98: Chapter 99 Xuanhuang Leaves the Mountains and Seas

The Xuanhuang Emperor Lord has reigned over Shanhai with majesty for millions of years; his very existence is like a Sea-Stabilizing Needle, supporting the order of the Holy Court and suppressing all Immortal Lineages.

But in the last hundred thousand years, the Emperor Lord has revealed miracles ever more rarely. Especially since the start of the Nine Songs Era, with the Four Sovereigns of the Holy Court being unbreakable, the Emperor Lord's actions have become even fewer.

Even in some peripheral prefectures, during major incidents of conflict between high-level humans and Yao, his intervention appeared indirect, without directly manifesting miracles.

The death exemption gold plaque bestowed by the Holy Court is closely related to the Dao Rhyme and Karma of the Xuanhuang Emperor Lord himself.

It not only contains his unique Emperor Lord Dao Rhyme but also has the most direct karmic connection with the Emperor Lord's own existence.

If they could successfully seize and study the plaque, the Tianji Divine Sect would be able to verify the Emperor Lord's status.

Through Tianji secret arts, if the plaque's Dao Rhyme is dormant and the karmic connection is so weak it is nearly severed, it would highly likely confirm the hypothesis that the Emperor Lord has departed.

However, this is only the most direct method.

Whether the death exemption gold plaque is in hand or not is not important.

Connecting it to Jiang Qingshui's life-sacrificing ultimate move from the previous life, Shen Moyan's expression became solemn.

That move relied on the Dao Rhyme of the Xuanhuang Emperor Lord and the Karma of the nine songs seal, but ultimately what it summoned was the Dharma Image of the Nine Songs Wenchang Immortal Lord, not the Xuanhuang Emperor Lord.

Even without using secret arts to trace the Karma, as long as it is confirmed that the consumption of the death exemption gold plaque cannot summon the Xuanhuang Emperor Lord, one can be certain—

The Xuanhuang Emperor Lord, He has already left!

Not just leaving the Shanhai Realm, but in the incredibly distant Outer Domain, traveling far into the Void Realm, making it difficult to return.

Or perhaps he has ascended to the ethereal Immortal Realm, making it difficult to return to the Lower Realm.

In short, the Holy Court's reliance for millions of years is gone!

“It seems the Immortal Lineages have gotten their wish.”

Shen Moyan came back to his senses.

With such a major event occurring in Langya Prefecture—the Yao Race invasion and the emergence of a Demon Venerable—the Xuanhuang Emperor Lord still did not appear; it could be said He is no longer in the Holy Court.

“If I can see through the schemes of these Immortal Lineages, can't the high-level officials of the Holy Court see it too?”

Presumably, the Holy Court officials also have countermeasures. For so many years, the Immortal Lineages have hesitated to act, falling into silence one after another.

Only daring to send Disciples out to investigate the situation after ten thousand years is proof of this.

The memory fragments obtained from the soul search were pieced together in Shen Moyan's Sea of Consciousness.

While the shock of the eternal schemes of the Immortal Lineages had not yet subsided, another secret also surfaced.

About Ni Gaoyuan, about that Guizang Realm demon seed.

In the memory fragments, the scene of the Star Sign True Person using a Divine Ability to lure Ni Gaoyuan into obtaining the demon seed and Cultivation Technique was clearly reflected.

The Cultivation Technique, as Shen Moyan expected, the Heavenly Demon Transformation Art had been set with a trap.

The Star Sign True Person calculated Zheng Quan's scheme with the Yao Race and planned to use the Heavenly Demon Thought Descent to destroy the Nine Songs Net, making it easier to cut off the Holy Court's support by cutting off information when the war began.

If Ni Gaoyuan practiced this technique and used the ritual in the Mortal Transformation Realm to summon the Heavenly Demon's intent, it would only cause the Yao Race to receive incorrect information.

Becoming a pawn that would cause the two races to go to war immediately.

“This Zheng Quan actually cooperated with the Yao Race to increase his cultivation.”

And the demon seed was the remnant soul fragments of a Guizang Realm Cultivator.

But it was somewhat special.

The demon seed was an illusory image of a remnant sword.

The [heaven-slaying nether-illuminating sword]!

The remnant sword emitted an ominous and ancient killing intent.

Its design was primitive, the blade covered in cracks, revealing a terrifying power to slay the heavens and illuminate the nine netherworlds.

The origin of this sword was astonishing; it was not a native evil weapon of the Demonic Path.

Instead, it was a trophy seized in the ancient era by the Sect Master of the Six Hells Demonic Sect, the Six Hells Demon Venerable, after a life-and-death battle with a certain Sword Venerable of the Biyang Sword Sect.

Afterward, that peerless immortal sword was tainted by the Demon Venerable's Dao Rhyme and became his personal sword.

Whenever someone died at His hands and was tainted by the Demon Venerable's Dao Rhyme, a demon seed would be planted, turning them into His Demon Slave.

And Cultivators who died at the hands of a Demon Slave would also be infected by the demon seed and turn into a Demon Slave, controlled by the Demon Venerable.

Like a plague, it spread, unstoppable.

If Demonic Fiends were mindless lunatics, then Demon Slaves were rational, but their thoughts, perceptions, cultivation, and everything else were controlled like marionettes.

Furthermore, if a Demon Slave's demonic veins were already established and their Cultivation Technique was smooth, they could be possessed by their master at any time, becoming a Clone of His own will.

That Guizang Realm True Lord was killed by a Demon Slave under the Demon Venerable, and the remnant soul fragments naturally were tainted with the Demon Venerable's Dao Rhyme, becoming a demon seed.

The demon seed formed from those remnant soul fragments was sealed by the people of the Tianji Divine Sect and secretly placed in various corners of the Three Thousand Prefectures.

And the place where the demon seed was sealed in Langya Prefecture was precisely... “Yin-Yang Earth Cave!”

Shen Moyan suddenly understood, recalling what Xu Cheng Immortal Master had encountered after hiding in the Yin-Yang Earth Cave.

When the demon seed was removed, it would definitely be sensed by the people of the Six Hells Demonic Sect.

To eliminate his own Karma, the Star Sign True Person... “So, this Star Sign True Person secretly exposed the newly emerged Xu Cheng Immortal Master, causing him to be revealed and drawing the pursuit of the Holy Court Cultivators.”

“Under the lure of the Star Sign True Person's Divine Ability, Xu Cheng Immortal Master hid in the Yin-Yang Earth Cave, where he just happened to run into the Disciples of the Six Hells Demonic Sect who had come to investigate following the Devilish Qi.”

“And since the two sects were arch-enemies, a killing tribulation broke out on the spot, and the two fought to the death!”

In this way, the Star Sign True Person erased his own Karma and conveniently framed the Biyang Sword Sect for removing the demon seed.

Link after link, truly a brilliant calculation!

Shen Moyan's eyes were grave; fortunately, he had decisively killed this person, otherwise it would have been troublesome.

And to test the Xuanhuang Emperor Lord, the Star Sign True Person had sought out the demon seed.

If methods like the Yao Race invasion still couldn't force out definitive evidence of the Xuanhuang Emperor Lord's existence...

They would need a more powerful, uncontrollable existence capable of shaking the very Foundation of the Shanhai Realm to completely muddy the waters as a backup plan for the test.

Resurrecting and to some extent guiding a Demon Venerable of an Immortal Lineage, who was also an enemy of the Xuanhuang Emperor Lord during his lifetime, was undoubtedly an excellent choice.

Shen Moyan recalled the backlash he suffered after Luo Changting merged with the demon seed.

At that time, Luo Changting had obtained the demon seed Foundation of that Purple Mansion Realm demonic Cultivator and had practiced for three years; his demonic veins were already established, making him a Demon Slave capable of serving as a vessel for the Rebirth of the Six Hells Slaying Heaven Demon Venerable.

This was the Demon Venerable; even if He was already dead, He could still return to Shanhai relying on the Dao Rhyme left behind during his lifetime.

“This Heavenly Demon Great Dao is quite interesting.” Shen Moyan grinned.

As expected of a method that can dominate an Immortal Lineage, it is indeed extraordinary.

“Pity, the hidden dangers are too great.”

“When I resonate with Dao Rhyme and Breakthrough to the Purple Mansion, I don't want to become someone's Demon Slave.”

Shen Moyan held the death exemption gold plaque; under the Xiyi Perspective, he could faintly feel that Dao Rhyme belonging uniquely to the Xuanhuang Emperor Lord.

Ancient and deep, unrivaled and supreme.

Shen Moyan closed his eyes, immersing himself in this Dao Rhyme.

Perhaps he could rely on resonating with this Dao Rhyme to... ascend to the Purple Mansion.

“My Dao Rhyme has already constructed the prototype of a Innate Divine Ability.”

“Now, what I need is to use my natal essence as a Foundation, resonate with other Dao Rhymes, add more bricks and tiles, transform it into a Domain, and build the Purple Mansion.”

“This Dao Rhyme containing the Xuanhuang Emperor Lord might be a good choice.”

Xian Dao Cultivators, after reaching the peak of Mortal Transformation, enter the Purple Mansion for cultivation.

Upon the Spiritual Veins of the body, they resonate with Dao Rhyme to build multistoried pavilions and mansions.

“My Spiritual Veins, influenced by the forces of jade, Xuanming, and Devilish Qi, are no longer simple Biyang Spiritual Veins or Yin Mo demonic veins.”

“If not for the Scripture of Severing All Manifestations balancing the various types of mana in my body, I would have suffered Qi Deviation long ago.”

Shen Moyan thought to himself.

“Now that the limit of the Scripture of Severing All Manifestations is only the Purple Mansion Realm, it seems I must make a trip to Di Lin Prefecture to obtain the Guizang and Calamity Law Realm chapters of the technique from the origin dao preaching stele.”

“And how to ascend to the Purple Mansion is also a field of study; I must ask those Immortal Masters for their experience.”

Embracing a hundred rivers, encompassing the universe; with the experience of predecessors, it is naturally for the best.

Although through memory, Shen Moyan has some of the experience of the Star Sign True Person breaking through to the Purple Mansion, it is still not enough.