Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 316 - 205: The Taoist Lord Becomes an Immortal

Chapter 316: Chapter 205: The Taoist Lord Becomes an Immortal

The fire had burned for ten days, turning all the citizens of the city into charred corpses.

Gu Wen’s eyes slightly widened in shock; even he couldn’t remain composed in the face of such a scene.

"Damned Emperor!"

His voice carried a tinge of anger.

The word "Dao" was rooted in his heart, with its deepest logic being nothing but empathy. Although he was no saint, he once lived in a civilized society, and his capacity for sympathy was much greater than those living in turbulent times.

At least Gu Wen always reminded himself that one might not do good, but should never commit evil.

Even at the Dragon Bridge, he conducted business only with the wealthy and never engaged in hoarding and profiteering during famine years.

The place where he had lived for years had turned into a sea of fire; most likely the boatmen and apprentices under his command couldn’t have survived.

Many were mere acquaintances; Gu Wen didn’t even know their surnames, but they had lived life together after all.

"Madness."

Ao Tang stepped forward, overlooking the fiery spirit of the whole city.

Invisible to the naked eye, the sky was filled with residual souls that fueled the raging True Fire, converging towards the direction of the imperial palace, where a huge Fire Dragon Vortex was slowly spinning.

"This Lord Emperor has truly gone mad, using a million citizens to fuel the flames, burning their Three Souls and Six Spirits. This is no Longevity Pill, it’s an evil skill."

Qingcang’s expression didn’t change, and her eyes remained steady despite the flickering flames.

"One who cultivates Dao without virtue becomes an Immortal that is a devil."

Her voice was calm and monotone, but compared to her usual gentleness, a hint of coldness could be detected.

Humans, if not taught, become beasts.

Just like the Barbarian tribes still living in the Devil Clan’s Earth Realm, Daqian and the numerous Immortal Sects have never acknowledged them as humans. The concept of "human" is divided into two major ideas: one is agriculture, originating from the ancestors of the Human Race who first left Jianmu, defined by lifestyle.

The other is good and evil; Qingcang wasn’t the first to propose this, but she was the one who firmly established the notion of supreme good and extreme evil.

Agriculture and the concept of good and evil are the fundamental reasons for the rise of the Human Race, a divine weapon against the myriad tribes.

However, there are always those with irredeemable demon natures, beasts in human skin, as signified by the old saying, "murder and arson bring a golden belt."

Qingcang glided into the city from the gate and stood in front of a mother running with her child, gently touching her brow with a finger.

Crack!

A fissure appeared, and fragments similar to charcoal fell off, revealing skin beneath.

"This is the Sacrificial Refining Skill, there might still be hope."

Qingcang made this judgment, and Gu Wen was slightly stunned, struggling to comprehend how those burned to charcoal could still be standing, much less maintain human form and features. He then noticed the skin appearing through the cracks.

In an instant, he realized the truth.

People burned to charcoal couldn’t stand, nor could they possibly all retain human shapes and features.

Looking around, these citizens looked like black stone sculptures.

Ao Tang shook his head, "The essence is mostly dissipated, and many have lost their Three Souls and Six Souls, do you think you can find them all and bring them back? After all, there are more than a million people here."

These people were no different from the dead; even if they killed the Lord Emperor now, the citizens wouldn’t come back to life; most likely, they would die on the spot.

The reason they were alive now was solely due to the Array of Bianjing.

"Back in Bianjing, I found it strange why this Lord Emperor built so many Daoist palaces. It turns out it was for the sacrifice of these million people, truly ruthless. If the Second Ancestor can’t kill him today, Qingcang, don’t be aloof; take action and crush this beast."

Ao Tang was visibly angry.

The crooked and perverse are intolerable under the same sky; a blood sacrifice of a million mortals would be condemned by all factions, including the Three Religions beyond the heavens.

Boom!

As if sensing their arrival, the Fire Dragon Vortex suddenly sped up, and a huge brass-colored Pill Furnace rose to the sky, engulfing tens of thousands of flames.

Gradually, the Fire Dragon Vortex transformed into a giant coiling dragon, thousands of feet long, hovering over the entirety of Bianjing, covering a hundred miles.

Atop the dragon’s head sat an Emperor in a Daoist robe, the dragon’s mouth holding a Pill Furnace like a Dragon Ball.

An overwhelming aura weighed down on everyone except Qingcang, causing their expressions to slightly darken.

Ninety-nine Dao foundations, an Immortal body!

No one could cultivate to ninety-nine full Dao foundations in their youth. Most Immortals are of ninety-eight foundations and slowly accumulate to ninety-nine over time.

The Lord Emperor was no exception, but his emergence caught everyone off guard.

"He has refined the Immortality Pill? But what can be done, what can be done!"

Ao Tang looked somewhat panicked.

Qingcang reassured, "As a younger Immortal, the Law God and the Three Realms are one; he has only mastered the law, but not yet the god and the body."

"Heavenly Girl has keen insight..."

On the brink of speaking, the Lord Emperor suddenly realized something was amiss. Before becoming an Immortal, he could vaguely sense Yu Hua’s presence.

Now that he had become an Immortal, Yu Hua’s presence had disappeared.

His lips moved slightly, with a trace of disbelief.

"You have resurrected?"

"When did the Immortality Pill attain the ability to speak?"

Qingcang did not answer, but it was as good as a confirmation.

She was also surprised by the transformation of the Immortality Pill; having neglected it for years, she didn’t expect it could turn into a human.

Logically, the higher the quality of the Plant Spirits, the harder it is for them to develop consciousness, especially since it originated from the Spirit Ancestor. Could it be an incarnation of the Spirit Ancestor?

Many doubts flashed through the Lord Emperor’s mind; he suppressed his astonishment and, returning to his calm demeanor, replied:

"The junior does not know when the Immortality Pill gained the ability to transform. About five hundred years ago, while drinking with a friend from the Daoist Sect, I was intoxicatingly informed about the Immortality Pill, and later stealthily infiltrated the Daoist Sect to acquire the full details."

Ao Tang grimaced, "You really engage in nothing good, but excel in absolute wrongdoing. Can you really trust the drunken words, and for this, forsake thousands of years of accumulated Daoist lineage and personal relationships?"