Stealing The Heavens

Time flies. Another half a month had passed in the outside world, and the people in Dark Yin Celestial Tower had cultivated for another five hundred months, or over forty years. Every day during this period, Wu Qi had crazily devoured the energy in the outside world, converted it into chaotic energy, refined and purified it into energy essence that was the root of any immortals with his own fleshly body, and channeled it to all his close ones and subjects.

His cultivation base had remained at the level of a ninth-tier Primordial expert, but his foundation was much stable than before, and his energy essence and bloodline had become at least a hundred times stronger. Over the years, he had spent most of his time and energy on the people around him, forcibly elevating their cultivation bases at the cost of his own energy essence. Had he not, Patriarch Jiang Yun and others would not have progressed at such an incredible rate, even with the time accelerated two thousand times and the aid of the endless energy.

After forty years, Patriarch Jiang Yun and others had all stood firmly on the peak-level of Gold Immortal realm, and a tiny bud had sprouted in their Dao Hearts, in the midst of Wu Qi’s daily teaching of various profound knowledge related to the Heavenly Dao. It was their chance of entering the realm of Primordial, the doorway that led into the Dao Realm. As long as they carefully nurtured this tiny bud with all their effort, each of them would have the chance to become an almighty expert, rising above all the weaklings.

Ao Buzun, Gold Horn, Silver Horn, Gold Feather, Silver Feather, Lord Xiansheng, his father Ao Guang, the Dragon King of East Sea, Ao Kuo, the Dragon King of Qianzhang Lake, Ao Kuan, the Dragon King of East Ocean who was once the leader of all the aquatic demons on Myriad Immortals Planet, Little Que’er, Princess Zhang Le’s pet phoenix, and her boyfriend, Feng Tianling, who was also a descendant of the phoenix, these were the demon cultivators most loyal to Wu Qi. Every one of them, too, had a bud of Primordial sprouted in their Dao Hearts, and had the hope of stepping into the Primordial realm.

There was one thing that surprised Wu Qi. Tu Xiaobai and Yuan Qing, the rabbit demon and ape demon who he had taken in as the disciples of Underhand Sect many years ago, had awoken their ancient bloodlines. Among all the other demon cultivators in the sect, their progress was the fastest. Therefore, he had spent some time teaching them the various cultivation techniques of ancient demons and fiends, and managed to make them caught up with the pace of Ao Buzun and others.

Of all the demon cultivators around him, Wu Qi was most worried about Catfish. Her cultivation base was of the same level as Ao Buzun and others, and she had a mighty strength that could suppress even Lord Xiansheng. Only Ao Buzun and Yuan Qing could barely suppress her in physical strength.

But during her days as a king in the depths of Meng Mountains, she had committed a wanton killing and ate many living beings. As a result, she was entangled with immense evil karma. Her true form was only a huge, fat black catfish to begin with, and as she did not have any ancient bloodline, it was extremely difficult for her to transform into the human form. And the bad karma only made it worse. So, she still had her big catfish head on her shoulders.

When Wu Qi looked at her with the Eyes of Transmigration, a divine ability he learned from Lord Buddha’s Great Light Indestructible Amitabha Treasure Scripture, he saw she was shrouded in a towering blood-red light and wisps of black smoke. Obviously, she had eaten many things that she shouldn’t in recent years. They wrapped her up like a hard shell, preventing her bud of Primordial from sprouting. Not only had it delayed her from taking the human form, but it would also give her huge trouble when she tries to break through into the Primordial realm in the future.

He could only think of a way to help her now. He had to find a few Primordial experts guilty of terrible crimes and kill them secretly, make her claim the virtues afterward, and use it to cleanse her evil karma.

In addition to these demon cultivators, the six old immortals from White Cloud Immortal Sect and Tranquil Vimalā Sect, Patriarch Jiang Yun, Patriarch Qing Wu, Patriarch Bai Xia, Patriarch Qing Xin, Patriarch Qing Shen, and Patriarch Qing Yi, had had their cultivation bases reached the level comparable to that of Ao Buzun and others, thanks to Wu Qi’s strenuous efforts. Lu Chengfeng and Lu Quyuan had also been working very hard over the years to improve themselves, and with Wu Qi’s help, they too were not far away from stepping into the Primordial realm.

Supremacy Three Flame, Wu Qi’s companion in adversity, had been running Underhand Sect for him all these years. Living in Mount Picking Star, he rarely left the sect but spent most of his time carefully teaching and managing all the disciples. Grateful for what he had done, Wu Qi had poured in a great effort helping him and the little girl Xue Mei. As a result, he was standing before the door to the Primordial realm today, and his skill in controlling the Divine Flame of Great Tranquility was just slightly weaker than that of the Sovereign of Myriad Immortal Alliance.

Xue Mei was a clever girl, Wu Qi knew, but he was surprised that she also had reached the same level as others. All she needed now was a little push, and then she would be able to smoothly step into the realm of Primordial.

And there were more. Luo Le, Luo Hao, Luo Shui, Luo Ling, Luo Yu, the five members from three generations of the same clan, Luo Clan, who Wu Qi had recruited years ago, were the most gifted among the rest of their clan, especially the three sisters, Luo Shui, Luo Ling, and Luo Yu. Their excellent aptitudes were the reason why Wu Qi had decided to take them in as disciples. After more than a thousand years of elevating their cultivation bases and teaching them the profound knowledge of the Great Dao, they too had smoothly come up upon the boundary of the Primordial realm.

It was extremely difficult for a Gold Immortal to break through into the realm of Primordial. In addition to an enormous amount of energy, it also required some kind of enlightenment, an epiphany. So, in order to help his friends, disciples, and subjects, Wu Qi had no other choice but to find a few more Primordial experts guilty of terrible crimes and kill them, and make them claim the virtues.

Only a freak like Wu Qi would do what he had done. None of the Primordial experts out there treated their own disciples and friends and subjects like he did. They were figures who valued every drop of their own blood essence and energy essence more than the lives of others. It was impossible for them to elevate the cultivation bases of their own disciples with the method Wu Qi had used.

No Primordial experts would donate their own blood essence and energy essence to help others, because each drop was extremely precious to them, and losing even just a little would cause a severe impact to their own foundations. Who else but Wu Qi, who could devour anything without limit and convert them into his own blood essence and energy essence, could do such a self-sacrificing deed? All immortals were selfish, and only he could have such a generous means.

As for the profound knowledge about the Heavenly Dao, well, every Primordial expert had learned this knowledge through painstaking meditation or during critical junctures of life and death, so if their disciples wished to hear a word or two about the Heavenly Dao, they would have to exchange with something.

The treatment of personal disciples was better. Generally, Primordial experts would spend six hours or three days to give lectures to their personal disciples every period, and the duration would depend on their generosity. As for how much these personal disciples could learn during the lecture, it would depend on their own comprehension. No Primordial expert would use clones like Wu Qi to instill various profound knowledge about the Heavenly Dao into his friends and disciples day and night, forcing them to understand the infinite mystery.

As for those in-name disciples and outer sect disciples, if they were to dig out a word or two of advice from a Primordial expert, that would have to depend on how many precious materials they could offer. When the amount was sufficient, they would receive some advice that was more than enough for them to study for several periods, but when the amount was too less, they would only receive a scolding.

It was Wu Qi’s ability to cultivate the people around him at all costs that brought him what he had today: a total of twenty-nine people who were ready to break through the Primordial realm, and thousands of subordinates whose cultivation bases had reached the Gold Immortal realm. And now, his heart was filled with a mixed feeling of distress and happy.

“It looks like I really have to find a few Primordial experts guilty of terrible crimes and kill them as soon as possible… otherwise, it will be difficult for you to break through the Primordial realm in a short time!”

Sitting cross-legged on a hassock, Wu Qi looked at the twenty-nine friends and disciples and subjects who were ready to break through into the realm of Primordial with a clenched jaw. Everyone was looking back at him, their eyes filled with passion, affection, and friendly sentiments. A pure, warm feeling mingled around them like the finest wine. Even Ao Buzun, who was usually the most unruly fellow, was staring at him with a touch of admiration and respect in his eyes.

Everyone knew that if it were not for Wu Qi, they would not have achieved what they had today, even if they were to reincarnate for hundreds of thousands of times. And Ao Buzun would still be a storage ring today, waiting for a chance to see the light of day that might never come.

It was Wu Qi who gave them the opportunity, allowing them to have the chance to finally rise above all the living beings.

Sitting beside him was Princess Zhang Le, in her black dress and her long hair hanging down loosely just like him. With her head bowed, she was casually branding one ancient divine rune after another into three long feathers she plucked from Little Que’er’s tail. She was trying to make a fun magical artifact with Little Que’er’s tail feathers, Ao Buzun’s whiskers, Gold Horn and Silver Horn’s scales, Tu Xiaobai’s furs, and some other materials.

She had successfully stepped into the Primordial realm without any obstacle. As she had the bloodline of the Ancient Gods, she herself was the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao, therefore she faced no difficulty in making the breakthrough. Best of all, she did not have to face any Heavenly Tribulation. She had dismantled the Fivethunders Immortal Zither Wu Qi gave him, and she planned to use the materials on this new magical artifact she was crafting. With her cultivation base of a Primordial expert, it would be a little embarrassing if she still used a zither of Heaven Immortal grade.

Upon hearing Wu Qi’s plan, the princess sighed and said, “We need to find the right targets. The seven Primordial experts you’ve killed last time had accumulated who knows how much virtues after sitting in the mortal world for ages. They had avoided the Heavenly Dao’s punishment with those virtues, and that’s why killing them did not bring you too many benefits. Hmm, where should we find those who had committed terrible crimes like the Sovereign?”

Everyone looked at each other, frowning and thinking.

Wu Qi was now surrounded by many formidable people, but they were still one step away from a complete transformation. If all these people in front of him were able to break through the realm of Primordial, then his power would really have changed drastically. By that time, many things he had in mind could begin to be carried out.

Just one step away!

“Just one last step!” murmured Wu Qi under his breath. “When you all have become Primordial experts, I’ll call upon those freaks of the six dynasties and spend some time to raise them to the level of Gold Immortals… we are going to turn this world upside down!”

He gave a faint sigh and shook his head in annoyance. “But first, where can I find Primordial experts guilty of terrible crimes to kill?”

Just as everyone was racking their brains trying to figure out some targets, their bodies trembled at the same time. Together, they looked up with a ferocious expression on their faces.

A hundred million miles above them, outside the two palaces Emperor Haozun had given Wu Qi, King Bai Shan was approaching carefully under the cover of darkness with a horde of murderous-looking soldiers and thousands of Oracles.

Judging from his cruel and murderous expression, clearly he did not come here to have a drink with Wu Qi!