78: Old Monster's Rules

Lin Xuan's inner misgivings were not wrong. The five Great Emperors of the Immortal Realm were indeed being held back by the three Emperors of the Asura Clan on the extraterrestrial battlefield. That was the main course, involving the top combat power of both sides, and they couldn't break free. Otherwise, the Immortal Realm wouldn't have been beaten so badly by the Asura and the Insect Mother, having to rely on Bai Li, a peak Immortal Monarch, to shoulder the heavy responsibility.

So who were the Dao Yan Immortal Venerable and Nether Skeleton Emperor that just appeared?

Let's put it this way: the Emperor rank stands at the very top of the pyramid, a small group. Each one is a living fossil, a strategic existence, mutually restraining each other.

However, below the Emperor rank, it doesn't directly jump to Immortal Monarch. There's an intermediate level, usually called Immortal Venerable. These old monsters at this level are significantly stronger than peak Immortal Monarchs, having touched upon some of the power and laws of the Emperor rank, but haven't fully crossed that chasm to achieve true Emperor status.

The number of these Immortal Venerable-level old monsters is greater than that of the Emperor rank, but also much rarer than peak Immortal Monarchs. They are usually the true foundations of various major forces, the hidden ancestors, who typically don't emerge from seclusion for tens of thousands of years, and are only startled into action when their sect or the Immortal Realm faces a crisis of survival.

Dao Yan Immortal Venerable is one of the few remaining old-brand Immortal Venerables hidden on the Immortal Alliance side! Xuan Gu stirred up trouble, and he was too lazy to care. The power struggles within the Immortal Realm were petty squabbles in his eyes. But Xuan Gu was foolish enough to lead the main Asura army into the realm, which touched his bottom line and could damage the foundation of the Immortal Realm, so he had no choice but to step forward and reprimand him. Similarly, a wisp of the Nether Skeleton Emperor' will descended because he sensed the bronze battle axe and the abnormal Demonic Venerable's original aura on Lin Xuan, came to take a look, and incidentally gave Dao Yan some face, temporarily restraining his subordinates. For beings like them, the current slaughter is a minor matter; the real game is played at a higher level.

As for Bai Li, she is indeed a peak Immortal Monarch, and a very powerful one at that. With her Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox bloodline and the Starry Sword Array, she can barely contend with the weakest Immortal Venerable for a moment. But facing old-brand Immortal Venerable-level or even Emperor-level existences like Dao Yan and Nether Skeleton Emperor, the gap is still too great. Just now, Dao Yan merely snorted, and Xuan Gu, a late-stage Immortal Monarch, was almost crippled.

Understanding this, Lin Xuan actually breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it wasn't a true Immortal Emperor descending; otherwise, today would truly have been a dead end. While the Immortal Venerable level is equally out of reach, at least it's not completely hopeless.

“There are even older bastards above the old turtles,” Lin Xuan muttered, feeling even greater pressure but also more focused. Immortal Venerable, huh? Just you wait!

He stopped thinking about it. The most important thing now was to recover and save people.

He held Little Blue Bird, manifested the Chaos Thunder Pool, and plunged into the depths of the thunder tribulation pool, frantically absorbing the power of thunder to restore himself. At the same time, he carefully guided the purest chaotic vitality to nourish Little Blue Bird. The little fellow was severely injured, and Shadow Kill, that old schemer's soul-eating power, was incredibly malicious. Fortunately, the Immortal Kun's origin was strong enough to keep it alive, but it would take time and a massive amount of energy to recover.

Outside, Yun Qingyao, Chu Xinghe, and others bravely kept their spirits up, directing everyone to clean up the battlefield, treat the wounded, and repair the formations. On the demon side, led by several Demon Monarchs, they quietly set up camp outside the Star Palace, licking their wounds, while looking at the Star Palace with complex expressions. They had acknowledged the Demonic Venerable, but this Demonic Venerable seemed to have even greater troubles!

This battle, though short, was extremely intense, and both sides suffered heavy losses. Nearly ten thousand Star Palace disciples died in battle, and countless were severely wounded. As a fresh force, the demon race suffered even greater casualties. The Asura Clan left behind several corpses of Immortal Monarch leaders and a large number of battle general insects, but they also successfully achieved some of their goals, clearing out some disobedient forces, probing the Star Palace's trump cards, and almost killing Bai Li.

A few days later, Lin Xuan emerged from the thunder pool, his face still somewhat pale, but his aura had stabilized considerably. Little Blue Bird's condition also temporarily stabilized, no longer worsening, but it remained unconscious and was placed in the core of the spiritual medicine garden, cared for day and night by Mu Ling Nannan and Qing Xuan.

As soon as he came out, Yun Qingyao found him, her expression grave: “Master, there’s movement from Xuan Gu’s side.”

“That old dog isn’t dead yet?” Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow.

“Dao Yan Immortal Venerable seemed to have only given a minor punishment as a warning. Xuan Gu was severely injured, but he quickly reappeared.” Yun Qingyao handed over a jade slip. “He issued a new Alliance Leader Order in the name of the acting Alliance Leader.”

Lin Xuan took the jade slip and scanned it, laughing in anger.

In the jade slip, Xuan Gu pinned the blame for the Asura army's invasion entirely on the Star Palace and Lin Xuan, who had colluded with the demon race. He claimed that because Lin Xuan had abducted Bai Li and brought the demon race into the Immortal Realm, the Asura Clan was enraged and launched a major attack. He, Xuan Gu, took on the responsibility in a crisis, endured humiliation, feigned compliance with the Asura Clan, and finally pleaded with Dao Yan Immortal Venerable to intervene, which forced back the powerful enemy and preserved the Immortal Realm's lifeline.

Afterward, he announced a series of orders, completely blockading the Star Palace and its affiliated forces! Any force or individual trading with the Star Palace would be considered arebel alliance (traitor to the alliance)! He called upon the discerning individuals of the Immortal Realm to jointly crusade against the Immortal Realm traitor Lin Xuan and his cronies! At the same time, under the pretext of integrating forces to deal with the crisis, he began to aggressively annex and purge those sects and families that had previously remained neutral or leaned towards Bai Li!

“He’s truly shameless!” Lin Xuan crushed the jade slip. This old dog was a master at twisting black and white, and he clearly had Dao Yan's tacit approval, seizing the opportunity to frantically expand his influence and eliminate dissidents.

“We are very passive now.” Yun Qingyao worried, “Our resource procurement channels are almost completely cut off. Although we have our own Small Immortal Realm to support us, many unique refining and formation materials from the Immortal Realm are in short supply. Moreover, with Xuan Gu doing this, we can’t move an inch in the Immortal Realm and have become targets of public criticism.”

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes, unconsciously tapping his fingers on the table. Xuan Gu's move was an open conspiracy, using the banner of righteousness to isolate and besiege the Star Palace. The longer it dragged on, the more unfavorable it would be for the Star Palace.

“Isn’t he going to blockade us? Isn’t he going to crusade?” Lin Xuan sneered, “Fine, let’s see who collapses first!”

“Su Yuan!”

“Disciple is here!” Su Yuan immediately appeared.

“Can those openings we pried open with merit points and special products still be used?”

“Several families and merchant associations have secretly replied, expressing their willingness to brave the pressure and trade with us in a more secretive way, but the price will be five times or more, and they will only accept hard currency,” Su Yuan quickly replied.

“Agree to them! Five times is five times! What we lack is not money, but time and channels!” Lin Xuan waved his hand, “Tell the Small Immortal Realm to increase the output of spirit rice, spirit medicine, and basic minerals! Chu Xinghe, list the special materials we urgently need, and prioritize their exchange!”

“Yes!”

“Also,” a ruthless glint flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes, “isn’t Xuan Gu going to crusade? We won’t be idle either!”

“Ling Long!”

“Master.” Ling Long appeared with a charming smile. Although her face was still a bit pale, her eyes had regained their liveliness.

“Your Demonic Sound Sect is best at infiltration and incitement. Send people for me, mix them into the territory controlled by the Immortal Alliance, and don’t do anything else, just spread news! Exaggerate how Xuan Gu colluded with the Asura, how he framed Bai Li, how he opened the defenses to let the enemy in, and why Dao Yan Immortal Venerable only punished him and not others. Make sure the entire Immortal Realm knows! The more chaotic, the better!”

“Understood, stirring up trouble is our specialty,” Ling Long giggled, then turned into a fragrant breeze and disappeared.

“Mo Sha! Ye Chen!”

“Hall Master!” Their figures appeared.

“Your mission has changed. Take your people, and don’t worry about large armies. Just keep a close eye on Xuan Gu’s direct forces! Important figures from the Heavenly Engineering Workshop, the Pill Cauldron Pavilion, and those family elders who are the most active and aggressive in grabbing territory! If you get a chance, strike them secretly! Assassinate, kidnap, destroy their mineral veins, burn their warehouses! Do whatever is most disgusting! Let them know that being Xuan Gu’s dog isn’t that easy!”

“Yes!” Mo Sha and Ye Chen's eyes flashed with bloodthirsty light, and they left to carry out their orders.

“Kong Ming, Qing Xuan.”

“Master.”

“You two take a team of people, with my token, and contact the remnants of those sects that Xuan Gu has suppressed and purged. Tell them, if they want revenge, if they want to live, come to Flowing Fire Desert! My Star Palace will protect them! But once they come, they must abide by my rules!”

“Yes!”

As one command after another was issued, the Star Palace, this war machine, after suffering heavy losses, not only did not retreat but began to counterattack in a more aggressive and ruthless manner!

You want to blockade us? I’ll smash open a crack with resources! You want to suppress us with public opinion? I’ll stir the waters even muddier! You want to purge dissidents? I’ll set your backyard on fire! You’re relying on an Immortal Venerable for support? I’ll specifically pick your soft targets and crush them to death!

Lin Xuan's thinking was very clear: he couldn't confront an Immortal Venerable head-on, nor could he kill Xuan Gu for the time being. So, he would play dirty, engage in guerrilla warfare, sabotage, exhaust and harass the enemy, and at the same time, desperately strengthen himself! Use space to buy time!

In the days that followed, the Immortal Realm became even more chaotic.

Within the Immortal Alliance, Xuan Gu was frantically annexing, but also overwhelmed. His subordinate forces were frequently attacked, important figures mysteriously disappeared, warehouses occasionally caught fire, and rumors flew everywhere, causing widespread panic. And many of those sects driven to desperation truly brought their families and risked crossing the blockade to join the Star Palace, bringing in a considerable number of fresh forces and special talents.

On the Star Palace's side, although the resource pressure was immense, relying on the Small Immortal Realm's frantic blood transfusion and Lin Xuan's rogue tactics, they actually managed to withstand the blockade, and even slowly recovered and grew stronger. Every day, disciples broke through in the crucible of blood and fire. The Chaos Furnace operated day and night, transforming massive resources into pills, weapons, and formations.

Lin Xuan himself was immersed in the thunder pool, healing his injuries while frantically cultivating, consolidating his late-stage Heavenly Immortal cultivation, and continuously refining the power feedback from the bronze battle axe and his insights into the demonic dao's origin.

He knew that the current calm was only temporary. Xuan Gu would not give up, and the Asura Clan behind him and the eyes of Nether Skeleton Emperor would sooner or later look his way again.

But he wasn't afraid. You have your Immortal Venerable rules. I have my ruthless way of life. Let's see who outlasts whom!

He glanced in the direction of the spiritual medicine garden, then at the old and new disciples diligently cultivating in the square, his gaze growing even firmer.

In this Immortal Realm, I not only want to survive, but I also want to live comfortably! Those who want to stomp me to death, every single one of them, better be prepared to have their teeth knocked out!