I Cheated While Cultivating

Plague Emperor Emperor of the Nine Dragons?

Zhou Heng was slightly startled upon hearing this. He had thought he might hear about some evil god related to the mythologies of Earth from a previous lifetime, but instead, it was an unfamiliar name.

However, he hadn’t heard of the Plague Emperor Emperor of the Nine Dragons, he was aware of another Plague Emperor.

Plague Emperor Lü Yue.

This was an Immortal of the Teachings of Intercepting who had shone brightly with the arts of plague during the wars of deification, a renowned Qi practitioner from the Nine Dragons Island mountains.

In that case, the title “Plague Emperor Emperor of the Nine Dragons” made sense.

Could the deity they were talking about be Lü Yue?

— Although the novels that depicted the wars of deification couldn’t be entirely believed, since there was already the presence of the Lady Protector, Cloud Soarer, there might not be a lack of a Plague Emperor Lü Yue.

“This Plague Emperor Emperor of the Nine Dragons you’re talking about, is his real name Lü Yue?” Zhou Heng asked directly.

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But unexpectedly, as soon as he mentioned this, the two of them reacted as if struck by lightning.

“What?!”

“How dare you?!”

Both of their eyes widened with expressions of intense fear on their faces, as if they had seen a ghost, as though Zhou Heng had uttered some kind of taboo.

“Foolish mortal, how dare you directly call upon the true name of a god! You have committed the crime of blasphemy!”

“You deserve to die a thousand deaths, you should be skinned and have your tendons pulled out, thrown into a poison pool, you should be turned into a Medicine Man, never to transcend after death!”

This man and woman cursed Zhou Heng furiously.

“So, it really is Lü Yue.” Zhou Heng’s mouth hung open slightly in surprise, and he continued to ask, “What are you planning to do after hijacking the ship to County City Fengzhou, summon an evil god?”

“Mortal, how dare you refer to my god as an evil god?!” The man raged instantly, his eyes bulging, glaring at Zhou Heng, and he said through gritted teeth, “You won’t end well…”

Bang!

Zhou Heng slapped the man across the face through the air, cutting off his words, and sent him spinning dozens of times in the air before crashing to the ground.

“You, answer me.” Zhou Heng looked at the woman and said sternly, “I don’t want to hear any nonsense.”

“The god will punish you!” The woman, however, looked at Zhou Heng with a sullen face as if completely ignoring what Zhou Heng had asked.

“Troublesome.” Zhou Heng frowned slightly, then spread his Divine Soul Power and directly used the Puppetry Technique, turning the two of them into puppets.

Refining puppets could yield some memory fragments, which might offer a glimpse into these two’s objectives and see if it was relevant to the Plague Emperor Emperor of the Nine Dragons they spoke of.

Yet, just as Zhou Heng’s Divine Soul Power began to erode their spirits, an unexpected event occurred.

A vast and boundless dark energy, as if falling from an infinite height, surged from the depths of the two’s true spirits, instantly obliterating the Divine Soul Power Zhou Heng had spread.

Furthermore, this terrifying dark energy followed the trail of Zhou Heng’s Divine Soul Power heading back towards him, quickly corroding the Divine Soul he had extended out of his body, while also injecting copious amounts of negative emotions, trying to make Zhou Heng become irascible and lose his reasoning.

It was as if a plague was being transmitted through the contact of Divine Soul Power to Zhou Heng, threatening to infect his entire being.

However, just as that “plague-like” power tried to rush into Zhou Heng’s sea of consciousness and corrode his divine soul, a surge of Xuan Huang energy emerged, condensing into a thirty-three-layered divine pagoda that suppressed this strange force.

But the essence of this “plague-like” power was exceedingly high, having far surpassed the limit Zhou Heng could currently defend against, and even using the “Xuan Huang Pagoda Technique” could only delay the inevitable for a moment.

Fortunately, Zhou Heng had other means.

In the instant that this bizarre power broke through the Xuan Huang pagoda’s defenses, the power from the Sun Realm surged forth.

The fiery Sun power, as if capable of dispelling all darkness, “shone” upon this “plague-like” power, causing it to dissipate instantly.

“Is this the power of an Evil God?” Zhou Heng frowned deeply.

He could feel that the essence of that strange power was extremely high, even far above that of the Sun Realm, only because it was greatly restricted and in minuscule quantity, that it could be warded off by the Sun Realm power.

Although Zhou Heng had dispersed that strange power with the help of the Sun Realm, preventing his divine soul from being corroded and infected, it also prevented him from truly turning those two individuals into puppets.

Fortunately, just before that strange power emerged, Zhou Heng’s divine soul power had already obtained a tiny fragment of those two people’s memories, and luckily, this minuscule memory fragment was related to their visit to Fengzhou County City.

“Working with the high-level members of the Plague Emperor Sect, conducting a ritual, sacrificing the populace of Fengzhou County City to summon the incarnation of ‘Plague Emperor the Great with Nine Dragons’?” Zhou Heng was somewhat astonished.

It was such a grand scheme.

Fengzhou County City was one of the largest county cities in the central region of Da Qi, with a population exceeding five million, extremely prosperous.

Moreover, it was guarded by one of the Twelve Ancient Families, the Fengzhou Cui clan, with a Celestial Man in the world, and a Taoist Sovereign God Soldier—who gave them the audacity to perform a ritual to summon an Evil God here?

They must be mad!

However, the descent of an Evil God was not a minor matter by any means and could not be treated lightly.

Thus, Zhou Heng temporarily halted his journey to Roongdu Prefectural City and turned to fly toward the nearest entrance to the Purple Tenuity Palace.

He needed to inform the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer about this situation.

Then, he would return to the Pure Yang Palace and explain matters to Yan Shouyi.

This crisis, involving the level of an Evil God, was beyond his capability to directly intervene, and even though he still had numerous special abilities and permissions, facing the existence of an Evil God, they might be of no use.

It was better to inform these powerful entities first and let them go and stop it.

Afterward, Zhou Heng turned this idea into action. Both the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer and Yan Shouyi were informed, and the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer even notified Cui Tianhe.

Soon, more than ten Celestial Men were on their way to Fengzhou County City.

“With this, it should be almost certain. More than ten Celestial Men should have no problem stopping the descent of an Evil God incarnation,” Zhou Heng thought to himself.

At this moment, he was standing in front of the gates to Roongdu Prefectural City, preparing to find Yun Xiu and He Mengqiu.

Zhou Heng did not plan on going to Fengzhou County City.

Since the matter of the Evil God’s incarnation’s descent had already been reported to so many powerful figures, all he needed to do was wait for good news; there should be no issue.

More than ten Celestial Men, such power was enough to turn heaven and earth upside down.

Although Zhou Heng was curious about the identity of this Evil God, since it was also related to the legends of Earth, after hearing explosive news about figures like the Emperor Dongyue and Goddess Yunxiao, he was relatively calm by the time it came to Lv Yue, without much desire to investigate personally. Instead, he planned to wait until after the situation was resolved to inquire with the people at Zhou Tian Boundary Officer and Yan Shouyi for details.

For now, he should first locate disciples Yun Xiu, ask about the Saint of Dreams, and the relic of the Saint of Dreams from Southern Jin.

…

“What, you’re saying your master went to Fengzhou County City?” Zhou Heng looked at Yun Xiu in front of him with a surprised face, feeling incredibly mixed, with quite a sense of fate playing tricks on him.

With the help of the dream guidance left by Yun Xiu before, he had easily found Yun Xiu after arriving in Roongdu Prefecture City, but only upon asking did he learn that it was just her here now—He Mengqiu had gone to Fengzhou County City three days ago.

“So you weren’t here to look for me,” Yun Xiu pouted upon hearing this, looking somewhat indignant as she said, “Hmph, had I known, I wouldn’t have bothered to dress up specially.”

Her appearance today was clearly the result of careful dressing.

The light blue water-sleeved dress was fresh and elegant; her face was gently made up, with a flower adornment on her brow, and her makeup was extremely delicate, adding even more brilliance to her already extraordinarily beautiful features.

Even the hair accessories she wore on her head weren’t simple hairpins but shining, intricately made ornaments, making her whole appearance dazzling and exceptionally bright.

“Ah, this…” Zhou Heng was temporarily at a loss for words and could only respond evasively, “I encountered some matters regarding the Dream Saint in Southern Jin and wanted to seek your master’s advice.”

“What matters? Can’t you consult me?” Yun Xiu still looked miffed, but it was apparent that she wasn’t truly angry, just a bit unhappy.

For a young girl, being angry and being unhappy are two different things.

“If Miss Xiu’er is also informed, that would be perfect, and I wouldn’t have to bother Senior He,” Zhou Heng replied with a smile. “Regarding the Hundred Halls of Yao Palace, how much does Miss Xiu’er know?”

“Ah?” Yun Xiu softly exclaimed, her cheeks turning slightly red as she lowered her head and whispered, “That, um, I only know it’s an ancient painting drawn by our founder personally, but I don’t know the details.”

“I see…” Zhou Heng sounded somewhat disappointed.

“Oh right, I heard from my master that after the founder completed the painting, her spirit seemed to decline, and she went into seclusion for a while,” Yun Xiu tried to make amends.

“Her spirit declined?” Zhou Heng’s expression turned to one of surprise and he exclaimed, “The Dream Saint had a decline in spirit??”

That was a Divine First Rank Tao Lord—sanctified ruler of the realm of dreams, one of the most powerful Nine Saints of the Middle Ancient Era. Could such a being truly suffer a decline in spirit?

Although the Hundred Halls of Yao Palace is a Divine Artifact of the Taoist Sovereign level, even for a Divine First Rank, drawing such a scroll would probably take its toll, but a decline in spirit seemed exceedingly exaggerated.

Could this have had something to do with the madness and chaos that befell the Dream Saint and others at the end of the Middle Ancient Era?

At the end of the Middle Ancient Era, the Dream Saint, Tao Saint, and Law Saint inexplicably went mad, lost their reason, and wreaked havoc everywhere.

The remaining six Great Grandmasters fought a great battle.

This directly led to the destruction of the hundred schools of thought, numerous sects closed off from the world, and brought about the collapse and destruction of what now seems a gloriously radiant Middle Ancient Era.

It was considered the greatest cataclysm of the age to people’s contemporary knowledge.

Even the battle of Heavenly Yang was not on the same level.

If the madness of the Dream Saint was indeed related to the Hundred Halls of Yao Palace, then the implications were probably too vast to imagine.

That existence which had arranged for the emergence of the Hundred Halls of Yao Palace in secret and animated the story of “A Smile with a Plucked Flower” into reality, was even more unfathomable.

“I am not really clear about the specific circumstances, just heard my master mention it,” Yun Xiu said somewhat apologetically. “Alright, let me take you to my master then!”

In the end, she simply gave up resisting.

“What is Senior He doing in Fengzhou County City?” Zhou Heng inquired.

“It seems like she discovered some anomalies while wandering outside her body,” Yun Xiu thought for a moment and said, “Moreover, the situation seems rather serious, my master mentioned going to Fengzhou County City to discuss with the Prefect Cui Qingyang.”

“This… might be the same as what I discovered earlier,” Zhou Heng nodded slightly, then said in a deep voice, “Miss Yun Xiu, you stay here, I will go to Fengzhou County City alone to find Senior He.”

He felt that the situation He Mengqiu discovered might also be related to the Nine Dragons Plague Emperor.

This evil god intends to descend through the believers and the sacrificial rituals of the Plague Emperor Sect, and even though more than a dozen Celestial Men might come to prevent it, it’s still very dangerous.

“…” Yun Xiu fell silent for a moment after hearing this, finally taking a deep breath and asking, “Will it be very dangerous?”

“It will be quite dangerous,” Zhou Heng answered gravely.

“How dangerous?” Yun Xiu bit her red lip lightly, her voice trembling slightly.

“More than ten Celestial Men will descend,” Zhou Heng said heavily.

“I see…” Yun Xiu closed her eyes gently, silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh. She then showed a gentle smile, “Then I’ll wait here for you and Master to return, how about that?”

Zhou Heng was momentarily stunned, then nodded and replied, “Alright.”

…

Fengzhou County City, in an alley of the North District.

Yu Zheng, dressed in a colorful robe, walked through a series of hidden paths and arrived at the entrance of a secluded courtyard. Instead of pushing the door open, he walked straight ahead.

The doors to the courtyard did not open, but Yu Zheng passed right through the tightly closed doors, vanishing into thin air as if he entered another world.

Although Yu Zheng was already one hundred and seventy years old, he still looked like a middle-aged man. He was a Fifth Rank Sect Master and an elder of the Plague Emperor Sect, occupying no low position.

Yet, in the current Fengzhou County City, he was the one with the lowest status and cultivation level.

This operation was of great importance, and it was said that divine decrees had been issued, requiring it to be accomplished successfully.

For this, the Plague Emperor Sect had spared no effort, sending a Celestial Man as the leader of the team and bringing the most powerful secret treasures, joined by six Absolute Fourth Rank individuals to prepare for the sacrifice ceremony.

In addition, they brought a Sect Fifth Rank to scout the daily situation outside and to collect some necessities; in simple terms, to run errands and handle miscellaneous tasks.

Yu Zheng was currently performing this role.

Yu Zheng, who had disappeared through the courtyard doors, had not actually entered the courtyard but found himself inside a magnificent palace.

This place was a geographical region akin to a Cave Sky, independent of the mortal world, situated in a void.

Upon arriving, Yu Zheng saw seven people gathered together, seemingly discussing some strategies.

These were the Celestial Man and six pinnacle Great Grandmasters sent by the Plague Emperor Sect.

“Disciple pays respects to the elders,” Yu Zheng said with great humility here.

“Hmm, tell us, what’s the situation outside?” one of the Celestial Men asked indifferently.

“All is normal in Fengzhou County City, with no sign of us being discovered,” Yu Zheng began with some good news, then added, “Yesterday morning, a woman visited the county office.

“She is a Fifth Rank Sect Master and seems to have come from afar. I am wondering if she might have discovered some clues?”

“It’s indeed possible,” the Celestial Man nodded and said in a deep voice, “Find an opportunity to kill her. We cannot afford any mistakes in the Emperor’s descending!”

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