Chapter 1771: Palace Survives as the Way Survives, Palace Destroyed as the Way Dies

Lan Yutian felt a pang of melancholy as he stepped out of the Golden Ark of Deliverance.

Xu Shenghua also felt a mix of emotions. The Empress had lived a legendary life; despite her often reprehensible actions, her experiences were now etched into the myths of this universe.

The era of the Empress and the Ten Heavenly Venerates had passed.

Of the original Ten Heavenly Venerates, only Heavenly Emperor Hao now remained.

Without hesitation, they immediately headed in the direction where Heavenly Emperor Hao had imprinted the void. This was a critical moment for his second ascension to the Dao, and they absolutely could not allow him to succeed again.

Although Heavenly Emperor Hao was contemptible, he possessed the world's foremost intellect. Having been defeated by Heavenly Venerate Yun and Qin Mu, he had to remain broken; he absolutely could not be given a third chance to rise again.

If Heavenly Emperor Hao, in his current state, could still recover his Dao heart and rise again, he would become truly terrifying.

Not far from them, the battle involving Shang Jun, Heavenly Venerate Yue, Jiang Baigui, and the Hall Master of Joy had also reached a critical juncture.

Jiang Baigui used the Grand Heavenly Court of the Post-celestial Great Dao to suppress the Hall Master of Joy's physical body. Shang Jun, trapped beneath the Hall of Joy, raised his saber, and its light cleaved the hall apart.

With fierce red flames burning above her head, the Hall Master of Joy's primordial spirit burst forth, knocking Jiang Baigui away. But it was already too late. Shang Jun's saber light had swept past her left leg. The moment she flew out of the hall, she looked down to see her left leg standing perfectly intact within the Hall of Joy.

"Shang Jun, you demon! Prepare to die!"

The Hall Master of Joy gritted her teeth. The hall's Dao light flared intensely, clashing with Shang Jun's Dao light. Simultaneously, her Dao tree swept towards Jiang Baigui.

The impact of the shimmering Dao light made Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian, who were observing from a distance, stagger.

They looked back to see the Hall of Joy split in two. The Hall Master of Joy's enormous Dao tree had manifested a wondrous phenomenon: thousands of Dao trees forming a dense forest, transforming the entire area into a Dao tree wilderness.

On the shattered hall, Shang Jun stood atop one half, drenched in blood, with blood steadily streaming from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. On the other half, the Hall Master of Joy stood on one leg, an astonishing saber wound marring her face.

Heavenly Venerate Yue shouted, and her zither music swelled, folding space. She attempted to break the Hall Master of Joy's spatial divine ability to send Jiang Baigui into the Dao tree forest.

Jiang Baigui was also in a difficult situation; swept by the Hall Master of Joy's Dao tree, his heavenly palaces were left tattered.

He was a grand master of the Post-celestial Dao, possessing immensely profound cultivation and magic power. His Dao arts and divine abilities fell outside the scope of previous cultivation systems; they were a new discipline, one that even Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian did not comprehend.

The Hall Master of Joy often found herself unable to counter his divine abilities and Dao arts.

However, the difference in cultivation was hard to bridge, and Jiang Baigui was still severely wounded by her.

Heavenly Venerate Yue, unable to break through the Hall Master of Joy's Dao tree forest quickly, felt anxious. Suddenly, she cried out, pushing her magic power to its absolute limit.

She threw out a peach branch, which landed in the Dao tree forest. The moment it touched the ground, a peach forest instantly grew, its blossoms magnificent. Petals flew out in all directions, traversing space and multiplying rapidly.

Jiang Baigui stepped on the peach blossoms, venturing deeper into the Dao tree forest. Within the Dao trees, various Dao chains intertwined like shuttles. He encountered and continuously broke through various attacks along the way.

Heavenly Venerate Yue cooperated with him, and together they broke through the Hall Master of Joy's divine abilities. Heavenly Venerate Yue sent him deeper into the Dao tree forest, bringing him closer and closer to the shattered Hall of Joy.

On the shattered hall, the Hall Master of Joy gazed at the now bifurcated structure, her face somber. She whispered, "Teacher once told me that very few in this world can achieve a 'hall' through their own Dao arts. A hall is stronger than a Dao tree, and its Dao realm is higher than that of a Dao fruit; it is a new path. Dao trees and Dao fruits merely imitate the World Tree, but a hall represents the grand scheme within an achiever's heart, the universe within their chest. A hall is the ultimate sanctuary and the supreme achievement of an achiever."

Shang Jun raised his saber, his body bleeding from countless wounds. The power of the Hall of Joy had nearly shattered his entire being, but as an achiever, he used his formidable magic power to stabilize himself and prevent further disintegration.

Throughout the history of the Sixteen Epochs, he had endured far more grievous injuries, so he remained unconcerned.

His gaze fell upon the Hall Master of Joy's single leg.

Her other leg had been severed by him, and the Dao injury caused her to bleed continuously.

"Teacher imparted the supreme law to me, but my aptitude is dull, and I could never fully comprehend it. The 'hall' he spoke of was actually a treasure hall formed by the condensation of the Great Dao, like the Grand Supreme Hall, the Infinite Hall, or the Numinous Sky Hall. He wanted us to innovate and forge our own paths—a path he himself could not tread—to reach its limits, become independent masters, become his Dao companions, and support each other as we journeyed forward. But I could not achieve that."

The Hall Master of Joy gasped, adjusting her breath. Her voice hoarse, she said, "All I could do, under his guidance, was take one step forward. This single step was already my limit, which is why I could only become one of the seventy-two hall masters."

A smile appeared on her face. "Teacher once told me that I was too impulsive and urged me to think twice before acting. He said my smile was beautiful and innocent, so he gave me the Dao title 'Joy.' He hoped that when I was impulsive, I would smile, and when I smiled, I would think, thus allowing me to overcome my impulsiveness. He wished for me to always smile and maintain the purity of my Dao heart. Since I began my cultivation, I have indeed, as he wished, often smiled in the face of worldly matters, and consequently, I have committed fewer foolish acts."

Shang Jun replied indifferently, "Your smile is indeed beautiful."

Faint zither music drifted from the Dao tree forest outside, indicating that Heavenly Venerate Yue and Jiang Baigui were gradually approaching as they broke through the forest.

The peach forest spread, its range growing wider and wider.

The Hall Master of Joy exhaled a stale breath, though blood gushed from her throat. She regulated her breathing, slowly lowered her single leg, and squatted down, the smile vanishing from her face. "Teacher said that when I stop smiling, that is my most dangerous moment," she began. "The danger is not just for my opponents, but also for myself. Because when I don't smile, that's when I'm least calm."

Behind her, layers of Dao realms erupted with a thunderous roar!

The saber in Shang Jun's hand slowly slid into its sheath, and his body subtly lowered.

A Thirty-Six Heaven Slaughter Dao domain formed beneath his feet. His body tensed, with some muscles relaxed, some taut, and others compressed like springs.

Both prepared for the decisive strike.

The Hall Master of Joy fixed her gaze on Shang Jun. She whispered, "Shang Jun, you personally destroyed the Sixteenth Epoch that nurtured you, then went mad during the calamity of destruction, slaughtering achievers. Grand Prince Tai Shang did not take your life, but I will."

Her figure surged forward. The split hall suddenly flared with immense Dao light and then disintegrated within it. The Hall Master of Joy fiercely cried out, "As long as the hall exists, the Dao exists; if the hall is destroyed, the Dao perishes! Today, with my Dao realm, I will send you, this demon, to your end with me!"

At this moment, her battle intent soared to an unprecedented peak!

If she had chosen to flee, not even Heavenly Venerate Yue could have stopped her, yet she remained to fight Shang Jun to the death.

It was as if an ideal supported the Hall Master of Joy, compelling her to block Shang Jun and the others, making her willing to fight to the death to slay Shang Jun and ensure the arrival of the Miluo Palace achievers.

Heavenly Venerate Yue, Jiang Baigui, and others held their own ideals, just as Shang Jun held his. These ideals propelled them to challenge the mighty and achieve their aspirations.

The Hall Master of Joy also had such an ideal.

Her ideal was that of the Miluo Palace, and it was precisely this ideal that had made the Miluo Palace a sacred place in the hearts of achievers throughout the past sixteen cosmic epochs.

For this ideal, they would brave any danger and oppose all.

Although the Miluo Palace Master was no longer present, as long as the ideal persisted, the Miluo Palace would not disband.

In her heart, the Miluo Palace's ideal could never be wrong; the Miluo Palace Master's ideal could never be wrong. Only others could be mistaken!

As a hall master, she was duty-bound to protect the Miluo Palace's ideal!

Shang Jun drew his saber, confronting her just as the Hall Master of Joy's Dao light and Dao flames reached their fiercest intensity.

The Hall Master of Joy had her ideal, and Shang Jun had his own.

He ardently desired to protect the beings of the Sixteenth Epoch, to forge an era of peace and prosperity for them, and to slay all the stowaways and achievers who had stolen the vitality of that epoch!

He failed.

When he achieved Dao, he became the very culprit who destroyed the Sixteenth Epoch. He had desired to protect all beings, yet he became their executioner.

From that moment on, his Dao heart had never recovered.

His mistake was irreparable.

But after meeting Qin Mu, his Dao heart was tempered anew, and he rediscovered his own ideal.

He could not protect the beings of the Sixteenth Epoch, becoming its sinner. But the beings of the Seventeenth Epoch were also living beings; he would absolutely not tolerate a repeat of such a tragedy. He could not afford to err again!

No matter how noble or eloquently described the Miluo Palace's ideal might be, it was still a parasite of this universe!

He was determined to protect a place of peace.

The two collided head-on in the air for the first time. The Hall Master of Joy controlled the disintegrating hall, causing countless Dao chains to intertwine and pierce into Shang Jun's body. She cried out fiercely, "Come to your end with me!"

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Shang Jun's entire body erupted, his physical form and primordial spirit torn with gaping holes. His Thirty-Six Heaven Slaughter Dao was riddled with damage, and his power rapidly dwindled. Yet, his killing intent intensified to an unprecedented degree!

His vast killing intent sublimated, transforming into the Thirty-Seventh Slaughter!

Heaven and man merged, establishing all Daos!

As this slash descended, all of the Hall Master of Joy's Great Daos and Dao chains shattered in the saber light.

However, her last vestiges of vital energy transformed into a final strike, piercing into Shang Jun's brain.

The Dao tree forest suddenly collapsed, and the Hall Master of Joy's Dao tree disintegrated, turning entirely into a peach forest. Jiang Baigui and Heavenly Venerate Yue rushed forward. Jiang Baigui's divine abilities erupted, his various techniques constantly transforming. Countless finger shadows flashed across the sky, piercing through the divine abilities, Dao light, and saber light of both combatants. They converged into a single finger, which, alongside the Hall Master of Joy's final strike, simultaneously struck Shang Jun's glabella.

Shang Jun fell backward, his physical body, primordial spirit, and Slaughter Dao domain all shattered.

"Hahahaha!"

The Hall Master of Joy stood on one leg, bursting into laughter. "Shang Jun," she declared, "I said I would accompany you to your end, and I never go back on my word. What a pity..."

She turned to Heavenly Venerate Yue, her gaze peculiar. "I couldn't drag you along with us. I failed to fulfill the Fourth Prince's trust..."

Her glabella cracked, and a line of blood extended from her forehead down the center of her body.

Heavenly Venerate Yue was about to deliver a killing blow, but seeing the line of blood, she halted her hand.

Jiang Baigui quickly approached Shang Jun and said, "My Unchanging Divine Ability is not as powerful or precise as Second Senior Brother's; it's only slightly stronger than Elder Senior Brother Wei Suifeng's. Whether I can save Shang Jun is yet unknown."

"Blasphemer!"

The Hall Master of Joy turned, letting out a piercing scream as she lunged at him. Suddenly, the ultimate killing intent hidden within her erupted, tearing her to shreds!

The Hall Master of Joy fell. Of the Miluo Palace's seventy-two treasure halls, one more was gone.