Eternal Life as False Emperor

"In that case, I’ll trouble you, fellow cultivator." The Nether Spirit Cultivator responsible for replenishing the Soul-devouring Smoke eagerly swapped places with the leopard-headed person.

However, what they failed to notice was that every time the leopard-headed person replenished the Soul-devouring Smoke for Qingzhu Mountain’s cultivators, he would secretly inhale a little.

Despite the close distance, his actions were covert, and he only inhaled a tiny bit each time.

For a moment, no one noticed his sneaky actions.

Zheng Yi observed all this and gradually gained some understanding of the Soul-devouring Smoke’s effects.

It might be due to the difference in constitution between the two sides.

The Soul-devouring Smoke could enhance human strength, but it could also take human life like a deadly poison.

For the Nether Spirit Race, Zheng Yi felt it might not be much different from a cigarette, at most slightly more severe than a cigarette.

It was the first time for Jiangg He, Qiu Ming, and Qiann Wanrong to witness such a scene.

The scene of the Qingzhu Mountain cultivator being drained into a dry husk by an unknown force and finally turning to ash shocked them greatly.

Lin Junrong gnashed his teeth: "Ouyang Qi, that scoundrel, actually sacrificed his entire sect for vengeance for his son?"

Zheng Yi sneered contemptuously: "While that’s not entirely accurate, it’s not far from the truth either."

"That guy probably knows that if these Qingzhu Mountain people find out he betrayed all humans, someone is bound to rebel against him."

"So it would be better to simply tie them onto his pirate ship directly."

"Now, those people have no chance of turning back."

"In that case." Lin Junrong said murderously, "We can only deal with these guys first."

He prepared to make a move as he spoke.

Zheng Yi grabbed Lin Junrong’s wrist and slowly shook his head: "No rush, let’s assess the situation first."

Stopped by Zheng Yi several times, Lin Junrong felt slightly annoyed inside.

Yet, considering that Zheng Yi was almost infallible, he forcefully suppressed his anger and communicated to Zheng Yi: "What’s going on this time?"

"Haven’t you thought about it? Such an important thing, yet defended by only a few people." Zheng Yi deliberately counted: "Apart from the four maintaining the Pill Furnace, there are only two cultivators free to move. Isn’t there something off here?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Junrong was also taken aback.

If this guy was right, then as long as a normal-minded cultivator wouldn’t make such a big mistake.

The Ten Thousand Souls Devouring Spirit Technique is extremely important to the overall situation.

If anything goes wrong, almost all of Qingzhu Mountain’s cultivators will immediately lose their combat power.

In this situation, there aren’t enough forces guarding this place.

Zheng Yi sneered secretly: "If these guys aren’t taking us for fools..."

Jiangg He chimed in: "Then it suggests there’s a conspiracy here."

Zheng Yi gave him an approving look: "What do you think their motive is?"

Seeing everyone looking at him, Jiangg He thought for a moment and said: "Using this place as bait, they want to lure our experts... no... that’s not right!"

As he spoke, Jiangg He suddenly noticed another problem.

"If it’s bait, there should at least be enough ambush troops deployed here. They are facing nearly the entire Star Sea."

"In this kind of situation, having such a lax defense for something so crucial doesn’t make sense."

Qiann Wanrong manipulated his abacus: "Unless this thing is not important to them, even if we destroy it, they don’t care."

Qiu Ming cursed through gritted teeth: "Could it be that these damned folks have set up similar things elsewhere, so destroying this place has no impact on their plan?"

Jiangg He shook his head: "That may not be the case. I noticed when we arrived earlier that all Qingzhu Mountain cultivators came here to replenish the Soul-devouring Smoke, with no one heading elsewhere."

Qiu Ming countered: "Maybe they are using it here, while hiding it elsewhere to avoid letting the enemy detect any trace prematurely."

Jiangg He shook his head again: "During a war, recklessly changing supply points only causes confusion among their own, and yields no benefits."

"But..." Jiangg He tapped his head with his fan. He felt he seemed to grasp something vaguely, but when he tried to focus on it, his mind was empty, unable to capture the critical point.

"Placing such an obvious bait here, surely they are baiting us into doing something, but what’s their play?"

Zheng Yi chuckled silently: "Have you not considered that bait itself can be deadly?"

With this subtle reminder, Jiangg He suddenly saw the light.

He always thought about what the Nether Spirit Race wanted to catch with this giant bait.

He never considered that the bait itself was part of their plan.

Lin Junrong urged impatiently: "Stop beating around the bush, what exactly is happening?"

Zheng Yi sighed quietly: "I suspect that Pill Furnace might be a giant bomb..."

Realizing these people might not understand what a bomb is.

Zheng Yi quickly corrected himself: "This thing likely contains immense power. If we directly destroy it and the power contained within erupts, it might flatten everything around."

Seeing the grim faces around him, Zheng Yi, as if they were not frightened enough, added: "To avoid that outcome, we can only slowly release the accumulated power."

"Yet, in that process, the Nether Spirit Race could destroy the item themselves, dragging us all down with them."

"Those damned bastards." Lin Junrong cursed through gritted teeth: "In that case, can’t we do anything but watch them do as they please?"

Zheng Yi said sternly: "Resolving this isn’t that difficult actually."

"If we eliminate the enemies and their ambush troops, we won’t have to worry about them destroying the Pill Furnace and being buried with us."

Jiangg He smiled wryly: "Elder Zheng, I’m afraid it’s something we can’t pull off. There is a Divinity Transformation Stage expert here. Those lying in ambush against us might also include one or two Divinity Transformation Stage experts."

"Forget about eliminating them, even holding them off is almost impossible."

Zheng Yi sighed heavily: "If it were just these people, they wouldn’t be much trouble. The key is..."

His gaze shifted upward to the battling Star Sea and Qingzhu Mountain cultivators: "Once we act, without the Soul-devouring Smoke supply, the Qingzhu Mountain cultivators will fight us to the death."

Qiu Yang posited: "Maybe not? If we tell them about the dangers, they might help us."

"Absolutely impossible." Zheng Yi replied firmly: "Those folks have become crazies who can’t live without the Soul-devouring Smoke."

"As long as Ouyang Qi tells them we aim to destroy this place, they’ll attack us madly to protect the Pill Furnace."

"Because they have no other choice."

They recalled the Qingzhu Mountain cultivator drained of all strength just now.

Jiangg He and the others’ faces grew even darker.

"Currently," Zheng Yi pondered briefly: "it would be best to contact Star Sea. With their support, resolving this trouble won’t be too challenging."

"Elder Lin, is there a way to contact other elders without alerting anyone?"

Glancing at the battlefield situation, Zheng Yi continued: "While maintaining balance, perhaps three people can be dispatched."

"Try to bring over the three most powerful fighters, except for Wang Haiwong."

"Can it be done?" Zheng Yi asked hopefully.