Chapter 649 - 648: Sword of Felling Heaven, Name of Deceiving Heaven

North shore of the Eastern Immortal Domain.

The ground is frozen hard, and human footprints are rarely seen.

At dusk.

Li Jing arrived by Sky Control, hovering along the coast.

From a high vantage point, he looked around and quickly spotted a valley on the distant coastline covered in a blizzard.

Upon seeing the valley, Li Jing approached.

Jinghuan had informed him beforehand.

The Punish Heaven Valley was easy to find.

Especially during stable weather conditions in the northern region.

Just look for the valley on the coastline of the north shore, which remains engulfed in a blizzard even on a clear day.

Of course, the distant valley that he was looking at was obviously the legendary Punish Heaven Valley.

Within a few breaths.

Li Jing spanned hundreds of thousands li and reached the front of the valley.

Punish Heaven Valley.

The most mysterious of Eastern Immortal Domain’s three major forbidden areas.

Mainly because its environment was extremely harsh, with no humans residing there.

Moreover, the Northern Immortal Domain, which did not welcome living creatures, was to the north of the Eastern Immortal Domain, so only those drawn to Punish Heaven Valley would dare to step onto the northern lands.

The vicinity of Punish Heaven Valley was not as dangerous.

It was not impossible to get close to it, unlike the Slaughter Immortal Platform.

However, since its discovery, no one who had entered this place had ever emerged.

In the strictest sense.

Punish Heaven Valley was the only region in Eastern Immortal Domain’s three major forbidden areas that was truly a one-way path.

Though the Slaughter Immortal Platform was another point of no return, entering and exiting were not issues.

However, when one left the platform, one would be transformed from their original self into a crazed demon, completely corrupted by violent spirits and a lust for murder.

Setting aside the Slaughter Immortal Platform,

As the one place from which there was literally no return, the Punish Heaven Valley was naturally shrouded in mystery.

Some rumors had been circulated by people who had approached Punish Heaven Valley with the intention of exploring it, only to back down, as well as some who were merely boasting.

Therefore, no useful information could be gleaned from the existing materials on Punish Heaven Valley, apart from its surrounding environment.

Looking towards the Punish Heaven Valley, Li Jing did not see anything unusual.

The only strange thing he noticed.

The ongoing storm in the valley was exceptionally fierce. The blizzard was obviously not a natural phenomenon but existed under the influence of some unknown power.

Should I go in and take a look?

Without giving it a second thought, Li Jing chose a simple and convenient method.

With the Immortal Heavenly River in hand, he prepared to cast it and capture the entirety of the Punish Heaven Valley.

But before he made his move, he heard a soft cough behind him.

Li Jing froze at the sound.

Behind him...

Someone was there!?

When did they come?

How did they avoid his notice?

Frowning and turning his head, Li Jing was startled.

Close behind him, almost within reach, a woman dressed in modern silk pajamas stood, gazing towards the Punish Heaven Valley.

Her pajamas.

They were incredibly provocative.

They represented the peak of suggestive temptation, the details of which are not suitable to describe.

But that was not the point.

The key was the beautiful face, so striking that it was devastating, bordered by a red lotus on the forehead. Li Jing was all too familiar with it.

The Big World’s Heavenly Taoist.

Out of nowhere.

She just showed up.

At first sight of her, Li Jing more than gaped in surprise.

As he stood there stupefied, looking at the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist, she yawned leisurely and smiled with a captivating charm.

"Are you surprised and delighted to see me?"

Li Jing was left speechless

This inexplicable appearance was delightful?

It was good enough that he did not say it was horrifying.

After taking a good look at the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist for the third time, confirming it was her and not an illusion, Li Jing looked puzzled.

"Didn’t you... fall into a deep slumber?"

In response to his question, the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist tilted her head and returned the question.

"Don’t I look like I just woke up?"

"..."

Li Jing.

He wanted to say, does wearing alluring pajamas mean one has just woken up?

But he had to admit.

Looking at the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist, she did seem a bit sleepy. Instead of saying she had awoken, it seemed more likely that some incident had disturbed her sleep.

Tasting this thought, Li Jing instinctively inquired,

"Did something happen?"

The Big World’s Heavenly Taoist nodded.

At this, Li Jing furrowed his brow.

"So, you came to find me because you need my help?"

Upon hearing this, the Big World’s Heavenly Daoist pondered and then nodded again.

"Well, if you put it that way, it’s not wrong."

?

Li Jing typed a question mark.

"Heavenly Daoist, what do you mean by that?"

"Hah."

The Big World’s Heavenly Daoist yawned tiredly, and then gave a half-hearted smile.

"Did it ever cross your mind that it might be you who disturbed my peaceful sleep?"

"Ah, this..."

Li Jing got stuck.

Was it him who woke up the Big World’s Heavenly Daoist?

He thought to himself.

He didn’t seem to do anything, did he?

Waking up the Big World’s Heavenly Daoist from a deep sleep wasn’t something just anybody could do.

After all, she had to sleep because she interfered with the Will of the Heavens a hundred years ago, something she shouldn’t have done. She needed to sleep for some kind of recovery.

How could someone just "wake her up" like that?

Li Jing even speculated.

If the Upper Three Realms had not taken any aggressive actions that offend the Big World, he probably would never have a chance to see the awake Big World’s Heavenly Daoist in his lifetime.

However, he saw her today.

And it was him who "woke her up"...

After thinking over, Li Jing hesitantly put forth his guess.

"Is it because I broke the realm restrictions?"

"What I gave you is yours, and I really don’t care about it."

The Heavenly Daoist shook her head and replied.

"Moreover, this is a hidden feature that already exists in the system. Among my many arrangements, you are the only one who has come this far."

Li Jing remained silent.

Everything else wasn’t a big deal.

The key was that she wasn’t even pretending a little bit now.

In the past, it was just a hint.

Now, she’s brought it right out into the open.

Li Jing couldn’t help but chuckle, and he asked.

"So, did I do something so outrageous that it woke you up?"

"You took something you shouldn’t have."

The Big World’s Heavenly Daoist replied.

Li Jing frowned.

Took something he shouldn’t have?

Before he could think about it, the Big World’s Heavenly Daoist spoke again.

"However, that’s only secondary. The main reason is that I gave you too much, and I shot myself in the foot."

???

Li Jing.

This...

He didn’t understand.

What does it mean by gave too much, and shot myself in the foot?

She had been asleep for many years, he didn’t get anything from her, right?

Seeing him utterly confused, the Big World’s Heavenly Daoist clicked her tongue, and stretched out a delicate hand.

"Enough, let’s cut the bull, hand me the Slaughter Immortal Platform."

"..."

Li Jing.

It’s about the Slaughter Immortal Platform.

He just would not have imagined this.

Instinctively, he took out the Immortal Heavenly River and handed it over.

"Tsk!"

The Big World’s Heavenly Daoist shook her head, pushed the item back, and said.

"It’s been bound by you, no one can open it, you have to take it out yourself."

"Oh."

Li Jing complied, opened up the Immortal Heavenly River, and released the entire earth realm of the Slaughter Immortal Platform.

To avoid being eroded by the malicious air, he cautiously cast it away from him.

Seeing this, the Big World’s Heavenly Daoist raised her hand leisurely.

"Boom!"

Before the whole earth realm of the Slaughter Immortal Platform could hit the ground, there was a rumbling in the air, and the high platform where the actual Slaughter Immortal Platform was located jump up into the sky, arriving in front of them in an instant with a surge of murderous air.

Li Jing was taken aback by the scene and instinctively wanted to step back.

But then he realized that the malicious energy emanating from the Slaughter Immortal Platform didn’t erode his will.

This malicious energy.

Was very pure.

Being close to it, what he felt was nothing more than the pure killing intent within the maliciousness, which made his scalp tingle with fear.

Upon closer inspection.

The Slaughter Immortal Platform looked like a display sword platform.

The base was roughly a thousand meters in size making it quite formidable.

Above the base.

There was a gigantic, crimson flying sword, hanging upside down, floating there...

All the malevolent aura and killing intent came from it.

While observing, the voice of Big World’s Heavenly Taoist, gentle and mild, resounded.

"Would you like to know what this sword is really for?"

At the sound, Li Jing turned his head.

"Is this something I should know?"

"It wasn’t before, but now I suppose you’re slightly qualified."

Big World’s Heavenly Taoist chuckled and spoke.

"This sword is truly named Zhutian, the Sword of Felling Heaven. The so-called ’Slaughter Immortal Platform’ was just a name given by the people of the Eastern Immortal Domain. If one were to actually name this sword platform, it should be called Zhutian."

"..."

Li Jing.

"Wait a minute, did I misunderstand? This sword..."

Before he could finish, Big World’s Heavenly Taoist chuckled softly.

"You didn’t misunderstand, this sword possesses divine power and can be used to kill me."

"..."

Li Jing.

At that moment, he was too astonished to utter a word.

People often say.

The more you know, the quicker you die.

With Li Jing’s current level of progress, he needn’t worry about learning something he shouldn’t for most of the time.

But right now.

Without a doubt, he had just learned a fatal secret.

"Relax, you will eventually have to know about this."

Big World’s Heavenly Taoist spoke nonchalantly, waving her slender jade hand to toss the Slaughter Immortal Platform into the sky, then turned her gaze back to him.

"If someday I am no longer just, if someday I am no longer who I am, go to the depths of the stars to recover this sword and kill me."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing was slightly stunned before speaking hesitantly.

"Big Sister Heavenly Path, you..."

Before he could say anything else, Big World’s Heavenly Taoist shook her head.

"Don’t overthink it. Zhutian is simply a safeguard. You can think of it as similar to the person destined to face the calamities."

Speaking of it, she went on.

"The Will of Heaven will inevitably lose its fairness one day. Just like how humans’ hearts could change, once the Heavenly Path gained its mind, there are bound to be changes. Therefore, since the birth of the Will of Heaven, the coming Apocalypse akin to the one about to befall the Immortal Realm has begun its countdown. While its target is the entire world, the only thing capable of reversing everything and seizing the last chance of survival for all beings is no longer a specific being. But in essence, it makes no difference."

After saying so much, Big World’s Heavenly Taoist let out a sigh.

"Just forget what I said if you don’t understand. If there’s a day you really need Zhutian, only then should you consider it seriously."

Having said that, she turned her gaze back to him.

"Now, let’s discuss your problem."

Li Jing was still in shock from what Big World’s Heavenly Taoist had told him. He was slightly taken aback when he heard this.

"Wait, didn’t I already return the Zhutian Sword to you?"

"Strictly speaking, that’s not the reason why I woke up."

Big World’s Heavenly Taoist shrugged and spoke.

"According to normal procedures, even if I didn’t intervene, the Zhutian Sword could be claimed by someone else. However, they would need to pass the test of Heavenly Punishment first."

Upon saying that, she revealed a slightly troubled expression.

"And that leads to the issue we need to discuss. Initially, I carelessly let you swallow a strand of my aura, which destined you to comprehend and control the rules of Heavenly Punishment. Later, when I granted you the Breath of Heavenly Path, I was a bit despairing, that’s true. But the real key was your own growth. Currently, your understanding of the Heavenly Punishment rules is incredibly deep, causing them to lose all effect on you."

Listening to Big World’s Heavenly Taoist explain, Li Jing slightly furrowed his brows.

"Wait, wasn’t the Heavenly Punishment ineffective against me a long time ago?"

"Let me finish."

Big World’s Heavenly Taoist rolled her eyes in denial, and continued her explanation.

"After controlling the rules of Heavenly Punishment, it indeed won’t harm you anymore. But at the very least, it should still happen, yet now it doesn’t even occur to you. That isn’t actually a big issue on its own. The problem is that you boy can’t stay still, taking the Zhutian Sword. The test of Zhutian has the highest priority among the rules of Heavenly Punishment. In comparison, the destruction of Deceiving the Heavens only has a low priority. But because you took the Zhutian Sword, it caused a glitch in the rules of Heavenly Punishment. Not only did it hit others, but its potency also decreased drastically."

"..."

Li Jing.

Big World’s Heavenly Taoist’s explanation was quite straightforward.

He clearly understood it after hearing it once.

So.

The Heavenly Punishment that was supposed to hit him, who did it hit instead?

Just as he was about to ask, Big World’s Heavenly Taoist continued speaking.

"This isn’t a minor issue. The rules are utterly infallible. Not only does the Slaughter Immortal Sword exist as a Heavenly Slaying Instrument, but there are also others. Most importantly, the mistake has already affected the normal operations of the Big World. Although this isn’t your fault, you are now considered by the Heavenly Path as Deceiving the Heavens, and yet you won’t be struck by Heavenly Punishment. Therefore, other problems may arise next."

"So far, there hasn’t been a case where the Heavenly Punishment targeted at you has hit someone else. However, similarly, such situations won’t take long to become frequent. After all, once the rules are established, they won’t disappear unless the world is destroyed. Essentially, the Heavenly Path, which doesn’t have its own will, can’t find the correct way to operate. In the end, it has to continue with its mistake and let the rules operate incorrectly. Amending it and ensuring that similar things wouldn’t happen is one of the duties of the Will of Heaven."

Having shared the two issues, Big World’s Heavenly Taoist shrugged.

"Regarding the problem you have caused, I don’t have a suitable solution yet. So for now, you need to stay out of trouble. Otherwise, the only thing I can do is expel you from the Big World."

Faced with Big World’s Heavenly Taoist’s nagging and threats, Li Jing instinctively nodded while speaking awkwardly.

"According to what Big Sister Heavenly Path said, until the rules of Heavenly Punishment are amended, the..."

He didn’t finish his sentence when Big World’s Heavenly Taoist waved her hand in dismissal.

"The error will continue for now, but it isn’t a big issue. The one who gets punished because of you isn’t easy to kill, and he also bears the name Deceiving the Heavens just like you do and isn’t part of the Big World. So, he is indeed supposed to be punished. You don’t need to worry about these."

"..."

Li Jing.

Last of his worries were not important.

But initially he wasn’t able to guess who took his place to face the punishment. However, after what Big World’s Heavenly Taoist had said, he was able to easily guess who it was.

Because of him.

It definitely had to be someone connected to him.

This person did not belong to the Big World.

Meanwhile, he was carrying the title of deceiving the heavens.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out — it’s Xiaoyao Zi...

Upon further consideration...

There seemed to be certain patterns.

His pursuit of the prehistoric heavenly relic capable of causing the Apocalypse was because of Xiaoyao Zi. The Immortal Heavenly River where Kill Heaven platform was located was also put in the God-Demon Forbidden Area by Xiaoyao Zi.

This damn...

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the root cause of the rule violations.

Who else could the Heavenly Punishment go after if not him?

What somewhat shocked Li Jing was...

That he had controlled the rules of Heavenly Punishment, hence he had not been struck.

However, Xiaoyao Zi carrying the infamous title of ’heaven deceiver’ simply loitered around the Big World leading to the Apocalypse of the Immortal Realm.

How on earth did he evade the capture of the Heavenly Punishment?

The Big World’s Heavenly Taoist explicitly stated that Xiaoyao Zi wasn’t easily killed. Just how defying must this old fellow be to do this?

Logically speaking,

If one did not control the rules of the Heavenly Punishment,

Even the current Li Jing may not be able to withstand this Heavenly Path’s Punishment.

What was more shocking was that...

The Big World’s Heavenly Taoist clearly knew about this old fellow’s existence, yet did not personally kill him. This implied his mistake wasn’t serious and killing him would be somewhat difficult.

Damn it.

If there’s a chance to go to the Upper Three Realms in the future, I must thoroughly investigate this old fellow.

Having made up his mind in secret, Li Jing suddenly saw the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist turn his back.

Obviously, he was about to leave.

Slightly dazed, Li Jing decisively called out.

"Heavenly Taoist sister, wait a moment!"

?

The Big World’s Heavenly Taoist turned back.

Meeting his gaze, Li Jing rubbed his hands.

"Can you do me a favor and tell me where is the source of the Apocalypse that will destroy the Immortal Realm?"

Hearing this, the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist frowned and said.

"You should understand, I won’t interfere in this kind of..."

Before she could finish speaking, Li Jing interjected.

"This shouldn’t count as forced interference, right?"

The Big World’s Heavenly Taoist fell silent.

This, indeed, doesn’t count as forced interference or a violation of the rules.

After all, even in the midst of a great calamity, the Heavenly Path will always leave a glimmer of hope for all beings.

This chance for survival depends on their own luck and whether they fight for it or not.

Although Li Jing wasn’t directly involved in this calamity,

There was no denying that he was fighting for it.

This was perfectly legal.

However, as mentioned earlier, whether or not the Immortal Realm gets destroyed is of no concern to the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist.

The Immortal Realm wouldn’t disappear.

It would just be destroyed once, and soon resurrect itself.

Hence, the lives lost from the Immortal Realm during the destruction wouldn’t affect the Big World at all. Whether they exist or not did not make any difference.

Li Jing was looking at her, smiling apologetically, then the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist lightly pursed her red lips and vanished.

Seeing this, Li Jing sighed helplessly.

As expected of the Heavenly Path, she couldn’t be relied upon to show compassion for living beings.

Just as he was lamenting, a gentle whisper echoed in his ear.

"Northern Immortal Domain, Ghostly Returning Ruins."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing was both stunned and taken aback.

She..

Actually told him!?

While he was still shocked, the voice of the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist echoed once again.

"I’m not your mother who raised you, so don’t make things difficult for me in the future. Don’t force me to escalate your ascension and throw you into the Upper Three Realms."

Hearing this, Li Jing managed to laugh and obediently nodded.

To be fair, referring to the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist as his mother really suits the situation.

Throughout history, who else has received so much care from the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist?

Even receiving information from her that she shouldn’t be interfered with?

Technically speaking,

He, who has broken the limits of the Immortal King Realm, isn’t supposed to exist in the Immortal Realm or even the Big World.

Folks such as Xiaoyao Zi and the Human Saints have managed to stay.

However, Li Jing didn’t understand the ins-and-outs of it.

The reason nothing happened to him until now was purely due to the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist’s silent consent.

Being treated like this,

Even if people were to call him the Heavenly Path’s dear son, he would believe it himself.

Without lingering, Li Jing glanced at the direction towards the Northern Immortal Domain and moved towards the Endless Sea in a flash of light.

...