Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 709: The Grand Dao is My Dao, My Sword is Heaven's Sword!

"No wonder they say that within the Great Dao Celestial Realm, only the White Emperor, Crown Prince, and Lu Fan have entered the Gate of Life."

Yun Xiao's two spirits, alongside the other Rank 1 Sovereigns, still muddled through in the Gate of Death..

"Lu Fan is still formidable..."

When Yun Xiao had defeated him, it wasn’t through his own strength, but with the aid of an ancient bronze coffin.

As for the Great Mother and the Devil Eye, one was a special demon with weak cultivation attributes, and the other was even more peculiar—a mysterious eye. They likely weren't within the Gate of Life either.

"Never mind all that. With the blood base and body double having ascended to the Night God Realm, my spirit has grown much stronger and can still amass more power for battle."

The Heavenly Palace's battlefield offered plentiful blood to refine into Mortal Dust Devil Blood, and the Celestial Demon Abyss’ Divine Desolation Sea still had no end in sight.

Only after elevating Moon Fairy and the War Princess to the Night God Realm did Yun Xiao focus on leading his true self through the Five Thunders Spirit Tribulation.

"In the spirit plane of the Gate of Death, it seems my spirit doesn’t need to manifest physically to possess combat power. Will my Buddha's Treasure Spirit later take the form of my mortal self within the Gates of Life and Death?"

The Gates of Life and Death surely weren't the final stage of cultivation. So, Yun Xiao was curious about his spirit wandering the ends of the cosmos.

This made it even more necessary for his spirit to pass through the Five Thunder Spirit Tribulation.

"The Five Thunders Spirit Tribulation is really late. Could it be related to the level of my Buddha's Treasure Spirit?"

After absorbing so many Buddha's Treasures and liberating so many spirits, along with absorbing An Yao's Black Lotus Spirit Seed, the strength of Yun Xiao's spirit had already surpassed that of the Northstar Sword Devil and Dragon Tiger Sovereign.

How could he not have triggered the tribulation?

"Perhaps the growth of an Anima Immortal's spirit faces greater constraints."

With that thought, Yun Xiao ran out of patience.

"If that's the case, I'll just continue to strengthen my spirit."

Without undergoing the Five Thunders Spirit Tribulation, Yun Xiao’s growth was stalled, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Little maid."

At that moment, the deep-sea corpse demon was tidying up the battlefield of the Heavenly Palace. She knew what could be consumed and what should be left for Yun Xiao. She acted like a storage bag, able to keep everything first, including the spirits of the deceased fleeing in all directions, swallowing them one by one.

At Yun Xiao's call, she hurried back.

"Spirit."

With only a word from Yun Xiao, Pale Revenant lavishly spat out the spirits of the deceased toward him.

Yun Xiao's Buddha's Treasure Spirit directly manifested before her, radiating golden light immense as a pure-world Buddha, compassionate at heart.

"Heaven bears the virtue of all life, liberate them!"

Each spirit, whether demon, devil, or Immortal, came in sheer panic, then upon touching the Buddha's Treasure Spirit, instantly calmed as if soothed, their eyes whitening, faces solemn, gradually incinerating... Their experiences, insights, and stories formed into Buddha's Treasures, merging into the Buddha's Treasure Spirit.

Endlessly, more and more spirits were cleansed and returned back to the cycle of reincarnation. Today, the dead numbered not in the hundreds of thousands, but in the millions!

"Be it Sword Prisons or Rune Prisons… once there's a large gap in quality, no matter how much I absorb, their effect is minimal. This applies to the desolation and lifeblood of weaklings; if the quality is lacking, it can't be made up with quantity.

"But, the Buddha's Treasure is the consciousness of every sentient being. Even the most humble creature has its joy, anger, sorrow, and myriad thoughts. Even if their comprehension of the Great Dao is minimal, to me, it represents the torturous journey of a soul, and it's useful…"

The more numerous, the more useful.

The growth of the Buddha's Treasure Spirit didn’t follow other systems where what worked and what didn't could be easily seen; there seemed to be no set standard.

But, the conflicts it brought Yun Xiao were the greatest.

During this process of liberating spirits, Yun Xiao momentarily forgot the passage of time.

His spirit made close contact with the demons, devils, and members of the Constellation Army, each one volatile, sinister, and maniacally deceased. Their spirits remained restless, unwilling, and angry.

In the process of liberating them, Yun Xiao saw pure evil, its roots, but also the bravery of these people who fought for their clans and families. Humanity was complex; the more he saw, the more he understood the human world.

Beyond that were the demons who lived life in a daze, existing under the shadow of the Great Mother. Their lives were sometimes brutal, sometimes pitiable.

"The world is a sea of suffering, and this is true."

And who could change all this, make more people suffer less?

Yun Xiao knew the world would never be utterly fair. Some lived, others died; some rejoiced, others grieved. All he could do was use his Worldly Dao Heart to secure the dignity that many deserved.

In short, for the sake of the mortal realm, Yun Xiao would slaughter the Celestial Court's imperial family and thoroughly rectify the tradition of receiving incense offerings; he would not back down!

"The Grand Dao is my Dao; my sword is Heaven's sword! Since there are no true rules in the world, let me determine what is good and evil!"

At the very least, Yun Xiao trusted himself. This wave of liberating spirits had him seeing and thinking much, and even his Buddha's Treasure Spirit changed greatly.

In the end, Yun Xiao himself did not know how many spirits he had liberated.

It only stopped when Pale Revenant told him, "There are no more."

"Alright, then you continue..." Yun Xiao took a deep breath.

That moment, the world changed in his eyes; though still chaotic, there was a light in his gaze—the light of dawn, resolute, persistent, unshakable.

His Buddha's Treasure Spirit sat cross-legged atop his Dao heart, radiating golden light, profound and immense, shining with righteousness.

Within it, all beings were reflections.

"Rather than myself crossing the tribulation, let the tribulation cross me."

Suddenly, his spirit manifested above his head, standing between heaven and earth.

The spirit pointed a finger skyward.

Above in the sky, amidst the clouds, a five-colored thundercloud formed.

Earth Pulse Thunder, Moonwater Thunder, Volcanic Thunder, Wood Spirit Thunder, and Gold Origin Thunder—all converged within it.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The five great spirit thunders continuously drew power from the heavens and earth, expanding endlessly, eventually obscuring the sun and forming a scale comparable to the Sacred Emperor Barrier, covering the entire Heavenly palace.

The divine land of the Celestial Court became like the Thunder Department, capped with thunderclouds!

The appearance of this five-colored thundercloud immediately shook heaven and earth.

By now, the battle at the Heavenly Palace had ended. The demons and devils that could flee had fled; those that could not had perished, leaving only the Constellation Army and the remnants of the 18 Department Legions, now retreating toward the Taiwei Imperial Palace.

They all thought that everything was over, that the imperial family had triumphed completely. But at this moment, the five-colored thundercloud covered the skies, appearing with a shock that terrified all!

"Five Thunders Spirit Tribulation appearing all at once?"

"Who is it! Who has angered the heavens to bring about such divine wrath?"

"If this Five Thunders Spirit Tribulation were to strike all at once, even the Immortal Asylum would probably be blasted to dust..."

The Heavenly Palace was abuzz again.

Those of the Constellation Army and the remnants of the 18 Department Legions, about 500,000 troops in total, had their faces painted in myriad colors, standing frozen in place, struggling to breathe.

"What's happening?"

The Northstar Sword Devil, Dragon Tiger Sovereign, and other celestial officials hurried out from the Taiwei Imperial Palace, staring in astonishment at the unfolding scene.

"My lords, it's said that someone spotted Yun Xiao's figure; he might have infiltrated the battlefield and is undergoing his tribulation right now!" an official whispered urgently.

"Him?"

The Northstar Sword Devil and Dragon Tiger Sovereign exchanged glances.

They did not know whose two spirits had just appeared in the Gate of Death, but that no longer mattered.

"If Yun Xiao perishes in his tribulation, today truly brings triple joy..." the Northstar Sword Devil said darkly.

"Go, inform the Crown Prince, see if we need to pinpoint his location. If he's not dead, we can finish him off and rejoice once and for all," the Dragon Tiger Sovereign instructed.

"Yes!"

The boundless five-colored thunderclouds caused a stir in the Taiwei Imperial Palace.

Top celestial officials emerged from the palace, evidently ordered to kick someone when they're down.

"Be wary of Divine Dawn; she might be around," the Northstar Sword Devil cautioned the 18 Department Legions, which also included the members of the Immortal Sword Court.

"Dad, don't worry, this is our turf! With the Immortal Asylum under the White Emperor's command, whoever comes dies here! Our only task is to flush that kid out," Jian Chi said excitedly.

He now clearly understood the true enemy. Lu Fan was merely a usurper. The Great Mother and Devil Eye were conquerors. But Yun Xiao and Divine Dawn aimed to extinguish the practice of receiving incense offerings, which was the lifeblood of the Celestial Court nobility!

So, of these three threats, who deserved death the most?

Many scions of celestial officials believed they knew the answer.

With the Great Mother grievously wounded and Lu Fan having fled, seizing Yun Xiao now would ensure eternal prosperity for the Celestial Court, wouldn't it?

"Look! The thunderclouds are gathering, about to strike! There, that's the spot!"

The Constellation Army and 18 Department Legions, every cultivator among them, could pinpoint the approximate location where the thunderclouds would fall.

"Ready!"

At this command, the Immortals bristled with anticipation.