Chapter 995: Request for Aid

To secure the Purple Emperor Palace for himself alone, Li Yi’s safest method was to follow Han Shan’s example: bring in a few Divine Kings—just two or three Heavenly Clan Heavenly Kings, and the palace would be within his grasp.

Using his hidden card—the Divine Emperor’s power—was a last resort; if it drew the attention of other Divine Emperors, he might lose everything.

At this moment, Li Yi’s gaze flickered as he weighed the pros and cons.

Under the condition that the Heaven Sovereign’s Command could not be exposed, he could not lightly wield the Divine Emperor’s power, for even he could not bear the risks it carried.

But summoning other Divine Kings—was that better? Each additional Divine King meant another share of the spoils; if they came in person, they wouldn’t leave empty-handed after success, and the Emperor’s Furnace of Ages alone was enough to stir a Heavenly King’s desire.

He could negotiate with Han Shan’s Heavenly King because Han Shan’s Heavenly King was his personal guard, aligned with him; even if he truly obtained the Emperor’s Furnace of Ages, he could always share it.

But other Heavenly Kings might not see it that way; to them, the Divine Emperor’s artifact was ownerless—Li Yi could take it, so could a Heavenly King, and once they took it, they’d simply leave, and Li Yi couldn’t stop them.

“Hua Lü, you’ve truly given me an enormous dilemma,” Li Yi thought, his head throbbing.

Now he understood why Hua Qing had simply dumped all these items into his lap, handing them over so openly.

Whether the Divine Emperor’s artifact or the Heaven Sovereign’s Command, both were hot potatoes for him; once discovered, he’d be hunted by countless powerful beings, while Hua Qing only needed a safe, stable cultivation environment and enough resources to reach the Heavenly King realm.

Everything else paled beside his own life.

So Hua Qing asked for only fifty thousand jin of Nine Heaven Divine Water—and nothing else.

But Hua Qing didn’t want it; Li Yi, accustomed to poverty, wanted everything, cursing himself for not being a Divine Emperor—if he were, he wouldn’t be agonizing over this.

“Should I call for aid—or not?” Li Yi began weighing his options.

To summon aid, he must send a Divine General now; if he waited until the palace opened, it would be too late—Heaven was vast, and even the Heavenly Clan couldn’t arrive instantly.

After a moment’s thought, Li Yi made his decision: “Han Shan’s Heavenly King, send one of your Divine Generals to notify Shengwei Heavenly King—hope he comes in person.”

He had finally made his choice.

“Fei Yi, Bai Ren, go to the Realm Vessel and deliver this letter personally into Shengwei Heavenly King’s hands—no mistakes.” Han Shan said, then pointed, and a divine force coalesced into a sealed letter, handed to a female Divine General.

“Yes, Heavenly King.”

The two Divine Generals bowed and turned away at once, moving with blinding speed; they manifested their divine bodies, stars blazing around them, using World Step—just a few strides, and they vanished beyond the horizon.

Clearly, this matter was critical; the two Divine Generals dared not slack for a moment—they must deliver the message as fast as possible.

If they were late, it would be meaningless.

“One Heavenly King—is that enough?” Han Shan’s Heavenly King asked Li Yi.

Li Yi replied, “Enough. If too many Heavenly Kings come, I’ll get little. Shengwei Heavenly King owes me a favor—this is my chance to repay him.”

He had his own thoughts.

Han Shan’s Heavenly King nodded slightly, refraining from interfering in Li Yi’s decision.

With the matter settled,

Li Yi led the group straight toward the palace.

Though the palace wouldn’t open for another twenty days, he needed to scout ahead—see how many factions had already entered the fray; if Shengwei Heavenly King arrived too late, he’d have to face dangers alone.

They flew further.

Li Yi seemed to have entered a faction’s territory; instantly, a Divine General flew out to block them: “This land belongs to Yu Heavenly King. You must leave.”

“Yu Heavenly King?” Li Yi paused, secretly transmitting: “Hua Lü, do you know this Yu Heavenly King? Was he one of your former subordinates?”

“No. I know every Heavenly King in the Imperial City—there’s no such figure. He’s an outsider, seizing territory by force.” Hua Qing’s face darkened.

This Imperial City had truly become a den of demons and monsters—without me, every rogue emerged.

“If you don’t know him, then it’s simple.”

Li Yi’s eyes instantly flared with killing intent; he raised his fist and struck—his divine power erupted. No need to ignite stars; he merely unleashed True Dragon Soaring Heaven Art, relying solely on his own strength to crush the opponent.

“What?”

The Divine General was stunned; he instantly unleashed his peak attack, trying to withstand the blow.

Though the enemy was also a Divine General, his power was astonishing—just a single punch of light tore through his assault, and the residual force slammed into him.

*Spurt!* Blood gushed, his body cracked—just one strike, and he was grievously wounded and repelled.

“Next time you block me, I’ll take your life,” Li Yi coldly glanced at him, then continued forward without killing him.

But his action was undeniably a provocation.

Instantly, numerous Heavenly Soldiers and Generals within the territory received the alarm and surged out.

They stared at Li Yi but didn’t attack immediately, instead using various methods to identify him.

Soon, through their intelligence network, they pieced together what had happened.

“They’re a Heavenly Clan guard unit. The young man leading them must be a Heavenly Clan Prince—they’re also seeking the Imperial Palace? Earlier, Qinglan Heavenly King had contact with this group at the Ascension Tower.”

“Damn it—Qinglan Heavenly King must have leaked the palace’s secret and drawn powerful enemies. But why summon the Heavenly Clan? This is inviting a tiger into the house!”

“Don’t engage them. They’re deliberately provoking—there may be a trap.”

These Divine Generals were cautious; even after Li Yi’s sudden attack, they chose not to retaliate immediately—they sensed his strike had purpose, not mere recklessness.

Seeing they wouldn’t act, Li Yi ignored them entirely, striding boldly through their territory.

Whoever dared block his path would face the wrath of the Heavenly Clan.

Moreover, Hua Qing’s Imperial City had been so brazenly seized; as Hua Qing’s close brother, he had a duty to clean it up—and establish his authority.

But a group of Divine Generals couldn’t establish authority.

If a Heavenly King would cooperate, that would be ideal.

Li Yi deliberately slowed his pace as he crossed the region, expecting them to swallow their pride and pretend nothing happened—but as he neared the palace, a Heavenly King’s aura surged from afar, cutting through the sky.

“Yu Heavenly King has arrived.”

“Yu Heavenly King!”

Many Divine Generals cried out, secretly exhaling in relief.

Li Yi halted, glancing at Yu Heavenly King—he resembled a human, but behind his back grew a pair of pure, crystalline divine wings, like angels from Earth’s myths.

Clearly, he belonged to a special race.

Yu Heavenly King arrived in person, his gaze sharp as he fixed on Li Yi—yet he showed no anger.

He couldn’t afford to provoke the Heavenly Clan.

His goal was merely to contain the situation—even if he lost a few subordinates, as long as he drove them away, it was worth it.

“Can Han Shan’s Heavenly King kill this Yu Heavenly King? We’re newcomers to the Heavenly Clan; to seize the palace, we’ll inevitably face fools provoking us. Using a Heavenly King’s head to establish authority—surely the effect would be excellent,” Li Yi murmured secretly.

“A mere Yu Clan Heavenly King? Easy to kill,” Han Shan’s Heavenly King replied calmly.

That was the confidence of the Heavenly Clan—among peers, few races could match them; the Yu Clan was ordinary among Heaven’s races, nothing remarkable.

If they couldn’t even win this, the Heavenly Clan’s face would be lost.

“Good. Please act,” Li Yi said.

The moment he spoke, Han Shan’s Heavenly King moved instantly—vanished from her spot, unleashing a distinct Heavenly Clan divine force; icy cold flooded the heavens, freezing the world in an instant, as if time and space itself were being sealed.

In the blink of an eye, Yu Heavenly King turned into an ice statue, his eyes wide with shock.

He hadn’t even reacted.

But then, fury erupted from Yu Heavenly King—he roared, flapped his wings, unleashed his Heavenly King power, shattering the ice, then revealed his Heavenly King artifact—a massive purple-gold hammer—and swung it toward Han Shan’s Heavenly King.

“Heavenly Clan, you overstep! Hear my command—surround and kill them all. Let none escape!” He sensed their killing intent; even if he yielded now, it would change nothing.

Then let it be a fight to the death.

As he attacked, Yu Heavenly King swiftly sent messages to several other Heavenly Kings.

To seize the palace, many Heavenly Kings had gathered here—Yu Heavenly King was one of them.

He hoped they’d join him to drive out the Heavenly Clan first; otherwise, this tiger passing through would leave them with little when the palace opened.

In an instant, Yu Heavenly King made multiple arrangements.

“Divine Power Splits Heaven.”

But at that moment, Han Shan’s Heavenly King also revealed her Heavenly King artifact—a colossal axe, carved from ice, capable of freezing ten thousand li; as a female Heavenly King, she swung it with terrifying might.

And she struck immediately with her deadliest technique.

Stars ignited upon her divine body, forming a lethal array, brewing a fatal blow.

This axe was meant to cleave heaven and earth—the sky above the Imperial City darkened, all surroundings seeming to dissolve into chaos.

The two Heavenly Kings erupted into battle—but in a single strike, Yu Heavenly King was horrified; he felt his Heavenly King power crushed outright, his purple-gold hammer nearly torn from his grip after one clash.

Even his body groaned, as if about to shatter under the strain.

“Is this the true power of a Heavenly Clan Heavenly King?” Yu Heavenly King finally understood how terrifying the top-tier races of Heaven truly were—same realm, yet the difference was absolute from the first clash.

Yet he still held on—but now, retreat was already in his mind.

He couldn’t win.

Not at all.

If he fought on, he would die.

The palace hadn’t opened yet—he didn’t want to die now fighting a Heavenly Clan Heavenly King; it would be meaningless.

Besides, several other Heavenly Kings watched from afar, unmoved—offering no aid, merely observing the tiger and leopard fight.

(End of Chapter)