In the Tomb of the Ancients, Ye Lingfeng had received the inheritance of the Primordial Demonlord. Upon returning to the Dao Palace, he said that the Evil Suppression Pillar originated from that same Primordial Demonlord. That meant the Evil Suppression Pillar was to Ye Lingfeng what the Grand-Orient Sword was to Tianming. Now that the palace lord was unconscious and the dao palace was in danger and despair, Ye Lingfeng's inheritance was their only hope.
"Hurry up,” Tianming urged.
"Alright.”
They were now on top of Situ Qinghe’s lifebound beast, the Origintree Tortoise, at the front of the Decimo Dao Palace’s warriors. They had just broken through the Theocrats’ encirclement. With Bai Mo and Ye Yi defending in the back, there was no danger for the time being. Although the Origintree Tortoise was gigantic, it was actually very fast. It could cause vibrations in the earth, and when it propelled itself forward, the surrounding scenery seemed to fade a few kilometers behind it with each step.
Weisheng Yunxi still held on tightly to the Evil Suppression Pillar. It seemed removing it from her hand would require some effort. However, Ye Lingfeng remained serious and composed. When he reached out to hold the scale-covered iron rod, the Evil Suppression Pillar shook slightly. It fell from Weisheng Yunxi's hand and landed in Ye Lingfeng's.
"How is it?” Tianming asked anxiously.
"There’s a familiar feeling, but it feels fuzzy. More connection might be required,” said Ye Lingfeng.
This was still a better situation compared to the time when Tianming had obtained the Grand-Orient Sword. At the time, Tianming didn't have the inheritance of the Primordial God-Emperor and had to break in and connect with the sword for a long time. Only after encountering the sovereign was the third door on the Grand-Orient Sword opened.
"Remember to start from the heart. You can try using it,” said Tianming.
"Use it?”
"That’s right.”
The first time Tianming had resonated with the Grand-Orient Sword was during his life and death battle with Yueling Long. Relying on the Grand-Orient Sword, he killed her and opened the first door of the Grand-Orient Sword.
"I’ll give it a try.” Holding on to the Evil Suppression Pillar, Ye Lingfeng exerted all of his strength just to swing it.
"Are you used to weapons like this?” asked Tianming.
"Not quite.” Ye Lingfeng was used to daggers like the Crimsonblood Galaxy. The principle behind using a staff was completely different from that of a dagger.
"It's okay, just work harder. My sword and chain are also completely different. But weapons have something in common, that is, the will to kill the enemy. The staff is a most direct and rough weapon. Just beat them to death,” said Tianming.
Qingyu's slender knives and hidden darts were also completely different weapons, and she used them well. The weird thing was, all three of them had embarked on the path of dual weapons. Tianming used the sword and chain, Ye Lingfeng used the stick and dagger, and Li Qingyu used the blade and hidden weapons.
But whether Ye Lingfeng could master the Evil Suppression Pillar was still in question. Following Tianming's words, Ye Lingfeng reached out to hold the Evil Suppression Pillar, closed his eyes, and felt the lines on the surface, occasionally swinging it back and forth. If the Theocrats were to attack from the side, Ye Lingfeng would immediately head out and fight with the Evil Suppression Pillar. If this kind of heavy weapon was used to smash the enemy, they would look fine on the surface, but suffer from damaged internal organs.
"Feng, you can wield the Evil Suppression Pillar?” Although Situ Qinghe's attention was focused on the Lifespirit Formation and he wasn’t looking at Ye Lingfeng, he knew what they were doing.
He was obviously shocked.
"Is that strange?” asked Tianming.
"The Evil Suppression Pillar can only be used by one person. In the past, no one except the palace lord could touch it. The palace lord has been cultivating beside the Evil Suppression Pillar ever since she was a child, and that’s why she could use it,” said Situ Qinghe.
"I see. Maybe it has something to do with Feng's soul,” replied Tianming.
"Well, now that we’ve come to this, what’s the harm in trying? It’s our last resort.” Situ Qinghe sighed.
The atmosphere was rather grim.
"Hall King Situ, did no one guess that Autarch Qian might still be alive?” asked Tianming.
"When we first heard of his sudden death, we had our doubts. Several of us had seen the corpse when he was buried, and he was indeed dead. I don't know what method he used to fake his death. After some time, we watched the imperial family destroying itself, hundreds of thousands dying in the civil war, and even the Divine Capital they built with their own hands was turned to ruins. By that point, we’d forgotten all about him. No one would’ve expected such cruelty from Autarch Qian! My guess is that Jiang Ling, like us, was kept in the dark. As for Dongyang Yun, judging from his performance, he probably only learned about it recently," Situ Qinghe said helplessly.
"Meng Tingyu probably knew, since she kidnapped all those people for him,” said Tianming.
"Yes, it's a pity that she’s such a fanatic who would rather die than divulge a word. I heard that Autarch Qian has a method for soulscouring cultivators in the mortal realm and can forcibly search their memories. We don’t possess such a technique. Additionally, it wouldn’t be effective on sky saints like Meng Tingyu. Therefore, it wasn’t just negligence on the palace lord’s part; all of us underestimated Autarch Qian's insidiousness!” said Situ Qinghe.
"How extreme.” Tianming, too, had fallen into his trap.
"Tianming, why don't you return to the dao palace with your sister first? This time, I’m afraid we won’t escape this calamity. If your godfather doesn’t make it, only you and Feng can fulfill our final wishes in the future. If you manage to destroy the Theocrats one day, we’ll have died without regrets!” said Situ Qinghe.
"Hall King, don't say that.” Tianming rose to his feet.
There was no way he would be a deserter. Additionally, he might not be able to run, because a great enemy had already found him.
"Weisheng Yunxi and Li Tianming are here!” the man yelled, attracting a lot of attention.
Although the Decimo Dao Palace had broken out of the Theocrats’ encirclement, the speed of a million people was hardly expeditious. Several Theocrat powerhouses circled from the side and cut to the front, just to reach Weisheng Yunxi and Tianming.
The person who spoke was a gray-robed old man. He rode on a huge, silver three-headed fiendwolf. With sharp claws and eighty stars in its eyes, this mature eighth-order empyrean beast was fierce and strong. The beast, called the Three-Headed Moondevouring Fiendwolf, was a symbol of the Ancient Greedwolf Clan. The old man was none other than Wei Ji!
As the patriarch of the Ancient Greedwolf Clan, he had a high position among Jiang Ling’s bloodline. Wei Ji used to be the West Hall King, and had stirred up a lot of trouble in the Decimo Dao Palace. As one of the Theocracy’s minions, he was at the forefront of battle. As he slaughtered the Dark Hall warriors, he searched for Tianming, who was worth thirty million saint crystals. To him, Weisheng Yunxi and Tianming weren’t human beings, but saint crystals and merit!
Upon discovering Tianming, Wei Ji grinned. At the thought of his grandson, Wei Wushang’s death, his expression turned gloomy. Shuttling through the ruins of the Divine Capital, he charged toward the Origintree Tortoise.
Lightning flashed in the sky and the rain fell violently. Before the rain could touch the Three-Headed Moondevouring Fiendwolf, it turned into steam. In the overcast sky, the majesty of the fiendwolf’s silver fur dazzled the eye.
"Tianming!” Situ Qinghe’s expression was ugly.
He was at the critical moment of the Lifespirit Formation. If he was interrupted, the Nebula Emperor Whale's transformation into a lifebound spirit would be a failure, and Weisheng Yunxi would become a complete waste. There was only one chance after the lifebound beast died. Situ Qinghe could stop Wei Ji, but the problem was he was occupied at the moment. The other seventh-level sky saint Hall Kings and Astral Kings were either engaged in battle with their opponents, or too far away at the moment. Situ Qinghe was caught in a dilemma.
"Go!” Tianming said coldly.
"What?” Situ Qinghe stared with eyes widened.
"Take the palace lord back to the Dao Palace. I'll stop Wei Ji. Don't worry, Hall King, it won’t be that easy for him to kill me!” roared Tianming.
Situ Qinghe's eyes were bloodshot. He had no other choice.
"You must live! You must!” He said through gritted teeth.
"Hall King, wait for me to return with Wei Ji's head!” Tianming said, his eyes fiery.
He wasn’t sure what his odds of victory were. All he knew was the flames that swept through his entire being. He was filled with energy and fighting spirit. Who cared who his opponent was? He would kill anyone who wanted to hurt Weisheng Yunxi!
Before Situ Qinghe could reply, Tianming had jumped off the Origintree Tortoise. Like a warrior meeting death, he charged toward the hundred-year-old Wei Ji. This was the former West Hall King, an elder that Tianming could previously only look up to.
"How courageous of you. I was almost moved. Li Tianming, you certainly have guts!” Wei Ji smiled sinisterly.
The young man before him was already bloodied. His Dark Astral Armor was shattered, white hair bloodstained, and body riddled with wounds. Like a violent, savage beast, his eyes surged with killing intent. Without so much as a word, he flicked the Three-Thousand Starfield in his hand and executed the Ninesilver Astral Art.
Brilliant Stars! Chaos Galaxy! Nine Stardust!
The Three-Thousand Starfield went from a speck, to the fall of a galaxy, and finally transformed into a sea of stars in the Ninth Heaven. Boundless and infinite, they enveloped the sky. The Three-Headed Moondevouring Fiendwolf was hit three times in a row, its three heads bursting with blood. The wolf head in the middle had both its eyeballs punctured and exploded at once. The gigantic beast howled and its front legs grew weak. It fell to the ground, knocking down a large section of the ruins as it came rolling toward Tianming.
"Ignorant fool! Now that I’m here to deal with you, you should wait for death. How dare you show such impudence!" Roaring, Wei Ji leapt off the fiendwolf.
Neither he nor his lifebound beast had expected how far Tianming's weapons could extend. Otherwise it wouldn’t have been so easily injured. Having lost a pair of eyes and suffered injuries, the fiendwolf was furious. In an instant, the silver fur on its body turned into tens of thousands of steel needles that came shooting toward Tianming.