382: The Immortal Emperor controlled the overall situation.

Lu Chen's Divine Sense continued to sink, passing through the shattered spatial rifts, finally reaching the skies above the Spirit Realm—

Only the Heavenly Venerable Palace could be seen, suspended precariously above the ruins, surrounded by a dense formation of 110,000 Immortal soldiers, their golden armor reflecting blood, Killing Intent soaring to the heavens!

The Five Great Emperors had split their forces into three routes, the Twelve Star Lords watched covetously, Lei Jicang knelt in flattery, and the loyal souls of the Five Offices were not yet cold… Lu Chen quietly “watched” all of this, a cold smile slowly gracing his lips.

“Serves them right!” He felt utterly delighted in his heart, “Back then, the Five Great Heavenly Venerables ganged up on me, forcing me to self-detonate my Divine Soul, wasting a chance at resurrection! Now the tables have turned, and you also have this day?”

He could even imagine Taichu Heavenly Venerate's anger and despair at this moment—that once high and mighty protector was now betrayed by the traitors he himself cultivated, besieged by his former enemies, with even the last hope of turning the tide extinguished.

“Heh…” Lu Chen's Divine Sense quietly hid within a wisp of residual cloud, as if he were truly sitting on the clouds, cracking melon seeds, leisurely watching the battle, “Keep fighting, the fiercer the better.”

Hmm?

Just as Lu Chen's Divine Sense swept past the edge of the Spirit Realm battlefield, it suddenly paused—

No, there was still an abnormal fluctuation!

His perception, like an invisible net, quietly extended to two crumbling, shattered Small Worlds: Tianqi Continent and the Ancient Realm of Yelang.

There, three figures sat cross-legged on broken altars, their bodies entwined with faint but extremely familiar residual Law.

“Emperor Qin… Shen Wuya… Ling Tian?”

A cold glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes, his Killing Intent like a blade, almost tearing through the Void Realm!

He instantly recognized them—a wisp of the Heavenly Dao Origin Qi actually lingered around all three of them, completely identical in Origin to the imprints left by Dawn Moon and White Ember, the two Chosen Ones, before their demise!

More precisely… it was the residual charm of the seal of the son of heavenly mandate, forcibly stripped away and not yet fully refined!

“It really is you!” Lu Chen’s heart surged with rage, “Taking the lives of my Chosen Ones, stealing the Heavenly Dao anchor points, attempting to glimpse my existence through this… what audacity!”

If he hadn't undergone the previous trials, he would have erupted in action long ago, even across the Nine Heavens, he would have shattered the Divine Souls of these three ants with a single palm strike!

But now—

Lu Chen took a deep breath, his state of mind as still as an ancient well, not a ripple disturbing the surface of the lake.

After decades of trials, his state of mind had also transformed.

He had long understood: true power did not rely on momentary anger, but on meticulous planning.

“Acting now would only alert the enemy and expose myself,” he calmly mused, “Moreover, Immortal Emperor Haotian’s Divine Sense just swept over this place; any slight movement would surely be detected.”

He slowly reined in his Killing Intent, his Divine Sense like mist quietly retreating into the folds of the Void Realm, as if it had never existed.

“Since you want to play… then enjoy your performance.”

A cold smile appeared on Lu Chen’s lips, “Let’s see how big a wave you can stir up with this stolen seal of the son of heavenly mandate.”

Lu Chen didn’t need to do anything; he just needed to observe quietly and hide himself… Lingxiao Heaven, Lingxiao Hall.

Ten thousand golden rays of light cascaded like a waterfall.

In the center of the palace, Immortal Emperor Haotian sat on a nine-dragon jade throne, surrounded by almost material, heaven-reaching Laws, each breath he took causing the stellar orbits of the heavens to subtly shift.

He suddenly frowned, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

“Strange…” he murmured, “Just now, a wisp of Divine Sense seemed to pass through the Spirit Realm passage, extremely subtle, yet unusually powerful… But when I traced it back to investigate, it was like a mud ox entering the sea, leaving no trace.”

Within the Three Realms, those who could quietly conceal themselves under the coverage of his Peak heaven-reaching Divine Sense were few and far between.

“Could it be that those ancient old monsters sleeping in the Second Heaven have awakened?” He pondered for a moment, then shook his head, “No, the aura is not right… It’s more like a never-before-seen method of concealing consciousness.”

But he did not delve deeper.

All under heaven were his pawns.

His gaze returned to the projection below—the Five Great Emperors were splitting their forces into two routes, ostensibly following orders, but in reality, they were secretly communicating with each other, using a secret frequency of Five Elements resonance, which even he, the Immortal Emperor, could not directly pry into.

“Heh…” A cold smile appeared on the Immortal Emperor’s lips, “Five old foxes, playing these tricks right under my nose? You’re still far from it!”

He was not in a hurry to act.

True hunters never disturb their prey.

He would wait—wait until Taichu Heavenly Venerate and Emperor Qin and the others were forced into a desperate situation, wait until they unleashed their final potential!

In the past six months, he had secretly siphoned the Origin power dispersed by the Five Great Heavenly Venerables, Emperor Qin, Shen Wuya, Ling Tian, and others during their Cultivation through the “Myriad Realms Spirit Devouring Array.” His Cultivation had reached the Peak of heaven-reaching, even touching the threshold of the legendary Territory Suppression Realm.

But that Bottleneck remained unbreachable.

“Only a Breakthrough in desperation can trigger a Heavenly Dao resonance…” His eyes gleamed, “This battle will be my Opportunity!”

Just then, a gray shadow emerged like smoke from the corner of the hall, bowing and kneeling—it was Zi Xuwu, known as the “Foremost Strategist of the Immortal Realm.”

“Immortal Emperor!” Zi Xuwu’s voice was urgent, with a hint of anxiety, “The Five Great Emperors clearly harbor ulterior motives! If they obtain the Cultivation Technique and take the Opportunity to stay in the Spirit Realm for secluded Cultivation, refusing to return to the Immortal Court, they will surely become a major hidden danger in the future!”

The Immortal Emperor slowly turned his head, his gaze like a blade, piercing deep into his Divine Soul.

The next instant, he grabbed with his bare hand—

The Void Realm solidified, and Zi Xuwu was clutched by an invisible giant palm, his entire body suspended in mid-air, his throat rattling, even his Divine Soul suppressed to the point of being unable to function!

“You,” the Immortal Emperor’s voice was calm, yet chilling, “seem more anxious than I am? You, the clever man who claims to ‘calculate all heavenly secrets,’ are you… intentionally leading me to act prematurely?”

Zi Xuwu’s face was ashen, cold sweat pouring down: “I am wronged, Immortal Emperor! I am only planning ahead for you! If the Five Great Emperors obtain the heaven-reaching Cultivation Technique and conspire to rebel, the Foundation of the Immortal Court will be shaken, and I… how can I stand by and watch!”

The Immortal Emperor stared at him for a long time, then suddenly released his grip.

Zi Xuwu fell heavily to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: “My loyalty to the Immortal Emperor is unwavering, heaven and earth bear witness, the sun and moon attest! If there is a single false word, I am willing to suffer the Nine Nether Soul Devouring punishment!”

The Immortal Emperor turned his back, looking at the Spirit Realm battlefield, and said indifferently:

“You had better be thinking that, if I find out you have other designs… you, and all three thousand members of your Zi Xuwu clan, I will personally slaughter, leaving none alive.”

The hall was dead silent.

Only Zi Xuwu’s trembling breaths seemed especially humble amidst the golden light of Lingxiao Hall.

“Report—!”

Outside Lingxiao Hall, a figure strode in, clad in a silver-patterned surveillance robe, with a “Heavenly Mirror Token” hanging from his waist. It was Yun Wudong, the Deputy Heavenly Secret Envoy of the Second Heaven, whose sole duty was to monitor the movements of the Nine Heavens.

He knelt on one knee, his voice urgent yet clear: “Reporting to Immortal Emperor! A rebellion has suddenly erupted in the Ninth Heaven mining area! The Red Slaves have awakened their red fire, gathered tens of thousands of battle slaves, and are fiercely clashing with the Territory Suppression Army led by Li Qianhai, the chief of the mining area!”

Immortal Emperor Haotian’s expression remained unchanged, only the corners of his lips slightly curved, revealing a cold smile.

“Li Qianhai must be resentful for not being invited to the Ascension Platform ceremony, deliberately causing chaos to demonstrate. Unfortunately, I have no time to watch him perform this tragic play right now.”

After a slight pause, the Immortal Emperor’s voice boomed like thunder, resounding through Lingxiao Heaven: “Deliver my oral decree—order Li Qianhai to quell the rebellion and clear out the remnants of the Red Slaves within three days. If he fails to do so by the deadline… then invite him to Lingxiao Hall for a cup of tea.”

“Yes!” Yun Wudong’s body stiffened, he kowtowed heavily, then transformed into a streak of light and retreated.

Golden light flowed in the hall, and the immortal music continued.

Only those two words, “drink tea,” were like bone-chilling ice picks—everyone knew that those “invited for tea” by the Immortal Emperor never walked out of Lingxiao Hall alive.