Chapter 882: Method for Ascending After Attaining the Dao

Zhao Ruizhi was greatly alarmed, but being a fierce individual, he bit down hard. With his cultivation, that bite could easily crush metal and break jade. Unfortunately, the tentacle was incredibly slick. Much of the force from his powerful bite was dissipated by the surface slime, making it difficult to truly harm the opponent. Instead, the tentacle seized the chance to burrow further in, even reaching his throat.

Zhao Ruizhi felt a wave of nausea. He had never endured such humiliation; it was not merely a threat to his life but also a blatant trampling of his dignity. He desperately tried to pull the tentacle out with both hands. To his dismay, after the tentacle entered his mouth, a part of it instantly liquefied and flowed into his stomach, causing his strength to diminish rapidly. He could only watch helplessly as the tentacle extended further and further into his mouth.

From a distance, Zu An shivered with revulsion at the sight. Such a death would be worse than dying. "If that happened to me... Ugh, get away, bad luck!"

At that moment, Xu Fu's laughter echoed from within the octopus's mouth: "Hahaha, so it's a soul possessor. Your soul is perfect to replenish what I've lost over these long years."

Zhao Ruizhi struggled desperately, but his movements grew weaker and weaker until he finally became still. Immediately afterward, a soul resembling Zhao Hao was pulled from his body. His expression was one of extreme pain, but stuck to Xu Fu's tentacles, he was utterly powerless to resist. He grew fainter and fainter until, with a pop, he shattered into specks of golden light, all of which were absorbed by the great octopus through its mouth and nostrils.

"Ah," Xu Fu let out a contented groan, evidently feeling incredibly pleased.

However, someone else was far from pleased. Outside the secret realm, in the imperial palace in the capital, Zhao Hao was meditating in the imperial study when his face suddenly changed. He then spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his complexion turning ashen like gold leaf, and his entire aura instantly weakened significantly.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Two personal eunuchs heard the commotion and rushed in. Seeing the emperor's current state, they were both startled.

A sharp glint flashed in Zhao Hao's eyes. The two eunuchs seemed to be grasped by a pair of invisible hands around their necks, and then, with a snap, they collapsed limply to the ground, utterly lifeless. Little did they know that their perceived concern would lead to their own demise. How could the emperor possibly allow his current weakened state to be revealed to others?

Zhao Hao didn't even glance at the bodies of the two eunuchs. Instead, he hurried to the window, gazing towards the back mountain of the Imperial Academy, his expression utterly grim. His own soul clone had been destroyed! Although separated by a world, he couldn't know exactly what had happened there, but since they shared the same origin, he immediately sensed the death of his soul clone.

His mind was filled with doubt and alarm. Before this, everything had been within his grasp. Even with the arrangements at Prince Qi's residence, although he didn't know every detail, his soul clone in the Crown Prince's body should have been sufficient to suppress any unexpected changes. Why would it die? Even though a new secret realm had appeared, he didn't believe it could threaten his soul clone. Could it be that Zhao Jing had also entered the secret realm?

He hurriedly called out, "Someone!"

Soon, Eunuch Wen scurried over. "What are your Majesty's orders?" He acted as if he hadn't seen the bodies of the two eunuchs on the floor. The reason he had remained in the imperial study for so many years was precisely because he knew when to ask questions and when not to, when to enter the imperial study and when not to. *These two young eunuchs were simply too naive.*

By then, Zhao Hao had wiped the blood from his face, and his aura had returned to normal. He said in a deep voice, "Summon Prince Qi for an audience... No, wait. Never mind. Have our insider agents find out exactly where Prince Qi is, at all costs!" He was concerned that if Prince Qi came in person, his current state might not be concealed from him at such close proximity, which would only boost the other party's confidence and introduce more variables.

Eunuch Wen hesitated slightly. "This could very likely expose our insider agent planted in Prince Qi's residence." Ascertaining Prince Qi's whereabouts was beyond the capabilities of ordinary insider agents; only the highest-ranking insider in Prince Qi's residence would likely know. It had taken considerable effort to plant an agent in such a position within Prince Qi's residence; losing them over this matter would be far too great a pity.

Zhao Hao's expression turned cold. "I said, at all costs."

"As you command!" Eunuch Wen's heart sank, clearly understanding that the emperor was willing to sacrifice that person's life. *Sigh*, what does it matter to reach such a high position if you can still be a disposable pawn at any time? *Who knows when I might face such a fate myself.*

He dared not show the slightest hint of this thought. He slowly withdrew, and as he left, he even took away the bodies of the two eunuchs from the floor, as if nothing had happened. Zhao Hao nodded in satisfaction. This servant was discerning and always knew how to act, ensuring everything was done to his liking.

However, his good mood lasted only a second. He then resumed gazing towards the secret realm in the back mountain of the academy, his face grim. What on earth had happened in there to ruin his years-long plan for immortality?

Meanwhile, Zu An's mood in the secret realm was equally grim. He was furiously cursing Zhao Hao, calling him a useless fool. He had been so arrogant before, yet now he was so easily devoured by that octopus monster? Not only did they not fight to a mutual destruction, but Zhao Hao even nourished the opponent? Making Xu Fu even stronger? What was the point of fighting now?

Zu An gave up on continuing the attack and instead went to guard Mi Li. He didn't flee either, knowing that since the opponent had just absorbed Zhao Hao's soul clone, he wouldn't be able to outrun them even if he tried.

The octopus monster twisted and contorted, regaining a human form. Immediately afterward, the surrounding bloody liquid seemed to congeal, developing various cracks. Soon after, these blood scabs peeled off, revealing the person inside. Compared to the monster whose features were blurry before, he now looked much like an ordinary person. However, his fluctuating form indicated he still lacked a physical body; it was unclear if he was a soul body like Mi Li or something else entirely.

He looked at Zu An with a fervent gaze and couldn't help but lick his lips. "A pure yang body, and super-tier talent! Truly, heaven helps me!"

Being stared at by him sent a shiver down Zu An's spine. *This creepy pervert!*

Mi Li spoke up at this moment. "Xu Fu, you still haven't answered my question. Why are you here? And didn't you disappear with three thousand young boys and girls back then?"

Xu Fu had just absorbed Zhao Hao's soul clone and was in excellent condition, so he wasn't in a hurry to make a move. After all, not sharing his proud achievements with an audience would be like walking at night in splendid robes—utterly unsatisfying.

"Back then, Ying Zheng ordered me to find the elixir of immortality. I ventured deep into the vast ocean countless times, hoping to find the legendary immortal mountains. But where are there immortals in this world? Repeated failures made Ying Zheng increasingly impatient with me, and everyone thought I would return empty-handed again. But to their surprise, I found a possible method for eternal life in Dongying."

"What!" Not just Zu An, but even Mi Li was moved. Was there truly a method for immortality in this world?

Xu Fu smiled. "Actually, it's not truly an immortality technique in the strict sense, but rather a sinister art that prolongs life. This art requires a large amount of human vital essence and blood to replenish lifespan, and also sacrifices with the five elemental constitutions: metal, wood, water, fire, and and earth. Of course, most importantly, it requires a Pure Yang Body born in a yang year, yang month, yang hour, and yang place, as well as a Pure Yin Body born in a yin year, yin day, yin hour, and yin place. Only then can one achieve ascension, becoming immortal and indestructible."

At this point, Xu Fu paused and gave Mi Li a meaningful look. "Otherwise, why do you think Ying Zheng, even when he was clearly about to deal with the State of Chu, still insisted on marrying you, a young princess of Chu, as his empress? Do you truly believe it was just because you were the former empress's sister?"

Mi Li's expression changed; she hadn't expected there to be such an underlying reason.

Xu Fu then asked, "Aren't you curious why Ying Zheng kept you as his empress for so many years, yet never touched you, still allowing you to remain a virgin?"