Volume One: The Misty Immortal Palace Chapter 138: Captured

Chapter 138: Captured

This was already the outer region of the Immortal Ascension Platform. Immortal energy drifted and clouds billowed, making it resemble a pure realm where everything appeared immaculate, breathtaking, and magnificent.

Above the clouds, giant statues floated in mid-air. The giants stood leaning on their swords, guarding the Immortal Realm like sentinels. Behind the giants lay a cluster of floating islands. Spring reigned here all year round, and the islands were connected by black chains, each as thick as a mountain ridge!

Zhou Hao had stopped near this cluster of floating islands. Cradling Yu Nan's corpse, the lingering guilt in his heart refused to dissipate. This was already the second time.

At this moment, he felt utterly helpless. Two consecutive blows had pushed him to the verge of a breakdown. What was the purpose of coming to the Immortal Realm anyway?

Speaking of this sense of helplessness, he had experienced something remarkably similar once before in the mortal world. That year, he was twenty-nine years old and had just ascended the throne as the new emperor of the Great Zhou. An alliance of eight nations and the Great Zhou Dynasty had reached a state of stalemate, maintaining a delicate truce.

Zhou Hao's first thought was that he could return home, back to Green Grass Village.

After twelve years of war, he had never had the chance to return home, not even the year he was made the Crown-Victorious Marquis. But now, transformed overnight into the reigning sovereign, he could finally visit his soul-haunting hometown.

However, upon stepping into that village, both familiar and strange, he was disappointed. Everything of the past had changed beyond recognition; before his eyes were only broken walls and ruins.

According to the locals, half a year after the military recruitment draft, bandits from the Bear and Boar Mountain had broken into the village, burning, killing, and plundering. The elderly, the weak, the sick, and even the children were completely slaughtered, while the women were seized as captive brides.

At that moment, Zhou Hao was consumed by rage. He led an army of three thousand troops to storm the Bear and Boar Mountain stronghold, flattening it into a wasteland overnight and even burning the peak of the entire mountain.

Through interrogation, he learned that his adoptive parents had been murdered by the bandits, and his younger sister, Qingqing, had bitten her tongue and committed suicide rather than submit to the bandits' forced advances.

Upon hearing this despairing answer, Zhou Hao picked up the long saber at his waist and "personally" executed every single bandit, his eyes stained red with slaughter.

That night, he stood alone in the ruins of Green Grass Village, weeping like a child!

For the next three full days and nights, he remained there, contemplating his future path in life. He believed the war had already brought ruin and heartbreak to too many families; continuing to fight was completely meaningless, and it was time to end it.

Thus, Zhou Hao took a few attendants and traveled personally to the front lines. He would face the monarchs of the eight nations alone; he would secure peace for the world!

In the end, he succeeded as he wished. Both sides laid down their arms, the monarchs of the eight nations bowed in submission, and the dawn of peace illuminated every corner of the Great Zhou realm.

And now, at this very moment!

Zhou Hao had come to the realm of the Immortals, intending to cultivate the immortal path and become a powerhouse. Yet the waters here were far too deep; immortals plotted and schemed against one another just the same, and the strife never ceased.

Su Qing died to save him, Yun Fang was killed by Nangong Xun, Cao Sha was tortured to death by Cheng Yan, the Yunmiao Immortal Palace was destroyed by four major factions, and Yu Nan too had sacrificed her life for him...

He truly did not understand why he encountered so much death, so many partings, and so much pain. Nor did he understand why the one who died was not himself. Why was it always others dying because of him? Why was his fate so fraught with disaster?

Zhou Hao sank into deep self-reproach, hating his own weakness and incompetence. Clearly, he had fought so hard, yet he still could not save the people he needed to protect.

At this moment, it felt to him as though he were not protecting others at all; rather, others were using their lives to protect his small, pitiful self.

A powerhouse? Shouldn't a powerhouse have the strength to protect everything they wished to protect, rather than being the one protected?

"Zhou Hao!"

Suddenly, just as Zhou Hao was sinking into despair, a familiar voice rang out in his mind.

"Hanabi?" Zhou Hao thought to himself.

"Do not keep grieving, do not keep blaming yourself. Sister Yu Nan is just like Sister Su Qing, as well as your master Yun Fang, and that senior brother called Cao Sha—every single one of them hopes you will live on well. If you truly cherish their kindness, you should pull yourself together and live out their share of life as well."

"Those who have passed away want you to cherish all the more those who are still alive in the present. Dwelling on the past is meaningless. Cherish the present moment. I believe you are strong, and you can pull yourself together!" Hanabi's inner voice transmitted into Zhou Hao's mind, calling upon his willpower.

In an instant, a thousand thoughts raced through Zhou Hao's mind. From the mortal world to the Immortal Realm, from Green Grass Village to the Yunmiao Immortal Palace, these years of experience flashed rapidly in his heart like a slide show.

"Those who have passed away want you to cherish all the more those who are still alive in the present!" Zhou Hao repeated Hanabi's words.

Finally, he stood up. Yu Nan's corpse was carefully and tenderly put away by him, and along with it, all his sorrow was stored away as well.

"Hanabi, thank you. I will no longer be lost!" Zhou Hao expressed his gratitude to Hanabi internally.

"Between you and me, what is the need for thanks?" Hanabi smiled softly.

"Mm. Hanabi, I will come find you immediately. Wait for me," Zhou Hao thought.

"No... You cannot rashly come over."

"Why?"

"Nangong Xun, Cheng Bing, and the Emissary have set a trap to ambush you at the Immortal Ascension Platform, and Palace Master Caixiang is also among them. They have already captured us. You are no match for them; among them is a Great Immortal-tier Emissary."

"Damnable, it's the Emissary again, and Nangong Xun as well. These fellows truly refuse to haunt me like ghosts. But they've come just in time—today I will wipe them all out to avenge my master, the Lord of Yunmiao Palace, and all the elders and disciples who died unjustly at their hands."

"Zhou Hao, you must remain calm. You must not act on impulse," Hanabi advised.

"Rest assured, Hanabi, I will think of a foolproof strategy to rescue you. Even Luo Tianyi, a former Immortal King, was killed by me twice; what is a mere Great Immortal-tier Emissary compared to that? I will neither underestimate the enemy nor run away!" Zhou Hao said.

"Alright. But be careful in everything; I will wait for you," Hanabi said.

Zhou Hao smiled and said, "Hanabi, once this matter is settled, I will definitely take you to travel freely through the Immortal Realm. Didn't you say you don't belong here and that you still have an older brother? Then we shall go find your brother—my future brother-in-law."

"Mm." Hanabi's face flushed with shyness as she simply nodded and let out a soft "mm."

***

On the Immortal Ascension Platform, four crosses were half-suspended in mid-air, and black chains tightly bound Hanabi, Xiao Shanshan, Old Guo, and the Green Snake.

"Hanabi, why is your face red?" Xiao Shanshan glanced at Hanabi and asked with a puzzled look.

"Ah... Ah? I... I..." Hanabi was momentarily tongue-tied, not knowing how to reply.

Seeing Hanabi stuttering, Xiao Shanshan subconsciously understood and said, "You must be thinking of Zhou Hao. But even if you're thinking of him, there's no need to blush."

At this moment, Hanabi also glanced at Xiao Shanshan. Thinking that it was better not to tell her the news of Yu Nan's death, she said, "Oh, don't worry, sisters. These people won't do anything to us anyway; the only person they want to deal with is Zhou Hao alone."

"My, does Zhou Hao know you talk like this?" Xiao Shanshan curled her lips.

"What is there to fear? He isn't even here." Hanabi was unconcerned.

"That's true. But speaking of which, why haven't my senior sister and Zhou Hao returned yet? It's been quite a while. Old Guo, your intuition isn't reliable at all, you know," Xiao Shanshan complained playfully to Old Guo nearby.

"How could this old man's intuition be wrong? The two of them must have been delayed by something," Old Guo shook his head and said.

"And right now, the situation is very unfavorable for us. Even if that girl Yu Nan manages to return, her cultivation must have dropped drastically. As for that brat Zhou Hao, needless to say, his gourd was merely a backup left behind by the Gallivanting Immortal to deal with Luo Tianyi, and it poses no threat at all to other Great Immortals," Old Guo sighed.

"It truly is too difficult. The opponent's strength is too great, and my husband is also in their hands. We are far too passive, and Zhou Hao and Yu Nan don't even know about this trap. Facing the Emissaries who are waiting in leisure for the exhausted enemy, our chances of winning are almost zero," the Green Snake analyzed.

"No, we should trust Zhou Hao. He will surely have a way to cope," Hanabi offered a different opinion.

"That's just a lover seeing beauty in each other's eyes, and someone in love viewing their partner as a god—blind confidence. However, I also believe in my senior sister; she will save us!" Xiao Shanshan smiled, choosing to believe as well.

Hanabi glanced at Xiao Shanshan once more, a look of guilt carrying over her exquisite and cute face, yet she still did not directly tell Xiao Shanshan the cruel truth: Yu Nan had already perished in order to save Zhou Hao!

Outside the cluster of floating islands, in front of the giant stone statues.

Gazing at the scenery before him, Zhou Hao recalled what Yun Fang had mentioned when guiding him through here initially: this cluster of floating islands might be a grand immortal array. Entering rashly would trigger the array patterns, unleashing earth-shattering killing might that would slaughter anyone who intruded.

"I'll find something to test it with first; I want to see how powerful this killing array is!"

After a moment of thought, Zhou Hao decided to throw the Sea-Suppressing Pearl from the yellow-skinned gourd into the island cluster. This item was, after all, an Immortal King-tier magical treasure, and its durability was unimaginable.

Swish!

The yellow-skinned gourd was summoned, and the deep blue pearl flew out from within. Since it was an ownerless item, Zhou Hao easily controlled it to fly straight toward the floating island cluster behind the giant stone statues.

"Fall!" Zhou Hao gave a soft cry. Instantly, the Sea-Suppressing Pearl expanded to the size of a small planet, plummeting at extreme speed and slamming violently onto a floating island.

With a resounding boom, the floating island shook as if in an earthquake, and a massive crater appeared on the ground. The next moment, the floating island cluster underwent a terrifying apocalyptic transformation.

The black chains connecting the floating islands lit up like patterns with a scarlet glow, looking remarkably like the character for "Demon" when viewed from afar.

The character "Demon" was reflected upon the dome of the sky, dyeing the layers of clouds crimson. In an instant, this region plunged into pitch black night, winds and clouds surged, thunder and lightning intertwined, and the sky appeared as though it had been torn open.

Zhou Hao was stunned. Just what level of killing array was this, to actually trigger such bizarre phenomena?

With a sharp crack, a scarlet bolt of lightning descended from the "Demon" character in the sky. The lightning bolt was as massive as a mountain ridge, striking furiously at the gigantic orb on the floating island.

Zhou Hao clearly saw that although the orb withstood the lightning bolt without shattering immediately, dense, ice-crack-like patterns appeared across its interior. Evidently, just one more strike would be enough to destroy it.

Not daring to delay, Zhou Hao hurriedly made the pearl shrink, retracting it just before the second wave of lightning descended.

The very next instant after the Sea-Suppressing Pearl was recalled, the surrounding night-like world instantly returned to normal. The sea of lightning vanished, the wind and clouds stilled, the "Demon" character on the sky dome faded away, and the scarlet glow on the black chains disappeared without a trace.

"Good grief, this was an Immortal King-tier magical treasure! What a waste," Zhou Hao felt like crying without tears. It was truly a squandering of heavenly treasures; he deeply regretted using the Sea-Suppressing Pearl to test the array.

"However, this array is truly formidable. Even an Immortal King-tier magical treasure couldn't endure two lightning strikes; wouldn't a Great Immortal be blasted into slag with a single blow?" By now, Zhou Hao was full of confidence. He would lure that Great Immortal-tier Emissary right here and trap him to his death.

"One more thing needs to be done." Zhou Hao pondered for a moment, gazing at the stone statues before him and the cluster of floating islands behind them as if thinking of something.

Following that, Zhou Hao channeled his Golden Immortal-tier magic power, stirring up the clouds across the sky to obscure both the floating island cluster and the giant stone statues. While doing this could not evade a Great Immortal's immortal vision or divine sense scan, if Zhou Hao constantly remained within the Emissary's line of sight, the latter would not deliberately use immortal vision or divine sense. Thus, utilizing this method of blurring sight would inevitably catch the fish and lead the gentleman into the urn.

"Alright, everything is ready now. All that's left is to lure him over. Matching speed with a Great Immortal is indeed a bit tricky. Gourd, oh gourd, your master's little life is entirely in your hands now." Zhou Hao muttered to himself while looking at the seven-inch-tall yellow-skinned gourd in his palm. With that, he manifested a clone, while his true body stepped inside the gourd.

"Go!"

Zhou Hao's clone, bearing the yellow-skinned gourd overhead, charged forward, pushing his speed to the absolute limit and transforming into a streak of golden light.

Within just a few breaths, the dragon-coiled cloud layer came into view. Pushing further ahead, Zhou Hao's clone finally approached the Immortal Ascension Platform, where he also spotted the four figures on the stage, each bound immovably to a cross.

"Hehehehe, since you've come, get down here!" A hoarse voice rang out, seeming to come from all directions. A Great Immortal-tier pressure was released, and visible to the naked eye, the cloud layer plummeted rapidly.

Pitch-black chains materialized out of thin air, directly entangling Zhou Hao's clone and forcefully pulling him down from the high altitude straight onto the Immortal Ascension Platform.

The next moment, Nangong Xun, the Emissary, Palace Master Caixiang, and Cheng Bing, who had been hidden amidst the clouds, all stepped out, looking at the Zhou Hao bound by chains with faces full of smiles—or rather, looking at the gourd hovering above his head.

"It truly is the Void-Slicing Gourd. Who would have thought that this tiny territory of the Immortal Ascension Platform actually hides one of the four great sword manuals of the Immortal Realm? Such an everlasting achievement has actually fallen into my hands. Hhahahaha, the Supreme Lord truly blesses us!" Even a character like the Great Immortal-tier Emissary, who never easily displayed genuine emotions, found it hard to control himself upon seeing that yellow-skinned gourd.

The Void-Slicing Gourd had the Void-Slicing Sword Manual inscribed within it. It was one of the invincible four major sword manuals of the Immortal Realm, reputed for slicing through everything without exception, capable of cleaving even space and time. It was a handed-down magical treasure coveted even by forbidden entities in the Immortal Realm!

"Zhou Hao!"

Seeing that Zhou Hao had also fallen into the Emissary's hands, Hanabi cried out with immense worry.

"Hmph, a mere Golden Immortal, and you even dare to bring out a clone to put on airs?" The Great Immortal-tier Emissary held the source of the pitch-black chain binding Zhou Hao within the vast sleeve of his black robe. With a gentle tug, Zhou Hao's clone vanished with a muffled *bang*.

"Phew, so it was just a clone." Hanabi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Strange, why hasn't my senior sister come yet? Could something have happened to her?" Xiao Shanshan's large eyes scanned the surrounding horizon anxiously.

"If you want the gourd, release them." Zhou Hao's voice came from inside the gourd.

The Great Immortal-tier Emissary sneered, "What qualifications do you have to bargain with me?"

"On the grounds that you can't catch me!" The yellow-skinned gourd darted this way and that, and no matter how the Emissary swung his chains, they simply couldn't touch it.

"What if I kill them?" Choosing not to chase the gourd anymore, the Emissary lashed out with four chains from his wide sleeves, stabbing viciously toward Hanabi and the others.

"You dare!?" Zhou Hao maneuvered the gourd to the front of the four crosses, crashing into and deflecting those four chains.

"If you don't want me to kill them, obediently follow me back to the Night Palace." At this moment, the Great Immortal-tier Emissary instantly flashed before the crosses, thrusting four heart-piercing swords from between his sleeves straight toward the throats of Hanabi, Xiao Shanshan, Old Guo, and the Green Snake.

"With just a slight movement from me, their heads and bodies will part ways, and you won't even find a place to regret it!" The Emissary warned.

At this moment, the yellow-skinned gourd was a mere ten meters away from the crosses.

Zhou Hao felt a surge of anxiety in his heart. Yet, in an instant, he conceived another plan: going along with them would be fine anyway, since it was on the way.

"Alright, as long as you release my friends, I will go with you," Zhou Hao agreed.

Clatter, clatter. Pitch-black chains wound tightly around the yellow-skinned gourd, wrapping it into a black sphere. Following that, the Great Immortal-tier Emissary withdrew his heart-piercing swords and looked down at the black sphere with satisfaction.

"Mission accomplished. Let's return to the Night Palace."

The other two Emissaries also walked over, letting out hoarse laughs from beneath their black robes. "Congratulations, Lord Grand Emissary, on accomplishing such an everlasting feat."

"Rest assured, this mission has brought you two equal credit for reporting to your superiors. You shall be rewarded; you may return to the palace in my company," the Grand Emissary said.

Emissaries of the Night Palace, abbreviated as Night Emissaries, were divided into three categories: Upper Immortal-tier were collectively called Night Emissaries, Great Immortal-tier were collectively called Grand Night Emissaries, and Immortal King-tier were collectively called Thrones.

"Many thanks to Lord Grand Emissary for your favor," the two Emissaries said hastily, both inwardly bursting with joy. They had been dispatched to this star region for ages and hadn't returned in a long time. Just last week, a fellow who had acquired a legendary anti-measure item had been overjoyed because it meant he could return to the Night Palace headquarters for promotion and elevation in rank.

"Lord Grand Emissary, how do you plan to deal with these few on the crosses?" Nangong Xun stepped up to the Grand Emissary and inquired.

"A bunch of trash, no need to mind them," the Grand Emissary waved his hand dismissively, clearly showing zero interest in Hanabi and the others.

"Since that's the case, I'll take them off your hands," Nangong Xun cupped his fists and said.

"Palace Master Caixiang, this palace actually has rather deep interest in those two young maidens. Why not hand them over to me?" Palace Master Caixiang smiled cheerfully, evidently having heard that the Yunmiao Immortal Palace had been replaced by the Nangong Immortal Palace.

"Since Palace Master Caixiang fancies them, if this palace refused, it would make me look petty. Very well, a gentleman loves to help others achieve their goals; please help yourself, Palace Master!" Nangong Xun had only recently advanced to Upper Immortal, so naturally, he held immense wariness toward this First Palace Master of the Sixteen Immortal Palaces and dared not offend him.

"Hahahaha, then many thanks, Palace Master Nangong!" Palace Master Caixiang laughed heartily, walking toward Hanabi and Xiao Shanshan to untie them.

"Despicable scoundrel, you go back on your word!" From inside the black sphere came Zhou Hao's furious reprimand.

"Hehehehe, I said so from the very beginning: you have no qualifications to negotiate terms with me." The Grand Emissary, accompanied by the two Night Emissaries, was about to leave the Immortal Ascension Platform.

Hanabi and Xiao Shanshan could only watch helplessly as Zhou Hao was carried away, while they themselves were forced to return to Caixiang Palace with Palace Master Caixiang.

"Why hasn't Senior Sister come yet? Did something happen to her?" Xiao Shanshan was in a state of agitation, forgetting even that she was in mortal danger.

Hanabi, on the other hand, secretly communicated with Zhou Hao internally, knowing his plan, and therefore did not display excessive worry.

On the other side, Old Guo and the Green Snake were claimed by Cheng Bing and Nangong Xun. Although they too wanted to acquire that purple-gold jade fruit, Zhou Hao was currently inside that gourd, making it impossible for them to boldly ask the Emissary for it.

"Sigh, we could have obtained the purple-gold jade fruit, but halfway through, the four major factions and that Luo Tianyi meddled. Now look, all the good stuff has been taken by the Night Emissary," Nangong Xun sighed, his mood extremely depressed.

"Senior Brother shouldn't feel down. Anyway, we still have the tree; we can just cultivate new purple-gold jade fruits out of it later," Cheng Bing comforted him.

"It only bears one fruit every ten years—no, every ten thousand years! I'm afraid this old man will pass away before the fruit ever matures," Nangong Xun shook his head and said.

"No, since the Nangong Immortal Palace has already been destroyed, we have no place left to stay either. That purple-gold jade fruit tree only bears one fruit every ten thousand years, and it's clear we can't wait that long. In for a penny, in for a pound—we might as well follow the Emissary and try our luck at the Night Palace. Who knows, we might meet with some fortuitous encounter and become members of the Night Palace ourselves!" Watching those three black-robed envoys drag the black chain-wrapped Void-Slicing Gourd toward the northern horizon, Nangong Xun gritted his teeth with firm determination.

"That's right! The Night Palace is vast and powerful, teeming with experts. If we can become members of the Night Palace and become Night Emissaries ourselves, wouldn't our two senior and junior brothers also have the chance to command the winds and rain in a broader world? Why dwell contentedly in this small corner and bitter-cultivate for years on end without attaining the Great Dao?" Hearing Nangong Xun's words, Cheng Bing was startled at first, then nodded repeatedly, as if he could see a brand new future before him.

Thinking of this, Nangong Xun and Cheng Bing hurriedly walked toward the Emissaries' side, speaking in unison, "Lord Emissary, we too wish to join the Night Palace; we earnestly beg the Lord to recommend us."