Chapter 1309: The Holy Lands Descend

In the continent of South Phoenix, deep in Forbidden by the Phoenix, a sharp cry rang out as the South Phoenix himself flew out, his massive wings creating a tempest of wind as he rose into the sky.

His massive frame pulsed with incredible pressure as he flew toward the harbor of Seven Blood Eyes. Upon nearing, he glided in circles above the sect.

On his back was Xu Qing’s Second Elder Sister, who was looking anxiously in the direction of her Master’s secluded meditation facilities.

“Master still hasn’t come out....” Her anxiety had been building in recent years.

When Huang Yan saw it in her eyes, he grew increasingly worried. He transmitted a message of comfort to her, but she just shook her head bitterly.

“How could I calm down...?” she said. “Eldest Brother vanished. Before he left, he said he was going to the old Brilliant Heaven. But he hasn’t sent any words since then. Third Sib has been at the Ghost Emperor mountain for years. His aura is still present, but he won’t answer any calls.... Little Junior Brother went missing. We have no idea where he went, and for all we know, he might be dead....

“I’m the only one left from the Seventh Peak in Seven Blood Eyes. The holy lands are on the verge of arriving, and Master... was clearly thinking about dying the last time I saw him.”

Huang Yan was about to respond. But then his expression flickered, and he looked up. Something dramatic was happening in the sky.

***

A shocking sound filled all of the Revered Ancient mainland, exploding down from the sky with mountain-toppling, sea-draining force.

Heaven collapsed.

Everyone looking up into the sky, regardless of where they were, could clearly see an endless expanse of blackish violet lightning bolts, spreading like a web in all directions! Wherever they passed, they ripped apart the void. Astonishingly, thick, turbid blood poured out of the openings, to fall down into the world of mortals.

At the same time, discordant chiming sounds descended from the clouds to the entirety of Revered Ancient. That sound was like a death knell ringing into the hearts of the species below.

The sword energy that had protected Revered Ancient for twenty-seven years was collapsing. It turned into millions upon millions of gusts of winds that battered the lands. That wind was extremely weighty, as it came from the power of the holy lands beyond heaven.

That was not Imperial Sovereign power. It was Quasi-Immortal power! And it was peak Quasi-Immortal at that.

Even more terrifying was that, within that power, there was a bit of the might of canon! Though there wasn’t much, and it couldn’t have compared to Grand Emperor Swordsage’s canon in his sword energy, right now... Swordsage had long since perished, and his sword energy was collapsing. As such, this scrap of canon from beyond heaven was shaking every part of Revered Ancient!

This canon was that of stone! Because of the addition of this canon, the fragments of sword energy became like endless flaming meteors falling down. The lands shook violently as craters opened up everywhere, like a piece of cloth being ripped apart by a giant.

Earth shattered!

In Sea-Sealing County, great crevices opened in the land, and mountain ranges shattered. In the continent of South Phoenix, Forbidden by the Phoenix burned, creating a crimson conflagration tens of thousands of meters high.

In the Forbidden Sea, gigantic creatures in the depths howled in anguish. The icy surface of the sea shattered, and the water boiled. Ancient altars that hadn’t been seen for tens of thousands of years were revealed. Temples made from coral, or pearls, or corpses were melting and turning into poisonous bubbles that spread death to fleeing sea creatures. The creatures who didn’t flee fast enough were incinerated by the power from beyond heaven.

Dramatic things were happening in the Moonrite Region, as well as the human imperial capital. The lands surrounding the capital rippled like wax. Ponds evaporated, and black liquid seeped out of the cracks of the buildings in the city.

But there was more. A calm voice spoke from beyond heaven... and things got even more dramatic.

“Those heavenly daos should not exist!”

All of a sudden, heavenly daos began to appear in the sky over Revered Ancient. They howled in agony, they roared in rage, and they fell.... The heavenly daos that the first cultivators in Revered Ancient had created to protect the mainland fell to the ground in streaming streaks of flame.

With the exception of some of the most ancient of the group, their personhood was being stripped away.

The heavenly daos had strange appearances. There were dragon-shaped spirits, heroic humanoids, and strange nonhumans. But all were mutating into freakish entities. Stinking blood rained down from them, which corroded the land it splashed onto. One of the heavenly daos looked like an infant. As his skin corroded, he wailed and tumbled in the direction of Sea-Sealing County.

The catastrophe had come.

Heaven and earth were being ripped to shreds, and all the living beings were like nothing more than dust on the surface of a leather sack. The barriers and borders that had previously demarcated the lands of various species now became signs of doomsday.

The wind from beyond heaven pierced into the world of mortals, bringing with it the desolate and barbaric aura of primal-chaos, except even colder than anything from before, as if it were urging all living beings to write their own epitaphs.

Within the roiling chaos in the sky, holy lands appeared. Within them were figures who looked down coldly at the lands which would soon descend into utter destruction. To the people below, their gazes were fear-inspiring. This was just like what happened twenty-seven years before!

At that moment of crisis, as the calamity descended, a bugle call rang out from the heart of the human imperial capital. The sound of that horn was the call to unleash twenty-seven years of preparation!

Inside Sea-Sealing County, hosts of cultivator-made spell formations activated, and glowing figures rose from within them.

In the Moonrite Region, the Moonrebel Congregation opened up, and hosts of cultivators poured out. Leading them was Grandpa Ninth, flanked by the Heir Apparent and the other siblings, all of them unleashing full power.

Countless other species did the same.

***

Among the Netherbones, millions upon millions of skeletal warriors marched forth with bone blades, their eyes burning with flicking soul fire. Their chieftain led the march, rubbing a crack in his ribs. He suddenly laughed, and it sounded like bones grating together, filled with madness and ferocity.

“What if our tribute turns out to be your bones?”

***

In the central mothernest of the Heavenjoints, the larvaqueen’s tentacles slowly wrapped around her own head. The deduction result she longed for was the last glimmer of hope, but it could not bring light to the darkness of the nest, so she gave up. She sensed that death was coming, but wasn’t ready to give up.

She suddenly looked up into the sky and howled. That cry caused all of the mothernests to explode, sending members of her species out on the warpath.

***

The Totemspirits’ totems had collapsed. Catastrophe was imminent. But their chieftain smiled. He lifted his broken cudgel to the sky and let loose a deranged howl. Though it did not contain the same heroism as before, but instead only endless grief and despair, it also contained... defiance!

***

Such things were happening among all species! Since they were doomed to die, they would not act weak. All of them felt their blood burning. They were about to be ripped to shreds, but if they could take some enemies with them, then... their deaths would be worth it!

There was no shortage of bravery among humans! In the imperial capital, Empress Summer Departure issued an imperial decree that shook the city. All of the grand spell formations lit up, their light spreading to connect with each other. At the same time, domain treasures from numerous species rose into the sky!

There was an ancient ship bigger than entire counties, filled with destructive power that could shake heaven and earth. There was a copper sword, utilitarian and ancient, which emitted a sword thrum that could shatter the air. There was a mysterious broken log that created the projected image of a massive, ancient tree that could create the canopy of heaven.

All sorts of treasures erupted.

Humans joined in as well. Numerous Dawning Suns shone with dazzling light as they shot up into the sky.

This was going to be a battle to the death! Countless cultivators, endless spell formations, numerous domain treasures. All of them became a river of force that shot toward the holy lands above.

That was when a hoarse voice echoed out from within the holy lands.

“Sir Primestone.”

Instantly, a figure stepped forth from the numerous individuals in the holy lands. It was the very same Quasi-Immortal who had tampered with the wind of sword energy from earlier.

He was not human. He was Stonefolk, with a body like a mountain, whose mere first step took him out in front of all the other holy lands. Hovering there, he looked coolly at the lands below. He lifted his hand of stone. He pushed down!

The movement of that palm unleashed his peak Quasi-Immortal cultivation base, and caused wild colors to flash. Terrifying pressure weighed down on Revered Ancient.

That pressure caused Empress Summer Departure to tremble. Shē could hardly stand in place. If that was how shē reacted, there was little need to mention other cultivators. The gods who remained in hiding detected what was happening, and they looked on with deep concern.

A peak Quasi-Immortal was the same as a peak Altar God. None of the species in Revered Ancient could resist power like that!

As the palm descended, all domain treasures ceased to function. All of them were being turned into stone. The light of the spell formations was covered over, and... they went dark.

The cultivation bases of cultivators among numerous species were thrown into turmoil, making it impossible for them to fight back. Those who possessed canon were on a higher level, and could crush those below them, even if they were like this individual who had only just started to gain enlightenment of canon. But in the end, his cultivation base could be considered the stuff of legends in Revered Ancient.

It was the same among the sickly Quasi-Immortals of the holy lands.

He was the only peak Quasi-Immortal. And thus, his simple move struck despair into the hearts of all the species.

“Weak,” Sir Primestone said, shaking his head.

Right then, the blowing wind contained the same sigh released by Grand Emperor Swordsage years ago. He sighed because of Revered Ancient’s weakness. He sighed because of the helplessness of fate. He sighed because, when he died, he had felt powerless.

Revered Ancient... just couldn’t fight the holy lands!