The Celestial Emperor's decree descends
The suffocating signs of chaos returning to nothingness in the world finally subsided slowly.
The raging turbulence of laws subsided, and the shattered void gradually mended itself.
Fang Qingyu stood there, like a stone statue that had been dried out in an instant.
His once jet-black temples turned frosty white in an instant, and his once straight spine became slightly hunched.
He took a deep breath, strode towards the chaotic glass heart that was suspended in mid-air, its light dim and covered with cracks.
That was his daughter's last possession.
He reached out his trembling hands and carefully lifted the still slightly warm glass heart.
Then, they took out a treasure box.
The treasure box, crafted from ten-thousand-year-old divine jade and inlaid with rare chaotic crystals, was one of the clan's treasure boxes passed down through generations in Li Yuan, originally used to nurture the most precious inheritance. Now, it had become the coffin where his daughter was placed.
“Li’er…” his voice was hoarse, “…is home.”
The treasure box slowly closed, blocking out the last glimmer of light.
Ye Wuyang, Shen Yunzhou, Ji Qianqiu, and Xie Chen, supporting each other or carried by their clansmen, silently guarded Fang Qingyu, bearing their heavy injuries and boundless grief.
Their eyes were empty, they were nothing but walking corpses, escorting the treasure box and embarking on their journey back to Li Yuan.
The Liyuan Secret Realm, once a fairyland brimming with spiritual energy, has now been transformed into a pristine white landscape.
White curtains hung over the eaves of the palace, and mournful, low music echoed in every corner of the secret realm.
Yun Zhiruo sat in the Liuli Pavilion, gazing at the withered flowers and trees outside the window. Her eyes were empty, her tears long since dried, leaving only numb despair.
Fang Yan sat on the threshold of the ancestral hall, holding the old robe adorned with stars that Fang Li loved to wear when she was little. His eyes were vacant, as if he had lost his soul, and he unconsciously murmured "sister".
Inside the family ancestral hall, in the very center, the natal soul lamp representing Fang Li's life imprint, its flame already flickering due to the previous severe injury, was now reduced to a tiny, barely burning ember, clinging to life within the lamp.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the flickering flame that could go out at any moment, clinging to a last sliver of humble hope.
Perhaps... perhaps a miracle will happen...
"Smack—"
A crisp sound rang out in the deathly silent shrine.
The last spark flickered for a moment, then finally went out completely.
Above the lamp, only a wisp of smoke remained, rising gently and then... disappearing without a trace.
My natal soul lamp... went out.
The soft sound, falling into everyone's ears, instantly shattered the last bit of self-deceiving fantasy in everyone's hearts!
The last hope... has been completely extinguished.
The last glimmer of light in Ye Wuyang's eyes completely dimmed, and the cold sword intent around him was now as if dead, without the slightest ripple.
Shen Yunzhou closed his eyes, his clenched fists turning white at the knuckles, and the once fierce and incomparable sword energy around him was now deathly silent.
A single tear of blood silently slid down from the corner of his eye, hitting the ground and spreading into a small, glaring red patch.
Ji Qianqiu didn't roar as usual. He just silently walked to the corner, picked up his chipped battle axe, and mechanically began to grind it, stroke by stroke.
The harsh sound of the axe blade rubbing against the whetstone echoed in the silent ancestral hall, which, combined with his empty and lifeless eyes, made him seem particularly eerie.
Xie Chen stared blankly at the extinguished soul lamp. His natal compass, which he relied on to deduce the secrets of heaven and calculate the stars, had long been destroyed. At this moment, he felt that he was just like that compass, broken and shattered.
He staggered a step, muttering to himself, "All the speculations... all the attempts to uncover the secrets of heaven... in the end... all for nothing... all for nothing..." Endless exhaustion and despair almost consumed him.
The entire Li Yuan Secret Realm was shrouded in utter silence and despair.
Fang Qingyu's gaze slowly shifted from the extinguished soul lamp, sweeping over the young faces before him, which were already burdened with too much pain, and over the countless grief-stricken Li Yuan clansmen behind him.
He took a deep breath, his voice still hoarse, but it carried clearly throughout the entire secret realm:
“Li’er… used her life… to buy this glimmer of hope…” He paused, his tone filled with raging fury, “It’s not meant for us… to wallow in grief and wait to die!”
His voice suddenly rose, and his killing intent soared to the sky, shaking the entire sky of the secret realm!
"This hatred—! It's irreconcilable!!!"
The sound waves roared, making people's eardrums go numb!
"From this day forward! The Fang Clan of Liyuan will be locked in a life-or-death struggle with the Celestial Court!!!"
Yun Zhiruo suddenly stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with her husband. In this gentle mother's eyes, only murderous intent remained.
"Crush Lingxiao! An eye for an eye!"
"Crush the Heavenly Palace! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!!!"
"Avenge the young lady! Destroy the Celestial Court!!!"
The grief that had been suppressed to the extreme finally found an outlet at this moment!
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The once peaceful and idyllic realm of Liyuan has long been replaced by soaring battle intent.
Beneath the vast sky, the army of the Myriad Realms Alliance gathered, their flying boats obscuring the sun, and countless cultivators stood solemnly, their armor gleaming, their weapons like a forest.
The air was thick with a sense of desolation and tragedy. Every face bore the marks of the pain of losing loved ones, and every eye burned with the flames of revenge.
On the command platform, Fang Qingyu was dressed in black armor. His once jet-black temples were now covered in frost, but his posture remained as upright as a pine tree.
His gaze swept over the thousands of cultivators below, his voice resounding throughout the surrounding area:
"Fellow Daoists! My daughter, with her body as a pledge and her soul as a guide, has quelled the Heavenly Judgment and secured this moment of life!" His voice trembled slightly, yet suddenly rose in pitch. "This peace is not to allow the Celestial Court to linger on! Today, we shall inherit its will, crush the old fortresses of the Celestial Court, repay blood with blood, and console all the fallen heroes!"
"Crush the Celestial Court! An eye for an eye!"
A roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami erupted instantly, the sound waves shaking the heavens and the earth.
At the forefront of the formation, Ye Wuyang stood motionless like an ice peak, the newly formed Ice Glass Sword in his hand radiating a chilling aura. He raised his eyes, gazing towards the direction of the Celestial Court, his eyes filled with nothing but killing intent, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears: "...Slay them all, leave no one alive."
Shen Yunzhou brushed his fingers across the edge of the Frost Chant sword, and the sword energy soared into the sky. He then said, "The sword points to the heavens, and we shall fight to the death."
"Avenge my junior sister! Kill!" Ji Qianqiu roared, slamming his giant axe into the ground with a deafening roar. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the ground, and the powerful aura of the War God infected every warrior around him.
Xie Chen stood at the heart of the army formation. Although the Star Compass was destroyed, the starlight shimmered at his fingertips as he continued to deduce the invisible secrets of heaven. His voice was steady: "Divide the troops into three routes, combining the orthodox and unorthodox strategies, and strike straight at the heart of the enemy." His gaze swept across the illusory star map, precisely marking the route of advance and the obstacles that might be encountered.
Master Qingxuan wept tears of joy, but he replaced his whisk with the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman. Chu Yunfan, Ji Kuangshi, Mo Yun, Ling Shuang, Tie Pan, and other powerful figures from the Lower Realm Holy Mountain, the Ancient Witch Clan, and the Ascended Alliance all had firm gazes and exuded a chilling aura.
They are not only fighting for Li Yuan, but also seeking justice for the countless lives oppressed and slaughtered by the Celestial Court!
"Marching into battle!"
At Fang Qingyu's command, thousands of flying boats roared into action, and countless cultivators transformed into streaks of light, tearing through layers of void and sweeping towards the Immortal Court and Immortal Realm with overwhelming force!
Long-suppressed anger transformed into power.
The outer defenses and defensive star fortresses of the Celestial Court were repeatedly defeated and routed in the face of this hatred.
Ye Wuyang and Shen Yunzhou, like two sharp knives, charged at the forefront.
Wherever Ye Wuyang passed, the extreme cold sword intent spread, and the Immortal Court cultivators and their flying boats were instantly frozen and then turned into dust.
Shen Yunzhou's sword light was as fast as lightning. His sword intent of annihilation ignored defense and was used to strike the soul. Often, with a flash of sword light, the enemy's soul would be destroyed and he would fall silently.
Although the two did not communicate, they cooperated perfectly, one controlling and the other killing, with amazing efficiency, carving out a blood-stained vacuum zone in the Celestial Court army!
Leading his most formidable body cultivators, Ji Qianqiu disregarded any flanking tactics, opting instead for a direct, head-on charge! He wielded his giant axe, the gale-force winds tearing through the void, unstoppable. His other cultivators, equally fearless, formed a battle formation, their blood and qi linked, like a red-hot iron hammer, crushing any enemy who dared to stand in their way!
Xie Chen was stationed in the central army, and although he did not directly participate in the battle, his position was crucial.
With his exceptional deductive abilities, he constantly discerned the Celestial Court's troop movements, formations, and traps, adjusting his routes in a timely manner to avoid risks.
Master Qingxuan's hair and beard bristled, filled with grief and indignation, and he unleashed his full power without reservation.
He unleashed the Dragon-Tiger Thunder Seal, summoning divine thunder from the nine heavens. The vast lightning, like divine punishment, blasted a stubbornly resisting celestial court fortress into pieces! He roared to the sky, "Disciple... watch! Today, your master will use this magnificent thunder technique of the Heavenly Dao to... pave your way!" The old Taoist was filled with grief and rage! He had invoked the laws of the Heavenly Dao to insult the celestial court both spiritually and physically.
Their advance was unstoppable! The vast outer territories that the Celestial Court had cultivated for countless years crumbled at an alarming speed under the relentless onslaught of the troops.
The defeated remnants of the Celestial Court fled like stray dogs toward the last remaining capital, Lingxiao Heaven!
The flames of war have finally reached the heart of the Celestial Court.
Just as everyone could see the outline of Lingxiao Tiandu in the distance.
"Buzz!"
A decree from the Celestial Emperor has descended!
"Those who blaspheme the heavens... die!"
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