Chapter 128: The Emperor's Shock

"The commotion earlier was so intense, so why has it suddenly gone quiet?"

Outside the Divine Phoenix Mountain, someone spoke up.

Just moments ago, they had seen a blood dragon soaring through the sky, but now the Divine Phoenix Mountain was eerily silent.

The commotion on the mountain had already spread far and wide. Countless people were gathered outside the mountain, eagerly awaiting news. While most cultivators didn't know why the Crown Prince's residence had been attacked, it was clear that the Emperor had no intention of intervening.

However, a few influential figures had caught wind of some rumors.

Though they didn't know that the Crown Prince's body had been taken over by a demon, they were aware of the subtle tension between the Crown Prince's residence and the Emperor. Some even suspected that the Emperor was using Li Changsheng's hands to eliminate the Crown Prince.

"Could it be that Divine Lord Changsheng was defeated by that blood dragon?"

Someone whispered.

"It's hard to say. The power of that blood dragon seemed to surpass the Human Immortal level, at least reaching the peak of Human Immortal. Moreover, the Crown Prince's residence is filled with powerful experts. Even if Divine Lord Changsheng entered, it wouldn't be easy for him to resolve the situation." An elderly man with white hair and a faint pressure radiating from him stroked his beard and said:

"Besides, I just saw two of the imperial family's experts enter the Divine Phoenix Mountain…"

"The situation is unclear!"

The old man was one of the most prominent rogue cultivators in the capital, with half-step Human Immortal strength, and held high prestige among the rogue cultivators. Upon hearing his words, everyone was momentarily stunned.

If the power of that blood dragon surpassed the Human Immortal level, could Divine Lord Changsheng still handle it?

Meanwhile, Daoist Ran and Marquis Xiaoyao, following the Emperor's orders, had come to the Divine Phoenix Mountain to assist Li Changsheng. They had originally intended to wait until Li Changsheng and the Crown Prince's forces had worn each other down, preferably to the point of mutual exhaustion, before stepping in to clean up.

But when that blood dragon soared into the sky, they were forced to rush into the Divine Phoenix Mountain immediately.

If that blood dragon killed Li Changsheng, the next target would undoubtedly be the imperial family.

However, as they hurried through the Divine Phoenix Mountain, they didn't encounter a single living soul.

They had witnessed Li Changsheng slaying the Divine Machine and Broken Cauldron armies with a single sword strike outside the mountain.

But the scene inside the mountain was even more bizarre.

The ground was littered with the corpses of grotesque monsters, all dried up and drained of their essence blood. While they and the Emperor had long suspected that the Crown Prince's body had been taken over by a demon, the way Li Changsheng and his companion acted—sucking people's essence blood—was no less terrifying than the demons themselves.

Along the way, they had seen at least a hundred thousand demon corpses, all drained of their essence blood and turned into dried husks. It was a sight that made their scalps tingle.

Tap!

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed.

"Who…"

Before Daoist Ran could finish speaking, he saw a horse-faced old man with an ingratiating smile walking beside a young man in green robes, slowly approaching them.

"Old Mo, our Hundred Herbs Pavilion is a respectable business. In the future, let's not make the battlefield so horrifying. It severely damages our image in the eyes of the Cangqing Realm's cultivators."

Looking at the grotesque demon corpses scattered across the ground, Li Changsheng sighed.

Although Old Mo cultivated a demonic technique, the essence blood of these demons was only useful for healing his injuries. But now, Old Mo had completely drained their blood, refined it, and consumed it to recover.

'Do you really think slicing three armies to dust with a single sword strike is any less terrifying than this?'

Mo Chengkong inwardly complained, but his face remained obsequious as he said, "This old servant was careless. In the future, I will follow Young Master's instructions and resolve matters with virtue."

Li Changsheng nodded in satisfaction.

Such a teachable student!

Daoist Ran and Marquis Xiaoyao, watching the two approach, felt cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.

They naturally knew who these two were. The intelligence bureau had been plastered with their images recently: Li Changsheng, the Divine Lord of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, and Mo Chengkong, the Blood Demon.

They had thought that even if these two entered the Divine Phoenix Mountain together, it would still be a hard-fought battle. But to their surprise, it had been resolved so easily.

Moreover, while they couldn't gauge Li Changsheng's strength, Mo Chengkong's power was undoubtedly far greater than the rumors suggested. Just looking at him filled them with immense pressure.

"Dao Ran and Marquis Xiaoyao of the South Li Empire greet Divine Lord Changsheng and Master Mo."

The two immediately bowed.

"Did the Emperor send you?"

Li Changsheng glanced at them and spoke indifferently.

These two were among the South Li Empire's hidden aces, the Emperor's trusted confidants. A hundred years ago, Li Changsheng had collected intelligence on the South Li Empire, and their information had been included. That's why he recognized them at a glance.

However, one was at the early Human Immortal stage and the other at the mid-stage. To him, they were insignificant.

"Reporting to Divine Lord, the Emperor sent us to assist you, but it seems there was no need!" Dao Ran said with a wry smile.

Since Li Changsheng and Mo Chengkong emerged unscathed from the Divine Phoenix Mountain, the fate of those demons was self-evident.

'Thankfully, the Emperor didn't consider making an enemy of this man. Otherwise, it would have been disastrous.'

Dao Ran sighed inwardly. Earlier in the palace, they had worried that Li Changsheng might turn on the South Li Empire after his victory. Now it was clear that the Emperor had made the right choice. Such a powerful figure could obliterate the South Li Empire unless the imperial family could contact their ancestors who had ascended to the immortal realm.

"Very well, I also have matters to discuss with the Emperor."

Li Changsheng nodded calmly.

"Divine Lord, this way, please."

Imperial Palace of the Capital.

As Dao Ran led Li Changsheng and Mo Chengkong towards the imperial palace, they had already sent a message ahead.

Tens of thousands of palace cultivators were arrayed at the foot of the mountain, and the officials of the South Li Empire stood at the foot of the sacred mountain to welcome them.

Even the Emperor himself had come to the mountainside to greet them.

Li Changsheng hadn't brought the golden roc into the capital but flew by sword like Dao Ran and the others.

Seeing Li Changsheng arrive, the Emperor, standing on the mountainside, stepped onto a cloud and cupped his hands slightly. "I have long heard of the Divine Lord's reputation, but meeting you in person surpasses the tales. The Divine Lord is even more extraordinary than the legends."

The Emperor had lived for thousands of years. Before being poisoned, he had been one of the top powerhouses in the Cangqing Realm. His insight was razor-sharp, and upon seeing Li Changsheng, he was momentarily stunned.

Though he couldn't discern Li Changsheng's exact cultivation level, he was certain the man was less than five hundred years old.

In the Cangqing Realm, reaching the peak of the Human Immortal stage meant the only path forward was ascending to the immortal realm. Breaking through to the Earth Immortal stage was harder than reaching the heavens.

But now, here was an Earth Immortal cultivator under five hundred years old!

Moreover, the Blood Demon Mo Chengkong, who stood behind Li Changsheng with an ingratiating smile, also seemed to be at the Earth Immortal stage?

The Emperor was dumbfounded!

Earth Immortals, who were usually impossible to encounter, had now appeared two at once?

'Could it be that the Hundred Herbs Pavilion has a pocket dimension that aids in breaking through to the Earth Immortal stage?'

The Emperor's eyes lit up. As the Emperor, he had access to more ancient texts than other cultivators and knew that after reaching the peak of the Human Immortal stage, there were two ways to continue advancing apart from ascending to the immortal realm.

As far as he knew, the path to the greater world from the Cangqing Realm had long been severed.

That left only the pocket dimensions!