Chapter 84: Betrayal and hidden plans

Chapter 84: Betrayal and hidden plans In the Black Sea Immortal Continent, countless corpses of both dragons and humans were strewn across the land. The once verdant terrain was now stained with crimson, resembling a sea of blood. Cries of agony and pleas for mercy echoed relentlessly amidst the carnage. Meanwhile, the Immortal Emperor Shadow Sect continued to hunt down and mercilessly slaughter any survivors of the war.

Sa Ying, the leader of the Immortal Emperor Shadow Sect, calmly approached Chang Tong after having easily beheaded Long Wei. Now, she intended to finish off the leader of the Golden Commerce Guild. Chang Tong, though still alive, was severely wounded, his body riddled with injuries and poisoned by something that had left deep, festering wounds.

Struggling to flee, panting heavily, Chang Tong glanced back at Sa Ying as she slowly approached, his eyes filled with terror. "I thought... I thought we agreed to work together," he stammered, his voice trembling.

Sa Ying said nothing. She simply raised her sword and dashed toward him, intending to kill him instantly. But before her blade could reach him, Chang Tong smirked. Golden chains shot up from the ground, entangling Sa Ying's body. She tried to escape, but the chains were too tight for her to break free.

Despite being restrained, Sa Ying remained unfazed. She kept her composure, scanning her surroundings. Suddenly, she sensed danger. A pair of hands lunged from behind her at high speed, aiming straight for her heart.

Sa Ying twisted her body to dodge, but it was too late. The hands pierced through her from behind, causing her to cough up blood. Her face turned pale, but she still raised her head, speaking coldly and with disdain.

"The Immortal Emperor Devil Sect... What do you want? We made a Heavenly Pact. Aren't you afraid of the consequences?"

A voice replied from behind. "Of course I'm afraid, but greed outweighs fear now. I can't help it," said Mo Ji, leader of the Immortal Emperor Devil Sect.

Dozens of disciples from the Immortal Emperor Shadow Sect, witnessing their leader in danger, rushed to her aid. Their faces were filled with fury and determination to protect her at all costs.

Suddenly, a terrifying aura enveloped the battlefield, sending shivers down everyone's spines. The aura was so menacing that even the Immortal Emperors sensed impending doom. They turned to strike at the source of the aura immediately. Boom! A massive explosion erupted, sending thick smoke billowing across the sky, obscuring everyone's vision. The ground trembled from the force of the blast as all movement ceased while everyone cautiously waited to assess the situation.

Amidst the swirling smoke, something shot out at an alarming speed, attacking the Immortal Emperors indiscriminately, regardless of their allegiance. They barely had time to react, and before they could defend themselves, the swift attacks pierced through their bodies with ease. Agonizing screams filled the chaos as blood sprayed everywhere.

Seeing how the situation was quickly deteriorating, Sa Ying realized the growing danger. She decided to unleash her secret technique, the "Immortal Heavenly Poison Body." A deadly, violet-black poison that had been dormant within her began to spread in all directions, infecting everything it touched with lethal force.

Mo Ji, recognizing the danger, understood that attacking her now would be fatal, as the poison-filled heart could kill him instantly. Despite his long-standing desire to kill Sa Ying, the risk was too great. He did not want to take the chance.

The toxic wave spread further, disintegrating everything in its path. Chang Tong, seeing this, quickly conjured a large, golden, cup-like barrier to contain the poison. He smiled confidently at Sa Ying as his wounds healed and his body returned to its pristine state.

Sa Ying was stunned. She looked at Chang Tong, who no longer appeared to be suffering from his earlier afflictions. Glancing around, she saw Mo Ji and an army from the Immortal Emperor Devil Sect, who had just arrived on the battlefield.

Her gaze then turned to a massive headless skeletal dragon that was slaughtering indiscriminately, showing no regard for which side its victims belonged to. She also saw how the Golden Commerce Guild and the Dragon Clan had stopped fighting each other, instead turning to slaughter the members of her Immortal Emperor Shadow Sect.

Sa Ying instantly realized what had happened. She had been outmaneuvered... Everything that had unfolded was part of a meticulously laid trap to destroy the Immortal Emperor Shadow Sect. She muttered aloud.

"You three really went so far as to stage a fake battle to deceive me, breaking the Heavenly Pact and even faking your deaths... Sigh."

Back at the Immortal Bloodfallen Sect, in a quiet hall, Jiang Yun sat on a grand throne, his face thoughtful as he looked into the surrounding darkness. With a voice that echoed softly, Jiang Yun spoke.

"System, open the Black Market for me."

The system responded immediately in a friendly tone: "Understood, Host."

[Top-grade Immortal Spirit Veins x1,000,000 — 90% Discount: 10,000,000,000,000 points.]

[High-level Immortal Emperor Weapons x10,000 — 80% Discount: 20,000,000,000,000 points.]

[Emperor-grade Techniques x10,000 — 80% Discount: 20,000,000,000,000 points.]

[Ancient Beast, Queen of the Ancient Ants — 90% Discount: 10,000,000,000,000 points.]

Jiang Yun observed the tempting offers on the screen for a moment, considering his options before making his decision.

"Buy them all," he said without hesitation.

The system responded with enthusiasm:

[Thank you for your purchase, Host. Transaction successful. Total cost: 60,000,000,000,000 points. Current balance: 240 trillion points.]

Jiang Yun thought for a moment and then asked again, "Do you have the Immortal Emperor Dream Body for sale?"

The system fell silent for a moment before slowly responding, [Apologies, Host. You must first unlock System Level 4.]

Jiang Yun furrowed his brow. "And how many points will that cost?" he asked, his voice stern.

The system responded quickly, [Not too much, Host. Only 5,000 trillion points.]

Jiang Yun fell silent for a moment before sighing. "Why... System... We've been together for so long. We've faced countless challenges, from the Children of Fate to other System bearers."

Suddenly, the system let out a sobbing noise, its voice quivering as if it were crying.

[Host, please forgive me... I lost myself for a moment... (╥﹏╥)]

[Upgrade cost increased to 5,001 trillion points. ???? (???) ]

A tense silence filled the hall. Jiang Yun's face remained calm as he slowly pulled out an ink brush, his eyes turning cold. But before he could take further action, the system let out a startled cry and fled in haste.

[Host!! Let's talk this through! Please, don't do this!] The system's fake sobbing echoed in the air.

Jiang Yun shouted in anger, "Come out now, and I'll show mercy. But if you run again, you won't be so lucky next time!" His grip tightened on the brush.

The system responded in a voice full of fear, [Host! Don't do this, I'm scared!]

Just as Jiang Yun was about to act, the voice of his Samsara Clone contacted him, interrupting his thoughts. He sighed quietly before rising and stepping into the void, his voice cold. "Next time, you won't be so lucky, System..."

Meanwhile, as the entire Tianyuan world was in shock, trying to uncover details about the Xue Clan and the war raging on the Black Sea Immortal Continent, the chaos showed no signs of subsiding. Screams and the sound of battle continued to fill the air. Amid this tension, the announcement of the second rank on the Golden List was made.

[Rank 2]

[Name: Immortal Bloodfallen Sect, Immortal Cloud Continent]

[Forces including their own and those under their command]

[Supreme Tier: 17,167 people]

[High Tier: 278,120,861 people]

[Mid Tier: 1,571,652,864 people]

[Low Tier: 2,414,112,152 people]

[Reward: (Visible only to the current leader of the ranked faction)]

As soon as the second rank was announced, the atmosphere across Tianyuan was filled with gasps of disbelief and confusion. People murmured amongst themselves, struggling to accept the reality they had just witnessed.

"This is madness! How can they have so many Immortal Emperors?"

"I can't believe my eyes... How did the Immortal Bloodfallen Sect become so powerful, or was it always hidden?"

"I want to join the Immortal Bloodfallen Sect. Who's coming with me to the Immortal Cloud Continent?"

As questions and discussions spread across the land, in a mysterious carriage heading to an unknown destination, Lin Qingyi and Lin Jia sat inside.

"You were right, Uncle. But are we really going to go through with this?" Lin Qingyi asked, puzzled.

Lin Jia smiled faintly and replied, "Of course, we don't have many options left."

Lin Qingyi looked at her uncle, surprised. "But your face doesn't seem to say that," she said, suspicious.

Lin Jia chuckled softly, "Oh? Then perhaps you're just overthinking."

Still bewildered, Lin Qingyi remained silent as the carriage quietly arrived at its destination.

At the Immortal Phoenix Empire, Feng Yang looked at the announcement of the second place ranking with confusion, his face filled with disbelief. "We're not even in the top 10? How is that possible? It shouldn't be this way!" he exclaimed, bewildered.

In contrast to her father, Feng Yi remained calm, her face expressionless. She turned to look at her father before speaking steadily, "Father, follow me."

Feng Yang was perplexed. Where was she taking him? In Feng Yang's heart, he still believed that the number one spot on the Golden List must belong to the Tianyuan Guardian Alliance. However, he could not accept the reality unfolding before him.

The two of them stepped into the void together. Suddenly, a vast space appeared before them, filled with a powerful and complete spiritual aura. An overwhelming force immediately surged toward Feng Yang.

"What is this..." Feng Yang was speechless. He could sense numerous people, all extremely strong, and some were even stronger than him.

Suddenly, the sound of kneeling echoed through the area, and voices shouted, "We greet the Empress and the former Emperor!"

Feng Yi's voice broke the silence. "Father, with such a powerful force, did you think we wouldn't make the rankings?" she asked, a small smile appearing on her lips.

Feng Yang looked at what lay before him in astonishment, unable to answer his daughter's question. Meanwhile, in the outside world of Tianyuan, the first place ranking on the Golden List was being announced...

[Rank 1]

[Name: Immortal Phoenix Empire, Immortal Flame Continent and Immortal Frost Continent]

[Forces including their own and those under their command]

[??? Tier: 1 person]

[Supreme Tier: 19,941 people]

[High Tier: 478,184,800 people]

[Mid Tier: 2,648,546,974 people]

[Low Tier: 9,487,942,827 people]

[Reward: (Visible only to the current leader of the ranked faction)]

When the first place was announced, a deafening roar of chaos erupted across Tianyuan. Even on the battlefield at the Black Sea, the once resounding sounds of battle temporarily ceased. Whispers of disbelief and shock spread throughout the land.

"Why... What in the world just happened?" a trembling voice spoke on the battlefield.

Another voice from a distant continent muttered in confusion, "I knew it, the power of the Immortal Phoenix Empire shouldn't have disappeared from the top 10, but I didn't think they would take the top spot!"

A third voice questioned with suspicion, "And what about the Tianyuan Guardian Alliance? What happened to them? Why aren't they ranked?"

All over the battlefield, people began questioning what they had just witnessed. Disbelief and confusion spread everywhere. They knew the Immortal Phoenix Empire was powerful, but no one had expected them to claim the number one spot on the Golden List.

Just then, another shocking development occurred—a sudden and unexpected change to the rankings of the top 20 strongest individuals in the world of Tianyuan.

A voice from the crowd shouted, "What happened to the list of the strongest individuals? Why is it changing again?"

[Rank 20]

[Name: Jiang Tian]

[Affiliation: Immortal Phoenix Empire, 9th Heavenly General of the Black Phoenix Army]

[Cultivation: Peak Immortal Emperor]

[Reward: (Visible only to the ranked individual)]

.....

[Rank 11]

[Name: Immortal Emperor of Flame, Huo Yan]

[Affiliation: Immortal Phoenix Empire, 4th Heavenly General of the Heavenly Fire Phoenix Army]

[Cultivation: Peak Immortal Emperor]

[Reward: (Visible only to the ranked individual)]

...

[Rank 4]

[Name: Lin Jia]

[Affiliation: Immortal Phoenix Empire, 2nd Heavenly General of the Snow Dragon Cavalry]

[Cultivation: Peak Immortal Emperor]

[Reward: (Visible only to the ranked individual)]

.....

[Rank 1]

[Name: Eternal Immortal Emperor, Yong Xuan]

[Affiliation: Immortal Phoenix Empire, 1st Heavenly General of the Eternal Phoenix Army]

[Cultivation: Half-God]

[Reward: (Visible only to the ranked individual)]

When the list of the strongest individuals was altered, people across the world of Tianyuan were stunned, their hearts nearly stopping. The once-loud conversations were filled with confusion and disbelief as they witnessed the impossible changes on the list. Everyone felt a growing sense of insecurity in the world they once knew, as though everything was being turned upside down.

Amid the growing chaos, on the Eternal Immortal Continent, Jiang Yun emerged from the void. His face was cold and powerful. He encountered his Samsara Clone, holding four souls in his grasp.

Jiang Yun wasted no time. Upon seeing those souls, he immediately used his power to extract all their memories. His expression remained calm, but his mind was filled with analysis and doubt. As he absorbed their memories, countless secrets were revealed to him.

The four souls were soon destroyed, leaving only their echoes in the darkness. Jiang Yun showed no mercy or hesitation; their deaths meant nothing to him.

Not long after, Jiang Yun returned to the Fallen Heaven Blood Sect. Upon his arrival, he summoned one of the elders and commanded:

"Go and call Mo Jun to see me." His voice was cold, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

The elder quickly retreated without daring to ask any questions.

Jiang Yun stood still, his expression remaining cold as he awaited Mo Jun's arrival. His mind was filled with thoughts and plans. He knew well that the world of Tianyuan was rife with complexity and betrayal, and he began to smile in a terrifying manner. A sudden sound, click!!!, was heard, followed by the system's voice, though it didn't fully appear. Searᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

[Would you like me to develop the picture for you? The cost would be... Oh no... Aaaaahhhh!!!!]

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[I just took my first photo... Was there really a need to be so harsh? (っ??? c)]