Immortal of the Ages
Chapter 296: I Really Am Easily Provoked!

"Most esteemed one, as Sword Cultivators, we fight against demons. And since the Immortal Empire holds Sword Cultivators in high regard, it seems to us that the path of the sword is indeed a worthy one... May I be so bold as to ask if you, Immortal, have a deeper insight, to enlighten a humble and dull mortal like myself?" Nangong Xi said respectfully, her head bowed.

"Ha ha ha..." Fu Longxiang chuckled a few times, his colorful Life Sigil pressing down slightly in his hand. The faces of the three women paled instantly, feeling as though their organs were being ground to dust.

"This is called a Life Sigil. It belongs to the strongest cultivation system among humans," Fu Longxiang said, his eyes heating up with fervor.

"I see, no wonder it's so terrifying." Su Lianlian looked up in admiration.

"Do you also think Inscription Cultivators are formidable?" Fu Longxiang walked past them and sat down on the central throne. He spread his legs, grasped the armrests, and tilted his chin up, gazing down at the three women with a commanding air.

"Yes." The three women could only turn around and continue kneeling. In reality, they were sweating profusely, their lives hanging by a thread in the hands of another.

"If that's the case, from this moment forward, in this human realm called the Divine Continent, the way of the sword shall be forbidden!" Fu Longxiang tapped the armrest lightly, casually continuing, "Issue the order. Demote the way of the sword to inferior status. Newborns are forbidden to practice swordsmanship, existing Sword Cultivators are not allowed to manifest their Sword Souls. Those who violate this will be put to death, along with their nine familial generations."

"Uh..." Hearing this, the faces of the three women turned ashen as if struck by lightning.

"What, do you dare defy the decree of an Immortal?" Fu Longxiang asked mockingly.

"We dare not." Nangong Xi bowed deeply. "It's just that... we can only pass the Immortal's decree to our sovereign."

"You need not relay the message; my people will inform your so-called sovereign," Fu Longxiang said with authority.

"Yes!" The three women felt a chill in their hearts but dared not speak. The gap in power, the crushing hierarchy, was just too vast.

"However, your corner of the human realm is quite lucky," Fu Longxiang continued with a smile.

"Immortal..." Nangong Xi looked up slightly, confusion in her eyes.

Fu Longxiang lifted his chin. "In due time, this Divine Continent will become part of my Calamity Seal Purgatory. You will be subjects of us Inscription Cultivators! I will integrate the billions of lives in this realm into the Nine Hells, transcending your current level! From now on, the humans here will inherit the legacy of Inscription Cultivators!"

"Inherit your legacy?" Nangong Xi was puzzled. "How can one possess such powerful methods? Sword Souls are innate in our bloodline. Is it not the same with Inscription Cultivators? If one is not born with a sigil, how can the legacy be passed on?"

"That's simple." Fu Longxiang smiled chillingly. "The passing down of a system is the great work of dozens of generations! In my Calamity Seal Purgatory, there's a tradition of favoring males over females. Female infants often don't survive, leading to a surplus of men. I plan to send a billion men to bless the mortal women of the Divine Continent. Over dozens of generations, this will create a golden age of Inscription Cultivators in the Divine Continent."

Such words pierced the three women like daggers!

"What about the men of the Divine Continent?" Nangong Xi asked, her voice trembling.

"What can be done? Either be bare or be dead. Inept males must not pass on their lineage; it's the natural law of survival of the fittest. The infusion of superior bloodlines is a blessing for the women of the Divine Continent. Even you high-ranking women will be overjoyed to have more excellent men, won't you?" Fu Longxiang said cheerfully.

"Alright then." The three women were rendered speechless. Survival of the fittest, the unworthy not deserving to breed... was this the law of the Immortal Path?

"The renewal and advancement of the human race of the Divine Continent into the golden age of Inscription Cultivators is a grand task for the ages! To birth offspring with Life Sigils, every woman in the Divine Continent must bear this responsibility! It's a sacred mission to create a glorious future. As pioneers and saints of the human race, you three must lead by example, conceive soon, and hasten the arrival of the newborn Inscription Cultivators!" Fu Longxiang declared solemnly.

"Immortal!" Nangong Xi, You Yue, and Su Lianlian's eyes filled with bloodshot veins.

"Do you not wish to comply?" Fu Longxiang glanced over their figures. "With your... assets, each of you could easily raise ten children."

WHOOSH! Nangong Xi suddenly stood up, her eyes blazing red. "Immortal, you may practice profound immortal arts, but did your master or parents ever teach you that matters of marriage and love should not force a woman's will?"

"You?" Fu Longxiang, initially jesting, suddenly turned ice-cold upon hearing this. His oppressive aura forced Nangong Xi to kneel, her knees hitting the ground so hard they bled.

"Are you an idiot?" Su Lianlian couldn't hold back anymore. She stood up abruptly, pointing at Fu Longxiang's nose. "A despicable creature, born without a mother's nurturing! If you're so fond of breeding, why don't you go mate with your own mother? Damned imbecile!"

"I've always said, there's no such thing as the virtuous leading the way on the path of Immortals. The more vile the creature, the higher they climb," You Yue said coldly.

Nangong Xi had knelt, but they had stood up.

"You think a few insults will provoke me to kill you right away?" Fu Longxiang sneered, his face turning extremely sinister. He looked towards the dark space behind them and said with a smile, "Old Chu, I gift you three young maidens. Please ensure they give birth until they die. With your vigor, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"As his Majesty commands, even if I have to expend every last bit of my energy, I'll contribute to the great cause of the Divine Continent's conscription to the Calamity Seal Purgatory, even at the cost of my life," the gray-robed elder said as he appeared. His eyes gleamed at the sight of the three women. His face, scarred like a centipede's trail, and his yellow teeth were utterly revolting.

"Perfect," Fu Longxiang stood up, looking indifferently at the three ashen-faced women. "In a bit, tens of thousands of students will come here to learn the art of the Flying Sword. Old Chu, you'll demonstrate to the kids what the Eternal Sword and Triple Explosion of the Realms mean!"

"Such a tough task for an old man like me," Old Chu said, his dark eyes sweeping over the three women, his desire overwhelming. He licked his cracked, dry lips and sinisterly smiled. "Luckily, there are no acquaintances here. Letting loose for once makes life worth living."

"Brilliant," Fu Longxiang crossed his arms and sneered, "What's the purpose of cultivation and power? Simple. To break laws, ethics, morality. Do whatever you want. Only the weak obey laws; the strong are the law themselves!"

"Indeed!" Old Chu applauded.

"Get started before they take their own lives," Fu Longxiang suggested.

"Understood!" Old Chu, a top Supreme Adjudicator of the Calamity Seal Purgatory, was too powerful for them to resist, let alone consider suicide.

Their conversation revealed the brutal survival of the fittest reality of the higher cultivation world to Nangong Xi and the others. It had always been this way!

The gray-robed elder, repulsive and nauseating, was even more powerful than Fu Longxiang!

From the moment he appeared, Nangong Xi and the others couldn't even move, only watching as the old man approached, chuckling.

Halfway, he even sneakily took a blue pill from his Bag of Holding, rejuvenating himself momentarily.

"Ah..." The eyes of the women were filled with sorrow. Pain, despair, helplessness, and bleakness washed over them! What was even more unbearable was the thought of the young children who admired them, approaching the hall. How would their hearts cope with witnessing this scene?

"Old Chu, why are you taking a pill now?" Fu Longxiang laughed heartily from his throne.

"These three ladies are top-notch, too hot to handle. Even you, young as you are, might not manage. What about an old man like me?" Old Chu chuckled sheepishly. The pill's effects were apparent; his eyes turned blood-red, his body sweating profusely, exuding an even more revolting smell.

"Crying already? Don't hurry, there's more to come."

The gray-robed elder grinned and rushed forward, his eyes filled with the mocking amusement of the powerful.

This was their most desperate moment!

"Ha ha ha..." Fu Longxiang's laughter even echoed outside the hall.

WHOOSH! The gray-robed elder lunged straight at Nangong Xi!

Nangong Xi desperately wanted to die, but all she could do was cry a river of tears!

BOOM! Suddenly, the ceiling of the Flying Crane Hall suddenly burst open! A dark shadow descended from the sky!

"What's going on!?" The gray-robed elder and Fu Longxiang were startled.

"Get lost!" The gray-robed elder, seeing the shadow charging at him, sneered angrily and unleashed a powerful wave of sacred power!

"A Taotie?!" In that instant, he saw the form of the shadow clearly and was terrified out of his wits! With a horrific scream, the shadow pounced on him, opening its gaping maw and biting down on his head!

With a loud crunch, his head exploded like a watermelon, with a splatter of red and white!

THUD! The headless body of the gray-robed elder spun around on the ground, flailing its arms.

A young man in white suddenly descended from above, his sword slashing out in a flurry, striking dozens of times!

The minced flesh and bone fragments gathered on his sword, forming a storm of blood and flesh!

The young man flicked his sword, hurling a mass of bloody bone fragments onto Fu Longxiang's face! The young prince was immediately covered in filth!

"Uh..." Fu Longxiang trembled all over, the rigid smile on his face finally fading. Then, with trembling eyes, he looked towards the young man in white, and the black-scaled beast beside him!

The black-scaled beast had now transformed into a small black creature, hopping and jumping into Nangong Xi's arms.

On its chest, a pair of bright, innocent red eyes looked up at Nangong Xi, seemingly begging for praise. Atop its head, its azure blue eyes held a look of disdain and pride.

"Yun Xiao..." When the trio recognized the young man in white, their tears of fear transformed into tears of joy, streaming down their faces. Clutching each other's dresses, they realized they were drenched in sweat from the fright. But relief washed over them; they were saved!

Seeing Yun Xiao was like waking from a nightmare; their tears wouldn't stop. The man before them had changed from an old, ugly geezer to the most handsome Creator Immortal in the world. The shock of such a visual transformation was overwhelming for any woman.

"Really, Yun Xiao? Did you have to appear at the scariest moment?" Su Lianlian scolded, but her eyes were filled with happy tears.

"No, I actually arrived earlier. I just wanted to hear the inner machinations of these so-called superior Inscription Cultivators," Yun Xiao said coolly, his indifferent eyes turning towards Fu Longxiang. "I must say, it was quite the spectacle."

"You little rascal..." Su Lianlian was exasperated.

He had been there all along and watched them get scared like this?

BANG! Just then, the doors of the Flying Crane Hall opened, and young disciples entered, witnessing this astonishing scene.

"So, you're Yun Xiao, the Exiled Sword Immortal?" Fu Longxiang eyed the little black beast warily, addressing Yun Xiao coldly, "Quite the timing for an entrance. But I wonder, do you have the courage for a fair fight with me?"

"Cut the bullshit. Just say it out loud. You're scared of my friend here, and you're trying to provoke me into a duel to use me as a shield," Yun Xiao said.

"..." Fu Longxiang shivered inwardly, feeling a chill down his spine. His plan was seen through!

"But you're right in one aspect." Yun Xiao gripped his Heaven Burial Sword Soul, his eyes fixed on Fu Longxiang. Amidst the fervent gazes of the Sword Cultivator disciples, he lunged toward the young heir of the Calamity Seal Purgatory. "I really am easily provoked!"