The Imperial Capital of the Star Emperor’s Dominion, situated within the vast expanse of the Blasted Heaven’s Cliff, had been swallowed by the void ten millennia ago amidst the turmoil of the invasion from the Outer Rim. A multitude of demons converged.
Lord Yuan Luo vanished for ten thousand years, and his successor, Young Lord Yan Luo, along with tens of thousands of immortals from the War Immortal Academy, perished suddenly. The Yuan Luo Palace sealed its gates, and the territories originally belonging to the Yuan Luo Alliance were swiftly and ruthlessly annexed by the great powers of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
Currently, control over the vast domains of the Star Emperor’s Dominion rests with the forces of the Azure-Eyed Roc King. Within the Blasted Heaven’s Cliff, outside a certain group of magnificent, towering palaces gleaming with gold and splendor, stood hundreds of statues of **beautiful women, cast from high-purity platinum and gold and inlaid with countless gems and pearls, striking suggestive poses. Squads of robust and formidable Bull-Headed Immortals zipped back and forth across the clouds, encircling the area so tightly that not even a fly could pass.
Inside the main hall at the center of the palace complex, Black Jack, draped in a black, voluminous robe and wearing a black pearl headband across his brow, reclined languidly on an excessively wide, opulent throne, enjoying the attentions of two fox demons, two succubi, two bird spirits, and two angelic maidens.
His fingers, laden with glittering, radiant rings, his neck adorned with more than a dozen necklaces strung with multi-colored jewels, and even his ankles shackled with heavy, exquisite chains of pure gold—Black Jack’s attire was utterly dazzling and impossible to ignore.
The eight beautiful maidens, hailing from four distinct races, were ecstatically pressing their lips across Black Jack’s lean and withered body. Black Jack, who had already achieved the peak cultivation of a Golden Immortal, rolled his eyes, panting and humming, continuously muttering about how deeply infatuated he was with these eight girls.
Pressing his fingers deeply into the girls’ pale, smooth, tender skin, Black Jack suddenly let out a sharp, mocking laugh: “Hurry up, put some effort into it! Whoever pleases Lord Black Jack the most today will be richly rewarded!”
Two tall Bull-Headed Immortals strode forth, carrying a golden platter three feet in diameter. The platter was piled high with jewels, rare jades, and shimmering spirit stones, interspersed with over a dozen rare-grade spirit herbs. The treasures on this single golden platter were intensely tempting.
The maidens smiled softly, their bodies weaving like supple serpents across Black Jack, gently brushing against his most intimate areas with their most secret parts. Their eyes were filled with deep desire, their brows and corners seeming ready to drip with moisture.
“Lord Black Jack, you are truly handsome!” “Lord Black Jack, you are truly strapping!” “Lord Black Jack, you are truly robust!” “Oh, Lord Black Jack, if only every man in the Blasted Heaven’s Cliff were as perfect as you, oh!”
Black Jack chuckled coquettishly, proudly shaking his bony, skeletal frame, flexing his arms that resembled a pair of dry reeds, managing only with great effort to raise two egg-sized lumps of mottled flesh. A lecherous grin stretched across his vile face as Black Jack forcefully thrust his waist and abdomen.
The eight maidens immediately shrieked in unison: “Oh! You are too mighty, such power, such rhythm! In all the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, no one satisfies us like you!”
Chuckling wickedly, Black Jack contentedly stroked the bodies of the maidens and declared smugly, “Naturally so! His Majesty, the supreme, heroic, and wise Saint of the Azure-Eyed Roc King, has said that my aptitude is the finest cultivation genius he has ever encountered!”
After several triumphant roars of laughter, Black Jack licked his lips forcefully, pulling the angelic maiden with pure white wings close and kissing her mouth urgently and deeply. As he kissed her passionately, he mumbled indistinctly, “I love you all, you little sprites! You are too adorable, too precious! You are the treasures I cherish most in this world!”
Before the words had even faded, a Bull-Headed man lumbered in, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Chief Executive Black Jack! Someone is here to claim this year’s material allotment!”
Upon hearing the words “material allotment,” Black Jack’s body twitched, and he instantly flung the eight maidens—who moments before were objects of his deepest affection and most cherished desires—far across the hall. With menacing golden light flashing in his eyes, Black Jack hastily straightened his attire and sat up straight on his throne.
A flash of purple light filled the hall, and an immortal in black Daoist robes, possessing the cultivation of a First-Grade Grand Unity Golden Immortal, materialized out of thin air. He frowned, casting a glance at the eight maidens scrambling up from the corner of the hall, still panting. He coldly inclined his head towards Black Jack: “Black Jack, this year’s supplies for this department!”
“Bring the ledger,” Black Jack extended a hand to the side.
A Weasel Spirit, refined into a Heavenly Immortal, with a rat-like face and beady eyes, cautiously approached, clutching a ledger nearly a foot thick. He obsequiously handed it to Black Jack. Black Jack flipped through the ledger, glanced at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal, and his face suddenly broke into a wide smile: “This is for Marshal Biao Sheng’s supplies this year, isn’t it? Hmm, someone bring forth the prepared goods.”
Several Bull-Headed Immortals emerged from a hidden door in the corner of the hall, presenting more than a dozen bulging storage bags to Marshal Biao Sheng.
Biao Sheng, whose face was sullen and gloomy, took the storage bags and swept his divine sense over their contents, immediately cursing in anger: “Black Jack, are you playing games with me? How is this year’s allocation two points less than last year’s? Have my usual bribes not been enough to satisfy you?”
Black Jack puffed out his tiny chest and yelled, wide-eyed, “What nonsense are you spewing? You must be responsible for your words! You are a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, but you still need evidence to make accusations! You bribed me? You bribed me? When have you ever bribed me?”
He fiercely pointed his right middle finger at Biao Sheng and roared, “Who do you think I am? I am the Finance Chief appointed by His Majesty, the wise and sagacious Saint of the Azure-Eyed Roc King—the financial steward responsible for all tax collection and expenditure under His Majesty’s command! Slandering a high official like myself is punishable by death!”
Biao Sheng glared fixedly at Black Jack, his teeth grinding so hard they nearly snapped. He tightly clutched the dozen-plus storage bags and hissed menacingly, “I command millions of warriors! The annual supplies you calculated for me were already meager, and now they are reduced by two points again this year! You think—”
Black Jack crossed one leg over the other, accepted a cup of fragrant tea offered by the Weasel Spirit, and slowly took a sip, saying nonchalantly, “How can we manage? There are ways to live lean. This year’s tax revenue was not as satisfactory as hoped; many areas are suffering famine. Special times require special rationing; everyone needs to tighten their belts. That’s how we save!”
Sighing deeply, Black Jack lifted his eyelids and looked at Biao Sheng in a bizarre, singsong voice, “Lord Biao Sheng must understand that every inch of grain and every drop of water is hard-won, let alone the spirit stones and elixirs needed for cultivation, or the various refining materials for forging weapons?”
Sighing again, Black Jack adopted an air of pity and said in a low tone, “The mineral resources of the mortal realm are finite. We must adopt a strategy of sustainable development; we must leave enough cultivation materials for our descendants, mustn’t we? We cannot drain the pond to catch the fish! It’s not just your warriors whose allocation has been cut by two points—everyone is subject to the same condition!”
Before he finished speaking, a gust of yellow wind whipped up from the floor, and a Demon Immortal, also possessing First-Grade Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation but who had not fully taken human form—still sporting a white tiger head—emerged from the gale.
“Hmph!” Upon entering the hall, this White Tiger Demon Immortal coughed violently, shaking the immense hall slightly. He turned his head to glance at Biao Sheng and laughed heartily, “Brother Biao Sheng is here too? Oh, what a coincidence! Hahaha, Brother Black Jack, I’ve come to collect this year’s cultivation supplies! I just married eight new concubines, and three of them are already pregnant. You must prepare extra foundation elixirs for me this time!”
The White Tiger Demon Immortal’s eyes narrowed to slits from smiling as he gave Black Jack a thumbs-up, praising him: “Brother Black Jack’s methods are indeed effective! Ah, that technique—what was it called—in vitro fertilization gene cultivation—that unorthodox magic really works! Tsk tsk, I only added five children thirty years ago, and now that I’ve taken eight new concubines, three more are pregnant, all carrying quadruplets! Magnificent.”
Biao Sheng’s jaw nearly dropped: “What? You, you, you white cat—twelve?”
The White Tiger Demon Immortal proudly puffed out his chest and grasped his lower vital region with a hearty laugh: “I am vigorous, hahaha, and Brother Black Jack’s methods are truly effective! Tsk tsk, Old Biao, you’ve been stationed out in the territories for years and don’t know—our brothers’ lineages are flourishing, all thanks to Brother Black Jack!”
Black Jack had already leaped from his throne and eagerly approached the White Tiger Demon Immortal, repeatedly urging, “Hey, you rascals, haven’t you seen Elder Brother White Tiger arrived? Quickly, bring soft seating, good tea! Ah, hurry up and brew a pot of that ‘Purple Mist Golden Dew Bud’ I hid away last year! Tsk tsk, and send up Brother White Tiger’s quota quickly!”
The ones who presented supplies to Marshal Biao Sheng were several ugly-looking Bull-Headed Demon Immortals. But for the White Tiger Demon Immortal, the attendants were twelve Yin-soft and charming female Blood Clan members, each deliberately sending intense sparks from their eyes toward the White Tiger Demon Immortal.
There were a neat total of eighty-eight storage bags, and their quality was clearly several times superior to those in Biao Sheng’s hands. Moreover, every bag was visibly bulging, crammed full of goods. Under Biao Sheng’s stunned gaze, the White Tiger Demon Immortal swept all the bags into his sleeve without even checking them.
Comparing the dim light radiating from the bags in his own hand with the eighty-eight gleaming storage bags taken by the White Tiger Demon Immortal, Biao Sheng felt an urge to explode and tear Black Jack to shreds. But remembering Black Jack’s status in the eyes of the Azure-Eyed Roc King over the years, Biao Sheng didn’t even dare to snort loudly.
Ten thousand years. A full ten thousand years.
Ever since Black Jack suddenly defected to the Azure-Eyed Roc King with tens of billions of dark creatures ten millennia ago, he immediately became the Roc King’s favored confidant! Descendants carrying the bloodline of ancient Innate Demon Saints—billions of them, each possessing supreme aptitude for cultivating demonic techniques. After meticulous nurturing by the Azure-Eyed Roc King, sparing no expense to impart the essence of the Great Dao, over these ten thousand years, even more than a dozen First-Grade Grand Unity Golden Immortals emerged from these dark creatures, countless Taiyi Golden Immortals, and the number of Golden Immortals had long surpassed ten million.
The immortals refined from the dark creatures had become a crucial and powerful force under the Azure-Eyed Roc King.
And Black Jack, thanks to his formidable financial acumen, had, in a mere ten thousand years, seized control of all financial revenues and expenditures for every major and minor faction under the Roc King.
Before Black Jack arrived, the Roc King’s demon immortals had no concept of clear accounting. All spoils were casually tossed into storage rooms, and when needed, they would search the storerooms—a style reminiscent of primeval society distributing goods on demand.
But when Black Jack arrived, he designed an airtight, complex financial system that made all the demon immortals dizzy. Initially, the Roc King viewed this system as optional, but to reward Black Jack for leading so many dark creatures to defect, he allowed Black Jack to manage it as he saw fit.
However, after this financial system had been in place for a century, the Roc King was astonished to discover that through this system, he could precisely control the development of all forces under his command, down to the most minute personnel changes. From then on, he allowed Black Jack to enforce and vigorously perfect this financial system to the point of obsession.
Ten thousand years later, if the Roc King’s demon immortals wished to acquire even a single sheet of toilet paper, they could not do so without Black Jack’s permission.
Any attempt to circulate resources outside of this financial system would be met with severe crackdown by the “Financial Audit Bureau”—a special force of demon immortals established by Black Jack. The ultimate penalty was invariably being swallowed whole by the Azure-Eyed Roc King himself.
For ten thousand years, the demon immortals had grown utterly accustomed to this system and had bowed to its dictates.
But why was there such a vast disparity in treatment between the White Tiger Demon Immortal and Biao Sheng, when both were First-Grade Grand Unity Golden Immortals and leaders of major powers under the Azure-Eyed Roc King? Biao Sheng, utterly bewildered, immediately questioned the White Tiger Demon Immortal about this disparity as soon as he left Black Jack’s financial palace.
The White Tiger Demon Immortal looked at Biao Sheng mysteriously and rapidly rubbed his right thumb, forefinger, and middle finger together.
That very night, Biao Sheng suddenly had an epiphany, a sudden infusion of wisdom, and a grand realization. He secretly dug up dozens of his territory’s specialty spirit herbs, roots and all, and sent them to Black Jack’s sleeping quarters, along with ninety-nine carefully selected, enchanting demon immortals from his domain.
The next morning, Biao Sheng returned to the financial palace. He immediately received the same treatment as the White Tiger Demon Immortal: eighty-eight bulging storage bags were neatly placed in his hands.
Biao Sheng left the financial palace with tears streaming down his face. He kept muttering to the surrounding demon immortals, “I was so foolish, truly so; if I had known this earlier, how prosperous my men could have been all these years! Wuwu, I was so foolish, truly so; look at those fellows at Leopard Head Mountain who don’t even have a scrap of fur for a loincloth—what was I doing all this time?”
Black Jack lay comfortably on his throne, luxuriating in the service of the beauties Biao Sheng had sent over.
Squinting his small eyes, Black Jack sighed with immense satisfaction, “The last stubborn mule among the demon immortals has been conquered by this Lord Black Jack! Ah, facilitating others facilitates oneself—this basic principle of reciprocity, and he hasn't even mastered it despite achieving Grand Unity Golden Immortal status!”
Piously looking up at the palace ceiling, Black Jack mumbled softly, “One thousand years. I spent a thousand years evolving these ignorant and backward, strength-worshipping demon immortals into worldly schemers who understand human dealings. Hmm, I’ve ushered in the spiritual awakening of an entire race—shouldn't Heaven grant me some merit?”
As he was complaining about Heaven’s unfair judgment, the side door of the hall suddenly opened, and twelve Blood Clan members, clad in exquisite black armor and possessing peak Taiyi Golden Immortal cultivation, silently entered.
These Blood Clan members, whose beauty rivaled carved statues, stared fanatically at Black Jack, who lay half-naked on the throne, and knelt silently before his seat.
Black Jack waved his hand, dismissing the female demons nearby, and slightly adjusted his garments. He sat up straight and asked in a flat tone, “Any findings?”
The leading Blood Clan member bowed deeply, his forehead nearly touching the floor.
“Revered Chief Executive, Mentor of Darkness, embodiment of all wickedness—we have just intercepted a piece of top-secret intelligence.”
“In the Spiral Star Field, within the former territory of the Yafik Empire, all the immortals attending the centennial trade conference have vanished.”
“According to our informants, the Origin Soul Tablets of over ninety percent of them have shattered; they have been utterly annihilated.”
Black Jack’s expression became intensely serious. He commanded in a low voice, “Who did this? Have we received any replies from our contacts in Yafik?”
The Blood Clan member raised his head and reported in a deep, resonant voice, “They said that an extremely powerful divine sense once broadcast a final ultimatum to all cultivators and immortals in the Spiral Star Field: lay down your weapons and surrender immediately. That person called himself the Evil Dragon Venerable, Gu Xiechen!”
Light flashed in Black Jack’s eyes. He gritted his teeth and spoke each word deliberately: “Ten thousand years. I knew it. It was impossible for him to have been eliminated so easily.”
“Notify everyone. Activate the highest-level contingency plan. In twelve hours, I expect everyone to have vacated the territory of the Azure-Eyed Roc King.”
The twelve Blood Clan members raised their heads simultaneously and asked in unison, “My Lord, must we abandon all the foundations we’ve built over the past ten thousand years?”
Black Jack placed his hands over his Dantian and smiled faintly, “The Boss is back; it’s time for us to return as well.” Fifteen minutes later, a secret envoy dispatched by Black Jack transmitted an urgent communication to Gu Yuru, a disciple of the Seven Cultivators Heavenly Venerable of the Pristine Core Ascetic Palace, who was formerly the Pope of the Church of Light.
Gu Yuru’s reaction was immediate: she slew the envoy and sent his severed head to the throne of the Azure-Eyed Roc King.
The Azure-Eyed Roc King was greatly alarmed. When he frantically mobilized his forces to surround and capture Black Jack, Black Jack, along with all the dark creatures, had already vanished without a trace. Not a single demon immortal knew how Black Jack and the billions of dark creatures disappeared.
To the Roc King’s utter despair, everything vanished along with Black Jack: every single resource under his command. The empty storerooms lacked even a grain of rice; the cultivation gardens were dug up clean, even the sprouts were gone.
The enraged Roc King realized with terror that over the past ten thousand years, he and his subordinates had become utterly dependent on Black Jack’s meticulous financial system for all material supply. Now that Black Jack was gone, no one knew how to clean up the mess he left behind.
Next, an event shook all the immortals of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
Under the command of the Crimson Blood Demon Ancestor, a favored disciple named Linghu, who had defected ten thousand years prior, along with nearly a million accomplished Rakshasas of the Blood Clan, departed without warning. They even absconded with the Crimson Blood Demon Ancestor’s nine most potent and prized demonic treasures!
General shock rippled through the masses; the immortals had no idea what had transpired.
Immediately following this, the Seven Cultivators Heavenly Venerable of the True Cultivation Hall sent a decree throughout the heavenly balance: the Evil Dragon Venerable, Gu Xiechen, from the old days, had returned. Black Jack and Linghu were both his subordinates.
Furthermore, the disappearances and deaths of so many immortals in the Spiral Star Field were also the work of Gu Xiechen.
The immortals were first astonished, then some were gleeful, while others were enraged by the shame.
Driven by various motives, a large contingent of immortals rushed towards the Spiral Star Field. For future events, please log onto Shan [website reference omitted for narrative flow]. More chapters available, support the author. Support genuine reading!