Volume 14, Chapter 897 – The Heavenly Dao Is About to Awaken

“Oh? What method is that?”

All the high-ranking members leaned forward curiously, eager to hear more.

“Even though they managed to escape this time, there’s at least one thing worth celebrating: we know which world they fled to.”

Yin Wan stood up and began to speak confidently.

“That’s right. According to our investigation, they escaped to the thirty-second mid-tier cultivation world.”

Yan Yi added on the side.

“Everyone here should be familiar with the Universal Star Chart, correct? It’s a tool used by the Celestials to monitor every world. With it, we can see the trajectory of each star’s movement across the realms.”

Yin Wan reminded them.

“You mean to use the Star Chart to locate the location of the Xiannu Planet?”

Yan Yi’s eyes lit up.

“No. Since the Xiannu Planet has already fallen into that mid-tier world, it means it’s deviated from its normal trajectory, so it’s nearly impossible to track it directly using the Star Chart.”

Yin Wan shook his head.

“Then what do you mean, Alliance Leader?”

Yan Yi asked, puzzled.

“While we might not be able to track the Xiannu Planet, we can still observe the movement of other stars in that world. In a mid-tier cultivation realm, apart from that group of evil spirits, there’s no other force capable of shaking or dragging a star off its course. Any abnormal movement would immediately be detected by the Universal Star Chart.”

Yin Wan’s gaze sharpened as he explained.

“Brilliant insight, Alliance Leader!”

Flattering voices began to echo throughout the hall.

“I will have the Grand Elder reach out to the senior members of the Immortal Alliance in the Celestial Realm and use the Universal Star Chart to track down those evil spirits. But there’s still one remaining problem… how do we strike once we’ve found them? That’s a mid-tier world. We can’t descend there ourselves.”

Yin Wan swept his gaze across the gathered high-ranking officials. The Grand Elder he referred to was none other than the Tianjizi of the Immortal Alliance.

“Sigh! There’s really no good solution… While disciples below the Immortal rank can go, sending them would be sending them to their deaths.”

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“What if we just wait until they return to the Immortal Realm and strike then?”

“But how would we know when they’ll return to the Immortal Realm?”

The high-ranking members below all shook their heads with bitter expressions.

“Alliance Leader, Celestials transcend the physical body, so they can move freely between realms. Should we ask them to step in?”

Yan Yi proposed this suggestion because the Immortal Alliance’s Grand Elder was one of the Celestials, the Tianjizi.

“Yes, yes, if the Celestials are willing to take action, then those evil spirits wouldn’t be able to escape even if they hid in a rat hole.”

Another senior member echoed enthusiastically.

“Don’t even think about it. If they were willing to act that easily, what use would we even be?”

Yin Wan immediately shut the idea down.

“Sigh!”

All the senior members instantly deflated.

“Alliance Leader, there are only twenty years left of the deadline the Celestials gave us. We have to secure some advantage for ourselves. What if you asked the Grand Elder to plead with the senior figures in the upper realm… to request leniency from the ruling powers, at least to allow us to use Assimilation Qi? Only then can we deal with those evil spirits freely.”

Yan Yi offered another suggestion. The ruler he referred to was the Heavenly King, the current authority just below the Heavenly Dao in the Celestial Realm.

“Alliance Leader, I think the Grand Elder’s suggestion is quite sound. This may be the only viable option left to us.”

“Alliance Leader, whatever happens… at least try. How will we know it won’t work if we don’t try?”

“That’s right. Even if the Celestials in the upper realm refuse, we won’t lose anything. We can always think of something else later.”

The senior members pleaded in unison.

“…Alright, I’ll make time to discuss this with the Grand Elder.”

Yin Wan finally relented, though he added, “But don’t get your hopes up. Let’s not even mention whether the rulers of the Celestial Realm will grant it. We might not even be able to get in contact with them.”

The senior members expressed their understanding, though their eyes were still filled with anticipation.

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After the meeting ended, Yin Wan stepped out of the grand hall and headed toward the tallest tower at the very heart of the Immortal Alliance headquarters.

Yin Wan ascended straight to the top. Inside, candlelight flickered all around. Smoke curled in wisps through the air. A massive altar stood against the wall, with several ancestral tablets placed atop it. In front of them were countless offerings that could stir the appetite, except that a bloodstained jade basin among them gave the whole scene an eerie tone.

At this moment, standing before the altar was an old man in a gray robe. His face was covered in wrinkles, and his back hunched. He needed a cane for even the smallest steps. His body visibly trembled, as if he could collapse at any moment.

This man was none other than Lu Hong, the Grand Elder of the Immortal Alliance, its only Tianjizi. He also bore another identity: the former Alliance Leader and the most advanced cultivator in the Celestial Realm. It’s said “cultivation level” because although he had the highest realm, old age and weakness had caused his strength to decline to the lowest point. Only his realm remained intact.

“Grand Elder, are you alright? Why are you so frail? Is it due to excessive blood loss?”

Yin Wan stepped forward to support him. This old man was indeed the only Tianjizi of the Immortal Alliance.

“When death draws near, the body deteriorates day by day. Isn’t that perfectly normal?”

Lu Hong replied with a calm wave of the hand.

“Sigh…”

Yin Wan sighed helplessly. He knew what losing the Grand Elder would mean for the Immortal Alliance.

“Sit. Life and death are fated. There’s nothing worth mourning.”

Lu Hong gestured for him to sit.

Yin Wan hesitated for a moment before finally sitting down, worry clouding his brow.

“Alliance Leader Yin, didn’t you ask me earlier to contact our ancestors in the Celestial Realm to find out what exactly is happening up there?”

Lu Hong got straight to the point without any small talk.

“Yes. Have you heard back?”

Yin Wan quickly asked.

“I have. Our ancestors said that before the Heavenly Dao fell asleep, it commanded the Celestials to eliminate all evil spirits in every world. Now, the Heavenly Dao is about to awaken, so they must complete the task.”

Lu Hong’s tone remained calm.

“What? The Heavenly Dao is about to awaken?”

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Yin Wan was overjoyed when he heard that and exclaimed, “In that case, those evil spirits won’t last much longer. Once the Heavenly Dao awakens, all Heaven-Deceiving Water will become useless!”

“Don’t celebrate too soon. If we can’t fulfill the Celestials’ task, we might never live to see that day. I heard your trip to the Xiannu Planet didn’t go too well?”

Lu Hong’s words subtly pointed at something deeper.

“That’s putting it lightly.”

Yin Wan gave a bitter laugh and recounted everything that had happened.

“They fled to the lower realm? That does complicate things. First, it’s hard for us to pinpoint their location. Second, even if we did, we can’t capture them since the Celestials haven’t authorized us to use Assimilation Qi.”

Lu Hong immediately saw the crux of the issue.

“Exactly.”

Yin Wan slapped the armrest of his chair in frustration. After some hesitation, he finally said, “In truth, I came to you for this exact reason. If you could contact the ancestors of the Celestial Realm, could you plead two things on our behalf? First, to help us use the Universal Star Chart to find the exact location of those evil spirits. Second, to ask the ruling powers of the upper realm to show some leniency, allowing us to use Assimilation Qi.”

“What?”

Lu Hong’s expression finally changed.

“The first request isn’t difficult. But the second… that’s really asking the impossible. Those people up there fear Assimilation Qi like the plague. They’ve spent everything trying to eradicate it. Why would they create trouble for themselves?”

“I understand. But right now, we really have no other way. Please, Grand Elder, do what you can.”

Yin Wan clasped his hands and bowed in earnest.

“…Very well. If this old man can get in touch with our ancestors, I will convey your request. But don’t hold your hopes too high. Personally, I think it’s hopeless.”

In the end, Lu Hong agreed.

“Then I leave it in your hands, Grand Elder!”

Yin Wan respectfully bowed and left the tower.

Just as he stepped outside, he spotted Yan Yi waiting nearby. Yin Wan’s expression turned cold.

“Alliance Leader, did the Grand Elder agree?”

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Yan Yi immediately stepped forward and asked.

“He did.”

Yin Wan replied offhandedly, then cast a Divine Sense barrier and said, “You really are ruthless, Elder Yan.”

“What are you talking about, Alliance Leader? I don’t understand.”

Yan Yi’s gaze darted away slightly.

“You don’t understand? Hmph. We’ve worked together for nearly a thousand years, do you think I don’t know how your mind works?”

Yin Wan snorted coldly and said, “You know perfectly well that the rulers of the Celestial Realm would never allow us to use Assimilation Qi, yet you insisted I go plead with the Grand Elder. You’re not after that permission at all. What you really want is to force the Grand Elder to beg the ancestors again and again until his strength is utterly exhausted, and he has no choice left.”

“Oh? And what choice is that?”

Yan Yi feigned ignorance.

“What choice? The Grand Elder may have lost his cultivation due to old age, but his soul is still at the late-stage Heavenly Immortal level. If he’s willing to abandon his body to sacrifice himself for the greater good, handling those evil spirits would be a simple matter. Who needs Assimilation Qi?”

Yin Wan laid it all out bluntly.

“Heh. As expected, Alliance Leader understands me well. But since you’ve already agreed, doesn’t that mean you approve of my approach?”

Yan Yi replied without shame.

“Hmph. You should understand what the Grand Elder means to the Immortal Alliance. If there were any other way, I would never stoop to join you in such a scheme.”

Yin Wan grumbled, trying to preserve his dignity.

Meanwhile, Qi Huang had finished settling everything on the Xiannu Planet. She then rushed back to the Immortal Realm with Cheng Hongling in tow. This time, she had two goals. First, to bring back the friends and relatives of those evil spirits from the Xiannu Planet. Second, to investigate the state of the Immortal Realm itself. To see whether every cultivator and immortal had become a mere lackey of the Heavenly Dao.