Chapter 2748 - Those Who Enter Do Not Return

Mu Qing stood in midair, gazing at the distant Huaihuang Empire as he explained the rules to Su Yi and Pu Xuan in more detail.

For instance, cultivators couldn’t use avatars of will to enter mundane territories. After all, avatars of will were manifestations of one’s powers of the Grand Dao. They’d be eradicated the moment they entered the bounds of a mundane empire.

He also said that in mundane territories, the Laws of the Will of Heaven were like an invisible barrier. They ensured that mortals need not live in fear of cultivators, but at the same time, the people there could never leave, not unless they shattered the sky and ascended.

There were numerous such rules, and they were quite complicated. All were manifestations of the Will of the Heavens. Their ultimate goal was to separate the worlds of cultivators and mortals, preventing them from influencing each other.

Mu Qing sighed. “Half a year ago, I led my martial nephew into the Huaihuang Empire. To tell the truth, we ran into numerous setbacks. We’re accustomed to the life of a cultivator, so after becoming mortals, the disparity was enormous. It was easy to get into trouble.”

Yu Guangjun instantly looked a bit uncomfortable.

During their time exploring the Huaihuang Empire, he saw a beautiful young woman being humiliated by a pack of beggars. He immediately drew his sword and went to her rescue.

But in the end, the beggars beat him black and blue. His whole body was covered in blood.

If his martial uncle hadn’t come to his rescue in time, Yu Guangjun, an unparalleled chosen son of heaven, might well have been beaten to death by beggars on the street!

Even now, the thought filled Yu Guangjun with lingering terror.

Unfettered Realm Dao Lords were lofty figures; even Undying Realm Master Gods respected them like they respected the heavens themselves.

But in mundane territories, the restrictions of the Laws meant that even ordinary mortals could beat them to death!

Why would they risk it? After all, as the old saying went, wealthy men knew better than to sit beneath the eaves.

“Fellow Daoist Su, we now have two choices,” said Mu Qing. “First, we can stay outside the Huaihuang Empire and wait for our prey to fall into our laps.”

No matter who acquired the good fortune on the Mountain of Bitter Rains, they’d have to leave the Huaihuang Empire. That meant that those waiting outside its borders had hope of seizing it.

“Second, we can venture in ourselves despite the risk,” said Mu Qing. “Yu Guangjun and I are going to wait here. We don’t want to risk it. I urge you to do the same. That mundane empire is a place where dragons and fish intermingle. If anything goes wrong, you’ll be completely doomed.”

Su Yi took a sip of wine. “Is everyone after this treasure planning to do the same?”

Mu Qing nodded. No Eternal would gamble their life lightly, and dying in a mundane empire would be far too humiliating. They wouldn’t just be dead; they’d make laughingstocks of themselves.

Here, Pu Xuan interjected, “What if the good fortune never appears? Will we just have to wait forever?”

Mu Qing shook his head. “No, that won’t happen. Not long ago, the mysterious hum of a sword emanated from the Mountain of Bitter Rains. Not even the Laws of the mundane world could restrict it, letting it reach the outside world.

“When good fortune appears, strange phenomena follow. That sword hum strongly suggests that the good fortune will soon enter the world.”

He’d only just said this when a burst of laughter emanated from afar, booming in all four directions.

“I didn’t think you’d actually show up, Old Man Mu. It seems you really aren’t afraid to die.”

A group of cultivators from the Black Cliff Sword Sect appeared in the distance. Their leader was none other than Zhu Quan, the Heavenly Monarch in plain hemp robes.

His uproarious laughter was a clear provocation.

Mu Qing’s eyes blazed with murderous intent, and he drew his sword and attacked without a single wasted word.

Zhu Quan swung his sleeve through the air, leading his allies away. They dodged by a hair.

Zhu Quan then burst into laughter. “Mu Qing, if you really want to die, wait until the good fortune of the Mountain of Bitter Rains appears. I promise to accompany you to the very end!”

“Why not just do it now?” Mu Qing asked icily.

But then, a melodious female voice rang out. “He doesn’t dare. He’s afraid that others will watch you fight, then swoop in to reap the benefits once you're both injured.”

A tall, slender woman appeared beneath the distant skies. She wore palace garb, and her black hair was pinned in place with a fiery red flying sword.

Several other cultivators followed her, all of them women, and all of them sword cultivators.

“No one understands me better than you, Madam Rao Yun!” Zhu Quan laughed. “Numerous factions have gathered around the Huaihuang Empire, many of them quite powerful. Them aside, several old-timers are lying low nearby. You’d have to be a fool to fight with so many people watching!”

He’d effectively just called Mu Qing a fool.

Mu Qing frowned, then looked around. He really did sense numerous powerful presences gathered around the empire.

Suddenly, a hoarse, aged voice rang out. “Zhu Quan, would you believe me if I said that if you keep shouting like that, I’ll cut out your tongue and reduce your mouth to a pulp?”

It was just one sentence, but it was as if a cold wind blew past, sending chills down the spines of everyone present.

They looked over and saw an old man in long purple robes seated cross-legged on a cloud. He had gray hair but youthful features.

A black earthenware jar sat in front of him. Countless cultivators shot out of the jar, like water flowing into the Huaihuang Empire.

There were over a thousand of them. Most had yet to achieve immortality, but there were some immortals around them, and even a handful of gods.

Zhu Quan of the Black Cliff Sword Sect furrowed his brow, then smiled appeasingly. “My apologies for disturbing you, Senior Luo. I promise not to do it again.”

He was obviously afraid of the old man in purple!

Meanwhile, the woman in palace garb asked, “Old Ghost Luo, just how many of the Blue Peak Continent’s cultivators did you capture for this?”

“Not many; just ten thousand people,” said the old man in purple, gazing at the black earthenware jar. He said casually, “But that should be enough.”

The woman in palace garb sighed. “You’re sending those innocents to their deaths. Don’t you think that’s excessively brutal?”

The old man in purple robes said expressionlessly, “They’re no more than ants. For them, an opportunity to work on my behalf is an honor!”

Su Yi already understood the situation. The old man in purple wasn’t willing to risk himself, so he’d captured cultivators from the Blue Peak Continent and sent them into the Huaihuang Empire in his stead!

Yang Lingxiao soon told Su Yi these cultivators’ names and backgrounds.

The old man in purple was a prominent heretical cultivator, Luo Jing, or “Old Ghost Luo.” His methods were brutal, and he acted without scruples.

He was also a long-established Heavenly Monarch. They said he’d proven his Dao and entered the Heavenly Fate Realm hundreds of thousands of years ago, and that he’d offended countless factions and slain countless cultivators since, but he was still alive. That feat was ample proof of his strength.

The tall, slender woman in palace garb was from Symphony of Ran Tower. Her name was Madam Rao Yun.

She too was a Heavenly Monarch!

Symphony of Rain Tower was one of the famed thirteen towers of the Eternal Heavens Domain. Only women cultivated there, all of them sword cultivators.

They were backed by the Court of the Southern Heavens, a Heavenly Sovereign faction.

That was why even Old Ghost Luo, an elite amongst heretical cultivators, spoke to Madam Rao Yun with such politeness.

Yang Lingxiao was obviously nervous when he spoke of them. After all, he was just an inner-sect disciple of the Heart-Tempering Sword House, a mere Divine Wandering Realm Dao Lord. How could he possibly have seen anything like this before?

Numerous Heavenly Monarchs, figures out of legend, had gathered in this remote place with an incomplete Will of the Heavens, all to vie for good fortune. A junior like Yang Lingxiao couldn’t possibly participate in such a high-level competition.

It was for this reason that Yang Lingxiao couldn’t help but admire Pu Xuan and Su Xuanjun’s composure.

Suddenly, Su Yi made up his mind. He and Pu Xuan would venture into the Huaihuang Empire together.

Mu Qing was stunned, and he repeatedly tried to dissuade them, but in the end, he gave up and just told Su Yi to be careful.

Su Yi and Pu Xuan promptly set off, shooting toward the Huaihuang Empire. In the blink of an eye, they’d vanished.

Yang Lingxiao stayed behind with Yu Guangjun and Mu Qing.

“Mu Qing, did you choose those two to risk themselves on your behalf? I’m afraid neither will be coming back!” said Zhu Quan, his gaze mocking.

Mu Qing laughed coldly but said nothing. He actually quite hoped that Yao Monarch Lian Luo would show up and slap Zhu Quan’s head off!

But then, Madam Rao Yun of Symphony of Rain Tower laughed. “It doesn’t matter who goes, and it doesn’t matter who acquires the treasure first, now does it?”

The Heavenly Monarchs gathered around the Huaihuang Empire weren’t the only ones here. Numerous others watched from the shadows!

Old Ghost Luo said, “Are you certain that the good fortune of the Mountain of Bitter Rains is an unparalleled ferocious sword from the Devastation?”

The crowd fell silent. The good fortune had yet to enter the world, so who could say for certain?

“When the locust trees turn yellow, the people of the mundane world travel to take the imperial examinations. The good fortune of the Mountain of Bitter Rains will soon enter the world. There’s no telling who’ll take first place,” whispered Mu Qing.

Meanwhile, Zhu Quan transmitted to his companions, “Go make contact with the collaborators. Have both of the cultivators Mu Qing just sent into the Huaihuang Empire killed. Make sure they remember to gather their belongings.”

“Understood!” The cultivators set off to carry out their orders.

Mu Qing watched this scene play out, his brow furrowed.

Zhu Quan just laughed and said nothing. Although no one knew it, he’d long since sent members of his sect to establish a connection with several higher-ups of the Huaihuang Empire.

Similarly, no one else knew it, but any cultivator who entered the Huaihuang Empire would find themselves targeted by said higher-ups so long as Zhu Quan willed it!

Zhu Quan's conspirators were martial artists just one step away from shattering the skies and ascending. Zhu Quan had promised to take them to the Black Cliff Sword Sect to cultivate as soon as he succeeded. In exchange, the general had to kill Zhu Quan’s enemies!

Zhu Quan wanted to kill other cultivators and gather their belongings. That was his true goal.

After all, you couldn’t get rich without robbing others.

The good fortune of the Mountain of Bitter Rains was important, yes, but if he seized this opportunity to kill the experts of Heavenly Monarch-level factions, he’d make a fortune!

The best part was that even if the cultivators who entered the Huaihuang Empire died, no one would suspect Zhu Quan of anything!

Furthermore, Zhu Quan dared say with certainty that other old monsters had made similar arrangements.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

There was no need to even question it. Anyone stupid enough to risk themselves by attempting to acquire the treasure directly would never return!