Chapter 588: Only a Body Double

“Immortal One above, it is said that the nine-tailed fox fan in your household bears divine markings possibly linked to the ancient demon-saint Lady Yao Hua, so I have been specially dispatched by Heaven to visit and request that your fox accompany us to the heavens for verification.” The Winged Immortal bowed respectfully to Lin Jue.

Yet beside him stood the Zhu Yang Immortal, and behind them, hidden in the clouds, lurked two other Immortals from the West and East, several Immortal Elders, and numerous soldiers—not to conceal their presence, but merely to show Lin Jue deference.

Opposite them, a cloud of thunder held a Daoist, whose feet sat a fox, upright and solemn, staring fixedly at them.

“Immortal, you know it’s impossible.”

“Immortal, we hold you in great esteem—do not make this difficult for us…”

“Am I making it difficult for you? My Fuyao was raised by me from infancy, watched over and educated by me, traveled the world with me, and attained immortality alongside me.” Lin Jue shook his head. “You know the Purple Emperor’s nature—once it ascends, it has no hope of survival. Is this not putting me in an impossible position?”

“We are merely obeying the Son of Heaven’s command to subdue demons and eradicate evil.”

“Heh…”

Lin Jue couldn’t help laughing twice:

“Then let me ask you, Immortal: how did my fox, raised from puphood, obedient and sensible, become a demon to be eradicated in your eyes and the Son of Heaven’s?”

The Winged Immortal and Zhu Yang Immortal exchanged glances.

“We are well aware of your merits and virtue, Immortal, and know you once risked your life to subdue demons and eradicate evil—hence our respect for you. But we are merely carrying out orders. Please understand.”

“Demons in the world are not all evil, yet now it is the human realm, the human Nine Heavens. The Purple Emperor is the sovereign of the Nine Heavens, the human Son of Heaven—he values humanity above all. From a human perspective, eradicating demons is not wrong,” added Zhu Yang Immortal.

“Moreover, nine-tailed foxes split into two bloodlines. The fan’s nine tails now belong only to Lady Yao Hua—a great demon-saint who once battled the Nine Heavens for worship, and clashed fiercely with the celestial gods. Since your fox is also a nine-tailed fan fox, in reason and sentiment, it must ascend to Heaven for confirmation.”

These two Immortals had been appointed by the Purple Emperor only after Lin Jue achieved immortality and gained fame—they were “immortalized” later than Lin Jue. As former celestial generals, they had long heard tales of Lin Jue, and thus held deep respect for this Lin Immortal.

As for the two Immortals hidden in the clouds behind them, they were not northern deities but transferred from other regions, unshaped by the Purple Emperor’s influence, and thus less obsessed with demon eradication—hence they treated Lin Jue with even greater courtesy.

“I say again: my Fuyao was raised by me since childhood, and has never met Lady Yao Hua.” Lin Jue said. “If you wish to fight, then fight—no more persuasion needed.”

The two Immortals exchanged another glance.

Suddenly, the Winged Immortal asked:

“Immortal, do you know that Shen Jun Chang She and Shen Jun Ju Fang, along with Bai Hong Immortal and Dan Huo Immortal, have already marched to Yishan?”

Lin Jue lifted his eyes to him:

“I know.”

“Then why are you still here?”

“I have long heard of the names of Shen Jun Chang She and Shen Jun Ju Fang. Yet Shanshan is the spirit of Yishan. If he leaves Yishan, he may be weaker than you two—but if he remains within Qianshan, unless the Emperor himself uses divine power to crush Yishan’s spiritual essence, none of the ones you mentioned could touch him.”

“Aren’t you afraid we’ll hold you here while we mobilize heavy forces to besiege Yishan?”

“Celestial gods are too massive—every movement stirs wind and clouds. I have an elder brother skilled in divination and forecasting, and some old friends—ha, all targets of the Purple Emperor’s extermination—who know the wind’s whispers.”

“Then what if we confirm you’re here and immediately withdraw to rush to Yishan?” The Winged

Immortal’s gaze burned bright. “Even if you have a divine thundercloud, can it match our speed via temple statues?”

“Doesn’t the Purple Emperor fear you’ll strike his rear while he’s unguarded and vulnerable?”

Lin Jue shook his head:

“Immortals, if you wish to fight, please order your celestial troops and generals to withdraw farther. They are human heroes and spirits, celestial gods—perhaps they will be needed next time the true Heavenly Lord eradicates demons. Don’t let them perish here due to the Purple Emperor’s stubbornness and private rage…”

He paused:

“I sense you Immortals are upright. If you truly respect me, let today’s battle be like ancient divine conflicts—decide victory, not life or death.”

“I wish it were so—but the Emperor has issued a military order. Orders cannot be treated as childish games—we must fight to the death!”

The Winged Immortal spoke grimly, without delay, and waved his hand.

Behind them, white clouds carried the troops back dozens of li, leaving only four Immortals and two Immortal Elders.

“I am Winged Immortal of the Purple Emperor, once his personal bodyguard general. Let me test your arts and divine powers!”

“I am Zhu Yang Immortal of the Purple Emperor, also once his personal bodyguard general. Long ago in the north, I heard tales of you, and held great admiration. To face you directly now is truly an honor!”

“I am under the Western Miaoming Emperor…”

“Qing Tian Immortal! Too late!”

Another Immortal, gripping a demon-subduing treasure staff, had just opened his mouth when the Winged Immortal cut him off, drawing his bow and loosing an arrow: “Shu!”

A pale-blue streak of light, carrying ten thousand juns of thunder, arrived instantly.

Above the thundercloud, man and fox turned to clear wind, just as they had in mortal days—fleeing left and right. The pale-blue streak passed between them, yet the thunder behind twisted wildly in midair, as if its tendrils had plunged into the misty winds on either side.

In an instant, the streak vanished, lost beyond the horizon. Man and fox reappeared.

Both man and fox bore charred marks.

“No wonder you’re the Purple Emperor’s personal bodyguard general—no wonder you’re a demon-subduing Immortal! Impressive skill!”

Lin Jue brushed his Daoist robe, then raised a hand.

The thundercloud beneath his feet exploded with a roar and vanished. In its place, a dark expanse spread rapidly above him, like ink spilled on white paper. Within moments, it covered dozens to hundreds of li overhead, the sky dark and heavy, flickering with purple-red lightning.

Shu shu shu! Several pale-blue streaks shot through the heavens, while purple-red thunder rained down. It was hard to say whether they clashed or attracted each other—but all dissolved into nothingness.

Zhu Yang Immortal raised a long spear, his body like a streak of fire, piercing the dark sky and lightning net, eyes blazing, fixed solely on Lin Jue.

Suddenly—a flash of white!

A colossal eight-tailed white fox.

The fox opened its mouth, and a torrent of freezing air howled forth.

Even on Fengshan’s cliffside pavilions, every divine tree and spirit plant, every green-tiled eave and beam, began frosting over. Below, countless birds and beasts panicked, fleeing—yet white frost swiftly spread, easily overtaking them.

BOOM! Ice and fire collided like the birth of heaven and earth!

Zhu Yang Immortal thrust his spear through the ice dragon. His flames had died, yet he surged forward with unyielding ferocity toward the eight-tailed white fox.

The two immediately clashed.

“I hear the Immortal has a younger sister, a Five Elements combat immortal, and several other immortals aiding him. Where are they?” asked an Immortal official from afar.

“I am enough to deal with you all!”

“Do you think you’re the immortal-flux Shen Jun Fuchi?”

“Why not?”

Lin Jue did not dodge or evade as several streaks of light struck him, tearing him to shreds.

In the next instant, he reformed far away, before the Winged Immortal’s astonished gaze. He turned and pointed twice.

The two Immortal Elders far off were stunned.

When they regained awareness, flowers had bloomed on their bodies.

Lin Jue withdrew his gaze—his eyes now glowed with more pale-blue streaks.

And still he did not dodge or evade—he raised a finger.

The Winged Immortal gasped, his form splitting into two: one remained frozen in place, the other already two li away.

At either end, miles apart, a pale-blue streak wrapped in thunder shot forth, shredding the Daoist to pieces, while a mass of dark celestial clouds gathered ten thousand juns of thunder, pulverizing the Immortal to dust.

Yet another Daoist appeared!

Flowers bloomed in an instant!

The Winged Immortal snapped back to awareness—too late. A piercing pain had already begun.

He looked down—

From every gap in his armor, tender stems had sprouted, buds rising, swaying gently—within moments, delicate flowers burst open.

His divine power and cultivation were draining away.

“What art is this?”

“Flowers Bloom in an Instant!”

“I asked about your resurrection technique!”

“Immortal Immortality!”

“Impossible!”

The Winged Immortal refused to believe it, grunted, and his flowers dissolved into colored dust, vanishing amid his divine radiance.

He raised his bow again—then stopped.

He looked down at himself, then around, then at the Daoist battling the Western Qing Miao Immortal and Eastern Qing Tian Immortal, and at the eight-tailed white fox fighting Zhu Yang Immortal—his eyes widened.

It wasn’t that his wounds were too severe—it was that they were too light.

Though this man wielded many divine arts, all profound and formidable, they still didn’t match what he’d learned of “Lin Immortal.”

“It’s a body double!”

The Winged Immortal didn’t hesitate—he shouted and retreated.

Qing Tian Immortal had just shattered Lin Jue’s body—upon hearing this, he instantly understood—

Why had he introduced himself earlier, yet the Winged Immortal cut him off? Because he’d already suspected—he’d been testing.

No wonder Lin Jue didn’t dodge or evade the killing blows—he let them kill him, only to return! We thought he relied on this art to be immortal, so he scorned to flee—but now we see: he couldn’t dodge at all! He was merely using this art to stall us!

But this was terrifying.

Could he truly rival Fuchi Immortal?

And if so—where was his true body?

Had he ascended to the Nine Heavens? Destroyed the Purple Emperor’s temple statues across the land? Or gone to Yishan?

“Rush to Yishan!”

The Winged Immortal made his decision instantly.

The four Immortals and two Immortal Elders retreated swiftly.

“Where are you going?”

Lin Jue reappeared far off, the colossal eight-tailed white fox meeting him, its eight tails spread wide like a mountain, making him seem no larger than dust.

The Daoist raised his hand—

Soul-Extinction Art!

In an instant, the four True Lords felt a force like chains piercing through their incense phantoms, locking onto their spiritual souls and pulling them backward.

What kind of divine art is this?

The True Lords gritted their teeth and struggled against it.