Chapter 2: Three Thousand Immortal Kingdoms
Dong Sheng Divine Continent, Three Thousand Immortal Kingdoms.
Each kingdom of the Three Thousand Immortal Kingdoms had a Immortal Protector stationed there!
The Dong Yue Wu Kingdom was one of them.
Late at night, Capital Wu, Imperial City, Official Harem's Chambers.
In the depths of the Imperial Concubine Xi's palace hall, the officials had scattered.
There was only one lit red candle in the entire palace hall. The flame was flickering, adding a slight ghostly feel to the shadows of the people on the wall.
Imperial Concubine Xi had already put on her clothes. Her seductive face was no longer looking pitiful but had a cold charm to it. Her eyes were deep and fathomless, yet one could see that they hid a trace of happiness.
"Thank you, Respected Master, for everything that has happened today!"
Imperial Concubine Xi knelt on the ground, sincerely kowtowing.
"You are my disciple. Wasting an emperor and a crown prince is just a small matter to me as a martial cultivator. This is not worth mentioning. Inform the people of my command tomorrow. Let Yuan Hao be the one to ascend the throne."
Imperial Concubine Xi was the only one in her palace hall. When Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian gave his edict, no one knew where his voice had come from.
A deep indifference could be sensed from within the depths of that voice.
Yuan Hao was Imperial Concubine Xi's eldest son.
"Thank you, Respected Master. Xi Er will definitely faithfully attend to all your needs." Imperial Concubine Xi's delicate body trembled slightly, her beautiful pupils also wavering.
"Regardless, Yuan Hao is of my blood. Although he does not possess any talent to be a martial cultivator, he cannot be a mediocre individual for the rest of his life. Being an emperor of the mortal world is appropriate."
If these words were to be spread, they would definitely shock the world. Imperial Concubine Xi's eldest son, Yuan Hao, was actually Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian's son!
The relationship between the two was simply chaotic.
"Respected Master, I still feel a trace of worry. That Wu Yu has been a rebel since young. He has many means at his disposal. Although his martial cultivation has been crippled and he has been banished to the front lines as punishment, I worry that he still has an opportunity to rise again." Imperial Concubine Xi's eyes shimmered with a red light against the backdrop of the candlelight.
"You can rest easy. I have already sent Wan Qing to dispose of him. You can rest assured, he will not live past tomorrow. Whenever I act, I never leave behind any hopes for a calamity."
"Senior Sister Wan Qing!"
Imperial Concubine Xi shuddered briefly. Even she was scared of that woman.
Within Dong Yue Wu Palace, people would sometimes disappear at night. It was rumored that a large serpent would appear and swallow people whole.
......
Kacha! Kacha!
He must have arrived on a mountainous road. The prison carriage shook violently.
The Spirit Severing Powder had already been in effect for a night. It had almost completely crippled Wu Yu's foundation.
The Martial Way's first five tiers of the Sky Realm were Forging Muscles, Polishing Tendons, Refining Bones, Strengthening Viscera, and Blood Changing. After going through the heaven-defying Blood Changing, Wu Yu already had the strength of 50 war horses! He would often rush into battle alone, capturing their leader quickly and winning the battle. None could stop him!
However, as of now, his muscles, tendons, bones, and viscera had all been wasted. He did not even have the strength to subdue a chicken.
He forced his eyes open. Dawn should have been approaching, yet the sun had yet to rise. He was shrouded in darkness. There were approximately 100 soldiers escorting Wu Yu to the frontier regions.
A dark-skinned, tall, and large captain of the soldiers sat by Wu Yu's side, his expression silent and unchanging.
The carriage continued to rumble as it moved. Soon, the entourage entered a small forest.
It was in this moment that something occurred!
Wu Yu was surprised. He lifted his head and looked around. The stone-paved paths in the forest were narrow, hence the escorts were stretched into a long but thin procession. The sky was not fully bright and it was difficult to see what lay ahead.
"There is a fishy, rotting smell!"
This smell reminded Wu Yu of the time he had gone to war with a neighboring kingdom. The enemies had used treasures to entice a demon to assassinate him. On the battlefield, he was able to react in time and instead struck down said demon. When it reverted back to its original form after death, he had realized it was a spider demon!
"Demon!" Only a demon would have such a scent.
"Serpent! Serpent!"
Tragic and mournful screams were heard coming from in front of him.
The entire escort had fallen into chaos.
"It is just a wild beast! Don’t be fearful. Follow me and let’s put it to death!" said the stoic captain who had been sitting next to Wu Yu. He drew his blade and shield, reorganizing the soldiers before rushing ahead to kill the beast. The captain had managed to take control of the situation. However, the tragic cries did not stop. In fact, the shrieks seemed to have become even more miserable.
The demon was quite quick. By the time Wu Yu was able to stand and look at what was going on, his pupils shrank. He could see what was going on.
This was a large, green serpent. It was over 50 feet long. Its body was as thick as a tree trunk and had a three-foot-long tongue. Its sharp fangs dripped with a black venom that could even burn through rocks!
It was shrouded with a thick demonic aura and looked extremely terrifying!
Spurt!
As the green serpent rushed across, the numerous soldiers brandished their halberds and swung down at it, but not even a mark was left on its body! It was clear that the serpent demon had cultivated its essence. It savagely bit and rampaged. Within the group of a 100 soldiers, some had been swallowed whole, some had been torn apart, and some had been knocked over 1,000 feet away, their bones smashed into dust!
"Run! RUN!"
In this brief moment, reality had turned into hell!
Even that captain had been swallowed whole by the demon.
There were only 15 soldiers left, all of them running for their lives. The rest of them had been devastated by the serpent, left as a pile of gore.
"It's watching me."
Wu Yu suddenly realized that even when the demon was rampaging, its focus had always been on him.
Thus, when the survivors escaped, the demon did not give chase. Instead, it slowly slithered towards Wu Yu, clearly demonstrating its intentions.
Between the heavens and the earth, there were mortals and there were immortals that descended upon the earth. Often times, immortals would only descend to slay demons.
At the same time, there existed beasts which could absorb the essence of the heavens and the earth and could cultivate to become demons. These creatures would harm mortals, and this serpent was likely one of them. It was clear that it had lived for quite some time.
As the serpent demon approached, the fishy smell assailed Wu Yu's senses. It was extremely disgusting.
"Hah!"
Yet at this point in time, Wu Yu would never imagine that this demon would transform right in front of his eyes!
The huge, green serpent began to shrink. Its flesh and skin began to transform, eventually changing into a green-robed lady right in front of his eyes. Her hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, her face was long and narrow with a sharp chin. The outer tips of her eyes were slightly raised and her figure was lithe. However, she still possessed the aura of the serpent, instilling fear in all.
"Wan Qing."
Wu Yu recognized her. She was one of Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian's disciples. She was often found by his side.
Seeing her was extremely shocking to Wu Yu.
"The sole role of Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian, the Immortal Protector of the Dong Yue Wu Kingdom, is to slay all demons and devils. Who would have known that he was actually raising a demonic serpent!
"I know that in the past 10 years, 1,368 individuals have mysteriously disappeared in the kingdom. All the investigations had no leads and no evidence could be found. It seems like they were all eaten by you, Wan Qing!"
However, Wu Yu understood that since Wan Qing had appeared, it was Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian who wanted to kill him.
Wan Qing landed on the prison carriage. That dark, demonic aura that seeped through felt like tentacles writhing on Wu Yu's skin.
"We meet again, Wu Yu," Wan Qing spoke as she flicked out her bright, red, forked tongue, wetting her dark red lips as her dark green eyes affixed her deathly glare at the tasty morsel in front of her.
Looking at the emotionless Wu Yu, she gave a gloomy smile. "Today is the day of your death. You should thank my respected master. He is giving you the opportunity to meet your father in the Yellow Springs. In order to kill him stealthily, he wasted quite a few pills of my respected master.
"Oh."
It was no wonder that his father, in the prime of his youth, had his health suddenly deteriorated and even died within half a year
Wu Yu felt immense hatred towards them for murdering his father! There would be a bloody vendetta!
A raging volcano of hatred viciously surged within him!
"Hao Tian, Imperial Concubine Xi, those two bastards. It’s not strange at all."
His father was the Emperor, so he had countless wives and children. As a result, those who could receive his affection and love were limited. However, his father was still his father. He had stood his ground when he made his decision to make Wu Yu the crown prince. This was also due to love!
"It’s a pity. There is no way to repay this graciousness."
Wan Qing showed no mercy.
"Die!"
Both her hands reached out to tear Wu Yu apart. With her demonic powers, she definitely possessed at least 5,000 kg of strength! It was more than enough to tear him apart.
"Evil beast!"
All of a sudden, a roar could be heard from the skies. A golden light arced across.
"A martial cultivator!"
In this brief moment, Wan Qing's face changed. Without a second word and no longer caring about Wu Yu, she used her immense speed and rushed into the midst of the forest, escaping for her life. Nearby was a large river, and she quickly dove into it, hiding within it. Wan Qing's entire body was shivering with fear as she ran!
These sudden changes in the face of death had allowed the resolute Wu Yu to feel extremely stunned.
Shua!
An immortal had appeared in front of Wu Yu. He possessed a head of black hair that flew in the wind, his eyes deep and unfathomable. He looked like a middle-aged man and was extremely handsome. Upon closer inspection, sword qi could be seen weaving around inside his eyes as well as wreathing around his body, causing the earth and dirt around him to flutter. He grasped a golden longsword that seemed extremely terrifying. Even though the immortal was quite a distance away, Wu Yu could feel that sword qi that could penetrate the very heavens!
"I have actually let that demonic beast escape! It will indubitably cause a catastrophe!" The immortal surveyed the four directions, his sword qi fluctuating.
Hope!
Wu Yu suddenly reacted!
Wan Qing had escaped and an immortal was here! He had managed to come back from death's door!