God Emperor

The Crazy Alcoholic wore a wrinkly shirt and a gray cloth hat. His face was all red and he looked drunk.

Gu Songzi glared at him. “Old alcoholic, you were here long ago, right? You didn’t attack just to see me get embarrassed?”

“Don’t people say that you can kill everything within ten miles? I wanted to see if you’ve gotten more powerful. Unfortunately, I’m disappointed.”

The Crazy Alcoholic smoothed his whiskers and laughed mercilessly. He also burped and the alcoholic scent on him grew heavier.

“My most powerful tactic is using poison, but he’s not afraid of poison. What can I do?” Gu Songzi was glaring so hard that his eyes bugged out. He felt like the Crazy Alcoholic was just causing trouble.

If the black shadow wasn’t on the side, Gu Songzi would’ve used poison to take down the Crazy Alcoholic already.

While the two old men were bickering, the black shadow ran into the forest like an arrow. It was clear that he felt the Crazy Alcoholic’s cultivation was very advanced and that he couldn’t win.

He could only escape.

“Get back here!”

The Crazy Alcoholic put down his flagon and his aura changed. The entire forest started trembling. Leaves fluttered down.

In the forest, the formations left behind from the middle ages were all activated. They formed beams of light that shot into the air.

Whoosh!

The Crazy Alcoholic flashed forward. He was already behind the black shadow and pushed down a hand. This move wasn’t to kill the man but to capture him alive.

Ding, ding.

A windchime flew out. It spun quickly and enlarged. When it touched the Crazy Alcoholic’s hand, it exploded.

Boom!

After it exploded, a tide of destructive power destroyed a large patch of the forest, turning it into scorched earth. Even the remnants of formations cracked into pieces.

Fortunately, the attacker was the Crazy Alcoholic. Any other Saint would have died without a doubt.

“You think I can’t capture you with your abilities?”

The Crazy Alcoholic was furious and embarrassed. Even with his cultivation, he’d actually failed. Thus, he went to capture the man again.

The black shadow kept striking with windchimes. They exploded, blocking the Crazy Alcoholic.

Unfortunately, the difference in cultivation was too much and all effort was in vain. The Crazy Alcoholic shattered ten windchimes and finally had the black shadow under his hand.

The black shadow’s hands supported a dozen-meter-long handprint above him. His legs kept bending. Then he knelt in the forest with a thud.

“Speak!” The Crazy Alcoholic’s eyes were serious and a bit cold. “Where do the so-called Immortal Vampires come from? What secret hides deep within Xianji Mountain?”

“Ha.” The black shadow just laughed and didn’t reply.

“I’ve sworn not to kill anymore,” the Crazy Alcoholic said. “But your deathly Qi is too heavy. You don’t seem like a living being. You think I won’t destroy your soul today?”

“Kill me if you want. No need for this nonsense.” The black shadow wasn’t afraid at all.

Suddenly, wild and frigid wind blew through the forest. The ancient trees were all ripped up. Boulders, dirt, and leaves flew in the air as if the earth was about to curl up.

The sky darkened and the temperature dropped drastically. Strange noises sounded in the air. Some noises were like a child crying, some like vengeful ghosts wailing, others like cries on a battlefield…

Zhang Ruochen’s heart jumped. He thought of the figure that had escaped from under the pavilion. Expression changing drastically, he warned the Crazy Alcoholic, “Be careful. A horribly inauspicious object is nearby…”

The black shadow laughed eerily.

Just then, a large mass of black shadows rushed out of the forest. They were countless, like a shadow army from the netherworld. They all carried deathly Qi that was countless times stronger than the black shadow man.

Even the Crazy Alcoholic felt danger. He hurriedly pulled his hand back and retreated.

“What is this?”

His every step was countless miles apart. He didn’t want to get touched by the shadows, but they wouldn’t let him go. They sped up, wanting to swallow the Crazy Alcoholic.

“Three-Petal Nine Life Flower.”

The Crazy Alcoholic pulled out a jade clover. Holding it in his hand, he poured Holy Qi into it. Then nine rings of green light emerged around the Three-Petal Nine Life Flower and pushed out. The nine layers were like a tide.

When the pursuing black shadows touched the saintly light, they cried out and dissolved into shreds of smoke.

The light from the Three-Petal Nine Life Flower was very bright. The might of the Saintly Way that it formed was very strong too. It was blinding even from thousands of miles away.

A sharp cry came from deep within Xianji Mountain, shaking the entire mountain. Hearing this, the remaining shadows grabbed the black shadow kneeling on the ground. They transformed into a black tornado and rushed deep within Xianji Mountain.

The charcoal clouds in the sky scattered as well.

The Crazy Alcoholic didn’t chase after them. He gazed at the depths of Xianji Mountain with a solemn expression. That shriek had been too terrifying. His saintly soul had almost left his body. It was like a warning.

“What kind of being is that?” the Crazy Alcoholic muttered to himself.

“There is a terrifying secret hidden in Xianji Mountain,” Gu Songzi said. “It’s not something we can get involved in. However, the powerful humans of the ancient times left things behind to stop them from walking out of Xianji Mountain. We don’t need to fear them.”

“You’ve been in Xianji Mountain for centuries. You must know many things. Hurry and tell me.”

“Why should I tell you? Who do you think you are? Of course, if you give me the Three-Petal Nine Life Flower, I can tell you some things.” Gu Songzi leered.

The Crazy Alcoholic glared and huffed. “I almost died countless times in the Yin Yang Sea to get the Three-Petal Nine Life Flower, but you want it? Are you dreaming?”

“Fine, I don’t want it. But Xianji Mountain doesn’t welcome you. You’d better leave, or else I’ll have to force you away.”

Gu Songzi spoke coldly and didn’t seem to be joking. Then he walked into the forest with his arms behind his back. Going to Zhang Ruochen, he uttered, “If you want to connect your meridians, follow me.”

Qing Mo helped Zhang Ruochen up. She blinked at the Crazy Alcoholic and then followed over.

The Crazy Alcoholic was taken aback. Staring at Gu Songzi’s back, he thundered, “Old Ku, what is this? You would’ve died if not for me! Now you’re burning bridges?”

Behind Gu Songzi, an odd look flashed past Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. Why did the Crazy Alcoholic call Gu Songzi “Old Ku?” Was Gu Songzi not his real name?

As a Pill Saint, he must be very famous. Zhang Ruochen thought carefully and his expression suddenly froze.

Could Gu Songzi be Lord Ku, that Poison Way Saint?

Zhang Ruochen had heard of Lord Ku’s name from 800 years ago. He was half a generation older.

When Zhang Ruochen was 16 years old, Lord Ku was in his thirties and already known throughout. He was known as the top Pill Way genius.

Eight hundred years later, Zhang Ruochen had read many books about the people from that time. When he was reading about the Demon Emperor and Empress Chi Yao’s final battle, he’d happened upon a record about Lord Ku.

It said that, 600 years ago, Lord Ku got the title “Poison Way Saint,” and became an elder of the Demonic Sect.

After that battle between the imperial court and Demonic Sect, practically all strong figures of the Demonic Sect had died. There were no more records of Lord Ku. Zhang Ruochen thought that he’d died in that battle.

Zhang Ruochen had suspected that the Crazy Alcoholic was from the Demonic Sect. Hearing him call Gu Songzi “Old Ku,” he naturally thought of Lord Ku.

Could Gu Songzi and Lord Ku be the same person? If Gu Songzi is an elder of the Demonic Sect, then why doesn’t he stay in the Demonic Sect? Why does he live in isolation in the dangerous Xianji Mountain? Is he living in isolation or hiding from something?

Questions filled Zhang Ruochen. He suddenly realized that Gu Songzi was a very interesting man.

Gu Songzi brought Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo to a foggy forest. The trees were huge. Some ancient trees had grown for countless years and looked like mountains on the ground.

There were some broken walls among the weeds. It was evident that this place used to be glorious. It might have been the Xianji Sect’s old site. One hundred thousand years earlier, there’d probably been tens of thousands of disciples cultivating, practicing and studying here. Unfortunately, it was barren now. Even the stone steps were covered with moss.

“Be careful,” Zhang Ruochen whispered to Qing Mo. “Follow Gu Songzi’s steps and don’t misstep. There are many ancient formations here. If you’re not careful, you might be in danger.”

Gu Songzi brought Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo to the foot of a mountain.

Whoosh!

A spiritual spring flowed down the cliff, forming a blue lake at the foot of the mountain. Wispy smoke floated out of it.

The riverbank was filled with precious medicines. Some were grass, some were colorful flowers, and others were fragrant fruits.

The scenery was beautiful. It was filled with Qi and very serene. Compared to the rest of Xianji Mountain, it was like a paradise.

“This was the largest cultivation land outside Xianji Sect,” Gu Songzi said. “Even now, there are still many formations operating.”

Qing Mo set Zhang Ruochen down, letting him rest on the riverbank.

Gu Songzi stared into the distance and scoffed. “That old alcoholic didn’t actually leave. He snuck over. Does he really think I can’t defeat him?”

He released his Spiritual Power into a dozen beams of light. They flew into the forest and hit the ground.

Boom!

The ancient formations were all activated. They started operating, locking this area. No creature would be able to break in.

Zhang Ruochen looked up. “It doesn’t seem like you two have some horrible conflict. Why must you lock him out? Why can’t you sit down and have a nice chat?”

Gu Songzi didn’t react politely. “Who said that we don’t have a horrible conflict? If you want to heal, you better not ask questions that you shouldn’t ask.”

It was clear that he didn’t want to continue discussing this topic. Then he said, “Now, take out the Thousand-leaf Saint Heart Grass and put it in the spiritual lake.”