230 – The Immortal Palace Opens! A Golden Era!

“Since that kid is following the template of the Desolate Heavenly Emperor, even if it’s a cheap version, he shouldn’t be that easy to kill. Back then, if I hadn’t acted, he might not have died and would have been saved by some top-tier expert. Of course, the premise is that I’m not his savior. If Heaven’s Dao appointed me as his savior, then it’s all over…”

Wang Ping shook his head slightly, sighing.

After that, Wang Ping did not bother to think more about Tian Yan’s matters and continued to stare at the screen.

【You didn’t take the words of the young master of the Heavenly Wood Clan to heart. After all, you are still enemies. Even if in this life you don’t want to cause trouble, your main purpose is still to investigate the truth quietly, to uncover the goals of Gu Xuan and the Gu family. Before that, you do not want to deal with other matters or confront other enemies.】

【Next, you continued to wander around the Immortal City. Although you faced many provocations and challenges from various prodigies, especially the new rising stars who wanted to defeat you to prove themselves and gain more resources.】

【Even though your fame outside diminished, you still once ranked fifth on the Saint King List. Defeating you would still bring great benefits.】

【You refused all these challenges, causing these prodigies to despise you, thinking you didn’t dare to accept the challenges and therefore don’t deserve to be called a prodigy. Some even went to the extreme of considering your past rank on the Saint King List as a disgrace, lowering its credibility.】

【Listening to these prodigies’ sneers and provocative tactics, you remained unmoved, but your disciples Wan Yu and Lin Qinghe were quite displeased. Wan Yu, especially after awakening the Black Abyss Demon Physique, had become more arrogant and domineering, eager to fight these people on your behalf.】

【You calmly stopped his actions, saying there’s no point in arguing with this bunch of reckless fools. Your words made the prodigies even more irate, mocking you further.】

【In the midst of this heated atmosphere, Yu Daohong appeared, defusing the situation and dispersing the other prodigies. Facing Yu Daohong, these people dared not confront him and left after mocking you once more.】

【Yu Daohong looked at you helplessly, completely unable to understand your mindset. Despite possessing unparalleled strength among the young generation, you remained so low-key.】

【You didn’t say much, just chuckled and suggested that since you had met, why not go for a stroll together?】

【Yu Daohong did not refuse your invitation and agreed. Then, you walked together, with Yu Daohong telling you about the factions and prodigies that had come to the Immortal City. Some forces were not out in the open, and some anomalies did not make it to the Three Saint List but had the power to rival those on the list.】

【Yu Daohong mentioned several standout anomalies that you needed to be cautious of among those competing for the Immortal fate.】

【These anomalies, like you, come from the multiverse and were nurtured in the Upper Realm. They include the Imperial son of Slaughter Paradise, Xiao Sha; the Beast Son of the Abyssal Lands, Yuan E; and the Nine Star Pavilion’s Nine Star candidate. The Nine Star Pavilion is a unique force with each Nine Star possessing emperor-level power, making their true strength unfathomable.】

【However, the identities of Nine Star Pavilion’s members are highly varied. Hence, although the Nine Star Pavilion is one of the strongest forces with a double-digit number of emperor-level combatants, they are not unified and each has their own agenda, so other forces are not particularly wary of them.】

【Of course, with the Immortal Palace about to open, no one knows whether the Nine Stars and their candidates will unite to compete for the Immortal fate or continue to act independently.】

【If they continue separately, each candidate is estimated to be on par with those within the top thirty of the Great Saint List. But if they unite, even the top anomaly on the Great Saint List wouldn’t be able to withstand them and would be easily suppressed.】

【Listening to Yu Daohong’s explanation, you became quite interested, thinking this kid is like a walking encyclopedia. You also piqued interest in the Nine Star Pavilion. You knew of its existence from earlier simulations.】

【Back then, you casually joined the Nine Star Pavilion once and did not gain much understanding about it. After that, you focused on investigating other matters, and although you tried to join the Nine Star Pavilion a few times, you always missed the opportunity.】

【Now, hearing about the Nine Star Pavilion again gave you a clearer understanding of its power. The Nine Star candidates being not weaker than the top thirty of the Great Saint List was terrifying.】

【After all, the current Great Saint List is not as diluted as before. Like the Saint King List and Saint List, only the top prodigies deserve to be on it. Many have been eliminated by the top-tier prodigies who emerged, even Qin Yue was repeatedly defeated and dropped to tenth on the Great Saint List.】

【Therefore, there are no weaklings on the Great Saint List, and all have reached the half-step Supreme level.】

【Ranking within the top thirty is indeed terrifying. Nine candidates comparable to the top thirty on the Great Saint List would make any prodigy break out in a cold sweat.】

【Then, you remembered the matters related to Slaughter Paradise. Slaughter Paradise has been doing well in this world, with a particularly eerie assassination technique making many cultivators fearful. But since you are mortal enemies with Slaughter Paradise, you reserved the head of its Imperial son, Xiao Sha.】

【While you and Yu Daohong were discussing various topics, you encountered two more people. They were Ji Bingyan and Ji Ziqing.】

【You were quite surprised by Ji Bingyan’s current state. She had reached the Saint King level, with a solid foundation, obviously not from forced growth. You also sensed a terrifying cold aura from her, indicating she possessed a powerful ice-type physique.】

【As for Ji Ziqing, your impression of this child was that he was Ji Bingyan’s brother and a useless being hostile to you. However, Ji Ziqing now looked very different from your memory.】

【Nowadays, Ji Ziqing’s aura is profound, and his cultivation has also reached the Saint King level. This speed of growth is truly astonishing. This gives you the feeling that you’ve encountered several ‘trash flow’ before and have gained experience. You have an intuition that this kid might also be a child of ‘trash flow’ fortune.】

【As a result, you can’t help but take another look at Ji Ziqing. Those from the trash flow often carry huge secrets. Without secrets, it would be impossible to grow from a mere trash to this level. Like Zhu Huowang, like Ye Chen, like Lin Yan, all of them had heaven-defying fortuitous encounters. You are very curious, what is his fortuitous encounter?】

【As you were sizing up Ji Ziqing, Ji Bingyan also greeted you warmly, her attitude very friendly.】

【In response, you chuckled and greeted Ji Bingyan as well, introducing Lin Qinghe and Wan Yu to Ji Bingyan. As for Cai Yonglong, there was no need for introduction. During this process, Ji Ziqing also stared at you, a look of apprehension and hatred flashing in his eyes.】

“Is this kid perhaps a sis-con?”

Wang Ping looked at the content of the simulations, his gaze quite nuanced.

In previous simulations, this kid also had an aversion towards him.

That time, it also seemed to be because Ji Bingyan appeared to be quite close to him.

So, this kid is a sis-con, and it’s very likely he is jealous because of Ji Bingyan…

“Such a small body with a big temper.”

Wang Ping was a bit speechless and continued gazing at the screen.

【Next, Ji Bingyan introduced Ji Ziqing to you, stating that Ji Ziqing is the hope of the Ji family. Not long ago, he even defeated the Ji family’s Imperial Son to become the new Imperial Son.】

【Listening to Ji Bingyan’s words, you thoughtfully stared at Ji Ziqing. You previously thought he was not simple, and now your evaluation of him has risen a bit higher.】

【After all, although the Ji family’s Imperial Son is quite ordinary in today’s Upper Realm and cannot even remotely compare to the quasi-Three Saint List geniuses, he is still an Imperial Son-level figure. Being able to surpass him later on is no small feat.】

【Of course, if he really is a child of ‘trash flow’ fortune, then having such achievements is only to be expected. Moreover, he could be hiding many more secrets. Otherwise, it is very likely for him to ascend to the highly prestigious Saint King List, just like Zhu Huowang and Ye Chen.】

【Of course, although you think Ji Ziqing is not bad, you still don’t take him to heart. He cannot help you in this simulation, and forming a good relationship with him is useless. Unless you can find out what his fortuitous encounter is, and intercept it in future simulations, that might have some value.】

【In addition, if you could accept him as a disciple in advance, it might bring you some benefits. However, you think that to maximize the benefits, it would be better to wait to break through to the Supreme level first.】

【Now, you feel that relying on the seven-colored talent: Growing Stronger by Accepting Disciples to break through to the Supreme level, you would need to recruit a genius ranked in the top ten of the Three Saint List as your disciple.】

【Moreover, even recruiting a top ten genius from the Three Saint List might not guarantee a stable breakthrough. Because the seven-colored talent: Growing Stronger by Accepting Disciples can only improve cultivation, not enlightenment. Proving one’s Dao to reach the Supreme stage involves transforming Dao markings into Dao fruits, gaining recognition from the Heavenly Dao, proving the Dao; it clearly requires enlightenment. It should be said that enlightenment plays a great role.】

【Therefore, you have doubts about whether you can break through to the Supreme stage relying solely on the seven-colored talent: Growing Stronger by Accepting Disciples. You think it might be safer to seek out opportunities for enlightenment and break through to the Supreme level yourself first, then recruit disciples to enhance your cultivation.】

【With this in mind, Ji Ziqing’s value to you in the short term is even lower. Therefore, there’s no need to care for him. To be honest, you are quite realistic.】

【Next, after chatting with Ji Bingyan for a bit, you expressed that if Ji Bingyan can enter the Immortal Palace and encounters difficulties, you would look after her. This made Ji Bingyan very grateful and happy.】

【But this made Ji Ziqing even more displeased. He coldly snorted, saying that Ji Bingyan doesn’t need your protection, he alone is enough.】

【This completely face-losing remark makes you frown. Lin Qinghe and Wan Yu also frown, thinking Ji Ziqing is too arrogant. Ji Bingyan is somewhat embarrassed, quickly pulling Ji Ziqing and apologizing to you.】

【However, Ji Ziqing still showed no intention of repenting. He gave you a cold glare before leaving. In response, you were quite speechless but not interested in arguing with this arrogant kid, and continued chatting with Ji Bingyan as you walked.】

【After distancing himself from you, Ji Ziqing became quite agitated, feeling that the subconscious affection of this body for Ji Bingyan was very annoying. If not for this, how could he be so emotional.】

【Ji Ziqing thought that to completely resolve this hidden danger, he might need to truly win Ji Bingyan’s affection and become her Dao companion, or kill all the men close to her.】

【Since that was the case, he made up his mind to find a way to court Ji Bingyan and kill you.】

“Huh?”

Wang Ping looked at the sudden transition to a god’s-eye view in the simulation, and he was quite surprised.

He really did not expect that Ji Ziqing was not a ‘child of luck’ successfully making a comeback, but rather, someone who had seized the body of another.

The reason he displayed strong hostility towards him was due to the subconscious influence of the body, not his true intention.

“So Ji Ziqing is just an unfortunate soul who had his body seized?”

Wang Ping frowned slightly, mumbling to himself.

However, this guy appearing next to Ji Bingyan definitely wasn’t a good thing. If this continued to develop, something would go disastrously wrong sooner or later.

Moreover, this guy clearly wanted to kill him.

“Since that’s the case, I should strike first to eliminate the hidden threat. I have no interest in constantly being targeted and waiting for him to plan to kill me.”

Immediately, Wang Ping’s eyes gleamed with ferocity, and he developed a killing intent towards Ji Ziqing.

However, the Ji family is a family that has produced an emperor, and their Emperor’s scripture is related to reincarnation and rebirth. It is quite special among all of the Emperor’s scriptures. Unless an extremely long era of declining spiritual energy appears, their scripture can ensure that the family’s heritage remains unbroken. If they cruelly split their souls, their cultivation speed is also faster than those at the same level, although the obvious drawback is that their offensive methods are weaker compared to other Emperor’s scriptures.

Theoretically, the Ji family’s descendants should not be subject to body-seizing. Once seized, the Emperor’s scripture they inherit would detect it and eliminate the possessor.

If elimination were impossible, it would self-destruct.

Yet Ji Ziqing had been possessed.

This was clearly an anomalous situation.

“If I go by the plotlines of the novels I’ve read, this should be a rebirth and body-seizing trope, right? It’s an anomalous situation caused by the Heavenly Dao.”

Wang Ping rubbed his chin, various thoughts flashing through his mind.

Only the Heavenly Dao causing trouble could bypass the Ji family’s protective measures.

“I don’t know what cultivation level this guy who seized Ji Ziqing’s body had in his past life. If his cultivation was high and his memories are very intact, then this will be a real problem, making it very difficult to deal with him in this simulation.”

Wang Ping’s eyes flickered and his expression turned a bit more serious.

This rebirth and body-seizing trope, the most classic example is the rebirth of an Immortal Emperor.

And in this fantasy world, if an existence at the Emperor level were to be reborn, it would be a crushing blow to the younger generation.

Because the Emperor’s understanding of the Dao, their cultivation level in Emperor’s scriptures, and various techniques, would all be devastative to the younger generation.

“It can’t be an Emperor. An Emperor wouldn’t have such a restless mindset. It’s probably a Supreme reborn.”

Wang Ping exhaled lightly and made a judgment.

Even if an Emperor were reborn, they wouldn’t be affected by the subconscious of a body, especially one that’s an ordinary waste-level child. That’s even less likely.

If the Emperor were so weak, they wouldn’t be worthy of the title, it would be utterly disgraceful.

Wang Ping even felt that it’s unlikely for a Quasi-Emperor to be like this.

Only a Supreme, especially an ordinary Supreme, would be so greatly affected…

Apart from that, only Ji Ziqing, being reborn by possessing a regular Supreme, wouldn’t cause a devastating blow to the younger generation, allowing for continued reasonable competition.

Otherwise, the younger generation’s efforts would be in vain, turning directly into a plot where Ji Ziqing tramples everyone underfoot.

Subsequently, Wang Ping calmed his emotions and voluntarily entered an immersive simulation state. After injecting this information into the simulated Wang Ping, he exited the immersive simulation mode and entered the textual simulation state.

【After learning about Ji Ziqing’s situation, you felt a killing intent towards him and pondered on how to kill him without being detected.】

【After thinking it over, you decided to turn your attention to Yu Daohong. After parting with Ji Bingyan, you hope Yu Daohong will help you with a favor.】

【Your sudden request made Yu Daohong immediately wary, thinking you’re up to no good. Last time, you had him stage a fake fight with you. Now, he thinks you’re definitely up to some new mischief.】

【Seeing Yu Daohong so cautious, you showed a friendly demeanor and stated that if Yu Daohong helps you, he is also helping Taiyi Emperor Palace and Emperor Tianyu. After all, the idea of Taiyi Emperor Palace’s collective ascension requires his participation. If Yu Daohong doesn’t help you, would he be letting down Emperor Tianyu’s nurturing of him?】

【These words made Yu Daohong’s face darken, feeling very uncomfortable with your moral coercion. In the end, he chose to agree, stating that this would be the last time. He would not agree to help you no matter what you ask next time.】

【Hearing this, you laughed lightly and assured him that this would definitely be the last time… Seeing you agree, Yu Daohong said nothing more and just asked you to quickly tell him what you wanted.】

【You didn’t hesitate, saying you wanted Yu Daohong to investigate Ji Ziqing’s background while hiding his identity. If possible, directly hire killers from Slaughter Paradise to take him out.】

【Your request made Yu Daohong frown deeply, giving you a long look, not understanding why you would want to kill Ji Ziqing. Clearly, you have a good relationship with that girl from the Ji family, so why do such a thing? Even if Ji Ziqing is impolite, he doesn’t deserve to die.】

【However, Yu Daohong wasn’t interested in asking why you wanted to do this. Since you are the Taiyi Emperor Palace’s true first Emperor’s Son, and the hope for Taiyi Emperor Palace’s collective ascension, he wouldn’t question why you want to kill someone. What he should do is assist you in obtaining immortal fate and clearing obstacles within his capability.】

【Next, Yu Daohong left directly, choosing to complete the task assigned. As for you, you continued to leisurely stroll through Immortal City with Lin Qinghe and others, gathering some intelligence and preparing for the opening of the Immortal Palace.】

【In the blink of an eye, three days passed. As time flew by, Immortal City became increasingly lively, and there were even celestial sounds emanating from it. The Immortal Palace would open tomorrow, and young heroes were advised to prepare for the tests of the Immortal Palace. Only those who passed the tests could join the Immortal Palace.】

【This made many young heroes from the Upper Realm’s eyes shine brightly. They started to adjust their states, hoping to perform exceptionally well tomorrow. As for those on the Three Saint List and the Quasi-Three Saint List, they were calm and went with the flow, continuing their practice without any pressure. If they couldn’t pass the Immortal Palace’s tests, then few people in the world could.】

【And then today, Yu Daohong returned, bringing back some information. After probing, it turned out Ji Ziqing was not simple at all. He should have hidden his cultivation; his actual cultivation level reached the Great Saint stage.】

【Moreover, Yu Daohong stated this guy’s combat power is terrifying. Not only is he proficient in all sorts of great formations, but he also seems to be skilled in alchemy and has understood Dao markings. Even Yu Daohong wasn’t a match and nearly got severely injured. If it weren’t for his Supreme Protector’s intervention, he would have almost been exposed.】

【Talking until the end, Yu Daohong was very serious, saying that it was extremely rare to comprehend Dao markings upon stepping into the Great Saint stage. It should be said that no one else has ever done it. He thinks that this Ji Ziqing will likely become a powerful opponent for you.】

【Listening to Yu Daohong’s words, you fell into deep thought. This Ji Ziqing is indeed a Supreme reborn through possession, possibly a master of formations and alchemy in a past life. That’s why he could become so strong in such a short time, even helping Ji Bingyan improve her cultivation.】

【In the Upper Realm, alchemists are not few, but powerful alchemists are rare. Because alchemy is also tied to one’s cultivation level, to refine supreme-grade pills, one must reach supreme-grade cultivation or possess a particularly terrifying flame.】

【Due to these stringent conditions, supreme alchemists in the Upper Realm are quite scarce. Even imperial-level forces don’t have many. Having a supreme alchemist would greatly simplify nurturing disciples.】

【After all, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that help cultivators easily improve cultivation and temper the body are hard to find. However, a high-grade alchemist can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, refining non-precious medicinal herbs into pills greatly beneficial for cultivation.】

【However, high-grade alchemists are mostly monopolized by the Pill Tower. The influence of the Pill Tower is incredibly terrifying throughout the Upper Realm, rivaled by few forces.】

【If Ji Ziqing was a supreme alchemist in his past life, using the Ji family’s special Secret Techniques to frenziedly consume pills and rapidly improve cultivation makes sense. After all, the Ji family’s Secret Techniques can separate the soul—one to take pills and expel pill toxins, and others to condense cultivation and comprehend the Dao.】

【Previously, the Ji family didn’t have a high-grade alchemist. If they did, and could easily provide potent pills with minimal side effects, they wouldn’t have ended up in their current state.】

【Seeing you deep in thought, Yu Daohong assured you don’t need to worry. He concealed his identity during this mission and did not get exposed. However, the Ji family’s Supreme noticed his actions, and they are now fully protecting Ji Ziqing. Any further attempts to probe would be difficult.】

【You laughed lightly, stating that you didn’t mind as you already had enough information. Then, you asked Yu Daohong whether he registered Ji Ziqing’s head in Slaughter Paradise.】

【Hearing this, Yu Daohong’s face turned black. He suffered injuries and nearly exposed his identity while carrying out the task for you, yet you showed no concern. You didn’t offer any healing medicine or reward, but directly inquired about the bounty… How ruthless of you.】

Following this, Yu Daohong grumbled that he had no money. ‘You transfer the money, he would offer the reward. If you don’t give him money, he wouldn’t care at all.’

Seeing Yu Daohong angry, you coughed lightly and said that you were also short of money now. You asked Yu Daohong to cover the cost first, and you would repay him later.

This made Yu Daohong’s face twitch with anger, almost wishing to walk away from it all. However, he still gritted his teeth and glared at you, saying this would really be the last time, otherwise, he would definitely kill you.

You chuckled and responded, ‘Of course, it’s the last billion times. Both being Emperor’s sons of Taiyi Emperor Palace, I have always treated you like a real younger brother, how could I always take advantage of you?’

Yu Daohong’s expression turned dark. He said ‘Scram’ and then left. Seeing this, Cai Yonglong looked at you awkwardly and sighed, ‘Brother Wang is truly Brother Wang.’

In the blink of an eye, another day passed. The Immortal Palace opened, countless people transformed into divine rainbows and flew towards it. The great figures on the Central Immortal Continent watched in the direction of the Immortal Palace, their gazes deep, lost in thought.

Among them, some Emperors wanted to test the Immortal Palace to see if it could still command the presence like in ancient times. However, they eventually suppressed this thought. The Immortal Palace was too mysterious and powerful. If its foundation still existed, even an Emperor would fall if they acted against it.

Therefore, unless all the Emperors acted together, or someone found out the foundation of the Immortal Palace, forcibly acting against it would be seeking death, not worth the risk. Thus, it was better to let their inheritors enter the Immortal Palace first to compete for immortal fates and probe its depths first.

While various parties were actively plotting, you also led your group to the front of the Immortal Palace’s mountain gate. You saw a barrier of divine light enveloping the mountain gate.

At this moment, the Immortal Palace emitted an immortal melody. To enter the Immortal Palace, the first requirement was age…only the young were eligible. Reincarnators, body-snatchers, and those overaged were not allowed in.

Upon hearing this, some cultivators thought this threshold was too low and started flying in. You, Cai Yonglong, and others easily entered, facing no obstacles. Most prodigies also weren’t hindered.

However, you witnessed a striking scene. Many were stopped outside. Overaged characters had the words ‘overaged’ appear above their heads. Reincarnators and body-snatchers had corresponding terms appear above their heads. The divine light was indeed magical.

This surprised you, not expecting so many reincarnators and body-snatchers to sneak in, hoping to enter the Immortal Palace. One must admit, these people were truly daring.

In this era, no matter the power, strict rules were enforced against body-snatchers and reincarnators, prohibiting them from competing with the real younger generation. It was unfair and stifled true prodigies.

While you were marveling, some powers discovered problems within their ranks, their faces darkening as they dragged away the body-snatchers and reincarnators. Their fate would undoubtedly be grim.

You looked towards Ji Ziqing’s direction and saw he seemed a bit scared, probably not expecting the divine light to be so anomalous. However, he then showed joy, clearly realizing his situation was unique, no longer needing to worry much.

Seeing this, you squinted your eyes, thinking Ji Ziqing, indeed, seemed blessed by the heavens, a true descendant of luck in the reincarnation and body-snatching flow.

While you were pondering, overwhelming demonic energy appeared outside the Immortal Palace. This attracted many cultivators’ attention, who looked over, and someone exclaimed that the Nether Emperor had arrived.

You too were surprised, not expecting the Nether Emperor to personally come even after the Nether Demon Child had already entered the Immortal Palace. This clearly indicated something special.

Soon, you understood the reason. Beside the Nether Emperor was a youth surrounded by demonic energy. The youth had a gold and dark intertwined mark on his forehead.

This mark was very familiar to you. Back in the First Minor Universe, the natural Saint you saw had this mark on his forehead, seemingly a symbol of the natural Saints.

However, the mark now intertwined with gold and dark colors clearly indicated some change. Perhaps it was because this natural Saint had fallen into the Demon Sect, becoming a disciple of the Nether Emperor.

In the previous Quasi-Emperor battle, it seemed the White Bone Quasi-Emperor of the Nether Demon Sect had won, defeating another Quasi-Emperor and taking away the natural Saint.

You thought to yourself, assessing this natural Saint’s current cultivation and combat strength. After all, this natural Saint was from a hundred thousand years ago. Even if he was likely sealed and hadn’t cultivated long compared to prodigies like Lin Qinghe and Wan Yu, his cultivation was undoubtedly terrifying.

You felt this natural Saint’s cultivation should have reached the half-step Supreme level. As for how strong he was and how far he could rank on the Great Saint List, you weren’t sure.

However, being so highly regarded by the Nether Emperor and personally escorted, given ample respect, he probably could enter the top twenty, possibly even the top ten.

While you were contemplating, the natural Saint flashed across the divine light and entered the Immortal Palace.

Then, the Nether Emperor glanced deeply into the depths of the Immortal Palace and turned into black mist, disappearing. This astonished many cultivators, not expecting to witness the legendary Nether Emperor. They also grew intensely curious about the prodigy escorted by the Nether Emperor.

While everyone was focused on the natural Saint, Gu Xuan merely glanced at him before looking towards Lin Qinghe with profound eyes.