289: Publicly exposing fraud! The Empress's decree cuts off Tianzhu Mountain!

The summit of Heavenly Pillar Mountain.

That massive golden immortal ship, like an ancient behemoth from the Primordial Era, quietly floated above the sea of clouds, casting a vast shadow that enveloped everything below in its majesty.

At the foot of the mountain, a sea of people crowded together, a dense mass that covered almost every inch of land as far as the eye could see.

These people were once influential figures from all over the Xuanyuan Continent—sect masters, clan ancestors, and living fossils who had been in seclusion for ten thousand years and rarely appeared in the world.

But now, they had all discarded their past dignity, prostrating themselves like the most devout believers, bowing incessantly toward the immortal ship.

On faces that were old, majestic, or sinister, only one expression remained—fanaticism!

“Immortal Envoy, have mercy! Please take us away from this sea of suffering!”

“This Disciple is willing to serve the Immortal Sect as a slave for generations, just for a single spot for Ascension!”

A Quasi-Emperor Ancestor, exuding an aura of decay and whose body was nearly turning to ash, was now weeping bitter tears, roaring with the last of his strength.

He had sealed himself in Divine Source for tens of thousands of years, lingering on just for this day!

On the bow deck, Zhao Wuji stood with his hands behind his back, enjoying the mountain-shaking cheers of worship.

A compassionate smile hung on his face as his gaze swept across the distorted, excited faces below, yet his heart was filled with cold pleasure.

Not bad; the quality of this batch of “medicinal materials” far exceeded previous ones.

Not only were there clusters of Great Saints, but there were even several “main ingredients” at the level of Quasi-Emperor. Especially those old fellows on the verge of death; the Dao foundations within their bodies had been condensed to the extreme, making them excellent catalysts for refining the “myriad spirits blood pill.”

It seemed that this year's performance would not only easily meet the target but also earn a significant amount of merit.

At this thought, the smile at the corner of Zhao Wuji's mouth became more genuine.

Once he completed this mission, he could shed his identity as a “Reception Envoy” and truly join the outer sect of the Xuantian Immortal Sect, no longer having to do this dirty work of traveling back and forth.

“Zhao Wuji.”

A cold voice rang out from behind him, carrying undisguised arrogance and impatience.

Zhao Wuji's heart tightened, and the smile on his face instantly became humble as he hurriedly bowed and turned around.

A handsome young man in silver robes was sizing him up with the look one would give to merchandise, his brow slightly furrowed.

“These swine from the Lower Realm are truly noisy. Finish the count quickly; do not delay the time of our return to the sect.”

The youth was only at the Great Saint Realm, yet he dared to order an Emperor around.

Zhao Wuji felt no displeasure; instead, he became even more respectful.

He knew very well that these people represented the Upper Realm Immortal Sect; the Laws they carried were manifestations of a higher dimension.

Never mind a Great Saint; even if it were a newly initiated Daoist boy, he, a Loose Cultivator Emperor, could not afford to offend them.

“Upper Envoy, rest assured. The count is finished; we can ‘board the ship’ at any time.”

Zhao Wuji smiled submissively, the last trace of pity for his own kind below vanishing, replaced only by a deep sense of superiority.

A bunch of fools.

Did they really think pie falls from the sky?

What falls is the blade of the guillotine!

In his eyes, these people were no longer living beings, but walking “myriad spirits blood pills” that could be exchanged for his brilliant future.

“It is almost time.” He glanced at the sky, cleared his throat, and was about to raise his hand to let these impatient “piglets” board the ship in that compassionate tone.

Just then!

A sudden change occurred!

Buzz—!!!

A dragon's roar, seemingly from the primordial era, exploded without warning in the highest heavens above Heavenly Pillar Mountain!

Immediately following was a brilliant golden divine light, like the sword of the Heavenly Emperor, tearing through eternal time and space, descending boldly while ignoring the distance!

That was an imperial decree!

A golden imperial decree condensed from pure Imperial Dragon Qi, imprinted with the character “Proclamation” in strokes as sharp as iron hooks and silver lines!

As soon as the decree appeared, all Laws in heaven and earth wailed and retreated!

An overbearing, majestic, and supreme aura of a ruler presiding over the world, like the Nine Heavens' Milky Way pouring down, mixed with the Power Of Faith of billions of living beings, swept through with a roar!

Every Cultivator present, regardless of their cultivation level, felt an involuntary urge to submit and kneel from the depths of their Souls!

Even the golden immortal ship, exuding immortal divine prestige, made a creaking sound under the pressure of this Imperial Dragon Qi, and the light on its hull instantly dimmed by thirty percent!

On the immortal ship, the compassionate smile on Zhao Wuji's face instantly froze.

The silver-robed Cultivators from the Upper Realm beside him all changed expression, their eyes filled with shock and suspicion.

The hundreds of thousands of Cultivators kneeling below also raised their heads in horror, faces full of disbelief.

Is this... the Imperial Decree of the Great Xia Divine Dynasty?!

The supreme decree containing the power of the national destiny!

Why would Her Majesty the Empress send down a decree at this moment?

Could it be... to see us off for our Ascension and present us with gifts?

One of the Quasi-Emperor Ancestors from the Eastern Barrens even had a flicker of expectation in his eyes.

Before anyone could figure it out.

A cold, majestic, and overbearingly authoritative female voice, through that golden decree, struck like the hammer of divine punishment, word by word into the depths of everyone's Soul!

“I am the Great Xia Empress, Ji Hongxue!”

“Today, I proclaim to the world!”

“The visitors at Heavenly Pillar Mountain, titled Immortal Envoys from the Upper Realm, are in truth evil Cultivators from the Upper Realm who harbor malicious intent and treat you all as livestock!”

Boom!

As soon as these words were spoken, the mountain-shaking fanatical shouts of the entire crowd came to an abrupt halt!

Time seemed to be frozen at this moment.

Everyone was stunned, thinking their Divine Souls were in disarray and they were hallucinating.

What is Her Majesty the Empress... saying?

Saying the Immortal Envoys from the Upper Realm are... evil Cultivators?!

Zhao Wuji's pupils shrank suddenly, the muscles on his face twitched unnaturally, and a flash of frenzied killing intent flickered in his eyes.

How could she know?!

However, Ji Hongxue's cold voice did not give them any time to think, continuing to explode like eternal profound ice!

“The so-called ‘Reception for Ascension’ is a monstrous lie!”

“The immortal path you imagine is but a path to the Yellow Springs leading to a Pill Furnace! The longevity you hope for is but a joke, as you will be turned into Medicinal Pills for others!”

“Its essence is to deceive the Cultivators of my Xuanyuan Continent into going to the Upper Realm to serve as ‘Human Medicine,’ to be thrown into Blood-refining Furnaces and refined alive into blood pills!”

“This path is not an immortal path, but a path to death!!”

“I strictly command all Great Saints and above belonging to my Great Xia Divine Dynasty to return immediately; you are strictly forbidden from stepping onto that thieving ship!”

“Those who disobey will be considered traitors, and their entire clans will be executed!”

“To the Fellow Daoists of other sects, I also offer a word of advice: do not let the desire for longevity blind your eyes and seek your own destruction!”

“Retreat immediately! On that immortal ship is a one-way ticket to death!!”

Ji Hongxue's voice was resolute, every word carrying the vast heavenly might of the Imperial Dragon Qi, filled with unquestionable certainty and iron-blooded killing intent!

She was, in front of all the Cultivators in the world, mercilessly flipping the table of the Xuantian Immortal Sect!

A public exposure of their fraud!