Chapter 1887: Swordsman Guards the Heavenly Gate

A World of Mortals

"Roar!"

Zhongmao Province, Jizhen Encampment.

A roar, resembling a tiger's mighty call, shook the immortal city. This tiger's roar even drowned out the collective cries of the countless beasts in the horde, causing the surrounding fierce creatures to tremble and the cultivators to feel their hearts pounding.

True Immortal Ruoquan awoke with a start, gazing north. There, yellow smoke billowed, faintly revealing a colossal tiger charging furiously towards the immortal city. The tiger's form was comparable to a mountain; with each leap, its four hooves effortlessly shattered peaks and flattened river valleys. Its massive, bell-sized eyes emitted terrifyingly fierce light, locking onto the immortal city.

All the beasts prostrated themselves!

The first Great Fiend had finally arrived!

True Immortal Ruoquan couldn't help but reveal a look of horror, urgently gazing towards the direction of the Garrison Altar. The city's grand protective formation and their combined strength alone could never withstand the onslaught of a True Monarch-level fierce beast.

At Zhongmao Province, the Ritual Altar.

The two Great True Immortals sensed something and gazed remotely towards Jizhen Encampment. One of them chanted:

"In the Mid-Heaven, the supreme moon, its pure light illuminates myriad paths.When the wind shakes, the pine obscures the moon; when the wind stills, the moon is whole."

The other then chanted:

"Its clear shade divides the four seasons, its length and brevity mark the watches of the night.Only for its selfless radiance, it follows the wind to the Grand Void."

The sound of the chants, originating from the Ritual Altar, spread to all the magical altars under the jurisdiction of the Tian Shu Court. All altar masters and cultivating monks could hear it. Those well-versed in Taoist scriptures, upon hearing these two introductory chants, immediately understood what was to follow. They showed expressions of excitement, performed talismans as instructed, and the talismanic light ascended, resonating with the Ritual Altar.

All the True Immortals respectfully proclaimed: "Venerable Celestial of the Wondrous Fruit, Pure Moon!"

The magical altars beneath the two Great True Immortals trembled slightly. The bright moon in the Mid-Heaven seemed to respond, casting faint moonlight upon the Ritual Altar of Zhongmao Province. The figures of the two Great True Immortals became ethereal, as if draped in a veil of moonlight.

Within the moonlight, the voices of the two Great True Immortals chanting in unison resounded.

"Mid-Heaven's divine moon, illumining with crimson light.The three luminaries shine together, myriad heavens are bright.Rivers and seas fall silent, mountains conceal their mists.As a single incense stick is lit, the sacred name is praised."

Following the incantation, the glow of divine talismans frequently appeared between the two Great True Immortals, finally manifesting as a spiritual incense stick. Its fragrance wafted upwards, directly ascending to the Nine Heavens.

All the True Immortals reverently chanted again: "Venerable Celestial of the Wondrous Fruit, Pure Moon!"

The incantation rang out loudly, shaking the bright moon in the Nine Heavens. Within Zhongmao Province, looking up at the sky at that moment, one could see the halo of the moon in the heavens expanding by nearly double. Outside the nested double moons, a third bright moon now seemed to appear.

Just then, at the Ritual Altar, the Great True Immortal situated to the north suddenly rose, flicked the whisk in his hand, and performed the mystical Big Dipper steps.

"With a pure heart, the Tao is the essence, likened to the precious moon in Mid-Heaven.It sweeps away all clouds of delusion without blemish, a single disk of light filling the Grand Void."

All the True Immortals responded in harmony. They continued chanting several incantations in this manner. Each incantation required corresponding divine talismans and precise finger gestures for the Big Dipper steps. The expressions of all the True Immortals grew increasingly solemn, as if on a pilgrimage. They chanted loudly in unison, their voices containing a peculiar rhythm.

"Pure, bright moon, within the orchid breeze you rest.Dividing the void to set the scene, gathering energy to hang in the sky.We, your present descendants, admire your pure essence.Your servants surrender our lives, to become one with the Tao!"

Brilliant moonlight showered down its pure radiance; the moon grew increasingly bright, as if it truly intended to fall from the heavens to the mortal realm.

Inside the Divine Court.

There was a divine hall with a plaque that read: "Moon Palace, Sovereign of Primordial Essence, Sacred Empress of the Luminous Yellow Blossom, Great Yin Primordial Lady." This was the divine hall of the Great Yin Primordial Lady, one of the Nine Luminaries Star Lords, also known as the "Great Yin Imperial Sovereign."

Inside the divine hall, the idol of the Great Yin Primordial Lady emitted a cool, clear moonlight, clearly having sensed the summons from the lower realm. The Great True Immortal holding the whisk looked up at the sky, then bowed and addressed:

"The pure breeze brushes the face, true incense penetrates directly to the Great Yin Residence.The bright moon declares the words, the Taoist decree requests the descent of the supreme art!"

The incantation concluded. The Great True Immortal suddenly flung the whisk in his hand towards the north, pointing remotely in the direction of Jizhen Encampment.

At Jizhen Encampment's immortal city, a divine light suddenly shot straight up from the Garrison Altar towards the constellations. A figure floated into the air with the divine light—it was a female Taoist priestess clad in a ceremonial robe. Her expression was solemn. She wore a Hibiscus Jadeite Sky Crown and a rhino horn hairpin. She was dressed in purple Taoist attire, embroidered with emerald five-colored clouds and mist, and adorned with thirty-two purple cloud five-colored sashes. Her dark red skirt had five panels and four pleats, and she wore a black jade gui tablet at her waist.

She ascended into the void, her gaze fixed on the Mid-Heaven. Her aura resonated remotely with the bright moon in the sky. At this moment, the moonlight throughout Zhongmao Province converged towards Jizhen Encampment. The bright moon in the Mid-Heaven shone with immense brilliance.

"Whoosh!"

The priestess spread her arms, her Taoist robe billowing. A ray of moonlight descended from the heavens. At this moment, all the cultivators gazed at the priestess with reverence and excitement. They saw her bathed in moonlight, her aura ethereal and immortal-like, as if the Great Yin Primordial Lady herself had descended to the mortal realm.

Infinite divine power poured into her from the crown of her head. The priestess's aura surged steadily, but her beautiful face became distorted, as if she were enduring terrible impact and pain. She gritted her teeth, finally crossing a certain threshold.

"Roar!""Boom!"

Outside the immortal city, the fierce tiger landed heavily, its forward momentum momentarily slowing. Its fierce eyes fixed intently on the female immortal in the sky, sensing a threat from her and letting out a series of piercing roars.

"Whoosh!"

The priestess opened her eyes. They were devoid of emotion or ripple, and her divine light, like lightning, shot directly into the depths of the fierce tiger's gaze, provoking an even more ferocious roar.

The fierce tiger transformed into a swirl of yellow smoke and slammed into the immortal city!

On the ground, the battles raged continuously.

Within the moon halo, outside the Divine Court.

Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue stood with his sword upright before the Heavenly Gate, fighting the Demon Race's Great Sage alone.

"Get out of the way!"

A five-clawed golden dragon arrived, treading on towering golden flames. It swung its tail, striking fiercely towards Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue. With a single flick, the dragon's tail transformed into a ten-thousand-foot golden rainbow, its power astonishing.

Facing this terrifying attack, Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue remained calm. He pointed his sword finger into the void, and myriad sword lights moved in unison, suddenly shooting forth. The sword lights formed a river of swords, vast and mighty, incomparably sharp. It seemed capable of breaking through all obstacles in the world, cutting directly towards the golden rainbow.

"Boom!"

The front end of the golden rainbow shattered instantly, its broken golden light scattering profusely. The river of swords flowed upstream within the ten-thousand-foot golden rainbow, sweeping everything before it, its momentum unstoppable! The sword's edge pointed directly at the dragon's head!

The five-clawed golden dragon actually felt a faint pain in its brow. Its gaze narrowed slightly, then it raised a front claw, sweeping through the void, and gushed forth dense golden light, transforming into a golden dragon claw before its body. The dragon claw was incredibly massive, its tips sharp as blades. It grabbed towards the river of swords, generating the force of wind and thunder with its movement.

"Rumble..."

The void seemed to have been torn apart by the dragon claw. As the river of swords penetrated the ten-thousand-foot golden rainbow, the dragon claw arrived.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The dragon claw clenched tightly, gripping countless sword lights in its palm. The sword lights struck the dragon claw as if hitting solid metal, and one by one, they were extinguished. The five-clawed golden dragon rapidly swung its body, seizing the opportunity to bypass Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue. However, just as its figure moved, it heard a deafening tearing sound.

The dragon claw, which appeared to have the upper hand, actually shattered into pieces at that moment. The river of swords came with the momentum of breaking the heavens. The five-clawed golden dragon's expression instantly changed. It let out a series of urgent low roars, its scales glistening all over, and golden armor materialized in the air.

The golden armor was ancient and rustic, erupting with golden light, forming a swirling vortex centered around the five-clawed golden dragon. Seeing this, Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue immediately changed his sword technique. The river of swords, which was originally intended to strike the five-clawed golden dragon, retracted its momentum, connecting head to tail to form a sword ring, trapping the five-clawed golden dragon within.

As the sword ring was about to complete, Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue suddenly sensed something amiss and frowned. Immediately afterwards, a deep resonating sound came from within the sword ring. Within the golden light vortex, a dim, eerie light emerged. This light was strange, seemingly capable of devouring golden light, and anyone who looked upon it would feel a chilling sensation.

As the dim, eerie light spread rapidly, its source appeared: an ancient obelisk. The ancient obelisk stood on the back of the five-clawed golden dragon. It was entirely black, its surface inscribed with indecipherable texts that were twisted and bizarre, just like the dim, eerie light.

The golden dragon bore the obelisk, raising its head and roaring furiously!

The ancient obelisk trembled, and a dense, dim, eerie light burst forth, like raging waves or a ghostly mist formed by countless vengeful spirits. Its momentum was incredibly terrifying, crashing violently towards the sword ring. For a moment, the sword light within the sword ring dimmed. Countless sword lights were even tainted by the dim, eerie light, turning black and then vanishing.

The five-clawed golden dragon lunged forward, breaking through the sword ring's blockade. Just as it was about to continue its furious charge, it suddenly felt a pang of fear.

The sword ring vanished. In its place appeared a ray of sword light, a spiritual sword.

"Whoosh!"

A three-foot green blade hung inverted in the highest heaven, descending from the sky. As it plunged, its sword momentum grew increasingly fierce, swiftly transforming into a sword rainbow. Its edge pointed directly at the five-clawed golden dragon's inverse scale, a vital weak point.

Locked by the sword intent, the five-clawed golden dragon immediately felt its heart pounding. Though protected by golden armor and possessing an exceptionally strong body, it had a feeling of being unable to contend with this power. If it stubbornly pressed on and was struck by this sword, even if it didn't die, it would be severely wounded! The five-clawed golden dragon had tried to overestimate its enemy as much as possible, yet it hadn't expected this person to still possess such terrifying swordsmanship even without using the Divine Sword of Po Jun!

"Whoosh!"

In desperation, the five-clawed golden dragon could only abandon its forward charge. It shifted its body horizontally, puffed out its cheeks, and opened its mouth to spray out a ball of golden light. The golden light's momentum was not as grand as previous attacks, but it was far more solidified, resembling a dragon pearl.

"Clang!"

The sound of the collision echoed throughout the sky. The spiritual sword paused mid-air. The golden pearl, however, suddenly dimmed, shot back, and was swallowed by the five-clawed golden dragon. The five-clawed golden dragon grunted, its body trembling as if it had suffered a loss. Its dragon eyes radiated a terrifying killing intent.

"You seek death!"

The five-clawed golden dragon wore a ferocious expression, but did not choose to continue its fierce charge. During this time, it had already sensed its Altar-Protecting Divine General. Its gaze bypassed Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue and looked towards the Divine Court.

The next moment, a jade-green radiance appeared on the horizon. Wind and thunder surged fiercely. The jade-green radiance, like the purest essence of wood, shot towards the five-clawed golden dragon and merged into its body. Although it was a five-clawed golden dragon, the one it summoned was the Star Lord of the Wood Virtue and Jupiter, one of the Nine Luminaries. It was already a Great Sage itself, and the Altar-Protecting Divine General it summoned held a rank equivalent to its own, so the process was naturally not as complex as that of the Great True Immortals. Demon Talismans were ultimately inferior to orthodox Taoist Talismans. It could only summon Altar-Protecting Divine Generals, not higher-ranked Talismanic Deities. After "divine transformation," the burden it bore was also heavier. However, the five-clawed golden dragon could not worry about such things now. It had to give its all to take control of the Divine Court!

"Divine transformation?"

Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue thought of the Taoist Court's heritage, his expression growing a bit more solemn, but he did not panic. This was also within expectations. Divine power originates from Talismanic Deities. After a cultivator undergoes "divine transformation," the enhancements gained are mostly reflected in the way of talismans. The Demon Race cultivates Demon Talismans but focuses more on their inherent bloodline abilities, unable to unleash the full power of "divine transformation." Of course, it was also not easy for him to slay the five-clawed golden dragon.

"Clink!"

The spiritual sword trembled slightly. The five-clawed golden dragon's ferocious expression abruptly froze. This time, there were no myriad sword lights, and even the spiritual sword itself gradually faded from sight. Yet, in the five-clawed golden dragon's perception, sword intent was ubiquitous in the surrounding void! No matter which direction it charged, its path would be blocked by sword intent.

"Crack!"

Peals of thunder reverberated. Below the five-clawed golden dragon, streams of jade-green demonic lightning erupted. The demonic lightning was immense in momentum, instantly spreading across half the sky. The demonic lightning struck towards the surrounding void. The void gave off an inexplicably dim sensation, yet to the naked eye, it appeared empty.

"Rumble..."

Without warning, large swathes of demonic lightning suddenly vanished, faintly revealing fleeting sword shadows. Multiple gaps appeared in the demonic lightning's net, as if several spiritual swords had moved in unison, shattering the demonic lightning and striking towards the five-clawed golden dragon.

The five-clawed golden dragon leaped into the air, stirring up an essence-corroding demonic wind. A light swipe of its dragon claw generated a thick bolt of demonic lightning, and countless demonic lightning bolts wildly struck at the invisible sword intent surrounding it. At the same time, treasure light frequently emerged from the five-clawed golden dragon's body. After its golden armor, the ancient obelisk, and the dragon pearl, it manifested several more supreme treasures. Some were intact, others damaged, all of them paramount treasures passed down from the Guifang Kingdom, each possessing unparalleled might.

In contrast, Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue wielded only himself and two swords! He activated the Divine Sword of Po Jun, unleashing two sword shadows towards the Fiendplain and the Fiendsea respectively, while simultaneously using his innate spiritual sword to contend with the Demon Race's Great Sage. It was truly a case of "one mind, three uses." Relying on a single sword, he managed to render all the five-clawed golden dragon's attacks futile, preventing it from advancing even a single step.

The five-clawed golden dragon roared furiously in extreme rage. The dragon's roar reached the Great Sage's Manor. The demon soldiers of the Great Sage's Manor were on high alert, preparing for the True Monarchs of the Taoist Court. Unexpectedly, the Taoist Court True Monarchs did not choose to attack the Great Sage's Manor to seize the Demon Calling Drum. At this moment, hearing the Great Sage's roar, the demon soldiers immediately shifted their formation. The Great Sage's Manor was currently filled with dense masses of demon soldiers. With a single movement, they formed an incredibly complex demonic array, like a surging flood.

The demonic array was centered around several demon kings. As the formation began to take shape, the demon kings raised their fingers to the sky, and spiritual light, like swords, shot towards the heavens' apex, supporting the Great Sage from afar.

The True Immortal wielding the sword was under increasing pressure; within his vision, only the lightning of demonic thunder remained. His face was deathly pale, yet he stood tall, his head held high. One hand rested on the hilt of the Divine Sword of Po Jun, calmly observing his opponent ahead, refusing to retreat a single step!

At this critical moment, a change finally occurred at the Fiendplain and the Fiendsea. The Great Fiends' ferocity gained the upper hand, attacking the sword shadows. By this time, the sword shadows had lost their deterrent power, and the Taoist sect had gained a certain level of resistance. Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue swept his gaze across the ground, urged the sword shadows to deliver one final strike, forcing the Great Fiends back. He then immediately withdrew his sword intent, feeling a sudden immense reduction in pressure!

"Snap!"

Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue withdrew his hand from the hilt of the Divine Sword of Po Jun, stepped forward, treading on the void, and astonishingly caused the demonic lightning ahead to momentarily freeze. Golden light flashed within the demonic lightning, revealing the nearly frenzied figure of the five-clawed golden dragon.

"Whoosh!"

The spiritual sword appeared before Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue, and its sword intent suddenly retracted. Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue's eyes gleamed with brilliance. He let out a long laugh that drowned out the thunder, carrying an awe-inspiring grandeur: "Fellow Daoist, please take another of my swords!"

"Buzz!"

Sword light filled ten thousand feet, its momentum like a rainbow!

While Heavenly Sovereign Tianyue and the five-clawed golden dragon were locked in fierce combat.

At the Ritual Altar of Zhongmao Province, within the Talisman Bestowal Institute.

True Monarch Zhang, seated cross-legged on the Talisman Altar, holding the Governor's Seal, subtly shifted his expression. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which had been continuously surging into the Talisman Bestowal Institute, paused for a moment, then rushed into his body with even greater momentum. In the blink of an eye, True Monarch Zhang successfully broke through, but he did not stop. After briefly stabilizing his cultivation, he continued to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Soon after, a similar situation occurred at the Talisman Bestowal Institute of the Ritual Altar in Baishi Province. A female Taoist priestess, holding the Governor's Seal of Baishi Province, had a serene expression. Her cultivation steadily crossed the bottleneck, and closely following, she entered the mid-stage of the River Diagram Dharma Rank. Unlike True Monarch Zhang, without waiting for her cultivation to stabilize, the female Taoist priestess slowly stood up, took delicate lotus steps, and walked out of the Talisman Bestowal Institute.

(End of Chapter)

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