Chapter 862 - 334: Haotian (2)
He didn’t dismiss the idea of parallel worlds.
Nor could he ignore the Buddhist philosophy mentioning Mahayana and Hinayana worlds. It could also be called Great Thousand and Small Thousand Worlds.
"What kind of fiend dares to trespass the Southern Celestial Gate?" King of Holding Country, clad in white armor and wielding a pipa, glared angrily at Fan Wubing and asked.
Fan Wubing slightly sensed the aura of these four Kings.
Unlike cultivators, who rely on Immortal Spirit Qi to support their cultivation. This King, as an immortal, draws his power from the radiance of the Incense Fire God, an object of belief for all beings.
He asked,
"Is this the Celestial Court?"
"What else could it be if not the Celestial Court!"
"Is the Heavenly Dao here?"
The King of Growth, clad in blue armor and holding a treasured sword, shouted,
"The Celestial Emperor is the Heavenly Dao! Of course, it’s here!"
Clad in red armor and entwined with the Shadow of the Red Dragon, the eyes of the King of Celestial Eyes burned with rage,
"From where does this fiend hail, speaking of the Heavenly Dao! If you don’t report your name, I’ll kill you and let Lord Laozi put you in the pill furnace!"
Holding a precious umbrella and clad in green armor, the garments of the King of Many Hears fluttered as his long eyebrows strained,
"You carry the aura of the mundane world, are you the monster that ascended through tribulation? Or a demon that stole the Immortal Path?"
Fan Wubing felt that these four Celestial Kings seemed to be a bit too "template-like."
They deliberately appeared to be the Four Great Kings.
Fan Wubing said,
"Since that’s the case, I want to see Heaven and Earth."
"Arrogant one! I see you refuse a toast only to drink a penalty! Take this!" The King of Growth charged at Fan Wubing with his treasured sword. His gigantic divine body toppled toward Fan Wubing like a collapsing mountain.
Yet, when the sword was about to slice Fan Wubing in two, Fan Wubing took a step forward.
In an instant, only a "zing" sound was heard as lightning flashed. The King of Growth let out a miserable cry as his treasured sword flew from his hand, shattering into translucent, sparkling dust in mid-air.
The other three Celestial Kings saw the situation and each wielded their magical artifacts, displaying their Divine Techniques to suppress Fan Wubing.
But Fan Wubing didn’t even look and simply walked forward.
Without raising a hand, the three Celestial Kings suffered some unknown attack, their magical artifacts destroyed, and their treasured armor shattered. Their massive majestic divine bodies and golden forms were broken, turning from supreme True Gods into mortals in the blink of an eye.
"What spell is this!"
"Why can’t my Divine Techniques touch him!"
"Who are you! What kind of fiend are you!"
The four Celestial Kings, fallen to the ground, looked at Fan Wubing in terror. They had lost their divinity and golden forms, resembling ordinary people without any distinction. Cast among the crowd on the street, no one would think they were special.
Fan Wubing realized,
"You aren’t the real Four Great Kings; you’re mere replicas."
"Fiend, cease your nonsense! We are indeed the rightful Celestial Kings, granted heavenly grace!"
Fan Wubing shook his head, "Stay put."
Saying this, he casually drew circles around the four. The circles were like prisons, impossible to break through.
"Come forth! A fiend has broken into the Southern Celestial Gate!"
Apart from calling for help, they could do nothing.
Fan Wubing barged into the Southern Celestial Gate. Wherever his eyes surveyed, the Celestial Court impeccably matched the mythologies of the Celestial Court from his previous life. Everywhere were ethereal scenes, various palaces, grotto heavens, and Immortal Courts, floating in the air, connected by celestial ladders, bridges, and paths. In the sky flew celestial cranes, upon whose backs were all sorts of immortals and celestial maidens and children serving them.
Every immortal, maiden, and celestial child appeared radiant, with ethereal presence.
Fan Wubing, someone infused with the mundane world’s vibes and neither ethereal nor radiant, appearing in such a place, was like a beggar breaking into a luxurious grand restaurant, instantly becoming the focus of all attention.
A deity shouted,
"What sort of fiend!"
"How did the Southern Celestial Gate let such a monster inside?"
The unwavering expressions of the immortals and maidens indeed made Fan Wubing feel like a complete fiend.
He shook his head and said,
"I genuinely don’t know who’s the real monster."
The gods soon found out that at the Southern Celestial Gate, the four Celestial Kings had already been overpowered, causing a shock.
In a flash, the Celestial Court descended into chaos.
All the immortals mobilized, one hundred thousand celestial soldiers surrounded Fan Wubing from all directions.
Fan Wubing scanned them in a glance, familiar faces from the mythologies of the Celestial Court.
The Eight Marshals, the Five Great Gods, Four Mountains Emperor, Thunder God and Lightning Goddess, Golden Boys and Jade Maidens, Wind Master and Rain Master, Thirty-Six Celestial Descendants, Twenty-Eight Constellations, Twelve Golden Hairpins...
"All replicas."
Fan Wubing shook his head, no longer harboring any hope for these gods.
He initially thought he could learn some ancient secrets through the Celestial Court.
"This Celestial Court is probably just a facade created by the Daoist School."
Facing the gods’ angry shouts and questioning, he didn’t waste words. He stomped his right foot, and with an outpour of Martial Path, subdued them all in the blink of an eye.
There was no need to use any Divine Techniques or Great Dao; the pressure created by the Martial Path alone was enough to vanquish them all.
Then he shattered their golden bodies and took away their Incense Fire God radiance.
In an instant, a hundred thousand Celestial Soldiers, hundreds of gods, and thousands of divine beasts turned into ordinary people and common beasts.
He did not stop his steps and continued forward.
No god along the way could stop him.
On the path to the Highest Heaven where Emperor Haotian resided, he encountered the Three Pristine Ones.
In the myth of the Celestial Court, Daoist Ancestor Laozi formed the Three Pristine Ones in one breath, establishing the Celestial Court centered around Emperor Haotian who governs the will of heaven and earth.
The Three Pristine Ones are the source of Dao Methods, the creators of the Immortal Dao, together achieving the Celestial Court, achieving Emperor Haotian.
These three gods blocked Fan Wubing’s way.
Fan Wubing asked,
"I want to know, do you realize you are false gods, counterfeits?"
Primordial Celestial Venerable said,
"No matter who you are, why do you want to cause havoc in the Celestial Palace? Yet, do you think that because we borrow the names of the ancestors, we should not perform the deeds of the ancestors? In this Celestial Court, we are the true gods."
Fan Wubing suddenly recalled a phrase Seven Luminaries True Monarch had said to him in a dream... Borrow my name, perform my deeds.
Those were stories from a long, long time ago.
He had thought at the time that Seven Luminaries True Monarch wanted him to restore the Path to Immortality, but now it seems otherwise.
He asked,
"Have you heard of Seven Luminaries True Monarch?"
The three each shook their head.
"Sigh..."
Who exactly is Seven Luminaries True Monarch?
If he were truly remarkable, then why hasn’t he left even a trace?
Fan Wubing shook his head and effortlessly destroyed the golden bodies of the Three Pristine Ones.
In this Celestial Court, no one could stop his pace.
Finally, he ascended to the Highest Heaven, reaching the Lingxiao Palace.
The entire Celestial Court only had Emperor Haotian left.
The doors of Lingxiao Palace opened for Fan Wubing.
In the instant he saw Emperor Haotian’s back, Fan Wubing immediately realized. This person isn’t a counterfeit, but neither is he the true Emperor Haotian!
Rather, he is... an embodiment of the Heavenly Dao!
The will of the Celestial Demon entwined with him became extremely active, continually telling him that the Emperor Haotian before his eyes was the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao! The personification of "Heaven".
Fan Wubing instantly composed himself and calmly said,
"We finally meet."
Emperor Haotian turned around. His visage, magnificent, radiant, and righteous. The aura exuded from his being could only make one feel the benevolence and inclusiveness of the Heavenly Dao, without any discomfort.
"Your name is... Fan Wubing."
Fan Wubing stood at the gate of the Lingxiao Palace, the shadow cast by the light falling upon Emperor Haotian,
"Yes, the very Fan Wubing whom you’ve watched since birth."
Emperor Haotian’s face was peaceful,
"You are an outsider. And this world should be sealed, where no one can enter, no one can leave. Of course, you would be under my watch. The day you were born, the light from the Yinghuo Star, which portends disaster, spread from the edge of the world to its center."
"Destiny, was indeed something you manufactured to monitor all beings?"
Emperor Haotian nodded,
"Yes. Your destiny was supposed to be guided by Heavenly Slaughter, to be devoured by Yinghuo from the moment of birth. But someone altered your destiny, buying you much time. And when I truly realized this and wanted to completely erase you, it was already too late. The one who altered your destiny had already come."
By this time, Fan Wubing already knew who he was referring to.
Fu Ming.
He had long since learned from his master Yushan Daoist that his senior sister Fu Ming was no ordinary person, but her true identity remained a mystery.
Coming here, challenging the Heavenly Dao, was not just for the world, not just to help Jiang Ran make amends.
It was also to find his senior sister Fu Ming.
In this world, no one could surpass Fu Ming’s place in his heart.