In the east of Revered Ancient, the Devilbird holy land was suspended above the grand spell formation set up by humankind and the Firemoon Darkheaven people. The holy land looked incredibly magnificent. From a distance, it looked circular, and was so enormous it was akin to an entire region.
The holy land also featured two enormous statues, one on the east side and one on the west side. They resembled two huge wings! And they were angled up so that they looked exactly like wings would look when being unfurled.
Inside the holy land, Xu Qing and Erniu sped along. Looking at one of the enormous wing statues, Erniu said, “Those are the Grand Emperor dao altars of the Devilbird holy land! Based on information from the memories of Feng Lintao and Yue Dong, I have a pretty good understanding of how the Devilbird holy land is laid out.
“It’s divided into eastern and western lands. There’s a Grand Emperor dao altar on each side, which supports them culturally and spiritually. Unfortunately, in recent days, the dao altar in the east, that of Grand Emperor Netherflame, has begun to dim....”
As Erniu spoke, Xu Qing listened and eyed the distant dao altar. Though it was far off in the distance, the altar was so magnificent that it was clearly visible. Just as his Eldest Brother was describing, the wing-shaped dao altar seemed to be losing its luster. It was dark. Dull.
“Just like the eastern Devilbirds, it’s bleak and desolate.” Eyes narrowing, Erniu looked to the west and said, “Things are different in the west. Over there, Grand Emperor Devilbird’s dao altar is dazzling and eye-catching to the extreme. Its light shines over the entire holy land.
“Because of that, the western forces are dominant. The western Devilbirds are powerful and glorious. The eastern Devilbirds are dispirited and weak.” Erniu turned to look at Xu Qing. “Of course, that’s good news for us. The weaker the eastern Devilbirds are, the better.”
Xu Qing nodded in agreement.
“Of course,” Erniu continued, “you probably ought to know about the various factions and organizations to be found in the east. There are three ancient clans here. They were around when the holy land was founded, and they’ve lasted until now. The Lan Clan is one of them.”
Xu Qing had to admit he knew almost nothing about this holy land. What was more, Erniu was the one who usually handled intelligence reports. It was almost a routine for Erniu. Therefore, during the month that had passed, he had poured through quite a few reports.“In addition to the three great clans, the east also has nine Imperial Sovereign mountains. Together, they form an allied faction.”
“Imperial Sovereign mountains?” Xu Qing said, looking at Erniu. Just the mere mention of Imperial Sovereigns caused his ears to perk up.
Erniu nodded. “A mountain that has an Imperial Sovereign is naturally referred to as an Imperial Sovereign mountain. There are nine of them, with six of those Imperial Sovereigns being apprentices of Grand Emperor Netherflame. Only people who achieve that Imperial Sovereign cultivation base breakthrough qualify to establish their own Imperial Sovereign mountain.”
Xu Qing thought for a moment, then asked, “Eldest Brother, remember that Lu Lingzi fellow? He called himself the tenth apprentice of Grand Emperor Netherflame. But now you’re saying there are only six apprentices with Imperial Sovereign mountains?”
Erniu grinned. “Yue Dong’s memories contain all the information about that. Lu Lingzi has three Elder Brothers who perished a long time ago. The Imperial Sovereign mountains only belong to living Imperial Sovereigns. If one perishes, the mountain goes away with them.”
Xu Qing nodded. It made sense.
Seeing that Xu Qing had no further questions about the Imperial Sovereign mountains, Erniu took a deep breath, and his eyes glittered with anticipation. “Alright, little Ah Qing. We’ve talked about the three ancient clans and the nine Imperial Sovereign mountains. There’s another superpower organization among the eastern Devilbirds. And it’s an organization you and I are actually familiar with. It's called the Immortal Skills Hall.
“It carries on the legacy of the immortal skills from the time of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity. In the holy land, they train certain cultivators to use those skills. Cultivators like that are called immortal adepts.
“Yue Dong’s Master was the grand immortal adept of the current generation, and ran the Immortal Skills Hall. However, years ago, after he accepted his legacy, and after Yue Dong mastered Six Thieves Deceive Life, he passed away into meditation. What’s more, because of the decline of Grand Emperor Netherflame, the eastern Devilbirds’ Immortal Skills Hall has also grown weak.
“Yue Dong’s original plan was to use Feng Lintao’s legacy to turn her immortal skill into authority. If she succeeded, then she could return triumphantly, become the grand immortal adept, and lead the Immortal Skills Hall to prominence once again. Obviously, accomplishing that would have given her a very different status than before.”
Erniu sighed in a very regretful manner. “Yue Dong accomplished the first step in her plan. Given how much she’s done for us, I'm naturally obliged to help make her dream a reality. Therefore... what I need to do next is become the grand immortal adept and take over the Immortal Skills Hall.”
Erniu thumped himself on the chest and grunted proudly.
Xu Qing mostly ignored his Eldest Brother’s expression of regret and his declaration of grand ambitions. Instead, he looked toward the western Devilbird area. “Eldest Brother, what are the western Devilbirds like?”
Erniu’s expression turned serious. “The western Devilbirds are led by a Grand Emperor. They have five ancient clans, twelve Imperial Sovereign mountains, and quite a few important sects.... They also have their own Immortal Skills Hall. And the main immortal skill they pass down is called Five Dogs Cleave Immortals!”[1] 𝙍á𝐍Ȯ𝐛Ɛᶊ
Erniu said nothing further.
Meanwhile, Xu Qing was visibly taken aback. The name of this immortal skill was strange to say the least.
However, after a moment, his eyes glittered. “Six Thieves Deceive Life. Five Dogs Cleave Immortals.... It seems like these two legacy immortal skills are actually part of the same system.”
Erniu nodded. “Based on Yue Dong’s memories, I can tell you that the two Immortal Skills Halls of the Devilbird holy land carry on the legacy of one of the most deadly immortal skills from the time of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity.
“The original immortal skill had a very long name. It was called the Three Poisons Four Vipers Five Dogs Six Thieves Seven Banes Eight Evils Myriad Depravities Magic! [2]
“The Devilbird holy land only controls two parts of that larger immortal skill. Supposedly, the reason all living beings are stuck eternally within the Three Realms is that they suffer endless bitterness that can never be escaped. And the source of that bitterness comes from the following: the firing of three poisoned arrows; the bite of four vipers, the plundering of five dogs; the terror of six thieves, the ransacking of seven banes, the constraining of eight evils, and the gathering of myriad depravities.
“The three poisons are foolishness, love, and desire. Renouncing life and choosing the heart. That is called foolishness. Having a thing, then letting it go, yet continuing to obsess about it. That is called love. Coveting feminine charms. That is called desire. These three things can cast the heart into chaos. That is what it means to be mortal.
“The four vipers are putrefaction, rage, jealousy, and envy. Ignoring benevolence in others. That is called putrefaction. Being angry but holding it in. That is called rage. Fearing that others will surpass you. That is called jealousy. Seeing someone’s goodness, but not using it to safeguard their splendor. That is called envy.
“The five dogs are stinginess, greed, foolishness, depravity, and austerity. The inability to abandon things. That is called stinginess. Having insatiable desire. That is called greed. Renouncing the rules of life. That is called foolishness. Arguing without understanding the facts. That is called depravity. Renouncing the three paths of hell before attaining lifelessness. That is called austerity.
“As for the seven banes and eight evils, Yue Dong doesn’t really understand them. Her memories are mostly focused on the western Devilbirds’ Five Dogs Cleave Immortals.
“That particular immortal skill can be summed up in this way: the stingy dog cleaves to a place and loses treasure; the greedy dog cleaves to a place and is bound; the foolish dog cleaves to a place and falls into death; the depraved dog cleaves to a place and falls into hell; the austere dog cleaves to a place and forever loses the body.
“It sounds like a very extraordinary magic. If we can get this Five Dogs Cleave Immortals from the western Devilbirds, and afterward think of a way to get the other immortal skills from the other holy lands... then we could put them together! And then, we could use it on anyone who rubbed us the wrong way!
“And the result would be them feeling, very, very uncomfortable!”
Erniu’s eyes shone with anticipation.
Even Xu Qing was starting to feel a bit of anticipation. That said, it was also obvious how much his Eldest Brother was looking forward to the possibility of having a complete immortal skill. He was just about to open his mouth to say something when his eyes suddenly seemed to become vacant, and his expression empty.
Eyes flashing coldly, Erniu stopped in place and turned to look off into the distance, a frown on his beautiful face.
Rumbling sounds could be heard from the horizon. They started off weak, but gradually became like the beat of a drum, causing winds to scream as mountain-toppling, sea-draining force surged in their direction.
The wind was the color of blood. Within it was a young man in a blood-colored robe, pulsing with the cultivation base fluctuations of a seven-world Smoldering God. He had bright red hair that, combined with the stench of blood that surrounded him, made him seem unusually fierce.
As he neared, he shouted, “Prepare to die, Yue Dong!”
His voice echoed like thunder as he shot toward Erniu and Xu Qing.
Erniu’s lovely eyebrows shot up. However, instead of dodging out of the way, he took out a Wordless invisibility seal. At the same time, something glimmered within Xu Qing’s vacant eyes.
He wasn’t sure who this newcomer was, but the man had an extraordinary cultivation base. And given that he dared to directly attack Yue Dong, he was obviously someone important.
An instant later, the tempest arrived. The young man in the blood-colored robe pulsed with a killing intent that caused the blood-colored clouds to seethe around Xu Qing and Erniu.
Lightning cracked within the tempest. A moment later, the crimson clouds churned violently as a blood-red figure became visible within. It seemed like it was about to break out into the open, but then two god vines snapped out, wrapped around him, and jerked him back inside.
The figure struggled, but it was all in vain. And before he could cry out, a delicate hand reached around him from behind and clamped down onto his mouth. In the end, he couldn’t stop the vines from dragging him back inside.
Next, the fluctuations of Six Thieves Deceive Life pulsed out of the blood clouds, spreading in all directions. They grew increasingly magnificent.
However, that was when powerful ripples appeared off in the distance as a fancy war chariot pierced through the sky. Behind the chariot were numerous bodyguard cultivators, all of whom pulsed with the somber and desolate aura of war veterans.
Then, someone shot out of the chariot and flew toward the crimson clouds. It was none other than the young man in the fancy robe who was obviously an admirer of Yue Dong.
He looked very anxious as he shouted, “Sir Blood Dust! How dare you lay a finger on Miss Dong'er! I'll kill you! Cultivators, heed my command! This deranged and psychotic Sir Blood Dust has conspired against me! Lock down this area and put Sir Blood Dust to death!”
The surrounding warrior cultivators pulsed with killing intent as they shot toward the blood clouds.
By that point, the young man in the fancy robe was already on the edge of the blood clouds. “Fear not, Dong’er! I'm here to save you!”
1. There is some serious wordplay in Chinese when it comes to this technique that I’m rendering as Five Dogs Cleave Immortals. I’ve managed to convey some of that wordplay in the English rendering, but not all, as there are actually three levels of wordplay that cannot all be ported into English. Everything will be explained later in the narrative and by means of footnotes. ☜
2. I'm fairly certain this takes the record for the longest name for a magical ability in anything I’ve ever translated. ☜
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