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Chapter 119: Emperor Cloudcrest Makes His Move!
Chapter 119: Emperor Cloudcrest Makes His Move!
The Eternal Lands—a boundless expanse reachable only by the Nine Heavens.
It's a place beyond the Tao Dimensions, far surpassing any Dao Layer known.
Here, even a speck of dust holds the power to obliterate Peak 1st-Path Cultivators.
Its inhabitants defy mortal understanding, born from the essence of the primordial realm, existing without origin or need. Their mere words can shatter one's sanity, making the concept of Dao Layers seem insignificant.
The True Celestials, descendants of the Starlight Oracle, oversee the Dao Layers, testing and observing from nascent to divine cultivators. And when the time comes, judgment is passed, shaping the fate of all higher realm cultivators!
...
In the Eternal Lands, there are four continents.
Up north lies the Divine Continent, home to the True Celestials who coexist peacefully with Divine Realm cultivators.
Further into the Divine Continent lies the Sacred-Emperor's Domain, where you'll find Emperor Cloudcrest, the Sacred-Emperor's eldest son.
In a stunning white and golden pagoda that resembled a heavenly palace, even the courtyard exuded luxury, with golden eagles soaring overhead and workers tending to fields of what seemed like golden immortal rice. Inside Emperor Cloudcrest's chambers, he lounged on his bed while numerous female servants attended to him, either styling his hair or selecting his attire.
The colossal doors parted.
A bald man with grey eyes, thick white beards, and a prominent third eye on his forehead entered the room. This was Noble Flamehorn, clad in white robes adorned with red and golden stripes. Uncover more tales at m,vl em pyr
He was the 1st Protector of Emperor Cloudcrest.
Cloudcrest greeted him with a smile, "Flamehorn... How have you been?"
Noble Flamehorn bowed respectfully. "Quite fine, your greatness. I've brought the cultivators as requested."
With a simple gesture, Cloudcrest dismissed the attending maidens, who swiftly left, trays of food in hand, leaving the finishing touches on Cloudcrest's robes, bed and even his well-dressed hair.
"Bring them in," Cloudcrest instructed Flamehorn.
Noble Flamehorn clapped his hands gently, and three cultivators entered.
These men were the Ji Brothers, also known as the Holy Brothers. They were all Peak Nascent Soul cultivators from a Dao Layer called the Bamboo Sacred Forest. It's a lower-tier realm, several layers below the Shengjing Grove, where the Azure Tree exists.
They clasped their hands together in prayer and bowed before Emperor Cloudcrest. "Greetings, great Emperor of the Golden World," they said, unsure of what else to add or what honorifics to use. The Eternal Lands were a mystery to them, and they never imagined they would set foot in such a place.
Cultivators who dreamed of ascending to the Eternal Lands always called it the "Golden World". That was the only right word to describe an unreachable place that rivaled Heaven's beauty.
Cloudcrest smiled warmly at them. "You all look like fine, strong men." His expression turned serious as he asked, "Has my companion here briefed you on the details?"
All three of them nodded in unison. "Yes, your greatness."
"Are you really willing to kill a person who you've never heard of before?" Cloudcrest asked them. Right after, he smiled gently, "This someone might be levels above you in strength you know..."
Ji Wu, the eldest of the three brothers, stepped forward. He was a muscular man with white hair tied into a short ponytail, dressed in purple martial artist attire. Bowing his head, he spoke on behalf of himself and his younger brothers.
"My brothers and I have been diligently cultivating for centuries, striving to ascend to a higher Dao Layer. Unfortunately, luck hasn't been on our side, and we had to settle for cultivating a third-grade Soul Heart because of the scarce resources in our lower world. But if helping a True Celestial like you means the reward outweighs the risk, then count us in."
For a breakthrough to Nascent Soul Realm, one must spirit-refine their specialized meridians and cells to cultivate a Soul Heart. There exist only three variations of Soul Hearts, and these gifted brothers could only achieve the lowest tier: an Ancient Mortal God's Synthesis Heart.
"I see," Cloudcrest innocently rubbed his chin. Then, in his palm, he manifested a bright yellow core. "I heard a thousand years of lifespan and breakthrough to 2nd Path Cultivation is guaranteed if one cultivates this..." he said, leaving the glowing core to levitate towards the brothers slowly.
The ideal and second highest Soul Heart variation—Harmony Earth Core.
The Ji Brothers were mesmerized, seeing their dreams and future embodied in the core.
Their eyes were wide open as they stared at it hungrily.
"Beautiful..." Ji Ming, the youngest of the three brothers, said as he reached out to touch it.
But Ji Chang, the middle brother, stopped him, "You fool! You would dare touch a core made by a True Celestial? Do you have no respect?!" he had half a mind to slap his immediate junior brother; perhaps he would've, had they not been in the presence of what they could only call greatness.
"No, no, it's fine," Cloudcrest chuckled softly. "He's entitled to touching your reward if you all do well..."
They didn't dare question Emperor Cloudcrest's motives for selecting them, the least formidable Peak Nascent Soul cultivators, to confront the individual in question. Why can't the emperor handle this matter personally? Or even, delegate it to one of his subordinates to eliminate not just the target but their entire realm? These questions came to mind.
Instead, they chose to blind obedience over wise flippancy.
One guaranteed living, the other didn't.
"Would you like to see your target?" asked Noble Flamehorn.
The three brothers were genuflecting before Cloudcrest, who sat comfortably on his bed. "Yes, please," they said uniformly.
Cloudcrest then said, "The name of this person you're going to kill for me is..." But he was suddenly overtaken by a fit of heavy coughing, causing all his attendants waiting outside to rush back into his chambers.
Ji Wu stood up, concerned. "What's going on?!"
Noble Flamehorn held out his hand to stop him. "Nothing. You should leave, you and your brothers. We'll get back to you later."
Ji Chang, equally worried about Cloudcrest's condition, protested, "But we can't just—"
An intense glare from Noble Flamehorn cut him off, and his third eye opened instantly, emitting a flash of red energy as he shouted, "Begone!" The animosity in that third eye was enough to show anyone that he was worlds above even the most powerful Nascent Soul cultivators.
The Ji Brothers quickly fled the room, frightened by his meager rage.
Noble Flamehorn rushed back to Emperor Cloudcrest's side, where Cloudcrest's personal attendants were already tending to him. Placing a comforting hand on Cloudcrest's shoulder, Flamehorn asked anxiously, "Are you okay?"
Removing his hand from his mouth, Cloudcrest saw the thick, dark blood staining his palm. Noble Flamehorn's worry intensified, sweat rolling down the sides of his head as his third eye slowly closed. The sight of the blood made him furious and at the same time scared for Cloudcrest's life.
"It seems I may need the Celestial Star Core sooner than expected," said Cloudcrest, trying to force a smile. "If I don't perform the marital union with Mu Lingxi, I may die sooner than expected. Now, the only obstacle is..."
Just then, a woman stepped into Cloudcrest's chambers, confidently walking like she owned the place. "Yang Wei, yes?" she said.
This woman was slender yet athletically fit, boasting a generous bust and an average height. With dark skin that added to her allure, her striking blue eyes stood out against her white hair, styled in a short ponytail with chin-length bangs oddly similar of Liu Yan's signature look—Gong Zhu Liu.
Her figure was amplified by a tight, dark blue and gold dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, highlighting her undeniable sex appeal.
"The fact you would bother about someone so insignificant, a mere petal in a bed of roses."
This woman is Noble Fate; the Fate-Destroying Celestial.
Cloudcrest's 5th Protector.