Stealing The Heavens

“Rise and fall, my precious!”

A daoist in a black robe triumphantly held up a seemingly crude black wooden stick with three metal rings as he laughed almost madly. In front of him lay a Dong Hai general who was twitching convulsively and could not move.

He was only a nineteenth-tier Heaven Immortal, but the general had the cultivation base of the First Star Realm of Second Pangu Heaven. A few moments ago, when the general came out to fight him, the daoist had immediately produced the three-feet long wooden stick. The strange weapon then transformed into a large dark cloud and soared into the sky, then fell back again to cover the general’s head. After that, the three metal rings—gleaming with a cold white light—looped around his head, neck, and waist as they shrank, rendering him motionless.

With one foot stepping on the general’s head, the old daoist, who called himself Daoist Threerings, raised the wooden stick in his hand and said, “Is there anyone else from Dong Hai who wants to fight me? The renowned Dong Hai with its countless fearsome soldiers and generals…surely you have someone courageous enough to fight me, eh?” Then, he burst out laughing.

Wu Qi’s face turned blue with anger. It was the first time he had suffered like this since he arrived on Pangu Continent.

Right before his eyes, a dozen itinerant immortals—with the strongest being merely a ninth-tier Gold Immortal and the weakest a twenty-fifth-tier Heaven Immortal—had defeated 108 Dong Hai generals in a row with some strange magical artifacts, spells, and venomous things. The general who had just been defeated was Huang Liang’s assistant, and yet he could not even withstand a single blow from this Daoist Threerings.

After remaining silent for a long while, Wu Qi said in a deep voice, “Daoist Threerings, release our men. I’ll ransom them with immortal stones and spirit herbs according to the rate we’ve agreed to previously.”

Laughing, Daoist Threerings kicked the general and sent him flying hundreds of feet away, tumbling in a sorry state across the ground. Several soldiers of Dong Hai hurried over and picked up the twitching general, then ran scurrying back into the city. After losing 108 duels in a row, Dong Hai’s morale was at its lowest. If things went on like this, they would not be able to fight Ling Dynasty anymore, and they could just admit defeat.

Wu Qi threw a storage bag down the wall. Daoist Threerings sucked it over into his hand happily, then smiled as he nodded at Wu Qi and said, “You are a generous man, King of Dong Hai, paying me so handsomely for a defeated general! Heh, is there any hero from Dong Hai who dares to fight with me now?”

After a moment of hesitation, Wu Qi waved a hand. With the gesture, a large golden inscribed board was hung on top of the city gates, which read ‘Fight again in seven days’. All the itinerant immortals outside the city, including Daoist Bees and Daoist Threerings, burst out laughing at the sight of it. They felt extremely proud of themselves, for they had defeated 108 generals in front of so many Primordial experts standing on top of the wall, who could only watch and not help.

And they had even forced Wu Qi to put out a board of truce. How significant was this achievement? Perhaps, when Zhang Tengyun did become the Sacred Emperor of the human race, they all would have a good job in Heaven for their work today!

The group of daoists laughed and cheered. That night, they camped right outside the city gates. Soldiers of Ling Dynasty made huge bonfires and roasted all kinds of game from hunting. The aroma of meat and wine drifted far and wide, and the laughter made the faces of the soldiers on the walls very unsightly.

Inside the council hall, the higher-ups of Dong Hai looked glumly at each other and said nothing.

Those daoists were not strong, and their cultivation base was meager. But, the magical artifacts, mystic arts, and venomous things they used were too bizarre, each a powerful thing with an unusual background. In fact, any of Dong Hai’s higher-ups here could easily kill them. But, what would be the consequence once a Primordial expert struck?

The consequence was that the Primordial experts of Ling Dynasty would be able to retaliate. It was like two nuclear-armed nations on Earth throwing nuclear warheads at each other; eventually, everyone would be screwed.

The cultivation base of the soldiers from both sides was above the realm of Heaven Immortals, so the battles they could sustain were between Gold Immortals. They could only withstand the waves of residual energy spread out from the battle between two Gold Immortals. However, if two Primordial experts were fighting, it was highly possible that a clash or a misfire would instantly kill all the soldiers from both sides. This was not a result that either side wanted.

For that reason, although Dong Hai had so many Primordial experts, the city gates were blocked by only a dozen Gold Immortals and Heaven Immortals.

Wu Qi was seated in his throne. After a long silence, he produced the Blood Centipede Sword. With a wipe, he removed the divine sense he had left in the sword and then threw it to Bai Wuyong, Bai Qi’s proudest great-grandson.

“This is the Blood Centipede Sword, an extremely sharp innate spirit artifact. Bai Wuyong, I want you to kill all the daoists outside the city with this sword seven days later!” Wu Qi’s voice had a murderous note that chilled everyone present. They nodded approvingly, thinking that this would be the best solution right now.

Ying Zheng gave Wu Qi a look, then glanced at the higher-ups of Dong Hai. With a slap on his head, the Yu Cauldron, the artifact of virtue which he had used in Meng Mountains, flew out in a dark cloud. As he handed it to Ying Zishen, his grandson standing next to him, the youngest son of Great Qin’s crown prince Fu Su, he said, “Take this cauldron. You will represent Great Qin in seven days.”

After that, the higher-ups of the six states began to hand over their personal artifacts to the younger generation standing next to them. Wu Qi had expressed his attitude by giving Bai Wuyong his Blood Centipede Sword. With his current status, he would never take back the item he had given someone. In other words, the innate spirit artifact now belonged to Bai Wuyong. He was desperate for a major victory.

If even Wu Qi had invested so much, what else could others say? And if Dong Hai were defeated while they did nothing to stop it, it would be a disgrace to them, and the interests of the six states would have suffered significantly.

Colorful light filled the hall as the emperors and courtiers of the six states produced their personal artifacts. However, among them, only about a hundred had magical artifacts, which meant that they could only arm about a hundred juniors. It was difficult to face Ling Dynasty with just over a hundred magical artifacts. The outcome of the battle seven days later was still unknown.

Wu Qi lightly drummed his fingers against the tabletop in front of him. After pondering for a long time, he nodded and said, “I need you to hang in there. I’ll figure out a way to solve the situation.”

The crowd looked at each other and nodded slowly.

Just then, a beam of golden light fell rapidly from the sky, pierced through the city’s layers of defenses, and landed straight in front of the council hall. “What is your trouble, can you tell me?” A thick voice rang out. “I’m Reverend Flysoul, an itinerant cultivator from Mount Jiuyao. By the will of heaven, I’ve come here today to join Dong Hai, so that I can destroy that Ling Dynasty who is acting contrary to heaven!”

Startled, everyone in the hall turned to look at the front door.

A ten-feet-tall daoist with six-feet-wide shoulders and muscles all over his body was standing at the entrance to the hall, his skin dark as iron ingots. He had two great hammers on his back, with eight striking scarlet talismans attached to them. From both the fearsome-looking weapons came a steady wave of sinister aura, which made the hearts of all the people in the hall jerk.

Ying Zheng sneered, “Daoist, are you telling the truth?”

“It’s up to you to believe my words or not,” Reverend Flysoul said mildly. “I’m not here to work for you. I’m here to give Ling Dynasty trouble on the decree of a Senior. It’s just that it’s not very convenient for me to go directly to Ling Dynasty, so I have to use your Dong Hai as a cover.”

He had just finished talking when another beam of green light fell from the sky. A skinny daoist in a green robe, wrapped in wisps of green mist and his face as green as spinach, landed in front of the hall and greeted Reverend Flysoul in a chilly voice, “I can’t believe you are here too, fellow daoist Flysoul!”

Reverend Flysoul gave the daoist a look and said in surprise, “Immortal Ying! I can’t believe we are on the same side!”

“I’m here to make things difficult for Ling Dynasty on a decree,” Immortal Ying said coldly. “This Dong Hai gives me the perfect excuse.”

Inside the hall, the higher-ups of Dong Hai were quiet. While the emperors and courtiers of the six states were puzzled by the arrival of the two daoists, Wu Qi smiled mysteriously and exchanged a glance with Princess Zhang Le. Both of them could guess who had sent the daoists here. They knew the Saint League founded by the eighteen Saints would not sit back and watch Heaven and Buddhist League carry out their plans. They would certainly make things difficult for the two major powers.

Perhaps even now the eighteen Saints were figuring out ways to deal with the seven Buddhist Patriarchs and nine Dao Patriarchs, but that did not prevent them from sending itinerant immortals with ties to them to give Ling Dynasty trouble. After all, they were Dao Fusing experts, so even though they did not set up a sect to recruit disciples, they had surely made a lot of friends by helping others. These itinerant immortals should be someone whom they had helped before or excellent servants they had kept for their errands.

With a bright smile on his face, Wu Qi stood up and walked toward the two Daoists.

“It’s my honor to have you two fellow daoists aiding Dong Hai! Guards, prepare us a feast! Today we will drink to our heart’s content to welcome our guests!”

As he said that, Wu Qi took Reverend Flysoul and Immortal Ying by the hands and led them into the hall.

At first, both daoists twisted their wrists, trying to get rid of Wu Qi’s hands. But, Wu Qi’s strength was not something they could resist. While smiling, he led them into the hall and seated them in the chairs.

It was at this moment that everyone else understood what Wu Qi meant with his actions, and all the higher-ups unleashed their aura at the same time. It instantly petrified Reverend Flysoul and Immortal Ying, who had a disdainful look on their faces a moment ago. ‘How come there are so many Primordial experts in Dong Hai? And several of them are obviously practicing the immortal cultivation techniques of the Dao League! Is this Dong Hai a power of the human race or Dao League?’

Both daoists immediately swallowed their pride. They smiled and greeted Wu Qi, their eyes blinking as they glanced at the courtiers of Dong Hai around them in horror, whose cultivation base was much stronger than theirs.

After that, it was a rain of light beams. In just slightly over two hours, nearly a hundred strange itinerant immortals had joined Dong Hai. They were all proud and arrogant when they arrived, but became extremely humble after Wu Qi subtly showed his power. He then cozied up with them with enthusiasm, and soon turned the hall into a convivial scene.

Seven days later, a shrill trumpet sounded outside the city. The itinerant immortals of Ling Dynasty had once again challenged Dong Hai to battle.

Over the past seven days, more than 3,000 itinerant immortals had come to Zhendong to join Dong Hai!