Chapter Seventy-Three: After the Immortal King's Downfall, the Flavor of Beef Became Even More Exquisite

“We must tear open space once more!” Long Yi was astounded by Wuyun’s initial method of rending space. Without relying purely on immortal force, how could one open a spatial rift?

“Three Heavens, Four Earths!”

With a long sigh, the array diagram—once restored to Four Heavens and Four Earths—suddenly descended by one heaven. A tremendous force erupted ahead, like a nuclear collision, splitting open space and revealing a fissure.

This fissure was extraordinary in its pressure; even a Celestial Immortal entering without the protection of an immortal artifact would have their body torn apart. Yet Wuyun, having the array summon the Vengeful Immortal Sword, relied on its automatic defensive power to shield the formation, passing through safely.

“Senior, Senior, if you have any other means, use them at once!” Long Yi finally grew anxious. With a peak Immortal King in pursuit, aided by an immortal artifact, how could they possibly escape?

“Ha!”

Long Yi, at the core of the formation, was desperate. He had only just recovered his Grand Immortal strength and things were finally looking up, yet why did Wuyun always seem to provoke beings best left alone?

“We’re almost there, just hold on!” Wuyun comforted him. Long Yi tossed out the Xuan Beast to guard everyone, while five immortal artifacts manifested around them—treasures that Niu Ding had hoarded for a lifetime!

The Sky-Piercing Cloud Ship, the Flowery Suppression Staff, the Nine-Level Grinding Tower, the Binding God Ring, and the Dragon-Tendon Whip!

These five treasures were severed from Niu Ding and divided among Wuyun’s group: Wuyun took the ship, Dou Wang the staff, Little Worm the tower, Old Bear the ring, and Yue Qi the whip.

A child just over three years old wielding a whip made from a dragon’s backbone—it struck Long Yi as excessive. But with his own Divine Blade in hand, there was no question of trading it away.

“So much fun!” Yue Qi shouted gleefully, each flick of the whip making Long Yi queasy. After all, the flying sinew and bone of his kin, imbued with suppressive power, was a ghastly sight.

“I promised not to take your life; you must keep your word as well. After all this bloodletting and flesh-carving, the taste of Celestial Ox is truly remarkable!” Wuyun lavished praise on the dejected Niu Ding, while beside him, Old Bear egged him on to finish off the ox.

Tilting his head, Wuyun looked out at their pursuer beyond the array and declared righteously, “How could I go back on my word? Let the world betray me; I will not betray the world.”

Muttering, he traced a pattern in the air, sending a cultivation technique woven from cloud-threads as an image into Niu Ding’s soul. “Don’t worry, this is the most direct way to heal your injuries. When you leave, train according to this method, and you’ll survive the Immortal King tribulation—you might even reach the Immortal King’s peak.”

Niu Ding was panicked and skeptical, but as the technique began to play out in his mind, he was dumbfounded. It was tailored exactly to his cultivation path—even a method to regrow his horns was included.

“Your two horns will be of great use to me. Consider this a fair trade—now go!” No sooner had Wuyun spoken than Niu Ding was hurled out of the spatial passage, and moments later, still shaken but shouting his thanks, he was swept up by the pursuing flying shuttle.

The others were puzzled—a single ox, if slain, could have fed them for another half year!

“I’m no fool to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs!” Wuyun muttered under his breath, overheard by Greenleaf, whose heart instantly turned cold.

“When he reaches Immortal King’s peak, his meat will be even finer, and each drop of his blood could birth a celestial ox. Imagine roasting whole calves then...”

No one dared listen further as Wuyun fondled the two inferior fourth-grade immortal ox horns, lamenting that if not for their potential use as life-bound immortal artifacts, he would have returned them to Niu Ding. In the future, they would make ideal blanks for forging imperial weapons.

The two horns transformed into a pair of calves, one male, one female. Wuyun sighed, “You two artifact spirits, if you must blame anyone, blame your choice of master.”

“Unite!”

With immortal arts, he forced the two spirits to fuse. The horns shattered, their energies condensed into an immortal sphere, turbulent as the dawn of creation.

Long Yi’s throat itched; he silently recited the Dragon’s Ninefold Incantation—my soul is indestructible, my soul is indestructible!

Old Bear stared, fascinated by the raging energy within.

But as Wuyun’s body, riddled with wounds, struggled to contain the energy, even a fool could see he was pushing himself to the limit—even Yue Qi was so frightened he burst into tears.

This force, if unleashed, would obliterate the entire array!

As the brilliant sphere reached its critical point, Wuyun flung it behind them, tearing open another spatial rift.

Once everyone had entered, and as the rift sealed, a thunderous explosion erupted, shattering the spatial tunnel into chaos. If the Ten-Tailed Fox Immortal King pursued, she would surely be gravely wounded.

As the group reeled from this harrowing escape, Wuyun extended a hand; Long Yi produced the fox statue they had claimed from Greenleaf, which Wuyun promptly set aboard his sky-ship, vanishing into the void.

One maneuver after another, and as the sequence completed, the array, as if guided by purpose, dropped to Three Heavens, Three Earths, and once again cut through the void, relying on the Immortal Sword’s defenses—until even the sword couldn’t shield them, at which point they returned to the stars.

The second-grade immortal sword was worn down, dropping from Superior to Intermediate quality.

“Where are we?” Old Bear was dizzy with confusion. As they emerged, the space around them teemed with floating asteroids, and distant figures flitted in the void.

Among these figures were immortal beasts and puppets. Before they could disguise themselves, a colossal figure appeared before them.

“What a peculiar spatial artifact! It looks like a fixed formation. Which sect or power do you belong to?”

Blocking their way was a giant astride an immortal bird, a two-hundred-meter halo shielding him from all the hazards of space—a mid-stage Celestial Immortal.

Greenleaf dared not show himself. Long Yi cautiously stepped forward, revealing his true form within the array’s core, and spoke with divine sense, “We are descendants of the Ethereal Grand Immortal Sect, heading to Dragon Extermination Star.”

The Celestial Immortal paused, his shield shrinking as he revealed his true self—a different race, yet humanoid in shape, with round eyes, nose, and ears. He looked young and vital.

Upon hearing of the Ethereal Grand Immortal Sect, he searched his memory and exclaimed, “Ah, I forgot! The original name of Grassfruit Star was Ethereal Star—a great sect destroyed over a hundred thousand years ago, yet descendants remain. In the vast Immortal Realm, those who don’t reach the Immortal King’s level are like frogs at the bottom of a well!”

His round eyes scanned the array, focusing on the concealed Greenleaf, emitting a ray like a ripple, passing through the formation and dispersing into the void. Soon, his face darkened in anger.

“You dare deceive me? Hiding a great demon within—your intentions are sinister! This cannot be tolerated!”

A so-called great demon referred to someone like Greenleaf—a Celestial Immortal beast, who upon reaching the Immortal King realm would be known as an Immortal King Demon, Demon King, or Demon Immortal King, and if they advanced further, as a Demon Immortal Emperor like the Tiger-Faced Immortal.