Chapter 503: A Good Superior
After speaking, Executor of Honghu looked at the four people, hoping to see expressions of fear, struggle, and facing death with equanimity on their faces.
Capturing him meant opposing the Immortal Realm, and these people should be the strongest in the Nine Provinces – two at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, one at the peak of Earthly Immortal, and one unfathomable but likely Golden Immortal level individual.
The Immortal Realm could easily crush the Nine Provinces.
Yet all he saw were four people looking as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
“So the strongest is just the Divine Vault Sovereign. I thought we’d be facing more formidable enemies,” Bai Hongtu said with an indifferent expression.
Executor of Honghu was completely bewildered.
From their tone, one would wonder who really represented the Immortal Realm – them or us.
The Divine Vault Sovereign’s identity matched Immortal Elder Changcun’s speculation – the Heavenly Dao couldn’t possibly delegate the authority to distribute merit power to others. The Divine Vault Sovereign was the Heavenly Dao itself.
“Explain how the Heavenly Dao gained sentience back then,” Jiang Li demanded in an unquestionable tone.
“I still remember events from nine thousand years ago. When the Heavenly Dao gained consciousness, the Immortal Realm fell into chaos. The well-prepared Dao Ancestor took decisive action, proving what it means to grow stronger with age. I was only at the early Celestial Immortal stage then, with limited knowledge, so I couldn’t comprehend how powerful the Dao Ancestor truly was. I only learned later from higher-ups that the Dao Ancestor had already achieved the unification of his three corpses and had become the most powerful Primordial Chaos and Limitless Immortal.”
“Looking up at the sky back then, I witnessed various incomprehensible techniques appearing, making it impossible to distinguish whether it was the Heavenly Dao or the Dao Ancestor executing them. In those moments, the Dao Ancestor’s every movement embodied the natural way of the Dao. He seemed like the embodiment of nature itself, the leader of all immortals.”
“Later, Confucius Sage also joined the battle, forming an alliance with the Dao Ancestor to fight against the heavens. When Confucius Sage made his move, the Immortal Emperor, Primordial Ancestor, and Buddha also entered the fray. Soon, blood poured from my eyes, preventing me from directly observing the battlefield and witnessing those exquisite immortal techniques.”
“The Dao Ancestor was no match for the Heavenly Dao and suffered a crushing defeat before escaping. The Buddha imprisoned Confucius Sage with Red Lotus Karmic Fire in the Great Brahma Heaven. Confucius Sage resisted while the Buddha suppressed him. These two have been battling in the Great Brahma Heaven to this day, with the Buddha maintaining the upper hand but unable to completely eradicate Confucius Sage.”
“Strictly speaking, the Immortal Emperor and Primordial Ancestor currently govern the realm, with the Buddha only appearing for major decisions.”
“Ice Soul, you were once a significant figure. How did you end up in this state?” Immortal Elder Changcun spoke with profound distress. The number of people indirectly killed by Executor of Honghu was incalculable. If it were Immortal Elder Changcun, he would rather die than serve such a Heavenly Dao that turned its blade against the weak.
“Immortal Changcun, nothing in this world is more tempting than self-interest. Upholding justice satisfies one’s sense of righteousness – that’s self-interest. Cultivating demonic paths to enhance one’s cultivation – that’s self-interest. Even establishing a celestial court like the Immortal Emperor to manage all immortals and satisfy the desire for control – that too is self-interest.”
“As for me, I seek merit.”
“Killing people earns merit, blurring the lines between righteousness and demonic paths. I lack natural talent and could only cultivate to the early Celestial Immortal stage. Later, by destroying various worlds and accumulating merit, I forcibly elevated my realm to the late Celestial Immortal stage. Is there any faster method to gain power than killing?” Executor of Honghu laughed uproariously.
Everyone instinctively looked toward Jiang Li.
There indeed was.
“Then do you know that whether killing people or killing your kind, one can obtain merit? What the Heavenly Dao seeks to destroy isn’t just the myriad worlds, but the Heavenly Dao itself!”
Jiang Li fixed his burning gaze on Executor of Honghu.
Unexpectedly, Executor of Honghu showed no surprise whatsoever.
“Of course I know. When Netherfire Immortal Lord hanged Baiye Immortal at the Southern Heavenly Gate, he obtained merit for it.”
“You think we’re destroying the world? On the contrary, we’re saving it.”
“A catastrophe approaches, and this world is heading toward destruction. When that happens, everyone will perish. There’s only one way to save the world – destroy it preemptively so that no living beings remain, no consciousness exists, leaving only the Sovereign as the sole consciousness.”
“After the world’s destruction, the Sovereign, as the only remaining consciousness, will recreate this world and resurrect us immortals along with you mortals. We immortals, as saviors of the world, will hold higher status than we do now!”
“The world will be more beautiful then than it is now. Understand? We’re doing good deeds!”
Executor of Honghu grew excited, rising to his feet and raising his arms in triumphant declaration.
Jiang Li frowned and kicked the back of Executor of Honghu’s knee, forcing him back to his knees.
“Then why does the Heavenly Dao fear the birth of a new Heavenly Dao?”
“Because a new Heavenly Dao is still a Heavenly Dao. After its birth, it would merge with heaven and earth, making it difficult to find and eliminate. The Heavenly Dao fears that in the end, the catastrophe will consume Him, leaving only the new Heavenly Dao, which would then become the world’s sole consciousness.”
“What kind of catastrophe could lead to the destruction of the myriad worlds?”
“Unknown. Those above haven’t revealed it.”
“Final question – where is the Immortal Realm?”
…
“Honghu, where are you heading?” Executor of Karma asked with a cheerful smile as he saw Executor of Honghu preparing to leave.
Since learning that the other had quietly advanced to the half-step Golden Immortal stage, Executor of Honghu had grown increasingly hostile toward Executor of Karma, considering him a sinister villain.
“Someone triggered a formation I left behind. I need to investigate the situation.”
“Which world? Do you need my assistance?”
“Thank you for your concern, leader. You work tirelessly. It’s the Fanting World, and I wouldn’t dare trouble you with such matters when you’re occupied with myriad affairs. I can handle this myself.” Despite his inner loathing, the other’s higher cultivation level and status forced him to maintain a smiling facade.
Damn bastard.
“So it’s the Fanting World.” Executor of Karma nodded slightly, his heart tightening.
“You know of it?”
“I’ve heard something about it.”
When the Spiritual Treasures gained sentience, he had hidden among the crowd and personally witnessed six Spiritual Treasures flying toward six different worlds, including the Fanting World.
He understood Jiang Li’s terrifying capabilities and avoided him whenever possible. Nowadays, he didn’t even dare check on the worlds under his jurisdiction, fearing he might encounter Jiang Li.
Executor of Karma paid close attention to worlds connected to the Nine Provinces that weren’t under his direct control, and the Fanting World was among them.
Executor of Honghu thought he’d encountered bad luck running into Executor of Karma, but in reality, Executor of Karma had been monitoring him all along.
If Executor of Honghu went to the Fanting World and happened to encounter Jiang Li there…
He absolutely couldn’t let Jiang Li find the Immortal Realm – that would be a capital offense!
Executor of Karma retrieved the Heart Control Gu he had obtained from the Nine Provinces and secretly took control of Executor of Honghu, then performed the Six Harmonies Seated Refinement Curse.
When establishing the Shenzang Cult in the Nine Provinces, Executor of Karma had already cast the Six Harmonies Seated Refinement Curse on Venerable Sumeru Buddha to prevent him from revealing any information.
“Honghu, you cannot disclose even the slightest hint about the Immortal Realm’s coordinates, understood?”
“Understood.” Executor of Honghu nodded stiffly.
Executor of Karma retrieved the Heart Control Gu. The gu hadn’t been refined to perfection yet and could only control Executor of Honghu for a brief moment.
Executor of Honghu only felt a momentary daze, unaware that he had been placed under the Six Harmonies Seated Refinement Curse.
Executor of Karma smiled as he watched the other depart, already calculating how to fabricate the cause of his death.
“Overly ambitious and eager for glory, attempted to ambush the underworld but encountered the Ten Yama Kings? Or unfortunate enough to encounter a minor world-destroying catastrophe…”
…
Executor of Honghu tried to speak, but his body began to swell, on the verge of explosion at any moment.
His eyes widened in shock, and his first suspect was Executor of Karma.
“Executor of Karma, you son of a bitch…”
Jiang Li was all too familiar with this scene – it looked exactly like the self-destruction of Shenzang Cult followers.
This was an unstoppable explosion.
Jiang Li acted decisively, killing Executor of Honghu before the explosion could occur.
He obtained a massive amount of merit power.