Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 328: A Prison for Immortals!

Moon Fairy wandered into a murky, dark azure fog, like stepping into a shadowy waltz with the unknown.

In the midst of this enigmatic mist, the majestic Phoenix Empress, resplendent in her trailing phoenix robe, swayed like a willow in the wind. Her waist was so slender it seemed a single hand could encircle it, striking that perfect balance between delicate and robust.

Their journey was silent, the kind of quiet that spoke louder than words.

Before long, they arrived at what could only be described as a bird's nest, grander than any palace. This colossal nest was a masterwork of multicolored branches, hailing from realms unknown. Each twig and leaf blazed with the wild flames of desolation, turning the nest into a divine sanctuary of the wild.

Undoubtedly, this was her lair, the resting place of the phoenix.

"Enter," the Phoenix Empress commanded, her words as precious as gold.

She vanished into the kaleidoscope of flames, with Moon Fairy trailing right behind. By the time he entered, she was already seated on a throne of fiery glass, casually crossing her legs. Her jade-like limbs swayed slightly as her piercing, azure gaze fixed on Moon Fairy.

"So much Desolate Essence" Moon Fairy was captivated by the rampant flames.

"Hmm?" Then, he noticed, amidst the chaos, something stark and chilling. Bones. White as the bleakest winter, countless bones! There were tens of thousands, heaped in layers all around. Mostly skulls, not of devils or demons, but humans.

Human skulls, piled into mountains within this nest, while the Phoenix Empress sat encircled by this macabre spectacle, her dark eyes adding a touch of the sinister.

"She's a demon!" Moon Fairy realized. He had been drawn in by her aura, but these grim bones snapped him back to a harsh reality. He felt a surge of discomfort. His soul was human! Seeing his kin slain ignited a fire of sympathy, anger, and resentment within him.

"These bones, ablaze with the fire of desolation, clearly accumulated over eons.

"The skulls of humans, alike in size, yet meticulously arrangeda true masterpiece of this world, don't you think, Moon Fairy?" the Phoenix Empress asked, her icy beauty accentuated as she lifted her head slightly.

"A taste beyond the ordinary, Mother," Moon Fairy replied. He felt a surge of anger, but he knew now wasn't the time to unleash it.

Him calling her mother coaxed a delicate laugh from the Phoenix Empress, a laugh that held a world of charm. "In all my life, unwed, and suddenly I have a grown son. Seems the heavens aren't so stingy with me after all," she mused, her voice a gentle whisper.

Moon Fairy, sensing a need to change the topic, asked, "Has someone been looking for you? My guess would be the Talisman Emperor."

"Oh?" The Phoenix Empress had planned to delve into Moon Fairy's past, but he turned the tables, asking about her first.

With a slight arch of her brow, she replied, "Yes, someone did come looking. Do you have an opinion on that?"

"I do! Whether it's the Talisman Emperor or Wick Devil, their aim is to unify humans and devils. Humans and devils might band together, but we demons cannot. If we help them, we stand to gain nothing," Moon Fairy said, his voice calm and measured.

"What do you suggest we do, then?" the Phoenix Empress asked.

"Stand independent and observe the changes," Moon Fairy replied.

"Right. Everyone wants to stay out of it, but if they succeed, there will be no Sword Cultivators left to check us. Then, they'll unite with the sea demons to settle scores with us, turning this land of the Nine Hells into their playground, except for the Immortal Asylum," the Phoenix Empress said coldly.

Sea demons lived in their own corner, their territories meaningless to humans and devils. But land demons occupied the fertile lands of the Nine Hells, rich in resources coveted by the devils. Such was the difference between the two demon clans.

"If you already know that the sea demons and devils will inevitably unite, then contributing now might not mean much. You might even end up as cannon fodder," Moon Fairy pointed out.

At this, the Phoenix Empress's gaze on Moon Fairy shifted. She let out a soft laugh and asked, "Are you here to point out problems or to solve them?"

"I'm here to solve them," Moon Fairy declared, his eyes ablaze with determination. "If we play our cards right, we can completely suppress the three oceanic hells. Even with the difference between land and sea, we can unify the demon clans."

"I don't have that power," the Phoenix Empress said bluntly.

"I do," Moon Fairy replied, his gaze intense.

"You're quite bold," the Phoenix Empress said with a cold laugh.

"My boldness isn't just in my words," he retorted.

Taken aback, the Phoenix Empress's eyes sparkled slightly. Suddenly, she beckoned, "Come here."

Moon Fairy promptly moved to her side, sitting beside her. She carried a unique fragrance, a demon scent that, perhaps due to Moon Fairy's own demon nature, he found completely aesthetic.

He even found a certain enjoyment in it.

"What did you say just a moment ago?" the Phoenix Empress asked suddenly, her jade finger lifting his chin, her domineering eyes locking onto the seemingly gentle but inwardly restless little fox.

"Just give me Desolate Essence, and I can make you the sole ruler of the demon clans in the Nine Hells," Moon Fairy said, staring into her eyes.

"Not that line," she replied.

"Which one, then?" he asked.

"You said... your boldness isn't just in your words," she murmured, her finger sliding down from his chest to his abdomen, a playful smile on her lips. "Little fox, you really are adorable."

With that, she took control of Moon Fairy.

He looked at her, dumbfounded, and asked, "Didn't you just say you've never been wed?"

"Who says an unwed woman can't indulge in pleasures? I am an Empress of a clan," she declared.

He could only think, demons will be demons, and some human customs just didn't apply to them.

"The so-called mother-son relationship is just for show. In this nest, you are my pet," the Phoenix Empress leaned closer, pulling at his robe, her voice icy yet seductive. "If you wish to conquer my heart and have me fight wholeheartedly alongside you, then conquer my body first."

"..." He was speechless.

"Brave ones do not fear temptation, cowards flee. Advance or retreat, your choice will define whether you're a true sovereign or a weakling. What will it be?" She let go of the hem of his robe, her eyes brimming with provocation, as if toying with and challenging his resolve.

"Wow." Moon Fairy suddenly laughed. He looked at her, shaking his head with amusement.

"Why are you laughing?" she asked with a playful smile.

"Demons taking human form, how fascinating," he said. His gaze moved from her crystalline eyes downwards. "You were a bird, and now in human form, you've become a mammal."

"So?" she probed.

"Coincidentally, I'm a mammal too."

"What in the world is going on?!"

Moon Fairy had entered the Phoenix Empress's nest, leaving a host of demons waiting outside, assuming the mother and son were plotting some grand scheme. But then, strange sounds began to emanate from within, growing louder by the moment.

"Qing Ge, is this normal for them?" several Hell Demons asked, their embarrassment evident.

"I have no idea!" Qing Ge's face flushed a deep red, trying to make sense of the situation.

Ultimately, viewing the society of demons through human eyes often lead to misunderstandings. But to the demon collective, the Phoenix Empress's foster son was like a cherished child raised from youth.

"This might actually be a good thing," they murmured among themselves, reaching a consensus. "Strengthening their bond could only benefit the unity of our demon kind."

Come dawn, before 7 AM, the brilliance of the rising sun already bathed the land in its glow. Through the dense clouds, a thousand gleaming sword lights sliced through the heavens, a testament to the Sword Cultivators' valor.

At the forefront was Yun Xiao, who descended like an Immortal among mortals. The journey was smooth, the skies calm, but Mu Dalong noticed something off about Yun Xiao. His face was unusually flushed, and his breathing seemed labored.

"Exile Yun, are you feeling alright?" Mu Dalong asked with concern.

"Just a small cough," Yun Xiao replied, trying to focus on controlling his Sovereign Sword. But it was hard; sharing a soul with his other half, the passionate experiences there inevitably affected him here.

"Oh, okay" Mu Dalong nodded, still a bit puzzled. Her gaze drifted downwards unintentionally, and her cheeks suddenly turned a shade of red. "Young people these days, so full of vigor. Even after a restless night, they're ready to break through the winds at dawn, aren't they?"

Clearly, while most soared on their Sovereign Swords, Yun Xiao chose to ride the winds with a pair of swords, a spectacle as unique as it was impressive.

Finally, the outline of the Immortal Asylum loomed ahead, marking the end of the fierce battle within the top of the ancient Verdant Phoenix Cypress. The skirmish had quieted down, a testament to the might of those who cultivated their physical bodies. Had it not been for his Divine Desolation Physique, Yun Xiao might not have held his ground.

But what choice did he have? The Phoenix Empress had thrown down the gauntlet, even calling him a soft pup. To not fight back would have been to bend his own spiritual path.

"The Phoenix Empress is clever, alright," Yun Xiao mused. "My body double's talents clearly shook her. She kept a stoic facade but was dead set on binding my double."

True to her title, the Phoenix Empress didn't mess around. She got straight to business.

Yun Xiao maintained a clear distinction between his true self and his body double. Each had their own journey, their own fate, and they did not interfere with one another.

The adventures of Moon Fairy, his body double, were just another life experience. His true affections remained with his original self.

"No matter what, I've got what I came forthe Desolate Essence."

Now, as his true self, Yun Xiao could finally enter the Immortal Asylum in a normal state. Looking towards the horizon, he saw a massive, pitch-black fortress rising among the mountains, resembling a colossal iron stump.

This fortress was immense, its size comparable to the expanse of the Sword Ruins. Unlike the Ruins, which boasted 999 sword peaks, this fortress was a single, solid massa gigantic structure.

"Is that the Immortal Asylum?" Yun Xiao asked Mu Dalong.

"Yes," she nodded.

Other realms of the Nine Hells were ten times the size of the Divine Continent, but this Immortal Asylum, while small as a realm, was enormous as a structure. It was like a closed, super-massive city unto itself.

It was dark, bizarre, and eerily foreboding!

The closer they got, the more massive it appeared.

BOOM! Just then, the Immortal Asylum trembled violently, shaking the ground around it and sending a deafening roar of a beast echoing through the heavens and earth. The massive black iron stump seemed on the verge of bursting open.

"What's inside there?" Yun Xiao asked, furrowing his brow.

"Since ancient times, the Immortal Asylum has held a ferocious beast known as the Nian, also called the Beast of Calamity. It's said to possess world-annihilating power, truly terrifying. Every ten years, the Nine Hells hold a competition to determine the ruler for the next decade. Coincidentally, every ten years, the Nian awakens."

After Mu Dalong finished explaining, she smiled at Yun Xiao and added, "But Exile Yun need not worry. The Nian is just a legend. No one has ever seen it. Even if it exists, it cannot break out of the Immortal Asylum. It has never affected the Nine Hells."

"A calamitous beast that hasn't turned into a demon?" Yun Xiao found this curious.

Once beasts became demons, they gained intelligence, rapidly increasing in wisdom, and slowly shedding some of their wild instincts to learn from humans. But a beast that hadn't transformed, no matter how strong, was just a savage beast.

"Every time the Nine Hells Conquest Clash is held, the Nian roars and rages below, shaking the earth. However, it only adds to the tense atmosphere and has no impact on the competition," Mu Dalong explained again.

"I understand," Yun Xiao said, not delving further.

But at that moment, Blue Star suddenly became excited.

"This is fascinating! Incredibly so!" he exclaimed.

"What is?" Yun Xiao asked.

"This Immortal Asylum is actually an Immortal artifact! A true Immortal prison, which shouldn't exist in this mortal world!" Blue Star revealed.

"An Immortal artifact?" Yun Xiao was stunned.

"Yes! What we see above ground is just the first floor. If I'm not mistaken, there are seventeen more floors buried underground. That Nian is just a prisoner on the first floor, a felon of the Immortal path. Below, the seventeen floors might hold other ferocious creatures or perhaps even true Immortals!" Blue Star explained.

"How did this thing end up here?" Yun Xiao wondered in amazement.

"I don't know..." Blue Star popped out of Yun Xiao's chest and gazed towards the Immortal Asylum. Then he suddenly said, "I get it now! This entire Nine Hells realm is an Immortal prison. No wonder the people of the Immortal Asylum don't come out. They're the jailers!"

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