Chapter 13: Azure Emperor: I Have a Plan

After weighing the three psychic weapons, Qin Sheng returned the dagger to Ye Fan.

"Ye Zi, take it."

"Thank you, Immortal Qin."

Duan De was shocked. "Are you two in cahoots? You teamed up to scam me?"

"Fellow Daoist, that is a misunderstanding."

Qin Sheng said with a straight face, "I truly intended to dispel your misfortune and resolve your calamities. It was for your own good!"

"To hell with 'for my own good'!" Duan De’s face flushed red.

Qin Sheng pointed at Ye Fan and said, "Do you know who Ye Zi is? If you dare to rob him, you will surely face great disaster in the future."

Duan De looked at Ye Fan suspiciously. "Does this kid have some earth-shattering background?"

"Heh."

Qin Sheng said, "If I tell you his situation, it will scare you to death."

"Ye Zi is an Ancient Sacred Body."

Duan De was indeed stunned. "Does the Ancient Sacred Body constitution still exist today?"

His eyes lit up as he observed Ye Fan, and a moment later, he exclaimed in amazement

"It’s actually true."

"The Ancient Sacred Body, once perfected, can rival the Great Emperors of old. By robbing his weapons, aren't you offending a future Great Emperor?"

"I’m taking action now to resolve the grudge between you two in advance. Isn't that a wonderful thing?"

Duan De wore an expression that said, *Stop spouting nonsense.* "A perfected Sacred Body? The Ancient Sacred Body can't even cultivate anymore."

"Wait, no. This kid has already opened his Bitter Sea."

"Exactly." Qin Sheng laughed.

"The Ancient Sacred Body cannot cultivate, but Ye Zi has broken the laws of nature. Do you understand my good intentions now?"

An invincible, perfected Sacred Body—Duan De felt he truly couldn't afford to offend such a person.

However, he quickly reacted, feeling indignant.

"You robbed my weapons before I even met him!"

"I caught a glimpse of the future from the River of Time and knew you would cross paths with Ye Zi."

Qin Sheng corrected him, "Also, that wasn't a robbery; it was resolving your impending blood-related disaster. Please mind your phrasing and do not slander my noble character."

Duan De was so angry his body swelled up. He had never seen such a shameless person in his life.

Excluding himself, that is.

Ye Fan, meanwhile, was having a great time.

At that moment, an indescribable aura suddenly erupted from the ancient palace, and a burst of light exploded, filling the entire world.

"It’s the Demon Emperor’s weapon!"

"Suppress it! We must get our hands on it!"

The five mighty experts went mad and attacked in unison.

Qin Sheng watched with boiling blood. *Very good, very spirited!*

"Sigh, the Demon Emperor’s weapon. It’s no less impressive than the supreme treasures of the Eastern Wasteland’s human race."

Duan De looked at the ball of light with a look of longing.

"If only I could obtain it."

Qin Sheng probed, "Does the Daoist priest not possess weapons of this caliber?"

Duan De looked at Qin Sheng with an expression that said, *Are you crazy?*

"There are only a few such weapons in the entire Eastern Wasteland. How could I possibly possess one?"

He then gritted his teeth. "If I had a weapon like this, how could I have been..."

*...robbed by a black-hearted brat like you!*

Qin Sheng was thoughtful. Duan De hadn't obtained the Swallowing Heaven Demon Lid yet?

Then where exactly did he find that half of an Imperial weapon?

*Ah, I have a plan!*

"Immortal Qin, Daoist priest, wait—why does the Demon Emperor’s weapon seem to be coming toward us?" Ye Fan said urgently.

"Let's go."

Qin Sheng flew away with Ye Fan, and Duan De also ran off with a strange cry.

The stone mountain where they had just been standing exploded, and a jade basin appeared, catching the Demon Emperor’s weapon.

This was a trap set by the descendants of the Green Emperor, hiding in the shadows to retrieve the Imperial weapon.

A peerless beauty, stunning enough to captivate the world, put away the Treasure-Gathering Basin and the Demon Emperor’s weapon, then quickly retreated into the distance.

"Many thanks to all the seniors for your help; otherwise, even if the descendants of the Demon Emperor arrived in person, it would be difficult to collect the Imperial weapon."

"I’ve seen that person before. Pang Bo is with her!" Ye Fan said.

"The Demon Emperor’s descendants used the Treasure-Gathering Basin to hide in the shadows and reap the rewards. How detestable! Why isn't that person me?" Duan De was green with envy.

Qin Sheng shook his head. The lineage of the Green Emperor had truly fallen; Yan Ruyu, as a descendant of the Green Emperor, knew next to nothing about the Imperial weapon.

In this era, unless another Imperial weapon was used to suppress it, no one could stop an Imperial weapon if it wanted to leave.

The Treasure-Gathering Basin was indeed extraordinary to be able to take the Green Emperor’s weapon, but that was also because she, a descendant of the Green Emperor, was present.

Qin Sheng found this very hard to understand.

The Green Emperor had only passed away ten thousand years ago. How could this lineage have plummeted to this point at such breakneck speed?

When the Green Emperor "passed away," he was still in his prime, and his influence would certainly not have been weak; there must have been Quasi-Emperors.

Who could have slaughtered a supreme Imperial lineage to this extent?

In the period when a Great Emperor is alive and for ten or twenty thousand years after their passing, it should logically be the strongest period for an Imperial lineage, sufficient to rule the world.

The Green Emperor’s lineage...

Not to mention the universe and the stars, they had even become minor players among the demons of the Eastern Wasteland. It was truly lamentable.

The appearance of the Treasure-Gathering Basin attracted a large number of psychic weapons at once, and Duan De rushed out frantically to compete for them.

"As expected of the Demon Emperor’s tomb, there are so many treasures." Ye Fan looked on with reverence.

"...These treasures are at most at the Four Extremes level. They are valuable to us, but they mean nothing to the Demon Emperor."

*Mean nothing?* Even a mouthful of spit from the Green Emperor would be worth countless times more than these weapons.

"Ah?"

Ye Fan was surprised. "Then why are they in the Demon Emperor’s tomb?"

"That ancient palace is not the Demon Emperor’s tomb." Qin Sheng shook his head.

"Perhaps it’s a place where people related to the Green Emperor lived?"

"I see." Ye Fan was still confused.

Qin Sheng told Ye Fan to stay here and go compete for those weapons as well.

Although they weren't true relics of the Green Emperor, they did have value and could be exchanged for Source stones.

Weapon after weapon was pocketed by Qin Sheng. As for Ye Fan—how should one put it? This kid was definitely problematic.

The green copper shard that Qin Sheng had never been able to find ended up falling from the sky right in front of Ye Fan.

If you call it luck, it’s hard to fathom; if you say it was arranged by someone, you can't find a trace of it.

Ye Fan actually looked a bit like the Emperor of Heaven.

The green copper shard squeezed into Ye Fan’s Bitter Sea and suppressed the center.

"That is a treasure, earth-shattering. If word of it gets out, it would be enough to blow up the Eastern Wasteland. Don't tell anyone else," Qin Sheng cautioned.

Unlike the Bodhi seed, which helped Ye Fan cultivate, the green copper shard helped Ye Fan survive many crises.

This was a fragment of the Immortal-Forming Cauldron, but since it was already in Ye Fan’s hands, Qin Sheng had no intention of snatching it.

The divine medicine he had eaten earlier was thanks to Ye Fan’s good fortune anyway.

"I didn't get to touch the Demon Emperor’s weapon, so why is the supreme treasure of the Eastern Wasteland’s human race nowhere to be seen?"

Duan De was extremely depressed, feeling that he was having a streak of bad luck.

"The supreme treasure of the Eastern Wasteland’s human race? What is that?"

"It’s the Desolate Pagoda." Qin Sheng provided the answer.

"Mm." Duan De echoed.

"A nine-story Desolate Pagoda, invincible under heaven. It has existed longer than the human race of the Eastern Wasteland. Legend has it that it once suppressed and killed an Immortal!"

Ye Fan was shocked. "Aren't Immortals just myths and legends?"

"That’s why I said it’s a legend."

Duan De said matter-of-factly, "I also say that in my past life, I suppressed and killed a Great Emperor."

Qin Sheng patted Duan De on the shoulder. "Perhaps it’s true. The first time I saw you, Fellow Daoist, I felt that you had a supreme aura rising to the heavens from the top of your head. You have a distinguished appearance and are beyond measure."

Duan De was so angry he laughed. *That’s not what you said when you were robbing me earlier!*

"What is your profession, Fellow Daoist?" Qin Sheng asked.

"Excavating underground structures, protectively collecting ancient artifacts, allowing lost history to reappear in the world, and ensuring the truth hidden underground can be known by everyone."

Duan De looked righteous and awe-inspiring.

"Isn't that just grave robbing?" Ye Fan blurted out.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Archaeology, it’s archaeology."

Duan De added, "I am no thief."

"Archaeology is good. Archaeology is worth learning." Qin Sheng nodded.

"So, where do you plan to go to make a fortune next, Fellow Daoist?"

"You’re interested too?" Duan De’s eyes lit up. *Could I have met a kindred spirit?*

"No, no, I’m just asking."

*I am a righteous disciple of the Fluctuation Holy Land; how could I collude with you!*

"I don't have a goal. I’ll just go wherever the road takes me."

*Translation: I’ll rob wherever I go. There is nothing he wouldn't dare to do.*

Duan De looked around and said, "And this Demon Emperor’s tomb... something is not right..."

He began to act, searching everywhere, and finally led Qin Sheng and Ye Fan to a pool of water.

The pool was deep and dark, bottomless, and cold air radiated from it, freezing even the air itself.

"This is the Yin Tomb, corresponding to the Yang Tomb outside," Qin Sheng said.

"One Yin, one Yang, holding the Taiji. The Demon Emperor’s heart guards the Yang Tomb, and here in the Yin Tomb..."

Qin Sheng looked at Duan De, his expression solemn.

"You really are an expert. The Demon Emperor’s corpse must be buried in the Yin Tomb."

"Immortal Qin, how do you think this Yin Tomb can be broken?" Duan De followed Ye Fan’s lead and addressed him as such.

"It can't be broken."

Qin Sheng said, "Can you deal with the Demon Emperor, or can I? You know how terrifying an Imperial corpse is."

The Desolate Pagoda was in the Yin Tomb, and the Green Emperor’s primordial spirit was hidden within it, and he had even dismembered his own physical body.

With such a formation, who in the world could break it?

Unless the Ruthless Empress woke up and walked out of the Desolate Forbidden Land, even ordinary Supreme Beings from the forbidden zones would just be serving themselves up on a platter if they came here.

Duan De sighed. His cultivation was still low, but his spiritual sense was extremely sharp. This Yin Tomb gave him a sense of unprecedented terror.

Staring at the Yin Tomb, thinking of the Green Emperor’s experiences, Qin Sheng found it hard to put into words.

As the Great Emperor closest to the opening of the Immortal Road, there would have been no problem for the Green Emperor to live until that day with his lifespan.

As a being who had transformed from an Undying Divine Medicine to attain the Dao, there was probably no Great Emperor with a longer lifespan than his.

When the time came, with his peak Heavenly Emperor-level combat power, who could stop him?

Even if he didn't want to enter the Immortal Realm through the Immortal Road, given the Green Emperor’s aptitude and foundation, it was highly possible for him to embark on the path of a Red Dust Immortal.

It could be said that the Green Emperor had attained the Dao at a time when he possessed all the advantages of heaven, earth, and humanity. Throughout history, no other Great Emperor had been able to choose so freely among the many methods of "becoming an Immortal" like him.

What a wealthy hand he had been dealt!

Yet, just when he was in his prime, the Green Emperor had a sudden whim to evolve the Immortal Realm with his own strength, hoping to become an Immortal through such a method.

*I have a plan.jpg*

If it were the Chaos Green Lotus Immortal King doing this, it would be fine, but a human Great Emperor...

*Can you even evolve it?*

*You don't have the ability, you know.*

Thinking of the Green Emperor currently staying in the Desolate Pagoda, hand-crafting his dream Immortal Realm, Qin Sheng couldn't help but hum softly.

The Green Emperor really was the king of wild ideas in *Shrouding the Heavens*.

(End of chapter)