Two Realms: I Will Become the Immortal Emperor

Evil Cultivators were often lone wolves, but it wasn't unprecedented for them to gather.

That last comment was interesting.

These Evil Cultivators seemed to have gathered here for a specific reason. A quick glance revealed that twelve of the thirteen were at the Foundation Establishment realm, and the one at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer was with the old man who had spoken earlier.

The three of them were all Golden Core True Masters, so they could discern such details at a glance.

"We only got here half an hour early ourselves. We've just been waiting."

Xiao Chan traveled extensively and reacted at once. He returned the cupped-fist salute and glanced at the people behind the old man. "Are these fellow cultivators traveling with you?"

As they spoke.

The cultivators, each radiating a sinister, evil aura, had already entered the temple and staked out their own territory. Only those who knew each other muttered quietly amongst themselves; some simply closed their eyes to meditate, while others focused on their own affairs.

After directing his disciple to claim a corner, the old man, Wu Derong, gave Xiao Chan a cupped-fist salute and laughed heartily. "That's right. We all met on the road and decided to travel together. I don't recognize you three. May I ask where you hail from?"

"We caught wind of something and came to check it out. As for our lineage, it's not convenient to say..."

Xiao Chan gave a cupped-fist salute. Only a rookie would reveal their background upon a first meeting. The old man didn't seem to mind. As he glanced at Chen Che and Chen Xi, Xiao Chan continued, "I'm the second child in my family. This is my big sister and my little brother."

Based on their ages, this order was correct.

"Three Cultivators from one family. You'll have each other's backs in the future. Not bad, not bad at all."

Wu Derong glanced at Chen Xi and Chen Che again but couldn't discern anything unusual. It was impossible to tell if he believed them, but he gave a serious nod nonetheless.

With that, he stepped into the temple and started a fire of his own.

After Wu Derong took out a few Pills and swallowed them with a few gulps of water, the young boy of about ten by his side whispered, "Master, are those three really one of us? They don't seem like it. They don't have that... scent..."

The boy was Wu Derong's disciple, Zhao Sheng, who was following his master to gain some real-world experience.

The Yin Spirit Sect, which Wu Derong belonged to, was a minor sect with only a handful of members who mostly acted alone. In fact, they had seen quite a few such cultivators on their journey. The ones traveling with them were all infamous Evil Cultivators.

The 'scent' he mentioned referred to Evil Qi.

Different Cultivation Techniques affected a Cultivator's aura to some degree, but Evil Cultivators were the most heavily influenced. Especially when they were actively channeling their techniques, they would exude a palpably sinister and evil presence.

"Either they're new to this, their Dao Practice is profound, or they have a Magical Artifact to conceal their aura." Wu Derong smiled, but his eyes never stopped staring at the trio. "Because the one who spoke with me earlier... he has a trace of the scent."

Zhao Sheng was adept at reading people—after all, as the apprentice of an Evil Cultivator, he'd have been tossed into an Alchemy Furnace long ago if he wasn't. So, with a single glance, he knew his master had designs on the three siblings.

"Are you planning to make a move, Master?"

The Mountain God Temple was actually quite large. Those who built it had intended to pacify the evil qi in the mountains. But how could mortal means ever hope to suppress the Resentment Qi that saturated the entire mountain? Thus, the mountain had long been deserted, and the mortals had all fled due to the hauntings.

However, Cultivators have keen senses and could overhear them even from a distance, so the master and disciple were using a private voice transmission technique.

"I think the first and third possibilities are the most plausible. And if it's the last one, well, that would be even better," Wu Derong said with a grin.

Evil Cultivators were still Cultivators, and they were all human once.

It was only because of their Cultivation Techniques that they had become something not quite human, not quite ghost, reeking of evil qi. In Wu Derong's own words, they too yearned for the sunlight and the graceful bearing of a righteous immortal. They didn't want to be identified as heretics at a single glance.

Generally, at his level of Cultivation, he could already suppress the leakage of his evil qi. However, with the recent chaos in the lands governed by the Primordial Sect, he had seized the opportunity for a surge in Power, which was why his evil qi now seemed to be overflowing.

"Still, there's some time. Perhaps I can test them... I'm just afraid someone else will beat me to it."

As Wu Derong spoke, his gaze swept across their surroundings.

The other Cultivators had also taken notice of the strange trio of siblings. However, no one suspected they weren't all on the same side. Any so-called Righteous People would have been so scared their legs would be trembling, and they would never dare to remain in such a place.

Zhao Sheng nodded, his expression a mixture of excitement and nervousness as he looked around.

He had never imagined that his first time venturing out would coincide with such a grand occasion. The Ten Thousand Gods Alliance had chosen this location for a reason: first, because their Alliance Leader had himself emerged from this very mountain range.

Second, the area was a dead zone for Spiritual Qi, devoid of mortals and rarely traversed by other Cultivators, making it a very safe place to assemble.

...

While the master and disciple were chatting, two other cultivators at the Foundation Establishment realm were also furtively sizing up their surroundings from a corner of the Mountain God Temple.

Lei Boyong, disguised as a one-eyed Evil Cultivator, clutched a Prayer Bead string made of human skulls, his eyelid twitching uncontrollably. His cousin, Lei Boyu, cradled an Evil Sword that radiated black qi, her expression as grim as could be.

"This is bad. There were eleven Evil Cultivators, and now three more have shown up. I'm afraid we've walked into a dragon's den. Is it too late to leave now...?"

"These Evil Cultivators have come from all over; they've obviously been summoned. If we leave now, we'll immediately draw suspicion."

Lei Boyong was the Third Elder of the Lei Family from Bai State.

The Lei Family was a minor clan, only about three hundred years old, with their strongest members at the Foundation Establishment realm. They were here because a clan member sent to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills had recently gone missing, and they were investigating the matter.

Unexpectedly, they had stumbled upon several Evil Cultivators massacring a town. After killing them, they were confronted by another group of Evil Cultivators before they could escape. They could only watch helplessly as the group grew larger, and they were swept along with the tide, ending up here.

Lei Boyong considered for a moment before sending a voice transmission:

"We should just lay low for now. Let's focus on surviving this ordeal. This is too big for us. We can't handle this; even if the Patriarch himself were here, he'd be walking to his death."

The two cousins were hardened veterans who lived on the edge. They realized something was terribly wrong, but it was already too late to escape.

They exchanged a look, resigned to staying in the Mountain God Temple and waiting for an opportunity.

However, to their surprise, they hadn't even been sitting for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense when another group arrived. This new group was travel-worn, looking as if they had rushed here from a thousand miles away.

Furthermore, they were more numerous than the last group—a full twenty-odd people, none of them below the Foundation Establishment realm.

The two cousins were no fools; they immediately realized they were in deep trouble.

...

CRACKLE... POP...

The firewood crackled, sending sparks into the air that fizzled out as they hit the ground.

The crowd gave off too much Yin Qi. Chen Che piled on more firewood until the fire illuminated most of the Mountain God Temple, but the chill wasn't dispelled in the slightest. Instead, as more Evil Cultivators gathered, it grew even thicker, to the point where the flames themselves had turned an eerie green.

The surrounding Evil Cultivators gave Chen Che odd looks, but no one said anything. After all, what Cultivator didn't have a few quirks?

If even the two Foundation Establishment cousins understood their predicament, it would be a true waste of the trio's Golden Core Cultivation if they didn't.

However, they weren't the least bit timid. On the contrary, they seemed eager for a fight.

Chen Che prodded the bonfire, watching yet another group enter as he sent a voice transmission to Xiao Chan:

"More Evil Cultivators. Good grief, there must be three or four hundred of them here now. Have all the Evil Cultivators from the Primordial Sect's territory gathered here? I thought you said you wiped out an Evil Cultivator Alliance?"

Xiao Chan could only respond with a helpless shake of his head:

"There are countless shoddy alliances like this. It's just like the Hong Alliance—they're all just private meeting places for Evil Cultivators. You tear one down, and another one pops up. As long as their Cultivation Techniques are passed down, there will be an endless stream of new Evil Cultivators."

"However, this must be a major stronghold. I'd bet the Alliance Leader is a Golden Core master. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to summon so many Evil Cultivators."

"Agreed."

Chen Xi chimed in, "It seems the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator who escaped from us was trying to flee here to use the local Evil Cultivators against us. This might be the main headquarters for all of them."

Chen Che nodded.

As they spoke, group after group of Evil Cultivators arrived, their numbers swelling to a staggering five hundred.

Scattered among them were only a dozen or so at the Qi Refining realm.

It wasn't that those at the Qi Refining realm weren't qualified to participate; rather, it seemed they had likely been killed by their own kind on the way up. Even the wind blowing up from the base of the mountain carried the metallic tang of blood. A sweep of Divine Sense confirmed it: the tree-lined path leading to the summit was already littered with blood and gore.

From time to time, the sounds of fighting and screaming drifted up from the base of the mountain.

The commotion continued from midnight until dawn.

In their corner, the cousins Lei Boyong and Lei Boyu huddled by the fire, their eyes wide with terror.

"Could this be the main headquarters of the Evil Cultivators?"

"We've stumbled right into the Evil Cultivators' nest! What if a Golden Core master or two shows up... Cousin, we have to get out of here."

Just as the two cousins were hesitating, a sudden uproar erupted from the base of the mountain.

Then, accompanied by shouts of "Alliance Leader!" and "Senior!", several immense auras began to slowly ascend the mountain. Sensing these auras, the two cousins were filled with utter despair.

But in his own corner of the Mountain God Temple, Chen Che's face was beaming with delight.

'After waiting half the night, the big shots have finally arrived!'