The Han Imperial Dynasty:
Gu Hai had been away from Borderless Heavenly Capital for almost a year, and most officials assumed he was in seclusion. Only a select few knew that Gu Hai had left on important business.
During his absence, significant events unfolded on the Divine Continent, casting a shadow over the Han Imperial Dynasty.
Outside the Hall of Great Strength, Chen Xianer, Gu Qin, and other important officials waited nervously, pacing back and forth as anxiety consumed them.
Creak!
Suddenly, the Hall of Great Strength’s doors flew open, and all eyes turned towards Vairocana, who emerged.
“Vairocana, how are Shangguan Hen, Ao Sheng, and Gu Han?” Chen Xianer asked anxiously.
“Amitābha,” Vairocana answered with gravity. “They have survived the most critical moment. They will fully recover with some time.”
Everyone outside the hall breathed a sigh of relief at this news. However, a shadow of worry still loomed in the hearts of Meng Tai, Gao Xianzhi, Gu Qin, and Chen Tianshan.
Shangguan Hen and Gu Han, both consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm experts, were seriously injured, reflecting the severe crisis they had experienced.
“Empress Chen, I will heal Shangguan Hen and the others,” Vairocana reassured. “But what about the invaders outside Borderless Heavenly Capital?”
“Those who dared to intrude upon Borderless Heavenly Capital have already met their end by my poison,” replied Empress Chen fiercely. “Unless Ji Dihong brings a large army, no one will get in!”
Vairocana furrowed his brow. “Empress Chen is impressive, but there are spies in Borderless Heavenly Capital.”
“Rest easy, Vairocana. The Embroidered Uniform Guard has already placed the entire city on high alert and started a thorough investigation to root out all spies,” Meng Tai swiftly assured Vairocana.
Vairocana nodded in response.
“The Huang Heavenly Dynasty is currently thriving. Too much has happened over the past year. I only hope that Mister Gu will return soon,” Vairocana sighed.
Everyone nodded.
Only Chen Xianer felt a pang of anxiety.
This was because the Yellow Springs Road was severed during the great battle between the Six Paths Immortal and Essence Genesis, which had shattered the flawed immortal firmament. This meant Empress Chen could no longer sense Gu Hai.
At first, she was horrified but did not dare to confide in anyone. She bore this fear alone, clinging to the belief that her husband would return safe and sound. But after a good part of a year passed, her fears escalated. What if...what if something happened to him?
A dense fog shrouded the outskirts of Borderless Heavenly Capital. Some black-robed figures gathered on a distant mountain peak beyond this fog.
“Milord, we’ve lost too many people trying to infiltrate Borderless Heavenly Capital,” one of the black-robed figures complained. “What do we do now?”
The black-robed leader asked sullenly, “Are you saying no one has gotten out, and we know nothing about the situation there?”
One subordinate shook his head. “How could they? The surrounding fog is toxic. Not even a consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm expert can survive it. Who would dare to enter or leave?”
“Don’t worry,” the black-robed leader reassured. “His Holy Eminence will soon free himself up to destroy Borderless Heavenly Capital. Also, I’ve heard that the Heavenly Demon Holy Land’s Number Four will arrive soon.”
“Number Four? That demon?” The group of black-robed figures trembled involuntarily.
“Yes, with Gu Hai’s absence despite the severe losses the Han Imperial Dynasty has suffered, something unfortunate has likely befallen him,” the black-robed leader sneered. “The blessings are gone, the emperor has fallen, and the Han Nation has become a thing of the past.”
“Indeed. The blessings are gone. Gu Hai must have died long ago!” the group of black-robed figures immediately agreed, nodding.
Just as they were mocking Borderless Heavenly Capital, Gu Hai and his entourage returned to the Six Paths Immortal Firmament from the void, entering the nether realm’s Yellow Springs Sea.
Rumble…!
A sudden thunderous sound echoed throughout Borderless Heavenly Capital’s skies.
A golden light flashed into being out of nowhere in the clear sky. Blessings poured in from all directions, heading straight for Borderless Heavenly Capital. These blessings were boundless, forming a churning blessings sea that manifested a gigantic golden dragon stretching twenty thousand kilometers.
“Roar!”
The golden dragon roared, and its roar reached every corner of the Han Imperial Dynasty, shaking the ground and silencing all other sounds.
The group of black-robed figures outside Borderless Heavenly Capital suddenly froze.
Just moments ago, they were discussing the scattering of the Han Imperial Dynasty’s blessings and the death of its emperor, but now, the blessings returned. How could that be?
“Mi…Milord, the blessings of the Han Imperial Dynasty have returned. Gu Hai…Gu Hai has come back?” a subordinate said in a daze.
“Let’s go. Leave Borderless Heavenly Capital immediately!” The black-robed leader turned hastily and shot off into the distance.
Borderless Heavenly Capital was already a terrifying place without Gu Hai. Now that he had returned, his inevitable revenge would be boundless. The first thing he would do would be to sweep away all the troublemakers in the surroundings.
The black-robed figures immediately fled. All the spies from the various places also left quickly to avoid getting hunted down without mercy.
After close to a year, Gu Hai appeared again?
Everyone looked up to see the surging blessings form a gigantic golden dragon above Borderless Heavenly Capital. Their eyes reddened at the sight.
“Father is coming back!” Gu Qin exclaimed in excitement.
“The blessings have returned. Everything will be fine!” Mo Yike exhaled quietly.
“Adversity leads to prosperity!” Vairocana chuckled.
However, Chen Xianer found tears welling up in her eyes. “Little Qin, take charge here,” she said before her figure flickered and vanished.
She returned to her quarters, not wanting anyone to see her tears. She had been worried for so long, but finally, there was good news.
“Husband, you are alive. This is wonderful! Xianer was so afraid…so afraid we would be separated by death again!” Chen Xianer cried out, her laughter just as loud. She wept with joy.
The nether realm’s extreme north, Yellow Springs Sea:
Gu Hai’s group returned.
Lifespan Dongfang had used the Yellow Springs Weak Water Formation to trap Houqing, rendering Houqing extremely weak.
Once in the Six Paths Immortal Firmament, Gu Hai ordered Kong Xuan to apprehend Lifespan Dongfang.
Kong Xuan immediately took off to fulfill the order, with the Mosquito Daoist and Long Shenying close behind. Oddly enough, the Unborn Man, who usually held back, also took action, following them.
The Yellow Springs Sea spanned millions of kilometers, its vastness beyond comprehension. At that moment, its yellow waves surged high into the sky. Below, a group stood atop what appeared to be an island.
Most were ghost kings of the nether realm, grimacing at the eighteen towering Yellow Springs pillars stretching towards outer space. These pillars had previously entered the void. With the destruction of the void’s Yellow Springs Weak Water Ritual Array, they collapsed.
Two figures stood before the ghost kings: a thin, elderly man in a black robe and a childlike figure in a white robe.
“Lifespan Dongfang, something went wrong. Isn’t that Kong Xuan?” asked the thin, elderly man in the black robe, his voice trembling with worry.
“Why the fear, Lifespan Chunshen? This is the Yellow Springs Sea. So what if that’s Kong Xuan? You’re now aligned with the Heavenly Demon Holy Land. You weren’t this timid when you asked for my help,” the white-robed Lifespan Dongfang sneered.
“How is that different? I thought that Jiang Lianshan’s ritual array was powerful, but wasn’t it broken in an instant? Kong Xuan is at the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm’s ninth layer. Our cultivations are far apart,” Lifespan Chunshen fretted.
“What’s there to worry about? This is the Yellow Springs Sea. Even if he’s at the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm, so what?” Lifespan Dongfang retorted coldly.
Boom!
With a wave of Lifespan Dongfang’s hand, an immense fog billowed from the Yellow Springs Sea. It instantly surged out, shrouding everything in its path.
Coo! Kong Xuan let out a harsh cry as he entered the yellow mist, seemingly lost within.
“This is an impressive ritual array. Lifespan Dongfang, can you fully control this ritual array?” Lifespan Chunshen asked in surprise.
“Didn’t you seek me out to use this ritual array? Indeed, I came here with Jiang Lianshan to set up the array. I understand some parts of it. However, you know Jiang Lianshan; he didn’t tell me everything. I only know about one-tenth of this array. The other ninety percent is unknown to me. But even this one-tenth is enough to deal with Kong Xuan and his group,” Lifespan Dongfang sneered.
“Why?” Lifespan Chunshen asked, puzzled.
“Do you know how Jiang Lianshan acquired so many shaman race secret techniques and the Divine Dao Shaman Canon?” Lifespan Dongfang asked gravely.
“Oh?”
“It’s because of a shaman race remnant. Legend has it that during the final battle between the shamans and animal spirits, Jiangchen suddenly turned against his own people, nearly wiping out the entire shaman race. It seemed the shaman race sensed Jiangchen’s intentions, so the various lines of inheritance gathered their secret techniques and sent the first elder fleeing with the shaman race techniques. That first elder managed to elude Jiangchen’s surveillance. After several reincarnations, he finally encountered Jiang Lianshan, who recruited him. The elder handed over all the secret techniques of the shaman race, hoping to revive the glory of their race. This place is where the elder ultimately settled, and here, they set up a mysterious ritual array to assist Jiang Lianshan in his plot to kill the Six Paths Immortal. The Yellow Springs Weak Water Formation we encountered earlier is one part of that ritual array!” Lifespan Dongfang explained solemnly.
“What about that first elder?” Lifespan Chunshen asked out of curiosity.
“Jiang Lianshan killed him,” Lifespan Dongfang replied gravely.
“Why?” Lifespan Chunshen exclaimed in shock.
“That elder seemed to have lost his mind; he drowned Jiang Lianshan’s youngest daughter, Nuwa!” Lifespan Dongfang recalled.
“Do you mean Jingwei? The shaman race’s first elder drowned Jingwei?” Lifespan Chunshen asked in surprise.
“Yes, Jingwei is now just a soul body, currently residing within Lin Waner, right? Also, that Lin Waner seems to be Gu Hai’s woman. They’re bound to clash sooner or later!” Lifespan Dongfang sneered.
“But if Nuwa drowned and her spirit became Jingwei, what happened to Nuwa’s body? Couldn’t they just find the body and reattach the spiritual souls?” Lifespan Chunshen asked in confusion.
“I don’t know. Nuwa’s body sank into the ocean and was never seen again. The fish probably ate it!” Lifespan Dongfang replied solemnly.
“Why would that first elder want to drown Jingwei?”
“Who knows? All I know is Jiang Lianshan was furious and made that elder pay with his life!” Lifespan Dongfang retorted coldly.
“Follow my lead, enter the ritual array, and find Gu Hai as soon as possible. We need to annihilate him quickly!” Lifespan Dongfang instructed the group of ghost kings behind him.
“Us?”
“Don’t worry. This Yellow Springs Weak Water Ritual Array contains a weak water poison. They won’t last long!” Lifespan Dongfang sneered.
“They can’t escape from this fog?” Lifespan Chunshen chuckled.
“Correct, they won’t be able to break through this Yellow Springs fog!” Lifespan Dongfang laughed coldly.
Whoosh!
However, just as Lifespan Dongfang laughed, black winds suddenly blew from all directions. The endless yellow fog was swept into a gaping mouth with a rumble.
Rumble…!
The yellow fog disappeared in the blink of an eye, swallowed by Kong Xuan in the distance. Kong Xuan hovered in midair, staring coldly at Lifespan Dongfang and Lifespan Chunshen on the island.
“What? Impossible. How could he…?” Lifespan Dongfang exclaimed in surprise.
“Lifespan Dongfang, Lifespan Chunshen, surrender now!” Kong Xuan bellowed, his eyes narrowed.
