In the Supreme Celestial Dao Emperor Palace, Zi Changluo had been feeling uneasy for days. So many days had passed, yet Gongshu Shipan had not sent any news.

It wasn't just that Gongshu Shipan hadn't sent news; even the various sects that usually provided him with information from the Immortal Realm had remained silent.

No, waiting idly like this was not an option. If Mo Wuji hadn't had previous examples of killing Dao Emperors, Zi Changluo wouldn't have paid it much attention. The key was that Mo Wuji's battle record was too impressive; he could even kill Palun. He knew that even he couldn't kill Palun.

"Someone, go and invite Lei Hongji here," Zi Changluo decided not to wait any longer.

"Yes," a response came from outside the Dao Emperor Palace.

In less than half an incense stick's time, a powerful voice echoed from outside, "Master, did you call for me?"

Zi Changluo said with a warm smile, "Hongji, come in. I have some matters to discuss with you."

"Yes, Master," the tall and sturdy Lei Hongji entered. Compared to when he first arrived at the Supreme Celestial Heaven, surrounded by lightning, there was no trace of lightning essence around him now.

Zi Changluo nodded with great satisfaction, "Excellent, excellent. Among all my disciples, only you possess truly astonishing talent. Your aura of stepping into the Immortal Emperor realm has completely stabilized, and you already possess the Dao rhythm of a grandmaster."

Lei Hongji bowed respectfully and said, "Master, you praise me too much. Compared to my senior brothers, Hongji is still far behind."

Zi Changluo pointed to the chair opposite him and said, "Hongji, we are nominally master and disciple, but in reality, we are like father and son. There is no need to be restrained here with me."

Lei Hongji bowed again before sitting down. Zi Changluo also sat down, placing a teapot on the corner of the table before speaking, "Hongji, Master is somewhat sorry to you. I want to borrow something from you."

Lei Hongji stood up again and said humbly, "Master, if you need anything, there's no need to talk about borrowing with your disciple. Just tell me what you need."

After speaking, Lei Hongji took the teapot from the corner of the table and poured a cup of spiritual tea for Zi Changluo.

Zi Changluo took the immortal spiritual tea but did not drink it. Instead, he placed it back on the table and said, "This thing is also very important to you, so Master feels very guilty..."

Lei Hongji smiled and said, "Master, please speak. As long as Lei Hongji has it to spare, I won't mind."

Zi Changluo was slightly taken aback. He naturally sensed something off about Lei Hongji's words. What did he mean by "to spare"?

"Hongji, I know your spiritual root is extraordinary. It should be a spiritual root that can be upgraded, right? To be honest, Zi Changluo has never seen a spiritual root that can advance on its own until today. I have entered the Dao Emperor realm for who knows how many years, and my potential has reached its limit. What I want to borrow is your spiritual root..." After Zi Changluo finished speaking, he calmly looked at Lei Hongji.

Lei Hongji didn't seem surprised at all. Instead, he said calmly, "I'm afraid this cannot be borrowed."

"Alas, this is beyond your control, and beyond my control as well. You should have noticed that my teapot is a formation base, right? But even if you take the teapot away from the corner of the table, it's useless. This place has been trapped by a confinement formation that even I cannot open," Zi Changluo sighed, standing up and raising his hand to strike Lei Hongji.

This confinement and killing formation was something he obtained in the Extraterritorial Heaven. It surpassed a Rank 9 Immortal Formation. Once activated, anyone within the formation would have their immortal essence and divine sense suppressed except for him.

However, the moment Zi Changluo raised his hand, his expression changed. He discovered that his immortal essence and divine sense were surging within him, yet he couldn't release them at all.

"You..." Zi Changluo's heart sank. Even an idiot would realize that something was wrong.

Lei Hongji said calmly, "I thought you would wait a little longer. I didn't expect you to be so impatient. I'm quite disappointed."

"You knew all along?" Zi Changluo's heart sank to the bottom.

Lei Hongji's tone remained calm, "If I didn't know, Lei Hongji wouldn't have reached where he is today. To be honest, I still admire you. You are the first person to fully understand the heaven-defying nature of my spiritual root. Even if you didn't act today, I would have acted in a few days."

"I am your master," Zi Changluo roared in a low voice. He didn't shout loudly because he knew it was useless within this confinement and killing formation.

Lei Hongji shook his head and said with some disdain, "You can only be considered my fifth master. Oh, by the way, do you know what happened to my first four masters?"

"What happened?" Zi Changluo asked subconsciously.

Lei Hongji said slowly, "My first master opened my meridians. He was the first to discover that my spiritual root could be upgraded. He died later. My second master was a Star Lord. He gave me countless cultivation resources. He also died later. My third master was the master I apprenticed to after I came to the Immortal Realm. He has a nickname, Poison Heaven Great Emperor..."

"Poison Heaven?" Zi Changluo's expression changed. He finally understood why he was like this. It turned out he was poisoned. How could he not know the name of the Poison Heaven Great Emperor? Even he wouldn't dare to provoke this person easily. Rumor had it that this person could even poison the heavens. Anyone who fell into his hands would surely die.

Lei Hongji continued in a monotonous tone, "He also died later. My fourth master was called Lei Guyun. I heard he died a few days ago. He was the only master who wasn't killed by my own hands. You are the fifth. You could have waited a few more days, alas..."

"Tell me how I was poisoned, and why you are unharmed in my confinement and killing formation, or I will not die in peace..." Zi Changluo shouted sharply.

"Who said I am unharmed? As for you not dying in peace, what does that have to do with me?" Lei Hongji suddenly grabbed a short sword from his sleeve and walked in front of Zi Changluo.

"So, you didn't manage to break my confinement and killing formation..." A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in Zi Changluo's eyes. Lei Hongji, like him, also had no immortal essence or divine sense.

A hint of sarcasm appeared on the corner of Lei Hongji's mouth, "I am different from you. You are poisoned by me and are weak all over, but I am just like an ordinary mortal except for the fact that I have no immortal essence or divine sense. I can still move."

"Hahaha..." Zi Changluo laughed loudly. He was a Dao Emperor. Without divine sense and immortal essence, Lei Hongji couldn't do anything to him even if he tried to kill him for a hundred years.

Not to mention a hundred years, as long as a few days passed and he didn't go out, his subordinates would become suspicious.

"..." Zi Changluo's laughter stopped abruptly. Lei Hongji clearly had no immortal essence or divine sense, yet the sword in his hand easily pierced his brow, destroying his sea of consciousness, and annihilating his primordial spirit and soul...

"What is this sword?" Zi Changluo murmured. He didn't expect Lei Hongji to give him an answer. He was thinking about his life.

He had ruled the Immortal Realm, lived in the Supreme Celestial Heaven, and become a Dao Emperor. What glory hadn't he enjoyed? What hadn't he encountered?

He never expected to die so easily, so simply. If time could be reversed, he would rather die in battle at the Supreme Celestial Heaven's cosmic immortal city.

"This sword is called Celestial Secret. To die at the hands of the Celestial Secret Sword and me, Lei Hongji, you can be considered to have some glory. Oh, by the way, do you want to know why you were poisoned? I only poured you a cup of immortal spiritual tea that you didn't drink," Lei Hongji said calmly.

Glory? Zi Changluo's eyes revealed self-mockery and sarcasm. He had killed countless people and schemed against countless friends in his life. Today, he died at the hands of his disciple, which could be considered a kind of fate.

"Crack!" Zi Changluo's primordial spirit shattered, and his physical body disintegrated. A drop of blood essence was captured by Lei Hongji. Countless Dao patterns landed on that drop of blood essence. In less than an hour, a palm-sized array disc appeared in Lei Hongji's hand.

Lei Hongji grabbed the array disc, extracted a bead from Zi Changluo's flesh and blood, stripped off Zi Changluo's ring, and then walked out calmly.

Reaching the door, he carefully activated the restriction at the door and said to the empty space, "My master has a sudden epiphany and needs to retreat for forty-nine days. Even if it's a very urgent matter, do not disturb my master."

"Yes," several voices came from the shadows.

Lei Hongji nodded and then walked out of the Dao Emperor Palace unhurriedly.

...

Mo Wuji had just left the Ping Fan Immortal Sect after giving instructions when four figures blocked his path. He actually recognized three of the four people blocking him:

Gai Qing, the Celestial Emperor of the Six Wheel Immortal Domain; Qing Yang, the Second Building Lord of the Azure Immortal Tower. When Mo Wuji saw Qing Yang back then, Qing Yang was still a Quasi-Emperor, but now he was already in the early stage of the Immortal Emperor realm; and the third was Heng Ke of the Great Kun Buddhist Sect.

Heng Ke of the Great Kun Buddhist Sect actually dared to appear before him. It wasn't that he didn't care that he hadn't destroyed the Great Kun Buddhist Sect, but that he simply didn't have the time right now.

"Sect Master Mo!" Before Mo Wuji could get angry, the four of them clasped their fists in greeting. Heng Ke even bowed deeply.

Mo Wuji sneered. Although it wasn't Heng Ke who had joined forces with Jin Yusheng, Lei Guyun, and Yi Minghu to deal with him back then, but Guangxing of the Great Kun Buddhist Sect, Mo Wuji couldn't swallow this breath. If Guangxing hadn't blocked his path back then, he wouldn't have been trapped.

This Guangxing was quite perceptive, daring to commit suicide, which could be considered to have some courage.

"Amitabha, we all know Sect Master Mo's grievance, but now the seven great immortal domains are in imminent danger. I, as a monk, dare to plead, please put aside this karma for the time being." The one who spoke was the only monk among the four that Mo Wuji didn't recognize.