Chapter 984: Fengdu Ghost Emperor, Heaven Worship Platform

As soon as these words were spoken, Old Man Shi inside the ring felt as if he had been struck by lightning. After a long silence, he finally spoke with a trembling voice:

"You… you… how on earth did you know?"

Qi Yuan sneered.

"Stop pretending. Even Immortal Lord Fuliu, a high-ranking member of the Immortal Court, knew nothing of the Method of Slaying the Three Corpses, yet you were able to name it instantly. Clearly, you are extremely familiar with the affairs of Immortal Emperor Donghua."

"More importantly, this creation cauldron was an Immortal Artifact that Immortal Emperor Donghua personally forged from Shoushan Copper before his enlightenment. It was destroyed in a war against the Immemorial Gods and subsequently scattered into the Void Realm, its whereabouts unknown."

"This happened before the start of the Great Desolation, perhaps tens of millions of years ago. Only certain existences as ancient as Immortal Emperor Donghua could possibly know about it."

"If it were truly as you said, that you are merely a newly risen Ghostly Creature whose combined lifespan in both worlds does not exceed a few hundred thousand years, where would you have learned the origin of the creation cauldron?"

"An old ghost born in the same era as Immortal Emperor Donghua, who also knows the internal workings of the Immortal Court and the Northern Nether Ghost Prison like the back of his hand—who else could it be but you, the Fengdu Ghost Emperor!"

At this point, Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow and continued in an unfriendly tone:

"If I'm not mistaken, after being replaced by Mo Luo, you devoured the real Prime Minister Shi in order to survive and fled the Immortal Realm with this niean pagoda ring…"

"That is why you possess Prime Minister Shi's lifelong memories. When This Qi questioned you, you even tried to pass yourself off as him. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you have ill intentions, would it?"

The reason he knew the origin of the creation cauldron so well was that he had used his item appraisal function to identify the immortal cauldron not long ago.

Therefore, the moment 'Old Man Shi' blurted out the name [creation cauldron], Qi Yuan immediately realized something was wrong and unhesitatingly used an appraisal scroll on the niean pagoda ring.

Sure enough, the appraisal results surprised him. He hadn't expected the remnant soul inside the ring to be some Prime Minister of the Ghost Prison, but rather the big shot of the Immortal Realm who governed the Northern Nether Ghost Prison, Great Emperor Fengdu.

After thoroughly uncovering the old man's background, Qi Yuan was suddenly filled with anger.

Fuck!

A dignified Ghost Emperor was actually playing dumb in front of a junior like him, constantly fabricating identities and talking nonsense. This was simply intolerable!

If it weren't for Great Emperor Fengdu's special identity and the fact that keeping him around seemed useful, he wouldn't have bothered with this nonsense and would have just refined the old man directly.

Of course, even though he knew the Ghost Emperor's remnant soul in the ring was a big fish, Qi Yuan did not intend to keep indulging him.

If the old guy didn't give a proper explanation, he wouldn't mind using some thunderous methods to avoid leaving any hidden dangers for the future…

On the other side, after a long silence, the Ghost Emperor in the ring finally let out a long sigh and spoke gloomily:

"To think you could accurately deduce This King's origin based only on a few minor details; the younger generation is truly to be feared."

"Since nothing can be hidden from you, This King will speak the truth. This King's true identity is indeed the Lord of the Nether River Ghost Prison, named… [Fengdu]!"

Seeing this ghost path big shot being so straightforward about his identity, Qi Yuan's expression softened slightly. He didn't interrupt, but quietly waited for him to continue.

Fengdu Ghost Emperor's voice carried a hint of bitterness as he narrated with a tone of weariness:

"However, there is one thing you guessed wrong. It wasn't This King who devoured Prime Minister Shi. It was Prime Minister Shi who, seeing This King in distress, took the initiative to offer his entire Soul Power and the niean pagoda ring to This King, helping This King escape Mo Luo's pursuit and survive in the Lower Realm."

"Prime Minister Shi was loyal and devoted, sacrificing himself to buy This King a slim chance of survival. His kindness is profound, and This King remembers it in his heart, never daring to forget for a moment."

This rare display of true emotion from the Ghost Emperor did not cause any ripples in Qi Yuan's heart. He only asked calmly:

"So, your desire to go to the Yuan Realm for Reincarnation is actually because you plan to abandon your identity as the Lord of the Ghost Prison and start over?"

The Ghost Emperor in the ring was in low spirits, even sounding somewhat disheartened:

"Indeed. Originally, This King intended to find a way to gather his old subordinates and drive Mo Luo, who is impersonating This King, out of the Ghost Prison. But after learning that Tai Hao has already ascended to the Creation Realm, This King realized it was impossible."

"Rather than seeking my own death, it is better to completely sever my Karma and enter Reincarnation in a relatively stable environment. With This King's accumulated experience, it will be enough to rise again in a short time…"

Halfway through, the Ghost Emperor suddenly changed his tone and advised with utmost seriousness:

"Little Friend Qi, the reason This King hid his true identity before was absolutely without malice. It was only to avoid revealing my tracks and attracting the pursuit of the Chaos Heavenly Demons."

"Although a new round of the Immeasurable Calamity has not yet begun, a large number of Chaos Heavenly Demons are already hidden in every corner of the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms under various identities. When the time is ripe, they will unhesitatingly act to destroy the world."

"And Luo Hou, as the leader of the Chaos Heavenly Demons, is also the only Creation Realm expert within the scope of the Heavenly Dao. His power is so great that it can be said no one can restrain him. It will probably not be so easy for you to pull a tooth from the tiger's mouth this time."

Although he was not yet clear on someone's detailed plan, he could vaguely sense that this junior before him seemed to be preparing to cause trouble while Tai Hao had not yet emerged from seclusion.

In the Ghost Emperor's view, such behavior was no different from seeking one's own death.

Once Cultivation reaches the level of the Creation Realm, one's control over fate and Karma has reached the pinnacle.

In other words, any plots or schemes directed at Tai Hao would be hard to hide from his notice.

Even if this plan of substitution proceeded smoothly, once a major commotion truly occurred, it was almost certain to be sensed by Tai Hao in seclusion, causing him to emerge early…

At that time, any so-called plan would be completely crushed.

However, Qi Yuan ignored Fengdu's good intentions and instead asked with a meaningful look:

"I heard that Senior once personally witnessed Immortal Emperor Donghua's Coronation Ceremony. What I want to ask is, what is the secret of that Heaven Worship Platform, and what must be done to obtain its recognition?"

Hearing this, Fengdu was suddenly startled and couldn't help but cry out:

"Little friend… you… you don't really intend to impersonate Tai Hao and ascend as the Immortal Emperor, do you?"

"So what if I am?"

Qi Yuan nodded noncommittally, his expression appearing exceptionally calm as he added indifferently:

"We are now grasshoppers on the same rope. I will be wearing this ring during the coronation. If anything goes wrong, you are also destined to suffer along with me. If you have a way, don't hold it back."

Ghost Emperor: "…"

He had lived for so long and had never met such a reckless junior, who not only didn't treat others' lives as lives but didn't even care about his own…

Logically speaking, since this kid had already Cultivated to the True Immortal Realm, he clearly had a great immortal path to enjoy, yet he insisted on taking a huge risk to do something that was almost certain death. If he wasn't a madman, what was he?

Even more tragic was that the other party had dragged him along too… wasn't this bullying an old man?

Thinking of this, the Ghost Emperor's heart was full of frustration. If he had legs, he would really want to run away immediately to avoid being buried with him in such a muddled way.

He was, after all, a dignified Ghost Emperor, an existence who could interact with the Immortal Emperor as an equal. This kind of death was truly too憋屈 (suffocatingly frustrating).

Realizing that he had been firmly tied to someone's war chariot, the Ghost Emperor finally let out a helpless sigh and explained truthfully:

"The so-called Heaven Worship Platform is actually an Immortal Treasure used for performing worship rituals. There is only one existence in this world qualified to have the Immortal Emperor personally ascend the platform and worship, and that is… the Heavenly Dao!"