Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

In a moment, the giant beast, which had almost solidified into a physical form, stomped its hooves and roared. Countless bolts of lightning in various colors, such as blue, white, red, black, gold, and purple, burst forth from its blue-green skin, forming a dazzling thunderstorm.

Like a dusty war drum, it was struck by boundless power, its sound shaking the entire land.

Stab it!

In an instant, the dark clouds that had gathered in the sky were torn to shreds, like a tattered cloth.

With the [Emperor Shun's Seal] in one hand and the [Mysterious Maiden's True Talisman] in the other, the First Emperor stood atop the ferocious beast Qiongqi, facing off against another figure high above the clouds.

That person had a tiger's head and a human body, and later grew nine tails.

Lu Wu? How did he get ahead of me?

Tamamo-no-Mae looked at the familiar figure in mid-air and couldn't help but show a look of astonishment.

No, that's not right!

Soon, the fox spirit who had been secretly observing the figure in the sky shook her head, overturning her previous speculation.

Even though Lu Wu has the authority to manage Kunlun Ruins, he is essentially just a chief steward and is far from being able to arbitrarily manipulate space.

So, this isn't him!

At least, it wasn't "him" from before...

Immediately, the pair of narrow fox eyes looked at the tiger tail behind "Lu Wu" which had seven solid lights and two illusory lights, and suddenly realized.

The tiger has a body and nine tails, and it governs the nine departments of the heavens. So that's what it means.

Kunlun Ruins is divided into nine levels. This Lu Wu Divine Lord has abilities similar to those of the Qingqiu Fox Clan. He can use a tiger's tail as a medium to transform into nine, while simultaneously guarding the nine heavenly gates and overseeing the entire immortal realm.

It is worth mentioning that the further down one goes, the closer one gets to the human world, the weaker the power of the divided spirit that Lu Wu forms becomes.

The higher one goes, the closer one gets to the abode of the Heavenly Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West, and the stronger Lu Wu's incarnation becomes.

Therefore, the person he had just encountered was Lu Wu, who was guarding the first floor, and he easily got rid of him.

The one in front of the First Emperor should be Lu Wu, who guards the sixth floor.

As for where the goalkeepers from the second to the fifth floor went, looking at the man and the god facing each other in mid-air, their auras sharp as knives, the answer is self-evident.

In just a quarter of an hour, the First Emperor broke through the six heavenly gates of Kunlun Ruins one after another, and pressed the Lu Wu Divine Lord of the first six gates to the ground with a hammer.

If I'm not mistaken, from the moment he entered Kunlun, His Majesty the First Emperor chose to force his way in, drawing his sword and engaging in combat, directly approaching the seventh level where Lu Wu's spirit descended to the mortal realm, only then was his advance slowed down.

Wow, no wonder he's the ruler of Qin, he's truly full of martial spirit.

Tamamo-no-Mae slipped out of the deep pit, distancing herself from the fierce battlefield. Watching the human and the god fighting back and forth in mid-air, she couldn't help but feel a smug look on her face.

Yes, yes, let's fight! I want to see rivers of blood!

Meanwhile, in front of a cold pool, a black-haired youth sitting on a blue stone fishing felt the continuous vibrations beneath his buttocks. He opened his slightly narrowed purple eyes, looked at the lake surface that was constantly rippling and the fish that were scattering in all directions, and sighed helplessly as he put away his line.

Looks like I won't be able to catch any fish today.

Chapter Fourteen: The Fisherman Never Goes Home Empty-Handed

Meanwhile, in the mountain valley on the north side of Kunlun.

"Why are you pulling me? Go help!"

With her shoulders being pressed down, Hinako looked at Samael beside her, frowning and asking with displeasure.

"help?"

The ancient serpent leaned against a gnarled and lush old tree, glanced at the two locked in a fierce battle in the air, and then turned its gaze to Akuta Hinako in front of it, asking her a mocking question.

"Whom are you going to help? The First Emperor of Qin, who ventured into the mountains with you, or the Divine Lord Lu Wu, who guards Kunlun?"

Upon hearing this, Hinako was slightly taken aback, then looked completely bewildered.

This question seems a bit difficult to answer.

Standing on the side of the First Emperor is tantamount to being an accomplice.

Standing on the side of Lord Lu Wu not only risks being accused of treason, but the other side may not even appreciate it.

Although they came seeking answers and had no intention of being enemies with Kunlun, they could not escape the charges of reopening the Heaven and Earth Connection and trespassing on Kunlun's territory.

That tiger head is notoriously incorruptible and ruthless, showing no mercy to even its own family.

"Instead of worrying about them, we might as well sit back and watch the show. They'll stop when they're tired of fighting."

Samael stretched and sat under the tree, speaking leisurely.

Hinako Akuta snapped out of her daze and instinctively asked a question.

"and then?"

"Stand on the winning side."

"..."

The unexpected answer made the celestial maiden's cheek twitch, and she glanced at the sly snake who had uttered those words with a smirk.

But soon, despite her outward disdain, Akuta Hinako, whose body language betrayed her true feelings, obediently retreated to the gnarled ancient tree, sitting side by side with Samael, and dutifully became a spectator.

"One?"

A whisper came from beside her ear, and a spherical drupe with a fuzzy surface and an orange-yellowish-red skin was tossed into Hinako's hand.

The rich aroma spreads, refreshing the mind and stimulating the taste buds.

As Akuta looked at the tempting fairy fruit in her palm, her throat bobbed, and she couldn't help but swallow, but her expression was somewhat hesitant.

The gardens north of Kunlun Mountain, where immortal herbs and spiritual plants are cultivated, are essentially the private property of the Queen Mother of the West.

Clearly, what he had was not of clean origin.

As a mere celestial maiden with a history of dereliction of duty and misconduct, her act of secretly picking and consuming celestial fruits only compounded her sins.

However, compared to the hesitant Hinako, Samael, as the ringleader, had no such reservations and was happily devouring the ripe fairy fruit.

Meanwhile, the little Yang Yuhuan beside him had already become an accomplice under the instigation of the adults, burying her little head and munching on the delicious fairy fruit in her hand until the juice was overflowing.

Well, after making such a commotion, none of the gods have shown up. It seems this place is truly abandoned.

Since it's already unclaimed, let's just eat it.

Soon, Hinako broke down her psychological defenses and took a big bite of the fairy fruit in her hand, perfectly blending into the trio of onlookers.

Watching the Kunlun Celestial Maiden being led step by step into depravity by him, Samael smiled mockingly, reached out and plucked a ripe celestial fruit from the gnarled ancient tree. As he tasted it, he narrowed his vertical pupils and looked the divine tree behind him up and down.

The crown is broad and flat; the bark is dark reddish-brown, becoming rough and scaly when old; the twigs are slender, hairless, glossy, and green, turning red in sunny areas, with numerous small lenticels; the conical buds are blunt at the tip, covered with short soft hairs, and usually grow in clusters of 2-3, with leaf buds in the middle and flower buds on both sides.

The fairy fruit in his hand looked very familiar, similar to a peach.

The difference is that this fruit contains a powerful vitality that can not only cleanse the body and mind of the consumer, but also greatly extend their lifespan.

Samael gazed at the fruit pit with its intricate patterns in his hand, his lips moving slightly.

"North of the Kunlun Enlightened Beast, there is an 'Immortal Tree,' also known as 'Sweet Wood' or 'Longevity Wood.' It produces an elixir of immortality, which, when consumed, grants longevity."

The answer is obvious: the thing in his hand is probably the "elixir of immortality" that grows on the tree of immortality.

The elixir of immortality that Yi obtained from the Queen Mother of the West was probably this thing, or a product of this thing.

Of course, it is usually called the Queen Mother's Peaches by later generations.

Its effects and functions are similar to the immortal herb of the Mesopotamian gods, the golden apple of the Greek gods, and the youth fruit of the Norse gods.

They even neglected to let these precious spiritual plants and seedlings grow unchecked.

It seems that something truly terrible has happened at Kunlun Ruins.

The ancient serpent tossed the purplish-red peach pit in its hand into the spatial array for safekeeping, its eyes gleaming eerily.

"Hey, who do you think will win in the end?"

After sitting for a while, the impatient Hinako, gazing at the intertwined thunderclouds and shadows in the sky, couldn't help but ask a question.

Samael, who had also received a peach from the Queen Mother of the West, answered without hesitation while munching on the fruit.

"If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the First Emperor of Qin."

"How is that possible! The person opposite is the Mountain Guardian Deity of Kunlun, who governs the Nine Departments of Heaven!"

As a member of Kunlun, Akuta Hinako couldn't help but retort.

"Divine Lord? So what?"

Samael shook his head and spoke indifferently.

"Even if you encounter the Emperor, you still have to kneel."

A thousand years ago, the four poles collapsed, the nine provinces were torn apart, the waters surged endlessly, and chaos and monsters rose up all over China.

Therefore, Yu the Great was ordered to control the floods and quell the chaos.

In response, Kunlun not only sent precious Xirang (a type of sacred soil), but also sent Yinglong and Luwu as his assistants.

At that time, the evil god Gonggong and the water ape Wuzhiqi used their divine power to bring a great flood from the west. The floodwaters reached as far as Kongsang, and they vowed to compete with Yu the Great. As a result, the entire Central Plains was turned into a vast swamp.

Yinglong and Luwu led the celestial beings in a counterattack, striving to resist the water god Gonggong, but Luwu and Gonggong were defeated in nine battles.

Subsequently, Yu the Great issued a decree to gather the gods at Maoshan to discuss the grand plan to conquer Gonggong.

From then on, Maoshan was renamed "Kuaijishan," meaning "gathering and discussing." Upon receiving the order, all the gods dared not delay and attended the meeting as scheduled, except for the giant god "Fangfengshi," who arrived late. Yu the Great, annoyed that he had disobeyed the order, beheaded Fangfengshi and displayed his head to the public, thus upholding discipline and intimidating the other gods.

Ultimately, Yu the Great, following the orders of Emperors Yao and Shun and inheriting the legacy of his father Gun, dredged the rivers to connect the four barbarian tribes and the nine provinces, traversed three hundred famous mountains, drove out Gonggong, defeated Wuzhiqi, killed Xiangliu, and cast the Nine Tripods to pacify China and bring peace to the nine provinces.

Because of his great merits, Yu succeeded Emperor Shun by abdicating the throne and was promoted to the position of Human Emperor.

Back when he wasn't yet the Human Emperor, Yu the Great dared to kill the giant god Fangfeng to uphold military prestige. Even the legendary god Luwu could only obediently serve as his subordinate.

Moreover, there is the human emperor, who possesses even greater power.

The First Emperor before us, though no longer holding the title of Emperor, still possesses the power of one, and he doesn't even give face to Emperor Shun, the superior of Yu the Great.

The Records of the Grand Historian, Annals of Qin Shi Huang, states: "When crossing the river, (Qin Shi Huang) arrived at the Xiangshan Shrine. A strong wind arose, and he almost could not cross. The emperor asked the scholars, 'What kind of goddess is Xiangjun?' The scholars replied, 'I have heard that she is the daughter of Yao and the wife of Shun, and she is buried here.' Upon hearing this, Qin Shi Huang was furious and ordered three thousand convicts to cut down all the trees on Xiangshan and bleach the mountain red."

Sure enough, the wind and rain stopped abruptly, and the First Emperor's path was no longer obstructed.

Of course, this operation only shaved Xiangshan's head, and ultimately did not destroy its temple, which can be considered as giving Emperor Shun some face.

But this glimpse into the past reveals just how powerful and influential the First Emperor was.

Compared to the ancestral dragon, who dared to destroy mountains and temples and banish ghosts and gods in a fit of rage, Lu Wu, the deity of Kunlun Mountain, was far from qualified.

Meanwhile, as Samael had predicted.

The battle between thunder and lightning was quickly decided.

The First Emperor raised the seal of Emperor Shun, facing Lu Wu from afar. The five jade-carved imperial heads slowly opened their eyes.

The overwhelming imperial power swept in like a landslide and a tsunami.

In an instant, Lu Wu, who was in the first place, was enveloped by a layer of five-colored light. As if struck by lightning, he stood there, unable to move an inch.

"Anyone who fails to bow before me deserves to be cut in half at the waist!"

With a nonchalant announcement, the First Emperor drew his Tai'a sword and slashed horizontally.

The sharp sword energy spread out like a bolt of lightning. Lu Wu only had time to roar before he was cut in two by the fierce sword light, and then turned into starlight and scattered.

But then, a roar filled with suppressed anger and fear echoed across the sky.

"Ying Zheng, how dare you!"

Under some kind of pull, the scattered starlight gathered again and solidified once more into the Kunlun God Lord with a tiger's head and a human body.

This time, all nine tiger tails behind him materialized, and his aura surged, clearly indicating that he had been forced to reveal his true form.

"Those who commit wickedness and blasphemy will not be spared!"

With a chilling growl, a fierce wind gathered, and Lu Wu, carrying the biting air currents, transformed into a hundred-foot-tall giant tiger, pouncing on the First Emperor, who was as insignificant as an ant.

Faced with the menacing Lu Wu Divine Lord, the First Emperor remained unmoved, sneering and shouting.

"Where is the Flying General?"

"Chen is here!"

A phantom figure with a face as red as a jujube and sideburns as sharp as a knife emerged from behind the First Emperor and responded solemnly.

"Bend the bow and shoot the tiger!"