Chapter 1087: Dragon Han's Number One Celestial Master

If it were in the past, Crown Prince Youming and Heavenly Emperor Yin would surely have thought he was boasting. However, since Dragon Qilin had effortlessly defeated the Heavenly River Navy, they had no choice but to believe he truly possessed such ability.

Dragon Qilin couldn't help but puff out his chest, proclaiming loudly, "Though I've read countless books, none recognized my worth; when the time is right, I shall transform into a dragon! Today is the day I demonstrate my full potential!"

Crown Prince Youming praised him, "My esteemed brother is truly brilliant! You are certainly worthy of being called the foremost Heavenly Master of Long Han!"

Yan'er, moreover, looked at him with utter adoration.

Even Heavenly Emperor Yin had to offer a few words of praise, though he felt terribly uneasy. He thought to himself, "Once this youngster stops the Heavenly Court's army, I'll find an opportunity to steal the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda and escape!"

The Heavenly Emperor's reduction of feudal powers meant that the Four Extremes Heavens of the Four Imperial Ancient Gods had fallen under his control. The Four Imperial Emperors were confined to the Heavenly Court, stripped of their territories and, consequently, their armies of gods and devils. Only their direct descendants remained to guard their respective palaces.

That Dragon Qilin, armed with merely the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda, along with the Serpent Goddess and Mystic Tortoise God-man of the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace, could rout the Heavenly River Navy, truly marked him as an extraordinary talent.

It's important to understand that the Divine Martial Two Guards, the Northern Gate, and the Heavenly River Navy, when combined, were so formidable that they could easily overwhelm any force. Even if all the Emperor's Throne realm experts in the present world united, they could be easily flattened by them.

If he could withstand the combined siege of the Heavenly River Navy, the Divine Martial Two Guards, and the Northern Gate, the title of "foremost Heavenly Master" would truly be his.

The three armies completely surrounded the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace, attempting to halt its northward movement. However, stopping this palace proved extremely difficult. Crown Prince Youming, being the son of the Northern Emperor, had already reached the Emperor's Throne realm in his cultivation.

Furthermore, the Northern Emperor was a divine being born within the Heavenly River itself. As the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace moved northward from the Heavenly River, protected by the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda on all sides, it was simply impossible to obstruct it with ships.

Any ships used to block it would merely be crushed by the palace.

Attempting to chain the palace was also futile. The Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda contained numerous powerful treasures. Whenever hooks from chains latched onto the palace, the disciples controlling the various treasures would unleash their might, instantly severing the chains.

Although the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace was not particularly fast, there was no way to stop its advance.

"The one controlling the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda is a grand master of formation arrays!"

The foremost Heavenly Master of the Northern Gate, Shang Pingyin, was also a prodigious talent from the early Long Han era. Though his brilliance was somewhat overshadowed by the Nine Celestial Venerables, his mastery of calculus and numerology was exceptionally profound. While not as renowned as Dao Ancestor, his capabilities were by no means insignificant.

He was also a master of formation arrays, having thoroughly researched the physical structures and Great Dao runes of ancient gods to create numerous formations. All Heavenly Court armies practiced his array methods for troop deployment, making him the foremost formation Heavenly Master of the Long Han era.

It was only later, with the rise of Dao Ancestor's disciple, Yue Tingge, whose talent was unparalleled, that Shang Pingyin was eventually superseded.

Shang Pingyin circled the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace, scrutinizing its various formations. His expression was solemn as he remarked, "The one who set up these formations for the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace possesses extraordinary wisdom. Many of these arrays are opaque even to me. If I could converse with this master of formations, it would be the greatest joy of my life! Could it be Crown Prince Youming? He certainly keeps his abilities well-hidden!"

He grew excited, his blood stirring, and laughed heartily, "I shall direct the armies to break these formations and contend with this great master!"

With his robes billowing, he declared passionately, "The most beautiful language in this world is numerology! Formations constructed with numerology are the most magnificent poems! To make friends through such arts, using the most beautiful language and the most magnificent poems, is enough for this lifetime!"

He burst into laughter, then rallied the various armies into formation, launching an assault into the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda!

The Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace's military strength was negligible, and the cultivation realms of its Black Tortoise bloodline disciples weren't very high. However, with the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda, the foremost supreme treasure, in place, even millions of gods and devils would find it hard to break through.

Yet, to fully unleash the power of this treasure, an individual of immense wisdom was required.

Under Qin Mu's guidance, Dragon Qilin immediately adjusted and shifted the formations, using formations to counter formations.

Heavenly Court's foremost Heavenly Master, Shang Pingyin, was invigorated. It was a true match of wits, a feeling of encountering a worthy opponent. This battle gave him the sensation of meeting a true kindred spirit. He commanded the Heavenly River Navy, the Northern Gate, and the Divine Martial Two Guards, using formations to break formations, pushing the array methods of the Long Han era to their absolute limit!

However, the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace moved like an immeasurably vast spiritual weapon of calculus, its various formations intertwining, shifting, and constantly transforming. The formation master within the Heavenly Palace was incredibly formidable, possessing such profound wisdom that they successfully blocked and dismantled every formation Shang Pingyin deployed.

Among the Heavenly Court's armies, the ten Guards were the strongest. Any god or devil from the Ten Heavenly Guards could serve as a commander in other armies. Yet, even such a powerful army suffered heavy casualties when they charged into the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda!

Shang Pingyin became increasingly excited, his demeanor growing more fervent. His mind raced, disregarding the casualties of the various armies, solely focused on competing with the expert inside the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace to validate their respective cultivations.

The waters of the Heavenly River were dyed red by the corpses of countless gods and devils, almost transforming into a crimson river flowing through the endless starry sky. The battle raged from morning until night, and then from night until day.

For several consecutive days and nights, Shang Pingyin remained incredibly exhilarated, constantly changing formations and urging his armies to press into the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda.

His wisdom was immense; he continuously broke through layers of heavens, fighting from the first heaven to the twenty-sixth, on the verge of breaching the twenty-eighth heaven of the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda and storming the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace!

By this point, the various armies had already suffered more than half their casualties!

The disciples within the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace also suffered heavy casualties. After all, Dragon Qilin was not Qin Mu; although he received Qin Mu's guidance for on-the-spot adjustments, he was always a step behind.

Moreover, Qin Mu's divine consciousness was severely injured, causing him to drift between unconsciousness and lucidity. Consequently, the descendants of Black Tortoise inevitably suffered losses and fell.

Qin Mu, in directing his divine consciousness to contend with Shang Pingyin, the foremost Heavenly Master of Long Han, expended an immense amount of spiritual energy. This caused his condition to deteriorate, putting him at constant risk of his divine consciousness collapsing.

Even Crown Prince Youming was mobilized by him, repeatedly entering battle, directly clashing with the Divine Martial Two Guards, and narrowly escaping being slain by them on several occasions.

"Dragon Pi, let this foremost Heavenly Master fall into despair."

Qin Mu's divine consciousness transmitted: "Today, I will establish your renown. Activate the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda, and reverse the twenty-eight heavens."

Upon hearing this, Dragon Qilin bowed deeply to the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda. Immediately, the twenty-eight layers of canopies of the Pagoda retracted, then unfurled once more!

Shang Pingyin had already breached the twenty-sixth heaven and was on the verge of reaching the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace. Suddenly, space warped, and layer upon layer of heavens expanded outwards, transforming the twenty-sixth heaven into the first heaven!

Countless Heavenly Court gods and devils, seeing victory within reach, suddenly found themselves back at the outermost perimeter of the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda. Within the Pagoda, the layers of heavenly formations, which they had just broken through at the cost of countless lives, had now been completely restored, transforming back into deadly killing formations!

The soldiers of the Heavenly River Navy, the Divine Martial Two Guards, and the Northern Gate instantly collapsed. All fighting spirit vanished, and despair permeated the various armies.

"Argh—"

Shang Pingyin's face flushed crimson. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and collapsed to his knees on the river surface with a thud. His hair visibly turned gray before their eyes; in no time, his dark hair became completely white, as if he had instantly aged into an old man.

His Dao heart shattered and disintegrated. He could no longer entertain the thought of competing with the formation master inside the Heavenly Palace; all his fighting spirit evaporated.

"Retreat!" He lifted his head and roared.

Cheers erupted from the surrounding soldiers as the various armies hastily withdrew.

Shang Pingyin, now white-haired, continued to cough up mouthfuls of blood. Kneeling there, his voice hoarse, he asked, "Which esteemed expert laid these formations? Could you please reveal yourself so that I, Shang, may concede defeat willingly?"

Dragon Qilin stepped forward, standing outside the gates of the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace. He met Shang Pingyin's gaze and declared loudly, "It was I, Long."