Chapter 130

Chapter 130: The Sovereign Existed Before Heaven, Who’s the Clown Prince? It Was Me

Red Dust Demon Sect.

"Master!"

"Master."

Qi Ruyu and Ye Hongchen hurried out to greet the newcomers. With them was Qin Changsheng, the current leader of the Unsurpassed Sacred Ground, who had already relocated from Unsurpassed Fairy Island.

"Master, what urgent matter demanded such a hasty summons?" Qi Ruyu inquired.

He had been discussing follow-up matters of the Unsurpassed Sacred Ground with Qin Changsheng. After receiving Lin Qianmo’s message, he had waited quietly at the Red Dust Demon Sect for the group.

"The seal on Godfall Ridge is weakening. The creatures sealed within have begun escaping. Immediately command the sect’s disciples to evacuate all people within a hundred thousand miles of Godfall Ridge," Lin Qianmo ordered.

Lin Qianmo offered no attempt to conceal the matter from Qin Changsheng or Ning Wudao.

After all, Qin Changsheng was now part of the Southern Wilderness administration and had a right to know. As for Ning Wudao, he was Ye Xu’s disciple – even less reason to hide it from him.

"So fast?" Qi Ruyu’s body jolted in shock. Wasn’t there supposed to be three months left?

"Senior sister," Qin Changsheng’s expression shifted slightly, "My disciples are also in the Southern Wilderness. They could surely lend a hand." He volunteered his sect’s forces.

"Good."

Lin Qianmo did not refuse.

Evacuating so many people constituted a monumental undertaking, and their subsequent resettlement would be equally troublesome.

More hands would mean less time wasted.

"Ning Wudao, you may return and report your mission complete," Lin Qianmo instructed.

"Senior," Ning Wudao clasped his hands respectfully. "Though my cultivation is meagre, I am the leader of a hall. I too wish to contribute what I could for the people of the Southern Wilderness."

A flicker of appreciation crossed Lin Qianmo’s gaze.

Truly worthy of being noticed by the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. He possessed some political acumen.

With the urgent situation at hand, this was precisely the moment to build goodwill with both the Red Dust Demon Sect and the Unsurpassed Sacred Ground.

One must remember, these two powers were now the Southern Wilderness giants. Any friendship forged between them and the Celestial Demon Hall would bring only benefit, no harm.

"In that case, I will give my orders immediately."

Ning Wudao retrieved his communication jade talisman, quickly notified the elders of the Celestial Demon Hall with his instructions, and then took his leave, heading straight for Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

After half a day, Ning Wudao returned to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

"Senior."

Arriving at the pavilion, Ning Wudao found only Yang Xuanzhan maintaining watch inside the grand hall.

"Junior apprentice brother," Yang Xuanzhan registered surprise, "You returned so promptly? How did the trip to Return to the Ruins go? Was it smooth?"

"It was," Ning Wudao confirmed a single nod. "The objective is secured."

"My arrival is to report the mission’s completion to the Senior."

"The Old Master has been cultivating these past few days. Would you prefer to wait?" Yang Xuanzhan said with a slight smile.

Ye Xu converted millions of heavenly secrets points into cultivation proficiency. After Ning Wudao and others had departed, he had been digesting the knowledge of various realms.

Each realm held different mysteries. Ye Xu needed time to master them and skillfully wield his power.

Ning Wudao frowned slightly. "Since the senior is in closed-door cultivation, I will return to the Celestial Demon Hall to handle affairs. I shall come back in a few days to pay respects to the senior."

"That sounds fine," Yang Xuanzhan nodded.

"Senior brother, farewell."

After bidding farewell to Yang Xuanzhan, Ning Wudao left Heaven’s Secret Pavilion and returned to the Celestial Demon Hall.

Watching Ning Wudao’s receding figure, Yang Xuanzhan revealed an expression of envy in his eyes.

To receive the master’s cultivation guidance while maintaining freedom was an immeasurable honor.

However, Yang Xuanzhan harbored not a shred of resentment.

Following Ye Xu, though he was a servant, enabled him to glimpse higher realms.

…

The Poisonous Forest.

A divine ability cast by Yue Ji had reduced the Poisonous Forest spanning millions of miles to ashes. Countless poisonous insects and fierce beasts were consumed by flames, leaving the ground bald and scorched earth in every direction.

On this day, the earth suddenly cracked open. A wisp of black mist rose from the depths below.

The black mist coiled and gradually formed a beautiful silhouette.

She wore a black robe, had black hair, and stood barefoot.

Underneath the robe, her graceful curves were faintly discernible.

"It has been such a long time ago, I wonder if those two Great Emperors are still in the Yuan Realm?"

This Beautiful Young Woman was precisely the Poison Emperor. Hunted by Yue Ji that day, She had plunged into the earth’s crust, concealed Her aura, and evaded Yue Ji’s detection.

During this time, the Poison Emperor had completely digested the flesh and blood of Emperor Venerable Buzhou. Her strength soared explosively, thoroughly reaching the level of a Great Emperor.

As part of the primordial creatures, the Poison Emperor’s cultivation differed from those of humans, the demon clan, the divine clans, and the demon clan. She had no realms to distinguish and required no techniques. Merely by continual feeding, her strength could grow.

The longer She lived, the stronger She became.

This was the advantage of a Primordial being.

Nevertheless, Primordial beings faced limitations. They found it extremely difficult to attain the true peak.

Thus, across the long ages, the living space of Primordial beings was incessantly squeezed. Their numbers dwindled further, and in the present day, they had become exceedingly scarce.

"What a pity for the Poisonous Forest. I spent a million years cultivating an environment fit for my abode, and now it has been utterly destroyed…"

The Poison Emperor’s eyes showed profound regret.

Her body burst with a thud, transforming into a wisp of mist that drifted towards the Southern Wilderness.

The ruin of the Poisonous Forest bore no real significance to Her.

Her appearance this time was to journey to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

At the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain, She had heard the name "Heaven’s Secret Pavilion" repeatedly. In the Poisonous Forest, She had often caught tales of the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s prestige. The Poison Emperor had long held thoughts about Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

Half a day later, the Poison Emperor drifted into Linglong City and landed before Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

The next second, a Beautiful Young Woman appeared, but she was covered in a black robe, making it impossible to see her real face.

"It really has some tricks," the Poison Emperor said, gazing at Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, an ordinary-looking pavilion that unexpectedly made it feel a slight unease.

Primordial beings have extremely keen perceptions. Since it could have sensed unease, it proved that Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was very strange.

The Poison Emperor did not hesitate and walked straight into Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

It looked around. The furnishings were simple, and there was only Yang Xuanzhan alone.

The moment it saw Yang Xuanzhan, the Poison Emperor paused briefly.

Wasn’t this the ant from the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain back then?

Was he part of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?

"Are you the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?" the Poison Emperor asked, staring at Yang Xuanzhan. "A Sage’s cultivation?"

"You’ve misunderstood, miss."

Yang Xuanzhan looked at the Poison Emperor and felt an inexplicable hint of familiarity.

However, he wasn’t sure of the Poison Emperor’s identity and asked, "I am merely a servant of my master. For now, my master is in seclusion. Miss, are you here to conduct business with my master?"

"Sort of," the Poison Emperor nodded.

"In that case, miss, please take a seat and wait a while," Yang Xuanzhan offered the Poison Emperor a cup of hot tea. "I will inform my master."

"However, whether my master will emerge immediately, I cannot say for certain."

"He has quite some airs."

The Poison Emperor snorted coldly, but what came out was a hoarse voice, entirely unlike the earlier enchanting and gentle voice.

Yang Xuanzhan frowned.

Not because of the Poison Emperor’s voice change, but because of its arrogance.

"Miss, my master does business as he pleases. If you cannot wait, then leave." With Heaven’s Secret Pavilion as his backing, Yang Xuanzhan spoke bluntly.

"Tsk tsk…"

The Poison Emperor’s voice was raspy and grating, "The master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion indeed lives up to his fame. A mere lowly servant dares to be rude before this emperor?"

Yang Xuanzhan furrowed his brows tightly. Daring to call itself an emperor, what kind of being was it?

"Whether I’m a slave or servant isn’t for you to judge."

"Since Heaven’s Secret Pavilion opened, many troublemakers have come, yet none met a good end. Your tone is hostile; do you intend to be the next?"

"Ha ha ha…"

The Poison Emperor tittered delicately, "Such a small Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, yet its nurtured servants are so arrogant. I am even more curious about the legendary master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

Yang Xuanzhan shuddered.

The figure before him was neither male nor female, ever-changing and elusive.

Of all the beings he had encountered, only one was this bizarre.

Poison Emperor!

Was it the Poison Emperor?

Yang Xuanzhan’s heart raced with fear.

"Sir, you’d better keep that interest to yourself."

Suddenly, a calm voice drifted over. "I have no interest in those neither man nor woman."

"Oh?"

"Ah, I almost forgot—you’re not even human."

Ye Xu approached steadily, divine light glimmering in his eyes, his entire aura having undergone a transformation as drastic as turning the world upside down.

His presence was profound and elusive, hovering between reality and nothingness, unfathomably deep.

The over four million heavenly secrets points had all been spent by Ye Xu.

Still, it fell just slightly short.

He had used over two million heavenly secrets points to exchange for the Creation Heart Sutra of the emperor realm. Then, he depleted every last point to elevate his cultivation, ultimately reaching the peak of the emperor realm.

A single sliver more and he would’ve ascended to Great Emperor, wielding the power of the Great Dao of creation.

"Master."

Yang Xuanzhan’s face lit up with joy. Though he couldn’t gauge Ye Xu’s exact level, he could tell the retreat had yielded substantial gains.

The Poison Emperor took no offense at Ye Xu’s words.

He was, after all, not human—nor did he aspire to be seen as one.

As a Primordial being, born with the power to shatter heaven and earth, he belonged to the noblest, most perfect race in existence.

"You must be the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?"

The Poison Emperor stared at Ye Xu, his gaze peculiar. "Word is, the descent into the world of Unsurpassed Divine Mountain was facilitated by you, leaking celestial secrets?"

"Naturally."

Ye Xu replied lightly, "Someone offered payment, so I provided value-equivalent information."

"The Pavilion Master’s strategic mastery, holding destiny in his hands—it truly commands admiration." The Poison Emperor smiled ambiguously. "In that case, sir, might you know this Emperor’s origins?"

His eyes shone with pride, laced with a trace of skepticism.

Even after perceiving Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s peculiarity, a shred of doubt lingered within him regarding Ye Xu’s abilities.

Ye Xu only smiled without answering.

Back when Ao Bing, Yue Ruyi, and others had gathered at Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, Ye Xu had already laid bare the Poison Emperor’s deepest secrets.

Now, the Poison Emperor was pompously flaunting his background right before him—Ye Xu found it utterly laughable, a slight curve tracing his lips as he suppressed the urge to chuckle out loud.

The lofty Poison Emperor was, surprisingly, rather naive.

Seeing Ye Xu remain silent for so long, the arrogance in the Poison Emperor’s eyes deepened.

"Truly, it’s only natural you wouldn’t know."

He clasped his hands behind his back, feigning profundity. "Before my existence laid the foundations of the heavens, and I was present before the heavens themselves were created."

"This Emperor’s roots are beyond the ken of mortal minds."

His interest waned entirely.

The master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was merely so.

Ahem, ahem!

Yang Xuanzhan suddenly cleared his throat at this moment.

The Poison Emperor’s identity was practically an open secret. Witnessing his shamelessly self-satisfied expression, Yang Xuanzhan simply couldn’t hold back. "Senior Poison Emperor, we have indeed met before."

"Mmm."

The Poison Emperor nodded.

"In truth, the nature of your origin," Yang Xuanzhan continued, "was known to my master long before the descent of Unsurpassed Divine Mountain. It was he who informed the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, Pure Land, and Senior Lin of the method to suppress you."

"Oh?"

The Poison Emperor still disbelieved Yang Xuanzhan’s words.

As a Primordial being, he innately shielded a portion of celestial secrets. Without this ability, he would have long ago recovered his scattered physical forms and returned to his peak.

In his view, how could any ordinary diviner possibly deduce his true nature?

Ahem, ahem!

Yang Xuanzhan pressed on, "You are derived from the kidney of a Primordial being, possessing an immortal body. To counter you, one requires the power of life itself."

"And moreover—"

"Silence!"

The Poison Emperor’s complexion abruptly shifted. He stared at the utterly composed Ye Xu, his aura wildly fluctuating—astonished, thrilled, yet shadowed by profound embarrassment.

His earlier claim—’Before me were the heavens’—had been sheer arrogance, mostly bluster.

If this young man before him truly knew his origins… had he merely been observing the Poison Emperor’s boastful performance all along?

A sudden realization struck the Poison Emperor: the clown in this scenario was himself.

"Master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, do you truly know this Emperor’s origins?"