Dao Companions Help Me Live Forever

Chapter 294: Capturing Jinpeng, Plotting for Reveal

The spacious hall was filled with unease.

The imposing aura of Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, gradually subsided, but his spirit remained tense to the extreme, as if he had the urge to flee at the slightest provocation.

"President Bai, I have had a close relationship with you for a long time, but I never expected our first meeting to be here. Where is True Monarch Jiuyue? Why isn't she here?" Jinpeng asked.

He felt that President Bai, who dared to meet him so boldly in the presence of the four Monster Emperors, was either foolishly arrogant or extremely confident, disregarding the threat posed by the four Monster Emperors.

Based on their previous two confrontations from a distance, President Bai was clearly the latter.

Therefore, even though they could be considered enemies, Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, did not rush to fight him. Instead, he immediately looked for an escape route and identified any hidden threats.

Yu Xian smiled and said, "If you didn't attack me right away, it seems that choosing you was the right decision. As for True Monarch Jiuyue, she has other matters to attend to and is not here."

Upon hearing that Nascent Soul cultivator True Monarch Jiuyue was not present, Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, regained his lost courage, and his eyes turned cold.

"If I remember correctly, you and I have a deep-seated grudge. Aren't you afraid that I will personally take you down?" he threatened.

Not only did he say this, but he also acted on it.

True Monarch Jiuyue was a Nascent Soul cultivator, and he admitted that he was not her match. However, this True Monarch, who had just ascended, dared to act arrogantly in front of him, the Monster Emperor. It was simply a matter of not knowing the severity of the situation.

Although he was a stray dog, he was not someone anyone could easily handle.

Before his words could even settle, Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, had already disappeared.

A violent wind swept through the hall as the Monster Emperor's domain expanded rapidly, enveloping the space in all directions. Blades of wind instantly formed, resembling flying swords descending to turn Yu Xian into a hedgehog.

At the same time, a giant claw seemed to pierce through space, cutting off all of Yu Xian's escape routes.

The Monster Race was not proficient in Law Treasures, not because they couldn't use them, but because they were confident that their physical bodies were their most suitable weapons.

Although Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, was known for his speed, his pair of claws had been tempered countless times and were already comparable to the purest attack Law Treasures. Even if a mountain stood in front of him, it would be easily crushed by his claws.

However, Yu Xian remained calm and only glanced in the direction where Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, disappeared.

Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, was fast, but not faster than his divine sense.

In an instant, the space seemed to freeze, the swirling wind solidified, and the wind blades slowed down and made no progress.

Time seemed to stop at that moment.

The Monster Emperor Jinpeng, who had transformed into a raging wind, suddenly saw a pair of eyes in front of him.

What kind of eyes were they? Indifferent and ruthless, high above all, even he, the Monster Emperor, seemed like an ant in comparison.

He had personally seen the Phoenix Demon Lord and even received his bestowed name.

But he swore that even the eyes of the Demon Lord were not as terrifying as these.

The space in front of him shattered in an instant, his escape technique was forcibly interrupted, and his figure fell out, feeling as if his brain had turned into mush, with a faint pain deep in his soul.

Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, stood dumbfounded in place, and a green feather shadow appeared behind him, then shattered inch by inch, turning into light.

Among the Monster Race, except for a few races with naturally strong souls, most Monster Race members were not as proficient in using their souls as cultivators of the same level among the human race.

After all, gaining something meant losing something. The Monster Race excelled in physical bodies and had strong vitality, so they were slightly clumsy in terms of soul manipulation.

Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, was well aware of this and naturally put effort into this aspect.

The green feather on his body was bestowed by the Phoenix Demon Lord and contained the power of the Demon Lord, protecting his soul from external attacks.

But just now, he couldn't completely withstand the divine sense attack from this True Monarch Jiuyue, and he suffered a small impact.

The significance behind this was extremely significant.

In an instant, a deep fear rose in Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor's heart.

This person was absolutely unbeatable!

"It seems that you are willing to have a good talk with me now," Yu Xian said with a faint smile, completely looking down on Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, as if he didn't even consider him a threat.

With his current strength, as long as Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, didn't flee, he had full confidence in defeating him directly.

Moreover, with his expertise in divine sense attacks, the astonishing divine sense attack, which gathered countless fragments of the Heavenly Dao's will, had already transcended the limitations of secret techniques and ranks.

It could be said that it was his strongest means at the moment.

Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, being able to easily withstand his divine sense attack was somewhat unexpected.

However, these Monster Emperors who had lived for thousands of years had some life-saving methods, which was normal.

Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, also had a particularly stable personality.

Indeed, not assassinating him last time was the correct choice. Otherwise, if the attack had missed, there would have been retaliation from Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, and even he would have a headache dealing with it.

Yu Xian's thoughts were spinning in his mind, but his tone and actions were extremely dominant.

Instinctively, Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, took a step back, and his demonic power gathered again. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "What do you want?"

"I have already said that I just want to have a chat with you," Yu Xian replied.

Seeing this, Yu Xian knew that his previous move had initially subdued Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor.

No matter how much Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, was influenced by human culture, deep down, as a Monster Emperor, he still adhered to the law of the jungle, where the weak are prey to the strong. Without displaying some muscular strength, he would not gain respect and recognition.

Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, unwilling to appear weak, coldly snorted, "What do you want by teaming up with Jiuyue, the True Monarch, to drive me here, and now you say you want to chat with me? The human and monster races are enemies, what is there to talk about? Or are you just trying to play with me?"

Yu Xian shook his head and said, "I have no ill intentions towards you. In the previous battle, we were just fighting for our own sides. As for your bloodline descendants, I let them go. Doesn't that prove my sincerity?"

Thinking of the several descendants who had come to seek refuge, Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, furrowed his brows.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked.

Yu Xian replied, "Let's talk about your future."

Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, was somewhat impatient with the other party's tricks, but given the other party's dominance just now, he could only remain silent for now.

However, Yu Xian acted as if he hadn't noticed. If Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, was willing to listen to him, then there was no need to worry about him not being interested.

He continued, "As far as I know, you are not enthusiastic about the beast tide, nor do you want to fight to the death with human cultivators. It's just because of the curse in your bloodline that you have to maintain this tradition."

It can be said that the bloodline curse is the root cause of the conflict between me and you.

If the curse in your bloodline can be completely suppressed or even lifted, I believe you would be willing to coexist peacefully with us."

Upon hearing this, Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, interrupted with a mocking smile, "If the curse of the Monster Race could be lifted, the Lord of Monsters and the Jiuyang Immortal Sect would have done it long ago. Even the Lord of Monsters can only derive methods to slightly suppress the curse. I admit that you are powerful, and I am no match for you. But can you compare to the Lord of Monsters and the combined strength of the Venerables and many great cultivators of the Jiuyang Immortal Sect?"

Yu Xian didn't mind and said, "Let's assume that as a premise for now. After all, we're just chatting, and anything is possible. If there is a way to lift the curse for you, what price are you willing to pay?"

"Of course, I would give everything and spare no effort," Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, replied.

Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, casually replied.

He secretly adjusted the soul injuries he had just suffered. With the protection of the Qingling Feather, these injuries would heal in at most half an hour.

By then, his chances of escaping would be even greater.

At the very least, he could awaken the other three Monster Emperors. Once the four Great Monster Emperors joined forces, even this powerful True Monarch would have to retreat.

Yu Xian smiled and said, "That's good. Then I propose that in exchange for your hundred years of freedom, you will be at my command for the rest of your life. This small price, I believe you will be willing to pay, right?"

Seeing Yu Xian's serious expression, Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, had no choice but to play along.

"Forget about a hundred years, even if it's two hundred years or five hundred years, what does it matter?"

Yu Xian shook his head. "I only need a hundred years."

Saying that, he looked at Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, with a piercing gaze and handed him a beast contract, which looked like a golden scroll of great value.

This kind of beast contract that could restrain powerful Monster Emperors was extremely expensive, and the materials were hard to find. Even he could only prepare one in a short period of time.

Faced with the contract that was within arm's reach, Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, looked at Yu Xian with a dumbfounded expression.

"President Bai, do you really think you can deceive me into signing a contract with just empty words? Do you really think I'm a fool in the mountains and forests?"

"How is it just empty words?"

Yu Xian smiled mysteriously as the blood-colored domain under his feet slowly expanded.

"I ask you to carefully sense it."

Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, instinctively wanted to escape from the domain of others, but considering the opponent's strength, he did not act immediately and allowed the domain to envelop him.

Slowly...

Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, went from rejection to adaptation, and then actively sought the power within.

His pupils contracted, and his expression gradually became shocked.

"How is this possible?!"

Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor, gritted his teeth fiercely, using great willpower to keep himself awake.

The secret technique that the Qinghuang Monster Race had pursued for thousands of years had actually appeared before him.

"Do you not fear that I will reveal this secret technique to others? When that happens, both the Demon Sovereign and the Human Venerable will come looking for trouble."

This kind of technique that suppressed the curse of bloodline was unheard of. He realized that even a Venerable would be tempted by its benefits.

"I trust the reputation of Jinpeng, the Monster Emperor."

But as the voice sounded, runes appeared one after another in the surrounding space, almost covering the entire palace.

However, from the outside of the palace, it was quiet and calm, without any waves.

He dared to meet the Monster Emperor Jinpeng, so how could he be unprepared?

As early as when Monster Emperor Jinpeng was enjoying himself with wine, he had quietly set up the Rank Four Mist Prison Formation using his Divine Ability, enough to temporarily restrict Monster Emperor Jinpeng's extreme speed.

Without extreme speed, Monster Emperor Jinpeng was just an ordinary Middle Grade Monster Emperor, and his life and death were in his hands.

Monster Emperor Jinpeng immediately felt a heavy pressure and threat.

At the same time...

The golden contract unfolded slowly in front of Monster Emperor Jinpeng once again.

The tempting voice, combined with the subtle influence of the Divine Ability, gradually shook Monster Emperor Jinpeng's mind.

"A hundred years of time in exchange for the freedom of the remaining bloodline. Sir, you are a true spirit bloodline and should be able to soar between heaven and earth, pursuing unlimited freedom. How can you be trapped in the hatred between humans and demons and unable to extricate yourself?"

After a long time...

The hall was quiet.

Yu Xian had left without him knowing when. Monster Emperor Jinpeng stood in place, touched his forehead, and a golden rune flashed and disappeared, hiding deep in his soul.

...

In the following days...

True Monarch Chongming still did not wait for reinforcements.

Instead, the attacks from Monster Emperor Gao Si became more fierce, completely treating the Demonic Beasts under his command as enemies. As long as he could weaken the power of the formation a little, he would unhesitatingly send them to their deaths.

At the same time, the four Great Monster Emperors attacked from the four directions of Tiancheng.

True Monarch Chongming was already overwhelmed, even with the help of the formation. He could only run around, barely preventing several Monster Emperors from breaking into the formation.

However, some Demonic Beasts still managed to break through the weak points of the outer formation.

True Monarch Chongming was being restrained by the four Great Monster Emperors, and only the cultivators in the city could deal with it alone, paying a heavy price, just barely driving away the group of Demonic Beasts.

But the destroyed formation was threatened by the outer Demonic Beasts, and there was no time to repair it. They could only watch as the group of Demonic Beasts gradually consumed the outer area of Tiancheng.

Two months later...

One of the four guard cities of Tiancheng was lost, and the cultivators who didn't have time to retreat to the main city were almost completely wiped out. The area where Tiancheng was located was enveloped in thick blood, death, and resentment.

The broken grand formation emits a bright light.

The group of Demonic Beasts retreats like a receding tide, leaving behind a large number of corpses of their kind, allowing them to rot and emit a foul stench.

These odors, mixed with the breath of the deceased humans, have become miasma, poison gas, corroding the spiritual veins' ability to supply spiritual energy.

The spiritual veins have the ability to self-purify and continuously generate spiritual energy.

If there is no external interference, it will soon be able to clean up these poisonous miasma and transform them into pure spiritual energy.

But in such a crisis, the protective city formation requires a continuous supply of energy from the spiritual veins. The excess purification becomes the last straw that breaks the camel's back, and the protective city formation begins to lack energy supply.

True Monarch Zhongming senses the intentions of the Monster Race, but he has no way to deal with it and can only watch as the spiritual veins are gradually contaminated.

He looks into the distance as the setting sun sinks, suddenly feeling infinite loneliness and desolation.

"The setting sun is infinitely beautiful, but it is only near dusk."

"Am I really going to die here?"

True Monarch Zhongming was born with Dual Pupils and was originally a handsome man, but after the battle with the Monster Emperor, his lifespan greatly diminished and white hair began to grow.

But in the more than a year since the arrival of the Beast Tide, the Monster Emperor has returned, and he has been exhausted in dealing with it, with his vitality constantly diminishing. He is like a seventy or eighty-year-old man, slightly hunched, with black spots crawling on his face. Only his Dual Pupils flicker with brilliance, proving that he is not yet senile.

"Gu Tong, activate the Hidden Dragon Plan."

He gives orders to an old man behind him.

No one ever thought that one day, the Heavenly City of Zhongming would be breached by the Monster Race, and no one ever thought that the Profound Yang Sect would stand by and watch without helping. Therefore, the direct line of the Gu family lives in the Heavenly City of Zhongming, while only the collateral branches are outside.

Of course, at this moment, there is no difference between the direct line and the collateral branches.

The humans outside the Heavenly City have long been exterminated by the Monster Race, and only one in ten can escape.

But the Gu family has a heritage of thousands of years, and their bloodline has already spread throughout the entire Xuan Yang Realm. They will not easily perish.

True Monarch Zhongming believes that one day, there will definitely be descendants who awaken their bloodline and prove to the world once again that the Illusory Pupil Profound Body is not inferior to humans.

And the Hidden Dragon Plan is to preserve the fire seed of the direct line as much as possible, especially the chosen successor of the next generation True Monarch Zhongming, Gu Qingqing, who has awakened the Thousand Illusion Spirit Body. Although it is not as mysterious as the Profound Body, there is still some hope of breaking through the Nascent Soul realm.

The old man has long been aware of the Hidden Dragon Plan, but like True Monarch Zhongming, he is waiting for hope.

But hope is always just hope.

They cannot entrust their fate to the unknown. While they still have the strength to fight, they still have a chance to break through the encirclement.

Once the protective city formation is completely breached, everyone will die.

So the old man didn't advise, he just silently followed the order and left.

...

But True Monarch Zhongming didn't know that the hope they were waiting for had already arrived months ago.

They stood in the shadows, quietly watching as the Tiancheng of True Monarch Zhongming was gradually breached, but they remained indifferent.

"Shouldn't we make a move?" Yuejiu asked.

Yu Xian shook her head slightly, "Wait a little longer."

Yuejiu frowned, "I think they can't hold on much longer."

Yu Xian said, "When people are full, they don't care about a steamed bun. Only when they are desperate and hungry, and you offer them a steamed bun, can you gain their gratitude a thousandfold. Only at this time will they be willing to risk their lives for a glimmer of hope."

Yuejiu's expression turned cold, "I don't like this kind of calculation."

Yu Xian said calmly, "It was True Monarch Zhongming who calculated first. He didn't mention that Monster Emperor Gao Si invited two other Monster Emperors to help. If we had come to the rescue without knowing, we would have been ambushed by those two Monster Emperors. What good would come out of that? Following True Monarch Zhongming's example, if we fail to kill any of the Monster Emperors in one strike and let them escape, we will be in endless trouble. I don't want to wait until the day I return to Dacheng and hear the news of the city's destruction and people's deaths."

"If we are going to make a move, we must eliminate the root."

Yuejiu's face eased slightly, sighing, "True Monarch Zhongming is probably afraid that if he mentioned it, we wouldn't come. He thinks that as long as we arrive, for the sake of reputation, we will have to tough it out. Or maybe he just wants to scare away Monster Emperor Gao Si and consider it a success. But this kind of calculation is petty and foolish. How could he do such a stupid thing?"

Yu Xian said, "Perhaps it's because he's old. When people get old, they do some extremely foolish things that outsiders can see, but they are unaware of it themselves. Unfortunately, those who died for him had a chance to survive. Wait a little longer, I have a feeling that the opportunity will come soon."

Yuejiu remained silent.

In every beast tide, there were countless deaths in the Xunyang Realm, but this time the situation in Tiancheng of True Monarch Zhongming was a bit more severe.

Since Yu Xian already had a plan, she didn't say much.

She couldn't risk her husband's life for a stranger.

...

Another month passed.

Monster Emperor Gao Si probably realized True Monarch Zhongming's determination to fight to the death, so he no longer acted aggressively. Each attack was just a taste, consuming the energy of the city defense formation that was no longer replenishing.

And it was at this time.

The opportunity that Yu Xian had been waiting for finally arrived.

"Monster Emperor Gao Si! In the battle of the past, neither of us won or lost. Dare you continue the unfinished battle?" True Monarch Zhongming's momentum surged as he challenged Monster Emperor Gao Si.

"What's there to fear!"

The black crow-like clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing the illusionary figure of Monster Emperor Gao Si hovering in mid-air. He stood above Tiancheng of True Monarch Zhongming, facing True Monarch Zhongming across the formation.

"True Monarch Zhongming, how much lifespan do you have left to withstand my deadly curse?"

True Monarch Zhongming's expression changed.

If Monster Emperor Gao Si really dared to engage in this mutually destructive battle, he would probably die on the spot.

He no longer had three hundred years of lifespan to squander.

"If you dare to exchange lives, this old man, with a feeble body, won't hesitate!"

True Monarch Zhongming laughed heartily, his momentum not losing an inch.

Today was his final battle. If even he didn't have confidence, how could his subordinates have the courage to break through the encirclement and find a glimmer of hope?

Monster Emperor Gao Si snorted coldly, "You are like a candle in the wind, not worth a bit of my lifespan."

His lifespan was now extremely precious, and it was also the capital that weighed heavier than the Moving Mountain Venerable Weapon.

"I have already made it clear that in this battle, it's just you and me. Even if I die, they must not interfere."

"True Monarch Zhongming, let's fight!"

"Haha, let's fight!"

True Monarch Zhongming's momentum soared, his white hair turning black, his slightly hunched body straightening up, quickly regaining his youth. He took the initiative to charge out of the formation and engage in battle with Monster Emperor Gao Si, attracting all attention. In a secluded corner of the main city, a group of cultivators opened a formation and quietly sneaked out.

(End of this chapter)