Chapter 30: Emperor Yuanxingzong

Emperor Yuanxingzong was located in the central part of the Xiyang Continent, where there lay an ancient forest spanning hundreds of thousands of miles—Juyu Tianlin.
Juyu Tianlin was entirely under Emperor Yuanxingzong’s control.
The headquarters of Emperor Yuanxingzong was situated in the heart of Juyu Tianlin, and it only communicated with those who had business dealings with them. Anyone else who entered Juyu Tianlin would be attacked by Emperor Yuanxingzong’s forces, especially by packs of monstrous beasts.
At this moment, Zhu Bao, who had a mission, had already flown to the edge of Juyu Tianlin.
The entire Juyu Tianlin was vast, filled with swaying green leaves, abundant spiritual energy, drifting mist, and the howls of monstrous beasts.
After landing on the ground, Zhu Bao heard the occasional roars of beasts from the forest, causing fear to appear on his face. He kept muttering to himself but didn’t utter a word.
“Zhu Bao, come in,” suddenly, Qu Yi’s voice rang out.
Immediately afterward, Zhu Bao was sucked into the Dimensional Sphere.
Zhu Bao found himself in an empty valley, surrounded by silence with no other sounds.
Qu Yi suddenly appeared beside Zhu Bao.
“Zhu Bao, you don’t need to go to Emperor Yuanxingzong’s place directly. I’ll prepare things for you,” Qu Yi said with a faint smile.
Based on the information Zhu Bao had about Emperor Yuanxingzong, Qu Yi also knew that this faction wouldn’t be persuaded by a soul immortal like Zhu Bao, so it would be pointless for him to go. Therefore, Qu Yi planned to infiltrate Emperor Yuanxingzong’s territory to gather information about their internal situation.
With the Dimensional Sphere, Qu Yi was confident he could observe Emperor Yuanxingzong’s realm clearly without being detected.
Hearing this, Zhu Bao immediately felt relieved and smiled brightly. The howls of beasts in Juyu Tianlin had scared him earlier, and he had been struggling to figure out how to enter the forest.
Seeing Zhu Bao’s expression, Qu Yi smiled and said, “Alright, practice in this valley. Once things are settled, I’ll let you out.”
With that, Qu Yi disappeared.
Zhu Bao was stunned. He hadn’t noticed Qu Yi using any immortal energy; he vanished without any energy fluctuations. Undoubtedly, the ability Qu Yi had shown once again filled Zhu Bao with fear, leaving him in awe of Qu Yi’s strength.
Of course, Zhu Bao couldn’t understand that Qu Yi controlled the entire Dimensional Sphere and could teleport instantly without using his own energy.
※※※
By the lake inside the Dimensional Sphere, Qu Yi and the Divine Tool lay on soft chairs respectively.

“The Divine Instrument, Yuanxing Sect is merely a beast-taming sect, yet it manages to remain neutral among the three major forces in the Xiyang Continent. It seems it does have some means of self-protection,” Qu Yi said leisurely, resting his right foot on his left.

The Divine Instrument moved its infant-like body and replied with a smile, “Beast-taming sects are probably rare even in this immortal realm. Such sects usually have special methods to control demon beasts. I think Yuanxing Sect must be hiding some kind of demon beast that can threaten even Earth Immortals.”

Qu Yi smiled briefly before continuing, “All we need to do is destroy Yuanxing Sect’s stronghold. Then it will no longer have any leverage. Even if it doesn’t want to form an alliance, it will be forced to. Huangyuan Sect, Shixing Lake, and the Yuwen family—these three major forces in the Xiyang Continent. I doubt Yuanxing Sect would be willing to join them, as that would only make it a vassal of these forces. Therefore, as long as Zhu Family goes to Yuanxing Sect and explains the pros and cons, Yuanxing Sect will naturally ally with them and also draw in various smaller factions, thus avoiding being completely swallowed by Zhu Family. In that way, it can continue to exist as the fourth major force in the Xiyang Continent.”

The Divine Instrument smiled faintly, indicating agreement with Qu Yi’s plan.

As the two chatted, the Dust Sphere had turned into dust, floating in the wind above the Jade Beast Sky Forest toward its center.

※※※

Yuanxing Sect’s headquarters.

There was a slightly rippling lake, only ten miles in circumference. To the east of the lake lay a treacherous cliff, beneath which was an abyss with an unknown bottom.

Yuanxing Sect’s disciples built numerous tall structures along the cliff—residential areas, cultivation sites, and cages for holding beasts. There were many types, arranged very closely together.

The total number of disciples in Yuanxing Sect’s headquarters was around a thousand, most of whom were Human Soul Immortals. Those with Human Spirit Immortal aura were less than twenty. Of course, aside from the headquarters disciples, there were also thousands of disciples taming demon beasts in the Jade Beast Sky Forest.

Yuanxing Sect’s sect leader, Yulinzi, was merely a high-ranking Human Spirit Immortal who practiced wood-related cultivation techniques. At this time, Yulinzi had been in seclusion in his private chamber for what seemed like a hundred years, motionless.

The other elders of Yuanxing Sect were responsible for managing all affairs of the sect.

In the air, a speck of dust drifted with the wind, floating around Yuanxing Sect’s headquarters.

Naturally, this speck of dust was the result of the Dust Sphere.

Inside the Dust Sphere, the Divine Instrument kept searching throughout Yuanxing Sect’s headquarters, trying to find the true source of the sect’s strength.

In a building called the “Jade Scales Chamber,” two disciples of the Yuanxing Sect were feeding a monstrous beast—the Jade Scales Crocodile. The Jade Scales Crocodile had already reached the cultivation level of a Three-Star Human Soul Immortal, but it had not taken on a human form and remained in its beastly state, imprisoned in an iron cage. The two disciples crushed large pieces of meat mixed with yellow mineral fragments together and threw them into the cage. As soon as the Jade Scales Crocodile sensed the food, it lowered its head to lick and swallow it greedily. Clearly, the Yuanxing Sect had done extensive research on its diet, having already found the most suitable food for its growth. While the Jade Scales Crocodile happily ate, the two disciples in charge of feeding it communicated through their spiritual senses. “The Elder has told me that once this Jade Scales Crocodile reaches the level of a Four-Star Human Soul Immortal, it will be sent to feed the Jade Snake King,” said the taller disciple first. “It seems its death is near. Although a Four-Star Human Soul Immortal beast is rare, we must satisfy all the needs of our sect’s sacred beast, the Jade Snake King. We have no choice but to let this Jade Scales Crocodile die,” replied the shorter disciple. Immediately, their gazes toward the Jade Scales Crocodile turned pityful. The crocodile, sensing the change in their expressions, suddenly jumped up, trying to catch and devour them. However, the iron bars were too strong for it to break through. Both disciples were at the Two-Star Human Soul Immortal level and were shocked. Only when they saw the crocodile bounce back against the bars did they panic and scramble to their feet, trembling all over. “You wretched beast! We’ve taken such good care of you, yet you still want to eat us. You truly deserve to die.” “You won’t be so arrogant for long.” Frightened, the two disciples cursed angrily and quickly ran out of the Jade Scales Chamber. They returned to their quarters together, sharing a loft. Unbeknownst to them, a speck of dust followed them as they ran. After returning, the taller disciple entered a cultivation room to use meditation to recover from the shock. As soon as he sat down, he suddenly noticed that the entire surrounding space seemed to have frozen.

Jin Zun had already emerged from the Miniature Realm Ball. As soon as he came out, he didn’t even give the tall disciple a chance to speak—with one punch, he knocked him out. Naturally, Jin Zun quickly grabbed that tall disciple and threw him back into the Miniature Realm Ball.

By the lake of the Miniature Realm Ball, the tall disciple lay unconscious on the ground when suddenly a water dragon sprang up from the lake and landed on him, waking him up.

“Ah, who are you?” As soon as the tall disciple woke up, he saw Qu Yi and Qi Shen smiling at him and immediately screamed in terror.

Qu Yi and Qi Shen burst into laughter.

“Alright, kid, don’t panic. Cooperate properly, and your life will be spared. What exactly is this Jade Snake King you mentioned? Where is it?” Qu Yi suddenly asked.

Their spiritual communication was eavesdropped on by Qi Shen.

Upon hearing this, Qu Yi realized that the Jade Snake King was the guardian deity of the Yuanxing Sect, and he deduced that it must be their reliance in fighting against the three major forces.

“Ah… how do you know the secret of the Jade Snake King?” the tall disciple exclaimed in shock.

Bang!

Suddenly, the tall disciple was lifted by a protruding pillar from the ground and thrown into the lake. Then, another water jet threw him back onto the ground.

“Answer what I ask. I don’t want to repeat myself,” Qu Yi said calmly with a smile.

Just moments earlier, Qu Yi had controlled the space of the Miniature Realm Ball with a mere thought to punish the disciple.

The tall disciple stared at Qu Yi in terror, as if he had seen a ghost. He clearly knew that everything that had happened was done by Qu Yi, without any trace of energy movement—such power deeply intimidated him.

“The Jade Snake King is a monstrous beast at the level of a Higher Soul Immortal. Its combat strength is comparable to that of a Earth Soul Immortal. It has always lived in the Jade Beast Forest. Our Yuanxing Sect has formed a partnership with the Jade Snake King—we provide it with powerful monsters to devour, while it helps us resist powerful enemies,” the tall disciple quickly confessed.

After hearing this, Qu Yi nodded with a smile. So, the Yuanxing Sect’s reliance was indeed the Jade Snake King.

“Where is the Jade Snake King living now?” Qu Yi asked with a smile.

“It’s in the abyss beneath our headquarters. There is only that one Jade Snake King there,” the tall disciple replied quickly, fearing further punishment.

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Qu Yi smiled and said, “Stay here and cultivate properly. I’ll release you after I deal with the Jade Snake King.”

The tall disciple was startled but dared not voice any doubts. At that moment, the dust formed from the Dimensional Ball emerged from the cultivation room, flew straight above the abyss, and then plummeted downward.