Chapter 280: Chapter 280: The Great Luo Heavenly Court, Ziwei Star Palace
Boom!
The deafening roar erupted, echoing endlessly between heaven and earth, as the phantom of the palace surrounded by clustered stars collided with that powerful will trying to descend.
All beings in Zhongzhou heard this sound, and those below the Middle Third Rank felt dizzy and almost fainted, unable to bear the impact of such a level.
Even though it was just a distant sound.
After this collision, the phantom of the palace surrounded by stars sank slightly but became more solid, and the streams of starlight grew brighter and even formed different constellations with each other.
The powerful will that had previously tried to descend hesitated a bit, and the cold atmosphere between heaven and earth weakened for a moment, but the next instant, it rebounded with unprecedented severity.
A dense, dark purple color surged like overwhelming waves, striking violently against the barrier of this world!
Crack, crack!
The sound of the void breaking could be heard coming from the firmament, causing every being who heard it to feel their minds go wild, as if they were influenced by some strange and evil power.
In less than three breaths’ time, most of Zhongzhou’s sky had turned dark purple, a chilling coldness pervaded everywhere, penetrating all things, and spreading rapidly.
The objects within Zhongzhou’s Imperial City seemed to lose their original colors, displaying only shades of black and white, devoid of any color at all.
The scent of decay and death filled the air.
Simultaneously, flowers, plants, and trees in Zhongzhou began to die off in patches, and ordinary people not protected by Upper Third Rank powers had their life forces massively drained, endangered and struggling for life.
Burgeoning rivers dried up swiftly, fertile lands cracked open in an instant, strong city walls cracked out of nowhere, newly built houses collapsed, and infants only days old began to age…
All sorts of events that defied natural laws occurred within Zhongzhou and continued to spread to neighboring provinces and even farther places, as if intending to transform everything in this world into a realm of death.
Countless beings felt desperate.
This was no longer mere Law Power.
This was clearly an attempt to forcibly embed one or even several new Great Paths into this world, even twisting or destroying the existing similar paths.
If successful, this Path would be forever imprinted in this world.
Indelible.
It would change the rules of the entire world.
All the Celestial Men witnessing this became extremely alarmed; they all understood what this scene signified.
The Evil God was about to descend across realms!
However, judging by the current situation, the ritual to summon the Evil God’s descent seemed to have not been fully conducted, or perhaps it was suppressed by the sudden appearance of this celestial palace.
Otherwise, this strange force wouldn’t just be spreading outside the scope of Zhongzhou, but within a very short time, it would engulf all thirty-three provinces of Da Qi.
“Gentlemen, if the Evil God truly descends, none of us will escape disaster, let’s make a move!” Zhao Lang shouted loudly, recognizing the atmosphere pervading the world and feeling his heart race.
He felt as though he had returned to three thousand years ago.
It’s easy to invite a god, but difficult to send one back!
They must act before the Evil God truly descends, otherwise, the whole of Da Qi might suffer.
That scene from three thousand years ago would likely repeat itself!
Zhao Lang was frantic and even a bit desperate.
He never imagined that the actions Zhao Zhen took within the Palace of Divine Light were actually to summon this Evil God!
“Mr. Zhao need not panic,” Yan Shouyi, however, shook his head. He pointed to the increasingly focused palace above and the stars that had begun to scatter their starlight and smiled, “The true master has made a move.”
“The true master?” Zhao Lang was startled at these words and then looked towards that magnificent palace. Amidst the dazzling stars and rising purple qi, a figure appeared.
This figure wore a purple robe and an Emperor’s Mask, exuding supreme elegance and mystery, standing before the Star Palace, as though standing at the center of heaven, causing all things and phenomena to submit.
Surrounding the figure, stars twinkled, forming constellations after constellations, materializing shape after shape of human phantoms; they gathered into a silver river, unfolding and encircling the Star Palace.
This was the gathering of all stars under heaven, the assembly of celestial truths!
In that instant, the bright, dazzling starlight illuminated the entire Zhongzhou, dispelling the cold and sinister purple-blackness, allowing life that had been stripped away to rejuvenate once more.
Withered and dead flora sprang back to life; people on the brink, with life hanging by a thread, also regained their vitality; dried-up riverbeds began to flow with water again, and the cracked earth became fertile once more…
It was as if everything was reversing, playing backward, all the abnormal phenomena caused by the invasion of the Evil God’s Path, everything returned to normal.
At the same time, celestial music sounded between heaven and earth, blossoms rained chaotically from the skies, golden lotuses sprouted from the earth, and countless voices sang their praises.
“Da Luo’s celestial palace, the Star Palace of Ziwei.
“Residing high at the North Pole, seated above the mid-heaven.
“Known by the Law Power of the Golden Wheel’s scorching brightness, revered as the Jade Dipper’s Profound Sovereign.
“Rotating the Jade Pivot and harmonizing the Seven Governors to outline the celestial latitude and longitude; Sun, moon, and stars demarcate the seasons, moving along the Yellow Path within the Purple Forbidden Enclosure.
“The Grandmaster of All Things, the Overlord of the Heavens. With great compassion and grand vows, with great holiness and kindness.
“Sect Hierarch of the Myriad Stars, the Limitless Primordial Emperor.
“Ziwei of the Celestial Center, Great Emperor of the North Pole.”
Accompanied by the chanting of sacred edicts, Zhou Heng’s Divine Sense before the projection of the Star Palace of Ziwei felt somewhat bewildered,
It seemed as though he possessed a status which transcended all else, standing above all the heavens, and with the merest gesture or step, he had the Great Divine Power to create or destroy universes and to reign over all paths.
But he quickly came to his senses.
He knew that it was all an illusion.
This feeling was merely an illusion brought about by the immense power of the Star Palace of Ziwei.
It wasn’t truly his own strength.
Previously, to combat the purple-black absorption in that Cave Sky world, Zhou Heng had used a “projection card of the Star Palace of Ziwei” from a platinum treasure box.
He hadn’t expected that the projection of the Star Palace of Ziwei would manifest with such grandeur, not only breaking directly out of that Cave Sky world but also beginning to exhibit an inconceivably strong power.
What Zhou Heng hadn’t expected even more was that upon his exit, he would collide with an existence that seemed extremely terrifying and powerful, and which appeared to be the source of that prior purple-blackness.
However, under the augmentation of the Star Palace of Ziwei—
Zhou Heng noticed that the purple-blackness permeating the heavens and the earth had changed somewhat, no longer carrying that pulse that made his heart tremble, nor the dangerous aura that had filled him with fear.
It even felt somewhat familiar?
What was happening?
“If I could absorb the essence of this purple-blackness, it seems possible to further expand my authority over the Purple Tenuity Palace?” Zhou Heng sensed something, and through the projection of the Purple Tenuity Palace as well as his own Ziwei star position, he perceived the true Purple Tenuity Palace.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At this moment, another massive roar came from the sky. The purple-black that had been dispersed by the starlight once again shattered the void and surged toward them.
Zhao Lang and the others instantly tensed up again, and the relaxed hearts of countless beings immediately tightened once more.
Yet Zhou Heng felt not shock but elation; he could clearly sense that this purple-blackness, which obviously carried the scent of death, could bring great benefits to the Purple Tenuity Palace.
It posed no threat at all.
So, he further expanded his inner vista, melding with the cosmos, making fine adjustments to the Star Palace of Ziwei. In a flash, his whole being shone brightly, illuminating all directions.
The recently surged purple-blackness was once again enveloped by endless starlight, but this time it was not dispersed.
Instead, it was gathered together and rapidly absorbed and refined!
But just at that moment, a streak of purple-black light suddenly burst out from the Palace of Divine Light. As soon as this light appeared, the sinister and strange aura between heaven and earth instantly surged.
Immediately afterwards, a divine figure burst from this light, instantly transforming into an enormous Emperor’s likeness, its figure blurred and indistinct, yet not hindering its heaven-reaching stature and limitless might.
But before this Emperor’s likeness could unleash an attack, the projection of the Star Palace of Ziwei behind Zhou Heng burst forth with brilliance.
In a twinkling, all the stars in the sky moved in unison, transforming into a celestial river crossing the heavens, engulfing the massive divine figure completely and dissipating the deep deathly force it carried.
The purple-black light that had appeared before also dissipated, revealing the figure of Zhao Zhen, who, looking up at the palace guarded by the congregating stars, rising with imperial qi, was filled with boundless awe.
The lord of the manor was his greatest hope for a full escape, but if the lord’s power couldn’t truly penetrate this world, then that hope would shatter into nothing.
Why would such a terrifyingly powerful being appear?
Even if only an Absolute Fourth Rank were sacrificed, the lord should, at the very least, be able to bring down a Tao Lord level of might and carry him away. It should have been foolproof.
What were this palace and the figure in front of it that could suppress the power of the lord??
A mask?
Could it be the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer?
But would Tianyi and The Supreme dare to make their move?
Aren’t they afraid that other gods from different domains might take advantage of the situation?
In an instant, countless thoughts and emotions flashed through Zhao Zhen’s heart, and he made a split-second decision, letting his Primordial Spirit leave his body, sacrificing his Celestial Man physical form while devoutly reciting:
“The mixed qi of Taiyi, the revered of void and boundless space.
“Conceived with the elemental essence of the sun and moon’s initial breath; blessed with the rightful qi of heaven and earth, thus bestowing the True Form.
“Granted the glory of the High Emperor, forming the cornerstone of the Five Sacred Mountains.
“Judging the life of scholars, diminishing disasters and warding off misfortune. The cycle of creation, the magnanimity of heaven and earth. The great compassion and vow, the utmost holy and merciful.
“Overseeing the human path, Dongyue Tianqi, the Emperor of Benevolence and Holiness.
“The vast and profound Great Spirit, Siming the True Lord, the sovereign and freely commanding Heavenly Sovereign.”
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Zhen’s Celestial Man physical body dissolved into nothingness, and seventy-two points of faint blue flames flickered out of existence, making the crack in the firmament suddenly widen.
The dark purple color that came from some unknown domain swelled massively with it.
The forces of death, destruction, and decay between heaven and earth once again gained the upper hand, and the Laws that were the basis of their Paths began to forcefully embed themselves in this world again.
The Thousand-Zhang Emperor’s precious likeness, which had been swallowed up by the Star River’s light, broke free from the stars’ confinement.
Its previously ambiguous features became clearer, outlined, and spirited, yet it was still indistinct to the eyes of beholders.
To any creature that looked upon it, its face seemed to symbolize life and death, the essence of reincarnation, the interpretation of the Laws of creation.
That was the embodiment of the “Path.”
Upon seeing this, Zhao Zhen was overjoyed and burst into gleeful laughter.
Though only his Primordial Spirit remained, as long as he could escape this place, the world would be wide open to him. Later, by leveraging his connection with the manor’s lord, reconstructing his form, and perhaps even transforming his life form to advance further, nothing seemed impossible.
But in the next moment, Zhao Zhen’s smile froze on his face.
Facing the Thousand-Zhang Emperor’s precious likeness from the Ziwei Star Palace, it retreated…
This supreme divine being, said to govern the human path, to judge life and death, and to embody reincarnation, actually retreated.
As if it saw something unbelievable.
Somewhat fearful.
“Ziwei Master, North Pole Great Emperor?!”
The Emperor’s precious likeness that manifested from the descent of the Evil God suddenly cried out in shock and then disintegrated completely, scattering into a vast expanse of dark purple light dots in the void.
The wisp of spirit that had just arrived through Zhao Zhen’s sacrifice of his Celestial Man physical form also detached itself from the divine statue, fleeing into the rift in space as if running for its life.
Subsequently, the nether death intent that had begun to erode the Path of this world quickly receded, the pervasive dark purple color in the heaven and earth rapidly faded, only to be chased and refined by the light of the Star River.
It fled?
It actually fled?
The manor lord’s spirit directly fled?!
Zhao Zhen was completely stunned, this was a scenario beyond his wildest dreams, and he even began to doubt if he was experiencing illusions.
However, now was not the time to be shocked by this.
He was very clear that if he couldn’t leave this place immediately, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Since the lord of the manor in the foreign land was out of reach,
the only hope left was to entrust in Him.
Zhao Zhen had sacrificed his Primordial Spirit, keeping only his True Spirit.
“Sanxian Palace Que, Bixia’s lower courtyard… entrusted with the divine mandate of heaven, holding the authority over all living beings’ reincarnation… fostering transformation in all directions, with every prayer answered… commanding the mixed Yuan Golden Dou, overseeing the fate of immortal and godly tribulations… with great compassion and vows, and boundless benevolence and mercy… resonating with the world, protect us, Goddess of the Cloudy Heavens.”
With the end of the incantation, the Celestial Man’s Primordial Spirit dissolved into nothingness, but Zhao Zhen’s True Spirit was preserved, drawn away from the Imperial City of Zhongzhou by an extremely covert force.
Actually, Zhou Heng wanted to stop it at that moment, but the impact of the Ziwei Star Palace gathering and refining a massive amount of the underworld’s death force left him with no opportunity to attend to it.
The projection of the Ziwei Star Palace became more substantial, and he could even feel that the true Ziwei Palace was overlapping with this projection, which vastly elevated his Divine Sense Perception.
At that moment, Zhou Heng could clearly feel the natural Laws of the great outside world. In such circumstances, he simply needed to externalize his inner miniature world, and it would easily intersect with it, allowing him to step onto the level of the Secret Six Rank.
However, Zhou Heng did not do so.
He did not wish to break through under such circumstances.
Besides, Zhou Heng’s heart was currently in an unprecedented state of shock.
He was like a storm surging inside.
The two incantations Zhao Zhen had recited earlier were both things he had seen on Earth in his previous life!
The Eastern Peak Great Emperor and the Goddess of the Cloudy Heavens.
Especially the former, was the Eastern Peak Great Emperor the Evil God Zhao Zhen intended to summon through sacrifice?!
What exactly was going on?
Zhou Heng was in the midst of his astonishment and suddenly sensed, as his Divine Sense Perception soared boundlessly, that he seemed to “see” a bizarre world.
In the mysterious void, there floated an endless orb enshrouded in primordial yellow mist, surrounded by countless, variably colored, bizarre light dots that greedily attacked the orb in the center.
Behind the eerie light dots were layers upon layers of worldly illusions, filled with various negative auras, spreading the sounds of chanting and praying in all directions, reinforcing the light dots.
Upon the orb floating in the void were sparks of faint light, determinedly and resolutely resisting the endless assault of the bizarre light dots.
Even so, some parts could not hold on, allowing the originally primordial yellow orb to become tainted with specks of other colors.
Such a bizarre world resembled an enormous hall crammed with guests from various places, all vying to devour the primordial yellow orb suspended in the middle.
But all of a sudden, rich purple auras rose from within the orb surrounded by the primordial mist, accompanied by a Milky Way’s starlight, seemingly expanding in this void, blooming into numerous star flowers.
“Ziwei!”
“Sect Hierarch!”
“Great Emperor!”
“Star Master!”
The previously greedy light dots immediately turned into a chaotic mess, communicating among themselves with extreme horror.
Immediately after, more than half of the light dots and the illusions behind them retreated.
They distanced themselves from this “hall.”
Zhou Heng’s perception stopped here, as the power of the Ziwei Star Palace receded like the tide; his Divine Sense, his power, also gradually returned to normal levels.
Opening his eyes, a breeze brushed his face.
The sky was still vast and blue, the landscape vast and sprawling.
…
[End of Volume One]