Chapter 879: Disregarding Imperial Favor, Utter Treason

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Meng Junzi looked at the Emperor of Xia with utter distaste, thinking, you brat did not utter a single word when you died, so why are you so talkative now that you are resurrected?

Before Meng Junzi could voice his thoughts, a loud clang echoed as the chamber door was thrown open.

A young man strode inside bearing a hoe upon his shoulder, his demeanor grand and imposing; bound to the opposite end of the hoe was a figure, swaying precariously.

“Haha! The matters over in Yuzhou have been settled. How are things progressing on your end, Junzi?”

Meng Junzi glared furiously at the youth with the hoe, wondering if this grandfather and grandson duo had conspired together to question him in turns.

“Get lost. What is there to flaunt about defeating a mere demi-immortal?”

Seeing Meng Junzi’s flesh torn and lacerated from the immortal’s self-detonation, the youth with the hoe burst into laughter, though he quickly stepped forward to offer his concern.

“Oh my, Junzi, what on earth happened to you? I distinctly recall you bragging before that defeating a mere State Preceptor of Great Yu would be as easy as reaching into your pocket.”

Meng Junzi waved his hand dismissively. “Hah, it only looks severe on the surface. In truth, these are but minor scratches that do not hurt in the slightest. Old Jiang, you are far too easily deceived.”

The youth poked Meng Junzi’s wound. “It does not hurt?”

An immortal’s self-detonation could wound even the immortal soul; that single poke brought such agonizing pain that Meng Junzi nearly screamed aloud.

Yet, unwilling to lose face before Jiang Ping'an, he swallowed the cry of agony, his face contorting violently as he wheezed, “It does not hurt.”

“Truly?”

The youth jabbed harder, the intense pain causing Meng Junzi to bare his teeth in a snarl before he delivered a swift kick toward Jiang Ping'an.

“Jiang Ping'an, that is enough!”

Kicked head over heels, Jiang Ping'an simply strolled back as if nothing had happened.

“You were the one who said it did not hurt.”

The two immortals glared at one another in fury.

Lu Yang squatted down and tilted his head to inspect the face of the bound figure; having never seen the portraits, he could not tell from which era of Great Yu this demi-immortal hailed.

The demi-immortal was entirely devoid of life, leading Lu Yang to surmise that Jiang Ping'an must have shown no mercy upon arriving in Yuzhou, extracting the soul immediately to gather intelligence without delay.

Only then did the youth with the hoe notice Lu Yang’s presence. “You must be the auspicious... Little Junior Brother Lu Yang that Daoist Friend Yun Zhi mentioned.”

“This junior pays respects to Senior Jiang Ping'an.”

The youth with the hoe was, naturally, Jiang Ping'an.

Jiang Ping'an scrutinized Lu Yang from head to toe, thinking that he truly lived up to being the junior brother personally raised by Yun Zhi; his foundation was absurdly solid, to the point where even an immortal’s discerning eye could not find the slightest flaw.

“A fine young man indeed. Would you have any interest in marrying into my Jiang family?”

“The seven young princesses of our Jiang family are all beauties capable of toppling nations. Especially the seventh, who is exceedingly lovely, and close to you in both age and cultivation; as it happens, she grew up listening to tales of your exploits and holds you in high regard!”

Jiang Ping'an was referring to the seventh daughter of the Emperor of Xia, the youngest princess of the Jiang family.

Meng Junzi extended his arm to bar Jiang Ping'an’s path. “Hold on, hold on, do not steal him! Our Meng family has already made an agreement with him; he shall marry into my Meng family in the future.”

Both Jiang Ping'an and Meng Junzi stared at Lu Yang with glowing eyes.

This was Lu Yang, whom Yun Zhi herself had praised as possessing the potential of an immortal; Yun Zhi’s praise was no mere sycophancy used by the outside world to flatter young geniuses, meaning Lu Yang stood a monumental chance of ascending to immortality.

Why not win him over while the opportunity remained?

Highly esteemed by two immortals, Lu Yang felt an immense weight of pressure, utterly at a loss for how to respond.

The chamber door was gently pushed open once more, and the Eldest Senior Sister, from whom he had only recently parted, returned, dragging along Guan Shanhai, who had likewise departed not long ago.

“I have brought him back.”

“What are you two Daoist friends doing, pinning my Little Junior Brother between you?”

“Hahaha, it is nothing, nothing at all. We were simply admiring how robust the boy’s constitution is.”

The left side of Guan Shanhai’s face was bruised a dark crimson, and his left eye was completely bloodshot; judging by Lu Yang’s experience, this was likely the result of an external impact causing ocular hemorrhaging.

Guan Shanhai’s six senses had been sealed by Yun Zhi, leaving him entirely ignorant of the outside world.

Within this small room, a gathering of titans had assembled, each possessing an extraordinary lineage: there was the invincible Yun Zhi, the Immortal Fairy who stood at the apex of the five ancient immortals, Meng Junzi who had nearly become a founding emperor, Jiang Ping'an who had established the Great Xia, Guan Shanhai who had sustained the Great Yu for a hundred thousand years, the Emperor of Great Xia hailed as the eternal sovereign, and Lu Yang.

“How should we dispose of Guan Shanhai?” Jiang Ping'an inquired, wondering whether they should extract his soul directly or imprison him for prolonged interrogation to force out intelligence.

“Confine him within the Prisoner Peak of my sect. It is only fitting that he be reunited with his compatriots from Great Yu.”

Jiang Ping'an and Meng Junzi were reluctant; after exerting so much effort, even if they could not partake of the meat, they could not bear to miss out on the broth entirely.

Though they harbored a certain dread of Yun Zhi, they nonetheless summoned their courage to speak.

“Surely that is improper. Your Prisoner Peak lacks an immortal; how could it possibly hold him? To my mind, it would be better to confine him within our Imperial City, where the two of us can keep watch over him, ensuring absolute security!”

“With me present, our Prisoner Peak can hold him,” Yun Zhi spoke softly, her words radiating quiet confidence.

In truth, none of them wished to resort to an immediate soul extraction.

A soul extraction would obliterate Guan Shanhai’s immortal soul.

That was an immortal soul, after all; no one had ever attempted to forge an artifact using both an immortal soul and an immortal body. What manner of terrifying might would an immortal artifact possess if forged with these two components as its spirit?

It would be a supreme immortal artifact unprecedented since antiquity!

Even the Heavenly Immortal had enjoyed no such luxury when forging immortal artifacts, managing at most to snap a branch from the Epoch Immortal to serve as material—which was precisely how the handle of the Heaven-Cleaving Axe had come to be.

Yun Zhi did not intend to monopolize the spoils; after all, Jiang Ping'an and Meng Junzi had contributed greatly to the capture of Guan Shanhai. She had merely delivered the finishing blow, so by all rights of reason and fairness, they too deserved a share of the benefits.

Yet, she could not simply hand Guan Shanhai over to them entirely.

As the three of them reached a standstill, Lu Yang slowly raised his hand, indicating he had something to say.

“Well... I have an idea.”

“Since there is only one Guan Shanhai and it is difficult to divide him, why not simply divide Guan Shanhai’s soul?”

Three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls made ten parts in total, quite enough to be distributed among the three parties.

Upon reflection, the three immortals found this to be an excellent solution.

Given Guan Shanhai’s temperament, he would not easily yield intelligence; breaking apart his three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls would fracture his willpower, making it entirely possible to extract information through coercion, bribery, or severe torture.

“A splendid idea.”

The more Meng Junzi and Jiang Ping'an looked at Lu Yang, the more agreeable he seemed. It was one thing for his talent to be of the absolute highest order, but to think his moral character was likewise irreproachable.

Following a brief deliberation, it was agreed that Jiang Ping'an and Meng Junzi would take the seven corporeal souls and the immortal body, while Yun Zhi would claim the three ethereal souls, the Dao Fruit, and Lu Yang.

“Ah, that brat Meng Jingzhou will not be returning for the time being,” Meng Junzi called out. He had resolved to properly instruct this excellent descendant; among all his lineage, only Meng Jingzhou possessed a talent closest to his own. With proper guidance, the youth might well surpass him in the future.

Previously, he could not reveal his identity or cultivation, preventing any formal instruction, but now he harbored no such fears.

Lu Yang felt that Old Meng was truly fortunate to receive the guidance of an ancestral immortal, whereas he himself... seemed to also have an immortal instructing him.

Strange, why did it never feel that way?

Mangu remained temporarily in the Imperial City; it was his first visit, and within less than an hour of his arrival, he had witnessed an immortal war. Now that the battle had concluded, he naturally wished to tarry in the city for a time.

On the journey flying back, Lu Yang produced a wooden box.

“Eldest Senior Sister, the matters in the Imperial City are concluded. I return the Immortal Peach to you.”

Yun Zhi shook her head. “This was originally meant for you.”

There was only a single Immortal Peach, and Lu Yang was entirely unwilling to enjoy it alone; this was a celestial treasure exceedingly rare in the world, untasted by anyone since the ancient era. If he consumed it, his Eldest Senior Sister would never have the chance to taste it again.

"How about this? We split the celestial peach in two, one half for each of us, what do you say?"

Yun Zhi was entirely aware of what was weighing on Lu Yang’s mind, and at the thought, a rare flush of embarrassment colored her features.

"Very well, half for each of us then."

At worst, she could simply find some pretext in the future to procure more of these celestial peaches and let her junior brother eat his fill.

As Lu Yang and Yun Zhi divided the celestial peach between them, only the Immortal Fairy, watching from within the spiritual domain, stared on with a longing, envious gaze.

According to unofficial histories, before the Second and Third Emperors of the Bean ascended their thrones, they chanced upon a celestial peach capable of prolonging life, savoring it leisurely above the clouds, while Her Majesty could only salivate at the sight, unable to obtain even a single morsel—an act truly dismissive of imperial grace and utterly rebellious.