Chapter 81: Fish Must Be Raised Slowly, with Occasional Sweetness

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“And you, the one in black—lowest-ranking steward of the Rogue Immortal Alliance, registering new members every day, a mere instructor—have you come here to try your luck as well? Perhaps you, too, have some unspeakable reason driving you. Go on, speak it—I, Feng Qianyu, will never spread it around!”

The man in black removed the mask of his immortal artifact, revealing a weathered square face belonging to a middle-aged man. He replied with disdain, “I am here to pursue the one I love, and I would risk everything for a single blow!”

“The First Elder of the Outer Sect of the Southeast Star Domain, Wu Hao of the Rogue Immortal Alliance!” The man in blue, having spoken, also removed the treasure concealing his face. The two clearly recognized each other.

“You’re an elder of the Dragon Tower Sect, Jin Bu!” Wu Hao recognized the latter. The two had once been acquainted, but neither had expected the other to be hiding so deeply.

Only the self-proclaimed scholar in white remained unrecognized by Feng Qianyu, who scrutinized him for a long while before probing, “I can see within you a treasured sword, brimming with endless power. There are so many sects in the surrounding star systems that conceal swords within their bodies, but your sword contains a strange, dangerous aura. Could it be that you are the reincarnation of an Immortal King who failed his tribulation, or perhaps a body taken over by another soul?”

The scholar in white nodded ever so slightly, yet did not reveal his true identity, which left the other three grinding their teeth in frustration. Even Rong Ya, the illegitimate son of the Autumn Lake Gang’s leader, had torn off his disguise, so what was so special about this scholar in white that he could withhold his identity?

Feng Qianyu could not deduce the answer, yet before her floated a projection that listed every cultivator’s identity and cultivation level within the surrounding factions—it was no wonder she could identify them all so easily.

Only Wuyun snorted coldly and sighed, “It seems the spirit of this imperial artifact will be troublesome indeed.”

The others were puzzled, but Wuyun said no more, quietly gazing at the immortal cranes flitting through the sky.

The immortal crane circled endlessly above, never landing, as if it knew there was danger below.

They waited in silence for several days, during which more intruders appeared within the imperial artifact one after another—each summoned by the ceaseless movement of the Seven Seas Fortress, which crossed through space to specific locations.

Meanwhile, battles raged in the forests and mountains. Some immortals even joined forces to attack other races. Groups of three to five, seeing Wuyun and his companions as weak, hurried over, only to discover that five or six experts lay hidden among them, sending the would-be attackers fleeing in terror.

Some tried to lure the endless beasts toward others to cause trouble, but with a wave of Feng Qianyu’s hand, both beast and would-be saboteur were wiped out. Strangely, those who were slain in this manner—who would normally split into two upon death, spawning endlessly—simply vanished.

When an immortal condor appeared in the sky, the number of intruders increased again. Hidden within the clouds, a structure slowly revealed itself—a half-concealed fortress. As immortal eagles, twin-headed pheasants, immortal phoenixes, cloud-soaring octopuses, winged dragons, nine-headed birds, and myriad-feathered peacocks circled above, the ground fell into silence.

All beasts, even the powerless fish in lakes and rivers, were slaughtered. The clouds above descended by a third, enclosed by countless flying immortal beasts.

“Every time, the method of entry is different. This artifact spirit delights in its games. Once, an Immortal Emperor questioned it, and it replied that it wished only to experience true life once before dying in peace,” the scholar in white recounted. Feng Qianyu frowned, for her family knew this ninth-grade imperial artifact well; after all, an elder had become an Immortal Emperor and entered this very place.

Some would live, some would die, and some would be exiled—three stages, three fates. The exiled ones, all at the Immortal King level, each carried life-saving treasures. Even a ninth-grade imperial artifact, unless using its full power, would struggle to annihilate them.

The ones who died were mostly late-stage Celestial Immortals, risking everything in hopes of finding a way to overcome the Immortal King tribulation.

Those who survived were usually early- to mid-stage Celestial Immortals, swept inside and forced to seek treasures, then compelled by the presence of stronger beings to leave through specific spatial rifts created by the artifact. Because of the inheritances, they would wait for the next chance to enter.

“Fish must be slowly raised, with sweet tidbits given along the way,” Wuyun said with an insincere smile, for he saw a colossal figure approaching him.

This figure stood over a hundred meters tall, his head drooping as he entered. Every time he looked up, his face was blackened by tribulation lightning. He strode straight to Wuyun, displeasure written across his face, and growled, “Listen here, boy. The Ten-Tailed Fox Immortal King is waiting for you outside, told me specifically to make sure you don’t get eaten by anyone!”

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Wuyun laughed awkwardly once more. The towering giant stood behind him, forming a silent force in their midst.

“The Third Prince of the Titan Giant Clan, Gao Le!” Feng Qianyu announced, but Gao Le snapped, “Don’t talk to me—I’m annoyed!”

Feng Qianyu pressed on, determined to get to the bottom of things. Gao Le, growing impatient, said, “This ninth-grade imperial artifact kept spinning and spinning, right up to my clan’s doorstep, disturbing my cultivation. Then, out of nowhere, a Fox Immortal King from Dragon-Extermination Star showed up and forced me inside just to deliver a message. Our clan patriarch is away—utter misfortune!”

His tone, coupled with his massive frame and expressive delivery, drew laughter from the gathering.

Just as the laughter subsided, a projection suddenly appeared before Wuyun—colorless, odorless, like a shadow formed out of thin air.

No one recognized this shadow—not even Feng Qianyu, who shrank her head into her shoulders. The others seemed not to see it at all.

Once the shadow circled Wuyun and vanished, Feng Qianyu bolted, never looking back, never saying why, and was never seen again.

“What happened?” Xiong Laosan watched as Greenleaf drooled, making Xiaochong cringe.

Even Long Yi was confused, thinking it was just a gust of wind stirring the air—hardly worth such alarm.

Wuyun, about to answer, glanced at the five unwelcome guests standing behind him and swallowed his words, making the others wary—what could have happened that even Senior Wuyun dared not speak of it?

They waited some more. Someone, using an immortal artifact, rode an immortal crane into the sky, slipped into the castle revealed in the clouds, and disappeared through a window.

Others discovered that the flying immortal beasts in the sky were different from those on the ground—these demanded tribute before they would descend within a hundred meters of the earth, swallowing the offering before accepting a passenger.

Some Celestial Immortals threw all manner of spiritual herbs and rare pills into the air, but the flying immortal beasts didn’t spare them a glance. If one tried force, only the weaker immortal cranes and eagles could be targeted; the rest soared out of reach, each as vast as a Kunpeng, their edges lost in the distance.

“The Heaven-Piercing Sun-Shooting Bow!”

A peak Celestial Immortal elder produced this bow, causing a commotion. Was he planning to shoot down the birds?

Yue Qi, perched atop Xiong Laosan’s head, watched with relish. Sure enough, the elder bent the bow and shot at the smallest, the earliest red-necked immortal crane.

To everyone’s surprise, the arrow, upon striking, became a long, invisible cord that drew the immortal crane to the ground. The elder leaped onto its back, saluted the crowd, and vanished into the sky castle.

“The Manor Lord of Divine Lake Bow Manor—Cuo Guangming! They’ve brought out all their top-tier third-grade immortal weapons, clearly determined to seize the treasures within.”

This scene caused an uproar. Others wielded bows, spears, immortal swords, and throwable artifacts, all attempting the same feat. But once the immortal crane was wounded, it vanished, prompting attention to turn to a tawny immortal eagle.

A red silk ribbon shot out, and before anyone else could aim, it dragged the eagle down, then, with a step, its rider mounted and departed.

This drew further exclamations—Feng Qianyu, granddaughter of the formidable Immortal Emperor of the Storm Family.

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After Feng Qianyu left, Long Yi snorted. Before he could speak, Xiong Laosan, like an angler, snagged a twin-headed pheasant from the sky. Its fiery crest gleamed, but its legs were entangled by something, slowly drawing it downward.

Xiong Laosan tried to reel it in with silkworm thread, but halfway down, an immortal sword enveloped the bird, severed his weapon, and forced the twin-headed pheasant to the ground.

The culprits were a pair of brothers—one tall, one short. The shorter was covered in metal rings, the taller wielded a long and a broken lower-grade fourth-class immortal weapon apiece.

They coordinated and were about to mount the bird and fly when Xiong Laosan roared, “I was the one who pulled it down—how dare you steal it!”

The brothers laughed uproariously, rising into the air. The short one’s metal rings created a shield above and below, warding off attacks. They ignored the protests, and no one intervened.

“The Yin-Yang Brothers! Guo Shushan and Jin Circle!”

Just as the brothers prepared to soar into the palace in the clouds, a bolt of lightning shot up from the ground, striking the twin-headed pheasant. Furious, the brothers found that while the Jin Circle’s metal rings protected against fire, theft, and yin-yang magic, they were useless against electricity!

Instantly, the lightning was absorbed by Guo Shushan’s two immortal swords, leaving him unharmed, but the twin-headed pheasant was reduced to a charred husk, plummeting to the ground, beyond hope of survival.

The more beasts were slain on the ground, the more appeared—one becoming two. But the flying immortal beasts in the sky could not withstand a single blow.

Yue Qi shook Xiong Laosan’s head fur, but the latter refused to approach the corpse—so many covetous eyes were watching; as a mere Great Immortal, he wouldn’t risk his life for a bear paw!

The Yin-Yang Brothers, enraged, soared up on their swords—wait, sword flight, forbidden air technique… Their anger quickly shifted to terror as a layer of indistinct matter appeared beneath their feet and above their heads.

A faint gray mist of lightning surged from every direction—this tribulation lightning, unlike the harmless stuff from a hundred meters up, was true disaster. Each strike left the brothers covered in wounds.

What use were lower-grade fourth-class immortal weapons or protective metal rings? Under hundreds of lightning strikes, their vital energy was drawn out and absorbed by the castle in the clouds, leaving no trace.

“The artifact spirit’s Calamity Lightning!”

A master forger, experienced in such matters, quickly recalled his immortal ship.

The scene fell silent. The one who had tripped them up was none other than Wu Hao of the Rogue Immortal Alliance. Xiong Laosan was Wuyun’s subordinate; regardless of cultivation, he had contributed and deserved an explanation, while the Yin-Yang Brothers had a longstanding feud with Wu Hao—today, it seemed, was the day for reckoning.

Aside from Feng Qianyu, who else could recognize him now that he had donned a new mask?

Instantly, there was one less bird in the sky. The rest began to display their abilities—some exchanged immortal objects, others conquered with weapons. As more and more succeeded in entering the castle, the immortal beasts in the sky grew fewer and fewer.

Once even the immortal condor, cloud-soaring octopus, immortal phoenix, winged dragon were captured or forced into hiding, those left on the ground dwindled, until the myriad-feathered peacock was forced to carry a hundred people at a time, with great demons controlling the passage, forming a cycle!