Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 969 - 799: Lv Qiluo’s Older Brother

Chapter 969: Chapter 799: Lv Qiluo’s Older Brother

At the moment Li Xuan’s wish was fulfilled, high atop a giant mulberry leaf on the Divine Tree of Fusou, Susano no O looked down with a grimace on his face.

In his eyes was a sense of unwillingness, "Grandfather, the pact you made with the Xuanhuang Emperor has put us in such a position. It’s bad enough we had to pay a fortune, but now we must also submit to his commands, a great humiliation to our Fusou divine lineage."

At this time, the Fusou Emperor had already withdrawn most of his power from the mortal realm, leaving only a wisp of his Yuanling remaining here.

Manifesting a human body, he looked indifferently at Susano no O, "Had I not intervened, would you have had the strength to contend against him?"

Susano no O fell silent.

The two battles at Naniwakyo not only resulted in the annihilation of their one and a half million-strong God’s Army, but also the death of one hundred and thirty-seven Amatsugami and Nitsugami, a third of their total number.

All perished on the battlefield, their True Spirits dissipated, leaving nothing but ashes and smoke.

The fire guns wielded by the heavenly soldiers actually couldn’t harm them in most cases.

However, stripped of the "force of ten thousand armies" and their local shrines, their power plummeted significantly, and they lost their former strength.

Tsukuyomi and Izanagi remained silent from beginning to end.

The aim of the Fusou Emperor in creating them was to guard the Fusang Tree and Takamagahara.

Was it not abandoning the essentials for the sake of protecting them from the Emperor, at the cost of damaging the Fusang Tree?

What angered Susano no O was the necessity to surrender the sea and all the water systems of Fusou.

He who still controlled the winds and clouds of Fusou, would inevitably be far less powerful than before, naturally leading to his resentment.

In the end, it was their own ineptitude that led to their defeat by the Xuanhuang Emperor.

"The safety of the Divine Tree is crucial, the foundation for our existence in this world. It is key for our Fusou divine court to stand tall amongst the myriad realms, independent of others controlling our fate. We cannot afford to lose it."

The Fusou Emperor slightly softened his tone, "You need not worry about Li Xuan, there will naturally be someone to deal with him. Just sit back and watch how things unfold."

Tsukuyomi muttered thoughtfully, "Could it be Master Kunpeng?"

"Indeed, the death of the Kunpeng Emperor will surely shake the demonic advisors. This man is now allied with Gouchen and Ziwei, and who knows how many arrangements he has made in the mortal realm, not to mention that Heavenly Kunpeng," said the Fusou Emperor coldly.

"Provoked by Li Xuan, their downfall is a mere flick away. By my reckoning, it won’t be long before they cease to watch idly; at most by early next year, they will make their move," the Fusou Emperor predicted.

Susano no O frowned, "But if Li Xuan clashes with the Kunpeng, and we are called to join the battle, what then? If Master Kunpeng demands supplies and provisions from Fusou again, how should we respond?"

The Fusou Emperor laughed coldly, "Kunpeng has already brought great disaster to Fusou by demanding supplies from me. Since he can’t help us resolve this crisis, what face does he have to demand food again? Besides, where would Fusou have any extra food now? As for Li Xuan’s conscription, let the deities under your command obey it as long as Takamagahara’s foundation remains intact, nothing else matters."

All present understood the hidden meaning—what mattered was them, a few individuals, as long as they survived, the loss of other deities was irrelevant.

"I see Li Xuan as someone whose rise is rapid but whose fall is just as sudden. Even without the Kunpeng, the moment the First Emperor’s Seal is unsealed will be the day of his demise," the Fusou Emperor said dispassionately.

"Therefore, just observe his success or failure for now. I greatly admire a phrase from the Dashi of the past, ’Ignore him, let him be, avoid him, endure him, respect him, and don’t bother with him. Just wait a few years and you shall see,’" the Fusou Emperor remarked.

At that moment, the Yuanling of the Fusou Emperor completely vanished from that place.

※※※※

Unaware of the discussions at the top of the Fusang Tree, Li Xuan, having received two items from Amaterasu, crushed the jade that was similar in shape to the Yasakani no Magatama, then summoned the Dari Star Palace from the Zhoutian Stars Array and, using his "Nuclear Fusion Furnace Contemplation Method," refined it.

This was once a part of the Haotian Seal, and the imperial Yasakani no Magatama of Fusou was only an imitation of it.

As the ground jade turned into a jade-colored liquid and merged with the interior of the Haotian Seal, a hint of joy appeared in Li Xuan’s eyes.

His Haotian Seal was in the process of creating a second Rule of Extreme Heaven.

Unfortunately, the final level of authority of the Zhoutian Stars Array had yet to open up to him.

Simultaneously, Li Xuan could feel the gaze of Amaterasu, who was intently observing him nearby.

Especially when he had used the Nuclear Fusion Furnace Contemplation Method, her eyes looked at him as if she was gazing upon the flesh of Sun Wukong.

Li Xuan furrowed his brows, slightly displeased as he met Amaterasu’s gaze.

The latter ’huffed’ and her figure immediately dissolved into a streak of light and dispersed.

Only after she had left did Li Xuan continue to refine the Haotian Seal, aiding in the formation of the second law.

About a day later, when the interior of the Haotian Seal had gradually stabilized, Amaterasu came to visit again.

But this time, she brought along the Three Noble Gods, and the remaining two hundred or so Amatsugami and Nitsugami from Takamagahara, to bow before him and sign a Divine Contract.

The ceremony itself was simple. After the deities had bowed, they presented their declarations inscribed with their essence and Yuanling, then received their imperial edicts and divine seals from Li Xuan.

Once the divine contract is set, these deities must heed its call, unable to resist the decree’s intent.

Due to the Fusou Emperor, these Fusou Gods had relatively lenient terms, unlike those directly under the Heavenly Court of Xuanhuang, whose life and death were at the mercy of Li Xuan.

In turn, Li Xuan was not obliged to sustain their willpower and incense offerings.

Li Xuan merely had to assume, to a certain extent, their future risk of ’existence or extinction,’ and protect their True Spirits so they may endure in this world.

Once more than two hundred divine contracts were reached, the ’Haotian Seal’ indeed began to undergo changes.

Its outward appearance remained unchanged, still translucent as jade and enveloped in reddish-gold light.

The changes occurred within the seal, where strange patterns emerged, seemingly concealing the principles of the world’s creation within them.

The ’Haotian Seal’ itself did not become fragile as a result of these patterns; on the contrary, it became even more solid and stable.

Overwhelmed with joy, Li Xuan soon suppressed his happiness and, before long, followed Qiluo’s guidance to the east side of Tang Valley.

There lay a small volcano, not very tall, just over nine hundred zhang.

But atop it spouted fierce white flames, leaving no blade of grass within ten li, and the temperature of the nearby hot springs was boiling.

"The remains of the nine fallen sons of Emperor Dijun, the Three-legged Golden Crows, are all here,"

Qiluo looked at the small volcano with a complex expression, "Although they have fallen long ago, they still possess the purest essence of Dari’s Lihuo. Their bones are still the Jewel of Fire, the Essence of the Land, the Spirit of Samadhi. Borrowing their power should help you achieve what’s known as ’Gravitational Collapse’."

Without a word, Li Xuan flew straight to the top of the volcano.

As soon as he entered, Li Xuan knew that the temperature here was far higher than that of the four ’Dari Furnaces’ he had built in the Heavenly Court of Xuanhuang.

When Li Xuan once again invoked the power of the ’Dari Star Palace’ here, using the "Nuclear Fusion Furnace Contemplation Method," he immediately felt a scorching flame power that almost incinerated his Flesh.

However, Li Xuan was well-prepared. He first used the ’Haotian Seal’ to stabilize his Primordial Spirit, then reached out to call upon the ’Huntian Zhenyuan Cauldron’, which was stored tens of li away on Dugu Biluo’s person, to rise into the sky and come above him.

As strands of green gas fell down from the cauldron, Li Xuan’s form and Primordial Spirit remained firm and constant under the fiery high temperatures.

Only then did Li Xuan begin to manipulate gravitational force and cultivate his Zhongzi Golden Body.

The prerequisite for the ’Zhongzi Golden Body’ was Gravitational Collapse, which would create immense internal and external pressures and boundless energy, thereby tempering and strengthening his Flesh.

This condition was extremely harsh. If Li Xuan had not acquired the techniques for manipulating gravitational and electromagnetic forces from Jiang Hanyun, he would not have dared to attempt such a feat.

It was during this time, with Li Xuan transformed into a torch, his flames rising high and consuming the Void, generating countless electromagnetic pulses that swept across the land.

Below the volcano, Qiluo stared up at Li Xuan, her fists clenched involuntarily, her lower lip bitten unconsciously.

She did not know whether Li Xuan’s ’Zhongzi Golden Body’ would succeed, but if this method did take form, it would surely become one of the cornerstones of Li Xuan’s ascension to Emperor.

Therefore, even though this endeavor was extremely risky, Qiluo was willing to assist and fulfill it.

At that moment, Qiluo heard a clear laugh coming from behind her.

"Now, who would dare disturb the remains of my brother, under the heavens? As expected, it’s you, Suiren Qiluo, my dear sister."

Qiluo’s expression turned solemn as she abruptly turned around, looking behind her.

There stood a middle-aged taoist, around thirty years of old, his appearance like jade and his aura fresh and refined, his countenance as elegant as Shun.

"Is it you?" Qiluo’s eyes revealed a different light, her expression stern, "Don’t call me sister. I have nothing to do with you."

"Why would we not be siblings? Your father granted me a second chance at life; he has always been like a father to me."

The middle-aged taoist laughed lightly, then looked Qiluo up and down, a sense of understanding in his eyes, "The ’laws of heaven and nature’and ’unite of law and etiquette’ are Xunzi’s Rule. This man’s cultivation is so profound that it penetrates the heavens and earth, and he adheres to ’control destiny and use it.’

No wonder the gods and Buddhas of all heavens have not discovered the restoration of your True Spirit. Even the Fusou Emperor, close at hand, can’t breach your ’Jianzhi Barrier.’ However, Qiluo, associating with the people of Confucianism is unwise. Confucianism will inevitably perish; it’s an overwhelming trend that cannot be reversed."

"Cannot be reversed?" A hint of sarcasm flashed in Qiluo’s eyes, "But I, Suiren Qiluo, have always enjoyed defying Heaven."

"Indeed! That’s your character, and it’s never changed," he said.

The middle-aged taoist then looked towards Li Xuan with a seemingly amused gaze, "Is this the one you, Xunzi and Master Yu, have secretly chosen to defy Heaven and change fate? The way of this person does indeed resemble Xunzi’s.

To think greatly of Heaven and to set one’s own course, who can do this but to follow the creatures of nature and conquer them. To praise Heaven from afar, who can do this but to control destiny and use it. To observe time and wait for it, who can do this but to respond to time and employ it. I feel an impulse right now, oh how I want to destroy him now—"

As he spoke, the flames on the volcano suddenly increased in intensity.

Along with this, nine phoenix cries sounded simultaneously from all directions.

In that instant, the silhouettes of nine Three-legged Golden Crows manifested around the volcano, circling and dancing around it.