Chapter 673: Saying Hello

Xiling Taoshan is also known as the Divine Mountain.

On the side of the mountain facing south toward the sunlight, ten thousand pink peach trees bloom; the Daodian nestled among the cliffs and layers of flowering trees appear all the more magnificent and solemn, like a heavenly kingdom on earth.

The other side of the mountain, however, is a steep cliff face; the smooth, massive rocks look as if they were split open by a God, with almost no cracks or soil—let alone peach blossoms, not even a single blade of wild grass can survive upon it.

Yet, on this steep cliff face, countless years ago, countless believers responded to the call of the Divine Palace and carved a steep mountain path into the precipice.

The power of faith is truly inconceivable.

At this moment, a middle-aged Divine Official followed the zigzagging mountain path and arrived deep below the rock face.

This place is surrounded by clouds and mist that never dissipate throughout the day; there is no sunlight, one cannot see one's own hand in front of one's face, and one can only feel the dampness in the air and the sound of water echoing from an unknown source.

Deep within the mist is a door; pushing it open to enter, behind the door is a gloomy world, a faint scent of blood echoing through the dry passage, the dim light shining upon the Iron walls, giving the intricate patterns on the walls a somewhat eerie and heavy quality.

This place is called Youge.

This is a place that the millions of Haotian believers in the world have never even heard of; those imprisoned here are sinners who have committed such grave evils that even the most brutal fire torture cannot cleanse their filth.

Since the establishment of Youge, in the long years that have passed, no one has ever been able to escape from it; all who are imprisoned here can only spend their long and helpless remaining lives in the darkness.

The middle-aged Divine Official walked with his head lowered through the dim passage, completely ignoring the sounds of wailing, begging, and cursing all around, until he reached a wooden fence at the end of the corridor and stopped.

This wooden fence looks ordinary, not made of any precious wood, nor are there any runes written by a Divine Talisman Master upon it; the gaps between the wooden slats are very wide, wide enough for a person to pass through easily.

Yet, it is this very wooden fence that has imprisoned a powerful existence for over a decade.

Behind the fence is an old man with withered hair draped over his shoulders, his cheeks gaunt, his expression quiet and peaceful, and within his deep-set eye sockets, an incomparably holy radiance swirls.

That radiance is so peaceful and pure, without a single impurity or stain, as if it could see everything in the world and, through the skin and flesh, see the darkness and light within every person's heart.

The middle-aged Divine Official lifted his divine robe, knelt before the wooden fence, and kowtowed respectfully three times, his voice trembling as if from excitement: "Greetings, Great Divine Official."

The Xiling Divine Palace has three Great Divine Officials.

They are the Caijuedashengonguan, who is responsible for judging heretics and hunting down the remnants of the Demon Sect.

The Tianyu Great Divine Official, who is in charge of comprehending the will of Haotian, editing scriptures, and holds immense influence in the secular world.

And... the most special one, who has no specific Daoist duties but has the authority to touch upon all Daoist affairs: the Bright Great Divine Official.

The Bright Great Divine Official is the existence within the Divine Palace most proficient in the profound mysteries of the doctrine and the most steadfast in faith, with authority that vaguely surpasses that of the other two Great Divine Officials. There is even a legend that the reason there is a Sect Leader above the three Great Divine Officials is specifically to restrain the Bright Great Divine Official.

And the old man before him is the legendary Bright Great Divine Official.

Because of a certain event over a decade ago, he has been imprisoned in Youge, never seeing the light of day.

The old man glanced at the excited middle-aged Divine Official and said calmly: "What has happened in the outside world?"

"The Ruling Divine Seat... is dead." The Divine Official's voice still trembled, no longer because of the old man before him, but because of what had happened not long ago.

"No wonder." The old man was not surprised; he reached out a similarly aged finger and touched the fence before him lightly, and the fence instantly turned into fly ash.

This fence had been set up by the Caijuedashengonguan himself.

The Caijuedashengonguan was dead, so the 'cage' naturally ceased to exist.

The old man asked again: "What exactly happened? Tell me in detail."

"Yes." The Divine Official then recounted the news of these past days one by one, and after a quarter of an hour, he said with a heavy tone: "That remnant of the Demon Sect is expected to arrive at Taoshan tomorrow. The Sect Leader has already recalled the Divine Officials, Deacons, and cavalry near Taoshan to prepare for tomorrow's battle."

"Alas, this Divine Palace... has already rotted."

After hearing the ins and outs, the Bright Great Divine Official named 'Wei Guangming' stood up: "Even that monastery behind the Divine Palace... has also fallen and rotted."

He looked into the distance, and in those eyes without the slightest impurity, the divine brilliance grew increasingly intense: "I... have seen it."

The Divine Official asked excitedly: "You... what did you see? Darkness? Light?"

"No, not darkness, not light, but a mass of chaotic aura. That mass of aura seems to be able to reach as high as the sky, filling the heavens and the earth, and it is coming toward Taoshan in a mighty, sweeping fashion."

At dawn.

The morning sun had just risen from the direction of the East Sea, its divine brilliance dazzling.

Taoshan, originally filled with holiness and light, was now filled with a murderous aura.

On the mountain peaks are three cliff terraces, upon which are already a thousand Divine Officials who practice powerful Divine Arts and ten thousand Deacon cavalry. This is the hall from which the Dao Sect has ruled the human world for countless years, and it is the holy land for all Haotian believers.

Across the entire cliff terrace, there are over ten thousand people. Divine Officials in red robes, Deacons shrouded in black, and cavalry clad in black-gold armor, a dense mass of people everywhere, yet there is not a single sound.

About a month or so ago, a remnant of the Demon Sect appeared in the world.

That remnant of the Demon Sect, under the pursuit of the Judgment Divine Palace, harmed countless members of the Divine Palace. Later, even the Ruling Divine Seat met a tragic end at their hands, and there are already rumors that this person is the reincarnation of Pluto.

News has also arrived that the opponent is heading straight for Taoshan and will appear here today, which is why such a formation has been assembled.

On the highest level of Taoshan are four magnificent Daodian.

In the holiest, tallest white Divine Palace is the residence of the Sect Leader.

Inside the Divine Palace, there is a curtain of light composed of the purest Haotian Divine Brilliance, possessing unimaginable supreme pressure and power.

This curtain of light represents Haotian's rule over this world.

A figure descended upon this holy curtain of divine brilliance.

The figure on the curtain of light was extremely tall, as if his feet trod upon the earth and his head touched the blue sky, forcibly separating heaven and earth.

This person is the supreme ruler of the Haotian Dao Sect in the world, the Sect Leader of the Xiling Divine Palace.

"It has come."

A voice sounded from behind the curtain; this voice was very calm, but when it passed through the curtain and fell into the ears of the Divine Officials in the Divine Palace, it seemed to turn into thunder from the nine heavens.

Yet no one could mishear that, within this grand voice, there was a faint trace of trembling and fear.

"It has come? What has come?"

This was the confusion of all the Divine Officials and Deacons in the great hall.

But soon, their expressions changed; they knew what had come.

Whoosh! The wind and clouds shifted; a majestic and vast aura came from the high sky in the distance, crushing their hearts and minds.

Everyone looked up and saw in the distance a figure that seemed like a black dragon coiling wildly, rapidly approaching Taoshan; wherever it passed, lightning and thunder erupted together, its momentum vast and mighty. Accompanying it, however, was a faint intent to kill.

Faint as light smoke, delicate as willow catkins.

But once this murderous intent was unleashed, the human heart stirred the will of Heaven, and immediately there was a Heavenly Phenomenon in response.

Taoshan is a land gifted by God, always enjoying favorable weather and timely rain, with no extreme weather or natural disasters. But at this moment, the morning breeze suddenly turned into a howling gale, roaring like an evil spirit between heaven and earth. The clouds churned, stained with ink, and in an instant, black clouds rolled in, thick to the extreme, pressing directly upon the minds of everyone in the Divine Palace.

Boom!

A bolt of lightning pierced the sky, tearing through the dim world. Immediately following was a deafening thunderclap that shook the earth. A violent storm descended, covering the sky and blotting out the sun.

The knights and Deacons on Taoshan were instantly drenched like drowned rats. They stared blankly at the rolling black clouds in the firmament, where a figure stood in mid-air, their powerful Qi surging like a great river, sweeping through every inch of heaven and earth. Everyone felt as if they were adrift on an angry sea, liable to be swallowed up at any moment.

"Gulp!" A Divine Palace knight could not help but swallow hard.

What kind of powerful existence was this, to be able to command the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning? Could it truly be the legendary Pluto?

"Heh heh, what a grand display; let's say hello."

Like an ethereal voice coming from beyond the sky, it drilled into everyone's ears. Immediately after, the figure in black robes floating in the air pointed a finger downward.

Boom! Boom!

High in the firmament, within layers of black clouds, arcs of electricity burst open, like flickering lamps in the boundless night, dazzling and eye-catching.

But in that very instant, those arcs of electricity grew dramatically, and amidst the incessant rumbling, bolts of thunder struck down one after another, vast and mighty, as if the thunder had converged into a river, crashing down upon Taoshan.

Rumble!

The heaven and earth shook, and a great light burst forth.

Yet this light was filled with an aura of destruction.

……