Chapter 69 Temporary Alliance

"Old Ancestor!"

Ye Wentian wiped the rainwater from his face and took a few steps to stand beneath the suspended Qingxuan Old Ancestor.

"You finally believe me! Haven't you deduced it countless times yourself? The time for Ascension is within these few days!"

"Think about it carefully. Now that Senior Gu Heng has already broken through the realm and ascended to the Upper Realm... that Divine Envoy also left with him.

In this world, besides you, the Qingyun Old Ancestor who has cultivated bitterly for ten thousand years, who else is qualified to trigger such a massive heavenly phenomenon?"

"This Divine Light of Induction, if it's not yours, whose could it be?"

These last words,

Ye Wentian used all the spiritual energy in his Dantian to roar them out. His voice echoed between the cliffs, mixed with the sound of rain.

The raindrops hanging in mid-air were instantly evaporated by the fluctuations of spiritual power from the Old Ancestor, turning into a large cloud of white mist.

Qingxuan Old Ancestor hung in the mist, the flesh on his face twitching slightly.

He looked down at his floating soles, then up at the golden light emanating pressure deep within the clouds.

The fear and doubt caused by being tricked twice were being dismantled bit by bit by Ye Wentian's words.

Indeed.

Gu Heng was gone, and the Divine Envoy was gone.

In this Lower Realm, in terms of cultivation, seniority, and comprehension of the Heavenly Dao, if he, Qingxuan, claimed to be second, who would dare claim to be first?

"Ahem..."

Qingxuan Old Ancestor suppressed the upward curl of his lips and coughed.

He held his hands behind his back and raised his chin, his beard reflecting the white of the golden light.

He looked at the fanatical Ye Wentian below, let out a breath, and nodded.

"Wentian, your words are not entirely without merit. Heaven rewards the diligent; I have sat in meditation for thousands of years, and it is indeed time for my Karma to reach Perfection."

Ye Wentian was overjoyed and rubbed his hands together repeatedly.

"Old Ancestor, since that's the case... our White Jade Square in the front hall was just repaired overnight."

"You see, this Ascension is a once-in-a-ten-thousand-year event. Should we... once again assemble the Cultivators from Dongzhou and Zhongzhou, open the sect gates, and hold a grand ceremony so they can witness your Ascension?"

"This is a great opportunity to strengthen the prestige of our Qingyun Sect!"

As soon as these words were spoken,

Qingxuan Old Ancestor's hand stroking his beard paused, nearly pulling out several hairs.

His expression shifted, and a flash of lingering fear appeared in his eyes.

Scenes from the previous two Ascension observation ceremonies replayed in his mind.

The first time, Gu Heng stole his thunder, and the Divine Light of Induction shone on him in front of the whole world, leaving him standing on the stage like a fool in the cold wind.

The second time, he thought it was finally his turn, but the sky split open, and a Quasi-Immortal Emperor Divine Envoy descended who could crush Dongzhou with one palm, nearly uprooting the Qingyun Sect's legacy.

"This..."

Qingxuan Old Ancestor's brow furrowed, his voice somewhat dry, "What if... what if something goes wrong again this time..."

Before he could finish backing down, Ye Wentian noticed.

He took a step forward and interrupted directly.

"Old Ancestor! Stop scaring yourself!"

Ye Wentian patted his chest, "Think about it carefully. In this Lower Realm, besides you, who else could it be? Those old fellows of the Five Saints of Zhongzhou? They haven't even touched the threshold of Ascension!"

"Besides, it's impossible for another Divine Envoy to descend out of nowhere into our remote backcountry, right?"

Hearing this,

The doubts in Qingxuan Old Ancestor's heart were blown away by the wind.

Right, that Divine Envoy descended specifically for the Empress's successor, Lin Qingyue, and secondly for the heaven-reaching tower.

Now that both had been taken to the Upper Realm by Gu Heng, this Lower Realm was just a worthless junkyard to the powerhouses of the Upper Realm. Who would bother coming here?

There would definitely be no accidents.

At this thought, Qingxuan Old Ancestor straightened his back, and his aura surged. He scanned the mountains and lands of the Qingyun Sect and waved his wide sleeves.

"Good! Wentian, since you say so, then we shall do as you say!"

Qingxuan Old Ancestor's voice was majestic, "Immediately transmit messages to all sects, reopen the sect-protecting array, and arrange the highest-grade Spirit Gathering Array on the White Jade Square!"

"This time, I want the world to know what a true Ascension looks like! It must be grand! It must be thorough!"

"As you command! This Disciple will see to it immediately!"

...

Meanwhile.

In the Upper Realm,

On the edge of the Demon Realm, the ruins of Chiyan City.

Above the scorched earth, nine Human Race Immortal Emperors occupied different positions.

Nine types of Dao Laws, including thunder, frost, stars, and Sword Intent, wove into a net in the sky.

Opposite them, three projections of Devil Emperors, each hundreds of millions of feet tall, blotted out the sun and pulled the Demon Realm's sky into eternal night.

The Devil Emperor in the center, wearing a crown of white bones, sneered, "Immortal Emperors of the Human Race, instead of staying in your Immortal Realm, you've come to my border to dig three feet deep. What, do you really think the truce between the Immortal and Demon Races is just waste paper?"

Killing intent permeated the White Bone Demon Emperor's voice.

As he spoke, the three Devil Emperors' projections retracted their Devilish Qi and revealed their true bodies.

Their solid Devil Emperor Realm cultivation tore a hole in the Divine Thought search net of the nine Human Race Immortal Emperors.

The Human Race Immortal Emperors frowned and stopped their search.

They had nine people, a numerical advantage. But this was the Demon Realm's home turf.

If the three Devil Emperors detonated the Demon Realm's Origin to counterattack, even if they won, they would pay a price and might even attract the old monsters sleeping deep within the Demon God Realm.

The atmosphere dropped to freezing point.

Just then.

The Divine Envoy standing in front of the nine Immortal Emperors put away the imperial teachers token in his hand.

He scanned the three Devil Emperors opposite him, a curl appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Calm your anger, you three Devil Emperors."

"Our crossing of the border this time is not to incite war between our two races. To be honest, a human rebel stole a treasure of our Divine Court and fled here."

At this point,

The Divine Envoy paused, his tone turning strange.

"Since that thief is hiding in your territory, I wonder if the three of you... would be interested in cooperating with us temporarily?"

"Cooperate?"

The Devil Emperor on the left, whose face was shrouded in black mist with only a pair of red eyes visible, sneered.

"What a joke!"

The Red-Eyed Demon Emperor's voice exploded in the Void Realm, "Immortal and Demon are irreconcilable; this is an iron rule etched into our Bloodline since the ancient era! You humans are full of schemes. Who knows if this 'pursuit of a rebel' is just an excuse for a trap?"

The other two Devil Emperors also snorted coldly.

The White Bone Demon Emperor stared at the Divine Envoy, his voice icy, "Bringing nine Immortal Emperors to my Demon Realm border and crushing my city, and now you want to brush it off with a casual 'temporary reconciliation'?"

"Do you think that's possible? If I agreed, where would the face of the Demon God Realm go?"

The Divine Envoy did not get angry.

He turned his head and gave the nearby Thunder Emperor a look.

The Thunder Emperor understood.

This hot-tempered Immortal Emperor, who controlled the Law of Heavenly Punishment, gave a cold snort and waved his sleeve.

*Buzz—*

The Void Realm vibrated.

Several clumps of light emitting ancient auras flew out from the Thunder Emperor's sleeve, hanging in the Void Realm a hundred feet in front of the three Devil Emperors.

There was a section of black vine flowing with Dao truths, a damaged bronze mirror emitting the Law of Devouring, and three stalks of dark purple immortal medicine sealed in transparent crystals, with faint shadows of gods and demons roaring within.

As soon as these items appeared, the violent Demon Realm Laws nearby seemed to have met their ancestor, letting out a submissive hum.

"This... this is..."

The White Bone Demon Emperor, who had been full of defiance just a moment ago, had his gaze glued to those stalks of immortal medicine, his breathing instantly slowing down.

"Good eye."

The Thunder Emperor crossed his arms, his tone arrogant, "These are ancient relics we narrowly obtained a hundred thousand years ago when we jointly explored the outskirts of the Place of Origin."

"The Era Laws contained within are beneficial and harmless for you Demon Race Cultivators to supplement your Dao Origin."

"As long as you nod and help blockade this Demon Realm border to force that thief out, these things will serve as the 'toll' for our Human Race's border crossing."

The air fell into a dead silence.

The two Devil Emperors who had just been shouting "Immortal and Demon are irreconcilable" and were willing to fight for the dignity of the Demon Realm quickly softened their arrogant and angry expressions.

"Actually..."

The White Bone Demon Emperor coughed twice, his eyes shifting.

"Since ancient times, although the Immortal and Demon Races have had constant friction, it's not as if we've never sat down to talk. For the peace and stability of the Three Realms, occasional, local, temporary cooperation..."

The Red-Eyed Demon Emperor also immediately chimed in, "Exactly! Since it's to pursue a rebel who stole a great treasure, our Demon Realm, as an important part of the Three Realms, naturally has the duty to maintain the order of heaven and earth."

"Temporary cooperation is not out of the question."

"???"

The Devil Emperor standing on the far right, who was more straightforward, was completely dumbfounded.

With a head of burning devil flames, he widened his eyes and looked left and right at his two colleagues.

What's the situation?

Weren't you talking about iron rules a breath ago? Didn't you say where would the face go?

How can your waists bend faster than a mortal shop waiter just because the other side threw out some scraps? What happened to Immortal and Demon being irreconcilable?

The White Bone Demon Emperor noticed his bewilderment and sent a secret transmission, "You fool! The treasures from the Place of Origin—those old fellows in the Demon God Realm are too stingy to give them to us."

"Now that these human suckers have come to our door, we'd be fools not to take them! Can dignity be eaten, or can it help you break through the shackles of the Emperor Realm?"

The third Devil Emperor suddenly understood and immediately put on a serious face, nodding repeatedly.

Seeing the faces of these Devil Emperors, the Divine Envoy smiled.

He knew the bait had been taken. Next, it was time to throw the killing blow.

The tense atmosphere over the ruins of Chiyan City turned into a ridiculous "harmony for wealth" because of these treasures from the Place of Origin.

The wind swirling with waves of lava heat didn't even seem that hot anymore.

The Divine Envoy stood with his hands behind his back, looking out of place in the scarred Demon Realm.

Seeing that the three Devil Emperors had already quietly tucked the treasures into their sleeves, he unhurriedly spoke, revealing the information about Gu Heng.

"Since you all have agreed to cooperate, I will be upfront."

Killing intent flashed in the Divine Envoy's eyes as he said coldly, "That thief is arrogant, but his true cultivation is merely that of a True Immortal who has just ascended."

"A True Immortal?"

The White Bone Demon Emperor raised an eyebrow, his tone puzzled.

Nine Immortal Emperors coming to catch one True Immortal?

Is the Human Race really that bored?

The Divine Envoy saw their confusion and continued, "But his methods are strange. He used some wicked method to refine the Divine Court's treasure, the heaven-reaching tower."

"Not only that, he is also holding one of His Majesty's Personal Disciples hostage."

The Divine Envoy emphasized his tone.

"That thief must be hiding in the heaven-reaching tower in this area, using the tower's spatial Laws to conceal himself."

"If you can use the Demon Realm's geographical advantage to catch that thief, or directly force the heaven-reaching tower out of the Void Realm..."

"Forget those treasures from just now; if this is accomplished, it's not impossible for the Divine Court to bestow several Divine Medicines born at the beginning of heaven and earth."

As soon as these words were spoken,

The breathing of several Devil Emperors instantly became heavy, and the Void Realm hummed from the vibration of their blood and Qi.

Divine Medicine!

That was something that could allow Emperor Realm experts to reshape their Origin and even glimpse the path of transcendence!

Previously,

When the three of them were sent to handle the disturbances on the Chiyan City border, they were already fuming.

Those high and mighty old fellows in Demon Emperor City shirked their responsibilities, refusing to take on this thankless task, and finally forced this burden onto the three Devil Emperors.

Resource distribution in the Demon God Realm was harsh; peripheral Devil Emperors like them received almost no decent cultivation resources and had to rely entirely on their own scavenging.

They had originally thought they would have to fight the Human Race Immortal Emperors to the death at the border, perhaps even damaging their cultivation.

Now?

Finding a kid with only True Immortal cultivation?

What kind of challenge was that?

Although the kid had the heaven-reaching tower, in the eyes of Devil Emperors like them who had mastered complete Dao Laws, a True Immortal, even with an Emperor Weapon, couldn't exert even a ten-thousandth of its power.

As long as the location was locked, even an Emperor could crush him, let alone three Devil Emperors working together.

Wouldn't it be as easy as reaching into a pocket?

Taking a step back, this wasn't a fight to the death between the two races anyway; it was just helping the humans find someone. If they caught him, they got Divine Medicine; if they didn't, they got several treasures from the Place of Origin for free.

This was a deal that absolutely couldn't lose money.

At this thought, the three Devil Emperors exchanged glances, seeing the greed flickering in each other's eyes.

"Easy! Easy!"

The coldness on the White Bone Demon Emperor's face was replaced by a warm smile. He waved his hand and slapped his breastplate with a clang.

"Rest assured, Divine Envoy! Since the person is in our Demon Realm territory, he's as good as a turtle in a jar. Leave finding him to the three of us! No one knows the spatial nodes of this Demon Realm better than we do!"

The Red-Eyed Demon Emperor also immediately echoed: "Indeed, a mere True Immortal—even if he crawls into the magma at the core of the earth, this Emperor can pull his Divine Soul out to use as a lamp!"

Looking at this harmonious "Immortal and Demon as one family," a figure standing in the back corner was trembling.

At this moment, Jiang Wuji shrunk himself within layers of spatial Sword Intent barriers, trying his best to lower his presence.

He saw every transaction and heard every confident promise.

Logically, with the Divine Envoy's backing, nine Immortal Emperors presiding, and three local Devil Emperors joining forces, this lineup would be enough to turn even a Peak Immortal Emperor into ashes, let alone catch a True Immortal.

But Jiang Wuji didn't feel the slightest bit of safety.

On the contrary, he felt it was absurd.

Utterly absurd.

"True Immortal? These high and mighty old fools are actually calculating against that monster as if he were a True Immortal?"

Jiang Wuji had personally experienced Gu Heng's terror.

Back in the Blood-Vein Mine, when that kid casually tossed the heaven-reaching tower, that unreasonable power had instantly crushed his Sword Intent as an Immortal Emperor into powder, leaving him vomiting blood like a dying dog.

He swallowed, his throat dry.

He now faced a fatal moral dilemma.

Speak the truth?

Interrupt these Immortal Emperors and Devil Emperors who were in high spirits, planning how to divide the Divine Medicine.

This would be equivalent to slapping the Divine Envoy's face in public and questioning the Divine Court's intelligence System. With the Thunder Emperor's temper, he might crush Jiang Wuji, this nonsensical Immortal Emperor, with a single palm.

Don't speak?

Let this group of big shots go and surround Gu Heng with the underestimating mindset of "dealing with a True Immortal."

What if... what if that kid wasn't a True Immortal at all, but some ancient monster who had hidden his cultivation specifically to fish for victims?

It was a small matter if these big shots suffered; but if they enraged Gu Heng and he went on a rampage, what if he wiped out this entire realm along with Jiang Wuji?

Time passed bit by bit.

The three Devil Emperors in front had already begun to join forces to form seals.

Devilish Qi poured into the spatial rifts in the ruins of Chiyan City, preparing to search for the spatial fluctuations of the heaven-reaching tower.

Gu Heng's gentle smile flashed through Jiang Wuji's mind, and the fear in his heart finally overcame his reverence for the Immortal Emperors.

He couldn't let them rush in so unprepared.

"Wait... wait!!"

Jiang Wuji's voice was out of place amidst the roar of the Laws.

*Buzz—*

All spellcasting stopped.

Twelve pairs of eyes carrying supreme pressure—nine Immortal Emperors, three Devil Emperors, and the Divine Envoy's ice-cold gaze—fell upon Jiang Wuji.

Being stared at by so many Emperor Realm powerhouses at once, Jiang Wuji's legs went weak.

The Thunder Emperor frowned, purple lightning exploding in his pupils: "Jiang Wuji? You're an Immortal Emperor of the Taixu Sword Sect, what are you yelling for? If you dare delay the battle, this Emperor will cut you down!"

Jiang Wuji's lips trembled as he stammered.

"That... my lords, you might have the wrong information..."

"That thief... he seems to be... more than just a True Immortal..."