94: Chapter 94 I Know All

The Barrens border.

The phantom of the Nine Netherworld Demon Emperor twisted in mid-air, and the surrounding space was forcibly squeezed into countless fine cracks. The power of the Upper Realm was too overbearing, and the Heavenly Dao Laws of the Lower Realm began a violent backlash. Thunderclouds stacked over the West Barrens, and purple tribulation lightning rolled within the clouds.

“Borrowing the Luck of a Lower Realm Imperial Dynasty to prolong your last breath.” The Nine Netherworld Demon Emperor's voice was filled with disdain, his purple pupils staring fixedly toward the Central Continent. “This Emperor will wait for you in the Upper Realm. I hope that ant-like body of yours can hold out until the day of your Ascension.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Heavenly Dao Laws transformed into hundreds of thick golden chains, directly piercing through the phantom.

The phantom didn't even resist, actively dispersing its Devilish Qi and turning into a black rain that fell across the West Barrens.

The pressure receded.

Nether Ancestor slumped on the sand, the black token in his hand crumbling into powder. He looked at the empty sky, his head buzzing. The Ancestral Master just left like that? Without even leaving any protection?

A sound came from the pile of rubble nearby.

A huge rock was kicked aside. Jian Wuji hobbled out, leaning on half of a broken sword. His Daoist robe was soaked with blood, and a large part of his chest was caved in; any ordinary Cultivator would have been dead long ago. The vitality of a Half-step Quasi-Emperor was extremely tenacious.

Jian Wuji spat out a mouthful of bloody foam mixed with organ fragments, then grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth.

“Old Devil Head.” Jian Wuji raised his broken sword, the tip pointing at Nether Ancestor. “Your Ancestral Master has run away. Now, it's time to settle our score.”

Nether Ancestor's face was ashen.

Great Xia Imperial Palace, side hall.

Ji Ruxue withdrew her gaze. The phantom of the golden dragon circling above her head turned into specks of golden light and merged back into the underground dragon veins. Her face was pale; forcibly channeling Empress Yaoguang's Origin to counter the pressure of the Nine Netherworld Demon Emperor had placed an enormous burden on this Void Refinement Stage body.

She walked to the table, poured a cup of cold tea and gulped it down, suppressing her churning blood and Qi.

The Great Era had begun, and old acquaintances were appearing one after another. There wasn't much time left for her.

Heavenly Saint City, the top floor of the Star-Plucking Tower.

Gu Sheng leaned back in his armchair, playing with the fragment of the Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon. Within his Sea of Consciousness, the data on the System panel was flickering.

[Ding! Ji Ruxue faced her nemesis and her Dao Heart remained firm. destiny points +80,000.]

[Ding! The Luck of the Nine Nether Magic Sect in the West Barrens has plummeted. destiny points +50,000.]

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

“Nine Netherworld Demon Emperor?” Gu Sheng tapped the table. “That name sounds like it's worth a lot.”

The System's voice spoke up abruptly: [Host, you cannot yet handle the Karma of an Upper Realm powerhouse. Do not provoke him.]

Gu Sheng sneered. “If I can't handle it, I'll just let it grow for now. The Great Era has just begun, and leeks must be harvested batch by batch. If he dares to reach his hand into the Lower Realm, I'll dare to chop off his claws and sell them for money.”

He stood up and walked to the window. After the baptism of that golden spiritual rain, the concentration of Spiritual Qi in Heavenly Saint City had more than tripled. Loose Cultivators breaking through their cultivation could be seen everywhere on the streets, and the entire city was filled with a restless vitality.

The West Barrens border.

Jian Wuji spat out the sand in his mouth.

Blood dripped from the broken sword in his hand. The droplets hit the yellow sand and were instantly absorbed.

Nether Ancestor was half-buried in a sand dune, his chest rising and falling weakly. This Saint, once invincible in the Northern Plains, couldn't even condense his Protective Aura now. After the Nine Netherworld Demon Emperor's projection was shattered by the Heavenly Dao Laws, he had suffered an extremely severe backlash from his Cultivation Technique.

“That Ancestral Master of yours sure ran fast.” Jian Wuji walked over and kicked Nether Ancestor's shoulder with the tip of his boot. “People from the Upper Realm are all like that; they cause trouble and then flee, leaving their Disciples and grand-Disciples down here to face the blade.”

Nether Ancestor's lips moved, spitting out a few indistinct syllables.

Jian Wuji had no patience to listen to him beg for mercy.

His wrist flicked.

The broken sword sliced across Nether Ancestor's neck. There was no fancy Sword Qi, only pure slaughter.

A fine head rolled into the yellow sand.

Jian Wuji leaned down, picked up the head, wrapped it in Nether Ancestor's tattered long robe, and hung it casually at his waist. He turned to look at the Sword Burial Abyss Disciples behind him.

The hundreds of Sword Cultivators were all injured, but their spirits were high. The Sword Intent they had suppressed for many years was completely released in this battle, and many even broke through their realms on the spot.

“Clean up the battlefield and take all the valuable items.” Jian Wuji ordered. “That one at the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is very stingy. Since we're going to work for Great Xia, we have to prepare our own rations. Scour the Nine Nether Magic Sect's treasury thoroughly; don't leave even a single scrap of Spirit Stone behind.”

The Disciples roared their assent and scattered to scavenge the remains.

The Great Xia Imperial Palace.

Sandalwood incense curled in the side hall.

Ji Ruxue sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, her face whiter than paper.

Forcibly channeling Empress Yaoguang's Origin had caused great damage to her Void Refinement Stage body. Residual overbearing pressure from the Nine Netherworld Demon Emperor remained in her Meridians like fine needles pricking her bones, and every circulation of spiritual power brought a tearing pain.

The door was pushed open.

Gu Sheng walked in, swaying his folding fan.

Xuan Kong stood guard outside and closed the hall door behind him.

Ji Ruxue opened her eyes and tried to stand up to salute, but as soon as she moved, a metallic taste welled up in her throat.

Gu Sheng pulled over a chair and sat down, placing his folding fan on the table.

“Alright, don't force it.” Gu Sheng poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of Ji Ruxue. “The Nine Netherworld Demon Emperor's pressure isn't easy to handle, is it?”

Ji Ruxue paused.

She picked up the teacup, the steam blurring her vision.

“Revered Master saw it?” Ji Ruxue's voice was steady, without much emotion.

“With such a massive phantom hanging in the sky over the West Barrens, even a blind man in the Central Continent could see it.” Gu Sheng leaned back in his chair. “The Upper Realm's reach is long indeed. However, he didn't dare to truly strike down; the Heavenly Dao Laws wouldn't allow it. This world has just begun to recover and cannot accommodate power of that level.”

Ji Ruxue lowered her head to drink the tea.

As the tea entered her throat, it transformed into a stream of pure spiritual energy, instantly soothing the stinging pain in her Meridians. Even her parched Dantian began to fill up again.

This was definitely no ordinary tea. At the very least, it was brewed from Saint-Grade Spirit Medicine.

“In her past life, your Disciple had some grudges with him.” Ji Ruxue set down her teacup, hiding nothing. The Great Era had begun; her identity could not be hidden, and there was no need to hide it.

Gu Sheng's fingers tapped on the table.

“Empress Yaoguang.” Gu Sheng spoke the name with a tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.

Ji Ruxue looked up.

Her eyes, which were always calm, finally showed a flicker of turmoil.

She had cultivated a second life, and her greatest trump card was her memories and identity from her previous life. Even the Human Emperor of Great Xia, Xia Ruotian, hadn't seen through her, yet Gu Sheng had called it out plainly with a flat tone.

“Revered Master...” Ji Ruxue opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

“No matter who you were in your past life, you are now a Disciple of my Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.” Gu Sheng interrupted her. “If the Nine Netherworld Demon Emperor wants to kill you, he'll have to ask me first. What do those from the Upper Realm matter? If they provoke me, I'll drag them down and trample them to death all the same.”

Ji Ruxue stood up and gave a solemn, deep bow.

Gu Sheng waved his hand.

“The Great Era has begun, and this game in the Central Continent has only just started. Your Void Refinement Stage cultivation isn't enough to be taken seriously. You've drawn seventy percent of Great Xia's dragon veins; hurry and refine them. Xia Ruotian has retired to the background, but the Great Xia Dynasty's foundation remains. You must ensure Xia Qingyue's throne is completely secure; Great Xia must become monolithic.”

He stood up and walked out.

“By the way, the people from Sword Burial Abyss have killed Nether Ancestor. The Nine Nether Magic Sect is now leaderless. Have Xia Qingyue send people to take over that territory in the West Barrens. Move quickly; don't let those bald monks of the Buddhist Sect beat you to it.”

Ji Ruxue complied.

Looking at Gu Sheng's departing back, the reverence in her heart deepened by several degrees.

Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, Gu Family.

The foundation of this Hidden Family was more terrifying than any Holy Land she had seen in her previous life.