「The South Pole.」
Within the grand Daoist Palace and Buddhist Hall.
The one shimring with Buddha light spoke with a grave expression:
"Sothing isn't right... Supre Profound Clarity, the First Emperor. Those two nas have touched upon a taboo..."
Beside him, the one rich with Dao Rhy spoke indifferently:
"I have also heard these two nas. When I once communicated with a slumbering Ancient Celestial Venerable, he recounted so history from Ancient Tis. Didn't both of them die at the end of the Qin Dynasty?"
"That is what's so strange."
The one shimring with Buddha light lowered his gaze and said:
"I, too, once communicated with a slumbering Ancient Buddha and learned so history from the years of Ancient Tis. Supre Profound Clarity and the First Emperor died in Ancient Tis. Yet, not long ago, word spread in the Human World that Supre Profound Clarity is one of The Three Pristine Ones. And that's not all..."
He paused, then opened his eyes, which reflected the magnificent sight of three thousand Arhats chanting the great sutras. He continued:
"And now, at a ti when the Immortals and Buddhas have not yet returned, this coffin and casket—so closely tied to the Qin, the First Emperor, and Supre Profound Clarity—has descended from the heavens. It's too strange."
The Immortal Celestial Venerable and the Immortal Buddha exchanged a glance, each seeing the gravity in the other's eyes. Both thought of the mysterious Sanqing Temple and its Temple Master.
"We must investigate this beforehand and figure out what's happening..." the one rich with Dao Rhy said coldly. "Lest any mishaps occur when the Emperor arrives."
"Indeed." The one shimring with Buddha light nodded slightly. "Compassion. Isn't that little fellow connected to the Sanqing Temple? Have Sakata Shindo kill him. We can test the reaction of that mysterious Temple Master of the Sanqing Temple."
As he spoke, he flattened his palm. Buddha light swirled upon it, weaving together to form a scene of Taishan.
The one rich with Dao Rhy looked toward the scene of Taishan. His gaze swept past the Dragon Corpses and the Coffin and Casket on the summit, landing on a young man hovering in the air beside the mountain.
After a mont, he spoke solemnly:
"Good. So be it... Praise be to the Supre Shenxiao, the Emperor of Longevity in the South Pole!"
"Compassion, compassion!"
The one shimring with Buddha light also chanted:
"Praise be to the Unsurpassed and Most Honored, the present Maitreya Buddha!"
...
anwhile, the Celestial Humans, Earth Immortals, and even True Immortals from all directions began to converse among themselves. They were all discussing the matter of the Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin and the Dead Immortal, all discussing Taishan—a mountain that had first revealed the [Peach Blossom Spring] and was now the site of such a shocking event!
Zhang Huatian and the others also began talking amongst themselves. At this mont, Marquis Zhuge looked at his daughter and asked in shock and anger:
"Were you trying to get yourself killed just now? Do you dare to perform a divination on just anything?!"
Zhuge Ke shrank back and didn't dare to reply. 'I can't just tell him I only dared to try because I heard the Dead Immortal praise 'Supre Profound Clarity,' can I...'
Just then, others also noticed the words spoken by the Dead Immortal, such as 'Supre Profound Clarity' and 'First Emperor'.
An Earth Immortal said in a low voice:
"The First Emperor should refer to that peerless emperor of the Qin Dynasty from Ancient Tis. And Supre Profound Clarity... isn't that the one from The Three Pristine Ones who caused such a stir a while ago?"
Everyone looked at each other in confusion, feeling bewildered. Only Zhuge Ke's eyes flashed with an excited light. Xiaoyan and a distant Yan Huang also seed lost in thought as they glanced at the calm-faced Lu Xuan.
They knew that the mysterious Sanqing Temple Master was Lu Xuan's elder.
At this point, Lu Xuan thought for a mont before speaking calmly:
"Setting aside the Dead Immortal, the Dragon Corpses, and the Coffin and Casket for now, will the [Peach Blossom Spring] appear again? After such a major event..."
As he spoke, high up in the Celestial Vault.
Sakata Shindo, whose eyes were already glinting with a vicious light, tilted his head, listening to the vast Buddhist hymns that traveled from the Land of the Far South into his mind.
Subconsciously, he glanced at the chairman of Aotao Organism beside him. The latter seed to have also received the decree from the Land of the Far South. He t Sakata Shindo's gaze, and the two nodded slightly.
The next mont,
Sakata Shindo lowered his head, his gaze falling upon the ant who had destroyed all of Sakata Heavy Industries, the culmination of his life's work. The vicious glint in his eyes intensified as he let out a furious roar:
"You ant! So noisy. You deserve to die!"
The Grand Grade expert's roar shook the heavens, and the Celestial Vault itself seed to shift. The Celestial Humans and Earth Immortals, who had been in lively discussion, fell silent in an instant. Zhuge Ke and the others standing beside Lu Xuan were a bit stunned. Not thinking the Grand Grade expert in the sky was shouting at them, they all looked up curiously.
Then, their expressions all changed drastically!
From the Celestial Vault above, a giant palm descended, and its target was none other than them!
Marquis Zhuge's expression changed. Fear also appeared on the faces of Zhang Jifeng, Zhang Huatian, and the others. None of them knew how they had provoked this powerhouse!
A terrifying pressure bore down, seizing their souls and sealing off everything!
"Sakata Shindo, what do you think you're doing?!" From a distance, Yan Huang, enraged, struck out decisively to intercept Sakata Shindo's attack.
The latter simply sneered and bellowed:
"What am I doing? Killing! I'm killing!"
Under countless stunned and terrified gazes, the two Grand Grade experts began to fight fiercely. Although both contained their power, not allowing the aftershocks to tear the Ancestor Star apart,
the terrifying pressure would still occasionally leak out, making it difficult for all living beings near Taishan to breathe. The bodies of so weaker individuals even began to crack!
Marquis Zhuge's expression changed. He ford another Dharma Seal, protecting everyone with a Magic Array. Although he was only a Ninth Heaven Celestial Human, his thods were profound. The Magic Array he created actually pulsed with faint traces of power at the Earth Immortal Level.
Then, Marquis Zhuge said, bewildered and uncertain:
"Just now... was that person attacking us? Why..."
Everyone looked at each other. Aside from Xiaoyan and Wang Zhiyao, who knew so of the inside story and could guess the reason, the rest were completely dumbfounded, confused, and bewildered.
Chen Shu patted his chest and turned his head, saying:
"We almost died for no reason. Brother Xiaolu, do you think..."
But before he could finish, he saw Brother Xiaolu, who was staring at the Grand Grade battlefield in the sky, say in a low voice:
"All of you, leave quickly. Don't linger. Qing He, Qing Ping, take them away..."
Everyone was taken aback. 'What is going on?'
Just as they were about to ask, they saw two Daoists striding toward them. But before the Daoists could arrive, a sudden change occurred in the sky!
The chairman of Aotao Organism, who had been still the entire ti, suddenly attacked. Profound dao patterns coiled around his palm as he blasted it toward Yan Huang!
Yan Huang was already on guard and managed to block the blow, but facing a pincer attack from two Grand Grade experts, he was becoming flustered. He had no choice but to fully unleash his power, his aura soaring higher and higher!
He let out a thunderous roar. He knew that today's events had erupted suddenly, and a single misstep could lead to his demise. Thus, he attacked without reservation, unleashing his full strength!
Sakata Shindo and Chairman Ao Tao also stopped holding back. The three fought fiercely in the Celestial Vault. The void shattered inch by inch before being annihilated into nothingness. The wisps of killing intent from the Grand Grade experts that leaked out caused the surrounding ten thousand miles to fall into a state of Nirvana!
"Not good!"
A Celestial Human's face changed. He wanted to flee, but under the shroud of the Grand Grade experts' killing intent, space itself beca as viscous as water, making movent incredibly slow!
"We can't escape!" another Celestial Human roared. "The killing intent covers ten thousand miles! We can't get out! Everyone, form a defensive array and protect yourselves!"
As he spoke, his body began to crack, and he coughed up mouthfuls of blood!
At this mont, Marquis Zhuge, who was focusing all his power on maintaining the Magic Array, was also in a bad state. Even though it was just a wisp of Grand Grade killing intent spreading over a ten-thousand-mile radius, it was still far beyond what a Celestial Human or even an Earth Immortal could withstand!
Wisps of terrifying might seeped through the Magic Array. Although the array blocked most of the killing intent, the strongest people within it—aside from Lu Xuan, Li Nanguo, and the few from the Zhuge Family—were rely First Celestial Realm Celestial Humans.
For example, Xiaoyan and the others, who were not even Celestial Humans, were having an even worse ti. The slightest trace of that imnse might seeping in made them start coughing up blood!
Lu Xuan's expression changed. He wanted to use a Skill, but the dense Grand Grade killing intent was focused on him. The gap between himself and a Grand Grade expert was still too vast. Even just facing the killing intent alone, his Physique began to crack, and he started coughing up blood!
He glanced over at Qing He and Qing Ping, only to find that they too were being targeted by the Grand Grade killing intent, making it difficult for them to even move!
"When the city gate catches fire..." Chen Ye's face was pale as he coughed up a mouthful of blood, a bitter smile on his face. "...the fish in the moat suffer..."
As he spoke, the battle between the Grand Grade experts in the sky grew even more intense. The descending Grand Grade killing intent also thickened, and even the faces of so Earth Immortals began to turn pale!
Within a ten-thousand-mile radius, everything except for Taishan and the people on it—the rocks and trees, the beasts and birds—had been utterly annihilated, returned to silence!
Suddenly, Taishan trembled slightly. Lu Xuan, his face pale, struggled to turn his head and look. His eyes lit up.
On the summit of Taishan, a short distance from the Dragon Corpses and the Coffin and Casket, faint ripples blossod from the void. They eventually intertwined, forming a flickering, indistinct gateway!
"That's..." Marquis Zhuge's spirits lifted. "The gateway to the [Peach Blossom Spring]! Go, let's get inside and take cover!"
Beside him, Li Nanguo's face was pale:
"But we have no idea what it's like inside the [Peach Blossom Spring]! The beings within are completely unwilling to communicate with us!"
"We have to take the gamble! Otherwise, we'll all die under this Grand Grade killing intent!" Marquis Zhuge was also starting to cough up blood now, but he didn't dare to disperse the Magic Array.
At that mont, the other Celestial Humans and Earth Immortals nearby also noticed the illusory gateway. They all dragged their cracking bodies and struggled to race toward it, clearly intending to hide inside and escape the chaotic battle of the Grand Grade experts.
Lu Xuan and the others didn't hesitate either. They tried to fly toward the illusory gateway, but imdiately, the scattered Grand Grade killing intent descending from above suddenly surged like a tide, crashing into them, making them cough up blood and halting their advance!
"We're... being targeted??" Marquis Zhuge was dumbfounded. "Why would a Grand Grade expert target us??"
"They're after ," Lu Xuan said, his eyes narrowing dangerously. His skin cracked, healed in an instant, then imdiately split open again in a repeating cycle.
"What?" Chen Ye, beside him, was montarily stunned. "After you? Junior Lu, what kind of joke is that..."
"You guys go in first!" Lu Xuan didn't explain. He took the initiative to step out of the Magic Array. As expected, the surging Grand Grade killing intent crashed into him, sending him stumbling.
"We can move!" Marquis Zhuge took a deep look at the naless young man and then used the Magic Array to carry everyone toward the illusory gateway.
Xiaoyan panicked and also tried to leave the Magic Array, but Lu Xuan, who remained behind, waved a hand to stop her. In that brief mont of hesitation, Marquis Zhuge had already led everyone into the illusory gateway, and they vanished.
Now, the area around Taishan was empty. All the Celestial Humans, Earth Immortals, and others had fled into the gateway, leaving only Lu Xuan, targeted by the Grand Grade killing intent, and Qing He and Qing Ping, who were struggling to make their way toward him.
"You two get in, too!" Lu Xuan rasped. "Go protect Xiaoyan!"
"We can't!" Qing Ping, by comparison, was the most unaffected. As a Ninth Grade True Immortal who wasn't being deliberately targeted by the Grand Grade killing intent, his movents were fluid.
He said:
"The gateway isn't stable. It was already faint and flickering to begin with. After being battered by the Grand Grade killing intent, it's beco chaotic. It can't withstand the Cultivation of my True Immortal level! The mont I enter, the gateway will collapse!"
"Junior Brother, you protect Lu Ancestor! I'll go!" Qing He said decisively. He dodged a surging wave of Grand Grade killing intent and flew into the illusory gateway.
Qing Ping now drew near as well, transferring his power to Lu Xuan to help him resist the Grand Grade killing intent. But just then, in the sky...
BOOM!!
Yan Huang was struck by the two Grand Grade experts' joint attack. He staggered, and blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth. He had been the one using all his strength to stop the Grand Grade killing intent from pressing down, but now that he had slipped, a massive torrent of killing intent ca pouring down!
Qing Ping's expression changed. He moved to block Lu Xuan, forcibly intercepting the materialized killing intent from Sakata Shindo and Chairman Ao Tao. As if struck by lightning, he too began to cough up blood!
Although both were at the True Immortal level, Ninth Grade was the bottom of the True Immortal ranks, while Grand Grade was the peak. The gap between them was simply imnse!
"Lu Ancestor, go, now!" Qing Ping roared. "Get into the gateway!"
Lu Xuan gritted his teeth. He didn't leave imdiately. 'If I flee now, Qing Ping probably won't survive, and Old Yan will be in grave danger, too!'
He looked up, braving the Grand Grade killing intent, took a deep breath, and his True Spirit trembled.
'I had originally planned to spend more ti consolidating my power at the Unity of Heaven and Man level...'
'So be it.'
'Ascending the Celestial Gate leads to the Earth Immortal Realm. And according to my second and third masters, only after Ascension to Immortality can one use the Heaven-Reaching Fishing Drum and the Jade Void Glazed Lamp. It might not work, but I have to try!'
Lu Xuan took another deep breath and focused his mind inward. The Ninefold Supre Jade Steps began to glow. At the end of the Supre Jade Steps stood the Celestial Gate, radiating profound truths!
He maneuvered his True Spirit forward with great difficulty. 'Although I don't have the subsequent cultivation skill yet, I can still push open the gate and beco an Earth Immortal...'
His True Spirit reached out and gave a gentle push.
CREAK!
The Celestial Gate opened.
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