Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 635 Zhenxing
inside the door.

Paper figures moved about on the mud stage, setting up the venue, while rows of ebony chairs were arranged on the jade steps in front of the stage, indicating seating arrangements and radiating earthly brilliance.

Liu Xiao was stunned for a moment, and a sudden sense of shock rose in his heart.

His supernatural powers had ceased to function, his magical energy was depleted, and even the various spiritual objects and magical artifacts on his body had disappeared. He was left with only a dark black robe with crimson clouds on his body, and nothing else.

This space was extremely narrow, seemingly built solely for this one stage. Underfoot was muddy, damp earth, while above was an endless expanse of blank sky.

He was puzzled and took a few steps forward.

Just then, a boy leaped out from among the paper figures. He wore a red cloth bib, his expression lively, and transformed into a streak of fire as he rushed over, chuckling as he said:
"Please sit down, please sit down."

The boy grabbed Liu Xiaowen's hand and pulled him toward the row of ebony chairs. But at that moment, an old man dressed in a blue cloth robe and smoking a pipe stepped out from the ink-smoked room, blocked the two of them, and twisted the boy's ear.

"You little brat, the skin's too loose! How can he sit on this? The moment his backside touches it, his soul will be ripped out!"

The boy ran away with a mournful face, leaving Liu Xiaowen behind. The old man in front of him straightened his clothes, turned his eyes, and looked over.

"Young man, who let you in?"

"I--"

Liu Xiaowen was about to speak when he was interrupted.

The old man in the blue robe stretched out his hand and gently touched the other person. His finger was ignited at an extremely fast speed, turning into a magnificent golden-red color.

The ink flowed, and the golden flames dissipated.

“Bing Huo. Here’s another spot for you. Come with me.”

This person led Liu Xiaowen to the open space between the stage and the black chair. It was a patch of wet mud, with ink flowing through it, making it difficult for people to stand steadily.

"May I ask, senior, where is this place?"

Liu Xiao heard the respectful tone, but he was slightly surprised. He roughly guessed some things from the paper figures and ink patterns, but dared not say more.

"【Imperial Palace Central Plains Mystic Realm】"

"This is?"

"Why are you talking so much? Just wait and see."

The old man spoke a few words in a rather irritable tone, filled with anger, which made Liu Xiaowen hesitant to ask any further questions.

"Squat here and wait for the show to start. Remember, you can't turn around, you can't stand up, and you can't speak."

Why are you squatting?

"Haven't you ever seen a play before? You're so tall, what if you block the people behind you?"

The other party tapped his pipe down, and the ink flowed.

A strange force came down, making Liu Xiaowen's body go limp. He swayed and sat down, almost falling into the mud. Fortunately, he managed to regain his balance and squatted down like an old farmer in the fields.

"The lord is here! The lord is here!"

The boy wearing a red cloth bib ran around spreading the news, his tone urgent. In an instant, the paper figures on the stage panicked and began to dissolve, merging into one, transforming into a huge, plain white scroll.

The surroundings suddenly darkened, and candles were lit.

'It turns out to be a shadow puppet.'

Liu Xiaowen had never entered the mountains to cultivate in his youth, but he had seen these things in the countryside. Although he felt uneasy at this moment, he also felt a sense of déjà vu when he thought of the old days.

'Having cultivated Taoism for decades, all he does is either get killed or kill others. How is he any like the immortals in the plays?'

Boom!

A thunderous roar echoed from the sky, the gray lightning piercing the heavens like drums. At the same time, behind him came the sounds of footsteps, conversations, and curses, as if a great many people were approaching.

"Descendants of the ancient Chu, the Liu clan of Chishan? Why don't you come and see your ancestors!"

"Feng Xuan, you are on par with my Xi Yuan Palace, why don't you come and have a talk?"

"Hengguang. Ha, Fengxuan's lineage is still intact. It's a good thing he sacrificed his imperial blood and watched the dynasty's foundation crumble."

"The aura of She Lei, ouch, my body hurts so much, I crave blood."

"Boy, your talent is too poor. I have the Shaoyang Receptor Immortal Technique. If you turn to me, I will pass it on to you, and you can expect to reach the Golden Core stage!"

A cacophony of sounds rang in his ears, and an impulse surged within him, compelling him to turn around. But a slight shift in his aura calmed his mind, allowing him to regain his footing.

"Silence, the lord has arrived."

The boy in the red bib jumped out of the stage again, shouted loudly, and then there was complete silence behind him, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

It seemed as if the sound of flames rising and burning could be heard. At this moment, Liu Xiaowen felt his body recover and his supernatural powers respond again. In fact, they were constantly perfecting themselves and increasing his cultivation.

Boundless light shone from behind, causing him to feel a tremor that penetrated deep into his soul. The mighty imperial power descended, but in an instant it returned to normal, leaving only a renewed light and the radiant aura of the Fiery Warrior.

The Emperor arrived.

The long white paper scroll on the stage began to change, revealing all sorts of mysterious scenes. The vast emptiness and the boundless sky made Liu Xiaowen feel as if he were immersed in it.

Taixu.

The energy of the Jia wood element flowed and rose, with dark wood covered in green scales rising into the sky, reaching the sun high and seemingly endless, scattering green light. Below, countless golden trees grew and changed. Crimson spiritual lightning bands crisscrossed, and countless hideous and twisted flesh and blood fell from the sky, corroding away the golden trees rooted in the void below, as if a majestic dragon's body appeared and disappeared.

Continuing upwards, beyond the vast emptiness, we reached an infinite height.

The chaotic energy flowed endlessly across the vast swamp, covering the sky and swallowing the stars. Purple lightning, like dragons and snakes, pierced the sky, and a deafening sound suddenly exploded, spreading throughout the world.

Across the four seas and nine provinces, countless living beings raised their heads in unison. Hearing this thunder, their hearts were filled with unease. They reflected on themselves, the wounded wept, the grieving were heartbroken, and the joyful forgot their worries. In various places outside Liaodong, the statues of immortals and gods in ancient temples shone brightly. Even in the ruins of the Yu and Yin dynasties, the sounds of ancient people's sacrifices could be heard.

Fine purple lightning began to emanate from the South China Sea, reflecting a sacred face, like a dragon or a human, on the deep seabed. The water level of the entire South China Sea rose rapidly, submerging the shore, causing birds to fall into the abyss and whales to be stranded on the shallows.

Lei Ze hangs high in the sky.

Its Dharma form, soaring high between heaven and earth, reaches the abyss with its feet touching the sea and its head touching the blue sky. The vast South China Sea is insufficient to contain it; only the endless Thunder Marsh can contain it.

In the center, chaotic energy flowed, as if a magnificent deity had descended to earth, pressing down on heaven and earth, and resonating with the Great Dao.

The azure lightning, like a celestial waterfall, poured from the infinite heights into the abyss of the sea, flowing straight to the void. Various strange phenomena manifested around it, presenting a scene of lightning cycles, yin and yang interacting, and mysterious changes.

Even those in the Purple Palace could hardly catch a glimpse of the immortal's face, only able to dart about like fish amidst this strange phenomenon.

The entire Azure Leaf Sky was like a crystal pearl, gently lifted up by the Dharma image shrouded in chaotic energy, with purple lightning transforming into dragons, shining brightly through the long night.

The Big Dipper [Tian Gang], the Southern Sky [Cang Xing], the Left Wall [Yin Ling], the three stars suddenly shine brightly.

The female corpse fell from the sky, her face covered in golden evil spirits, her belly filled with azure stars. From her chest and abdomen, flesh tore apart, and a majestic demonic figure enveloped in azure energy broke free.

The demonic figure stood on the female corpse, its body covered in green hair, and it seemed that countless blood-red figures were attached to its body, with dense runes shimmering faintly.

He stood in the south, facing Thunder Swamp from afar. Behind his enormous demonic body, there seemed to be countless blood-red vines, rooted in heaven and earth, drawing away vital energy, causing the South Sea, which was originally surging with wood energy, to quickly become a place where vegetation withered.

"Yuan Yan, do you really think you can stay out of this?"

He turned his head to look beyond the South China Sea, where he seemed to see howling winds and hurricanes, but the boundaries were clear and did not reach the battlefield.

The demonic figure let out a long breath, causing the heavens and earth to weep and blood rain to fall. It was then heard chanting:
"Yin Qingchen!"

He uttered this name, and it shook the four directions.

Countless ethereal energies began to surge between heaven and earth, sparks ignited, and in an instant, they were shrouded in endless darkness. Only lightning flashed across the entire South China Sea, illuminating the long night.

A candle is lit.

The Dharma image, clad in a deep red celestial robe, emerged from the darkness, topped with a black crown, its face surrounded by ethereal light, and its pupils, like the sun, contained a scene of heaven and earth inverted, and the sun and moon hidden in their positions.

pain.

The excruciating pain, burning to the bone and consuming the soul, spread far and wide, and one could vaguely see a peach turning to ashes in the candlelight.

The great demon, who had been in seclusion in his cave, calmly breathed his last. The fisherman, who was fishing, swayed and fell into the water. Countless ghosts fled into the sea, only to be burned to ashes by wisps of ghostly fire.

The Dharma image raised its head and looked at Lei Ze, its lips, like starlight, moving.

"A battle from beyond the heavens, please."

Thunder rose, a deafening roar resounded, and the vast chaotic energy obscured everything, making all things invisible. The long white paper scroll on the stage was also pierced by a bit of chaotic energy, turning into countless paper figures that fled.

Liu Xiaowen suddenly came to his senses, his pupils turning into nothingness. He fell headfirst, about to kowtow, but was lifted up by a magnificent and radiant aura. His shattered life was rapidly repaired and restored to its perfect state.

"My esteemed ministers, what do you think the outcome will be?"

A calm and authoritative imperial voice came from behind, and the previously silent arena was filled with sounds, somewhat chaotic, as if everyone was discussing something.

"The Seven Immortals carved out the apertures, ascending from chaos to the heavens. They are yet to become saints, the first rulers below the immortals. Who can rival them?"

“How could Yin Hou be inferior? The sun and moon are not as good as Ding Fire, which should be the first among the five fires. Moreover, this is the place left by the Heavenly Thunder Immortal’s trace.”

"Zhang Xuanmi, ha! He deceived Emperor Feng and fooled Shen Guang. Such a despicable person does not deserve to bear the name of the Zhang family. He will surely be struck down by divine thunder!"

"Shen Lei, don't you even look at the situation of his ancestors?"

"Enough! Wasn't Qingyu's fate tragic enough? I happened to visit the Yin Palace of Mount Tai back then, and I took a look through the Netherworld Mirror. Even Xin Jin's intentions were dispelled, and he collapsed from his position."

Suddenly, the brilliant light of the Bing Fire rose up, illuminating the sky like the sun descending upon the world. The boundless light surged endlessly, and the crimson fire burned along the heavens and earth, as if a proclamation was being made, depicting events and refining forms to shape reality.

"Regardless of victory or defeat, after this battle, Wuqi should be established to subdue Binghuo and continue the efforts to restore the country when the time comes. He should take up his sword and restore the country, so that the name of Fengyan will spread throughout the Central Plains."

Bright light shone brightly, and crimson flames surged, followed by a majestic voice.

"To bring peace to the world, to rectify the mortal and immortal realms, and to restore humanity—this is my mission!"

After a brief silence, a burst of enthusiastic voices erupted from behind, praising His Majesty's wisdom and the Emperor's benevolence.

"Da Chi Bingxiao, why don't you turn around and kowtow to the Emperor?"

A soft, gentle female voice seemed to ring in Liu Xiaowen's ears. His mind was stirred, and the seal script within his body became more active than ever before. At this moment, he forgot all about the old man's warning.

He turned around and performed the rites of a subject.

"Your Majesty."

Everything was silent, without a sound. Liu Xiaowen slowly raised his head, only to see the empty white jade steps, with no seats or people on them.

(End of this chapter)