Chapter 1081: The First Heavenly Master of Dragon Han (Third Update!)
If it were in the past, the Nether Abyss Crown Prince and the Nether Emperor would have certainly thought he was boasting wildly. However, since Dragon Qilin had effortlessly broken the Heavenly River Navy, they had no choice but to believe that Dragon Qilin truly possessed such ability.
Dragon Qilin couldn't help but puff up with pride, chanting loudly: "Studied all books, known by none; meet the storm, transform into a dragon! Today is the day I spread my wings and show my skill!"
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince praised, "Worthy brother is truly a genius! You deserve to be called the number one Heavenly Master under Dragon Han!"
Yan'er looked at him with even more adoration.
Even the Nether Emperor had to offer a few words of praise, though it pained him deeply. He thought to himself, "Once this brat holds off the Heavenly Court's army, I'll find an opportunity to steal the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy and flee!"
The Heavenly Emperor had been reducing the power of the vassals. The Four Extreme Heavens of the Four Ancient Emperors had all fallen under the Heavenly Emperor's control. The Four Imperial Emperors were confined within the Heavenly Court, without territories, and thus without divine demon armies. Only their respective descendants remained to guard their heavenly palaces.
Dragon Qilin, relying solely on the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy and the Serpent Goddess and Tortoise God of the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace, had managed to rout the Heavenly River Navy, causing them to abandon their armor and flee. This indeed qualified him as a prodigy.
One must understand that the combined forces of the Divine Martial Second Guard, the Northern Gate of the Fallen Star, and the Heavenly River Navy could not only flatten the Northern Gate of the Fallen Star but could easily crush even all the Throne-level powerhouses in the world working together!
If he could withstand the siege of the Navy, the Divine Martial Second Guard, and the Northern Gate of the Fallen Star, then the title of the world's number one Heavenly Master would be well deserved!
The three armies surrounded the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace, attempting to halt its northward advance. However, stopping this palace was extremely difficult. The Nether Abyss Crown Prince was the son of the Northern Emperor, and his cultivation had already reached the Throne level.
Moreover, the Northern Emperor was a divine being born from the Heavenly River. The Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace traveled north along the Heavenly River, protected on all sides by the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy. It was impossible to block this palace with ships.
Using ships to block it would only result in them being crushed by the palace.
Using chains to lock the palace was also futile. The Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy contained numerous treasures of immense power. When the hooks at the ends of the chains latched onto the palace, the disciples within the Heavenly Palace would activate the treasures' power, severing the chains.
Although the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace was not particularly fast, there was no way to stop it.
"The one controlling the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy is a Grandmaster of Formations!"
The number one Heavenly Master of the Northern Gate of the Fallen Star was named Shang Pingyin. He was also a prodigy from the early years of the Dragon Han era, but his brilliance had been overshadowed by the Nine Heavenly Venerables. He was extremely accomplished in the art of numerology, though not as famous as the Dao Ancestor. Still, he was no small figure.
He was even more proficient in formations, having deeply studied the physical structures of the Ancient Gods and their Dao runes, creating countless formations. All the armies of the Heavenly Court cultivated his formations for arranging troops and deploying battle lines. He was the number one Formation Heavenly Master of the Dragon Han era.
It wasn't until later, when the Dao Ancestor's disciple Yue Tingge rose to prominence with his unparalleled talent, that Shang Pingyin was replaced.
Shang Pingyin circled the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace once, examining various formations, his expression grave. "The one who set up the formations for the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace possesses extraordinary wisdom. Many of these formations are beyond my understanding. If I could exchange ideas with this formation master, it would be the greatest joy of my life! Could it be the Nether Abyss Crown Prince? He has been hiding his true abilities!"
He grew excited, his blood boiling with passion, and laughed heartily. "I will take command of the armies to break the formations and compete with this formation master!"
His robes fluttered as he spoke with fervor: "The most beautiful language in this world is numerology! The formations constructed with numerology are the most magnificent poems in the world! To use the most beautiful language and the most magnificent poems to meet a fellow scholar through the art of formations—this life is enough!"
He laughed loudly, mobilized the formation of the various armies, and charged into the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy!
The military strength of the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace was negligible. The cultivation levels of the disciples with Black Tortoise bloodline within the palace were not very high either. However, with the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy—the number one supreme treasure—in place, even millions of divine demons found it difficult to break in.
Yet, to fully unleash the power of this treasure, a person of unparalleled wisdom was needed.
Under Qin Mu's guidance, Dragon Qilin immediately adjusted and altered the formations, using formations to break formations.
The Heavenly Court's number one Heavenly Master, Shang Pingyin, was burning with passion. As the saying goes, a worthy opponent meets a talented rival. This battle gave him a great sense of finding a kindred spirit. He commanded the Heavenly River Navy, the Northern Gate of the Fallen Star, and the Divine Martial Second Guard, using formations to break formations, pushing the formations of the Dragon Han era to their limits!
However, the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace was like a colossal numerological calculation artifact. Various formations interwove, shifted, and constantly changed. The formation master within the palace was so formidable, his wisdom so profound, that he blocked and broke every formation Shang Pingyin deployed.
Among the Heavenly Court's armies, the strongest were the Ten Guards. Any divine demon from the Ten Guards could be pulled out to serve as a commander in other armies. Yet, even such a powerful army suffered heavy casualties when they charged into the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy!
Shang Pingyin grew even more excited, his demeanor more fervent. His mind raced at full speed, disregarding the casualties of the various armies, focused solely on competing with the master within the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace, to verify each other's cultivation.
The waters of the Heavenly River were stained red by the corpses of countless divine demons, almost turning into a crimson river flowing through the endless starry sky. The battle lasted from morning until night, and from night until day.
For several consecutive days and nights, Shang Pingyin remained incredibly excited, changing various formations and encouraging the armies to charge into the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy.
His wisdom was extremely high, and he managed to break through layer after layer of heavens, from the first heaven all the way to the twenty-sixth heaven. He was on the verge of breaking through the twenty-eighth heaven of the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy and entering the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace!
By this time, the various armies had already suffered more than half their casualties!
The disciples within the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace also suffered heavy losses. Dragon Qilin was not Qin Mu, after all. Although he received Qin Mu's guidance to adapt on the spot, he was always a step behind.
Moreover, Qin Mu's divine soul injuries were too severe. He would sometimes fall into a coma and sometimes regain consciousness. As a result, the descendants of the Black Tortoise inevitably suffered losses and fell.
Qin Mu mobilized his divine soul to compete with Shang Pingyin, the number one Heavenly Master of Dragon Han. This consumed a tremendous amount of his divine soul, worsening his condition. At any moment, his divine soul risked being extinguished.
Even the Nether Abyss Crown Prince was mobilized by him, repeatedly charging into battle, clashing head-on with the Divine Martial Second Guard, and nearly being struck down by them several times.
"Long Pi, make this number one Heavenly Master despair."
Qin Mu's divine soul transmitted: "Today, I will establish your reputation. Sacrifice the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy and reverse the twenty-eight heavens."
Upon hearing this, Dragon Qilin bowed to the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy. The twenty-eight layered canopies of the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy retracted layer by layer, then spread open again!
Shang Pingyin had already broken through to the twenty-sixth heaven, on the verge of reaching the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace, when suddenly the space shifted. Layer after layer of heavens expanded outward, turning the twenty-sixth heaven into the first heaven!
Countless divine demons of the Heavenly Court army, who had been on the verge of victory, suddenly found themselves back at the outermost edge of the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy. Inside the canopy, the layers of heavens were once again filled with strict formations. The heavens they had painstakingly broken through with their lives had now been restored to complete killing formations!
The soldiers of the Heavenly River Navy, the Divine Martial Second Guard, and the Northern Gate of the Fallen Star immediately collapsed, their will to fight gone. Despair spread through the ranks of the various armies.
"Waa—"
Shang Pingyin's face flushed red, and suddenly he spat out a mouthful of blood. With a thud, he knelt on the river's surface. His hair visibly turned gray and white. In no time, his jet-black hair became white, as if he had aged into an old man.
His Dao heart shattered and collapsed. He could no longer muster the thought to compete with the formation master within the Heavenly Palace. His fighting spirit was completely extinguished.
"Retreat!" He raised his head and shouted sharply.
Cheers erupted from the soldiers around him, and the various armies quickly withdrew.
Shang Pingyin, with his white hair, spat out mouthful after mouthful of blood, kneeling there. His voice hoarse, he said, "Which master set up these formations? Would you be willing to show yourself so that Shang can accept his defeat with conviction?"
Dragon Qilin stepped forward, standing outside the gates of the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace, meeting his gaze, and said loudly, "It was I."