Chapter 82: The Divine Court’s Power Runs Deep; Yu Xiao in Peril.

Chapter 82: The Divine Court's Power Runs Deep; Yu Xiao in Peril.

The calm before the storm—exactly as expected.

Yu Xiao returned to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, throwing himself into frantic war preparations.

During the incident that broke the seal between the two realms, most of the "Evil Cultists" lurking across the continents and domains had already been exposed and were hunted down.

Now that Yu Xiao's cards were on the table, his actions became even more convenient—the elite forces from his two major dao fields, Heavenly Equal and Heaven Pacifier, were fully deployed to cover fellow practitioners scattered across the lands as they returned to the Southern Domain, gathering streams into a sea.

The late Grand Senior Brother Little Taiqing's dying decree ordered the five Dao Masters under his command to obey Yu Xiao's edict and join him in resisting the Divine Court.

Second Senior Brother Little Yuqing was dead, and the four dao fields under his command were left leaderless. Regardless of their inner thoughts, everyone could only superficially follow the prevailing trend and pledge allegiance to Yu Xiao.

Personnel reception, integration, and war preparations kept Yu Xiao so busy his feet barely touched the ground.

Yu Xiao snatched a moment to sigh: "Sigh, there must be some with ill intentions who want to collaborate with the Divine Court, working from the inside. With the storm about to break, there's no time to investigate and reorganize them one by one, sigh."

Fu Yu waved her hand: "You focus on preparing for war. Leave this minor matter to me."

Yu Xiao was taken aback: "Do you need me to do anything?"

Fu Yu blinked slowly: "Lend me a few people from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance for a few days."

Yu Xiao: "People from which dao field?"

Fu Yu: "Any."

Yu Xiao: "Cultivation level?"

Fu Yu: "No restrictions."

After leaving the Shangqing Hall, the Foxtail Grass Spirit, bursting with curiosity, asked: "Master, master, are you going to whoosh open your Heavenly Eye and instantly see who's good and who's bad?"

Fu Yu chuckled: "Do you really think I'm a god?"

The Foxtail Grass Spirit giggled: "Master, master, you can do anything."

Li Xueke also widened his eyes, waiting for Fu Yu's answer.

He deeply understood how difficult it was to lead a team well.

With the great battle imminent, these three factions of dao fields had spent millennia scheming against each other and growing alienated—how could they boost morale and loyalty and prevent betrayal in such a short time?

He pondered and pondered but couldn't figure out how to achieve it.

Fu Yu smiled, unperturbed: "In this world, doing good is hard, but doing bad is simple. Come, lean in, follow my instructions, and split up."

A moment later.

The little companions stood up dazedly.

"Cunning, truly cunning!"

"Take the opponent's path, leaving them with no way out."

Recently, the atmosphere was extremely tense.

The entire Divine Court had received orders to be on high alert. Everyone could sense that a great battle was imminent.

The Divine Court outposts closest to the Southern Domain felt it most profoundly—the air was thick with the scent of killing.

"Was it the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance that rebelled?"

"Yes, it was them!"

"I say we should have dealt with them long ago. All these years, they've always wanted to rival us as equals. I think they're very dissatisfied!"

"Just seeking death. Smart people should be thinking about a way out at a time like this, ha!"

Recently, Divine Court temples across the domains received a flood of messages pledging allegiance.

Suddenly, someone reported from outside the hall: "High Priest, someone from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Rising Sun Dao Field has come to surrender."

Several priests exchanged glances, meaningful smiles curling at the corners of their mouths.

"Those looking for a way out, here they come."

"Trying to buy their lives at this time, that's a different price altogether."

They shared a smile, tilting their chins to signal allowing the person in to speak.

A moment later, a Deity Transformation Cultivator walked into the temple with a shifty-eyed gaze, followed by an inconspicuous Foxtail Grass Spirit.

After paying respects, the Deity Transformation Cultivator gritted his teeth and said: "Lesser Shangqing has betrayed us! He killed our Patriarch!"

The priests exchanged glances, narrowing their eyes: "Oh... which lineage are you from?"

The Deity Transformation Cultivator said: "Under Yuqing's seat, Rising Sun Dao Field."

"Little Yuqing..." Several priests chuckled mockingly, "We can't tell you three apart."

Seeing their contemptuous attitude, the Deity Transformation Cultivator could only silently swallow his humiliation.

His mind had been in turmoil lately, unsure of where he should go.

Suddenly receiving a task to leave the immortal mountain, a Foxtail Grass Spirit approached him, asking if he wanted to join it in defecting to the Divine Court. In a daze, he followed—after all, he had always been at odds with Lesser Shangqing's faction, and staying in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance offered a bleak future.

Now, standing in the temple facing the priests' undisguised ridicule, he felt utterly uncomfortable, his face burning, sitting on pins and needles.

He spoke with difficulty: "Recently, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has taken in many Evil Cultists..."

The priests abruptly burst into laughter.

The Deity Transformation Cultivator faltered, unable to continue.

One priest lazily leaned back in his chair, laughing: "It doesn't matter. Everyone from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance must die, not a single one will escape, including... certain fence-sitters."

The Deity Transformation Cultivator's face instantly flushed crimson. He insisted forcefully: "I came here sincerely to deliver news, only to uphold the righteous path."

The priests exchanged glances, slapping their thighs and laughing uproariously: "The righteous path! Hahahaha, the righteous path! You, a rebel who walked right into the trap, dare call yourself righteous!"

The Deity Transformation Cultivator grew anxious: "I..."

The priest waved his hand to interrupt: "Enough nonsense! If you want to buy your life, just name a price. Be careful, my patience is limited. You'd better get it right the first time."

The Deity Transformation Cultivator stood frozen in shock, his old face burning with shame.

The Foxtail Grass Spirit suddenly laughed. It said: "Spirit stones, easy to discuss. May I ask if all the priests are here?"

The divine official demanded, "What?"

The Foxtail Grass Spirit replied, "Can't leave anyone out."

Several divine officials exchanged glances. "Strange creature, you catch on quick—yes, we're the ones in charge here. Come on, name your price."

"Excellent." The Foxtail Grass Spirit lazily stretched its arms. "Saves me the hassle."

Before it even finished speaking, its two grass-stalk arms suddenly elongated with the wind, hard as iron and tough as old wood. In the blink of an eye, they pierced through a divine official's body, hoisting him aloft.

"Gasp!"

The other divine officials were utterly shocked.

Before they could react, the Foxtail Grass Spirit let out a sinister cackle. Its branches grew wildly, whipping and lashing, hurling them against the walls and impaling them one by one.

"Squelch, squelch, squelch!"

The Deity Transformation Cultivator standing nearby was completely frozen, stiff as a wooden statue.

The Foxtail Grass Spirit turned to look at him and shouted loudly, "Senior Brother, what a brilliant plan! Sneak attack successful! Kill all the Divine Court dogs!"

The Deity Transformation Cultivator: "..."

It's over.

A short time later.

A divine official, clinging desperately to his last shred of life, struggled painfully, leaving his final words for the Divine Court cultivators who had rushed to the scene upon hearing the news: "People from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance... pretended to surrender, but actually ambushed us... I curse them! I curse them!"

The same situation occurred at various Divine Court outposts.

Before the Divine Mountain could even react, the lower-ranking divine officials were already in an uproar: "Anyone from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance who dares to show up, kill them on sight!"

"Now we really don't have to worry about anyone defecting! Whoever dares to betray us, the Divine Court will reincarnate them personally..."

Li Xueke's mouth twitched slightly.

As a genuinely upright playboy, he truly couldn't come up with such underhanded tricks.

Fu Yu waved her hand dismissively. "Tricks and schemes only work for so long. What truly determines the course of the world is the grand momentum—raw power is what really rules."

"Right." Wu He nodded. "If a group of Sages charged up here, even the ants would die."

Their only Demi-god—Lesser Shangqing—had yet to recover from his wounds. At best, he could only trade his life for one opposing Sage.

But the Divine Court had a full seven Sages, and the number of High-level Cultivators under their command was as numerous as the stars.

If it weren't for this, the "Evil Cultists" wouldn't have had to lurk in hiding for thousands of years.

Li Xueke asked nervously, "Then what should we do!"

Fu Yu replied, "Prepare the flying ships, ready to ascend to the heavens at any moment."

Li Xueke: "..."

That's truly ascending to the heavens.

"Is there really no other way?" Wu He looked up at the sky, asking and answering his own question. "There isn't."

This would be a brutally one-sided bloodbath.

With hearts steeled for death, they would bite a bloody chunk out of the colossal entity that was the Divine Court, which had dominated the world for thousands of years.

"Master, master..." the Foxtail Grass Spirit whispered, secretly wringing its fingers, "have you calculated when that one might emerge?"

"No." Fu Yu answered swiftly. "What's there to calculate? If you want to know, just look up at the sky scar."

The Foxtail Grass Spirit blinked its eyes. "Then, master, have you looked at the sky?"

Fu Yu said, "Why would I look at that? I'm not the one waiting."

The Foxtail Grass Spirit: "Oh—"

Fu Yu: "Do I need to rely on him?"

The Foxtail Grass Spirit quickly shook its head. "No, no, you don't."

Fu Yu was disgruntled.

Back then, she thought he had chosen the most critical moment to make his grand, most dashing entrance.

Hah, what a total mess!

Fu Yu flicked her sleeve and stood up. "Tell Yu Xiao to find out who the enemy's vanguard is."

The Divine Court hadn't sent out all seven Sages—that wasn't the way of a world-dominating power.

The one who had taken the form of Little Yuqing knew the situation of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance inside out.

Two Demi-gods had wiped each other out, leaving only Yu Xiao, who was still recovering from his injuries.

The twelve Daoist fields were each acting independently, with restless hearts and insufficient unity to be a real concern.

Yu Xiao received the intelligence: "The commanders for this expedition are indeed Emperor Wugu, who governs the Southern Domain, and Purple Light Star Lord, along with a Saint Asura Corps."

Fu Yu hadn't heard of it: "Saint Asura Corps? What's that?"

Yu Xiao pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "The Saint Asura Corps only takes orders from the Upper Three Sages. Over the years, we've suffered heavy losses in our intelligence network. We truly haven't been able to uncover its details. We only know it's a very powerful battle formation. Sigh!"

"Estimated strength?"

Yu Xiao was silent for a while. "...If the intelligence is correct, one Saint Asura Corps can barely match one Demi-god."

Fu Yu tapped the table rapidly. "Tsk. To deal with an old, weak, sick, and injured person like you, they actually sent three Demi-gods."

It seemed the master of the incarnation harbored a deep intent to kill.

Yu Xiao protested, "Hey, hey, hey, I'm not that old, am I? Sigh!"

Fu Yu slowed her tapping. "I'll help you hold off two. Will that be enough?"

Yu Xiao thought seriously for a moment, then nodded. "As long as no one betrays us mid-battle or commits fratricide, if I lead my disciples Heavenly Equal and Pingtian against the Saint Asura Corps, we should be able to win."

Fu Yu nodded. "It's fine. The path of handing over heads to pledge allegiance has also been blocked."

Yu Xiao's mouth twitched slightly: "..."

He let out a long sigh and asked, "Has your strength actually recovered? Can you hold off two Demi-gods?"

Fu Yu smiled but said nothing.

The Divine Shaman's whole deal was projecting a profound, unfathomable mystique.

The immortal mountain was layered from top to bottom with countless arrays.

Standing at the summit and gazing out, the landscape for thousands of miles shimmered, and spiritual energy meandered like swimming dragons.

Fu Yu had the Grass Spirit and the monkey stand guard. She sat upright in a lotus position and entered a meditative state in an instant.

On the other side, Purple Light Star Lord He Yingkong was halfway through his journey when a celestial carriage suddenly caught up from behind.

"Husband! Husband!"

He Yingkong's eye twitched violently. He smiled bitterly, offered an apology to Emperor Wugu, and turned back to meet Goddess Yuetong.

Emperor Wugu had been quite angry with this daughter recently. To spare himself the sight and the irritation, he flicked his sleeve and led the procession onward.

The gauze curtains of the celestial carriage parted, and Goddess Yuetong, with her long, flowing scarf, threw herself into He Yingkong's arms.

"Husband, husband..." she said, terrified, "Don't go, don't go!"

He Yingkong smiled wryly. "How can I not?"

Goddess Yuetong tightly grasped his hand. "I had a dream that something happened! I won't let you go!"

He Yingkong sighed helplessly. "Dreams aren't real."

She twisted her shoulders stubbornly. "I don't care! You're not allowed to go!"

He Yingkong: "..."

He told her patiently, "It's an order from the Thirteenth Heaven. Don't worry, my father-in-law and I will eliminate the rebels and return as soon as possible."

She wouldn't hear of it. "No, just no! Otherwise, take me with you!"

He Yingkong opened his mouth in astonishment. "My good wife, I'm going to kill people. What would you be doing there?"

She said, "I'll disguise myself as a divine attendant and follow you!"

He Yingkong: "That's absolutely out of the question. Be good, go back now."

He hid his annoyance very well.

Goddess Yuetong pouted and was about to reluctantly nod when her vision suddenly blurred, and her mind grew hazy.

Before coming, she had been startled awake by a nightmare, only remembering the fear of losing her beloved.

Now, the images from that nightmare crashed into her mind with a roar. Suddenly, she remembered with perfect clarity: the person who was killed in the dream wasn't her husband, but her father!

And the one who killed her father...

Her heart hammered in her chest. Trembling, she lifted her gaze.

Fair-skinned, refined, handsome.

Just as she had seen Qin Qianzhu kill the prime minister in a dream long, long ago, she saw it again!

She saw him kill her father, Emperor Wugu!

"No, no, no, no, no!" Goddess Yuetong panicked, her whole body trembling as she staggered backward. "Don't kill my father! Don't kill my father! You mustn't kill my father!"

He Yingkong nearly spat blood. "Wife, stop making a scene. This is official business. I really can't take you along."

Seeing that many strange looks were already being cast their way, He Yingkong raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, utterly vexed yet forced to coax gently, "Wife, don't talk nonsense."

Goddess Yuetong, lost in her own world, muttered to herself, "You kill my father, and you'll kill me too... You, you're doing it for that woman..."

As her words grew increasingly outrageous, He Yingkong pressed his thin lips together. His hand flicked within his sleeve, decisively gathering spiritual energy to point at Goddess Yuetong, knocking her unconscious.

*Thud.*

The moment Goddess Yuetong was attacked, Fu Yu, who was performing the Dream Kill Art, sensed it.

A cold glint flashed in Fu Yu's eyes. She formed a hand seal and softly exhaled, "Kill."

Goddess Yuetong's cultivation was shallow and unstable, and her mind had long been completely invaded by Fu Yu's dream art.

Taking her life was effortless.

In her daze, Goddess Yuetong saw He Yingkong's face twist ferociously as he struck her with a palm, piercing her chest and gripping her heart.

The pain at this moment was exactly the same as the heart-piercing agony she felt in her dream when she was the prime minister's daughter.

*Pfft!*

Her spirit was grievously wounded, and blood gushed from her mouth.

Suddenly, a cold, disembodied voice echoed in her ears, letting her know why she would die.

"Little Goddess, do you remember? The secret hidden in He Yingkong's bloodline—you discovered his most terrifying secret."

Goddess Yuetong's pupils constricted violently.

Her dazed eyes gradually cleared.

He Yingkong was the first to notice something was wrong. He had only knocked her out, yet she was vomiting blood, and a look of impending death soon appeared on her face.

"... Yuetong?"

The surrounding crowd hadn't quite grasped the situation yet.

*Pfft!*

Goddess Yuetong vomited a large mouthful of blood and accused him mournfully, "You... it's not for that woman! You kill Father to steal his cultivation! You... your bloodline, you kill people to steal their cultivation! Ah—you've made me suffer so much!"

He Yingkong was utterly shocked and momentarily speechless.

How could she know?

As he stood rigid, his pupils trembling, a servant who had followed Goddess Yuetong for many years quietly took a step back and vanished into the wind.

'The secret! It's that secret!'

The servant was a spy sent by Emperor Wugu. The last time he heard about the bloodline secret from the Little Goddess, he reported it to Emperor Wugu. The Emperor ordered an investigation, but they could never uncover the method.

Who would have thought that today he would witness He Yingkong silencing the Little Goddess with his own eyes!

The spy saw that the Little Goddess was beyond saving. The urgent task now was to deliver the intelligence to—

"Bang!"

A surge of spiritual energy struck his back.

He whirled around in panic, seeing He Yingkong's face like ice as he blinked into pursuit.

He Yingkong, a mix of shock and fury, shouted, "Don't you dare run! You've got it all wrong!"

"Oh no!"

The spy pushed his cultivation to its limit, speeding forward in a panic.

"Emperor! Emperor!"

The spy ignited his soul essence, his body transforming into a streak of light as he fled. He Yingkong reached out to grab him but grasped only air.

Emperor Wugu felt a sudden premonition.

Frowning, he turned and flew backward, making a grabbing motion to snatch his own spy from the light-trail.

"What happened!"

"Emperor!" the spy shrieked, voice trembling, "He Yingkong killed the Little Goddess! He plans to kill you next! His... his bloodline, it kills people and steals their cultivation! The Little Goddess saw through his scheme and was brutally murdered!"

His words still hung in the air as his spirit faded and he died.

Emperor Wugu's body shook like a leaf. He slowly raised his eyes, meeting He Yingkong's own shocked and trembling gaze.

Several others rushed up from behind.

"Emperor... the Purple Light Star Lord killed the Little Goddess before everyone's eyes!"

"Father-in-law, I didn't..."

A bolt of lightning materialized out of thin air.

Boom!

He Yingkong hastily crossed his arms in front of him. With a deafening thunderclap, he was blasted back a hundred miles, crashing heavily into a mountain.

The cliff face shattered, sending rocks tumbling down.

Lightning snaked and danced among the mountain peaks. Emperor Wugu shot forward, summoning countless heavenly thunder tribulations, bombarding He Yingkong as he tumbled through the air, coughing blood: "Traitor! Your life is forfeit!"

He Yingkong put up a ragged defense: "I didn't..."

Emperor Wugu was in no mood to listen to half a word of excuse.

Within the Divine Court army, that squad of cultivators robed in black, faces covered with black iron masks, their auras unfathomably deep, as one turned their gaze. Ignoring the two Sages, they headed straight for the battlefield.

"The Saint Asura Corps!"

"They're attacking the Mountain Protection Array!"

A deafening, earth-shaking roar echoed over the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

At the forefront, Yu Xiao glanced at the two Dao Masters flanking him, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "She actually managed to pin down two Sages. Impressive, truly impressive—let's not hold back! We mustn't let our ally look down on us!"

Heavenly Equal and Pingtian nodded solemnly. "We will spare no effort!"

The three shot out of the Mountain Protection Array, heading straight for the Saint Asura Corps.

"Clang!"

Upon first contact, Yu Xiao's heart sank slightly.

These black-robed cultivators possessed strength at the Void Treading Realm, comparable to his own Dao Masters. The thirteen of them formed an Asura Formation, advancing and retreating as one, like a single entity.

Damage directed at any one of them was evenly distributed among all thirteen. Spiritual energy blasted against them as if striking an impenetrable metal wall, producing loud clanging sounds.

To break this formation, all thirteen must be killed simultaneously.

Black iron masks concealed their faces, hiding their expressions. Observing only their movements, they showed not the slightest fear of pain.

This was the most powerful force beneath the Sages—the Saint Asura Corps.

Truly formidable!

Yu Xiao's expression grew increasingly grave.

Even at his peak, simultaneously annihilating these thirteen would come at a significant cost.

Currently injured, he could only muster about sixty percent of his strength.

Yet this battle must be resolved swiftly. Delay would invite unforeseen complications.

Fu Yu was already holding back two Demi-gods. Resolving this quickly was the only way to share her burden...

His body suddenly felt lighter.

Yu Xiao turned back in surprise, discovering that the Divine Shaman had somehow already arrived outside the formation.

She stood idly, forming hand seals, one Incantation after another flowing into the formation.

Mountain-moving, Spirit-aiding, Fortune-bringing... and even one for attracting wealth.

Attracting wealth?! What in the world is that?!

Yu Xiao was torn between laughter and tears.

The two Dao Masters following him also perked up.

The three exchanged glances and nodded in silent agreement.

Yu Xiao raised his sleeves and beckoned.

The Taiji symbol spun, gathering all the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

He stood upon the eyes of the Yin-Yang fish, his sleeves swirling with the winds of the Two Forms. Behind him, a colossal Taiji Diagram spanning the sky and earth ground its way out from the void.

It seemed to carry the weight of stars, its movement actually pulling at several spiderweb-like spatial fissures.

"Break!"

Yu Xiao snorted a laugh, his sleeves striking out with immense force!

The two Dao Masters simultaneously raised their hands, pointing at their brows, channeling their lifeblood essence to drive this towering, sky-reaching Taiji Diagram to its absolute limit.

"Boom—drone—drone—"

The mountains and rivers trembled, an unstoppable force.

The thirteen members of the Saint Asura Corps immediately changed formation.

Black iron masks floated and swayed in the air, like a multitude of ghostly apparitions.

In the blink of an eye, the thirteen formed a shield formation.

Crossing their arms and raising them, a massive black iron shield materialized out of thin air, meeting the devastating Taiji Diagram.

"Boom!"

At the moment of collision, the very sky changed hue.

Both sides coughed up blood in unison—Yu Xiao swallowed his.

With a single raised hand, the entire Taiji Diagram sprang to life, the twin yin-yang fish pulsed as if breathing, unleashing a torrent of spiritual energy.

In the void, a Kunpeng's cry resonated.

"Hum!"

The Taiji Diagram crushed forward!

The thirteen bodies were sliced by black and white light blades—raise a hand, and it was severed; kick a foot, and it was lopped off.

Bodies were torn asunder, blood spraying, yet not a single one retreated. Even in death, they managed to blast out the shattered remnants of the black iron shield.

Fragments of black iron spun and sliced into the Taiji Diagram, which shattered audibly.

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of blood sprayed out—even Yu Xiao couldn't swallow it back this time.

Fortunately, the enemies were also reduced to ashes under the Taiji Diagram.

Yu Xiao steadied his breathing without a change in expression, slowly turned around, planting his feet on a yin-yang pattern, and looked toward the other Dao Masters in the alliance.

Several whose expressions had flickered immediately lowered their heads.

Everyone cupped their hands in unison: "Your Excellency's Dao arts reach the heavens!"

Yu Xiao looked toward Fu Yu.

He blinked at her, a signal that he and his two disciples could no longer fight in the short term.

Fu Yu nodded slightly: "Those two Sages won't be coming anytime soon."

Yu Xiao finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to crack a joke, a sudden change occurred on the scene!

Where the Taiji Diagram had crushed past, a spatial rift slowly opened.

"That is..."

Under the shifting gazes of the crowd, another team of black-robed Saint Asura Corps marched out in formation from the rift.

Yu Xiao's breath hitched.

To deploy troops across space? The Upper Three Sages of the Divine Court had already grown this powerful.

It seemed today, his old life was truly going to be left here.

Before the thought could fully form, another team of Saint Asuras stepped out from the rift!

Fu Yu laughed in exasperation: "More? How many are there?"

For a mere Yu Xiao, was this really necessary?

Yu Xiao sighed: "I'll hold them off, you go. As long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood."

As long as the Divine Shaman lived, there was still hope in this world.

He would do everything in his power to help her escape.