Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 862.3: Laojun Takes Action

This Laojun exuded the elegant poise of a true immortal, but a subtle hint of savagery lurked between his eyebrows. A gray mist clung to him like a faithful shadow with every motion. Yet in Lingxiao Hall, such an occurrence seemed utterly commonplace—everyone simply regarded it as Immortal Qi.

"Laojun?" The Haotian Emperor's face eased a touch. "Do you... have a plan?"

Taishang Laojun offered a subtle smile, one laced with detachment and assurance.

"Though this mortal wields great power, his cultivation path remains wild and unstructured."

"He seized Immortal Power through Demonic Arts by force. His realm has surged dramatically, yet his base remains shaky and empty. Furthermore, the Immortal and Demonic forces inside him are tainted and blended, akin to oil poured onto blazing flames."

Laojun gave his horsetail whisk a gentle flick.

"This old Daoist may lack remarkable gifts, but I'm prepared to stake this body of mine against that lunatic from the Lower Realm."

"However..."

"The physical form of this youth is exceptionally tough, shielded additionally by that peculiar gray sword. Engaging him head-on would be the poorest choice."

"This old Daoist holds a treasure capable of ensnaring everything beneath the heavens. I possess a furnace that refines even the skies and earth themselves."

"We merely need to ensnare him and smelt him briefly..."

Laojun caressed his beard with a grin.

"Be he demon or immortal, he'll melt into foul sludge, leaving just one—Golden Core inside this old Daoist's furnace. This old Daoist asks only this: should this youth turn into a Golden Core, it becomes mine."

The Haotian Emperor mulled it over briefly, then gave a small nod. "Granted!"

Before the South Heaven Gate.

Chen Huaian remained seated in cross-legged meditation.

The Heavenly Demon Art processed Immortal Essence at a blistering pace. Within mere hours, the energy cloaking his figure slowly solidified and settled into what this realm called the Immortal King level.

He lingered there, refraining from charging toward the Ninth Heaven in a rampage.

He waited patiently.

According to his estimates, backup ought to have shown up already.

His power at present fell short still.

He understood well: slay the minions, and the bosses emerge inevitably.

Every moment of delay worked in his favor.

All at once.

*Buzz—*

The space overhead split wide open without warning.

Chen Huaian glanced upward, eyes narrowing. No Heavenly Troops and Generals rushed in as aid; instead, a lone speck of light floated down leisurely, sharpening into view before him.

It turned out to be a bracelet.

An unremarkable silver bracelet.

It wafted downward softly from the rift.

—The Diamond Snare.

The notion struck Chen Huaian's thoughts like lightning.

He'd never laid eyes on the Diamond Snare, though it seemed familiar beyond count.

As the bracelet materialized.

The gray sword gripped in his hand quivered fiercely.

Not from dread, but rather... the thrill of spotting prey.

"Hmm?"

Chen Huaian's brow furrowed. He'd barely moved to strike with his blade.

Yet the bracelet expanded against the breeze.

In a flash, it swelled into a gigantic silver hoop of radiance that looped around his frame entirely.

An irresistible sealing power clamped down at once, halting every surge of spiritual power in his body.

Evidently, the attacker commanded a cultivation far surpassing his.

"Capture!"

A crisp command echoed from the emptiness.

Chen Huaian sensed his grip loosen.

That gray sword, bound to his very soul, broke free from his hold, seized forcibly by the bracelet.

The instant after.

Darkness swallowed the heavens abruptly.

Not dusk's approach.

Rather, an enormous shadow eclipsed the full expanse over the South Heaven Gate.

Chen Huaian peered skyward.

There, amid endless gray vapors, a colossal Eight Trigrams Furnace whirled into sight, then plummeted like an upside-down primordial sacred peak, slamming down amid deafening booms.

Etched upon its surface danced the Eight Trigrams motifs, roiling with turbulent forces.

—The Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace.

With this divine treasure revealed, the culprit behind the strike was obvious.

None other than Taishang Laojun, among the Three Pure Ones.

Captured though he was, panic barely stirred in Chen Huaian's heart.

He'd journeyed too far to turn back now. Forward was his sole direction, step by resolute step.

No matter the destination of that last stride.

He'd tread it regardless.

Even against the authentic Celestial God Clan now, he'd unsheathe his blade without hesitation.

What gripped him more deeply was grief.

He'd never dreamed that a figure like Taishang Laojun, a Sage...

Had sunk to serving as a minion for the Celestial God Clan!

"Demon spawn, you've arrived—now come rest inside this old Daoist's furnace!"

Taishang Laojun's voice boomed across the scene.

The lid of the furnace popped open.

A mighty suction power burst out fiercely.

Weaponless and spiritual power locked away, Chen Huaian stood no chance to fight back. He got yanked straight into the pitch-black furnace maw, just like a tiny grain of dust.

*Clang—!*

The lid crashed closed with a heavy thud.

Heaven and earth regained their serene calm.

High above the South Heaven Gate.

Taishang Laojun took back his Diamond Snare.

Gazing at the hovering Eight Trigrams Furnace in front of him, he fondled his beard and grinned contentedly.

"It is done."

*Whoosh—*

From the Ninth Heaven, the watching immortals exploded in roaring applause.

"Laojun is mighty!!"

"The older the ginger, the spicier it is! No matter how arrogant that demon was, he was no match for Laojun in a single encounter!"

"Once inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, even a Divine Immortal would find it hard to escape! It's settled now!"

At last, a faint smile appeared on the Haotian Emperor's face.

"Laojun is truly a pillar of the Celestial Court."

His eyes fixed on the Eight Trigrams Furnace, a spark of memory gleaming within.

"This Emperor remembers, that unruly monkey ten thousand years ago..."

"Your Majesty."

Taishang Laojun gave a slight bow, cutting off the Haotian Emperor's speech. A sly grin danced in his eyes.

"That monkey was equally arrogant back then."

"Calling himself 'Equal to Heaven,' knowing neither the height of the heavens nor the depth of the earth."

Laojun softly tapped the blazing wall of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, like stroking a treasured masterpiece.

"The world all says that monkey possessed vast Divine Abilities, that he refined some Fiery Golden Eyes and an Indestructible Diamond Body."

"Ha."

A scornful huff escaped Laojun, laced with icy menace.

"What Indestructible Diamond Body?"

"It was merely this old Daoist using the furnace fire to burn through his spine, refine away his wild nature, and then give him a new set of obedient bones."

"As for those Fiery Golden Eyes..."

Laojun shook his head, wearing a face of fake sympathy like insincere tears.

"That was merely the lingering ailment from having his eyes smoked blind."

"If he wasn't given this little 'Divine Ability,' making him feel he had gained fortune from misfortune, how would he have been willing to become a dog of our Celestial Court, to go fetch that nonsense scripture from the Western Heaven?"

Everyone in Lingxiao Palace knew bits of this tale. The immortals grasped its shady details to some degree. Still, hearing Taishang Laojun recount it once more sent shivers through them at his brutal scheming.

That once overbearing Great Sage Equal to Heaven was never a hero.

But a meticulously crafted... puppet.

"Now, that monkey is long since useless." Laojun said calmly. "Only an empty shell remains, hiding in some corner, clinging to a feeble existence."

"What a pity."

Laojun eyed the Eight Trigrams Furnace, his stare piercing through the walls to glimpse the form inside roasted by wild infernos.

"This youngster's natural talent surpasses even that monkey's."

"This body of half-demon, half-immortal flesh and blood, if it can be refined..."

"Perhaps it can refine a single... Emperor Pill."

Laojun settled into a cross-legged seat, waving his horsetail whisk.

"Six Ding Divine Fire, arise!"

*Boom!*

Inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, flames shot up wildly.