Chapter 879: Jin Ku Ling

More than a year ago, He Pingsheng and Tian Yuan fought in the Imperial City, reducing the entire Imperial Palace to ruins.

But soon, the Imperial Palace was rebuilt.

Now, from the outside, the Imperial Palace shows not the slightest trace of the great Mahayana Emperor-level battle that once took place there.

He Pingsheng followed the old man to the entrance of the Imperial Palace.

He had come as agreed.

After all, the other party was merely a Mahayana Emperor—he didn't care.

It wasn't that he was bold because of his skill; he knew the other couldn't kill him.

"Please…"

At the entrance, the Divine Thunder Demon Emperor had long been waiting; seeing He Pingsheng, he personally came forward and led him into the Imperial Palace.

Inside a grand hall.

"Brother He, please sit!"

Although He Pingsheng was only at Body Integration, the Divine Thunder Demon Emperor knew his strength and potential, addressing him as "brother" in every word.

He Pingsheng sat down calmly.

Facing each other.

"Sigh…" The Divine Thunder Demon Emperor let out a deep sigh before speaking: "What good is reaching the Mahayana Emperor realm? What good is ruling an entire domain?"

"Even a Mahayana Emperor struggles to survive in the Spirit Realm!"

I was already marginalized by the Qilin Clan; now my younger brother Tian Yuan has been exposed for imprisoning alchemists as Dan Nu—this scandal makes it impossible for me to remain as Domain Lord of the Divine Thunder Domain!

"Brother He, are you interested?"

"If you are, I can yield this position to you!"

He Pingsheng shook his head: "No… I have no interest in being a Domain Lord."

The Divine Thunder Demon Emperor said: "That's not entirely true—if you took control of this domain, humanity would gain another foothold."

"You know that in the Spirit Realm's Five Continents, humanity fares best on my Lei Huang Continent—but even here, human development is severely limited!"

He Pingsheng said: "A single domain does little to solve humanity's problems."

"Whether we gain or lose one Emperor Domain changes nothing about humanity's status in the Spirit Realm."

"Hehe…" The Divine Thunder Demon Emperor said: "That's true enough."

"Young brother… I invited you here today mainly to explain."

"All that karmic debt was entirely my junior brother Tian Yuan's doing. I've reached the eleventh layer of Mahayana Emperor realm—I would never risk my Dao heart, my reputation, and my chances for transcendence over petty gains, accumulating karmic debt for nothing—I would never do such a thing!"

"Only someone as utterly ruthless as my junior brother Tian Yuan would commit such an act."

"I say this—I trust you understand, don't you?"

He Pingsheng nodded.

He also believed the Divine Thunder Demon Emperor would not be involved in such a thing.

After all, this man was now at a bottleneck—he could only be focused on the Dao and breakthrough, on ascending to the Immortal Realm.

To chase after the filthy money from Dan Nu?

Unlikely.

Though inwardly he agreed, He Pingsheng still said: "But Tian Yuan is still your junior brother!"

"I know. That's why today, I settle this karmic debt with you."

The Divine Thunder Demon Emperor said: "I originally intended to entrust you with the Divine Thunder Domain, but since you refuse, I'll give you something else instead."

Saying this, he pulled out a golden token and placed it before He Pingsheng.

On the front of the token, glowing with golden light, was engraved a single character: 【Suffering】.

"What is this?" He Pingsheng asked.

The Divine Thunder Demon Emperor said: "Among the Five Continents, there is a unique land called the Western Extreme Continent!"

"The Western Extreme Continent belongs to Metal!"

"You must understand this, right?"

He Pingsheng said: "I've heard of it, but I've never been there."

"Hmm." The Divine Thunder Demon Emperor continued: "The Western Extreme Continent is an exceptionally unique place—no divine race dwells there."

"Thus, its primordial essence has long remained scattered and unclaimed."

"The Four Divine Races all once sought to claim it, but found it impractical."

"Later, a brilliant genius emerged among your people—called the 'Yinming Emperor'—he, like you, came from Tianhuo Continent."

"The Yinming Emperor entered the Western Extreme Continent, intending to claim it as a homeland for humanity, and to cultivate humanity into an equal of the Four Divine Races."

"Unfortunately, she ultimately failed."

"Because all Four Divine Races—including the Wu Clan—intervened."

"The Four Divine Races all feared humanity's rise."

He Pingsheng nodded.

Among the Four Divine Races, the Dragon Clan is born of Water's primordial essence, the Phoenix Clan of Fire's, the Qilin Clan of Wood's, and the Wu Clan of Earth's.

Only the Metal-based Western Extreme Continent has no corresponding divine race to claim it.

But the problem is, if humanity occupies the Western Extreme Continent and develops over time, it will become another divine race.

How could one allow another to sleep in one's own bed?

If the Four Divine Races united against humanity, the outcome was obvious.

"I understand." He Pingsheng asked: "Then what about this token?"

"It is the 【Jin Ku Ling】…" The Divine Thunder Demon Emperor said: "On the Western Extreme Continent, there once lived a brilliant hermit demon emperor who gathered all ten true poisons of the continent and sealed them within a secret realm—this 【Jin Ku Ling】 is the key to opening that realm!"

"Only a demon emperor may possess this."

"The secret realm will open in roughly two hundred years—this token was originally mine, but now I give it to you!"

"I hope you can secure a sacred land for humanity!"

He Pingsheng was baffled: "Wait… what do you mean by 'ten true poisons'?"

"Nothing more than the ten true substances of the Western Extreme Continent," the Divine Thunder Demon Emperor said. "Just like the ten true thunder essences on Lei Huang Continent."

"Huh?" He Pingsheng looked astonished: "True poisons? Not ten true metal essences?"

"Besides, isn't poison Wood-affiliated?"

"Poison is Wood-affiliated?" The Divine Thunder Demon Emperor said: "Most believe so, but in truth, poison belongs to Metal."

That's utterly absurd!

I've spent years refining my body with poison, and I always thought poison was Wood-affiliated.

Turns out it's Metal-affiliated.

"That secret realm was once the immortal palace of a hermit immortal, called the 【Jin Ku Immortal Ruins】."

"Within the Jin Ku Immortal Ruins, the ten true poisons are imprisoned."

"These ten true poisons have generated countless poison Dao primordial essences within."

"Many Mahayana Emperor cultivators have entered, but all they could take were the derived poison primordial essences."

"To this day, no one has ever taken away a true poison."

"I see your exceptional talent, and your Nine Dragon Destiny protects you—you might be the one to claim those true poisons."

"If you truly obtain the true poisons, ruling the entire Western Extreme Continent will become far easier."

"At the very least, you'll gain the recognition of the demon emperors of the Western Extreme Continent."