“What are you surrendering to?”
“I surrender to you. Please be merciful and let me go.” Emperor Long Yan said shamelessly.
“Heh heh, your son, Long Hua, died by my hand. Aren't you going to seek revenge?”
“No more revenge, no more revenge.”
“Heh heh, since that is the case, then I will spare you.”
“Thank you. May I leave now?”
“Please do.”
Upon receiving Zhou Hong's permission, Emperor Long Yan disappeared in a flash.
After all, there was no deep-seated hatred, so Zhou Hong saw no need to kill him.
The celestial soldiers and generals in the sky also scattered like birds and beasts in an instant, and the sky quickly returned to tranquility.
Zhou Hong descended to the ground.
“Awesome.” Long Yu walked up, his face full of admiration.
“Heh heh, let’s go. I’ll take you to see Emperor Huohou right now and get you that cultivation spot.” After this matter was settled, Zhou Hong was also about to return to the Demon Realm. Of course, Zhou Hong had no interest in those four famous celestial maidens in the Immortal Realm; he was not the kind of man whose eyes would light up at the mention of beauties.
“Do we have to be in such a hurry?” Long Yu seemed to have something else on his mind.
“Oh, right, I almost forgot. You mentioned you needed my help to bring your family from the mortal realm.” Zhou Hong just remembered.
“Yes, I thought you had forgotten. This is even more important to me.”
Zhou Hong nodded and asked, “How can I help you? Where is the location you’re going to the mortal realm from?”
“Find a place where the space is thinnest. I’ve already scouted it out. Just follow me.”
Afterward, Zhou Hong followed Long Yu to a place with particularly sparse spiritual energy. Not to mention immortal energy, even spiritual energy was very scarce here.
“Zhou Hong, I’ll tear open the space here now and enter the mortal realm. You calculate the time and split open the space here again in about three days. That way, I can return from the mortal realm.”
“Alright, leave it to me.” Zhou Hong nodded. He figured that without Zhou Hong to support him from above, it would be very, very difficult for Long Yu to ascend from the mortal realm.
Long Yu immediately tore open the space, revealing a black fissure, and then squeezed through it into the mortal realm.
Zhou Hong waited in place, and in the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
Zhou Hong, in the same spot, split open the space with his sword. To be safe, Zhou Hong made the space very large.
Zhou Hong looked at the dark opening, unsure if Long Yu could really return.
After waiting for about ten minutes, he didn't see Long Yu emerge from the fissure. The black fissure was slowly closing, and Zhou Hong felt a sense of doubt.
Helplessly, Zhou Hong continued to tear open the black fissure.
After waiting for another 20 minutes or so, Long Yu finally emerged from the black fissure.
“Haha, I’m back.” Long Yu shouted excitedly. It seemed that his return from the mortal realm was not easy at all.
“Zhou Hong, thank you.” Long Yu said with sincere gratitude.
“You’re welcome. Have you brought all your family members from the mortal realm?”
“Yes, they are all in my sub-world now. Why don’t I have them come out to pay their respects to you? After all, without your help, my family wouldn't have come to the Immortal Realm so quickly.”
“There’s no need to be so formal. Let’s hurry and find Emperor Huohou to secure your cultivation spot first.”
“Okay.”
The two immediately soared into the sky. Half a day later, they arrived at an immortal court. The inscription at the entrance of this immortal court read, "Huohou Immortal Kingdom."
“Zhou Hong, will Emperor Huohou really listen to you and give me a spot?”
“If he doesn’t, then I’ll kill him. I believe that under the threat of death, he definitely will.”
Just then, Emperor Huohou seemed to sense Zhou Hong's arrival and immediately rushed out from the Lingxiao Hall, asking with trepidation, “Zhou Hong, why have you come here?”
“Emperor Huohou, there’s no need to be nervous. I’ve come today simply to request a cultivation spot for my brother.” Zhou Hong stated his purpose directly.
Emperor Huohou glanced at Long Yu and said, “Are you referring to him?”
“Yes, I want you to grant him a spot to cultivate to the Immortal Emperor realm.”
“You… you’re pushing it too far.” Emperor Huohou was furious. Which immortal kingdom’s emperor would directly grant a cultivator within their territory a direct path to the Immortal Emperor realm? This spot, apart from being given to his Queen Mother, would not be given to anyone else by any emperor. Yet now, Zhou Hong was asking him to give such a spot to a stranger.
“Heh heh, you should know that you are no match for me. If you refuse to give it, I will kill you today. When that happens, what use is your great power if your life is gone? My brother, Long Yu, wants to cultivate to the Immortal Emperor realm, but the rules of cultivation in the Immortal Realm are strictly enforced. He happens to be within your territory and is restricted by you. If you are willing to grant him a spot so that he can successfully break through to the Immortal Emperor realm in the future, then I will owe you a favor, and we will be friends from now on.” Zhou Hong said, employing a combination of coercion and benevolence.
“Hmph, let him cultivate to the Immortal Emperor realm, and then he will kill me. My Huohou Immortal Kingdom will become his Long Yu Immortal Kingdom. Is that what you mean?”
At this moment, Long Yu quickly assured, “Emperor Huohou, please rest assured. I swear to you, if I become an Immortal Emperor in the future, I will never seize your Immortal Kingdom.”
“Easy to say. Why should I believe you?”
Zhou Hong instantly released a giant puppet, threatening, “You have no choice. You must believe.”
Emperor Huohou was filled with anger but was also helpless.
Throughout the entire Immortal Realm, over countless eons, there have been innumerable individuals with the talent to become Immortal Emperors, but in the end, there have only been a few hundred. This is precisely due to the restrictions of these cultivation rules, otherwise, tens of thousands of Immortal Emperors would have accumulated over the long years.
“Emperor Huohou, I hope you understand your situation. It’s not that I’m threatening you, but I have no other choice. If you don’t believe Long Yu’s promise, then add my guarantee. I also promise you that if Long Yu becomes an Immortal Emperor in the future, he will not kill you, nor will he seize any of your cities or territories.”
After hesitating for a long time, Emperor Huohou finally nodded, “Fine, I will tentatively believe you.”
Saying that, Emperor Huohou waved his hand, and a ray of colorful mist flew towards Long Yu, entering his body.
“Now, he has my permission to cultivate to the Immortal Emperor realm.”
Long Yu also felt it and was filled with excitement, unable to find words to describe his feelings towards Zhou Hong.
“Long Yu, cultivate well from now on. I hope you become an Immortal Emperor soon, so I won’t be lonely in the Demon Realm and have someone to drink with.”
“Thank you, Brother Zhou Hong. Please accept my bow.” Long Yu couldn't help but want to bow to Zhou Hong to express his gratitude.
“Don’t be so formal. As of now, I, Zhou Hong, do not have a single true friend. You are the only one.”
Long Yu’s eyes welled up with tears. He had thought that under these rules, he would never become an Immortal Emperor in this lifetime, but unexpectedly, he now had the opportunity.