Chapter 287

Chapter 287: Confrontation

The woman in simple robes looked on impassively. "Speak plainly before This Princess," she said lightly. "What exactly is this so-called Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?"

The Heavenly Talisman Old Man wore a kindly smile. "Senior, there is an exceptional person within Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. He calls himself the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. Possessing vast divine abilities, he claims to know all things and be capable of anything."

"It is entirely due to information provided by the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion that we could move unhindered within the Divine Court."

"Absurd!"

The elder of the Zhong Clan’s face darkened with anger. "Do you think I would believe such nonsense?" he snapped.

"Under the heavens, unless it is the Heavenly Dao itself, who could possibly claim to know all? Even the Heavenly Dao cannot do everything!"

"It seems without giving you some pain, you refuse to speak the truth."

The other true immortals also wore expressions of disbelief.

They had secluded themselves in cultivation for too long, detached from worldly affairs. They knew nothing of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

Therefore, the Heavenly Talisman Old Man’s words sounded utterly preposterous to them.

"Heaven’s Secret Pavilion is in the Yuan Realm. If you don’t believe us, go and see for yourselves!" Yu Ziwei said furiously. "It was you who demanded we speak! Now when we tell you, you refuse to believe it!"

"An insignificant insect dares to bellow before me?" The elder of the Zhong Clan channelled his magic power. He flicked his finger. A wisp of grey light pierced the void. Heaven and Earth themselves began to decay as the light shot straight towards Yu Ziwei.

Clang!

Gu Daojin flashed into position, appearing before Yu Ziwei.

He caught the wisp of grey light between two fingers. With a slight exertion of force, it shattered into dust.

Ye Xu stared at the woman in simple robes, chuckling softly. "Gentlemen, regarding the Divine Court as your personal possession suggests a profound connection. You must hail from the Divine Court."

"You refer to yourself as ‘This Princess’… If not a beloved concubine of the Human Emperor, then a direct descendant."

"My guess isn’t wrong, is it?"

"You are clever," the woman in simple robes conceded, a sudden smile blooming on her face that made all creation pale. She made no attempt to hide it. "This Princess is Zhong Ling, the Ninth Daughter of the Human Emperor – Princess Qingluo."

"Since your words hold truth, This Princess shall honor our agreement." Her voice turned cold. "I grant you a swift end."

Boom!

Zhong Ling unleashed her magic power. Symbols of Thunder proliferated, blanketing the Creation Garden. They coalesced into a nine-fold Thunder Realm. Divine elephants took shape amidst the lightning, radiating earth-shattering, heaven-destroying might.

Boom!

An endless tide of divine elephants charged towards Ye Xu and his group. Within Heaven and Earth, only the thunderous path reigned supreme.

"Big Brother, what do we do now?" The Heavenly Talisman Old Man looked desperately at Gu Daojin. At this point, only Gu Daojin possessed any strength to fight; their own power was insufficient to so much as ruffle a strand of Zhong Ling’s hair.

"Into my Purple Palace!" Gu Daojin declared grimly. His Purple Palace manifested. The Seven Immortals of Cloud Capital, Ye Xu, Yu Ziwei, and Tai Sui swiftly entered it.

"Ziwei Rising Dragon Path!"

Gu Daojin let out a long roar. Boundless magic power erupted as he swallowed the Nine Lives and Nine Deaths Grass whole. Its vast energy instantly dissolved, flooding through every sinew and bone.

In the next instant, Purple Divine Fire ignited in his palm. Imperial flame roared skyward. An imperial apparition emerged amidst the blaze, treading upon stars, a divine serpent coiling around its body. Its hands formed a sealing technique.

The power of the Purple Divine Fire reached its zenith, condensing into a domain of fire. It smashed against the nine-fold Thunder Realm. Thunder and fire erupted heavenward, tearing the Creation Garden asunder, forcing true immortals back from the shockwave.

"Guh!"

Gu Daojin gushed a mouthful of blood. He drew upon the power of the Nine Lives and Nine Deaths Grass while unleashing the Purple Divine Fire, barely managing to push himself to unleash a limit-breaking strike.

Yet, the gap in their strength felt like a vast chasm, utterly insurmountable.

"You can consider yourself honored for lasting ten breaths under my nine-fold Thunder Realm," Zhong Ling said coldly, her eyes filled with arrogance. Countless particles of thunder reassembled, consuming the fiery domain.

ROAR!

A divine elephant that scraped the heavens descended with immense power, shattering the emperor’s illusion and crushing the Great Dao Order as it charged toward Gu Daojin.

Gu Daojin felt his spiritual power and divine principles utterly suppressed.

"You old witch!"

Roaring, Gu Daojin summoned an immortal artifact from his Purple Palace— a Three Legs Sacred Cauldron, etched with mountains, rivers, flora, and fauna; birds, insects, and fish. Immortal light swirled and steamed within its depths as if it contained an entire world within.

"The Mountain and River Cauldron?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Zhong Ling’s expression.

This was the very cauldron forged by the Mountain and River Daoist towards the end of the Primordial Era, pooling the power of an entire world, elevating it to the rank of an Immortal King treasure, an indestructible Dao weapon.

"You really think I’m easy prey?" Gu Daojin seethed. Within the Mountain and River Cauldron, the sun and moon rose, countless phenomena shifted, instantly transforming it into a vast world that pushed against and propped up the nine-fold Thunder Realm.

BOOM!

The divine elephant brought its foot down. Boundless thunder erupted beneath it as the thunderous path fragmented the world contained within the cauldron. Yet, a slight tremor later, the cauldron’s world began to heal gradually.

Possessing an innate indestructibility, the cauldron rendered it exceedingly difficult even for an Immortal King to breach within a short span.

CLANG!

At that very instant, a streak of sword light suddenly shot in from beyond, piercing straight into the nine-fold Thunder Realm. In the blink of an eye, the sword light eroded the Realm, cleaving straight through five of its nine layers.

Li Ruoshui stood resolute, an immortal sword held firmly in her hand.

SWISH!

Divine patterns shimmered within Bai Muyue’s eyes, her gaze converging into a single, intense line. A beam of purest white light shot from heaven to earth, blazing like concentrated radiance, instantly slicing through the remaining layers of the nine-fold Thunder Realm.

KRAKOOM!

The thunderous path collapsed. Terrifying shockwaves surged through the fourth layer, leaving the sky shattered and the earth quaked, everything fractured and broken.

"Whew…" Gu Daojin heaved a sigh of relief. Lingering any longer under Zhong Ling’s pressure was unthinkable; activating the Mountain and River Cauldron had already drained half of his spiritual power. At his cultivation level, maintaining control of the cauldron could only last for half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Li Ruoshui and Bai Muyue were quite literally his saviors.

"Who dares harm the Princess?" The elder of the Zhong Clan and the nine true immortals turned their gazes in unison towards Bai Muyue and Li Ruoshui, their eyelids all giving an involuntary twitch.

Two Immortal Kings.

"Ghosts!"

Witnessing this, Gu Daojin felt his scalp prickle. Two more supreme masters at the Immortal King level? Since when had Immortal Kings become so common that they were roaming the mortal world?

"Daoist friends, why disrupt my technique?" Zhong Ling asked icily. Slowly raising her left hand, a golden brush appeared within her grasp. A vast human Dao aura surged forth, the sheer weight of its imperial might permeating heaven and earth.

"The Human Emperor’s brush!"

Li Ruoshui and Bai Muyue’s eyes sharpened. The Human Emperor’s brush was a treasure of fortune forged when the Ancient Human Emperor gathered the fortune of the humans. The stronger the fortune of the humans, the more powerful the Human Emperor’s brush became.

Although the humans of this epoch were scattered in strength and their fortune was dissipated, unable to coalesce as one, the power of the Human Emperor’s brush remained immensely potent.

It must be understood that even without the power of fortune, the Human Emperor’s brush was still a supreme treasure at the Immortal King level.

"Are you a descendant of the Human Emperor?"

Both Bai Muyue and Li Ruoshui considered the possibility.

The Human Emperor’s brush symbolized the Ancient Divine Court, much like an imperial jade seal, and could never possibly fall into the hands of outsiders.

Dao King’s eyes grew slightly keen as he stared straight at the Human Emperor’s brush.

This brush had gathered the fortune of the ancient humans; even after the Divine Court’s destruction and a million years, traces of fortune surely hadn’t dispersed from it.

"If I can obtain this brush and refine its fortune within, my strength will undoubtedly surge explosively," thought Dao King.

"Exactly." Zhong Ling said coldly, "The Divine Court is this palace’s home. You intrude here and still dare to attack its mistress? Leave swiftly now, and this palace shall let the matter rest."

"Hmph!"

Li Ruoshui snorted, "The Ancient Divine Court is long past, just like the Ancient Heavenly Court—both buried by history. Were the Human Emperor himself alive, this seat would grant him seven parts respect. But you? Merely a descendant. What entitlement do you have to demand this seat’s retreat?"

"A fair point." Bai Muyue smiled faintly, unconvinced, "The status of a descendant of the Human Emperor isn’t considered any remarkable honor across all realms."

"This Divine Court, after all, was the second power to rule the lower realms following the Ancient Heavenly Court. Surely it holds no few valuable treasures."

Zhong Ling’s expression darkened like water.

Both Bai Muyue and Li Ruoshui stood at the Immortal King realm. Fighting them would mean certain defeat for her, even if death might be avoided. A battle would only be a waste of time.

Whoosh!

At the same moment.

Gu Daojin had already withdrawn the Mountain and River Cauldron! Seizing the chance during Zhong Ling’s standoff with Li Ruoshui and Bai Muyue, he fled the Creation Garden and sped towards the Fifth Heaven.

"Esteemed seniors! She is the Human Emperor’s ninth daughter! The Human Emperor’s entire treasury must be upon her—dripping with riches! By every means, do not miss such an opportunity!"

Gu Daojin’s voice echoed from afar.

"Your Highness, that scoundrel escaped," the elder of the Zhong Clan reported, face grim. Even when fleeing, the wretch tried to incite three Immortal Kings against them.

Zhong Ling nodded but didn’t pursue. Gu Daojin’s threat paled before that of the two Immortal Kings in front of her.

Li Ruoshui remained calm, unmoved by Gu Daojin’s words. She looked at Zhong Ling, "The Human Emperor’s ninth daughter… If this seat recalls correctly, that should be Princess Qingluo."

"Princess Qingluo, this seat and Daoist friend Bai mean you no harm. We merely wish to see if any opportunities here… suit our purposes."

"Should you insist on obstructing us… do not blame us for showing no mercy."

"Very well."

Suddenly, Zhong Ling smiled lightly. "This palace has no desire for a pointless fight either."

"Your Highness…" The true immortals exclaimed in shock, staring at Zhong Ling in disbelief.

"Silence!"

Zhong Ling rebuked. "This palace knows what must be done."

"We have reached an agreement, Daoist friends Li and Bai? Each shall mind their own—well water stays clear of river water."

Li Ruoshui and Bai Muyue exchanged a glance, then gave a slight nod.

Both bore a trace of suspicion in their eyes. Zhong Ling’s agreement had come far too readily. Could there truly be no hidden secrets?