Chapter 250: Secret Talk, Ten Thousand Realms Battlefield
At the thought, Dongsheng Yu couldn't help but shiver.
Since ancient times in Cangyun Realm, only two individuals had ever stepped into the domain of Immortal Venerable. One was Shang Cangyun and the other was Zhao Tingxian. Explore more at empire
Zhao Tingxian's rise to power had been less than a thousand years, a frighteningly short time given his level of cultivation.
The same was true for Shang Cangyun. It had been only sixty to seventy thousand years since the first Great Tournament of Ten Thousand Sects in Cangyun, hardly a beginning compared to the lifespan of Immortal Kings, which typically spanned several millions of years.
He was not even a common Immortal King but stood at the very pinnacle among them, being the youngest Heavenly Judge in the history of the Immortal Alliance, commanding the laws of punishment, vested with the power to judge the heavens.
Shang Cangyun had the authority to execute first and report later over any cultivator below the rank of Immortal Venerable in the Immortal Alliance. With a single word, he could kill, his power overwhelming.
If in such a short span of tens of thousands of years Shang Cangyun could grow to this extent, it was implausible to assume that there were no unknown secrets behind...
For a moment, Dongsheng Yu's thoughts surged like a tide.
Chu Zheng was but an ant that had not yet grown into its full potential. How could he have attracted the attention of a mighty Immortal King who even made a special trip to solve his troubles and avert his disasters?
Could there be some common link between Shang Cangyun, Zhao Tingxian, and this Chu Zheng...
Linking it to the recent rumors within the Immortal Alliance, Dongsheng Yu's heart tightened and she bowed her head even lower.
If she showed any signs of oddity, she was truly worried that Shang Cangyun would personally execute her on the spot.
"Transmitting a false order with the intent of secretly harming an Immortal Seed is a capital offense. However, considering your merits in battle and the significant contributions of the Shengling Wood Clan, I will spare your life today,"
Shang Cangyun's voice echoed once again under the starry sky, as unruffled as before:
"Your cultivation of a thousand years will be severed, you will suffer sixty lashes, and you must go to the Punishment Authority to receive your punishment."
"Thank you, Heavenly Judge, Dongsheng Yu will accept the punishment,"
Dongsheng Yu bowed her head, her gaze slightly focused,
The loss of a thousand years of cultivation was bearable, but sixty lashes was a rare and heavy punishment. After healing for a thousand years, she might not fully recover, and her cultivation foundation could even be shaken.
But at this moment, she had no choice but to accept it.
After respectfully kowtowing, Dongsheng Yu did not dare to linger and turned to leave, vanishing without a trace.
After her departure, Shang Cangyun raised his hand and drew a curtain across the sky, isolating Chu Zheng within and away from the ten directions of the starry sky.
After his pointing, the Immortal Light covering his side gradually faded, revealing his true appearance.
He seemed incredibly young, looking not even twenty at a glance, his hair bound in a wooden crown, wearing a pale blue robe, his face handsome, eyebrows extending into his temples, and eyes deep black like lacquer, his demeanor gentle like the morning sun's radiant light.
"Thank you, Cangyun Immortal King, for your assistance."
Chu Zheng bowed respectfully, his gratitude mixed with a hint of surprise. He had prepared for the worst, considered many possibilities, but had never expected Shang Cangyun to come.
"I received a message from my clan; someone had lit a Blood Talisman to signal me, hence my arrival."
Shang Cangyun waved his hand and spoke in a leisurely tone: "This is not a projection, just a strand of my soul's consciousness. To arrive quickly, I have already expended a lot of energy, so let's make this brief."
His tone was very gentle and he even refrained from referring to himself as 'this king,' showing a sense of closeness.
Chu Zheng nodded repeatedly, focusing intensely and listening carefully.
"You need to leave the Immortal Alliance's territory as soon as possible; you cannot linger here any longer."
Shang Cangyun spoke earnestly, issuing a warning:
"Your Qi Refining cultivation is still shallow, and Tribulation Qi has not yet gathered into form. This is why you have been able to repeatedly escape from deadly threats. As your cultivation deepens, fewer things will threaten you, but no matter what tribulations you face, they will inevitably be linked to the Immortal Alliance eventually."
Upon hearing Shang Cangyun's words, Chu Zheng's expression stiffened immediately. Shang Cangyun's knowledge of him was far deeper than he had anticipated.
Moreover, it seemed Shang Cangyun had a profound understanding of the Qi Refining Lineage's tribulations, which greatly surprised him.
If Tribulation Qi became difficult to digest in a short time within the Immortal Alliance, it would surely draw various troubles from the Immortal Alliance.
To Chu Zheng's confusion, Shang Cangyun did not rush to explain, instead he continued in a soft voice:
"Take Dongsheng Yu, for instance. I did not have the strength to kill her, leaving behind a future problem for you. I cannot help you sever this causal thread. It has already affected Court Immortal, even posing a threat to me."
"What do you mean, Immortal King?" Chu Zheng's complexion changed slightly. "Why would it involve Zhao Tianzun?"
"Because like Court Immortal and myself, you come from Cangyun Realm. Your extraordinary pace of cultivation is already enough to attract the interest of certain Immortal Kings and even Emperors."
"The path that Court Immortal and I have taken differs from that of other immortals. He harnessed the power of myriad spirit incense, capitalizing on the time differential in the Chaos Sea, advancing his cultivation on the Incense Fire Divine Path to feed back into his immortal journey, thereby soaring high into the sky. However, his haste for success made him expose his tracks too soon."
"I did my best to cover for him, to buy time, but it also drew suspicion, putting me in a quagmire now, making it difficult to extricate myself. If this continues, I won't be able to stay within the Immortal Alliance much longer either."
Hearing this, Chu Zheng's heart chilled. The predicament Shang Cangyun faced could be far worse than that of Zhao Tingxian and himself.
As a Heavenly Judge of the Immortal Alliance, Shang Cangyun's duties bring him to battlefields across the Myriad Heavens and Realms. There would be no place for him to stay.
If his cultivation advances further, stepping above that of an Immortal King, he would not be able to enter the Chaos Sea, and at that point, he might find no refuge in heaven or earth.
Unless...
Seeing the calmness on Shang Cangyun's face, a spark flashed suddenly in Chu Zheng's mind.
The Vast Universe!
If the Great Universe had no place for him, facing enemies everywhere, then the Vast Universe would undoubtedly be the last resort.