260: Chapter 260 Reversing the Heavens

Although the stinging pain from the soul tablet within his body was temporarily suppressed by the Aura of the Five Elements Chaos Wheel, it was like a festering sore that would not go away—constantly reminding him of the humiliation and malice of being unable to control his own destiny.

His voice was as hoarse as a broken gong, carrying a desperate resolve to perish together:

"Fellow Daoist White-Brow is right! Rather than being controlled by the soul tablet until death, it is better to fight with everything we have! Let us turn the entire Southern Region upside down and win a future for our respective Sects where we are no longer at the mercy of the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"

"Indeed!"

The high monk of Little Sumeru Mountain pressed his palms together, the prayer beads on his chest trembling violently, nearly shattering.

Golden light and bloodstains intertwined on his body. His originally compassionate and gentle face was now filled with ferocity, his eyes wide open in the likeness of a furious Vajra, and his Buddha light revealed a destructive ruthlessness.

"If I do not go to Hell, who will? Today, let the flames of war in this Southern Region see us off—"

"Paving the way for our Sects!"

As the words fell, the Buddha light around him surged, but it was no longer the peace meant to deliver the world; it was a fierce Buddha might containing destruction and sacrifice, like burning golden flames—sweeping in all directions.

Seeing this, other Sect forces revealed expressions of determination one after another, nodding in agreement.

The leaders of the various forces exchanged glances; without the need for words, they reached a consensus instantly.

The originally loose formation quickly consolidated, and a frantic Aura of shared hatred surged straight into the sky, intertwining with Ancestor Witch Xuanyuzi's soul mist—forming a terrifying pressure that made one's heart palpitate.

"Everyone, do you truly intend to aid the tyrant and plunge the entire Southern Region into endless flames of war?"

Emperor Wu Tianba stepped forward, his voice booming like a thunderclap, forcibly suppressing the frenzied Battle Intent that had just risen from the several major forces.

The battle halberd in his hand pointed diagonally at the sky. The nine-dragon patterns on his black-gold imperial armor seemed like awakened ancient Divine Beasts, their scales flickering with a faint light, coiling up the halberd shaft and emitting a majestic imperial Aura that suppressed the mountains and rivers and looked down upon the world—even the Void Realm trembled because of it.

His tiger-like eyes were wide open, like a furious Vajra, and his sharp gaze swept across Daoist Baimei, Qing Xuzi, the Master of Burning Heaven Valley, and others, his eyes burning with undisguised anger and questioning.

Behind him, the experts of the Great Wu and Shenwu Imperial Dynasties drew their swords one after another. Their armor clanked, the sound of metal colliding like the roar of war drums. They stared vigilantly at the opposing Sect coalition—their Aura like a rainbow, confronting them, and the atmosphere on the battlefield instantly dropped to freezing point.

"Aid the tyrant?"

Daoist Baimei frowned slightly. The Taiji Diagram behind him rotated slowly, with Yin and Yang Qi floating and circulating, emitting a steady and profound Dao rhyme, contending with Emperor Wu Tianba's imperial Aura.

"Martial Emperor, your words are mistaken. We do not wish to incite endless war in the Southern Region, but rather to fight for our Sects, which are constrained by soul tablets—to win a future where we are no longer held by the throat at any moment and slaughtered at will!"

The Zixiao Holy Master's purple robes rustled, and thunder lurked around his body like a dormant Dragon. He said coldly: "Your Majesty Martial Emperor, the Great Wu and Great Xia Imperial Dynasties joining forces to attack the temple is indeed powerful. But do not forget, the Imperial Ancestral Temple has ruled the Southern Region for ten thousand years, its influence is deeply rooted, and its means are treacherous, cunning, and endless."

"To be its enemy, is that not seeking one's own death?"

"We are merely assessing the situation to ensure our own survival!"

The Master of Burning Heaven Valley was even more irritable. Blazing flames burned around his body, almost wrapping him into a man of fire, even his hair turning crimson. His voice was as explosive as thunder: "Hmph! Emperor Wu Tianba, Jian Xiaotian! Your two Imperial Dynasties have deep Foundations and are protected by the Dragon Qi of national destiny, so naturally, you do not fear the long-term threat of the Imperial Ancestral Temple's soul tablets, and you can take your time to plot!"

"But my Burning Heaven Valley, Little Sumeru Mountain, and other Sects have long been forced to swear oaths to the Heavenly Dao, with our lives hanging on another's whim! What we do today is merely to fight for a way of survival for our descendants!"

"If you wish to stop us, you are our enemy—to the death!"

"Amitabha."

The high monk of Little Sumeru Mountain chanted a low Buddha name, his voice heavy as a bell, carrying endless sorrow. "Your Majesty Martial Emperor, Your Majesty Xia Emperor, we monks are not bloodthirsty; we truly have no other way to ensure our survival. The flames of war today, though tragic, are paving the way for the peace of tomorrow."

"I hope the two Your Majesties will think twice and not force us to perish together!"

The leaders of other small and medium-sized Sects controlled by soul tablets also spoke up in agreement, their emotions stirred and indignant, their eyes full of the madness of burning their bridges.

They were indeed afraid—afraid of losing their Sect Foundation after being expelled by the two Imperial Dynasties, and even more afraid that the sword of the soul tablet hanging above their heads would exist forever, making their Sects Puppets of the Imperial Ancestral Temple for generations to come.

Rather than dying a slow death, it is better to fight to the death—perhaps they could still carve out a bloody path!

Emperor Wu Tianba's face was so gloomy it could drip water, and his imperial Aura became increasingly biting, like the gale of a midwinter month, making the surrounding air seem to freeze.

Beside him, Jian Xiaotian also frowned slightly, his eyes heavy as iron.

The two Imperial Dynasties were indeed not as terrified of the soul tablets as the other Sects. They had the protection of the Dragon Qi of national destiny, and even more, secret methods inherited by the royal family to resolve or resist the erosion of the soul tablets, which was the confidence that allowed them to dare to take the lead in attacking the temple.

But they never expected that after Daoist Baimei and the others were driven to a desperate situation, their will to resist would be so determined, even willing to put aside their prejudices and join forces with the Imperial Ancestral Temple to fight against them.

This would undoubtedly completely disrupt the deployment of the two Imperial Dynasties, making the war to attack the temple much more difficult, causing greater destruction and casualties—and might even allow some forces hidden in the dark to reap the benefits as the fisherman.

"Fellow Daoists, the enemies of our two Imperial Dynasties have always been only the Tai Miao Ancestral Witches and those who act as accomplices to the tiger."

Looking at the tense atmosphere that was on the verge of breaking out, Jian Xiaotian spoke again to remind them, his voice carrying a hint of admonition, like a spring breeze turning into rain, attempting to awaken everyone's reason.

"Why must you risk your lives for the Imperial Ancestral Temple and make enemies of the entire Southern Region? Why not join forces with us to break the Imperial Ancestral Temple together—and completely resolve the trouble of the soul tablets? Wouldn't that be better?"

Just as Jian Xiaotian's voice fell, the remnant soul of Ancestor Witch Xuanyuzi, floating in mid-air, suddenly let out a sinister and bone-chilling weird laugh.

This laughter was like dead wood rubbing, a poisonous snake hissing, or the wail of a ghost from the Nine Hells; it was sharp and piercing, making one's scalp tingle, and one's Divine Soul could not help but tremble.

The light of the soul tablet in his hand flickered violently, like a candle in the wind, and the originally violent and explosive Aura suddenly restrained a bit, like a poisonous snake ready to strike, lurking in the black mist—adding a few more points of heart-palpitating eeriness.

"Enemies with the two Imperial Dynasties? Haha... Hahaha!"

Ancestor Witch Xuanyuzi's laughter became increasingly frenzied, his hoarse voice like a poisoned blade, stabbing directly into the deepest fear of the human heart: "Fellow Daoist White-Brow, Fellow Daoist Zixiao, and all you worthies! Have you not yet seen the truth of this chess game?"

The black mist around his remnant soul churned like boiling water, and his gaze swept across Daoist Baimei and the others like a hungry wolf, carrying bone-deep incitement and resentment: "After today, regardless of whether the Imperial Ancestral Temple wins or loses, there will be no place for our Sects in the Southern Region! These two Imperial Dynasties are ambitious; it is true that they have joined forces to attack the temple—and it is even more true that they want to use the name of attacking the temple to unify the Southern Region and purge us 'unstable' Sect forces!"

"The soul guides within your bodies still exist, the oaths to the Heavenly Dao are like maggots on bones, and the Heavenly punishment hangs over your heads at all times; in front of you, the two Imperial Dynasties are eyeing you like tigers, wanting to eliminate you quickly; behind you, there is the wrath of the 'Tai Miao Ancestral Witches', to the death..."

Ancestor Witch Xuanyuzi's voice suddenly rose, carrying a demonic power that bewitched people's hearts, like a devil's whisper: "Wolves in front and tigers behind, it is already a desperate situation! Why not simply stir up this dead chess game?"

"Let me tell you a secret—deep within the ley lines of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, there is a Heaven-Defying Array personally laid down by the 'Tai Miao Ancestral Witches' back then!"

He spoke word by word, each word like throwing out the most tempting poison, smashing hard against everyone's heartstrings: "As long as this array is triggered, not only may the Karma of the soul tablets be reversed, and that damned Heavenly punishment transferred to the mountains and rivers of this Southern Region—but it can even... counteract the Dragon Qi of national destiny of the two Imperial Dynasties!"

"By then, not only can we break free from the shackles of the soul tablets and get rid of the threat of Heavenly punishment, but perhaps we can also—in this chaotic chess game of the world—win a glimmer of Opportunity to transcend life and death and grasp the destiny of the world!"

Once Ancestor Witch Xuanyuzi's words were spoken, it was like a thunderclap exploding in the coalition army, instantly igniting the deepest despair and madness in everyone's hearts!

Indeed, either way, it is a dead end; rather than waiting for death, why not bet on something crazier?

Transferring the Heavenly punishment, counteracting the Dragon Qi; such temptation, even for the most determined Sect leaders, was difficult to resist—like a moth to a flame, knowing the danger, yet still yearning for it.

The crimson in the eyes of the Master of Burning Heaven Valley, which had eased slightly due to Jian Xiaotian's words, instantly reignited, even more intensely than before, like a prairie fire completely devouring his reason.

Blazing flames surged around his body, almost piercing through the sky, dyeing half the sky crimson. His voice carried rapid panting and greed: "Transfer the Heavenly punishment? Counteract the Dragon Qi? Ancestor Witch Xuanyuzi, are your words true?"

"If there is truly a glimmer of possibility..."