Chapter 602: Anticipation

Three quarters before the arrival of the zi hour, the 'Six Harmonies Imperial Immortal Formation' within the imperial camp was barely completed.

This formation was designed by six grandmasters of formation arrays invited by the Langya Heavenly Dynasty at its founding, and was deployed within the imperial capital to guard the dynasty. It was claimed to be unparalleled in the world, leaving even the 'Divine霄 Demon-Subduing Sword Formation' of the Divine霄 Sect, which the dynasty and all immortal sects dreaded, far behind.

However, once this formation was detached from the support of the imperial capital's earth veins, its consumption was exorbitant. Even the imperial family's resources could hardly sustain it, and since there had been no need to deploy it before, there was no foundation at all.

Thus, on this day, even though Emperor Tai Ru utilized all the talisman formation masters at his disposal, it was only near the zi hour that he completed the formation covering an area of fifty li.

This was merely a temporary version; many parts of the formation would not last long and needed to be perfected afterward.

Yet, as soon as the formation was completed, the morale of the various sects that had successively taken up residence within it visibly improved.

The power of the 'Six Harmonies Imperial Immortal Formation' began to manifest even before its completion. It stirred the primordial spirits within a radius of a thousand li and even forcibly plundered part of the spiritual vein from the Divine霄 Mountain side.

Those within the formation also sensed a surge in their mana and true essence. Any spell they cast could unleash more than five times its usual power.

Moreover, the six 'Six Yao Immortal Swords' suspended high above them brought a sense of security. These were formidable sword artifacts no less than 'Zhen Xiao,' and were the national treasures of the Langya Heavenly Dynasty—in the past, even Dugu Tianyi would flee at the sight of them, never daring to confront them head-on.

And today, these six immortal swords capable of slaying gods and demons had been brought here by the Son of Heaven.

At the beginning of the zi hour, the eminent figures of the various sects, led by the 'Heavenly Dao Sect,' gathered before Emperor Tai Ru's imperial tent and engaged in heated discussion.

'What is going on with Hai Yunzi of the Tianluo Sect? He committed suicide before the battle even began?'

'This is the strangest thing I've ever heard. What did he see on the Divine霄 Mountain side that frightened him so much?'

'There must be another reason. It is said that their Fa Yunzi has also passed away in meditation. The remaining members of the Tianluo Sect have been imprisoned by the emperor's explicit decree in the Black Wind Valley, four hundred li away. They are said to have offended His Majesty, possibly due to secret collusion with the Divine霄 Sect, and were forced to death by the emperor.'

'That is highly possible. The Tianluo Sect has always been on good terms with the Divine霄 Sect, and that person had a debt of gratitude for saving them from crisis. His Majesty and the Heavenly Dao Sect have always been wary of them.'

'But has that person really returned?'

'He must have returned, otherwise why would the Son of Heaven deploy this 'Six Harmonies Imperial Immortal Formation'? Is it free of charge? It is said that at the fifth ke of the zi hour today, he will come to meet the Sacred Lord.'

'This is troublesome. Wasn't it said that person had fallen in the Boundless Void? How did he come back?'

'What is there to fear! Can he really, with his single strength and a broken Divine霄 Sect, contend with the Imperial Lord and dozens of Mahayana cultivators here? This is no longer the situation ten years ago.'

'I'm only afraid he won't come! It's said he will challenge the formation at the zi hour. Whether that person truly has the courage remains to be seen.'

'Eh—don't underestimate the enemy! I know well how terrifying this person is. I once saw him personally break into the demon army alone, slaying four Mahayana demon lords without a scratch. His sword art is especially fearsome.'

'Even Dugu Tianyi was ultimately no match for him and could only flee from this world. Remember when this person was still in this world, no cultivator in the universe dared to speak loudly in his presence, and even the Sacred Lord had to humble himself and proactively confer the title of Immortal King—'

The speaker did not continue, clearly aware that his previous words were inappropriate and had developed some caution.

Meanwhile, inside the imperial tent, before Emperor Tai Ru, dozens of contemporary 'Mahayana' cultivators and many generals of the Langya Heavenly Dynasty gathered together. All wore cold expressions, making the atmosphere in the tent extremely tense.

The sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, 'Shou Heng,' recently conferred the title 'Jade Heaven Taiyi True Lord' by the court, stood frowning before the imperial tent, gazing toward the Divine霄 Mountain.

'So, Fa Yunzi and Hai Yunzi indeed passed away in nirvana, not forced to death by Your Majesty.'

'Does the True Lord think I am so benighted?'

Emperor Tai Ru sat leisurely on the imperial throne: 'Even if I had any dissatisfaction with them, I would not cut off my own arm before leveling the Divine霄 Sect. Even if they truly had some collusion with the Divine霄 Sect, as long as they did not actually turn against me, I could tolerate it. Moreover—'

His eyes showed inquiry: 'Why would I need to lie? What benefit would it bring me? Have I ever deceived you all over the years?'

True Lord Shou Heng fell silent, knowing that at least in the past seven years, Emperor Tai Ru indeed had no such record. Since he attacked Divine霄 Mountain and nearly destroyed the number one immortal sect under heaven, he had gradually displayed the magnanimity of a peerless hero.

'I want to know, what exactly did Hai Yunzi say at that time?'

'Why ask? What good would it do you to know?'

Emperor Tai Ru sighed slightly: 'He believed that Tao Wenjian's strength far surpassed mine, so he was not optimistic about this battle. He also said that if I wanted to survive this calamity, the best course was to flee from here and hide, or even follow Dugu Tianyi's example and go to foreign lands. Alternatively, I could gather all my generals and the strength of all sects to deploy our dynasty's 'Six Harmonies Imperial Immortal Formation' for defense, only then might I have a chance to survive—these were Hai Yunzi's exact words, not a single change.'

When Emperor Tai Ru spoke these words, the faces of everyone in the tent darkened as if they were about to drip water.

True Lord Shou Heng's gaze was especially cold as ice.

'To be honest, I don't believe his words, but that fellow committed suicide in nirvana right in front of me—so I have no choice but to go all out in this battle.'

Emperor Tai Ru said with sarcasm: 'Are you all afraid? Do you want to follow Hai Yunzi's example? Hope that person will be magnanimous and spare your lineage? Or, as Hai Yunzi said, flee this world?'

'Impossible!'

This was a white-bearded elder, seated not far before the imperial throne, in the fifth seat.

He was the sect leader of the 'Sacred Profound Gate,' 'Tian Jian,' who had entered Mahayana decades ago and was a highly esteemed great cultivator. However, his face was now bloodless: 'I know that person's temperament; it is absolutely impossible for him to let us go. The Tianluo Sect is different from us; they joined after the siege of the mountain, and their hands are not stained with much blood of the Divine霄 Sect disciples. The reason Hai Yunzi and his fellow disciple could commit suicide in peace is likely because they received his promise to preserve their lineage.'

'So all of us have no choice but to fight to the death to survive, is that it?'

This came from another person, the master of the Tianyuan Sword Sect, 'Jian Hongfei,' who sat third among the assembly.

This genius sword cultivator, who had attained Mahayana in just seventy years, almost matching the 'Divine霄 Wuji Zixu Immortal King,' narrowed his eyes, filled with battle intent and anticipation.

'Since my enlightenment, I have always wanted to experience Tao Wenjian's unparalleled sword art, but lacked the opportunity. Today, I will finally meet him and see if his 'Zhou Tian Yin-Yang Constellation Divine Sword' lives up to its reputation. I don't know what Hai Yunzi saw on Divine霄 Mountain, but I trust my sword more. Whether he is now a god or a Buddha, I will surely cut him down with my sword!'

At this moment, everyone seated was invigorated.

'Brother Jian speaks wisely! I, Zhao Yinlei, have practiced swordsmanship for a hundred and sixty years, but I have never encountered an enemy before whom I dared not draw my sword. If I were like Hai Yunzi, what would be the point of practicing swordsmanship? Besides, we truly have no other choice!'

'Only battle! If we win, we eliminate the trouble; if we lose, it's just death!'

'Your words are heroic! I, Lin, will also risk my life today. If I die in battle, I ask you all to take care of my Primordial Beast Sect!'

Emperor Tai Ru's lips curled slightly: 'So I said, why ask? You are all like me, unwilling to surrender without a fight.'

He then looked outside the tent: 'All the seated immortals speak passionately and generously. What do you think, my Jade Heaven Taiyi True Lord?'

'If I didn't have the觉悟 of total sect annihilation, I wouldn't have followed Your Majesty to attack Divine霄 Mountain seven years ago.'

True Lord 'Shou Heng' snorted coldly, his tone also carrying some mockery: 'Let him come! As long as his mana hasn't surpassed Dugu Tianyi, the Demon of the Nine Heavens, by more than ten times, why should we fear him? I truly don't believe he has the ability to slay us all here.'

He gently stroked a black-red sword artifact in his sleeve, then flicked it with his finger.

'At the second ke of the zi hour, I can't help but feel a surge of excitement. I can't wait to see what kind of demeanor the returned 'Divine霄 Wuji Zixu Immortal King' will have.'

…

At this time, Li Mochen was sitting on the mountain peak, instructing the disciples present on how to control their newly acquired biological armors. It was worth noting that behind司徒静羽's head, five rotating pills were suspended.

The first-generation 'Five-Element External Pill' that Li Mochen had refined for himself in the past was no longer needed. He had washed away his own spiritual imprint and brought it to the Yuanqiong Realm.

The Bright World was now turbulent with storms and waves; before his departure, he had anticipated that he would not stay here long. However, with this external pill, the demigod-level biological armor, and the three sets of mythical-grade sword artifacts he had brought, it was enough to ensure that the任掌教 of the Divine霄 Sect would possess a magnificent mana surpassing even his own in the past.

Even though the current掌教 candidate was司徒静羽, who should have been the weakest among the Three Masters and Five Swords.

'It's truly incredible! It is indeed alive, a creature like a divine beast, yet it can cover the body and grant one the power of an immortal. Now I truly wish to follow the master to the foreign lands and see the vast world.'

司徒静羽 still used her original sword 'Xian Yu,' sending a sharp sword light through the blade, piercing a thousand zhang and stirring the primordial spirits.

Li Mochen was not surprised. Although the cultivators of this world generally had lower cultivation levels due to insufficient primordial spirits, their achievements in tracing the 'origin' and 'root of heaven and earth' were in no way inferior to the cultivators of the Bright World, and even surpassed them.

司徒静羽 had also made sufficient progress in seven years. Her sword intent was especially strong, enough to rival the魏剑一 of the past.

According to the Bright World's terminology, the 'conceptual divine authority' that司徒静羽 had凝聚 on her sword artifact numbered at least seven! Among them, 'slashing' had reached the level of intermediate divine authority.

This was a foundation sufficient for司徒静羽 to achieve an intermediate divine position in the Bright World.

Li Mochen smiled slightly: 'When you have completed the two tasks I have set and restored the Divine霄 Sect to its former glory, you can all come to me. My identity in that world is in need of helpers.'

'Two tasks?' Wei Jianyi's eyes sharpened: 'Please instruct, Master!'

'First, faith! Within twenty years, at least sixty percent of the people in this world must believe in the 'Divine霄 Heavenly Mandate Taiyi Immortal Lord.' I govern the heavenly mandate, yin-yang, time, warfare, life and death, destiny, and life essence, with the thought of equality for all beings. The 'Yuanjie Star' observed in this world is my destiny star. You may also erect a divine statue on the summit of Divine霄 Mountain to facilitate my descent into this world in my divine form.'

The 'heavenly mandate' in 'Divine霄 Heavenly Mandate Taiyi Immortal Lord' naturally corresponds to fate. And 'Taiyi' in Daoism means supreme and most honored, later衍生为 the source and law.

'We obey!'

司徒静羽 solemnly accepted the order: 'Your disciple will implement it as soon as possible, sparing no effort.'

The disciples present also responded loudly, accepting the order with fervor.

They generally understood the principle that the Divine霄 Sect's glory and loss were shared. The greater the太上宗主's achievements in the foreign lands, the broader their future prospects, and it would also ensure the Divine霄 Sect's long-term prosperity in this world.

As in this instance, if not for Li Mochen's attainment of the Dao in the foreign lands, how could they have had the opportunity to seek the Dao in this life? Even if they survived this calamity, they would have grown old and died in this world.

Now that the太上宗主 had given this command, they had to provide support no matter what.

'Very good!'

Li Mochen then waved his hand, displaying a boundless star map before their eyes: 'Second, and the last thing I will tell you today. Near the Yuanqiong Realm, there are six small worlds suspected to be fragments of the realm shattered during the primordial chaos war when the Three Realm Sovereigns clashed. After you test the 'Divine Armor,' you can attempt to attract them and merge them with the Yuanqiong Realm. I will also assist with divine power from afar. If this is accomplished, not only will the primordial spirits of this world be restored to the level of seventeen thousand years ago, but there will also be immeasurable merit. This will be the foundation for the eternal existence of the Divine霄 lineage in this world.'

As he spoke these words, he felt the 'Divine霄 Spiritual Fortune Purple Gold Tower' tremble violently, and in an instant, millions of strands of merit gathered outside the tower.

This surprised and delighted Li Mochen. Presumably, once this endeavor succeeded, the merit returned would be even more magnificent.

—In the short term, he could not bring these into the Bright World; they needed time to transform. However, he could still use them in the Star Realm to deduce Dao methods and study profound principles. That was what he had done during those seven years, using the merit of saving the world in the Yuanqiong Realm to ultimately deduce divine authorities such as fate, time, and war to the high level.