Chapter 1689: The Death of Dragon Xiaotianzun

Less than three out of ten of Shang Pingyin's Divine Martial Guards remained.

For the past few years, he had led the Divine Martial Guards, fighting and retreating. However, even though Yankang had only sent Prince Youming and Long Qilin, Long Qilin was the acknowledged First Celestial Master, Longshan Sanren, who commanded the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda.

Using only Meng Yungui's few remaining divine soldiers and generals from the Feathered Camp, Longshan Sanren routed these two top divine-demonic armies, the Divine Martial Guards, causing devastating casualties. What was even more terrifying was that Longshan Sanren's command of formation arts had far surpassed his former self.

Today, whether it was Heavenly Court's formations or Yankang's, they had advanced immeasurably compared to 600,000 years ago. The Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda Grand Formation had long been broken by Yue Tingge, and then by Meng Yungui, so it was no longer considered the world's greatest formation. But with Longshan Sanren's return, he refined the various formations within the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda, making them even more intricate, rendering Shang Pingyin's research completely useless.

When the first battle erupted, the Divine Martial Guards and Shang Pingyin were already defeated. Shang Pingyin exhausted all his wisdom, desperately wanting to defeat Longshan Sanren and regain his confidence. However, that major defeat caused the Divine Martial Guards to lose 20% of their strength within the Lapis Lazuli Sky Grand Formation.

Any single Divine Martial Guard corps, if singled out, possessed strength comparable to an Imperial Throne expert who had cultivated eighteen Heavenly Palaces. And an Imperial Throne expert with eighteen Heavenly Palaces was the minimum requirement to become a Celestial Venerable. Of course, this baseline applied to the former Ten Celestial Venerables, not the current ones. Ever since Emperor Haotian ascended the throne, the minimum requirement for a Celestial Venerable had been lowered to eight Heavenly Palaces.

After this battle, Shang Pingyin's inner demons flared up within his Dao heart once more. He led the remnants of the Divine Martial Guards, fleeing through the various heavens in the Southern Sky. Long Qilin, leading Meng Yungui and the Feathered Camp, pursued relentlessly, with small-scale skirmishes breaking out periodically.

Shang Pingyin dared not confront Longshan Sanren directly. During his escape, he continuously dispatched suicidal detachments, allowing the Feathered Camp to whittle them down, thereby buying time for himself and his main force to escape. Not only that, he also conscripted divine soldiers and generals from the various heavens in the Southern Sky, gathering these Southern Sky demigods and celestials to form new armies—millions of divine-demonic beings—to confront Longshan Sanren in a decisive battle.

However, what awaited him was still defeat! The divine-demonic army he hastily assembled appeared vast in number but crumbled at the slightest touch, possessing little combat power. Thus, in just a few years, the Divine Martial Guards were reduced to just over 20% of their original strength, forcing him to flee, plunder, kill, and burn through the various heavens in the Southern Sky.

But on this day, the Third Celestial Master, Bai Yuqiong, and the Northern Heavenly King, Yi Luo, finally led their large army to the Southern Sky. When the armies met, Yi Luo and Bai Yuqiong looked at the white-haired and decrepit Shang Pingyin, feeling both pity and shock. In just a few years, Shang Pingyin had become like an old man with one foot in the grave, showing how severe Longshan Sanren's blow had been to him.

"Longshan Sanren, in fact, is Celestial Venerable Mu's mount, Long Pi," Yi Luo said. "He followed Celestial Venerable Mu back 600,000 years ago, coincidentally during the Heavenly Court's split, and thus gained fame. The Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda disappeared with him, and 600,000 years later, when Celestial Venerable Mu rose to power, the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda reappeared, confirming this. This time, to aid Celestial Master Shang, Celestial Venerable Taiji gave me a strategy pouch, which can defeat Longshan Sanren."

Shang Pingyin was dazed, his eyes struggling to move slightly. "A strategy pouch?"

Bai Yuqiong, however, frowned slightly. She hadn't heard a single whisper about Ancient God Taiji giving Yi Luo a strategy pouch, which couldn't help but make her wary.

Yi Luo opened the pouch, revealing a slip of paper with only six words written on it.

"Long Pi, Long Xiao's adopted son!"

Yi Luo suddenly understood, smiling. "Celestial Venerable Taiji is indeed incredibly resourceful. With this pouch, we can deal with Longshan Sanren."

Shang Pingyin's Dao heart was shattered, making him broken and useless. Yi Luo immediately incorporated the remnants of the Divine Martial Guards into his own ranks and said to Bai Yuqiong: "Celestial Master, His Majesty commanded us to come and brought the Southern Heavenly Gate of the Ancestral Court. Once this gate is deployed, it can suppress the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda and the enemy forces. We have eight million divine-demonic beings, while the enemy only has a little over a hundred thousand. With the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda suppressed, Longshan Sanren will surely augment his forces."

Bai Yuqiong understood, saying: "Heavenly King Yi Luo's intention is that if Longshan Sanren wants to boost his forces, he can only summon the primeval behemoths from the Beast Realm."

Yi Luo smiled: "Longshan Sanren will summon primeval behemoths and fill the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda with them, leveraging the beasts' power to counter our army of eight million. These behemoths also need to be arranged in formations, but their intelligence is low, so he'll need a blend of human and beast to fully unleash the power of the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda's formations."

Bai Yuqiong fully understood his plan, saying: "Then, Heavenly King will summon Celestial Venerable Long Xiao of the Beast Realm! Celestial Venerable Long Xiao, seeing his adopted son opposing the Heavenly Court, will surely be enraged and recall Longshan Sanren and the behemoths from the Beast Realm. This way, the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda's formations will only be left with Meng Yungui and the Feathered Camp's divine-demonic beings. Once the behemoths leave, their previously maintained formations will immediately collapse and disintegrate!"

Yi Luo laughed heartily: "This way, Meng Yungui can be defeated in one battle! Celestial Master Bai, you are proficient in various formations, far surpassing me. Therefore, I need you to orchestrate the various formations of my army, forcing Longshan Sanren to summon the Beast Realm's behemoths!"

Bai Yuqiong solemnly said: "I will certainly give my utmost!"

The two finalized their strategy, and Bai Yuqiong ordered the divine-demonic army to march out, but she felt a slight hesitation in her heart. She didn't want to see Meng Yungui perish like this. Heavenly King Yi Luo's strategy was extremely vicious. Meng Yungui's limited forces could not resist the Heavenly Court's vast army; to even attempt to, he would have to summon the primeval behemoths from the Beast Realm. However, as soon as Celestial Venerable Long Xiao recalled the Beast Realm's behemoths and Long Qilin, it would be like pulling the rug out from under Meng Yungui. The formations within the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda would become a scattered, vulnerable mess! What awaited Meng Yungui was not just his death, but the complete annihilation of his entire army. All the soldiers of the Feathered Camp would be buried with him!

She and Meng Yungui were acquaintances, but also deeply trusted confidants. Both were human, both Celestial Masters of the Heavenly Court, supporting each other. Meng Yungui had once helped her against the Emperor of Yin. She couldn't bear to watch Meng Yungui die before her eyes.

"However, Heavenly King Yi Luo is right behind me, controlling the Southern Heavenly Gate. The slightest deviation from my part means certain death."

Bai Yuqiong struggled internally: "Senior Brother Meng, why did you choose to rebel at this critical juncture? You are such a cunning and cautious person, why did you have to rebel at this very moment..."

Opposite them, Long Qilin was already prepared when Bai Yuqiong and Yi Luo arrived with their troops, ready to summon the primeval behemoths from the Beast Realm at any moment. He was Long Xiao's adopted son, the young master of the Beast Realm, and had managed the Beast Realm for many years, commanding countless behemoths. He also had ambitions, a desire to help Yankang and alleviate its troubles. He wanted to turn the Southern Sky into a battlefield that would tie down the Heavenly Court's army! The Beast Realm's army was his capital. To achieve this, he needed to drag as many of the Heavenly Court's divine-demonic armies as possible into the Southern Sky, forcing the Southern Sky to become an indispensable place for the Heavenly Court, compelling them to continuously send more forces! This way, Yankang's pressure could be reduced.

Long Qilin had cultivated with Qin Mu for many years and had been sent out by Qin Mu for tempering. He had grown into a qualified general. Although he was nominally Longshan Sanren, renowned as the world's greatest Celestial Master, he was still not as skilled as Shang Pingyin in military deployment and formation arrangement. In recent years, Meng Yungui had secretly helped him orchestrate the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda's formation changes, allowing him to grow rapidly in just a few years. His command of various battle formations was masterful, and the gap between him and a true Celestial Master was shrinking.

However, when he summoned the primeval behemoths from the Beast Realm, everything was already predetermined. The Ancient God Taiji had devised the strategy for Yi Luo. The wisdom of these two ancient gods was extremely high. With their meticulous planning against Long Qilin's lack of foresight, Long Qilin's defeat was sealed!

At Bai Yuqiong's command, the Heavenly Court army surged forth. Long Qilin immediately summoned primeval behemoths. The Southern Sky tore open, and colossal beasts descended from the heavens, entering the twenty-eight layers of heavens laid out by the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda! Meng Yungui and Prince Youming immediately helped him disperse the Beast Realm's primeval behemoths into the various formations within the twenty-eight heavens. With the Beast Realm's assistance, they were sure not to lose this battle!

The moment the two armies clashed, flesh and blood flew everywhere. Even the divine-demonic beings who were usually high and mighty were, at this moment, nothing more than insignificant ants in the battlefield's torrent. In the instant of collision, countless divine-demonic beings perished!

Just then, suddenly, the sky cracked open, and a gigantic dragon head emerged from the fissure. Its eyes, like fiercely burning suns, emitted astonishing heat, illuminating the vast battlefield entirely! Heavenly King Yi Luo looked up and sneered: "Celestial Venerable Long Xiao, are you also preparing to rebel and cause chaos?"

That colossal dragon head belonged to Long Xiao. His face was gloomy. Where his gaze shone, countless primeval behemoths within the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda were involuntarily lifted, one after another disappearing into the crack in the sky, forcibly pulled back to the Beast Realm by him! Long Qilin was filled with both fury and sorrow. He looked up and sternly called out: "Adoptive Father—"

Long Xiao's gaze shone upon him. Long Qilin struggled fiercely, but was still lifted by the light and disappeared into the Beast Realm. Long Qilin struggled in vain. He looked back at Meng Yungui and Prince Youming, shouting loudly: "Survive! Wait for my return! You must survive—"

The crack in the sky closed, and Long Qilin's figure vanished. "My adopted son launched troops without authorization; I will strictly restrain him." Long Xiao's voice resounded, and then his gigantic head also retracted back into the Beast Realm.

Heavenly King Yi Luo laughed heartily, strode out of the city, and looked up, seeing countless formations within the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda immediately lose control. Without the primeval behemoths from the Beast Realm to direct them, the various formations malfunctioned! The Heavenly Court's divine-demonic army stormed into the twenty-eight heavens of the Sky Pagoda, and immediately the soldiers of the Feathered Camp were torn apart, flesh and blood flying!

Prince Youming and Meng Yungui, realizing the battle was lost after this sudden change, unleashed their primordial spirits and a torrent of divine arts, fighting desperately to protect thousands of Feathered Camp soldiers as they struggled to break through the encirclement of the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda and escape to the outside world! Prince Youming seized the jade pillar of the Sky Pagoda, intending to retract the twenty-eight heavens of the Lapis Lazuli Sky Pagoda and take away this supreme treasure. Just then, Heavenly King Yi Luo activated the Southern Heavenly Gate of the Ancestral Court. Between two mountain ranges, fierce flames blazed and Daoist rhymes permeated. The Southern Heavenly Gate pressed down, causing crackling sounds to emanate from Prince Youming's body.

He roared, pushing all his strength to the limit. His turtle-snake primordial spirit flew, and the radiance of the Great Dao permeated, yet he still could not lift the Sky Pagoda. He was still struggling to pull it up when Meng Yungui suddenly flew over, pulled him, and soared away: "Prince of the Northern Emperor, if we don't leave now, we'll never be able to!" No sooner had they left than Heavenly King Yi Luo clipped his wings, cutting only air.

Heavenly King Yi Luo landed, and countless troops surged out from his flanks, forming ranks to attack the remnants of the Feathered Camp. Heavenly King Yi Luo turned back to Bai Yuqiong, saying blandly: "Celestial Master Bai, though your formations are not as good as Meng Yungui's, there shouldn't be such a large loophole, should there? You actually let Meng Yungui and the rebels escape!"

Bai Yuqiong stepped forward and said: "Meng Yungui's attainments are far superior to mine. Even Celestial Master Shang was defeated by him, let alone me? Fortunately, in this round, we are already assured of victory!"

Heavenly King Yi Luo did not press the matter. He put away the Sky Pagoda and the Southern Heavenly Gate, then closely pursued Meng Yungui and Prince Youming, saying: "Celestial Master Bai, you are an intelligent person; you should know where the prevailing tide lies. With the general trend, all who stand in the way will be crushed to dust! Meng Yungui is an example of this!"

Bai Yuqiong remained silent, following his steps. She issued commands, changing formations, to surround and intercept Meng Yungui's remnants.

In the Beast Realm, within Celestial Venerable Long Xiao's Heavenly Palace.

*Thud!*

Long Qilin knelt, bowing his head repeatedly, tears streaming down his face like rain: "Adoptive Father, why did you recall us? Adoptive Father, you've violated your oath to the Cult Master—"

"Enough!" Celestial Venerable Long Xiao sat on the Imperial Throne of the High Heavens Palace, his nine faces grim. He roared: "Pi, your father is saving you! Can you not see the overarching trend? Emperor Haotian has the backing of Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City. With this unstoppable trend, both Yankang and Carefree Village will be utterly crushed and cease to exist! Even your so-called Cult Master Qin, Celestial Venerable Mu, is powerless before such a tide! You nearly plunged my Beast Realm into ruin!"

Long Qilin slammed his head against the ground, drawing blood. His tears turned to blood as he cried out: "Adoptive Father, I don't want to see you die! You cannot defeat the Cult Master! If you were united with the Cult Master, and swiftly deployed troops to the Southern Sky now, there would still be a path to survival..."

Celestial Venerable Long Xiao was furious. He rose from his Imperial Throne and sternly said: "Long Pi, you've lost your senses! What benefit would I gain from siding with Celestial Venerable Mu? Can he promise me the position of Celestial Venerable? Or can he grant me endless glory and wealth? He can give me nothing! But Emperor Haotian has already enfeoffed me as one of the Ten Celestial Venerables! The immense power of the Beast Realm is entirely within my grasp! If Celestial Venerable Mu succeeds, will the power of the Beast Realm still be in my hands in the future?"

At his command, several powerful Beast Realm experts stepped forward and restrained Long Qilin. "Imprison Prince Pi for me! Let him think it over properly!" Celestial Venerable Long Xiao flicked his sleeve: "Once the dust settles from this war, then release him!"

Long Qilin was dragged away, crying loudly: "Adoptive Father, have you forgotten the agreement of the Little Earth Count you signed with the Cult Master? If you break your oath, you will die! You cannot defeat the Cult Master! Adoptive Father, don't sacrifice your life!"

Long Xiao was incensed. With a thunderous roar, a small object rolled out of Long Qilin's ear. It was none other than the tiny Little Earth Count, with a cow's head, tiger's face, human body, and cow's tail. Long Xiao pointed at the tiny Little Earth Count, exasperated: "The Little Earth Count agreement you spoke of, is it him? Celestial Venerable Mu played me for a fool, and you're playing me too!" He picked up the tiny Little Earth Count and threw it into Long Qilin's arms: "Lock him up for me! Don't let him cause any more trouble!"

The cage clanged shut.

Long Qilin was imprisoned in a spiritual cage. The powerful behemoths guarded the outside, sealing the cage with their divine sense. Not long after, Long Qilin's children were also thrown in. It was likely Long Xiao was worried they might secretly descend to the lower realm to deliver a message to Qin Mu.

Long Qilin's face turned ashen. The tiny Little Earth Count climbed out of his arms and looked at him with a serious expression. Long Qilin averted its gaze.

"Moo," the tiny Little Earth Count said to him very solemnly.

Long Qilin's tears fell uncontrollably: "I know, I just don't want adoptive father to die like this..."

"Moo!"

The tiny Little Earth Count became even more solemn and opened its mouth, spitting out a scroll of the Book of Covenants. Long Qilin raised his hand, wanting to stop it, then retracted it. This Book of Covenants was the agreement between Qin Mu and Long Xiao, stipulating that Long Xiao must not betray him, or his soul would be taken by the 'Little Earth Count'. Here, the 'Little Earth Count' was not the tiny Little Earth Count, but Qin Fengqing.

The tiny Little Earth Count lifted its hoof, struggling to unfurl the Book of Covenants. Long Qilin's two children rushed forward to help him spread open the covenant. The tiny Little Earth Count began to speak, reading the words on the covenant. Long Qilin closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably. He knew that the Book of Covenants spoken by the tiny Little Earth Count was Long Xiao's death warrant. Once the tiny Little Earth Count finished reading it, Qin Fengqing would descend. This was Qin Mu's contingency plan against Long Xiao. Although Long Qilin knew, he could not stop it.

"Where my body stands, there is Youdu!"

The tiny Little Earth Count spoke the Dao language of Youdu, its body spinning. A miniature Youdu, only four feet square, appeared within the Beast Realm's spiritual cage. This piece of Youdu was connected to the Youdu of the Primordial Realm.