Chapter 1464: Heaven's Death (Part 1)

In the early years of the Dragon Han era, Nether Heavenly Venerable was already a troubled youth, reclusive and eccentric. He was indifferent to everyone and everything, with the sole exception of his mother. Seeing her was the only thing that could ever motivate him, and he even created the Divine Treasure of Life and Death just to be reunited with her.

Consort Yan instantly unleashed all her Heavenly Palaces, forming the Grand Heavenly Court. She stared intensely at Nether Heavenly Venerable, whose physical body was decaying, yet whose power was rapidly escalating. "The only thing holding him back is also his mother," she thought. "He has remained dormant in Youdu for a million years, accompanying his mother's soul, never venturing into the Yang Realm to cause trouble. Consequently, he missed out on the Heavenly Court's power struggles, and none of the Ten Heavenly Venerables' authority is his. If he were to lose this bond..."

She couldn't help but shiver, glancing at the heavily wounded Palace Heavenly Venerable. "If necessary, I'll have to sacrifice a fellow daoist!" she thought. "After all, it wasn't I who broke the mask, but Palace Heavenly Venerable..."

For Consort Yan, the choice between her own death and that of a fellow daoist was never a difficult one.

Naturally, it was no different for Palace Heavenly Venerable.

Just as she finished this thought, Nether Heavenly Venerable suddenly raised his head. The aura of his primordial spirit behind him erupted, imbued with the unique dark essence of Youdu. Layer upon layer of Youdu's worlds rapidly expanded outward, encroaching upon Xuandu.

Beneath his feet, the worlds of Youdu overlapped, forming an immense Youdu domain.

This Youdu domain even began to merge with the true Youdu.

The sight was utterly terrifying. As the Youdu domain merged with the true Youdu, Consort Yan and Palace Heavenly Venerable watched in horror as two long, winding ox horns, twisting and turning, slowly ascended from within Youdu.

These ox horns were colossally thick, resembling rivers of molten lava gathered from the depths of countless worlds, burning fiercely and flowing in winding paths around the horns.

Yet the lava rivers did not flow slowly; instead, they surged and thundered, like waterfalls crashing down from immense heights, creating a deafening roar.

"Nether Heavenly Venerable called his elder, how despicable..." Consort Yan exclaimed, laughing exasperatedly. "What is the Heavenly Dao doing? To actually permit Youdu's invasion, it's truly irresponsible!"

This battle was unwinnable.

This was an invasion between the most ancient of worlds, with Nether Heavenly Venerable serving as the bridge.

By rights, the Heavenly Dao and the Youdu Great Dao are diametrically opposed, mutually restraining and destroying one another. These two worlds should never meet or interact.

Even if Nether Heavenly Venerable employed heaven-defying divine abilities, these two worlds would typically never intersect.

Yet, this seemingly impossible event was now occurring because Xuandu had been invaded by the Ten Heavenly Venerables.

Under normal circumstances, the Heavenly Dao would undoubtedly resist Youdu's invasion. Even if Nether Heavenly Venerable managed to form a Youdu domain, it would be obliterated by Xuandu's Heavenly Dao, preventing it from expanding at all.

Furthermore, an entity like Nether Heavenly Venerable would be unable to set foot in Xuandu; Xuandu's Heavenly Dao would instantly recognize him as an invader and eradicate him.

Now, however, Xuandu's Heavenly Dao had entirely converged within Heavenly Duke's body, expending all its effort to protect his life. Consequently, there was no Heavenly Dao left to resist Youdu's invasion.

These combined factors meant the Heavenly Dao no longer suppressed Nether Heavenly Venerable's power and was utterly incapable of resisting the Youdu domain or Youdu's invasion.

This was a sight unprecedented since the universe's creation and the formation of Xuandu and Youdu. Yet now it unfolded, seemingly as a matter of course, catching everyone completely off guard.

As Earth Count's twin horns pierced Xuandu's firmament, every living being across the Primordial Realm, Ancestral Court, the Four Extreme Heavens, and all other worlds looked up, witnessing this breathtaking spectacle.

The two colossal horns, wreathed in cascading rivers of lava, scorched the sky a fiery crimson.

This sight filled all with terror.

In truth, ever since the Heavenly Court began its assault on Xuandu, the celestial phenomena across all worlds had descended into chaos. Stars drifted aimlessly, constellations abandoned their positions, and the sun and moon became erratic. Day and night were not only inverted, but there were even terrifying sights of multiple suns appearing simultaneously or a dozen moons orbiting a single sun.

Before the inhabitants of countless worlds could even adapt to these bizarre shifts, Earth Count's horns—a sight terrifying enough to silence crying children and strike fear into gods and devils—also appeared in the sky. It was as if the apocalypse had arrived for all worlds, leaving everyone utterly paralyzed with dread.

Consort Yan and Palace Heavenly Venerable exchanged a look. At this juncture, whether they could kill Heavenly Duke was no longer important; what mattered was preserving their own lives.

To their horror, however, they were now trapped within Nether Heavenly Venerable's Youdu domain and found themselves unable to escape.

"Before Earth Count arrives, we must first kill Nether Heavenly Venerable!"

Consort Yan roared fiercely, and vast abysses of Guixu ripped open the sky.

Meanwhile, Heavenly Venerable Hong, Consort Qiang, and Shi Qiluo were greatly shaken. Heavenly Duke's personal control over his body was different from the Heavenly Dao consciousness controlling it; he was now more agile and versatile.

Although Heavenly Duke had been powerful before, his fighting style felt rigid and mechanical, lacking adaptability. Now, however, his techniques and divine abilities were incredibly varied; though still Heavenly Dao abilities, their flexibility far surpassed what they had been moments ago.

The pressure on the three Heavenly Venerables immediately surged. While they had previously fought Heavenly Duke without sustaining injuries, they were now beginning to get hurt.

Heavenly Venerable Hong felt a deeper shock than any of the other Heavenly Venerables.

No one understood Heavenly Duke better than him, knowing his strengths and weaknesses intimately. This was because he and Heavenly Duke were one, their minds connected for a long time, with no distinction between them.

They had fought for the same goal: to break free from the Heavenly Dao's constraints and transcend it.

Now, however, he felt that his connection with Heavenly Duke was no longer as profound; their minds were not as aligned. It was as if a veil had settled between them, making it difficult for him to decipher Heavenly Duke's thoughts.

Of the two, he was a reincarnated divine soul, unfettered, wielding power, and enjoying life. Heavenly Duke, however, had his physical body controlled by the two souls of Heaven and Earth, bound by the Heavenly Dao, living in suppressed confinement.

Now, Heavenly Duke's two souls of Heaven and Earth seemed to have developed their own will, closing themselves off from him.

What further unsettled him was that the Heavenly Dao's will had receded, allowing Heavenly Duke to regain control of his body. If the Heavenly Dao's will no longer imposed itself on Heavenly Duke, no longer overriding his own will, would Heavenly Duke still need him?

Would he, Heavenly Venerable Hong, still be necessary?

At this moment, a rift emerged between him and Heavenly Duke.

Not only that, but he also realized that with each injury inflicted by Heavenly Duke, his cultivation strength was diminishing. This weakening stemmed from his Dao heart, where a vast Dao heart prison had locked the cultivation limit, progressively lowering it with every wound.

Although he still possessed earth-shattering power, the continuous weakening left his Dao heart in greater turmoil and heightened his panic.

An intense stinging sensation emanating from his Dao heart only exacerbated his panic and pain.

Imperceptibly, his body began to contort. First, his face, once benevolent and kind, slowly twisted into a ferocious grimace.

Even Shi Qiluo and God Emperor Lang Xuan couldn't help but feel a surge of fear at this sight.

"Heavenly Duke must be killed!" Heavenly Venerable Hong roared, his face now contorted.

Lang Xuan and Shi Qiluo both frowned deeply. This enraged figure was a stark contrast to Heavenly Venerable Hong's usual calm, elegant, and otherworldly demeanor.

"Heavenly Venerable Hong's Dao heart is utterly broken."

Shi Qiluo blinked, then immediately separated a Divine Weapon Imperial Heavenly Venerable, smiling, "Heavenly Venerable Hong, your strength is greater; use this divine weapon!"

Under normal circumstances, Heavenly Venerable Hong would surely have refused, having already discerned Shi Qiluo's tampering with the Divine Weapon Imperial Heavenly Venerable. Yet now, he directly controlled the Divine Weapon Imperial Heavenly Venerable with boundless, formidable magic.

Boom, boom, boom!

Behind the Divine Weapon Imperial Heavenly Venerable's head, luminous wheels spun and danced, and Heavenly Palaces emerged, forming a Grand Heavenly Court.

The divine weapon's aura was ferocious, its cultivation strength growing almost explosively, and its combat power surged repeatedly.

The sheer scale of the power increase was so immense that it made God Emperor Lang Xuan's primordial spirit tremble.

Shi Qiluo, meanwhile, was absolutely thrilled and overjoyed. At last, he could precisely track the operational trajectory of Heavenly Venerable Hong's cultivation technique!

Among the Heavenly Venerables, he was the weakest apart from Qin Mu. Due to his shorter cultivation time and his lower status as the master of Zaofu Heavenly Palace, he received fewer resources, meaning his personal strength could not rival that of the Ten Heavenly Venerables.

He had to find another path: using the Divine Weapon Imperial Heavenly Venerable to secretly observe the cultivation techniques of other Heavenly Venerables. Whenever another Heavenly Venerable controlled the Divine Weapon Imperial Heavenly Venerable, he could seize the opportunity to examine their methods.

He had already acquired the cultivation techniques of Heavenly Venerable Hao, Consort Qiang, and Heavenly Venerable Huo. Each of these three Heavenly Venerables specialized in different aspects, making it no easy feat to integrate their diverse techniques into his own Grand Heavenly Court cultivation method.

However, for Shi Qiluo, when it came to utilizing others' techniques, the more the better.

He instantly perceived the operational pathways of Heavenly Venerable Hong's cultivation technique, feeling both joy and profound shock.

"This technique is centered on Heavenly Dao methods, integrating various other Emperor's Throne cultivation techniques, including the achievements from Emperor Kai's reforms, various Postnatal Great Daos, and even Emperor Kai's Sword Dao! Although Emperor Kai's cultivation technique isn't fully comprehensive within it, it is still incredibly impressive!"

Shi Qiluo cast a knowing glance at Heavenly Venerable Hong. "During Emperor Kai's era, Heavenly Duke supported Emperor Kai's Heavenly Court to challenge the established Heavenly Court. I genuinely thought his aim was to use Emperor Kai's forces to eradicate us. Heh heh, it seems I underestimated him. Heavenly Duke's true purpose was to transform into Heavenly Venerable Hong, seize the opportunity to absorb the fruits of Emperor Kai's reforms, and reach the Heavenly Court realm before any of us! What an old fox..."

Although she used this opportunity to confirm Heavenly Duke's identity, she kept silent, continuing to watch Heavenly Venerable Hong fight him.

Heavenly Venerable Hong completely controlled the Divine Weapon Imperial Heavenly Venerable, pushing its power to the absolute limit. Behind its head, even the Martial Dao Heavenly Palace of Martial Dao Emperor Zhuo Cha had appeared.

The achievements of Emperor Kai's era reforms were manifested in him to their fullest extent!

Even Emperor Kai himself had never fully integrated all the Emperor's Throne cultivation techniques of his era. This was because Emperor Kai dedicated all his wisdom to solely pursuing the path of the Sword Dao. Had he diverted his efforts to other Postnatal Great Daos, he would not have achieved his current success.

Heavenly Venerable Hong, however, was different.

As a part of Heavenly Duke, he had access to the achievements of Emperor Kai's era reforms, which were not concealed from Heavenly Duke. While Heavenly Duke's true form couldn't absorb these breakthroughs, Heavenly Venerable Hong could.

In a short span, a Heavenly Court composed of thirty-five Heavenly Palaces had already materialized behind the Divine Weapon Imperial Heavenly Venerable's head. Furthermore, the thirty-sixth Heavenly Palace was also taking shape!

This sight left God Emperor Lang Xuan stunned and terrified, while filling Shi Qiluo with a mix of surprise and regret.

As he observed Heavenly Venerable Hong's cultivation technique, he realized that although Heavenly Venerable Hong possessed the thirty-sixth Heavenly Palace, it was imperfect.

With the addition of the thirty-sixth Heavenly Palace, flaws in the technique became apparent. These flaws caused the pressure on the physical body to reach its absolute limit of endurance.

In essence, even a body as powerful as a Heavenly Venerable's could not withstand the immense pressure of a Grand Heavenly Court composed of thirty-six Heavenly Palaces; it would inevitably be crushed.

Previously, Heavenly Venerable Hong would never have dared to employ such an imperfect cultivation technique. But now, with the Divine Weapon Imperial Heavenly Venerable at his disposal, he had no qualms.

At this moment, the Divine Weapon Imperial Heavenly Venerable's power had already surpassed Heavenly Venerable Hong's, and its divine ability's offensive power even exceeded God Emperor Lang Xuan's. Yet, its combat strength continued to climb!

God Emperor Lang Xuan and Shi Qiluo were greatly startled, somewhat bewildered. Since the Divine Weapon Imperial Heavenly Venerable had already reached the Heavenly Court realm, how could its strength still be increasing?

Shi Qiluo quickly realized that this increase wasn't stemming from the Heavenly Palaces themselves, but from the various divine halls within the Heavenly Court!

There were eight divine halls supplying the Divine Weapon Imperial Heavenly Venerable with power that transcended the Heavenly Court realm. The energies of these eight halls were derived from eight different Postnatal Daos, not from the Innate Daos.

"Emperor Kai's reforms are almost unnervingly brilliant!"

Shi Qiluo was so excited he nearly shed tears. The greatest achievement of Emperor Kai's era reforms lay before him.

Although he had not yet witnessed the Heavenly Court's path to enlightenment—where seventy-two treasure halls guarded thirty-six Heavenly Palaces—he already sensed the perfection of this path.

This path, supported by the Postnatal Great Dao, significantly reduced the immense pressure on a Grand Heavenly Court composed of thirty-six Heavenly Palaces.