Chapter 599: Nothing Can Compare to the Soaring Wind
“The Divine Emperor Qing’s divine art? First ask Qing Emperor himself if he dares to be insolent before me!”
The Purple Emperor swept his cold gaze across and said only:
“Where in the Nine Heavens does spring wind come from?”
Without sound or sign, the spring wind vanished.
Lin Jue paid no mind, only extended a finger—
No wind stirred, only subtle spiritual power, and in an instant, several flowers bloomed upon the Emperor’s robes.
“Hmm?”
The Purple Emperor frowned, immediately feeling pain and the drain of his divine and spiritual power.
“You’ve learned it well!”
With one hand he reversed sun and moon, battling the Lady Yao Hua for control of heaven and earth’s yin and yang; with the other he casually pointed downward:
“I shall pierce your heart with ten thousand swords!”
No sooner had the words left his lips than the earth below swayed like wind through grass and trees; in an instant, countless plants surged skyward, transforming into countless sharp blades flying toward the heavens.
More than ten thousand swords? There were surely a hundred million, a billion!
Lin Jue saw only countless silver lights flowing like rushing rivers rising from all directions beneath the clouds, converging upon him—only when they drew near did he discern each individual blade, flickering dim and bright with the sun’s rotation, reflecting its light.
So fast!
The normally sharp, clear piercing sound became a deafening cacophony from the sheer number converging.
The first sword pierced through the air!
Lin Jue merely tilted his head slightly and avoided it.
Immediately after, countless tens of thousands of long swords shot forth simultaneously from all directions—above, below, all around—glittering blades with no place to hide.
Fu Yao was about to step forward to rescue him when he saw the Daoist dissolve into a gentle breeze and vanish.
Boom! Countless swords collided, and in that first instant, countless blades bent and shattered, fusing into a single massive metal sphere.
Then came a calm voice:
“Wind stills.”
The Daoist’s figure reappeared instantly.
Countless swords still remained unshattered, and more kept rising from the clouds beneath, more numerous than the stars in heaven, now locking onto Lin Jue and flying toward him.
The fox’s gaze shifted, fixing directly on the Purple Emperor.
Without hesitation, it stepped through the air, charging toward the Purple Emperor.
Then two voices rang out in succession:
“Don’t go!”
“Don’t go!”
One from Lin Jue, one from the eight-tailed woman.
Fu Yao halted immediately, glancing at Lin Jue, then at Lady Yao Hua, then back at Lin Jue, before slowly retreating.
A flash of golden light!
The Daoist emerged once more from among the countless swords—exactly the Golden Cicada’s Shell Technique!
He then uttered a phrase:
“Transform into dragons!”
What power did Lin Jue, who had already touched the Dao, wield?
As the words ended, the countless swords in the air transformed into countless silver serpentine dragons, each three to four chi long, twisting free of the Purple Emperor’s control and plummeting downward.
Above, the blazing sun spun rapidly—now a flawless azure sky, now a sky ablaze with stars; below, boundless white clouds, yet hundreds of millions of dragons fell from the heavens, plunging into the clouds, forming a scene too staggering for mortals to imagine.
In less than a breath, the dragons in the sky reverted to countless plants—some already fallen through the clouds, others drifting past the onlookers.
Lin Jue did not hesitate, tossing a handful of beans that transformed into twelve flying swords and three long swords, returning the Emperor’s blade assault with blades of his own.
Simultaneously, he flicked his hand backward—flowers bloomed instantly.
He had seen: though the Purple Emperor was the Heavenly Emperor, wielding supreme authority, he lacked the physical resilience of the Floating Pool Divine Lord, and his divine power was not endless—Flowers Bloom in an Instant still worked on him.
As expected—
The Purple Emperor’s eyes still fixed on the silver threads and spinning silver discs in the air when suddenly pain struck again; he looked upward and saw several apricot blossoms blooming even upon his imperial crown.
Then the twelve flying swords and three long swords arrived before him.
Suddenly the Purple Emperor’s figure shifted, appearing directly above his own head—the swords stabbed and slashed into empty air.
“Hmph! I bestow upon you the calamity of death!”
No sooner had the words left his lips than boundless killing intent surged from the Daoist, seemingly invincible.
But then the Purple Emperor frowned.
He saw the Daoist opposite him unharmed, raising a hand to grasp him.
Though they stood far apart, that hand seemed to have reached his face—spiritual light formed chains, radiating an uncanny danger, clearly a technique targeting the soul; merely nearing it made his soul tremble.
But he was the Purple Emperor, who quelled demons and exterminated monsters!
His gaze shifted, seeing the drifting plants beside the Daoist turn to ash within that killing calamity.
The Transference of Calamity technique?
“Thunder Calamity!”
The Purple Emperor instantly recognized the technique—and immediately countered it.
Boom! Thunder exploded in the sky!
This lightning did not come from above, below, or the four directions—it erupted from within Lin Jue himself, radiating outward in wild, dancing fury.
The Daoist was instantly shattered by the thunder.
The outstretched hand vanished as well.
The Purple Emperor frowned slightly, glanced aside, and saw the Daoist standing calmly not far to his left, reaching out once more to grasp him.
That hand was before him again.
In a momentary lapse, the hand seized him, then swiftly retracted.
But this time, it was not in vain.
“Hmph…”
Even the Heavenly Emperor could not suppress a low groan—his soul was wounded.
At the same time, the flying swords and long swords closed in again.
“Transform into dragons and phoenixes, guard me!”
The Purple Emperor seized several drifting plants beside him; with those words alone, every branch twisted, swelled, becoming black dragons, while every leaf expanded, transformed, unfurled wings, becoming giant blue phoenixes, Yingxiang the flying swords and long swords.
The phoenixes blocked the flying swords; the black dragons clashed with the long swords using their claws.
“My lord, are you not hostile to demons? Why then transform plants into dragons and phoenixes to guard yourself?”
“Thunder Calamity!”
Another thunderball exploded in the sky—thousands upon thousands of lightning serpents twisted and writhed in all directions; without reference points, they seemed small, yet each individual bolt stretched over ten miles long.
The Daoist shattered again, vanishing from his spot.
Yet he immediately reappeared far away.
Not only that—he appeared six times over.
“Like the Floating Pool Divine Lord, I am immortal and indestructible—my lord, you cannot touch me!”
Six Lin Jues surrounded the Heavenly Emperor.
One Lin Jue unleashed the Soul Annihilation Technique.
The Purple Emperor, while reversing yin and yang, formed a hand seal:
“Divine Light Protects the Soul!”
A purplish-red divine light emerged from the Purple Emperor, blocking the grasping hand.
Another Lin Jue pointed—Flowers Bloom in an Instant.
The Purple Emperor uttered “Golden Body Protects the Flesh,” his body turning golden, perfectly countering Flowers Bloom in an Instant.
Simultaneously, he pointed, directing the Thunder Calamity toward Lin Jue.
The Lin Jue opposite raised his hand, summoning a divine thundercloud, returning the heavenly lightning to the Purple Emperor.
“Thunder disperses!”
The Heavenly Emperor commanded—the divine thundercloud lost its power; correspondingly, the lightning on Lin Jue vanished too.
One Lin Jue cast the Immobilization Technique, locking the Purple Emperor in place.
The Purple Emperor made no effort to resist, only said:
“Fire Calamity!”
Immediately, purple divine fire rose from all six Lin Jues, burning their bodies.
Lin Jue spat forth the True Solar Fire in response.
The Purple Emperor had no choice, only murmured:
“Fire extinguishes!”
The fire on all six Lin Jues and the fire they had spat vanished.
One Lin Jue cast the Steal Life, Grant Longevity Technique.
“Steal my lifespan? My incense offerings never cease—I have endless longevity!” the Purple Emperor scoffed, “I bestow upon you the Calamity of Decay!”
With those words alone, Lin Jue’s lifespan began to drain.
But he had not aged, for what had been drained was the portion absorbed from the Purple Emperor.
In moments, the two clashed hundreds of times.
On the Heavenly Emperor’s body, flowers bloomed and withered, thunder flared and vanished, spiritual flames roared and died—he was growing weary.
Yet Lin Jue frowned, a sense of dread rising in him.
He looked up at the sky: night grew longer, day shorter.
Earlier, he had been able to fight the Purple Emperor, even gain a slight upper hand, precisely because the Purple Emperor had diverted one hand to duel with Lady Yao Hua.
But now, each time Lady Yao Hua reversed heaven and earth, the sun swiftly shifted westward; after it set, she could no longer make it rise again—this proved the Purple Emperor surpassed her.
This trend boded ill for him—
Lin Jue also cultivated Yin-Yang spiritual arts!
The Purple Emperor’s inversion of Yin and Yang directly countered him!
Even if he were immortal, his spiritual power was finite; if the Purple Emperor truly severed Yin and Yang, not only might he lose his immortality, but even if he retained it, he would lose all capacity to resist.
“Why not cease, Heavenly Emperor?”
“Cease? Let’s see how long you can hold out! Turn it again!”
The Purple Emperor roared lowly, and the newly risen sun accelerated westward once more.
Above the clouds, darkness fell again.
Lin Jue turned to Lady Yao Hua:
“I have kept my promise and held back Fuchi Shenjun. How will you hold back the Purple Emperor?”
“My Dao is damaged, my cultivation incomplete,” Lady Yao Hua replied calmly, “but I have my own means.”
“If so, then please, Your Majesty, move elsewhere.”
Six Lin Jues turned toward the Purple Emperor and cast their spells simultaneously.
In an instant, not only did the sun’s rotation shift, but the entire world underwent a cataclysmic transformation.
His vision blurred, and the Nine Heavens had become mortal earth.
Before him lay green hills and clear waters, with a village nestled among them—white walls, blue tiles, built beside the water. Above, a blazing sun made the world drowsy; on the mural of the Eight Pillar Bridge Pavilion, used to shield from sunlight, gods were depicted slaying demons.
Yet in the next instant, the sun here too accelerated westward, and the spiritual rhythm of Yin and Yang grew chaotic. Shadows from the Eight Pillar Bridge Pavilion and the village’s white walls stretched rapidly.
“Do you think recreating heaven and earth frees you from external laws, allows you to escape the Dao?”
The Purple Emperor stood in midair, gazing down upon Shu Village.
“Not so.”
?￠o
Lin Jue answered him.
He waved his hand, severing all connection between this place and the outside world.
This was his true aim—
The Purple Emperor could invert Yin and Yang, turn day into night, night into day, even plunge the world into a state neither day nor night, erasing all Yin-Yang spiritual energy—he could not do that. Even within his own created realm, he still relied on external sources; he could not generate Yin-Yang spiritual energy himself. But he could sever this place from the outside.
Then, though no Yin-Yang spiritual energy remained, neither would celestial, elemental, or incense-vow energy enter.
He could not restore spiritual energy—but he could cut it off entirely.
“How long can Your Majesty endure?” Lin Jue said gravely. “I know you are diligent. If you cease now, and stop slaying demons indiscriminately, you may still remain Lord of the Nine Heavens.”
“Hah…”
The Purple Emperor laughed, not in anger, but in disdain.
The hand dueling Lady Yao Hua retracted.
The Purple Emperor drew a deep breath—and suddenly, his body surged upward. In a blink, he became a giant; in another, he towered a hundred zhang; in the next, a thousand zhang.
“Do you think this tiny world can contain me?”
His voice cracked like the heavens collapsing, deafening.
Even as he spoke, his body kept growing—ten thousand zhang, a hundred thousand zhang, filling the entire sky and earth.
“Bad! This is his divine power—he can grow nearly as vast as heaven and earth. Your small realm cannot hold him,” Lady Yao Hua said, instantly soaring upward.
Simultaneously, five-colored light flooded the sky.
An eight-tailed white fox, larger than Fuyao, appeared in the heavens, stepping upward through the air with astonishing speed. In a few strides, it reached the sky’s apex, caught up with the Purple Emperor, and pressed down upon his head.
A torrent of five-colored light poured down.
The Purple Emperor’s growth halted.
But Lin Jue was surprised: the Purple Emperor did not attack Lady Yao Hua—only gritted his teeth and matched her divine power.
One surged upward, as if to pierce the heavens.
The other pressed downward, aiming to crush him back to earth.
Lin Jue thought briefly and understood: Lady Yao Hua must possess a divine power that nullified the Purple Emperor’s attacks. They had fought before, knew each other well—so no extra effort was needed.
Yet now, Lady Yao Hua could not hold him down.
Lin Jue continued striking—
Flowers bloom in an instant! Soul-Annihilating Art! Steal Life, Grant Longevity!
But the figure still grew taller.
At that moment, a voice echoed from the sky:
“Fuyao! Come quickly and aid me!”
The eight-tailed white fox on the ground paused, then soared upward, stepping into the five-colored light.
“Hum…”
The moment it touched the divine light, it vanished—and the five-colored light blazed violently, obscuring all sight.
Yet above, the two were locked in fierce combat.
They battled spiritual power and divine might, contending for the mysteries of the Dao.
But here, all connection to the outside had been severed—celestial, Yin-Yang, elemental, and incense-vow energies were gone. This struggle could not last.
So passed an unknown length of time—
The unimaginably vast Purple Emperor finally began to shrink slowly.
The five-colored light likewise faded gradually.
Fuyao had vanished; the fox atop the Purple Emperor had transformed into a supremely elegant nine-tailed celestial fox.
“So this is your method…”
Lin Jue gazed upward, murmuring to himself.
“Shhh…”
As the Purple Emperor’s divine power neared exhaustion, his colossal form dissolved, returning to his normal stature. He stood in midair, and instantly turned his gaze to Lin Jue:
“Did you see? This is your doing—another Great Saint of the demon race has arisen.”
Lin Jue stared upward.
The nine-tailed celestial fox transformed into a woman, clad in classical robes of unmatched splendor, nine white tails trailing behind her as she descended gracefully and landed beside Lin Jue.
Yet one of her tails writhed uncontrollably.
Lady Yao Hua met his gaze and explained:
“Long ago, I was defeated by Ming Emperor. My Dao was shattered, my cultivation stripped, my nine tails severed. I had to rebuild my cultivation and reassemble my Dao. For centuries, I split my nine tails, sending each to cultivate separately—some in mountain seclusion, some to the outer seas, some to the great deserts, some mingling among mortals. The last one, I gave to you. Before coming here, I reclaimed eight—only this one remained.”
Lin Jue’s expression remained cold: “I care nothing for that. After this battle, return Fuyao to me!”
“…”
Lady Yao Hua fell silent.
Lin Jue turned to the Purple Emperor, his eyes glinting:
“Your Majesty knows full well—I never intended to oppose your crusade against demons. I have said it: I know you are diligent. If you cease now, and stop slaying demons indiscriminately, you may still remain Heavenly Emperor. Even when truly evil demons arise, I will answer your call.” This offer still stands.
“Think instead how to subdue the demon Great Saint before you!”
“Your Majesty need not worry. Even if you fall, I shall take your place and continue to slay demons.”
Lin Jue had long prepared for this.
Earlier, he had delayed plucking the two stars and treading the two Daos, hoarding power—not just against the Heavenly Emperor, but also against Lady Yao Hua.
“Purple Xu, your defeat is certain. Will you not cease?” Lady Yao Hua now showed no fear of the Purple Emperor. “Are you certain the Heavenly Sovereign resides above, and I dare not kill a Heavenly Emperor?”
“By you?”
“Do you still have strength to fight?”
“How much do you have left?”
“Alas, your obsession runs too deep.”
Seeing she could not persuade him, Lady Yao Hua shook her head:
“Though mortals and demons differ, they coexist under heaven and earth, and both harbor good and evil. Before you took the Nine Heavens, did not mortals delight in tales of ‘evil men punished by fox spirits’? When your celestial spirits slew wicked demons, did I ever interfere? Below the mountain lies the mortal realm; within it, the demon realm—this has always been so. Even Ming Emperor, when he fought me for the Nine Heavens, though victorious, never exterminated the demons. Why can you not coexist?”
“Why should I waste words with you?” The Purple Emperor pointed a finger. “Witness my slaughter!”
Boom!
Lady Yao Hua beside Lin Jue vanished—in her place, the horse-head eaves of the wall, shaped like a raised horse’s head, turned to ash in the slaughter.
Lady Yao Hua now stood atop the broken eave.
“Why is your obsession so deep?” Lin Jue asked.
“How long have you been a true cultivator? Have you ever seen the ferocity of ancient northern demons?”
“Is that so? I’ve heard your story too. But I also heard your family was not directly devoured by demons—they were wounded, returned to recover, and died from your neglect. You slew demons not only to avenge them, but to ease your own guilt, didn’t you?”
At the mention of the Purple Emperor, his expression darkened involuntarily.
Events from over two thousand years ago suddenly rose again in his heart.
They were precisely what he had refused to recall.
Yet the mighty Purple Emperor would not deny them.
“So what?”
“Has Your Imperial Majesty not yet avenged yourself? Has your heart not yet settled? On your path to slay demons and exterminate monsters, to attain true immortality, did you never receive aid from demons and spirits? Then why do you place stone tigers before your temples?”
“Where did you hear this?”
“From an elder.”
“Pity, pity—this happened over two thousand years ago. In those two millennia, my heart has grown utterly unshakable. This means nothing to me!” said the Purple Emperor. “Even if I remain here, what can you do to me?”
“Even if you persist in your stubbornness now, you can no longer slay demons. I have no fear of keeping you here for decades, even centuries,” Lin Jue said, pausing. “I only wonder—if you step down, the Lord of the Nine Heavens will immediately become the Jade Mirror Emperor. Do you think he would do better than you?”
…
Meanwhile, in another corner of the mortal realm.
Another Lin Jue, as if seamlessly continuing, had just sat down and taken two sips of tea, still smiling at the Floating Pool Divine Lord:
“I have long held a question. Across this heaven and earth, beyond a few Heavenly Sovereigns, only you can answer it—and only you I am willing to believe.”
“Speak plainly!”
The two began another game. The Floating Pool Divine Lord pinched a stone between his fingers, lost in thought.
Then the voice of the man across from him spoke:
“Many years ago, when I first met you, in Cuīwēi County of Zhongzhou, a demonic plague nearly wiped out all life. Where did that plague ghost come from?”
“...”
The Floating Pool Divine Lord suddenly lifted his head, staring straight at him.
“Where? The northern deities may be tyrannical, but they have always hated demons with a vengeance. How could a plague ghost possibly survive a single instant before them?”
As he spoke, the scene from that time surfaced in his mind—he seemed to see again that little Daoist priest, and now the Daoist before him, who had trapped him here and played chess with him. His heart grew momentarily dazed.
“Could it truly have come from the south...”
Lin Jue murmured to himself, recalling the unfinished words of the Ji Ling True Lord back on the Bird Island of the Western Sea—
“Besides, do you truly think they are so virtuous?”
“Deities are no different from humans—their desires and motivations stem from the same source. My Heavenly Emperor follows the Way of Non-Action, precisely because his desires are low. He does less, commits fewer sins. His greatest fault was merely neglecting oversight, allowing True Lords and divine officials to act unchecked. After all, he never personally committed evil! But other Emperors are different!”
When Lin Jue pressed him further, he said no more.
…
“If Your Imperial Majesty still clings to this stubbornness, then remain here,” Lin Jue said. “One day here equals one year outside—until the Nine Heavens appoint a new Lord of Heaven, and you are cast from your throne.”
“Won’t you have to stay here too?”
“Your Imperial Majesty forgets—I possess the method of bodily division.”
“...”
The Purple Emperor widened his eyes, glaring at Lin Jue.
Lin Jue met his gaze without fear.
Neither would yield.
The only difference was that the outcome had already been decided.
Lin Jue’s true body gestured, and the four clones vanished, leaving only one.
“Leave him here,” said Lady Yao Hua. “He will come to understand—it is merely stubbornness.”
“But it could...”
Lin Jue turned his head, scanning: “Lady, where is my Fuyao!?”
No sooner had the words left his lips than one of Lady Yao Hua’s nine tails began to thrash violently, straining as if to break free, each jerk pointing toward Lin Jue.
Lady Yao Hua remained silent, locking eyes with Lin Jue.
Lin Jue returned her gaze.
They stood in mutual silence, locked in a silent, invisible struggle.
Only Lady Yao Hua’s single tail, tireless and endlessly energetic, writhed furiously.
Lin Jue had only recently become a Great Immortal—he could not directly oppose the Purple Emperor. The Purple Emperor’s Inversion of Yin and Yang strongly restrained him; his Law of Heaven and Earth’s Manifestation could not be contained by Lin Jue’s Creation of Heaven and Earth. Yet the arts and powers of the world were profoundly subtle, mutually generating and countering.
For instance, Lady Yao Hua’s Return to Day and Night could directly oppose the Purple Emperor’s Inversion of Yin and Yang, yet she could not defeat the immortal Floating Pool Divine Lord, and like him, she could not unravel Lin Jue’s Creation of Heaven and Earth.
Thus, Lin Jue feared her not.
Even if he feared her, he could not retreat.
As Lin Jue had once said, nothing—neither right nor wrong—could outweigh Fuyao, whom he had raised since childhood and who had walked with him to true immortality.
Lady Yao Hua surely knew this too—
Precisely because she knew it, she had given Fuyao to him, setting this two-hundred-year scheme in motion. And since Lin Jue dared defy a Heavenly Emperor for Fuyao’s sake, he would surely dare defy her.
“You know it was originally my tail. She came from me. She is me, and I am her.”
“Nonsense! Fuyao was raised by my own hands. Every word she speaks, every technique she wields, every trait, virtue, and preference—every part of her bears my imprint. Are you saying it’s all false?” Lin Jue pointed at the thrashing tail behind her. “How do you explain this?”
“She does not know me, but I know her.”
“Can you still fight?”
“You are indeed stronger than I thought. But know this: your path here has been smooth precisely because I aided you. Now I merely reclaim one of my own tails.”
“No room for negotiation.”
“Then let us do this...” Lady Yao Hua yielded. “I am born with the divine power to comprehend all arts. I split into nine tails to gather diverse techniques and seek the profound mysteries of all paths. Now that she has returned, grant me a while to absorb the arts and mysteries she brought back—then I shall return her to you.”
“No!”
“...”
Lady Yao Hua fell silent again, staring fixedly at him.
They stood once more in prolonged silence and standoff.
After a moment, a sigh broke the stillness.
“Ah...”
Lady Yao Hua turned and severed one tail.
“Here. Take it.”
“Peng...”
Lady Yao Hua now had only eight tails—her cultivation clearly diminished.
Fuyao, her own, appeared out of thin air. She glared fiercely at Lady Yao Hua, then darted like a flash to hide behind Lin Jue.
Lin Jue finally exhaled.
And the newly born Great Immortal of the demonic race sank back into obscurity.
“Is this acceptable now?”
“Please go.”
Lin Jue said to Lady Yao Hua.
End of Chapter
