Divine cultivation?
Chiyou and his eighty-one brothers? The recent Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva?
The strength they showed vastly surpassed Gu Hai’s expectations. He suddenly discovered there were still a myriad of secrets he was unaware of in this world.
Chiyou and his band of brothers even managed to scare off the arrogant Sect Master Heavenly Access. That was the real Sect Master Heavenly Access in person!
“Alright, go back to eating your Fusang Tree!” Chiyou shouted.
“Alright!”
The giants immediately turned their attention back to the Fusang Tree.
Heads of bronze and arms of iron no weapons can penetrate. No item is inedible?
Shock flashed in Gu Hai’s eyes. If only I had such a group of followers.
“Alright. I’ve already sent Heavenly Access away. You don’t have to worry now, Brother.” Chiyou suddenly smiled at Gu Hai.
Looking at Chiyou, Gu Hai bowed deeply. “Many thanks, Imperial Emperor Chiyou.”
“Are you looking down on me?” Chiyou retorted with some anger.
“No! How can that be?!” Gu Hai exclaimed.
“I called you Brother, but you called me Imperial Emperor Chiyou? If that is not looking down on me, what is it?”
“I truly did not intend that!” Gu Hai protested with a bitter smile.
“If that is the case, let’s immediately swear brotherhood. The immortal firmament will be our witness, and we will drink each other’s blood as our pledge. How about that?” Chiyou suggested, smiling.
“How is this humble one worthy of that?” Gu Hai said with a bitter smile.
“If I say you are worthy, you are!” Chiyou shouted.
As Chiyou spoke, he took out a large bowl. Ahda stopped chewing on the tree, took out a vat of wine, and poured wine out for Chiyou.
The other giants stopped eating and looked at Gu Hai and Chiyou.
Gu Hai looked at Chiyou with awe in his eyes.
“Imperial Emperor Chiyou!” Gu Hai said gravely.
“Huh?” Chiyou glared.
“Let me finish. I’m grateful that you think highly of Gu Hai. However, I would like to say that I cannot let my Han Imperial Dynasty go. I cannot be like these brothers, following you everywhere,” Gu Hai said gravely.
“That is what you were worried about? Hahahahahaha!” Chiyou guffawed.
“Hahahahahaha!”
The surrounding eighty-one giants started guffawing too.
Gu Hai frowned at Chiyou.
“Naturally, my—Chiyou’s—brothers do not serve as my subjects. They follow me willingly. As long as I—Chiyou—have food to eat, I will never let my brothers go hungry. I will not force you if you are not willing to follow me. I think highly of you, so you are my brother. If I do not think highly of someone, I will ignore them, even the creator of everything!” Chiyou shouted.
Gu Hai immediately let out a long breath. Then, he said, forcing a smile, “I was petty!”
“Petty? Then contribute more blood!” Chiyou guffawed.
“Alright!”
Gu Hai straightforwardly slit his palm and dribbled a large amount of blood into the bowl of wine.
Chiyou also slit his palm and added a large quantity of blood into the bowl.
“I’ll go first!” Gu Hai picked up the large bowl and drank half the content.
Buzz!
After drinking the blood-and-wine mixture, Gu Hai immediately felt his body warm.
“Excellent!” Chiyou picked up the bowl and finished the other half in one go.
“First Brother!” Gu Hai bowed deeply.
“Second Brother! Excellent brother! Hahahaha!” Chiyou guffawed as he also bowed deeply.
“Congratulations, Brother Gu!” The giants now all turned friendly as they looked at Gu Hai.
“First Brother, I have a question. Why is First Brother willing to swear brotherhood with me?” Gu Hai asked out of curiosity.
“I waited in this demonic cave for three thousand years. After the first one thousand years passed, I declared that I would marry the person who broke the seal if that person was female or swear brotherhood if that person was male. Hahahaha! Second Brother, you broke the seal, so you are my brother. Furthermore, I like you. Hahahaha! Not bad! Not bad! You live up to being my brother—a perfect heavenly soul upon reaching the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm. Back then, Jiang Lianshan had grand plans for this boundless lifespan. Well used!” Chiyou guffawed.
“I’m too embarrassed!” Gu Hai smiled.
“My band of brothers will not swear brotherhood with you for now. They shall decide for themselves. It will not be too late to swear brotherhood later when you gain their acknowledgment,” Chiyou said solemnly.
Gu Hai nodded. He did not feel any pressure from swearing brotherhood with Chiyou. It was not due to Chiyou being stronger than him but his heroic spirit.
Chiyou chased Sect Master Heavenly Access away the first time he met Gu Hai just because he found Gu Hai likable. He ignored cultivation and status, willing to befriend those of a lower position. He did not even care about any gains or losses. Gu Hai was willing to befriend him just because of Chiyou’s breadth of character.
Of course, they had just sworn brotherhood. Gu Hai could not possibly devote himself to Chiyou. He did not know whether Chiyou had a motive in swearing brotherhood with him. This would take time to verify.
“First Brother has just been freed and has nothing good on hand. After First Brother fights those codgers and takes back my things, I will make up for it. For now, First Brother will give you a small gift!” Chiyou declared.
“There’s no need. I do not lack anything now.” Gu Hai shook his head.
Chiyou glared. “Whether you lack anything or not is your problem. Whether First Brother gives you something or not is mine. Alright, cut the crap. I have nothing good for you now. Your current cultivation is too weak, so let First Brother give you some cultivation.”
“Huh?” Gu Hai felt slightly surprised.
Cultivation? How can you give cultivation?
“The Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivates energy. With a perfect heavenly soul, the energy requirement is ten thousand times—ten million times—higher than for ordinary people. It is too difficult for you to cultivate, simply too difficult. Coincidentally, the demonic cave that sealed me contains boundless Shaman Energy. Using the Shaman Energy to build a foundation couldn’t be better. Go collect all of it; you probably can make a breakthrough. Go down, then!” Chiyou extended his hand and patted Gu Hai.
“Ah! Wait! Wait!” Gu Hai’s expression changed.
Boom!
Chiyou pushed Gu Hai down into the abyss.
“There’s no need to wait. Second Brother, listen carefully. Everything in this world but your own strength is fake. Strength is the one thing that is real. Go in and cultivate properly. My seal will break when you finish absorbing all the Shaman Energy in there!” Chiyou shouted.
“Wait! Wait!” Gu Hai’s expression changed.
Boom!
Chiyou threw a palm strike, which sent the surrounding seawater into the abyss.
Then, he extended his hand and formed a large shaman seal at the entrance.
Rumble…!
The entrance to the abyss and its surroundings vanished in the blink of an eye.
The surrounding water covered it all, concealing everything from sight.
“Second Brother, I’m doing this for your own good. You can come and find me when you come out!” Chiyou said gravely.
The nearby giants quickly finished eating the Fusang Tree.
“Big Brother, we are not full yet!” the eighty-one giants said, frowning.
“Let’s go! We’ll return to the Divine Continent and have something good to eat! Hahahahaha!” Chiyou guffawed.
“Hah!” The giants excitedly followed Chiyou into the distance.
As they flew away, the overwhelming black energy followed them.
Soon, the sea calmed, looking peaceful as though nothing had happened.
Only Gu Hai remained stuck in the demonic chasm.
Wisps of black energy poured over from the surroundings. However, Gu Hai was in no mood to absorb them.
Inside the Gu’s Immortal Firmament:
Jingwei, Mu Chenfeng, Purple Subtlety, Longevity, Ensnaring Performance, and the others goggled.
Whoosh!
Gu Hai waved his hand, and everyone came out.
“Gu Hai, you…you swore brotherhood with Chiyou?” Jingwei said in wide-eyed shock.
“You saw it all. What’s there to say? We had better think of how to get out,” Gu Hai said with a bitter smile.
“Get out? Stop dreaming. Chiyou got sealed in here for three thousand years. Are you more capable than him?” Jingwei said with an unsightly expression.
“Then are we just going to remain here? For how long?” Gu Hai countered with a long face.
“How would I know? I still want to see my elder sister!” Jingwei said anxiously.
“Search around. See if there is any way out,” Gu Hai said seriously.
Everyone quickly searched the surroundings. However, the demonic chasm was pitch-black. A demonic aura filled the place. This place was incredibly vast; the group simply could not find an exit. They kept flying around before returning to the same place.
“What is this place? We can’t get out?” Purple Subtlety said with an unsightly expression.
“How unlucky of me! I just got out of a prison, and I’m trapped in a new prison?” Longevity said in shock.
The Elite Hall disciples felt depressed. They recently rejoiced over the hall master saving them. Now, they were trapped again.
“Master, look at what I found!” Ensnaring Performance yelled excitedly.
“Huh?” Everyone came over.
They saw Ensnaring Performance run over with a clump of flesh. This clump of flesh seemed alive.
“Lifespan Dongfang?” Gu Hai said in shock.
“The Lifespan Dongfang that Ahqi crushed? He did not die? There’s still a heartbeat?” Ensnaring Performance said in shock.
“Cough! Cough! Cough! Gu Hai, you jinx! You brought trouble to me!” Lifespan Dongfang scolded, feeling depressed, his body mangled.
“Brought you trouble? Would you end up like this had you not had malicious intentions?”
Jingwei’s eyes lit up as she cried out, “That’s right! Lifespan? You are a lifespan cultivator? You can bring us out!”
“Huh?” Everyone’s eyes lit up.
“Hurry! Open the door to the nether realm! Quickly open the door to the nether realm and bring us out. Otherwise, I will burn you!” Jingwei said furiously while glaring.
“You-you—” Lifespan Dongfang exclaimed while vomiting blood.
“Hurry!” A vast amount of flames came out of Jingwei’s outstretched hand.
“I’m close to death and cannot open a large entrance. Wait for me to recover!” Lifespan Dongfang yelled.
“Wait for you to recover? Humph! You will be able to flee then, and we won’t be able to do anything to you. Hurry! Now! Right now!” Jingwei brought the flame closer to Lifespan Dongfang.
“Jingwei, you dare?!”
“I’ll burn you!”
“Don’t! I’ll open it! I’ll open it!” Lifespan Dongfang roared, feeling depressed.
As Lifespan Dongfang spoke, his completely deformed figure gently swiped across space.
Buzz!
A fist-sized entryway appeared in space.
“That’s all? How are we to enter the nether realm?” Jingwei glared.
“Like this!”
Whoosh!
Lifespan Dongfang cackled as he dived in.
“Oh no! Get back here!” Jingwei roared.
Boom!
A vast amount of flames rushed in and burned Lifespan Dongfang on the other side.
“Ah! Wretched lass, I will get you for this! Argh!” Lifespan Dongfang roared in pain as he fled.
The fist-sized entryway shrank slowly.
“What should we do? What should we do?” Jingwei appeared anxious.
Everyone seemed panicked.
Gu Hai showed an unsightly expression. “I’ll send you over!”
“Ah?” Everyone looked at Gu Hai with doubt.
Then, they saw him wave, taking everyone back into the Gu’s Immortal Firmament.
Gu Hai could not enter, but he could extend his Gu’s Immortal Firmament into the nether realm like a balloon. He could elongate the section containing everyone into the nether realm.
Whoosh!
Gu Hai immediately released them into the nether realm.
“We are out! This is the nether realm?” Jingwei said in shock.
“Master!” Ensnaring Performance cried out.
The entryway shrank further, now just the width of a finger.
“There’s no need to bother with me. Ensnaring Performance, Purple Subtlety, Longevity, Mu Chenfeng, and Elite Hall disciples, follow Jingwei and find her elder sister. Quickly! Find her elder sister and get her to break the seal for me!” Gu Hai shouted.
“Ah?”
“Yes!”
Everyone answered.
Buzz!
That entryway dwindled until it vanished.
“Where’s Lifespan Dongfang? Find him! Hurry!” Jingwei roared.
However, Lifespan Dongfang had already fled.
