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

Chapter 465 Remains of an Immortal
Upon receiving the message, Wu Chang did not rush to the appointment, but instead met up with the players first.

He called Zhenwo aside and, in front of all the players, returned the Wind Feather that he had borrowed earlier to Zhenwo.

Then he pretended to communicate telepathically with Zhenwo before leaving with Eileen.

Seeing the three high-ranking members of the Humanitarian Alliance leave, the players finally snapped out of their standby mode, their faces beaming with excitement.

During Wu Chang's mission reconnaissance, they had already received a notification that the mission was completed.

Throughout the entire exploration of the Demon Realm, even those who merely followed along and went through the motions, such as the negotiation master, Booker, and Veronica, all gained 450 contribution points, the status of a manager in the Humanitarian Alliance, and a second-level battle merit.

This was more than satisfactory to them.

Even the proud and arrogant Ma Jia had to admit that He Ping was indeed superior to him in terms of conquering dungeons.

Lengshan and Jianxing, who entered the world instance earlier than everyone else, received rewards second only to Wu Chang, and were very satisfied with that.

Although they contributed some effort in the battle, their attacks were mostly against demon guards who lacked fundamental power, hardly even a warm-up.

In contrast, the rewards they received were outrageous. Even disregarding the hidden world dungeons they discovered within Calabash Mountain, the actual settlement rewards alone were more valuable than the rewards they received for conquering the Immortal Abode.

Judging solely from contribution value, if they hadn't connected with Wu Chang, even if they conquered the Immortal Abode, they would still be overtaken by Booker in the player contribution value ranking.

Choice is more important than effort, and this applies to the Abyss game as well.

The two looked at the Wind Feather in Heping's hand; their rewards paled in comparison to Heping's.

No wonder He Ping could grow to this level in just one hundred days in the Abyss Game; he takes the benefits from the dungeons like it's robbery.

Wu Changzhen noticed their gazes, walked towards the group, and asked:
"Are you all satisfied with the results of this mission?"

Everyone immediately nodded, including Leng Shan, the former number one game-changer in the Wilderness Realm, who had no complaints about the mission rewards.

Players like Bai Ma, who were inexperienced and had never seen much of the world, couldn't help but say:
"As expected of a hidden side quest, such a generous reward for just one quest."

After hearing this, Wu Chang shrugged, thinking to himself that everyone was quite content.

In his view, Lu Changgeng's reward for completing the hidden side quest was so meager that it was practically begging for food.

The hidden side quests triggered by "Perfectionism" are not so stingy. Under the same world view, the hidden side quests he triggered in the "Peaceful Years" dungeon directly rewarded him with the Soul Cleansing Flag.

Through completing the hidden side quest, he also obtained the B-grade upgradeable item, the Shadow Face, from Chi Yuan.

He had thought that only a reward of this level would be worthy of a hidden side quest, but judging from Leng Shan's reaction, it seemed that there were differences between hidden side quests.

The hidden side quests triggered by "perfectionism" seem to be more well hidden.

Seeing that everyone was so satisfied with the reward, he said:
"Just now, Sect Leader Tang said there's a task we need to do, related to activating the Ziwei Exorcising Array. Is anyone willing to go?"

Without hesitation, everyone present agreed immediately.

Even if there are no rewards for completing tasks related to the Ziwei Exorcising Array, they can still increase the dungeon exploration progress. Even if they don't increase the dungeon exploration progress, they can still be considered as establishing a relationship with Headmaster Tang.

Along their journey, they had already gained some understanding of the power structure of the Humanitarian Alliance and the balance of power between the human and demon races.

Sect Leader Tang is an Earth Immortal, and one who can defeat Demon King-level BOSSes. Even if he isn't the strongest fighter in the dungeon, he's definitely in the top three. Building a good relationship with such an important native is an extremely valuable resource.

Wu Chang immediately assigned the task of activating the twelve earthly branches to everyone.

Activating the array's core is a Celestial Fate quest, which should be completed by the person who obtains the Celestial Fate, and it may be somewhat difficult.

For safety reasons, Leng Shan, Jian Xing, Shen Zhi She, Ma Jia, Sha Yi Bo Huang, and Ying Zi each took charge of one of the array's key points.

The remaining group consists of the Negotiation Master and the Clay Doll, while the group consists of White Horse, Booker, and Veronica. Each group is responsible for one key point in the formation.

With the addition of his own and the three array points reserved for Meng Yawen, all twelve earthly branches were divided out.

Following his inspiration, Wu Chang assigned the corresponding Earthly Branches to the group before heading to Zhenyue Villa to meet Emperor Zhaoning.

On his own side, he bid farewell to An Rong and had just returned to his residence with Eileen when someone knocked on the gate.

He knew without even using his senses that Lü Changgeng had arrived.

Opening the door, Lü Changgeng, wearing a bamboo hat, entered the courtyard. He had barely sat down when he asked what had happened in the demon realm, not even bothering to make tea.

Lu Changgeng was so concerned about the matter of the Demon Realm, yet he hadn't mentioned it at all in front of Emperor Zhaoning and the Elders' Council, and had even steered the focus towards Feng Zhiyu. It was unclear whether he was wary of Emperor Zhaoning, the Elders' Council, or both.

Wu Chang said:

"The operation went very smoothly. We entered the Demon Realm along Dongshan Lake, and then we saw the Celestials using a secret technique to take out a mechanical carriage that the Great Xuan had never seen before."

"The mechanical carriage is spacious and does not require animal traction. It is entirely driven by machinery, moving like the wind. It can traverse mountains, forests, and swamps as if walking on flat ground, and can travel tens of thousands of miles a day. Our ability to explore the demon realm so quickly is thanks to that mechanical carriage."

Lu Changgeng hadn't seen the machine car in person, but just hearing Wu Chang's description made him marvel.

"The methods of the Celestials are indeed miraculous. I just wonder if the Celestials can leave behind the method of making this chariot when they leave the Great Xuan."

Wu Chang clicked his tongue. Not only did he withhold the rewards from the Celestials, treating them like thieves, but he also tried to extract benefits from them. The leader of this Humanity Alliance should indeed be Lü Changgeng.

He didn't reveal that the Wind Demon King had gathered the black winds within his domain to lure everyone close to Calabash Mountain; he only said that, with the blessing of both literary and martial fortune, they fought the Wind Demon King for hundreds of rounds.

During this time, they discovered a weakness in the Wind Demon King. With the help of the Celestials, they took advantage of the Wind Demon King's inattention and killed it with a single blow.

Wu Chang finished speaking, and Lü Changgeng didn't interrupt, except after killing the Wind Demon King, when he asked:

"After you eliminated the Wind Demon King, did you explore the Demon King's territory?"

Wu Chang said:

"This is why I promised the Feather of Wind to Peace. When the Azure Feather Bird was dying, he used a secret technique to find out how to enter the interior of Calabash Mountain."

Hearing this, Lü Changgeng's eyes lit up. He grabbed Wu Chang's wrist and said urgently:
"How do you get into Hulu Mountain? What did you see inside the mountain?"

Wu Chang looked down at Lü Changgeng's hand, which was gripping his. Lü Changgeng was too excited to hide his emotions, and Wu Chang could clearly sense that Lü Changgeng's true strength was no weaker than that of the Fire Demon King.

This old fellow has been keeping things to himself all along; only now is he using the aura of divinity to get him to reveal more information.

He pretended to be intimidated by Lü Changgeng's imposing manner and said:

"The Azure Feather Bird said that the Calabash Mountain is the place where the Demon King's legacy is passed down. The demonic energy inside is so strong that ordinary cultivators cannot get close."

"There are only two ways to enter: either you must meet the rules of the Demon King's inheritance, or you must have a destiny to become an immortal and a firm will."

The method to enter the land of the Demon King's inheritance is not difficult. Even if Wu Chang didn't tell him, Lü Changgeng would be able to figure it out quickly when they attacked the Demon Realm later.

Therefore, before meeting Lü Changgeng, he prepared to tell Lü Changgeng about these things.

Lü Changgeng pressed further:

"Have you gone in?"

Wu Chang said, "My wife, Tai Sui, He Ping, and I have all gone inside."

Upon hearing Wu Chang's description, Lü Changgeng seemed to transform into a different person, instantly relaxing.

He released Wu Chang's hand, picked up the teapot that had just boiled on the stove, and leisurely began to brew tea.

He said, "Sect Leader Tang, I admit that your strength and that of the Celestials has exceeded my expectations. I never imagined that you and An Rong could reach this point, be able to kill the Demon King, and enter the Land of Inheritance."

Sensing Lu Changgeng's transformation into a villain who had prematurely revealed his identity, Wu Chang frowned slightly and exchanged a glance with Eileen.

What does this mean? Is the mastermind behind this about to be exposed?

But the world instance hasn't even officially started yet, and you're already revealing your identity and getting killed by my husband and me. Wouldn't that mean the other nine thousand players who qualified for the world instance would have their instance cleared before they even entered it?

Wu Chang didn't object to the dungeon boss deliberately coming to the newbie village to feed the players, but after all, this was a world dungeon, and everyone had waited so long. Many players had risked their lives in the qualifying dungeons to earn the qualification for the world dungeon.

The fact that the world instance ended in such an anticlimactic way is quite inappropriate.

Does this do justice to the ordinary players who expect to soar to great heights?

Even if we treat them fairly, we would still be letting down the Light Society, who put in a lot of effort to infiltrate the world's dungeons.

Seeing that Eileen had slightly shifted her body, blocking Lü Changgeng's retreat, Wu Chang asked in a puzzled tone:
"What does Alliance Leader Lü mean?" Lü Changgeng shook his head slightly, poured a cup of tea for Wu Chang, and said:

"Now that there are only the three of us, why should Sect Leader Tang continue to pretend?"

"Tell me, what did you see inside Hulu Mountain?"

Lu Changgeng told Wu Chang that he didn't need to pretend, and Wu Chang was very interested in this suggestion.

Imagine an early part of the story where a villain disguised as a righteous antagonist tries to kill the NPC who is helping the player, only to discover that the NPC is actually a powerful being and is instead killed. This development sounds pretty good.

But his intuition told him that things wouldn't unfold that way, and the necessary procedures had to be followed.

So he took the teacup and said frankly:
"Tang saw an ancient altar for worshipping heaven inside Hulu Mountain."

Lu Changgeng picked up his teacup and asked:

"and then."

Wu Chang said, "Perhaps it's because humans and demons are different. The Calabash Mountain we entered only had an altar for worshipping heaven, and nothing else?"

Lu Changgeng's teacup stopped in mid-air as he stared blankly at Wu Chang.

The two stared at each other for almost a minute before Lü Changgeng finally couldn't help but ask:

"Sect Leader Tang, since I have asked this question, why continue to play dumb with me?"

Wu Chang said, "Not a single word of what I said is false."

Lü Changgeng: ...

After a brief silence, Lü Changgeng took a deep breath, crushed the teacup in his hand, and grabbed Wu Chang's collar.

"You're saying you didn't see the remains of immortals at the sacrificial altar?!"

Meanwhile, at Zhenyue Villa, I, Wu Changzhen, repeated the same words to Emperor Zhaoning.

Emperor Zhaoning and Lü Changgeng had similar reactions. After learning that they had entered Hulu Mountain, they repeatedly confirmed whether they had seen the remains of immortals inside.

Wu Changzhen pretended not to understand and said:
"What exactly are the remains of the immortals that Your Majesty speaks of?"

Emperor Zhaoning's reaction was less intense than Lü Changgeng's. He accepted the reality Wu Chang described in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and said:
"The gentleman obtained a divine destiny in the Tianquan Immortal Mansion, and Tang Wuchang also obtained a divine destiny in the Kaiyang Immortal Mansion."

"Among those who are traveling with you, sir, there are two celestial beings named Leng Shan and Jian Xing. They have received the inheritance of the Immortal Mansion, but they have no immortal affinity, only true meaning. Aren't you curious about the reason for this?"

Wu Chang said, "There are no relevant records in the Immortal Abode. Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

Emperor Zhaoning said, "Because the immortals from other immortal abodes did not return to their immortal abodes, but remained in the Altar of Heaven for the Sacrifice."

"If one did not die in the immortal abode, how could one leave behind a celestial destiny that could guide others onto the path of immortality?"

This time it was Wu Chang's turn to be surprised. He asked:
"The immortal remains Your Majesty speaks of, are you referring to the immortals in the Seven Star Immortal Abode?"

“That is indeed the case,” Emperor Zhaoning said.

Emperor Zhaoning stood up, paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, and said:
"Without the immortal's remains, Lü Changgeng's plan is likely to fail."

Wu Chang wondered if it was just his imagination, but he sensed a hint of schadenfreude in Emperor Zhaoning's tone.

"Will the failure of Alliance Leader Lü's plan affect the demon-slaying operation?"

Emperor Zhaoning said:
"If the celestial beings don't come, the demon-slaying effort will likely be in vain. But the celestial beings are incredibly powerful and have profound methods. With a celestial being like you, sir, assisting us, the demon-slaying will probably not encounter too many setbacks."

Wu Changshun asked:

"Your Majesty, may I hear about Alliance Leader Lü's plan?"

Emperor Zhaoning said, "It's nothing but a dream, I might as well tell you."

As Emperor Zhaoning described the situation, and combined with what Lü Changgeng had said to the original body, Wu Chang gradually understood why Lü Changgeng's discovery that there were no immortal remains in the sacrificial altar made him so vulnerable.

The story begins before the outbreak of the Demon Realm. Lü Changgeng, relying on the decree issued by the immortal, began to learn about the sacrificial ceremony and the existence of the Heavenly Gate.

As one immortal abode after another was unearthed, their understanding of the ancient battle deepened.

As the seven most important array eyes in the Ziwei Exorcising Array, the master of the immortal mansion where the array eyes are located was the one who initiated the battle against the demon race.

Combining the decrees of the immortals, the records of the immortal abode, and the description of the Ziwei Exorcising Array in the Book of Earth, Lü Changgeng's small group deduced a fact.

That was the method by which the human race won the war between humans and demons. The Seven Stars created the Earth Sacrifice Ritual and the Ziwei Exorcising Array, based on the Heaven Sacrifice Ritual.

He used the Ziwei Exorcising Array to break through the demon realm, and then led the other immortals to invade the demon realm and reclaim the four altars where the sacrificial ceremony was held.

After reclaiming the altar, they restarted the sacrificial ceremony to heaven and earth, performing the sacrifices to heaven and earth simultaneously, which finally sealed the demon race away.

Although the human race won, it was a Pyrrhic victory.

The Seven Stars were almost entirely wiped out. Those who died in the Demon Realm used their corpses to guard the sacrificial altar and maintain the seal on the demon race.

The Seven Stars, who survived, were too badly injured in the battle and were exhausted, so they had to return to their celestial abode to await death.

At the same time, the ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth sealed the Heavenly Gate where the demon race was located, which also sealed the spiritual energy of the plane, causing the spiritual energy of the world to weaken.

When spiritual energy disappears, immortals become terrestrial immortals, their strength greatly diminished, and they fall from immortality.

For this reason, the immortals who survived the great war could only take their talented disciples out to sea to search for overseas immortal mountains where spiritual energy existed.

They trained successors on overseas sacred mountains so that when the demon race broke free of the seal and reappeared in the world, their disciples could return to their homeland to subdue demons and protect the righteous path.

Lü Changgeng's deductions were aided by the contents of the Earth Book, and Emperor Zhaoning took the opportunity to figure out his plan while he was exploring the contents of the Earth Book.

The reason why the demon race is so powerful is that they stole the Heavenly Gate in ancient times.

The four altars built around the Heavenly Gate were originally intended to eliminate the four calamities, but they have become the place where the demon kings obtain the power of the four calamities.

What Lü Changgeng was after were the remains of the immortals guarding the four places of inheritance.

His confidence in reopening the Heavenly Gate stemmed from his intention to collect the remains of the four immortals. Combined with the immortal techniques bestowed upon him by the celestial beings, he would detonate the remaining power within the four immortal remains, blasting away the demon race entrenched in the Heavenly Gate and simultaneously blasting it open once more.

The four remains of immortals are the bodies of true immortals. Even after thousands of years, the immortal power they retain is incomparable to that of earthly immortals.

Only this level of immortal power can reopen the Heavenly Gate. Without the remains of the immortals, even if Lü Changgeng and the others self-destructed, they would not be able to shake the Heavenly Gate in the slightest.

Without the remains of the immortals, the hope of opening the Heavenly Gate and ascending to the Immortal Realm is shattered. No wonder Lü Changgeng broke through the great defense.

After hearing Emperor Zhaoning's description, Wu Chang felt that there was something wrong with Lü Changgeng's plan, so he asked:

“I am not questioning His Majesty’s information, but when the Seven Stars were still alive, they were powerless to eliminate the demon race and reopen the Heavenly Gate. How can Alliance Leader Lü, with only the remains of four immortals, possibly kill the demon race in the Heavenly Gate and reopen it?”

Emperor Zhaoning said:
"The Seven Stars' seal on the demon race is not only to imprison the demon race within the Heavenly Gate, but also to weaken their power."

"Without spiritual energy, immortals will weaken and cease to live. Without demonic energy, demons will also cease to live and their lifespan will be shortened."

"During the sealing period, the demon race within the Heavenly Gate was already extremely weak. In addition, the Demon Realm appeared ahead of schedule, leaving them no time to recover their strength. The power of the four immortal remains may not be without a chance of victory."

"Back then, Qixing left his body on the sacrificial altar to maintain the immortal energy in his body with the incense from the sacrificial ceremony, in order to completely eliminate the scheme laid by the demon race."

After listening, Wu Chang fell into thought. If everything was as Emperor Zhaoning said, then Lü Changgeng's plan did have a chance of success, but he still had one last question.

"Your Majesty, since the demon race within the Heavenly Gate has not yet recovered its strength, why did they bring the Demon Realm to the world prematurely?"

Emperor Zhaoning looked at Wu Chang with a half-smile and asked in return:

"What do you think, sir?"

Wu Chang wanted to say he didn't know, but remembering what Lü Changgeng had said—that only he and Emperor Zhaoning were present—he saw no need to feign ignorance and said:

"The Demon Realm appeared ahead of schedule, which was the work of Alliance Leader Lü."

Emperor Zhaoning laughed and said, "Sir, you are truly a celestial being."

(End of this chapter)