Chapter 1293: The Grand Emperor Emeritus of the Southern Chu Kingdom

Three immortal-feeling, Dao-boned old Daoists rode a phoenix cloud carriage, accompanied by several thousand Dao soldiers and servants. Among them were dozens at Soul Transformation, several thousand at Nascent Soul, and several hundred thousand Jin Dan and Foundation Establishment cultivators arranged into battle formations and stored within spatial treasures, ready to form arrays and charge out at any moment.

These Dao soldiers and generals wore Lei Ting Jin Jia, layered in tight rings of protection, forming a magic net without the slightest gap—truly the awe-inspiring grandeur of an upper-realm true sect.

These Soul Transformation-grade Dao soldiers and servants were the famed "Thunder Division Dao Soldiers" of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder True Sect.

These Thunder Division Dao Soldiers were a force the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder True Sect had poured immense effort into building. Their ranks were drawn from outer-sect elders, foreign-race servants, and cultivators who had ascended from the Minor Thousand Worlds.

Especially the cultivators who had ascended from the Minor Thousand Worlds—these were often of exceptional quality and could serve as combat-captain Dao generals.

In theory, every cultivator who ascended from a Minor Thousand World was a sovereign of their own realm. They had endured countless trials, wielded the authority of an entire world, with the lives of billions hanging on a single thought. Once they had stood supreme beneath the heavens. No matter their actual strength, their pride was absolute—they would never submit to serving as mere Dao soldiers.

They could serve as servants, could bow low and play the small man, could endure endless humiliation—all of that was fine. They had clawed their way up from the lowest dregs, had seen every hardship, had tasted every bitterness.

But!

They would absolutely never serve as Dao soldiers or generals with no path of advancement, no possibility of ever reaching Void Refining!

Yet the truth was unfolding right before their eyes. Among these Soul Transformation-grade Dao generals were several cultivators who had ascended from the Minor Thousand Worlds. Each of them performed their duties wholeheartedly, sweeping the surroundings with their divine sense without pause for a single instant, guarding the true sect's inner-sect elders, showing not the slightest slack.

It was not only the three immortal-feeling, Dao-boned old cultivators—any cultivator who had been granted the command tally of the Thunder Division Dao Soldiers could receive their loyal service unto death. Even if the destination were an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep, a battlefield of certain death, they would fear nothing and hesitate not at all.

"These Thunder Division Dao Soldiers are excellent indeed. They've more than tenfold the strength of us."

"It's just a pity that, unless there's a major mission, we can't deploy them. Apart from a few people, normally we can't use them for refining treasures or cultivation. Even when we can, it costs a fortune in sect contribution points."

The burly Lei Ting cultivator sighed with feeling, clearly relishing the sensation of several hundred thousand Dao soldiers at his side.

At this moment, their strength was far greater than usual. If they had such aid in ordinary times, capturing demon beasts, fighting over cave dwellings, refining pills and artifacts—how much easier it would all be.

"Junior Brother, you're being far too greedy."

"Besides the Old Ancestor's personal disciples and the Sect Master, who else has the authority to deploy the Thunder Division Dao Soldiers at will?"

The immortal-feeling, Dao-boned old cultivator shook his head slightly: "Ever since more than four thousand years ago, when one of the three lords—Shenxiao, Divine Thunder, and Divine Punishment—Shenxiao Canghai Tianjun, led the Thunder Division Dao Soldiers and vanished without a trace, losing them all, we have yet to recover even half of the Thunder Division Dao Soldiers. In our battles against Blood Lake and Corpse Bone Mountain, we've been retreating step by step."

"If the Nine Ghosts Dao Soldiers of Blood Lake and Corpse Bone Mountain hadn't also vanished without a trace—"

"—the sect would by now have likely lost countless territories…"

The three Canghai Tianjun of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder True Sect chatted idly.

One could see they felt not the slightest shame or embarrassment at mobilizing several hundred thousand Dao soldiers to pursue a single weak cultivator from the lower realms. Instead, each of them considered it perfectly natural.

The Dao values life. It values the self.

To have power and not use it, to imitate the reckless blood-courage of loose cultivators—wouldn't that be the act of a fool?

Each of them was several thousand years old. In their youth they had been fierce and combative enough, beguiled by arrogance, conceit, and vanity. But at their present age, such things had long since become drifting smoke before the eyes, no longer held in the heart.

A sufficiently long span of time can make anyone grow patient.

Several days later, this terrifying great army flew into the territory of a mortal kingdom.

Soon, the royal capital of this mortal kingdom called the Southern Chu Kingdom appeared before their eyes.

By now the several hundred thousand Dao soldiers had fully deployed. The crushing pressure of the battle formation descended, plunging this mortal royal capital of a million souls into a deathly stillness. Countless mortals went rigid; the cultivators among them trembled ceaselessly, their hearts filled to overflowing with dread.

"This lowly one is Chu Shi—"

"I pay respects, pay respects to the immortal lords of the Upper Sect…"

The Grand Emperor Emeritus of the Southern Chu Kingdom was a Jin Dan cultivator. His ancestors had been disciples of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder True Sect. Now he led all his cultivator clansmen, civil officials, and military generals to prostrate themselves on the ground, performing the three kneelings and nine kowtows.

His heart was filled with terror and despair; countless chaotic thoughts surfaced.

Was it that his secret skimming of the Upper Sect's tribute had been discovered, and they meant to slaughter the Southern Chu Kingdom as a warning to others?

Or had some imperial clansman offended some great personage?

Or had some heaven-shaking treasure appeared here…?

All such thoughts in the Grand Emperor Emeritus's heart appeared in perfect detail before the eyes of the many Soul Transformation cultivators of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder True Sect, without the slightest difficulty. "A mere petty king, and he dares skim the true sect's tribute?"

The immortal-feeling, Dao-boned old cultivator frowned.

It wasn't that he cared about this paltry amount of spirit stones and heavenly materials and earthly treasures, but rather that from a small thing one could see the great. He saw in it the state of all the territories, kingdoms, and even Minor Thousand Worlds under the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder True Sect.

"Ahem."

"Such vermin—execute them and be done with it."

The burly great man changed the subject, as though he hadn't heard the implication.

Such matters were far too common within the sect. They involved too many people, the waters were far too deep. Especially in these several thousand years since the Old Ancestor had been injured and entered closed-door cultivation, things had grown even worse. Even though he was an inner-sect elder, he was unwilling to touch any of it.

"So be it."

"Execute them and be done with it."

The old Daoist sighed softly.

Although he was unwilling to witness these demons and monsters within the sect, he was also unwilling to have a mayfly shake the great tree. He merely said lightly: "This fellow Daoist who has ascended, your art of transformation is quite impressive, possessing a remarkable delicacy—

"—such that even the thoughts and ideas of a Jin Dan cultivator's soul can be displayed in their entirety."

"Were the circumstances not so special, this old man would nearly have been deceived."

"Immortal lord of the true sect, what are your orders…"

The Grand Emperor Emeritus of the Southern Chu Kingdom's eyes were full of bewilderment as he spoke cautiously.

In his life, he had cultivated the Dao from childhood, inherited the great throne at Foundation Establishment, and at Jin Dan had abdicated to become the Grand Emperor Emeritus. In his youth he had harbored wild ambitions of traveling far in pursuit of the immortal Dao, but in the end he had stayed behind to protect the ancestral foundation of the Chen Clan of the Southern Chu Kingdom.

Ordinarily, he was always cautious and careful, never offending fellow cultivators, treating all with kindness. Apart from his occasional fondness for disemboweling and dismembering tens of thousands of mortals at a time, listening to their wails, he had always been a model of gentlemanly virtue.

This small hobby of his, he had even restrained it.

After his many years of management, the Southern Chu Kingdom was on good terms with every faction. One could say it never offended anyone. In truth, he hadn't even wanted to skim the true sect's stipend, but circumstances were such that he had no choice. Remaining clean and pure would only draw attention and bring disaster.

Therefore, the Grand Emperor Emeritus of the Southern Chu Kingdom truly had absolutely no idea what the true sect's immortal lord was talking about.

"Not bad,"

"Not bad, not bad."

A faint ripple of emotion crossed the old Daoist's eyes: "They say ascended cultivators often produce great talents. Now it seems this is indeed so."

"Your demonic Dao art of changing face and swapping flesh and bones has even deceived yourself. Under ordinary circumstances, it really would have let you escape."

"If one were momentarily careless, they could be ambushed by you, the weak defeating the strong."

"What a pity…"

He revealed a look of regret.

"Men,"

"Break his four limbs, suppress his divine soul with Soul-Nailing Spikes. I want him alive."

The regret on the old Daoist's face vanished in an instant. Coldly, he said: "This may be a Lord Dao General. We cannot let the sect's treasure be damaged, or else I'll flay you alive!"

"Yes!"

The several hundred thousand Lei Ting Dao soldiers responded in unison with a thunderous roar.

Boom!

A vast military formation domain spanning several thousand kilometers descended. Several hundred thousand well-armed Lei Ting Dao soldiers cast spells in unison, forming a green-purple bolt of lightning that surpassed the limits of Soul Transformation peak. It crashed down with a thunderous roar, instantly annihilating tens of thousands of mortal cultivators in the royal palace. The towering, majestic palace turned into liquid glaze.

Within that destructive Lei Chong Guang, a bizarre youth with wild black hair and blood-red eyes—obviously a demonic Dao overlord—vomited blood and retreated explosively, burning his essence blood as he fled frantically.

(End of this chapter)