Immortal of the Ages

After Empress Zhao spoke, she sighed deeply, her brows knitting with worry for her nation and her people.

"Spreading rumors is easy, quashing them is hard," she lamented.

At that moment, all eyes naturally turned to Yun Xiao, awaiting his response.

With a composed expression, Yun Xiao nodded and continued from where the Empress Dowager left off. "Among the people, there are evildoers; these scoundrels ought to be disciplined."

"Like I said, a favored son of heaven such as Sir Lu could not possibly be involved with a Divine Heaven grade high criminal. Those wagging tongues also need to be silenced," Empress Zhao remarked, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction as she watched Yun Xiao.

Afterwards, Yun Xiao took his seat to enjoy some dance and music, savoring the divine peaches and fine wine, before excusing himself on the pretext of needing to meditate.

As the celestial ladies bid him farewell, there was a hint of reluctance in their goodbye.

Descending from the Western Kunlun Palace, Yun Xiao’s expression grew cold.

"Has Sovereign Lu conspired with the White Emperor to eliminate you?" Yue Yin inquired.

"Shall we go rescue her?" Yue Yin asked again.

"Let's discuss this later," Yun Xiao replied, then soared back to the Thunder Department.

Facing the wind, he gazed towards the divine land of the Celestial Court, his eyes as indifferent as the night.

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Within Naraka, Celestial Demon Abyss, the Divine Desolation Sea…

This region of the Celestial Demon Abyss was the counterpart to the crater where the Devil Eye resided. It was where the celestial energy mutated into various types of desolation.

Elements like wind, fire, thunder, and ice struggled like fierce demons, battling endlessly in this vast sea of desolation.

This was the sacred region every demon yearned for.

The Celestial Demon Abyss once had a Demon Court to rule over it. But after continuous wars and accumulating resentments, the Great Mother was born, and everything changed.

The Great Mother conquered all!

Even the previously impartially distributed Divine Desolation Sea, under her absolute rule, became subject to her whims.

Most of the time, the Great Mother slept in the Divine Desolation Sea, determining who would live and who would die.

However, these past few days had been an exception.

Many celestial demons witnessed a young fox indulging himself in the Divine Desolation Sea, treating this sacred place as a bathing pool.

Yet, the Great Mother did not stop him; instead, she sat nearby in her eight-foot humanoid form, smiling as she watched.

She looked like a kind mother watching her son play in the water.

At first, these demons paid little mind, hardly concerned at all.

But soon, one among them noticed something astonishing.

"Great Mother," a burly figure said. His body was cloaked in darkness, shaggy with black fur, a visage fierce and framed by two large horns.

His hair was wild, tangled with black leaves, and from his palms and feet, black roots burrowed into the earth, marking him as an ancient tree demon.

"The Ancient Ent King has gone to see the Great Mother!"

The demons held their breath, watching anxiously.

The Ancient Ent King was a revered and venerable figure within the Demon Fairy Cave, respected by his peers for his wisdom and standing.

The Empress turned her head, seated high, gazing down at the Ancient Ent King, waiting for him to speak.

"Great Mother." The Ancient Ent King's brow furrowed slightly. "This is a savage demon whose mastery of desolation surpasses our understanding. Since he's entered the Divine Desolation Sea, he has broken through several major realms. In just two days, his spirit has almost manifested a golden astral body!"

This observation was not lost on many who were present.

"Yes."

"He has stolen quite a bit," the others echoed, their voices low, indicating the deep fear the Great Mother instilled in them.

"And?" the Great Mother asked in a casual tone that sent a shiver through the Ancient Ent King's heart, causing him to bow hurriedly. "Considering this demon was sent by the Chaos Sovereign, it might be a trap... However, I trust the Great Mother has already foreseen this and holds all strategies within her grasp."

"Exactly, exactly," the others muttered with nervous laughter.

"What this demon, that demon... How rude." The Great Mother stood up, her presence majestic, looking down at the Ancient Ent King. "He is my treasure."

"Huh…?" the Ancient Ent King felt no endearment in her words, only a lethal threat.

Indeed, as soon as the Great Mother spoke, her eight-foot frame swelled, her head transforming into a gaping maw that snapped shut on the Ancient Ent King.

"Great Mother, spare me! I was wrong!" the Ancient Ent King wailed miserably, trembling in terror.

Yet it was futile; the Great Mother's gaping maw was lined with rows of sharp teeth.

As she chewed repeatedly, the cries of despair from the Ancient Ent King dwindled and finally ceased within her mouth.

"Ptui!" The Great Mother spat out what looked like a chewed-up stalk of green grass, using it to pick her teeth before tossing it to the ground.

It was the Ancient Ent King's trunk, and its rings, which once marked the passage of many years, were now rendered meaningless.

A low hum spread among the celestial demons, who quickly bowed their heads, not daring to breathe loudly as they backed away, vowing never to speak ill of Moon Fairy again.

Their hearts twisted with nothing but fear.

The Great Mother didn’t bother to explain why she had devoured the Ancient Ent King.

After the deed, she transformed back into her humanoid form, her hair cascading in the air down to her waist, wearing a simple gray dress that barely reached her thighs. Her statuesque legs, towering over many a normal human's chest, embodied a sublime grace.

With the heaviness of a mountain but the litheness of a firefly, the Great Mother leapt towards the Divine Desolation Sea. Before she touched down, her lone garment fluttered away with the wind, revealing her eight-foot, exquisitely curved form bathed in a faint glow—utterly breathtaking, almost supernaturally so.

Despite the aggregation of corpses and without the Prison Warden Sigil to cleanse the deathly aura, her beauty was defiantly otherworldly.

SPLASH! Moon Fairy emerged from the Divine Desolation Sea, witnessing the majestic Great Mother with her black hair wildly dancing in the wind as she descended before him.

Moon Fairy stood a little over five and a half feet tall in his human form. He seemed diminutive compared to the usual beauties and especially so in front of the towering Great Mother.

"Uh?" Moon Fairy's line of vision was completely filled by the figure of the Great Mother. The scene was not charming but chilling.

Yet, Moon Fairy did not retreat. After all, he was actually Yun Xiao himself. He'd experienced all sorts of oddities, and built up a will that would not back down easily.

"Come, hug." The Great Mother beckoned with open arms, mustering a faint smile as she gazed solemnly at him.

"She's clearly off her rocker. Maybe some kind of emotional or cognitive decline from absorbing so many corpses or living so long..." Moon Fairy thought to himself. Despite his discomfort, he moved towards her.

Then, in one swift motion, she pulled him close, enveloping him in her embrace.

"Fluffy, my little darling." The Great Mother cooed as she caressed the back of his head, his fox ears, and tail.

"Great Mother, you're warm…" Moon Fairy murmured through gritted teeth, mimicking her style of speech in his reply.

The Great Mother chuckled—a sound pure and childlike, filled with delight. It was the first time anyone had ever called her, a conglomeration of resentments and corpses, warm. Her joy was palpable, and she released Moon Fairy, patting his head. "Go on, play. Swim."

"Yes. Great Mother." Moon Fairy didn't bother with the specifics; as long as he could continue absorbing the desolation without interruption, long live the Great Mother!

He had seen what had happened to the Ancient Ent King. He thought his cover was blown and had the Nian ready an escape plan, for it was more versed in demon magic than he was.

But it turned out he could stay? Well then, he had no plans to hold himself back!

So, under the uneasy and uncomfortable stares of the other demons, not only did Moon Fairy not perish, but he also continued to partake in the purest form of desolation they all coveted.

"It's going smoothly, isn't it? The body double in this Celestial Demon Abyss has caught the Great Mother's interest, and over in the Celestial Devil Abyss, that Devil Eye seems to have taken a liking to my blood slave."

Both cases were surprisingly similar! They had both caught the attention of the two overlords of Naraka.

"With the Mortal Dust Blood Calamity, you have to fight, kill, and refine blood to grow stronger. Meanwhile, enhancing the Divine Desolation Physique is much simpler—just having an ample source of desolation is enough."

If it was about speed, the Will of Divine Desolation was quicker.

Yun Xiao had been keeping up with the progress of the Will of Divine Desolation these days; it was only a lack of resources that held him back.

With the desolation in place, he was ready to soar!

So, under the affectionate gaze of the Great Mother, he dived deep into the Divine Desolation Sea to devour even higher quality Desolate Essence.

Some of this desolation was already classified as Dao Heaven or even Divine Heaven grade!

"Let's eat." Moon Fairy transformed into a six-tailed silver fox, his body a swirling vortex of silver, furiously swirling through the Divine Desolation Sea.