Urban Undying Lord
Chapter 448 - 448 457

448: 457 448: 457 Heavenly Ridge, Nine Demon Cave.

Ye Xuan restored his original appearance and sat in the main seat, the Ten Great Demon Kings standing to his left and right.

Shen Gongbao sat calmly at one side, while Gold Star Taibai knelt down at the end, trembling all over.

Gold Star Taibai, an Immortal of the Heavenly Court, was a confidant of the Jade Emperor.

Ever since the establishment of Heavenly Court, although Gold Star Taibai’s cultivation was not high, he had been the spokesperson for the old Jade Emperor.

Today, Gold Star Taibai’s face was filled with bitterness, and even more so, his eyes revealed a sense of despair, because he knew that today he might very well perish, his soul scattering to the winds.

No one wishes to die, not even Gold Star Taibai.

But Gold Star Taibai knew that the person before him was none other than Emperor Dongji, an individual whose power reached the heavens and the earth, and moreover, this individual was an irreconcilable enemy of the Jade Emperor.

How could he survive?

Tap—tap—tap.

Ye Xuan’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, breaking the quietude of the Nine Demon Cave with their pulsing sound.

“This old servant kowtows to the Emperor.”

Gold Star Taibai spoke humbly, giving Ye Xuan three deep kowtows.

His trembling body proved his unease and immense fear.

Looking at Gold Star Taibai kneeling below, Ye Xuan’s eyes were deep, his mouth curving into a sinister smile that made one’s heart flutter with restlessness, inciting curiosity about his thoughts.

“Gold Star Taibai,” Ye Xuan said in a low voice, “by rights, you are a man of the Jade Emperor, and for me to kill you would not be unwarranted.

However, I do not take pleasure in slaughter and am considering whether or not to kill you.”

Upon hearing Ye Xuan’s words, Gold Star Taibai’s eyes turned, a trace of joy flitting through them.

He knew Ye Xuan didn’t want to kill him; otherwise why would he waste words on him?

“Emperor, your insight is clear.

This old servant has never opposed you.

It’s just that the Jade Emperor wanted to kill you, and I was but a puppet in his hands, only able to act upon the Emperor’s decree,” Gold Star Taibai explained with a trembling voice.

Bowing and scraping, clinging to life and fearing death—that was the attitude of Gold Star Taibai, eliciting cold laughter and disdain from the Ten Great Demon Kings and Shen Gongbao as they watched from the side.

“Emperor, why not just kill this craven ingrate directly?” Shen Gongbao pleaded in a low voice.

“Shen Gongbao, don’t you bully too much.”

Gold Star Taibai’s complexion greatly changed as he loudly scolded Shen Gongbao, his eyes darting about nervously to keep watch on Ye Xuan, fearing that Ye Xuan would take Shen Gongbao’s suggestion to execute him.

“Gold Star Taibai, I present you with two choices.”

Without waiting for the two to continue their glare-off, Ye Xuan’s calm voice arrived, prompting Gold Star Taibai to bow deeply, saying, “Whatever command the Emperor bestows, this old servant dares not disobey.”

“Firstly, I could scatter your soul to oblivion today, and you would cease to exist within the Three Realms.

Secondly, you could pledge your loyalty to me this day, and I shall allow you to return to the Heavenly Court.”

As Ye Xuan finished speaking, the expression on Gold Star Taibai’s face shifted subtly.

Although he had anticipated Ye Xuan’s intention, to hear it stated outright by Ye Xuan still made his heart skip a beat, his visage reflecting his inner turmoil.

Gold Star Taibai understood Ye Xuan’s meaning all too clearly: he was being asked to betray the Jade Emperor and strike him from behind at a critical moment.

However, by doing so, he would no longer have a way out for himself; he could only stand with Ye Xuan on the same boat.

If Ye Xuan were defeated, he would have to accompany Ye Xuan in death.

Gold Star Taibai understood well that he had no choice; if he did not choose to ally himself with Ye Xuan, he would undoubtedly die today.

“Your servant is willing to pledge allegiance to the Emperor and will not hesitate to go through fire and water.”

Though Gold Star Taibai feared death and coveted life, he was an extremely clever individual.

Otherwise, he would not have been able to rise to prominence within the Heavenly Court with merely the cultivation of a Taiyin Mystic Immortal.

Faced with a life-and-death situation, he naturally chose survival over foolish loyalty to the Jade Emperor.

Looking at the respectful expression on Gold Star Taibai’s face, Ye Xuan nodded with a smile.

He enjoyed dealing with clever people.

Gold Star Taibai was undoubtedly smart, knowing what to choose and what to forsake.

Hum!

A dot of Immortal Light began to emerge at Ye Xuan’s fingertip, and as he pointed his finger, an Immortal Light Rune merged into Gold Star Taibai’s Sea of Consciousness, causing his eyes to flicker, yet he did not resist at all.

Gold Star Taibai knew that mere verbal loyalty would never convince Ye Xuan to let him go; Ye Xuan would naturally impose a restriction on him, an eventuality Gold Star Taibai had anticipated.

“This Soul Summoning is a Forbidden Secret Method, not even a Daluo Golden Immortal can break it; go back to the Heavenly Court now,” Ye Xuan spoke calmly.

From beginning to end, Ye Xuan did not say much nor did he instruct Gold Star Taibai on what to do upon returning to the Heavenly Court because Ye Xuan knew that Gold Star Taibai was a clever man.

He would know what to say and what to do.

“Your servant thanks the Emperor for the mercy of sparing my life.

From now on, I am willing to be at the Emperor’s beck and call, and I dare not harbor any thoughts of betrayal,” Gold Star Taibai bowed deeply once again before rising to leave.

As Gold Star Taibai rode the clouds back to the Heavenly Court, the entire Nine Demon Cave once again returned to silence.

“Emperor, this Gold Star Taibai is an old fox.

He certainly won’t be content with being controlled by you.

Once he returns to the Heavenly Court, he will definitely try to remove the restriction you’ve placed.

And with the Jade Emperor’s vast divine skills, if this Gold Star Taibai reveals your identity to the Jade Emperor, I fear…” Shen Gongbao expressed, furrowing his brow slightly, clearly not understanding Ye Xuan’s intent.

“You’re right; Gold Star Taibai is indeed an old fox, but he is also a clever man.

When he finds that he cannot break the restriction I’ve placed, he will have no choice but to join my cause,” Ye Xuan said softly.

Since Ye Xuan dared to let him go, he was naturally extremely confident in the restriction he placed.

That’s because Soul Summoning was a secret technique from the Undying Immortal Scripture, which only those who also practiced the Undying Immortal Scripture could potentially unravel.

Even if the Jade Emperor were to try to break his restriction, it would only result in Gold Star Taibai’s death on the spot.

Moreover, Ye Xuan firmly believed that Gold Star Taibai was not foolish.

As long as he cherished his own life, he absolutely would not reveal Ye Xuan’s true identity to the Jade Emperor.

In the end, this man would become a blade in his hand, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the Jade Emperor at the critical moment.

Some might ask why someone as seemingly insignificant as Gold Star Taibai mattered so much to Ye Xuan.

The reason is quite simple: Gold Star Taibai was a confidant of the Jade Emperor, but he was also an old servant of the Heavenly Court, thoroughly familiar with the ins and outs of the Thirty-Three Layered Heaven.

Having such a person serve Ye Xuan greatly increased the odds of success in his plan to seize the position of the Heavenly Emperor.

Yes, it was indeed seizing the throne of the Heavenly Emperor.

If merely killing the Jade Emperor were enough to become the Heavenly Emperor, that would be nothing but a pipe dream.

One must understand that the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother were personally anointed by Hong Jun, the progenitor of Daoism, and revered by both the Chan and Jie schools.

The Western Lingshan also acknowledged their status as the Heavenly Emperor, so the cause and effect involved here were not so simple.