286: Chapter 286 Ascending to the Heavens and the Return of All Laws to Emptiness

In the deepest part of the Juntian Immortal Domain, above the Nine Heavens Astral Winds, the sea of clouds churned like boiling water.

Lingxiao Heavenly Palace, the supreme center of power that had suppressed the True Immortal Realm for endless ages, was today shrouded in a suffocating gloom. The usual scenes of lingering Immortal music and auspicious mist were gone, replaced by a deathly silence like the calm before a storm. The vast palace complex floated in the Void Realm, every brick and tile engraved with the brand of Heavenly Dao Laws, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

Zhou Wannian strolled through the clouds with his hands behind his back.

His ordinary Green Robe fluttered slightly in the astral winds, and his pace was steady and relaxed, as if he were merely taking a leisurely stroll in his own back garden. In the void ahead, the towering Southern Heavenly Gate, carved entirely from Primeval Astral White Jade, was faintly visible.

That was the main gate of the Lingxiao Heavenly Palace and the most heavily fortified fortress in the entire True Immortal Realm.

Outside the Southern Heavenly Gate lay a vast and brilliant Heavenly River. The water was no ordinary water, but a confluence of pure Nine Heavens Weak Water and astral debris. Even if a single feather fell upon it, it would instantly sink to the bottom, and even the Divine Soul would be completely eroded away by the Weak Water.

At this moment, tens of millions of Heavenly River Naval forces were densely arrayed on both banks of the Heavenly River. These heavenly soldiers, clad in Silver Flood Dragon Armor, each possessed a cultivation of True Immortal Realm or higher. At the very front of the battle Formation stood four Sea-Quelling Divine Generals clad in golden armor and wielding divine weapons, all emitting the pressure of the Early Stage Daluo Realm.

The entire Formation of the Heavenly River Navy blocked the Southern Heavenly Gate tightly, leaving not a single gap.

However, when the figure of the Green Robe youth appeared on the opposite bank of the Heavenly River, this invincible naval force, known as the elite of the Heavenly Court, simultaneously broke into a slight commotion.

The news that Thunder Punishment Dao Ancestor and his million-strong army had been wiped out by this man with a flick of his finger had already spread through the Heavenly Palace like a plague. Fear, a seed long forgotten in times of ease, now took root and sprouted in the hearts of every heavenly soldier and general, spreading wildly.

The four Sea-Quelling Divine Generals acted as if facing a great enemy, pushing their immortal spiritual power to the Peak and tightly gripping their divine weapons, their palms even seeping with fine cold sweat.

Zhou Wannian walked to the bank of the Heavenly River and stopped.

He looked at the surging, brilliant Heavenly River ahead that radiated the breath of death, then at the tens of millions of naval forces waiting in battle array on the opposite bank; not a single ripple appeared in his deep eyes.

Zhou Wannian murmured softly in a steady tone, "Nine Heavens Weak Water, where even a swan's down will not float. It is quite appropriate as a moat. Unfortunately, it cannot stop the footsteps of time and space."

He did not summon any Magic Treasure to cross the river, nor did he use any escape techniques to fly through the air.

He simply raised his right foot slowly and took a plain, ordinary step toward the surging surface of the Heavenly River.

One step forward.

Heaven and earth fell silent.

Great Five Elements Illusory World Art, Water Origin Great Perfection.

Time Law, Stagnation.

Buzz.

The moment Zhou Wannian's foot landed, an indescribable ripple of supreme Law followed his sole, like an invisible hurricane, instantly sweeping across the entire vast Heavenly River.

The Nine Heavens Weak Water, which had been roaring and was capable of eroding a Daluo Divine Soul, suddenly lost all fluidity the moment it touched this Law ripple.

It wasn't freezing; rather, time had been forcibly paused at this moment. The churning waves were frozen in mid-air, and the splashing water droplets were like crystal-clear stars suspended in the void. With one step from Zhou Wannian, the entire Heavenly River turned into a flat, smooth, and indestructible giant mirror.

Zhou Wannian's feet stepped firmly onto this mirror of Weak Water.

With his hands behind his back and his Green Robes flowing, he stepped onto the Heavenly River frozen by time and walked slowly toward the Southern Heavenly Gate on the opposite bank.

Watching this scene, the breathing of the tens of millions of Heavenly River Navy personnel on the opposite bank stopped.

That was the Nine Heavens Weak Water, which even the Heavenly Emperor needed the core Formation of the Heavenly Court to suppress, yet it was stepped into flat ground by this man. This absolute control over the Laws of heaven and earth had completely exceeded their scope of understanding.

When Zhou Wannian reached the center of the Heavenly River, the four Sea-Quelling Divine Generals finally woke from their shock. They knew that if they allowed Zhou Wannian to cross the Heavenly River, they, as defending generals, would surely face the most severe punishment from the Heavenly Court.

The Sea-Quelling Divine General in the center forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart, raised his Sea God Trident, and let out a roar that shook the heavens.

The Sea-Quelling Divine General shouted with all his might, "Heavenly River Navy, hear my command! At all costs, form the Heavenly River Inversion Array. Kill!"

Millions of heavenly soldiers simultaneously bit their tongues and spat out their natal essence blood. Tens of millions of blood-colored runes gathered in mid-air, attempting to forcibly break through the time stagnation set by Zhou Wannian and trigger the inversion of the Nine Heavens Weak Water to completely submerge this terrifying intruder.

However.

Zhou Wannian, walking on the mirror of Weak Water, did not even lift his head.

He only slightly raised his eyelids, looking at the heavenly generals on the opposite bank who were attempting a futile resistance, a faint touch of mockery curling at the corners of his mouth.

Zhou Wannian said in an easygoing tone, "Stubborn and foolish. Since you like this Weak Water so much, then all of you can stay at the bottom of this river as company."

He did not stop his pace; he merely raised his right hand quite casually and gave a light wave of his wide green sleeve toward the front.

Great Perfection Space Law, Spatial Inversion.

Accompanying the movement of his sleeve, the space above the entire Heavenly River suddenly underwent an inconceivable folding and inversion.

The tens of millions of Heavenly River Navy personnel, along with the four Early Stage Daluo Realm Sea-Quelling Divine Generals, only felt their vision blur as heaven and earth instantly flipped. Before they could even let out a cry of surprise, they, along with the land on the bank beneath their feet, were forcibly flipped directly above the Heavenly River.

Immediately after, Zhou Wannian withdrew the Time Law of stagnation covering the Heavenly River.

Rumble.

The Nine Heavens Weak Water, losing its temporal imprisonment, erupted with a roar a hundred times more violent than before.

And those millions of Heavenly Court elites fell from mid-air like dumplings, plunging headlong into the Weak Water that eroded all things.

The shrill screams lasted for only half a breath before being completely drowned out by the rushing river water. The terrifying corrosive power of the Weak Water took effect instantly; whether it was the True Immortal Realm heavenly soldiers or the Daluo Realm divine generals, the indestructible armor on their bodies, their tempered Immortal bodies, and even their Nascent Souls and Divine Souls were completely melted into pools of murky blood the moment they hit the water, finally merging with the Heavenly River.

An army of tens of millions wiped out in the blink of an eye.

Before the Southern Heavenly Gate, a deathly silence returned once more. Only the sound of the Heavenly River water continued to splash, as if nothing had ever happened.

Zhou Wannian walked the remaining distance with a calm expression and stepped onto the wide plaza paved with white jade outside the Southern Heavenly Gate.

He did not spare another glance at the Heavenly River that had swallowed countless lives. To him, clearing these obstacles in his path was as natural and insignificant as brushing dust off his clothes.

The massive Southern Heavenly Gate towered into the clouds, its pillars carved with complex primeval Dragon and Phoenix totems. Two heavy bronze doors were tightly closed, with layers of thick Heavenly Dao Seals flowing over them, emitting a majesty that refused entry to all outsiders.

Zhou Wannian walked to the front of the bronze doors, looked up, and gazed at the purple-gold plaque with the three large characters 'Southern Heavenly Gate'.

Zhou Wannian commented in a steady tone, "The facade is built quite grandly, but unfortunately, the people living inside are all just a bunch of rotten wood."

He did not look for the hub to break the Formation, nor did he urge his immortal spiritual power to strike it forcibly.

He simply extended his right hand and pressed his palm flat against the cold bronze door.

Great Five Elements Illusory World Art, Five Elements Disintegration.

One hundred and eight groups of time dao patternss surged violently within his body, pushing the power of the disintegration Law to the extreme.

There was no earth-shattering roar.

Where Zhou Wannian's palm touched, the indestructible primeval bronze, along with the heavy Heavenly Dao Seals engraved on the door, began to turn into grayish-white powder at a visible speed. This speed of disintegration was incredibly fast, spreading to the entire towering Southern Heavenly Gate in just two breaths.

A breeze blew past.

The Southern Heavenly Gate, which had stood in the True Immortal Realm for countless eons and symbolized the absolute authority of the Heavenly Court, completely turned into flying dust under Zhou Wannian's casual press and scattered with the wind.

A white jade grand avenue leading to the depths of the Lingxiao Heavenly Palace appeared before Zhou Wannian without any obstruction.

Zhou Wannian withdrew his right hand, casually dusted his sleeve, and took steady steps, walking onto this white jade avenue with composure.

On both sides of the avenue stood countless magnificent palaces. These palaces should have been garrisoned by a large number of Immortal officials and divine generals, but at this moment, all the buildings had their doors tightly shut, and there was not the slightest sound. Clearly, the commotion of the Southern Heavenly Gate's destruction had already alerted the entire Heavenly Palace, and those Immortals who knew they were no match had already hidden themselves or retreated to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, the core of the Heavenly Palace.

Zhou Wannian continued forward, his pace still neither fast nor slow.

He was like a leisurely tourist, admiring the Immortal scenery along the way. From time to time, he would stop to examine the jade pillars carved with complex Formation patterns, a glint of inquiry into primeval Formation techniques flashing in his eyes.

This careless sense of relaxation formed a stark contrast with the tense atmosphere of the entire Heavenly Court as it faced a great enemy.

Passing through layers of palace gates and crossing ninety-nine white jade long bridges.

Finally, a massive palace emitting ten thousand rays of morning light and a pressure that overawed the heavens and all worlds appeared before Zhou Wannian's sight.

Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

This was the residence of the Heavenly Emperor and the core hub for the operation of the Heavenly Dao Laws in the entire True Immortal Realm. The hall was built entirely from a mysterious crystal emitting a Chaos aura, surrounded by nine ten-thousand-foot golden dragon phantoms condensed from pure Laws.

At this time, there was not a single soldier or guard in front of the hall.

Two jade doors engraved with the Chart of the Heavenly Constellations stood wide open, as if deliberately waiting for someone's arrival.

Zhou Wannian walked to the front of the hall, his deep gaze piercing through the wide doors to look into the depths of the hall.

The space inside the hall was incomparably vast, like an independent Small World. On both sides of the hall stood dozens of sky-propping giant pillars. Beneath each giant pillar sat an elderly man cross-legged, each emitting a terrifying pressure.

These people were the true foundation of the Heavenly Court, those Origin Dao Ancestors of various Laws who had long since lived in seclusion and only controlled the Laws of heaven and earth from behind the scenes. There was the White Tiger Dao Ancestor who held the Geng-Metal Law, the Heavenly Mystery Dao Ancestor who controlled the Karma Law, and peerless masters who held supreme Laws such as Reincarnation, Destruction, and Creation.

A total of thirty-six Late Stage Daluo Realm Dao Ancestors were gathered together. This lineup, if placed in the outside world, would be enough to level ten North Cold Immortal Domains in an instant.

And in the deepest part of the hall, on the high Nine Dragon Throne, sat a majestic man wearing the Nine-Chapter Ceremonial Robes and the Twelve-Tasseled Flat-Topped Imperial Crown.

His face was shrouded in a hazy glow of Chaos, making it impossible to see his true appearance. But the aura he emitted had already surpassed the scope of the Daluo Realm, reaching an incredible Realm where his words became Law and he stood equal to the Heavenly Dao.

This person was the supreme Dominator of the True Immortal Realm, the Heavenly Emperor.

When Zhou Wannian's figure appeared at the entrance of the hall, the thirty-six Dao Ancestors who were resting with closed eyes inside the hall opened their eyes simultaneously. Thirty-six terrifying Divine Senses, capable of destroying heaven and earth, were like materialized sharp swords, all locking onto the Green Robe youth standing at the door.

The air at this moment seemed to freeze into indestructible divine iron.

However, facing this combined pressure that was enough to crush stars, Zhou Wannian merely tilted his head slightly, his expression still as calm as water.

He stepped forward, calmly crossing the threshold of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, entering this hall that represented the highest power of the True Immortal Realm.

Zhou Wannian's footsteps echoed in the empty hall, crisp and steady.

He stopped in the center of the hall, hands behind his back, slightly raising his chin, calmly looking at the Heavenly Emperor seated high on the Nine Dragon Throne.

After a long silence.

The Heavenly Emperor spoke slowly. His voice seemed to come from beyond the Nine Heavens, ethereal yet carrying an unquestionable majesty of the Heavenly Dao.

The Heavenly Emperor said majestically, "Zhou Wannian. You have slaughtered your way here, destroyed my Southern Heavenly Gate, and annihilated my Heavenly River Navy. Now, you have even broken into this Lingxiao Treasure Hall alone. Do you know that the crime you have committed is a heinous one, punishable by the extermination of nine generations and eternal descent into Avici Hell?"

These words contained the power of the Heavenly Dao's judgment; if an ordinary Taiyi Golden Immortal heard them, their Dao Heart would likely collapse instantly, and they would kneel to beg for mercy.

But Zhou Wannian just listened quietly, a hint of boredom even appearing in his deep eyes.

Zhou Wannian's tone was leisurely, his voice not loud, yet it rang clearly in the ears of everyone in the hall.

Zhou Wannian said flatly, "I thought that someone sitting in this position would have some transcendent insights. I didn't expect that when you open your mouth, it's still these cliché threats and judgments. You false gods, who barely maintain your Realm by siphoning the faith of all living beings and stealing the Laws of heaven and earth, are you even worthy of representing the Heavenly Dao?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the thirty-six Dao Ancestors in the hall all changed.

Zhou Wannian's words directly struck the greatest secret of the Heavenly Court, which was also the weakness of all of them. The reason the Heavenly Court could rule over the myriad worlds was that "Great Zhou Heaven Spirit-Gathering Formation," which could forcibly extract the Origin power from all over the True Immortal Realm and the faith of all living beings. A large part of the power of these Dao Ancestors was built upon the enhancement of such external forces.

On the throne, the layer of Chaos halo around the Heavenly Emperor flickered slightly, showing his inner turmoil.

The Heavenly Emperor said coldly, "Utterly arrogant. Do you think that by mastering the Great Perfection Laws of Time and Space, you can act wildly in the Heavenly Court? In this Lingxiao Treasure Hall, I am the Heavenly Dao, and my will is the destination of all Laws. Dao Ancestors, heed my command, activate the Great Myriad Laws Returning to Ruins Formation, and completely strip this scoundrel of his Origin."

At the Heavenly Emperor's command, the thirty-six Dao Ancestors on both sides of the hall surged into action simultaneously.

They held nothing back, together activating the core Dao Origin within their bodies.

Gengjin Dao Ancestor transformed into a platinum giant sword that tore through the Universe.

Reincarnation Dao Ancestor condensed a Six Paths Black Hole that devoured all life.

Karma Dao Ancestor threw out an intricate Karma net that locked onto fate.

...

Thirty-six distinct Late Stage Daluo Realm Laws intertwined and fused above the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. Under the supreme will of the Heavenly Emperor, which transcended Daluo, these thirty-six Laws actually fit together perfectly, transforming into a giant millstone emitting a grayish-white light, enough to return the entire True Immortal Realm to Chaos.

Great Myriad Laws Returning to Ruins Formation.

This was the Heavenly Court's true final trump card, personally presided over by the Heavenly Emperor and performed with the full effort of the thirty-six Dao Ancestors. As the millstone slowly turned, the incredibly sturdy space within the hall began to silently annihilate, turning into the most primitive void.

That terrifying power that could grind away all things instantly locked onto Zhou Wannian, who was standing in the center of the hall.

Facing this peerless killing trap that combined the Peak power of the entire True Immortal Realm.

Zhou Wannian's expression still didn't show even a hint of panic.

He did not bring out any Magic Treasure, nor did he attempt to use Space escape techniques to evade. Because under the lock of the Great Myriad Laws Returning to Ruins Formation, the time and space of the entire Lingxiao Treasure Hall had been completely sealed, and any escape technique became a joke.

Zhou Wannian just slowly raised his head, looking at the slowly descending giant grayish-white millstone, a calm that saw through all falsehoods flickering in his deep eyes.

Zhou Wannian whispered to himself in a steady tone, "Borrowed power is, after all, an illusion. Your understanding of the Great Dao is too narrow."

He slowly opened his arms, making a gesture as if to embrace the entire heaven and earth.

At this moment, the Great Five Elements Illusory World Art was pushed to an unprecedented limit by Zhou Wannian.

It was not just the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements, nor was it a simple superposition of Time and Space.

Instead, within his body, a perfect, endless, and self-contained independent Universe was truly opened. One hundred and eight time dao patternss transformed into the supreme rules for the operation of this Universe.

Zhou Wannian slightly raised his chin and opened his lips.

Zhou Wannian's tone was easygoing, yet it carried a supreme truth that could not be disobeyed as he faintly spat out four words.

Zhou Wannian said calmly, "I am the Dao."

Boom.

A vast Origin power that could not be described in words and transcended all Law perceptions of this world erupted from Zhou Wannian's body.

This power had no violent destructive force, nor did it have any blinding light. It was like a stream of clear spring water, spreading out silently.

The moment the slowly descending grayish-white Great Myriad Laws Returning to Ruins millstone touched this clear power.

All the Dao Ancestors in the hall, including the high and mighty Heavenly Emperor, simultaneously showed expressions of extreme horror, as if they had seen a ghost.

They discovered in terror that their connection with the Dao Origin had been forcibly severed at this moment.

Those thirty-six supreme Laws fused together were like crude fakes encountering a perfect original in the face of Zhou Wannian's self-contained perfect Origin. There was no collision, no tug-of-war. The Great Myriad Laws Returning to Ruins Formation collapsed directly in mid-air, turning into mottled spots of light drifting across the sky.

Those spots of light didn't even dissipate; instead, they were drawn by the power emanating from Zhou Wannian's body, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, submissively merging into his body and becoming nourishment for his inner universe.

"This... how is this possible. You have actually jumped out of the control of the Heavenly Dao and created your own world."

The Heavenly Emperor's majestic voice, which had remained unchanged for ten thousand years, finally trembled violently at this moment. The Chaos halo on his face completely dissipated, revealing a middle-aged face filled with shock and disbelief.

He could not understand how a Cultivator could Cultivate such a flawless independent Great Dao without relying on the Origin of heaven and earth. This completely violated the iron Laws of the cultivation world.

The thirty-six Dao Ancestors suffered an even more terrifying backlash from the breaking of the Formation. More than half of the Daluo Origin they had painstakingly cultivated for countless eons was forcibly assimilated and absorbed by Zhou Wannian in that instant.

Thirty-six old men who shook the heavens all spat out blood, their originally full bodies instantly becoming shriveled and aged. They collapsed by the jade pillars of the hall, their eyes full of despair and disbelief. They knew that their cultivation in this life was completely ruined.

Zhou Wannian slowly withdrew his arms and put his hands behind his back again.

He looked at the distorted face of the Heavenly Emperor on the high platform, his expression still as calm as water.

Zhou Wannian said steadily, "There was originally no Heavenly Dao in this world; when more people believe in it, you think you have become the heavens. Today, I shall puncture your ridiculous lie."

The Heavenly Emperor suddenly stood up from the Nine Dragon Throne, his eyes bloodshot and his hair disheveled, like a desperate and crazed gambler.

The Heavenly Emperor roared hoarsely, "I refuse to accept this! I have ruled the True Immortal Realm for a hundred eons and gathered the faith of hundreds of trillions of living beings. I am the sole Dominator of this world. Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Sole Supremacy Art. Die!"

He completely abandoned all reservations, draining the entire Great Zhou Heaven Spirit-Gathering Formation beneath the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, which had gathered the Luck of the entire True Immortal Realm.

A terrifying power that exceeded the bearing limit of the True Immortal Realm and was enough to return the Universe to Chaos condensed on the Heavenly Emperor's right fist. He turned into a beam of destructive light, carrying the heavy pressure of the faith of billions of living beings, and slammed fiercely toward Zhou Wannian.

This punch had drained all the foundations of the Heavenly Court. As the punch was thrown, the Lingxiao Treasure Hall could no longer withstand the pressure and began to collapse and shatter on a large scale.

Facing the Heavenly Emperor's hysterical, mutually destructive final blow.

Zhou Wannian didn't even lift his eyelids.

He stood quietly where he was, watching the Heavenly Emperor charging at him with bared fangs and claws.

Zhou Wannian's tone carried a hint of sadness as he faintly commented, "Faith? It's nothing more than a shackle placed around the necks of all living beings. Your so-called sole supremacy is worthless in the face of true freedom."

He slowly raised his right hand, his index finger slightly bent, and flicked it extremely casually at the Heavenly Emperor who had rushed in front of him.

Ding.

A crisp and ethereal sound echoed in the hall.

Zhou Wannian's fingertip lightly flicked against the Heavenly Emperor's fist, which had gathered billions of Luck and the supreme Laws.

There was no world-shaking explosion.

The scene was frozen at this moment.

On the Heavenly Emperor's crazed face, his pupils shrank violently to the size of pinpoints.

He felt that all the power contained in his punch, at the moment it touched Zhou Wannian's fingertip, was like a clay ox entering the sea, vanishing without a trace.

Immediately afterward, an irresistible force of disintegration spread from his fist to his entire body in an instant.

That was an absolute rule belonging to Zhou Wannian's inner universe, a dimensionality reduction strike that ignored any Law of this world.

The Heavenly Emperor's indestructible supreme Immortal body began to shatter inch by inch, starting from his arm, turning into extremely fine gray powder.

"No... I am not willing..."

The Heavenly Emperor let out one last roar of despair.

But in the face of that absolutely relaxed yet peerless power, all unwillingness seemed so pale and weak.

In less than half a breath's time.

This supreme Dominator who had ruled the True Immortal Realm for countless eons completely turned into a pile of flying Karmic Ash with a flick of Zhou Wannian's finger. Even his proud Dao fruit and Divine Soul were wiped clean.

With the fall of the Heavenly Emperor, the entire Lingxiao Treasure Hall collapsed.

Those thirty-six Dao Ancestors slumped on the ground were also completely obliterated by the remaining disintegration force in the ruins of the collapsed hall, turning into ash.

The dust settled.

The once magnificent and solemn Lingxiao Heavenly Palace had now become a giant ruin floating on the clouds.

Zhou Wannian stood quietly in the very center of the ruins, his Green Robe unstained by any dust.

He raised his head, looking up at the vast starry sky that had lost the concealment of the Heavenly Court's Formation, revealing an endless and deep expanse.

A golden light darted out from his sleeve. Golden Boy looked at the ruins all over the ground and the fragments of broken high-grade Immortal Artifacts, excitedly letting out crisp insect chirps and beginning to feast greedily among the ruins.

Zhou Wannian paid no attention to Golden Boy's feeding.

He looked at the deep starry sky, and a hint of anticipation for the unknown finally flashed in his deep eyes.

Zhou Wannian's tone was leisurely, carrying an indescribable ease and freedom, as he whispered to himself, "The rules of this True Immortal Realm are truly too boring. Since this cage is broken, it's time to see what fresh scenery lies beyond this starry sky."

He turned around and stood with his hands behind his back.

A breeze blew, swirling up the grayish-white powder on the ground.

Zhou Wannian took steady steps, treading on the Void Realm, walking step by step toward the depths of the endless starry sky.

His back was calm and composed, as relaxed as ever.

Only the Lingxiao Heavenly Palace, once high above and now turned to ruins, remained to silently tell an invincible legend about a young man in a Green Robe in the history of the True Immortal Realm.