286: Chapter 286 Heavenly Secrets Pavilion

This was not a suppression of cultivation, but a supreme might originating from the source of the Bloodline, from the Laws of Heaven and Earth—In this Realm, the Yao Race is supreme, and all Laws must bow down and submit!

Even Su Yaoyao, sheltered layer by layer by the Nine Heavens Sword Formation world, trembled violently, her small face pale as paper. The instinctive palpitations and fear stemming from the deepest part of her Bloodline made her fingertips cold—this was the irresistible awe and submission of a lower-level creature facing a hegemon at the top of the food chain; she could not even raise a single thought of resistance.

"Demon Ancestor... it is Demon Ancestor Xuanming! It is the Demon Ancestor Xuanming of our Myriad Demon Palace!"

An elderly Cultivator of the Myriad Demon Palace, with white hair and beard and nearing the end of his Lifespan, looked up tremblingly. His cloudy eyes stared fixedly at the direction of the Forbidden Ground, tears streaming down his face. His voice was hoarse and distorted from extreme excitement: "It is rumored that one of the founding Ancestral Masters of our Myriad Demon Palace suffered a Dao wound in the late ancient era and sealed himself in the deepest part of the Forbidden Ground, using his immortal demonic Soul to guard the palace's eternal Luck... it is actually true! The Old Ancestor... he is still alive!"

Just as this earth-shattering event in the Northern Nether Demon Realm caused undercurrents to surge throughout the entire cultivation world, with countless gazes focusing like sharp arrows—Central Province, Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, Star Gazing Platform.

An old man wearing a starry Daoist robe, his face obscured by hazy starlight, was gazing at the strange sky to the north, which was torn apart and intertwined by cyan Demonic Qi and Chaos Sword Qi.

In front of him hovered an ancient star mirror, tempered and nourished by billions of star fragments. The mirror's surface was radiant, reflecting the suffocating scene above the Myriad Demon Palace: the heavily fortified nine-colored sword formation world, the towering and terrifying figure of the Chaos Demon Ancestor, and that looming, heaven-splitting, towering sword shadow.

"Xuanming... this old turtle has actually been forced out."

The old man's voice was ethereal, as if coming from beyond the Nine Heavens, carrying a hint of imperceptible sighing: "Possessing the World Tree Manifestation, controlling an Imperial Weapon-grade sword formation, and suspected of harboring the complete Grandmist creation Legacy... who exactly is this Chu Changsheng? Why is everything about him in the Heavenly Mystery so... chaotic and unclear?"

He calculated with his fingers, and countless mysterious star-track runes flowed across his fingertips. The surrounding light points corresponding to the stars of the firmament flickered violently, and the ancient star formation on the Star Gazing Platform emitted an unbearable hum.

After a moment, he frowned and slowly withdrew his hand. A wisp of subtle yet bone-chilling black Qi lingered on his fingertips—this was the mark of the backlash from forcibly prying into the Heavenly Mystery.

"I cannot even grasp a single clear thread of Karma, only bottomless chaotic mist... the backlash from a forced deduction is so overbearing..."

Stars flickered and vanished in the eyes of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion Revered Master, filled with unprecedented gravity and suspicion: "This child bears great terror and is also implicated in great Karma! He is definitely not an ordinary Prodigy of this Realm, and may even... not belong to this era."

"Pass down the order," he whispered to the Void Realm in front of him, his voice carrying unquestionable majesty: "All members of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion are to immediately suspend all deduction tasks related to the Northern Nether Demon Realm. Restrain the Disciples under our sect; no one is to step into the territory of the Northern Nether Demon Realm for the near future. Observe the changes quietly."

"Those who violate this order... will have their cultivation crippled and be expelled from the sect forever!"

"We obey the Pavilion Revered Master's decree!" A respectful and ethereal response came from the Void Realm.

Northern Province, Feathered Immortal Dynasty, deep within the imperial palace.

Inside a magnificent palace carved from ten-thousand-year warm jade and flowing with dense Immortal Qi, the contemporary Feathered Immortal Emperor, dressed in a Nine-Dragon Imperial Robe, sat at the peak of the nine-layered jade steps.

His face was like jade, and when his eyes opened and closed, there seemed to be vast visions of the sun and moon rotating and galaxies being born and destroyed. His body was surrounded by a faint yet majestic Imperial Immortal Qi capable of crushing eternal mountains and rivers—his Imperial might was like a prison, deep and unfathomable.

In front of him also hovered a water mirror as clear as autumn water. The scene in the mirror was no different from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's star mirror, reflecting every detail of the Northern Nether battlefield and every collision of Qi with absolute clarity.

"Demon Ancestor Xuanming... an existence who fought against the first Immortal Ancestor in the late ancient era and survived. Although he was heavily injured and fell from his Realm, his Yao Race Origin Dao remains unfathomable."

The Feathered Immortal Emperor's voice was calm and waveless, yet carried a natural majesty: "This Chu Changsheng, with the body of a Late Mahayana Stage Cultivator, was actually able to force Xuanming to appear. His foundation is so deep and his fortune so thick that it is rare in ancient and modern times."

Behind him, an old eunuch with white hair and a youthful face, his aura like an abyss or the sea, appeared silently and whispered, his voice thin as a thread yet every word clear: "Your Majesty, this person's Origins are a mystery, and his methods are heaven-defying; he is certainly not a creature of the pond. Should we... send someone to make contact and show goodwill? Or... take precautions early to eliminate future troubles?"

The Feathered Immortal Emperor tapped his fingertips on the armrest of the dragon throne, emitting a low and rhythmic sound, as if resonating with the mysterious Laws of Dao. The light of the eternal Immortal candles in the hall flickered, casting his upright figure in alternating light and shadow.

"Not for now." After a long time, he spoke slowly, his eyes deep as an ancient cold pool: "This old demon Xuanming has sealed himself for countless years, relying on absorbing the Luck of the Myriad Demon Palace to survive. His Dao wounds have long been deep in his bone marrow, and his spiritual consciousness is incomplete. Appearing now, he seems to have monstrous power, but he is actually strong on the outside and weak on the inside—"

"He is burning his last foundations to fight for his life and cannot hold on for too long."

"As for this Chu Changsheng..." A faint yet sharp, sword-like glint flashed in the Immortal Emperor's eyes: "What he has shown may not be everything. The World Tree, the Imperial Weapon-grade sword formation, the complete Divine-Grade Divine Ability Legacy... any one of these is enough to shock the Immortal Realm and attract the attention of higher levels. If he dares to be so unscrupulous, either he is ignorant and unaware, or... he has absolute confidence—"

"Fearless of any schemes or covetousness."

"Transmit my decree," the Immortal Emperor's voice suddenly turned sharp, carrying unquestionable decisiveness: "Closely monitor the movements in the Northern Nether, especially the outcome of the battle between Chu Changsheng and Xuanming, as well as the final attitudes of the Guanghan Immortal Palace and the Myriad Calamity Sword Mound. Before the situation becomes clear, members of the Immortal Dynasty must not intervene in the disputes in the Central Province without authorization."

"But, starting immediately, use all power to collect all information about this person, 'Chu Changsheng'—I want to know every single thing from his birth until now!"

"This old servant... obeys the decree." The old eunuch bowed and retreated quietly like a shadow.

Western Desert, Great Thunder Sound Temple, under the Bodhi tree.

An old monk wearing a simple kasaya, his face withered like thousand-year-old wood, was sitting in meditation with his eyes closed.

There was no Magic Treasure in front of him, but a round, golden, pill-like Buddha seal on his forehead seemed to reflect the scenes of the Myriad Heavens and Worlds. The turbulent winds and clouds of the Northern Nether Demon Realm, and every collision of Sword Qi and Demonic Qi, were clearly reflected on his waveless lake of a heart.

"Amitabha." The old monk slowly opened his eyes, with neither sorrow nor joy, only the ultimate peace of having seen through the vicissitudes of the ages: "Patron Xuanming, your obsession has not faded, and you are entangled in killing Karma. Forcing yourself to appear in the world this time is likely not a good affinity—you will not escape the torment of the Reincarnation karmic fire."

"That Patron surnamed Chu," he chanted a low Buddhist name, his voice peaceful yet carrying a strange penetrating power, as if it could reach the hearts of all living beings: "Bears great fortune and also carries great Karma. His Sword Intent is magnificent, possessing the true meaning of heaven-splitting and the creation and destruction of life, but it is overly rigid and fierce; ultimately, it is not the Dao of nirvana and transcendence of our Buddhist sect."

"This person's Dao path lies in the sword, in the Dao, and in his own heart—not in my Buddha."

A young monk standing by his side showed a worried expression and couldn't help but speak: "Revered Master, this person is showing his sharp edge, stirring up the winds and clouds of the world; I fear this is not a blessing for the common people. Our Buddhist sect is compassionate; should we... intervene to resolve this meaningless slaughter and guide him towards good?"

The old monk shook his head gently, his voice plain yet containing unquestionable Zen wisdom: "The arising and extinguishing of affinities are all fated. This is a struggle of Dao, and also a settling of Karma. We people outside the Buddhist sect should not interfere too deeply, so as not to be stained by killing Karma and shake our pure Zen heart."

"Pass down the order: close the mountain gate, activate the mountain-protecting formation, and all Disciples are to chant scriptures and pray for blessings before the Buddha, waiting quietly for the dust to settle. If any exiled members of the Northern Nether Yao Race come to seek refuge, they may be accepted at our discretion, but they are strictly forbidden from participating in blood feuds and fighting."

"Those who violate this... will be severely punished according to the temple rules."

"This Disciple understands." The young monk pressed his palms together, his expression solemn as he agreed.

Eastern Wasteland, Witch God Sect, Ancestral Altar.

The blazing pale holy fire, which seemed capable of directly burning the Soul, licked frantically at the ancient, twisted, and ominous Witch runes on the huge Ancestral Altar, making strange sizzling sounds.

Within the flames, light and shadow twisted and changed, real-time reflecting every shocking segment of the Northern Nether battlefield.

An old woman with her face painted with strange oil colors, wearing a hideous crown woven from feathers and bones, and a hunched figure, was dancing an ancient, frantic, and primitive dance around the altar.

She uttered a hoarse chant that was meaningless but sharp and piercing. The bone staff in her hand, topped with a pale white skull, kept pointing towards the flames as she danced.

Every time she pointed, the scene in the flames became clearer, and two points of light as eerie green as ghost fire lit up in the eye sockets of the skull.

"Xuanming... old and undying... Demonic Qi is impure... Origin is depleted..."

The old woman suddenly stopped her wild dance, her cloudy, dead-fish-like eyes nailed to the chaotic figure of the Demon Ancestor in the flames. She grinned, her mouth stretching almost to her ears, revealing a chilling, greedy smile: "Good... very good... such a pure Ancient Yao Soul... and that World Tree aura... they are all the most premium sacrifices for the great Witch God..."

"Enough to let the great Witch God... descend a wisp of true, non-illusory will!"

She turned abruptly and shrieked sharply towards the bottomless darkness behind the altar, her voice full of irrepressible fanaticism and bloodthirst: "Pass the order to the Twelve Witch Priests! Assemble all the 'Witch God Guards'! Keep a close watch on the Northern Nether for me! Once Xuanming dies and vanishes, or that Chu Changsheng is heavily injured and dying... immediately, right now, at all costs, activate the 'Heaven-Stealing and Sun-Changing Formation'!"

"Take their remnant Souls, their Origin, everything of theirs... and snatch it all back for me!"

"Whoever dares to stop me... Kill! Without! Mercy!"

"Yes!" From the darkness came countless cold, fanatical roars, like ghosts from the Nine Netherworlds answering in unison.

For a time, the entire vast cultivation world, because of the unexpected appearance of Demon Ancestor Xuanming and the mysterious emergence of Chu Changsheng—was filled with surging undercurrents and hidden murderous intent.