The copy has 0 error tolerance, and the last words on the ground are all wrong for me.

Chapter 454 Malice
Immortal?

Upon hearing this title, Wu Chang recalled the mysterious native of the world instance who had communicated with Mercury at the stone altar.

The other party addressed Mercury as "the Immortal."

If it weren't for the fact that Lü Changgeng, standing before him, had broad shoulders and a loud, clear voice, so different from the silhouette of the mysterious man who had appeared that day, and that Wu Chang would have captured him the moment he uttered the words "Immortal."

Even so, Wu Chang's tone was still quite aggressive.

"Immortal's decree? Where did this immortal come from? Why have I never heard of it before?"

Lu Changgeng sensed the displeasure in Wu Chang's tone. Unaware that Wu Chang's anger was directed at the immortal, he assumed Wu Chang was simply unaware of the situation and smiled wryly.
"It's not that we deliberately kept this from Sect Leader Tang, but it's a long story, so please allow me to explain."

In Lü Changgeng's eyes, Wu Chang was a native of the alternate dimension, and a simple-minded person who was almost foolish, so he was unguarded and told everything.

The incident began a year ago when the Imperial Palace's Book of Earth showed unusual activity, and the Ziwei Exorcising Array appeared in the world.

The ritual of offering sacrifices to the earth has been deeply ingrained in the bones of the original inhabitants of the dungeon plane. Neither the Great Xuan nor the Human Alliance dared to neglect it and immediately began to construct the ritual.

Regardless of the changing dynasties, the battles in the dungeon deliberately avoided Zhenyue City. Over thousands of years, the city was continuously reinforced, giving the sacrificial ceremony a deep foundation. It did not require much modification to build the prototype of the grand formation.

The unusual movement of the Earthly Book was a warning from Heaven. To put his mind at ease, Emperor Zhaoning ordered the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to hold a sacrificial ceremony to the Earth once the formation was completed.

Normally, the earth-worshiping ceremony would not bring about any special changes, but on that particular occasion, perhaps because the Ziwei Exorcising Array was too powerful, they successfully connected with the heavens and received a response from the immortals.

Upon hearing this, Wu Chang interrupted Lü Changgeng to finish what he was saying.

In the memory of the Tang Clan leader, during the earth-worship ceremony, he was injured in a battle with demons and was recuperating within the Tang Clan. He then summoned his disciples to observe the ceremony.

He knew nothing about the details of the earth-worshiping ceremony that Lü Changgeng had described, so he asked:
"How can you be sure that it is a celestial being and not a demon?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Changgeng's expression changed. He first cupped his hands towards the sky and muttered to himself, "Please forgive me, Immortal."

Then, with a serious expression, he looked at Wu Chang and said:
"I know that Sect Leader Tang means well, but since this concerns an immortal, I hope you will show more respect and refrain from speaking recklessly."

"We can naturally distinguish between immortals and demons. Sect Leader Tang often deals with demons. Don't forget that humans and demons cannot coexist."

"The Earth Worship Ceremony is the time when human fortune is at its peak and spiritual energy is at its most abundant. Even if a demon king dares to approach, he will be burned half his life by the spiritual energy."

"Moreover, when the immortal responded, there was a radiant glow and a rich immortal aura. Just by taking a deep breath, one could feel the spiritual energy flowing into one's heart through every pore of the body. Only the aura of the immortal realm can have such an effect."

Wu Chang couldn't help but click his tongue. The Bright Society had invited the Tranquil Church and the Bliss Church for technical guidance. These two old charlatans were not only proficient in connecting to the lower realms, but also adept at putting on these elaborate and supernatural displays.

Even many players were stunned, let alone the natives of these world planes.

Lü Changgeng continued:
"Of course, we don't conclude that the other party is an immortal based on these alone. The immortal has issued many decrees, and each decree has brought us many benefits in the battle against the demon race."

Following this, Lü Changgeng listed several decrees, including but not limited to helping reclusive sects improve their cultivation techniques, determining where immortal destiny exists, providing suggestions on how to integrate immortal destiny, and how to efficiently utilize human fortune.

It was precisely because of this knowledge that the human race gradually overwhelmed the demon race and gained the upper hand before the emergence of the demon realm.

The Fire Demon King, Zhu Yinhai, has an incredibly illustrious resume, seemingly untouchable by human cultivators. However, a closer look at its past reveals that it has actually been constantly on the run, moving to a new location after each act of evil, never daring to linger for even a moment.

However, the example cited by Lü Changgeng was merely the simplest guidance given by the immortal who saw the weakness of the human race in this world.

Among the decrees issued by the immortals, the most crucial and widely known one foretold the arrival of celestial beings.

Speaking of celestial beings, Wu Chang couldn't help but interrupt Lü Changgeng again, saying:

"What exactly is a Celestial Being? Why is there no record of Celestial Beings in our Tang Clan?"

When the topic of celestial beings came up, Lü Changgeng's expression became slightly strange, and he said:

"Sect Leader Tang need not worry, because our Divine Sword Sect also has no records of celestial beings."

Wu Chang: "Then..."

Lu Changgeng said, "The origin of the Celestials comes from the mouth of the Immortal. He said that the human race of Da Xuan alone is not enough to fight against the demon race. When humanity is in danger, the Celestials scattered overseas will return to Da Xuan to help the human race win."

"To be honest, we were also skeptical about this until yesterday morning when a celestial being who claimed to be peaceful appeared, which made us realize that celestial beings really exist."

Wu Chang fell silent after hearing this. He had originally thought that the Celestial's identity was a setting fabricated out of thin air by the Abyss Game to make it easier for players to integrate into the world dungeon.

After all, the sudden arrival of ten thousand powerful superhumans would be something even a fool like the Human Alliance would notice.

But now it seems that the Celestials' identities were actually created for them by the Light Society.

Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious; he didn't believe the Guangming Society had any good intentions.

However, now was not the time to dwell on his Celestial Being identity, so he remained silent and listened to what Lü Changgeng had to say next.

Lü Changgeng said:
"With the help of the immortals, we continuously explore the immortal abode, from which we obtain blessings, true meaning, and immortal destiny, as well as various elixir formulas and ancient records."

"In the Sword Lord's Immortal Abode where Lü obtained his immortal destiny, we found records about the Heavenly Gate. Later, in Peach Fairy's Immortal Abode, we found more related records, and even a description of the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven."

"Not many people knew about it, only a few high-ranking members of the Human Dao Alliance, including myself, Tao Xian, and Valley Master Yin. We took the ancient book to the Lidi Temple and asked the immortal to enlighten us. Based on the records, the immortal revealed the existence of the Heavenly Gate, which is the gateway to the Immortal Realm."

"The demon race lives in the Heavenly Gate, blocking the way to the Immortal Realm, and feeds on the Immortal Realm's energy to grow stronger. Humans and demons are irreconcilable, and with the balance of power shifting, this world will sooner or later become the world of the demon race."

As Lü Changgeng spoke, the heavy sword beside him hummed, as if it were about to be drawn on the spot to kill all the demons.

"The immortal once prophesied that when the demonic energy is at its strongest, the Heavenly Gate will be formed, and the celestial beings will return to the Great Mystery with the Heavenly Gate to help us defeat the demons."

"Only by borrowing the power of the celestial beings to build the Ziwei Exorcising Array, and using the fortune of humanity and the fortune of the celestial beings to break through the demon realm and eliminate all demons, can we reopen the gates of immortality, restore peace to the world, and allow all cultivators to have the opportunity to become immortals."

Wu Jian saw that Lü Changgeng's expression was sincere and not feigned, and could tell that no matter the reason, Lü Changgeng really wanted to reopen the Immortal Sect.

He pondered for a moment, then looked up and said:

"Alliance Leader Lü's words and actions are all for the greater good of the world. The immortal bestowed the decree because he could not bear the decline of humanity. What is he guarding against by hiding the existence of the Heavenly Gate?"

Lu Changgeng said, "It's to guard against the celestial beings."

Wu Chang asked in confusion, "Hmm? Didn't Alliance Leader Lü just say that we need to rely on the Celestials to break through the Demon Realm?"

Lu Changgeng shook his head slightly and said:

"This is not contradictory. The decree issued by the immortal states that celestial beings are powerful and have the duty of eliminating demons, but one can only share hardship with celestial beings, not wealth."

“If only small favors are given to express our feelings, the celestial beings will not be too picky, nor will they think that Da Xuan is neglecting us. But if the existence of the Heavenly Gate is exposed beforehand, and the celestial beings are motivated by great benefits, they will change their tune and seize the treasures by force, leaving no immortal opportunities for Da Xuan.”

"That's why we, Lü and others, strictly guard the secret of the Heavenly Gate and do not reveal it to outsiders. Only cultivators who have gained our approval and are wholeheartedly on the side of the Great Xuan will know about this matter."

Upon hearing this, Wu Chang's face showed a look of sudden realization, but in reality, he was already laughing out loud with anger.

Okay, okay, so this is how you guys at Guangming Society operate?

What do you mean by "we can only share hardship, not prosperity"? What do you mean by "we can only offer small favors"? We're all players here. Don't you feel any remorse saying these things?

After explaining the whole story, Lü Changgeng repeated what Yin Sheng had said earlier, saying:

“I, Lü, swear to the earth that if any of my words just now were false, may my path to immortality be severed and my cultivation never advance an inch.”

"Sect Leader Tang is skilled in exorcising demons and is also blessed with the destiny of the Kaiyang Immortal. We beg Sect Leader Tang to lend us a hand in reopening the Heavenly Gate."

Wu Chang hurriedly said:

"I trust Alliance Leader Lü's character, so why bother?"

"Since Alliance Leader Lü thinks so highly of me, I will certainly live up to your expectations and be the vanguard in breaking through the Demon Realm, opening the Heavenly Gate before those celestial beings notice!"

Lu Changgeng's face lit up with joy, and he said, "With Sect Leader Tang's help, the great undertaking can be accomplished!"

"However, opening the Heavenly Gate is extremely difficult. Don't think you can do it in one fell swoop. This time, when Sect Leader Tang entered the Demon Realm to test the Wind Demon King, he can take the opportunity to try to enter the core of the Demon Realm and find the location of the Heavenly Gate."

"Once the location of Tianmen is confirmed, or if danger is felt, evacuate immediately."

As he spoke, Lü Changgeng took out a token from his pocket, handed it to Wu Chang, and said:
"Tomorrow morning, I will appoint Sect Leader Tang as the Deputy Commander of the Demon-Slaying Army, with the authority to receive and command the Demon-Slaying Army. Sect Leader Tang can use this position to find some Celestials who have just entered the Great Xuan Realm. Those Celestials possess extraordinary abilities and are not as wary of demonic energy as we are, making them extremely suitable for exploring the Demon Realm."

"Sect Leader Tang, please remember not to offer too much reward. At most, offer some information about the Immortal Abode."

Lu Changgeng gave a few more instructions, and seeing that Wu Chang understood, he left with Yin Sheng.

Wu Chang escorted the two to the gate, closed the gate, rubbed his face which had been tense from trying to appear like a master, and asked Eileen, who had been watching the whole thing:

"Madam, what do you think of that man surnamed Lü from earlier?"

Eileen blushed slightly at Wu Chang's address. She put down the Eternal Lake she was comprehending and said:

“My intuition tells me that he was holding back, but the Sword of Order did not react to him, and his final oath to the ground did not seem fake, so I can’t say for sure.”

Wu Chang shrugged and said:
"Regardless of his purpose, he opened the Heavenly Gate not to destroy the instance plane, so it will not trigger the Sword of Order."

"As for his final oath, just listen to it. He only said that he had no falsehoods, but he dared not say that he had no reservations. This kind of selective expression trick can't fool me."

"Although Mr. Lü had many reservations, there was one thing he didn't hide at all and showed it to me very frankly."

Eileen asked, "What is it?"

Wu Chang fiddled with the waist token of the deputy commander of the Demon-Slaying Army and said:

"Malice towards the celestial beings."

Despite Lu Changgeng's best efforts to conceal it, a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes every time he mentioned the Celestial Beings, as if a hunter were watching his prey.

There are quite a few dungeon natives who scheme against players, but you need to be strong to succeed. There are as many as 10,000 players queuing up for the world dungeon, which is more than the number of cultivators in the Human Alliance. Aren't they afraid of getting burned?

Eileen said, "Now that you've sensed his malice towards the Celestials, will you still choose to help him open the Heavenly Gate?"

Wu Chang hung the waist token on his waist and said, "Why not?"

"I only promised him that I would break through the Heavenly Gate before those celestial beings, but I didn't say that I would give him the great opportunity to become an immortal within the Heavenly Gate."

"Madam, tomorrow morning we'll first go to find Su Wangyou to upgrade our items, then go to the city gate. Once the next batch of players enters the city, we can recruit people to go to the Demon Realm."

While Wu Chang's physical body was dealing with Lü Changgeng, his true self happened to leave the Tianquan Immortal Mansion.

Unlike the Kaiyang Immortal Abode, the Tianquan Immortal Abode was acquired by Wu Chang, and the entire abode was no longer ownerless. The Four Seasons Reflection that the scholars of the Great Xuan Dynasty talked about with great relish disappeared as a result.

This led Wu Chang to see a scene of wailing outside Tianquan Lake when he left the Immortal Abode.

They were both resentful of the missed opportunity to pass on their literary legacy and lamented the disappearance of the reflections of the four seasons.

Many people also wrote down their thoughts while the moment was still fresh, preparing to write a couple of poems to witness the "disappearance" of Tianquan Lake.

Among the crowd, only one person was particularly focused, unaffected by others, sitting alone in a secluded spot, rapidly flipping through a thick book of battle formation diagrams.

Wu Chang watched Duan Rui practicing quantum speed reading, hesitated whether to tell him the truth, and finally shook his head and did not go over.

Following the path we came from, after leaving Tianquan Lake and just stepping out of Tianquan Mountain, we saw a person blocking the road to Zhenyue City.

The opponent was dressed as a swordsman, standing in the air on a sword. His swordsman aura was more like that of a native than a native of the world instance.

Wu Chang took the initiative to greet him, saying, "If you want to go to Tianquan Immortal Mansion, you're probably going to be disappointed. You can still go back to Zhenyue City and change your mission."

He was just thinking, "Why let the good stuff go to outsiders?" Since he's recruiting players to explore the Demon Realm, why not find some acquaintances?

Unexpectedly, an acquaintance came to my door on his own initiative.

Jianxing flew to Wu Chang's side on his sword, lightly leaped off the sword, and the flying sword drew an arc in the air before being sheathed on his back.

He smiled and said:

"I came here not to explore the Immortal Abode, but to find you. Director Hou instructed Leng Shan and me to join you as soon as possible after entering the world instance and to be at your command."

“I learned from Zhenyue City that a Celestial Being entered the city this morning and chose Tianquan Lake as their exploration target. I guessed it was you, so I came directly to you.”

Wu Chang frowned slightly and asked:
"Where did you get this information from?"

Jianxing said, "No need to inquire. The news of the First Immortal is known to everyone in Zhenyue City. When I received the trial mission and went to the Beast Taming Pavilion to pick up my mount, two cultivators inside were talking about you and even betting on how many Immortal Mansion trials you could complete."

Wu Chang sighed. When he was choosing the Immortal Mansion mission, everyone present was a high-ranking member of the Human Alliance, so they should have kept their mouths shut.

But in such a short time, the news of his selection of the Tianquan Immortal Mansion had already spread throughout Zhenyue City. No wonder Lu Changgeng did not tell the Dao Alliance high-level officials about the Tianmen matter.

If they had announced the discovery of the Heavenly Gate to the higher-ups of the Humanitarian Alliance immediately, it's likely that when Wu Chang was queuing to enter Zhenyue City, everyone in line would be talking about how amazing the Heavenly Gate was.

Having already mastered the Steampunk dungeon, Sword Star was quite adept at using the "leg-hugging" technique. Without needing Wu Chang to ask, he proactively rejoined the team and followed behind Wu Chang.

On their way, the two casually started talking about what had happened after entering the dungeon.

Wu Chang, an outsider celestial being, easily conquered the most difficult Tianquan Immortal Mansion. If other players knew this, they would be extremely surprised.

But Jianxing thought it was perfectly reasonable and normal.

Even if a mere immortal abode is difficult to explore, when the Steam Phantom dungeon was available, he and Leng Shan did nothing, yet they were ranked in the top ten after the dungeon's settlement. Is that absurd?
Not only them, but almost all players who have interacted with Wu Chang and have been carried by him will tacitly agree on one thing.

In the realm of conquering dungeons, peace is not about reason.

On Jianxing's side, he and Lengshan had already met up in Zhenyue City. Both of them had completed their trial missions and were now exploring the Immortal Abode.

When the two received the mission, they had already heard that Kaiyang Immortal Mansion had been breached by a native, and Heping chose Tianquan.

Of the seven choices, Lengshan chose Tianji, while Jianxing chose Yaoguang.

However, neither of them rushed to enter the immortal abode to complete their exploration.

Jianxing went directly to Tianquan Lake to meet up with Wu Chang. Lengshan appeared because the two of them discovered the figure of the Holy Son of the Tranquil Sect during the trial mission. Lengshan followed the other party and then met up with the two of them in Zhenyue City.

Back in Zhenyue City, the two arrived at the agreed-upon location and met Leng Shan, who had been waiting there for a long time.

When asked about the whereabouts of the Holy Son of the Tranquil Sect, Leng Shan shook his head and said, "We lost him. We lost him not outside Zhenyue City, but inside the city."

“The other party was very alert, and I dared not get too close. He was also extremely familiar with the layout of Zhenyue City, as if he had been born in Zhenyue City since childhood. He disappeared after turning several corners.”

Wu Chang was not surprised by the news about Leng Shan.

As "high immortals," the Light Society has a profound influence on the Human Alliance and the Great Xuan. It is not surprising that players associated with the Light Society know about the dungeon in advance, or even establish contact with the forces within the dungeon beforehand.

Since the tracking failed and they couldn't capture and kill the Holy Son of the Tranquil Sect in advance, Wu Chang urged Jianxing and Lengshan to go to the Immortal Mansion to complete the trial.

"Go and come back quickly, don't delay. No matter how many levels you break through, you must return to Zhenyue City before noon tomorrow."

Hearing Wu Chang's urgent tone, Leng Shan said, "The two immortal abodes we chose are not close to Zhenyue City. Why are you in such a hurry? Could it be that you found a shared hidden quest outside of exploring the immortal abodes?"

Wu Chang nodded and said, "Yes, it is a shared hidden quest to explore the demon realm."

(End of this chapter)