Eternal Life as False Emperor

"Don’t attack all at once; let them go one by one."

Hearing Zheng Yi say this, the old Daoist was a bit confused, but given what had happened earlier, he didn’t ask any more questions and directly had someone replace Zui Jiu.

Once the Mountain Protection Array was stabilized again, the old Daoist then asked in confusion, "Young friend, wouldn’t it be better for everyone to attack together? Why go up one by one?"

Zheng Yi didn’t immediately respond but instead observed carefully for a while.

He noticed that the Azure Moon Flame Emperor’s attack stayed at a constant level, neither weakening nor strengthening, which made him smile with satisfaction.

He was more and more convinced now that these seemingly lofty and powerful cultivators

were actually no different from ordinary people, apart from having the talent for cultivation.

Some might seem wise, but that’s only because they’ve lived long enough, seen a lot of things, and accumulated experience.

They might have seemingly world-destroying power, but that’s just because they happen to have the talent to attain it all.

Once you remove that talent, they wouldn’t be much stronger than the ordinary people they regard as ants.

"Elder, now that the Azure Moon Demon Monarch has lost his son, simply killing us isn’t going to quell his anger."

"So, he’s thinking about exterminating our Wenxian Temple entirely to avenge his son."

"Moreover, he’s not willing to kill us that simply. He wants to have us live in fear and torment us before we die."

"With his power, there’s certainly a way for him to flatten Wenxian Temple in one go."

"If we show all our strength, it would only push the Azure Moon Flame Emperor to destroy us with his strongest attack."

"So, we need to make it seem like we’re giving everything we have, yet our desperate efforts can barely hold off the Azure Moon Flame Emperor’s attack."

"That way, he’ll be like a cat playing with a mouse, watching us desperately resist again and again but unable to escape his grasp."

"Only by doing this can we delay for the longest time."

The old Daoist gasped involuntarily upon hearing this.

Zui Jiu had previously said that it was Zheng Yi who eliminated Huiyue Demon Venerable, which the old Daoist hadn’t believed at all.

But now...

He indeed started to somewhat believe what his junior had said; this young man before him, though only at the Crystal Stage, truly had a terrifyingly quick mind.

While they spoke, the expert from Wenxian Temple who had substituted Zui Jiu was no longer able to endure, spitting blood just like him and flying out.

The old Daoist, without needing Zheng Yi’s prompt, directly called for the next replacement.

Outside the Mountain Protection Array, the Azure Moon Flame Emperor could clearly feel that the people coming to maintain the array were getting weaker in strength.

It was obvious that their experts were dwindling.

Seeing this, the Azure Moon Flame Emperor sneaked in some leniency in his attack.

"You pitiful humans, just exhaust yourselves resisting."

"You’ll soon find that all your resistance is futile; repent in the despair of fear."

When the sixth person was swapped in, the old Daoist finally noticed that the Azure Moon Flame Emperor indeed wasn’t going all out.

Previously, they were all Divinity Transformation experts, but this time it was a Golden Core Stage cultivator.

The gap between the two was not trivial by any means.

Even so, this fellow still managed to hold out for two breaths’ time.

"Young friend, your strategy is spot on, that guy is indeed toying with us."

Before he could finish the sentence, two newly substituted Golden Core experts were injured and retreated.

Before the old Daoist could celebrate, he was worried again.

The Golden Core Peak cultivators could only withstand one attack from the Azure Moon Flame Emperor.

Wenxian Temple didn’t have many Golden Core Stage cultivators; even if there were a hundred or so, it wouldn’t be enough for how the Azure Moon Flame Emperor was attacking.

"Young friend, how long must we hold out?"

Zheng Yi was speechless: "Elder, you shouldn’t be asking me. When do you think, among us in the Human Race, could an Enlightenment Master capable of contending with the Azure Moon Flame Emperor arrive?"

The old Daoist furrowed his brows, pondering for a moment: "If it’s Sword God Elder Fang Zhuo... he could arrive in about a tea time."

Zheng Yi calculated mentally, realizing that a tea time would be about ten minutes.

The world here was somewhat similar to the ancient times before he traveled, and many of the units of measurement were unfamiliar, so he had to secretly convert them.

Although the old Daoist summoned ten more Golden Core experts to buy time,

altogether, they could only hold for about a minute.

The time gap was substantial.

"Azure Moon Flame Emperor, as long as I’m alive, you shall not step into our Wenxian Temple!"

Nobody knew when Zui Jiu had awakened; seeing his vigorous state, it was obvious he’d taken a potent elixir.

Seeing him like that, the old Daoist jumped up: "Junior brother, have you gone mad? You dare use that thing? The master said that it should only be used in life-and-death situations."

Zui Jiu laughed carefreely: "Senior brother, isn’t this a life-and-death moment? If we can’t hold off this guy today, our Wenxian Temple might just lose its legacy."

"Besides, after so many years, I’ve come to terms with it. Given my nature, to cultivate to the current realm, is already thanks to the Sect’s support."

"Even if my cultivation stagnates in the future, it doesn’t really matter."

"Oh right." Zui Jiu seemed to suddenly recall something very important, solemnly saying: "Senior brother, seeing how much I’ve sacrificed for the Sect, could you spare those few vats of Thousand Days Drunk our master left behind?"

"Get lost!" At such a critical moment, his junior was still so unreliable, almost shattering the old Daoist’s image of a sage: "Those few vats of lousy wine that you’ve been thinking about your whole life, how can you still not let it go? After today, you can drink as much as you want, even if you drink yourself to death, nobody will stop you."

With the old Daoist’s assurance, Zui Jiu regained some spirit.

He directly replaced the recently injured Golden Core Cultivator.

Provocatively, he looked at the Azure Moon Flame Emperor outside the Mountain Protection Array: "Even if you are at the Enlightenment Stage, you won’t do as you please in our Wenxian Temple."

The Azure Moon Flame Emperor responded with a contemptuous sneer: "A mere Divinity Transformation Stage and you dare act wantonly in front of this Emperor?"

"Today, this Emperor will see how many attacks a boastful fellow like you can withstand."

Facing Zui Jiu, the Azure Moon Flame Emperor no longer held back, and his assault suddenly intensified.

Zui Jiu, who had been talking and laughing, suddenly fell silent.

Clenching his teeth, he resisted with all his might.

He was doing relatively well, but it was hard for the other two elders.

Both were at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, just one step away from entering the Enlightenment Stage.

It seemed like a slim difference, yet the gap was as vast as the Celestial Chasm.

Across the entire Canglan Realm, countless cultivators have struggled to cross this threshold their whole lives.

In the Divinity Transformation Stage, they had accumulated an unknown number of years, and their cultivation was incredibly deep.

But no matter how profound their cultivation, they were ultimately only in the Divinity Transformation Stage, not the Enlightenment Stage.

Even with the protection of the Sect’s Mountain Protection Array, defending against the Azure Moon Flame Emperor’s attacks was incredibly challenging.

Others, including Zui Jiu, kept rotating.

The two of them hadn’t even caught a single breath, persisting until now.

Though not entirely spent, they were close, and at any moment they might not hold out.

"I calculated everything but never thought that my disaster would strike today."

The other Daoist simply laughed: "Dying at the hands of an Enlightenment Master, we haven’t lost too much."

Zui Jiu interjected: "Two Ancestors, if possible, this poor Daoist would prefer not to return to the afterlife today. Don’t you have any magical treasures to help us last a bit longer?"

The two old Daoists glared at Zui Jiu.

"How dare you even speak? If it weren’t for you, unworthy little rascal, dragging such powerful foes to our Sect, would things have turned out like this?"

"When we’re down below, let’s see how you’ll answer to our predecessors of Wenxian Temple."

Zui Jiu grimaced: "You can’t blame me for this."

He never expected the Azure Moon Flame Emperor, being an Enlightenment Stage expert, would go to such lengths to attack them.

"Your Excellency Flame Emperor, may I say something?" At this point, Zheng Yi suddenly stood up and said loudly.