Chapter 374: The Envy of Li Haoran

Prison Peak is the place within Dao Seeking Sect used to imprison criminals, most of whom are ancient cultivators guilty of various misdeeds.

At the base of Prison Peak, the cells are divided into small cages. Each cage contains ancient Unity cultivators who, in their time, had dominated the world but are now reduced to mere prisoners, their last bit of value being drained.

The imperial court and the other four immortal sects also have similar places to prevent these ancient cultivators from committing further atrocities.

In the cells, the once mighty spirits now leaned lifelessly against the walls, their eyes dull.

When they sensed someone approaching, their eyes lit up, and they put on fierce expressions, attempting to intimidate the newcomer—one of their few remaining sources of amusement.

However, when they saw that the visitor was Yun Zhi, their expressions changed dramatically. They scrambled to hide in the corners of their cells, holding their breath, trembling, and doing everything they could to reduce their presence, fearing that Yun Zhi might notice them.

There were many empty cages in Prison Peak, with labels such as True Lord of Desolation, True Lord of Taishan, Mad Demon of Xuanling, and Master of Tranquility written on the top corners. In ancient times, just hearing these names would make people go pale with fear.

But now, these figures had all been turned into artifact spirits, integrated into Yun Zhi’s magical tools.

If they angered Yun Zhi, they knew they’d be next in line for such a fate.

Yun Zhi removed the seal on the Calamity Sovereign, and as he glanced around, he realized this place was meant to imprison beings like him.

A slight tremor ran through him. No wonder some people who should have awakened were missing when he tried to contact them—they were imprisoned here.

It seemed that Great Xia was far more formidable than he had anticipated...

Suddenly, his attention was drawn to a nearby cage, labeled Blood Demon Sovereign.

The Blood Demon Sovereign recognized the Calamity Sovereign, having seen his image before. He knew this cultivator had emerged tens of thousands of years earlier than him.

The Calamity Sovereign roared, “Blood Demon, you worthless piece of luck! You’re only at the early Tribulation Crossing Stage, and you dare call yourself National Teacher?”

Both were early-stage Tribulation Crossing cultivators, yet while the Calamity Sovereign had served under the National Teacher, the Blood Demon Sovereign had actually become one. The difference was too great.

He had studied the history of Great Yu after his slumber and was well aware of the Blood Demon Sovereign’s existence.

The Blood Demon Sovereign, for his selfish gain, had supported a weak emperor, using him to issue orders and gather countless benefits. To please the noble families of the time, he created policies that empowered them, accelerating Great Yu’s collapse.

The fall of Great Yu and the subsequent chaos that allowed noble families to vie for power all stemmed from the Blood Demon Sovereign.

The Calamity Sovereign would never accept that someone like the Blood Demon Sovereign was also a National Teacher!

The Blood Demon Sovereign, however, was unbothered by the raging Calamity Sovereign. He smiled coldly, saying, “Senior Calamity Sovereign, isn’t that a bit too much? The position of National Teacher was there for anyone to take. If I didn’t take it, someone else would have. How can you call it luck?”

When Lu Yang headed to Hundred Refinements Peak, he happened to see Li Haoran spending time with his former daughter, Qin Yanyan, on the mountainside, enjoying a peaceful moment together.

Qin Yanyan was still at the late Foundation Building stage, seemingly still undecided about how she would form her golden core.

Li Haoran greeted Lu Yang enthusiastically, “Senior Brother Lu, you’re back! A few days ago, Senior Brother Meng invited me to attend the Qingzhou Gathering, but I had some matters I couldn’t leave behind. Did you go?”

“Yes, Junior Brother Li, you missed out. The Qingzhou Gathering was incredibly lively. I even found a flying sword once used by an Immortal at a street stall, though it was damaged—destroyed by two Half-Immortal Stage experts.”

Both Li Haoran and Qin Yanyan gasped in shock. From this simple description, they could easily imagine the intensity of the battle.

“Later on, I participated in a competition for the younger generation with old Meng. The two of us stepped in to personally guide them, pointing out their cultivation flaws and helping them understand the gap between us. The first and second place winners were especially grateful, practically moved to tears. They swore they would go back and train harder to close the gap.”

“Guiding others in their cultivation...” Li Haoran imagined himself sitting in the judges’ seat, pointing out flaws in others’ cultivation paths—it was a thrilling thought.

“Moon Laurel Immortal Palace, Five Elements Sect, and Prison-Suppressing Sect also had participants in the competition, but their performance as judges was average compared to me and old Meng. We really stood out.”

“Old Meng and I received generous rewards for our guidance, but in our noble spirit, we declined to take them.”

“Unfortunately, halfway through the event, ancient cultivators attacked—two at the Unity stage, one at the Tribulation Crossing Stage. The Tribulation Crossing expert was truly overwhelming. The moment he appeared, it felt like all hope was lost. We thought we were going to die, but luckily, Eldest Senior Sister arrived in time to save us. That’s the only reason we made it out alive.”

Li Haoran was filled with envy as he listened—an Immortal’s flying sword, guiding cultivators, and Eldest Senior Sister battling an ancient Tribulation Crossing expert. Every detail sounded like a legendary adventure.

Too bad he had missed it, as he had stayed behind to help Qin Yanyan with her core formation.

“Senior Brother Lu, is there a reason you’ve come to Hundred Refinements Peak today?”

“I’m here to see the Fifth Elder. Is he around?”

Lu Yang hadn’t forgotten about the patent fees for his flying carriage design.

Li Haoran pointed to the cloud-covered mountaintop. “Yes, he’s up there. Senior Sister Peach just went to see him too. I’m not sure what it’s about.”

“I’ll head up then. Farewell for now.”

As Lu Yang departed, Qin Yanyan, still recovering from the vivid imagery Lu Yang had described, turned to Li Haoran and asked, “Does he encounter this many events every time he goes out? This time it was an ancient Tribulation Crossing expert, last time it was the Nine Nether Sect?”

Li Haoran chuckled. “More than that. You have no idea—Senior Brother Lu has a knack for attracting trouble. Before the Nine Nether Sect incident, he even ran into the Undying Sect, and it all started because he went to deal with a simple Foundation Building Stage tiger demon.”

(End of the chapter)