Chapter 1083: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Dragon and the Phoenix Behind
The Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace sailed north along the Heavenly River, moving farther and farther from the Heavenly Court. The starry sky glittered, and the palace occasionally passed by suns along the riverbank, their radiance dazzling and enchanting, the scenery as beautiful as a painting.
The Heavenly Court’s army had retreated in defeat, with no pursuers coming. The Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy was too conspicuous, so Nether Abyss Prince put it away, storing it within the Lofty Sky Hall and ordering it to be guarded strictly.
After the people in the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace had held a memorial ceremony for their fallen clansmen, they also held a grand celebration.
The starlight and moonlight shone from outside, combined with the radiance of various treasures within the palace, creating a dazzling display of neon lights that intoxicated everyone. The sounds of joy and laughter from the palace drifted into the Heavenly River, causing the Dragon Kings within to send shrimp soldiers and crab generals to surface and peer out.
Nether Abyss Prince was simple-minded and carefree. During the celebration, the Dark Heavenly Emperor repeatedly plied him with wine, getting him thoroughly drunk.
Dragon Qilin and Yan’er saw this and grew wary, knowing that the Dark Heavenly Emperor would likely lose patience and make a move on the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy.
The celebration continued, and Nether Abyss Prince collapsed, drunk, onto the banquet table. The Dark Heavenly Emperor draped the prince’s arm over his own shoulder and began to walk out, saying drunkenly, “I’ll take the prince down to rest.”
Dragon Qilin and Yan’er quietly followed. They saw the Dark Heavenly Emperor, after helping Nether Abyss Prince leave the celebration, walk only a short distance before taking out a paper effigy and gently sticking it onto the prince’s back.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor released Nether Abyss Prince and took out another paper effigy, sticking it onto himself. Nether Abyss Prince remained standing, though swaying unsteadily.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor raised his hand, and Nether Abyss Prince raised his hand as well.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor lowered his hand, and Nether Abyss Prince lowered his arm too.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor took a step forward, and Nether Abyss Prince followed suit.
“Heh heh, Brother Dao, you hid the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy in the Lofty Sky Hall and ordered people to guard it. If I were to force my way in, wouldn’t the Northern Emperor know that I was the one who stole it?”
The Dark Heavenly Emperor chuckled, “Of course, you will personally go and retrieve the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy for me. I’ll take the canopy and flee far away, pinning the blame on that Loose Cultivator of Dragon Mountain and that woman.”
He focused his mind, removed the other paper effigy stuck to himself, crouched down, placed it on the ground, and gently blew on it.
On the ground, the tiny paper effigy began to walk forward, and Nether Abyss Prince, staggering, also headed toward the Lofty Sky Hall.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor controlled the tiny paper effigy as it moved forward, the effigy and Nether Abyss Prince moving in sync, performing the same actions. He guided the prince all the way to the front of the hall.
The Black Tortoise Divine Man and the Serpent Divine Woman, who had been ordered to guard the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy, hurriedly bowed in greeting upon seeing him.
The paper effigy waved its hand, and Nether Abyss Prince waved his hand too.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor whispered to the paper effigy, “I’ll keep watch here. You two go attend the feast. I’ll stay here to sober up.”
The paper effigy repeated these words, and Nether Abyss Prince, following the effigy, also repeated them. The divine beings tasked with guarding the canopy were both surprised and delighted. They bowed to Nether Abyss Prince and then flew off to the feast.
The paper effigy continued forward, controlling Nether Abyss Prince as he walked into the hall.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor’s heart pounded wildly. Suppressing his excitement, he made the paper effigy spread its arms, and inside the hall, Nether Abyss Prince also spread his arms, embracing the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy.
After a moment, Nether Abyss Prince emerged, staggering, carrying the canopy on his shoulder.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor was ecstatic, his heart nearly leaping into his throat.
Nether Abyss Prince drew closer and closer. Just then, the Dark Heavenly Emperor suddenly sensed two auras approaching at lightning speed!
Startled, before he could react, two figures slammed into him from left and right, crushing him between them. He couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood!
On his left was that fat girl of three to five hundred jin who claimed to be the princess of the Southern Emperor’s household. On his right was the Loose Cultivator of Dragon Mountain—though this one had six heavenly dragons hanging from him!
These two were clearly beings at the Lofty Sky realm, and that fat girl’s cultivation seemed even higher. She had even sent both the Loose Cultivator of Dragon Mountain and the Dark Heavenly Emperor flying together!
The Dark Heavenly Emperor was also at the peak of the Lofty Sky realm, with many tricks up his sleeve, but breaking through to the Emperor Throne realm was extremely difficult, leaving him stuck at Lofty Sky.
The Dragon Han Era had lasted for four hundred thousand years. Since the Imperial Heavenly Lord founded the Heavenly Palace realm, over six hundred thousand years, fewer than ten cultivators had achieved the Emperor Throne realm, and the Dark Heavenly Emperor was not among them.
Nevertheless, he wouldn’t have been caught off guard by a sneak attack from two people. Unfortunately, his injuries hadn’t fully healed. Though he had recovered some of his cultivation, the wounds remained.
Moreover, he had poured all his focus into using the paper effigy technique to control Nether Abyss Prince, which led to this major setback!
And even if his injuries were fully healed, even if he could hear from all directions, he would be no match for Yan’er.
Yan’er possessed the bloodlines of the Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird, and as the Moon Heavenly Lord’s maid, she had trained under her, also learning the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird’s Dao techniques and divine abilities. Her skills were extremely high.
But Yan’er didn’t much like cultivation and hadn’t devoted herself fully to comprehending Dao techniques and divine abilities, which was why she had been unable to break through to the Emperor Throne realm.
Still, she was a terrifying existence who had devoured an ancient god. Having digested that god, her strength was even fiercer than before!
As the Dark Heavenly Emperor was sent flying through the air, he saw that fat girl charging at him like a whirlwind. The space around him began to mirror, sending chills down his spine.
All around him, space turned into mirror-like surfaces, reflecting his image. Then the mirrors began to crack, and his reflections started to shatter.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor had seen the Moon Heavenly Lord ambush the Heavenly Emperor’s reincarnation, First Dawn. Even the Heavenly Emperor’s reincarnation had been torn apart in an instant by the Moon Heavenly Lord’s spatial Dao!
This fat girl’s spatial divine abilities seemed even more refined than the Moon Heavenly Lord’s. The Dark Heavenly Emperor immediately felt his physical body and primordial spirit begin to shatter along with the mirrors, on the verge of complete annihilation!
“Loose Cultivator of Dragon Mountain, I’ll make you and that adulterous couple pay!”
The Dark Heavenly Emperor cried out, his body suddenly sinking toward the ground. Demonic qi surged from the earth like a dark demonic flower sprouting from the soil, its bud blooming outward.
The Dark Heavenly Emperor’s body split apart and fell into the rising demonic qi.
The demonic flower fully bloomed, reaching three to five zhang in height, then burst apart with a bang, dissipating into waves of demonic qi.
Yan’er rushed forward, but when the demonic qi cleared, there was no trace of the Dark Heavenly Emperor’s corpse.
Meanwhile, Dragon Qilin and the six heavenly dragons tumbled and rolled before finally stopping, thrown far off by Yan’er’s immense force.
Shouts rang out from a distance. Their brief clash had alarmed the Black Tortoise clansmen, who were flying over to investigate.
Dragon Qilin stood up, his whole body aching, his heart alarmed.
The two hurried toward Nether Abyss Prince, reaching him one after another. The prince stood there, hugging the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy and snoring loudly, drool at the corner of his mouth, with the paper effigy still stuck to his back.
Yan’er tried to pull the canopy from his arms, but the prince held it too tightly, refusing to let go.
Dragon Qilin took out the Primal Chaos Divine Stone that Qin Mu had given him and activated the fragment of the Supreme Unfettered Divine Consciousness he had learned. He said softly, “Your Highness, there’s a soft cloud bed here. You feel like you’re sleeping in the clouds. You’re very sleepy, very tired. You’re holding a blanket as soft as clouds…”
His divine consciousness erupted, invading Nether Abyss Prince’s mind.
Nether Abyss Prince released the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy and fell backward. Yan’er quickly caught him, gently laid him on the ground, then hoisted the canopy onto her shoulder and said rapidly, “Let’s go!”
Voices clamored all around, with shouts of “Thief!” everywhere. Dragon Qilin’s expression shifted. “We probably can’t make it out in time! This treasure grants any wish—let it help us!”
Yan’er shook the Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy and said, “Let there be fog! Let there be wind and thunder!”
Thick mist immediately poured from the canopy, shrouding the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace in an instant. Then wind and thunder roared, drowning out everyone’s cries.
Dragon Qilin grabbed Yan’er and dashed outward.