Chapter 1802 — Return to the Heavenly Realm

Lord Shang's injuries were exceedingly grave. Jiang Baigui's Immutability Divine Art was not perfect; in the urgency of that moment he had struck almost at the same instant as the Master of the Joyous Hall, trapping Lord Shang in the state of Immutability.

Caught in that same state along with Lord Shang was the Master of the Joyous Hall's dying blow, and this made his wounds fiendishly difficult to treat. Again and again Lord Shang relived the instant of being slain by the Master of the Joyous Hall, and Jiang Baigui's brow furrowed deeply.

"This can only be settled if my second senior brother lends a hand," he said to Heavenly Lord Yue.

Heavenly Lord Yue was equally at a loss over Lord Shang's injuries.

"If Heavenly Lord Ling were here, this would be far easier. .

.

" Thinking of Heavenly Lord Ling, she could not help but feel a pang of gloom. Heavenly Lord Ling had been gone a long while now.

She had asked Shen Mu, and Shen Mu had told her that Heavenly Lord Ling had gone to the past universe — only she did not know whether Shen Mu was lying. Shen Mu had also once said that his lame grandfather had gone to the past universe, and that Heavenly Lord Yun and his wife had retired into seclusion, though everyone knew they had already passed away.

Shen Mu had further said that Kaihuang Shen Ye was in fact not dead, and that in forty-two years he would surely appear upon the golden ship. That news had heartened many people — yet now the forty-two-year term was nearly upon them, and Kaihuang Shen Ye had still not appeared. "Ling, are you still alive.

.

. " Heavenly Lord Yue gathered her feelings, roused her divine art to hide Lord Shang deep within space, and charged with Jiang Baigui toward Emperor Haotian.

Both she and Jiang Baigui were gravely wounded. Before Lord Shang arrived, it had been the two of them who held off the Master of the Joyous Hall; the strength of a Miluo Palace hall master went without saying, and they too had been badly hurt.

But now the dawn of victory was in sight. So long as Emperor Haotian was eliminated, no one would remain to preside over the descent of the Miluo Palace's Dao-attainers!

Just as they were rushing toward Emperor Haotian, an obscure ripple suddenly washed over them. Heavenly Lord Yue's and Jiang Baigui's eyes twitched, and they followed the ripple with their gaze.

Within the Jade Capital City of the Ancestral Court, the first Dao-attainer had descended.

And outside the Jade Capital City, near the place where they fought, more Dao-attainers were descending — though it would be several days before they fully arrived. They had kept their eyes fixed all along on the descents outside the Jade Capital City, never imagining that the Miluo Palace would pull off a secret maneuver.

And judging by that ripple and the radiance of the dao light, it must be a hall master of the Miluo Palace!

For behind that light stood an immense dao tree, and upon the dao tree hung three dao fruits!

"There is still a chance!

" Heavenly Lord Yue immediately rushed forward, but Jiang Baigui suddenly blocked her path and shook his head.

"Heavenly Lord Yue, withdraw the troops.

" Heavenly Lord Yue looked at him, bewildered.

Jiang Baigui shook his head. "It is already too late. The Miluo Palace set the Master of the Joyous Hall, Emperor Haotian, and the Empress Dowager to guard outside the city, and had Dao-attainers descend outside as well, all to confuse our sight — to make us believe no descent was possible within the Jade Capital City, and so keep us pinned here. The Master of the Joyous Hall, Emperor Haotian, and the Empress Dowager were nothing but discarded pieces. If I am not mistaken, the hall master descending within the Jade Capital City should arrive earlier than those outside — and this time it is not one hall master who comes. " Scarcely had he spoken when another obscure ripple came, and beams of dao light shot skyward, churning the heavens of the Ancestral Court and setting the stars to wheeling around them!

A second hall master had descended. Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian had by now entered the Jade Capital City.

At the sight, they hastily halted and looked up at those beams of light.

Lan Yutian's face went ashen, and despair showed on Xu Shenghua's features as well. They had originally meant to help Heavenly Lord You and the others slay Emperor Haotian; but upon seeing the first hall master descend, the two had immediately turned and rushed into the Jade Capital City of the Ancestral Court, resolved to fight that hall master to the death.

Yet the descent of the second hall master made them realize at once that all their efforts were in vain. "Let us go," Xu Shenghua said, turning to walk out of the Jade Capital City.

Lan Yutian called him back, his voice somewhat lost.

"Brother Xu, go where?

" Xu Shenghua had already regained his usual composure.

"Back to the Yuan Realm. The descent of the Miluo Palace can no longer be stopped; in this battle we have no chance of victory. If we return to the Yuan Realm now and move Jingping into the Chaotic Space, there will still be a chance to rise again.

" "Is there really a chance to rise again?

" Lan Yutian cried out.

"Search your conscience and tell me — do you truly believe that!

" Xu Shenghua was silent.

Suddenly, more beams of dao light shot straight up beyond the clouds. Without turning his head, Xu Shenghua strode away.

"All I know is that staying here offers no chance at all. Lan Yutian, come with me — at the very least we can preserve Jingping!

" Lan Yutian hesitated, then followed him.

The two headed straight for the place where Emperor Haotian had attained the Dao, and Xu Shenghua called out loudly, "Heavenly Lord You, Lang Wan, the Two Black Tortoise Emperors — all is lost, return to Jingping! " Heavenly Lord You was stunned. "All is lost?

" A nameless fury surged up in his chest, and he roared, "Who says all is lost? How many of our people died to win us this advantage, to fight our way to the Heavenly Court, to fight our way to the Jade Capital City — one step more and we would have won completely!

How is all lost?

" From between Emperor Haotian's brows three treasure halls suddenly flew out, and he said coldly, "Heavenly Lord You, can you not see it? The hall masters have descended.

You truly are lost. " Those treasure halls suddenly blazed with the full majesty of the Dao, pressing down upon Heavenly Lord You, Lang Wan, and the Two Black Tortoise Emperors!

In Emperor Haotian's hands the treasure halls had been powerful, to be sure, but no more than decent weapons — they had never been able to unleash the might they displayed now!

Now those three treasure halls were like towering gods that no calamity could extinguish, standing firm amid the Calamity of Destruction, imperishable through all ages. The halls' power erupted, and before it even pressed upon them, they were already spitting blood again and again!

Within the Jade Capital City of the Ancestral Court, three towering figures strode forth — and those three great halls were the supreme achievement of their Dao!

Heavenly Lord Yue, Jiang Baigui, Xu Shenghua, and Lan Yutian hurried to act, each rescuing one of them, and withdrew. Behind the three hall masters' heads halos turned in layer upon layer, and the treasure halls flew toward them.

At once the space around them seemed utterly congealed — even Heavenly Lord Yue could not stir the Zaiji Void to twist space!

Every one of them was wounded, and they could no longer hold off these three hall masters!

Helpless, they all began to fall toward the halos behind the three hall masters' heads. Heavenly Lord Yue struggled desperately, trying to rouse her divine art to break them out, but the three hall masters' dharma power suppressed her divine art outright, leaving her with a deep sense of helplessness and despair.