In a large palace hall in the Yan Heavenly Dynasty:
The Azure Emperor held a letter, showing a puzzled expression.
“It has been two years since Gu Hai returned to Borderless Heavenly Capital. Did he not go out at all?” the Azure Emperor said.
“Yes. Gu Hai has been in Borderless Heavenly Capital all the while. That is definitely right. He appears periodically,” a subordinate said while nodding.
“Then, what’s going on with those officials? Many of the Han Royal Dynasty’s officials vanished without a trace?” the Azure Emperor said.
“We…we don’t know,” that subordinate said bitterly.
“Trash! How can so many people just disappear?” the Azure Emperor said coldly.
“Imperial Lord, we sent people to Borderless Heavenly Capital. However, security in Borderless Heavenly Capital is stringent. There is no way to get in. We can’t even sneak in. Those…those four experts are too powerful. We…,” that subordinate said bitterly.
“Dongfang Bubai?” the Azure Emperor said.
“Yes. One needle can stop a vast army. There was even a Middle Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator who tried to sneak in. That person went to Zhang Sanfeng’s side first. Zhang Sanfeng was benevolent, only severely injuring him and not killing him. However, he fell at Dongfang Bubai’s hands the second time. In the end, he still has a string going through him, torturing him,” that subordinate said bitterly.
“Middle Heavenly Palace Realm? Zhang Sanfeng? Dongfang Bubai? Are there only two directions to enter the Han Royal Dynasty from?” the Azure Emperor demanded coldly.
“There are two other directions. One is guarded by Dugu Qiubai; the other, by Ximen Chuixue.”
“Oh? Another two people whom I have never heard of before?” The Azure Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly.
“I heard that swordsmen do not dare approach these two at all. The swords of anyone who approaches will immediately tremble as though submitting to them. That Dugu Qiubai does not even use a sword. He normally rears condors. However, when anyone approaches, the surrounding plants become like divine swords. Dozens of people tried to get past him, but the plants pierced them, killing them. That Ximen Chuixue is even stranger. He spends his days polishing his sword in a plum forest as snowflakes fall. He just needs to blow on his sword, and all those who secretly approach die mysteriously,” that subordinate said bitterly.
“What he blows is blood, not snow? Ximen Chuixue?” Some surprise flashed in the Azure Emperor’s eyes.
[TL Note: Ximen Chuixue means West Gate Blows Snow, or Ximen (family name) Blows Snow. Xue means snow. It is also a homonym for blood. The comment on blowing blood is a wordplay on the homonym, so Ximen Blows Blood.]
“Yes. Gu Hai just remains in Borderless Heavenly Capital, not bothering with anything. Oh! The Qian Nation’s Sima Changkong went there a few times. However, we do not know what he said to Gu Hai,” that subordinate said, feeling puzzled.
The Azure Emperor turned his head to look to the northwest.
“Borderless Heavenly Capital? It looks like we will have to make a personal visit,” the Azure Emperor said with slightly narrowed eyes.
In a restricted area of Borderless Heavenly Capital:
The recitation of the Classic of the Dao and Virtue rang out in the ritual array.
Gu Hai had led his army back, and everyone’s spiritual souls returned to their body. As they calmed their minds, no one said anything. There was a mountain of dust in the surroundings. Even though dust lay on everyone, they did not care. They knew that it was not mere dust. This dust was the residue of the spirit stones after they absorbed all the spirit stones’ energy.
Gu Hai had also absorbed boundless energy over the past two years.
Boom! Boom!
The sound of people making breakthroughs in their cultivation rang out around the altar.
Gu Hai also made breakthroughs.
Gu Hai had accumulated all the energy in his dantian, where the Spiritual Progenitor deity king was.
The Spiritual Progenitor deity king was previously in the third layer. Now, it was in the fifth layer.
Of all of Gu Hai’s nascent souls, the Spiritual Progenitor deity king was the hardest to cultivate.
Huff!
Gu Hai took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
“Your Majesty, everyone has reached the Nascent Soul Realm. Furthermore, they are all at the Third Nascent Soul Stage at the very least,” Gao Xianzhi reported excitedly.
One million Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. The Han Royal Dynasty created a super army in two short years.
“Good. What about you?” Gu Hai asked.
“This official has reached the Fifth Nascent Soul Stage and can break into the Heavenly Palace Realm already. Should this official do that?” Gao Xianzhi asked in anticipation.
A Fifth Nascent Soul Realm Stage cultivator could already try to establish a heavenly palace. Gu Hai could do so too. However, he was restraining himself.
“It’s best not to do that. With this opportunity, it is better for everyone to reach consummation in the Nascent Soul Realm first. That would open the path to even higher accomplishments,” the Unborn Man explained.
“Alright!” Everyone nodded.
“Your Majesty, our spirit stones…,” Chen Tianshan said worriedly.
“Continue reciting the Classic of the Dao and Virtue!” Gu Hai said.
“Yes!” everyone answered.
Like before, no one was to leave the ritual array.
Gu Hai walked out of the ritual array alone.
The officials were already used to this. Gu Hai would come out periodically.
Sima Changkong had come a few times and also gotten used to this. He had arrived five days ago and was waiting patiently for Gu Hai.
“Mister Sima, sorry for the wait,” Gu Hai said with a smile.
“Mister Gu, it has been two years. Why are you still in Borderless Heavenly Capital?” Sima Changkong asked with a bitter smile.
“Did you bring the stuff?” Gu Hai countered.
Sima Changkong looked at Gu Hai with a complicated expression. “Yes. There are eight billion superior-grade spirit stones this time. We collected them from the reserves of the various cities. I traveled without stopping to deliver them. Mister Gu, what are you using so many spirit stones for?”
“Did the Qian Heavenly Emperor get you to ask that?” Gu Hai smiled.
“Uh…no. His Holy Eminence did not ask that. He only had me say that it has already been two years. How much longer are you going to wait?” Sima Changkong shook his head.
Since it was not the Qian Heavenly Emperor asking, Gu Hai did not explain.
“Tell the Qian Heavenly Emperor once more that I am not wasting time. It will be soon, definitely less than a year. There will be results soon,” Gu Hai said.
“One more year?” Sima Changkong glared.
Gu Hai did not explain. Instead, he looked at Sima Changkong.
After a while, Sima Changkong finally reacted. “Are you saying that there are some results already? Results?”
Gu Hai nodded seriously. “If we are fast, half a year!”
Sima Changkong showed a complicated expression as he nodded.
Gu Hai sent off Sima Changkong, then brought the many spirit stones back to the altar.
After clearing away the spirit stone dust around the altar, he tossed out the latest batch of spirit stones.
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
The mountain of spirit stones made the soldiers feel incredibly excited.
“Your Soul Dividing Boxes are almost transparent?” the Unborn Man said worriedly.
Gu Hai nodded. “These Soul Dividing Boxes are reaching their limit. Just use them as much as we can. We had already met with the first asura king. There might be more asura kings soon. We need to move faster and head for Ming He.”
The Unborn Man nodded.
Under Gu Hai’s lead, the army entered the Asura Path Secret Realm once more.
The locust-swarm-like Han Royal Dynasty’s army slaughtered everything in its path, destroying countless asura cities. It spread out like wildfire, heading into the depths.
Now, it met with a three-hundred-thirty-three-meter-tall black-skinned asura. This was an asura king.
The current Gu Hai was already two hundred sixty-seven meters tall. Several asuras in his army were more than one hundred meters tall, all emanating murderous crimson auras.
“Humph! Han Nation Demon Army? Gu Hai, you must have killed billions of asuras over the past two years,” the black-skinned asura king said coldly.
“Ming He sent you?” Gu Hai said with a cold smile.
“Oh?” The black-skinned asura narrowed its eyes.
“During our first year, we were no match for asura kings. If we ran into an asura king, failure was guaranteed. However, we killed an asura king ten days ago. With the first occurrence, there will be a second. Do you want to be the second? Oh? No, you can only be the third.” Gu Hai narrowed his eyes slightly.
“The third? Why?”
“Because I just killed another asura king four hundred kilometers to the south,” Gu Hai said coldly.
“What did you say?” That asura king’s expression changed.
“Kill!” Gu Hai glared as he led the charge.
Rumble…!
The two armies started fighting.
Three months later:
The Han Nation army had killed three hundred-odd asura kings before returning.
After resting for two days, the Han Nation army returned to the Asura Path Secret Realm.
The Han Nation army had already slaughtered half of the asuras. It was very ridiculously strong by now. When it resumed slaughtering, it proceeded at a significantly faster rate, practically destroying one asura nation per day.
After two months of slaughter, all the soldiers stopped.
“Head to five hundred thousand kilometers north of the Slaughter Divine Palace. Go!” All the Gu Hais showed wild joy on their faces as they pointed in a specific direction. All the Han Nation asuras rushed off.
Soon, they arrived outside a sprawling city.
The Han Nation army surrounded that city. However, no one attacked.
Twenty asura kings gathered in that city. Countless strong asuras looked at the increasingly larger Han Nation Demon Army with uncertain eyes.
“I already said we should have attacked earlier!”
“Why are they not attacking? There’s more and more of them!”
“It doesn’t matter. Charge together!”
The twenty asura kings looked into the distance, feeling extremely frustrated. However, more of Gu Hai’s army showed up; more Gu Hais showed up.
Many Unborn Mans stood beside the Gu Hais.
“That should be right. It should be that one. Gu Hai, that’s the one,” one of the Unborn Mans said excitedly.
The Gu Hais looked at a green-skinned asura king at the edge of the city.
“Wanqing? We found her?” Some excitement flashed in the Gu Hais’ eyes.
“Wanqing doesn’t remember me?” one of the Gu Hais said with a frown.
“She does not. She has killed too many asuras and has too many soul marks in her. She has already forgotten her past,” an Unborn Man said with a frown.
“Is there a way to deal with it?” a Gu Hai asked.
“Capture her alive and use the Classic of the Dao and Virtue to help her refine the soul marks. Then, merge her earthly soul back with her heavenly soul and mortal soul. Let her remember everything,” an Unborn Man said.
“What about revival?” a Gu Hai asked.
“We have to help her reconstruct her physical body, put her soul in another body, or help her reincarnate. However, reincarnation and reconstructing the physical body both carry great risk. The best way is to possess another body. Help her find a body,” an Unborn Man replied with a frown.
“You are a lifespan cultivator, the expert on this. We will do it however you say. Right now, the most important thing is to capture Wanqing alive?” a Gu Hai said.
“That’s right. You also have to be careful. Back then, that asura king self-detonated when he knew he would die. You can’t press Wanqing too hard; you cannot drive her into a corner. Once her asura body dies, she will be completely gone,” an Unborn Man said seriously.
The Gu Hais nodded.
Chapters for June: 21 / 30
