Chapter Fourteen: The Tiger-Faced Celestial Beast

“Form the formation, form the formation!” The King of Seven Qi bellowed, and the twelve martial generals of the court instantly summoned twelve golden panels. These supreme treasures combined to create a colossal beast, fierce and terrifying, as if the Dragon King himself had descended upon the world.

Not only that, the King of Seven Qi tossed out his imperial seal. Once it flew forth, it conjured a realm of ice and fire around the Dragon King, surging relentlessly.

“We are trapped within the remnants of the immortal artifact’s formation. Only by repairing the teleportation array can we escape!” The King of Seven Qi, seasoned and wise from years of battle, made a decisive judgment.

Nantian and the others agreed, following closely behind him, but the four monsters darted every which way.

“Little Black Bear, if you keep running, odds are you’ll end up as braised bear paw! Or perhaps, chop off a piece for me to taste?” Wuyun teased, prompting Black Bear to reply, “Do you have any connection to the Saint Tyrant’s pet?”

“None at all!” Wuyun sighed deeply, the ripples of Heaven’s will still echoing in his mind—fulfill Heaven’s mandate, slay or drive away these rebels.

“I am an immortal beast from your upper world, the twenty-seventh Immortal Realm, Tiger-faced Immortal, obeying the decree of my master, Saint Tyrant. If I cannot receive his message, I come to this realm to investigate. Those mosquito-like morsels—are they Saint Tyrant’s servants?” As Tiger-faced Immortal spoke, the inner disciples of Sword Mountain Sect, clamoring for rescue, grew more excited. A few who escaped were sucked into his maw and swallowed whole.

“Huh, you are not my master’s servants. Oh—a demonic cloud that defied the heavens and survived the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder!” Tiger-faced Immortal spat out three individuals, sighing, “Lower realm insects are truly disgusting, not the least bit appetizing. Where is Wuyun?”

The three inner disciples, still trembling, begged him to save Sword Mountain Sect, but Tiger-faced Immortal shook his head repeatedly. “My master, Saint Tyrant, and I have an agreement: upon entering here, I must take away everything related to him!”

After speaking, a purple crystal gemstone appeared on his forehead, casting its light upon the three disciples. They collapsed instantly, lifeless.

“Wasn’t he supposed to take everything related to him? Why did it turn out this way…” The former Lord of Tyrant Peak, missing an ear, murmured to himself, believing being taken to the Immortal Realm would be a great opportunity—not realizing it would end so miserably.

The three feeble souls drifted gently into the purple crystal. Across the vast cosmos, one could see the souls, like puppets, motionless within.

“Soul-capturing sorcery!” Wuyun’s eyes narrowed. Such a technique was forbidden by Heaven and Earth, especially as Tiger-faced Immortal only took three souls and four spirits—memories, not life essence—a truly ruthless act.

Old Bear Three had never seen Wuyun so furious. Standing at the prow, he cursed Tiger-faced Immortal, “You wildcat raised in the forest, daring such monstrous deeds! Are you not afraid of being struck dead by the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder?”

“So you’re Wuyun? Hah, so weak!” Tiger-faced Immortal’s expression didn’t change, but his figure flickered, appearing before Wuyun like a string of shadows.

“Are you not afraid of death?” Wuyun glared at Old Bear Three, who hesitated.

“If you don’t want to die, hide behind the King of Seven Qi’s formation!” Wuyun advised, enraging Old Bear Three, who had hoped for a better solution, only to be left embarrassed.

When Wuyun hid behind the King of Seven Qi’s formation, facing the other strongmen, Liu Ruyan suddenly snorted, “I thought you’d brought reinforcements! Bah!”

Among the beasts, only the Flood Eagle seemed unafraid, muttering incantations, its feathers bristling as if sensing a mortal enemy.

“All right, little Flood Eagle. One-on-one, you wouldn’t even survive a single bite!” Wuyun consoled him, then murmured to those around, “Every space, every world, has its own means of maintaining order. In lower realms, three souls and six spirits soar together after death. No matter how much time passes, these souls can return to the gloomy place and reunite. This is the legendary cycle of reincarnation. The powerful can quickly reunite and even seize physical bodies. Lesser beings can reincarnate anew. Ordinary folk may retain fragments of past memories.”

“But if Tiger-faced Immortal takes these souls out of this realm, it severs their chance to ever reunite, consigning them to true annihilation! Cultivation, the struggle for fate, resisting Heaven—these thunderous methods belong only to higher realms. You think leaving here is ascension, an opportunity, but it may also mean utter obliteration!”

Wuyun’s meaning was clear: for mortals or cultivators, after simple death, the soul remains and can enter the ethereal cycle of reincarnation. But if the soul crosses realms, it is utterly annihilated!

“Absurd!”

Nantian had never heard of reincarnation, or even the gloomy place—this was his first time. Before he could rebuke, the massive Tiger-faced Immortal circled the King of Seven Qi’s formation, continuing Wuyun’s explanation.

“You truly are extraordinary, knowing such mysteries. These can only be observed in higher divine realms. I have never believed in reincarnation; I live only for this life. So even if the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder strikes me, I accept my fate!”

“Hahaha, if you wish for utter annihilation, go ahead. Don’t think that just because you are a notable figure in the twenty-seventh Immortal Realm, you can escape karma—you will not evade disaster! Before leaving, Saint Tyrant instructed me specifically to look after you, fearing you might stray. Return those three souls now!”

Tiger-faced Immortal drifted through the cosmos, weighing right and wrong. Suddenly, a blaze erupted from his body.

The others rejoiced, thinking Tiger-faced Immortal might comply, but Wuyun sighed in regret.

“I have no karmic ties with Saint Tyrant. As long as he fails to send word within the stipulated time, I must infiltrate this place, risking my life to fulfill my promise. It is neither oath nor karma—just an exchange!”

Wuyun shook his head. “Anyone with karmic ties to Saint Tyrant will be tracked by the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder.”

“My master Saint Tyrant’s abilities—are you unaware?” Tiger-faced Immortal retorted. Longyun stayed silent, while Tiger-faced Immortal, ever willful, kept his gaze locked on the King of Seven Qi’s formation.

The latter was as tense as facing a dire foe. The royal voice of condemnation echoed through special waves, spreading even in the airless void.

In the midst of the standoff, two people and one beast suddenly appeared aboard Old Bear Three’s treasure flying ship: the crippled old King of Fighters and Liu Ruyan’s Flood Eagle. The three exchanged glances, shifting their attention from Wuyun to Tiger-faced Immortal.

Because any chance of survival had been cut off by Tiger-faced Immortal.

“You too are entangled with Saint Tyrant, so you all must be taken. Qianluo Space is too weak, not even a guardian has been born!” Tiger-faced Immortal finished, then, like a ferocious tiger, swung his head, mouth widening, instantly swallowing the King of Seven Qi and the formation of twelve generals.

All those using it as a shield were stupefied.

Such power, impossible to defend against!

“Swallowing Heaven, Universe Belly?” Wuyun wished he could be swallowed himself. Just as he rushed forward, Tiger-faced Immortal opened his mouth again and spat out the King of Seven Qi’s formation intact.

This act of swallowing and spitting held great significance. A layer of mucus enveloped the formation, creating a giant white-blue bubble that could not be broken no matter how fiercely they struggled within.

“Dream Bubble of Illusory Formation!” Wuyun blurted out. This was a formation of the mind, and upon hearing it, Tiger-faced Immortal’s expression grew solemn.

He stared at Wuyun, saying, “This has nothing to do with Saint Tyrant. By coincidence, I discovered a divine technique after meeting my master Saint Tyrant. You—just who are you?”

Wuyun smiled awkwardly. “In the so-called divine realm, this is merely a trick used by minor gods when blowing bubbles—competing to see whose bubble-world survives the longest.”