Chapter 583: Enemy of the Nine Heavens

Another messenger came to pay a visit.

Lin Jue had no choice but to end his seclusion and receive the guest.

At this point he had no time to make snacks, but he now had four disciples, so he could still serve sweets and treats to his visitor.

“I heard Zi Di is investigating Shanshan,” said Daoist Jiang as he opened his mouth, “it must be because you and your fellow disciples successively achieved enlightenment, causing too much commotion and arousing Zi Di’s suspicion.”

“When did this happen?”

“I don’t know. I only heard about it recently,” said Daoist Jiang. “Spiritual deities naturally fear the Immortals of the Spirit Law Sect, and Zi Di is especially tyrannical—he’s already taken notice of you. This is not good for you.”

Lin Jue remained calm, merely asking: “What do you think Zi Di will do?”

“If they were ordinary hermit immortals, the Heavenly Emperor wouldn’t care much. But since you all trained under the same master, and given your influence among mortals, the Heavenly Emperor will be more wary. If it were only that, even if he were tyrannical, he is still the human-divine Heavenly Emperor, his focus entirely on purging demons and monsters. As long as you don’t provoke him, he won’t interfere—at least not until his purge is complete. Afterward, if you go to heaven and humbly pledge obedience, he won’t trouble you; he might even grant you some benefits.”

Daoist Jiang shook his head:

“But your cultivation methods and experiences in Shanshan are inseparable from demons, ghosts, and nature spirits. Zi Di will surely suspect you and come to test you.”

“If you don’t want to clash with Zi Di so soon, you must find a way to avoid him.”

“Right now, among the spirits of the Nine Heavens, some support Zi Di’s purge, some don’t—but not supporting doesn’t mean opposing; those who oppose are a separate group.”

“Yet Zi Di is still the sovereign of the Nine Heavens. Except for those who fiercely oppose him, most spirits will obey his orders—as long as they are legitimate.”

“Precisely because he is the Heavenly Emperor, sovereign of gods and mortals alike, and because you are mortals, if you simply avoid him, he won’t trouble you. Once you avoid him, he cannot find a legitimate reason. Without a legitimate reason, even if he fears you and wants to act against you, he has no way to begin—your pressure will be minimal.”

Hearing this, Lin Jue could already guess how the Heavenly Emperor would test him and seek a legitimate pretext.

In the final years of the previous dynasty, when the former Heavenly Weng ruled, the Holy Protector True Lord sought to strike him down—and he too needed a legitimate reason, which he found through the elder Hua.

“Then how can one avoid him?”

“Simple, yet difficult,” said Daoist Jiang, shaking his head. “You must become appropriately heartless and unfeeling.”

“Then it’s unavoidable!”

Lin Jue spoke lightly, then poured tea for her: “Ha, no need to rush, my elder brother has his own plan.”

“I will help you.”

“I know.”

A stream of tea poured downward.

……

A stream of true fire surged upward, but was severed by a single sword stroke from the Long Snake Divine Lord.

The sword qi, still carrying traces of fire, sliced cleanly between the rapidly approaching white and black clouds, then plunged into the earth below.

The next instant, the white and black clouds collided.

No thunder, no trembling—the sound of impact was replaced by the clash of their soldiers.

Over four thousand armored soldiers, refined by immortals, were unprecedentedly powerful; their bodies and strength nearly matched celestial troops, though their tactical flexibility was inferior and they could not fly.

The two sides crashed together like two raging rivers colliding.

“Shu!”

A divine general flew in, spear sweeping—immediately, a wave of armored soldiers was flung away, some crashing into their own ranks, others falling straight off the white clouds.

Yet the next instant, a howling wind brought a massive iron club crashing down.

The divine general hastily raised his spear to block.

Boom! He was blasted flying!

The wielder of the iron club was a massive armored giant.

The armored giant swung his club, glanced down—and saw dozens of celestial soldiers rising into the air, some slashing at his unarmored joints with swords, others thrusting spears at his eyes.

But what surprised them was this—

Beneath the armor of this giant was not flesh and blood, but wood—not ordinary spirit wood, but the body of a demon king who had achieved enlightenment. Their strikes left barely any mark, and even when they did, the wounds healed instantly.

Amid the siege, another armored giant marched forward from the clouds, wielding a golden mace, his heavy steps overtaking them.

One kick sent seven or eight celestial soldiers flying.

One swing of the mace cleared a stretch of the black clouds.

These giants numbered twelve, each over ten zhang tall, forged entirely from long-life wood, meticulously carved and refined for years by immortals—endowed with profound spiritual essence and boundless strength.

If the bean soldiers and armored troops were at a slight disadvantage against celestial troops, these twelve armored giants were utterly beyond the reach of ordinary divine generals.

The two sides clashed fiercely, locked in brutal combat.

Above the endless white and black clouds, three Daoists were also maneuvering against the Long Snake Divine Lord.

“Long Snake Divine Lord, you are a spirit of the Nine Heavens, and these celestial troops are also your own. We have no intention of opposing the Nine Heavens—only because Zi Di makes no distinction between good and evil, seeking to exterminate all non-humans, and just happened to target our benefactor, the Old Ancestor of Tian Shan, that we were forced to come. Continuing this battle only increases casualties!”

The eldest brother, a straightforward man, spoke while casting spells.

One hand: Mountain Pressing Down!

Made the Long Snake Divine Lord’s body unbearably heavy, nearly unable to fly.

One hand: Stone Sealing Technique!

Caused the Long Snake Divine Lord’s body to gradually stiffen.

He constantly used the Immobilization Spell at critical moments when the Long Snake Divine Lord fought his third brother with the great sword, and occasionally muttered, “I advise you to frown,” to distract him.

“Shut up!”

The Long Snake Divine Lord roared, turning his head right to scold the Daoist who looked like a peasant—when nine consecutive fire dragons surged from the left, filling half the sky.

The wielder was a quiet middle-aged Daoist.

This was a common fire technique—but precisely because it was so common, when perfected, it possessed the power to burn cities and destroy nations. No one knew what this Daoist did in daily life, but he seemed to have devoted himself entirely to this one art, achieving an aura nearly equal to the Lord of Fire in Heaven—he dared not meet it head-on.

“Shu shu shu!”

The Long Snake Divine Lord slashed out several sword qi, shattering several fire dragons.

“Please, Divine Lord, withdraw your troops!” the eldest brother pleaded. “Immobilize!”

The Long Snake Divine Lord froze—immediately, one fire dragon slipped through the gap and slammed into his face.

“Sss!”

Such intense true fire!

The Long Snake Divine Lord’s body burned with agony, yet he sighed inwardly, gripped his sword tighter, and swung it sideways—clang!—blocking a broad, heavy sword.

The fire faded—a disheveled-haired Daoist stood close, staring into his eyes.

“Hmph!”

The Long Snake Divine Lord shoved hard, sending the Daoist flying far away:

“Your swordplay is decent, but still far behind mine! Your sword may be large, but size doesn’t mean power!”

As he spoke, he hurled his sword—

In an instant, it split into tens of thousands, forming a river of blades, all aimed at the Daoist opposite.

The Daoist vanished like a breeze; the river of blades chased after it.

The sky filled with endless streaks of swordlight.

Seeing the Daoist dive from the clouds toward the earth, the river of blades following him downward, the Long Snake Divine Lord guessed instantly—the Daoist had some earth-penetrating technique, hoping to use the ground to wear down the blades and escape.

But he didn’t care—he turned his head, glaring fiercely at the peasant-like Daoist, teeth clenched:

“I’ll kill you first!”

His armor glowed red-hot, his hair curled, his face charred black—but he paid no heed, charging forward with his sword.

What normally took a blink now took a full breath—he carried a mountain on his back. What normally took an instant to sever a head now slowed, his body shedding dust.

The Daoist sidestepped, evading the blade:

“If we were to eliminate evil demons, we could fight alongside you. Why must we clash today?”

As he spoke, he thrust out a palm.

How audacious!

Bare-handed, daring to strike a True Lord!

The Long Snake Divine Lord was weighed down by the mountain, sealed by stone, unable to dodge—but he scorned to dodge, for most True Lords’ and martial gods’ blows barely affected him, let alone a mere spell-casting immortal?

Yet the moment the palm struck—his incredibly hard armor shattered instantly, turning to dust.

The body beneath was equally hard—and equally agonizing.

“The Old Ancestor of Tian Shan is revered and virtuous, advanced in age, and has never done evil. Divine Lord, please spare him.”

The peasant-like Daoist retreated, speaking as his gaze dropped to the wound on the Divine Lord’s chest.

Alas, his mastery still fell short of his youngest sister’s…

……

“Your Majesty, the Long Snake Divine Lord has returned.”

“How did the battle go?”

“The Western Regions are too distant, lacking spiritual offerings—the Divine Lord’s power has weakened, and he lacks reinforcements. Three immortals arrived, plus the Old Ancestor of Tian Shan. The Divine Lord was at a disadvantage and had to retreat.”

“So they fought?”

“They fought.”

“Hmph!”

Zi Di rose, suddenly smiling: “What a Shanshan! A mortal immortal, fighting celestial troops for the sake of non-humans! Long ago we should have sealed off the path to immortality for the Spirit Law Sect!”

He turned and asked:

“What of the Tian Shan snow lotus?”

“Before the three immortals arrived, we had nearly burned it all to ash.”

“Then that’s good…”

Emperor Zi nodded, falling into thought:

“A mountain that has produced several Immortals, yet refuses to withdraw from the world—instead plunging deep into it!

“Gathering beasts and taming birds, consorting with demons!

“Residing among many mountains, under the protection of the Mountain Spirits!

“And there is this ‘Lin Zhen,’ who uses his earthly prestige to shield demons, dares to strike at Buddhist Bodhisattvas, secretly maintains ties with the Southern Divine System, and even keeps company with the nine-tailed fox, taking demons as disciples!”

Emperor Zi’s expression hovered between amusement and fury, as if listing their crimes:

“If they merely avoided demons, that would be one thing—but as Immortals, they refuse to stand with humanity, instead siding with demons. This deserves death!”

“Your Majesty’s meaning is…”

“I once said we could tolerate them for a few more decades. But now it seems that in a few decades, there may be even more Immortals.”

Emperor Zi paused, then asked: “What does the Heavenly Mechanism Supreme God suggest?”

Another old god’s voice sounded from beside him:

“A campaign must have righteous cause; reprimanding others must be done with propriety. First, dispatch divine officials to question the mountain: why obstruct celestial troops from exterminating demons? Then launch a full investigation of the mountain—determine how many demons have committed evil deeds, how many humans have entered. Once confirmed, summon the Nine Heavens’ True Lord spirits to arrest the mountain’s spirits and the Mountain Spirits, and return the mountain to the gods and humanity.”

“If they offer no resistance, let them be. But if they resist or defy, order the Long Snake and Great Defense Divine Lords to lead the assault, with White Rainbow Immortal Elder and Danhuo Zhenren as reinforcements—to utterly annihilate the mountain!”

“Arrest these Immortals as a warning to others, and immediately after cleansing demons, seal the cultivation methods of the Spirit Law Sect—prevent anyone from ever becoming an Immortal again.”

Emperor Zi listened, then nodded.

The divine officials hurriedly recorded it.

He had come from the north; he well knew how this Heavenly Emperor, once the Northern Emperor, had crushed northern demons with thunderous force—and the horrific scenes those demons endured. Thus he was not surprised, and after a moment’s thought, added: “There were once some spirits in the Many Mountains who had close ties with Fuxiang Pavilion—a group of cat demons—but during the previous dynasty, they were enshrined as proper gods, later stripped of their status.”

“They enshrined demons as gods? How foolish!” said Emperor Zi.

“Your Majesty, do not rush,” said the Heavenly Mechanism Supreme God. “First ask: how did they perform during their time as gods?”

“They seemed diligent, with good reputations.”

“Then summon them to assist in exterminating demons. If they cooperate, spare them—as a courtesy to the ‘divine.’ If they refuse, punish them later.”

Emperor Zi closed his eyes and nodded.

“Yes!” said the divine official. “And Lin Zhen…”

“Lin Zhen…”

At the mention of this one, the Heavenly Mechanism Supreme God fell silent.

He was no demon or evil spirit—he was an Immortal of great merit, cultivation, and prestige, whom the Nine Heavens’ spirits ought to revere.

“Investigate him too!” Emperor Zi suddenly opened his eyes. “No matter how great his merit or prestige—if he shelters demons, it is unacceptable! If the fox by his side is truly linked to Yao Hua, then he is aiding the Great Demon Sage’s return, erasing Emperor Ming Tian Weng’s victories into ash—he is an enemy of the Nine Heavens!”

“Will the Nine Heavens’ spirits accept this?”

“Will Yao Hua deny it? Have they forgotten the great war of old?”

“Hmm…”

The divine official and the Heavenly Mechanism Supreme God exchanged a glance and nodded.