bioinnovel Chapter 304 The Spirit Realm, the Purple Star Emperor!
Chapter 304 The Spirit Realm, the Purple Star Emperor!
When Su Fan emerged from the Heavenly Ruins, the words of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable still echoed in his mind.
"These statues are scattered in three places. Sixty-four are in the outer heavens, and seventeen are in other worlds. Once all of them are found, the Chinese gods can return in their entirety."
A complete return.
These four words warmed Su Fan's heart.
He took a deep breath and looked at Emperor Gouchen beside him.
"Senior, shall we go and explore other worlds first?"
Emperor Gouchen nodded.
"Alright. Most of those in the Outer Heavens are in the hands of powerful forces and can't escape. Let's go to other worlds first, lest things get complicated."
Su Fan took out the golden light given to him by the Primordial Celestial Venerable and examined it carefully.
Seventeen coordinates, distributed across thirteen different worlds.
The most recent one was in a place called the "spirit world".
The Spirit Realm, not far from the Outer Heavens, is a small world much larger than Earth. It is said to be rich in spiritual energy, teeming with powerful beings, the most outstanding of whom can reach the Saint Realm.
Su Fan raised an eyebrow.
"The Realm of Saints? Isn't that just like going on vacation?"
Emperor Gouchen laughed.
"Don't be careless. The waters of the small worlds are also very deep. Some worlds hide things left over from ancient times, and even the great powers of the outer heavens dare not provoke them easily."
Su Fan nodded.
"Understood. Let's go check out the spirit world first."
……
three days later.
The Spirit Realm, Eastern Continent.
A golden light descended from the sky and landed outside the largest city in the Eastern Continent.
Su Fan and Emperor Gouchen stepped out of the golden light.
"Is this the spirit world?" Su Fan looked around.
The sky is higher and farther than the blue planet, and its spiritual energy is more than ten times richer, but it is still far inferior to the outer heavens.
Emperor Gouchen nodded.
"Yes. According to the information given by the Primordial One, the first statue is in this city."
Su Fan looked at the city.
The city wall is three zhang high and is made of bluestone, looking quite old. Above the city gate are two large characters: Tianyang.
The city gate was bustling with people, including cultivators, mortals, and a few riding demonic beasts; it looked quite lively.
"Let's go in and take a look."
The two entered the city gate.
The city seemed even more bustling than the outside. The streets were lined with all sorts of shops—selling elixirs, magical artifacts, materials for demonic beasts—you name it. The streets were teeming with people, shoulder to shoulder.
Su Fan glanced around and found that the cultivation levels of these people were generally not high, mostly at the third or fourth level, with the occasional fifth or sixth level.
"The level of this spirit realm is only slightly better than that of Blue Star," Su Fan muttered.
Emperor Gouchen nodded.
"Small worlds are normal. It's already quite good if the most outstanding ones can reach the Saint Realm."
The two walked further down the street.
As they reached the center of the city, a sudden commotion arose ahead.
"Make way! Make way! Everyone make way!"
A group of people rushed from the other end of the street, led by a young man in a brocade robe riding a three-zhang-long blue snake, charging wildly.
People on the street scrambled to avoid the impact, and some who were too slow were knocked flying.
Su Fan frowned.
Why does this scene look so familiar?
The young man in the brocade robe rushed up to Su Fan, and when he saw that Su Fan had no intention of making way, his face turned cold.
"Get out of here!"
Su Fan didn't move.
The young man's face grew even colder.
"court death!"
With a wave of his hand, the large blue snake opened its blood-red maw and lunged at Su Fan.
Su Fan raised his hand and pinched the snake's fangs between two fingers.
The giant snake was startled and struggled desperately, but its fangs were held between two fingers and remained motionless.
The young man in the brocade robe was stunned.
"you!"
Su Fan looked at him.
"This snake would make a good soup."
Apply force with two fingers.
click-
The fangs broke.
The giant snake let out a miserable cry, curled up into a ball, and trembled.
The young man in the brocade robe was deathly pale.
"Who...who are you?!"
Su Fan ignored him and continued walking forward.
The young man in the brocade robe wanted to stop it, but when he saw the appearance of the giant snake, he didn't dare.
He gritted his teeth, turned around, and ran.
……
The live stream chat was flooded with comments.
"Hahaha! That spoiled brat's face turned green!"
The snake: What did I do to deserve this?
"Our leader is awesome!"
"Someone else is going to be in trouble."
Su Fan ignored the comments and continued walking forward.
After walking for a while, he suddenly stopped.
Ahead, a huge mansion appeared.
At the entrance of the mansion stood two stone lions, and a plaque hung above the gate: Tianyang Prince's Mansion.
Deep within the mansion, a familiar aura faintly wafted through the air.
Su Fan's eyes lit up.
"It's inside."
Emperor Gouchen nodded.
"I sensed it. It's the aura of the Ziwei Emperor."
Su Fan raised an eyebrow.
"The Purple Star Emperor? The head of the Four Emperors?"
Emperor Gouchen nodded.
"That's right. The Ziwei Emperor resides in the North Pole, ruling over all stars, and his status is even above mine."
Su Fan took a deep breath.
"Let's go in and take a look."
The two arrived at the entrance of the mansion.
There were four guards standing at the entrance, all of them at the sixth rank.
Upon seeing Su Fan, the guards stopped him.
"Halt! This is the Prince's residence; unauthorized personnel are not permitted entry!"
Su Fan looked at them.
"Bring your prince out."
The guard was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you even look before our Prince?"
Su Fan didn't speak, but raised his hand and waved.
All four guards were sent flying at the same time, crashing into the wall.
Su Fan stepped into the mansion.
……
Deep within the mansion, in a grand hall.
A middle-aged man dressed in a python robe was sitting in the main seat, holding two beautiful women in his arms, with wine and dishes laid out in front of him.
He is the Heavenly Sun King, one of the largest forces in the Eastern Continent of the Spirit Realm, and a Saint in the early stage.
Beside him, the young man in the brocade robe was kneeling on the ground, sobbing and pleading.
"Father, you must do justice for me! That wild brat from who-knows-where interrupted my green snake and humiliated me in the street!"
King Tianyang frowned.
"Who dares to be so bold?"
The young man in the brocade robe shook his head.
"I don't know. But that person was incredibly skilled; they snapped the green snake's fangs with just two fingers. And the green snake is a sixth-tier demonic beast!"
King Tianyang's expression changed slightly.
A sixth-tier demonic beast is equivalent to a sixth-tier human cultivator. To break a sixth-tier demonic beast's fangs with two fingers indicates that this person's strength is at least eighth-tier or higher.
Just as he was about to say something, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.
boom--
The doors to the main hall were blasted open.
A figure walked in.
Su Fan.
Behind him followed the Great Emperor Gouchen.
King Tianyang's expression changed drastically.
"Who goes there?!"
Su Fan looked at him.
"You are the Heavenly Sun King?"
King Tianyang took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.
"It is indeed I, the King. Who are you? And why have you trespassed into my royal palace?"
Su Fan smiled.
"I'm looking for something."
King Tianyang was taken aback.
"What is it?"
Su Fan said calmly, "A statue of a god."
King Tianyang's expression changed.
"How...how did you know...?"
Before he could finish speaking, he realized he had let something slip and quickly shut up.
But Su Fan had already heard it.
He smiled.
"It really is here."
King Tianyang's face turned ashen.
"That's my family heirloom; how could I possibly give it to you?"
Su Fan looked at him.
"Family heirloom? That's a statue of a Chinese deity, how did it become yours?"
King Tianyang sneered.
"Huaxia? Never heard of it. This statue was passed down from my ancestors; it belongs to me."
Su Fan nodded.
"Alright. Let's fight then."
He raised his hand, and Chengyuan Sword was drawn.
King Tianyang's expression changed.
He could sense the terrifying aura emanating from the sword.
The later stages of a sage's life.
Moreover, this is not just any ordinary late-stage sage.
King Tianyang took a step back.
"What...what do you think you're doing? This is the spirit world, not a place where you can run wild!"
Su Fan smiled.
"The Spirit Realm? You're just a mere early-stage Saint, who gave you the courage?"
He unleashed a sword strike.
King Tianyang wanted to hide, but he couldn't.
The sword flashed past his shoulder, slicing off a piece of flesh.
King Tianyang let out a miserable cry and collapsed to the ground.
"Spare me! Spare me!"
Su Fan walked up to him.
"Where is the statue?"
King Tianyang pointed tremblingly to the back of the main hall.
"In...in the secret chamber of the rear hall..."
Su Fan turned around and walked towards the back hall.
……
The rear hall, a secret chamber.
The secret chamber was filled with all sorts of treasures: gold, silver, jewels, magical artifacts, and elixirs, piled up like a mountain.
At the very back, there stands a statue.
The statue is three zhang tall and depicts a middle-aged man dressed in imperial robes, wearing an imperial crown, holding a jade tablet, and with a dignified expression.
The Purple Star Emperor.
Su Fan walked over and placed his hand on the statue.
He began to read:
"The North Pole, the highest in the sky, the Purple Star."
"Ruling all stars, mastering the celestial scriptures."
"The head of the Four Emperors, the essence of the Emperor Star."
"Great Emperor Ziwei, please reveal your true form."
The statue did not respond.
Su Fan frowned.
He read it again.
There was still no response.
Emperor Gouchen walked over.
"What happened?"
Su Fan shook his head.
"I don't know. I recited the incantation, but there was no response."
Emperor Gouchen raised his hand, and a beam of golden light shot towards the statue.
The golden light entered the statue, but there was still no reaction.
The two exchanged a glance.
Not right.
Su Fan looked closely at the statue.
There is nothing wrong with the statue itself; it is indeed a statue of the Ziwei Emperor.
However, the aura emanating from the statue is very weak.
He was so weak that he didn't seem like the head of the Four Emperors.
Su Fan thought for a moment, then raised his hand and placed it on the statue, and the golden light of the Investiture of the Gods surged in.
The golden light entered the statue, and he sensed what was happening inside.
Inside the statue, there was a cloud of black mist.
Black energy coiled around the core of the statue, like venomous snakes, tightly constricting it.
That's a seal.
A vicious seal, specifically used to suppress the gods.
Su Fan's expression turned cold.
"Someone tampered with this statue."
Emperor Gouchen came closer and also sensed the black aura.
His expression changed as well.
"This is... the Blood Fiend God Sealing Technique?"
Su Fan was taken aback.
"What kind of technique?"
The Great Emperor Gouchen explained.
"Beyond Earth, in the universe, there exists a group of evil cultivators who specialize in hunting down gods. They invented a secret technique to seal the souls of gods with blood and resentment, preventing them from ever awakening."
"This secret technique is extremely vicious. The soul of the sealed deity will be gradually eroded by resentment, and eventually completely dissipate."
Su Fan's eyes were icy cold.
"Who did it?"
Emperor Gouchen shook his head.
"I don't know. But someone who could tamper with the statue of the Ziwei Emperor must at least be at the Dao Realm."
Su Fan remained silent.
He looked at the mass of black mist.
The black aura was very thick and tightly coiled.
But the golden light of the Investiture of the Gods can gradually erode it.
It's just very slow.
At this rate, it would take at least three days and three nights to completely eradicate it.
Su Fan took a deep breath.
"Then let's wait three days."
He sat cross-legged, and the Investiture of the Gods unfolded above his head, with golden light continuously flowing into the statue.
The black mist and golden light clashed, producing a hissing sound.
……
three days later.
Inside the statue, the last wisp of black mist was swallowed by golden light.
The statue shook violently.
A beam of purple light shot into the sky, piercing through the secret chamber, through the main hall, and straight into the clouds.
Everyone in Tianyang City saw that purple light.
A figure emerged from the purple light.
It was a middle-aged man dressed in a purple robe, wearing an imperial crown, and surrounded by illusory starlight.
The Purple Star Emperor.
He looked at Su Fan with eyes full of satisfaction.
"Thank you, Envoy of the Conferred Gods."
Su Fan stood up and bowed.
"Greetings to the Ziwei Emperor."
The Purple Star Emperor nodded.
"I was sealed by that evil magic for three thousand years. If it weren't for you, my soul would have completely dissipated in another hundred years."
He raised his hand, and a beam of purple light shot towards Su Fan.
The purple light entered his body, and Su Fan shuddered.
He could feel a tremendous power within him.
She's even stronger than Houtu Niangniang.
Dao Realm Level Two.
The power of the Ziwei Emperor is stronger than the combined divine shadows of Houtu Niangniang and Gouchen Emperor.
Su Fan took a deep breath.
"Thank you, senior."
The Purple Star Emperor waved his hand.
"No need for formalities. I will follow you from now on."
He looked at Emperor Gouchen.
"Gou Chen, it's been a long time."
Emperor Gouchen laughed.
"Ziwei, you old geezer, you're still alive?"
The Purple Star Emperor also smiled.
"I almost died. Thanks to the God-Investiture Envoy."
He looked around, his brows furrowed slightly.
"Where is this place?"
Su Fan explained.
"The spirit world, a small world. Your statue has been collected by the prince here."
The Purple Star Emperor nodded.
"Where is that prince?"
Su Fan pointed outside.
"They're kneeling outside."
The Purple Emperor sneered.
"Kneeling? He sealed me with the Blood Fiend God Sealing Technique for three thousand years, and kneeling is enough?"
Su Fan was taken aback.
"Senior, was it him who placed that seal?"
The Purple Emperor shook his head.
"It's not him. It's his ancestor. But for the past three thousand years, his ancestors have regarded this statue as a family heirloom, passing it down from generation to generation."
"They knew there was a seal inside the statue, and they knew that a god was suppressed within the seal, yet they never thought of breaking the seal."
Instead, they used the faint divine power emanating from the statue to enhance their cultivation.
Su Fan fell silent.
The Ziwei Emperor continued.
"The reason why that Heavenly Sun King was able to break through to the Saint Realm was because of a trace of divine power leaked from this statue."
"He used my power to cultivate for three hundred years."
Su Fan's eyes turned cold.
"I'm going to kill him."
The Ziwei Emperor stopped him.
"No need. I will do it myself."
He stepped out of the secret room.
……
Inside the main hall.
King Tianyang knelt on the ground, trembling all over.
That purple light just now was terrifying.
That aura was many times stronger than that of a saint.
He saw the Ziwei Emperor walk out, his face deathly pale.
"S-Senior, spare my life..."
The Ziwei Emperor looked down at him.
"Spare me?"
He raised his hand, and a beam of purple light shot towards King Tianyang.
The purple light entered his body, and King Tianyang let out a miserable scream.
His cultivation level began to plummet.
The early stages of a sage's life.
Half a saint.
Great Golden Immortal.
Celestial being.
Ninth level.
Eighth rank.
……
It kept falling until it reached the first step before stopping.
King Tianyang lay sprawled on the ground, like a lump of mud.
His hair had turned white, his skin was wrinkled, and he looked three thousand years older.
The Purple Star Emperor looked at him.
"You have used my power to cultivate for three hundred years, and now I will take it back. From this day forward, you are merely a mortal and will not live more than three years."
King Tianyang opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
Emperor Ziwei turned around and looked at the young man in the brocade robe.
The young man in the brocade robe was so frightened he wet himself.
"No, no..."
The Purple Emperor raised his hand, and a beam of purple light shot towards him.
The young man in the brocade robe screamed in agony as his cultivation level plummeted, turning him into a mortal.
The Purple Emperor withdrew his hand.
"Your clan has cultivated using my power for three thousand years. From this day forward, all your cultivation is revoked."
He looked around the entire palace.
"None of those who have used my power will escape."
Beams of purple light shot out from the statue and flew to various parts of the palace.
Screams of agony rang out.
The cultivation of all the more than three thousand people in the entire palace was destroyed.
Emperor Ziwei withdrew his hand and looked at Su Fan.
"Let's go."
Su Fan nodded.
"Walk."
The three left the palace.
Behind them, the sound of weeping echoed throughout the Prince's mansion.
……
Outside Tianyang City.
Su Fan looked at the Ziwei Emperor.
"Senior, who invented the Blood Fiend God Sealing Technique?"
The Purple Emperor's eyes turned cold.
"A group of heretical cultivators who call themselves 'God Hunters'."
Su Fan was taken aback.
"The God Hunter?"
The Purple Star Emperor nodded.
"Yes. In ancient times, there was a group of evil cultivators in the universe who specialized in hunting down gods and extracting their power for cultivation. They were later wiped out by the gods, but some of them escaped to other worlds."
"Back then, I was ambushed by a God Hunter at the third level of the Dao Realm, and my soul was sealed into a statue."
Su Fan frowned.
"What about the others? Were Houtu and the others also sealed away by the God Hunters?"
The Purple Emperor shook his head.
"Not necessarily. Some were stolen, and some were lost during that great war. But the God Hunters definitely still exist."
He looked at Su Fan.
"You need to be careful from now on. If the God Hunters find out you're collecting statues of gods, they won't let you off the hook."
Su Fan smiled.
"Then let them come."
The Purple Emperor looked at him and smiled.
"Good. I like this kind of temperament."
……
The live stream chat was flooded with comments.
"Godhunter? That sounds pretty awesome!"
"Dare to hunt down a god? You're asking for death!"
"Boss, be careful, those people are not simple."
"What's there to be afraid of? Our boss has the Investiture of the Gods, the Immortal Execution Sword, and so many divine contracts. Anyone who comes will die!"
Su Fan glanced at the comments but didn't say anything.
He looked at the Ziwei Emperor.
"Senior, where do we go next?"
The Ziwei Emperor looked into the distance.
"Among the coordinates given by Yuanshi, there's another one in the Spirit Realm. Let's go to that one first."
Su Fan nodded.
"Walk."
……
three days later.
The Spirit Realm, the Western Desert.
An endless desert.
Su Fan and his two companions stood at the edge of the desert, looking ahead.
Deep in the desert, there is a giant pyramid.
That was the stronghold of the Sand Clan, the most powerful force in the Western Desert.
Su Fan took out the coordinates given to him by Yuan Shi and compared them.
"It's inside that pyramid."
The Purple Star Emperor nodded.
"I sensed it. It's the aura of Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun."
Su Fan was taken aback.
"Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun? Is that the one who specializes in relieving suffering and delivering souls from the dead?"
The Purple Star Emperor nodded.
"Yes. The Great Venerable Taiyi, who saves from suffering, and the Great Emperor of the Eastern Azure Flower, are no less powerful than this Emperor."
Su Fan took a deep breath.
"Walk."
The three of them walked into the desert.
……
In front of the pyramids.
A group of Sand People blocked their way.
The leader was a bald, burly man, a mid-stage sage.
He looked at Su Fan and the other two and said coldly.
"Halt! This is forbidden territory of the Sand Clan; outsiders are not allowed to enter!"
Su Fan looked at him.
"I'm looking for something."
The bald, burly man sneered.
"What is it?"
Su Fan said calmly, "A statue. A statue of Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun."
The bald, burly man's expression changed.
How did you know...?
He stopped talking before he could finish.
But Su Fan had already heard it.
He smiled.
"It really is here."
The bald, burly man's face turned ashen.
"That's a sacred object of our Sand Clan, how could we give it to you?"
Su Fan looked at him.
"A sacred object? That's a statue of a Chinese deity, how did it become your Sand Clan's?"
The bald, burly man sneered.
"Our Sha tribe has worshipped it for three thousand years, so it belongs to us."
Su Fan nodded.
"Alright. Let's fight then."
He unleashed a sword strike.
The bald, burly man tried to dodge, but he couldn't.
The sword flashed past his shoulder, slicing off a piece of flesh.
The bald, burly man screamed and collapsed to the ground.
"Spare me! Spare me!"
Su Fan looked down at him.
"Where is the statue?"
The bald, burly man pointed tremblingly into the depths of the pyramid.
"In...in the lowest level of the temple..."
Su Fan turned around and walked into the pyramid.
……
The temple is located at the base of the pyramid.
Inside the temple stood a statue.
The statue is three zhang tall and depicts a kind-faced Taoist priest holding a whisk and riding a nine-headed lion.
Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun (Great One Who Saves from Suffering).
Su Fan walked over and placed his hand on the statue.
He began to read:
"The Azure Peak of the East, the Supreme Being of Taiyi."
"To relieve suffering and distress, and to deliver the souls of the departed."
"The nine-headed lion responded to the sound."
"Taiyi Tianzun, please reveal your true form."
The statue shook.
A beam of blue light shot out.
A Taoist priest emerged from the blue light.
He looked at Su Fan and nodded slightly.
"Thank you, Envoy of the Conferred Gods."
Su Fan bowed respectfully.
"Greetings to Taiyi Tianzun."
Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun nodded.
He looked at the Ziwei Emperor and the Gouchen Emperor.
"Ziwei, Gouchen, are you both here?"
The Purple Star Emperor smiled.
"We've been waiting for you."
Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun also smiled.
He looked at Su Fan.
"Envoy of the Gods, I wish to form a contract with you. Are you willing?"
Su Fan nodded.
"I couldn't have gotten it."
A beam of blue light shot towards Su Fan.
Su Fan was startled.
Another Dao Realm Level 1 expert.
The live stream chat exploded with comments.
"Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun! Dongji Qinghua Dadi!"
"Another Dao Realm expert!"
"Is the boss trying to gather all the big shots?"
"If Taiyi Tianzun has already appeared, can the Three Pure Ones be far behind?"
Su Fan ignored the comments and looked at Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun.
"Senior, is your statue sealed by something?"
Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun shook his head.
"No. I am merely trapped here, not sealed away."
Su Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's good."
He looked at the Ziwei Emperor.
"Senior, there are still fifteen worlds to go, let's take it slow."
The Purple Star Emperor nodded.
"Alright. I'll go with you."
……
The group left the pyramid and disappeared into the desert.
Behind them, the cries of the Sand Tribe could be heard from inside the pyramid.
Their sacred object is gone.
But no one dared to chase after them.
That young man is terrifying.
……
The chat was still flooded with comments.
"What's the next world?"
"Go, boss!"
"All the gods of China have returned!"