Chapter 290: 290.Chapter 290: The Heavenly Immortal War Finally Begins

290. Chapter 290: The Heavenly Immortal War Finally Begins

Qi and Taiyi, along with others, sat solemnly upon the cloud palanquin, sharing the same seat; Kunpeng and Bai Ze stood to the left and right, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches all stood beside the chariot frame.

The heavenly soldiers and generals surged forth mighty and vast, clouds filling the sky and even blocking the sun, casting Penglai Immortal Island into shadow.

Viewed from above, Penglai Immortal Island now radiated a five-colored glow, a faint humming sound spreading far and wide—this was the formation operating at full strength.

Inside the Immortal Court's main hall, Dong Wanggong and the others wore solemn faces; a heavy atmosphere lingered among them, and an oppressive aura permeated.

The heavenly horn blew, and the drumbeat summoning the generals passed through the clouds and the formation's obstruction, reaching the immortal island.

Dong Wanggong said with a solemn face:

"The great enemy has arrived; please follow me together to meet the foe."

Upon Dong Wanggong's words, everyone in the Immortal Court's main hall shuddered; that heavy yet resolute voice echoed in their hearts, and they all replied in unison: "We are willing to follow you, my lord, to resist the great enemy!"

The sound reverberated in the hall, like the ringing of metal and stone.

Seeing this, Dong Wanggong laughed loudly: "Excellent! With united hearts forming a fortress, what fear have we of the great enemy's worry? Today we shall let the Heavenly Court witness the might of our immortal Dao!"

"They have stood high in the clouds for too long; it is time to let them see whether the power from the primordial wilderness can drag them down from the clouds!"

The crowd again replied in unison: "We will surely not betray your lord's trust!"

As the words fell, Dong Wanggong took the lead, leading the crowd out in single file; his heroic spirit fully showed, and the previous pressure and heaviness vanished.

At this moment of meeting the enemy, their previous hesitation and fear seemed to dissipate like mist dispelled by sunlight.

Qi watched as Dong Wanggong and the others slowly rose into the air, and said with some admiration:

"Even at the end of the road, they have not lost courage; today's sight is unlike before, still showing a bit of spirit."

Facing Qi's praise, Dong Wanggong smiled and rebutted: "Qi, you overpraise; I dare not accept it. The matter at hand is still under our consideration—how can we speak of being at the end of the road?"

"Moreover, it is still unknown who will fell the deer; Qi, you need not be so confident—the Immortal Court will certainly not be annihilated at this time."

Before Qi could speak, Kunpeng beside him flushed with anger and shouted:

"Bold! You who rebel against superiors and defy ministers, dare to be disrespectful before Your Majesty?"

One angry shout, like a sudden clap of thunder. The fury and majesty in the words were chilling, a ringing condemnation of the Immortal Court.

Facing the rebuke, Dong Wanggong was not angry, but rather indifferent, saying:

"Daoist Qi is the Heavenly Emperor of the Heavenly Court, while I am the Immortal King of the Immortal Court; in origin and destiny, I am not inferior to him by half—how could I not be respected?"

Dong Wanggong's words were arrogant, fully displaying his bearing, unafraid of mighty power, causing those below in the Immortal Court to become excited.

Dong Wanggong did not stop speaking, and with a hint of mockery toward Kunpeng he said:

"I am a body of innate divinity, born of heaven and earth, upholding the Primordial Pure Yang Great Dao, and as a lord of a realm equal to Daoist Qi, it is only proper that we treat each other as peers."

"Look at Daoist Kunpeng—merely a wet-born, egg-hatched creature, its scales and feathers not yet shed; as a servant, what qualification does it have to speak?"

Upon hearing this, Kunpeng instantly flared with anger, about to retort, when Qi said: "The vast sea's might looming over the boundless Heavenly Venerable need not be so angry; it is merely a dying man, showing off his tongue before death."

"If we were to quarrel with him, we would lose face; as for the so-called Immortal King of the Immortal Court, without the Heavenly Court's edicts he is nothing more than a heretical cult, not even comparable to the heavenly soldiers, and certainly not genuine."

"In terms of noble lineage, to the dead it is merely idle gossip."

When Qi's words fell, Kunpeng immediately bowed and said:

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty's instruction; Kunpeng acknowledges."

The unspoken understanding between ruler and subject in a single word instantly reduced the Immortal Court's decades of painstaking effort to dirt; the contempt in their words was utterly undisguised.

The Immortal Court's people below, hearing this, also felt somewhat displeased.

Indeed, in the current primordial wilderness, without the Heavenly Court's edicts, those prestigious names are merely empty words, not genuine.

Dong Wanggong's heart felt a bitterness; his long efforts were merely a slightly delayed outcome, yet in outsiders' eyes they seemed utterly insignificant.

But fortunately Dong Wanggong is no ordinary person; able to marshal such a great momentum, he would not easily give up, and facing the Heavenly Court's blow, he immediately rallied, saying:

"Whether it is truly deserved or not, what the Heavenly Court says does not count; no matter how much is said, ultimately we must see the truth in action."

"All forces of the Immortal Court, heed the order: activate the Primordial Pure Yang Grand Formation!"

Dong Wanggong shouted loudly, and the many loose immortals on Penglai Immortal Island immediately replied:

"Yes!"

At the command, the entire Penglai Immortal Island began to tremble, the surrounding sea constantly boiling and raising towering waves.

Countless streams of pure yang qi flowed from beyond the heavens toward Penglai Immortal Island, but even more surged forth from the island itself; in these dozen or so epochs, the Immortal Court on Xifang Dalu has never relaxed its guard against the Heavenly Court.

This accumulated pure yang qi is Dong Wanggong's greatest source of confidence in facing the Heavenly Court; he dominates half of Xifang Dalu, and though the land is poor, what he gains there is extraordinary.

Di Jun saw the situation and merely said lightly:

"All soldiers, heed the order: form the Primordial Starry Grand Formation."

The many heavenly soldiers and generals replied in unison:

"Order received!"

The Primordial Starry Grand Formation draws on stellar power to gather the might of heaven and earth; it was comprehended by Qi from the spiritual treasures offered by the many water gods, and in the primordial wilderness it is of the highest grade.

As for why Di Jun did not set up the Primordial Cloud Dream Starry Grand Formation, it is simply because it is still needed to guard against the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Moreover, the Primordial Starry Grand Formation is already sufficient to counter Dong Wanggong's Primordial Pure Yang Grand Formation—using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken would be overkill; better to keep this trump card hidden for a future worthy person, and if they truly rebel, it would also be a pleasant surprise.

Because of Luo Hou's prophecy from the beginning, Di Jun has never been lax, and the fact that the Wu Clan would become a great enemy of the Heavenly Court has never been forgotten.

Now the Twelve Ancestral Witches have gathered together, standing upon the chariot frame; how could Di Jun not add further precautions?

Moreover, at this time the other side is also observing the ceremony; as a possible future enemy, Di Jun will naturally conceal a thing or two. Countless heavenly soldiers and generals begin to move along specific trajectories, waving their banners, drawing in countless starlight, and the entire area around Penglai Island instantly falls into a starry night.

Twelve rounds of bright moon slowly rise, brilliant starlight falling like silver gauze; even under the moonlight, the countless stars numbering an epoch still shine dazzlingly.

The starry night evolved from the Primordial Starry Grand Formation blankets the entire Penglai Immortal Island, and the Primordial Pure Yang Grand Formation naturally lies within it.

As Yinglong waved the command flag, star after star slipped across the night sky, the meteors' tails blazing brilliantly within the starry night.

Brilliant light and shadow streaked across the night sky, a dreamlike scene appearing before everyone's eyes, yet what it brought was not the wish of any deliberate person.

Rather, it was the violent roar produced when the starlight's shadow collided with the pure yang qi; for a moment, stardust and firelight flickered in the night sky.

East King Duke had already withdrawn into Penglai Immortal Island before the formation was raised, and at this moment he was calmly watching this rare sight under heaven.

The power of the Primordial Stars Grand Formation was not as strong as East King Duke had anticipated; this discovery undoubtedly eased his mind a bit.

Until, under Yinglong's control, numerous heavenly soldiers and generals poured mana, pulling a bright moon from the night sky and dragging it to smash heavily into Penglai Immortal Island.

A violent roar echoed through heaven and earth, countless sparks flew, turning into lines of heavenly fire that fell into Penglai Immortal Island, burning holes one after another in the protective formation they had set up earlier.

This change caught East King Duke and the Immortal Court off guard, and the Primordial Pure Yang Grand Formation was thus shaken, trembling incessantly.

That powerful tremor seemed to make even space quiver, as Pure Yang Qi surged and fluctuated within the formation, its light waxing and waning.

East King Duke saw this and shouted loudly: ""Soldiers, don't panic! Hold the formation, resist with all your strength! Increase spiritual power input, release more mixed Pure Yang Qi!""

His voice rang like a great bell, echoing across the chaotic battlefield. East King Duke's face was solemn; he deeply knew the situation was urgent.

The strength of the Heavenly Court was, for now, still within their expectations; releasing Pure Yang Qi would take time, but with the many formations at hand, they could continue to drag out the war.

Again, countless star-shadows fell; seeing this, Kunpeng threw down several golden feathers from his sleeve, saying:

"Let me add a bit of strength."

The golden feathers floated down, and in the starry night a sudden gust arose, continuously pulling the star-shadows sliding down the night sky; with the wind's aid, their speed increased somewhat.

Yet what the golden feathers brought was not merely a gust; as they touched the Primordial Pure Yang Grand Formation, the pervasive Pure Yang Qi within suddenly seemed to encounter some great pressure, continually sinking toward the ground.

East King Duke saw this, gave a cold snort, and raised his hands slightly; behind him a great sun seemed to appear, rising slowly with his movements.

The Pure Yang Qi that had been tightly suppressed immediately began to boil with the aid of the great sun, its frenzied breath constantly colliding within the formation, and the falling golden feathers were thus easily burned away.

The aura of the Pure Yang Great Dao continually spread across Penglai Immortal Island, and the Pure Yang Qi within the formation was also drawn to it, pouring into the great sun.

As the great sun slowly rose, it seemed like a huge furnace, greedily devouring the Pure Yang Qi.

With the continual influx of Pure Yang Qi, the great sun's light grew ever more dazzling, and the power it emitted became ever more astonishing.

The seawater around Penglai Immortal Island began to steam, and the vast water mist had not yet risen before being burned away by the great sun's residual glow.

East King Duke stood before the great sun, his hands held aloft as if commanding the deity of the sun.

Taiyi saw this, grew quite displeased, was about to rise and act, but was stopped by Di Jun shaking his head.

Yinglong merely watched calmly as the great sun slowly rose into the sky, waving his command flag; countless stars were drawn along and fell toward the great sun.

Yet before the great sun, which held an unknown amount of Pure Yang Qi, they vanished like a mud ox entering the sea.

Until another bright moon was drawn by the formation, sliding down from the night sky straight toward the great sun.

The bright moon and the great sun collided, gradually merging into a silent hush between heaven and earth, with not a sound, like the calm before a storm.

After who knows how long, with a boom the great sun and bright moon collapsed together, a huge shockwave sweeping outward in all directions.

The collision sound that had previously vanished burst forth in an instant; countless cultivators, even protected by the formation, were flung far away, their ears ringing.

Fortunately, before it reached the heavenly soldiers' position, Bai Ze, Qiming, Kunpeng, and others acted together to dispel the shockwave.

As for the Immortal Court side, they were bound to be embarrassed, for they had to protect both the people on the field and the whole of Penglai Immortal Island, so some omissions were inevitable.

Before East King Duke and company could react, the formation under Yinglong's control, having drawn another bright moon, had already begun to hurl it downward.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches gazed upon this scene, shock showing in their eyes; the Wu Clan, who do not cultivate primordial spirits nor engage the Great Dao in formation warfare, were seeing such power directly for the first time.

They stared at the continually falling bright moon, feeling the terrifying power it contained, and a complex emotion welled up in their hearts.

A tall figure stood upon the chariot frame, like twelve silent peaks; though disheartened, their heart's yearning for this power grew ever stronger.

"We too must master this kind of power, otherwise we will be no match for the Heavenly Court in the future."

The Twelve Ancestral Witches secretly pondered, knowing that if they could not resist head-on, then even with many more clansmen in the future they could not withstand the formation's sweep.

Di Jun and Qi paid no attention to the power generated when the formations collided, instead focusing all their attention on the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Qi was quite satisfied with their shock; surely after this the Wu Clan would remain obedient for a long time.

The falling bright moon would not stop just because Di Jun and company paid no attention; Yinglong was utterly focused on the battle and would not divert his mind to changes outside the battlefield.

Gazing at the Pure Yang Qi still gathering below, Yinglong now only wanted to shatter the Immortal Court's tortoise shell, forcing them to abandon Penglai Immortal Island and flee in disarray.

At this moment the formations' collision was merely a groundwork for the later encirclement.

Although the Heavenly Court did not regard the Immortal Court's resistance, if they let the opponent occupy Penglai Immortal Island's positional advantage, needless casualties would inevitably arise.

For Yinglong, he now only needed to focus on controlling the formation; after breaking through Penglai's defenses, he could simply cleanse the ground.

As bright moon after bright moon fell, the night evolved by the Primordial Stars Grand Formation gradually turned into a dawn scene; the Primordial Pure Yang Grand Formation below was already tottering, and only three bright moons remained hanging at the horizon.

East King Duke and the many immortal lords looked up at the sky, knowing that the true war was about to begin.

Looking back, he saw the many loose immortals gathered behind him; East King Duke's stern face issued an uplifting voice: ""Everyone, get ready, follow me to slay the enemy!""

The immortals below all said in unison: "Yes!" (End of chapter)