BOOM! After slaying two, the barefoot girl in a white dress descended from the sky, her feet landing firmly on the ground.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! A fury of thunderous lightning surged into the earth, causing the Taisui Sigil Palace to collapse with a deafening roar. The mountain ridge beneath her feet shattered, hurling countless rocks and debris skyward.
Amidst the billowing dust, one could faintly see the torn belly of the mountain filled with the bodies of young children, soaked in the dim yellow pools of medicinal brew, their eyes wide open in terror, unblinking in death…
The Taisui Sigil Palace, a place of scenic beauty, had a belly beneath it that was a celestial hell.
"Seventh Princess!!" The Taisui Sage burst forth from the onslaught of the flaming meteor hammer, instantly seeing the Sixth Prince and Nine Kites crushed to death.
As their dao protector, rage surged to his head, tearing apart his innards!
"Even beasts show kinship, yet you slaughter your own, defying the heavens and forsaking the people! You will become a major sinner in the Celestial Court, deserving of 1,000 deaths!" the Taisui Sage roared with all his might.
"Hasten as the decree states! The Emperor's Dao is boundless! Vanquish evil, and arise my Taisui army!"
At the Taisui Sage's call, the children in the medicinal pool trembled, spitting out the brew, struggling to rise. Their eyes turned a murky yellow, staring dead at the girl in white, like tens of thousands of wild beasts unleashed.
"Taisui! Taisui!" The children howled, their faces twisted, as tears mixed with medicine and blood streamed down, their eyeballs melting until only hollow sockets remained."Is this your Dao?" The girl in white stood amidst the thick smoke, her eyes blazing with fierce fire, confronting Taisui.
"The Great Dao spans three thousand paths; I choose but one scoop. I elevate their mortal forms to sanctity, to ascend to the Heavenly Land, to witness the celestial fire of the Celestial Court—an act of supreme virtue recognized by heaven, the Emperor, and the people. What gives you, a naive princess, the right to stand on moral high ground and condemn me?" The Taisui Sage's eyes blazed with righteous fury as he bellowed.
"Shen Xi, you choose this unrighteous path. The heavens will condemn you, and the earth will obliterate you! You stand against the myriad dao, ostracized and alone. In this Great Dao Celestial Realm, there is no place for you! You have betrayed the trust of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager! You will not die well!"
With that, the Taisui Sage and the countless Jiangshi children roared a thunderous declaration that echoed far beyond the secluded confines of the Taisui Sigil Palace.
In that moment, the girl in the white dress, surrounded by a murky haze of spectral decay, stood as the sole beacon of light in the world.
Without further ado, her delicate hands gripped the celestial hammers—one large, one small—and spun them furiously. In an instant, they transformed into a sea of white flames and thunderous lightning.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! All the children who dared approach were instantly obliterated into dust. Perhaps only in their final moments did those bewildered eyes of these undead children find a fleeting sense of release.
Children should be just that, children. How many would have chosen to turn into Jianshi unless forced by dire circumstances?
"Is she that powerful?!" The Taisui Sage watched in horror as all his little treasures were annihilated. His face contorted even further with dismay, awe seizing his heart. He no longer wished to fight and turned to flee!
"Save me! Save me!"
In his panic, the Taisui Sage released a flurry of talismans and dove into the ground, trying to escape frantically.
Suddenly, the ground ahead was cleaved open by white lightning, creating a massive chasm.
"AHHH!" The Taisui Sage looked up in terror to see the girl in the white dress in the chasm, glowing like a Celestial Sourcecore, her radiance engulfing even the Taisui Sage himself.
"No! NO!" As the Taisui Sage screamed, the two celestial hammers struck from either side!
BOOM! The Taisui Sage's Life Sigil shattered, his body caught between the two hammers, splattering like a squashed mosquito.
Only then did the dust begin to settle between heaven and earth.
"May you return to the cycle..." The girl in white floated in the air, her gaze vacant as she reached out to touch the liberated souls.
Looking back, the divine land of the Celestial Court seemed to have been ignited by fierce flames, alarm spreading everywhere.
"Don't rush; it's just the beginning." With that, her ethereal figure slowly vanished into the settling dust.
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Back in the Thunder Department…
There was a half an hour delay in the feed projected by the Thunder Immortal Formation. So, when Yun Xiao embarked on his journey back, only then did the millions of Immortals there witness the final battle!
As Yun Xiao discarded his sword and sigil and overpowered An Yao, the body double of the Chaos Sovereign, the Thunder Department erupted in cheers so loud that it triggered hundreds of earthquakes.
Every palace and building shook without ceasing!
In that moment, even the Thunder Immortal Formation unleashed countless bolts of lightning!
The entire world of the Thunder Department was in an uproar, every face flickering with electric light, every throat spewing fierce electric currents!
This world-shaking scene demonstrated the pent-up frustration of the Immortals of the Thunder Department, who had not seen an Arbiter emerge as the Champion of the Immortal Tournament in many years.
Now, not only did Yun Xiao allow them to release that frustration, but he did so a hundredfold!
This was no simple duel, but a matter that touched on the dignity of the Thunder Department, against an opponent who had long suppressed them—the Greatest War God of the Celestial Court!
"Madness! Sheer madness!"
Atop the Celestial Thunder Platform of the Nine Thunders Arena, Gu Zhenxiao, the Nine Heavens Supreme Thunder General, looked out over the frenzy of the entire Thunder Department, his heart trembling wildly, plunging him into deep anxiety.
"Supreme General!" Lightning Lord Bo Hong turned pale and said in panic, "We have offended him, and now he has become the lifeblood of the Thunder Department, the darling of the Emperor, what should we do?"
Gu Zhenxiao gritted his teeth and said, "What can we do? Nod and bow for now, and when we meet him privately, we must kneel before him. With the return of the Nine Thunders Sovereign as well, we can have the Sovereign lead, seeking Lu Yao’s forgiveness."
Beside him, Bai Duo lamented, "His current status is merely that of the Immortal Tournament's Champion and a Rank 4 Thunder Emissary. Technically, he is not yet ranked higher than me or Bo Hong. Is it really necessary?"
His children had been killed; naturally, it was difficult for him to accept this situation.
"What are you thinking? The title and rank are just his surface roles. While Rank 3 might be our end point, can you imagine the future that awaits him? What do we have to compare? We must sincerely grovel to have a way out. Even after the death of Stellar Margrave Feng, not a bubble was seen; what are we in comparison?" Bo Hong said.
Bai Duo could only bow his head and sigh, internally accepting the reality.
In fact, the one most panicked was Gu Zhenxiao, for he had once coveted Yun Xiao's Sword Bone, something that could not be easily forgiven.
So, he was wracking his head on how best to grovel.
"Cao Sheng has made a fortune this time! His luck is truly astounding!" Bo Hong recalled this and felt even more disgruntled.
"It's hard to say; he never really believed in his foster son, and Lu Yao holds no affection for him. On the other hand, Cao Shuo, who threw herself over to him completely, really has an eye for the right bets. Now that Lu Yao returns in triumph, she is the one who has gained the most," Bai Duo said.
"Indeed." Bo Hong couldn't help but sneakily glance at Gu Zhenxiao and noticed his expression darkening further.
This was the woman he had set his sights on. Now, not only was she gone, but he had to bow to a youngster who had cuckolded him. Just thinking about it was excruciating.
"By the way," Bo Hong whispered to Gu Zhenxiao, "did Cao Sheng send his sister to the mortal realm? Has she returned?"
"It's her first time receiving incense offerings, how could it be so quick?" Gu Zhenxiao shook his head.
Bo Hong frowned slightly, saying, "I remember when the Nine Thunders Sovereign forcefully ordered Cao Shuo to receive the offerings, Lu Yao wasn't as influential as he is now. Now that he returns in full glory, if he finds out the Nine Thunders Sovereign pressured Cao Shuo, could that be problematic? Should we bring Cao Shuo back?"
"Bring her back? No need. When Lu Yao returns, the Nine Thunders Sovereign should explain everything clearly. Cao Shuo isn’t in any danger, Lu Yao doesn’t need to rush," Gu Zhenxiao replied.
Bo Hong expressed his concern, "This young man's ambition reaches the skies; I fear he won't like it if his woman was forced into doing something against her will. This could strain his relationship with the Nine Thunders Sovereign."
"That won’t happen!" Gu Zhenxiao became serious, "This young man has come far, he surely understands the significance of incense offerings to the Celestial Court. A dignified Rank 4 Heavenly Officer not receiving offerings? That’s preposterous. The Nine Thunders Sovereign isn’t coercing Cao Shuo; he’s helping her!"
Bai Duo nodded and added, "Indeed. Incense offerings are the greatest honor of the Celestial Court. Anyone who shirks them stands against the entire Great Dao Celestial Realm."
Bo Hong sorted through his thoughts and smiled, "You're right, and besides, Lu Yao just ascended to the Rank 4; maybe he’ll be receiving offerings in a few days himself."
"Hmm..." Gu Zhenxiao looked out over the boiling Thunder Department, and solemnly added, "The issue of beliefs is the most severe in the cultivation world. If anyone dares to defy the heavens and refuse the offerings, no matter how talented, even if they are a Rank 1 Sovereign, they will not be forgiven!"
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