286: Chapter 287 The Mysterious Immortal King!

In the far east of the Immortal Realm, the sea of clouds surged like a tide, and a majestic palace stood tall in the vast sky.

An ancient plaque hung before the hall, with the four characters "Xuanhuang Heavenly Palace" written on it in a sharp style, as if carved by knives and axes.

Immortal King Xuanhuang was currently in seclusion deep within the palace.

He sat cross-legged on a green jade couch, his Immortal essence flowing around him like silk threads as he slowly breathed in and out the Immortal spiritual qi.

A cultivation at the Middle Stage of the Immortal King Realm was neither high nor low; in a territory of the Immortal Realm, he was already an overlord-level figure.

But Immortal King Xuanhuang knew in his heart that in this world where Immortal Emperors stood in numbers, an Immortal King like him was merely a larger piece on the chessboard.

While he was cultivating, a communication talisman streaked through the air and stopped in front of him.

Immortal King Xuanhuang reached out to catch it, sent his Divine Sense inside, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.

The message came from Emperor Cang, the master of the Immortal Court, and the content was brief—all Immortal Kings and Great Star Gods were to immediately head to the Taichu Ziji Palace for a meeting.

He put away the communication talisman, stood up, and pushed the door open.

The Immortal and god system of the Immortal Court was neither complex nor simple.

The civil official lineage was led by the Prime Minister, with various departments under him responsible for Immortal registries, merits and demerits, penal laws, and other matters.

The military official lineage was primarily composed of various marshals and great generals, commanding Immortal soldiers and generals to guard the various Immortal domains and territories of the Immortal Realm.

Civil and military officials performed their respective duties and did not report to one another; both followed the direct orders of Emperor Cang.

Outside of the civil and military branches, there was an even more transcendent power—the Great Star Gods.

The so-called Great Star Gods, as the name implied, were the rulers of the major stars.

The Immortal Realm had three hundred and sixty-five major stars, and every single one had a corresponding star god.

Great Star Gods came from two sources.

The first were the Innate Star Gods, condensed from the star's Origin itself.

These star gods had existed since the birth of the stars, sharing the same source as the stars they governed, and their cultivation was at least at the Immortal King Realm.

Furthermore, their compatibility with the stars was extremely high, allowing them to mobilize the full power of the star's Origin.

The second were the Conferred Star Gods.

If an Innate Star God fell, was demoted, or was unable to perform their duties for some reason, Emperor Cang had the right to confer a new star god.

Although a Conferred Star God could also govern a star and receive the blessing of its Origin, there was ultimately a gap, and the power of the Origin they could mobilize was far inferior to that of an Innate Star God.

Therefore, whether Innate or conferred, the cultivation of a Great Star God started at the Immortal King Realm, giving them a unique advantage over ordinary Immortal Kings: they could use the power of the star's Origin to bolster themselves.

Of course, minor star gods of the Profound Immortal or Golden Immortal types were excluded.

Consequently, during battle, a Great Star God's Immortal essence was inexhaustible, and their recovery speed far exceeded that of an ordinary Immortal King.

Moreover, they could channel the power of the stars into devastating attacks with astonishing might.

If the star they governed was powerful enough, a star god could even briefly erupt with combat power close to the Immortal Emperor level.

This was the biggest difference between a star god and an ordinary Immortal King.

No matter how strong an ordinary Immortal King was, it was only their own strength.

What made a star god strong was an entire star.

Thus, within the Immortal Court, the status of a Great Star God was slightly higher than that of an ordinary Immortal King.

Whenever a major event occurred, the first ones Emperor Cang called upon were often these Great Star Gods.

As for ordinary Immortal Kings, they had to rely on their own abilities.

Immortal King Xuanhuang was one of those ordinary Immortal Kings.

He was not a star god, nor had he married Emperor Cang's daughter to become his son-in-law, so he naturally did not receive that extra layer of favor.

During his years in the Immortal Court, he had been diligent and conscientious, never competing with others or taking sides, quietly living his life as an idle Immortal King.

With such a style, there was naturally no hope for promotion, but the benefit was peace and quiet.

At the very least, it was not easy to get caught up in those deadly whirlpools.

The Taichu Ziji Palace was located in the center-north of the Immortal Court and was the place where Emperor Cang gathered his ministers for meetings.

By the time Immortal King Xuanhuang arrived, many people were already seated in the hall.

In the civil official row, the Prime Minister was at the head, with the heads of various departments lined up on both sides.

In the military official row, several marshals were already seated, their armor bright and their auras heavy.

The Great Star Gods were scattered on the other side.

Immortal King Xuanhuang calmly walked to his assigned seat and sat down, smoothing his robes.

He did not have the habit of exchanging pleasantries, and others did not bother to greet him either.

The various Immortals in the hall talked in small groups, discussing nothing more than where a spiritual item had appeared or which Immortal King had broken through to a new Realm.

No one mentioned the Heavenly Court, and no one mentioned the Buddhist Sect.

However, Immortal King Xuanhuang noticed that several Great Star Gods who rarely showed their faces were present today.

The star god of mars, Immortal King Lieqiong.

This man was a major general under Emperor Cang, with a cultivation at the Late Stage of the Immortal King Realm, and his combat power ranked among the top of the star gods.

He had married Emperor Cang's daughter in his early years and was a son-in-law personally certified by Emperor Cang.

He was also the recognized enforcer of the Immortal Court.

Whenever Emperor Cang had a troublesome task, he was often the first person he thought of.

The position of star god of mars did not originally belong to Immortal King Lieqiong.

The previous star god of mars had long since been demoted into Reincarnation for offending Emperor Cang.

Without a Heaven-Defying Opportunity, let alone returning to the Immortal Realm, even trying to Cultivate back to his original Realm would be harder than reaching the heavens.

Such was the wrath of Emperor Cang.

Immortal King Xuanhuang withdrew his gaze, focused his mind, and waited quietly.

Before long, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned solemn.

All conversation ceased simultaneously.

Emperor Cang had arrived.

He wore imperial robes and a twelve-tasseled imperial crown.

Emperor Cang took his seat at the head, his gaze sweeping over the people in the hall. Without wasting any words, he spoke directly.

"I have summoned you all today regarding the great war that took place a hundred years ago."

"A hundred years ago, Immortal Venerable Chenyue attacked the Great Leiyin Temple of the western Buddhist Sect, and Long Da, the master of the Heavenly Court, lent his aid in an attempt to overthrow the Buddhist Sect. I assume you have all heard of this."

Immortal King Xuanhuang had certainly heard of it.

That great war had shaken the entire Immortal Realm; even though he stayed hidden in his own palace, news constantly reached his ears.

"The Buddhist Sect has never quite gotten along with my Immortal Court or Emperor Haotian's Divine Court."

"However, a mysterious powerhouse sent word, advising us to step in and preserve the Buddhist lineage."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of many Immortals in the hall changed simultaneously.

For a powerhouse to be respectfully referred to as a 'mysterious powerhouse' by an Immortal Emperor giant like Emperor Cang, their cultivation and background were truly unimaginable.

Emperor Cang completely ignored the suspicion and surprise of the crowd, nor did he clarify the identity of that mysterious powerhouse. He continued in an indifferent tone:

"After consulting with Emperor Haotian, we both felt that what the mysterious powerhouse said was correct."

"Although the Buddhist Sect has deep-seated differences with my Immortal Court, the Heavenly Court is currently at its peak. If we allow it to annex the Buddhist Sect, then when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold; the next targets would be the Immortal Court and the Divine Court."

Therefore, a hundred years ago, Emperor Cang and Emperor Haotian intervened in that Buddhist war.

The five Buddhas of the Buddhist Sect, combined with Emperor Cang and Emperor Haotian, made a total of seven Immortal Emperor-level figures joining forces to resist Immortal Venerable Chenyue and Long Da, the master of the Heavenly Court.

Seven against two—no matter how you looked at it, it should have been an overwhelming victory.

But the truth was that Immortal Venerable Chenyue alone could suppress the Five Ancestors of Buddhism.

Long Da, the master of the Heavenly Court, possessed strength similar to that of Immortal Venerable Chenyue.

Thus, in the seven-versus-two situation, Emperor Cang, Emperor Haotian, and the five Buddhas did not gain the slightest advantage.

In the end, both sides fought fiercely for nearly a hundred years within the Sumeru Mustard Seed Great Barrier of the west, with both sides suffering losses and reaching a stalemate.

It wasn't until Lingyangzi, the one who had originally advised Emperor Cang and Emperor Haotian to preserve the Buddhist Sect, personally intervened that Chenyue and Long Da were finally repelled.

Of course, Emperor Cang would never reveal this himself and lose face for no reason.

Emperor Cang's current version was: "This time, with the assistance of myself and Emperor Haotian, the Buddhist Sect repelled Immortal Venerable Chenyue and the master of the Heavenly Court."

"But through this battle, I, Emperor Haotian, and the various Buddhas have all reached a consensus: as long as the threat of the Heavenly Court is not eliminated, the Immortal Realm will never know peace. And the Heavenly Court is so powerful that it is not an enemy a single power can face."

"Therefore, from this day forward, the Immortal Court, the Divine Court, and the Buddhist Sect shall set aside their past grievances and formally form an alliance. The three parties will work together to resist the Heavenly Court and jointly withstand the Heaven and Earth Boundless Great Tribulation."

A buzz erupted in the hall as discussions broke out everywhere.

An alliance?

The Immortal Court and the Buddhist Sect?

While it was true that the Immortal Court, under Emperor Cang's leadership, had initially intended to ally with the Buddhist Sect—after all, the Buddhist Sect possessed five Buddhas, and even if their killing power wasn't top-tier, a Buddha was still an Immortal Emperor, a force not to be underestimated.

However, Buddha Datongguang later set a trap, leading to the death of Princess Jin Zhao, Emperor Cang's daughter, at the hands of Venerable Datong, which created a deep grudge between the two houses.

And now, Emperor Cang was actually willing to set aside such a feud and bring up the alliance again?

But despite the discussions, no one dared to speak out in opposition.

Emperor Cang raised his hand to quiet the hall, and his voice rang out again: "The Heaven and Earth Boundless Great Tribulation is approaching, and when it arrives, all living beings in the heavens will sink into the tribulation."

"The Heavenly Court has wolfish ambitions and is plotting something grand; its desires have already been made clear for all to see."

"If the Immortal Court, Divine Court, and Buddhist Sect are unwilling to join forces and form an alliance, they will sooner or later be picked off and destroyed one by one by the Heavenly Court."

"Therefore, this alliance is imperative. You may all withdraw and return to make proper preparations."

He paused slightly, his gaze suddenly becoming as sharp as a cold blade: "If anyone is found to be in secret communication with the Heavenly Court, do not blame me for showing no mercy!"

Everyone in the hall bowed their heads in unison: "We obey the Emperor's command."

Immortal King Xuanhuang sat in his seat, listening with an expressionless face.

Every word and sentence from Emperor Cang entered his ears and heart, but only one thing truly moved his thoughts.

Emperor Cang was afraid.

He wasn't afraid of the Heaven and Earth Boundless Great Tribulation.

What he truly feared was the currently powerful Heavenly Court.

It was the burgeoning ambition of Long Da, the master of the Heavenly Court.

Since Nash Long Da, the master of the Heavenly Court, had forcefully slain the Demon Emperor and awed the Immortal Realm, he had been recruiting various forces everywhere.

The Kunlun Sect had already bowed in submission, and countless Loose Cultivator Immortal Kings and Sects of all sizes had successively pledged their loyalty.

Long Da's intention to overturn the eternal old order and unify the Immortal Realm was clear for all to see.

Otherwise, with Emperor Cang's personality, how could he possibly take the initiative to ally with the Buddhist Sect?

Immortal King Xuanhuang sighed inwardly.

To be honest, he did not want to be involved in these struggles.

He was just an ordinary Immortal King at the Middle Stage.

Once a full-scale war broke out between the Immortal Court and the Heavenly Court, an Immortal King like him would just be a slightly higher-grade version of Human Immortal cannon fodder.

Between an Immortal King and an Immortal Emperor, although there was only one Realm of difference, that single word was the difference between clouds and mud.

Below the Immortal Emperor, all are ants.

This was not an exaggeration; it was a fact.

Immortal King Xuanhuang sometimes even thought that if he could be like his subordinate who had been missing for a thousand years—disappearing completely and staying far away from these conflicts—it would not be a bad thing.

At this thought, he subconsciously touched a token in his sleeve.

The token was mysterious black, with two ancient seal characters carved on the front—Xuanming.

This was the lifebound token of True Lord Xuanming.

True Lord Xuanming, with a True Immortal Realm cultivation, was a major general under Immortal King Xuanhuang.

This man's combat power was not bad, and his character was quite loyal and brave; Immortal King Xuanhuang relied on him quite a bit.

But a thousand years ago, True Lord Xuanming suddenly disappeared.

Immortal King Xuanhuang had performed deductions countless times and only calculated that Xuanming had secretly descended to the Spirit Realm, after which he could no longer be found.

However, the lifebound spiritual light within the token was still there, indicating that he was not dead.

But he simply could not be found.

Immortal King Xuanhuang had once speculated that True Lord Xuanming had likely accidentally entered some isolated ancient Secret Realm, or had been sealed by some powerhouse in a desperate land that even the Heavenly Dao could not peer into.

Regarding this, he even felt a faint sense of envy deep in his heart.

If he could also find such a place, he could stay far away from the power struggles and factional entanglements between the various Immortal Emperors...

After all, as long as he could safely preserve his life, even if he were trapped in a seal and confined to a corner, he could fully accept it.

While his thoughts were wandering, the token in his palm suddenly trembled slightly.

Immortal King Xuanhuang's heart tightened.

He looked down and saw a line of tiny glowing characters appearing on the surface of the token...

The content written upon it caused a stormy wave of shock to rise within Immortal King Xuanhuang's heart.

But his expression remained as calm as an ancient well without ripples as he discreetly put the token away, tucking it into his robes.