Chapter 491 - 126: Sovereign’s Descent
Wang Ping was still contemplating the meaning of Xiao Shan Lord’s words when the murky world suddenly cleared. It was as if someone had split the heavens from the earth in a world of chaos, releasing all the turbidity in between.
In the blink of an eye, brilliant sunlight pierced through the clouds and scattered across the land, illuminating Shangjing City and its surrounding ruins. A single beam happened to fall upon the Imperial Palace, causing it to emit a captivating halo, creating the impression that it was the only safe harbor amidst the world’s cataclysm.
Unfortunately, this was not a safe harbor, but the most dangerous place of all.
The world’s clarity lasted for only a moment. It was then engulfed by a torrential downpour that billowed with heat. Rubble and soil from the ground began to float back into the air, the aura of the Earth Veins attempting to neutralize the endless Water Spirit Qi being born within the rain.
To the north, the Five-Clawed Dragon that was Ao Bing’s transformation burst from the clouds. He then shifted into human form as a cyan halo materialized around him. He summoned a Jade Ruyi before him and simultaneously formed a Spell with his hands.
DANG
The Jade Ruyi before him struck the empty air, yet it produced a crisp, metallic sound.
Then, the curtain of rain connecting heaven and earth began to churn like a tornado. It coiled before Ao Bing like a living creature before lunging toward Rongyang Monarch as he descended from the clouds.
This Magic looked ordinary, as if Ao Bing had cast it casually. But just as it was about to reach Rongyang Monarch, all the Water Spirit Qi gathered between heaven and earth was absorbed by this ’tornado,’ assimilating the very space around it into pure water spirit.
Rongyang Monarch felt a wave of suffocation. He instinctively pointed to the sky, attempting to channel heat from outer space to disperse the water spirit, but his Magic failed. In that instant, he couldn’t feel the slightest trace of fire spirit aura.
"Not bad, boy. You’ve got some skills!"
With a word of praise, he habitually stroked the fine beard on his chest. He then activated the True Essence within his Qi Sea, causing bursts of firelight to erupt from his body’s Spirit Veins. In the next instant, his body seemed to become a sun, forcibly breaking free from the region where even space itself had been assimilated by Water Spirit Qi. The churning rain, however, pursued him relentlessly.
"Celestial Fire!"
The sun-like firelight surrounding Rongyang Monarch retracted into his body. He then formed a Spell with his left hand and pointed to the sky with his right. At his side, the fiery-red longsword instantly constructed a massive Array over ten zhang wide.
The next moment, the downpour around him vanished into thin air. A flare of fire appeared in the clouds overhead and swiftly ignited the area around him.
But then, the flames that had been ignited around him vanished as well, and along with them, the curtain of rain that had been sweeping toward him!
The world became clear once more. Then, in the blink of an eye, the clouds were dyed a sheet of gold, and patches of golden aurora appeared across the land.
Rongyang Monarch and Ao Bing began to sink, a consequence of the Five Elements Spiritual Qi’s disappearance. Elsewhere, Guang Zuo Taoist, He Feng Taoist, Wan Zhi Taoist, and Ao Hong suffered the same fate. They all fell until they were less than a hundred zhang from the ground, only then managing to stabilize themselves with the most basic Cloud Soaring Technique.
The Cloud Soaring Technique relied on the formless Spiritual Qi of the world—a substance that no one could disperse.
As they stabilized themselves in mid-air, they all turned in unison to look toward the peak of the lone mountain at the center of the ravaged land. Xia Yao was there, using her Primordial Spirit to power the Divine Technique Formation beneath the Imperial Palace. The Array enveloped the palace and the surrounding area for nearly a hundred li. Golden auroras shot up from the ground, forming an illusory city that stretched as far as the eye could see.
In this illusory city, the common people lived in peace and contentment, officials performed their duties diligently, and the Emperor—just like Xia Yao now—presided over the center, monitoring all lawlessness under heaven.
"My realm, my subjects..."
Xia Yao whispered softly, her cold eyes fixed on Xiao Shan Lord. Behind her, a massive golden map slowly unfurled, yet Xiao Shan Lord merely watched with calm, as if he were waiting for something.
"You are to be executed!"
Xia Yao pointed at Xiao Shan Lord with her right hand. Behind her, a stream of golden light transformed into a cloud throne. As she sat down, a longsword from deep beneath the Imperial Palace, empowered by layer after layer of Divine Technique Formations, burst from the earth!
"A fine Celestial Sword, but this is not enough to kill me!"
Xiao Shan Lord’s body slowly ascended. A golden lotus bloomed rapidly beneath his feet, and behind him, an even larger golden map unfurled.
CREAK
CREAK
CREAK
A strange sound suddenly echoed, as if something was being compressed.
The illusory city centered on the Imperial Palace was being compressed by an invisible force. This force was the faith of the countless people of the south. Their will was dismantling the Divine Country that Xia Yao had constructed.
Xia Yao formed a Spell with her right hand, releasing her Primordial Spirit Consciousness to circle the golden cloud throne. Simultaneously, layers of intricate Divine Runes seeped out from her skin, and a Divine Technique Formation over a hundred zhang wide manifested beneath her feet. The moment it appeared, it resonated with the Divine Technique Formation in the Imperial Palace.
RUMBLE
The mountain beneath the Imperial Palace began to collapse.
Wang Ping suddenly felt an invisible pressure squeezing the barrier around him. The thought had just formed when his body was uncontrollably flung backward, away from the Imperial Palace.
In the process, he saw the Imperial Palace become enveloped by a blinding golden pillar of light. Incomprehensibly profound Array Runes flashed continuously around it. In the blink of an eye, the pillar pierced heaven and earth, and then... it vanished.
Along with the golden pillar of light, the ruins of the Imperial Palace and the mountain beneath them also disappeared. Meanwhile, nine golden longswords had appeared around Xia Yao, circling her cloud throne and forming a stable Divine Skill Array.
"On behalf of the people, I shall execute you traitors!"
As Xia Yao spoke, she slowly ascended. The Array formed by the ten Celestial Swords around her cloud throne continuously expanded, quickly forming a magnificent palace around her. Countless illusory figures materialized inside and outside the palace, bowing before the sharp edges of the swords in pious prayer. Simultaneously, the borders of the golden map behind Xia Yao kept expanding, adding vast new territories in the blink of an eye.
It was the territory of the Northern Yunhai Grassland!
"This is still not enough!"
Xiao Shan Lord’s calm voice sounded, as if he were reminding Xia Yao of something.
Xia Yao’s cold and rational face was expressionless. She pointed at Xiao Shan Lord from afar with her right hand and declared: "Execute!"
As her voice fell, the map behind her expanded once more.
This time, it expanded to include the Southeast Sea Region, which was controlled by Lishui Prefecture. Simultaneously, in the physical world, Divine Technique Altars at the center of dozens of islands in the Southeast Sea Region erupted with Divine Technique Light Pillars that shot toward the sky.
From this point on, every territory on the Zhongzhou Continent was under the empowerment of the Divine Technique. An abundant spirituality began to resonate in a peculiar way with all the living beings on the continent.
This resonance created an impulse in Wang Ping to prostrate himself in worship, but it was quickly suppressed by his powerful Primordial Spirit Will.
At that moment, the ten Celestial Swords around Xia Yao carried the imperial will as they slashed toward Xiao Shan Lord. Each sword bore the faith of the masses. They seemed powerless, yet they aimed to extinguish every trace of Xiao Shan Lord’s life force.
Strangely, however, they came to a halt directly in front of Xiao Shan Lord before arranging themselves in a circle around the golden lotus beneath him.
"Did you know that my secular name is Xia Pei?" Xiao Shan Lord reached out, took a Celestial Sword in his hand, and stared at Xia Yao as he continued, "And do you know who arranged the Divine Technique Formation in Shangjing City?"