Section Seventy-Seven: The Lovable and Kind White Rabbit

No matter how formidable the five-headed serpent’s iron-hard bones were, once it fell into Wuyun’s hands, it learned the true meaning of utter destitution. From its five serpent heads, to its tail, to the spatial formation hidden within its belly—even Yan Fei, Red Tiger, and Jing Shou were dragged out.

“Hey!” Long Yi sounded somewhat excited. A tiger and a leopard—both saw their cultivation wither at once, falling from late-stage Supreme Demon to early-stage, and finally plummeting to the rank of Great Immortal. After absorbing the demon-immortal essence from both, Long Yi’s own power advanced even further. His tone became more assertive as he pointed at the crystalline stone encasing Jing Shou, declaring, “Protective stone, is it? Watch me!”

He attempted to activate his cultivation technique, but nothing happened. Seeing the little insect waiting for him to make a selection, he tried instead to claw at it, then to bite it. Finding it too hard, he spewed a blast of fire to burn it, then exhaled icy breath from his nostrils to freeze it. Heat and cold in turn—yet even if this crystal were an immortal artifact, it should not have withstood such an assault. But the crystal remained unscathed.

The little insect could wait no longer and clamored, “Boss Long, as agreed—whoever picks gets to keep it! I’m not fighting you for this jade!”

He crawled up onto one of the slightly smaller serpent heads, glancing about shyly. Bear Third barked, “Hurry up! Senior Wuyun said we still have to return them to that rich lady!”

At last, the little insect mustered his courage and addressed the serpent’s rounded eye: “These eyes have absorbed the essence of sun and moon, refined by immortal energy into exotic treasures. If polished, they would make fine fifth-grade immortal artifacts.”

Before Greenleaf could take offense, Long Yi deftly plucked out a pair of serpent eyes, each as large as a water vat. The little insect swallowed one, returning the other to its socket.

The Battle King, puzzled, asked, “Senior, you left that ox cauldron for future ascension to Immortal King for better flavor—so why this?”

“It’s not that. Well, after all, this serpent is kin to my own mount. One must show some regard!” he muttered. The five-headed serpent, disdainful, snorted, “Just a pair of eyes—take them if you wish! If you’re this timid, how can you be Greenleaf’s true master? Take them; I’ll grow new ones myself!”

The little insect quickly gave thanks and swallowed his prize, his eyes instantly shining with vigor.

Even Jing Shou’s treasured life-saving crystal was pried open for Long Yi under Wuyun’s instruction...

Once the spoils were divided and the gains plentiful, the three captives were returned to the serpent’s belly. The latter gritted its teeth, uncertain what it still had to endure.

Meanwhile, Wuyun gazed silently skyward, answering some of Feng Qianyu’s questions. Each answer was cloaked in mystery. Feng Qianyu did not understand, and Wuyun did not explain further, until a spatial tremor rippled through the air. From the depths of the heavens, an imperial aura unfurled, and an immense castle, bearing islands upon a vast sea, emerged.

This ocean was boundless, teeming with all manner of monstrous creatures. The castle, layer upon layer, soared ten thousand feet high, its upper reaches fortified by spatial arrays—extraordinary beyond compare.

Immortal artifacts of imperial grade—a single artifact, a planet unto itself!

Feng Qianyu’s face lit with delight as she tried to bargain for the five-headed serpent, but Wuyun kept hemming and hawing, refusing outright. The more he refused, the more insistent Feng Qianyu became.

Suddenly, a distant light flashed, a powerful pressure swept forth, and Wuyun slipped over to the imperial artifact, tossing the five-headed serpent aside before vanishing into its depths.

The moment the five-headed serpent left the formation, Feng Qianyu realized what was happening. She was about to stop Wuyun from entering, but just as she was a breath away, the pressure behind her intensified and she had to turn, using her immortal artifact to defend herself.

“Ten-tailed Fox Immortal King! You dare come here? Are you not afraid of breaking the pact?”

Feng Qianyu was startled. Faced with the Immortal King speeding towards her, she stepped aside at once. Even with her mighty clan, she could afford to offend a Celestial Immortal, but not an Immortal King. For every few hundred Celestial Immortals, there was a single Immortal King; for every few hundred Immortal Kings, an Immortal Emperor. These were the pinnacle of power!

The Ten-tailed Fox Immortal King, seeing Feng Qianyu blocking his way and concealing Wuyun’s escape, frowned in anger. He was about to speak, but on seeing her five-headed serpent, his expression changed. “You took one of its eyes?”

“Me? Hmph!” Feng Qianyu scoffed, refusing to answer. Suddenly, the scene shifted—a fox appeared in the air, staring straight at her. She blurted, “A mighty figure of the Drifting Great Immortal Sect’s warding formation...”

By the time Feng Qianyu freed herself, the Ten-tailed Fox Immortal King had vanished, entering the imperial artifact as well.

With the intervention of a demon immortal king, the others who had come fell into watchful silence—though some of the bolder ones trailed Feng Qianyu, cautiously stepping inside.

The might of the imperial artifact was vast and overwhelming. Upon entering the formation, passing through layer after layer of sea, they reached an island of mountains and rivers, where a force forbidding flight pressed down, sending the Three Heavens and Three Earths plunging from the sky.

The world turned upside down! Within the imperial artifact, Wuyun and his companions were as mere mortals. With feet firmly on the ground, even the array’s core, usually a vacuum, now exerted gravity.

This was imperial might—pervasive, inescapable—even their bodies seemed faintly encased in an invisible pressure.

Having collected the formation, they looked up to see a pale sky, with specks of starlight like stickers pasted overhead. In the distance, mountains undulated, rivers wound through the land, and from the dense forests came the occasional beast’s roar.

A truly primeval forest!

Long Yi, testing his restricted body, leaped a hundred meters high. Suddenly, an invisible force appeared out of nowhere. As Long Yi tried to dodge, it swatted down like a flyswatter, enveloping him.

A crack like thunder!

Long Yi’s four claws, dragon head, and tail—all were fractured, green smoke billowing from his jaws in utter misery. Once a mid-level Celestial Immortal, this single rash move sent him tumbling back to the initial stage.

Such was the terror of the imperial artifact. Long Yi opened his mouth, stuck out his tongue, expelling all manner of toxins from within, and was about to cry out in pain when a fluffy white rabbit appeared before him. Its bright eyes fixed on Long Yi, the corners of its three-part mouth curling upward.

“Damn it, even a rabbit demon dares mock me...” Long Yi flicked out his tongue, trying to snatch the rabbit, and Wuyun moved to stop him—only to see the rabbit snort, sway its head, and suddenly grow larger. As it turned to evade, its hind legs kicked out powerfully.

A textbook lunar leap—those hind legs struck Long Yi’s eyelid, instantly blackening the enormous dragon eye.

How could an untransformed rabbit be so formidable? It was but a minor demon immortal, akin to a Great Immortal, yet it could shake a dragon who had reached Celestial Immortal rank?

Bear Third, mouth agape, obediently shut his jaws, staring in shock at the five or six meter-tall white rabbit, larger even than himself.

“The environment here is different,” Wuyun explained. “Our cultivation is suppressed, but they are adapted to this land. Their bodies are incredibly tough. Look at Bear Third—his true form is only five or six meters tall, not even as big as the rabbit!”

With a wave of his hand, ignoring Yue Qi’s wails, Wuyun skewered a rabbit over ten meters tall. The formation sent a burst of fire, and as the meat’s fragrance spread, Yue Qi wept and ate at once: “Such an adorable, gentle white rabbit...”

Following Wuyun always came with its share of helplessness. Now, in unfamiliar terrain, with unknown dangers, they could only squat and wait.

As Wuyun feasted, the sounds of fighting echoed from afar—the various Celestial Immortal demons who had followed close behind, now showing off their powers.

Bear Third, filled with curiosity, stitched up the tear above Long Yi’s eye, then climbed a hill and peered into the distance, drooling with excitement.

He stammered loudly, “Senior, senior, come look!”