"There are three greatest pleasures in the world: ascending the throne to become the Emperor, transcending tribulation to become an Immortal, and gazing at beauties with drunken eyes," the dashing man wrapped an arm around a svelte woman in a pink dress and planted a kiss on her face. "Since I can't be the Emperor or an Immortal, I can only take pleasure in gazing at beauties with drunken eyes."
"Oh, you're so annoying~" the woman pressed her hand against her chest.
The dashing man's playful hand was pressed down; the woman's force seemed coquettish, neither rejecting nor welcoming, more like she was using his hand to caress herself.
The dashing man laughed heartily, his hand alternating between lively movements and tapping to the music, saying to the singing girl, "Sing 'Upon First Sight of Shyness'!"
The sound of the zither and the lute changed as the green-dressed singer softly sang:
"Upon first sight of shyness, the sentiment between rain and clouds, both deeply intertwined. I see her thousand charms and myriad enchantments, all gently coiled in tenderness."
The dashing man hooked his right arm around the pink-dressed woman's shoulder, slid his hand inside her collar, and tapped his left hand to the tune on his knee, thoroughly enjoying himself and looking extremely dashing.
The Jade Flute scholar sat down and poured himself a bowl of wine.
Outside, there was the commotion of drunkards, but soon the noise drifted away.
"Aren't you afraid?" the Jade Flute scholar asked.
"Afraid of what?" The dashing man grabbed a whole roast chicken, tore off a massive bite, skin, meat, and bone all together, and said, "I've already mastered the Duke of Thunder's Primordial Spirit, with the Seven Beasts Saber in hand, possessing the power to overturn heaven and earth, boundless transformations at will. If that young punk Li Changzhou can sit on the throne of the Heavenly Emperor, why can't I?"
"Today I shall take an extraordinary path!"
"Convey feelings in secret through amorous glances, remember them in your heart. In your heart~" The voice of the green-dressed singer trembled, seemingly frightened by the scene before her.
The zither and lute played at variable speeds, creating a mood of their own.
The Jade Flute scholar, too, seemed a bit intoxicated by the sight.
"Already getting into it?" The curtain was lifted, a fragrant breeze blew in, and a scantily clad beauty appeared with a gentle, charming smile.
"Xia'er arrived just in time, come join us!" The dashing man called out while keeping himself busy.
The beautiful woman spat at the dashing man, her saliva landing on his face, but he wasn't annoyed; instead, he laughed out loud, wiped his face with his hand, and then stuffed his hand into the pink-dressed woman's mouth.
The woman named Xia'er sat down beside the Jade Flute scholar, leaning into his embrace limply.
The two were as intimate as a couple, enjoying the dashing man's antics, their hands caressing each other in an almost imperceptible way, creating waves of ecstasy.
After a while, the dashing man withdrew and flopped back to his seat.
The pink-dressed woman lay there as if dead, and indeed she was, with only the whites of her eyes showing, and her limp tongue stretched out from her mouth.
"Has that old bastard not arrived yet?" The dashing man quenched his thirst with a sip of wine and wiped his mouth with Xia'er's skirt hem.
Xia'er, with a rosy complexion, pulled back her skirt and gave him a glare.
The Jade Flute scholar spoke indifferently, "The longer one lives, the more one fears death—"
A black wave of light, sharp as a blade, swept across.
He raised his left hand, and the Jade Flute flicked out.
Bang!
The shockwave exploded in the room, and the women who sang and played the lute were pressed against the wall like cakes. By the time they hit the floor, they were already lifeless.
The dashing man, the Jade Flute scholar, and the beautiful woman turned to look at the woman playing the zither.
The woman had her hands pressed on the strings of the zither.
"Who said I was afraid of dying?" The delicate voice of the woman transformed into an old male voice.
"You've succeeded in seizing a new vessel!" Xia'er's previously drunken complexion instantly sobered up.
The woman let out a weird laugh but did not reply.
The Duke of Thunder had achieved the Primordial Spirit, and the long-lived Heavenly Monarch once again succeeded in seizing a new vessel, achieving perfection in spirit, and restoring his mana to its peak.
Now, it wasn't just the Heavenly Emperor they had to worry about, but also the possibility of these two turning on them after their success.
"Excellent!" The half-reclining Duke of Thunder clapped his knee forcefully and said, "Once Li Changzhou steps out of the Capital, the four of us will send him on his way!"
"It won't be that simple," the Jade Flute scholar said, lifting his cup and taking a sip.
"How so?" Duke of Thunder looked over.
The Jade Flute Scholar set down his wine cup, "Have you all forgotten? Where has the Heavenly Emperor been these past few days?"
The beautiful woman seemed to remember something, her brow furrowed in contemplation,
"As I've heard, the Heavenly Emperor caused a snowfall on the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, performed acrobatics on New Year's Eve, killed the Flood Dragon King, and won Jiajing's trust. Not only did he take control of the Heavenly Palace, but he also entered the inner treasury."
"Are you worried that the kid's mana has further increased, and he has acquired new Divine Skills?" Duke of Thunder stared at the Jade Flute Scholar.
"The Daoist books in the palace are profound, but precisely because they are so profound, Li Changzhou couldn't possibly have learned them in just a few days," Changzhou declared in a voice that switched between male and female: the male voice and brusque and aged, the female's young and pleasant.
"Old immortal, have you forgotten the contest for the Emperor over at Changbai Mountain back in the day?" the Jade Flute Scholar looked up at 'her'.
After the previous Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress were defeated by Wang Yangming, the Divine Sect held a contest at Changbai Mountain to select the new Heavenly Emperor.
The Divine Sect had no particular rules; as long as one was a member of the sect and emerged victorious in the contest, they could become the new Heavenly Emperor.
At the Changbai Mountain contest, Li Changzhou would counter his opponents with their own Spells just three moves into the fight.
Changzhou summoned a Xuan Seed from the heavy water of the North Sea, which, aside from constantly changing bodies, could use the heavy water against the enemy.
A single drop of heavy water weighed a thousand pounds, and when Changzhou took action, it was like a torrential downpour, smashing everything to ruins.
Li Changzhou stood in the heavy rain for nearly half an hour, and even seized control of the heavy water.
The heavy water suspended in the air, like the North Sea turned upside down, its blue glow casting a very unsightly pallor over Changzhou's face then.
"With such talent, what Daoist magic can't he learn?" said the Jade Flute Scholar.
The beautiful woman added, "The Five Elements Qi Blade is already without equal in the world, and he even took the time to deliberately learn it; he must have mastered some earth-shattering Great Divine Power."
Changzhou frowned, looking fragile and pitiful in physical form.
"We also have to consider the Heavenly Empress and Roc," uttered the eerie dual-voice when he spoke, laughing sharply, "I think we'd be better off running away early. When that kid fails his mission, Jiajing will naturally deal with him."
"Don't be scared!" bellowed Duke of Thunder, "Jade Flute, Xia'er to hold back the Heavenly Empress, Roc, and I will join forces. It won't take more than two hundred rounds to kill him!"
"Don't forget," the beautiful woman reminded him, "there's also Gu She Divine Woman."
"Gu She Divine Woman?" Changzhou was puzzled.
"Changzhou has been busy selecting physical bodies recently and might not be aware," the beautiful woman said with a smile, "The Heavenly Emperor is hell-bent on becoming an Immortal, visiting famous mountains and rivers, learning Daoist magic. Just the other day, he came down from Chunyang Palace at Heng Mountain's Nine Heavens Palace, passed by Mount Gu She, saw the Gu She Divine Woman by the river, and they fell in love at first sight and hooked up."
Changzhou stood up, "I'm not getting involved in this, you guys have fun."
With that, her figure faded away.
"Cowards," Duke of Thunder took a large swig of his drink, "What's the pleasure of living for ten thousand years if you end up like a turtle in a shell?"
"Changzhou, wait!" Jade Flute Scholar stood up, "I have long known about Gu She Divine Woman, yet I still came. Don't you want to hear why?"
"Let's hear it." Changzhou's form became half-visible, like a wraith.
"When Li Changzhou fought for the Heavenly Emperor, he sought the Divine Sect's Secret Techniques. Over the years, he's challenged various sects and stolen their Daoist Spells, making as many enemies. The Jade Flute Scholar paused, "These people are willing to join forces with us."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Duke of Thunder leaned back, propping his head with one hand and holding his wine cup with the other, and let out a sneer, "Like the master of Dragon and Tiger Mountain from the Taoist sect has sent someone?"
"One, Zhang Yongxu."
The beautiful woman's expression changed, then she smirked seductively.
Changzhou's form solidified into reality.
Duke of Thunder laughed uproariously, as if he had heard something very amusing.
"Let them come, let them come~" Xia'er giggled delicately, "The previous Heavenly Master Zhang Yanyu was killed by the Five Elements Qi Blade. With such a feud over his father's death, how could Zhang Yongxu not seek revenge?"
"In addition to Zhang Yongxu, there's also the Nine Heavens Palace and Chunyang Palace of Heng Mountain that you mentioned earlier, Xia'er; the sixth-generation diviner of the Dragon Sect, Fu Yangzi; the heads of the White Lotus Sect, Fire Residence, and Spirit Treasure Dao; Feng Shui Master Liao Wenzheng; plus the four of us, making a total of 12 people."
"Good! With so many true people, it's not just one Heavenly Emperor that will die, but two!" Duke of Thunder exclaimed excitedly.
"What you sow, you reap," said the Jade Flute Scholar with a gentle smile, "The Heavenly Emperor has been unrestrained for years; now it's time for him to pay his debts."