Chapter 508: Interfere and Subdue

The words of the Shadow Demon successfully changed the expression of everyone in the Immortal Music Palace, including Li Lingyin.

If the Eastern Immortal Domain enjoys its current stable prosperity, it is largely thanks to Eastern Emperor Donghua.

He not only keeps the entire Eastern Immortal Domain in awe, forcing many ambitious beings to behave, but also supports a solid position for the Eastern Immortal Domain in the Immortal Realm.

The Immortal Realm.

It’s not just the Eastern Immortal Domain.

Certainly.

Among the Four Realms of Immortals, the Eastern Immortal Domain is the most dominant nowadays.

But at its roots, it is undeniably based on the premise that Eastern Emperor Donghua is present.

In the Immortal Realm, there is an adage.

Below the Emperor Realm, all are ants.

If one does not reach the Emperor Realm, no matter how capable one is, it will be in vain in the grand scheme of the Immortal Realm.

The Emperor Realm signifies absolute strength, strength powerful enough to awe the Four Realm of Immortals.

However, the Shadow Demon in front of them was clearly telling everyone something.

The master he serves has lofty ambitions, even wanting to pull Eastern Emperor Donghua off his throne of the Emperor Realm.

Li Jing listened to the Shadow Demon’s words with some surprise.

The "Larger Collective" behind the Shadow Demon has larger plots than what appears on the surface.

This could be completely predicted.

First, it was the Ningluo Domain Master, then the Cangming Realm turned into a "disaster area," and the top force, the Star God Temple, has become intriguing.

Obviously.

Someone behind the scenes is plotting something by using the entire Eastern Immortal Domain as their grand scheme.

But Li Jing didn’t expect...

That one of the aims of the person behind the scenes was to usurp the throne.

Xiang Dong, facing the words of the Shadow Demon, showed neither joy nor anger on his face, saying.

"Interesting, the last time someone wanted to replace me was over twenty thousand years ago, I wonder if it will surprise me this time."

Amidst his calm words, he slightly raised his hand.

Li Jing spotted this action, hesitated for a moment, then hastily opened his mouth.

"Please wait, Emperor!"

?

Xiang Dong turned his head.

???

Including Tong Rou and the others in the Immortal Music Palace.

The Eastern Emperor’s decisiveness in killing was well-known far and wide.

It’s indeed due to this that he earned his impressive reputation.

Clearly, Xiang Dong had lost patience and was about to kill the Shadow Demon, and Li Jing suddenly screamed in surprise, something they did not expect.

What they expected even less was...

After Li Jing yelled out, the Eastern Emperor actually ceased his action.

Li Lingyin, however, was not surprised by this.

Although she didn’t know what was going on between Li Jing and the Eastern Emperor, it was clear that the latter’s attitude towards someone was intriguing.

Saying it was ambiguous.

There’s a bit of that.

But it seemed more like he was avoiding something.

These, Li Lingyin didn’t bother to ponder.

Involving the Emperor, it already exceeded her limits, there was no need to discomfort herself about it.

Now she was also a little puzzled.

What was Li Jing suddenly speaking for?

When Li Jing screamed out, he obviously didn’t want the Shadow Demon to be killed just like that, wasting a lot of Essence Source.

Now, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he simply bowed his hand and spoke out.

"This Shadow Demon may seem tough, but he may not necessarily be, having some patience might yield some gains. I wonder if the Emperor is willing to hand him over to me?"

Having said that, he continued.

"Although I’m not talented, I have plenty of experience in investigating behind-the-scenes matters when serving as an inspector on the Blue Star. Give me some time, and I might be able to bring some useful information to the Emperor."

Hearing his words, Xiang Dong slightly frowned, then nodded.

"Ok."

While speaking, he casually glanced at the Shadow Demon.

Just this one glance, the Shadow Demon shivered all over, the Health Bar above his head quickly dwindling until it locked at 1 point.

As his physical body was a shadow, he suddenly became incredibly weak.

Seeing this, Li Jing’s eyes lit up.

Xiang Dong’s actions are not only decisive, they’re also comprehensive. This "forced health lock" almost completely crippled the Shadow Demon, and anyone who slightly made a move could achieve the "achievement" of killing a Venerable from the Thirteen Realms.

Of course.

This is just talk.

Even if he’s only left with 1 point of health, he’s still a Venerable.

A fatally wounded beast is the most ferocious.

If you don’t have real strength, you are still not qualified to stand in front of him.

However, this is enough for Li Jing.

A fully-enriched Venerable is not something he needs to consider.

But if an Alien Species Venerable is reduced to 1 point of health and only has the skin of a beast left, and can still make waves in his hands, then he might as well quit.

"Thank you, Emperor, for your cooperation, and I will find useful information as soon as possible."

Having spoken, Li Jing stretched out his hand.

Then.

The Linglong tower appeared in his palm, and then he stepped forward and approached the Shadow Demon.

The Shadow Demon was vicious despite his dire state.

Seeing Li Jing approaching, he sneered.

"How capable do you think you are? A mere Half-step Taoist Artifact, what can you do to me?"

Li Jing said nothing, just lifted his hand and threw out the Linglong Tower.

"Buzz."

The Linglong Tower soared into the sky, turning into a Pagoda that was just enough to restrict the Shadow Demon, easily suppressing him and sealing him away.

The opposition is a Venerable Shadow Demon. Naturally, the Linglong Tower is not enough to kill him outright.

The key is.

The Shadow Demon is not a living creature.

It was like a shadow entity, tangible yet intangible, immune to physical attacks.

However, suppressing it wasn’t difficult at all.

If a critically injured Shadow Demon couldn’t be suppressed, what use was the Linglong Tower as a half-step Taoist artifact?

After suppressing and sealing the Shadow Demon, Li Jing waved his hand and sent it into the Little Universe.

Weakened and bound, the Shadow Demon was powerless to resist spatial displacement and was easily sent away.

Tong Rou and the others from the Immortal Music Palace were looking forward to watching how Li Jing would "perform" and deal with the Shadow Demon. They were stunned when they saw him suddenly sending it away.

They knew that Li Jing had spatial abilities.

However, it would definitely be more secure for him to conduct an interrogation in Eastern Emperor Donghua’s independent world. Moreover, it wouldn’t necessarily be safe elsewhere after all, it was a Shadow Demon in the Venerable Realm.

Li Lingyin knew about the existence of the Little Universe. Seeing this situation, she wasn’t too surprised.

Xiang Dong had a similar realization when he had pulled Li Jing into his own independent world. He nodded slightly, and his thoughts brought the entire Immortal Music Palace back to the Immortal Realm. Then, he looked towards everyone present.

"Various signs indicate that the Eastern Immortal Domain is facing a crisis. When it comes to the words of the Shadow Demon, just take it with a pinch of salt. The lord behind it is clearly not targeting me directly but has other schemes. Otherwise, he would have directly targeted me, rather than secretly disrupting the Eastern Immortal Domain."

"We need to take this matter seriously. However, before we find out what the person behind the scenes is up to, Donghua Immortal Palace should not make any large-scale moves, lest we scare off the other party. For the sake of prudence, please keep what you’ve seen and heard today confidential."

After saying twice, Xiang Dong looked towards Tong Rou.

"We don’t know the current situation in the Star God Temple, but I presume there are chess pieces or backups from the mastermind behind the scenes. The master of the Star God Temple and three elders inside the temple have died, and it will be noticed sooner or later. Master Tong, could you handle this? Try to delay their receipt of this news as long as possible, it would facilitate our undercover investigations of the Star God Temple."

Tong Rou respectfully accepted this instruction without any delay.

She was a smart woman.

The news of the Star God Temple master’s death couldn’t be leaked out for now.

Whether there were any chess pieces or backups from the mastermind behind the scenes in the Star God Temple was secondary to the Immortal Music Palace.

The key was, the Star God Temple master died in their Immortal Music Palace.

If the Star God Temple knew about this, they would certainly seek accountability.

At that time, explaining or not explaining, either would present a problem.

And then.

The Immortal Music Palace might draw the attention of other Shadow Demons or even the masterminds behind the scenes which would bring them no benefit at all.

Tong Rou acknowledged this, and the several elders of the Immortal Music Palace followed suit.

They weren’t fools.

At this point, they knew that the Immortal Music Palace had no room to get involved.

They dared to target even the Eastern Emperor Donghua, who would be bothered by a tiny Immortal Music Palace?

For the Immortal Music Palace.

Without a doubt, their best solution was to play it safe. Wait until the dust settles, let Donghua Immortal Palace led by Xiang Dong resolve the matter, then share the truth with everyone.

Putting aside these matters.

Xiang Dong gave his instructions to the people of the Immortal Music Palace and then turned to look at Li Lingyin.

"The matter of the Shadow Demon is ultimately related to the Northern Immortal Domain, I need to make a trip there to see if Beiming knows anything. Someone from my Immortal Palace will come to investigate the Cangming Realm soon, and they may need to contact Domain Lord Li, so Domain Lord Li, you should stay in the Immortal Music Palace for a while, to make it easier for them to find you."

"Got it."

Li Lingyin nods.

Receiving her response, Xiang Dong then looks at Li Jing.

"If Li Immortal Lord has a breakthrough, you can tell Domain Lord Li to pass it to Donghua Immortal Palace."

Without waiting for Li Jing to respond, he smiles slightly.

"That’s it for today. I’m looking forward to our next meeting."

With that, he vanished, fading away like a mirage.

Upon seeing this, a bitter smile crosses Li Jing’s face beneath his mask.

It was alright for him to leave in a hurry, but why did he have to say all that extra stuff?

Looking forward to meeting him next time...

People with a rich imagination might misconstrue it for some sort of romantic relationship between the two men!

Even those without much imagination wouldn’t be able to overlook it.

And so it was.

Xiang Dong’s parting words have successfully made everyone, including Tong Rou, to look at him with a mixture of surprise and doubt.

Chen Tang City was originally suspected of having "connections".

Shortly after its establishment, it was recognized by the Donghua Immortal Palace and occupied the significant Blue Star Ascension Platform in the Cangming Realm. Anyone who saw this would find it suspicious.

No matter how strong Chen Tang City was, it was just recently established.

It wasn’t only Donghua Immortal Palace.

Even the other forces in the Cangming Realm had not heard of it, who knew how reliable it was?

If you didn’t know its depth, who would take it seriously?

This matter, from beginning to end, was very mysterious.

But now, the truth came out.

Chen Tang City really had "connections", and the connection was directly related to the Eastern Emperor Donghua!

Tong Rou has had contact with Li Jing and has witnessed many unbelievable things.

Now, she was just a bit numb.

The elders of the Immortal Music Palace, on the other hand, were all staring at the Smoke Eye on Li Jing’s face, wishing they could see something different from it.

Looking at the people from the Immortal Music Palace all staring at him, Li Jing can’t help but grin and shake his head inside. Then he looks towards Li Lingyin.

"I’ll be gone for a while. Wait for my return."

"Ok, I’ll wait for your news."

Li Lingyin responds.

With her response, Li Jing tears open space with a wave of his hand, then steps into it and is instantly on a barren land near the Immortal Music Palace, only then did he enter the Little Universe.

...

Little Universe, Canglong Mountain.

The Shadow Demon was sitting on the ground with his hands holding his head.

Next to him, Xiao Ai, dressed as a maid, was busy making tea.

Right now, the Shadow Demon was genuinely questioning his life.

Li Jing had previously stepped in to prevent Eastern Emperor Donghua from making a deadly move on him. Although he had put on a tough front, he was secretly delighted.

Who would choose to die when they can live?

Despite not understanding why the decisive Eastern Emperor Donghua would listen to Li Jing, he at least had hope of survival.

Li Jing, who had been hiding, had not revealed any of his strength- his abilities were a mystery.

However powerful, the most he could be was in the Venerable Realm.

Being a Venerable himself, the Shadow Demon didn’t hope to counter-kill.

But given the chance to restore a bit of energy, he could risk damaging his own origin to escape from Li Jing.

As long as they are alive, they needn’t worry about firewood.

Wait until he brings back the exposed news about the Cangming Realm, I’m sure it will be like accomplishing a major task. He could even seize the opportunity to retaliate against the Immortal Music Palace and Li Lingyin later.

However, the Shadow Demon had never imagined...

That he had barely escaped the tiger’s maw, only to step into the wolf’s den.

How could he expect that Li Jing also possesses an independent world?

What the hell...

This kind of thing which should belong to only emperors, why would it appear on a person who doesn’t even dare to show his real face?

Could it be that this one...

Is a potential great emperor hidden somewhere in the Eastern Immortal Domain?

Don’t even say it.

There’s indeed such a possibility.

On the surface, there are only four emperors, the emperor-level strong ones in the Immortal Realm, but that’s not actually the case.

Apart from the four directions, there are also other individuals of emperor-level who are above the ordinary world, only that they keep a low profile and are not known to the public. They hide behind the scenes and seek the path to a higher level.

As he knelt on the ground and held his head, Shadow Demon, while guessing in his heart, glanced at Little Hindrance, who was so lovely with rosy lips and white teeth.

At the level of Venerable Realm, they have already had unusual comprehensions of the rules and the Heavenly Path.

At this moment, just by sneaking a peek at Little Hindrance, Shadow Demon felt as if he was facing the Heavenly Path.

Anyone with a regular mind should be aware of what kind of existence the other party is.

The Will of Heaven, which ordinary people might not meet even once in their whole lives, he is seeing it right now.

Although it is only the Will of Heaven of a small world, just by its presence, it can bring infinite benefits over time.

Emperor Realm strong ones, even without the power of an independent world, are many times stronger than the ordinary Venerable. The key lies in that having an independent world means they have a Will of Heaven obedient to them behind them, and they can stay with it for a long time, which is convenient for understanding the Heavenly Path.

Putting all these aside.

The image of Little Hindrance as a maid, to be honest, made Shadow Demon a bit confused.

She’s a Heavenly Dao after all, shouldn’t she dress more formally in front of people?

Shadow Demon doesn’t understand what a maid outfit is.

But he understands what "sexy" means...

Little Hindrance’s clothes have always been unique, from maid outfits to nurses and OLs, and they are all fantasies, not regular clothes.

People like Li Jing who are familiar with Little Hindrance have become accustomed to it, and as Present World People, they don’t think it’s strange.

In the Immortal Realm, where they don’t even have hot pants, if the fairy girls wear a thin silk dress, it’s already considered "being of bad taste." Whoever sees Little Hindrance’s clothes will feel a bit awkward.

A heavenly path dresses sexier than the most ravishing monster woman, isn’t this inappropriate?

As Shadow Demon secretly observed Little Hindrance with a strange look on his face, Li Jing quietly appeared before him.

Seeing Shadow Demon kneeling on the ground holding his head as he entered, Li Jing was slightly stunned and then looked at Little hindrance.

Seeing this, Little Hindrance smiled sweetly.

"Master, you’re back? Sit down and have a cup of tea! This tea is made of Life Tree Leaves and it’s really sweet."

!!!

Shadow Demon.

Life Tree Leaves?!

He just saw that the leaves Little Hindrance used to make tea were not ordinary leaves, they contained an astonishing power of life.

Who would’ve thought it turned out to be Life Tree Leaves!

But this is not the point.

The point is.

If there are Life Tree Leaves, it means Li Jing has a Life Tree, the legendary Immortal Medicine.

God damn...

He can even have this? This man must be a great emperor!

Li Jing pursed his lips in response to Little Hindrance’s words.

Drinking tea made from Life Tree Leaves, Little Hindrance sure knows how to play.

Whether these leaves can actually be used to make tea is a separate issue.

Life Tree, is it something you could do with as you please?

As if aware of Li Jing’s thoughts, Little Hindrance said.

"Master, don’t misunderstand, I didn’t just dig up two Life Trees from the foot of the mountain. Ling Ling told me that the one transplanted here has almost rooted, and needs to be pruned to facilitate its sprouting leaves. Ling Ling also told me that its leaves can be used for tea, and its branches can be treated as yam to gnaw on."

Hearing what Little Hindrance said, Li Jing somewhat relieved.

The Life Tree moved here had successfully taken root, which was good news.

It was time to arrange for its watering and facilitating its growth.

He took a sip of the tea brewed by Little Hindrance, and Li Jing slightly raised his eyebrows.

This tea was indeed very sweet.

Moreover, the tea was filled with an abundant life force.

Upon drinking it, boundless life force kept pouring into his body.

For Li Jing, this meant nothing.

After all, he and Ling Ling had formed a Symbiotic Contract, and under its influence, he had an inexhaustible life force.

But for others, it was equivalent to a top-level life spirit medicine.

This, needed to be arranged for Liu Sisi and others.

And some needed to be saved to give away.

Looking at Little Hindrance, Li Jing was about to speak, but she very cleverly pointed behind her and said.

"I’ve put all the stuff in the place where you keep your ’private money’, Master. If you want to use it, just take it."

Li Jing was dumbfounded.

Private money?

He didn’t have such a thing, and didn’t need to have such a thing.

Out of habit, he put his things in the attic on Canglong Mountain, mainly because this place was his storage space. Placing things elsewhere was prone to be seen, with no privacy.

Even getting pillaged by the likes of Stinky Tofu.

Now the Little Universe was very wide, but you should never underestimate an untended Samoyed.

Without saying anything, Li Jing gestured.

"Go and play yourself, I’ll take care of things here."

Hearing this, Little Hindrance uttered an "oh", and her figure disappeared on the spot.

Having sent Little Hindrance away, Li Jing turned his head.

In the meantime.

Smoke Eye detached from his face, materialized as a spirit weapon and stood beside him.

Then, several rays of light shot over.

Snow Sound, Nameless, Linglong, and Qingfeng all arrived.

"..."

Shadow Demon.

Shadow Demons as a species are quite sensitive to the cultivation of others.

No need for anyone else to interfere, they can precisely gauge each other’s cultivation levels.

With Smoke Eye’s protection removed, Li Jing’s true realm was instantly sensed by the Shadow Demon.

Tenth Realm.

TM...

This young man is just in the Tenth Realm...

Only Tenth Realm, what talents or abilities does he have to possess an independent existence of heaven and earth, even owning two Life Trees!?

Then look at the formation behind him.

Two Taoist Items, three half-step Taoist Items.

His line-up, truth be told, is a bit exaggerated.

That’s not all.

The Shadow Demon sensed the realms of the five Spirit Weapons present.

What the hell...

How come Spirit Weapons have realms?

Could it be they all have cultivation levels!?

If Spirit Weapons have cultivation levels, doesn’t that mean they don’t need someone to control them, they can control their own physical bodies!?

The Shadow Demon was dumbfounded.

Li Jing, revealing his true form, kindly smiled.

"You said earlier, that half-step Taoist Items alone can’t hurt you?"

"..."

Shadow Demon.

One half-step Taoist Item indeed couldn’t hurt him.

But three might not be the case.

Then in front of him, there were two more Taoist Items...

But this is not important.

In the Little Universe, why would Li Jing need to use external things to control him?

Looking at Li Jing with fear and shock, the Shadow Demon dared not speak.

Although Li Jing revealed his true realm as just the Tenth Realm, for some reason, he found this young man in front of him to be more frightening than Xiang Dong.

He had not paid attention to it outside.

At this moment, facing Li Jing, he felt like he was facing some sort of natural predator that feeds on shadows.

No.

It’s even more frightening!

Seeing that the Shadow Demon remained silent, Li Jing looked back at the Spirit Weapons behind him.

"Disperse, this Shadow Demon is very cowardly, there’s no need for you to put on a show here."

After speaking, he continued.

"Smoke Eye, you tell Wuming and the others about your feelings when facing Xiang Dong’s Taoist Items. You don’t necessarily need it, but if Wuming and the others can keep their own power as indiscernible as that Taoist Item, it will benefit them."

Smoke Eye nodded upon hearing this.

Xiang Dong’s Taoist Item was indeed very special.

Before it released its power, as a Spirit Weapon, she couldn’t even sense that it was a refined object.

She could do the same thing.

But this was a natural ability of her as a Spirit Weapon.

All the Spirit Weapons left, and Li Jing turned back.

"If you work for me in the future, I will spare your life."

???

Shadow Demon looked up blankly.

The abrupt statement from Li Jing caught him completely off guard.

Since he entered the Little Universe, he had given up on the idea of walking out alive.

Seeing that the Shadow Demon was looking at him with a confused face and was not responding, Li Jing took a sip of Life Tree Leaves tea and asked casually.

"What? Don’t you want to live?"

"..."

Shadow Demon was silent, then he said.

"I will never betray my master, and you’re just in the Tenth Realm and can’t provide protection for me. Following you might lead to a miserable death, might as well end it all now."

In response to this, Li Jing said.

"Your thinking is quite clear, but you have overlooked one thing, who can hurt you here?"

Shadow Demon was rendered speechless.

Li Jing’s words, held true.

If he stays in the Little Universe and doesn’t go out, no one can touch him.

If his master wants to "clean house", he’d have to come in first.

Just as he was at a loss for words, Li Jing spoke.

"What if I tell you that you are the first Shadow Demon to enter my universe, and I have a great portion of Original Fortune waiting for you to enjoy. You might have the opportunity to breakthrough to the Venerable Realm or above, aren’t you tempted?"

Shadow Demon’s eyes widened at the sound.

Original Fortune.

Who doesn’t know about this?

This is the "great fortune" exclusively found around those about to become Emperors.

Before the evolution of a Universe is completed, any Alien Species that enters it besides humans and normal living beings, can receive the blessing of the still dim Will of Heaven, as a thank you for helping to complete the rules.

The benefits are considerable.

And it’s something countless people can only hope for but never attain.

Theoretically, there should be no Original Fortune in Li Jing’s universe.

But since he brought it up as a condition, he should indeed have it...

After all, if he agrees to join Li Jing, and he can’t produce the "goods", obviously he won’t be pleased.

Shadow Demon fixed his gaze on Li Jing for a moment, then after a moment of hesitation, he lowered his bowed head and knelt down in a proper manner.

"Shadow Demon Zhongjian, I pay my respects to my master."

Seeing this, Li Jing’s mouth curled up, he raised his hand and lightly snapped his fingers.

"Boom!"

There was a loud noise in the sky, and a thick beam of light descended from the sky enfolding Zhongjian.

The momentum was quite fierce.

But mainly because Shadow Demon triggered the mechanism of Original Fortune as soon as he entered, and Xiao Ai had to forcefully hold it back.

She had been holding it back for a while, and she was almost unable to hold it any longer, which led to "a rush".

The rule of Original Fortune essentially operates in the "background", and once the mechanism is triggered, it will automatically descend, Xiao Ai had to put in a lot of effort to hold it back.