Chapter 538 A Great Victory

We're all upstanding Quasi-Emperors here, so presumably none of us possess artifacts like the Human Emperor Banner.

Lu Ye obtained this item through sheer luck.

(chuckles) Anyway, this is the Human Emperor Banner, not some evil artifact like the Soul Banner.

Time for the harvest!

The remaining Quasi-Emperors on the battlefield were getting more desperate by the minute as the battle neared its end.

With every Quasi-Emperor that fell, the pressure on the survivors shot through the roof.

Now, it wasn’t just one Quasi-Emperor dying—what had once been two Quasi-Emperors tag-teaming one had now become four against one, speeding up how fast the remaining Quasi-Emperors perished.

The Human Emperor Banner whipped through the air.

A torrent of souls came pouring out, following the three main spirits as they began dragging the broken souls and fractured spirits of the Quasi-Emperors into the banner.

With each new addition, Lu Ye was practically giddy.

Yes! Perfect!

This time, the power of the Human Emperor Banner was gonna get an explosive increase.

There were also Imperial Weapons littering the battlefield—perhaps there’d be a chance to enhance the Stone Sword.

The Quasi-Emperors were aware that Lu Ye was collecting their fallen comrades’ souls, but nobody raised a fuss. To them, the souls of Quasi-Emperors weren't worth much.

Might as well let Lu Ye have 'em.

After all, they were all on Lu Ye’s ship now—the stronger he became, the safer they’d all be.

With the final Quasi-Emperor’s self-destruction,

the faces of the remaining thirty-six Quasi-Emperors turned ghost-white.

Their auras grew unstable, but fortunately, the battle was over.

In this fight, only one of the thirty-six Quasi-Emperors had died—taken down by a berserk Dark Quasi-Emperor in a mutual destruction—while the rest survived.

With so many Quasi-Emperors on their side, those who suffered severe injuries could temporarily retreat. As fellow Quasi-Emperors, unless they were overwhelmed in a single strike, killing them outright was exceedingly difficult.

A glimpse of the Book of Life and Death flickered past.

But it didn’t escape the notice of the other Quasi-Emperors.

They turned their gazes toward the Underworld’s Quasi-Emperor, giving him knowing looks.

The Underworld’s Quasi-Emperor played along with an equally amiable grin—they were all in on it.

"Celestial Lord! Celestial Lord! Are you hurt?"

At that moment, the Devourbeast yelled in concern, charging toward Lu Ye like an overgrown puppy.

Seeing the Devourbeast covered in blood, its massive wounds still unhealed, Lu Ye felt a pang in his chest.

Looking at it, he flashed back to the friends who had died fighting for him in his past life.

Not everyone's cut out to protect the Great Dao.

Protecting the right person, others are willing to die for you.

Protecting the wrong person, others will think you're a fool.

This time around, Lu Ye rarely sought out his friends from his previous life.

He couldn’t bring himself to!

Being around him wasn’t necessarily safe.

When his strength was sufficient, he could offer them some advantages, as a way to make up for what he owed them in his past life.

Devourbeast quickly ran up to Lu Ye.

Ignoring its own injuries, it circled around Lu Ye, checking his wounds.

Lu Ye wore a wry smile.

"Don’t worry, I’m fine. You should focus on your own injuries."

Devourbeast shook its head lightly. "Celestial Lord, I’m fine. These are mere scratches. It’s been a long time since I fought with my full strength. Thanks to your honor, Celestial Lord, I was able to participate in such an intense battle."

Lu Ye...

Unbelievable!

Lu Ye didn’t respond further, only smiling helplessly.

He looked at the many Quasi-Emperors, clasped his hands and bowed deeply in gratitude.

"This time, my gratitude knows no bounds for the assistance of all Fellow Daoists. Nine Lives... is endlessly thankful. If Fellow Daoists do not mind, please join me at the Heavenly Gate. First, I’ll prepare healing elixirs for everyone. If any Fellow Daoists have doubts about cultivation, I can also offer guidance then! And once everyone has recovered, we may discourse on the Great Dao together. I sincerely hope Fellow Daoists will accompany me."

The Quasi-Emperors chuckled in unison.

Lu Ye referred to himself as Nine Lives, not Lu Ye.

Normally, he went by Lu Ye. By using Nine Lives now, he was telling everyone that his words were spoken in the name of the Celestial Lord. Their favor shall be engraved in my heart, even if he ascended to the position of Celestial Lord in the future.

Clearly, this approach worked better!

"Good, then we’ll gladly accept your hospitality."

"Hahaha, how could this be called imposing? Your presence honors our humble gate!" Luan Xin said with a smile.

"Then let’s first tend to the battlefield."

Everyone began clearing the battlefield.

This time, they’d felled numerous Quasi-Emperors and even obtained five Imperial Weapons—truly a veritable bounty.

A group of Quasi-Emperors, along with the Heavenly Gate’s members, totaling thirty-nine people, made their way to the Heavenly Gate together. Such a force could dominate the Seventh Heaven without any issue.

The Heavenly Gate spared no effort for this occasion.

The grand formation was activated, and all members of the Heavenly Gate arrayed in ceremonial robes came to welcome them. Delicacies, fine wine, and even courtesans were arranged.

In fact, by the Fifth Heaven, certain sects maintained retinues of attendants.

During banquets, it was beneath disciples to serve dishes and pour wine.

This trend became increasingly widespread, especially upon reaching the Sixth Heaven.

The Sixth Heaven was comprised of powerful families, who placed even greater emphasis on their face.

Having guests over without any attractive female companions in the household—how improper would that be? Wouldn’t it invite ridicule if word got out?

The Celestial Gate had not indulged in such practices while in the Sixth Heaven, but by the time they ascended to the Seventh Heaven, they had succumbed.

One could only say they'd degenerated, truly degenerated!

Regarding this rising corrupt practice, the Qingliu Hehuan Pavilion of the Nine Heavens once issued stern protests, condemning such behavior as unbecoming of a righteous sect.

How was this any different from Demonic Cultivators?

By doing this, they were directly harming the Hehuan Pavilion’s business!

But there was no helping it—such was the tide of the times, no one could stop it.

To avoid losing business, the Hehuan Pavilion had no choice but to innovate, introducing many signature techniques and unveiling inimitable methods to maintain its reputation as the number one pavilion under heaven.

The results were quite effective. The Hehuan Pavilion’s enterprising spirit earned widespread praise.

Yet, this unorthodox trend persisted.

The group of Quasi-Emperors entered the Celestial Gate.

They chatted and laughed merrily, with Lu Ye receiving particular respect from his fellow Quasi-Emperors.

Seeing such a lively atmosphere, Lu Ye decided against retreating to an alchemy chamber.

Instead, he opened the loot from the Quasi-Emperors on the spot, retrieving the divine herbs he needed.

He then procured a supreme-grade alchemy furnace—fortunately, his storage ring contained all the necessary items.

“Allow me to put on an alchemy performance for everyone,” Lu Ye said with a smile.

“Excellent!”

The numerous Quasi-Emperors came to attention immediately, applauding enthusiastically.

Lu Ye felt no pressure—alchemy and artifact forging were skills he had committed to muscle memory long ago.

After all, in his past life, these had been his bread and butter.

Soon, the Vermilion Bird True Flame erupted.