As a father, I just want to quietly watch you live a long life Chapter 1659 - 435: Immortal Artisan’s Fifth Molting, Second Type of Primordial Dao Tribulation; State Preceptor Invites the Underworld to Join His Side...
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The Emperor, upon hearing those words, lightly drummed his fingers against the desk. "Qian Yuan has met with failure time and again. Perhaps we should turn our assault toward the Heavenly Pill Divine Sect?"
"That might prove effective, so long as we manage to collect the Divine Sect's Qi Fortune..."
"These Divine Sects may profess loyalty to the Imperial Court, yet their submission rings hollow... In truth, since the Qi Fortune hasn't flowed into Great Vista, it doesn't count as real allegiance. This moment is perfect..."
A subtle smile curved the Emperor's lips, his satisfaction evident in an uncommon way.
Though the mission for the State Preceptor to shatter Qian Yuan Dao City and seize Li Che alive appeared improbable to fulfill.
The Emperor, however, showed little concern over that outcome.
For the State Preceptor had already gathered substantial Qi Fortune from the Divine Sects, and once all their Qi Fortunes converged, assaulting Qian Yuan would probably cease to be a challenge.
In reality.
What genuinely weighed on the Emperor's mind was the Purple Mansion Divine Sect...
This ancient Divine Sect, akin in legacy to the Equal Heaven Temple, filled the Emperor with dread.
And with Xie Yushen's strength alone, shattering the Purple Mansion Divine Sect remained utterly out of reach.
Xie Yushen had endured back-to-back losses against Qian Yuan; how could he possibly overcome the Purple Mansion?
...
...
Crack crack—!!!
Within Guangling Dao City.
Across the Heavenly Dome, the explosive clash of Divine Tribulation energies birthed a storm of lightning that tore viciously through the brooding clouds, weaving into a vast web!
Numerous Human Head Toad Furnaces floated high, encircling the rotund Yangxuan Grandmaster.
This master from the Heavenly Pill Divine Sect displayed a wild, thrilled demeanor right then.
His arms spread wide, as though rousing some long-slumbering force.
From deep within the Heavenly Pill Divine Sect's Mysterious Temple, a towering pillar of divine radiance erupted, seemingly slashing apart the gloom overhead and sending waves rippling afar.
A silhouette in gray robes, locks threaded with silver, gradually materialized from the luminous shaft linking to the Heavenly Pill Divine Sect's Mountain Gate.
The instant it appeared, the very atmosphere twisted unnaturally.
Fierce gales and swirling snow dissolved into water droplets under the overwhelming power, vaporizing into haze that blended seamlessly with the skies.
Yet this haze carried a murky gray-black tint, making it impossible to tell if it was mere vapor or a deadly toxin.
Gu Qianchi, locked in confrontation with Yangxuan Grandmaster, saw his face twist abruptly.
"Poison Saint Yin Xuan?!"
Gu Qianchi clearly recognized the infamous title of Grandmaster Yin Xuan, one half of the Heavenly Pill Divine Sect's famed Yin Yang duo...
In their era, they dominated the cultivation world, with Yin Xuan standing out as the dreaded Poison Saint.
His most notorious deed involved poisoning every Grandmaster of the Dan Sect, wiping that rival from the map and elevating the Heavenly Pill Divine Sect to supremacy among Dan Sects.
But hadn't the reviled Poison Saint Yin Xuan met his end a thousand years back?
Yin Xuan's arrival brought no welcoming look.
His gaze swirled with inky darkness, scanning slowly before lingering briefly on Gu Qianchi, then fixing on Xie Yushen and his forces below.
"The Imperial Court... dares to invade my Heavenly Pill Divine Sect?"
Yin Xuan remarked coolly.
Gu Qianchi's frame stiffened, an inexplicable wave of terror surging through him at the sound of Yin Xuan's voice.
Furthermore, Yin Xuan's sudden manifestation flipped the battlefield's balance in an instant.
Gu Qianchi's expression darkened considerably; could it be? Was it possible?... How could the Imperial Court's fortune be this dire?
After successive setbacks against Qian Yuan, would this strike on the Heavenly Pill Divine Sect also crumble to failure?
What sort of misfortune clung to Xie Yushen?
Forever charging headlong into unbreakable barriers?
Gu Qianchi drew in a steadying breath; one had to admit, every Divine Sect's foundations ran deep and formidable.
Even the relatively obscure Heavenly Pill Divine Sect harbored such profound reserves.
Yin Xuan shot a casual look downward. "Imperial Court forces, withdraw."
"Lest this old man sees fit to trap you all right here."
"Don't test me—even with your legions numbering in the tens of thousands, it means nothing. A mere drop of venom from my fingernail could fell every one of you."
Yin Xuan added with a thin smile.
Fresh from his awakening, he was taken aback to discover the court's troops storming and threatening to dismantle his sect, but as a founding Grandmaster of the Heavenly Pill Divine Sect, he refused to stand by while the legacy he built faced annihilation.
Letting the sect's Qi Fortune slip away unchecked.
Xie Yushen remained seated in his palanquin, eyeing the newly arisen Yin Xuan with narrowed lids.
Soon after, a sly grin spread across his face.
Yin Xuan, the Poison Saint?
Gu Qianchi hurried back to the palanquin's side, his features etched with gloom. "State Preceptor... that's Poison Saint Yin Xuan. He's no simple foe..."
"Our preparations didn't account for his poisons; we may not endure them."
Gu Qianchi warned gravely.
Having shared the same age as Yin Xuan, Gu Qianchi knew all too well the horrors the man wielded.
Yet Xie Yushen's visage glowed with fierce determination, betraying no hint of dread or withdrawal.
"Grandmaster Yin, are you aware... of the reason behind my boldness in marching an army against the Heavenly Pill Divine Sect?"
"Rather than pressing on with the Qian Yuan Divine Sect?"
Gu Qianchi, naturally, shook his head in bewilderment.
Xie Yushen rose from the palanquin, winds tousling his garments into a resonant flutter.
With a gentle flick of his feather fan, a chilling smirk tugged at his mouth.
His eyes lifted toward the heavens over the Heavenly Pill Divine Sect's Mountain Gate, where the Yin Yang Grandmasters—two powerhouses of the Divine Tribulation Realm—suspended themselves.
Yin Xuan outshone Yangxuan in might, his cultivation probably at the One Disaster Two Tribulations level, rivaling the Old Dragon God himself.
Yangxuan, by contrast, lingered at One Disaster One Tribulation.
Just these two in the Divine Tribulation Realm...
Truth be told, within the current Heavenly Pill Divine Sect, only these pair of Divine Tribulations guarded the place—no more.
The Ascending Immortal Pavilion had drained Guangling Dao City dry, much like it had hollowed out the Heavenly Pill Divine Sect.
And beyond that...
The Heavenly Pill Divine Sect had crossed a figure it never should have.
"Grandmaster Yin, in this realm, foes are never fixed forever—only... interests endure eternally."
"Even those who once blocked our path to raze the sect might now stand as our partners."
Xie Yushen declared with layered intent.
Gu Qianchi caught the words, his forehead creasing in puzzlement.
Xie Yushen... what was he getting at?
As Xie Yushen's statement concluded, he turned his palm upward, unveiling a dark chess piece, carved as if from polished inkstone.
This was...
A burst of savage, turbulent energy exploded from the ebony token.
In the following instant, it hurled skyward.
Launched aloft, the black piece quivered faintly before streaking upward with speed.
Gu Qianchi stared in shock.
Moments later, his gaze sharpened.
For...
The obsidian chess piece ballooned and stretched mid-flight!
Then, a shadowy metropolis burst into being, dominating the space between earth and sky!
Churning death qi, an overwhelming presence—like a nightmarish fortress commanding the thresholds of existence—loomed threateningly over Guangling Dao City.
A ferocious, wild aura detonated outward, demonic forces twisting together in fury.
The gates of the city creaked wide...
As though endless ink spilled forth, using the firmament as its scroll, painting the horrifying form of a savage creature!
Nine heads, echoing a Divine Dragon's majesty, lashed wildly from beyond the portal, though seven blurred indistinctly while only two sharpened into focus.
Those two vivid dragon maws parted, unleashing a thunderous bellow that subdued the heavens and ground!
With the fortress quaking, the monstrous entity boasting nine writhing heads inched forth from its depths.
Its pair of ink-hued wings unfurled in a rush, eclipsing the light and shrouding the day!
Swish, swish...
Without warning, ink-black downpour commenced from above!
Swish, swish—immensely widespread!
Like an oceanic deluge crashing heavenward before plummeting as cascading sheets.
Among the Underworld's ten legendary beasts...
Sea Flipping Nine Infants!
Gu Qianchi tilted his head skyward.
The grip on his prized sword quivered faintly.
Beholding this awe-inspiring monster stirred an innate dread within him... clearly a Devil God-tier being at the Divine Tribulation Realm!
But...
That wasn't the crux!
Gu Qianchi turned his puzzled stare toward this fortress...
This all-too-recognizable stronghold.
Not only Gu Qianchi...
Ning Caisen, Gu Cheng, alongside countless Martial Saints from the court army and Divine Fetus Practitioner leaders, all stared in stunned silence.
Upon that fortress's signboard, the bold strokes spelling "Fengdu" gleamed.
Two words both intimate and jarringly bold.
The Underworld's Fengdu?!
Just days prior, they had clashed savagely with the Underworld, the battles brutal beyond measure...
Now, through the State Preceptor's cunning diplomacy, the Underworld had been swayed to their side?!
Thus...
The Underworld... now fought among their ranks?!