【After consuming the Yin-Yang Xuanhuang Fruit, your body showed no change whatsoever. You felt nothing stirring in your heart—perhaps failure had dulled your senses.】
【In the days that followed, you settled into a leisurely routine of secluded cultivation, handling official matters, emerging from seclusion, and training disciples—a simple three-step cycle.】
【Oh, and you also found time to resolve the soul-snatching issue of that old Golden Core cultivator.】
【Simulation year 47: Su Xiahei descended the mountain for experience, bringing along Ma Zhen, claiming it was to broaden his junior disciple’s horizons.】
【As both foster father and master, you saw through your eldest disciple and foster son’s dissatisfaction toward the second disciple and second foster son, but you still agreed. Brothers bicker; descending the mountain would help them smooth things over.】
【Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, twenty years had passed.】
【Simulation year 67: Su Xiahei broke through to Golden Core. Unlike his previous life, this time he formed his core with pure spear intent—perhaps a reflection of his experiences in this life.】
【That same year, Ma Zhen also advanced to Foundation Establishment. It was said he used a rare celestial artifact—fallen Heavenly Coin—to forge his foundation. A few well-informed Golden Core cultivators praised him, saying this young man had the potential for Golden Core.】
【One sect, two Golden Cores, and a Golden Core seed, all born from the same lineage. For a time, the Sanshan Sect earned a modest reputation among nearby sects, and some opportunists even spread the saying: “When choosing a master, it should be Su Qingyang.”】
【As for you—Su Bai, Su Qingyang—you paid no heed to the outside world’s opinion, quietly conducting research with a group of old ghosts inside the immortal mansion’s grotto.】
“Old Bloodsea Ghost, hand over your treasured ‘Heavenly Dao Theft Chapter’ now! The Prison Lord commands it! Also, bring the inheritance left by the Celestial Wolf Immortal Respect!”
“Pfft! What inheritance? Everyone knows the Old Bloodsea Ghost is just a fragment of the Celestial Wolf Immortal Respect. That Bloodsea beneath Beiyuan is his original body’s backup plan after resurrection!”
“Heh heh, Old Bloodsea Ghost, hurry up and hand it over. You wouldn’t want the world to find out that the Bloodsea under Beiyuan was brewed with the blood of its people by the famously doting Celestial Wolf Immortal Respect, right?”
Within the immortal mansion’s grotto, several Divine Emperor soldiers led by the Fate Old Ghost were threatening a blood-red residual soul with both coercion and force.
Thousands of miles away, a group of old ghosts proficient in formation arrays were testing the latest improved version of the Heavenly Emperor Soul Locking Array.
After some tinkering, the old ghosts began discussing excitedly.
“The power is sufficient.”
“But the consumption is enormous. If it weren’t for the Prison Lord possessing the immortal mansion—a small world in itself—if this array were activated repeatedly, the Sanshan Sect would go bankrupt.”
“How about fusing the Supreme Primordial Scripture with the Celestial Severance Technique? Perhaps all cultivators under our control could practice these, and we’d siphon a small portion of their cultivation to energize the array.”
“I remember the Prison Lord’s Human Emperor Banner can contain Yin souls, and the Earth Emperor Cauldron too. Maybe those can be used as energy sources…”
At the center of the immortal mansion’s grotto, hearing these old ghosts’ utterly merciless discussions, Su Bai couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotions.
Truly the naked path of demonic cultivation—none among them was innocent, even if all were executed.
However, for the sake of a peaceful future for the Five Domains and Two Heavens, before executing these old ghosts, it was better to have them serve hard labor for hundreds or thousands of years to atone for their sins.
Those close to vermilion become red, those close to ink become black.
Whether it was Su Xiahei, who hadn’t yet formed the correct worldview in his previous life, or Su Bai, who had his own opinions in this life, they both deeply understood this truth.
Spending long periods with these old ghosts, original desires—once a mere pebble on the mountain peak—grew like a rolling snowball, larger and larger.
Once, all she wanted was to rank among the top three of the Immortal Alliance.
Now, riding the chaos of the White Bone Yaksha’s uprising, the disappearance of the upper echelons, and the turmoil of the Five Domains, she sought to display her grand ambition—to unify the Five Domains and Two Heavens.
“Prison Lord, here is the latest improved cultivation method for your review.” A Divine Emperor soldier respectfully handed over a book and began explaining.
“In theory, cultivators practicing within the Heavenly Emperor Soul Locking Array will have one-tenth of their cultivation absorbed as pure energy by the great array after each training session.”
“One-tenth? Can that be changed?” Su Bai frowned.
“Yes, the Heavenly Emperor Soul Locking Array allows adjustments.”
“Change it to three percent.”
“Understood. Also, Prison Lord, everyone wants you to name this cultivation method.”
“What ideas do you have?”
Su Bai picked up the method and looked at the gathered old ghosts. As expected, most were waiting for her to speak. Before she could, names like ‘Heaven Mending Record,’ ‘Celestial Endowment Law,’ and ‘All Things as Cauldron Technique’ were offered like menu items.
Through Su Bai, the old ghosts clearly understood a new era was about to dawn—an era where divine transcendents and heavenly sovereigns would vanish, and heroes, dragons, snakes, and outlaws would rise.
An era—a grand era!
In other words, if they won the chaotic battle of the Five Domains, they would usher in the next cultivation golden age!
The old ghosts’ voices grew louder and more fervent, nearing full-scale brawling, until Su Bai decisively named it the ‘Heavenly Emperor Law,’ fitting perfectly with the Heavenly Emperor Soul Locking Array and the central Heavenly Emperor Divine Mirror.
Originally, Su Bai wanted to name it “Spirit Tax.”
According to the old ghosts’ plan, in the future, the Heavenly Emperor Soul Locking Array would be set throughout the Five Domains and Two Heavens, so that every cultivator, from the moment they set foot on the path to their death, would be within the array—just like her in the mortal world.
If so, isn’t collecting taxes normal? Paying taxes is every cultivator’s duty.
But upon reflection, she gave up that idea.
Naming the cultivation method “Spirit Tax” felt ominously unlucky.
……
What is a spear?
The soul of the spear? The intent of the spear? The courage of the spear?
Or is it attack, power, speed?
All of these—and yet none.
The white-robed man held a black spear, imparting his insights on the way of the spear to Su Xiahei.
What is a spear?
A spear is timing!
Strike when unprepared, attack when unexpected!
After this lesson, the two men—one real, one shadow—sat opposite each other by the campfire, leisurely drinking under the bright moon.
As for alcohol, Su Xiahei had only descended the mountain a few times, yet he had already activated his wine affinity talent. He even personally brewed several jars of peach blossom wine, burying them beneath the peach grove on Qingyang Peak.
“What is time to the future me? What is that Mr. Bai’s arrangement?” Su Xiahei tilted his head back, draining his cup.
“I don’t know, I don’t know.” Zhou Xuan shook his head and drank.
“I’ve been dreaming recently—dreaming of Master, Qingyang Peak, peach blossom broth, and some other things.”
“I’ve dreamt too. In the dream, Master—or rather, Senior Master—loved me and pampered me. There was no constant beating or scolding. On Qingyang Peak, it was just the two of us, no annoying junior disciple.”
At this, the real and shadow men simultaneously glanced toward a small hill in the distance where a pure-hearted boy hugged several spirit weapons and slept sweetly.
After speaking, Zhou Xuan stood, drained his cup, clasped his hands behind his back, and gazed into the distance.
“Next, we’re going somewhere to find something.”
“What?”
“Absolute Immortal Stone, Seal Immortal Absolute Spirit.”