Chapter 111

Chapter 111: I Am Also Troubled

"Senior!"

"Master!"

Ao Bing, Yue Ruyi, Ao Lie, Lan Youruo, and others looked greatly startled, as if worried about Ye Xu’s safety, but only their shouts could be heard, yet no one took action to stop it.

Bang!

Before the palm of the Nine-headed Great Emperor fell, Ye Xu exploded with a bang and vanished into thin air.

"Senior?"

In that instant, everyone froze in place.

Had the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion died?

Ao Lie and his companions looked extremely solemn. Though they had schemed against Ye Xu, they never imagined Ye Xu would perish at the hands of the Nine-headed Great Emperor.

To everyone, Ye Xu seemed all-powerful. How could he be subdued by a Great Emperor?

Lin Qianmo and Lan Youruo were also deeply shocked.

Had this all-knowing master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion fallen just like that?

Inside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, there was no trace of Ye Xu’s aura any longer; he seemed truly dead.

"Senior…"

Earlier, Ye Xian’er had been relaxed and carefree, but as Ye Xu suddenly perished before her eyes, her expression instantly became dull, as if she had lost her soul.

During that time, living day and night with Ye Xu had made Ye Xian’er regard him as her inner support. After Qi Hongchou was expelled from the sect and Qi Qingsi vanished, Ye Xian’er treated Heaven’s Secret Pavilion even more as her home.

Yet, Ye Xu was dead.

"Is that all the power you have, daring to call yourself the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?"

The Nine-headed Great Emperor snorted with scorn; he had just attacked to test Ye Xu.

But he never expected Ye Xu would be so fragile.

With just one strike, Ye Xu perished in both body and soul.

Outside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, the Seven-tailed Celestial Fox Yue Ji let out a long sigh of relief. She had constantly worried about the Nine-headed Great Emperor and feared Ye Xu; now that Ye Xu was killed in one blow, her fears were pointless.

The Nine-headed Great Emperor fixed his eighteen eyes on everyone and let out a sinister laugh.

"Heh heh…"

Ao Lie’s laugh was more like a grimace than a smile, far uglier than crying.

Ao Bing, Yue Ruyi, and others were deeply sorrowful, as if grieving for their own parents.

With two Great Emperors uniting, they had almost no chance of surviving.

They regretted ever choosing such a foolish plan!

Everyone was filled with deep regret.

Ao Lie, who had hatched the scheme, felt immense guilt and self-blame.

Because of his own stupidity, he had caused the death of "Senior"!

"It seems you all still care about me."

Suddenly, a light laugh echoed within Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. Tiny divine lights gathered and condensed, forming an extraordinarily handsome youth with flushed lips and white teeth.

Ye Xu looked at Ao Bing and the others with a half-smile. Had it not been for their genuine display of emotion earlier, he might have asked the Nine-headed Great Emperor to step in for him and eliminate these scheming folks.

"Senior? You’re still alive?"

Ao Bing and the others were overjoyed. Ao Lie and Yang Xuanzhan even cried for joy.

"I always said senior’s strength was unmatched in the world; how could he perish?" Ao Lie flattered him. "Senior, you scared us half to death just now."

Lin Qianmo’s gaze was deep.

"Sister, what’s going on?" Lan Youruo asked, puzzled. "His primordial spirit and physical body were clearly obliterated by the Path of Oblivion, so why can they regenerate?"

"Reach his level, and you’ll naturally understand," Lin Qianmo said.

At that moment, she finally fully believed Ye Xu was a capable reclusive master.

"Not dead yet?" The Nine-headed Great Emperor’s pupils contracted sharply. "Your spirit scattered to ashes; how can you still survive?"

Ye Xu’s primordial spirit and physical body had both been obliterated, yet he could revive from death. This ability reached a level beyond imagination.

Regular qi cultivators could cultivate into a great sage, quasi-emperor, or even emperor realm. As long as the primordial spirit remained intact, they could resurrect from death, nearly possessing an immortal body.

But this was only possible if the primordial spirit existed.

In Ye Xu’s case, his primordial spirit had been obliterated, yet he could resurrect. This power was utterly astonishing.

"This person… this person is surely a top expert," Yue Ji said with a heavy expression, her lovely face pale as snow.

From the moment Ye Xu returned to life, she realized they’d kicked an iron plate.

"Xiang Liu, escape immediately!" Yue Ji shouted.

Hearing that command, the nine-headed snake snapped to its senses instantly. It transformed into a stream of light, burst through the void, and raced to flee Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

Ye Xu returned to sit on his reclining chair. Staring at Ye Xian’er’s dazed face, he said unhappily, "Ye girl, have you lost your mind?"

"Senior… are you a human or a ghost?" Ye Xian’er both startled and delighted, didn’t dare approach Ye Xu.

Smack!

A knuckle knock landed as Ye Xu ordered, "Pour some tea."

"It’s really you," Ye Xian’er excitedly rubbed her head, oblivious to the pain. She hastily poured tea for Ye Xu. "Senior, earlier I saw you dead… ahem, saw you vanish. Xian’er was frantic."

"Senior, it’s so wonderful you’re okay."

"Of course I’m fine." Ye Xu took a sip of tea and said offhandedly, "Just a big-headed braggart. I was playing along with him."

Of course, that wasn’t his only aim.

Lin Qianmo and the others schemed against him, and he also wanted them to taste fear.

"Esteemed Senior, did that fellow escape?" Lan Youruo inquired.

"No."

Ye Xu smiled lightly. "I had him running in circles inside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. By now, he likely believed he escaped hundreds of thousands of kilometres away."

"…"

Dread filled everyone’s hearts.

Ye Xu’s method was too terrifying.

"Hahahaha…"

Familiar laughter resounded as Nine-headed Great Emperor burst from the void. He roared with laughter, radiating relief like someone escaping dire peril.

"I fled over five million kilometres in one breath—should be near the Sea of All Realms by now. Master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, how could you possibly pursue this Great Emperor?" Nine-headed Great Emperor laughed triumphantly.

But slowly, his laughter stiffened.

"Why am I still here?" Fear and utter confusion gripped him.

He’d clearly fled millions of kilometres—why was he still in Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?

Watching this, Yue Ji’s heart sank to its depths.

"Xiang Liu is beyond saving."

She shook her head decisively, abandoning Nine-headed Great Emperor instantly and vanishing outside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

Her voice echoed back into the pavilion:

"In half a month, Taihao Heavenly Sect will pay you a formal visit. We hope you might spare Xiang Liu’s life."

Tension ran through the crowd.

Yue Ji’s words plainly threatened Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

Taihao Heavenly Sect—one of Spirit Realm’s three powerful figures, where Emperor Venerables emerged generation after generation.

"Darn woman!"

Nine-headed Great Emperor despaired, cursing furiously. "You actually ran for it and left me behind!"

"Esteemed Senior…"

Suddenly, Nine-headed Great Emperor shifted his demeanor entirely. Tears streamed down his face as he knelt abruptly before Ye Xu, sincerity etched in every word. "This junior knows he erred. Spare my tiny life."

"You and I bore no deep hatred. Why resort to killing at first sight?" Ye Xu shook his head faintly. "Originally, I meant not to kill you. But since Yue Ji left that warning… were I to let you live, wouldn’t it seem Heaven’s Secret Pavilion feared Taihao Heavenly Sect?"

"Now I find myself in quite a bind."

Ye Xian’er bit back a laugh.

She understood Ye Xu. Given his attitude, Nine-headed Great Emperor now had only one path left—death.

"That wretched female!"

Nine-headed Great Emperor bellowed anew before hastily pleading, "Esteemed Senior, this junior acted rashly and provoked you. Even dying a hundred times wouldn’t suffice as punishment."

"But I implore you, spare my life. This humble cultivator’s journey wasn’t easy."

"I vow Taihao Heavenly Sect shall never trouble Heaven’s Secret Pavilion!"

"You circle back to the same words again."

Ye Xu sighed softly, tiring of this farce. Cold indifference filled his gaze. "Keep your eyes wide open henceforth. Never forget this lesson."

"Gratitude, Esteemed Senior! Endless gratitu—"

Nine-headed Great Emperor erupted with wild hope, believing escape was his.

Bang!

The very next instant, his body exploded without warning. Heads shattered one after another as his primordial spirit melted away.

"I… I resig—!"

Burning will to survive blazed within Nine-headed Great Emperor’s eyes.

He’d endured endless trials to become a Great Emperor.

He refused to die.

Yet however fiercely the Nine-headed Great Emperor fought, he couldn’t wrest free from Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s power.

Within moments, a Great Emperor perished silently.

A Dao fruit hung midair, emanating an aura of stillness and extinction.

The Qian Kun Cauldron floated eerily, entwined by swirling streams of yin and yang energies.

With but a thought from Ye Xu, the Qian Kun Cauldron shrank into his pocket. The Dao fruit split apart, transforming into an ashen chain that merged seamlessly into the fabric of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion itself.

This Path of Oblivion would serve as vital nourishment for the pavilion.

Joy and terror mingled among the onlookers, each silently terrified Ye Xu might cast judgment upon them next.

With the Path of Oblivion extracted, Ye Xu turned toward Lin Qianmo, Yue Ruyi, and others, his lips curling with faint mockery.

"My dear friends, with Xiang Liu now ended… shall we properly discuss compensation?"