Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds

The youth in the green robe had a refined and elegant demeanor, his sleeves fluttering. At this moment, he floated above the altar in the spacious Imperial Palace, a divine aura enveloping him. Clouds and mists accompanied him, appearing much like an immortal ready to ascend. However, when his gaze met Emperor Hongchang's, it was like an unsheathed Treasure Sword, piercing and intimidating.

"Demon..."

"It's a demon..."

"The demon from this demonic tree..."

"Guards, protect His Majesty immediately!"

Stared down by this terrifying gaze, Emperor Hongchang's heart trembled in fear. He hesitated only for a moment before shouting for his guards to come forward and protect him. Earlier, he had issued an Imperial Decree to dissect this auspicious Immortal Plant and extract its heart for pill refinement. This "Demon" was born within the Mulberry Tree. Without a doubt, he already knew this "Demon" would not bear goodwill towards him. Would the Demon repay his malicious actions with kindness after he destroyed its life?

"You, as the Emperor... wish to kill me?"

Xu Xing swept his gaze over the people present. Seeing that other than the Yellow-clothed Old Daoist who had some traces of cultivation, the rest were merely ordinary folk brought him some relief, as it confirmed his earlier suspicions. The Yellow-clothed Old Daoist was merely a Ghost Immortal of the Third Tribulation, having barely reached the level of Night Travel.

Without waiting for Emperor Hongchang's response, Xu Xing revealed a smile. "Since Your Majesty desires to take my heart, then I, too, may take your heart."

With those words, he floated towards Emperor Hongchang step by step.

Despite their trembling courage, the Imperial Palace's Forbidden Army chose to stand in Xu Xing's way, but all their efforts were in vain. As Xu Xing approached them, they were flung away by a powerful gust of wind. By the time they regained their senses, they were already hundreds of steps from their original positions.

In less than half a breath, the dense rank of guards vanished in the blink of an eye.

Emperor Hongchang watched Xu Xing drawing closer with each step, his face turning pale with fear. "Immortal, I may have been greedy, but I have also worked hard for the people; I am a wise ruler..."

He defended himself, hoping to gain Xu Xing's forgiveness and escape his fate. Could a person live without a heart? It would certainly mean death. He had devoted so many years to tirelessly managing state affairs. To think he now faced death merely because of a fleeting lapse in judgment was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Not bowing to an Immortal, but attempting to kill one instead... You've lost your True Fate!"

Xu Xing shook his head without giving any further explanation. Whether Emperor Hongchang was a wise ruler or an Unenlightened Ruler, to him, the Emperor was the perpetrator who had brought about his own Human Tribulation, even if Xu Xing himself had set these events in motion. However, this time, he was not here to kill Emperor Hongchang. Instead, he was here to take back the "True Fate" that had been nurtured by his own Death Tribulation. A prophecy come true! Emperor Hongchang wanted to take his main body, the Mulberry Tree's, wooden heart to refine a pill. This was the cause of his "Death Tribulation." So, in return, Xu Xing would claim Emperor Hongchang's heart as his retribution—his "cultivation fruit," his "True Fate."

Once Ghost Immortals escaped their Physical Bodies and died, they would lose their fate. Heaven loathes and earth abhors them! To regain Yang energy and become living beings once more, they could only steal the fate of others. This was the meaning of the Human Tribulation. The principles of heaven and earth dictated that what one gives, one will receive. Emperor Hongchang could only blame his own greed and ignorance for the consequences.

Xu Xing's hand reached for Emperor Hongchang's left chest. With a light touch, a faint strand of purple qi detached from Emperor Hongchang's body and converged into Xu Xing's palm. Soon, the hazy purple qi transformed into a jade seal about an inch in size.

My heart is still here... The Immortal didn't take my heart. It's just that...

When Xu Xing withdrew his hand, Emperor Hongchang stumbled back several steps, falling to the ground. Clutching his chest, he could still feel his heart pounding steadily, but it seemed to have aged considerably.

"Your Majesty, your hair has turned white..." the Eunuch supporting Emperor Hongchang reminded him gently.

"My hair has turned white?" Emperor Hongchang was shocked, unable to believe it. He shook off the Eunuch's support and ran to the nearby altar. At this moment, he no longer feared Xu Xing, who was floating nearby. A bronze mirror had been placed on the altar as a ritual object. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. His temples were frosted with white. He appeared to have aged several decades in an instant.

「Dali Dynasty. Inside the Imperial Palace.」

"I am not a wicked person," Xu Xing said. "Although you intended to kill me, this disaster has ultimately benefited me. Now that I've taken twenty years of your Lifespan, the debt of gratitude and resentment between us is settled."

Xu Xing channeled the purple qi taken from Emperor Hongchang's body into the Elixir Talisman Aperture opened through his Ghost Immortal cultivation, using this purple qi as his own True Fate.

Once he had absorbed the purple qi, he opened his Dharma Eye and saw that his own Luck had transformed from a grayish-white aura to a purplish-red one. Deep within this purplish-red aura was a gleam of purple-gold light, wherein stood a golden Fusang Tree. On its branches perched a Three-legged Golden Crow, holding an Emperor's Seal in its beak...

Ghost Immortals possessed no True Fate of their own, so they could only plunder the True Fate of others and convert it into their own. However, he was different from ordinary Ghost Immortals; he possessed a unique One Life, Two Bodies constitution. His Golden Crow form already had its own True Fate. Fate is not like a rootless duckweed.

"All because of a fleeting thought... twenty years of my Lifespan..." Emperor Hongchang stared blankly, tears streaming down his face. Overcome by the sudden loss and unexpected gain, he actually felt a sense of gratitude towards Xu Xing. He had thought Xu Xing would take revenge and end his life. Yet, Xu Xing had only taken twenty years of his Lifespan, not his heart. No, it couldn't be said that he hadn't taken it. He just hadn't taken it completely.

"I thank the Immortal for sparing my life." Emperor Hongchang bowed deeply to Xu Xing in a grand gesture of respect. No matter how much discontent he harbored in his heart, on the surface, he had to express gratitude for Xu Xing's "mercy."

"You don't need to thank me," Xu Xing replied. "If you wish to express gratitude, thank Wang Wenzhen. If it weren't for his counsel to you, and the favor he showed me in the past, I... might not have restrained myself from resorting to a massacre."