Chapter 466: Old Sly Fox

The moment eight thousand flying swords struck the Five Thunders Pot, the world suddenly fell silent. Not a single sound could be heard, not even the impact of the swords.

Then, the space above the Five Thunders Pot exploded, leaving a trace of lightning.

The black lightning trace expanded upwards, tearing open deeper space as it surged towards the sky.

The True Heaven Palace Master stood before the palace gate, watching as the black lightning, resembling a menacing flood dragon, split under her gaze. Impossibly bright flashes of lightning then soared into the sky like a multitude of dragons.

In that brief instant, the black lightning split into tens of thousands of strands, like myriad flood dragons surging into the sky. Yet, in another moment, those tens of thousands of dragons multiplied into hundreds of millions.

An incredibly bright cloud, composed entirely of lightning, hung suspended before the True Heaven Palace. The Five Thunders Pot floated in the air, continuously unleashing more lightning that streamed upwards and merged into the thundercloud.

Behind the thundercloud, Fu Yunxi led tens of thousands of women from the Fu family, who unleashed their divine abilities to direct the thundercloud surging towards the True Heaven Palace!

Her expression changed drastically as she quickly reached for the Black Tortoise Pearl activated by the Yu family elder.

Before her hand could grasp the Black Tortoise Pearl, the terrifying thundercloud reached the True Heaven Palace. Wherever it passed, the phenomena created by the White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise Pearls crumbled: oceans evaporated, seas of fire extinguished, and golden mountains collapsed.

Boom!

The first lightning bolt struck, directly hitting the True Heaven Palace with a deafening blast, impacting a divine statue.

This lightning strike was like a spark igniting a boiling oil pot, or the first raindrop before a torrential downpour. Immediately, billions of lightning bolts ripped through the sky, pouring down and submerging the entire True Heaven Palace!

"Black Tortoise Divine Shield––"

The True Heaven Palace Master roared, desperately activating the Black Tortoise Pearl. The enormous Black Tortoise Divine Shield hummed as it expanded, transforming into a massive tortoise shell shield that enveloped the vast True Heaven Palace.

Boom––

Countless lightning bolts exploded, striking the Black Tortoise Divine Shield. The shield was compressed and continuously shrank, while the True Heaven Palace Master vomited blood, resisting with all her might.

The Black Tortoise Divine Shield could no longer protect all the True Heaven Palace disciples. An ocean of lightning surged into the True Heaven Palace from around the shield, obliterating countless women within the storm!

Even the eight divine statues, whose aura rivaled that of gods, could not withstand the lightning storm. One after another, they charged towards the thundercloud, yet their limbs continuously melted under its bombardment, turning into molten gold and copper that streamed down!

Xiong Qi'er watched the True Heaven Palace from afar. It had become an ocean of impossibly bright lightning, with countless bolts erupting simultaneously.

Previously, she had been activating the Azure Dragon Pearl to contend with the other three great spirit treasures. Now that their power had been destroyed by the thundercloud, her immense pressure greatly lessened, allowing her to catch her breath.

"Qi'er, the Azure Dragon belongs to thunder."

Xiong Xiyu suddenly appeared behind her and softly said, "Let's use the Azure Dragon Pearl, my daughter and I, to send our enemies to their graves."

"Mother!"

Xiong Qi'er was both surprised and delighted. Xiong Xiyu smiled, extended her hand to grasp her daughter's, and together they placed their hands on the Azure Dragon Pearl. She whispered, "The Xiong family's blood debt must be repaid with blood!"

Boundless azure light surged from the Azure Dragon Pearl, forming an azure dragon that charged towards the thundercloud, immediately amplifying the power of the lightning.

The True Heaven Palace Master watched this scene, despair filling her heart. "The Yu family... it's over..."

The Black Tortoise Divine Shield shattered, and boundless lightning engulfed her and the Yu family disciples behind her.

Just then, a sword light pierced through the boundless lightning storm. Ba Gou tore through the storm, his sword pointing directly at Xiong Xiyu and her daughter. The sword light was like a bolt of silk, irresistible, even slicing through the lightning storm!

His swordsmanship and sword Dao were otherworldly; even as he burst forth from the lightning storm, he remained completely unscathed.

The sword light was incredibly swift, as if flying from beyond the heavens. As it vibrated, countless lightning bolts turned to dust. Even the impossibly bright lightning could not obscure the radiance unleashed by his sword strike!

Just as his sword strike was about to reach Xiong Xiyu and her daughter, another sword light suddenly appeared, blocking his attack with a clang.

"Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang?"

Ba Gou smiled. "I've known you were in the Western Lands for a long time, but you're naturally evasive and always hide in the shadows. You never found an opportunity to strike, did you? This time, I've finally forced you out."

Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang stepped forward, treading on air as if on solid ground. This middle-aged man's face was as still as an ancient well; he wore a green robe, carried a sword, and with his left hand behind his back forming sword gestures, he held his sword ready to intercept.

Ba Gou, dressed in white, similarly had one hand behind his back, forming sword gestures.

The two figures darted up and down within the lightning storm. Though the thunder was deafening, it could not conceal the incessant clang of their swords colliding, like pearls dropping onto a jade plate.

Below the Five Thunders Pot, Qin Mu was pulled upwards by the powerful lightning energy. This force drew both him and the Dragon Qilin towards the lightning. Even the stout Dragon Qilin felt as light as a piece of paper, drawn by the terrifying currents, its limbs weakly flailing and grasping at nothing.

Qin Mu also felt himself become incredibly light. His hair bristled straight up in all directions, with lightning bolts intertwining, flowing, and darting through the strands, crackling and striking wildly!

He even felt tiny lightning bolts filling all his body hairs, as terrifying power struck his body.

He was in excruciating pain all over, as if pricked by the White Immortal's silver needles.

Qin Mu desperately activated the Nine Heavens Opening Eye Technique; his pupils were also filled with the light of lightning, crackling and buzzing.

He could barely see the Dragon Qilin; its mane bristled, and even its scales stood on end. Lightning flashed and thundered between the scales, striking back and forth, making them clang as the electricity bounced around.

Qin Mu took out the True Dragon's Lair. Its weight pressed down, making him grunt, but he finally suppressed the lightning's suction. His body fell from the air, landing on the Dragon Qilin and pushing it downwards.

Clutching the dragon's lair with both hands, he used its weight to escape being pulled into the lightning, then looked up at the sky.

The Five Thunders Pot floated there, rising higher and higher. His eight thousand flying swords seemed frozen in place, hovering around the pot. Lightning bolts passed through each sword, which acted like fuses, drawing out more lightning.

The flying swords were now glowing red-hot from the terrifying lightning, making him worry if they could withstand the impact of the divine lightning from the Five Thunders Pot.

As Qin Mu broke free from the lightning's pull, an azure light suddenly illuminated the sky. He looked up sharply, just in time to witness the Azure Dragon Pearl igniting the thundercloud.

"The Yu family... it's over..." he murmured.

However, the thunder was too loud; he couldn't hear his own voice.

Next, he saw Ba Gou's sword approach, followed by Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang intercepting Ba Gou. The two figures, one in green and one in white, battled within the thundercloud.

"Old fox!"

Qin Mu spat, watching the battle between the two masters. Neither of them used sword art divine abilities; instead, they held their swords in hand, their left hands forming sword gestures behind their backs.

Their movements were extremely fast, their figures ethereal, shifting between stillness and motion. Their left hands, hidden behind their backs, constantly changed sword gestures, as if they were continuously calculating something.

Qin Mu was slightly startled. The changes in their sword gestures were so rapid that he could barely see them. He could only desperately try to memorize their swiftly changing hand signs, dimly sensing that these gestures were extremely important.

As for the sword duel between Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang and Ba Gou, it had reached a state of profound simplicity, with almost no variations in their swordsmanship, only a dozen basic sword forms. However, with every thrust, the space around the sword vibrated, subtly revealing their divine abilities hidden within these tremors. The sword Dao concealed within was already beyond his comprehension.

"He truly is a rare prodigy, appearing once every five hundred years! His mastery of the sword Dao improves so quickly!"

Qin Mu barely managed to remember a few sword gestures when suddenly, divine statues, enduring the bombardment of countless lightning bolts, rushed into the storm. Terrifying divine power erupted as the eight statues unleashed a combined devastating strike, scattering the thundercloud. Instantly, countless lightning bolts poured down everywhere, filling the sky and striking all around.

The eight divine statues were battered and broken, with few remaining intact, yet their battle power remained immense as they jointly attacked Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang.

Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang remained oblivious, continuing his fight with Ba Gou. Meanwhile, Xiong Xiyu, leading Xiong Qi'er, stepped forward, raising the Azure Dragon Pearl high. Azure light burst forth from the Pearl, instantly petrifying the eight divine statues and freezing them in the air.

Suddenly, one of the petrified divine statues twisted its neck, a strange smile appearing on its face. It extended a hand, and the Azure Dragon Pearl in Xiong Qi'er's hand flew up involuntarily, falling into the statue's grasp. "Little girl, thank you!"

Xiong Qi'er froze, utterly losing control of the Azure Dragon Pearl. Xiong Xiyu was horrified and quickly shouted, "Be careful! That's a god from the True Heaven Palace––"

Before she could finish, a divine bridge shot up from above Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang's head, breaking through the air. This bridge seemed to lead to an incredible place, with boundless divine light surging as if from the end of space-time, filling the nine heavens. At its far end was a heavenly palace, vague and indistinct.

Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang's primordial spirit burst from that vague, hazy heavenly palace. It stepped onto the divine bridge, and a sword flew forth, seemingly disregarding space, its light piercing through time. At the very instant the divine statue grasped the Azure Dragon Pearl, his primordial spirit's sword pierced through the statue's brow, emerging from the back of its head!

The 'divine statue' bled from its brow, with blood and brain matter flowing from the back of its head. It didn't look like a statue at all, but rather a living being!

A smile appeared on Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang's placid face. His primordial spirit soared into the air, one hand behind its back, the other holding a sword. Together with his main body, it encircled Ba Gou. He smiled faintly, "My target, from beginning to end, was never you."

Slice, slice, slice!

He and his primordial spirit attacked from both sides, their flashing sword lights severing Ba Gou's limbs, then with another strike, cutting off his head.

"Divine Bridge!"

Qin Mu gasped in shock, his suspended heart finally settling.

Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang truly deserved his title as a sage appearing once every five hundred years. It had been barely half a year since Qin Mu and the others established the spatial numerology model for the Divine Bridge, yet he had already refined it!

"Old fox! With the Divine Bridge completed, he's entered the Heavenly Palace and become a deity, yet he still chooses to lurk in the shadows and scheme against others..."

Qin Mu grumbled inwardly. Behind him, the battle cries of countless women echoed as divine practitioners from the major families, led by their respective clan heads, charged towards the True Heaven Palace.

Mu Yingxue passed by him, whispering, "Little man, as long as Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang is alive, never rebel. You can't outsmart him!"

He Yiyi also rushed past him, whispering, "If you rebel, you'll die very quickly! Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang is too sinister!"

Qin Mu gave a wry smile, thinking, "I've never considered rebelling. But this Imperial Preceptor fellow... he truly is cunning..."