Chapter 1603: Cloud and Chu's Dispute

Yun Tianzun’s heart sank. Taichu was probably the one keeping the closest watch on him.

Imperfections led Emperor Tai to use the Primordial Emperor Sword as the foundation for cultivating his Dao tree, Dao flowers, and Dao fruits. During the War of the Consciousness Grand Overarching Heaven, Emperor Tai perished. Yun Tianzun seized the opportunity to take control of the Primordial Emperor Sword, startling Hao Tianzun away. The Emperor Sword thus became Yun Tianzun's divine weapon.

This Emperor Sword was Taichu's innate treasure. When Taichu emerged from its shell, it was taken by Emperor Tai. Taichu's desire for the Emperor Sword had always been an obsession.

The moment Yun Tianzun's figure rushed into the Consciousness Grand Overarching Heaven, a Primordial Qi Grand Overarching Heaven slammed into it, colliding violently with the Consciousness Grand Overarching Heaven!

Yun Tianzun could barely stand steady. Fortunately, unlike Emperor Tai's flawed Dao tree, his was complete and could fully withstand the impact.

Whoosh—

The Dao tree roots writhed and plunged into his back. Immediately, a torrent of the Dao of Consciousness surged from the roots, empowering his physical body.

Within Yun Tianzun's body, his Spirit Embryo opened, evolving into the Ancestral Court Continent. Star rivers soared, transforming into Xuandu, and the Heavenly River pierced the sky, rising majestically from the Celestial Sea and flowing through Xuandu.

This Heavenly River flowed down from Xuandu, circled the four cosmic poles, establishing the Four Extremities Divine Treasures. Subsequently, the various Divine Treasures of the Four Extremities Heavens opened one after another.

Next, Yuandu opened, and the Heavenly River passed over Yuandu, flowing into Youdu, transforming into the Underworld River, and Youdu opened.

The Underworld River flowed from Youdu into Gui Xu, and Gui Xu opened.

Thus, he had cultivated the seven great realms of the New Divine Treasures!

These were the seven realms of the New Divine Treasures taught to him by Lan Yutian. Unlike the previous seven realms of Divine Treasures, these did not rely on external forces. In the old system, six of the seven Divine Treasures realms, apart from the Spirit Embryo, borrowed power from external objects or ancient gods.

The New Divine Treasures, however, involved observing the Dao of Heaven and Earth to open the divine treasures. They did not borrow external power but rather cultivated the magnificence of an inner universe by seeing oneself as a cosmos and drawing inspiration from the Dao of Heaven and Earth.

Yun Tianzun's cultivation strength advanced by leaps and bounds. In fact, upon reaching the Youdu realm, he had already transcended life and death, becoming like a deity with an immeasurable lifespan, enduring as long as heaven and earth.

If possessing an immeasurable lifespan were the standard for becoming a god, then the sixth realm of the New Divine Treasures, Youdu, could be called the God Realm.

However, the realms created by Lan Yutian did not include a "God Realm" or even a "Heavenly Palace" realm.

After Yun Tianzun opened the seven great divine treasures, his primordial spirit stood atop the Ancestral Court. The Grand Dao converged, passing through the Four Heavenly Gates, undergoing the baptism of Yaochi and Yaotai, enduring the tempering of the Celestial Sea's heart, and then entering the God-Slaying Platform and the Nine Prisons Platform.

Ahead, a hazy, chaotic expanse stretched out. His primordial spirit appeared before a majestic and grand Jade Capital City, yet he could never step inside.

The realms created by Lan Yutian began with the foundational Seven Divine Treasures. Following these were the Ancestral Court realms, which were divided into: Four Heavenly Gates Realm, Yaochi and Yaotai Realm, Celestial Sea Realm, God-Slaying Platform Realm, Nine Prisons Platform Realm, Jade Capital Realm, Five Tais Realm, and World Tree Realm.

The seven realms of the New Divine Treasures were completed by Lan Yutian alone, while the eight Ancestral Court realms were collaboratively developed by Lan Yutian, Xu Shenghua, Hua Xuanxiu, Granny Si, Crown Prince Youming, and others.

However, they had not completed the Jade Capital Realm, the Five Tais Realm, and the World Tree Realm.

The Jade Capital Realm required understanding the Jade Capital City, but the city had been sealed and heavily guarded by the Celestial Venerables of the Heavenly Court. Lan Yutian and the others could not enter to study it, so they could only perceive a hazy outline of the Jade Capital City without being able to step inside.

The Five Tais Realm required comprehending the five primordial Grand Daos: Grand Change, Grand Beginning, Grand Prime, Grand Purity, and Grand Ultimate. Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua visited the ruins of the five major mining veins more than once, attempting to grasp these five Daos, but these Daos were profoundly unfathomable, and they never fully mastered them.

The World Tree Realm bore some resemblance to traditional Dao realms, similar to Kai Huang's cultivation of the 36 Heavens of the Dao Realm to achieve enlightenment, forming a Grand Overarching Heaven, growing a Dao tree, opening Dao flowers, and bearing Dao fruits.

However, the World Tree Realm differed from traditional Dao realms in that the Dao trees in traditional realms were imitations of the World Tree, whereas the World Tree Realm involved comprehending the World Tree of the Black Mountain Holy Land and using one's own Dao to cultivate a World Tree within their self-created Ancestral Court.

Once the World Tree was cultivated, it would govern the various Grand Daos within one's body, with the Daos centering around the World Tree to form a Grand Overarching Heaven.

The World Tree within the Grand Overarching Heaven could also open Dao flowers and bear Dao fruits.

Unlike the Grand Overarching Heavens of the Dao Realm system, the Grand Overarching Heavens of the Ancestral Court system did not need to be anchored in the ultimate void; they were formed from one's own Grand Dao.

This was the concept of Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua. They intended to use this method to prevent the ultimate void from being crushed by too many Grand Overarching Heavens, which could lead to the universe's destruction.

If the Grand Dao was not anchored externally, and instead, the Grand Overarching Heaven was cultivated solely within one's own Ancestral Court system, there would be no excessive pressure on the ultimate void. This might be a way to resolve the universe's impending destruction.

Furthermore, different individuals cultivating different Daos would have distinct Grand Overarching Heavens and World Trees within their Ancestral Courts.

The traditional Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Court system achieved Dao through power, while the Dao Realm system achieved Dao through the Dao itself. Both were anchored externally. However, Lan Yutian, Xu Shenghua, and others anchored their cultivation internally. This was the biggest difference between the new and old systems.

Yun Tianzun's ability to cultivate the new Ancestral Court system to the Nine Prisons Platform Realm in such a short time truly demonstrated extraordinary talent and comprehension.

However, the new system was incomplete; even its creators, Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua, had not fully mastered it. How much less could a mere learner like him?

His magical power was still far inferior to that of a master of the Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Court system like Taichu!

Taichu appeared beneath the Dao tree of the Primordial Qi Grand Overarching Heaven, his gaze falling upon Yun Tianzun. Sensing that Yun Tianzun had amplified his physical strength countless times in a short period, Taichu couldn't help but show a look of approval.

"Yun, you are the Celestial Venerable I enfeoffed. It was also at my behest that you descended to the lower realms to establish the Empyrean Heavens in Yuandu. I even designated you as the Celestial Emperor of post-celestial beings."

Taichu sighed with emotion, "How have you repaid me? You colluded with Hao Tianzun, using a honey trap to seduce me, which led to me losing my position as Celestial Emperor. Yun, Yun, I treated you well. I recognized your ambition to contend for dominion, so I nurtured you, yet you repeatedly betrayed me. Are humans truly so untrustworthy?"

Yun Tianzun furiously mobilized the power of the Dao tree behind him. He reached out, and a flash of sword light later, the Primordial Emperor Sword was in his hand. He stated solemnly, "Your Majesty commanded me to descend to the lower realms to establish the Empyrean Heavens and rule over post-celestial beings. Then, you commanded Hao Tianzun to descend and form the Dragon Firmament Heavenly Court, inciting conflict between us, setting us against each other in battle. Your Majesty's intention was merely to see the demigods and post-celestial beings flourishing, and the ancient gods' rule becoming precarious. Thus, you used this opportunity to make us slaughter each other and wear down our strength. It was then that I realized to overthrow the ancient gods, I first had to kill Your Majesty. If Your Majesty does not die, the ancient gods will forever rule the world, and the world will forever remain in darkness!"

"So you allied with Hao Tianzun," Taichu said, "and you controlled the Celestial Alliance. To use the power of the demigods to kill me, you had to give him half the power of the Celestial Alliance."

Taichu sighed again, "But he usurped control, slowly eroding the Celestial Alliance. Yun Tianzun, have you ever regretted it after overthrowing me? Your Celestial Alliance became the alliance of Hao Tianzun and the other Ten Celestial Venerables. You overthrew the ancient gods' rule, only for demigods to continue ruling the myriad heavens and worlds. Your human race and post-celestial beings are still sacrifices; you haven't escaped the fate of enslavement and blood sacrifice. There's no difference between you overthrowing me and not overthrowing me."

Yun Tianzun also sighed, then stated solemnly, "There is a difference. Before, there was no hope, but now there is hope. That is the biggest difference!"

Taichu burst into laughter, sweeping his sleeve. "Hope? What an ethereal and ironic word! Yun Tianzun, do you call the countless humans and post-celestial beings being repeatedly purged and slaughtered over millions of years 'hope'? Do you call the Dragon Han, Crimson Light, Emperor's, Kai Huang, and Yankang Calamities 'hope'? Post-celestial beings are like leeks, harvested crop after crop. Is this your so-called hope?"

Yun Tianzun flicked the Primordial Emperor Sword with his finger; its clear, resonant hum was invigorating. "How is this not hope? Your Majesty, in the past, we had no power to fight. During the Dragon Han era, there were only a handful of Imperial Seat experts among the post-celestial beings. In the Crimson Light era, Emperor Ming could fight all the way to the Southern Heavenly Gate. In the Emperor's era, Ling Yue shook the Heavenly Court's foundation. In the Kai Huang era, Wuyou Township made the Ten Celestial Venerables restless. And in this Yankang era, Your Majesty, we can already contend with the Heavenly Court."

Taichu's gaze fell on the Emperor Sword in Yun Tianzun's hand. He said slowly, "You post-celestial beings are truly like vermin; no matter how many times you are killed, you inexplicably revive, each time stronger than before. However, you have no more opportunities."

He surveyed the Consciousness Grand Overarching Heaven, sighing with emotion. "The Dao of Taichu is divided into Primordial Qi and Consciousness. When Taichu achieved the Dao, it transformed into the Taichu Grand Overarching Heaven, comprising the Primordial Qi Grand Overarching Heaven and the Consciousness Grand Overarching Heaven. I need your death to complete the Dao of Taichu."

A vertical eye slowly opened between his brows, revealing the glistening, resplendent Primordial Origin Stone. Half of this stone was missing. He smiled, "After your death, with the two Grand Overarching Heavens merged, I will be the true Taichu."

"Your Majesty, the same applies to me."

Yun Tianzun offered a faint smile. A vertical eye slowly opened between his brows, revealing a Primordial Origin Stone. He chuckled, "If Your Majesty dies by my hand, I can use Your Majesty's Primordial Qi Grand Overarching Heaven to achieve the Dao of Taichu. Your Majesty has the Primordial body, and I have the Primordial Emperor Sword. Who will emerge victorious is still unknown!"

Taichu's pupils constricted abruptly. The Primordial Origin Stone between Yun Tianzun's brows was precisely the one he had painstakingly searched for in vain!

Back then, Emperor Tai's body was shattered in the Sea of Chaos formed by the Chaos mining veins. The Origin Stone fell into the Sea of Chaos, and all Celestial Venerables searched for it, but none managed to obtain it!

Taichu had entered the Sea of Chaos more than once to search for the Origin Stone's whereabouts, yet it had vanished without a trace, as if it had grown wings.

He did not know that the Origin Stone had been obtained by Xu Shenghua, who brought it to the Black Mountain Holy Land. There, Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian together comprehended the Dao of Taichu contained within the stone, both gaining considerable insights.

Not long ago, Yun Tianzun came to the Black Mountain Holy Land to study. Lan Yutian taught him the new cultivation system, and when Xu Shenghua learned that Yun Tianzun had obtained Emperor Tai's Consciousness Grand Overarching Heaven, he gifted him the Primordial Origin Stone, enabling him to master the power of the Consciousness Grand Overarching Heaven.

Yun Tianzun implanted this Origin Stone between his brows. With it, activating the Consciousness Grand Overarching Heaven became much easier, allowing him to freely mobilize the power of the Grand Overarching Heaven's Dao tree and Dao fruits.

"Your Majesty probably doesn't know why Celestial Venerable Mu insisted I go to the Black Mountain Holy Land. I learned a great deal there. Besides the new cultivation system, I also obtained this Origin Stone. More importantly, Kai Huang Qin Ye is also in Black Mountain!"

Yun Tianzun vibrated the Primordial Emperor Sword, his expression stern, eyes fixed on the sword tip. "During the Dragon Han era, besides impersonating Celestial Venerable Mu, I also impersonated Kai Huang. In the early years of Dragon Han, I had a fleeting glimpse and comprehended their divine arts and techniques from their battles, allowing me to flawlessly imitate both of their divine arts, making them indistinguishable from the real thing! And in the Black Mountain Holy Land, with Kai Huang, the foremost swordsman, personally guiding me, the power of the Primordial Emperor Sword in my hands might exceed Your Majesty's imagination!"

Whoosh—

Yun Tianzun swung his sword, the tip of the Primordial Emperor Sword pointing diagonally downwards. Behind him, purple qi filled the heavens, dyeing the Consciousness Grand Overarching Heaven into a supreme realm, as if forged from purple jade.

An unparalleled, razor-sharp surge of sword Dao erupted from him, capable of piercing through anything!

Beneath the Grand Overarching Heaven, layers of Sword Dao Heavens suddenly unfolded, forming a protective encirclement!

Simultaneously, layers of Heavens formed from the Dao of Consciousness merged with the Sword Dao Heavens, compensating for his deficiencies in swordsmanship!

With the two types of Heavens merged, their power was amplified!

"Your Majesty, please—"