Chapter 282: Kill Without Mercy

The Tongu World only had mortal-established dynasties, no immortal empires. For example, Yu Feng’s village belonged to the Mysterious Mechanism Kingdom. 

Mortal dynasties would always choose a cultivator faction as their backer for protection, inviting a disciple from that faction to serve as the kingdom’s State Preceptor. 

Such dynasties possessed no national fortune. 

Only nations composed of over ninety percent cultivators could generate national fortune, with its strength determined by factors like the number and power of cultivators and the nation’s overall might. 

In the Nine Provinces World, everyone except underage children were cultivators, eliminating the need to painstakingly gather them. 

But in Tongu World, cultivation methods were top-secret, resulting in extremely few and widely scattered cultivators. The Heavenly Venerable could only mobilize subordinate forces to search everywhere and bring these cultivators to the immortal empire. 

“This is the immortal empire? So magnificent.” Yu Feng stood at the flying vessel’s bow in awe, witnessing the grandest spectacle since his rebirth—an immortal empire under construction. 

The Heavenly Venerable established the empire at Tongu Continent’s center, with convenient transportation networks by land, water and air. Cultivators from across the continent flocked here, with hundreds of flying vessels crowding the skies simultaneously. 

Beneath the empire lay a giant spirit-gathering formation, drawing the continent’s spiritual energy continuously inward. 

The empire wasn’t built in a day—currently it only had demarcated borders and simple residential compounds, with few taverns or merchant associations, and no additional formations deployed yet. 

Even so, it exuded an overwhelming, domineering aura. 

Most eye-catching was the central holy palace—resplendent and magnificent, constructed primarily from thick Void Enlightenment Stone, both solemn and aesthetically majestic. 

The Heavenly Venerable resided within. 

However, Yu Feng’s sense of mystery and awe toward Tribulation Transcendence Stage experts had diminished considerably recently. 

After all, he’d been constantly facing Bai Hongtu. 

Before disembarking, Jiang Li sent a voice transmission ordering Yu Feng to destroy both his own and Wu Lian’s cultivation manuals together. 

Though unclear about Senior Jiang’s intentions, Yu Feng complied obediently. 

He even retrieved Senior Sister Wu Lian’s manual and burned it too. 

Wu Lian assumed this was another effect of Yu Feng’s misfortune-averting techniques and didn’t inquire further. 

Joining the immortal empire required registration. Ma Pingfan led their vessel’s occupants to register—only after completing this would the merit count toward him. 

“Name?” 

“Yu Feng.” 

“Cultivation?” 

“Early Core Formation Stage.” 

“Age?” 

“Eighteen.” 

Yu Feng’s cultivation and age caused gasps among those behind. An eighteen-year-old at Early Core Formation Stage was an extraordinary genius with boundless prospects. 

Core Formation already surpassed ninety-nine percent of cultivators—such individuals could serve as State Preceptors in mortal kingdoms, enjoying wealth and nightly revelry. 

Among their entire vessel, only a few had reached Core Formation, with Yu Feng being the youngest by decades—the others were all over fifty. 

Only one had reached Nascent Soul Stage—Senior Sister Wu Lian. 

Yu Feng had always wanted to ask Senior Sister Wu Lian’s age, but she remained adamantly secretive about it. Even during his rebirth cycles when he’d managed to learn about the unspeakable Second Senior Brother from her, her age remained undisclosed. 

Even Ma Pingfan gave Yu Feng an extra glance, surprised by the junior’s youth. 

He detested geniuses the most. 

“Hand over your personal belongings. Open your storage ring—we need to inspect your books.” 

“What?” Yu Feng thought he misheard. 

The registrar repeated himself, causing unrest among the crowd. 

Ma Pingfan intervened: “By the Heavenly Venerable’s decree, books may contain content threatening stability. After inspection confirms no threats, they’ll be returned.” 

This explanation only heightened agitation. 

What else could “threatening content” refer to but cultivation manuals? 

Manuals were cultivators’ lifelines—how could they be handed over for inspection? 

Moreover, having to open storage rings for complete searches violated all privacy. 

Every experienced cultivator had shady secrets—what if something got exposed… 

As protests continued, Ma Pingfan frowned and unleashed his Divine Transformation Stage pressure, forcing everyone prostrate with cold sweat, silenced instantly. 

“Don’t mistake this for a negotiation! The Heavenly Venerable wouldn’t stoop to coveting your worthless texts! These are standard procedures—comply immediately!” 

Only then did Yu Feng understand why Senior Jiang had them destroy their manuals. 

His and his senior sister’s manuals contained immortal ascension techniques—precisely what the Heavenly Venerable feared most. 

Being targeted by a Tribulation Transcendence expert meant certain doom—just prepare to rebirth. 

Yu Feng and Wu Lian only carried common, unremarkable manuals which were still confiscated “for higher-level inspection.” 

When asked her age, Wu Lian turned away from Yu Feng and wrote a number for the registrar. 

Another registration line erupted in louder protests. 

“What? Joining requires residency here? This wasn’t mentioned! What about my spirit stone mines? My spiritual veins?” 

This Divine Transformation cultivator, a clan leader, had assumed mere enrollment sufficed—not permanent relocation. 

How could they abandon their assets? 

“I withdraw from joining.” As the cultivator turned to leave with his clan, guards blocked them. 

“Want to fight?” The cultivator sneered, unafraid. 

Only one Divine Transformation expert was present—Ma Pingfan, who couldn’t possibly stop a determined peer. 

A colossal blood-colored hand descended like five heavenly pillars, crushing the departing cultivator and his entire clan into bloody mist before they could scream—all absorbed by the hand’s owner. 

A Unity Stage expert—Blood River Ancestor. 

“By the Heavenly Venerable’s decree: All cultivators must join the immortal empire. Resistance equals defiance against the Heavenly Venerable—kill without mercy!” boomed Blood River Ancestor’s voice from above. 

“Let this be the fate of any refusing enrollment!” The undisguised threat left everyone trembling. 

“Ancestor.” Ma Pingfan bowed to his superior, who ignored him completely before departing. 

Blood River Ancestor never descended, denying the crowd any glimpse of a Unity Stage expert’s majesty. 

“Now—anyone else unwilling to surrender books?” Ma Pingfan scanned the crowd. 

Terrified people hastily produced their texts without further protest. 

However, these manuals were thoroughly mediocre—the best only reaching Divine Transformation Stage. 

As precautions against hidden techniques (like backward or skip-word readings), all were confiscated regardless. 

Witnessing this, Jiang Li curled his lips in a disdainful sneer. 

“Immortal empire? National fortune? What absolute nonsense.”