Chapter 424: You Will Regret It!
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
On the other end of the black hole was the fiendcelestial world. Smooth green Jade Water Fiend Crystals lined the ground of an opulent and towering black rock palace, so flawless that it was actually reflective.
There was a dense horde of nearly a hundred Skyfiends in the palace's hall, standing reverently in two rows.
And sitting on the throne was a massive figure. It had two curved horns that seemed to pierce through the firmaments. Its eyes stared at the black hole vortex in the sky above the square outside. There were a large number of third Firmament fiendcelestials standing under the vortex. They were fiendcelestial guardians dressed in tailored armor, and they were flying into the black hole in succession.
The figure's eyes penetrated the world passageway and saw into the distant Great Chang world.
"Oh?" Empyrean Lord suddenly stood up.
Beside him was a single-horned child. He smiled and said, "Brother, just two Minor Annihilation Dharma Formations are enough to match Daoist Divine Firmament and the rest. From the looks of it, just a Minor Annihilation Dharma Formation formed by a hundred and eight fiendcelestial vanguards is enough for us to clinch victory. As long as the Minor Annihilation Dharma Formation can protect the surrounding area for three days, the spatial passageway will be able to expand to a size that accommodates Skyfiends. When that time comes, nearly a hundred Skyfiends will rush in. Victory is certain."
The child's voice contained a strange, mesmerizing power. And just looking at him would make one be involuntarily enthralled.
"Let's hope it goes as you say." Empyrean Lord walked down the stairs but his body appeared blurry. In a few steps, he had arrived outside the palace in the square outside.
The square was lined with smooth and tidy black granite and spanned fifty kilometers.
On the two sides of the square were a series of statues. They were statues of experts from Daoism, Buddhism, the Dragon race, and even fiendish demons.
They were either genuflecting with eyes filled with rage or cleaving with saber in hand while reeling in despair. Some were sitting cross-legged with eyes closed...
Each statue had its own immense suppressive force.
"Empyrean Lord."
The remaining dozens of fiendcelestial guardians bowed respectfully and then continued flying into the black hole one after another.
"Congratulations, Empyrean Lord. You will definitely conquer the Great Chang world this time." The nearly hundred Skyfiends followed behind as they began flattering him.
"When that happens, there will be thirteen worlds under Empyrean Lord's control."
"It was quite a rush. We only managed to send the guardians by Empyrean Lord's side over. There are still many third Firmament fiendcelestials scattered across the other eleven worlds. They weren't able to rush over in such a short period of time," quipped a Skyfiend.
Empyrean Lord looked up and watched silently. To the Skyfiends, this conquest was like any other one from the past! Only he knew... what the Great Chang world meant to him!
"That Daoist Divine Firmament is a Green Touring Palace disciple after all. I originally planned on making many more preparations, enough to allow nearly a hundred Skyfiends to enter directly... Now, it seems just my vanguard's Major Annihilation Dharma Formation is enough to clinch victory?" Empyrean Lord was somewhat agitated over the situation. He had been forced to prematurely attack because of the three Boor Ancestral Sect ants.
At first he believed the odds were against him.
But now, victory was very close at hand. His heart also began to burn with excitement.
...
On the other side, in the Great Chang world.
Qin Yun and Yi Xiao watched the huge battle happening above them. Daoist Divine Firmament and the rest appeared to be using all their strength, delivering a myriad of attacks. But against the Minor Annihilation Dharma Formation, they did not have much of an upper hand.
"Quick! Quick! Quick! Faster!" Skyfiend Jiuhu, the ox-headed and wolf-headed fiendcelestials watched excitedly as they urged their lowers on.
Fiendcelestials kept flying out of the gigantic black hole.
"Soon, all the fiendcelestial guardians will be out. A hundred and eight of them is enough to form the Major Annihilation Dharma Formation." The three watched with anticipation.
"Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine."
A distance away, Daoist Divine Firmament and company were paying close attention to the number of fiendcelestials opposite them. Patriarch Bai was even muttering through a voice transmission. "There's a hundred! A hundred fiendcelestials have entered! Brother Zhang, isn't it time for you to make your move? Don't make certain victory blow up in our faces!"
"Don't worry." Daoist Divine Firmament's eyes lit up.
Sou!
Far away on the horizon, a bolt of purple lightning flashed as another azure-robed middle-aged Daoist appeared.
Daoist Divine Firmament wore a high-headdress, giving him quite a laudable bearing, but the middle-aged Daoist that appeared a distance away looked ordinary. Despite that, both of them looked identical and had similar auras.
"That is—"
Qin Yun looked in astonishment at the distant middle-aged Daoist.
A purple Dao talisman phantom about ten feet across appeared above both Ancestral Master Zhang and the middle-aged Daoist.
"Boom!" The worldly powers surged and gathered, and instantly nearly all the Heaven and Earth powers in a radius of several hundred kilometers were forcefully pulled over. A gigantic Taiji symbol appeared with Ancestral Master Zhang and the middle-aged Daoist standing on each 'eye.'
"What?"
The large group of fiendcelestials looked up in horror at the massive Taiji symbol.
It completely covered the sky above them like a heavenly curtain.
In the middle of the Taiji symbol, sizzling sounds were being produced as lightning sparked.
One's heart trembled simply from looking upon it with the naked eye.
Ancestral Master Zhang and the middle-aged Daoist opened their Eyes of Lightning and shouted, "Lightning Punishment!"
"Boom!"
Immediately, a purple bolt of lightning that had faint black and white Qi swirling around it struck one of the Minor Annihilation Dharma Formations. All the fiendcelestial guardians in the formation struck out with a saber flash as the other fiendcelestials elsewhere aided them.
However, the saber mountain formed by saber flashes crumbled under the lightning strike. Portions of the Minor Annihilation Dharma Formation that was formed by thirty-six fiendcelestials were swept by the lightning! All the fiendcelestial guardians turned to ash in the spots the lightning struck, leaving only their armor and artifacts remaining. Fifteen of the thirty-six fiendcelestials died instantly, and most importantly, the Minor Annihilation Dharma Formation was destroyed.
"Escape! Quickly!" Skyfiend Jiuhu and the other two fiendcelestials rushed towards the black hole in unison and in utter shock.
"We have been fooled."
"He was deliberately hiding his strength."
"Run!"
The third Firmament fiendcelestial guardians lost all their will to fight due to their fright. They split apart and frantically rushed towards the black hole.
"Smite." Ancestral Master Zhang and the middle-aged Daoist coldly sent the lightning smiting down again.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The lightning that shot from the Taiji symbol was astonishingly fast. In a blink of an eye, it struck the group of fiendcelestials, shooting straight at the black hole first.
Although Skyfiend Jiuhu, the ox-headed fiendcelestial, and the wolf-headed fiendcelestial were charging in that direction, the wolf-headed fiendcelestial was the first to enter.
"Boom!"
The purple lightning with the black-and-white swirls struck Skyfiend Jiuhu and also swept past the ox-headed fiendcelestial.
"No—" Jiuhu's eyes were filled with indignation but it did not stop him from being reduced to ashes.
The ox-headed fiendcelestial left behind a crystalline skeleton but his innards had been pulverized.
...
Qin Yun and Yi Xiao watched in awe. A hundred and six fiendcelestials had entered but only the wolf-headed fiendcelestial had escaped out of sheer luck! The rest were either dead or captured alive.
"Spare me!"
"Daoist Divine Firmament, spare us!"
The fiendcelestials pleaded.
Now that they were unable to form the Minor Annihilation Dharma Formation, they were unable to put up an inkling of resistance. Lightning tore through their bodies, sealing them of their Dharmic powers. They all had no choice but to plead for their lives.
The end of the battle happened when the remaining seventy-five fiendcelestials were sealed of their strength.
Every moment after Qin Yun weakened the array enough to crack was under the complete control of Ancestral Master Zhang and company.
"Let's go over," said Qin Yun to Yi Xiao.
The two immediately flew over on a cloud.
Daoist Divine Firmament and company, including Human Emperor's avatar that had been watching all this while from afar, flew over too. They all congregated in front of the black hole.
"Brother Zhang, this is?" Patriarch Bai and company looked at the azure-robed middle-aged Daoist with burning eagerness.
They looked identical and also had very similar auras.
They had the same divine powers and Dharma spells.
"Greetings, everyone," said the azure-robed middle-aged Daoist.
"This is my second Essence Soul," said Ancestral Master Zhang.
"Second Essence Soul?"
Qin Yun was somewhat astonished.
"Brother Zhang, you sure hid this well," said East Sea Skydragon with a smile. "I was still a little worried about the battle formation the fiendcelestials formed. Yet, you were filled with confidence. It's all because your strength has long reached this level."
"Aren't you a third Firmament Skyimmortal?" The plump Patriarch Bai pouted. "You have exceeded all of us in one go."
"I'm still a third Firmament Skyimmortal," said Ancestral Master Zhang with a smile. "However, my Divine Firmament Lightning Dharma has not been completed after the fourth firmament Skyimmortal realm. Therefore, I have not been in a rush to make a breakthrough. After all, the Divine Firmament Lightning Dharma is my main cultivation path."
"What? You haven't changed your main Dharmic formulation?" Skydemon Palatial Lord was astonished. "The Dao Ancestor has numerous powerful Dharmic formulations, yet you want to use the Dharmic formulation you created? It's no wonder you cultivate so slowly!"
"Master once said that my Lightning Dharma has great potential and that he wants me to study it carefully," said Ancestral Master Zhang. "Since Master has said so, I naturally have to continue down the path of creation."
Everyone gasped upon hearing that.
Daoist Divine Firmament had really concealed his strength well.
He had only revealed his true strength today!
"It's all thanks to Qin Yun." Ancestral Master Zhang looked at Qin Yun. "If not for him being able to crack the array formations from within, we would not have been able to enter."
"I only did my part. It was eventually all thanks to Senior Zhang and everyone."
"Oh?"
Qin Yun noticed that a figure was standing on the other end of the black hole in the fiendcelestial world, looking over towards them.
"Daoist Divine Firmament? As expected of a Green Touring Palace disciple. I was always worried that my hasty operation would result in failure, and it really happened." Empyrean Lord's voice transmitted from a great distance away. Although the losses were heavy, his heart only felt a tiny pinch. "Green Touring Palace disciples, no matter how unimpressive they are, are not to be belittled."
"I was also lucky. If you succeeded in setting up your array formation, it would have been truly problematic when large swaths of Skyfiends charged in," said Ancestral Master Zhang with a humble smile.
"Yes, your Great Chang world is very lucky to have produced a junior like that Qin Yun. He spoiled my plans." Empyrean Lord cast his gaze onto Qin Yun. "Punk, you are very powerful, especially for a mortal, to have such strength. I will definitely capture you in the future and refine you into a sculpture, placing you in front of my palace. There are currently sixteen such sculptures, split into two rows. Every time I enter and exit the palace, I see them. Even the weakest is a fifth Firmament Skyfiend! You should feel proud that you will one day be ranked among them."
Ancestral Master Zhang and company turned exasperated hearing this but felt the pressure at the same time. This was an existence much stronger than them.
However, Qin Yun stared intently at Empyrean Lord.
Because this villain... was the reason for his separation from his wife and daughter! He had paid a humongous price to seek Puqu Dragonlord's help before rescuing Yi Xiao! Yet, his daughter remained missing.
The pain in his heart all these years, as well as his guilt for his lost daughter, transformed into hatred and killing intent for the Empyrean Lord in front of him.
"Where's my daughter?" Qin Yun glared at Empyrean Lord and asked.
Empyrean Lord was slightly taken aback.
Daughter?
He glanced at Yi Xiao. "You saved your wife but you can't save your daughter because she is long dead. I casually squashed her to death."
Yi Xiao jolted as her eyes turned red.
Ancestral Master Zhang and the rest were stunned. They could not help but look at the couple.
"No, no..." Yi Xiao muttered.
Qin Yun's heart convulsed as his brain turned abuzz.
"Qin Yun, Yi Xiao, don't panic. Perhaps this Empyrean Lord is lying, concealing his real plans. Your daughter might still be alive," consoled Ancestral Master Zhang with a voice transmission.
Qin Yun stared at Empyrean Lord through the black hole.
"You will regret that," said Qin Yun with a deep, sunken voice.
"Haha, regret? I have encountered too many people who made such threats. You will make me regret? Hahaha... interesting, really interesting." As Empyrean Lord spoke, he waved his hand as a terrifying might blanketed the black hole. It collapsed with a rumble.
Qin Yun watched the collapsing black hole as he endured the anger and pain in his heart.
"You will regret it, definitely." Qin Yun thought to himself. He buried all his killing intent deep in his heart. There would come a day when he would definitely storm that fiendcelestial world and slay that Empyrean Lord!