Chapter 997: Liyan

In the City of Liyan.

With the death of the Feathered Heavenly King, one faction was declared defeated, and the Celestial Clan forcefully occupied the area near the Imperial Palace, their intent clear: to claim a share when the palace opens. Whoever dares to obstruct them will meet the same fate as the Feathered Heavenly King.

Though many had heard of the might of certain top-tier races in the Heavenly Realm, hearing was one thing, witnessing firsthand was another.

After seeing it with their own eyes, everyone near the Imperial Palace regarded Li Yi and his companions with deep wariness.

With the battle over, the divine generals returned.

Li Yi suffered no losses and seized this garrison; from here, he could gaze upon a distant Imperial Palace, situated at the edge of the cloud sea, drawing in the essence of heaven, earth, sun, and moon, vast and majestic.

Yet around it hung a terrifying killing intent, with faint traces of imperial power surging.

This was a killing array and prohibition set by Hua Qing during his peak—anyone who approached would be slain by the Heavenly Emperor’s power. This was why so many Heavenly Kings had gathered yet dared not advance an inch.

Yet Li Yi also saw four Heavenly King weapons suspended at the four corners of the Imperial Palace, forming a new great array that severed the spiritual energy of this realm and continuously unleashed power, striking against the palace’s location.

They sought to wear down the palace’s surrounding array through this method, carving out a safe passage straight into the palace.

Though this approach was slow, it was exceedingly reliable.

Moreover, it was clear they had been setting up this array for a long time and bombarding the palace for years, achieving notable results—seemingly breaking through many arrays and prohibitions, just a step away from breaching the palace.

“Without anyone to maintain it, Hua Qing, your Imperial Palace won’t hold much longer. That Qing Lan was too cautious—perhaps in less than twenty days, your final palace will fall.”

Li Yi observed briefly and reached a conclusion.

“Old man knows a path that leads safely straight to the Imperial Palace. If you have the courage, you may act ahead of time,” Hua Qing said.

He was the one who personally arranged the palace—he knew the correct route.

Li Yi glanced around: “Over a dozen are gathered here. I have only one Han Shan Heavenly King beside me. If I charge in like this, once the palace falls, I fear these Heavenly Kings will tear me apart. The Celestial Clan’s status may help now, but if these Heavenly Kings are truly pushed to the brink, no one will care who you are.”

“Better to wait until the palace is breached and then take advantage of the chaos. Besides, I’m still waiting for Shenwei Heavenly King’s reinforcements.”

Even seeing the Imperial Palace, he remained calm, not blinded by greed.

He had already felt how terrifying a Heavenly King’s power could be.

Even the weakest Heavenly King could easily kill him.

“But speaking of which, Hua Qing, do you truly have no loyal subordinates? Perhaps I could impersonate your identity and deceive them into becoming my allies.”

Then Li Yi’s gaze settled on the other Heavenly Kings in the distance, and a solid plan formed in his mind.

“Even Qing Lan betrayed me. My wife stole ninety Imperial Palaces. Shadow Robe Heavenly King is likely untrustworthy too. I don’t know if Imperial Palace Commander, Man Shi Heavenly King, can be relied upon—if even he can’t be trusted, then forget it,” Hua Qing said.

“Shadow Robe Heavenly King and Man Shi Heavenly King? Fine, I’ll remember them. I’ll seek an opportunity to make contact,” Li Yi nodded slightly.

In the following days, Li Yi took no action—he did not attack any other Heavenly Kings.

They were no fools; if the Celestial Clan tried to kill a second Heavenly King, all of them would unite against it to avoid being picked off one by one.

Li Yi’s inaction also eased many of their concerns.

At least it proved the Celestial Clan only came to claim a share—not to monopolize the entire Imperial Palace. All the Heavenly Kings could accept this; none objected.

But as time passed,

Li Yi noticed new Heavenly Kings had appeared, arriving with their divine generals, drawn by the Imperial Palace, seeking the Heavenly Emperor’s legacy.

Though this was a remote backwater with few experts,

the lure of the Imperial Palace had still drawn over twenty Heavenly Kings personally.

These Heavenly Kings formed alliances, fought alone, or plotted secretly—but no matter how active they were, they all maintained one rule: keep their distance from Li Yi’s Celestial Clan and avoid conflict with them at all costs.

The Celestial Clan’s might inevitably isolated them.

Li Yi couldn’t even find an opportunity to approach his former subordinates under Hua Qing’s identity.

“Send one divine general to find two Heavenly Kings—one named Shadow Robe Heavenly King, the other Man Shi Heavenly King. Confirm their locations and ask about their relationship with Qing Lan Heavenly King. Say the Celestial Clan plans to eliminate Qing Lan Heavenly King.” He finally decided to dispatch a guard to investigate.

A divine general named Wu Jue immediately stepped forward and accepted the mission to investigate.

The appearance of a divine general immediately drew the attention of many Heavenly Kings.

This was the Celestial Clan’s only action since killing the Feathered Heavenly King—such behavior stirred many hearts, as they feared the Celestial Clan might be planning something else.

Facing the divine general’s visit, the Heavenly Kings dared not be careless and even chose to meet him personally—but when they learned the Celestial Clan’s envoy was merely searching for someone, they breathed a sigh of relief.

“Shadow Robe Heavenly King and Man Shi Heavenly King? Did these two offend the Celestial Clan?” The Heavenly Kings began speculating.

But Qing Lan Heavenly King immediately grew wary.

Because in her view, Shadow Robe Heavenly King, Man Shi Heavenly King, and herself all shared one trait: they had once served under Hua Qing. The Celestial Clan noble had previously mentioned Hua Qing to her.

“Could this Celestial Clan have some connection to Hua Qing?” Qing Lan Heavenly King wondered—had Hua Qing once had ties with someone in the Celestial Clan, leaving behind some message?

Had they come looking for it now?

“That old bastard, dead for so many years and still stirring up trouble,” Qing Lan Heavenly King cursed inwardly, feeling an inexplicable unease.

Because she recalled—the Celestial Clan noble had specifically pointed out that she, as Hua Qing’s concubine, had acted unrighteously.

“Hua Qing is dead. That Celestial Clan noble shouldn’t come to settle old scores over this,” Qing Lan Heavenly King began to feel anxious, sensing a looming threat.

Her intuition told her she could not stay in this Imperial City—she should abandon everything immediately and flee, avoiding this great disaster.

But the Imperial Palace was about to open.

To run away merely because of a vague intuition—wouldn’t that be foolish?

Besides, the final palace might contain Hua Qing’s treasures and vast wealth. If she didn’t claim a share, what had all her years of scheming amounted to? After much thought,

Qing Lan Heavenly King made no hesitation—she flew off in another direction, no longer bothering to conceal her form.

She went to the territory of another Heavenly King.

This Heavenly King was named Liyan Heavenly King, formerly a deputy commander of the Imperial City Guard. He attained the Heavenly King realm sixty years ago. Though newly ascended, his potential was extraordinary; his combat power had steadily grown, and now he rivaled even veteran Heavenly Kings. He was young and fiercely ambitious.

“Liyan, something’s happened,” Qing Lan Heavenly King stormed into his palace and shouted: “This Celestial Clan is searching for Shadow Robe and Man Shi. When they first met me, they directly exposed my identity as Hua Qing’s concubine. They’re almost certainly connected to the late Hua Qing.”

“We can’t just sit here and wait to be destroyed. We must decide now. I suggest we leave immediately, abandon the fight for the final Imperial Palace. We’ve amassed plenty of wealth over these years—there’s no need to risk it for this last bite.”

“Liyan, I’m speaking to you—answer me.”

“Qing Lan, you’re too cautious. A passing Celestial Clan has frightened you this badly,” the next moment, a scorching Heavenly King power surged from deep within the palace.

Out stepped a burly man with crimson hair and an unruly demeanor, clad in a Heavenly King armor, striding forward with a frown at Qing Lan’s behavior.

Indeed, a concubine Chushen , elevated to Heavenly King by Hua Qing, was useless. At the first sign of trouble, she panicked and immediately wanted to flee.

Where was the slightest trace of a Heavenly King’s bearing?

Or had prolonged exposure to Hua Qing’s imperial aura turned her into a mental demon? Qing Lan snapped back: “Liyan, do you even understand the gravity of this? That’s the Celestial Clan! Even Hua Qing, as a Heavenly Emperor, dared not offend them. Wait—perhaps that’s when he made contact with them. Now they’ve come. If they learn what we’ve done and use it as grounds to settle accounts later, none of us will escape.”

Liyan Heavenly King sneered: “Now you’re afraid? Too late. I’ve decided to claim this Imperial Palace. Over the years, I’ve studied the Heavenly Emperor’s daily records and discovered something: five hundred years ago, Hua Qing’s palace emitted a pair of Yin-Yang energies that shot straight into the heavens with immense force—and then vanished. I suspect it was a Heavenly Emperor weapon, and Hua Qing never took it with him.”

“The Empress took ninety palaces, but none contained a Heavenly Emperor weapon—I was in the Imperial City then and felt no trace of its aura. The only possibility is that the weapon was hidden in the final nine palaces, for those were Hua Qing’s private grounds, protected by Heavenly Emperor power, untouched even by the Empress.”

“The first eight palaces have been breached one by one, yielding many treasures—but the Heavenly Emperor weapon remains missing. I’m certain it’s in the final palace. Now the palace is about to fall, and you’re fleeing in panic, abandoning the weapon within reach. How absurd.”

“I, Liyan, rose from obscurity, fought through thorns and brambles to reach today. Heavenly King is not my limit—I intend to become a Heavenly Emperor, to rule the Heavenly Realm. This Heavenly Emperor weapon is indispensable.”

Liyan Heavenly King made no effort to hide his ambition.

“You’ll throw away everything we’ve painstakingly built. If my guess is right, we’re finished,” Qing Lan Heavenly King gritted her teeth.

“Qing Lan, I know you fear Hua Qing. It’s natural—you were an insignificant cultivator when you met him, and after years beside a Heavenly Emperor, you naturally fear imperial power. But are you content to live your entire life under Hua Qing’s shadow?”

Liyan said: “If I obtain the Heavenly Emperor weapon, I will leave this place, cultivate in seclusion, and one day become a Heavenly Emperor. You will be Empress. When I rule this Imperial City, what will the Celestial Clan matter?”

He was utterly confident: once he became a Heavenly Emperor, nothing in the Heavenly Realm could threaten him.

All past humiliations would be washed away. No one would ever mention again that he became a Heavenly King only because of Qing Lan, Hua Qing’s concubine.

He would prove himself superior to Hua Qing.

(End of Chapter)