted the dignity of the Upper Realm; their entire clan should be executed!"

Immortal Emperor Tai Hao looked down. His gaze pierced through the starlight and landed on the exhibition area.

Golden Scale Immortal Venerable hung his head low, playing dead. The Nine Nether Devil Emperor's face was swollen high, yet he was still blustering. Ten Immortal Lords squatted at the base of the wall, hands behind their heads in perfect unison.

This scene was extremely eyesore to Tai Hao. The dignity of the Upper Realm was being ground into the mud by the Lower Realm at this moment.

"Lower Realm ants, how dare you defy heaven."

Tai Hao spoke. His voice triggered heavenly thunder, causing the bluestone pavement of Heavenly Saint City to crack inch by inch.

On the top floor of the Star-Plucking Tower, Gu Sheng pushed open the window, fanned himself with a folding fan, and looked up into the air.

"You up there, don't block the light. The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion does business with the philosophy that harmony brings wealth. You've stepped on and broken the floor tiles of my Heavenly Saint City; you must pay compensation at the original price." Gu Sheng closed his folding fan and tapped the window frame.

Tai Hao snorted coldly. Without wasting words, he raised a hand and pointed.

A streak of Immortal Dao Origin transformed into a golden spear, thrusting straight toward the Star-Plucking Tower. Wherever the spear passed, the Void Realm disintegrated inch by inch, trailing a thousand-foot-long black wake.

Jiang Taixu rose from his Grandmaster's Chair. His white robes fluttered in the wind.

He did not draw his sword. Instead, he formed a seal with one hand and pushed forward.

The three hundred and sixty-five primary stars of the Zhou Tian Star Array all shifted direction simultaneously. Starlight intertwined, converging into a pillar of light that met the golden spear.

The two collided. There was no deafening sound. The spear was enveloped by the starlight and melted away inch by inch, turning into a sky full of golden specks that showered down onto the streets of Heavenly Saint City.

Having absorbed the Immortal Dao Origin, the concentration of Spiritual Qi within the city doubled once again.

Tai Hao's expression changed slightly. He stared at the starlight shield and noticed something was off. The rank of this Formation far exceeded the Immortal Grade. The Lower Realm could not possibly possess such a thing.

Gu Sheng pulled up the System panel.

[Ding! Immortal Emperor-level combat power detected. Consume five million destiny points to unlock Jiang Taixu's limit combat power and recharge the Zhou Tian Star Array?]

Gu Sheng issued the command in his mind.

[Confirm.]

Five million destiny points were deducted from the balance.

Jiang Taixu stepped into the air. The white-robed God King entered the starry sky. His aura surged upward, breaking the restrictions of the Lower Realm's Laws.

Great Emperor Peak.

Tai Hao sacrificed his Immortal Emperor Dharma Seal. His ten-thousand-foot golden body propped up heaven and earth, and the four Immortal Kings struck simultaneously, blocking Jiang Taixu's retreat.

"Slay."

Jiang Taixu used his fingers as a sword.

This strike had no fancy Sword Qi. There was only the ultimate rule.

The Sword Intent sliced through the Void Realm, severing Tai Hao's connection with the Upper Realm's Heavenly Dao. The Immortal Emperor Dharma Seal split in half. The ten-thousand-foot golden body shattered like porcelain, and the peeling Immortal Dao Laws were completely absorbed by the Zhou Tian Star Array.

The four Immortal Kings were caught in the Sword Intent and instantly turned into blood mist.

Tai Hao plummeted from the air, crashing straight onto the open ground in front of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

The bluestone pavement was smashed into a deep pit. As the dust settled, Tai Hao lay at the bottom of the pit with his Immortal Bones completely shattered, lacking even the strength to move a finger.

The sound of the Nine Nether Devil Emperor's laughter got stuck in his throat, like a duck being strangled.

Gu Sheng walked downstairs. The surrounding Cultivators voluntarily moved aside to make a path.

He walked to the edge of the pit and tapped Tai Hao's forehead with his folding fan.

"An Immortal Emperor? Quite durable." Gu Sheng turned to Su Jiuer, "Jiuer, tie him to the pillar in the very center. Price: one hundred thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones for one kick. An Immortal Emperor's treatment must have some prestige."

Su Jiuer efficiently tied him up with a rope.

Tai Hao was hung from the Profound Iron Pillar. Looking at the long line of Lower Realm Cultivators before him, his Dao Heart completely collapsed, and his eyes rolled back as he fainted.

The data on the System panel flickered wildly.

[Defeated Nine Heavens Immortal Emperor, destiny points +3,000,000]

[Upper Realm's dignity swept into the dust, destiny points +2,000,000]

Gu Sheng glanced at the balance and closed his folding fan with satisfaction.

The Realm Passage in the sky was still operating. Gu Sheng raised his hand and struck a Heaven-Sealing Talisman into the passage. The originally violent spatial turbulence calmed down, and the gate of light transformed into a stable Cross-Realm Teleportation Array.

"This gate is not bad." Gu Sheng rubbed his chin, "From now on, if people from the Upper Realm want to come down, they'll have to pay a toll. Calculated per person. It'll also be convenient for us to fight our way up."

Ji Ruxue walked out from the crowd. Her Dao Integration Realm aura was restrained. She looked at the Immortal Emperor hanging from the pillar and then turned to Gu Sheng.

"Revered Master, there are several other powers in the Upper Realm. Tai Hao is only one of them."

"No rush." Gu Sheng walked back, "The leeks must be grown fat before they are harvested. If they don't come down, we'll go up in a while to collect protection fees."

Eastern Region. Tianshui City.

Outside the Haiyue Inn, a chariot pulled by three Silver Flood Dragons stopped at the entrance. The azure ox that the Demon Emperor had transformed into panted heavily, its hooves digging several pits into the ground.

Ye Yuan jumped down from the carriage and threw a bag of monster cores to Chu Kuangren.

"Take this to the Treasure Pavilion to exchange for Spirit Stones."

Chu Kuangren caught the bag, glanced at the azure ox pulling the carriage, and swallowed. The Southern Border Demon Emperor had actually become the Ye Family's beast of burden.

The Old Beggar from the Lingxu Pavilion sat at the street corner, holding a broken bowl and watching Ye Yuan.

"Young friend, there's quite a stir over in the Central Continent. Even an Immortal Emperor from the Upper Realm has fallen at the hands of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion." The Old Beggar took a sip of wine, his tone probing.

Ye Yuan sneered.

"What does the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion amount to? Sooner or later, this Divine Son will go to the Central Continent and tear down that wretched tower." He kicked the azure ox, "Let's go to the Returning Ruins. I heard those old loaches of the Dragon Clan are getting restless again."

The chariot rolled across the long street, heading straight for the Eastern Sea.

The Old Beggar watched the receding back of the chariot and shook his head. In this struggle of the Great Era, these two tigers—the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and the Ye Family—were turning the Four Great Regions upside down.