Chapter 106

Chapter 106: Heavenly Formation

Crack!

The Taihao Heavenly Sect’s Nine-headed Great Emperor tore open the spatial passage with his scaly hands, his eighteen eyes fixed on the cultivators within the imperial tomb.

Finally, his gaze locked onto Xu Changqing as he sneered, "Xu Changqing, after tens of thousands of years, it seems you still haven’t condensed your Dao fruit to return to the emperor realm."

"After today, you’ll never have another chance."

Xu Changqing’s expression darkened.

Years ago, it was this Nine-headed Great Emperor and another Great Emperor who joined forces to cripple him, severing his Dao fruit and causing him to fall from the Great Emperor realm.

"Perhaps fate has always been sealed," Xu Changqing laughed bitterly in his heart.

His Dao fruit was severed by this very man.

His imminent downfall would likely come at the same hands.

"Enough talk!"

The Seven-tailed Celestial Fox’s voice was icy, thick with killing intent. "The tomb of Emperor Venerable Buzhou has been found. The object must be inside. Kill them all and search the tomb."

Boom!

Stirring her magic power, the Seven-tailed Celestial Fox swept her delicate hand downward. A sword light tore through Emperor Venerable Buzhou’s tomb, allowing a beam of daylight to pierce the darkness within.

"So long as this old man draws breath, none shall step foot inside!" Xu Changqing declared, his beard and hair billowing. "If you wish to enter this tomb, you must first walk over this old man’s corpse!"

"Heavenly Formation!"

Xu Changqing frantically channeled his magic power. The Unsurpassed Divine Seal erupted in amethyst divine mist, transforming into a streak of violet light that plunged into the colossal corpse at the tomb’s center.

Boom!

The corpse seemed to stir. Two eyes snapped open, unleashing vast surges of purple energy. An unfathomably ancient aura saturated the tomb as divine patterns surfaced across the void.

Purple beams flooded the mausoleum, finally revealing Emperor Venerable Buzhou’s vanished limbs.

To the east, west, south, and north, the arms and legs materialized.

"This Emperor Venerable was truly ruthless," Ao Bing gasped, fear gripping his heart. "He fused his body as the core of this formation."

"A pity his injuries were too grave," Lin Qianmo noted coldly. "His power is far from its peak or this array alone could have barred a Great Emperor."

"Still, it might hold for a while."

Though formidable, the two Great Emperors of Taihao Heavenly Sect would find breaking the heavenly formation and destroying an Emperor Venerable’s body no easy feat.

"You refuse to rest peacefully even in death, old fool," the Nine-headed Great Emperor spat, "so this Great Emperor shall scatter your corpse and extinguish your soul!"

Hummm…

Divine patterns interwove across the heavens as a colossus emerged atop the formation. Eyes shut, its immense hands wove an arcane sealing technique that sealed the imperial tomb completely.

The heavenly formation stood ready to defend and destroy.

"Path of Oblivion Blade!"

His voice tore through the air. An imperial weapon glimmered in his grasp—a blade pulsating with the power of the Great Dao. With a swing, the Law of Oblivion erupted, decaying the void and withering the world.

Swoosh!

With a single slash, the Nine-headed Great Emperor sent the Path of Oblivion Blade cleaving towards Emperor Venerable Buzhou’s Divine Sense.

Buzz!

Suddenly, Emperor Venerable Buzhou opened his eyes. The divine patterns of the heavenly formation instantly expanded, enveloping both the Nine-headed Great Emperor and the Seven-tailed Celestial Fox. Those patterns flowed and spun, like a crucible capable of refining heaven and earth.

The slash unleashed by the Nine-headed Great Emperor hadn’t even landed before its power was continuously diluted, ultimately being refined away.

"This heavenly formation was passed down from the ancient times; it can refine both a realm and the great Dao itself. Do not act rashly." The Seven-tailed Celestial Fox’s voice was melodious as she removed a string of prayer beads from her wrist.

Boom!

In an instant, the prayer beads transformed into stars—thirty-six in total—as if forming thirty-six worlds descending from the Heavens. They encircled both of them.

Divine shadows rose slowly.

It was as if thirty-six deities stood guard around them, opposing the heavenly formation.

The power within the heavenly formation continuously intensified, refining everything.

Bang!

Moments later, the first star shattered. The Seven-tailed Celestial Fox’s face turned ashen white, appearing significantly injured.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Then came the second, the third…

After the time it took for half a joss stick to burn, nine stars perished, their deities scattered like dust and ash.

The Seven-tailed Celestial Fox’s face resembled golden paper.

This string of beads had been forged by her from star cores and had even birthed a spirit of the furnace, attuned to her primordial spirit. As the beads shattered, her own primordial spirit suffered damage as well.

"There’s hope!"

Seeing this, Bai Yuehong, Yuan Daokong, and the others found a surge of spirit.

Even the quasi-emperors of Unsurpassed Fairy Island revealed great delight.

The heavenly formation left behind by the Emperor Venerable truly plucked Creation’s finest threads. Judging by the current situation, it might actually withstand the Nine-headed Great Emperor and the Seven-tailed Celestial Fox.

Xu Changqing, however, looked visibly grave.

The heavenly formation was immensely powerful, but the magic power required to maintain it was equally colossal. Now, the formation relied entirely on Emperor Venerable Buzhou’s corpse to sustain it.

The strength within a physical body constantly diminishes after death.

The power within Emperor Venerable Buzhou would inevitably wane completely, sooner or later.

Once entirely exhausted, the heavenly formation would collapse on its own.

At that moment, everyone would face a truly desperate situation.

Buzz!

Suddenly, a beam of mysterious light soared from the southeast. Startled awake, the crowd hastily turned to look.

The Poison Emperor was opening his enormous maw, slowly devouring a piece of flawless, crystalline jade.

This jade was immaculate, its surface imprinted with mysterious divine patterns. It resembled a mirror, even capable of reflecting the divine patterns of the heavenly formation.

Upon the jade wall, innumerable Symbols flowed rapidly, seemingly deciphering the profound truths of the heavenly formation.

"Old poison!"

Ao Bing burned with fury. At this critical life-or-death moment, every one of them hung by a thread, yet this ancient toxin still schemed to plunder treasures from the Emperor’s Tomb.

"What treasure is that?" asked the Golden Crow King, puzzled.

"The Boundless Jade Disc."

Yuan Daokong’s eyes gleamed feverishly. "It’s the most coveted treasure for pathwalkers. It reflects your flaws, showing you precisely where you fall short."

"Moreover," he added, "the Boundless Jade Disc allows predicting the heavens themselves."

"Poison Emperor," Bai Yuehong stated coldly, wasting no words, "your nature is dull and crude, utterly inept in cultivation. Such a treasure is wasted on you." His blade sliced toward the Poison Emperor in a flash of steel.

"Cease!"

Xu Changqing roared in anger. "The moment you attack each other, your infighting will drain the heavenly formation’s power even faster!"

Bai Yuehong frowned slightly but withdrew his magical energy.

"Hehehe…"

A bizarre laugh from the Poison Emperor echoed through the Emperor’s Tomb. Having devoured the Boundless Jade Disc, He vanished once more, His presence now nearly imperceptible within the ancient sepulchre.

"That vile ancient poison is cunning indeed," Ao Bing fumed, "seizing the Boundless Jade Disc while we were distracted!"

"His next target," Lin Qianmo analyzed calmly, "will likely be Emperor Venerable Buzhou’s physical form."

According to Ye Xu’s information, five great opportunities remained. Lin Qianmo could discern four: the Boundless Jade Disc, the Emperor Venerable’s body, the sacred ground’s inheritance, and the Heaven’s Ultimate Four Symbols Scripture hidden within the Unsurpassed Heavenly Pillars.

What is the fifth opportunity? Lin Qianmo pondered silently. Could it be the object those two from the Taihao Heavenly Sect spoke of?

The Nine-headed Great Emperor and the Seven-tailed Celestial Fox possessed a singular, defined purpose: they sought that very "thing." The destruction of the Unsurpassed Sacred Ground probably revolved around that "thing" too.

"Qian Kun Cauldron!"

The Nine-headed Great Emperor unleashed his power. A four-legged sacred cauldron shot from his Purple Palace, its surface etched with sun and moon, mountains and rivers, strange beasts and exotic birds, trees, insects, and fish.

The Qian Kun Cauldron swelled continuously. Realms of sun, moon, mountains, and rivers manifested as if it sought to unleash a world itself, straining to shatter the heavenly formation from within.

With the Nine-headed Great Emperor’s aid, the pressure on the Seven-tailed Celestial Fox eased significantly. United, the duo held the heavenly formation’s assault at bay, their combined strength locking into a precarious stalemate against its force.

"Disastrous!"

Lian Jiuyou’s expression darkened considerably. "The heavenly formation’s power has reached an equilibrium with those two. This balance won’t hold for long."

"When it breaks," he warned gravely, "the formation will shift purely to defense."

"Within three days at most," he stated, his voice grim, "it will shatter."

The three Kings turned ashen.

"Sire," the Golden Crow King implored urgently, "is there any path of escape?"

"I was still pondering."

Lian Jiuyou’s gaze flickered uncertainly.

"Daoist friend," Yue Ruyi looked at Lin Qianmo, "If the formation is broken, do you have the ability to get us out of here?" Among those present, if anyone could withstand the Nine-headed Great Emperor and the Seven-tailed Celestial Fox, it had to be Lin Qianmo.

"No."

Lin Qianmo shook her head.

She was only a quasi-emperor, not yet an emperor herself. There was simply no way she could stand against two Great Emperors.

"However, we still have a glimmer of hope."

Lin Qianmo turned her gaze to Xu Changqing, saying, "He was once a Great Emperor. Even though his cultivation realm has fallen, burning his vital energy could unleash strength equivalent to the early stage of the emperor realm."

"If he is willing to join forces with us, we have a fifty percent chance of leaving the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain safely."

"You are overlooking something else."

Lan Youruo added, "The two Great Emperors of the Taihao Heavenly Sect breaking through the heavenly formation will also drain enormous amounts of their magical power. They won’t be in peak condition."

"That’s true." Ao Bing nodded deeply, feeling a flicker of hope.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion shook the air.

A crack appeared on the heavenly formation.

The Divine Sense of Emperor Venerable Buzhou also grew unstable and dim.

"What is happening?"

Everyone was shocked and terrified.

They had assumed the heavenly formation could hold for three days. Barely more than three hours had passed, yet the formation already showed signs of collapsing.

At this rate, at the very most a day longer, the formation would shatter completely.

"It’s the Poison Emperor!"

Lin Qianmo opened her divine eye, immediately spotting the Poison Emperor’s trail.

The old poison fiend was gnawing on Emperor Venerable Buzhou’s body, bit by bit, visibly draining the heavenly formation’s energy.

"How dare you!"

Xu Changqing flared with rage.

The Poison Emperor stealing the Boundless Jade Disc – he could refrain. But the Poison Emperor gnawing on the sacred corpse of Emperor Venerable Buzhou? Xu Changqing, as a descendant of the Unsurpassed Sacred Ground, could not tolerate the act.

"Get lost!"

Xu Changqing’s killing intent soared to the heavens. A golden copper mace, twelve sections long, appeared in his hand. His magical power surged into it, transforming the mace into a golden dragon. One massive Dragon Claw grasped the Poison Emperor’s body.

BOOM!

With a single squeeze of the Dragon Claw, the Poison Emperor exploded, dissolving into a cloud of black mist that rapidly corroded and melted the claw.

Xu Changqing’s expression was icy as he withdrew the mace.

The end of the weapon was pitch black, clearly imbued with potent poison.

"It disappeared again."

Lan Youruo frowned deeply, her delicate brows knitting together.

The Poison Emperor’s concealment art was incredibly profound, almost entirely undetectable. If it hadn’t made a commotion, even Lin Qianmo couldn’t have found its trail.

"Emperor Venerable above, your incompetent disciple has failed. I could not even preserve your honorable body."

Xu Changqing kowtowed in apology.

He walked around the Emperor Venerable’s body, seemingly inspecting its integrity. After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, he reappeared.

"Something is amiss." Nangong Zhandao frowned, his sword-like eyebrows sharp.

"Daoist friend."

Xu Changqing approached Lin Qianmo directly, clasping his hands in solemn greeting.

Lin Qianmo returned the gesture.

"This tribulation is not only the calamity of our Unsurpassed Sacred Ground, but yours as well." Xu Changqing looked at Lin Qianmo. "We should naturally join forces, share the same boat to endure this trial."

"Naturally."

Yue Ruyi, Lan Youruo, and Ao Bing were baffled.

Had Xu Changqing come just to say that?

"Daoist Friend Lin."

Just as Lin Qianmo felt puzzled, a sound echoed directly in her mind. It was Xu Changqing using Mind Transmission.

"This tribulation… this old man is likely not going to survive."

Xu Changqing’s voice was weary in her mind. "But the inheritance of our Unsurpassed Sacred Ground cannot be severed. I possess an item. I wish to entrust it to you, Daoist friend. I beseech you to deliver it to my disciple. Would you be willing?"