Chapter 562: Honghuang Evil Forces at Taibai Palace [Medium Cup]

This is Taibai Jinxing...

Yang Jian looked up, gazing at the familiar figure in the sky. His rapid breathing began to slow, his gaze regained clarity, and his Dao heart settled into stillness, free from the previous turmoil.

"What crime have I committed?"

The old man, bathed in golden light on the cloud, spoke slowly:

"Attempting to trespass into the Heavenly Court, destroying the Heavenly Court's immortal bean soldiers, and speaking arrogantly of rescuing a condemned immortal from the Heavenly Court—these are your crimes."

"Condemned immortal?"

Yang Jian's recently calmed Dao heart trembled slightly. But facing the old immortal on the cloud, he refused to show any panic and said coldly:

"Right and wrong, merit and demerit, are all decided by you. The rules of heaven and earth are spoken by your single word. Is this the Heavenly Court?"

Li Changshou said, "By the mandate of the Heavenly Dao, we uphold the rules. This is the Heavenly Court."

"Then which rule did my mother break? What Heavenly Court regulation did my father violate?!"

"Fairy Yunhua, being registered as an immortal in the Heavenly Court, descended to the mortal realm without the Tongming Hall's permission. This is naturally a violation of heavenly laws."

"Simply descending to the mortal realm without permission led to her suppression beneath an immortal mountain, and my parents, for being in love, were to be slain!"

Light surged in Yang Jian's eyes, and he said firmly:

"Is this truly the Heavenly Court passing judgment, or is it you, Taibai Jinxing, and the Jade Emperor, high on his throne in the Lingxiao Palace, passing judgment? Is this about upholding the rules set by the Heavenly Dao, or is it about abusing the Heavenly Dao and your authority, acting wantonly for your own prestige?"

"Clever."

Li Changshou smiled with satisfaction internally, but his expression remained impassive, a hint of coldness in his eyes.

As the 'head director' personally taking the stage, he naturally had to set an example for the other nascent actors of the Primordial World. With just a glance, Li Changshou perfectly portrayed a great villain who had just been poked in his weak spot and was slightly angered and embarrassed, almost convincing himself.

"Yang Jian, do you realize that merely for those few words you just spoke, you could be condemned to death today?"

Yang Jian remained silent, resisting the urge to mock or curse. Doing so would only provide fleeting satisfaction, yet it wouldn't free him from his current predicament, much less save his mother.

The moment Taibai Jinxing appeared, Yang Jian felt an unspeakable sense of oppression, as if he were facing the entire firmament. This pressure stemmed from Taibai Jinxing's own power, his divine authority, and, even more profoundly, from the order of the Three Realms of the Primordial World that Taibai Jinxing represented. It nearly suffocated him.

At this moment, many curses flashed through Yang Jian's mind, but he suppressed his indignation and rage, preventing himself from indulging in impotent fury.

"Release my mother."

Li Changshou carefully analyzed the personality Yang Jian was now displaying and said calmly, "Are you pleading for mercy?"

"Yes," Yang Jian said, looking up at Li Changshou's figure, "I am pleading for mercy. Let me endure the suffering of suppression in my mother's stead. I will submit to your judgment."

Li Changshou frowned slightly. Not only did he not see Yang Jian's strong sense of loyalty as a 'plus,' he actually considered Yang Jian's attempt to exchange himself for a hostage a slight 'minus.'

Although, in Yang Jian's shoes, facing the Heavenly Court at this moment, one might feel powerless to do anything but fight desperately. However, there were clearly other options... What about the influence he had previously leveraged? Seizing upon the Heavenly Court's current reluctance to provoke conflict among various major powers, he could have, even without revealing his Chan School disciple background, created a grand spectacle, played on the situation, and firmly accused the Heavenly Court of 'abusing public power for private gain.' He could have threatened to undermine the Heavenly Court's credibility unless they allowed him to see his mother, then split the mountain to save her. Once the deed was done, he could have garnered sympathy from the Heavenly Court immortals and gods, shifting the conflict to one between the all-powerful Jade Emperor and ordinary immortals, portraying his mother as a victim of the Jade Emperor's persecution, thus putting himself in an unassailable position!

That would have been a perfect score.

Yet, at this moment, Yang Jian chose patience, suppressing his earlier anger and not leveraging any external influence, simply acting as a son to save his mother... Oh well, everyone's personality is different, and he couldn't expect Yang Jian to be like him. To him, Yang Jian had failed the test. Objectively speaking, however, Yang Jian's performance was still above the passing mark. For an aspiring young Daoist like him, the hardest thing to abandon was not his life, but his inner pride. For his mother's sake, he had indeed done it.

The positions of power in the Heavenly Court should be held by different people in different eras. During the Heavenly Court's founding, it was his role to balance various forces. In its preservation, it wouldn't be bad for successors to have more sense of responsibility and less emphasis on balancing. Unlike him, who was constantly planning escape routes, preparing to 'delete his account' and slip away after the Investiture of the Gods calamity.

Seeing Taibai Jinxing's continued silence, Yang Jian gave a self-deprecating smile and was about to speak. Li Changshou said slowly, "Since that is the case, I will give you a chance. All troops and soldiers, retreat."

Dozens of Heavenly Generals around him acknowledged in unison. The swirling grey clouds dispersed, and the soldiers retreated, leaving the sky clear and cloudless once more.

Yang Jian's eyes flickered as he stared intently at the old immortal on the cloud. Li Changshou said, "Yang Jian, we will not discuss your father's matter today. If you wish to save your mother, you must pay a price."

"What price?"

"Serve the Heavenly Court; become a Heavenly Court general."

Yang Jian froze, anger almost exploding in his eyes. Serve the murderers of his father? Taibai Jinxing, with his reputation for 'killing without bloodshed' (literally, killing the heart), truly lived up to it!

Charge in, kill them all, spilling blood and shattering souls! Yang Jian's barely suppressed rage surged again. He lifted his spear, ready to charge forward, when Li Changshou's eyes suddenly opened, a divine light flashing within them, and his left hand pressed down towards Yang Jian.

The one present here was naturally Li Changshou's avatar. Seeing this, Yang Jian raised his spear and leaped upward, the Eight-Nine Arcane Art circulating, his entire body glowing with bright golden light. The red light on his forehead reappeared, and his figure was like a god of war! "With one spear, I define heaven and earth; treading the cosmos, I walk freely!" "Fight..."

Yang Jian's ascending figure was effortlessly slapped back onto the cloud! Li Changshou's downward-pressing left hand seemed to exert no force, but when Yang Jian slammed onto the cloud path sealed by Li Changshou's immortal power, ripples spread across the cosmos, and waves of shock reverberated through heaven and earth.

Many Heavenly Court immortals and gods who witnessed this felt their hearts jump. The Jade Emperor's avatar, Quan Tong, who was secretly 'watching the scene,' also showed surprise. Perfected Yu Ding shook his head, almost laughing aloud, while Yang Chan, beside Yu Ding, nearly cried out...

In contrast, a certain young fairy who had secretly slipped into the Grand White Palace was sitting in her senior brother's armchair, watching this scene displayed in the bronze mirror, her eyes filled with admiration. "When did Senior Brother get so strong?" She had secretly witnessed Yang Jian, her martial nephew, charging through, defeating hundreds of thousands of Dao soldiers, nearly turning a certain sea area in the East Sea into... well, not exactly bean curd. In any case, Yang Jian's strength was quite unexpected, but she hadn't anticipated him being subdued so easily by her senior brother now.

Thinking of this, Ling'e felt no joy; instead, she covered her forehead, a wave of melancholy in her heart. The greater the gap between her and her senior brother, the closer he was to Sister Yunxiao. "Perhaps I should also ask Senior Brother to make a hundred-year cultivation plan for me, like Yang Jian's?" "No, forget it. Senior Brother is getting busier lately. I'll just cultivate diligently, safely pass the Golden Immortal tribulation, and occasionally play music or give him a shoulder rub, or get punished by him to copy scriptures. That should be enough."

Didn't she see that the youngest martial uncle who first expressed her feelings for Senior Brother had now been 'exiled to the frontier'? Didn't she see that the 'toxic' martial sister who had always admired Senior Brother only dared to visit the Grand White Palace once every few years? Being able to accompany Senior Brother every day and play hide-and-seek with his true form was already quite good. "Hmph, Sister Yunxiao only gets to see him once every few decades, too..."

With these complex thoughts in her heart, Ling'e's long eyelashes fluttered. Seeing Yang Jian slowly getting up on the cloud, she casually picked up a plate of dried fruit and began munching on it.

Before the East Heaven Gate, Yang Jian stood up, a hint of shock in his eyes, and looked up at Taibai Jinxing on the cloud. The reason for his alarm was the palm strike he had just received... The Eight-Nine Arcane Art! The perfected Eight-Nine Arcane Art! He had just been absolutely suppressed in terms of raw power!

"The insights my master gave me, they were written by you!" Li Changshou did not answer, merely saying, "Submit to the Heavenly Court, and I can give you a chance to save your mother."

The red light on Yang Jian's forehead shimmered, and his gaze pressed upon Li Changshou. "It was you! The one pushing me from behind all this time, it was you?" "Stop speaking nonsense."

Yang Jian immediately fell silent, the divine light in his eyes becoming increasingly complex. He stared at Li Changshou, and many previously puzzling points in his heart suddenly became clear.

Not far behind him, Princess Longji arrived on a cloud. A little further away, Ling Zhuzi, clutching his left shoulder, approached again. Yang Jian said in a low voice, "Fight me."

"Oh?" Li Changshou's interest was immediately piqued. Yang Jian took a step forward: "Fight me. If I lose, I will submit to your judgment; this body will belong to the Heavenly Court! If you lose, release my mother, and the Heavenly Court will issue a proclamation clearing my parents' names and offer incense and apologies at my father's grave!"

"Yang Jian, how dare you!" A sudden shout came from behind Li Changshou, and Ao Yi's figure rushed forward, pointing at Yang Jian and yelling: "You don't know what's good for you, arrogant and presumptuous, even daring to try to fight with the Star Lord! Do you really think that if you weren't His Majesty the Jade Emperor's nephew, the Star Lord would tolerate you to this extent? My Lord Star Lord, please allow me to fight Yang Jian!"

Li Changshou gave a slight chuckle and said calmly, "Ao Yi, don't be hasty. Please step back." "Yes!" Ao Yi lowered his head to accept the order, looking unwilling, then turned to glare at Yang Jian before turning to leave. Such exquisite acting truly lived up to his title as the deputy patriarch of the Steadfast Doctrine.

On the cloud path, Yang Jian frowned deeply. Li Changshou said, "Since you wish to determine your future with a battle, why wouldn't I agree? Yang Jian, today, I, the Star Lord, specially permit you to enter the East Heaven Gate."

As he spoke, Li Changshou raised his right hand, and specks of starlight appeared before him, condensing into the immortal mountain beside the Jade Pool. He raised his hand and gently moved it, guiding the immortal mountain slowly forward. In a flash, it passed through layers of clouds, seemingly descending two layers of heaven.

Li Changshou said, "Today, I will move the immortal mountain suppressing your mother down to the Sixth Heaven. After entering the East Heaven Gate, proceed to the Sixth Heaven. I will arrange for three ordinary Heavenly Court martial generals to fight you. I do not demand that you win all three battles, nor do I care if you use schemes, trickery, or any other means. As long as you can reach that immortal mountain, it will count as your victory, and I will give you the chance to save your mother. How does that sound?"

A hint of disappointment flashed in Yang Jian's eyes, and he said firmly, "If I am defeated by any of them, I will submit to your judgment."

"Good."

Li Changshou's figure slowly receded, transforming into a wisp of breeze and disappearing. Ahead, the East Heaven Gate was wide open, the three divine swords were gone, and there were no traces of the gate-guarding soldiers, only an empty cloud path, like a deceptive Heavenly Gate.

Yang Jian took a deep breath and quickly stepped inside. Behind him, Princess Longji looked worried, and Ling Zhuzi also followed on a cloud, his expression slightly glum.

Ling Zhuzi hadn't actually been acting earlier; he had truly given his all... Although he also possessed great fortune, Ling Zhuzi was clearly suppressed by Yang Jian's cultivation method, fortunate encounters, and the primordial essence blood of the Ancestral Witch, and he was defeated within a dozen rounds. It was truly... disheartening. He had spent too much time playing with the Jade Rabbit over the years, always just a little short of overcoming the Golden Immortal tribulation.

Not long after Yang Jian rushed into the East Heaven Gate, his steps faltered as a small figure bounded out in front of him. Look at this person! Her hair was tied in pigtails, she wore silver-threaded armor, and her slender arms and legs seemed to have little strength, yet the two large copper hammers she carried exuded a daunting ferocity. It was Xiong Lingli.

She coolly swallowed the dried meat she had been chewing and spoke softly: "Junior general from before the Grand White Palace, please enlighten me!"

Yang Jian didn't dare to be careless. He clasped his hands in greeting with Xiong Lingli and sensed an aura similar to his own. The Eight-Nine Arcane Art again... Indeed, all the advantages he had gained and the various experiences over the years had the shadow of Taibai Jinxing behind them. "Why?" "The Jade Emperor's nephew?"

Yang Jian dispelled the distracting thoughts and calmly said, "Please." Xiong Lingli exhaled, seemingly a little nervous, then suddenly let out a soft "Huh?": "Eh? Perfected Yu Ding, why are you here?"

Yang Jian was startled and turned his head to look behind him, only to hear a strong gust of wind coming from in front. He subconsciously shifted sideways while raising his spear. The spear clashed with the copper hammer, and Yang Jian's figure was directly sent flying! Xiong Lingli raised an eyebrow smugly, "Hehe, the Star Lord said we could use schemes and tricks, you know." With that, she leaped up with her copper hammers, pursuing him relentlessly!

Yang Jian snorted coldly, flipped over, and lunged, holding nothing back, his spear whistling like a dragon. With Yang Jian at full power, Xiong Lingli quickly found herself unable to parry. She let out a loud roar, and her body suddenly swelled, transforming in an instant into a giant thousands of feet tall. Her two correspondingly enlarged copper hammers suppressed the cosmos, forcing Yang Jian into a desperate situation once more.

Bian Zhuang, who had previously obtained special permission from the Grand White Palace and was secretly live-streaming via a bronze mirror, couldn't help but ponder upon seeing this. "This female general is so formidable..." "By the way, what's the principle behind her battle armor? It doesn't even tear?"

Inside the Grand White Palace, Ling'e's lips twitched slightly. She suddenly realized she had become the deadweight of Little Qiong Peak. And before the immortal mountain that had been moved to the Sixth Heaven in advance—Li Changshou's earlier manipulation of the mountain was merely to show off and cultivate a powerful image.

Li Changshou and Quan Tong, hidden in the shadows, watched the scene displayed by the cloud mirror art, each expressing admiration. Quan Tong said, "My dear official, you have gone to great lengths, even cultivating such a fierce general for me." Li Changshou: "..." "She's just being lent to the Heavenly Court for a bit; she's the security captain of Little Qiong Peak!"

Facing Xiong Lingli in this state, Yang Jian, who had not yet cultivated the Heaven-Earth Dharma Manifestation, was not without options. He employed transformation arts, turning into a majestic eagle, circling and skirmishing around Xiong Lingli. After half an hour of fierce battle, he pinpointed Xiong Lingli's weakness and launched a fierce attack on her heel, finally bringing her down. Xiong Lingli, tears welling in her eyes, reverted to her normal size, sat on the ground, holding her foot, and wailed: "Who fights like that?! I didn't even step on your toes!"

Yang Jian felt slightly awkward. He cupped his hands in greeting, then lowered his head and flew off. But he heard a sound ahead, and Ao Yi appeared, wielding his sword, surrounded by the shadow of a green dragon. Yang Jian's and Ao Yi's gazes met. Without further words, their two figures vanished with a whoosh, and the two Golden Immortals engaged in a contest of Witch Clan martial arts and Dragon Clan combat techniques.

The battle raged fiercely, darkening the sky and collapsing the clouds. Ao Yi narrowly lost by half a move, and Yang Jian passed the challenge again, arriving before the most formidable guardian. The Phoenix Clan, son of Yuanfeng, the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

'Didn't he follow?'

Before the solitary immortal mountain, Yang Jian, covered in blood, stumbled and fell onto the cloud path, still clutching his spear. His entire body was covered in horrific claw marks; the Eight-Nine Arcane Art had failed completely for the first time.

The moment the fight began, Yang Jian discovered that this enemy far surpassed his imagination, not at all like the two previous opponents whose strength was comparable to his own. The Golden Peng Bird... Its strength far exceeded his at that moment; they weren't even on the same level. At first, the opponent used a spear imbued with the Dao of destruction. After two exchanges, it simply put away the spear, a scornful smile on its lips.

In the fierce battle, Yang Jian rapidly collapsed. His immortal consciousness couldn't even grasp the Golden Peng's movements; his path was filled with despair. With such extreme speed, if his Eight-Nine Arcane Art had been perfected, he might have been able to fight it head-on. But at this moment, he was still too far behind.

But just as Yang Jian was about to give up, he saw the immortal mountain. He rushed towards it recklessly, ignoring the Golden Peng's relentless attacks, channeling all his strength into pressing forward, pushing the Eight-Nine Arcane Art to its absolute limit. The first half of the struggle was a contest between the Eight-Nine Arcane Art and the Golden Peng's claws. The second half... seemed to be a clash of two wills, a test of who would break first.

But Yang Jian knew he had ultimately lost. The opponent didn't want to kill him, otherwise, a few blows would have been enough to tear his Daoist body apart. "Why..."

'If you weren't the Jade Emperor's nephew.' Yes, it was this identity he had always avoided, this identity that allowed him to gain everything, yet rendered him unable to resist. Because he was the Jade Emperor's nephew, possessed great fortune, and was also a Daoist disciple, the Heavenly Court was nurturing him, and his master was cooperating with the Heavenly Court.

Every time he went out for training, everything was seamlessly arranged, and his master's jade talisman served as a guide. Even the spear in his hand, the small dog in his arms transformed into a jade pendant, and the primordial essence blood of the Ancestral Witch that he had inexplicably found. Everything was given by the Heavenly Court. And now he was defying the will of the Heavenly Court...

Yang Jian suddenly began to suspect that his every action today had been calculated and pre-arranged. The most despairing thing was not facing a predicament or death; the most despairing thing was that every breath he took was under the control of Taibai Jinxing. Simply because he was the Jade Emperor's nephew. "So be it."

Yang Jian's legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the cloud. A hundred zhang ahead was the edge of the immortal mountain. The Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird was long gone. In the distance, many shadows of immortals and gods appeared, all observing Yang Jian's figure at this moment.

Had he fallen like this? Not yet. Yang Jian's body trembled as he slowly but firmly got back on his feet. The wounds on his body had already scabbed over, and the Eight-Nine Arcane Art was doing its best to preserve his physical body from defeat. He looked at the immortal mountain before him, took a deep breath, and channeled his last strength into his three-pointed, double-edged spear. With a step forward, he raised his spear high, ready to cleave the immortal mountain apart, to!

"Jian'er!"

A soft, tearful call made Yang Jian pause. He looked in the direction of the voice. A cave dwelling had appeared in front of the immortal mountain at some unknown time, and a frail figure stood there, tears in her eyes, her form obstructed by a barrier of light. "Mother..." Yang Jian's pale lips trembled as he cried out in disbelief. His spear immediately fell, easily shattering the light barrier. He lunged towards the cave entrance but stumbled into a swirling mist. Scene after scene of light and shadow flashed before his eyes, rapidly passing, rapidly fading, yet imprinting themselves upon his heart...

In the Lingxiao Palace. Taibai Jinxing, with a stern expression, stepped forward and reported to the Jade Emperor, who sat high on his throne, about Fairy Yunhua's descent to the mortal realm. The Jade Emperor ordered Fairy Yunhua to be brought back to the Heavenly Court for judgment. The scene shifted. In the Yang residence, Fairy Yunhua was obediently captured, but two Heavenly Soldiers suddenly attacked. In a flash, a familiar figure appeared before Fairy Yunhua and the two children, blocking the assault. It was still Taibai Jinxing, but what was shattered there were two paper figures. The scene changed again. In the Lingxiao Palace, Taibai Jinxing coldly requested that Fairy Yunhua be suppressed in the Heavenly Court's Jade Pool. Taibai Jinxing then turned to look at an old immortal, saying coldly: 'That's going too far, Senior Uncle.' The old immortal sneered and, without warning, transformed into a puddle of black water. The Jade Emperor on his high throne immediately flew into a rage.

Interspersed among these scenes were seemingly unrelated images. A shadowy figure sneaking into the Marriage Hall; an old immortal at a banquet spreading rumors about the Jade Emperor's sister descending to the mortal realm and having children; in a magnificent immortal palace, his mother's back as she sat before a dressing table, with a mass of black aura beside her... Calculations, gambits, trade-offs...

The scenes in Yang Jian's eyes suddenly froze, settling on a somewhat desolate mountain, where Fairy Yunhua, with a blank expression, stood beneath a jade tree, as if she had lost her soul... "Senior Uncle... Senior Uncle? Senior Uncle!"

Yang Jian clenched his fists. The mist before him dispersed, revealing the face he had remembered countless times in his dreams. "Jian'er!" Fairy Yunhua quickly rushed forward, almost knocking Yang Jian over, and embraced him tightly, channeling wisps of immortal power into Yang Jian's depleted profound body. "My foolish child, why did you go through all this trouble? Your mother is fine... your mother has always been fine."

Yang Jian opened his mouth but couldn't speak. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye, his clenched fists relaxed, and his arms fell weakly to his sides. A moment later. "Mother, please release your son first." Yang Jian said in a low voice, a hint of suppressed anger in his tone.

Fairy Yunhua subconsciously released the young man before her, who had become so unfamiliar. She immediately thought of something and pleaded: "Jian'er, don't do anything foolish. There are too many schemes in this world..." Yang Jian pursed his lips, silent. He bowed his head before Fairy Yunhua, then stood up and looked around.

"Star Lord Taibai, you arranged for me to come here, and I came! You arranged for me to master the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, and I did! Now I stand here. What exactly do you want me to do?"

A soft sigh drifted from the clouds, and Li Changshou's voice resonated. Two streaks of light, one red and one golden, flew down and landed before Yang Jian's eyes. "Previously, your cultivation path was entirely under my control only because I was ordered by His Majesty the Jade Emperor to escort and protect you. I had no designs on you. Your lineage is your lineage; there's no need to blame it. Your future path is yours to choose. On the left is a Nine-Turn Golden Elixir to heal your injuries and compensate for today's losses. Afterward, you can become a Heavenly Court general and not ask about past events. The schemes involved were beyond your comprehension. On the right is the primordial essence blood of the Ancestral Witch Dijiang... Do what you wish, but the Heavenly Court cannot cover for you."

Without hesitation, Yang Jian reached out, snatched the crimson essence blood, and placed it in his mouth. Bloody flames erupted from his entire body, and a wolf-smoke-like sanguine aura shot into the sky! He looked to the west, ready to advance with his spear, then paused, looking up at where the elixir and blood had flown from. "Thank you." Yang Jian's throat quivered. He bowed his head and darted forward, bloody light surging from various parts of his profound body, and streaks of blood patterns appearing on his face.

Spirit Mountain! Western Sect!