Chapter 435: The Supreme Great Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court

"Heavenly Court Sect? Battle Heavenly Venerate?"

Wu Youdao gazed at the sacred goddess before him with a mixture of shock and uncertainty, a sense of unease rising within him.

He had allowed Governor Lu to act, confident he would still emerge victorious even with Qiu Jin'an and the man in the white paper hat intervening. In the face of absolute power, these people could not stir up trouble. But now, he felt things were developing in an uncontrollable direction. He had never felt this way since birth.

"What is the Heavenly Court Sect? And who is Battle Heavenly Venerate?" Venerable Cang Lei and Venerable Wu Ji exchanged glances, seeing panic in each other's eyes. Their purpose for this trip was the power of national destiny. Just as Wu Youdao was about to seize it, they had been intently watching their surroundings. It could be said that no movement, however slight, could escape their notice. Yet this woman had appeared in plain sight, and no one had detected how. How was this possible?!

The two quickly searched through the intelligence they had gathered. From ancient times to the present, nothing matched "Heavenly Court Sect" or "Battle Heavenly Venerate." The only ones close were the current Four Demonic Sects: the Immortal Sect, the Nine Nether Sect, the Blazing Sun Sect, and the Ruthless Sect.

"There seem to be records of the Heavenly Court in ancient texts!" Venerable Wu Ji's voice trembled, fear spreading through his heart.

"An ancient organization?!" Venerable Cang Lei gasped softly. He subscribed to the belief that the older something was, the more powerful it became. As someone who had lived for over a hundred thousand years, he looked down upon the current Great Xia, believing the Great Yu cultivators were the strongest. But the Battle Heavenly Venerate who had just appeared seemed to hail from the most ancient past. Furthermore, with "Battle" as her venerable title, she must be exceptionally skilled in combat!

"Wait, did she just refer to herself as 'this Immortal'?!" Venerable Cang Lei suddenly recalled a crucial piece of information that had been overlooked until now. "She's an Immortal?!"

They had calculated everything, yet they never anticipated that Hanshui City would conceal an Immortal! An Immortal with "Battle" as her venerable title would likely not be weak even among Immortals!

"The Supreme Grand Heavenly Venerate of the Heavenly Court Sect?" Initially, the man in the white paper hat was confused when he saw the Immortal Fairy of Immortality appear, unsure of who she was. Now that the Immortal Fairy had announced her identity, he finally understood. He recalled the message from Deputy Sect Leader Shi, who had mentioned that someone from the Heavenly Court Sect had arrived in Hanshui City. The message also stated that the Heavenly Court Sect members were displeased, believing the ghost plague disaster was orchestrated by the Nine Nether Sect. Fortunately, Deputy Sect Leader Shi, concerned about this affecting cooperation between the two sects, had already clarified the matter. Thinking back, the man in the white paper hat felt a shiver of dread. The "Heavenly Court Sect" member mentioned was likely none other than this Supreme Grand Heavenly Venerate standing before him. "Thank goodness it's been clarified."

The Supreme Grand Heavenly Venerate was no ordinary figure—the first to achieve immortality in ancient times, a supreme being even the Four Ancient Immortals feared!

"Do you know this person?" Qiu Jin'an noticed the man in the white paper hat's strange expression and secretly transmitted his voice to him.

"This is a great figure beyond words." The man in the white paper hat dared not, and would not, elaborate on the Supreme Grand Heavenly Venerate.

Qiu Jin'an raised an eyebrow, about to speak, but held back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Governor Lu, are you alright?" Everyone else was drawn to the Immortal Fairy of Immortality, bathed in the power of national destiny. Of those present, only Lu Yang paid attention to Governor Lu, who was still coughing blood.

"Cough, cough, I'm alright," Governor Lu managed to say, struggling to his feet. He took out a few pills from his storage ring, swallowed them, and began to meditate.

Only then did Lu Yang look up at the focal point of everyone's attention high in the sky. A faint smile touched his lips as he remembered the last words the Immortal Fairy of Immortality had spoken before entering the fray. "This Immortal said I would ensure your safety in Barren Province."

"Hmph, what Immortal? Just a bluff!" Wu Youdao calmed himself. If the person before him were truly an Immortal, he would have died from that last strike.

The Immortal Fairy of Immortality chuckled softly, looking at Wu Youdao with disdain. "Ignorant. What stands here is merely a wisp of this Immortal's consciousness. Seeing that this national destiny power is rather good, I borrowed it for use. Can juniors of later generations not even comprehend such a simple matter?"

Wu Youdao, after all, held the title of the second strongest among all Great Yu Emperors, so he wasn't easily intimidated. "The power of national destiny can only elevate you to the early stage of Tribulation Transcendence, just like us three. Do you truly believe you have a chance fighting three of us?"

Venerable Cang Lei and Venerable Wu Ji also realized that while the opponent might indeed be an Immortal, her true body wasn't present. What remained here was merely a thought controlling the power of national destiny. Since her power was still only at the early stage of Tribulation Transcendence, there was nothing to fear. All being at the early stage of Tribulation Transcendence, who could truly be weaker than whom?

The Immortal Fairy of Immortality spoke again, her tone flat. "If Ying Tian, Qilin, and Jiuzhong were at the early stage of Tribulation Transcendence, they might pose some threat to this Immortal. As for you three wastes..." She shook her head slightly, saying no more.

The so-called "second strongest among all Great Yu Emperors" was nothing but mediocrity in the Immortal Fairy's eyes. Being the second strongest among all Great Yu Emperors didn't mean being the second strongest in the entire hundred-thousand-year history of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Seeing the Immortal Fairy of Immortality's demeanor, Wu Youdao flew into a rage and roared, "Universe in Palm!"

Though it was clearly daytime, Hanshui City suddenly plunged into darkness. Countless commoners instinctively looked up, trembling all over. They saw a colossal hand covering the sky, enveloping Hanshui City. With their mortal vision, they couldn't discern the hand's true size, only feeling that it blocked out everything, even the sky itself.

Qiu Jin'an and the man in the white paper hat, however, saw more. This colossal hand contained the universe and all creation within its palm, along with countless grotto-heavens. Its weight was immeasurable; if it descended, Hanshui City would be utterly destroyed, reduced to dust.

Facing this terrifying colossal hand, the Immortal Fairy of Immortality didn't even twitch an eyelid.

"This Immortal said, such trivial things aren't worthy of being called 'Universe in Palm.' Today, this Immortal will show you what true 'Universe in Palm' is."

Wu Youdao's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly looked up, an expression of disbelief on his face. Everyone else was below, unable to see what was above the sky-covering handprint. Only Wu Youdao could see clearly. A gigantic pillar pierced through layers of clouds, appearing directly above the colossal hand. Wisps of clouds that hadn't yet dissipated still clung to the tip of the pillar. That was no pillar; it was clearly a finger! A finger even larger than the colossal hand!

"It's just bigger! I don't believe one of your fingers can compare to my palm!" Wu Youdao roared, frantically circulating his spiritual power. The colossal hand flipped, palm facing the sky. It was just a simple flick of the wrist, yet it unleashed a hurricane over Hanshui City. Within Wu Youdao's colossal hand, grotto-heavens appeared one after another. Inside these grotto-heavens, strange flowers and exotic plants vied for beauty, and countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures lay within. Each grotto-heaven was both a miniature world and a treasure trove!

The Immortal Fairy of Immortality calmly watched the raging Wu Youdao, her fingertip applying slight pressure. This fingertip contained infinite cosmic stars, which shattered and reassembled in a cyclical manner, constantly unleashing immense energy. The fingertip collided with the colossal hand. Wu Youdao's hand did not last long, being shattered by a single poke.

*Bang!*

Along with the shattered hand, Wu Youdao's established rule—that no information could leave Hanshui City within a day—was also broken. A rule that had remained intact even during Venerable Wu Ji's tribulation transcendence was pierced through by a single finger from the Immortal Fairy of Immortality! Heaven and Earth fell silent.

The Immortal Fairy of Immortality withdrew her hand, observing Wu Youdao, who was severely injured and coughing blood from the backlash of the rules, her tone still calm. "This is what true 'Universe in Palm' looks like."