Chapter 748: Injury

Within his home world, Emperor Wanxing stood atop a high mountain, observing the outside through the world's membrane.

"I am hidden within my home world; True Monarch Chining cannot breach the protective rules, nor can he kill me," Emperor Wanxing mused. "The time of an eighth-tier grand cultivator is far more precious than mine; he cannot keep watching me indefinitely. Once True Monarch Chining leaves, I can send out an outer-realm true body to act again. It's just a pity... this time, my outer-realm true body died, and that life nucleus fell into True Monarch Chining's hands."

The treasures he had acquired by commanding a seventh-tier forbidden creature to consume life worlds were naturally transferred to his home world immediately. His outer-realm true body only carried a seventh-tier life nucleus, apart from secret treasures and weapons.

Though he felt a pang for the life nucleus, Emperor Wanxing could bear this loss.

"Hm?" Emperor Wanxing's expression subtly changed. "What is True Monarch Chining doing?"

Through the world's membrane, he could see True Monarch Chining scattering streams of light, which spread around the life world. Emperor Wanxing realized that True Monarch Chining was setting up a permanent grand formation!

He could only watch, unable to venture out.

A moment later...

The vast formation began to operate, naturally solidifying into chains that appeared on the surface of the life world's membrane, as if they were part of it. Nearly ten thousand chains completely sealed off the entire life world, thoroughly isolating it from the outside.

Emperor Wanxing felt his vision could no longer penetrate the world's membrane, nor could he sense the outside. Even his connection with the Nebula Palace was severed.

"I can't sense the outside world anymore." Emperor Wanxing felt a surge of panic. He took a step, appearing at the highest point of his world, gazing up at the celestial membrane. He observed the colossal chains emerging on the membrane, studying the profound mysteries they contained.

"I control the laws of space-time, yet I can't sense the outside?" Emperor Wanxing grew anxious. He knew that higher life worlds possessed similar formations that completely isolated them from the outside, making them untraceable to anyone below the eighth-tier. However, he also understood that such formations came at an immense cost! Therefore, an eighth-tier grand cultivator would typically only set up one for their home world.

How could such a grand formation be deployed simply to imprison him?

Buzz—

As the vast formation operated, Emperor Wanxing found the spreading power familiar.

"White Bird, are you controlling this grand formation?" Emperor Wanxing called out.

The sealing formation continued to run, but Curator White Bird ignored him.

"Even if you don't say it, I can guess," Emperor Wanxing's voice echoed towards the formation. "Grand formations that completely isolate space-time are extremely rare. Although some deities in those higher life worlds are only sixth-tier or seventh-tier at their strongest, they cannot perfectly operate such formations. These formations typically draw power from the outside and operate naturally over long periods."

"This grand formation isn't operating naturally; it's being controlled by you, a half-step eighth-tier cultivator. That's why True Monarch Chining could set it up so quickly."

"But you, a half-step eighth-tier, are you going to keep wasting your time with me like this?"

"You are also a corporeal cultivator; you only have one outer-realm true body. If you spend your time here with me, most of your cultivation path will be ruined," Emperor Wanxing pressed on. "Is it worth it?"

"It is worth it!" A calm voice replied.

Hearing Curator White Bird's response, Emperor Wanxing immediately said, "I know you paid a great price to invite True Monarch Chining this time. Tell me, what terms would make you release me? We can talk properly and reach an agreement that satisfies you. That way, you won't have to delay your cultivation."

"The True Monarch just said he gave you one last chance, and you squandered it. Now, you will stay in your home world, forever unable to come out," Curator White Bird stated coldly.

Emperor Wanxing was stunned and quickly retorted, "White Bird, are you insane?"

Curator White Bird ignored him.

"You're destroying your own cultivation path."

"I can swear an oath not to attack the home worlds of your side's cultivators. I can even swear to consume at most three more life worlds, and then I can give you thirty billion cubes..." Emperor Wanxing continued, relentlessly lowering his demands.

Listening to Emperor Wanxing's desperate pleas, Curator White Bird shook his head slightly. "Even at this point, he hasn't given up on devouring life worlds. Truly, he is Wanxing." After so many years of conflict, he had long understood Wanxing's nature, which was why he was willing to pay the price to suppress him. If left unchecked, for example, in tens of thousands of years when his lifespan dwindled, Emperor Wanxing's madness would drastically intensify.

His current consumption of these life worlds was already a relatively restrained outcome for Wanxing.

Standing in the void, Curator White Bird looked around. True Monarch Chining had already departed, leaving only him there.

"From now on, I will have to guard this place indefinitely."

With a wave of his hand, Curator White Bird conjured a cultivation cave dwelling in the void, and the surrounding trillion miles of space were completely shrouded.

Half an hour later, Meng Chuan, Ancestor Jie, Lord of Shadow Demons, Vice Curator Chiyang, and Vice Curator Qinglong all arrived near Emperor Wanxing's home world.

"Emperor Wanxing's home world, it's gone?" Meng Chuan, Ancestor Jie, and the others gathered, looking around in surprise. In the distance, the void rippled, revealing a cave dwelling. In front of it, Curator White Bird, clad in a grey robe, awaited them.

"Curator."

Meng Chuan, Ancestor Jie, Lord of Shadow Demons, and the others all drew closer.

"What happened? Where is Emperor Wanxing's home world?" asked the Lord of Shadow Demons.

"I can't sense Emperor Wanxing either. Is he dead?" Ancestor Jie's eyes showed anticipation; if he were dead, it would be wonderful.

"No."

Curator White Bird led Meng Chuan and the others into the cave dwelling. They sat down in the courtyard, and although food and wine were before them, Meng Chuan and the others had no desire to drink. They all wanted to know how Emperor Wanxing had vanished.

"I invited the eighth-tier grand cultivator True Monarch Chining to kill Wanxing," Curator White Bird said calmly, knowing their confusion. "However, Emperor Wanxing was backed by Ancestor Heiming, who had bestowed upon him a life-saving technique... Even True Monarch Chining, affected by Ancestor Heiming's formation, could not break through the life world's membrane to kill Wanxing's home body."

"True Monarch Chining? Ancestor Heiming?" Meng Chuan and the others were somewhat shocked, realizing that two eighth-tier grand cultivators were involved.

With a flick of his hand, Curator White Bird allowed Meng Chuan and the others to look beyond the courtyard. They saw a colossal life world appearing in the outer void, wrapped by nearly ten thousand dense chains.

"Wanxing's home world is right here," Curator White Bird said. "True Monarch Chining set up a formation to completely seal and isolate this life world. Emperor Wanxing is forever trapped within his home world, unable to take a single step out."

"Forever unable to come out?" Ancestor Jie's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. "He won't be able to harm the outside world anymore. If he can't get out, most of his cultivation path will be ruined."

Ancestor Jie was quite satisfied with this outcome.

After all, a half-step eighth-tier cultivator was not easily killed.

"This formation can trap a half-step eighth-tier cultivator?" Vice Curator Qinglong was surprised. As the contemporary patriarch of the Dragon Clan, he well understood how difficult such a formation would be.

"This formation requires a cultivator who masters the laws of space-time to control it," Curator White Bird explained. "Otherwise, it couldn't trap Wanxing."

Meng Chuan, Lord of Shadow Demons, Ancestor Jie, Vice Curator Qinglong, and Vice Curator Chiyang all stared at Curator White Bird in shock.

They all understood now.

In their era, besides Wanxing, only Curator White Bird mastered the laws of space-time. This meant that... Curator White Bird would have to stay here indefinitely to control the formation, unable to move a single step, which would severely impact his cultivation.

"From now on, you'll never be able to leave this place?" Lord of Shadow Demons asked softly.

"There's no way to trap Wanxing without a cost," Curator White Bird said with concern. "But I've long been injured and only have fifty or sixty thousand years of lifespan left. I can't keep Wanxing trapped indefinitely."

"Injured?" Meng Chuan was startled; he had never known this before.