The Immortal Emperor Returns Chapter 489 - Carrot and the Stick

Chapter 489 Carrot and the Stick

Within an hour, everyone regained their powers.

The first thing the Flaming Qilin did was to march towards Di Danqing. He summoned flas that he focused on his fists, ready to blast Di Danqing into bits and pieces.

“Wait. We need him. He could still be useful,” Chu Xun stopped him.

“Much good he can do us! Just blast him into ashes and be done with it!” The Flaming Qilin grumbled, but he stopped as he was bidden to.

“And what? Place your precious Sacred Maiden in danger? Last ti I checked, she’s still in Di Yanjing’s hands. We need his brother as a bargaining chip,” said Chu Xun.

That dissuaded the Flaming Qilin from killing Di Danqing, but not without a round of walloping to vent his anger. By the end of it, Di Danqing was barely alive with his bones almost all shattered.

“All right. So I’ll leave those fiends to you all. I’ll see if I can do anything to that Tree,” said Chu Xun.

“Don’t worry. Just do what you need to do. Leave those filthy creatures to us,” said the Flaming Qilin who could have not been any more anxious for so action.

So were Shi Yifei and the others. For all their power and pride as Immortal-level champions, they had fallen into a trap and were so near to dying. One could imagine how angry they were.

Chu Xun flicked another spurt of Hong ng Immortal Qi at the barrier enchantnt that had kept the demons at bay. It disintegrated and vanished, allowing the Flaming Qilin and Gao Mohan, and the others to attack.

The battle of Man and Fiend barely began when the forr side drew first blood all thanks to the Flaming Qilin.

The fiends were all high-tiered Emperor-class creatures, but even such might pale in comparison with the superiority of the Immortal-level champions.

Chu Xun conjured an enchantnt to keep himself safe before he tried to communicate with the Divine Tree using his Divine Sense.

“Who are you?” the giant tree’s personification called out to him suddenly.

That filled Chu Xun with joy and relief. The Divine Tree was not yet fully corrupted. He quickly responded, “I am a friend of the Elves. They are in grave danger.”

“I know,” the Tree’s voice echoed in his mind, “but I am impaired. I cannot help them.”

“What’s wrong with you? Is there anything I can do to help?” Chu Xun asked.

“Co in and see for yourself,” said the Tree in a weakened and strained voice.

Chu Xun knew that he needed to look. He could care less about how weak the Tree was, but he needed to find out how the demonic horde appeared.

Chu Xun made sure that his enchantnt was strong enough to keep him safe before the spiritual rendition of his own self – his Astral Projection – floated out of his body. With his mind, he conjured layers of shields around himself before he followed the ntal link between him and the Tree.

Chu Xun found himself in a strange space in a flash of light that resembled Emperor Ao’s very own spiritual domain of his own creation, his Purple Mansion. This was the Divine Tree’s.

That it could create a realm of its own showed how incredible the Elf Divine Tree really was.

“But how could such a powerful being be under Di Yanjing’s control?” As he thought about this, a humanoid figure fully shrouded in blinding light appeared.

Chu Xun imdiately turned wary before he knew it. Lights of different hues – one greenish and the other black and ominous – surrounded the humanoid shape, swirling around each other as if locked in a struggle to drown out one another.

“Elf Divine Tree, are you there?”

“I am here!” The voice sounded very close and he could hear how exhausted it must be.

Roar!

The humanoid shape let loose an angry roar at Chu Xun, the sound wave of its howls battered at Chu Xun like a sledgehamr that he wobbled unsteadily, the force causing his Spiritual Body to crack.

Chu Xun’s face fell. What terrible force was this?!

“GET AWAY FROM !” An angry voice reverberated from the midst of the churning lights. It was the Spirit of the Divine Tree.

Chu Xun’s eyes glead as looked closely. A foul aura was trying to take hold of the Divine Tree by corrupting its spirit.

Chu Xun dashed rapidly forward, racing towards the humanoid shape that could only be the Spirit of the Divine Tree. Every step he took was a carefully calculated one as purplish energy glowed at his feet.

When he stopped, his fingers weaved several hand seals quickly before he fired spurts of purplish Hong ng Immortal Qi into the air.

“Purplish Lotus Enchantnt of Purification, activate!”

From the tip of his finger, purplish sheets of light burst forth, blossoming into a do of light that held the Spirit of the Divine Tree inside.

“Make use of the enchantnt’s power!” Chu Xun cried to it.

Hum!

The entire do rocked like an earthquake, causing the surface of its walls to tremble and its glow failing as if its walls could crumble any mont now.

Chu Xun sped around the do, firing spurts of Hong ng Immortal Qi into it to strengthen it.

The barrier enchantnt shuddered. The Spirit of the Divine Tree was just too powerful and it was drawing too much cleansing magic from the enchantnt to help keep the foul aura at bay.

The greenish light never stopped its fierce struggle against the black light that was the foul aura, emitting loud and deafening grunts and howls every now and then.

The enchantnt never stopped shaking and Chu Xun scampered around hurriedly to make sure it did not falter.

“GET AWAY FROM !” the Spirit of the Divine Tree snarled. A growing light of purple was picking up in brightness and color, looking stronger and radiant as it slowly engulfed the foul aura.

The foul aura swirled and swirled more rapidly as if boiling in rage.

“Help , boy!” the Spirit bellowed.

Chu Xun knew what to do. The barrier enchantnt needed more power. He weaved more hand seals and channeled a huge efflux of Hong ng Immortal Qi into the enchantnt. What was only a purplish do of lights had turned into a veritable monolithic tower of purplish glitters and effulgence.

That, however, sapped up more than half of Chu Xun’s powers that beads of perspiration mottled his forehead as he turned ashen pale.

“GO AWAY!” the Spirit was shouting again inside, but the lights that represented its powers were growing more blinding by the second that Chu Xun could hardly keep his eyes open.

At long last, the foul aura was condensed into one dark blob of pure malevolence and evil as it was finally, and completely, detached from the green light.

“Get out quickly!” Chu Xun cried, opening a little crack on the wall of the do.

The Spirit of the Tree dashed out with the speed of lightning with the foul aura snarling as it chased after the Spirit like an angry beast, but Chu Xun closed the barrier swiftly enough as soon as the Spirit got out and the jet-black blob of wanton foulness smashed into the wall, causing the do to shake.

Chu Xun’s gaze turned into a stern glare and he channeled more power into enchantnt.

The Enchantnt of Purification began working its magic as it started to erase the foul aura.

anwhile. Chu Xun nearly stumbled and fell from the exhaustion of his powers.

Roar!

The black blob of light expanded and took on the shape of a human too – a mass of sheer black with no visible features. Even so, Chu Xun could feel the creature’s gaze on himself.

“The Devil,” the black humanoid shape spoke in a feeble voice sluggishly. It was not real speech, but rather a form of telepathy of sorts.

Chu Xun’s pupils contracted with recognition. Coldly, he responded, “The Fifth Fiend Lord.”

“Indeed. Aren’t you a sharp one.”

Chu Xun was shocked. He did not think that the Fifth Fiend Lord would be present here and today. But he was certain that this was not the Fiend Lord’s actual self, but rather a fignt of his creation – one of his many doppelgangers created through sothing akin to a Cultivator’s Spirit Severance technique.

And this was only the fifth strongest Fiend Lord. That would an that the First Fiend Lord could very well give Emperor Ao a run for his money.

This realization sent a jolt of shudder through Chu Xun as he ca to terms with how weak he still was. If the bulk of the fiend army did indeed made landfall on Earth this instant, all of humanity could be wiped out.

“I need to be stronger,” mused Chu Xun, clenching his fists tightly. First the Lost Races, then the Assembly of Immortals, and now the Subterranean Devils Clan… And these were only the enemies who had surfaced. Heaven knows how many more could still be lurking unseen...

“You are remarkable, Devil. Would you like to serve ?” called the Fifth Fiend Lord.

“Can’t say your offer is enticing enough. For far too long you’ve been trapped inside that forbidden area. Have you gone senile?” teased Chu Xun.

“I’d suggest that you sleep on my offer. Too easily you swing your blade and too quick you are to kill. Join and I’m sure we could find sowhere where that talent of yours can be put to good use.”

“Nah, you overestimate yourself. What I want is more than what a petty Fiend Lord like you can offer. Rather, you should bend the knee to . Perhaps calling your liege might save you instead,” grinned Chu Xun.

“Interesting,” said the Fifth Fiend Lord, chuckling, “surely you realize that you owe your life?”

“What? At the forbidden lands where your clan is sealed?” Chu Xun rembered how Mo Yan had said about how his every action there had been under the Fifth Fiend Lord’s scrutiny.

“Yes. If I had acted, you would have long perished,” said the Fifth Fiend Lord.

“Then what made you stay your hand?” Chu Xun was curious.

“Because you have been tainted with the Poison of Fire. Crossing to the dark side was only a matter of ti. By then, you will gladly bend your knee to .”

“What a pity that I have not.”

“Which is why I stayed my hand. But I’m curious. With your asly powers then, there was no way you could resist the Poison’s influence. How?”

“I’m blessed with extraordinary gifts. That’s not sothing you can learn,” Chu Xun lied.

“How about a trade, Devil?”

“What trade?”

“Tell how you purged the Poison of Fire and I’ll go. How is that?” The Fifth Fiend Lord asked.

A reflection of the erald-green luminescence flashed in Chu Xun’s eyes. “What’s it to you? Are you demons afraid of the Poison of Fire too?”

“That is not important. You only need to say if you’re agreeable to this trade.”

Chu Xun’s lips twisted wryly. From the behavior of the pri demon, the Subterranean Devils Clan must have suffered from the Poison of Fire as well. That explained the Fifth Fiend Lord’s insistence to find out the answer.

“Forget about the trade, I have a question,” said Chu Xun.

“Speak.”

“Is there another exit from the forbidden area where your clan is sealed?” It was the most pertinent question to Chu Xun; if the Subterannean Devils have other ways of escaping, that would be bad – very, very bad.

“Of course, how else do you think I am here? There’s also my best general and his demonic horde,” revealed the Fifth Fiend Lord.

Chu Xun could hardly hide his dismay. The nightmare that he had been dreading had co true after all.

“Therefore, swear your fealty to and give your idea of purging the Poison of Fire as a gift is your only way of survival. You will ride beside when I erge and we shall take the world together,” said the Fifth Fiend Lord imperiously.

Chu Xun said nothing. The only thing he wanted to do now was to warn Emperor Ao about the impending escape of the Subterranean Devils.

“Bend the knee, Devil. This is a chance for you and your friends and family. You have my word that I will do no harm to anyone who is related to you,” the Fifth Demon Lord persuaded with both the carrot and the stick.

Chu Xun paused for one mont to think. Then he realized soone was calling him.

“Gim a minute. I’ll be back,” Chu Xun waved a hand and gave the Spirit of the Divine Tree a look. The Spirit had been using the ti to recuperate. Then Chu Xun withdrew his Divine Sense, drawing his Astral Projection back into his physical body.

He opened his eyes and there was the Flaming Qilin calling him from outside his enchantnt.

“Those monsters have been dealt with, Devil! Undo your enchantnt and get out! We need to deal with that swine Di Yanjing!” cried the Flaming Qilin hotly.

Chu Xun spun around. The ground was bare and empty as if the horde had never existed before.

“Where are their carcasses?!” he asked.

“What carcasses?” the Flaming Qilin stared at him blankly before he understood what Chu Xun was saying and he explained, “Those things vanished once we killed them. Not even their armor and weapons remained. They were just gone in a puff of smoke. Rather wicked, if you ask .”

Chu Xun looked at him, puzzled and confused. Then he broke into a gleeful chuckle. “I see… I get it now… That’s it…”

The Flaming Qilin and everyone else all stared at Chu Xun’s joyous outlook with dubious and incredulous looks wiped across their faces. “What’s wrong with him?!” A worried Gao Mohan asked him carefully, “Chu, are you really all right?”

“I’m fine… I’m fine… Now, wait for here. Damn, I was nearly hoodwinked!” Chu Xun chuckled to himself. He sat back down and his Astral Projection returned back into the spiritual domain of the Divine Tree.