Chapter 197: Corpse Dissolution Immortal

As the Old Emperor's voice faded, anomalies suddenly manifested.

Looking up, the vaulted ceiling of the Imperial Ancestral Temple began to bleed. The drops were bright red and as large as beans, but they accumulated and darkened as they fell. By the time they struck the ground, they had already taken on the iron-blue hue of storm clouds gathering in a tempest.

“Drip.”

The blood smashed against the floor tiles of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, but instead of splattering, the droplets stood upright like swords. Then came a second drop, followed closely by a third.

In the blink of an eye, the droplets turned into a shower of blood. As they battered the ground, they produced a dense, scraping noise like fingernails dragging across glass, as if something were creeping around. An indescribable, sickly-sweet scent rose in the air—a mix of burning incense and charred material.

Immediately after, the Spirit Tablet situated at the very top began to change.

Within the shrine, a layer of white frost gradually bloomed across that blank tablet. The plain silk wrapped around it suddenly tore open, and a majestic radiance spilled out from within.

It was a light more blinding than white and more profound than black. Surging from the tear in the silk, it descended with crushing weight and incomparable, searing heat.

Only then did Wang Ping clearly see the figure's true form.

It was an incomplete skeleton, ashen-white and covered in a network of cracked, scorched marks, resembling ancient tree bark that had been struck by Heavenly Thunder.

Within the skeleton's chest cavity, hovering right where the heart should be, rested a ball of lightning the size of a walnut. A curled-up human silhouette was faintly visible inside it. Upon closer inspection, the figure's facial features were completely blurred, leaving only a thin outline that stared fixedly at the Old Emperor.

A second later, the entity spoke.

“Boom!”

The Old Emperor could not hear the words clearly, let alone understand them. He only heard deafening peals of thunder exploding in rapid succession from deep within his own bones.

In his daze, he seemed to witness the scene of the Great Ancestor Emperor's ascension as recorded in the ancient texts—standing right before this very Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Great Ancestor Emperor had looked up at the sky.

He saw howling bolts of lightning that resembled twisting silver tongues. They licked the crown of the Great Ancestor Emperor's head, instantly scorching him black. Yet, the dripping saliva from those tongues restructured his body. Scorched, restructured, over and over in an endless cycle, until the Great Ancestor Emperor's body walked in parallel with the thunder itself.

The Old Emperor felt his own body melting.

He wanted to speak, but his throat was stuffed with the embers of heavenly fire. The embers roared down his windpipe, causing him to exhale sparks with every breath.

Then came a flash of lightning.

It struck perfectly true, piercing straight into the crown of the Old Emperor's head. Surprisingly, there was no pain; instead, it brought a sudden supreme enlightenment, washing over him with a refreshing coolness.

The Old Emperor suddenly understood.

It was as if a certain “perception” he had previously been unable to grasp was pierced by this lightning and entirely redefined, thereby eliminating the barrier between them.

And then, he finally heard a voice.

“What is the matter?”

The voice was tranquil, yet laced with a rumble of thunder that seemed to originate from the edge of the world. The Old Emperor knew in his heart that this was already the absolute limit of what the Great Ancestor Emperor could manage.

If the Great Ancestor Emperor had not deliberately restrained himself, and even personally stepped in to enlighten his spiritual sense, his physical body would have likely been incinerated by the lightning just a moment ago.

“This is a Corpse Dissolution Immortal!”

On the other side, Wang Ping, who was watching this scene unfold through the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron, was equally filled with shock. His eyes were glued to the figure in the projection.

While the Old Emperor required Dashun Taizu's personal intervention and care, he had the protection of the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron and could witness the truth without such trouble.

‘The qi he primarily cultivates is the heavenly yang wood?’

Looking at the layers of profound phenomena within the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Twenty-Four Qi Dao Treatise regarding heavenly yang wood and the Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Azure Thunder Qi suddenly surfaced in Wang Ping's mind.

Judging from its manifestation, it was extremely similar.

‘Does Dashun Taizu walk the same Dao path as Kunyun?’

Wang Ping's gaze shifted as a sudden realization dawned in his heart: ‘I see. Looking at it from this angle, Dashun Taizu indeed has a motive to strike at Kunyun.’

Normally, Corpse Dissolution Immortals welcomed orthodox Qi Refining practitioners who cultivated the same qi. This was because they could only lift the numerous restrictions on their own bodies by attaching themselves to such practitioners... However, in reality, this dynamic only held true when there was no enmity between the Corpse Dissolution Immortal and the Qi Refining practitioner.

What if there was enmity?

‘Then the situation would completely flip. The Qi Refining practitioner would be able to easily hold the Corpse Dissolution Immortal's life in their hands. In a one-on-one confrontation, it would be no different from bullying a lower-realm cultivator.’

Who would be willing to accept that?

‘Dashun Taizu is from the Immortal Prescription Courtyard, while Kunyun is from the Divine Weapon Courtyard. They are already enemies... Under these circumstances, Dashun Taizu will naturally find a way to target Kunyun!’

However, Wang Ping soon had another thought:

‘Even if he is targeting Kunyun, Dashun Taizu arrived far too early. When did he sneak into the Eight Trigrams Furnace? Why act so stealthily?’

Unless—Kunyun was not actually his primary target.

A second later, Wang Ping's theory was confirmed.

...........

“Could it be that you found that woman's hiding place?”

The rolling thunder did not descend from the heavens. Instead, it surged up from deep underground, causing the golden floor tiles within the Imperial Ancestral Temple to successively emit a purple-blue glow.

“To answer the Ancestor,”

The Old Emperor knelt and kowtowed, speaking helplessly, “There is currently no news regarding that madwoman from the Tribute Hall... She continues to wander outside using her Divine Intent incarnation.”

Rumble!

The thunder grew louder, symbolizing the majestic fury of the figure behind it. After all, decades had passed since he had secretly arrived at the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Decades ago, he had believed capturing a Mortal would be as effortless as lifting a finger. Yet, just the day before he arrived, the target suddenly vanished without a trace. Her true body had never appeared since, forcing him to endure bitterly in the mundane world and waste a long stretch of time.

To think a Mortal's intuition could reach such a level!

On top of that, there was that Heaven-Stealing Thief—just as slippery, just as impossible to track down. Worst of all, this was not the sort of matter that could easily be reported to higher-ups.

After all, in the Immortal Gate, the rule had always been that whoever reported a problem took the blame for it. It was precisely because he did not want to shoulder that responsibility that he had been handling this matter secretly all along.

“When all is said and done... it is simply your incompetence!”

The thunder exploded once more:

“How could a dynasty as stable as Mount Tai inexplicably allow a martial artist to rise to power, to the point of completely transforming the Martial Dao that was originally meant for nothing more than refining weapons?”

“If not for your incompetence, why would I be forced to exert myself like this?”

Facing the overwhelming thunder, the Old Emperor grew increasingly terrified. He hurriedly explained, “It is the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron! That Treasure Cauldron suddenly responded to me today!”

“...Oh?”

In the blink of an eye, the previously violent thunder subsided into tranquility. “That Treasure Cauldron ignored me back then. Why would it respond to you? What did you do?”

The Old Emperor did not dare delay. He immediately gave a detailed account of how he used the national destiny to refine pills, the shift in the environment's spiritual energy, the replacement of the Furnace-Tending Disciple, and finally, how he obtained the Deity-Ordaining Talismanic Edict. Finishing his tale, he kowtowed and said, “This descendant's cultivation is inadequate. It is difficult to fathom the thoughts of the Treasure Cauldron Spirit.”

“I implore the Ancestor to provide guidance.”

“To think such a thing occurred...”

In the darkness, the silhouette curled inside the lightning sphere within the ashen-white skeleton seemed to stretch its limbs. A sinister voice followed:

“It is the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart.”

“This Divine Power is not easy to cultivate... Fortunately, you did not obtain it from the Immortal Gate's Secret Record of Divine Abilities, but rather as a gift from the Treasure Cauldron, thus avoiding the trouble.”

“However, the talisman in your hand is merely a subordinate one. The master talisman is likely still within the Treasure Cauldron. It is a pity my main body cannot move freely, otherwise I would go and take a look for you. Still, this is not necessarily a bad thing. That Treasure Cauldron is incredibly foolish. It is not a scheming artifact spirit, nor does it need to condense any Divine Powers.”

“In all likelihood, it merely aims to shelter those Mortals.”

“It probably saw you constantly using the national destiny to refine pills and massacre the common people, so it offered an alternative method, hoping you would change your ways and stop tormenting the living.”

“Utterly foolish.”

The tone carried within the thunder was filled with disdain. “But coming up with such a method means that, after all these years, that Treasure Cauldron has somewhat figured things out.”

“The Great Rebellion perished long ago.”

“Abandoning that meaningless stubbornness early and serving the Immortal Gate, helping us recover the Ancient Qi of the Six Heavens that was eradicated back then—that is the only correct path.”

The Old Emperor did not care about the Great Rebellion, nor did he understand the Ancient Qi of the Six Heavens. He only cared about one thing. “Since that is the case, can this descendant use this talisman to confer godhood?”

“Can this method grant eternal life?”

Upon hearing this, the thunder paused, as if calculating something. A moment later, it sounded again:

“Originally, it would be impossible.”

“But your luck is quite good. Since this method was given to you by that Treasure Cauldron, it can be viewed as a type of ‘pardon.’ It might truly allow you to live past a thousand years.”

The Old Emperor's eyes instantly turned red.

One had to understand that he had racked his brains, severed the national destiny, and sacrificed countless manpower and resources, all just to extend his lifespan to a little over a hundred years.

Dashun Taizu's phrase “live past a thousand years” was something he had not even dared to dream of. Now that it was right before his eyes, how could it not drive him mad with desire?

“Thank you for your guidance, Ancestor!”

Within the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the thunder gradually turned low and deep:

“There is one more thing.”

“Find a time and figure out a way to eliminate that newly arrived Furnace-Tending Disciple. He has a True Transmission of the Immortal Gate backing him... That woman has hidden herself far too well; she cannot be killed for the time being. I have no desire to remain in the Eight Trigrams Furnace any longer, but since I am already here, I must accomplish at least one thing before I leave.”

Hearing this, the Old Emperor stared blankly for a moment before crying out in shock, “Ancestor... you want to kill a True Transmission?”

“What, are you afraid?”

A cold sneer emanated from the thunder. “A true transmission disciple, no matter how you put it, is still just a disciple. Why can't he be killed? Moreover, it is his own life tribulation that has arrived.”

“Destiny is fair.”

“Under the life tribulation, since he has his Qi Refining master to escort him, I can naturally strike to ensure he dies young. It just means each relies on their own ability.”

“Besides... the positions for wood qi are already pitifully few nowadays. How can we let an outsider claim another one!”

“In any case, do exactly as I say.”

As his voice faded, the ashen-white skeleton began to disintegrate. The lightning sphere separated from its chest cavity, rose into the air, and melded back into that highest, blank Spirit Tablet.

All the brilliant radiance vanished alongside it.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple, which had been brightly lit by the lightning a moment ago, plunged back into darkness. All the anomalies disappeared as well, returning everything to total tranquility.

............

“Haa...!”

Wang Ping abruptly threw his head back, his perspective snapping away from the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron. He panted heavily, taking quite a while to catch his breath and recover.

For a moment, he felt a mix of shock and sheer joy.

‘So that's how it is! I understand now!’

The shock came from the realization that it was no wonder the First Seat had never taken action with her true body until now. As it turned out, a Corpse Dissolution Immortal of the Immortal Gate had actually been squatting in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, waiting for her this whole time!

It was a good thing the First Seat possessed such astonishing intuition, otherwise she would have been fucking screwed long ago!

The joy, on the other hand, was because the other party had now changed his mind.

‘Xuanhe actually guessed correctly. This Dashun Taizu, a Corpse Dissolution Immortal from the Immortal Prescription Courtyard, truly wants to kill Kunyun. This is honestly an unexpected, delightful surprise!’