Chapter 1121: No Mercy Left (Third Update)
On this day, the Nine Provinces world fell into chaos as one piece of news after another came in, stirring up monstrous waves across the land.
"Cheng Tu Ancient God died without a complete corpse!"
"Chen Tu God Ancestor was ambushed and killed halfway on the road!"
"Kai Tu Ancient God has passed away!"
"Bai Tu Ancient God's skull was split open, his three souls shattered!"
"Yin Tu Ancient God was sleeping and died in his dreams, with no external injuries whatsoever!"
"Tao Tu Ancient God was executed in his ancestral land!"
……
These terrifying tidings seemed to sprout wings, spreading throughout the Nine Provinces. On the Third Pillar Heaven, the three Pillar Gods sat solemnly, their expressions grave.
After receiving the news, these three Ancient Gods did not grow restless like Shen Tu Ancient God. Instead, they gathered together at once. Only by banding together could they feel slightly reassured, lest they die without knowing how.
"Judging from the reports, the Ancient Gods of the Nine Provinces have been completely wiped out."
Pillar One Ancient God's face was indigo, with blue features and fangs like a ghost king. He said in a deep voice, "In five days, from Bai Tu to Shen Tu, nine Ancient Gods were eliminated. This proves there was never any evenly matched battle. Instead, the assassin kept traveling nonstop, infiltrating their ancestral lands and killing them before the other Nine Provinces Ancient Gods even received word."
Pillar Two Ancient God, with a red face and fangs, frowned and said, "We are already far from weak. Over the years, we have delved into our respective great paths, deepening our understanding of the Dao, and our strength has only grown. Looking across the world, though we are not beings like the Ten Heavenly Lords, we can at least stand shoulder to shoulder with Emperor Seat powerhouses, can we not? How could the Nine Provinces Ancient Gods have perished without any resistance?"
Pillar Three Ancient God said, "I have heard the news and speculated on one possibility."
His eyes flickered as he said, "The number one supreme treasure of the world has emerged."
As soon as he spoke these words, the other two Ancient Gods trembled violently, their faces showing disbelief.
"The one capable of killing the nine brothers of the Nine Provinces Ancient Gods so swiftly is none other than the world's number one supreme treasure, the Glazed Azure Canopy. And that assassin, I also know him—he is the legendary number one Heavenly Master of the world, Longshan Sanren!"
Pillar Three Ancient God continued, "I once heard a tale from the youngest brother under Northern Heaven Black Emperor. Back then, six hundred thousand years ago, when the Heavenly Court split, Black Emperor Yin Tianzi went to the Northern Emperor Xuanwu's Heavenly Palace, where he encountered Longshan Sanren. Longshan Sanren used the Glazed Azure Canopy to heavily wound the million divine demons of the Heavenly River Navy, forcing the then number one Heavenly Master of the Heavenly Court, Shang Pingyin, to vomit three dou of blood. After that, Shang Pingyin languished for a hundred thousand years, despondent and depressed, until he was eventually replaced by Yue Tingge."
He stared blankly into space, fear spreading across his face, his voice somewhat hoarse as he said, "At that time, Shang Pingyin commanded the Heavenly River Navy, the Divine and Martial Guards, and the Bei Luo Shi Men. With such forces, even leveling Di Mu Yuan Jun would have been more than enough. Yet Longshan Sanren, relying on the tens of thousands of scattered cultivators and divine demons in Xuanwu's Heavenly Palace, slaughtered half of those four divine demon armies!"
The other two Ancient Gods could not help but show terror in their expressions.
The more they knew about the Heavenly Court's strength, the more awe and fear they felt, daring not to harbor any thoughts of resistance.
They had lived through the Heavenly Court's split back then and deeply understood the treacherous situation at the time.
The Heavenly Court had sent out armies to stop the four Ancient God Emperors from leaving the Heavenly Court, but all had suffered defeat. Fire Heavenly Lord was even severely wounded by the Southern Emperor Zhuque.
Yet the most heart-stirring battle of that era was the blockade of Xuanwu's Heavenly Palace on the Heavenly River. The Heavenly Court's military forces suffered devastating losses and could not recover for many years afterward.
And the news that stirred even more hearts was the theft of the world's number one supreme treasure, the Glazed Azure Canopy. At the time, opinions varied, but very few knew the inside story.
"Back then, after repelling the Heavenly Court's army, Longshan Sanren stole the Glazed Azure Canopy and vanished without a trace."
Pillar Three Ancient God said, "Because Yin Tianzi was also at Xuanwu's Heavenly Palace at the time, he knew many inside details. The youngest brother heard Yin Tianzi mention this matter unintentionally."
There were originally eight Pillar Heaven Ancient Gods, known as the Eight Pillar Heavens. Among them, the Western Heaven had three Pillar Heavens, the Eastern Heaven had four, and the Northern Heaven had one. The Northern Pillar Heaven's Ancient God was the youngest in rank.
"It was because of this battle that Longshan Sanren earned the title of number one Heavenly Master under heaven. He disappeared along with the Glazed Azure Canopy, unseen for six hundred thousand years, becoming an unsolved mystery of the Longhan Era. Who would have thought that when he reappears, it would be to target us Ancient Gods?"
Pillar Three Ancient God said, "We cannot just sit and wait for death!"
The other two Ancient Gods frowned and said, "Longshan Sanren was already this formidable six hundred thousand years ago. Now he will only be even stronger. And with the Glazed Azure Canopy, the world's number one supreme treasure, we have only a dead end ahead. How can we be his match? For all we know, he might already be on his way to kill us!"
Pillar Three Ancient God laughed and said, "So, we make the first move!"
He stood up and said, "We abandon our ancestral lands and transfer from Bai Tu to the Western Heaven White Emperor's domain. Even if Longshan Sanren has vast divine powers, would he dare to clash with the White Emperor?"
"Abandon our ancestral lands…" The two Ancient Gods both looked reluctant.
Pillar Three Ancient God said, "If we don't leave, we die. If we leave, there is still a path to survival. Are you coming or not?"
The two Ancient Gods rose and said in unison, "Ancestral lands are not more important than our lives. Let's go together!"
The three Ancient Gods immediately shrank their forms, flew out of the Third Pillar Heaven, and turned into three streaks of light heading straight for the Spirit Energy Transit Bridge in Bai Tu. After two days, they arrived at the Spirit Energy Transit Bridge, crossed it, and reached the Western Heaven.
The Western Heaven was the White Emperor's Heavenly Palace. The White Emperor's Heavenly Palace was magnificent and grand, with as many as ten Spirit Energy Transit Bridges connecting to various other places in the Western Heaven, as well as the Heavenly Court, Eastern Heaven, Southern Heaven, and the Northern Heaven Nether Capital.
The Heavenly Palace was filled with buildings, leaving no space to construct transit bridges, so the Spirit Energy Transit Bridges were built around the perimeter of the White Emperor's Heavenly Palace.
When the three Ancient Gods arrived, they noticed that the White Emperor's Heavenly Palace seemed much emptier. Upon inquiring, they learned that the Heavenly Court had mobilized the White Emperor's troops to attack the Tai Xu.
The White Emperor had led the divine demons of the Heavenly Palace to the Heavenly Court, from where they would transfer to the Tai Xu. Now, the one left in charge of the White Emperor's Heavenly Palace was Crown Prince Qing Zong.
"The Heavenly Court even mobilized the White Emperor's troops. Is the Tai Xu really that hard to crack?"
The three Ancient Gods exchanged surprised glances. "Crown Prince Qing Zong's strength is exceptional, but he is still no match for the number one Heavenly Master Longshan Sanren. With so few troops here, staying is not safe either. Let's go from the White Emperor's Heavenly Palace to the Heavenly Court."
Pillar Two Ancient God said, "We've been fleeing for days without eating a bite. I'm terribly hungry. Let's get some food first."
Hearing this, the other two Ancient Gods also felt hungry and said, "Once we reach the Heavenly Court, there will be too many rules, and it won't be easy to eat to our hearts' content. Let's borrow some food from Crown Prince Qing Zong."
The three Ancient Gods flew downward toward the base of the White Emperor's Heavenly Palace. Below lay a vast continent, formed from the Xirang soil borrowed from the Heavenly Court by the first White Emperor.
The White Emperor's Heavenly Palace sat above this continent, which was also home to countless living beings, though their lives were rather harsh.
As the three Ancient Gods flew through the sky, they suddenly spotted a town below. Though dilapidated, it had a considerable population. They immediately descended.
The cultivators in the town, seeing three Ancient Gods descending, quickly went on alert. But Pillar One Ancient God blew past them with a single breath, turning them to ash.
There were very few cultivators in this town to begin with. The rest were ordinary people, who cried out in terror and huddled together.
The three Ancient Gods feasted heartily. The villagers scattered in all directions, but no matter how they ran, they could not escape.
A young girl, ignorant of the danger, her face gaunt and her body nothing but skin and bones, clutched a bone that had been gnawed clean except for a few shreds of meat. She tottered forward, held out the bone, and said timidly, "Uncle, eat this. Don't eat us…"
Pillar One Ancient God reached out, grabbed her, and chuckled, "Uncle doesn't eat bones. Uncle eats people."
Just as he was about to swallow the little girl, a flash of sword light streaked by. Pillar One Ancient God stared blankly at his severed arm as divine blood gushed forth.
The next moment, a chill ran through his brow. A broken sword pierced through from the back of his head and out through his forehead!
Pillar Two Ancient God and Pillar Three Ancient God were startled. Then, with a thunderous boom, a massive pillar slammed into the center of the town, sending dirt flying as its canopy fluttered in the wind.