380: Heavenly Court Haotian

Immortal-Demon Realm, Heavenly Court, Tianyuan Hall.

This place was neither gold nor jade, but built from Chaos Profound Stone, ancient and heavy, bearing endless years and immense pressure.

Inside the hall, there was no wind, only the Great Dao's Qi flowing silently, evolving myriad phenomena of the heavens.

Beside a seemingly ordinary stone table, two figures sat opposite each other.

The one on the left wore a simple gray robe, with a gaunt face, like an old Daoist from the mortal world; only his eyes were as deep as an abyss, reflecting the birth and death of the Universe.

He held a black piece, his fingertips pausing slightly, as if listening to the pulse of the Great Thousand World.

Opposite him sat Emperor Hao Tian.

He wore a profound gold imperial robe, embroidered with the stars of the heavens and the mountains and rivers of myriad worlds; his face was incomparably handsome, yet it exuded an indifference that overlooked all ages.

He held a white piece, an ineffable halo swirling around his fingertips, as if time, space, and creation flowed at his whim.

He had already severed his Three Corpses, his Dao Fruit was singular, and he wielded three Great Daos; his power was unfathomable, making him the Heavenly Court's foremost quasi-Saint, universally acknowledged as unrivaled below a Saint!

The chess game seemed ordinary, but the interweaving of black and white pieces contained the collision and deduction of Great Dao Laws; each move caused a slight ripple in the Void Realm within the hall.

"Dao Brother, this game of yours is a step-by-step advance, with hidden killing intent, yet it also leaves room for maneuver. It truly embodies the unpredictable nature of the Heavenly Dao and the glimmer of hope," the gray-robed Daoist said as he slowly placed a piece, his voice calm.

Emperor Hao Tian's gaze fell on a spot on the chessboard, and just as he was about to speak, his eternally unchanging indifferent expression suddenly shifted ever so slightly.

It wasn't a change on the chessboard, but something originating from the ethereal, from the Great Dao of Stars connected to his Origin!

A fluctuation so violent that it could shake the entire Immortal-Demon Realm's Law of Stars, like a giant stone thrown into an ancient deep well, suddenly arrived!

This fluctuation carried the mournful cry of collapsing stars, along with a familiar yet incredibly dangerous Aura of defiled blood and evil Qi!

The gray-robed Daoist seemed to sense something, raising his eyes to look at Emperor Hao Tian, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes: "The stars are disturbed, and blood light pierces the sky. It seems that Emperor, your young friend under your command, has encountered no small trouble."

Emperor Hao Tian's gaze had already moved from the chessboard, turning towards the endlessly deep Void Realm outside the hall. His eyes remained calm, but beneath that calmness, an icy chill capable of freezing all ages of time and space seemed to be brewing.

"It's the Aura of the Blood Demon. Some time ago, this person and Hao Duo fought a great battle in the boundary Realm, destroying a Middle Thousand Realm Domain. After mediation by Ziwei and others, the matter was dropped. Later, he was completely defeated by Hao Duo and fled to the depths of the boundary Realm. I didn't expect him to not only stay but also remain in the Immortal-Demon Realm, and his cultivation has even advanced further," Emperor Hao Tian's voice was not loud, yet it clearly echoed within the hall. Every word carried a heavy Dao rhyme, "However, to dare covet the Luck of my Immortal-Demon Realm and harm an Immortal King of my Heavenly Court... he shall be executed."

He slowly put down the white piece imbued with the halo of creation, his movements unhurried, as if he was only leaving for a moment.

"Dao Brother, this game is paused for now. This Emperor will return shortly," Emperor Hao Tian nodded slightly to the gray-robed Daoist, his tone indifferent, as if he were merely going to handle a trivial matter.

The gray-robed Daoist nodded: "Emperor, please go. For this game, this old Daoist will wait quietly."

Before his words finished, Emperor Hao Tian's figure silently faded, like a reflection in water being erased.

There was no earth-shattering spatial tearing, no vast energy fluctuations; it was as if his very existence transcended the spatial-temporal rules of this place. With one step, he had already entered the boundary Realm, descending into the core of the blood-red, star-dimmed battlefield!

Outside the Blood Demon Realm, the boundary Realm battlefield.

The World-Destroying Blood River controlled by Blood Demon Venerable was fiercely suppressing Emperor Emperor, eroding the projected Star World he released until it was riddled with holes, on the verge of being completely swallowed.

Immortal Kings like Jing Xiong struggled bitterly in the blood net, yet not a single one escaped.

Blood Demon Venerable's Aura was like a rainbow, his blood-red eyes filled with cold arrogance that looked down upon the world.

However, at this moment.

A figure abruptly appeared on the battlefield.

Emperor Hao Tian descended!

Time seemed to have been paused.

That roaring, surging World-Destroying Blood River, capable of defiling all things; that terrifying vortex about to swallow Emperor; the desperate expression on Jing Xiong Immortal King's face... everything suddenly froze under an invisible will that transcended all else!

It wasn't truly absolute stillness, but rather a complete confinement and suppression by a vast and boundless Great Dao of Space!

Space had transformed into a cage billions of times more solid than divine gold and profound iron!

Immediately after, an irresistible creative power, representing the beginning and end of all things, descended from thin air, gently yet domineeringly sweeping across the battlefield.

The defiled blood net that trapped Immortal Kings like Jing Xiong melted and purified silently, like ice and snow under sunlight, revealing the disheveled but relieved Immortal Kings within.

Emperor Emperor only felt the pressure around him drastically decrease; the power of the Blood River vortex that had almost dragged his Divine Soul into the abyss instantly vanished.

He suddenly looked up at the figure that had abruptly appeared above the Blood River, his eyes bursting with the wild joy of escaping death and profound reverence: "Emperor!"

Emperor Hao Tian did not look at him, his gaze calmly falling on the source of the Blood River, on the evil and handsome blood-robed figure.

"Old Ghost Blood Demon, long time no see," Emperor Hao Tian's voice was flat and emotionless, yet it contained a majesty that made the entire boundary Realm hold its breath, "The Luck of the Immortal-Demon Realm is not for you to covet. Harming an Immortal King of my Heavenly Court requires an even greater price."

Blood Demon Venerable's blood-red pupils instantly constricted to the extreme!

Emperor Hao Tian! The true pillar of the Immortal-Demon Realm's Heavenly Court, one of the most terrifying existences below a Saint!

He had actually descended in person!

Though he claimed not to fear Hao Tian, with Hao Tian present, even he couldn't help but feel immense pressure!

An unprecedented sense of fatal crisis, like a cold viper, instantly coiled around Blood Demon Venerable's heart.

He could clearly feel that beneath the opponent's seemingly calm gaze, there was terrifying power capable of utterly annihilating him!

That was a supreme existence who had truly stood at the Peak of the quasi-Saint Realm, touching the threshold of a Saint!

"Hao Tian!" Blood Demon Venerable's voice carried an unprecedented gravity, devoid of the mockery and ease he had shown when facing Emperor.

The blood light around him surged wildly, and the solidified Blood River trembled violently, emitting a groan of unbearable strain as it tried to break free from the spatial restraints: "What do you want to do?!"

"What?" Emperor Hao Tian slowly raised a hand, his movements elegant and deadly.

At his fingertip, a faint light blossomed. The light was weak at first, but instantly expanded, transforming into a pure, ultimate creative divine light containing the dual Concepts of creation and destruction!

Wherever the divine light passed, the solidified space crumbled inch by inch, yet new Laws were born within the crumbling, as if reshaping this boundary Realm!

"Erase this body of yours, and reclaim the Luck you stole."

That creative divine light ignored the distance of space, as if it had crossed the long river of time, instantly blasting towards Blood Demon Venerable!

"Roar—!"

Blood Demon Venerable let out an earth-shattering roar, blood light burning wildly in his eyes.

He felt a fatal threat! This was absolutely not something that temporary boosted power could resist!

He unhesitatingly activated the power of the Great Thousand Origin of the Blood Demon Realm behind him, which had just been promoted and was exuding vigorous vitality!

The Blood Demon Realm had been promoted because of him, and the Heavenly Court wanted to seize his Great Thousand Luck, yet they shamelessly tried to turn the tables.

Now that Hao Tian had personally arrived, he had no other retreat; he could only fight!

Boom!

The entire Blood Demon Realm shook violently! Its Origin power was forcibly extracted, transforming into a blood-red crystal wall condensed to the extreme, blocking the creative divine light!

Hiss—!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a grating sound of dissolution!

The creative divine light and the blood-red crystal wall fiercely consumed each other.

The crystal wall was eroded and disintegrated at a visible speed, while the divine light also rapidly dimmed.

But the Blood Demon Realm's Origin was extracted too violently; the just-stabilized world structure let out a painful groan, the splendid flowing light between heaven and earth instantly dimmed, the trend of the land expanding abruptly stopped, and there were even faint signs of shrinking and regressing!

That nascent, infinitely potential Great Thousand creative Aura, like a punctured balloon, rapidly withered, its Realm unstable, barely remaining at the weakest Great Thousand World level, its transformation completely stagnated, and it even had the possibility of losing its status!

"No!!!" Xue Tian, who had already retreated into the Blood Demon Realm, let out an unwilling roar; he could clearly feel the world's lament and the loss of its potential.

Blood Demon Venerable's eyes were even more bloodshot!

He had exhausted all his strength, even at the cost of overdrawing the Foundation of the nascent world, just to barely block Emperor Hao Tian's seemingly casual strike!

But the opponent's unfathomable Aura, like an ancient divine mountain, pressed down on him, making him unable to breathe!

Just one strike had almost depleted the Blood Demon Realm's nascent Foundation!

Emperor Hao Tian's brow furrowed imperceptibly, seemingly slightly surprised at failing to succeed with one blow, but then he regained his indifference: "Stubborn resistance."

Light rekindled at his fingertip; this time, within the halo swirling around his fingertip, the faint phantom of the river of time flowed!

An even more terrifying attack was about to brew!

A trace of desperate madness flashed in Blood Demon Venerable's blood-red eyes, then transformed into an all-or-nothing determination!

"Xue Tian! Six Blood Gods! Fuse!"

As he let out a sharp cry, within the Blood Demon Realm, Xue Tian, whose imperial robe was stained with blood, and the six blood-robed figures scattered deep within the six dead stars, maintaining the red mist array, simultaneously erupted with dazzling blood light!

Their figures instantly became ethereal, transforming into seven streaks of blood-red light burning with Origin and will, ignoring spatial barriers, and with a speed beyond the limit of light, they fiercely rushed out of the Blood Demon Realm's boundary and slammed into Blood Demon Venerable's Main Body above the Blood River!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The seven streaks of light, like moths to a flame, plunged one after another into Blood Demon Venerable's body!

"Ugh ah—!"

Blood Demon Venerable let out a roar intertwined with pain and power; his entire body violently swelled as if inflated, then instantly collapsed!

His evil and handsome face twisted and changed, sometimes showing Xue Tian's resolute expression, sometimes flashing with the indifference of his other Clones.

A terrifying Aura, far more powerful, violent, and chaotic than before, erupted like a volcano that had been dormant for hundreds of millions of years!

The Blood River instantly turned a deep black-red, surging and roaring, its power skyrocketing!

The confined spatial power was forcibly torn apart!

Blood Demon Venerable's Aura finally completely broke through that barrier, truly stabilizing at the Late Stage of the quasi-Saint Realm!

However, the price was the complete dissolution of Xue Tian and the six powerful Blood God Clones, as well as an even deeper wound to his own Origin!

His blood-red eyes locked onto Emperor Hao Tian, no longer holding any shred of hope, only the most primal, most frantic will to fight to the death!

Emperor Hao Tian looked at Blood Demon Venerable, whose Aura had surged but appeared more chaotic and mad, his eyes still as indifferent as ancient profound ice. Only the creative divine light at his fingertip, imbued with the power of time, became even more dazzlingly brilliant.

"Fusing Clones, forcibly raising your Realm? It's merely drinking poison to quench thirst, only increasing your suffering," he slowly spoke, pronouncing the final outcome, "Today, let this nascent boundary Realm be buried with you."