The Ultimate Celestial Martial Emperor: An Isekai Cultivation Progression Fantasy Novel: The Ultimate Celestial Martial Emperor, #5

By De Yun Piao Dang

Jiang Yuan, an ordinary person from Earth, finds himself transported to another world, becoming a different Jiang Yuan in a realm filled with mystery and fantasy. In this world, individuals can cultivate their abilities to perform feats as miraculous as turning rivers and capturing the stars. However, Jiang Yuan's existence in this new world is far from stable. He inherits the identity and a series of troubles and challenges of his predecessor.

In the beginning, Jiang Yuan only wants to fully enjoy his new life, but fate doesn't afford him much respite. By a stroke of luck, he acquires a mysterious wooden carving, which seems to conceal the deep secrets of this world...

If I stand with humanity, then humanity shall flourish for hundreds of generations without end!

If I enter the path of demons, demonic flames will surge, and oceans of blood will flow!

As a sage, I shall help all beings, offering salvation to the world!

As an emperor, I shall be revered, with all directions submitting to me alone!

As an enlightened one, I shall follow in the footsteps of the sages before me, singing a war song of a prosperous yet melancholic era, shedding blood on the path to immortality!
 

 

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Jiang Yuan was stunned to see Lu Kun being ruthlessly blasted dozens of meters into the air. After all, Lu Kun was a Leakless Realm initial phase cultivator. With a single blow, he could collapse a small mountain, yet the golden figure had managed to make him suffer. It went without saying that its strength was no weaker than Lu Kun's.

 He heard Lu Kun shout in alarm, "Young Master, be careful! That's a Golden-haired Demon Monkey, and an equivalent to a Leakless Realm initial phase demon monkey at that. Even I am not its match. I'll hold it back, so you quickly escape."

 However, the Golden-haired Demon Monkey was cunning. After forcing Lu Kun back, it pounced towards Jiang Yuan instead, clearly identifying him as a weaker target.

• Language: English
• Publisher: He Qiao Qiao
• Release date: Apr 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224159048

Book preview

Chapter 161: Blood Lake at the Valley Bottom

Jiang Yuan was stunned to see Lu Kun being ruthlessly blasted dozens of meters into the air. After all, Lu Kun was a Leakless Realm initial phase cultivator. With a single blow, he could collapse a small mountain, yet the golden figure had managed to make him suffer. It went without saying that its strength was no weaker than Lu Kun’s.

He heard Lu Kun shout in alarm, Young Master, be careful! That’s a Golden-haired Demon Monkey, and an equivalent to a Leakless Realm initial phase demon monkey at that. Even I am not its match. I’ll hold it back, so you quickly escape.

However, the Golden-haired Demon Monkey was cunning. After forcing Lu Kun back, it pounced towards Jiang Yuan instead, clearly identifying him as a weaker target.

Since there was no time to retreat, Jiang Yuan quickly regained his composure as the Golden-haired Demon Monkey charged towards him. He hooked his legs around the vines and stomped hard. Swinging the longsword in his hand, he cleaved it straight at the demon monkey.

The Golden-haired Demon Monkey saw Jiang Yuan charging towards it and revealed a mocking expression in its eyes, showing its intelligence. It let out high-pitched squeaks and ruthlessly swiped at Jiang Yuan with its golden fur-covered claws.

Jiang Yuan roared and brought his sword down with full force, hitting the Golden-haired Monkey’s claws. He felt as if he had been struck by a train, spewing blood from his mouth. The longsword in his hands was sent flying.

With a loud bang, Jiang Yuan’s body slammed heavily against the cliffside. Instinctively, he grabbed onto a nearby vine. His arms throbbed in extreme pain, as if they had been shattered.

The Golden-haired Demon Monkey was also sent flying by Jiang Yuan’s blow. Blood dripped from its furry claws. To think that a dignified Leakless Realm initial phase demon beast had been injured by Jiang Yuan.

Enraged, the demon monkey flickered in the air and pounced viciously at Jiang Yuan again, intent on finishing him off.

However, Lu Kun finally arrived in time and desperately entangled the Golden-haired Demon Monkey. Despite its overwhelming ferocity, the demon monkey was temporarily unable to break free from Lu Kun’s hold.

Jiang Yuan frantically absorbed the power from the Spirit Crystals. The Undying Heavenly Skill surged through his body, and vigorous blood energy immediately rushed towards his injured arms. He could even vaguely hear slight crackling sounds coming from his arms, indicating that they were recovering.

In less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, Jiang Yuan spit out a mouthful of congested blood, and the stifling sensation in his chest vanished instantly. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes as he summoned the Eight Trigrams Stone Platform into his hands and hurled it towards the Golden-haired Demon Monkey.

The Golden-haired Demon Monkey didn’t take Jiang Yuan seriously at all. Seeing Jiang Yuan actually hurling a stone at it, it bared its teeth at Jiang Yuan in a ferocious and intimidating display.

After scanning his surroundings, Jiang Yuan willed it, and the Divine King Puppet appeared in the air. Under Jiang Yuan’s control, the puppet unleashed the power of a mid-phase Leakless Realm cultivator, landing a punch on the Golden-haired Demon Monkey.

The demon monkey screamed miserably, falling from the sky like a bird with broken wings.

Jiang Yuan skillfully retracted the Divine King Puppet after dealing a heavy blow to the monkey. Lu Kun appeared beside Jiang Yuan, his face showing panic as he said, Please punish me, Young Master, for failing to protect you adequately.

Waving his hand dismissively, Jiang Yuan looked down towards the demon lair and said, Let’s continue downward. I want to see what exactly is beneath us. Could there really be some terrifying entity lurking there?

Given that creatures like the Golden-haired Demon Monkey could survive here, Jiang Yuan didn’t believe this place was entirely deadly. Since it wasn’t a death trap, it seemed worth investigating further to understand what this so-called demon lair was all about.

Lu Kun naturally didn’t dare object to Jiang Yuan’s words. Protectively staying close, the two of them quickly descended along the cliffside.

The malevolent energy grew even denser, to the point where one would have to seal their body’s orifices with their internal energy to prevent the malevolent qi from infiltrating their body. Over time, this could lead to a dreadful transformation, making one neither fully human nor ghost.

The surroundings became increasingly blurred, shrouded in thick malevolent qi, making it impossible to see the surrounding objects clearly.

Even Jiang Yuan, who covered the area with his Divine Sense, found his observations limited by the malevolent qi, significantly reducing the range he could survey.

Initially, it was expected that encounters with demonic beasts and other dangers would be inevitable. However, as they descended, while they did collect some spiritual herbs and materials, not a single demonic beast was sighted, as if they had all vanished.

Had it not been for Jiang Yuan’s previous encounters with the Golden-haired Demon Monkey and the Crimson Serpent, he might have believed that no demonic beasts could survive in this eerie place. Since creatures like the Golden-haired Demon Monkey could make it here, there surely had to be other beasts.

Yet, the complete absence of any beasts along the way made Jiang Yuan, who was always on high alert, feel somewhat uneasy.

Wuu waa wuu waa

Just then, a piercing wail rose from below, sounding as if someone was crying. Merely hearing it felt like a giant hand was squeezing the heart, unbearable to endure.

Even Lu Kun, with his cultivation level, staggered and almost lost control upon hearing the noise. Jiang Yuan, in turn, contorted in agony, enduring tremendous pain.

Fortunately, Lu Kun quickly resisted the influence of the sound. As for Jiang Yuan, he was well-equipped to handle such mind-disturbing threats.

His Primordial Spirit emitted a golden light, and the Heaven and Earth God Cleansing Technique reverberated throughout his Sea of Consciousness, impervious to the influence of such demonic sounds.

Wuu waa wuu waa

The sound, akin to a baby’s cry, persisted. Eyes sparkling with determination, Jiang Yuan said, Let’s keep going; perhaps we’re about to uncover the secret of this demon lair.

Under Jiang Yuan’s command, Lu Kun had no choice but to follow, unable to defy Jiang Yuan’s orders. Otherwise, he probably would not have dared to venture further with Jiang Yuan.

Soon, Jiang Yuan and Lu Kun descended hundreds of meters more. By this time, they were nearly thousands of meters below the surface. Considering the depth they had already reached when they were first brought here, they were likely nearly ten thousand meters below the surface, beneath that massive rift.

Ah, Young Master, a lake, there seems to be a lake below.

Jiang Yuan clearly saw a blood-red lake beneath them. The lake wasn’t large, spanning only a few miles in radius, but the sight of it caused Jiang Yuan’s expression to change drastically, his face turning exceedingly grim.

It wasn’t just Jiang Yuan; Lu Kun’s face also turned pale, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

For some unknown reason, there wasn’t a trace of malevolent qi above the lake, as if an invisible force was keeping it at bay, allowing Jiang Yuan and his companion to clearly see the scene within the lake.

It was clearly a lake formed entirely of blood, its dark red and viscous waters emitting a nauseating scent of blood. Most importantly, the lake was filled with densely packed bones floating unsteadily.

Just one look was enough to nearly make Jiang Yuan retch. The bones were numerous, and though the lake wasn’t large, Jiang Yuan felt that it contained at least millions of bones.

Every skeleton was clearly that of the Human Race, indicating that these remains were the result of a deliberate massacre.

The origin of this blood-red lake was thus not hard to imagine.

Young Master, look, what is that!

Following Lu Kun’s direction, Jiang Yuan looked over and couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows in surprise. There lay a giant at least a hundred meters tall in the blood-red lake, with most of its body submerged but a part floating above the lake. Compared to this giant’s body, the surrounding floating bones seemed incredibly tiny.

Wisps of malevolent qi were actually emanating from this giant’s corpse. If not mistaken, the source of the malevolent qi filling the entire rift could very well be this giant’s body.

Jiang Yuan was greatly alarmed. Just how powerful was this being that even the malevolent qi produced by its decaying body after death could transform an entire canyon into a demonic domain?

Barbarian, Young Master, this is definitely an expert from the Barbarian race!

Lu Kun seemed to recognize the origin of the giant’s corpse and exclaimed to Jiang Yuan in surprise.

Jiang Yuan nodded slightly, but his heart was filled with boundless turmoil. He thought of the great river that had been cleaved out by someone and the Barbarians’ introduction of the Rift Canyon when they escorted them here.

Even with his slow reactions, Jiang Yuan was able to connect the dots regarding the origin of this Barbarian skeleton.

Tens of thousands of years ago, a Great Evil God from the Barbarian race had fought a great battle with Human Race experts, causing the heavens and earth to shatter. In the end, the Great Evil God was slain, and this Barbarian skeleton was likely the remains of that very Great Evil God.

Looking at the remains of this Barbarian Great Evil God, Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but recall the actions of the Gale Tribe. Could the Gale Tribe be here for this corpse?

However, what Jiang Yuan couldn’t understand was that this corpse didn’t seem to have anything unusual about it. It had been dead for tens of thousands of years and was already starting to decay. He wondered what the Barbarians could possibly do with it.

While Jiang Yuan was lost in thought, the demonic sound that had previously disappeared suddenly reappeared.

Wuu waa wuu waa

The demonic sound appeared right beside them. Lu Kun’s body trembled, and it seemed like it took all his strength to resist the influence of the sound. Jiang Yuan, on the other hand, guarded his mind and was unaffected by the sudden demonic sound.

Jiang Yuan looked in the direction of the sound, his eyes filled with surprise. The strange sound seemed to be coming from the direction of the Barbarian Great Evil God’s corpse. Could someone be near the corpse of the Great Evil God at this moment?

Chapter 162: The Birth of an Evil Spirit from a Corpse

The eerie wailing sound continued intermittently, and eventually, Jiang Yuan was certain that it was emanating from the corpse of the Great Evil God.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as Jiang Yuan turned to a bewildered Lu Kun and said, Lu Kun, go and check it out. Let’s see what’s causing this disturbance.

Lu Kun froze, fear evident in his eyes. He wasn’t foolish; he knew very well that there was something sinister about this place. Despite being an Immortal of the Leakless Realm, in such a place, if there truly was something dangerous, even a deity might not escape with their life.

Even though Lu Kun understood that following Jiang Yuan’s order to inspect the blood lake could potentially cost him his life, and despite the fear in his heart, he couldn’t muster the slightest thought of resistance.

This was the terrifying aspect of the God Controlling Technique; even the most cowardly being, once ordered by Jiang Yuan, would not hesitate to face a sea of flames or a mountain of blades.

With a furrowed brow, Lu Kun took to the air, heading towards the corpse of the Great Evil God in the blood lake. He was highly vigilant, moving slowly so that he could react to any slight anomaly.

However, the blood lake remained eerily calm, even as Lu Kun flew above the Great Evil God’s corpse. The entire lake stayed unchanged.

Since there was no change, Lu Kun slowly descended, landing precisely on the massive corpse of the Great Evil God.

The corpse, being dozens of meters in size and lying across the surface of the lake, provided an incredibly shocking visual impact even in death.

As soon as Lu Kun landed, the pure malevolent qi emanating from the corpse naturally invaded his body. Startled, Lu Kun quickly sealed his body’s orifices and mobilized the surging blood energy within him to resist the invasion of the malevolent qi.

However, Lu Kun felt that his resistance seemed utterly futile against the malevolent qi’s invasion and would soon be overwhelmed.

Recalling that Jiang Yuan had ordered him to investigate what was making the wailing sounds from the corpse, Lu Kun, who couldn’t bear to stay a moment longer, immediately began to search the corpse.

The demonic sound continued without pause, and it didn’t take long for Lu Kun to arrive at the Great Evil God’s chest.

Thump, thump. The sound of a heartbeat echoed, and what’s more, the demonic sound seemed to be coming from the Great Evil God’s heart.

Startled, Lu Kun looked down at his feet, especially after clearly sensing the beating of a heart beneath him. An expression of horror appeared on Lu Kun’s face, as if he had realized something.

Suddenly, Jiang Yuan’s urgent voice reached Lu Kun, who was still in a daze. Lu Kun, there’s danger! Quickly, escape!

Lu Kun snapped back to reality, his complexion changing drastically. He saw figures mysteriously flying out of the originally calm blood lake. These figures were extremely stiff, like skeletons, and they were clearly cultivators who had fallen into the lake.

These cultivators had long since perished and had been soaking in the blood lake for who knows how long. At this moment, they were all charging towards Lu Kun.

The eerie wailing sound suddenly became much louder, and the corpses flying out of the blood lake seemed to be controlled by the sound, as their speed towards Lu Kun increased.

Ahhh!

Faced with such a strange situation, most people would have been terrified, but Lu Kun, after all, had experienced some things, so although he was also frightened, he didn’t panic.

Corpses were rushing out from all directions in the blood lake. At a glance, there were densely packed skeletons, at least dozens of them, completely blocking all of Lu Kun’s escape routes.

Young Master, quickly escape!

With a fierce punch, Lu Kun exploded a corpse. Although his punch was powerful, what shocked him was that it took his full strength just to manage that, indicating the corpses had undergone some strange changes after soaking in the blood lake.

Watching the densely packed corpses around him, Lu Kun couldn’t help but feel a chill. Just dealing with one corpse required his utmost effort, let alone so many.

Realizing the odd nature of these corpses, Lu Kun immediately signaled Jiang Yuan, noticing that over a dozen corpses had already pounced towards him.

Jiang Yuan felt an alarm inside, not knowing the peculiarities of the corpses that prevented Lu Kun from breaking through, but he heightened his vigilance nonetheless.

Punch after punch, he tried to fend off the corpses swarming towards him. Seizing the opportunity, Lu Kun warned, Young Master, there’s something very sinister about this corpse of the Great Evil God. The demonic sound is actually coming from its heart. Please, leave this place quickly, lest it becomes too late for changes.

Having just engaged with a corpse, Jiang Yuan was sent flying. With a wave of his hand, the Divine King Puppet appeared, grabbed Jiang Yuan, and soared into the sky, breaking through the encirclement of corpses before they could close in.

Held by the Divine King Puppet, Jiang Yuan’s mind echoed with Lu Kun’s words. The demonic sound coming from the heart of the Barbarian Great Evil God left him utterly astonished.

Seeing Jiang Yuan leave, Lu Kun first breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the corpses encircling him, his face showing terror.

Fight! Fight!

He repeatedly tried to break through, but for every corpse he took down, two more would appear. They were endless. Gradually, Lu Kun began to weaken. After all, he couldn’t maintain his peak condition at all times. Soon, his body was covered in wounds inflicted by the corpses.

Meanwhile, the malevolent qi also invaded his body, gradually eroding his Divine Soul. Affected by the malevolent qi, Lu Kun found it increasingly difficult to hold on and was finally dragged into the blood lake by several corpses.

Struggling briefly in the blood lake, Lu Kun completely disappeared beneath its surface. After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a corpse floated to the surface of the lake. If Jiang Yuan were there, he would undoubtedly recognize it as Lu Kun.

On a cliff, in a cave, Jiang Yuan’s expression suddenly changed. He’s dead! Lu Kun died so quickly!

As a puppet controlled by Jiang Yuan, Lu Kun’s life and death were naturally perceptible to him. However, in Jiang Yuan’s view, Lu Kun was an Immortal in the Leakless Realm, so he should have been able to hold on for some time. What was the result? It hadn’t even been half an hour before a Leakless Realm Immortal had met his end.

Evil God’s corpse, heart, demonic sound

Jiang Yuan muttered to himself, recalling Lu Kun’s warning before his death, and his brow couldn’t help but furrow.

Rubbing his forehead, Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but mutter, This is really strange. Could it be that another Evil Spirit has been born from the Evil God’s remains? If that’s the case, then this is a big problem.

Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but think of the legendary White Bone Divine King. It was said that the White Bone Divine King was a spirit born from the remains of a fallen expert, who eventually attained the Dao with a body of white bones, leaving behind a fearsome reputation throughout the heavens.

If the corpse of the Barbarian Evil God in this blood lake had really given birth to a spirit, then everything would have a reasonable explanation.

Punching the cave wall with a ruthless blow, Jiang Yuan said, No, I absolutely can’t let the Evil Spirit be born. Otherwise, it will definitely cause endless slaughter.

However, Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but laugh bitterly in the next moment. What qualifications did he have to interfere? Although the Evil Spirit hadn’t fully emerged yet, its power was already extremely terrifying. Just look at how the Barbarian Race didn’t send anyone to guard the Evil Spirit, which showed that the Evil Spirit definitely had the ability to protect itself in the face of danger.

The Evil Spirit had yet to make a move, but it had already used the corpses in the blood lake to kill Lu Kun, a Leakless Realm Immortal. Even a Divine Being might fall into the blood lake.

Looking at his own puny body, Jiang Yuan shook his head with a wry smile. He didn’t have the ability. If he really wanted to take care of this matter, he might end up getting himself killed.

Quickly climbing up the cliff, Jiang Yuan decided that it was better not to take any risks for the time being. He would wait until he had a plan before dealing with the Evil Spirit.

After all these years, a little more time doesn’t make much of a difference.

With a flip, Jiang Yuan entered the cave, only to find Tie Si alone, with no sign of Yan Yi and Yan Shuang.

Upon seeing Jiang Yuan, Tie Si’s face lit up with joy, Jiang Yuan, you’re back, this is really great.

Jiang Yuan could feel that Tie Si was genuinely happy about his return. Casually placing a few spiritual herbs aside, he asked, Where are Yan Yi and Yan Shuang?

Jiang Yuan knew full well the dangers lurking within this demon-infested place. Although they hadn’t encountered many demonic beasts, their presence was undeniable. If Yan Yi and the others had encountered a demonic beast like the Golden-haired Demon Monkey, their lives would surely be in jeopardy.

They went out looking for you, worried by your prolonged absence. But now that you’re back safely, nothing could be better.

Tie Si’s words warmed Jiang Yuan’s heart, but also made him worry for Yan Yi and Yan Shuang. He hadn’t run into them on his way back, fearing the brothers might have gone elsewhere in search of him.

I’ll go look for them.

Just as Jiang Yuan was about to set out in search of Yan Yi and Yan Shuang, Yan Yi’s voice echoed from outside the cave, Tie Si, I heard Jiang Yuan’s voice. Could it be that Brother Jiang Yuan has returned?

Jiang Yuan laughed heartily, Brothers, it’s indeed Jiang Yuan.

As he spoke, Yan Yi and Yan Shuang appeared at the cave entrance. Jiang Yuan reached out to grab their hands, and with a collective effort, they flipped into the cave.

Once inside, the two brothers looked Jiang Yuan up and down, as if checking to see if he was injured.

Assured that Jiang Yuan was unharmed, Yan Yi nodded slightly and asked, Brother Jiang Yuan, where did you and Lu Kun go? You were gone for so long!

Chapter 163: Grave Threat

Yan Shuang also said, Yes, we were all worried sick. By the way, where’s Lu Kun? Why didn’t he come back with you?

Jiang Yuan knew that Yan Yi and the others would definitely ask about Lu Kun’s situation. He sighed slightly, his expression tinged with sadness. Jiang Yuan’s change in demeanor aroused the curiosity of Yan Yi, Yan Shuang, and Tie Si.

What’s wrong? Could something have happened?

Yan Shuang asked curiously.

Jiang Yuan’s expression made it hard for anyone to imagine anything good. Although they didn’t care much for Lu Kun, they were still curious about what had happened to him.

Jiang Yuan nodded slightly and said, You’re all wondering why Lu Kun and I were gone for so long, right? Well, during that time, we went down to the bottom of the canyon.

Yan Yi’s eyes lit up when he heard this. What? You and Lu Kun went down to the bottom of the canyon?

Jiang Yuan replied, "Lu Kun and I ventured to the bottom of the canyon, and he ran into trouble there. Lu