Ch 80: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

Zong Yu now didn’t dare to look at Jiang Lin’s expression at all.

He had already been considering for a while how to bring up this matter with Jiang Lin, but none of the scenarios he had imagined involved anything like the current situation. It was sudden, without any preparation, and it had just exploded out in the open.

The only consolation was that at least the Heavenly Emperor was there to take the heat for him.

After learning of this shocking fact, the honorable Heavenly Emperor quickly shifted his attention to other matters.

He began to scrutinize Jiang Lin with a new, evaluative gaze, much like that of a senior appraising a younger one.

This Immortal Lord before him had excellent looks, an outstanding demeanor, and his cultivation could withstand even a strike from the Heavenly Emperor in a fit of anger. Considering all this, the Heavenly Emperor felt somewhat satisfied.

However, he still frowned slightly and said, “Immortal Lord Liu’s background is still a bit low…”

Jiang Lin, snapping out of his shock, heard these words that weighed him like merchandise.

To be honest, as someone who grew up under the red flag, Jiang Lin might be curious and respectful toward figures from myth and legend like the Heavenly Emperor, but he would never feel inferior or consider himself less than them. He even scoffed at the Heavenly Emperor’s belief in judging people by their birth and lineage.

Just as he was about to respond, Zong Yu, who could no longer stand it, spoke up first: “Heavenly Emperor, shut up!”

Although Zong Yu usually wasn’t very deferential to the Heavenly Emperor, this was the first time he showed such blatant disregard.

He glared coldly at the Heavenly Emperor: “If it weren’t for the fact that you’ve lived longer and your cultivation is higher than mine, I would definitely fight you! Insulting Jiang Lin is the same as insulting me!”

“Is it so lively here?”

Before the Heavenly Emperor could respond, a bright and gentle voice echoed from afar. Accompanied by a soft breeze, a young man dressed in green appeared in the grand hall.

His face was extremely delicate and handsome, his demeanor tranquil and refined. Just standing there, he exuded a sense of springtime warmth.

As soon as this spring breeze arrived, the murderous and oppressive atmosphere brought by the Heavenly Emperor dissipated entirely.

“Let me take a look.” The newcomer, smiling, ignored the darkening face of the Heavenly Emperor and looked at the others in the hall. “Who has the audacity to challenge our Central Heavenly Emperor?”

His gaze fell on Zong Yu. “Is it you, a little Taotie who hasn’t even come of age?”

Zong Yu stared at him warily, saying nothing.

This person gave him a familiar feeling, and that familiarity came from Jiang Lin beside him.

Whether it was the aura or the energy, Jiang Lin and this stranger were remarkably similar.

If Zong Yu could notice it, there was no way Jiang Lin wouldn’t. His internal spiritual energy even started to circulate excitedly as if it had encountered something that greatly thrilled it.

Jiang Lin suddenly recalled the words the Heavenly Emperor had spoken earlier. The Heavenly Emperor had mentioned that the Nine Spirits Technique was a cultivation method created by the Eastern Heavenly Emperor Taihao.

The identity of the newcomer was now obvious.

Sure enough, the man’s gaze quickly landed on Jiang Lin, his expression becoming somewhat intrigued.

But before he could speak, the Heavenly Emperor, displeased, interrupted: “Taihao, I’m dealing with some private matters here. Don’t interfere.”

Indeed, it was Emperor Qing.

“Your private matters involve using your status as the grand Heavenly Emperor to bully a few youngsters?” Emperor Qing raised an eyebrow and retorted bluntly.

“Furthermore, the ones you’re troubling are, on one hand, our old friend Taotie, and on the other…” His gaze grew more interested as he looked at Jiang Lin. “…my own disciple?”

When he personally said “my disciple,” Jiang Lin was completely stunned.

The Heavenly Emperor was somewhat surprised but not particularly shocked. Instead, he asked with some satisfaction, “Can’t you find a decent disciple in the Eastern Heavenly Court? You had to come to my Central Heavenly Court to poach one?”

Emperor Qing glanced at him, fully aware of his old friend’s temperament, and decided not to argue with him.

He asked, “What happened just now that made Taotie so angry he wanted to challenge you?”

The mention of this made the Heavenly Emperor a bit annoyed, feeling that others didn’t understand his good intentions. “I kindly offered to marry my daughter to Immortal Lord Liu, but he dared to defy me!”

The named Weaver girl was trembling in the corner, not wanting to get involved in the conversation between these powerful figures.

Jiang Lin, neither warm nor cold, retorted, “I don’t even know her. Refusing a marriage that isn’t based on mutual feelings is considered defiance?”

Emperor Qing chuckled, giving Jiang Lin a look of approval. “Good lad, you’ve got guts.”

Having known the Heavenly Emperor for many years, Emperor Qing was well aware of his personality—arrogant and domineering. If it weren’t for his high status and powerful strength, he would have been beaten to death countless times already.

The Heavenly Emperor, displeased, asked, “What do you mean by that? Are you saying I’m wrong?”

Others might be cautious of his status, but Emperor Qing had no such concerns.

He mocked, “Of course you’re wrong. With your personality, you’d be labeled a tyrant if you were among humans.”

The Heavenly Emperor glared at him, “Taihao!”

Emperor Qing, still smiling, said, “Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. I didn’t come all the way here just to fight with you.”

“Fight? Who’s fighting?” A rolling thunderous voice came from afar.

In the next moment, a tall, muscular man with curly hair crossed space and strode into the grand hall.

He was towering and robust, surrounded by scorching energy, causing the entire space to become tense and oppressive with his arrival.

Both Jiang Lin and Zong Yu felt the heavy pressure, while Weaver girl, whose strength was weaker, turned pale.

The Heavenly Emperor immediately became displeased, dispersing the man’s pressure and glaring at him. “Emperor Yan, are you trying to provoke me?”

Emperor Yan laughed heartily. “I thought there were no others here, so I didn’t hold back.”

As he spoke, he looked around and said, “I heard you have a Taotie here…”

He then looked towards Zong Yu’s direction.

With his sharp eyes, Emperor Yan naturally recognized that Zong Yu was the Taotie.

But his gaze shifted to Jiang Lin, and he let out a surprised “hmm?”

Before Jiang Lin could react, his vision blurred, and his wrist was immediately grasped by Emperor Yan, who infused a warm yet intense energy throughout his body.

“How strange,” Emperor Yan remarked as he scrutinized Jiang Lin. “I sense my bloodline in you. But it seems you’re not actually of my blood.”

“Bloodline?” The Heavenly Emperor asked in surprise. “You, a battle maniac, left behind a bloodline?”

Emperor Yan retorted irritably, “No, you think I’m like you, marrying so many celestial concubines and having a bunch of kids.”

While speaking, he asked Jiang Lin, “Who are you, and have you experienced anything unusual?”

He was curious to know why Jiang Lin carried his aura.

Jiang Lin felt a bit troubled.

He knew the only possible connection he had with Emperor Yan was his past life.

In his previous life, he was Emperor Yan’s son, but that Emperor Yan wasn’t the same as the one before him now.

Emperor Qing, watching the two of them, spoke gently, “Emperor Yan, he might not even know what’s going on himself, so don’t push him.”

Emperor Yan thought about it and agreed, figuring that since he was already in the Central Heavenly Court, there was no rush to return. The matter would eventually be clarified.

Emperor Qing looked at Emperor Yan and then at the Heavenly Emperor, his smile growing even more gentle. “Besides, there’s still a more pressing issue that hasn’t been resolved.”

Emperor Yan asked, “What matter?”

Emperor Qing replied, “When I arrived, our esteemed Heavenly Emperor of the Central Heavenly Court was busy forcing my poor disciple into marriage, even going so far as to use force to coerce him.”

“My disciple?”

Emperor Qing pointed at Jiang Lin, who was standing beside Emperor Yan, and said, “Him.”

Emperor Yan was taken aback, glancing between Jiang Lin and the Heavenly Emperor. Like Emperor Qing, he was well aware of his old friend’s temperament. He also knew Emperor Qing’s personality quite well—gentle on the surface but fiercely protective, just like any other Chaos gods.

Emperor Yan chuckled, “When I first arrived, I thought I heard you, Emperor Qing, talking about a fight?”

Emperor Qing smiled pleasantly and replied, “Yes, that’s right. Back in the days of chaos, our bond was forged through battles, wasn’t it?”

The two of them turned their gaze toward the Heavenly Emperor in unison.

Sensing trouble, the Heavenly Emperor glared at Emperor Qing, “Didn’t you just say that you didn’t come all the way to the Central Heavenly Court just to pick a fight?”

“Oh dear, did I say something like that?” Emperor Qing asked with a feigned look of confusion, turning to Emperor Yan. “Did you hear that?”

“No, I didn’t,” Emperor Yan grinned widely. “What I heard was you telling the Heavenly Emperor that you wanted to spar.”

Heavenly Emperor: ?

Enraged, the Heavenly Emperor let out a cold laugh, “Alright, I get it now. You two are just looking for an excuse to beat me up…”

Before he could finish, a radiant, shimmering branch appeared in Emperor Qing’s hand, which he used to gently slice through the space before them. “Enough talking. For the sake of your Central Heavenly Court, Xuanyuan, let’s take this elsewhere.”

The three supreme rulers of heaven and earth vanished from the grand hall simultaneously.

The three “poor little bystanders” were left in a state of shock, staring in disbelief at what had just happened.

Weaver girl had never seen her proud and arrogant father act in such a way. As stunned as she was, she couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of schadenfreude, remembering the obvious collusion between the two Emperors to gang up on the Heavenly Emperor.

She couldn’t suppress a small smile that briefly appeared on her lips. She then quickly composed herself, bid a cautious farewell to Jiang Lin and Zong Yu, and hurriedly left.

Jiang Lin and Zong Yu stared at the spot where the three Emperors had disappeared, and for that brief moment, they both had the same thought—to become stronger.

To be able to tear through space with their bare hands and even fight in the perilous chaos of the space-time rift—no man could witness such a display and remain unmoved.

Additionally, Zong Yu felt immensely satisfied. “It seems that even the other Emperors think that the Heavenly Emperor has a personality that deserves a beating.”

Clearly, both Emperor Qing and Emperor Yan had just wanted to team up and give the Heavenly Emperor a good thrashing.

Jiang Lin wholeheartedly agreed. The Heavenly Emperor’s personality wasn’t something developed overnight; it was likely ingrained in him for a long time. Such a character could only be tolerated by those weaker in strength or status. If others were on par with him…

Imagining himself in such a scenario, Jiang Lin coldly thought to himself: If I were strong enough to beat the Heavenly Emperor, I’d want to punch him every time I saw him.

He definitely deserves it!

However, at the moment, it was obvious that there was an even bigger issue that needed addressing.

Zong Yu was trying to change the subject. “I remember that lotus flower you’re growing in the Milky Way River is about to bloom, right? How about we go check it out?”

“That can wait,” Jiang Lin interrupted him.

He looked at Zong Yu with a probing, yet very gentle smile. “Zong Yu, shouldn’t we first discuss this Dao Companion contract?”

Zong Yu felt a chill run down his spine.

That smile was all too familiar.

Wasn’t that the same smile Emperor Qing had when he used a branch to smack the Heavenly Emperor into the space-time rift?

No wonder Jiang Lin was Emperor Qing’s disciple.

Zong Yu coughed awkwardly, finally speaking with some difficulty, “Well, I think I can explain that.”