Chapter 436 - 360: Lord of a World
Mysterious Yellow Realm, mundane world, Cangyun City.
The bluestone road beneath the city walls was soaked to dark red by essence blood, with hundreds of raggedly dressed mortals lined up in a winding queue.
At the head of the queue stood a bronze cauldron about one meter high, its mouth shrouded in scarlet mist.
Three Qi Refining Cultivators wearing gray robes of the Saint Sect held pointed jade tubes, extracting blood from each mortal in turn.
When it was the turn of a sallow, emaciated man, the jade tube pierced his neck artery, and pale golden essence blood flowed into the cauldron.
In just three breaths, the man’s legs gave way, his face turning as white as paper, as he collapsed onto the ground.
"Useless! Can’t even withstand a tenth of essence blood!"
The leading Qi Refining Cultivator kicked the man, smearing the bloodstains on his boot onto the man’s face:
"All creatures are the private property of the Saint Sect. You mundane folks without spiritual roots or talent should consider it a great blessing to contribute essence blood for refining elixirs!"
He turned to survey the queue, the jade tube clinking in his palm: "Hurry up! If you delay the refining of Blood Pills for the Golden Core masters, you’ll all be fed to spirit dogs!"
At the end of the queue, two half-grown youths huddled their shoulders, watching the essence blood churn in the cauldron, their eyes filled with desolation.
The youth in patched clothing tugged his companion’s sleeve, his voice trembling:
"A Dog, if only we had spiritual roots."
"I heard that having spiritual roots means entering the Saint Sect to learn magic, no blood taxes, and eating white rice."
...
A thousand miles away at the Saint Sect’s foundational Daoist Palace, over a hundred youths stood on a plaza paved with blue bricks, each with a wooden tag etched with "Spiritual Root" hanging on their chest.
The head instructor, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a goatee, holding a bamboo scroll, scanned the youths with a satisfied smile:
"Not bad, not bad, this time we detected thirty disciples with spiritual roots and above, quality far surpassing previous years."
He paused, his voice suddenly turning harsh:
"From today onward, you must diligently cultivate the ’White Bone Technique’ and ’Blood Spirit Sutra’, or be expelled from the Daoist Palace!"
Looking at the young seedlings before him, he pondered inwardly:
"Supervise them well, in ten years, offering five White Bone Flying Swords and five Blood-dripping Treasure Wheels won’t be an issue!"
...
Inside the Alchemy Room of the Alchemy Dao line, the scent of herbs intertwined with the smell of blood.
The fire pit beneath the pill furnace burned with crimson spiritual fire, and the smoke drifting from the furnace carried a blood tint.
A Golden Core Cultivator with a gloomy demeanor pinched a pigeon egg-sized Blood Pill, his brows tightly furrowed:
"Damn! They gave me materials solely for the fifth layer of the ’Heart of the Pill’ Spell, too many impurities in the essence blood in the meridians, how to refine Tier Three Treasure Pills?"
Remembering the cold stares his master gave him last time, cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
His master had said that if he did not refine ten Tier Three Blood Pills within three years, he would be refined into a ’Pill Furnace’, using his Golden Core to nurture elixirs.
Outside, his junior brother’s coughing from alchemy reached his ears, a trace of ruthlessness flashed in the Golden Core Cultivator’s eyes:
"Better a fellow brother dead than oneself."
...
Inside the Artifact Dao line’s refining room.
Beside the Artifact Refining Furnace stood a Nascent Soul True Monarch. Dressed in a brocade robe embroidered with artifact patterns, he watched his disciple benevolently:
"Disciple, your ’Seed Treasure Technique’ has reached the ninth layer, integrating Dao Foundation with precious materials, your fellow brothers didn’t die unjustly."
"Your brothers have all made contributions for you, today you shall make a contribution for your master."
With that, the True Monarch formed a spell seal, a golden light shot into the disciple’s forehead.
The disciple let out a shrill scream, his body twisted continuously within the gold light, bones transformed into banner poles, flesh congealed into the banner’s surface, and hair turned into tassels on the banner.
In just one incense stick’s time, they were transformed into a blood-colored banner about a meter long.
The True Monarch stroked the banner, feeling the spiritual power within, nodding with satisfaction: "Not bad."
...
Inside the "Elder’s Service House" of the Harmonious Joy Dao line, the sound of silk and bamboo blended with moans.
A group of cultivators approaching their limit, yet maintaining youthful appearances—irrespective of gender—were forcibly arranged to entertain guests, cooperatively practicing the Harmonious Joy Subtle Technique with young disciples.
Shortly thereafter, a cultivator just being absorbed with the technique turned as dry as a deadwood, black blood oozing from the corners of his mouth.
Two gray-robed cultivators immediately stepped forward, adeptly lifting him onto a stretcher.
Along the corridor the stretcher passed, jars filled with enshrined tendons and bones lined the shelves, well-tanned human skins hung on the walls.
All these were the results of "waste utilization"—tendons and bones refined into medicine, flesh and skin crafted into artifacts, and even hair twisted into spell ropes.
...
In a secluded mountain forest, a youth witnessed firsthand the miserable state of his grandfather at the Harmonious Joy Dao line’s ’retirement’ home, his young face stained with bloody tears.
"I don’t want to become like this!"
Clenching his fists, his nails dug into his palms, he roared:
"I want to cultivate! I want to become Nascent Soul True Monarch! Become Celestial Venerable of Divinity Transformation! I want to destroy this damn place!"
"How can words spoken be realized?"
A mocking voice sounded.
Suddenly, the ground cracked open, and a black wooden coffin shot out. A young man in a green robe jumped out, holding a blood-colored short knife.
The flash of the blade passed, and the young man’s heart was filled with unwillingness. He subconsciously closed his eyes, awaiting the arrival of death.
After a long while, he opened his eyes again and saw that the young man was pinned to the tree trunk by a beautiful lotus flower.
He looked up at the sky, where countless rays of light were shooting in all directions: "It seems dawn has arrived!"
...
Within the original Grotto Heaven, Chen Sheng was seated on the Nine Dragons Throne, his Primordial Spirit spreading like a spider web to many corners.
Scenes vividly appeared in his mind, and the Yin Yang particles around him were motionless. His face showed neither anger nor compassion as he spoke:
"This seat in this world shall initiate the calamity, causing demons to disappear and the Dao to flourish."
As his words fell, countless black and white lotus flowers suddenly bloomed around him.
The flowers scattered with the wind, falling upon Cangyun City, grinding three Qi Refining Cultivators and the bronze cauldron to dust together.
At the Foundation Establishment Daoist Palace, the goatee Instructor was wrapped in lotus flowers and instantly turned to ash.
The Golden Core Cultivator of the Alchemy Dao Vein was just about to act against his junior brother when a lotus flower drilled into his forehead, blasting him and the pill furnace to pieces.
The blood-colored banner in the Nascent Soul True Monarch’s hand suddenly shattered, and a lotus flower penetrated his Dantian, annihilating the Nascent Soul instantly.
The "Elders Court" of the Pleasure Dao Vein collapsed in the rain of lotus flowers, all Absorption disciples and grey-robed cultivators swallowed by Dao Rhyme.
The blade of the young man in a green robe paused, pinned to the tree by a lotus flower.
Within the hundred thousand miles shrouded by the Primordial Spirit, black and white lotus flowers fell like torrential rain. Where they passed, the shadows of demons dispersed, and their evil traces were obliterated.
Chen Sheng remained seated and unmoving, his eyes calm, as if merely weeding a garden, without sorrow or joy.
...
Half a month flashed by.
Above the original Grotto Heaven, a golden passage about a zhang wide hung in the void, surrounded by the Spirit Light of the treasures of the heavens, solidifying the passage as if cast in bronze and iron.
This morning, the passage suddenly burst with dazzling golden light, countless runes pouring out from it.
Over twenty young men and women clad in black and white brocade robes stepped out one after another, with faint Yin Yang Dao Rhyme surrounding them. They were Chen Sheng’s offspring, each reaching the Demon Emperor Realm.
The offspring lined up neatly and respectfully saluted: "Greetings, Father!"
Following them, over a hundred powerful demon shadows emerged, the various Demon Emperors of the Demon Court.
As they landed, they all bowed towards the center of the Grotto Heaven, where the Nine Dragons Throne was, their voices causing the void to tremble slightly: "Greetings, Demon Venerable!"
On the Nine Dragons Throne, Chen Sheng, dressed in a black and white Daoist robe, fiddled with the treasures of the heavens, his gaze sweeping over those below, his voice calm yet with undeniable authority:
"No need for formalities."
He raised his hand slightly, a gentle force lifting everyone up:
"The Celestial Venerables of Divinity Transformation from the Primitive Saint Sect have all been suppressed by this seat, and over the past half month, Nascent Soul True Monarchs have been slain in droves, leaving only some hidden remnants scattered in secret strongholds."
The White Tiger Demon Emperor’s eyes flickered with excitement, stepping forward and clasping his fist:
"Demon Venerable’s divine might! Leave the task of cleaning up the remnants to us!"
The Azure Luan Demon Emperor also echoed:
"The Saint Sect has occupied the Xuanhuang Realm for a millennium, hoarding countless spiritual ore and secret realms. It’s the perfect opportunity to seize them all, enriching our Great Wilderness Demon Court’s foundation!"
Chen Sheng nodded, his tone carrying a hint of inarguability:
"Your next task is to completely eradicate the remnants, leaving none behind."
"Also take over all resources belonging to the Saint Sect. Assign personnel to guard the spiritual ore, inventory and register the secret realms without embezzling the slightest bit."
"Yes!"
The Demon Emperors and offspring responded in unison, their faces filled with uncontrollable excitement.
Chen Sheng gestured for the Demon Emperors to withdraw, the White Tiger Demon Emperor and others immediately followed the order, their steps brisk, clearly eager to begin action.
Once the Demon Emperors departed, only Chen Sheng and a group of offspring remained inside the Grotto Heaven. His gaze slowly swept over them, observing each offspring’s demeanor fully, and he spoke slowly:
"For the upcoming eradication, you must act diligently. If you encounter formidable opponents, do not recklessly contend, inform me immediately."
"I won’t hide it from you, the descent has a century limit, but the Xuanhuang Realm, with such rich spirit veins and abundant resources, is too precious to abandon."
He paused, and his gaze became sharp:
"I’ve decided to select a suitable candidate from among you, to establish a branch of our lineage here and govern the Xuanhuang Realm."
This statement caused the offspring to explode with conversation.
While many were reluctant to leave their homeland, others had different thoughts. Becoming the ruler of a realm—what an honor!
Chen Sheng nodded, his tone carrying a hint of advice:
"The opportunity lies before you, whether you can seize it depends on your upcoming eradication and subsequent performance. Ability, heart, and strategy are indispensable."
"Alright, withdraw now, remember, the future of the Xuanhuang Realm depends on you."
The offspring bowed in salutation once more:
"We obey, Father!"