"..."

Listening to the conversation between Xu Lai and the little child in the red belly band, the face of the red-robed man gradually darkened.

He was about to explode with rage!

As one of the most devout followers collecting incense for Great Emperor Jin Shi, he regarded him as a deity, absolutely not allowing any slightest insult from others.

Even if the other party was Great Emperor Qingfeng, it was unacceptable!

"Junior Zhou Cheng, please, Daoist Xu... grant me death!"

The red-robed man no longer even addressed him by Great Emperor Qingfeng's title, directly calling him Daoist Xu.

Xu Lai said nothing.

Sikong Jiu said earnestly: "You, a mere Celestial Venerable, haven't even stepped into the Immortal Venerable Realm, and you think you can call yourself a Daoist friend of The Supreme Emperor? You're not worthy, and neither is your Great Emperor!"

To kill someone with words.

This was indeed the art of killing with words!

Zhou Cheng's emotions surged violently, almost losing his breath and passing away on the spot.

Unfortunately, he was sprawled on the ground, extremely disheveled, his cultivation level had already fallen, and he couldn't do anything.

"Stop standing there in a daze."

Sikong Jiu lazily said, "Will you lead the way yourself, or wait for us to search your soul and find our way?"

Zhou Cheng gritted his teeth.

Though unwilling to admit it, his Great Emperor's strength was indeed inferior to Great Emperor Qingfeng's; otherwise, he wouldn't be secretly collecting incense.

Before an Emperor Realm cultivator, self-destruction was impossible.

Moreover, countless contingencies had long been prepared on his Great Emperor's star to prevent such situations.

After hesitating for less than a breath, Zhou Cheng said miserably, "I am willing to lead the way, but I request the Supreme Emperor give me a swift end."

"The Supreme Emperor..."

The soul of the old temple head trembled and kneeled down, tears streaming down, "The Supreme Emperor, I was wrong, please kill me."

"Go to the Heavenly Court to accept your punishment yourself," Xu Lai said calmly.

"The Supreme Emperor..."

The old temple head nearly fainted from fear.

The Heavenly Court.

Is the premier Tao lineage of the current Immortal Domain.

Three Quasi-Emperors, over a hundred Immortal Venerables at the peak, with countless Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, having an extremely strict standard of reward and punishment.

Betraying the Heavenly Court.

Selling incense.

Either of these is a capital crime invoking a thousand-year lightning punishment that implicates nine generations.

He.

Was done for.

...

...

In the Western Immortal Domain, extremely far from Tian Shui Star, was a dead realm nearly forgotten by people.

Except for a very few cultivators who come here once in a while to train in this desperation, it maintained a chilling silence year after year.

At this moment.

A massive black palace floated.

Inside the hall, innumerable sticks of incense of varying lengths were silently burning, with the power of incense fire swirling inside.

From the crack of the palace gate, one could only see a hazy silhouette in meditation.

This.

Was the Great Emperor of the ninety-eighth era, Great Emperor Jin Shi.

Outside the hall, two cultivators adorned in splendid attire and exceedingly beautiful stood on the left and right; one of them spoke:

"Master, this year's incense offerings are thirty percent more than last year's."

"It's a pity Zhou Cheng was delayed on the road, otherwise, there would have been even more incense."

If anyone else were here, they'd be bewildered because these two cultivators, though more beautiful than female cultivators, had male voices.

No one inside the hall responded.

One of the male cultivators covered his mouth and chuckled, "Master, Zhou Cheng is quite talented; every time he brings back the most incense, should he be rewarded?"

"Hoo."

The silhouette slightly trembled, and a magnetic voice that couldn't be distinguished as male or female came through:

"He is dead."

"Zhou Cheng is dead?!"

The pupils of the two male cultivators shrank.

Zhou Cheng was a Half-Step Celestial Venerable, already a significant cultivation level in the Immortal Domain.

With his cautious nature and always careful demeanor, he had never exposed any trace.

Unlike other followers who left many traces when collecting incense, sometimes requiring the Great Emperor to personally cover up.

Logically speaking.

Given Zhou Cheng's caution, plus the Array Jade Slip personally crafted by the Great Emperor, he should have had a chance to escape even when encountering a Quasi-Emperor Realm.

How could he suddenly die?

"He was discovered by Xu Qingfeng, he is coming soon."

"..."

The two male cultivators were shaken to their cores.

Great Emperor Qingfeng!?

Their world instantly darkened, seemingly collapsing, and one trembled, "Master, run... quickly run."

"Indeed."

The other nodded repeatedly: "We must flee!"

"Escape?"

A voice of resignation came from the hall: "The whole world is Xu Qingfeng's; where can we run to?"

"But this world was once yours, Master!"

"Ha, once it was indeed..."

Great Emperor Jin Shi self-mockingly chuckled, took a deep breath, absorbing all the incense inside the hall, then stood up and walked out, revealing her true form.

She was a woman.

At first glance, her appearance was quite ordinary, but at the second and third glance, one would become deeply enchanted.

Her eyebrows were a light gold, and she looked into the distance with a calm demeanor.

There.

Two figures were gradually approaching.

It was Xu Lai and Sikong Jiu.

"Tsk tsk."

Sikong Jiu marveled: "I originally thought, those who survived would be the stronger ones like Wangmu and Shifeng."

"They became emperors several eras ago; without The Other Shore's False Death Pill, even with the incense extending their lives, they couldn't have lived to the present."

Great Emperor Jin Shi spoke.

As for the incense path, Great Emperor Wangmu and Great Emperor Shifeng were at the pinnacle; she was merely a latecomer.

"There are False Death Pills in Cloud Water Rust," Xu Lai said.

"Sure enough."

Great Emperor Jin Shi's face showed a momentary daze: "There was a rumor an emperor once extracted elixirs from Cloud Water Rust to extend their lifespan, I had thought..."

After a moment.

She laughed at herself: "Even if I knew, so what? That's Immortal Scripture, few could decipher it."

"There are eight False Death Pills in Cloud Water Rust, and I have three of them," Xu Lai said.

Great Emperor Jin Shi's eyes were filled with shock: "You can decipher Immortal Scripture?"

"Not me."

Xu Lai's gaze softened: "It's my wife."

"What is her Great Emperor name?" Jin Shi's expression grew serious.

"She just reached the Golden Core Realm."

"Daoist Xu, if you don't want to say, you don't have to lie to me," Jin Shi squinted her eyes.

"Why would I lie to you?" Xu Lai said, puzzled.

"..."

Great Emperor Jin Shi fell silent.

Carefully pondering, it seemed indeed true, Xu Qingfeng had no reason to deceive her.

The False Death Elixir she had been arduously seeking truly was hidden in Cloud Water Rust characters, and while other emperors found five, three were obtained by a Golden Core Realm cultivator!

A tinge of bitterness surfaced in her heart: "What kind of extraordinary woman is Daoist Xu's Dao companion, I truly wish to meet her."

"Oh, right, my wife recorded thirty-six Cloud Water Rust characters. She also deciphered the second character, which is one of the Three Realm Gates' coordinates."

"...?"

Great Emperor Jin Shi was momentarily stunned: "Daoist Xu, did you come today for incense or to brag about your Dao companion?"

"Both."

"A pity it is."

Great Emperor Jin Shi sighed lightly: "Daoist Xu is about to face a Karmic Tribulation, I fear... you won't be able to make it to old age with her."

"Indeed, it is a pity."

Xu Lai said: "So, I have been searching for Tian Gui Yuan Yin, but he keeps hiding without coming out, and coincidentally, you stole my incense."

"..."

Great Emperor Jin Shi took a deep breath.

Squeezing out a brilliant smile: "Daoist Xu, if I said it was a misunderstanding, would you believe me?"