Chapter 713: A Son's Touching Faith in His Father

The celestial officials charged headlong into the sealing sea, but soon found themselves trapped as if in a swamp, their speed greatly hindered.

At that moment, Yun Xiao's Flying Sword streaked through the sky, striking with deadly precision. An azure light blazed across the heavens for thousands of miles as his spirit melded with the blade, not needing his hands to skewer a string of lofty Immortals!

Screams of agony, cries of despair, and woeful sobs echoed between heaven and earth.

Looking down upon the Heavenly Palace, what was once a glorious and bustling divine land of Immortals now lay in ruin, soaked in blood. The once dominant imperial family, after two waves of ruthless slaughter, barely had any survivors in sight.

It was utter annihilation!

"Retribution! Oh, retribution!"

One by one, the high-ranking Immortals finally shed tears of remorse.

"Why did creatures like Yun Xiao and Divine Dawn, defying the natural order, come into being? Don't you see? We brought this upon ourselves, violating the true celestial decrees!"

"They are not aberrations of the heavenly way; they are the embodiment of celestial punishment!"

"We, the imperial family, the Crown Prince and White Emperor, truly deserve death..."

Those cries of agony had turned into heart-wrenching sobs at this moment.

Whether it was genuine remorse from the heart or a forced sentiment driven by fear, it no longer mattered to Yun Xiao.

His sword never halted for tears. In the Primordial Ruins, facing the Three Immortals, he had witnessed firsthand the devastation of the incense offerings. From that moment, the word

repentance

was erased from his heart.

In the grand scheme of things, some may have been coerced. But he had neither the time nor the luxury to discern each case.

He was only responsible for following his own will, to overturn it all. Good deeds were to be done, but on his terms.

Yun Xiao's sword, umbrella, and spirit were instruments of death.

He and Divine Dawn turned the Heavenly Palace into a purgatory, a sea of lingering souls.

On this day, the Heavenly Palace was no longer eternally bright. Blood and mists of decay obscured everything, all the prosperity built on the corpses from the mortal realm was laid to ruin in a cathartic destruction.

Darkness and bloodshed enveloped this finest of lands, as if the apocalypse had descended.

But in truth, this was the true visage of this land.

It was a supreme society that devoured its own, the feast of peaches constructed from the blood of mortals, all the splendor but a mask for sin.

Yun Xiao simply revealed the true face of this realm.

Darkness, bloodshed, and everlasting turmoil!

"Light emerges from darkness, and the heavenly dao must put one to death before granting rebirth. My duty is to kill; others will have to take up the task of creating a new world."

What came after, Yun Xiao cared no more. He was solely charged with the act of killing. Killing everything that incensed him, everything he could not stand. As his heart was soaked in blood, he lifted his head and surveyed the blood-soaked land around him.

At that moment, Yun Xiao’s eyes welled up with hot tears.

"Arbiter Lu, do you see? Those who tormented you, they're all dead now."

What a fine day it was. Lu Yao had made his name. And Lu An had finally reported all he had witnessed to the entire Great Dao Celestial Realm, stripping evil of its splendid garments, revealing its hideousness to all.

Yun Xiao's wrath in the Celestial Court was fueled half by Lu Yao and half by Lu An.

“No… they are not yet fully vanquished.”

In the chilling wind, Yun Xiao’s eyes, ablaze with the force of his sword, gazed toward the only spot in the bloody battlefield that remained pure white, sanctified, and supremely exalted—the Taiwei Imperial Palace.

The time for the final battle had come.

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The inside of the Taiwei Imperial Palace was eerily quiet and calm. Within these sacred halls that had never been breached, the brutal and horrifying slaughter unfolding outside drew soft screams and soul-lost murmurs.

Most of those remaining in the Taiwei Imperial Palace were the wives and children of various celestial officials.

Of course, there were also the Crown Prince, Empress Zhao, Crown Princess, and the Combat Sovereign tasked with their protection.

The Combat Sovereign, clad in heavy golden armor, watched as her peers fell one by one. Even she, beneath her helmet, was pale.

She turned her gaze back to Empress Zhao and the Crown Prince. Although they sat high upon their thrones, were they not just as pale? Their hands, gripping the armrests, were clenched tight, veins bulging.

The entire Taiwei Imperial Palace was now overshadowed by Yun Xiao and Divine Dawn.

The Sun Sword Goddess and Lady Fortune, having lost their spouses, were in panic.

Lady Fortune even pleaded with Empress Zhao in a piercing voice, "The Seventh Princess is your own daughter, can you not persuade her? If we must, we’ll all forgo our incense offerings! If this slaughter continues, not one celestial official will remain in the Heavenly Palace!"

"Silence," Empress Zhao said, her voice trembling, her face as cold as ice.

This daughter… she had raised her from birth. From the love they once shared to their last life-and-death struggle, she was acutely aware of the disappointment and enmity that had grown between them.

The moment Divine Dawn died a few days ago marked the severing of their blood ties.

"Her body was burnt to ashes, that can't be her!" Empress Zhao's neck veins bulged as she coldly snapped at Lady Fortune.

Her fierce reaction made it clear to everyone; there was no appeasing Divine Dawn now. But if the White Emperor did not awaken soon, they would all perish!

"Do not worry! His Majesty will awaken in time, take control of the Immortal Asylum, and restore order, quelling all chaos!" Empress Zhao declared loudly.

"Let's withdraw!"

Suddenly, a voice spoke up, overshadowing Empress Zhao's. It was the Crown Prince himself!

His pale face lifted as he looked at the dwindling number of celestial officials and said through gritted teeth, "I say we withdraw for now!"

"What do you mean?" Empress Zhao's expression flickered between light and dark.

The Crown Prince glared at her and snapped, "Are you deaf? Open the void exit, and let’s evacuate from the Taiwei Imperial Palace! We need to provide a safe place for my father to recuperate. Once he's recovered, we can return to fight!"

"..." Empress Zhao had no choice but to lower her head.

In front of the Crown Prince, she was fundamentally a junior, lacking the same authority. Since this was the Crown Prince's decision, any blame would fall on him, not her.

Though the Crown Prince’s decision was somewhat defeatist, it visibly relieved everyone present.

"Right, let’s retreat first."

"His Majesty desperately needs rest!"

"Who will escort His Majesty’s divine body?"

As the celestial officials were discussing, the Crown Prince moved to assist the comatose White Emperor.

However, as he approached, a blood-red pillar from the Immortal Asylum suddenly rose, guarding the White Emperor and blocking the Crown Prince’s path.

"The Immortal Asylum is actually protecting its master on its own!" the Crown Prince said, trembling.

"Does this mean we can't move His Majesty now?" the Combat Sovereign asked in a deep voice.

With a swish, all eyes turned to the Crown Prince!

The White Emperor could not be moved, and by all accounts, they should have held their ground, supporting the battlefield until the White Emperor awoke.

However, the Crown Prince clenched his teeth and declared, "This means the affinity between the Immortal Asylum and my Imperial Father is exceptional! With the Immortal Asylum's protection, he will surely be safe until he recovers! Yun Xiao only reached his current strength by benefiting from the Immortal Asylum, but my father has the Immortal Asylum itself, which can suppress him with ease!"

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"So, what the Crown Prince is suggesting is..." Empress Zhao ventured.

"We should enter the void exit first. Let's not add to the casualties and become a burden that hinders my Imperial Father's ability to eliminate these fiends," the Crown Prince stated gravely.

Hearing this, even if they felt it strange, everyone understood the Crown Prince's mental gymnastics and agreed to support him.

After all, who would want to die in vain?

In an instant, everyone rallied behind the Crown Prince.

Even if the White Emperor would be furious later, it would be the Crown Prince who would bear the brunt.

Empress Zhao said no more.

Seeing the situation outside, the Crown Prince did not hesitate further. He activated a celestial formation behind the throne, and soon, a void pathway appeared before him!

"Let’s go!"

The Crown Prince was the first to step into it and fled. Empress Zhao, without a word, followed second. Then, the Crown Princess, Lady Fortune, Sun Sword Goddess, and others entered in succession, with the Combat Sovereign covering their retreat as the last one out.

"Your Majesty, you must prevail!" The Combat Sovereign gave a lingering look at the white-haired, white-eyed old man, listening as the sounds from outside began to die down, signaling the celestial officials had nearly been annihilated!

She took a deep breath and hurried into the void pathway.

After her entry, the pathway gradually faded and vanished...

In the dimly lit hall, only the white-haired old man remained, seated cross-legged on the throne, head bowed, clutching the blood-red Immortal Asylum, utterly still.

Within a window of the Immortal Asylum, blood granules were flowing into the body of the white-haired elder.

Suddenly, a loud boom resonated from outside, and the entire Heavenly Palace fell utterly silent.