Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
As Shi Zongmao, who was in the same level as Shi Zongtang, knelt down, the other Great Qin cultivators too stood up and made the same gesture.
Shi Chongyun said nothing. At last, he stood up from his seat and knelt down before Shi Zongtang.
That day, the Great Qin Empire told its citizens that Shi Yu was dead and that a new emperor had ascended the throne.
The Great Qin Dynasty’s Draconic Energy continued to gather in Xiling City, but no one could prevent it from becoming chaotic.
Rays of red, yellow, green, white and black dragons made from light rose from every inch of soil of the Great Qin Empire. Piercing through the void, they congregated onto Xiling City in the Great Qin Empire.
These light dragons were shapeless, and even for many cultivators, they could barely detect them. However, they could feel the energy that they carried within them.
In the chaotic energy of these dragons, one could sense a profound sense of respect and awe, as if the mandate of heaven was within these dragons.
The citizens of the Great Qin Empire were largely taken care of during the outbreak of the War of the Two Worlds. At this moment, upon hearing about the death of their emperors, these citizens all descended into a state of terror. While a new emperor ascended the throne, it would take some time to calm everyone down.
The Great Qin Empire naturally wanted to keep the news suppressed, and they had the means to do so. However, to gather the Draconic Energy, they had no choice but to publicize the news.
Everyone knew that the new War of the Two Worlds was upon them. Before the war ended, the citizens already knew about the death of their emperor. This naturally caused many of them speculate and hence, they were all emotionally unbalanced.
The Great Qin Empire was faced with both internal and external threats. They had to first take care of their internal affairs. Fortunately, they had made plans for it and hence, their execution of the plans was not too chaotic.
However, the external situation at the moment was more demanding for them. If the Great Qin Empire did sink into turmoil right now because of both internal and external affairs, then the situation would truly be unimaginable.
The new emperor Shi Zongtang, after discussing with Shi Zongmao and the rest, finally made the important decision of inviting Celestial Sect disciples to Xiling City.
After a battle with the Zhujian Grand Sage, Wang Lin was able to successfully slay him. However, he was severely injured too. Zhu Yi and the Tiangang Swordmaster continued to guard the Southern Wilderness, resisting the dragons under the Shen Dragon King. Xiao Yan was guarding the Celestial Sect of Wonder’s foothold in the northern Kunlun Mountains.
However, good news came. Shi Tianhao, and his entourage, who were formerly in the Barren Expanses, decided to return to the Divine Lands. Zhu Yi received them as they returned through the Southern Wilderness inter-world passage.
Shi Tianhao was accompanied by his junior, Luo Qingwu, and the Scorching Sun Holy Man, Zhuge Zhan. Also, the Lu Yuan Grand Sage, an Undying Demon Soul Third Level demon, was with them.
The entourage calmed the Great Qin Empire. After they reached Xiling City, anyone who dared to invade Xiling City would have to consider Lin Feng’s reaction.
However, Shi Tianhao, Luo Qingwu and the rest were still on their way. Another event had a wider impact, which attracted the attention of all human cultivators, including Great Qin cultivators, as they had no choice but to pay attention to it.
The Hades Tribe had reached Mount Baiyun!
The holy mountain, which had always been surrounded by white clouds, fell into a deathly calm.
In the void above the peak of the mountain, a huge amount of light started to shine. Endless purple light spread forth, dyeing that part of the Greater World purple.
Numerous runes made from light etched themselves into void space, causing the space to be distorted.
The clouds around Mount Baiyun soon disappeared completely. All that was left was a warm white light. It was as if halos of light were trembling between the heaven and earth. They covered Mount Baiyun and appeared to be responding to the purple light.
A young man about 20 years old clad in white stood at the top of Mount Baiyun. Calmly, he looked at the dimensional tear above his head.
Next to him, the sect leader of the Great Void Sect, Yan Nanlai stood. Behind them were three elders of the Great Void Sect. Other than the Qing Ning Holy Woman and Fu Yunkong, there was a person who resembled a child but had a gaze of a very old man. That was the leader of the Radical Faction of the Great Void Sect, Kuang Heng.
Next to Kuang Heng, the Qing Ning Holy Woman and Fu Yunkong, there was a teen in green robes. He was Yan Nanlai’s disciple, Lin Daohan.
A group of Great Void Sect cultivators lifted their heads to look at the huge dimensional tear in the sky.
In the tear, humanoid figures with three horns on its head and a mouth full of sharp teeth stepped forth.
All of them were clad in a silvery-white hair on their backs. They had a long tail between their legs and their skins appeared covered with purple runes.
They were members of the Hades Tribe, which formerly ruled the Barren Expanses.
The leader of the Hades stood upright like a human. He was of an average-build and his gaze was calm. Calmly, he looked down at Mount Baiyun. That was the current leader of the Hades Tribe, the Illusory Sun Hades.
He did not deliberately try to conceal his energy, nor did he advertise his existence. All he did was to stand there peacefully and calmly. Yet, he was like the center of the earth.
At this moment, an unknown force was squashing Mount Baiyun. This caused the light around Mount Baiyun to distort.
The Xuan Yi Holy Man and Yan Nanlai both arched their eyebrows. They had solemn expressions on their faces.
Yan Nanlai looked at the Xuan Yi Holy Man and said, “Uncle Xuan Yi, this Hades appeared to have undergone the Second Tribulation of Destiny many times.”
The Xuan Yi Holy Man nodded his head and said, “Yes, indeed…. Thinking about it, the last time we fought in the Spirit Sea, this Hades had just undergone the Second Tribulation of Destiny and was in its period of weakness. Or perhaps there were other reasons for why he did not choose to attack.”
Yan Nanlai looked at the Illusory Sun Hades and the other powerful Hades who walked out from the tear and his expression turned dark. “In the last war, after the fall of the Hades Emperor, the Hades Tribe hid. While many of them were killed, their foundation all those years ago was still too strong. By biding their time until today, they probably have countless powerful cultivators.”
The Illusory Sun hades looked calmly down at Mount Baiyun. Behind, two other Hades, which were much bigger and standing upright like men, too took note of the residence of their former arch nemesis.
Behind them, there were three more large Hades. They too looked down at Mount Baiyun and their gaze was filled with an unbridled desire to attack. Aggression could be clearly sensed off them.
Behind these three Hades, the other Hades stood in a group as they took note of their surroundings and swept their gaze around the Divine Lands.
The Xuan Yi Holy Man and Yan Nanlai looked at these powerful Hades and their gaze darkened.
There was nothing to say at this point. All the two sides could do was to fight it out. The Xuan Yi Holy Man said in a low voice, “Arrange the formation!”
Other than Yan Nanlai, Kuang Heng, the Qing Yun Holy Woman, Fu Yunkong and Lin Daohan all disappeared from the top of Mount Baiyun. At the same time, eight rays of light shone into the sky from the top of Mount Baiyun.
These eight rays of light combined with the mana of Kuang Heng, Lin Daohan and the rest. On top of Mount Baiyun, they took the shape of a huge spell formation.
One then saw that in the center of the spell formation, one black and one white stream of cross continued to intercross. Mystical changes could be seen from them. On the black-and-white whirlpool, rays of golden light flashed.
The golden light was not excessively bright, but they inspired loftiness and respect. They appeared ethereal and impossibly difficult to touch and interact with.
At this moment, a pair of eyes appeared in the sky above Mount Baiyun. One was black and the other was white. One was Yin and the other was Yang. They were both exceedingly simple, but yet they brimmed with the vast knowledge of the Dao of all creations.
In that pair of eyes, there appeared to be no emotion. Like the high heavens, they observed the white clouds and the changes of the world dispassionately. It was not that they didn’t care, but instead, they viewed all as the same.
Their gaze appeared omnipresent, and they pierced through time and space. Everything in the world appeared to be within their gaze. It was unstoppable and impossible to hide from.
Next to the Xuan Yi Holy Man, the figures of two elders appeared. One was a transparent-looking ancient bell, and the other was a huge drum. These were the original souls of the Void Yin-Yang Bell and the Formation Bursting Drum.
“Thank you, both of you,” said the Xuan Yi Holy Man. The two of them nodded their heads seriously and then, they disappeared. The Void Yin-Yang Bell and the Formation Bursting Drum on the top of Mount Baiyun started to undergo changes.
Space started to expand, and an endless amount of golden light started to shine. Clouds flew around and a majestic, golden pavilion rose from the ground. It was gigantic and from within, one could hear the chanting of the gods. It was as if a mysterious, holy nation had descended onto Mount Baiyun. This was the Destiny level magic treasure, the Great Void Holy Pavilion.
The Xuan Yi Holy Man sat cross-legged on top of Mount Baiyun. One of his hands performed spell gestures while his other hands touched the peak of Mount Baiyun.
Around him, a light flashed and the entire holy mountain started to give off a brilliant light.
Gradually, Mount Baiyun disappeared. The Xuan Yi Holy Man’s figure disappeared too. Light shone and the entire Mount Baiyun appeared to have turned into a mystical, ethereal ball of light.
In the light, one could see nine layers of illusion, with each being taller than the other. Enchanting music sounded as if a group of divine beings was chanting.
The first layer was a door made of light, the second layer was filled with stars. The third layer contained a dimensional tear and as one progressed upward, the fourth layer was like a giant palm that covered the world. The fifth layer was filled with golden clouds. The sixth layer had a holy city. The seventh city appeared to be a halo of light formed from the previous six layers. The eighth layer was a realm of divine music.
Up till the ninth layer, one could see anything concrete. However, there was a light, not bright, not eye-catching, not vast nor shocking, but difficult to describe, difficult to seize, and difficult to comprehend.
This was the Great Void Nine Heavenly Palaces. From the moment it was activated, Mount Baiyun appeared to have been turned into the Great Void Nine Heavenly Palaces.
The Destiny level magic treasure, the Great Void Holy Pavilion, suddenly revealed itself. Like the eight layer of the Great Void Nine Heavenly Palaces, it conjured up a similar realm, the Great Void Holy Paradise. Then, it combined with the eight layer of the Great Void Nine Heavenly Palaces.
Yan Nanlai raised his left hand, and the Great Void Seal on it flashed with an odd light. This was the Cheng Heaven Great Void Celestial Light, which soon enveloped Yan Nanlai and lifted him. Together, they rose to the ninth layer of the Great Void Nine Heavenly Palaces, and into the endless, mystical light.