Chapter 1786 The Enemy Is Bearing Down
The envoy of the Golden Divine Nation left. He only came to deliver a message.
As the Divine Palace expected, the Golden Divine Palace was only looking for an excuse. They had to find a reason attack the preaching holy land of the Higher Heavens Realm, as ridiculous as the reason might be.
The cold and disdainful look remained on the faces of cultivators in the Divine Palace even after the envoy of the Golden Divine Nation left.
"Looks like they are ready to make a move," one of the Renhuangs said. Other people nodded in agreement.
"Let's all be prepared," the senior cultivator in the Divine Palace said.
Ye Futian also came to the crowd. He gazed into the distance.
"Allegedly, many forces in the Nine Realms have sent people here. I wonder which groups the Golden Divine Nation roped in," Ye Futian muttered in a low voice, "And the forces in the Divine Prefecture. Who else did they win over beside the Holy Land of Taichu?"
The Divine Palace didn't have much knowledge about the forces in the Divine Prefecture. Even so, Ye Futian could sense that other groups in the Divine Prefecture also participated in the plan of the Golden Divine Palace. They wanted to carve the Higher Heavens Realm up like a pie.
Additionally, Ye Futian presumed that the Golden Divine Nation would never give up the opportunity to court the cultivators who were sent here by other forces in the Nine Realms, especially those who opposed Ye Futian, such as the Shen Clan.
The Shen Clan had deep animosity toward Ye Futian and the Heavenly Mandate Academy. If Ye Futian could think of this connection, the Golden Divine Nation certainly could as well.
For that reason, Ye Futian was not absolutely confident, although the alliance was very strong. He still couldn't figure out who his opponents were or how powerful they were.
However, he had to take up the gauntlet no matter what happened. He had no choice but to launch an all-out effort since the Divine Palace was his ally. Otherwise, there was no point in having an alliance.
The crowd slowly gathered in the coastal city by the Sea of the Path. Many cultivators flocked together, just like when Ye Futian was here to open the secret zones of the Divine Palace. There might even be more people this time.
The last time was about the secret zones, a contest of talents among the younger generation. It was also an entrance exam for being admitted to the Divine Palace and an occasion of great festivity. This time, however, was a serious matter in the Nine Realms. This battle would have a profound and lasting influence and might even determine the future landscape of the Nine Realms.
This was a fight about the outlook and the prospective ruler of the Higher Heavens Realm. It was not hard to guess how many cultivators would pay close attention to the situation. The majority of the people who came here this time was quite accomplished, including almost all of the Renhuangs in the Higher Heavens Realm. They stayed in taverns and inns by the Sea of the Path.
The beach by the Sea of the Path had been bustling and lively these days. Any random person could be a formidable cultivator in the Renhuang Plane. One might well imagine the considerable amount of powerful people who gathered here.
Many people gaze into the Sea of the Path and the distant horizon. They wondered about the destiny of the Divine Palace and what the likely future of the Higher Heavens Realm was.
The Golden Divine Nation had released more statements by now. They claimed that the Divine Palace not only didn't fulfill their duties as the preaching holy land of the Higher Heavens Realm in times of crisis, but they also betrayed the Higher Heavens Realm and allowed people from the Heavenly Mandate Realm to exterminate the Divine Capital of Xiling by aiding, abetting, and harboring the culprit. On top of that, they refused to open the Ancestral Lands and intended to move it to the Heavenly Mandate Academy.
In a word, the Golden Divine Nation made up a list of charges as if the Shangxiao Divine Palace was no longer the holy land of the Higher Heavens Realm, but a hypocritical group that angeled for fame and a traitor that disregarded the interest of the Higher Heavens Realm.
It was easy to assume that the next step of the Golden Divine Nation was to replace the Shangxiao Divine Palace as the holy land of the Higher Heavens Realm.
People living in the Higher Heavens Realm certainly saw through this plan. Thus, they all waited for the events to unfold by the Sea of the Path.
As time went by, cultivators from other forces in the Nine Realms arrived at the coastal city by the Sea of the Path at a continually increasing rate; However, it was hard to identify them one by one since they blended into the crowd.
On this day, a group of people was strolling on the beach by the Sea of the Path. One person gazed into the sea and said, "There are more and more people here. I'm afraid that the Golden Divine Nation will be here sometime soon."
"They're waiting. It's impossible for the Golden Divine Nation to singlehandedly defeat the alliance formed by the Heavenly Mandate Academy. Consequently, they have to seek help from others. The groups in the Nine Realms each have their own plans and wants a slice of pie for themselves. Not many forces can join hands with the Golden Divine Nation for real. Besides, they might not be capable enough to beat the Divine Palace, to begin with. That being so, the Golden Divine Nation probably has been waiting all this time."
"Waiting?" a young man surrounded by the Divine Beams of Flame asked.
"Yes," the senior cultivator nodded and said to him. "They're waiting for the forces in the Divine Prefecture to muster the troops. Gai Qiong served under the Great Emperor. How could he not know how to utilize the power of the Divine Prefecture in the Upper Worlds? You also said that the Golden Divine Nation harbors deep enmity toward Ye Futian. It's only normal for them to kill Ye Futian with the aid of the top forces in the Divine Prefecture."
"I understand now," Di Wu nodded and said. "I want to fight with Ye Futian before he dies."
"We'll wait and see. Maybe we would have a chance if Ye Futian was really pushed that far," the senior cultivator answered. He was a master cultivator from the Sun God Mountain and was impressed by Di Wu's great potential when he was at the Solar Divine Palace. He planned to put a priority on Di Wu and bring him to the Divine Prefecture in the future.
At the moment, the senior cultivator suddenly raised his head and stared at a group of people walking from the opposite side.
Those people stared back. They watched each other closely and could both feel the enormous energy emitting from their bodies.
In the end, they brushed against each other tacitly as if nothing happened.
"It looks like Ye Futian's doom is sealed," the cultivator from the Sun God Mountain commented. Di Wu turned his head and looked back at the people who walked by him just now. It was such a small world. They just met the cultivators from the Shen clan, the dominant force in the Central Emperor Realm, on the beach by the Sea of the Path.
Moreover, the Shen Clan assembled such an intimidating lineup this time. Even Shen Ji, the Chief Elder of the Shen clan, was among them. However, Shen Ji didn't seem to be the leader of the group. He was standing next to a man who appeared to enjoy a more prominent position. One could only imagine how powerful that person must be.
Everybody knew the feud between the Heavenly Mandate Academy and the Shen clan. It was well understood why the Shen clan sent such a team of outstanding cultivators here.
Apparently, there were a lot of forces that wanted to deal with the Heavenly Mandate Academy and stop them from rising in the Nine Realms.
On this day, the Sea of the Path was calm and tranquil under boundless blue skies. Countless cultivators gathered by the Sea of the Path as usual.
At the moment, some people noticed that a group of cultivators suddenly started to move toward the Sea of the Path. These cultivators walked into the sea one after the other. Beams of brilliant golden divine light shone on the Sea of the Path as they rowed the boats farther away.
"They're coming." It immediately caused a commotion on the beach by the Sea of the Path. The crowd was surprised that the Golden Divine Nation came in such a discreet manner.
In the meantime, a succession of cultivators walked into the Sea of the Path from different directions. Rowing the boats, they formed a formidable force and marched to the Divine Palace at the center of the Sea of the Path.
"Let's go." Countless people, especially cultivators in the Renhuang Plane, jostled forward into the Sea of the Path. They came specifically to watch this battle.
How could they miss the opportunity?
In addition to Renhuangs, some fearless cultivators in the Saint Plane also got in the boats, eager to witness the clash that hadn't happened in the Higher Heavens Realm for centuries.
Despite the high risk, they were afraid that they might regret all of their life if they didn't go.
More and more cultivators joined the mass. From the coast of the Sea of the Path, it looked almost like an army of terror was setting sail.
Everyone understood, of course, that the majority of the crowd was only heading there to get a better view of the fun.
Apparently, the Golden Divine Nation made a deliberate decision to march to the Divine Palace from the coast rather than heading there directly. They wanted everyone to follow and witness the epic battle.
The cultivators from other forces in the Nine Realms blended into the crowd as well and sailed on the Sea of the Path.
"I wonder if the Divine Palace—the preaching holy land—can survive this war." Some people gazed into the distance and sighed inwardly. This would be a war on the largest scale since Donghuang the Great Emperor unified the world.
The situation was rapidly reaching the boiling point.
...
Many people stood solemnly on top of the ancient mountains in the Divine Palace. They already heard the news that the cultivators from the Golden Divine Nation were rushing to the Divine Palace.
The Palace Lord of the Divine Palace was waiting at the main peak of the Divine Palace, along with other cultivators. His expression was particularly grim, and his divine consciousness spread over a vast area. Even the boundless Sea of the Path was covered in his divine consciousness.
Though his divine consciousness, he saw the enemies sailing toward the Divine Palace on the Sea of the Path.
A beam of Divine Light of Space shone brightly behind him. The smell of the Great Path of Space permeated the air while several people descended from the sky through the Ancient Road of Space.
A couple of people darted swiftly toward Ye Futian.
"Something is wrong." Jiang Chengzi from the Celestial Gate of Vast Heaven arrived first. He walked to Ye Futian and said in a low voice, "Something happened in the Ziwei Realm."
"What happened?" Ye Futian asked. A look of concern furrowed his eyebrows.
"Other groups in the Ziwei Realm are taking actions. It looks like they waited till today on purpose," Jiang Chengzi said. Ye Futian's face was stony. The forces in the Ziwei Realm started moving as well, which could influence the situation in the Divine Palace despite the great distance in between.
Rather than starting a full-scale battle, the forces in the Ziwei Realm could indirectly affect the battlefield over here simply by intimidating the two groups that were in the alliance.
The Golden Divine Nation was obviously well prepared this time!