stjorthotic Chapter 199: All Destroyed
Chapter 199: All Destroyed
Chapter 199: Annihilation
The Dao Court, a crucial location for the Court of Dao, was enveloped in a mysterious space filled with purple qi and radiant light. The figures of the three giants, Emperor Xuan Yin, Emperor Wei De, and Emperor Qing Huan, were surrounded by auspicious light, making their features indistinct.
Whenever an important event occurred in the Extreme Void Starry Sky, the three emperors would gather here to discuss matters. As long as they were present, no known or unknown celestial secrets could be detected, not even by the ancient relics and living fossils in the Palace of Calamitous Fate.
"...Shadow Assassin Temple's actions are quite audacious. They openly conduct business in the territory of the Dao Court. They suffered a loss once, but they sent the Holy Maiden to continue causing trouble. Do they really think we are all blind and deaf?" Emperor Wei De's voice carried obvious displeasure. At this gathering of immortals, the actions of the various Daoist forces below might be concealed from others, but they couldn't hide from the existence of the emperors.
Shadow Assassin Temple already had a bad reputation, and now they disregarded the consequences and targeted the disciples of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace right under the noses of the Dao Court's high-ranking officials. They thought they were being secretive, but they had already incurred the great displeasure of the emperors.
The grudges and schemes of these Daoist forces were nothing out of the ordinary, but they had gone too far within the jurisdiction of the Dao Court. They caused trouble during this gathering of immortals, as if they didn't care about the place they were in.
Emperor Qing Huan smiled faintly and said, "Shadow Assassin Temple doesn't know its place and doesn't understand the overall situation. Its decline and downfall are inevitable. I am certain that once the Grotto-Heaven secret realm is closed, their temple master will have to consider choosing a new successor."
Emperor Xuan Yin asked in a calm voice, "Where are they now?"
"They are in the Star Peng Plains, fighting for their lives against those Thunder Feather Star Peng beasts!" Emperor Qing Huan's smile was bright. "I don't know what they did to provoke the Thunder Feather Star Peng tribes from dozens of tribes to attack them together. It's strange. Did they empty the nests of those birds?"
Emperor Wei De shook his head speechlessly. With the terrifying Thunder Feather Star Peng tribe, how many of the Shadow Assassin Temple's members could escape this time? It was hard to say.
Especially the one who provoked the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. Under the terrifying suppression of luck, that Holy Maiden's mind was confused, and she made one mistake after another. It was common to see such operations. Whether she could complete the mission or even survive depended on the will of heaven.
Emperor Xuan Yin said in a deep voice, "Shadow Assassin Temple is just a minor trouble. Let's not dwell on that. Regarding the person from the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, how confident are you in confirming their identity? If what you said is true, do we have a chance to bring them over? Such an opportunity has never existed since the birth of the Dao Court. We can't just stand by and do nothing."
Emperor Qing Huan elegantly shook his head. "Currently, I am only about 30% certain. But as I mentioned before, the karmic connection is too significant. The Dao Court cannot get involved as long as the person from the Genesis Star Palace is still alive. We must not act rashly, lest we attract their attention."
When Genesis Star Palace was revealed, no one from the Dao Court participated. It was mainly the people from the Supreme Daoist forces who joined in the excitement. They did indeed gain many benefits, but the most precious Innate Primordial Spirit Seed was nowhere to be found. On the contrary, many important figures died in the battle against it.
Now it seemed that the Innate Primordial Spirit Seed had undoubtedly taken shape, but its exact whereabouts remained unknown, and it couldn't be deduced through celestial secrets.
With the vast potential and intelligence network of the Dao Court, they had currently identified more than twenty suspicious targets, with Qin Muling being one of the more likely ones.
However, when it came down to it, the three Great Emperors hesitated. No one knew if there were any special restrictions or seals on the Innate Primordial Spirit Seed. If they were to touch it recklessly and provoke the person from the Genesis Star Palace, it would pose an unprecedented crisis for the Dao Court. Even if they joined forces, they might not be able to withstand it.
Therefore, Emperor Xuan Yin's initial idea of summoning Qin Muling for a personal inspection was unanimously rejected by Emperor Qing Huan and Emperor Wei De.
If they were to conduct a face-to-face inspection and it turned out that Qin Muling was the transformed Innate Primordial Spirit Seed, the high-ranking officials of the Dao Court would have no room to maneuver.
How should they handle it? Should they capture and refine it? Or should they seal and suppress it? Or perhaps they should coerce Qin Muling into serving the Dao Court?
Regardless of which strategy they adopted, they couldn't avoid the person from the Genesis Star Palace. If their methods were too extreme and forced Qin Muling to fight to the death, it might awaken that person prematurely, leaving the Dao Court in a difficult situation.
Without sufficient certainty, the three Great Emperors did not want to have a falling out with that person. After all, Genesis Star Palace was looted in the past, and Dao Court was not involved, so there was no reason for them to become enemies.
Emperor Wei De finally said, "Let's handle it like this for now, maintain the status quo. As for the younger generation's interaction with him, let it happen naturally. If they can establish a good relationship with him, it might not be a bad thing for Dao Court, and we don't need to personally intervene."
Emperor Xuan Yin nodded slightly and glanced at Emperor Qing Huan, saying, "Fellow Daoist, isn't your Princess Long Yi about to come out of seclusion? Since she has had some contact with Qin Muling, it would be good to see them develop a relationship. If she has the ability to bring Qin Muling over, Dao Court wouldn't mind leaving her a position as an Emperor."
Emperor Qing Huan smiled and said, "I will give her some guidance. Hopefully, that girl won't disappoint us."
If the Innate Primordial Spirit Seed really joins Dao Court, the influence of Dao Court will undoubtedly increase. It will be easy to sweep away all the major and minor Supreme Sects and super clans. In the future Extreme Void Starry Sky, perhaps there will truly be only one voice of Dao Court.
Emperor Qing Huan continued, "So, let's discuss the issue of the Demon Race calamity..."
...
Star Peng Plains.
The fierce battle continued, with tens of thousands of Thunder Feather Star Peng trapping more than two thousand cultivators in the middle. They relentlessly attacked, fearless of death, causing the turbulent winds and thunder to illuminate the dark sky.
The elite assassins of Shadow Assassin Temple were not to be underestimated. Under the command of the elders, they formed a battle formation and launched a fierce counterattack. Various Law Treasure Law Weapons infused with strange poisons and sinister Divine Abilities spells poured down like raindrops.
With every breath, hundreds of Thunder Feather Star Peng would scream and perish. Of course, under their desperate siege, Shadow Assassin Temple also suffered significant casualties due to their overwhelming numbers.
After fighting to the death until now, Shadow Assassin Temple had lost nearly half of its manpower. Although there weren't many casualties on the spot, most of their disciples were temporarily disabled due to injuries.
However, if the disciples of Shadow Assassin Temple couldn't turn the tide and repel these beasts with feathers, it was only a matter of time before they would be completely wiped out.
The cause of the situation was not complicated. Over four thousand elite assassins, led by Lan Qiyao, infiltrated the heart of Star Peng Plains. At first, everything went smoothly, without alerting any Thunder Feather Star Peng. It remained calm until they had traveled millions of miles deep into the plains.
However, just when Lan Qiyao thought they would smoothly leave this vast plain, they encountered a large group of rampaging Thunder Feather Star Peng. The opponents were frantically searching for something and attacking indiscriminately. Several assassins were unfortunate enough to be caught in the aftermath of the attacks, exposing their presence.
Then, thousands of Thunder Feather Star Peng came rushing over, and tens of thousands of thunderbolts covered an area of over a thousand miles, forcing this team, which was in a stealthy hiding state, to reveal themselves. Soon, all the Thunder Feather Star Peng from the entire tribe were attracted over.
Facing this sudden situation, Lan Qiyao felt helpless. She couldn't escape unless these beasts were exterminated.
"...Princess, something is not right. We should retreat as soon as possible!" a bloodied elder said in a hurry.
Lan Qiyao raised her hand, and countless cold sword lights split from her flying sword, easily dismembering the Thunder Feather Star Peng that pounced on them.
She sighed softly, "I want to, but where can we retreat to?"
Being entangled by this group of beasts, unless they were wiped out, there was no possibility of escape.
"We are not far from the heart of Star Peng Plains. Shouldn't we just charge through? Leave some disciples behind to hold them off!" the elder said through gritted teeth.
This was currently the most feasible strategy. If they didn't make a decisive decision soon, it was likely that everyone would perish here.
After a moment of contemplation, Lan Qiyao finally nodded and said, "Alright, I will leave half of my people to you. You are responsible for holding them back, and I will lead the rest to break through."
The elder said, "..."
No matter whether he is willing or not, the matter has been settled. Thousands of elite assassins and all the injured people stayed behind, while Lan Qiyao led a thousand elites to break through the encirclement and leave.
As for how many of these people will survive after reaching their destination, no one knows for sure.
...
In the ruins of the palace.
The disciples of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace cautiously moved forward on the jade stone path. They would stop every three to five hundred steps, allowing Qin Muling to sense the safe path and use divination techniques to ensure their safety before continuing deeper.
The cultivators of Yanfu Holy Demon Palace still couldn't be seen. They had taken the wrong path halfway and were now fighting a large group of golden-armored puppets in a restriction.
As they went deeper, the hazy spiritual mist became denser. Although they hadn't encountered any significant threats, the pressure in the surrounding space was increasing. Some of the junior sisters' and junior brothers' spiritual energy seemed to be inexplicably dissipating.
"...If I'm not mistaken, it seems that the space here is flowing? And there are random spatial ripples. If one accidentally enters them, they might be sent to an unknown area where life and death are uncertain."
Qin Muling said to Feng Xia beside him, while silently memorizing the rules of the changes in spatial laws.
"It seems I can't hide anything from you," Feng Xia blinked her bright star-like eyes and spoke softly, "If you are willing to listen to my arrangement, within a quarter of an hour, you can reach Dao Venerable's scripture repository. There should still be many lost scriptures and secret techniques inside that would be useful to all of you."
"Hehe..." Qi Yalan sneered slightly. No matter how she looked at this sudden appearance of a phoenix, she couldn't help but feel displeased. Who was she trying to fool with her innocent appearance next to her junior brother?
"No need, my navigation skills are not bad either," Qin Muling said calmly. He couldn't afford to take risks when it concerned the life and death of nearly two thousand fellow disciples. If something went wrong, there would be no place to buy regret medicine.
Feng Xia sighed softly and didn't say anything more. She understood very well that this beautiful young man still had his guard up against her. Especially the women around him, their eyes were filled with hostility and suspicion, as if they were afraid she would take him away.
However, even though she was new here, the path deduced by this beautiful young man was basically safe, which made Feng Xia secretly amazed. Without terrifying luck and profound divination abilities, it would be impossible to achieve such incredible results.
Perhaps her choice was correct. As long as she managed to gain his trust, she could change her own destined fate of destruction.
"The next location where the spatial ripples appear is about three hundred and fifty steps ahead. They should last for about two hundred breaths, which is enough for all of us to pass through. The teleportation destination is a safe courtyard."
Qin Muling put away the tortoiseshell divination tool in his hand and said, sweat beads appearing on his forehead. This kind of divination was extremely mentally exhausting, even with his innate talent, his Innate Primordial Spirit Seed's essence supplement couldn't keep up.
But this was something he had to do himself. If someone else took charge and made a mistake, the consequences would be unbearable for anyone.
Xue Bingxuan looked at him with some concern and took out a pill from her bracelet. The pill was radiant and had three faint colorful lights on its surface. Qin Muling didn't hesitate and swallowed it, instantly replenishing his depleted energy and spirit with the vast and boundless pure vitality.
In a short while, a spatial ripple appeared in front of everyone. It looked like an oversized soap bubble, with constantly changing and dazzling lights on its surface, capable of accommodating hundreds of people at the same time.
"I'll go first!" Yu Lingzhou said, casually selecting hundreds of disciples and leading them into the ripple. Despite the multiple previous successful attempts, proving the accuracy of Qin Muling's divination, they still couldn't afford to be careless.
Continuing, Heavenly Monarch Yue Yi led another group of people in, and it was only on the third round that it was Qin Muling's turn. Heavenly Monarch Bing Yuan and Qi Yalan, along with the other women, protected him as they entered the space ripples. Amidst the shimmering radiance, hundreds of figures disappeared without a trace.
When their vision returned to normal, Qi Yalan found herself in a spacious courtyard surrounded by hundreds of fellow disciples. The junior disciples had already taken out the jade divination turtle shell and continued their calculations.
More disciples were continuously being transported through the space ripples.
After two hundred breaths of time had passed, everyone had arrived without missing a single person. The enormous soap bubble flickered for a moment and disappeared like a dream bubble, leaving no trace of its existence.
"It's a bit unfortunate," Qin Muling said, "when we are transported next time, we are likely to encounter the people from the Yanfu Holy Demon Palace and will inevitably have to fight."
Yu Lingzhou didn't care, saying, "What does it matter? We will annihilate them with our full strength!"
The women had no objections to this. There was no room for mercy in such matters. Even if they didn't act this way, would the other side spare them?
"In that case, we must complete the transportation as soon as possible and set up an ambush before they can react!" Qin Muling pondered for a moment and made up his mind. After going through a fierce battle, it was inevitable that the disciples of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, who were waiting for them, would catch them off guard.
Under his leadership, the women left the courtyard and walked along the palace road. The starry sky remained above their heads, and the surroundings were vast. In the distance, the magnificent palaces and pavilions with flying eaves and arches stretched endlessly, enveloped in brilliant radiance and auspicious qi.
After walking for two miles, another space ripple appeared.
As before, Yu Lingzhou led the way to explore, and only after the defensive formation on the other side was set up did Qin Muling go over with the accompaniment of his senior sisters.
The destination of this transportation was an open square, and three hundred zhang away was another shimmering space ripple.
After Qin Muling arrived, he didn't say much and walked into the core position of the formation. The senior sisters and junior sisters around him came silently and quickly supplemented and perfected the formation. They were all fellow disciples, practicing the same Divine Ability, and it was a routine operation to join forces and set up a formation against the enemy.
After dozens of breaths of time, there was finally movement in the space ripple.
As the brilliant light flowed, nearly two hundred figures emerged from the space ripple, men, women, old, and young. Some of the cultivators seemed to be injured.
After a series of fierce battles, more than three hundred disciples who had initially entered the Yanfu Holy Demon Palace had now been reduced by more than thirty percent.
"A great opportunity!" Yu Lingzhou raised her hand, and the sky above her changed. A golden giant palm with an area of a hundred acres formed in an instant and came crashing down with the momentum of rolling thunder and wind.
Amidst the continuous screams, there were also angry roars filled with fear, "Who dares to harm the disciples of the Yanfu Holy Demon Palace?"
No one answered them. The hastily summoned protective Law Treasures were unable to withstand the sudden attack. The nearly two thousand senior sisters from the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace joined forces, and countless thunderstorms, fire clouds, meteoric giant trees fell like raindrops, completely overwhelming the opposing cultivators.
When the aftermath dissipated, only a large area of charred and fragmented corpses remained in place. Fragments of broken Law Treasures and Law Weapons were scattered everywhere, almost unrecognizable.
This wave of people from the Yanfu Holy Demon Palace, who had managed to infiltrate, had been completely wiped out in the palace ruins without obtaining any decent gains.
The mistake has been corrected.
(End of this chapter)