Chapter 1593: Unconventional Thinking
Above the Ancestral Court, the void had originally been invisible, but now layer after layer of void emerged, clear and distinct.
The Ancestral Court was no longer the desolate scene of old. Many races from the myriad worlds had migrated to the Ancestral Court to settle and develop. Although the Ancestral Court was so vast that scattered cities were hardly conspicuous within it, the number of living beings from various races in the Ancestral Court was truly considerable.
At this moment, the living beings dwelling in the Ancestral Court looked up and witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
Layer upon layer of void, utterly transparent, numbered as many as thirty-six. And in the thirty-sixth layer of void, two Great Luo Heavens appeared, their Dao Trees lush and verdant, echoing with the distant World Tree.
Two Great Luo Heavens, two Dao Trees, two Dao Flowers, each emanating its own Dao resonance.
The Dao resonance emanating from one Great Luo Heaven was one of boundless power. The moment it appeared, it felt as though mountains were pressing down on everyone's hearts, as though deities were pressing down on them. These mountains pressed on their physical bodies, the deities pressed on their minds, forcing them to bend, forcing them to kneel!
The Dao resonance emanating from the other Great Luo Heaven was like an indestructible sword, slashing at the deities in their hearts, sweeping away the mountains on their bodies!
These two Great Luo Heavens were moving at tremendous speed, drawing closer to each other.
Soon, the two Great Luo Heavens approached one another, spinning and colliding. The moment they collided, it seemed as though an incredibly terrifying power erupted—yet the living beings of the Ancestral Court could not feel this power.
This was because when two Great Luo Heavens collided, their power was difficult to transmit beyond the Ultimate Void. The Ultimate Void caused the divine power of the Great Luo Heavens to continuously attenuate during transmission.
By the time it passed through the Ultimate Void, it had to pass through another thirty-five layers of void, further attenuating, and therefore could not cause destruction to the Ancestral Court.
But the clash of the Great Luo Heavens, the Dao techniques and divine powers displayed, left the living beings of the Ancestral Court dazzled and spellbound. They could hardly understand it, yet they could see all sorts of wonders within.
Each person saw something different, yet no one could perceive all the Dao mysteries of the Great Luo Heavens.
The Great Luo Heaven cannot be fully described; the Great Luo Heaven cannot be fully spoken.
Beneath the two Great Luo Heavens, Heavenly Venerable Hao saw Kai Huang, and Kai Huang saw him as well.
Each stood atop a peak, facing each other from afar.
"Taking a step ahead of us to slay Tu Bo—Qin Ye, your strategy is indeed unexpected. It caught me somewhat off guard."
Heavenly Venerable Hao showed an appreciative expression, saying from afar: "However, all of this is useless in the face of absolute power. You have already lost."
He did not look at Kai Huang, his gaze passing directly between the two mountains.
Nor was he looking at what lay between the two great mountains—he was looking at the Netherworld that overlapped with the Ancestral Court.
In the Netherworld, Fire Heavenly Venerable and Void Heavenly Venerable had already detected the methods of Moon Heavenly Venerable and Lang Wan. The two of them had experienced the divine powers of Moon and Lang in the three-room house at the end of the Void Bridge, and this time they broke through with ease, familiar with the path.
On the other side, Nether Heavenly Venerable was also completely losing ground in his battle against Ancestral God King. His defeat and death were only a matter of time.
Heavenly Venerable Hao looked toward the Netherworld. In the Netherworld, the Book of Life and Death had stabilized once again, drawing upon Tu Bo's Netherworld Great Dao to feed back into Qin Fengqing, while Qin Mu carried Heavenly Venerable Ling as they plummeted rapidly, falling toward the Jade Lock Pass beneath Tu Bo's feet.
"The eleven Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Court—Palace Heavenly Venerable, Hong Heavenly Venerable, Qiang Tianfei, Shi Qiluo, Yan Tianfei—have already fallen and no longer exist. What is called the Ten Heavenly Venerables now only remains Fire, Ancestral, Lang, Void, Tai Chu, and yourself."
Kai Huang said calmly: "As for us, besides myself, there is also Heavenly Venerable Yun who has already attained the Dao, and Moon, Ling, Nether, Mu, and Lang Wan. In terms of numbers, we already hold the advantage. Furthermore, Imperial Heavenly Venerable is also on our side. Heavenly Venerable Hao, you should feel fear."
Heavenly Venerable Hao waved his hand, and a cloud platform appeared, floating between the two great mountains. He stepped onto the platform, where there was a stone table and two cushions.
Heavenly Venerable Hao sat down on the left cushion, smiling: "Kai Huang, I once heard that at the Yao Chi gathering, when you saw me and Imperial Heavenly Venerable, you said that if Imperial Heavenly Venerable became Emperor, you would submit as a northern vassal, but if I became Emperor, you could replace me."
Kai Huang shook his head: "That was not the exact words. At Yao Chi, I saw that you were stubborn and self-opinionated. If you became Emperor, I would contend with you on equal footing, seize the momentum of the world, gather the hearts of the people—and who knows who would emerge victorious."
"In that case, why do you not dare to sit facing me?" Heavenly Venerable Hao laughed.
Kai Huang walked over and sat across from him.
Heavenly Venerable Hao brewed tea, and Kai Huang lit the fire for him. When the water boiled, Heavenly Venerable Hao dropped in tender green tea leaves. The two sat watching the tender leaves slowly unfurl in the water, each inhaling the tea's fragrance.
Heavenly Venerable Hao poured tea for Kai Huang, who slightly inclined his body to express thanks.
"You just said that in terms of the number of Heavenly Venerables, your side has already surpassed the Heavenly Court. That is actually a great error."
Heavenly Venerable Hao poured a cup for himself, quietly waiting for the water to cool, and smiled: "Lang Wan is a Creator, her magical power is a bit lacking, far inferior to any Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court. Nether Heavenly Venerable is strong in primordial spirit but weak in physical body. Moon Heavenly Venerable wasted forty thousand years, delayed by Dao wounds, living in seclusion—and these forty thousand years were precisely the period of greatest explosive development in the world's divine techniques and Dao methods. The Great Heavenly Court techniques also took shape during this time. She missed it, and her magical power is far inferior to other Heavenly Venerables. Those who pose a threat to the Heavenly Court are only Yun, Ling, and Mu."
He raised his cup in gesture, and Kai Huang raised his cup in return.
"And Yun, Ling, and Mu each have their own shortcomings."
Heavenly Venerable Hao drank his tea, set down the cup, and said: "Heavenly Venerable Yun relies on inheriting the legacy of the Great Emperor. How much of it he can actually bring into play remains doubtful. If he could contend with my father god Tai Chu, you would still have room to maneuver. Unfortunately, he cannot. Heavenly Venerable Yun going to the World Tree is precisely to resolve his shortcomings."
He refilled Kai Huang's tea and continued: "Heavenly Venerable Ling is also inadequate. The power of Heavenly Venerable Ling's Dao techniques is indeed incomparably terrifying—slaying the Great Emperor, breathtakingly brilliant. Even if I were struck, my Dao cultivation might be annihilated, and I would die completely. However, her other abilities are too lacking, her combat methods too poor. She could never approach me, nor could she approach other Heavenly Venerables. Simply eliminate Moon Heavenly Venerable, and she becomes utterly useless."
He smiled: "Fire Heavenly Venerable will eliminate Moon Heavenly Venerable for me. As for Heavenly Venerable Ling, I cannot kill her—there is probably no one in this world who can kill her anymore. But just because we cannot does not mean the Young Master of Mi Luo Palace cannot."
Kai Huang's heart jumped, and he silently drank his tea.
"As for Heavenly Venerable Mu, he is truly a formidable opponent."
Speaking of Qin Mu, Heavenly Venerable Hao could not help but praise repeatedly: "Taking a step ahead of us to slay Tu Bo—this strategy is not something you could have conceived. Your thinking is too normal. Deploying troops, setting formations, strategies and tactics—all upright and proper, without a trace of cunning. This strategy could only have been conceived by someone with unconventional thinking like Heavenly Venerable Mu. It exceeded my expectations."
He drank his tea and said: "Palace Heavenly Venerable is dead. Heavenly Venerable Mu killing Palace Heavenly Venerable means his abilities are above hers. The speed of his improvement also exceeds my expectations. However, Palace Heavenly Venerable was originally the weakest among the Ten Heavenly Venerables. Since she was wounded by your sword Dao, her Dao heart was no longer complete. Her death at Heavenly Venerable Mu's hands is only natural. My brother Lang Xuan can hold him off."
Kai Huang smiled slightly and shook his head: "Lang Xuan is doomed. You are using Heavenly Venerable Mu's hand to eliminate him—does Lang Xuan know?"
Heavenly Venerable Hao laughed heartily, fiddling with his teacup, and said unhurriedly: "I had originally prepared a dignified death for you all, letting you die heroically, becoming sacrifices for the Young Master's descent. But Heavenly Venerable Mu's unconventional thinking disrupted my plans. Still, this is fine. If the Young Master cannot descend, that is not my fault."
He said leisurely: "My father Tai Chu goes to kill Heavenly Venerable Yun. I will hold you back. Nether Heavenly Venerable dies at Ancestral God King's hands. Netherworld God Son Qin Fengqing is buried at Void Heavenly Venerable's hands. Moon Heavenly Venerable dies at Fire Heavenly Venerable's hands. Lang Wan God King will be captured by Tai Chi Ancient God. In the future, when I become Emperor, she will be suitable to be my principal consort. As for Ling, she is of no use in this battle. I will retrieve the Young Master's weapon and use it to slay her, offering her as a sacrifice to the Young Master."
Kai Huang's gaze fell upon his face, like two sharp swords piercing toward his Dao heart.
Heavenly Venerable Hao was unconcerned: "And Heavenly Venerable Mu—after he kills my elder brother Lang Xuan, I will personally bury him. Oh, and Imperial Heavenly Venerable!"
He smiled slightly: "He is beneath the World Tree. After you die, I will go have a chat with him."
Kai Huang raised his teacup and drained it in one gulp, shaking his head: "Are you not afraid of Tai Yi?"
"Tai Yi?"
Heavenly Venerable Hao laughed heartily: "Tai Yi has fallen into the prehistoric universe, long since captured and suppressed by the Young Masters of Mi Luo Palace. The Tai Yi beneath the World Tree is merely an impostor—likely played by Heavenly Venerable Mu. That man, he is not normal, fond of taking dangerous gambles. More tea?"
Kai Huang said coldly: "No need."
Heavenly Venerable Hao sighed: "I did not expect we would cross blades so soon. Qin Ye, you are remarkable, but you are too arrogant, and your cultivation time has been too short. This forced you to cultivate only a single Heavenly Palace in order to catch up to me, focusing solely on cultivating the Dao realm—resulting in you, even after attaining the Dao, still being far inferior to me in magical power. You were too hasty."
Behind his head, two Great Heavenly Courts emerged, transforming into a Wheel of Ten Thousand Daos—one side dark, one side light.
Behind Kai Huang, only a single Heavenly Palace emerged. The Jade Capital City had no Ling Xiao Hall; the Heavenly Palace was incomplete.
His Ling Xiao Hall had been severed by his own hand, and with it, the Ling Xiao realm and the Emperor's Throne realm had vanished.
"I am half god, and equally half human."
Another voice came from within Heavenly Venerable Hao's Wheel of Ten Thousand Daos. Kai Huang's pupils suddenly contracted as he saw the dark side of the Wheel of Ten Thousand Daos suddenly split apart, revealing a Great Heavenly Court formed of thirty-five Heavenly Palaces. Another Heavenly Venerable Hao stepped out from within and drifted away.
"Kai Huang, you stay here to deal with my half-god body. Watch my half-human body go send Heavenly Venerable Mu on his way." That Heavenly Venerable Hao departed into the distance. A great abyss of Gui Xu appeared, splitting open the Netherworld, and his figure vanished into the Netherworld.
And before Kai Huang, Heavenly Venerable Hao still sat there, smiling at him.
Kai Huang gathered his Dao into a sword and thrust it forward. The Heavenly Venerable Hao across from him laughed heartily as the Wheel of Ten Thousand Daos descended between the two of them!
Netherworld.
Fire Heavenly Venerable and Void Heavenly Venerable tore through the divine powers of Moon Heavenly Venerable and Lang Wan, leaping out from within. Moon Heavenly Venerable and Lang Wan were about to cast their divine powers again when suddenly a Tai Chi sand table appeared. Countless star sands transformed into a Tai Chi star domain, separating Moon Heavenly Venerable and Lang Wan!
Ancestral Court, Black Mountain Holy Land.
Heavenly Venerable Yun suddenly rose to his feet, saying in a deep voice: "The battle of the Netherworld has begun. Brother Imperial, I can no longer continue studying!"
His figure rose into the air. Above the World Tree, the void split open, revealing thirty-six layers of void. The Divine Sense Great Luo Heaven emerged, receiving his physical body.
Just as his physical body was about to fall into the Great Luo Heaven, suddenly a voice came: "Found you! Heavenly Venerable Yun, is my Tai Chu Emperor Sword still serving you well?"