Chapter 283: You Eat People?

Eat people?

The moment these words left his lips, the entire Filth Realm seemed to fall silent for an instant.

Behind the twelve-beaded crown, Cheng Yu's gaze grew obscure, making it impossible to discern the emotions churning within his eyes.

"Ants... Hahaha!" He suddenly burst into loud laughter.

The sound shook the heavens, its intensity so great that the entire Filth Realm trembled.

The golden dragon patterns on his black imperial robe seemed to come alive, baring fangs and brandishing claws as dragon roars echoed through the air.

"How many years has it been? How many years has it been since anyone dared to..."

Boom!

Thunder exploded, purging evil and filth. A blinding thunder dragon seemed intent on tearing the Filth Realm asunder, instantly drowning out the golden dragon and crashing down upon the man who called himself the "Demon Venerable," Cheng Yu!

Caught off guard by the sudden strike, he failed to defend himself for even a split second, and was smashed into the ground by the thunder dragon!

Ten thousand miles of dust and sand surged up, swallowing everything in sight.

The remaining Tai Shang Sect disciples seized this opportunity to use their techniques, fleeing in one direction.

In a battle at the Return to Emptiness level, staying behind would only be a burden.

Xiao Yu looked at the figure in the dust clouds with a gaze like that of a fool.

Did this guy not know that villains die from talking too much?

"You deserve to die!!!"

Amidst a roar filled with boundless fury, rolling demonic energy surged, transforming into a ferocious demonic dragon that charged out of the dust toward Xiao Yu.

Cheng Yu, disheveled and wild, followed closely behind, clutching a purple spear, his eyes burning with a rage that seemed intent on incinerating the world.

"Come!"

Thunder exploded, falling into Xiao Yu's hand and transforming into a halberd.

Without dodging or evading, he held the halberd with one hand and brought it crashing down!

Boom, boom, boom!

The entire Filth Realm seemed to be covered in blinding white radiance in an instant, with arcs of lightning dancing toward the four corners of the world!

A figure flew backward, once again smashing heavily into the ground.

One exchange!

Cheng Yu, at the peak of Return to Emptiness, was defeated.

Xiao Yu stood proudly in the void, surrounded by rolling wind and thunder, his black hair dancing wildly, holding the lightning-lit halberd like a god of war.

On a small hill in the distance, two Spirit Transformation cultivators from the Tai Shang Sect had casually killed a large group of demonic creatures.

They then lay on the mountaintop, carefully observing the Return to Emptiness battlefield in the distance.

"Senior Brother, is Uncle-Master's performance correct?"

If he remembered correctly, this lightning technique didn't seem suitable for close-quarters combat.

"Perhaps Uncle-Master has already improved it," the other speculated.

Improved it?

It didn't look like it.

Lightning continued to flash, and the thunderous roar never ceased.

There were no flashy techniques; he relied solely on the halberd formed from divine lightning to suppress the guy who had appeared so arrogantly and called himself the "Demon Venerable," leaving him with no power to resist.

The combat prowess of the Tai Shang Sect's number one Return to Emptiness cultivator was on full display.

Thud!

After being smashed into the ground yet again, Cheng Yu's black dragon-patterned imperial robe was in tatters, and his eyes were filled with terror.

They were at the same realm, yet this guy was unreasonably strong!

He couldn't continue like this.

He flew into the high sky, shouting before the lightning halberd could strike again.

"Filth Realm, assist me!"

Hum~!

A humming sound, as if echoing from the depths of the world, descended upon Cheng Yu as a mysterious, powerful force of reinforcement.

Dense shadows spread, and the extremely filthy, evil aura instantly tainted the fierce lightning halberd, staining it a purplish-black.

Xiao Yu frowned, let go of the weapon, and transformed into a bolt of lightning to distance himself.

Looking up, he saw Cheng Yu standing amidst boundless, dense shadows, manifesting scenes of decay and ruin.

A phantom of a yellowish-gray river, reeking of death and composed of corpse water, manifested; severed limbs floated within it, and dull-eyed souls struggled in the current.

"I have seized your divine weapon; let's see how you can still act so fiercely!"

The voice was layered and overlapping, making it impossible to distinguish gender, like the shrieks of demons and ghosts, chilling to the bone.

Divine weapon?

"Evil heretic!" Xiao Yu snorted coldly. "Today, I shall purge the evil and defend the Dao!"

Calling oneself "this seat" in the Tai Tai Xuan Realm would get one laughed to death, but it was common practice here.

"Dharma Form, open!"

The voice traveled far, and a golden, divine, and majestic Dharma Form, no smaller than the dense shadows, rose up.

It was coiled with dragons and tigers, its hands grasping wind and thunder.

Behind its head, black and white colors intertwined, rotating slowly and becoming distinct.

On the small hill.

"Uncle-Master has opened his Dharma Form."

"We should go."

Both spoke almost simultaneously, then looked at each other, saying in unison:

"You go first!"

Once these words were spoken, they both understood something.

"I'll go this way."

One stood up and pointed to one side.

"Then I'll go that way." The other stood up and pointed to the other side.

Each walked in the direction they had pointed.

Not long after, in a hidden corner.

A wisp of clear energy drifted, and a spark of fire lit up.

There was no further movement.

Mortal Realm, Songyun Dynasty.

The name came from the founding emperor of the Songyun Dynasty. It was said that in his later years, he obtained a chance for immortality and entered the "Tai Tai Xuan True Wonder Heaven" to cultivate, taking the Daoist name Songyun.

Because of this, successive emperors of the Songyun Dynasty would frantically pursue immortality in their later years, embarking on massive construction projects that left the people destitute.

However, it was to no avail. Except for the founding emperor, none of the subsequent emperors ever attained immortality, and all died in frustration.

The current emperor of the Songyun Dynasty was only twenty when he ascended the throne. At that time, because the previous emperor had been obsessed with seeking immortality, the Songyun Dynasty was already on the verge of collapse.

But through twenty years of diligent governance, he had truly steadied the crumbling empire, and his cavalry conquered all directions.

He brought peace and prosperity to the people, ushering in a golden age.

The national strength was second only to the time when the founding emperor attained immortality.

However, in the last twenty years, he had become addicted to wine and women, exhausting the nation's wealth for his own pleasure.

Now approaching sixty, the signs of old age were apparent.

No longer the brilliant and martial ruler of his youth, he too had begun to harbor thoughts of seeking immortality.

The capital, the most prosperous place in the Songyun Dynasty.

In a private garden.

Clear water flowed, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds like a brilliant jade belt.

Both banks were lined with lush pine and cypress trees and vibrant peach blossoms, their green leaves and pink flowers complementing each other. It was spring all year round, and the scenery was breathtaking.

But the most eye-catching feature in the garden was a translucent jade rockery, steep and dignified, inhabited by birds and exotic beasts.

The water flowing from the mountains was like a waterfall from the Milky Way, a magnificent sight.

On the bank.

Stood a figure in Daoist robes, with white hair and a white beard, his cheeks slightly gaunt, his skin tinged with a faint yellow, exuding an air of old age.

His eyes, already dimmed, held a gaze that was indifferent yet filled with authority.

Behind him, a fair-skinned Daoist boy held an incense burner, with sandalwood smoke curling upward.

A maid, with skin like ice and bones like jade, draped in a light, sheer shawl that revealed glimpses of her beauty, offered a jade plate containing several round, scarlet pills.

A Daoist master in purple robes, exuding an air of immortality, was chanting scriptures.

The aged yet authoritative figure picked up a pill, and upon smelling the faint scent of blood, a trace of disgust appeared in his eyes.

But in the end, he swallowed it.

A smear of scarlet stained his lips, making his face appear somewhat demonic.

Hu~

Exhaling a fishy breath, his sallow cheeks seemed to flush with color, and his slightly hunched back straightened.

"In the end, am I still unable to attain immortality?"

The voice was calm yet carried a hint of melancholy, causing the boy holding the burner and the maid holding the jade plate to tremble.

"Purple Stone Master, tell me, what must I do to attain immortality like the founding emperor?"

The Daoist, who had been sitting high and mighty chanting scriptures, paused, then said slowly, "Your Majesty has profound fortune; you only need to cultivate diligently, and you will surely attain the Tai Tai Xuan True Wonder..."

Before he could finish, the sky suddenly turned red.

A streak of light fell from the sky, smashing heavily into the jade rockery!

Boom!

The entire jade rockery exploded, the fragments carrying unimaginable force as they shot in all directions.

The old emperor's pupils contracted, and he stumbled back in shock, fortunately, a white jade ring on his finger suddenly lit up, supporting a thin layer of spiritual light.

The exploding jade fragments were incredibly sharp, but when they struck the seemingly fragile and thin spiritual barrier, they only caused ripples.

"Your Majesty!"

"Protect the Emperor!!!"

"Protect His Majesty!"

Amidst the shouts.

Figures rushed out from all directions, clad in armor and swords, surrounding the old emperor in an impenetrable circle in the blink of an eye.

Someone even rushed to the old emperor's side, about to say something, but was kicked aside by the old emperor.

"Get out of the way!"

The old emperor stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the spot where the jade rockery had once stood.

There, standing on the remaining half of the jade rockery, was a cold-looking young man in black tight-fitting clothes.

He was looking around, seemingly observing the environment.

"Audacious thief, how dare you..."

Bang!

Before he could finish, the guard commander was kicked to the ground by the old emperor.

The young man seemed to be attracted by the commotion and looked over.

His clear, calm, and deep eyes met the old emperor's, and the heavy killing intent made the old emperor tremble.

Having held supreme power for many years, he still felt a sense of heart-pounding dread at this moment.

It was like a sheep facing a tiger, a mayfly looking up at a dragon.

This was a gap in the level of life!

"Sorry."

The cold young man suddenly said very sincerely, which stunned the old emperor.

Then he asked eagerly:

"Is the Immortal Master an immortal from the 'Tai Tai Xuan True Wonder Heaven'?"

Immortal Master?

The cold young man, Xiao Fan, paused: "No, and I am just a cultivator."

Then, Xiao Fan's gaze passed over the old emperor and landed on the jade plate held by the maid.

Such a heavy scent of blood.

Spiritual light flashed in his eyes as he activated a technique taught to him by Huo.

Looking again, the essence of the pills was laid bare.

Hundred-Infant Pills, made from the heart blood of ninety-nine infants under one year old, and the brain marrow and heart blood of a six-month-old infant extracted at noon...

Xiao Fan looked at the old emperor again, his voice icy cold.

"You eat people?"