Chapter 1962: Demon Palace

“The Sky Tree?!”

It wasn't surprising that the City of Life had split open, revealing a dimensional rift; they had sensed it beforehand. But the Sky Tree growing from within the rift was something even Xu Xiaoshou hadn't expected.

"If I'm not mistaken, shouldn't the Sky Tree be the Demon Ancestor's backup plan?" From the stone hall in the Han Palace Imperial Realm, the Sky Tree was planted across the Five Regions by the hands of Yuegong Qi, ultimately creating the Burnt Hell Sea and nurturing the Sacred Emperor Jinzhao Ancestor, along with the Sacred Palace's Jinzhao lineage. Figures like Elder Sang, Mu Lin, and Long Rongzhi couldn't stir up much trouble, as their highest cultivation was only Half-Saint. Yet, Xu Xiaoshou remained wary of the Jinzhao Ancestor, as beyond a Sacred Emperor lay an Ancestral God, just one step away.

By abandoning one's Dao foundation and future, cultivating through forced growth could at least produce a divine body—wasn't Yuegong Li forcefully elevated from Half-Saint to Ancestral God? Of course, the cost was immense; such a cultivator would have no future. But in the eyes of an Ancestral God, why would they care about the lives of such small fry? Pigs are raised for so long, aren't they just waiting to be slaughtered at the opportune moment? It was true for Half-Saints and Sacred Emperors, and the same applied to Ancestral Gods.

Now, the Sky Tree appeared again, but it was being used by the Medicine Ancestor. Why? "Could it be that, according to the Medicine Ancestor's original plan, they intended to use the Sky Tree to influence the Demon Ancestor and gain something from them? Or perhaps this was the Demon Ancestor's guidance, subtly compelling the Medicine Ancestor to target the Sky Tree, making them believe they controlled it, only for the Demon Ancestor to pull the rug out from under them at a critical moment?" Both theories were plausible.

Fortunately, this was a struggle between the Demon Ancestor and Medicine Ancestor, and had little to do with him. The fiercer the fight, the better the outcome; ideally, both would be severely wounded. Yuegong Li extracting the City of Life beforehand could only be described as perfectly timed! Xu Xiaoshou was content to watch the struggle from afar. As for the innocent Spirit Refiners in the City of Life, who were swallowed in one gulp by the Beast Dog's grand feast and were not within the range of the Ancient Battle God's Platform, they were surely beyond resurrection... There was only sighing left for that.

How could a Dao-seizing war be a child's game? Wasn't Yuegong Li strong? Yet even they were powerless. With Ancestral Gods clashing in the Five Regions, how could it truly avoid affecting the innocent? Moreover, those "life forms" who didn't consider the dangers and take refuge far away, instead remaining huddled in the City of Life on the edge of the Ancestral God battlefield, clearly indicated a problem. Even if the Beast Dog hadn't swallowed them now, it was likely the Medicine Ancestor wouldn't have spared this "fat meat" they had cultivated for so long when the final cards were laid out.

Xu Xiaoshou no longer had the energy to ponder outside matters. Watching Yuegong Li act so recklessly, he was now convinced of this "Moon Fox's" choice. Without a doubt, Yuegong Li stood with the Sacred Servants. Or rather, they stood by their sister, Yuegong Nu, until death!

"So, to what extent can they push the Medicine Ancestor? I have the Guidance of the Dao Disk and the 'Concealment' ability, so my natural presence is low; I can still remain hidden. When does the Demon Ancestor plan to emerge? The Medicine Ancestor is almost back to zero, and they still haven't achieved the 'Three-in-One'?"

"Yuegong Li, is this your choice?!"

The Sky Tree's roots quickly covered half the sky, hanging down from the void above. Its crown bloomed, transforming into a blurry, ethereal human face, its rage soaring to the heavens. Branches hung down, flowers bloomed and withered, releasing clusters of sky fire, and life force surged violently in that instant.

The Medicine Ancestor was enraged! They were truly furious! The City of Life, this treasure trove, they had hidden it very well. Even the ten strongest talents of this era, like Xu Xiaoshou, under an invisible guidance, would not have thought of heading towards the City of Life from the beginning of their cultivation. All these great calamities were avoided, naturally to hoard a very considerable wave of life energy on the Holy God Continent, preventing the 'piglets' from seeing or obtaining it and turning it into their own opportunities. Of course, backup plans were necessary, but not all of them could be given away, absorbed, and digested by others, leading to one's own difficult circumstances. This was no different from aiding the enemy.

And now, Yuegong Li, who had discovered the secret from who knows where, swallowing the 'Fragrance of the Past' was one thing. Although that place indeed had many spiritual medicines on the surface, it wasn't the main focus for storing power to reset to zero—it was just a bait to attract attention. Who would have thought that after swallowing 'Fragrance of the Past,' they would also swallow the City of Life? This truly cut into the Medicine Ancestor's main artery.

The massive amount of life force stored in the dimensional space locked by the Sky Tree, even if offered to the Demon Ancestor to swallow, would be difficult for them to digest completely in a short time. This would put the Demon Ancestor in a dilemma: either they use the Sky Tree to consume the 'fat meat' of the City of Life, but they would choke on it, allowing the Medicine Ancestor to do many things, such as preventing their body, spirit, and will from merging into one. Or, if the Demon Ancestor wanted to quietly achieve the 'Three-in-One,' they would have to watch as they themselves swallowed this 'fat meat,' then merge with the Dao, reset to zero, plant the Dao seed, and cultivate the New Heaven Realm. This was an open scheme! The Medicine Ancestor's elaborate plan was perfectly executed, but... It was gone! Suddenly, it was gone! Cuiyin had unleashed a mad dog that brazenly stole this 'fat meat'!

Now, it was the Medicine Ancestor who was in a dilemma: If they were to dispute with Cuiyin, Cuiyin would claim ignorance, attributing it to Yuegong Li's madness. Furthermore, fighting Yuegong Li would be exactly what the Demon Ancestor wanted, just waiting for both sides to be severely wounded. If they didn't dispute with Cuiyin, would they just hand over the power pool accumulated since the "Medicine Ghost Life and Death" plan began? Who could be content with that?!

Damn it, damn it... The Medicine Ancestor was almost driven mad. Yuegong Li's casual strike had pulled away one of their crucial cards, like pulling the rug out from under them. "How did they know?"

After a moment of calm, it was clear this shouldn't have been possible. Firstly, the Demon Ancestor knew about the New Heaven Realm plan. The power in this pool, in their eyes, was for planting Dao seeds and cultivating the New Heaven Realm. The Demon Ancestor would never tell Cuiyin about this, allowing them to swallow it and recover strength, as this would be a significant misfortune for the Demon Ancestor too. Cuiyin in a weakened state could be easily manipulated by both Demon Ancestor and Medicine Ancestor. Cuiyin with more than half their strength recovered would require the Demon Ancestor and Medicine Ancestor to be a little more serious. If Cuiyin fully recovered, they would be qualified to stand on equal footing with the Demon Ancestor and Medicine Ancestor!

"It's not the Demon Ancestor." The Medicine Ancestor decisively dismissed this possibility.

Then, for the second point, the Medicine Ancestor pondered... They could only think of one possibility: while fighting the Thought Ancestor, when slightly dodging, they subconsciously transferred some power into the City of Life's pool. This was a habit formed over a long time, as the life force in the pool was accumulated this way. But Kuerai Han could not possibly have seen this. Their strength lay in lightning arts and thought Dao, not life force. Under the interference of the Thousand Body Profound Life Art, they absolutely wouldn't have noticed where their power was transferred.

"Wait!""Thousand Body Profound Life Art?" Just as their thoughts were about to glide past, the Medicine Ancestor suddenly caught a detail they had almost overlooked. This art had been used in front of Xu Xiaoshou...

"Impossible!""Even if his Dao of Life transcended Dao transformation and his Dao of Intent was at its extreme, he couldn't have broken through the Thousand Body Profound Life Art before. Even if he noticed a clue, his attention would only be directed to the 'Fragrance of the Past.' The power in the pool couldn't be known unless an Ancestral God's true body entered; even the Name Ancestor couldn't do it!" Racking their brain, the Medicine Ancestor could only reach a conclusion that even they found absurd: Yuegong Li, relying on intuition, casually swallowed and coincidentally hit one of their power pools. Before that, did they not even realize what exactly was inside?

"Forbidden Art: Dao Seed Restoration!" One gulp of 'Fragrance of the Past,' one gulp of the City of Life. With two gulps, under the guidance of Dao Seed Restoration, the power swallowed by the Beast Dog quickly transformed and entered its own Dao seed.

High in the sky, Yuegong Li keenly sensed something was wrong. "Burp." They let out a full burp, and life force gushed from their mouth and nose. The entire desolate Ghost-Buddha Realm suddenly burst into spring bloom, all things revived, directly growing into a City of Flowers once more. It wasn't over yet! Dao Seed Restoration instantly digested the life force from 'Fragrance of the Past.' But for the seemingly small City of Life, less than one ten-thousandth of the conversion was completed. The remaining immense life force was escaping outside the Dao seed.

"This..." Even Yuegong Li was astonished. This power was too immense. So immense that if Cuiyin could fully digest it, they might be able to repair their body, which was shattered by Shenyi, relying on themselves, even without the energy provided by Yuegong Li's Dao seed. In that case, Cuiyin's combat power would at least fully recover to its state after the Divine Ruins' revival.

"Give it back to me, Ancestor!" But how could the Medicine Ancestor let Cuiyin have their way? After the Sky Tree rooted itself in the heavens, the sky fires released from its crown swept across the sky, hurriedly forming a grand life array, manifesting a Hand of Deprivation. It clawed through the air! It reached into the Ghost-Buddha Realm and retrieved most of the life force escaping outside the Dao seed!

"Run, run, run..." Dong Ling, carrying Shiti, saw the sky fire and the battle, and realizing it truly had nothing to do with them, wished she had wings to run faster. As they neared Four Mausoleum Mountain, they saw the Saints of the Five Lineages of the Sacred Palace arrayed in the sky. Half-Saint Long Rongzhi of Jinzhao, Dragon Feeder Lou Yu, Sacred Guardians Chi Family and Wei An, Law Convergence Great Yao and Little Yao, as well as the newly promoted Half-Saints Mu Lin and Ye Xiaotian in recent years... A full Half-Saint lineup! All were watching the sky fire pass by!

"Between the beginning of profound clouds and infinite void, below Four Mausoleum Mountain lies another heaven; old Saints wander through the mutable world, one grey and one yellow, are immortals and sages..." This was the Sacred Palace. After the Holy God Temple ceased to exist, it was the only absolutely safe place in the Five Regions.

Dong Ling was stunned for a moment by the full Half-Saint lineup, thinking how formidable they were. She rushed towards them, knowing the Sacred Palace could surely save her and Shiti from their predicament. She didn't dare call out to Mu Lin, but instead focused on a little girl behind him who was strong enough to lift a tripod.

"Huaying!""President Dong Ling? President Shiti!" The little girl turned to look, her eyes calm but her voice extremely excited. She kicked open the mountain protection barrier and welcomed them in.

Dong Ling, having survived the calamity, finally found relief and chatted with the little girl, holding hands, while Huaying merely responded distractedly. Dong Ling soon let go of the little girl, who must have been greatly startled by the Ancestral God battle, and secretly eyed the Half-Saints. "A little strange..." Outside the great array, it was fine. But upon entering the array, something felt off? The Half-Saints stood in rows, truly looking like they were waiting for death!

Dong Ling wouldn't have thought this before, but having seen the Half-Saints in the City of Life swallowed whole without even a splash, she knew Half-Saints were less than mud balls before Ancestral Gods. The moment she stepped onto Four Mausoleum Mountain, Dong Ling felt something strange, as if something was missing, but she couldn't recall what.

Just then, Shiti frowned and asked Huaying: "Miss Huaying, why are there only Half-Saints? With an Ancestral God looming, aren't the Sacred Emperors of the Sacred Palace coming out?"

Previously, Sacred Emperors were unseen. Nowadays, Sacred Emperors weren't truly rare. The White Dragon of Sacred Palace's Sacred Xuan Gate, and Zichong of the Divine Spirit lineage, were said to be Sacred Emperors with unparalleled combat power. Now, with Ancestral Gods almost at their doorstep, these two were not coming out? They should at least summon a Sacred Ancestor's Dharma Idol to deter them, shouldn't they?

Huaying shook her head: "I don't know, it seems they rushed into the Sacred Xuan Gate earlier and haven't come out since."

Strange... Dong Ling turned her head, looked at Four Mausoleum Mountain behind her, and impolitely swept it with her spiritual sense, suddenly feeling a chill down her spine. She saw everyone in the Sacred Palace, both on and below the mountain, standing in rows just like the Half-Saints, facing her, or rather, facing the Ancestral God battlefield outside. All watching the sky fire pass by? They all seemed to be in a daze? From the mountainside to the summit, people were scattered but neatly arranged, yet they all turned their heads to look in the same direction in the distance, a rather eerie sight.

"This is..." Dong Ling was very curious. A quick glance revealed a white dragon coiled on the Sacred Palace Square in the distance. On the dragon's head, a purple-haired, purple-clad little girl sat cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation. In front of the little girl was a massive crystal, larger than herself, through which an incredibly sacred power flowed. She was cultivating. She was greedily absorbing the power from the crystal. The divine power surging out covered the entire Four Mausoleum Mountain, yet was perfectly contained within the Sacred Palace's great array, not leaking out even a trace.

"This must be Zichong and the White Dragon, right?""So strong..." Dong Ling's eyes burned with envy. She hadn't expected to witness a Sacred Emperor cultivating; truly her fortune was not shallow.

Suddenly, her thoughts settled, and she remembered... "Didn't Huaying say that Sacred Emperor Zichong and the White Dragon were in the Sacred Xuan Gate?" She blinked. The scene of Four Mausoleum Mountain immediately blurred. Where was any sacred, divine power? The entire mountain, top to bottom, was clearly covered in a dense demonic mist. The mist continuously churned, and viscous black liquid dripped from the great array, presenting a complete scene of a demon's den! Everyone in the Sacred Palace, caught in this demon's den, were like puppets, dull-eyed and lifeless, gazing at the outside world, yet their life force was continuously being transferred to the Sacred Palace Square.

On the square, bathed in boiling black demonic liquid, the White Dragon was clearly covered in wounds, its head weakly bowed. The little girl on its head looked even more pallid, a malevolent sword piercing her forehead. That human-sized crystal wasn't milky white; it was pitch black and emitted an incredibly chilling aura. As the power from the source crystal was transferred into the little girl's mouth and nose, her aura clearly surpassed that of a Sacred Emperor, relentlessly climbing higher and higher... Sacred Ancestor? No, the Demon Ancestor!

Dong Ling's pupils constricted violently. Realizing something, she instinctively turned to run. On top of the White Dragon, Sacred Emperor Zichong suddenly opened her eyes and turned to look. The malevolent sword was still embedded in her forehead, the flowing blood already dried. Faint demonic patterns were faintly visible on her face, body, hands, and feet.

"Is it pretty?" The little girl spoke, her voice clear and carrying an innocent, childlike charm.

"Turn your head away." Dong Ling didn't even respond. As she obediently turned, the light in her eyes faded.

"President Dong Ling, why do I feel strange about this place? Can Four Mausoleum Mountain truly protect us? Or should we still go to the Eastern Region...""President Dong Ling?" Shiti called out softly twice. Seeing no response, he shook Dong Ling's arm. Still no reaction. President Dong Ling suddenly also fixated on the sky fire, as if staring at it a few more times would let each of them get a piece of it. Strange... Shiti felt a chill down his neck, scratched it, and inexplicably looked towards the Sacred Palace Square.

"Turn your head away." Shiti's head turned back, and he too began to gaze at the sky.