The Lithos Dragon was still fighting with Wind Holder, but it was clear he was on his last legs.
Putting his hands behind his back, Tang Jie said, “According to you, the Fake Sky, False Sun Immortal Art was actually jointly created by you and the Immortal Emperor?”
“Indeed,” the Azure Dragon replied.
“How long did it take you?”
After some thought, the Azure Dragon answered, “Around ten years.”
“‘Ten years’?” Tang Jie’s voice turned shrill. “Since you call it an Immortal Art, it must be very powerful, no?”
“Of course. Immortal Arts are arts that only Immortals can use, with Immortal energy as their basis, and they should be able to shake the heavens and move the stars. But Immortal Arts are difficult to manifest, and there are few in the present age that can use them.”
“Oh? Then is there anyone among my last few opponents who could use Immortal Arts?”
The Azure Dragon shook his head, and then he added, “That Flowing Wind’s Ethereal Rain Divine Connection was probably a kind of Immortal Art, but his cultivation wasn’t there. A real Immortal Art can only be used at the True Immortal level, so he could only use its Divine Connection version.”
“It’s definitely not easy!” the Azure Dragon confirmed.
“Then creating an Immortal Art can’t be easy either, right?”
“Naturally. It takes hundreds of years of refining to create a single Immortal Art,” the Azure Dragon laughed, and then he froze.
He gazed dumbly at Tang Jie in realization.
Tang Jie sighed. “I’m guessing that many of your contributions to that Immortal Art were thanks to hints from the Immortal Emperor. Just how many of your ideas were actually yours…”
The Azure Dragon shuddered. “You… you’re saying… Impossible. There’s no way! The Fake Sky, False Sun Immortal Art is closely linked to the Dao of Fate. Without my guidance…”
He couldn’t keep going.
…Because he suddenly remembered that what had happened in the Verdant Cloud Domain proved that the Immortal Emperor actually understood Fate.
It was just that no one had ever known.
Tang Jie casually delivered the finishing blow. “You’re certain that you were the authority on the Dao of Fate in the Court of Myriad Domains?”
The Azure Dragon had no response.
Just the Sage Mother of the West alone was an authority on Fate.
Her Fate Dao Art was even better than his.
If the Immortal Emperor wanted to create the Fake Sky, False Sun Immortal Art, why didn’t he just go to the Sage Mother of the West?
The Azure Dragon trembled once more.
Tang Jie finally stopped talking to him.
There was no need to go into too much detail. The old dragon had simply thought that he was the master when he was just being used.
Tang Jie just didn’t understand—if the old dragon was being used, what was the person using him after? And why was he having all those people hibernate?
What should have been the old dragon’s secret now appeared to be a rather common one.
One Immortal of High Antiquity after another was appearing, almost all in the same fashion.
Slumber, awakening, breakthrough.
Immortal Ji Yao, the Azure Dragon, Wind Holder—they were all people who couldn’t break through but managed to succeed after destruction, gaining greater potential and advancing to a higher level.
As for the Lithos Dragon, his bloodline had also limited him to the Earth Immortal level. However, from his performance, it seemed that just like the Azure Dragon, he was missing one last step.
Wind Holder had managed to get in front of him and take this step first, leading to his failure, or else he would have been the same as the rest.
There was also another person: the Bejeweled Star Lord.
Like the Azure Dragon, he had been reborn as a mortal, in that village in the Immortal Emperor’s tomb, so he had probably been going through the same process. While he hadn’t broken into Gold Immortal, it was probably because, like the Lithos Dragon, he was missing one last step. Would he still be able to take this last step now that the tomb door had been closed?
“What exactly is this last step?” Tang Jie muttered.
He looked at the Azure Dragon.
The Azure Dragon trembled for a while before finally answering, “The Fake Sky, False Sun Immortal Art differs depending on each individual’s Fate. While the core of destruction and creation remains the same, the exact methods can vary. This old dragon doesn’t exactly know how they differ. Moreover…”
He didn’t go on, but Tang Jie knew that he meant to say that since the Immortal Emperor was the real creator of the Fake Sky, False Sun Immortal Art, after the Azure Dragon was sealed, he couldn’t know how else the Immortal Emperor might have modified it.
“If you don’t know, you don’t know. I can just ask Wind Holder.” Tang Jie waved his hand, connecting to the two worlds, and before anyone could stop him, he walked over.
The Azure Dragon panicked. Wind Holder was a True Immortal, and even if Tang Jie could defeat an Earth Immortal, the gap between the two levels was too great, and no talent could overcome it. Wasn’t this simply walking to his death?
Not caring in the slightest, Tang Jie appeared in the air and looked at Wind Holder.
The Lithos Dragon had been completely defeated by Wind Holder by now, and he was pleading for mercy and indicated his willingness to serve as Wind Holder’s mount.
Wind Holder was in a good mood after subduing the Lithos Dragon, and he wasn’t surprised to see Tang Jie. With a smile, he said, “I can’t believe you came out on your own! I thought I would have to call you out in order for you to show up.”
He clearly knew that Tang Jie had been peeping at them from another space.
Tang Jie indifferently replied, “While you might not understand the Dao of Space, as I overlapped these two spaces, you would be strong enough to just tear your way through. Moreover, when we entered, you were already awake, no? So you would definitely know where we had gone. Since we can’t fool you or hide from you, why not just come out and meet you?”
Wind Holder sat on the Lithos Dragon and laughed. “So long as you understand. Tang Jie, you are a real talent. Killing an Earth Immortal while at Soul Projection is an unprecedented miracle. Moreover, as you showed me kindness and buried my remains, this old man is willing to help you. What about it? So long as you are willing to be my disciple and obey my commands, I will help you complete your Yellow Court World. In the future, we will conquer the Great Stellar Chiliocosm and rebuild the court!”
Tang Jie smirked. “Are you still dreaming?”
The Azure Dragon and Lithos Dragon immediately shrank back, not believing their ears.
Tang Jie dared to speak this way to Wind Holder, a True Immortal?
Even Wind Holder was dumbfounded. As for Xu Miaoran and Yiyi, they understood Tang Jie and weren’t surprised in the slightest. Moreover, when he said such words, they ceased to have any worries whatsoever.
They knew that Tang Jie wasn’t acting, that he had something to back up these words.
They didn’t know what it was, but they had no reason to not trust him.
Wind Holder glared at Tang Jie. “Brat, do you understand what you’re saying?”
“I know what I’m saying, and I also know what you’re saying,” Tang Jie chuckled. “You’re full of shit!”
He gave Wind Holder a hard look. “You really think I’m three years old, so easily fooled by a few words? You appreciate my talent? Ridiculous! I could kill Earth Immortals while at Soul Projection. What does that mean? It means that when I ascend to Immortal Platform, I won’t hold any regard for True Immortals! You’re just a True Immortal right now, and I might exceed your strength once I ascend. Would you be able to rest easy?”
Wind Holder froze.
Tang Jie went on, “And what do you mean about conquering the universe and rebuilding the court? That’s even more absurd. The Heaven’s Equal Sect and Stellar Net Gate both have Gold Immortals overseeing them, and none of them dared to rebuild the court, yet a True Immortal who just broke through dares to make such bold claims? It’s already incredible that you were able to break through once, but does that make you invincible?”
Wind Holder still had nothing to say.
Tang Jie snorted. “As for that kindness of burying, that’s even more of a joke. You aren’t dead, so what sort of kindness did I show by burying you? Moreover, you left treasure for me, which is already quite enough to pay for your burial, so how does kindness play into it? Thus, everything you said was a lie, probably because you have designs on my Yellow Court World, right? When you say you want to help me complete it, you really want to just take it for yourself. Once you have the Yellow Court World, the next thing you’ll be after is my life.”
Wind Holder was dumbfounded, and then he threw back his head and laughed. “Hahahaha! Kid, you really do have some wits. Yes, I did act nice to try and get your small world. As for killing you, I did have such a desire. You were able to defeat Immortal Platform experts at Soul Projection, and you also have eight Dao Arts. Someone of such immense talent must be favored by the heavens. If I desire dominance, you are bound to be an obstacle that must be removed!”
Tang Jie rolled his eyes. “A good-for-nothing among the five hundred Earth Immortals of the court makes a little progress and is now speaking of dominance? Really…”
Wind Holder was furious. “What do you understand? I’ve used the Fake Sky, False Sun Immortal Art to reconstruct my Immortal path, and my potential is limitless. My path of cultivation is now smooth, all the way to Saint Immortal. This world is bound to be mine!”
Tang Jie waved his hand. “Hold on now. From the sound of it, you seem to think that you were the only one who used the Fake Sky, False Sun Immortal Art?”
Wind Holder was startled. “What do you mean by that? The Immortal Emperor personally designed this art for me…”
Tang Jie sighed and pointed at the Lithos Dragon. “Why don’t you ask that guy under you first. Didn’t he also happen to have slept for ten thousand years? Ask him how he did it.”
Wind Holder looked at the Lithos Dragon, who replied in a trembling voice, “On the orders of the Sage Lord, I received the Fake Sky, False Sun Immortal Art and slumbered for ten thousand years, after which I was to reforge my Immortal body and recreate the court.”
Unlike Wind Holder and the Azure Dragon, it was the Sage Lord of Cosmic Origin who had granted the Lithos Dragon this Immortal Art.
“WHAT?” Wind Holder felt like he had just been given a thump on the head.
Tang Jie continued, “In truth, besides you two, I know at least two more who used the Fake Sky, False Sun Immortal Art… Apologies; this isn’t some special secret art, but something that was mass-distributed.”
“That’s impossible!” Wind Holder roared, reaching toward Tang Jie with a giant sky-obscuring hand. “Don’t try to confuse me! Hand over your small world and I can leave your corpse intact.”
“I’m thinking the exact opposite,” Tang Jie retorted. “No matter what you hand over, your body will never remain intact.”
He snapped his fingers.
A moment later, that sky-obscuring hand disappeared.