Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 570 Your Majesty
The dark hall was illuminated by flickering lights.

The Northern Yin Master's tone was chilling, filled with extreme apprehension. The darkness in his eyes seemed to have deepened, devoid of any light.

He looked down at Xu Xuan:

"This Yuanjun has connections with both the immortals and the immortals. Some say that he was enlightened by Mara, who was below Mount Sumeru, and therefore has the ability to manipulate demonic nature. However, these are all just unfounded claims."

"Marsh".

Xu Xuan frowned. He had heard that the demonic nature suppressed beneath Mount Sumeru was this kind of demonic nature. According to Buddhist teachings, this was the source of all heavenly demons in the world.

“The Buddhist practice emphasizes thought and nature, which makes it easier for such intangible things to arise. In the past, there was also a Taoist who wanted to condense a demonic nature similar to Mara, but it was slain by that Immortal Nanhua.”

The old master above looked down and saw that the person in front of him could be remotely related to Feng Xuan's faction.

"The secret method of the Delightful Demon Land is to use demonic tests to probe the inner demons of outsiders."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan's mind raced. If he truly had a demonic obstacle in his heart, it would be his own origin, and the Demonic Land of Desire was very likely to have discovered this.

However, now that he has opened his inner world and his pure energy has risen again, unless he faces another demonic test, his mental and spiritual methods will be difficult to shake.

'The artifacts of the Three Pure Ones, if as they say, should be superior to the [Primordial Myriad Tribulations] and the [Demon Barrier of No Thought]. Perhaps the reason I wasn't awakened from the demonic trial earlier was because this immortal stele hadn't yet recovered.'

Xu Xuan silently speculated that now that the [Taiqing Immortal Stele] had reopened its cave, it should have recovered to the Golden Core level, and with the support of the Profound Qi, its level was higher than that of ordinary magic treasures.

However, the two things, She Lei and Dai Qi, are probably even more astonishing than immortal artifacts, and can already serve as the basic principles of the universe.

Bei Yin spoke, his tone growing colder:

"The path of Qi is the foundation of demonic testing. If there were no one in the current position, how could the Delightful Demon Realm be allowed to run rampant? In the end, this method of summoning demonic testers still relies on the status of the True Lord."

Xu Xuan gradually collected his thoughts and said:
"Thank you for your guidance, senior."

Suddenly, a clear and distant bell rang out. Outside the palace, the light shone brightly, servants rushed about, and many cultivators traveled along the cloud path, all heading towards the imperial palace.

"When the time comes, come with me to meet the Emperor."

Bei Yin, who was seated, rose from his seat. His supernatural powers transformed, his face became almost radiant, and his aura instantly became like that of an ordinary person. He led Nan Wang and Xu Xuan towards the cloud path.

This Grand Master of the Wu family held an extremely high position, and many people along the way paid their respects to him, which allowed Xu Xuan to become somewhat familiar with him.

Nan Wang walked alongside Xu Xuan, occasionally pointing out those of Purple Mansion origin he encountered, and chuckled:
"The Southern Immortal Cult has sent representatives to this meeting, which is probably the largest Immortal Cult gathering in hundreds of years since the founding of the nation."

"The Immortal Path of the North and South".

Xu Xuan's gaze darkened slightly. He had roughly figured out the current state of the immortal cultivation in the north.

In the far west lies Qingzhou, where the Zijin Temple is located. To the east lies Tianzhou, where the Dachi Temple and Tifeng Mountain are situated. Now, our own mountain gate has encompassed the entire Wunan County, only avoiding the location of the Baiqing Cave.

Further east lies Yongzhou, bordering Qingwu Road, while within the pass are the Difei and Huayin Mountains, as well as the Changsun lineage.

East of Yongzhou lies the land of clouds, which is under the control of Taizhen, and there are no other gates.

Meanwhile, the Yan region further east was in chaos. Qinghua had lost its prestige, and in Youzhou, there were at least powerful forces at the Purple Mansion level, such as Zhaixingyuan and the Zhang family.

This formed the basic structure of the Northern Immortal Path, with Taizhen being the undisputed leader of the Northern Immortal Path, while Qinghua only cared about its own small territory.

"I wonder, what is the current state of the Southern Immortal Path?"

Xu Xuan asked about Nan Wang, who pondered for a moment before replying:
"In the South, Fu Chen is the most powerful, while the other immortal sects should refrain from interfering in worldly affairs."

"If it is at the Purple Mansion level, there should be two sects, [Jinlang] and [Qiuqing], one path, [Shangshan], one mountain, [Yinlei], and then the Immortal Clan, with my Wu family and Xie family as the leaders."

Xu Xuan's eyebrows twitched, as if he were puzzled:

"Indeed, there are fewer divisions of immortality than in the north."

"That's natural. With a fixed water level, if there are more big fish in the pond, there will be fewer small fish."

Nan Wang said quietly, with a sigh:
"Fu Chen and Mu Wu are the leaders of the Southern Immortal Path. Then there are Shang Xiao and Shi Yi, who have temporarily lost power, and Tai Ping, who is about to fall from the Immortal Sect. Five families have settled in the South to inherit the Golden Core technique, and the remaining Immortal Path can only survive in the cracks."

"Although the North is in chaos, there are still many spiritual lands left, which has nurtured many immortals."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan immediately understood.

The flourishing of Taoist practices in the South likely refers to the greater number of lineages at the Golden Core level, but in terms of the number of lineages at the Purple Mansion level, it is actually less than that of the North.

The cloud path ahead gradually changed, and the radiance of the fire gradually brightened, revealing a vast golden plaza standing before them.

White cranes soared, fire pheasants flew through the sky, and wisps of golden aura rose into the heavens, faintly surging into the depths of the void, revealing a great seal forged from divine gold.

Mountains, water, thunder, fire, calamity, and fortune—the six divine realms manifested one after another beside this great seal, faintly revealing the blurry faces of numerous divine generals and heavenly soldiers.

Xu Xuan felt nothing at the moment. His life was not involved in the divine path at all; it still belonged to him. He was merely holding a nominal title in it.

Tian Tuo, currently hidden within the inner realm, saw this golden seal and his tone wavered slightly:

"The Divine Ritual Seal, a treasure of auspicious energy, a relic of the ancient Heavenly Court—Emperor Li actually managed to obtain something like this!"

With his extensive knowledge, he instantly recognized the origin of this golden seal. It was an artifact used by the ancient Heavenly Court to establish the divine path. The path of wealth and power is fundamentally about rank and position.

Whether it is an emperor granting great power to his ministers or a true lord granting it to a deity, it is a change in power and position. The Pure Land Dharma Gate of Buddhism also relies on this path.

Xu Xuan and Nan Wang stopped. Given their current status, they could only wait here for the time being. Only the Seven Sects, whose members were at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm, were allowed to enter the palace first and meet the Emperor.

Twelve jade steps stood before them, leading directly to the majestic and magnificent vermilion imperial palace. Above the steps, scattered stars flickered, and wisps of cloud, like brocade, drifted down from both sides of the palace. The place was vast, and the various supernatural beings were kept far apart, undisturbed by each other. Xu Xuan roughly counted them and estimated that there were probably nearly twenty supernatural beings present, an extremely astonishing number.

Including the Seven Sects, there should be about fifty Purple Mansion cultivators in the Great Li Dynasty. This is just an estimate and does not include those who have secluded themselves from the world and cultivated in seclusion, leaving no trace.

Xu Xuan and Nan Wang stood quietly, saying nothing.

Within the imperial palace, the brilliance of the fire grew ever brighter, with crimson flames rising like smoke. On either side, divine attendants descended, each holding an apricot-yellow cloud banner and a crimson precious fan.

Strikes of fire, like those of birds, began to leap and dance in the sky, burning away the clouds and revealing a clear, bright sky. Only patches of crimson glow appeared beneath the Yuanluo Star in the southern sky.

A bird's song rang out with exceptional clarity, the gates of the vermilion imperial palace opened, and golden aura cascaded down like a waterfall, spreading across the ground.

A vermilion divine bird slowly emerged from the radiant light of the fire, took flight, circled the palace three times, and headed straight for the southern sky.

A majestic aura rose from the palace, and the attendants on both sides knelt down to respectfully welcome the emperor.

Golden-red divine feathers fell from the sky, transforming into streams of pure essence, causing the various supernatural beings below to experience a slight increase in their cultivation and achieve spiritual perfection, thus gaining considerable benefits.

Xu Xuan's injuries have also healed to about 70-80%.

'Li Huo is not skilled in healing; this blessing was bestowed solely through his cultivation.'

As the stars shone brightly and the flames pierced the sky, a figure slowly emerged from the imperial palace. The cries of the Vermilion Bird gradually resounded throughout the heavens and earth, and an extremely terrifying pressure descended.

Tian Tuo seemed to sense something and cried out:
"A great supernatural being, no, even more than that! Why is there a demonic aura here?"

Xu Xuan raised his head and saw a person slowly walking out from the light. If it were solidified fire, the golden energy would scatter, creating a double radiance of light, which would be attached to the celestial procession.

A tall, slender figure emerged from the flames, with a majestic appearance, fiery red eyes, a golden crown on his head, and a solemn and dignified apricot-yellow imperial robe embroidered with the Vermilion Bird and the stars of the Southern Palace.

Under the firelight, his shadow stretched longer and longer, like a sparrow caught in a net.

Those in the Purple Palace below came to their senses and all bowed, praising the Heavenly Emperor who had never appeared in the outside world.

According to the etiquette established by the True Lord Yingli in the past, immortals do not need to kneel when meeting the Holy One.

Behind Tianchi, two people slowly emerged, namely Huji and Beiyin, who stood on the left and right respectively, and were close ministers of the emperor.

"No gift."

The emperor, amidst the flames, spoke with a leisurely tone, seemingly carrying a strange majesty that stirred the minds of all the divine beings below, making it difficult for them to calm down.

"Huji, proclaim the imperial decree."

Tian Chi's gaze swept across the area, and a beam of light, almost tangible, descended, instantly surveying all the immortals below.

Standing on the left, Huji, dressed in a long black robe adorned with lotus flowers, immediately stepped forward, holding the imperial edict, and began to read it aloud:
"The demons of Liao have been invading our borders for many years, causing unrest in the immortal realm and unrest among the people. Now, our Great Li has established a divine path, with golden emoluments connecting north and south, and divine regalia filling heaven and earth. We have established the six departments of gods, brought peace to our land, and erected the Great Wall of Wuguang to guard our frontiers."

"From this day forward, all matters concerning the divine path shall be under the jurisdiction of the White Society. All the immortal lineages shall be governed by Mu Wu, and the order to attack Liaodong from the north shall be given by Tai Zhen. No cultivator may disobey this order!"

The cultivators below bowed and all exclaimed:
"I obey your orders."

The Heavenly Chi smiled slightly, nodded, and his energy flowed, causing the flames to rise.

"Those who advance north will be rewarded. If they dare to disobey orders and harm the country and its people, they will be burned alive."

Countless crimson and apricot-yellow flames rose from the sky, displaying the mighty imperial power to the world. Golden decrees descended from the sky, selecting from numerous purple palaces.

Hu Ji spoke up at the opportune moment, his tone solemn:
"Now that the ancient city of Changwu is about to fall, only the array hub of Shengle in Dai remains. From this day forward, all those who receive this decree shall obey the orders of the Immortal Taizhen and plan to advance north!"

Xu Xuan silently looked at the golden decree in his hand. His mind stirred slightly, and he scanned the area. Sure enough, he saw that most of the immortals were from the Northern Immortal Path. However, after looking around, he could not find any trace of the Qingwu Path.

'Strange, this family is right next to the Dai region. Given the style of the Song dynasty, how could they possibly abandon it?'

A flash of light appeared, and the Northern Yin Immortal stepped forward, his tone cold, and said:
"Bring here Wei Xiuwen, the guardian of Qingwu Dao!"

Golden lightning surged in the sky, and two heavenly soldiers protected a True Man dressed in a sand-yellow robe. The light of a bountiful harvest emanating from the earth changed, and he descended respectfully beneath the steps.

"Tell me, how did your Qingwu Dao collude with [Hua Shi]!"

Bei Yin's tone was cold, and the transformation of the demonic light was enough to shatter one's mind.

That Rang An became even more panicked, and said:

“Your Majesty, it is Ji Huo who colluded with Hua Shidao’s Evil Earth Bodhisattva. Although he is my elder, he has committed treason. I could not bear to follow him, so I fled the road and came to report this.”

"However, the Qingrang Desert has now been occupied by the Evil Land and is under the control of the Liao."

The demonic light condensed but did not dissipate. Bei Yin sneered. The extremely powerful demonic light was about to completely dissect the opponent's mind and soul so that he could take a good look. But at this moment, Li Huo swept up the Rang An.

"Since you are willing to realize your mistake and return to the right path, you are still my subject of Dali."

Tian Chi's crimson eyes brightened slightly, and the radiant light of the fire beside him surged as he looked north:

"The Hua Shi and Wang Sheng paths are the first obstacles to our Great Li's northward advance. The Thunder and Fire divisions, from this day forward, are ordered to attack the old Qingwu lands and retrieve the head of that evil earth bodhisattva!"

The divine thunder and the fiery flames of heaven shone brightly, and then Wei Hua and Xing You, from the Dan Niao lineage, stepped forward to receive their orders.

Xu Xuan frowned and looked at Rang An.

"Qingwu asked, 'What are you planning?'"

(End of this chapter)