Chapter 540: Long Zun Tian

The arrival of Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu drew the ire of the Ghost Race. One Great Sect Leader sneered, “The Qianli River has already obtained all the Vajra Carp’s treasures. Isn’t that enough? Hmph. Some people are never satisfied. Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew!”

Li Qiye ignored everyone else, his gaze fixed on the pool before him. After studying it for a long while, he broke into a smile.

“What about this pool? Can we go in?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask. She had her own doubts. Treasure Turtle Daoist and the others had chased the Vajra Carp to this lair, but while they found the lair, the Vajra Carp itself had vanished.

A creature as massive as the Vajra Carp couldn’t have just vanished into thin air. ‘Did it jump into this pool?’ she wondered. But considering the Vajra Carp’s immense size, the pool before them seemed far too small to hold it.

Li Qiye glanced at the pool with a smile and said, “Oh, you can definitely go in. It just depends on who’s trying. This isn’t a place just anyone can enter.”

“Is it very dangerous?” Lan Yunzhu asked, staring at the pool. Although it looked perfectly ordinary, even a Celestial Eye couldn’t see through it.

“That depends on who you’re talking about,” Li Qiye said with a smile. “To the challenged, it is as difficult as ascending to the heavens; they could never enter in their entire lifetime. To the gifted, it is effortless, like a leisurely stroll through a courtyard.”

“What arrogance—” Li Qiye’s words instantly drew a complaint. The speaker was none other than the Ghost Insect Demon Child. He gave a sinister chuckle and said, “Then I wonder how many steps this so-called Human Race prodigy can take!”

The Ghost Insect Demon Child’s provocation caused many to exchange glances; most were happy to see such a development. In fact, the feud between Li Qiye and the Ghost Insect Demon Child was well-known, having started back during their time at the Golden Sea.

In response to the Ghost Insect Demon Child’s provocation, Li Qiye merely lifted an eyelid and said languidly, “And how many steps can you take, I wonder?”

“Nine steps!” the Ghost Insect Demon Child sneered, his voice grim. “Why don’t you give it a go? We can have a little competition!” At this moment, he was brimming with confidence.

“Nine steps?” Li Qiye roared with exaggerated laughter. “Are you a caterpillar? You only managed nine steps in such an easy place? I could take more than nine steps with my eyes closed.”

“You—” Being mocked so ruthlessly by Li Qiye, the Ghost Insect Demon Child’s face flushed crimson. He trembled with anger, his eyes flickering with a terrifyingly cold light.

Li Qiye couldn’t be bothered to spare him another glance. He waved his hand dismissively and said, “Trying to provoke me with your measly nine steps? Go cool off somewhere else and stop getting in the way of my important business.”

“Is that so? You, with the surname Li, how many steps do you think you can take!” another sneering voice rang out. The words were full of provocation, spoken by the successor of another Emperor Immortal Gate, Saint Child Ji Que.

“How many steps?” Faced with Saint Child Ji Que’s provocation, Li Qiye let out a yawn and said, “It’s not that I look down on you, but frankly, to think you can challenge me with just a few steps… you’re truly overestimating yourselves. At your level, I can’t even be bothered to stoop to your level.”

“You challenge my Ghost Race and make an enemy of the world. Don’t you think you’re the one who’s overestimating yourself?” At this moment, another proud voice rang out.

A Phoenix Carriage slowly approached and came to a halt by the edge of the pool. A woman of peerless grace stepped down from it—it was none other than the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady, who had fled in defeat last time.

“The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady is here too.” Seeing her arrival, the atmosphere on scene immediately became more animated, with many people watching them.

The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady had been defeated and forced to flee in their last battle. Now she had returned to stage a comeback, making everyone eager to see what the outcome would be this time.

“Well, well, if it isn’t my defeated foe,” Li Qiye said, glancing at the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady with a nonchalant smile. “When did the ancestors of your Divine Burning Country become part of the Ghost Race? Were your forefathers truly from the Ghost Race?”

“As a daughter-in-law of the Ghost Race, I am a child of the Ghost Race!” However, this time, the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady did not get angry. She was remarkably calm as she spoke slowly.

As expected of the Emperor’s fiancée, her demeanor was truly remarkable. To become the future mistress of the Ten Thousand Bones Throne, she certainly possessed extraordinary qualities.

“Fair enough. You have a point,” Li Qiye said with a smile. “So, what is it? Was the crushing defeat last time not enough? Are you hoping for another one?”

“Li Qiye, you do have the capital to be arrogant, but do you really think you are invincible in this world?” The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady seemed to have come prepared; this time she was neither angry nor anxious, as if victory was already in her grasp.

Li Qiye gave her a lazy glance and said, “I don’t know if I’m invincible or not. But, if someone insists on being my enemy, insists on blocking my path, then my answer is very clear: slaughter without mercy! This applies even if it’s the entire world!”

“Young man, what arrogant words,” a middle-aged man who had accompanied the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady stepped forward and said. “You have the same arrogant air I did when I was young. I’m afraid, however, that your arrogance ends here.”

When this middle-aged man stepped forward, he possessed a special kind of presence. With every glance, his spirited demeanor was on full display. This, combined with his restrained aura, created a unique charm, like the bearing of one who has walked their own path on the Great Dao for ten thousand eons.

“Long Zun Tian!” Upon seeing this middle-aged man, the expressions of even many great figures of the Ghost Race changed. Even the many Great Sect Ancestors of the Ghost Race wore solemn looks.

Long Zun Tian was a legendary existence in the Ghost Sacred Realm. He was like the blazing sun of the Ghost Sacred Realm, and his debut was filled with legendary tales.

Long Zun Tian began his journey of cultivation during the Tough Dao Era and was the most dazzling and brilliant genius in the Ghost Sacred Realm of that period. Even at a very young age, Long Zun Tian progressed rapidly in his cultivation; it seemed as if the Tough Dao Era itself could not halt his steps toward the peak.

Long Zun Tian became a Saint Emperor at a very young age. It could be said that he was incomparably brilliant in that era, shaking the world. Some even believed that Long Zun Tian had a chance to defy the hardships of the era and ascend to the absolute peak.

Unfortunately, Long Zun Tian was born at the wrong time. During the Tough Dao Era, he went against the Great Dao and forcefully tried to ascend to a higher realm, triggering a longevity decay, which led to a sky-shattering disaster.

A Fate Calamity is like a Heart Demon; a longevity decay is like a heavenly withering. For cultivators, longevity decay is one of the most difficult tribulations to overcome. Countless geniuses have perished during their own.

What was even more unfortunate was that Long Zun Tian was born in the Tough Dao Era, so the heavenly-withering-like longevity decay dealt him a fatal blow. At the time, everyone believed he could not survive the decay; his death was considered a certainty.

However, faced with this fatal longevity decay, Long Zun Tian defied the tribulation and forcefully overcame it, an act that shocked the world. Nevertheless, he was left with wounds that were difficult to heal. From then on, Long Zun Tian’s cultivation stagnated.

Despite this, Long Zun Tian’s reputation still awed the world. Even many Great Sect Ancestors regarded him with great importance, and one could even say they were somewhat wary of him.

This was not only because Long Zun Tian was an incredible Saint Emperor, but more terrifyingly, he had a Sacred Body of Great Success. He possessed the Vajra Saint Body, and had cultivated it to Great Success!

The Vajra Saint Body is the Sacred Body that is one step below the Vajra Immortal Body. The Vajra Undying Body was said to be impervious to all weapons and immune to all techniques. It was claimed that those who cultivated it feared no weapon in the world and could withstand the frenzied bombardment of any cultivation technique.

Although Long Zun Tian did not have an Immortal Body, with his Vajra Saint Body at the Great Success stage, his physique was ridiculously powerful. There were even rumors that he had once blocked a strike from an Immortal Emperor’s Treasure with his own body. While the truth of this was unknown, the toughness of his body had reached a level that made others fearful.

“To think that the Emperor was the one to finally convince Long Zun Tian. For even a peerless genius like him to think so highly of the Emperor, it seems the Emperor will surely shoulder the Celestial Mandate and become an Immortal Emperor,” someone said with emotion upon seeing Long Zun Tian acting as the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s protector.

Back in the day, during the Tough Dao Era, Long Zun Tian’s name was incredibly famous. Some even called him the number one expert of his generation. It was only after he suffered from longevity decay that he slowly faded from public view, making way for the rise of the Three Heroes of the Netherworld.

However, as a Loose Cultivator, Long Zun Tian had always been highly respected. Many Great Teaching Territories and even Emperor Immortal Gates had extended olive branches to him. In the past, even the Ten Thousand Bones Throne had tried to recruit him, but the immensely proud Long Zun Tian refused their offer.

Yet, unexpectedly, after so many years, the Emperor rose to prominence. In the end, this peerless prodigy actually managed to persuade Long Zun Tian to become his mentor.

Although the Ten Thousand Bones Throne had incredible Elder Ancestors, some of whom were as strong as legendary figures, a person like Long Zun Tian was still a rare find. His becoming the Emperor’s mentor was of immense benefit to the Emperor.

For someone as proud as Long Zun Tian—who had refused to be recruited by the Ten Thousand Bones Throne in the past—to be willing to serve as the Emperor’s mentor, one could only imagine how stunning and incredible the Emperor must be.

The fact that even someone like Long Zun Tian, known as the number one genius of the Tough Dao Era, was willing to assist the Emperor showed that the Emperor’s future was truly limitless. He was destined to shoulder the Celestial Mandate and become an Immortal Emperor.

As Long Zun Tian stepped forward, Li Qiye looked at him, still perfectly calm and composed. He smiled and said, “What, are you going to teach me a lesson?”

Long Zun Tian looked back at Li Qiye, smiled, and shook his head. “I’m getting old, I don’t like to stretch my old bones. I’m just offering you a piece of advice. There is always a taller mountain, always someone better. There are countless Elder Ancestors present here today. You are indeed a heaven-sent prodigy, but if a Great Sage were to make a move, I’m afraid you would find yourself with very little room to maneuver.”

“Take my advice and rein in your arrogance. Otherwise, even if I don’t make a move, someone else will put you in your place,” Long Zun Tian said. “Of course, if you really wish to compete with me, I don’t mind teaching a lesson to a youngster!”

Long Zun Tian’s words were incredibly domineering, one could say he was bursting with confidence. However, he truly had the qualifications to be so overbearing. As a Saint Emperor, his Dao Practice might be inferior to some of the Great Sect Ancestors, but he had a Sacred Body of Great Success. Any Great Sect Ancestor who wanted to make an enemy of him would have to think twice.