Chapter 1772: Farewell Great Luo Tian

Shang Jun's injuries were extremely severe. Jiang Baigui's "Immutability" divine art was not perfect; in the urgent situation just now, Jiang Baigui struck him almost simultaneously with the Joyous Palace Lord, trapping him in an immutable state. Compounding Shang Jun's injuries was the Joyous Palace Lord's final strike before death, which also became immutable, making his condition incredibly complex.

Jiang Baigui frowned deeply as Shang Jun repeatedly relived the process of being struck down by the Joyous Palace Lord.

"Only my second senior brother can resolve this," he told Celestial Venerable Yue.

Celestial Venerable Yue was equally at a loss concerning Shang Jun's injuries. "If Celestial Venerable Ling were here," she mused, "things would be much simpler..." A wave of sadness washed over her as she thought of Celestial Venerable Ling.

Celestial Venerable Ling had been gone for a long time. She had asked Qin Mu about her, and he claimed Celestial Venerable Ling had traveled to the past universe, though Yue didn't know if he was telling the truth. Qin Mu had also previously stated his lame grandpa went to the past universe, and that Celestial Venerable Yun and his wife had gone into seclusion, though everyone knew they had actually passed away. Furthermore, Qin Mu had claimed that Founding Emperor Qin Ye was not dead and would reappear on the golden ship in forty-two years. This news had uplifted many, yet with the forty-two-year mark approaching, Founding Emperor Qin Ye had still not appeared.

"Ling, are you still alive...?"

Celestial Venerable Yue composed herself, activating a divine art to conceal Shang Jun deep within space. She then charged towards Emperor of Heaven Hao alongside Jiang Baigui. Both she and Jiang Baigui were gravely wounded; they had been holding off the immensely powerful Joyous Palace Lord before Shang Jun's arrival, suffering heavy blows. Yet, the dawn of victory was now in sight. If Emperor of Heaven Hao could be eliminated, no one would be able to facilitate the descent of the Miluo Palace's enlightened beings!

As they hurried towards Emperor of Heaven Hao, an obscure fluctuation suddenly emanated. Celestial Venerable Yue and Jiang Baigui's eyes twitched as they followed the source of the disturbance.

Within Jade Capital City of the Ancestral Court, the first enlightened being had descended. Meanwhile, outside Jade Capital City, near their battleground, other enlightened beings were also descending, though their full arrival was still several days away. They had been entirely focused on the descents occurring outside Jade Capital City, unaware that Miluo Palace was making a covert move. Judging by the fluctuation and the Dao radiance, it was clearly a Miluo Palace Lord! For behind that radiant light was an enormous Dao tree, adorned with three Dao fruits!

"There's still a chance!"

Celestial Venerable Yue immediately surged forward, but Jiang Baigui suddenly blocked her path, shaking his head. "Celestial Venerable Yue," he said, "we must retreat." Celestial Venerable Yue looked at him, her expression bewildered.

Jiang Baigui shook his head. "It's too late. Miluo Palace positioned the Joyous Palace Lord, Emperor of Heaven Hao, and the Empress to guard outside the city, where other enlightened beings are also descending. Their purpose was to divert our attention, making us believe that no one could descend inside Jade Capital City, thereby keeping us occupied here. The Joyous Palace Lord, Emperor of Heaven Hao, and the Empress were merely sacrificial pawns. If I'm not mistaken, the palace lords' descent within Jade Capital City occurred earlier than those outside, and it's not just one palace lord this time."

No sooner had he finished speaking than another obscure fluctuation emerged, and a beam of light shot skyward, disturbing the Ancestral Court's heavens and causing the stars to swirl. The second palace lord had descended.

Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian, who had already entered Jade Capital City, halted abruptly at the sight. They gazed up at the ascending beams of light; Lan Yutian's face turned ashen, and despair etched itself onto Xu Shenghua's features. They had initially intended to assist Celestial Venerable You and the others in slaying Emperor of Heaven Hao. However, upon witnessing the first palace lord's descent, they immediately diverted their course, rushing into Jade Capital City of the Ancestral Court, determined to fight that palace lord to the death. Yet, the arrival of the second palace lord instantly made them realize that all their actions would be futile.

"Let's go," Xu Shenghua said, turning and walking away from Jade Capital City.

Lan Yutian called out, his voice filled with confusion, "Brother Xu, where are we going?"

Xu Shenghua had regained his usual composure. "Back to Yuanjie," he stated. "The Miluo Palace's descent is unstoppable; we have no chance of victory in this battle. If we return to Yuanjie now and relocate Yankang to the chaotic space, there's still a chance for us to rise again."

"Is there truly a chance for us to rise again?"

Lan Yutian shouted, "Put your hand on your heart and tell me, do you truly believe that?"

Xu Shenghua fell silent.

Suddenly, another beam of light soared straight up, piercing the clouds and beyond.

Xu Shenghua strode away without looking back. "I only know that staying here offers no hope," he declared. "Lan Yutian, come with me. At the very least, we can save Yankang!"

Lan Yutian hesitated for a moment before following him. The two headed straight for Emperor of Heaven Hao's place of enlightenment. Xu Shenghua called out loudly, "Celestial Venerable You, Lang Wo, Black Tortoise Emperors, the tide has turned against us! Return to Yankang!"

Celestial Venerable You stared blankly. "The tide has turned?" A nameless rage surged within his chest. "Who says the tide has turned?" he fumed. "How many lives did we sacrifice to gain this advantage, to attack the Heavenly Court, to storm Jade Capital City? We are but a single step away from total victory! How can the tide possibly have turned?"

From between Emperor of Heaven Hao's brows, three treasure halls suddenly flew forth. "You," he said coldly, "can't you see? With the palace lords descending, the tide has indeed turned against you." Those treasure halls suddenly unleashed their full Dao might, pressing down upon Celestial Venerable You, Lang Wo, and the Black Tortoise Emperors! While potent in Emperor of Heaven Hao's hands, the treasure halls had merely functioned as formidable weapons; they could not unleash the overwhelming power they now displayed! Now, the three treasure halls resembled colossal, indestructible deities, standing unblemished and eternal amidst the great calamity of destruction. The immense power erupting from the treasure halls caused them to vomit blood repeatedly, even before the structures fully bore down upon them!

Within Jade Capital City of the Ancestral Court, three colossal figures strode forward. The three grand halls were, in fact, the pinnacle achievements of their respective Daos!

Celestial Venerable Yue, Jiang Baigui, Xu Shenghua, and Lan Yutian swiftly intervened, each saving one person before retreating. As layers of halos rotated behind the three palace lords' heads and the treasure halls soared closer, everyone instantly felt the surrounding space completely solidify. Even Celestial Venerable Yue found herself unable to manipulate the ultimate void to warp space! All of them were wounded, making it incredibly difficult to resist these three palace lords! Unable to control themselves, they all began to fall into the halos behind the three palace lords.

Celestial Venerable Yue struggled desperately, attempting to activate her divine art to help them break free. Yet, the three palace lords' magical power directly suppressed her abilities, leaving her with a profound sense of helplessness and despair. They could handle one palace lord, but facing three simultaneously, their only fate was suppression!

"Fellow Daoist Hao, you have done very well." One of the palace lords gazed at Emperor of Heaven Hao and nodded. "You drew their attention," he said, "making our descent considerably easier."

Emperor of Heaven Hao continued to brand the void, bowing. "I dare not take credit," he replied. "In this battle, all my forces were annihilated, and even my mother perished. If there is any merit, it belongs to them and the Joyous Palace Lord."

Another palace lord sighed wistfully, "Did the Joyous Palace Lord also meet his fate?"

"There is no need for sorrow." The third palace lord said slowly, "Sacrificing for Miluo Palace, dedicating one's life to our Master's ideals, is a worthy endeavor. Fellow Daoist Joyous must be greatly pleased knowing the grand plan is complete. With us here, the Young Masters can now descend."

"However, we require more sacrifices." The three palace lords simultaneously looked up at Celestial Venerable Yue, Xu Shenghua, and the others who were still struggling. The descent of the Young Masters was no trivial matter; the energy required for their mass-energy conversion was immense. Previously, Boundless Elder had secretly siphoned off the blood sacrifice energy, making it difficult for even ordinary enlightened beings to descend, let alone the Young Masters.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Court's campaigns in Yuanjie had led to frequent wars, which allowed the descent of the three palace lords: Joyous, Chuge, and Changfeng. However, Qin Mu and Shang Jun had managed to eliminate two of them. Now, with Boundless Elder severely wounded and no one left to siphon off the blood sacrifice energy, and Grand Emperor Tai Yi also gravely injured, there was no one left to prevent the Miluo Palace's Young Masters from descending! Once the two Young Masters descend, they can directly pull the entire Miluo Palace, allowing it to truly manifest in this universe!

Just as the three palace lords were about to deliver a killing blow to Celestial Venerable Yue and the others, the Golden Ship of Salvation suddenly flew in and was captured by their halos. All three palace lords frowned. They recognized the Golden Ship of Salvation, of course. Though they had never boarded it, the ship had always been docked outside Miluo Palace, in a dilapidated state, and they often spared it a glance when passing by. This golden ship now gleamed as if new, devoid of its former decay. If sacrificed, it would undoubtedly yield an immense amount of energy. However, as the Golden Ship of Salvation was the treasure of the Miluo Palace Master, they dared not harm it.

"Let's retrieve the golden ship." The Phoenix Palace Lord said, "This ship was taken by the Seventh Young Master; it's time it returned to Miluo Palace."

The Zhaoyang Palace Lord, standing nearby, raised his hand. The Dao fruit behind him flew out and hovered over the Golden Ship of Salvation. Chains of Dao extended from the fruit, binding the ship and pulling it towards the Dao tree. The roots of Zhaoyang Palace Lord's Dao tree coiled and danced like chains, binding the Golden Ship of Salvation securely next to the tree.

"Senior brothers," Zhaoyang Palace Lord said, "let's preside over the blood sacrifice ritual."

The Phoenix Palace Lord and the Hehuan Palace Lord exchanged glances before addressing Celestial Venerable Yue and the others. "Fellow Daoists," they began, "we are not inherently bloodthirsty; rather, we are compelled to act. Our descent to Miluo Palace is not meant to destroy the Seventeenth Epoch, but to save more lives. If you obstruct us, when the great calamity of destruction erupts, the Seventeenth Epoch will be utterly annihilated."

Celestial Venerable Yue gritted her teeth, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, and sneered, "The Seventeenth Epoch does not need your salvation; we can save ourselves! How many great calamities have you inflicted upon the Seventeenth Epoch for your descent? How many have died?"

"These are necessary sacrifices." The Phoenix Palace Lord said forlornly, "For more people to survive in the future, these sacrifices are essential."

Lan Yutian struggled fiercely, then burst into laughter. "What if Miluo Palace cannot save the Seventeenth Epoch?" he challenged.

"Then we shall move to the Eighteenth Epoch." The Zhaoyang Palace Lord said gravely, "Sooner or later, we will discover a way to save everyone."

"You corrupt old fools!" Celestial Venerable You spat.

The Zhaoyang Palace Lord paid him no mind, feeling only the Golden Ship of Salvation's resistance growing stronger. He hastily added, "Senior brothers, there's no need to speak further with them. They are stubborn and deluded; it's best to proceed with the blood sacrifice at once!" The Golden Ship of Salvation's resistance intensified, causing him a growing sense of unease.

The Hehuan Palace Lord and the Phoenix Palace Lord hurriedly activated their respective Dao fruits. The Dao chains within the fruits intertwined to form a grand blood sacrifice array. The two palace lords jointly activated the array, and the blood sacrifice instantly commenced!

Seeing this, Emperor of Heaven Hao felt a surge of satisfaction. "These rebels are finally going to be swept away," he thought. "What a shame that fellow Celestial Venerable Mu escaped. But he won't be able to cause trouble for much longer!"

Suddenly, a world-shattering sword light shot forth from the Golden Ship of Salvation, piercing directly through the Zhaoyang Palace Lord's glabella! The sword light emerged from the back of the Zhaoyang Palace Lord's head, then instantly pierced through the Dao fruits of both the Hehuan Palace Lord and the Phoenix Palace Lord, utterly shattering the blood sacrifice array!

On the Golden Ship of Salvation, a blurry figure stepped forward, gradually becoming clear, as if transitioning from illusion to reality.

"The Seventh Young Master told me that Miluo Palace has long been corrupted," the figure stated. The figure's face grew clearer, and his voice became more resonant: "The Seventeenth Epoch has no need for the corrupt!"

A melodic clang of a sword rang out, and a beam of sword light settled into his palm.

"Great Void Heaven, rise!"

In the sky, the ultimate void materialized, and the Sword Dao Great Void Heaven regenerated, descending from above!