Everlasting Immortal Firmament

A hall in Great Desolation City, Yan Heavenly Dynasty:

Ba stood with her hands clasped behind her back, watching Xingtian and Hou Yi, who were seated before her, meditating.

Wisps of purple aura emanated from their heads, and their faces were flushed. Their bodies, which had been riddled with cracks, were now intact.

Ba waved her hand.

Buzz!

Two beams of red light rushed into the bodies of Xingtian and Hou Yi, and their bodies radiated a red light. Shortly after, the scars on their faces disappeared.

Phew!

Exhaling deeply, they opened their eyes.

“I am in your debt for healing me, Your Holy Eminence. Eighty percent of my injuries are healed,” Hou Yi sighed.

“I, too, have recovered by about eighty percent and can handle the remaining injuries myself,” Xingtian added gratefully.

“It’s good that you have recovered.” Ba nodded.

However, Hou Yi immediately got to his feet, bent over in shame. “I have failed you, Your Holy Eminence. Please forgive me!”

“I, too, have failed. I could not assist Chiyou, which led to his…,” Xingtian confessed remorsefully.

“Enough. Everything happened too fast. Ji Dihong set it up carefully, the dense fog concealed everything, and we did not expect things to change so rapidly,” Ba said gravely.

“Yes, we only wonder about the state of Chiyou’s body now,” Hou Yi added with a bitter undertone.

“Chiyou’s body was divided into four parts—arms, legs, head, and torso—placed in four different locations to intimidate the world. Hah! However, in reality, they have set up four traps for us,” Ba said, her eyes narrowing as a cold light flashed through them.

“Your Holy Eminence, we must not take unnecessary risks. Ji Dihong is treacherous, and his strength has increased significantly. Now, he has acquired the Divine Dao Shaman Canon and learned the divine Dao plundering. This man is insidious!” Hou Yi advised urgently.

Ba shook her head slowly. “Although we do not acknowledge Jiang Lianshan, we acknowledge Jingwei because she is our younger sister. As for Jiang Gautama, he is merely an opportunist. We do not care whether he lives or dies. But we cannot ignore Chiyou’s body, as he shares our bloodline. Despite our previous ill-treatment of him, it is our responsibility to handle his body.”

“But—” Xingtian tried to protest, but a voice from outside the hall interrupted him.

“Your Holy Eminence, the Han Imperial Dynasty’s Fifth Corps commander, Kong Xuan, requests an audience!” the voice announced.

“Oh?” Ba raised her eyebrows.

“So, Gu Hai has finally returned?” Xingtian commented, intrigued.

Although Gu Hai had publicly declared he was in seclusion, many shrewd individuals had noticed his absence from Borderless Heavenly Capital. The disappearance of the blessings cloud sea over Borderless Heavenly Capital indicated that Gu Hai was not there. Moreover, Kong Xuan and others who had also gone into seclusion were with him.

“Bring him in,” Ba ordered solemnly.

“Understood!” responded a voice from outside.

Ba then stepped out of the hall, followed closely by Xingtian and Hou Yi. Shortly after, Kong Xuan was escorted into Ba’s presence.

“Han Imperial Dynasty’s Kong Xuan greets the Yan Heavenly Emperor,” Kong Xuan greeted, paying his respects.

“Oh? Kong Xuan, you have reached the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm?” Ba responded, visibly surprised.

“Thanks to His Reverence’s favor, I managed to break through the bottleneck,” Kong Xuan admitted, making no attempt to conceal the truth.

“Oh? The injuries of the War God Marquis and the Archer God Marquis have healed too?” Kong Xuan remarked, glancing at the two men.

Kong Xuan knew the two had been as severely injured as Shangguan Hen and the others. Yet, they seemed to have fully recovered.

“Too? It seems that Shangguan Hen, Gu Han, and Ao Sheng have also recovered from their injuries?” Ba asked.

“Many thanks to the Yan Heavenly Emperor for your concern. Prime Shangguan, Prime Ao, and Crown Prince Gu Han have awakened and are recovering rapidly,” Kong Xuan responded, nodding.

“Gu Hai’s healing techniques are impressive indeed,” Ba commented casually.

“Yes, they are,” Kong Xuan agreed without any false modesty since it was a compliment for Gu Hai.

“When did Gu Hai return?” Ba inquired.

“His Reverence returned just yesterday. Today, I came as his envoy. I did not expect that the Yan Heavenly Emperor was not aware of his return,” Kong Xuan explained with a light laugh.

“Unaware? The Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Han Imperial Dynasty truly lives up to its reputation. It scrutinized Borderless Heavenly Capital and uprooted all the spies from various factions,” Ba responded lightly.

“We had no choice,” Kong Xuan replied, nodding.

“Now, tell me what message Gu Hai sent you here with,” Ba demanded, her voice heavy.

“His Reverence would like to know why the Yan Heavenly Emperor has not fulfilled the promise you made to return Lin Waner in her entirety, as it is already time,” Kong Xuan responded seriously.

“Do not worry. I will keep my word. I have helped Jingwei form a new body. We will separate the two of them on the auspicious day when the Li Fire hexagram reigns supreme. This way, they can part without any harm,” Ba reassured.

After a moment of silence, Kong Xuan nodded. “Yan Heavenly Emperor, many thanks for keeping your word. Before I left, His Reverence instructed that if the Yan Heavenly Emperor kept her promise, we should return the favor by sharing some information with you.”

“Oh?” Ba said, intrigued.

“We spotted Jingwei’s body in the nether realm before we returned yesterday!” Kong Xuan announced gravely.

“Jingwei’s body?” Ba’s face tensed.

“Impossible, the second princess’s body was consumed by the fish long ago. How could there be anything left? Kong Xuan, do not speak such ridiculous lies,” Xingtian protested.

Kong Xuan shook his head and recounted the encounter with Yinggou in the nether realm.

“Yinggou? How could this be?” Xingtian asked, surprised.

“A new leader of the shaman race? Is this…is this a setup by the old emperor? He used his own daughter as an experiment?” Hou Yi asked in disbelief.

“Hah! Now, that’s more like Jiang Lianshan’s style!” Ba’s eyes turned frosty.

Clearly, her anger towards Jiang Lianshan had not subsided. He conducted experiments on his own kin, ready to use them if they succeeded, but discarded them if they failed. There was no regard for kinship, only self-interest; it was no wonder Ba held such resentment towards Jiang Lianshan.

Kong Xuan said solemnly, “However, Yinggou possesses an impressive aura. In fact, I think she is as strong as you. Furthermore, she only shares your bloodline and doesn’t have Jingwei’s memories.”

“We understand. Please thank Gu Hai on our behalf,” Ba responded gravely.

“Alright, I will deliver your message to His Reverence verbatim. Before I leave, His Reverence also has a message about retrieving Chiyou’s body,” Kong Xuan said seriously.

“Oh? Gu Hai is aware of Ji Dihong’s strength and still wants to get involved? Currently, the Huang Heavenly Dynasty is targeting him. Does he dare to leave Borderless Heavenly Capital?” Ba queried.

“Yes, His Reverence instructed me to say that Chiyou’s body is currently scattered in four locations. He will be responsible for Chiyou’s head and torso,” Kong Xuan informed her.

“He will retrieve Chiyou’s head and torso? Hah! If he dares to do that, we will handle Chiyou’s arms and legs!” Ba declared.

“That is what Reverence hopes. His Reverence will make his move soon. I wish the Yan Heavenly Emperor a triumphant journey!” Kong Xuan said, bowing deeply.

Ba looked at Kong Xuan coldly, without uttering a word.

“I shall take my leave!” Kong Xuan straightened and flew into the distance.

Whoosh!

Kong Xuan instantly disappeared over the horizon.

Xingtian and Hou Yi exchanged glances.

“Will Gu Hai really risk his life to take Chiyou’s head and torso?” Xingtian asked in surprise.

“Chiyou swore brotherhood with the right man. This Gu Hai is indeed a man of honor and a loyal individual!” Hou Yi praised.

Ba gazed at the distant Borderless Heavenly Capital, a cold smile tugging at her lips. “Ji Dihong is cunning. Can Gu Hai handle him? That remains to be seen.”

------

While Kong Xuan was delivering the message, the threatening decree from the Han Imperial Dynasty had spread among the major factions.

Inside an imperial emperor’s study, that imperial emperor looked at the decree from the Han Imperial Dynasty.

“The enmity between the Huang Heavenly Dynasty and the Han Imperial Dynasty shall not end until one falls. Those forces aiding the Huang Heavenly Dynasty shall be seen as enemies of the Han Imperial Dynasty, a feud that shall not cease until one is destroyed! Hah! Hahahahaha! What big talk from Gu Hai! Is he threatening the whole world, imitating Ji Dihong?” that imperial emperor scoffed.

“Your Reverence, this Gu Hai is very strange. We must be careful.”

“Even if he is strange, he’s just an emperor of an imperial dynasty. How big a storm can he stir up? The Huang Heavenly Dynasty is about to besiege him, and the Han Nation’s destruction is imminent. What is there to worry about? Let’s see how he dies from his own bravado!” the emperor retorted with a scornful laugh.

The factions’ reactions to the decree varied, ranging from scorn to fear. After all, Gu Hai’s military record was terrifying. While it did not affect the policies of the various factions, it induced a sinking feeling in their hearts at first.

However, as time passed, the initial tension among the factions eased, and life returned to normal. After all, this was just a decree from the Han Imperial Dynasty, which had no effect outside the Han Imperial Dynasty. More factions threatened by Ji Dihong surrendered a few cities to the Huang Heavenly Dynasty, enabling it to extend its territory further towards the Han Imperial Dynasty.

Half a month later, earth-shattering news arrived.

Back in that imperial emperor’s study, the imperial emperor and a group of officials listened to a court official in stunned silence.

“What did you say? Say that again!” the imperial emperor ordered coldly.

“Yes, the Southern Center Imperial Dynasty, the Cloud Pavilion Imperial Dynasty, the Imperial Azure Imperial Dynasty, the Orchid Pavilion Sect, the Dead Mulberry Sect, and the Hissing Sky Sect submitted their Han Incorporation Declarations to the Han Imperial Dynasty today. The three imperial emperors and the three sect masters surrendered their empires and sects as if they had planned to do so together. They turned over six hundred cities to the Han Imperial Dynasty. In other words, these six factions have been annexed!” the official said with a bitter smile.

“That’s impossible. Did they offer no resistance? Didn’t these six factions originally want to destroy Gu Hai? They surrendered without resistance? None at all?” the imperial emperor demanded coldly.

“None. Although there was some chaos, there were no riots. The faction leaders cooperated with the Han Nation officials, helping them take over the six hundred cities. At the same time, all those from the faction leaders’ families moved to Borderless Heavenly Capital!” the official replied.

“How can such a ludicrous thing happen in this world? They willingly surrendered everything and turned themselves into prisoners?” The imperial emperor did not believe it.

“They are not prisoners but were all appointed marquises: the Southern Center Marquis, the Cloud Pavilion Marquis, the Imperial Azure Marquis, the Orchid Pavilion Marquis, the Dead Mulberry Marquis, and the Hissing Sky Marquis!” the official clarified.

A deathly silence descended upon the study.

After a long pause, an important official said, “Your Reverence, I warned you before that we could not underestimate Gu Hai. He might be just an emperor of an imperial dynasty, but he’s even more ruthless than Ji Dihong, the emperor of a heavenly dynasty.”

“What do you mean by that?” the imperial emperor asked, his brows furrowing.

“While Ji Dihong’s threatening decree only forces factions to surrender a few cities, Gu Hai’s decree is a call for the annihilation of the sects and nations!” the minister declared in shock.

“A decree for annihilation?” The imperial emperor’s eyes widened in surprise.

“This official thinks this is just the beginning. Based on my study of Gu Hai, this is only the mildest action. The worst is yet to come. Hah… Alas, our dynasty is stuck between the Huang Nation and the Han Nation!” the official lamented bitterly.