The Drunken Immortal Tower, tucked away in a narrow alley, was a low-grade establishment, usually dispensing inferior spirit wine meant for the lower rungs of cultivators.
Those with even a slight degree of status or a modest hoard of wealth—Foundation Establishment mid-tier or high-tier cultivators—would never frequent such a place. Only early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators who earned their living through manual labor, and Qi Refining stage cultivators, would stop by this bustling little haunt after a hard day’s toil, eager for a few drinks and idle boasting to dispel their frustrations.
Waves of clamor emanated from the Drunken Immortal Tower. Serving maids hurried between tables, ferrying cups and pouring libations, the air thick with the smell of wine and the pervasive aura of decadent indulgence.
Yet, at this moment, the patrons were not focused on the serving maids. On the second-floor mezzanine, a boisterous group of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators were crowding around a disheveled, bearded middle-aged man, perhaps in his fifties. He was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but only at the third layer.
“Say, Brother Yin, what grand mystical abilities did the Sacred Emperor possess back then?”
“The grand powers of our Ancestor, the Sacred Emperor, those are secrets. How many in this world truly know? Though we are descendants, we aren’t entirely clear either. But let me tell you just how formidable our Ancestor’s might was! With just a cold snort, the five Sect Masters of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the four Great Evils of the Heavenly Demon Faction would tremble. Consider the caliber of those five Sect Masters and four Great Evils—what exceptional figures they were! Yet before our Ancestor, they were utterly subservient. Tell me, just how potent were our Ancestor’s grand abilities!”
The middle-aged man seemed quite pleased with himself.
“Brother Yin, you certainly do exaggerate. If the Sacred Emperor was so mighty, why was the Sacred Emperor Palace wiped out entirely by the other Immortal Palaces?”
A white-haired elder nearby voiced his skepticism.
“What do you know, you little old man.”
The middle-aged cultivator lifted a cup of spirit wine, took a slow sip, his face flushing as he argued, “Back then, our Ancestor of the Yin family chose to retreat overseas and vanish precisely because he was undergoing the Divine Thunder Tribulation. He feared his enemies would seize the opportunity for revenge. Those shameless wretches only dared to strike at the Sacred Emperor Palace when my Ancestor was gone. Otherwise, they wouldn't have had the guts. The moment our Ancestor returns, that lot will be finished.”
“Your Ancestor has been undergoing the tribulation for over a thousand years. Hasn’t he finished yet? Shouldn’t your Ancestor be back by now?”
“Back? I suspect the Sacred Emperor was transmuted into an immortal by the Divine Thunder Tribulation, leaving you descendants behind for good.”
“Come, let’s drink!”
“Brother Yin, your tab today, we’ll cover it all!”
The cultivators surrounding the middle-aged man laughed heartily after mocking him, then wrapped their arms around the serving women, roaring with mirth. They had only treated the middle-aged man’s boasts about the Sacred Emperor as amusing gossip.
The slovenly middle-aged cultivator clearly realized most of them were merely watching him for sport, and he grew sullen and displeased.
Just as this unruly throng of lower-level cultivators was laughing and making noise, a young man in a white robe arrived outside the Drunken Immortal Tower in the alley. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the establishment, piercing through the latticework to settle upon the slovenly middle-aged cultivator.
This man was Ye Qin.
For the past few days, he had been traversing Immortal Palace City, spending considerable spirit stones gathering intelligence. From a listless cultivator in the city who specialized in trading information, Ye Qin had learned that a Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Yin often frequented this very tower, claiming descent from the Sacred Emperor and bragging about his ancestor’s power. The Sacred Emperor Palace had been destroyed a millennium ago; as for whether this man was genuine, no one could be certain.
The informant had also provided a detailed description of the middle-aged man’s appearance.
If Ye Qin's deduction was correct, this must be the cultivator in question.
Ye Qin stared at the unkempt middle-aged man for a long moment. Hearing the exchange just now, he shook his head with a sigh. If this was the caliber of the Sacred Emperor’s descendants, he genuinely wondered if the Sacred Emperor would leap up from his Profound Ice Jade Coffin in the Sacred Emperor Mausoleum beneath the Chaotic Lands, enraged by the incompetence of his lineage.
He walked slowly into the tower. From the moment Ye Qin took his first step inside, the entire noisy Drunken Immortal Tower—comprising hundreds of cultivators—fell silent in an instant. The disparity in spiritual pressure between different classes of cultivators allowed them to sense the abrupt change in the atmosphere immediately.
“Golden Core cultivator!”
The Qi Refining and early Foundation Establishment cultivators all turned to look at Ye Qin, cries of astonishment echoing in their minds, beneath which lay deep currents of dread. Even high-tier Foundation Establishment cultivators rarely visited a place like this, let alone a Golden Core cultivator, whose status was incomparably noble. That was a realm they could never hope to attain. No one in the tower dared to speak frivolously anymore; even the usually unrestrained serving maids sat upright and proper.
Ye Qin, however, paid them no mind. He ascended to the second floor, walked past the throng of cultivators, and casually settled at a clean, empty table near the window.
The dozen or so low-level Qi Refining cultivators seated at tables adjacent to his began to tremble involuntarily. A Golden Core Ancestor was sitting mere yards away from them. The massive gap in cultivation levels—a difference of two entire major realms—generated a terrifying spiritual pressure, an agony worse than death.
Yet, they lacked the courage to stand up and leave. Having a Golden Core Ancestor seated near them was, perhaps, their fortune. Before this Golden Core Ancestor uttered a command, none of them dared to shift in their seats. Whether these cultivators stayed or fled was for the Golden Core Ancestor to decide. What they truly hoped for was to hear Ye Qin utter a single word—"Scram"—so they could immediately flee this terrifying place.
Unfortunately, Ye Qin had no such intention.
The proprietor of the Drunken Immortal Tower, a mid-tier Foundation Establishment cultivator who bore the spiritual pressure of a Golden Core cultivator with slightly less difficulty, was overjoyed to see Ye Qin. He rushed over personally, diligently wiping the table and serving spirit tea.
“Senior, what might you wish to order? The specialty of our establishment is the ‘Pearls Adorned with Brocade Abalone.’ This dish uses centuries-old spirit abalone, slow-stewed with five types of fifth or sixth-tier rare spiritual herbs, further enhanced with soup dumplings, creating a feast for both the eyes and the palate. This dish is renowned throughout the Three Scabbards and Eight Coils region.”
The immensely delighted proprietor, desperate to please Ye Qin, spared no expense. Having a Golden Core Senior grace his humble tavern would greatly boost its reputation. This small establishment would surely gain immense renown among the lower-tier cultivators, ensuring much better business in the future.
“No need. I’ll just sit a while,” Ye Qin said with a slight smile, waving the proprietor away. “Yes, Senior, please take your time.” The proprietor dared not say more, pulling back with visible disappointment.
Ye Qin sipped the spirit tea lightly, smiling faintly as if speaking to himself, “Just now, someone claimed to be a descendant of the Sacred Emperor? I wonder if this is true?”
On the second-floor mezzanine, the low-level cultivators exchanged glances, their silence absolute. None dared to step forward to answer. Instead, their gazes fixed upon the slovenly middle-aged cultivator with expressions of pity. They realized this Golden Core Ancestor had come to the humble Drunken Immortal Tower specifically for matters concerning the Sacred Emperor. This Brother Yin was unlucky; fooling people for a bit of spirit wine was one thing, but to be singled out by a Golden Core cultivator was another matter entirely.
The middle-aged man’s face instantly shifted color. His lips trembled. He lowered his head, silently taking several large gulps of strong liquor. Then, amidst the awe and envy of the surrounding low-level cultivators, he abruptly bolted from the tower and hurried into the bustling alley outside.
Ye Qin was in no rush. His divine sense had already locked onto the middle-aged cultivator; within a fifty-mile radius, there was no place to hide.
After tasting a few more mouthfuls of spirit tea, he tossed down several spirit stones to cover the cost. Then, unhurriedly, he walked several miles to a low stone hut deep within the alley. With a wave of his hand, the stone door creaked open.
The middle-aged cultivator stood inside, his face ashen. He seemed to realize escape from the grasp of a Golden Core cultivator was impossible, so he had chosen not to flee, waiting for Ye Qin in this secluded spot.
“Senior, I am indeed a descendant of the Sacred Emperor, but merely a minor branch of the family. The Sacred Emperor Palace was destroyed over a thousand years ago; the old grudges have long since vanished into smoke. Do you people from the Heavenly Dao Alliance truly intend to hunt down even a minor figure like myself?”
Ye Qin spoke calmly, “I think you misunderstand. I came here only to know one thing: do you know the Sacred Emperor’s Puppet Refining Arts?”
“No! When the Sacred Emperor Palace was destroyed, those ancient texts and cultivation methods were seized by the various Immortal Palaces.” The middle-aged man’s expression flickered, but he vehemently denied it. Ye Qin stared at him. The firmness in the middle-aged man’s expression did not suggest a lie. Ye Qin did not possess soul-searching or other sinister, evil techniques, so he had no way of knowing if the man spoke the truth. However, he did possess a way to test it. “Ah, that is truly a shame. I had hoped that if the Sacred Emperor’s descendant still held the Puppet Refining Arts, I could trade this Core-Forming Pill for them. Since you don’t, there’s nothing to be done.”
Ye Qin paused, then reached into his storage pouch and retrieved a spirit pill of a deep azure water element, intensely rich in spiritual energy. He spoke with feigned regret about the arts, then tucked the pill back into his pouch and turned to leave.
“That was a Core-Forming Pill!?”
The middle-aged cultivator jolted, his eyes flashing with brilliant light. He cried out involuntarily. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator to become a Golden Core cultivator, a Core-Forming Pill was essential. The Sacred Emperor line had long since declined, and for a destitute Foundation Establishment cultivator like him, obtaining such a pill was nearly impossible. Few Foundation Establishment cultivators had ever seen one, but they could certainly sense that the spiritual energy within it far surpassed that of ordinary elixirs.
“Senior, wait!”
As the middle-aged man watched Ye Qin turn to go, he called out urgently. This might be the only chance in his life to obtain a Core-Forming Pill, a slim ray of light illuminating the distant path to the Golden Core Great Dao before him.
Ye Qin chuckled inwardly. Faced with such a massive incentive, the truth of any matter could indeed be tested. He turned back and asked, “Do you possess the Sacred Emperor’s Puppet Refining Arts here?”
The middle-aged man shook his head. “I do not possess them here. However, I know who currently holds the Puppet Refining Arts from the old Sacred Emperor Palace.”
“Who? Don’t tell me they are held by those Immortal Palaces of the Heavenly Dao Alliance or the Heavenly Demon Alliance—those are factions I certainly cannot afford to provoke!” Ye Qin frowned.
“No, aside from what those Immortal Palaces seized, a complete copy of the Puppet Refining Arts is still in the hands of a direct descendant of the Sacred Emperor. If Senior is willing to give me the Core-Forming Pill, I will tell you where that direct descendant is located.”