Volume 14, Chapter 907 – What Can the Heavenly Dao Do to Me?

“Alright!”

Fang Yuan nodded firmly, the sickly pallor on his face caused by blood loss instantly vanishing. He spoke with strength: “The reason the Fengming Empress issued that clarification notice is because she’s afraid of the Immortal Alliance holding her accountable. She wants to protect me, her Tianjizi. And indeed, that is the truth…”

At this point, Fang Yuan turned his head toward the Immortal Alliance members. “This group came to the Fengming Immortal Kingdom and immediately began throwing their weight around. They ordered me to ‘clarify that everything I previously said was a lie’, all to protect the image of the Heavenly Dao and the Celestials in the Immortal Realm. On top of that, they forced the Empress to abdicate and planned to kill me after the Clarification Assembly as a warning to others.”

“Nonsense! Don’t believe this petty liar who’s addicted to deceit!”

Elder Yan roared in fury as he simultaneously reached for his sword using Divine Sense.

“Are we sure he’s lying?”

Qi Huang gave a calm smile, then summoned a Shadow-Retaining Mirror to verify everything Fang Yuan had said.

The onlookers looked at each other in stunned silence, unsure how to react.

“So what if it’s true? You predicted a great calamity in the Immortal Realm nineteen years from now but couldn’t say where the danger would come from. Isn’t that clearly implying and slandering the Celestials and the Heavenly Dao? What’s wrong with me trying to set an example by punishing you?”

Yan Yi pressed on with his argument and then shouted at the Immortal Alliance disciples around him: “What are you all standing there for? Go!”

“Kill him!”

The Immortal Alliance cultivators surged toward the center of the square, weapons in hand.

Qi Huang calmly deployed a Divine Sense barrier, blocking out hundreds of Immortal Alliance elites and disciples. Even the strongest among them was only at the peak of the Earth Immortal stage, no threat to her at all.

“I didn’t dare speak recklessly earlier because I couldn’t determine where the danger came from. But after a kind soul pointed me in the right direction, I pleaded with the ancestors of the Celestial Realm to investigate. At last, I uncovered the truth.”

Fang Yuan spoke evenly. “Everyone should recall that thirty years ago, the Celestial Realm issued an order to the Immortal Alliance: eliminate all evil spirits in the Immortal Realm within fifty years, or face punishment. This kind of command had never been given before. Didn’t anyone stop to wonder why?”

The spectators furrowed their brows. Indeed, that had long been a mystery.

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“I pleaded with the ancestors to look deeper. It turns out that when the Heavenly Dao fell asleep, it gave a directive to the Heavenly Court to cleanse all Yin energy from the myriad worlds before it woke. And nineteen years from now, is precisely when the Heavenly Dao awakens. That’s why such a ruthless command was handed down to the Immortal Alliance.”

Fang Yuan continued explaining.

“What? The Heavenly Dao will awaken in nineteen years?”

Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling exchanged glances, both seeing deep panic in the other’s eyes. To them, this news was nothing short of a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

“So what? What does that have to do with a calamity in the Immortal Realm?”

One of the spectators boldly pressed for more.

“The Heavenly Court issued the command to the Immortal Alliance. Even if the task isn’t completed, they wouldn’t punish all the cultivators and immortals in the realm. Everyone knows we’ve been working hard for the Celestials these past years. Why would they vent their anger on us?”

Yan Yi chimed in with his own calm rebuttal.

“He’s right. The Grand Elder speaks the truth,” several cultivators voiced their agreement.

“The reason is simple. The Heavenly Court has always had a policy of ‘Great Purge’. Once all evil spirits in a world are eliminated, they then proceed to wipe out all cultivators and immortals in that world. We’re just their tools in dealing with the evil spirits. Once we’re no longer useful, they’ll discard us like worn-out grinding stones.”

Seeing the crowd begin to doubt him, Fang Yuan hurried to elaborate.

“Ha… ha… ha… ha… still going? Keep going then…”

Yan Yi suddenly burst into wild laughter, his face showing blatant contempt. He knew that such an outlandish claim would be impossible for anyone to believe.

“Don’t forget, you’re not the only Tianjizi in the Immortal Realm. Why haven’t any of the others mentioned this so-called Great Purge?”

Yan Ying seized a moment to challenge him.

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“Yeah, that’s absurd. Even a three-year-old wouldn’t buy it.”

The surrounding immortals echoed with scoffs and ridicule.

“The Heavenly Court still relies on lower-realm cultivators and immortals to do their work. Of course they’d keep the truth locked down. That’s why even most Celestials haven’t heard of it, let alone the other Tianjizi.”

Fang Yuan explained with urgency.

“Then how did you find out? Don’t tell me your ancestors are even more capable than the Heavenly Court’s Grand Elders.”

Yan Yi pressed on unhurriedly.

“This…”

Fang Yuan was momentarily at a loss. Panic spread across his face, and he faltered.

“Don’t worry about whether they believe you. Just say what you know.”

Cheng Hongling’s cold voice cut in. Learning that the Heavenly Dao would awaken in nineteen years weighed heavily on her heart. She had no patience left for fruitless arguments.

“Heh, speechless now? Let me guess: you’ve sided with evil spirits, so now you’re trying everything you can to smear the Celestials. That it?”

Yan Yi launched a direct attack on Fang Yuan’s credibility.

“Elder Yan makes a valid point. If Fang Yuan’s in league with evil spirits, slandering the Celestials makes perfect sense.”

“Fang Yuan, stop wasting your breath. If you’re being coerced by evil spirits, just blink.”

“Great Purge, huh? What next, clean the Immortal Realm like scrubbing a toilet?”

The mocking voices from the crowd rang out one after another.

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Fang Yuan found himself completely cornered, turning helplessly toward Qi Huang for aid.

“Ha ha! What now? All out of tricks? You’d best surrender quietly!”

Yan Yi was practically glowing with smug satisfaction.

“Heh…”

Qi Huang still wore a calm smile. Then she said, “Yan Yi, oh Yan Yi. I could’ve killed you all and left with Fang Yuan easily. So why do you think I went through all this trouble to make him speak in public? Was it to awaken this crowd of fools? No. From the beginning, I knew they wouldn’t believe a word.”

“What? Did she just call us fools? That evil spirit’s courting death. Does she think she can take on all of us alone?”

“But I heard her cultivation is already at the mid-stage of the Heavenly Demon Realm…”

“So what? We’ve got multiple Grand Elders from the Immortal Alliance here today, and even a few Immortal Emperors in the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Even if she is mid-Heavenly Demon Realm, she’s not walking out of this.”

“Exactly! That Weixin Immortal Emperor has not only reached the fourth level of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, but is also protected by a Heavenly Stele. Even peak Heavenly Demons wouldn’t dare touch him. Follow his lead, and we’ll be fine.”

The Immortals around the square were utterly enraged, all preparing for battle.

“Heavenly Stele? That still exists in the Immortal Realm?”

Qi Huang was taken aback and sent a thought-transmission to Cheng Hongling.

“Ever since I got here, I’ve never heard of a Heavenly Stele. I thought they were gone,”

Cheng Hongling responded, her voice full of surprise.

“It’s fine. The Heavenly Stele is just a stronger version of the Immortal Stele. We’ll ignore that so-called Weixin Immortal Emperor. He can’t touch me anyway.”

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Qi Huang tried to reassure herself. Meanwhile, a single hair from her head remained tightly coiled around Yan Yi’s sword.

“Oh? Now I’m really curious. If that’s the case, why go through all this trouble?”

Yan Yi asked leisurely.

“I have three reasons,” Qi Huang declared, her voice firm. “First, to have a clear conscience. If I don’t speak, that’s on me. If I do and you refuse to listen, that’s your death wish. Second, I want to show that the Immortal Alliance isn’t all that mighty. You forbid anyone from disrespecting the Heavenly Dao or Celestials, so I’ll do exactly that. What can you do to me? Third, I want to prove that the Heavenly Dao and the Celestials are nothing special. Today, I’m publicly defying the heavens. What can it do to me?”

Her declaration rang out like a war drum, brimming with fearless pride.

“Fools fear nothing.”

Yan Yi shook his head pitifully and then looked around. “Fellow cultivators, this woman and the poisonous zombie beside her are the greatest threats to our world. If we unite and slay her today, we secure a brighter future. Otherwise, once the Celestials’ deadline passes, none of us will be safe.”

“No more talk, Elder Yan. Let’s do this. She stole so many spoils of war from me. Today I’ll drag her corpse back and hang it from the city walls to erase my disgrace!”

The Ziji Immortal Emperor stepped forward, pressure surging around him. Five imperial weapons floated in orbit, sword energy so intense none dared look straight at him.

“Ziji is my in-law. Disrespecting him is disrespecting me. Count me in on killing this wretch.”

An elderly man in flowing white robes followed with hands clasped behind his back.

“That’s the Weixin Immortal Emperor! He’s the strongest in today’s Immortal Realm. Not only is he at the fourth layer of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, but he’s protected by a Heavenly Stele. In some ways, he’s more powerful than the leader of the Immortal Alliance!”

Someone shouted in excitement.

“With you all joining in, I’m completely at ease.”

Yan Yi’s face filled with confidence, and then, with a cold expression, he gave the order: “Attack!”