Under One Person, your rebellious life has reached the heavens?

"Li Yan Mountain...? I know that awful place. It's full of innate strange fires, and the Evil Soul Sea... wasn't it sealed away? How did the filthy things inside escape? And Tian Yuan... what kind of forbidden creature has been born there?"

The more Jade Cloud Immortal King pondered, the more uneasy he felt. The latter two forces mentioned by Elder Thousand Shadows were both forbidden zones of life, and the strength of their rulers was unknown, posing a considerable threat to their immortal race.

"Reporting to the Immortal King, the origins of that Ancient Emperor and the Mystic Venerable are as follows..."

Immediately, the old man gave Yu Xiao a general account of the recent changes that had occurred in the Eastern Wilderness.

"Is that so? Two masters of forbidden zones, plus the mountain lord of Li Yan Mountain, the three of them joining forces to assassinate Brother Taiyan, I'm not surprised..."

Upon hearing of the Xuanzun's feat of breaking through and trampling on a forbidden zone, Yu Xiao was greatly alarmed. Not to mention the root plague of the Evil Soul Sea in the Eastern Wilderness, which was a peak ruler that had ravaged an entire era. During its rampage, even the Immortal Race had to give way.

Now that things have come to this point, no matter how bad the situation is, it still has to be dealt with. Jade Heaven Immortal King put aside his distracting thoughts, glanced at the seven elders still kneeling on one knee, and said:

"Get up and come with me to the Imperial City. I have already summoned the other Immortal Kings, and we can discuss countermeasures in a moment."

"Yes, Lord Yuxiao!"

.........

The Primordial Imperial City is the most central city of the Immortal Clan. It is the only city outside the Ten Great Immortal Cities and also the smallest in scale. It is rooted deep in the Northern Divine Realm, with the Ten Great Immortal Cities surrounding it like satellites.

In the Immortal King's Hall of the Imperial City, one after another, the seats of Immortal Kings appeared as illusory images, gradually solidifying, with Yu Xiao among them.

Soon, about fifteen minutes later, only six figures descended from the ten Immortal King Thrones. Apart from the fallen Taiyan, three other Immortal Kings were unable to attend for some reason.

Even the usually silent imperial throne was now occupied by a gaunt figure with his back to the six Immortal Kings. His true appearance was hidden behind a waterfall-like curtain of three thousand laws, and it was clearly a projection left by the Immortal Emperor, who had come to preside over the meeting.

The six Celestial Kings who attended were named Yu Xiao, Shen Xiao, Tai Qing, Wu Gou, Hun Ri, and Qian Wu.

"What Taiyan did was on my orders, so the responsibility for this matter lies with me. I didn't expect to be so negligent..."

The Immortal Emperor's voice was weathered and aged; he immediately took the blame for this unexpected mistake upon himself.

"Is it for that sacred relic from Mount Liyan?"

The Immortal King Taiqing inquired and found that the young man was white-haired, with a cold expression, flawless face, skin like glass, and a near-perfect bone structure and physique. He was also the youngest among all the Immortal Kings, now 2,600 years old, yet his strength was not weak, enough to rank him among the top five.

"Yes."

"That's not all."

The Immortal Emperor nodded first, then changed the subject:

"I received some information that a supreme treasure from the once-destroyed forbidden zone, the Samsara Sea, was intercepted by Li Yan Mountain. However, given Li Yan Mountain's strength, they cannot activate either the sacred object or that supreme treasure, nor do they dare to do so. Therefore, I sent Tai Yan to try to bribe them and make promises to make them submit. If that failed, I would kill them. I never expected... such an accident to happen."

"Chieftain, you don't need to blame yourself."

Jade Heaven Immortal King sighed slightly and explained:

“We are all aware of Taiyan’s strength. Moreover, three of the clan’s supreme peak Dao Lords are accompanying them, along with twelve supreme Dao Lords. This is almost the most profound force of Taiyan Immortal City. With just the sixteen of them, they are more than enough to deal with Liyan Mountain. However, the two great powerhouses of the Eastern Wilderness were also involved, and both of them are Lords of Forbidden Zones, which is why we failed.”

"Clan Chief" is the title used by the Celestial Kings to address the Celestial Emperor. Within the Celestial Clan, the Celestial Kings hold the position of one of the Ten High Priests and Elders, second only to the Clan Chief.

"I just want to know, after such a bloody incident, should we continue the fight?"

Perhaps tired of the process, the Immortal King Hunri, seated in his seat, asked directly.

At the same time, He was prepared for war. He was the most bloodthirsty and warlike Immortal King in the Immortal Clan. He was physically strong, standing 35 feet tall. His flesh and blood were like divine iron, radiating a blazing blood aura. His speech and mannerisms were like the core of a walking star.

"That is the master of the forbidden zone. I am currently far away and cannot return in time. You, Hunri, are you confident in your ability to deal with him?"

The Immortal Emperor solemnly reminded him, neither supporting nor denying Hun Ri's actions.

In the history of the Immortal Clan, they were somewhat wary of the strongest figures in the various Immortal Realms, but not too much. However, the rulers of the forbidden zones who emerged every tens of thousands of years in each era to reap the rewards of the mortal world were regarded as equally powerful beings, whom only Immortal Kings could defeat, and who even posed a certain risk of perishing. They were not to be underestimated.

Of course, the rulers of the forbidden zones also fear this behemoth that monopolizes the Northern Divine Realm. Throughout history, beings from the forbidden zones have extended their tentacles to the four domains, yet they dare not overstep the sphere of influence of the Immortal Clan, which is enough to illustrate the delicate balance between the two sides.

In some special eras, the rulers of the forbidden zones were even pawns of the Immortal Clan, continuously attacking and reaping the power of various Immortal Realms and weakening the strength of numerous Daoist traditions in order to maintain the supreme status of the Immortal Clan.

Faced with the Immortal Emperor's question, the Hunri Immortal King fell into deep thought. After several breaths, he spoke again:

"I've killed the Lord of the Forbidden Zone before, so what's there to fear? It's just that there are too many of them. If I go alone, I'm not sure I can retrieve the sacred artifact and the treasure of the Reincarnation Sea."

At this moment, before the Immortal Emperor could say anything, the Immaculate Immortal King, seated in his seat, stroked his beard and slowly spoke:

"The forces of Li Yan Mountain and the Eastern Wilderness have never known each other before. Their ability to collude this time must have come at a great cost. Their sacred objects and treasures may have fallen into the hands of the ancient emperors and Xuan Zun. To deal with them, we need to borrow the power of other forbidden zones and various Dao lineages. Our Immortal Clan can take the lead and wait until they are fighting fiercely and the world is in chaos before striking in a flash to deliver the final blow."

“Elder Wugou is right, I agree to do so,” said Immortal King Qianwu.

"Some pieces that haven't been used for a long time can also be restarted. I believe those bloodthirsty dark creatures will be extremely interested in extending their lives..."

The six Celestial Kings discussed countermeasures, and the Celestial Emperor pondered for a moment before saying:

"This will be a massive war, and it will determine whether our Immortal Clan has a chance to become the overlord... As for the other three, I will inform them to return to the Immortal Realm immediately. Within a year at most, I will also be able to traverse the boundless starry sea and return to the clan."

"Until then, I'll trouble you to go and oversee the war. Use the restricted areas as you see fit, and just reject those that are unwilling to cooperate."

"Two Immortal Kings will remain in the clan to oversee the situation, while four others will go on expeditions. We must ensure that the world is thrown into chaos and that the four regions are ravaged by bloodshed."

The Celestial Emperor gave the order, and the six Celestial Kings obeyed it without question.

"I don't want you to stay here. I'm going to make a name for myself, drive out these outsiders, and exterminate them all."

The Celestial King Hunri sneered, his face beaming with anticipation. His blood was boiling, and he couldn't wait to start the war and annihilate those remnants who challenged the majesty of the Celestial Race.

Of course He had such confidence. As Immortal Kings of the Immortal Clan, each of them possessed one or two innate magical artifacts, making them incredibly powerful. With all four of them appearing together, plus the ruler of the Forbidden Zone of Life as their henchmen, there really weren't many forces in the Immortal Realm that could withstand them.

"Chief, I will go too."

Immortal King Yuxiao took the opportunity to volunteer, saying that he had a good relationship with Taiyan and naturally wanted to take revenge, and at the same time meet the so-called Lord of the Forbidden Zone.

"And I."

The Divine Firmament Immortal King also spoke up, saying that this was the strongest Immortal King among the Immortal Clan, whose mastery of killing techniques was unparalleled, almost on par with the Immortal Emperor. If it weren't for insufficient achievements and the fact that the Immortal Emperor was in his prime, he would also be qualified to compete for the throne.

The remaining Taiqing Immortal King and Wugou Immortal King were about to express their opinions when Qianwu Immortal King beat them to it.

"Taiqing is young, and Wugou is old. Let me take the last spot in the war against foreign enemies. Let me go in your place."

Qianwu smiled faintly, appearing very composed. If the Divine Firmament Immortal King was the strongest spear of the Immortal Clan, then He was undoubtedly the strongest shield of the Immortal Clan. The combination of the two was invincible.

"Then I will stay in the clan and await your news. If needed, I will certainly lend a hand."

Immortal King Wugou did not object, nor was he willing to compete with his juniors for the right to go to war, so he agreed. Immortal King Taiqing also closed his eyes and nodded gently, indicating that he had no objection.

"Okay, let's do it."

The Immortal Emperor's projection, seated behind a curtain of laws resembling a galaxy, slowly raised its head, gazing into an unknown direction, and spoke softly.

Chapter 660 Recruiting troops

Having received the mandate from the Celestial Emperor, the six Celestial Kings each rose and departed. They would not only go on their own expeditions, but also lead the generals of the Celestial Cities they guarded. Among the Supreme Dao Lords ranked below them were more than a dozen ultimate powerhouses at the peak of their realms, who were not much weaker than the strongest beings of any other Dao lineage in the outside world.

Inside the Hall of Immortals, the Immortal Emperor's projection slowly faded, handing over the power to initiate the war entirely to the six Immortal Kings.

Taiqing and Wugou began to awaken one magnificent mythical-level magic array after another in the area where the Northern Divine Realm bordered other great domains, entering a state of all-out war. These ancient arrays were built by the Immortal Clan through generations, totaling eighteen arrays. The source of each array was a huge living star, used to maintain the array's energy.

These life-bearing stars are extremely large and exaggerated. Originally, they were suspended in the sky, but the strongest Immortal Emperors and Immortal Kings of the Immortal Clan throughout the ages personally went to hunt them down, then compressed and refined them, spending hundreds or even thousands of years to forge them into the clan's protective formation.

During the Star Wars, the Immortal Clan possessed six such formations. When they were on the verge of extinction, they activated them in time to resist the counterattacks from the remnants of the extraterrestrial forces and their own territory. After hundreds of thousands of years of accumulation, the Immortal Clan's current foundation is even more formidable. The number of their protective formations has soared from 6 to 18, and their sturdiness is unprecedented, making them truly impenetrable.

It is more powerful and insurmountable than any forbidden zone for life!

While the two Immortal Kings, Taiqing and Wugou, were adjusting and organizing the supreme formation, the four Immortal Kings, Qianwu, Hunri, Yuxiao, and Shenxiao, returned to their respective Immortal Cities and arranged for their strongest Immortal Generals to be sent on missions to the four regions to reveal the secrets of Liyan Mountain: that they possessed the Eighty-Eight-Cornered True Flame Banner, a top-grade Immortal Weapon, and the Xuantian Coffin, which could extend lifespan by tens of thousands of years.

The four Celestial Kings then traveled to mythical lands in various regions, including the Central Plains, the Eastern Wilderness, the Western Sacred Land, and the Southern Netherworld. They entered forbidden zones where they had previously made deals, met with the masters there, and discussed the matter of harvesting the mortal world once again, as well as annihilating the ancient emperors and Xuanzun of the origin.

.........

Eastern Wilderness Forbidden Zone, Underworld.

This is a world filled with death, where the sky and earth are shrouded in a gray mist, and all kinds of decaying things, with only skeletons of living beings wandering aimlessly, and countless dead souls.

A vast river of souls swept across the ends of the earth, seemingly extending from the past to the present and then into the future, traversing the entire forbidden zone.

The River of Souls contains the souls of countless deceased beings, though it is not the final resting place for all beings in the Immortal Realm after death.

The so-called underworld is the ruins of an ancient star with life. In some unknown era, it was once an ancient star that hung high in the sky. However, due to a terrible civil war, it was almost destroyed and fell into the immortal realm, occupying a part of the world and polluting the original environment into what it is today.

Throughout history, the master of the underworld has been called the Underworld Emperor, the supreme being who rules over the countless souls within the underworld.

Recently, the underworld has been far from peaceful. A powerful figure under the Underworld Emperor, suspected to be a Martial Emperor from a certain generation of the Daye Dynasty, was nearly killed by the ruler of the newly emerged Cangtian Tree Forbidden Zone while protecting the foundation of his descendants. He fled back to the Soul River in a sorry state.

It was precisely because of this that quite a commotion was stirred up. Many ambitious dark beings, knowing the truth, tried to take his place and challenged him. In the end, seven dark beings with the potential to become leaders competed for the throne, killing each other to seize the top position.

The Emperor Wu, who came from the Daye Dynasty, killed three contenders and was then devoured by the remaining four. The four clashed again, resulting in three deaths and one injury. From then on, his position was taken over by a new king, who was given the title of 'Eternal Night'.

"Buzz!"

On this day, in the gray underworld, a celestial light suddenly burst forth, like the sun descending, illuminating heaven and earth. A tall and imposing figure strode forward, none other than the Jade Heaven Immortal King of the Immortal Clan.

"ah!!!"

"Ahhh!!!"

In an instant, mournful wails rose and fell. The dark creatures lurking in the shadows of the River of Souls were not even qualified to look directly at the Celestial King; their souls vanished in an instant.

With a loud "boom!", the thirteen giants in the restricted area were revived one after another. Looking at the god-like man not far away, their cunning and sinister eyes were filled with fear, apprehension and terror.

These giants felt a suppression emanating from the depths of their bloodline emanating from the man, a suppression that chilled them to the bone, making them almost unable to muster any thought of resistance.

"Where is your master? Bring it out."

Jade Heaven Immortal King looked around and felt that the underworld was filthy and disgusting. He did not want to stay for even a moment longer, so he urged the giants to awaken the Underworld Emperor.

"Reporting to Lord Yuxiao, the Underworld Emperor is currently in seclusion for cultivation, and we dare not disturb him..."

One of the most senior giants spoke respectfully, knowing the man's origins: he was a monster that even the Underworld Emperor feared and was powerless against, the king of the Immortal Clan!

The old giant's actions shocked many of the newly emerging giants. They never expected that this ancient being, the second strongest in the underworld, would be so humble and subservient to an outsider.

"Enough, step back, I'll do it myself."

Yu Xiao glanced at the old giant and said indifferently. Then, a mysterious tower-shaped magic artifact appeared in his left hand. With a slight tremor, an extremely terrifying immortal light burst forth from his hand, wildly attacking the surroundings and covering the entire underworld.

"Boom!!!"

"Boom!"

With just two beams of celestial light shooting out, like ripples on a tidal wave, the Netherworld teetered on the brink of collapse even before it fully erupted.

"This...this is impossible!!"

Some of the giants roared inwardly, unable to believe that their flesh, bones, and even soul were about to be shattered, and it seemed that the man hadn't even gotten serious yet...

Just as the third beam of immortal light spread, in an instant, dense death energy overflowed from the depths of the underworld, transforming into countless withered, gigantic hands that blotted out the sky and wiped away the light in a flash.

"what....."

"It's an old friend who's arrived. I'm so sorry for not welcoming him sooner..."

An aged voice slowly rose, it was the Underworld Emperor speaking.

With a sudden tremor, an old man on his deathbed emerged from the palace deep within the River of Souls. He was so thin that he was just skin and bones, leaning on a cane, and looked as if he might breathe his last at any moment. Yet, this very old man was the Underworld Emperor who had maintained the rule of the Underworld for over 60,000 years.

At this moment, a woman walked out beside him. Her pupils were cold and her aura was powerful. She was the successor chosen by the Underworld Emperor and one of his bloodlines. After the old Underworld Emperor passed away, she would become the new ruler of the forbidden zone.

"Old ghost, the treasure of the Reincarnation Sea that you asked me about back then has been found."

Jade Cloud Immortal King's words were astonishing, and suddenly the Underworld Emperor's turbid eyes lit up.

"Old friend, where is it? I thought it was in your hands, but it turns out I was wrong... I'm so ashamed."

"Li Yanshan."

Yu Xiao revealed the answer.

"Hmph... Interesting. It's the Strange Fire Clan from the Western Sacred Land. Logically speaking, you could crush them as easily as a lion hunting a rabbit. Why would you release such shocking news? Could it be that an old friend wants to take care of me?"

While probing, the Underworld Emperor secretly pondered. It considered itself quite powerful, having served the Immortal Clan as their lackey for tens of thousands of years, its displayed strength roughly equivalent to that of an ultimate Immortal King, worthy of the Immortal Clan's attention. However, the Immortal Clan's desire to incite it to act this time must have other reasons...

"Taking care of you? That's certainly part of it."

Soon, Yu Xiao told the Underworld Emperor about the incident of the immortal's death. Upon hearing this, the latter's expression changed slightly, and he suddenly realized that the king of the immortal race had tried to take the two supreme treasures but failed and was ambushed and killed by the Lord of Crimson Lotus Mountain, the Ancient Emperor of Origin, and the Eastern Wilderness Mystic Venerable.

"Old friend, do you want me, this old man, to deal with them?"

The Underworld Emperor was in a terrible predicament. This was a taboo subject that he could not touch. If the other party could kill the Taiyan Immortal King, he could kill him just as easily. As long as he dared to step into the fray, he would become a pawn of the Immortal Clan and would not even be able to control his own life and death.

Moreover, he knew the renown of the Ancient Emperor of the Root. He was born more than ten thousand years later than him, but at his peak, he became the source of calamity for the entire Immortal Realm, causing the deaths of countless Sovereigns and Dao Lords before the world-ending crisis was extinguished.

Even the Underworld Emperor wasn't 50% confident in dealing with such a powerful figure, only because he had aged and was no longer at his peak. Otherwise, he would still have a chance to fight him.

"I know what you're worried about. This time, it's not just you who's making a move; there are other forbidden zones, lineages, and several Immortal Kings from our Immortal Clan as well. With a personnel difference of several times, you still don't dare to make a move?"

Yu Xiao smiled faintly and asked the Underworld Emperor whether he was willing or not.