Chapter 199: The Three Great Demon Sects

The Immortal Immortal’s appearance quickly drew everyone’s attention.

“Small face?”

Although the Immortal Immortal was only five days old, his face looked as if he only had five days left to live. The term “small face” seemed utterly unfitting.

“Are Immortals always this modest?” Qiu Jin’an wondered, observing the Immortal Immortal’s reserved and ingratiating demeanor.

Qiu Jin’an looked at Yun Zhi, concluding that she must have intimidated him into behaving.

“Judging by his cultivation level, he doesn’t seem to be a true Immortal yet?” Among those present, the Abbot of Xuankong Temple had the highest cultivation after Yun Zhi.

The Abbot of Xuankong Temple used his Heavenly Eye ability, scrutinizing the Immortal Immortal from head to toe. He discovered that the Immortal’s cultivation level was not yet that of a true Immortal; at best, it was comparable to his own, perhaps even slightly inferior.

Emperor Xia gazed at the Immortal Immortal hesitantly, feeling a sense of familiarity about him.

“Is this... the power of incense and faith?”

The foundation of the Great Xia Dynasty was similar to incense and faith, though it was a concept built upon them. In Emperor Xia’s words, it was “the will of the people.”

Therefore, Emperor Xia had the clearest understanding of the Immortal Immortal’s origins. While other sect leaders noticed some clues, none saw as clearly as Emperor Xia.

“Could he be a new soul born from the collective thoughts of the Immortal Cult’s followers?”

Yun Zhi nodded, “Yes, and not only was he born this way, but his nascent Dao Fruit also came into existence through the same process.”

“He has a nascent Dao Fruit?!” This declaration astonished everyone.

To the Immortal Fairy, a nascent Dao Fruit was merely a deceptive piece of junk, something not worth presenting. This was because she herself was an Immortal and the holder of the Immortal Dao Fruit.

A Dao Fruit was a concept almost equivalent to an Immortal, an ultimate treasure.

As an incomplete form of a Dao Fruit, a nascent Dao Fruit ranked just below an ultimate treasure in rarity. In ancient times, it was potent enough to trigger wars capable of destroying stars.

The gleaming golden nascent Dao Fruit was displayed before everyone. Within it, the supreme rules of “immortality” flickered and shattered continuously.

The supreme rules of immortality were profoundly arcane. A single glance could affect one’s mind and future path if their will was not strong or their cultivation level insufficient.

This was precisely why the Immortal Fairy had prevented Lu Yang from observing the nascent Dao Fruit.

The weakest among those present were invincible existences at the Integration Stage, having already established their own paths and thus immune to the mind-altering effects of the supreme rules of immortality.

“This is the nascent form of the Immortal Dao Fruit.”

“The Immortal Dao Fruit?” The others were unaware of the Immortal Fairy’s existence.

From an outsider’s perspective, the Immortal Fairy’s existence was an ultimate mystery of ancient times, a taboo hidden in the dust of history, unknowable and untraceable. Exposing her existence would lead to an event that would shake the ages.

However, neither Lu Yang nor the Immortal Fairy had any notion of this.

Yun Zhi had no intention of revealing the Immortal Fairy’s matter. While those present were trustworthy, and there was no concern of eavesdropping here, if the Four Ancient Immortals were determined to investigate and resorted to extreme measures like soul-searching those present, the Immortal Fairy’s secret could no longer be kept.

Yun Zhi was unsure of the Four Ancient Immortals’ reaction upon learning of the Immortal Fairy’s revival.

She calmly explained, “Based on my deductions, the Immortal Dao Fruit, as its name suggests, grants true immortality.”

“What is the difference between immortality and an Immortal’s longevity?” Emperor Xia asked.

As far as he knew, after becoming an Immortal, one transcended the limits of lifespan, no longer aging to death, achieving true longevity.

During the last meeting of the Five Great Immortal Sects, Yun Zhi had explained the method of resurrecting the Immortal Immortal, thus informing the sects about the meaning of true immortality.

However, Emperor Xia had not been present at that meeting.

Yun Zhi explained, “Immortals possess longevity, but they can still die in battle, be killed by others, and cannot be revived. However, an Immortal who possesses the Immortal Dao Fruit can be instantly resurrected on the spot if someone utters their honorific and true name, achieving true indestructibility and immortality.”

“In other words, as long as someone is aware of that Immortal’s existence, the Immortal will not die.”

“Even if someone accidentally utters their honorific and true name, the Immortal can still be revived.”

Emperor Xia’s pupils constricted. As expected of a Dao Fruit capable of altering the world’s rules, such a function was truly domineering and unreasonable.

“This nascent Immortal Dao Fruit was also generated through the faith of the cult’s followers. Although it is not as potent as a mature Dao Fruit, it has the potential to mature given enough time.”

The Sect Master of Zhenyu Sect frowned deeply, “So, the Blazing Sun Cult, the Nine Nether Cult, and the Emotionless Cult could also have similar nascent Dao Fruits appear?”

The Blazing Sun Cult, the Nine Nether Cult, and the Emotionless Cult were the other three major demonic cults.

The Blazing Sun Cult believed the sun to be the supreme existence, the origin and end of all things, containing the power to create and destroy. Even the ubiquitous spiritual energy of heaven and earth was thought to emanate from the sun.

The Nine Nether Cult believed that after death, souls would travel to a place called the Nine Nethers, where they would be cleansed of their sins before being reincarnated and returning to the human world.

The Emotionless Cult was the most peculiar. Although its members were human, the mainstream cultivation world referred to them as “demonic fiends” and did not consider them human.

The Emotionless Cult believed emotions were shackles placed by Heaven upon living beings, limiting their potential. They advocated for beings to break free from these shackles and pursue true freedom, thereby maximizing their potential.

Members of the Emotionless Cult were all individuals who had cast off their shackles. Emotionless people would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

According to a captured Emotionless Cult follower, when he broke free from the shackles of emotion, he felt his body lighten and the entire world open up before him.

Family, friends, lovers... these no longer hindered his cultivation; instead, they became materials for it.

“The possibility of the other three demonic cults having nascent Dao Fruits is merely my conjecture; it’s not necessarily true.”

Yun Zhi couldn’t guarantee the accuracy of her predictions. For instance, during her last discussion with Venerable Daoyan of the Heavenly Strategies Sect about the purpose of the Immortal Cult’s existence, Venerable Daoyan’s theory was closer to the truth, while Yun Zhi’s was less accurate.

“In any case, the Immortal Cult has been eradicated. Fortunately, the problem was exposed promptly, giving us new insights into the other three demonic cults,” Emperor Xia concluded.

Following this, Emperor Xia proposed a series of countermeasures to strengthen defenses against the demonic cults, drawing frequent nods of agreement from the leaders of the Five Great Immortal Sects.

Before the meeting concluded, Yun Zhi interjected once more.

“Your Majesty, after the interrogation of the Immortal Cult’s Leader and Vice-Leader is complete, and all intelligence has been gathered, could you perhaps hand them over to the Dao Inquiry Sect for disposal?”

Emperor Xia paused, then nodded. Strictly speaking, the entire Immortal Cult was Yun Zhi’s spoils of war. She had simply foregone claiming them and gifted them to the Great Xia Dynasty. Of course, if she wanted them, she could take them.

“May I ask one more thing, Daoist Yun Zhi, what do you intend to do with these two?”

“Our sect needs a slaughterhouse.” “Hm?”

Some people die, but they don’t truly die...