Chapter 321

Boom—

It sounded like heaven and earth were splitting apart, the entire forbidden stone chamber trembling on the verge of collapse.

The ground seemed to have flipped over.

Amid this shaking wave, concubines and princes could no longer hold on, stunned into unconsciousness by the tremor.

"Your Majesty!"

At this moment, Empress Qi pressed her abdomen, her eyes showing an expression of extreme discomfort. Seeing this, Dongjue Daoist felt a sudden pang of pity and secretly infused a stream of magical power into Empress Qi's body.

This eased the Empress's expression considerably.

Witnessing this, Jingming Daoist's face changed instantly: "Senior Aunt, don't..."

But in the next instant, a cold voice came from above his head.

"Found you!"

The cold voice carried a killing intent as icy as frost, clinging to the bones like a malignant sore.

Hiss—

The stone chamber formed by the condensed Seven Luminaries Stone above his head shattered instantly, a crimson ancient sword swirling with countless dragon patterns tearing through the air to slash at Emperor Jingwu.

At this moment, Emperor Jingwu felt a furious dragon's roar emanate from deep between his brows, an invisible, majestic black dragon soaring up from behind him, dense black light surging straight toward the dragon-patterned ancient sword.

But in that instant, the black dragon let out a mournful howl, and the dragon-patterned sword slipped smoothly into the space between the black dragon's skull bones.

"How foolish, daring to directly confront my Crimson Sacred Law Sword with a dragon soul's body!"

On the Observing Heaven Platform, the primordial spirit of the Shun King, ancient clan holy king, could not help but wear a mocking smile.

But just as this Crimson Sacred Law Sword sought to pierce further through the black dragon, a hand suddenly appeared from empty space, this palm covered in countless azure lightning patterns.

That sword light, incredibly sharp, as if it could cleave the heavens and annihilate souls, was actually seized effortlessly by his single hand.

Lightning leapt across that palm, as if possessing the power to overturn heaven and earth, to refine and forge creation.

In that instant, the law sword began to melt bit by bit within that palm.

At this moment, within the stone chamber, countless voids shattered, and a wide-sleeved old Daoist in purple robes appeared, his temples streaked with white, yet his face resembled that of an infant. At this time, his gaze swept over the surroundings, and he sighed with a sense of vastness.

"This National Preceptor of mine merely went out for a stroll, never expecting that upon my return, the capital would nearly be wiped out!"

Seeing this figure, the people inside the stone chamber were first stunned, then overjoyed.

"Master!"

"Ancestral Teacher (Senior Brother)!"

"National Preceptor!"

Jingming Daoist's eyes widened as he gazed upon this figure, his inner depths surging with waves, his Dao heart no longer able to be restrained, though his expression still struggled to maintain composure.

Emperor Jingwu, overcome with emotion, stepped forward directly, but after only a few steps, he suddenly let out a miserable cry, nearly collapsing straight backward, fortunately caught by Empress Qi in time.

"Your Majesty!"

At this moment, the consorts fell into chaos, and the Old Ancestor of the Dongshen Sect watched this scene, secretly shaking his head.

Emperor Jingwu and the Nation's Fortune Dragon Soul have already become one; the Nation's Fortune Dragon Soul was pierced and severely wounded by a person's law sword, so Emperor Jingwu naturally suffered the same fate.

At this time, the Dongshen Sect's Old Ancestor extended his vast divine sense over the void above, sensing the existence of multiple majestic spiritual mechanisms.

The Dongshen Sect's Old Ancestor secretly thought: Trouble.

After receiving the warning message from Jingming Daoist, he decisively abandoned his entanglement and rushed back with all his might to Haojing City.

He was still one step too late.

His thoughts turning like lightning, the Dongshen Sect's Old Ancestor gazed at Jingming Daoist and shouted: "Jingming, you must immediately take His Majesty and all the princes out of the imperial city, find a place to take refuge, and wait for me to first deal with these old fogeys!"

With a wave of his hand, a stream of light fell into Jingming Daoist's palm.

Jingming Daoist opened his palm, and at this moment, an ice-crystal-like talisman appeared in his hand.

"Ancient World King Talisman!"

Upon seeing this talisman, Jingming Daoist's eyes lit up.

But immediately, his expression changed. Listening to the Dongshen Sect's Old Ancestor's meaning, the Dongshen Sect's Old Ancestor also could not stop these intruding powerhouses?

"Seize the opportunity, opportunities are fleeting; it's best to bring as few people as possible, lest we drag things out!"

As the words fell, the Dongshen Sect's Old Ancestor shot up into the clouds.

"Dongshen Old Monster!"

And within the forbidden ground of the Dongshen Observatory, the Shun King who had just attacked Emperor Jingwu now changed expression, only to realize in an instant that his primordial spirit had become sluggish, completely unable to move.

"Not good!"

Alarm bells rang in his heart; almost simultaneously, his natal treasure, pre-prepared deep within his primordial spirit, burst forth in an instant, a thick wave of bell-light flowing from his body, carrying a vast and magnificent radiance, the aura of the Imperial Dao.

Countless dragon patterns gathered deep in his brow, condensing into a bell-shaped spiritual treasure.

The function of this bell-shaped spiritual treasure is largely shared.

Evening drums and morning bells mostly serve to awaken, or to shake the origin of heaven and earth with pure bell sounds, forming sound-wave attacks.

Or for defense, suppression.

This ancient bell deep in the Shun King's brow is a relic left by the Holy King of the Holy King Ancient Clan.

Not only does it awaken, but it also possesses defense, suppression, and a peculiar ability to enhance one's own cultivation.

But at the moment this ancient bell's sound pierced the secret art, awakening the Shun King's primordial spirit, the Dongshen Sect's Old Ancestor's figure had already appeared above his head, this ancestor full of malice.

"Young man, this old monster title is not something you can casually call!"

Malice surfaced; seeing him wave his hand, Haojing City violently trembled, in an instant countless dragon roars echoed around him, countless lightning bolts suddenly condensed in the void into azure lightning dragons wandering through the void, these lightning dragons seeming alive, rushing toward the void, enveloping the Shun King's figure.

Countless destructive Three Caverns Divine Lightning intertwined; the Shun King emitted a series of uneven, miserable cries, the dragon patterns on the majestic yellow bronze ancient bell completely melted under the lightning, and beneath the bell's sound, the Shun King instantly turned to flying ash.

"Ancestor's Nephew!"

At this moment, halfway up the mountainside, the divine sense of the Old Ancestor Jinshen, who had been rummaging for treasures in the storehouse, finally reflected this sudden scene, his expression changing.

The ancestor of the Dongshen Sect casually picked up the pitch-black bronze bell beneath his feet, then coldly said:

"Young man, your cultivation is still somewhat shallow! Unfortunately, you cannot afford this lesson!"

His gaze flickered and instantly met the gaze of the Golden Dust Ancestor, and also fell upon the traces revealed by the other four Harmony Dao True Lords, and a hint of a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Several old friends, how are the pills and treasures of the Dongshen Temple? Do they suit your taste?"

His expression was solemn, yet his words carried a hint of yin and yang.

Upon hearing this, the faces of the Thick Yang Ancestor, the Qinghe True Lord, the Yuanzhen True Lord, and another purple-clad female cultivator all changed somewhat.

Being caught red-handed stealing by the owner is naturally embarrassing.

However, these few people are all seasoned veterans; after only a slight oddity, they all wore composed expressions, or were tranquil.

Several people openly emerged from the treasury, the pill chamber, and the Treasure-Hiding Pavilion!

The Golden Dust Ancestor's form appeared in the void; he glanced at the place where the Shun King had fallen, and a flash of fury passed through his eyes.

The Shun King was a descendant of a holy king whom the Five Elements Immortal Sect had painstakingly protected; for this, they had paid a considerable price, and this time he had 'borrowed' to slay the Emperor Jingwu.

Now his fall has caused him considerable trouble.

Moreover, the greater trouble is that with the Shun King—who could suppress the dragon soul—gone, if they wish to slay Emperor Jingwu, they will have to go themselves and bear the backlash of the dragon qi.

Taking a deep breath, the Golden Dust Ancestor fixed his gaze on the Dongshen Sect Ancestor and said coldly:

"Dongshen old demon, cut the nonsense! Today, we fellow cultivators have come here to rectify the root and clear the source! Your Dongshen Temple has plundered the fortune of the Great Qian for hundreds of years—now it is time to settle accounts!"

Upon hearing this, the Qinghe True Lord of the Shangqing Sword Sect smiled and said:

"Indeed, Dongshen fellow cultivator, you have owed too many debts over the years at your Dongshen Temple—it is time you repaid them!"

The Dongshen Sect Ancestor sneered repeatedly at this.

"Having done shameful deeds that should not be seen, you still speak grandly here! Truly disgusting!"

The Golden Dust Ancestor swept his gaze downward, and a hint of a stern color appeared in his pupils.

"Dongshen old demon, no need to indulge in verbal sharpness—today I will let you see whether my sword is sharp or not!"

Golden light appeared in his hand, and in an instant, boundless sword cries echoed between heaven and earth; vast golden radiance appeared in his eyes, instantly transforming into a torrent of golden sword light that slashed toward the Dongshen Sect Ancestor.

In the Dongshen Sect Ancestor's gaze, that boundless golden sword light seemed to condense into a great formation of condensed killing energy; the golden light was sharp, its edge and killing intent piercing every inch of heaven and earth.

In the Dongshen Sect Ancestor's gaze, it seemed as if a brilliant sword intent filled the profound darkness.

But when it landed in the Dongshen Sect Ancestor's heart, his eyes merely revealed a hint of calm indifference.

"Your sword is nothing more than that!"

In his hand, a magnificent azure-blue thunder dragon reappeared.

This time, however, it was not just one, but five azure-blue thunder dragons that manifested in the void.

This is the Five Extremes Thunder Law from the Dongshen Scripture; in the Dongshen Sect Ancestor's hand, this Five Extremes Thunder Law possesses the power to turn decay into marvel; the five thunder dragons resemble true thunder dragon divine beasts, with thunder and flame tearing through the heavens.

As they flowed, they dispersed the sword qi filling the sky, carrying a pure intent of destruction; the five thunder dragons condensed in midair and directly transformed into five fingers that fiercely pinched toward the Golden Dust True Lord.

The five fingers spread across the heavens, possessing a strange ability to refine heaven and earth.

The Golden Dust Ancestor's face changed slightly, his expression shocked; deep in his brow, five-colored talismans condensed into form, and the Five-Colored Flower Canopy intertwined and appeared, as he exerted himself to protect his entire body.

"Open!"

Beside him, the Thick Yang Ancestor's expression sank; his hand's five-colored divine peaks intertwined and suddenly transformed into a five-colored stream of light that enveloped the place where the Dongshen Sect Ancestor stood, then fiercely struck forward.

Seeing this, the Dongshen Sect Ancestor coldly snorted; in his hand, countless thunderbolts intertwined and formed a thunder halberd, and with one strike he flung that five-colored mountain peak flying away.

The sheer strength of this magical power is simply astonishing.

At the same time, countless thunderbolts intertwined around his body, and a magnificent, awe-inspiring thunder law robe condensed into form around him, resembling a true thunder god descending into the world, his body radiating intense divine immortal abilities.

Seeing this, the Golden Dust True Lord was greatly alarmed and hastily shouted: "Fellow cultivators, three of you, do not hesitate—quickly eliminate this demon!"

The Qinghe True Lord of the Shangqing Sword Sect and the Yuanzhen True Lord of the Xuanzhi Sect exchanged a glance, then immediately each took up their treasures and advanced.

Sword light, divine seals transformed into meteors and attacked from behind.

The purple-clad female cultivator, for unknown reasons, merely smiled calmly and watched this scene, unknown what she was thinking.

The Zhang Family Manor.

Zhang Jian furrowed his brows; even though his cultivation was not high, he could see that this Dongshen Sect Ancestor's cultivation and methods far surpassed those of the Golden Dust True Lord.

Fighting four opponents single-handedly, he could still advance and retreat.

Such divine powers are beyond imagination.

Zhang Jian turned his gaze toward the Slay Demon True Lord and asked: "Master, is the Dongshen Sect Ancestor truly this powerful?"

Upon hearing this, the Slay Demon True Lord shook his head and said: "Five hundred years ago, the Dongshen Sect Ancestor was merely at the Creation Realm; I never expected that by borrowing the fortune of the Great Qian state, his cultivation would have reached this level!"

In the Slay Demon True Lord's eyes, a solemn color appeared.

In her view, the Dongshen Sect Ancestor belongs to the type of cultivator who achieves greatness late in life, but now he has caused the Slay Demon True Lord some surprise.

Immediately, her gaze fell upon Zhang Jian, and she said calmly:

"However, even if the Dongshen Sect Ancestor returns, it would be difficult to reverse heaven and earth; even if his cultivation shocks the world, he cannot protect the Emperor of the Great Qian..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian's gaze moved, and he said: "Master, do you not know if you could help your disciple with a favor..."

"Rescue that Emperor Jingwu?" The Slay Demon True Lord's gaze came over, then he shook his head and said:

"It would be useless; that Emperor Jingwu has already had his soul wounded by someone; even if rescued, he probably could not last long!"

Zhang Jian said upon hearing this: "No, Master, I merely wish for you to help rescue Empress Qi and a young imperial prince!"

Upon hearing this, the Slay Demon True Lord gazed at Zhang Jian in surprise and said:

"Your calculations are indeed precise, but this matter you can handle yourself!"

"Me?"

Zhang Jian's face showed surprise.

The Slay Demon True Lord nodded with a smile.

……

In the stone chamber, after the ancestor of the Dongshen Sect had departed, Jingming Daoist turned his gaze toward Emperor Jingwu, his expression tightening as he spoke in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, you must make a choice—this Ancient Realm King's Talisman can only take four people away. Aside from myself and Your Majesty, you may only bring two others with you!"

Upon hearing his words, the faces of those in the stone chamber changed instantly, with many concubines anxiously gazing at Emperor Jingwu.

"Your Majesty, take this servant with you!"

"Your Majesty, this servant does not wish to die here!"

One concubine began to weep and plead, while several elder princes and princesses also looked hopefully toward Emperor Jingwu.

"Father Emperor, your subject does not wish to remain here!"

Seeing everyone weeping and begging, Emperor Jingwu felt his heart in turmoil.

After speaking, Jingming Daoist turned his gaze toward Dongzhen, Dongxuan, Dongjue, Dongxiao, and the many elders of the Dongshen Guan, as well as the young cultivators.

"Several uncles and aunts, after we depart, we will surely draw the attention of those exalted ones—whose main target is Your Majesty, not you. You may therefore seize this opportunity to leave immediately; those senior exalted ones still care for their reputation and should not pursue you!"

At this moment, Jingming Daoist's eyes held a hint of helplessness as he gazed at Daoist Dongjue, a trace of guilt flickering in his gaze.

Upon hearing this, the many elders and disciples of Dongshen Guan felt somewhat embarrassed, but their expressions eased slightly when they learned that Jingming Daoist and others would attract the attention of numerous powerful beings.

Daoist Dongjue gave a slight nod to Jingming Daoist.

"Junior nephew, you must be careful—you are indeed in far greater danger than we are!"

On that side, Emperor Jingwu's gaze was troubled as he glanced over the many concubines and princes, meeting those expectant eyes, his heart feeling as if cut by a knife, his forehead now faintly aching.

Suddenly, his gaze turned to Jingming Daoist, and he spoke.

"Master Jingming, you said their target is me—would it be that as long as I remain, others still have a sliver of hope?"

Upon hearing this, Jingming Daoist was startled, then his expression shifted as he spoke in a low voice.

"Your Majesty..."

Emperor Jingwu waved his hand to stop Jingming Daoist, merely fixing his eyes upon him.

"Master Jingming, you need only tell me—yes or no?!"

Jingming Daoist glanced at Emperor Jingwu, then at the many elders, senior disciples, and peers of Dongshen Guan, fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly and said:

"Their target is Your Majesty, and indeed the entire Great Qian imperial clan—but the primary target is Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingwu's eyes carried a hint of a smile.

"Excellent!"

He then decisively said: "Thus, I shall remain!"

Without waiting for Jingming Daoist to speak, his gaze lingered with reluctance as he swept over the concubines and princes in the chamber, then declared directly:

"Master, the other three are the Empress, Yuan'er, and Cheng'er—hurry and take them away!

I shall depart shortly myself, to secure a sliver of hope for you!"

At this moment, Emperor Jingwu's eyes were filled with resignation; he now understood that, no matter what, he could not escape today.

Therefore, he must leave some hope for the Great Qian imperial lineage.

His gaze then turned to the princes and princesses, focusing on two who were adults or nearing adulthood.

The Crown Prince Wei Yuan and the Third Prince Wei Cheng!

Beside him, Consort Xian Liu, upon hearing this, could not help but cry out in protest.

"Your Majesty, you treat my son unfairly!"

At her side, the thirteen-year-old Second Prince Wei He was slender and pale-skinned, with bright eyes, yet one hand clung tightly to Consort Xian Liu's.

Emperor Jingwu did not look further; his eyes faintly glistened with tears, yet resolute, and he still said:

"Master, the opportunity is fleeting—prepare yourself!"

Jingming Daoist nodded upon hearing this.

Beside him, Empress Qi still wished to speak, but saw Jingming Daoist suddenly gaze into the void—above, the ancestor of the Dongshen Sect was entwined with four Heaven-United True Lords, and the seal of the Five-Colored Peaks, activated by the use of the spirit treasure, had already vanished.

The Ancient Realm King's Talisman in his hand suddenly flared, his form transforming into a stream of light that swept up the three and plunged into an illusory gate, vanishing from the spot.

His movement immediately drew the attention of several Heaven-United True Lords engaged in battle.