Undying Life

Chapter 881: King Zhou You

"Zhuxian Sword Formation? I've experienced it before. I just fear that some people will cry and cling to their elders' 'legs' once I break it!" Zhong Shan sneered.

"Who are you saying will cry and cling to their elders' 'legs'?" Sima Zongheng retorted coldly.

"Who? I have no idea who!" Zhong Shan replied with a mocking smile.

"So, you agree?" Sima Qing asked calmly.

"What if I don't? Since you've prepared, stop wasting words. Talking to you is a waste of my dignity!" Zhong Shan responded coldly.

"Whose dignity are you talking about?" Sima Zongheng's face turned livid.

Sima Qing, however, remained calm and smiled slightly, "Please, go ahead."

"Zhong Shan, that's the Zhuxian Sword Formation. Together, it's a set of ancient immortal weapons. You can't defeat it. Trust me, no one can touch you!" Princess Jiuwei quickly grabbed Zhong Shan's arm.

Shaking his head, Zhong Shan replied solemnly, "Thank you for your kindness, Princess, but I must go. If I don't shatter the Zhuxian Sword Formation today, any random nobody will dare to disrupt us tomorrow!"

"Who are you calling a nobody?" Sima Zongheng was about to lose his mind.

Ever since his Dao heart was broken by Zhong Shan, he seemed especially easy to anger. His usual composure and demeanor were completely gone. Every word Zhong Shan said seemed to have a strong impact on him.

"Second Uncle, don't speak!" Sima Qing said calmly.

Sima Zongheng looked at Sima Qing and nodded, "Yes!"

This subtle change made both Mr. Li and Zhong Shan frown.

A nephew commanding his uncle?

Sima Qing stepped forward, flying above the vast sea. With a sweep of his large sleeve, four divine swords suddenly plunged into the sea, reaching from the ocean depths to the clouds above.

A vast array of sword energy swirled, quickly forming a deadly formation.

Zhuxian Sword Formation! To the east was the Sword of Zhuxian, to the west the Sword of Traps, to the south the Sword of Slaughter, and to the north the Sword of Destruction!

With the four swords, the powerful killing formation deterred anyone from approaching.

"Go ahead. If you pass the Zhuxian Sword Formation, we will not pursue the matter with Sima Qianjun any further!" Sima Qing said sternly.

Looking at the Zhuxian Sword Formation before him, Zhong Shan smiled faintly and stepped in.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~!"

Countless sword energies suddenly appeared around Zhong Shan, shooting towards him menacingly. Zhong Shan unleashed his aura, and a terrifying force erupted, scattering the surrounding sword energies.

At this moment, Sima Qing also stepped into the formation.

Sima Qing was the master of the formation, able to control it at will.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"

A huge, invisible sword of space descended from the sky towards Zhong Shan. Zhong Shan raised his hand to meet it.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"

Zhong Shan was pushed down a hundred feet before the giant sword's momentum dissipated.

"Zhong Shan!"

A loud shout from Sima Qing echoed within the formation, halting all sword energies.

The two faced each other in midair.

"Did you trap me in the Zhuxian Sword Formation for the Five-Colored Divine Stone?" Zhong Shan asked with a hint of disdain.

"No," Sima Qing shook his head.

"Oh?"

"I know the Five-Colored Divine Stone is in your possession. I won't pursue it further, and I can even give it to you. But I have one request," Sima Qing said with a smile.

"A request?"

"I want you."

"Me?" Zhong Shan was slightly taken aback.

"Yes, I want you to pledge your loyalty to me. I've looked into your background and I admire your talents. I need someone like you. If you pledge your loyalty to me, not only will I let you keep the Five-Colored Divine Stone, but I may also reward you with ancient immortal weapons in the future!" Sima Qing said solemnly.

"Reward me? Pledge loyalty to you?" Zhong Shan chuckled.

"I know you doubt my position now, but it won't be long before Taichu is mine. No, the entire Fengzong Territory will be mine. I need talents like you to help me conquer the world, just like the Great Zhou of old, invincible and unmatched for eternity!" Sima Qing said excitedly.

"The Great Zhou? Invincible and unmatched for eternity?" Zhong Shan's eyes narrowed.

Thinking Zhong Shan was tempted, Sima Qing grew more enthusiastic.

"Yes, in the old days of the mortal world, King Zhou You held one-eighth of the world, the greatest dynasty of all time. With a single beacon fire, all the kingdoms came to pay tribute. On his grand birthday, the entire world celebrated, and even sages gathered to honor him!" Sima Qing continued.

King Zhou You? A grand birthday celebrated by the world? Sages gathered to honor him? Holding one-eighth of the mortal world?

Zhong Shan frowned at Sima Qing. Was this true? A non-sage attracting a crowd of sages to celebrate his birthday seemed unlikely. Yet Zhong Shan felt Sima Qing wasn't lying.

King Zhou You, who held dominion over the world?

"I know you don't recognize King Zhou You. After the fall of the Great Zhou, much of his information was erased in Heaven's wrath. Few know of him. But I, Sima Qing, will be such a king in the future!" Sima Qing declared solemnly.

"King Zhou You, who held dominion over the world? Why did he die? Why did the Great Zhou collapse?"

"Like the fall of the Seven Sages, the Great Zhou conspired with them to reverse fate. But fate is immutable. The Great Zhou and the Seven Sages fell together. King Zhou You! Reaching his status is enough for me!" Sima Qing said excitedly.

Zhong Shan smiled faintly, "That's enough for you? King Zhou You held one-eighth of the mortal world. Don't you want to unify the mortal world?"

"The Grand World is not like a small world. Unifying it is impossible. Even King Zhou You only held one-eighth with the help of the Seven Sages. To hold dominion over the world is enough for me," Sima Qing said firmly.

Zhong Shan looked at Sima Qing with great seriousness.

Sima Qing tried to entice him, "Have you decided? If you pledge loyalty to me, I'll give you everything you want!"

Zhong Shan looked seriously at Sima Qing, his face twitching, then suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahahaha...!"

Sima Qing's face turned ugly.

"What? You refuse?" Sima Qing said coldly.

"Are you still dreaming?" Zhong Shan laughed without any regard for Sima Qing.

"Short-sighted!" Sima Qing said coldly.

"Fine, I'm short-sighted. Start the Zhuxian Sword Formation. I have other matters to attend to," Zhong Shan said dismissively.

Previously, Zhong Shan had considered Sima Qing a significant figure, but their exchange had revealed Sima Qing's true nature. Such a person wasn't worthy of being his opponent.

Sima Qing's face darkened. "Opportunities like this come only once. Miss it, and you'll get nothing!"

"Too lazy to waste words with you!" Zhong Shan replied dismissively.

"Hmph!"

In his anger, a purple longsword suddenly appeared in the sky, mimicking the Zhuxian Sword. Even though the Zhuxian Sword Formation was already set up, how could there be another sword?

This imitation Zhuxian Sword shot rapidly towards Zhong Shan, carrying a terrifying aura that seemed capable of destroying everything in its path.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"

A massive purple tail suddenly appeared in front of Zhong Shan, colliding with the oncoming imitation Zhuxian Sword. With a loud bang, the attacking sword shattered on impact.

Sima Qing's face changed.

"Zhong Shan, you truly have hidden your strength. But it's a pity, this is the Zhuxian Sword Formation. Every strand of sword energy here can transform into a Zhuxian Sword. Take your time and enjoy it!" Sima Qing said coldly.

"Enjoy? I like that word!" Zhong Shan laughed.

As he spoke, a colossal creature emerged at Zhong Shan's feet. No longer hiding its power, the terrifying Eight Extremities Heavenly Tail slowly revealed itself. The massive tails, swaying with immense power, emitted sharp sword energies from four of them.

Sima Qing noticed that the sword energy from this creature was even stronger than the imitation Zhuxian Sword Formation's, more pure and formidable.

The gigantic creature, spanning two thousand miles in diameter, swayed its eight tails, preventing any sword energy from approaching Zhong Shan.

The creature's two gleaming black eyes seemed to be sparkling with excitement as it surveyed the four directions, specifically eyeing the four imitation Zhuxian Swords.

"Yiya yiya...!" The Eight Extremities Heavenly Tail cried out joyfully, its voice filled with excitement. Its eyes now shone with a greenish, greedy light.

"What kind of divine beast is this?" Sima Qing's face changed dramatically.

Outside the imitation Zhuxian Sword Formation.

"Mr. Li, if anything happens to Zhong Shan, I will hold you responsible!" Princess Jiuwei shouted angrily.

"I am merely a witness, Princess. Please don't blame me," Mr. Li said with a wry smile.

"It's over, it's over. How can Zhong Shan break the Zhuxian Sword Formation?" Su Afo said worriedly.

At this moment, the happiest person was Sima Zongheng.

"Break it? Dream on! Even a great immortal couldn't break the formation. Zhong Shan, a mere celestial immortal, is seeking death," Sima Zongheng laughed.

"Shut up!" Princess Jiuwei snapped.

"Princess Jiuwei, you can't control me. Worry about Zhong Shan if you like, but be realistic. Zhong Shan is doomed. A weak Dahe Sacred Court? My Sima family can send any great immortal to destroy it. Opposing my Sima family is courting destruction!" Sima Zongheng said gleefully.

"The Sima family? What of it? Have you ever gained the upper hand against Zhong Shan? One died, another was captured, and the third is neither human nor ghost, completely mad!" Princess Jiuwei retorted.

Neither human nor ghost, completely mad—a clear reference to Sima Zongheng losing control after his Dao heart was shattered.

"Hmph, in any case, Zhong Shan is doomed this time. Breaking the Zhuxian Sword Formation? Impossible, unless that divine beast of Dahe suddenly appears. Otherwise, he can forget about breaking the formation!" Sima Zongheng shouted.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"

At that moment, the Zhuxian Sword Formation on the sea surface exploded with a loud noise. A massive purple tail, hundreds of miles long, pierced through the formation from the inside out.