From the fake emperor to the concubine

“That’s because…” Li Xiaoyao opened his mouth to explain, but quickly realized that anything he said would be futile.

"Forget it, I don't care about the process," Yun Xuzi waved his hand. "I just want to know, what price are you willing to pay?"

"These are the treasures accumulated by my Heavenly Dao Sect over thousands of years." Li Xiaoyao gestured for his disciples to display the treasures they had brought. "The Heavenly Dao Jade Disc, the Supreme Heart Sutra, and various precious magical artifacts and elixirs, with a total value exceeding one million spirit stones."

Looking at the dazzling array of treasures, a hint of interest flashed in Yun Xuzi's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"The items are good, but not enough," Yun Xuzi shook his head. "You must understand, Zheng Yi is no weakling. Our Taixu Sect will have to pay a heavy price to deal with him."

"What does the immortal want us to give?" Li Xiaoyao asked through gritted teeth.

"It's very simple," Yun Xuzi smiled faintly. "I hope that from this day forward, the Heavenly Dao Sect will become a subordinate force of the Tai Xu Sect, forever loyal to the Tai Xu Sect."

Upon hearing this condition, Li Xiaoyao's face turned deathly pale.

This is exactly the same condition that Taixu Sect made to Zheng Yi back then!
Unlike Zheng Yi's angry refusal, Li Xiaoyao remained silent.

The flames of hatred had consumed his reason; he was truly willing to pay any price for revenge.

"Sect Leader." The disciples around him looked at him in shock, not expecting that he was actually considering this condition.

"I...I need to think about it," Li Xiaoyao said with difficulty.

“Of course,” Yun Xuzi nodded. “However, I must warn you, this may be your only chance. Zheng Yi’s strength continues to increase; the longer it drags on, the more difficult it will be to deal with him.”

Li Xiaoyao's psychological defenses completely collapsed.

"I agree!" he practically roared. "As long as the Taixu Sect can kill Zheng Yi, the Tiandao Sect is willing to become a subordinate force!"

These words stunned the disciples who had come with him.

How could the mighty Heavenly Dao Sect, a first-rate force in the cultivation world, be reduced to a vassal of others?

"Sect Leader, please reconsider!" an elder pleaded, weeping bitterly. "The ancestors of the Heavenly Dao Sect, if they have spirits in heaven, will not rest in peace!"

"Shut up!" Li Xiaoyao's eyes were filled with madness. "I'm willing to pay any price for revenge!"

Seeing Li Xiaoyao's resolute decision, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Yun Xuzi's eyes.

“Very good, I admire your determination.” Yun Xuzi slowly stood up. “In that case, the deal is done.”

"However," he changed the subject, "the specific action plan needs careful planning. Although Zheng Yi is quite capable, he's not invincible."

"What does the immortal mean?" Li Xiaoyao asked hurriedly.

"I will personally take action," Yun Xuzi said calmly. "With my Nascent Soul stage cultivation, dealing with a junior in the late Nascent Soul stage shouldn't be a problem."

Upon hearing that Yun Xuzi was willing to personally intervene, Li Xiaoyao trembled with excitement.

A Nascent Soul stage expert! This is one of the most powerful beings in the cultivation world!
“However,” Yun Xuzi continued, “I will not go directly to the Zheng family's territory. It is protected by a clan-protecting formation; a direct assault would be too costly.”

"I need to lure Zheng Yi out and deal with him in the wild."

"How do we lure him out?" Li Xiaoyao asked impatiently.

"This will require your cooperation." A sly glint flashed in Yun Xuzi's eyes. "After you return, publicly challenge Zheng Yi to a duel at a certain location."

"Then what?"

"Then I'll be waiting for him there," Yun Xuzi sneered. "Once he arrives, I'll kill him immediately."

“But immortals, wouldn’t that mean…” Li Xiaoyao hesitated.

Although he was blinded by hatred, he still felt that such an ambush was not honorable.

"What? You think the methods aren't honorable enough?" Yun Xuzi said disdainfully. "When dealing with enemies, any means are acceptable. Only the victors have the right to talk about morality."

"Besides, didn't Zheng Yi also use assassination methods? We're just giving him a taste of his own medicine."

Upon hearing these words, Li Xiaoyao's last hesitation vanished.

"The immortal is right! No method is too much when dealing with a villain like Zheng Yi!"

"Then it's settled." Yun Xuzi stood up. "After you return, immediately issue a challenge, agreeing to a duel at Qingyun Mountain three days later. I will set up an ambush there beforehand."

"Yes!" Li Xiaoyao replied respectfully, his eyes full of anticipation.

Finally, his revenge plan is about to come to fruition!

That night, Li Xiaoyao and his group left Taixu Sect and hurriedly returned to Tiandao Sect.

"Sect Leader, are we really going to do this?" an elder couldn't help but ask on the way. "Setting up an ambush like this will damage our reputation if word gets out."

"Reputation?" Li Xiaoyao sneered. "After losing to Zheng Yi, what reputation do we have left to speak of?"

"Only by killing him can we regain our respect!"

The next day, after returning to the Heavenly Dao Sect, Li Xiaoyao immediately sent an envoy to issue a challenge to the entire cultivation world.

"Li Xiaoyao, the leader of the Heavenly Dao Sect, hereby issues a challenge to Zheng Yi! A decisive battle to the death will take place three days from now at noon atop Qingyun Mountain! Those who do not attend will be considered cowards and have surrendered!"

The news caused an uproar throughout the cultivation world.

"Has Li Xiaoyao gone mad? He suffered such a crushing defeat last time, and now he dares to challenge Zheng Yi?"

"Yes, Zheng Yi is so strong, what makes him think he can win?"

"Could it be that he's had some extraordinary encounter recently, greatly increasing his strength?"

Various speculations arose, but most people were not optimistic about Li Xiaoyao.

Meanwhile, in the Zheng family's territory, Zheng Yi frowned slightly as he looked at the challenge letter.

"Master, what does Li Xiaoyao mean by this?" Zhang Yunfan asked疑惑地问道, "Knowing he's no match for you, why does he still challenge you?"

“Something’s wrong,” Zheng Yi mused. “Li Xiaoyao may be arrogant, but he’s not stupid. He must have some ulterior motive for doing this.”

"Then what do we do? Aren't we going?"

“Not going would indeed damage my reputation. But going could very well be a trap.” Zheng Yi fell into deep thought.

If it were an ordinary trap, he wouldn't be afraid with his current strength. But Li Xiaoyao has just returned from the Taixu Sect, and it's very likely he has the sect's support.

“Master, why don’t we take more people with us?” Zhang Yunfan suggested.

“It’s useless,” Zheng Yi shook his head. “If the Taixu Sect really gets involved, having more people won’t make a difference.”

Zheng Yi fell into deep thought. Going or not going, both carried enormous risks.

But in the end, he made his decision.

“I’ll go,” Zheng Yi said firmly. “Since it’s a destined calamity, there’s no escaping it.”

"Why not confront them head-on and see what tricks the Taixu Sect has up their sleeve!"

Upon hearing his master's decision, Zhang Yunfan felt both worried and admiring.

What worries me is that this time it's really dangerous, and what I admire is that my master never flinches no matter what.

"Master, please allow me to accompany you," Zhang Yunfan requested.

“No,” Zheng Yi refused. “The enemy this time is too strong. You wouldn’t be of any help; you’d only distract me.” “You stay with the family. Whatever the outcome, you must protect the family’s safety.”

After saying this, Zheng Yi began preparing for the upcoming battle.

Qingyun Mountain is a well-known neutral place in the cultivation world.

This towering mountain, thousands of feet high, is perpetually shrouded in mist and clouds, brimming with spiritual energy, and has always been a favorite cultivation ground for practitioners. At its summit lies a spacious platform, frequently used for various competitions and duels.

At noon, Zheng Yi arrived at the top of Qingyun Mountain alone.

From afar, Li Xiaoyao could be seen waiting there for quite some time. He wore a brand-new golden Daoist robe and held the Heavenly Dao Sword, looking quite imposing. However, Zheng Yi keenly sensed that Li Xiaoyao's strength had not actually improved.

"This further proves there's something wrong," Zheng Yi thought to himself. "Given Li Xiaoyao's personality, he would never challenge me unless he was absolutely certain."

"Zheng Yi, you've finally arrived!" Upon seeing Zheng Yi, a complex expression flashed in Li Xiaoyao's eyes, a mixture of hatred and a hint of barely perceptible guilt.

"I said I would come, and I certainly won't break my promise," Zheng Yi replied calmly, while his divine sense quietly spread outwards, searching for any possible ambushes.

Soon, he discovered something unusual.

Hidden within the clouds surrounding the mountain peaks was an extremely powerful aura. This aura was as deep as the sea, far exceeding the level of the Nascent Soul stage.

"A Nascent Soul stage expert!" Zheng Yi's heart skipped a beat. "It really was a trap!"

But he showed no sign of anything amiss and calmly walked toward the center of the dueling arena.

"Li Xiaoyao, since you've challenged me to a duel, let's begin." Zheng Yi drew his Void-Breaking Sword. "But I'm curious, what makes you think you can defeat me?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Li Xiaoyao tried to remain calm, but the tremor in his voice betrayed his inner nervousness.

"Then let's go!" Zheng Yi stopped wasting words and launched an attack.

"The Righteous Yang Sword Technique: Ten Thousand Swords Return to Their Origin!"

Countless golden sword shadows rained down on Li Xiaoyao, each one containing terrifying power.

"Heavenly Dao Sword Technique - Heavenly Dao Protection!" Li Xiaoyao hurriedly cast a defensive spell, but the hastily cast defense was no match for Zheng Yi's attack.

"puff!"

The sword shadow easily tore through Li Xiaoyao's defenses, leaving several bloody marks on his body.

"How is this possible?" Li Xiaoyao stared incredulously at the wound on his chest. "I clearly..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Zheng Yi's second wave of attacks.

"The Righteous Yang Sword Technique - The Great Sun Shines in the Sky!"

A huge golden sun rose behind Zheng Yi, and its terrifying pressure made the entire mountaintop tremble.

Faced with such a powerful attack, Li Xiaoyao finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Immortal Yun Xuzi! Save me!" he cried out in despair.

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure emerged from the clouds.

It was Elder Yun Xuzi of the Taixu Sect.

"Young man, you're quite impressive." Yun Xuzi looked at Zheng Yi calmly. "To reach the late Nascent Soul stage at this age is truly rare."

"Unfortunately, you've offended someone you shouldn't have."

Zheng Yi did not show any surprise when he saw Yun Xuzi appear.

"I knew this was a trap," Zheng Yi said coldly. "The prestigious Taixu Sect resorts to such despicable tactics."

"The victor is king, the loser is a bandit." Yun Xuzi didn't take it seriously. "History only remembers the victors, it doesn't care about the process."

"That sounds nice, but it's nothing but bullying others by abusing power." Zheng Yi gripped his Void-Breaking Sword tightly. "Since you're here, let's fight!"

"You have courage, I admire that." Yun Xuzi slowly raised his right hand. "However, the gap between the Nascent Soul stage and the Deity Transformation stage cannot be bridged by courage alone."

"Void Palm!"

Yun Xuzi unleashed a palm strike from afar, sending a massive palm print crashing down from the sky with destructive power towards Zheng Yi.

The power of this palm strike had surpassed the scope of ordinary supernatural abilities, causing space itself to be compressed and distorted.

"The Righteous Yang Sword Technique - The Sun God Sword!"

Zheng Yi showed no weakness and unleashed his strongest move. A gigantic light sword, a thousand feet long, soared into the sky to meet the terrifying palm print.

"boom!"

The two supernatural powers collided in mid-air, unleashing a deafening roar.

A terrifying energy surge spread outwards, causing the entire Qingyun Mountain to tremble violently. Boulders on the mountaintop crumbled, and even cultivators watching from afar were forced back by the aftershocks.

As the light faded, Zheng Yi staggered out of the dust. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating he had suffered a serious injury in the collision.

"As expected of a Nascent Soul stage expert." Zheng Yi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "This power is truly terrifying."

"It's already quite remarkable that you survived one of my palm strikes," Yun Xuzi exclaimed. "However, this is your limit."

"Is that so?" Zheng Yi sneered. "Then you might be disappointed."

"The Righteous Yang Sword Technique - Judgment of Light!"

Countless golden beams of light descended from the sky, densely covering the entire mountaintop.

But Yun Xuzi simply waved his hand casually, and all the beams of light were deflected by an invisible force and shot in other directions.

"Child's tricks," Yun Xuzi shook his head. "A Nascent Soul stage expert can already control spatial power to some extent; your straight-line attack won't even touch me."

With that said, he shot again.

"The Realm of Nothingness!"

Centered on Yun Xuzi, the space within a radius of a hundred feet suddenly began to distort. Within this area, all the laws of physics were altered.

Zheng Yi found that his movements had become extremely slow, and even the circulation of his spiritual energy was severely disrupted.

"Is this the domain power of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator?" Zheng Yi was shocked. "Truly terrifying."

"Within my domain, you are nothing but fish on a chopping board," Yun Xuzi said calmly. "Just obediently accept your fate."

"Void Divine Thunder!"

Dozens of black lightning bolts roamed within the void, each containing destructive power.

Zheng Yi tried to dodge, but under the suppression of the domain, his speed was as slow as a snail.

"Am I really going to lose like this?" Zheng Yi thought bitterly. "I still have so many things to do, how can I die here?"

Just as the divine lightning was about to strike him, a surge of intense resentment and anger suddenly welled up within Zheng Yi.

This emotion surged like a volcanic eruption, instantly breaking through all the shackles in his heart.

"I'm not reconciled!" Zheng Yi roared to the sky, "I haven't protected my family yet, I haven't avenged my fallen clansmen, how can I die here?" (End of Chapter)