Chapter 1888: Silver Threads Hanging in the Air

The Human World

“Greetings, Demon-Subduing Emissary!”

At the Baishi Altar, the two Grand Daoists overseeing it beamed with joy and bowed to the Kun Dao.

The Kun Dao, like True Lord Zhang, held the rank of Principal Second Grade Supreme Minister of the Nine Heavens Golden Palace, serving as the Nine Heavens Demon-Subduing Emissary in the Dao Court and presiding over the Northern Extremity Exorcism Court.

Both of them appeared visibly weak; the brief period of presiding over the summoning of deities had greatly exhausted them, and they had been struggling to hold on. Just now, the altar had produced an anomaly, which both of them had sensed, recognizing it as a sign of a breakthrough. However, the True Lord had emerged from seclusion too quickly, causing them some apprehension. Seeing the True Lord now, they let out a sigh of relief. The True Lord had just broken through, and their aura was still unstable. Even so, they could feel that the True Lord's cultivation was vastly different from before—the breakthrough had been successful!

The Kun Dao nodded slightly to them, lightly tapped their foot, and flew into the air. Their eyes gleamed with divine light as their gaze swept across the battlefields to the north and south, particularly focusing on the locations of several True Lord-level formidable beasts, including Jizhenjing.

Jizhenjing.

The female Daoist, having transformed into the Grand Yin Primordial Sovereign, experienced a surge in power, but it also brought her unimaginable shock and pain. This suffering stemmed not only from the immense power forcibly infused, far exceeding her own cultivation, but also from the impact on her primordial spirit and will.

Summoning talismanic deities is an immense trial for those who undergo transformation. If one's character is insufficient or will is not firm enough, even summoning a high-tier talismanic deity would only allow them to barely maintain their sanity, utterly unable to control such power. Precisely for this reason, the Daoist sect places great emphasis on cultivating the character of its disciples. From their initiation to receiving talismans and even their daily cultivation thereafter, they must adhere to Daoist precepts. The most common include the Three Refuges, Five Precepts, and Twelve Great Vows. Many Daoist sects also have their own unique precepts, such as the Nine Precepts of Xiang'er, the Twenty-Four Precepts of Mingzhen, and even the Three Hundred Grand Precepts!

The Daoist sect believes that in the mortal world, the six emotions lead to attachment, the five desires to indulgence, inner turbidity disturbs the mind, and external defilement obscures the surroundings. Upholding precepts and regulations, refraining from evil deeds through prohibition, not only tempers the Dao heart but also allows for progress in virtuous acts and accumulation of merits.

As a Grand Daoist, the female Daoist's character was naturally strong enough to withstand the impact. Her delicate body still trembled, her fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on her jade-like arms, as she struggled to restrain the immense power within her.

“Roar!”

A tiger's roar, like thunder, came from outside the city. The Daoist cultivators who had charged out of the city had long since retreated, now using the immortal city walls as a barrier to cast spells and slay the beast tide outside.

Outside the city, blood flowed like a river, and the corpses of ferocious beasts piled up like mountains. Yet, the beasts were endless, trampling over their fallen comrades and frantically smashing against the city walls. The city walls, protected by a great defensive formation, were enveloped in a layer of golden light, making them impregnable.

When this tiger's roar sounded, the beast tide's offensive visibly slowed. However, the Daoist cultivators inside the city showed no joy; instead, their faces were filled with terror as they gazed outside. From outside the city, thick yellow smoke billowed. From within the smoke, a fierce tiger trampled through mountains, rushing forth, and then leapt from the last peak. The mountain peak crumbled. The fierce tiger leapt into mid-air, opened its gaping maw, and roared as it lunged towards the immortal city, completely ignoring the city's Spatial Trap Formation. Even through the immortal city and the grand formation, everyone clearly sensed the fierce tiger's terrifying aura.

The Daoist cultivators were chilled to the bone, and the demon soldiers fared even worse; each one grew agitated, some even trembling and kneeling down. Were it not for strict disciplinary laws, they would have scattered on the spot.

At this moment, the look of pain on the female Daoist's face lessened slightly, and the power within her body finally stabilized. She raised her right hand, her fingers gliding gently through the void, her flowing sleeves dancing with her slender, jade-like hand. Her fingertips imbued with spiritual energy, leaving behind a moon-white trail wherever they passed. In an instant, a divine talisman appeared.

This divine talisman was called the Grand Yin Mirror Talisman. In the past, the female Daoist would need extensive preparation and complex incantations to barely cast it, and even then, success was not guaranteed every time. Now, she drew it in the air, and the divine talisman was instantly formed! She flipped her jade-like hand and gently tapped the divine talisman.

The fierce tiger was already close at hand, about to pounce into the immortal city. Its two forepaws were incredibly thick, like two massive stone pillars, smashing towards the city walls! All the cultivators could visibly see the intimidating malevolence in the tiger's eyes and the sharp claws at its forepaws, and they were all terrified.

“Whoosh!”

The divine talisman transformed into a stream of light, shot out of the city, and paused before the fierce tiger. The next moment, the stream of light suddenly erupted, like a full moon. The moonlight was dazzling, and within it, truly, was the outline of a full moon, hanging high before the fierce tiger, like a precious mirror reflecting its figure.

The fierce tiger's roar ceased abruptly. Its fierce eyes shifted from the immortal city to the Grand Yin Mirror Talisman, and the fur on its entire body stood on end. From this precious mirror, it felt an inexplicable binding force, as if it was about to be sucked into the mirror. However, the threat posed by the aura of the Grand Yin Mirror Talisman was far less than that of the divine sword, Po Jun.

Facing the Grand Yin Mirror Talisman, the fierce tiger showed no intention of retreating. It let out an even louder roar, its forepaws, which had been aimed at the immortal city, rose up and fiercely struck the precious mirror.

“Smack!”

The precious mirror vibrated violently. It actually blocked the attack! Before anyone could cheer, a continuous "smack, smack, smack" sounded as the tiger's paws frantically slammed against the precious mirror. Cracks quickly appeared on the precious mirror, and the sound of it breaking resonated through the immortal city, shaking everyone's hearts.

The female Daoist's breathing became ragged. She took a step forward, hovering above the city wall, her arms outstretched. The city's defensive formation erupted in dazzling golden light. Even having transformed into the Grand Yin Primordial Sovereign, possessing power comparable to a True Lord, she was still no match for the fierce tiger, and her divine power would gradually deplete. She still needed to rely on the grand formation to defend the city. At the same time, the Daoist cultivators understood what they needed to do. Led by True Lord Ruoquan and others, they formed arrays to assist the female Daoist.

The mirror shattered!

The fierce tiger roared towards the sky and charged forward, ramming its head into the immortal city.

“Boom!”

The earth shook and mountains swayed. The city wall was actually cracked by that single impact, countless buildings inside the city collapsed, and large numbers of Daoist cultivators were sent flying. The female Daoist cast several divine talismans in succession to stabilize the grand formation.

The fierce tiger was almost insane. Its attacks were simple and unembellished; its head, like an iron hammer, relentlessly slammed against the barrier of the city's defensive formation.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The grand formation swayed precariously. The cultivators inside the city turned pale. The female Daoist used all her might to protect the immortal city beneath her and the Daoist disciples behind her.

“Ugh!”

The female Daoist suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, her figure stumbled, causing widespread exclamations of alarm.

“True Lord Li!”

True Lord Ruoquan was greatly alarmed and flew up to support the female Daoist. The female Daoist shook her head, pushed True Lord Ruoquan away, swallowed a medicinal pill, and continued to cast talismans.

Everything was reflected in the Kun Dao's eyes. She flashed down between the two Grand Daoists, holding the Seal of the Baishi Division's Chief Registrar, and softly said, “Take your pills.”

The voice, transmitted through the altar, spread to all subordinate altars. Moreover, the Zhongmao Division's altar, as well as the pacification altars and ancestral altars under the jurisdiction of the Tian Shu Court, could all hear it. The Dao Court was inherently unified; as long as the master of a division allowed it, masters of other Chief Registrar seals could also take over that division. The Kun Dao brought the two Daoist divisions under her command, issuing an order that spread throughout the land! Including the two Grand Daoists presiding over the Zhongmao Division's altar, the cultivators in charge of all altars were overjoyed upon hearing the True Lord's decree. They all obeyed the order, taking their pills and seizing the time to recover.

The Kun Dao then took out a wooden sword, three feet long, crafted from an unknown spiritual wood. Its dark red blade had clear wood grain, and a sword tassel hung from the hilt. This was a Daoist ritual sword, mostly used during altar rituals, with the power to summon divine generals, exorcise evil and suppress demons, and even break through hell and guide the deceased.

“Swish!”

The Kun Dao raised the ritual sword, pointing it towards the sky.

“Flying heavens blazing fire, channeling divine dew.”

A soft chant began. The Seal of the Baishi Division's Chief Registrar, floating before the Kun Dao, flickered with spiritual light. The altars in the Hall of Talismanic Ordination resonated, radiating golden light. Concurrently, similar anomalies appeared in all altars within the two divisions. The cultivators presiding over the altars were still refining the medicinal power within them. Upon seeing this, they were about to act but realized that this ritual was different from previous ones and did not require their participation. This ritual only required the True Lord and the Grand Daoists, mobilizing the power of all altars under the Daoist sect's jurisdiction!

Where the ritual sword pointed, in the void, talismans glowed brightly. Each character was as large as a bushel, with heaven and earth as its canvas.

“Swish!”

The Kun Dao pointed her sword towards the Eastern Extremity.

“East rises from Yang Valley, west transports Dragon Platform.”

Swiftly turning west, then moving to the north and south.

“South turns to Fiery Abode, north revolves to River Chief.”

The incantation's sound, imbued with divine power, reached straight to the azure heavens. Finally, the Kun Dao once again raised her sword to the sky. The divine talismans in the void ignited, fiery flames filled the air, and then transformed into a stream of light that shot towards the Nine Heavens.

“Drive dragons to bring rain, with this talisman, hasten the pursuit!”

The incantation concluded.

Suddenly, strong winds and dark clouds gathered over the battlefield. Heavenly thunder roared. The cultivators desperately holding out in the immortal city looked up to see that the sky, at some point, had been enveloped in dark clouds, even obscuring the bright moon.

“Whoosh! Whoosh!”

The dark clouds gathered thicker and thicker; a torrential downpour was imminent. It wasn't just this one immortal city experiencing such phenomena; all places under the Dao Court's two divisions, as well as Jushan Division, and everywhere suffering beast tide attacks at both the north and south ends, were covered in dense dark clouds. A thick sense of oppression permeated the battlefield.

“Rumble!”

Thunderclouds rolled. Some noticed that above the dark clouds and lightning, there seemed to be figures—fierce and sinister, their forms unclear, riding clouds and mist, like heavenly deities descending to the mortal realm. Some held thunder cones, constantly striking them, causing lightning bolts to shoot out. Some grasped enormous bags with both hands, their openings wide, unleashing gusts of fierce wind. Some cradled a pottery jar, pouring out endless water that transformed into clouds.

“It's heavenly soldiers and generals!”

“The True Lord has invited heavenly deities to help us!”

Some cultivators, unaware of the full truth, cheered. This was another method of deity summoning, distinct from transformation. The Kun Dao cast talismans to give orders, summoning and commanding heavenly deities, mobilizing the power of the Divine Court's talismanic deities, greatly enhancing the divine talismans' efficacy. The divine talisman she was now casting was called the Rain-Summoning Talisman. Though it sounded ordinary, it possessed:

The Thunder God summoning thunder.

The Wind Earl drumming up wind.

The Rain Master bringing rain!

As the dark clouds converged, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on the battlefield was devoured by them. Spiritual tides surged frantically into the clouds, making the phantom figures within appear even more mysterious.

“Pour!”

A torrential downpour began on the battlefield. This rain was no ordinary rain. Each raindrop falling on an enemy was like a sword or blade, while on friendly cultivators, it was like sweet dew. The torrential rain cleansed the battlefield. Beneath the curtain of rain, countless ferocious beasts perished. The Daoist cultivators felt as if they had taken a wondrous elixir; not only were their injuries and pain alleviated, but their qi seas were also nourished.

Jizhenjing and other critical locations received special attention. The torrential rain poured down like a waterfall from the Heavenly River. The female Daoist, bathed in the rain, gained a more radiant complexion. In contrast, the fierce tiger outside the city, struck by the waterfall-like torrent, frantically shook its head, a look of pain on its face. It finally abandoned its assault on the city wall, instead spitting out yellow clouds to resist the downpour.

In an instant, the Daoist side's morale surged! On the battlefield, the grim situation was temporarily alleviated, and this support was especially invaluable for the imperiled Jushan Division.

The Kun Dao withdrew her sword and stood upright. Her gaze shifted, suddenly fixed on the direction of Gangshan Division.

Inside the Great Sage's Residence.

A demon king, who was beating the Demon War Drum, suddenly felt a chill in his heart for no apparent reason. The other demon kings nearby also felt their hair stand on end, and couldn't help but be horrified. Fortunately, this ominous feeling was fleeting.

The Kun Dao did not attack the Great Sage's Residence or seize the Demon War Drum. Her gaze moved upward, looking beyond the South Heaven Gate. At this very moment, True Lord Tianyue and the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon were locked in fierce combat. Sword light and golden flames intertwined, creating a scene of chaos. True Lord Tianyue, alone with his sword, confronted the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon after its transformation, as well as the demon formation within the Great Sage's Residence. He firmly blocked the formidable enemy's path; each time the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon charged, he repelled it with his sword. However, he paid a heavy price. True Lord Tianyue's face was ashen, and a trace of blood stained the corner of his mouth. Yet, his demeanor remained majestic, standing firm before the South Heaven Gate, like a guardian deity!

The two True Lords were unable to conceal the momentousness of their breakthroughs, which had already been detected by the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon in the sky. The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon became even more frenzied, whipping up golden flames and demonic thunder as it desperately lunged towards True Lord Tianyue. At this moment, the Kun Dao dared not act rashly. She could only divert some of the Rain-Summoning Talisman's power to help True Lord Tianyue recover.

Her gaze continued upward, passing through the South Heaven Gate and entering the Divine Court. She saw immortal mountains and divine temples, as well as streaks of light chasing each other between the temples. Her gaze lingered on Qin Sang for a moment, then continued upward, past the Nine Heavens and Nine Firmaments, the Grand Ancestor of Thunder's Hall, the Upper Palace of Divine Firmament, and even higher. Above was the deep night sky, which should have been quiet and serene, but the emergence of the Divine Court had created ripples.

And in the depths of the endless void, circles of ripples appeared. Like gentle water ripples, the patterns gradually spread, their range growing wider. At the center of the ripples, a silver gleam suddenly appeared. Immediately after, a silver thread extended into this realm, descending from the edge of the sky. The silver thread was slender and transparent, like an ordinary fishing line. Its tip gently swayed, creating ripples in the void as it rapidly descended, its target precisely the Divine Court!

In the blink of an eye, the tip of the silver thread reached above the Divine Court. It paused for a moment, then plunged down abruptly!

“Boom!”

The South Heaven Gate shook violently. The Kun Dao's expression changed drastically.

Inside the Divine Court.

Qin Sang was in the midst of an escape. Two demon kings pursued and blocked him. He relied on repeated teleportations to survive against all odds. However, this was not a long-term solution. Even if Qin Sang himself could hold on, the Heavenly Patrol Divine Restriction was nearing its limits. The golden dragon pulling the chariot became increasingly ethereal; its scales were barely visible now, and in a few more attempts, it would likely be nothing more than a phantom image of a dragon. Even now, no Daoist reinforcements were in sight.

Qin Sang escaped into a divine temple. The spiritual light barrier outside the temple would be breached in an instant, forcing him to flee again after barely catching his breath. His expression was numb, almost despairing. This time, unlike previous crises, he was utterly helpless, unable to conceive a way to escape from the two demon kings.

“Rumble!”

Before fleeing, Qin Sang suddenly noticed that the temple's tremor this time was unusual. He initially thought reinforcements had arrived, and hope rekindled in him. However, after fleeing, he realized it wasn't the case. The source of the tremor was above!

At this moment, Qin Sang, the two demon kings, and the demon deity who had broken the restriction in Thunder City, all sensed something and looked up at the sky. Above the Divine Court, ripples spread, and a silver thread had actually pierced through the Divine Court's barrier!