rable
“Tian…”
“Jue…”
The old fisherman murmured these two words softly, his expression initially filled with confusion.
As he repeated them over and over, it seemed as though he recalled something, a faint light flickering in his clouded eyes.
“I am…”
“Tian Jue?”
As the fisherman’s memories gradually returned, the black fiendish aura already surging around him grew even thicker.
It became like a rolling black tide, spreading and raging outward.
Between the two opposing figures, an expansive empty space was formed.
The Heavenly Doctor remained unmoved by the ominous aura. Observing Tian Jue’s still-dazed state, he showed a trace of surprise.
“Your memories haven’t returned? Then how…”
The Heavenly Doctor’s eyes gleamed as he prepared to take action.
But suddenly, a distant voice reciting ancient scripture echoed through the air:
“Heaven’s law is solemn, observe the rules and follow the order.”
“I have obtained the dharma, spreading it to all beings.”
“Heaven’s law cannot be defied.”
The Heavenly Doctor’s expression finally shifted noticeably.
Narrowing his eyes, he turned to look in the direction of the voice.
“Moo!”
Without warning, a massive green ox the size of a small mountain appeared before him.
Its horns tilted upwards, and its four hooves moved swiftly, charging forward as if to crush the Heavenly Doctor in one blow.
“Beast!” The Heavenly Doctor snorted coldly.
He did not dodge but simply raised his right hand, where a glimmer of silver light appeared.
The silver light transformed into a fine thread, piercing the azure ox like lightning.
In an instant, the thread wove back and forth countless times, slicing through the ox entirely.
The green ox was reduced to countless unrecognizable fragments, yet it continued its forward momentum, scattering into the air.
“Condense!”
A furious shout rang out suddenly.
Moments later, the green ox that had been dismembered by the Heavenly Doctor miraculously reassembled, its original form emerging from the scattered remains.
Leaping above the Heavenly Doctor, it prepared to trample him underfoot.
Yet the Heavenly Doctor still did not evade.
Before the ox could touch him, its body suddenly shrank.
From a fully grown, robust beast, it became a newborn calf in the blink of an eye.
Finally, it dissolved into a wisp of energy, vanishing into the heavens and earth.
“Tianyu…” The Heavenly Doctor looked toward the direction from which the ox had come, a trace of amusement appearing on his face.
An ethereal figure with white hair and a hunched posture emerged at that moment.
“Sage!”
“Sage!”
With the arrival of the Tianyu, the previously cowering disciples of the Cloud-Water Heavenly Palace seemed to find their backbone.
No longer fearful, they began to cheer fervently.
“Ah…”
Tianyu sighed softly, as though comforting them, and waved his wide sleeve.
The cries within the Cloud-Water Heavenly Palace momentarily quieted. Only then did his gaze fall upon the Heavenly Doctor and Tian Jue.
Clap, clap, clap.
The Heavenly Doctor began to clap lightly.
“Well…”
“What a coincidence.”
Without looking at the two figures surrounding him, the Heavenly Doctor raised his head, as though searching for something, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“Heavenly Doctor!”
Finally, the Tianyu could no longer suppress his anger.
“You’ve been hiding all these years, and now you finally dare to show yourself?”
His voice was like thunder, filled with boundless rage, reverberating throughout the Cloud-Water Heavenly Palace.
“Hmph.”
The Heavenly Doctor merely snorted coldly, offering no reply.
This dismissive attitude ignited the Tianyu fury.
“If that’s the case, then there’s nothing more to say. Prepare to die!”
“Tian Jue, why aren’t you acting yet?”
The Old Fisherman was still in a state of confusion at this moment.
However, as the Sage roared in anger, the two of them worked together seamlessly, as if they were old comrades-in-arms with years of experience.
In perfect coordination, the next moment, the Heavenly Calamity Sword was drawn with a resonant clang.
Even though it was merely a broken sword, an overwhelming aura of murderous intent surged continuously from it, coalescing and refusing to dissipate, taking the form of a sword.
From deep within the Cloud-Water Heavenly Palace, a massive tremor reverberated.
The Turtle-Serpent Taiyi let out a painful wail as the hilt of the Heavenly Calamity Sword, feeling the call of its master, began to struggle free from the Turtle-Serpent’s body.
At that moment, an azure brilliance enveloped the entirety of the Cloud-Water Heavenly Palace.
A giant blue hand emerged, pressing the restless hilt of the Heavenly Calamity Sword back into place.
The Taiyi once again let out an earth-shaking howl of agony.
Then, as if suppressed, its cries grew quieter and quieter until it fell into slumber once more.
“Grandmaster Hanhai?”
From various corners of the Cloud-Water Heavenly Palace, astonished exclamations could faintly be heard.
“At least someone here is still clear-headed,” the Heavenly Doctor commented coldly.
In the next moment, the azure ocean in the sky rapidly contracted, condensing into a flickering phantom that seemed as though it could shatter at any moment.
The figure appeared before the three—Heavenly Doctor, Sage, and the Old Fisherman.
“Greetings, esteemed ones,” the figure said with neither arrogance nor servility.
“Hanhai, what is the meaning of this?”
Suppressing his anger, Tianyu asked in a low voice upon noticing Hanhai’s strange attitude.
“The culprit is right in front of us. With the blood feud of the past, why not exact our revenge now?”
“Master Sage is right—blood debts must indeed be repaid in blood. But…”
Hanhai did not look at the Heavenly Doctor but instead turned to the Old Fisherman, who still seemed somewhat bewildered while holding the sword.
“The one who slaughtered the Cloud-Water Heavenly Palace back then was not the Heavenly Doctor.”
“It was Tian Jue!”
His words carried a raging resentment, and Hanhai’s azure phantom trembled violently.
His furious gaze locked onto the other party as if tumultuous waves churned within him.
“Hmm?” Tianyu was slightly stunned, then shook his head and sighed.
“Hanhai, in the end, you cannot escape the effects of time. Has even your memory of that day become muddled?”
“The butcher who exploited the vulnerability of our rear defenses and massacred every major sect—is it not this traitor before us?”
Tianyu’s gaze bore into the Heavenly Doctor, and the flames of hatred reignited in his eyes.
“One person may err. But could the countless souls who perished on that day all be mistaken?”
Hanhai shook his head resolutely and said, “I do not know about other sects; they are unrelated to me.
“But the one who destroyed my Cloud-Water Heavenly Palace was undoubtedly Venerable Tian Jue!”
He spoke with absolute certainty.
“Though his appearance matched that of the Heavenly Doctor, and even his aura was identical…”
“His ruthless, annihilative actions and his cold, emotionless demeanor could never have been mimicked by the Heavenly Doctor.”
“Most importantly, the weapon used in the massacre was none other than the hilt of the Heavenly Calamity Sword, now sealed within Taiyi.”
“The Heavenly Calamity, a weapon of unparalleled power, can only be wielded by Venerable Tian Jue.”
These words made even the Sage hesitate. He turned his head to glance at Tian Jue.
It seemed Hanhai’s words had stirred something buried deep within Tian Jue’s mind.
He stared blankly at his own hands.
After a long while, he suddenly spoke.
“Yes, it was me who did it…”
“What!” The Sage’s hunched figure straightened instantly as he stared incredulously at the Old Fisherman, who had just confessed.
TL Note: [Hey guys, a reminder again to remember as they might be useful in future chapters that all of these name in original is Tianyi→ Heavenly Doctor, Tian Jue→ Heaven’s Absolute/?, Tianyu→ Heavenly Edict/Mandate/Decree, Hanhai→ Vast Ocean. Some things and terms might change name in the future or may even be wrong, but I’ll keep you all updated whenever a change might occur]