Chapter 218 Attacking the Heavenly Palace

Beyond the insect fog, the sky was orange-yellow, the air was hazy, and numerous demonic beasts lined up in formation and approached the Heavenly Palace.

The leader, Qinggan, was clad in full armor, wielding a spiky bronze hammer, and riding a long-beaked bird with a reddish body. He looked solemnly toward the Heavenly Palace.

Something's not right!

Qinggan slightly exerted force with her legs and stopped the long-beaked bird. The siren behind her also stopped one after another.

"Father! Why did you stop?" Qingju asked, riding on a black goose up behind Qinggan.

"It's too quiet!" Qinggan said in a low voice, looking warily at the empty sky ahead. "It's been too smooth for us, with no one stopping us along the way!"

Qinggan also looked ahead and replied, "Father! Since there's no one blocking our way, why don't we speed up and catch them off guard?!"

"We must not act rashly!" Qinggan said sternly. "Su Yuyao has trapped Chaoxi-jun and Ruixin-jun. We must be careful and prevent any further accidents!"

"Father! You don't need to be so timid. Su Yuyao only gained control of Snow Mountain because of Lord Xuanfeng's favor. She was a mountain tyrant for a few days and flaunted her power a few times because she gave birth to the Heavenly Lord's child. What deep-seated plans could she possibly have?! As for Lord Chaoxi and Lord Ruixin, they can only blame themselves for being too trusting of the enemy's surrender, which is why they fell into Su Yuyao's trap!" Qingju pointed in the direction of the Heavenly Palace and continued, "Lord Zeyuan has already begun his actions. If we don't get a share of the spoils in time, we will definitely be kicked out of the game! Don't forget, the four northern cities have been washed away by the glaciers, and the melted ice water has already backfired on Yiguo Garden. Grandfather was killed by Lord Xianming, but Lord Xianming is being protected by the Empress Yimu in the Yinmu Palace, and there has been no explanation to this day! Grandmother fell ill because of this, and the concubine who was once so fond of you abandoned her foolish son and disappeared. If it weren't for my mother taking care of her, Grandmother would probably have passed away long ago!"

"Shut up! Don't talk nonsense!" Qinggan shouted angrily, her eyes red.

"Father, I hope what I just said was all nonsense!" Qingju said indignantly. "Our home is about to be gone! What are you still hesitating about?!"

“Qingju, you’re right, but we need to stay calm, especially when things get really tough! Even if Lord Xuanfeng’s forces are weak, they won’t be completely unprepared!” Qinggan pointed to the orange-yellow light of the sky and said, “As we’ve come this far, the light of the sky has been changing. At our current distance, we should have seen the Qi shadow of the Heavenly Palace long ago. But look at us now, all we can see is empty air.”

Qingju finally calmed down and began to carefully examine her surroundings. It was indeed too strange; no matter which way she looked, she saw the same orange-yellow light, neither light nor dark, without any distinction between light and dark shades.

Qingju drew a broadsword from his waist, gathered his inner energy, and slashed it horizontally.

Buzz—!

The orange-yellow sunlight was like a piece of silk being torn open, revealing a group of soldiers holding various weapons!

As Qingju watched the crack grow larger and larger, a dark wall of people gradually came into view.

Qinggan was shocked! He quickly raised the bronze hammer and rode the long-beaked bird to shield Qingju behind him.

The crowd surged, creating a passageway through which a tall and dashing figure could be faintly seen.

"You've grown quite a bit in just a few days!"

The familiar voice sent a shiver down Qinggan's spine, "Su Yuyao?!"

The figure gradually became clear! A high ponytail swayed with her body, a red hair ribbon wrapped around her black hair, and a glossy black, tight-fitting robe with bound sleeves revealed her full figure. A scabbard exuding blood energy was attached to a blood-red belt, while a crescent-shaped blade was held horizontally in her slender hand, flashing with a chilling light, ready to strike!

Su Yuyao leaped out of the human wall, hovering in the air, looking down at Qinggan and Qingju, and said coldly, "Long time no see, Lord Qinggan!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the orange light vanished like a curtain, and eight human walls formed a semicircle in the clear sky, encircling Qinggan's army of demonic beasts! Behind the semicircular human walls was a massive, sky-covering fog of insects, densely packed, their cries piercing the heart!

Looking at the human wall and the insect fog in front of him, Qinggan felt a little uneasy. He held the bronze hammer to his chest and whispered to Qingju, "Qingju, the situation is not good. Find a chance to escape quickly! Take care of Grandma, your mother, and Qinglu!"

Qingju sensed something was amiss and was about to speak when she felt a surge of energy, causing the wild goose beneath her to tumble backward. By the time she regained her footing, Qingju had already led the demon beasts into the human wall!

"Father!" Qingju stared in shock at the beast's severed limbs falling from the sky, tears welling in her eyes as she gripped the knife tightly in her hand. "What... should I do?"

Hidden among the human wall, Su Yuyao looked at the helpless Qingju through the blood-red weapons. Back then, she had accidentally broken his head in order to get equal treatment, but now he had to swallow the bitter fruit sown by his father.

"Yao'er!" Qi Meng stopped the old white car beside Su Yuyao and said earnestly, "Qingju is not inherently bad; she is mostly influenced by Qinggan. Moreover, Yiguo Garden has suffered severe damage and may never recover to its former state, so this child is a bit anxious..."

“Immortal Master,” Su Yuyao interrupted Qi Meng, “from the snow mountain to the Heavenly Palace, from the planning to the closing of the net, I have long lost count of how many people I have killed, how many sects and demonic beasts I have destroyed. To achieve my goal, I will not be soft-hearted. Just like back then, did they ever think of letting me go? My survival was only due to their weighing of the pros and cons! Now, I want to live for myself!”

"But Yao'er, Qingju and Qinglv are your fellow disciples, and besides, they are innocent in this matter..."

Su Yuyao raised her crescent blade and pointed it at Qingju, asking, "Immortal Master, if they are innocent, then who have I offended? I understand the affection my senior brothers have for their disciples, so I didn't let them stand beside me, nor did I stop them from hiding the enemy's child!"

As they were talking, a white light suddenly appeared in the sky, and Feng Zhan flapped his wings and steadily caught Su Yuyao.

Su Yuyao knelt on Feng Zhan's back, holding the crescent blade horizontally in front of her chest, and said to Qi Meng, "If Qingju had hidden in the academy of Yinlu Mountain like Qinglu, I could have turned a blind eye and let him go! But he has taken up arms and become my enemy, so how can I be merciful?!" After Su Yuyao finished speaking, she rode Feng Zhan through the wall of people and headed straight for Qingju!

Qi Meng patted Lao Bai's neck and sighed, "Lao Bai, we've done our best! Everyone has their own fate! We should do what we should do now!"

The cry of a crane arose, and Lao Bai flapped his wings, soaring high into the air, leading Qi Meng into the ranks of the demon beasts!

As Qingju hesitated with tears in his eyes, a cold light suddenly slashed towards him. He quickly ducked to avoid it, but unexpectedly, after the cold light, a sharp claw pounced on Qingju's head and tightly gripped the top of his hair!

Qingju immediately flipped her wrist and swung her knife at the sharp claws above her head. Strands of hair scattered as the claws caught the severed hairs and swirled upwards. Qingju finally had a chance to escape and rode her wild goose to a distance.

Su Yuyao looked at the unevenly furred Qingju and said with amusement, "Qingju, how come you're still so clumsy? You can't even protect your own head!"

Qingju looked at Su Yuyao with both resentment and fear, gritting her teeth and cursing, "Su Yuyao! You witch! Not only have you poisoned living beings and stirred up the world, but you have also caused endless turmoil in the Heavenly Palace! You have turned my orchard into a muddy wasteland, and now my family is homeless! And you still put on the act of a savior, ugh! You have no shame!"

"You're so long-winded!" Su Yuyao said impatiently. "If your father, Qinggan, hadn't been my enemy, how could you have ended up like this? Blame your father!"

With that, Su Yuyao leaped up and swung her crescent blade at Qingju!

Qingju raised her sword to defend herself, but she was no match for Su Yuyao. The immense Qi power pressed Qingju down, making it impossible for her to lift her head. The wild goose, carrying Qingju, circled down, dissipating the impact of the Qi power, and looked for an opportunity to break free from Su Yuyao's suppression. But Su Yuyao showed no sign of letting up, continuing to press forward relentlessly!

Clang! Tiny fragments sprang from the blade of the green orange! The crisp cracking sound, from soft to loud and from slow to fast, quickly spread throughout the entire blade!

Crack! The hilt of the knife in Qingju's hand suddenly split open!

Su Yuyao curled her lips into a smile, her eyes widening slightly. With a clang, Qingju's knife shattered into pieces. Su Yuyao flipped her wrist, aiming the blade at Dayan's neck and slashing fiercely!

A buzzing sound arose! A huge crescent-shaped energy field appeared in the air, and the wild goose immediately lost its strength and fell down! Without the support of the wild goose, the green orange tumbled several times in the air before it regained its balance.

Su Yuyao sheathed her crescent blade, opened her palm and released a wisp of spider silk Qi, which suddenly expanded into a dense spider silk net, covering Qingju!

Seeing this, Qinggan quickly changed direction and threw the bronze hammer, which spun and smashed towards Su Yuyao with a sharp Qi wind. Feng Zhan flapped its wings fiercely to meet the bronze hammer, but it did not disperse the Qi wind of the bronze hammer, so it used its body to meet it.

A white feather drifted down before Su Yuyao's eyes—a phoenix spreading its wings?!

Su Yuyao hurriedly turned around and saw that Feng Zhan's wings had been ground into sparks by the bronze hammer!

Su Yuyao was instantly enraged, her red eyes flashed, she leaped into the air, and drew her sword to slash at the bronze hammer!

Metal clashed, sparks flew, and the bronze hammer suddenly stopped spinning, holding onto Su Yuyao's blade and refusing to yield an inch!

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Qinggan swooped down on his long-beaked bird, grabbed Qingju by the collar, and rescued Qingju from the spider web!

Su Yuyao intensified her Qi, and another crescent moon exploded in the air, a wisp of green smoke rising faintly from the bronze hammer. With a flick of her wrist, Su Yuyao slashed horizontally at the bronze hammer. The bronze hammer instantly lost its Qi and flipped, smashing towards the green tangerine!

Qinggan lifted Qingju onto the long-beaked bird's back and whispered, "Qingju, be good! Go find Master Gongmeng, saving your life is the most important thing!"

After saying that, he patted the long-beaked bird's neck, turned around, channeled his energy, and stepped into the air, catching the bronze hammer. He hovered in front of Su Yuyao, saying, "Su Yuyao! If you have any grudges, come at me!"

Su Yuyao watched the long-beaked bird fly away behind Qinggan, but she didn't rush to chase after it. Instead, she picked up a white bird feather from the air, held it gently in her hand, and said slowly, "Enmity? How come I don't know about any enmity between us? What did you do to cause an enmity between us?"

Qinggan gripped the bronze hammer, which Su Yuyao had whittled until it was smoking, and said angrily, "I have no grudge against you. It is you who have offended me time and time again. You have gone too far!"

"Oh? I offended you?" Su Yuyao suddenly released her Qi field, igniting Qi flames that turned the bird feather in her palm into dust. She laughed and said, "Since that's what you think, then let me ask you, does your use of the passageway to secretly leak the spiritual Qi of the Immortal Mountain count as a reason for me to offend you?"

"What?!" Qinggan looked at Su Yuyao in surprise.

"Furthermore, you occupy the four small peaks of the snow mountain branch and use the Sishui Pool as a passageway. Doesn't that count as a reason for me to offend you?"

Qinggan's eyes gradually widened.

"I once used the passage to cut off the fins of the thorny fish, and you can also use the passage to transport people and horses. Does that... count as a reason for me to offend you?"

The green tangerine's pupils slowly dilated.

Su Yuyao continued casually, "What a pity, I've discovered the secret of the Sishui Pool. The Sishui Pool has lost its function as a passageway and has been completely taken over by Xuanfeng! Lord Qinggan, your plan has utterly failed!"

The green tangerine's pupils trembled slightly.

Su Yuyao curled her lips and stared at Qinggan with a wicked look in her red eyes. "You only managed the Immortal Mountain for Xuanfeng for a few days, yet you dared to dream of taking it over for yourself. You openly opposed Xuanfeng, so you should have expected this day to come!"

"Why?" Qinggan gripped the bronze hammer tightly, suddenly releasing her Qi field. The deep green Qi flames reflected on Qinggan's increasingly ferocious face. "How am I inferior to Xuanfeng?! While he was away from the Immortal Mountain, I managed it perfectly and never held him back! He handed over the Wuji Dao Sect, and now he wants to discard me after using me?! That's unfair!"

“Fairness?” Su Yuyao sneered, “There is no absolute fairness in this world, yet you are so foolish as to pursue so-called fairness?! Your status and Xuanfeng’s are different from those of the original. Xuanfeng is the eldest son of the Fairy Queen Yi Mu, while you are just a relative of the emperor! From this point of view, you will never be able to compare with him!”

With her nostrils twitching, Qinggan raised a hammer and smashed it at Su Yuyao, roaring, "I'm a relative of the imperial family, so what are you then!"

Su Yuyao held the crescent-shaped blade horizontally against the bronze hammer, her aura blazing as she slowly and deliberately spoke, word by word, "I will be your Mother of Limitless Power!"

"W-What?!" The orange-brown face began to twitch uncontrollably. "The...Mother of Limitless?!"

Su Yuyao raised an eyebrow and said teasingly, "Shh! It's not time yet!"

"Su Yuyao! You want to become the Mother of Wuji by using underhanded means?! Dream on!" Qinggan roared, trembling with rage.

"Am I dreaming?" Su Yuyao's crimson eyes blazed with fiery red energy as she lunged at Qinggan's face. "It's your dream, time to wake up!"

Boom! The Qi field burst into flames!

The bronze hammer exploded with energy and gradually expanded, its spikes suddenly shooting out towards Su Yuyao! Su Yuyao quickly rotated her wrist, and a full moon-shaped shield instantly appeared, blocking the oncoming spikes!

Qinggan's cultivation was more than a thousand years older than Su Yuyao's, but it was still no match for Su Yuyao's acquired Qi field! After several rounds, Su Yuyao did not suffer any losses, but Qinggan gradually became powerless!

Qi Meng's sword never stopped, and the severed fragments of demonic beasts fell like autumn leaves. He glanced sideways at Su Yuyao, a slight tremor running through him. Was Yao'er's aura truly so powerful? Could it really be as she said, destined to become the Mother of Limitless?! Could this child withstand it?

...

Meng Yu led Tang Xian'er's team to quietly approach Nevernight Lodge and lay in ambush in the bushes.

He gazed at the chaotic sky, pondering: If his senior uncle and the flying eagle were leading the way, and the immortal master and Old Bai were bringing up the rear, where would Xiao Shi be? Where would the wolf clan be? If Tang Xian'er was with him, where did the troops she mobilized come from? Was it Lei Ming? Or Lu Chang? How exactly did Xiao Shi arrange her troops? What was the situation inside the Heavenly Palace?

He closed his eyes slightly, and a black vortex slowly appeared in his mind. The vortex spun slowly and then quickly, and in the blink of an eye, Meng Yu entered the center of the vortex.

Meng Yu released her Qi to probe the black Qi vortex, but alas! She still couldn't find a single one of the previously planted Black Sharingan! Had they been discovered? Even if they had, who could destroy the Black Sharingan? After all, the Black Sharingan was made of channels, and ordinary people simply couldn't... Heh, unless she wasn't an ordinary person...

Meng Yu slowly opened his eyes, gave a bitter smile, and said, "Xiao Shi! It seems you already knew. So, is helping you now avenge myself or helping the enemy eliminate dissidents?"

"Young Master Meng Yu! The ambush is complete!" A errand boy approached and asked in a low voice, "However, if we approach too soon, won't it ruin Miss Yao'er's plans?"

"Planning?" Meng Yu slowly curled the corners of his mouth, his eyes gradually radiating a black aura...

...

Inside Tianyi Hall, Xuanmiao's crying did not stop despite Renshen's comforting words. She held up her small hand, which had been reddened by Xuanfeng's Qi power, and kept crying out, "Mother—! Mother—!"

puff!

A white bird feather flashed before Ren Shen's eyes. Ren Shen's eyes lit up, and he reached out to catch the feather, handing it to Xuan Miao. "Miao'er, your mother has sent a message!"

Xuanmiao looked at the bird feathers, her sobs subsided, and she choked out, "Miao...I...I have no bones...my hand...it hurts..."

Ren Shen placed the bird feather in Xuan Miao's small hand, gently squeezed it, and said softly, "Miao'er has done very well. The rest will be done by Agan."

Xuanmiao nodded with tears in her eyes, then turned to look at Xuanfeng, whose face was pale, and said in a childish voice, "Daddy, Mother told you to do it!"

Xuanfeng ground his molars and glared at Renshen. "You bastard Renshen! You've managed to coax me so easily, how can I let you live?!"

Although Ren Shen avoided Xuan Feng's gaze, he could still sense Xuan Feng's murderous intent towards him, so he lowered his head and said, "Lord Xuan Feng, Miss Yao'er is about to attack. We should prioritize the overall situation. We can talk about other things later."

"Alright! We'll talk about it later!" Xuanfeng suppressed his anger and stood up, shouting at Guiyue, "Guiyue! Watch the child!"

"Yes!" Guiyue saw Xuanfeng's angry look and didn't dare to delay. She quickly took Xuanmiao from Renshen's arms.

Mother Yi breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that as long as Su Yuyao broke through, everything she had would be safe. She stroked Xuanmiao's small red hand, smoothed the white feathers in it, and said with a smile, "Xuanfeng, you should go quickly, don't mess up your cooperation with Yao'er! I'll watch over Miao'er for you!"

Xuanfeng spread his palm, releasing a burst of Qi that transformed into a green Qi shield that enveloped Jinyu. Countless thin vines extended from within the shield, binding Jinyu's hands and feet. A tuft of vines tightly wrapped around Jinyu's neck, whose face was filled with terror. "Your Majesty, I'll also watch over your daughter!" With that, he released the Cicada Feather Sword, leaped into the air, and broke through the shield. The shield flashed with a layer of green light, then became covered by a layer of gray Qi shield.

Xuanfeng glanced at the gray Qi shield, then turned to look at Renshen, who had leaped up with him.

Ren Shen bowed slightly and said, "This humble servant promised Miss Yao'er that I would protect Miao'er."

Xuan Feng's eye twitched, and his Cicada Feather Sword hummed. He gritted his teeth, swallowed hard, and said, "You, stay here!"

Renshen paused for a moment, then bowed and replied, "Yes!"

With a cold face, Xuanfeng picked up the Cicada Feather Sword and flew into the insect mist!

Seeing Xuanfeng about to rush out, Hongzhu hurriedly released her fluffy tail to block him! Xuanfeng flipped his wrist to sheath his sword and pushed the tail away with a palm strike of Qi. He had just stabbed the tail, which had released an infant; he couldn't fall for that trick again!

Seeing this, Ze Yuan anxiously shouted to Bi Fang, "Bi Fang! Quickly set a fire to help me!"

Bi Fang frantically tried to release his Qi field, but still couldn't. He could only stand there in a panic, helplessly looking at Ze Yuan and shaking his head.

Xuanfeng frowned and glanced at the uneasy Bifang. He sighed softly. Bifang was about the same age as the girl, but he didn't have her courage and intelligence. No wonder he was being used without realizing it!

Seeing that Xuanfeng was about to charge into the insect fog, Zeyuan hurriedly increased his Qi field to prepare for a counterattack, only to find that the swarm of insects around him no longer surrounded him, but instead retreated rapidly. Zeyuan finally got a chance to catch his breath and retreated towards Tianyi Palace! He staggered a few steps before barely managing to steady himself.

Hongzhu quickly stepped forward to help Zeyuan steady himself, and whispered, "Lord Zeyuan! Xuanmiao has appeared, and Su Yuyao probably won't be far behind! Now we can only use the last resort!"

Ze Yuan, panting heavily, looked at his palm, which was locked by the silver shuttle, and said, "I can only draw Qi directly from my Qi Sea. If I try to draw in seawater, I'm afraid I won't be able to control it!"

“Lord Zeyuan! What are you afraid of! Don’t forget, we still have Lord Ruixin’s military power and Princess Bifang’s Flame Army!” Hongzhu held Zeyuan’s arm and whispered in his ear, “My lord, you still have a son. You gave birth to the Heavenly Palace’s eldest grandson. The Heavenly Palace should rightfully be yours!”

“The Heavenly Palace…” A wisp of black mist flashed in Ze Yuan’s eyes. “That’s right. I am the Daoist Heavenly Lord, and I have a successor. I am the eldest grandson of the Heavenly Palace, so the Heavenly Palace should… be mine!”

Hongzhu watched as Zeyuan was gradually controlled by his inner demons, a satisfied smile playing on her lips as she retreated behind him. "The Heavenly Palace will soon be yours! Why don't you hurry up and make your move?!"

“Yes… it’s time to make a move…” Ze Yuan’s eyes were slowly filled with black mist, and a ferocious smirk appeared on his lips…