Chapter 2649: Heavenly Court's Defeat

Bang! Clang! Bang! Clatter!

In the starry sky of the Hong Huang domain, sounds like these rang out endlessly. Although the strong experts from the various heavens had not entered, Ye Chen and Ren Wang were still secretly launching attacks, relentlessly chasing the Zhu Xian Jian.

It had to be said that the Zhu Xian Jian was incredibly tough. Despite being battered by the two of them for so long and besieged by experts from the various heavens, it showed no signs of shattering.

Just as Huangquan Tianwang had said, truly breaking the Zhu Xian Jian would require at least a Da Cheng Sheng Ti. Clearly, none existed in the various heavens, though there were two such figures, both of whom had gone to the Tai Gu Hong Huang. As for Ye Chen, his cultivation was still far from reaching that level.

The clanging sounds eventually faded away into silence.

In the void, one could hear Ye Chen's muffled grunts, as well as the sounds of Ren Wang and the others spitting blood.

“Hong Huang.”

“Hong Huang.”

Ye Chen snorted coldly, and Ren Wang and the others did the same. It wasn't that they had stopped the pursuit; it was because someone in the shadows was aiding the Zhu Xian Jian—a person from Hong Huang. They didn't know who it was or which clan they belonged to.

In the starry sky, the Zhu Xian Jian vanished, or rather, it was rescued by a Hong Huang individual cloaked entirely in black robes, appearing only briefly like a fleeting shadow.

“Damn it.”

Ye Chen clenched his fists, his killing intent as cold as ice. Without Hong Huang's interference, the experts from the various heavens would still be attacking the Zhu Xian Jian. If not for the Hong Huang clan's involvement, he and Ren Wang could have severely damaged it.

After a long while, everything grew quiet.

Ye Chen suppressed his killing intent and gently closed his eyes, doing his utmost to erase the curse power within his body. Fresh blood still trickled from the corner of his right eye.

Although the Blood Wheel Eye was powerful and supported by imperial essence, the cross-realm attacks had drained his pupil power completely. Not only was blood overflowing from his eye, but his mouth was also bleeding uncontrollably, a result of the backlash from the void.

In the underground palace of Tianxuan Gate, Ren Wang and the God of Creation were in no better shape, with blood trickling from their mouths and their faces deathly pale—from both anger and injury.

Compared to them, Ye Chen was the one with good fortune.

Every time the Zhu Xian Jian targeted him, it brought him some benefit, such as reversing the Blood Wheel Heaven Curse, which was just one example.

Another was the Hua Shan imperial essence. It seemed to have a mind of its own—perhaps it found Ye Chen agreeable, or maybe it had a change of heart—and strands of it actively merged into his body.

Ye Chen felt deeply moved. Back in the day, he had expended so much effort just to separate a single strand of imperial essence.

This time, it was far more than just a strand.

He owed it all to the Zhu Xian Jian; it was incredibly helpful, giving him enough time. If things continued, he could integrate the entire Hua Shan's imperial essence into himself.

Of course, that was just his own thought.

The Hua Shan imperial essence might merge into his body, but not all of it. The Five Peaks of the Scatter Immortal Realm each had imperial essence, and this wasn't a coincidence. There must be some profound reason behind it, likely set by the Dao Ancestor. If any part of the imperial essence vanished, it could disrupt the balance and bring disaster.

“Thank you.”

Ye Chen smiled, suddenly rising to his feet with surging vital energy, ready to join the battle and turn the Tian Ting forces upside down.

However, before he could take a step, the spiritual imperial essence pulled him into a profound realm. It was a vast world shrouded in mist and rain, with winding mountains and rivers, birdsong and flowers, where every mountain, river, tree, and plant was filled with supreme Dao essence.

The Dao Ancestor’s imperial essence carried its own profound Dao realm, and now Ye Chen had been drawn into it, granting him another opportunity.

Beneath Hua Shan, peace finally settled.

While things were calm there, the outside world was still in the midst of fierce combat. The decisive battle between the upper and lower realms had truly become a mountain of corpses and a river of blood.

“Retreat.”

In the heat of battle, Yin Ming suddenly gave the order to withdraw. It wasn't that they were losing; he was just afraid. After all, this wasn't Tian Ting's territory, and even on their own ground, they couldn't sleep soundly. In the Scatter Immortal Realm, it was even worse.

With that single command, he turned and fled first, escaping to the Upper Immortal Realm under the protection of the immortal venerables. All the majesty of the Tian Ting ruler was gone—he was like a stray dog.

Ah!

Too many veteran immortal venerables sighed, turning to retreat while fighting. Their sighs reflected disappointment, disappointment in the Tian Ting ruler.

In this great battle, Tian Ting had the upper hand.

But their leader was ineffective. If Yin Ming, as the ruler, had charged into battle and led from the front, Tian Ting's morale would have soared, and their heavenly soldiers and generals would have been unstoppable.

Unfortunately, their expectations of the ruler were too high. He didn't lead the charge, but he was the first to flee. With a leader like that, how could Tian Ting's morale be high? Winning this battle would have been a miracle.

Some, like the ancient-level immortal monarchs, had cursed Yin Ming a thousand times in their hearts.

Tian Ting had the advantage; unifying the heavens could have happened in this very battle. But you turned and ran, wasting this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

“Retreat! Pull back!”

“Chase them! Kill them all!”

As Tian Ting withdrew, the Scatter Immortal Realm alliance's morale surged. One side retreated like a ebbing tide, while the other advanced like towering waves.

They chased and killed all the way, with the heavenly soldiers and generals fleeing desperately. From the immortal venerables down to the lowest soldiers, none dared to linger—they discarded their armor and weapons as they went.

Only after crossing the Milky Way and entering the Nan Tian Men did the heavenly soldiers and generals regroup, setting up massive formations that awakened their world-shaking power.

“Attack! Charge forward!”

Niu Mo Wang led the charge, with the Scatter Immortal Realm army full of fighting spirit. They had come this far, so they might as well press on and storm the Upper Immortal Realm, obliterating that prosperous dynasty.

Unfortunately, their strength fell short.

The Scatter Immortal Realm alliance fought seriously for three days and nights but couldn't break through, suffering heavy casualties themselves. It wasn't until the fourth night that they finally withdrew.

The flames of war between the upper and lower realms ended completely with the Scatter Immortal Realm's retreat, and Jiang Taigong's true form never appeared.

Gazing down at the heavens, the dark night was filled with surging blood mist, truly a field of corpses. There were bodies of heavenly soldiers and generals, as well as those from the Scatter Immortal Realm.

In the night, cries of grief echoed.

The Scatter Immortal Realm had won, but it was a pyrrhic victory. The various forces returned home, their paths tinged with sorrow.

This great war had shattered the once-beautiful mountains and rivers. In the years to come, there might not be another conflict on this scale. Tian Ting would lie low for a long time, and the Scatter Immortal Realm would need to recover.

It took nine full days for the skies of the Scatter Immortal Realm to clear again, the thick blood mist gradually thinning to reveal the sunlight—a ray of hope.

Whether in Tian Ting or the lower realms, a long silence fell. Tian Ting was behaving itself, and the lower realms were recuperating.

This post-war calm brought a touch of harmony, but everyone knew that if Tian Ting dared to invade the lower realms again, it would face a united front. After this battle, no one was foolish enough to ignore the mutual dependence—defying Tian Ting required the full strength of the lower realms.

The walls around Hua Shan were dismantled, and its soldiers returned to their posts—some healing, others resting. The lively ones, like Diyuan Laodao, were sent to various places to repair the formations.

Hua Shan's territory was in ruins from the war; many peaks had collapsed, and numerous formations were damaged. Though they had won, they still needed to prepare for the worst—who knew if Tian Ting might attack again?

As for Tian Ting, it was truly lying low, with many immortal mountains being rebuilt and palaces restored, including the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

However, Yin Ming had not appeared in the hall for days.

Yin Ming was like a frightened bird, hiding in his palace all day. The weakest guards there were immortal monarchs, with many immortal venerables protecting him. The mighty Tian Ting ruler didn't even dare step outside.

His behavior only deepened the immortals' disappointment. More people resigned their positions, and more heavenly generals removed their armor, retiring early. The once-prosperous Tian Ting now showed signs of decline.

In contrast, the lower realms were handling things wisely.

One could see figures bustling about, visiting major forces to sign alliances and maximize their united strength.

Some still maintained neutrality, like fence-sitters, and had been blacklisted by the major alliances. If their own territories faced trouble, no one would help them.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

In the quiet night, the sound of bells rang out.

It was the Tian Zhong's toll, coming from the Upper Immortal Realm—long and resonant, reaching even the lower realms, drawing cold smiles from the people.

Tian Ting was stirring again, summoning Jiang Taigong, hoping for his true form to return and use divine artifacts to turn the tide and completely crush the lower realms.

Unfortunately, the Tian Zhong rang for nine days straight without any sign of Jiang Taigong. Not only the Scatter Immortal Realm but even those in the Upper Immortal Realm began to suspect he was no longer in this world. Otherwise, how could he ignore such heavy losses for Tian Ting?

Some veteran immortal venerables felt deep regret.

With Jiang Taigong's Dao soul destroyed, you could have at least left the divine artifacts for us! Even without his true form, the artifacts would do. Tian Ting has never suffered such a defeat since its founding—the campaign in the Scatter Immortal Realm was too costly, with countless lives lost far from home.

At Nan Tian Men, Yin Yang stood clad in armor, gazing into the distance with a calm expression. His cloak fluttered fiercely, still stained with blood.

The undefeated war god had finally lost once.

As he had anticipated, defeat had come, but his heart remained as still as water. However, the Tian Ting ruler still refused to release him, tasking him with leading the heavy troops to guard Nan Tian Men.

With him there, the Scatter Immortal Realm army couldn't advance. Though the undefeated war god had fallen on their territory, defending Tian Ting's domain, especially this Nan Tian Men, was well within his capabilities.

As night fell and starlight descended, illuminating Yin Yang, he gazed into the distance, as if peering through the endless void to see that peach blossom forest and the sleeping woman—Bixia Xianzi, his wife.

“Your Highness, His Majesty has sent a secret decree.”

From behind, an old heavenly general called out, presenting a jade slip to Yin Yang.

Yin Yang took it casually and crushed it lightly. The divine sense sealed within entered his sea of consciousness.

After reading it, his face turned extremely grim.

“Go back and tell him, this king cannot do it.”

Upon hearing this, the old heavenly general handed over another jade slip.

“His Majesty's second secret decree.”

Yin Yang didn't take it, as if he already knew what was inside. Glancing at it, his face instantly paled.