Chapter 486: Returning the the Palace

“The power of the Evil God will make you more complete.”

Luo Han closed his eyes and opened his heart, realizing he had already set foot on a path of no return.

“Alright, once you return, you know what to do… find a way to persuade the Sect Leader to give up on Gongsun Xiaotao. If he doesn’t listen, then replace the Sect Leader.” Jiang Ke’er said.

Replace the Sect Leader… She said it so casually.

But no matter how troublesome it was, Luo Han could only nod: “Understood.”

“One more thing.” Jiang Ke’er’s slender brows furrowed together, “What exactly is the purpose of your grand entrance into Dongsheng Shenzhou?”

“To build relations with the Tribulation Immortal Hall.” Luo Han answered.

“No, you’re not telling me everything.” A flash of killing intent flickered in Jiang Ke’er’s eyes, “Tell me everything you know.”

Luo Han’s heart jolted with alarm, and he quickly said, “As for the specifics, the Sect Leader has kept his lips sealed. I… I only know he wants to contact the Tribulation Immortal Hall to discuss a major matter, one that involves many forces above the Immortal Grade…”

“What else?”

“If things succeed, Shenzhou will undergo a complete reshuffling. Nanzhan Buzhou might replace Dongsheng Shenzhou and become the new prosperous center of the Nine Provinces World.”

Quite the ambitious scheme.

He wondered if Lord Li knew about this. He’d best find an opportunity to warn him, to make sure he was on his guard.

But with the Tribulation Immortal Hall pulling strings behind the scenes, even if Lord Li were aware, he’d probably have the will but not the means.

His position as Emperor was only barely secured because the Nine Palaces Chamber of Commerce hadn’t made a move, combined with the combat power disparity caused by the plague, and the pressure the Heavenly Demon brought upon the Nine Provinces… all these factors converging together had barely allowed him to seize it.

If, under the leadership of the Tribulation Immortal Hall, the Human Clan organized an effective counterattack now that the plague had ended, the fate of Chang’an would be far from settled.

Until the Tribulation Immortal Hall was eliminated, the Demon Race’s peaceful days would never arrive.

But the Tribulation Immortal Hall’s headquarters was located at the center of the Immortal Realm. All the human world possessed were projection palaces and the Cultivators who managed them…

Moreover, even though it was merely a projected mortal branch, it still hid many mechanisms and Formation Arts that he couldn’t hope to overcome. If he acted rashly, he’d only be throwing his life away.

So the only option was to remain on guard, relying on their own formation hub and waiting for the enemy to make the first move, to charge headfirst into the formation.

All he could do was warn Lord Li to strengthen his defenses.

But even if Lord Li knew, there was simply nothing he could do about it!

Jiang Ke’er let out a soft sigh.

Right now, all of Dongsheng Shenzhou’s defensive forces were concentrated at the Hanlin Academy.

For the sake of the potential “silk road of the universe” in the future, Lord Li had already poured in all his efforts. Where could he possibly find additional forces to reinforce defenses elsewhere?

It seemed the only option was to sacrifice the Celestial Monitoring Instrument’s exploration progress.

She would write a letter to Lord Li to inform him of the situation. She imagined Lord Li would be able to make his own judgment.

“Notify me immediately once you have news.” Jiang Ke’er commanded, “After you return, continue probing for the specific moves being made in these negotiations.”

“As you command.”

Luo Han had practically become a loyal and devoted subordinate.

Truly terrifying power.

Jiang Ke’er looked at her own palm, thinking to herself.

Xu Chen finally returned to the Tribulation Immortal Hall’s mortal branch. Gazing at the familiar sights shrouded in immortal aura, much of the exhaustion from days of fleeing faded away.

He walked slowly through the gate of the Tribulation Immortal Hall.

He didn’t want to stir up any trouble, so he maintained his hidden state. Even the fellow disciples guarding the hall paid him no heed.

He followed the straight stone steps all the way up to the Great Hall.

The moment he crossed the threshold, Xu Chen felt thousands of gazes fall upon him.

He looked up—hundreds of statues lined the wall niches, stretching all the way to the dome. As he walked in, the statues’ eyes swiveled in unison toward him.

Xu Chen first walked to the center of the Great Hall and bowed before a particularly enormous Sword Cultivator statue in the middle.

Only this statue had no life in it, its eyes staring straight at the sky.

His bright yellow robe billowed high behind him, the Sword in his hand poised to strike, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the heavens.

In the direction his eyes were fixed, the wall held no statue. Instead, a hole gaped open as if burned straight through, and beyond it, the starry sky revolved slowly.

After bowing to the massive statue, Xu Chen knelt before the wall on the northern side of the Great Hall.

He lowered his head, his palms pressed deep into the earth, his voice trembling: “This disciple is incompetent. I failed to complete my Respected Master’s instructions, and I lost the Gate of Heaven. I beg my Respected Master to punish me.”

The Great Hall fell into a long, dead silence.

“One——”

A tremendous muffled boom suddenly tore through the air, and Xu Chen’s entire body was sent flying backward, clear out of the Great Hall, slamming heavily into the blazing cauldron at the entrance.

The sizzling sound of burning flesh came from behind him, and waves of agony swept through him relentlessly.

Yet Xu Chen dared not let out a single whimper. He could only grit his teeth and endure, peeling himself off the cauldron inch by inch, paying for his escape from the furnace with the flesh of his back.

A bruise-purple handprint gradually swelled on his face—that was the cause of him being sent flying moments ago.

“Useless. You deserve the punishment indeed.”

A cold, emotionless aged voice came from within the Great Hall.

Xu Chen staggered back to the wall, knelt again, facing the statue of a white-bearded old Immortal.

“For losing the Gate of Heaven, any punishment would be too light for you. Punishing you would serve no purpose either.” The aged voice continued, “Besides, that Jiang Ke’er has hitched herself to the Extraterrestrial Tian Mo.”

“With your strength, there’s no way you could take back the Immortal Gate. I’ve already made other arrangements for this matter. All you need to do is stand guard and ensure the plan goes smoothly.”

“As you command.”

“If any further mistakes occur in this matter, you can throw yourself into the Eternal Calamity Fire Prison.”

“This disciple understands.”

Xu Chen nodded firmly.

“Mm, go do your work then.”

The voice said indifferently.

Yet Xu Chen did not rise.

“Respected Master, please wait a moment…”

He suddenly grew nervous and hesitant. Shyly, he pulled out from behind his waist a sheet of paper inscribed with brownish-red Runes, then looked up at the statue ahead with expectant eyes, saying, “Respected Master, this disciple has recently developed a new type of micro-level formation engraving.”

“It can greatly enhance the operating efficiency of all formations and can be applied to every domain including Tool Refinement, Pill Refinement, formation arts, and even cultivation itself!”

“This disciple believes that the value of this achievement is no less than that of the Celestial Monitoring Instrument!”

But the eyes of the stone statue had already lost their luster, offering no response.

“Respected Master… Respected Master?”

Xu Chen called out several more times.

After a long while, the statue’s eyes finally rotated.

“Why haven’t you left yet?”

The statue seemed to have just noticed Xu Chen was still there.

“Respected Master, I’ve developed a new micro-level formation engraving that can greatly enhance the strength of our Tribulation Immortal Hall!” Xu Chen immediately perked up and spoke quickly.

“Mm, then go submit it to the Heavenly Works Department. No need to report it to me.”

“Yes, yes… this disciple understands. I’m sorry for delaying my Respected Master’s precious cultivation time.”

“Good that you know. Anything else?”

“No, nothing else.”

“Then go do your work.”

“As you command.”

Xu Chen bowed slightly and silently left the Great Hall.