Chapter 918: Purple Qi Fills the Sky, Fist Intent Pierces the Heavens
“Outdated?”
Yun Jianli turned his head to look. Though he appeared frail and sickly, he was now brimming with spirit: “My ancestor’s technique was the first Emperor Seat technique in the world, called the Purple Firmament Azurefall Art! Before him, no one had ever cultivated to the Emperor Seat realm! The greatest feature of this technique is change! The men of my Yun clan, generation after generation, have continuously absorbed other techniques and divine abilities as the times changed. The Purple Firmament Azurefall Art of today is countless times more powerful than it was back then!”
Speaking of his family’s inherited technique, his words and demeanor naturally overflowed with boundless pride: “The men of my Yun clan, throughout the generations, have always been among the top existences at the same cultivation level within the Heavenly Court. If a descendant of our Yun clan could cross the Divine Bridge realm, our Yun clan would produce an Emperor Seat powerhouse in every generation!”
His tone was filled with confidence, and he smiled slightly: “Even I have rarely encountered a rival among my peers in the Heavenly Court! Yun Heavenly Sovereign’s Purple Firmament Azurefall Art will never become outdated!”
Behind him, purple light suddenly surged upward, transforming into a stretch of purple sky!
The sky was filled with stars, their light brilliant. A river of stars descended from the azure firmament, a great river falling. Then, a divine peak rose abruptly from the ground, piercing straight into the heavens!
This divine peak seemed sealed in mystic ice, but now, as spring warmed the flowers and the ice and snow melted, it truly appeared as a verdant peak washed clean, a long river like a ribbon of silk, and the purple firmament like a dipper!
A divine bridge spanned across the sky. His primordial spirit stood upon the bridge, which floated beneath the purple firmament, among the river of stars. Beside it, the mountain peak was lush and beautiful. Setting aside everything else, just this artistic conception alone was intoxicating.
A towering peak pierced the purple firmament,
Where the path ends, a divine bridge is suspended.
Looking up, the azure stars seem near;
Looking down, the mortal world is distant and clear.
Qin Mu gazed at the vision behind Yun Jianli, comparing it to this poem, and felt even more admiration in his heart.
The Purple Firmament Azurefall Art created by Yun Heavenly Sovereign was indeed extraordinary and transcendent. No wonder it was the first Emperor Seat technique of its time!
During the early Dragon Han era, each of the Nine Heavenly Sovereigns had achievements that others could hardly match. Even the reclusive Moon Heavenly Sovereign had immeasurable attainments in the art of space. Even Kai Huang, a rising star of a later generation, had his Thirty-Three Heavens of the Sword Dao, unmatched through the ages.
As the first to cultivate the Emperor Seat realm, Yun Heavenly Sovereign’s achievements were naturally extraordinary.
“Pastoral Heavenly Sovereign, my ancestor’s final instructions held you in extremely high regard, but at the same time, they had some criticism for you, the Dragon Han Overlord Body.”
Yun Jianli’s aura rose to its peak. Though he looked like a frail, sickly youth, his momentum at this moment was truly astonishing. His pale complexion even gained a bit of color. He said, “His final instructions stated that he did not believe the technique he created was inferior to the so-called Overlord Body. He hoped that future generations could vindicate him!”
His eyes grew moist, and he chuckled softly: “Today, my ancestor’s technique will finally meet Pastoral Heavenly Sovereign. This is my ancestor’s last wish! Pastoral Heavenly Sovereign…”
His voice was thunderous: “Please forgive Jianli’s impertinence, as I fight on behalf of my ancestor!”
Qin Mu took a single step and, in the next moment, arrived at the surface of the Jade Pool ten li away. He said calmly, “When I traveled back to the early Dragon Han era, I met several Heavenly Sovereigns, but unfortunately, I never had the chance to cross hands with Yun Heavenly Sovereign. Yun Heavenly Sovereign was a man of exceptional talent. I never expected he had such a wish. Yun Jianli, let me see his achievements.”
Yun Jianli was overcome with tears, yet an indescribable surge of heroic spirit swelled within his heart.
He suddenly leaped into the air, swift as a shooting star, and struck directly at Qin Mu with incredible speed: “If my ancestor’s spirit is watching from heaven and sees this battle today, he will surely be moved to tears!”
The bloodline of Yun Heavenly Sovereign flowing within Yun Jianli seemed to awaken at this moment. In this instant, he was no longer the sickly young master. He became the leader of the human race, the unique Human Emperor of the world!
As the creator of the Divine Bridge Divine Treasury within the Divine Treasury system, as the first being in the world to cultivate the Emperor Seat realm, as one of the five founding members of the Heavenly Alliance, and as the leader of the human race and other post-natal beings during the Dragon Han era, Yun Heavenly Sovereign had too many points of pride, and he had the capital to be proud.
Even though, in the critical moment of humanity’s crisis, he was forced to impersonate Qin Mu and Kai Huang, even though he felt he had wronged Qin Mu and Kai Huang, he was still immensely proud of his achievements.
He was the most dazzling figure of the human race in that barbaric era!
He established the Xiao Han Heavenly Court, and he used a scheme to assassinate the seemingly invincible Ancient God Heavenly Emperor of the Dragon Han Heavenly Court, giving all living beings a chance to breathe.
He possessed unparalleled pride and confidence. This pride and confidence were passed down to his descendants, allowing them to inherit his spirit and his will!
This strike from Yun Jianli was like Yun Heavenly Sovereign himself, after hundreds of thousands of years, personally delivering a blow to Qin Mu!
Xiao Han Nine Heavens!
Qin Mu looked up. Nine layers of the Xiao Han rushed toward him. That was Yun Heavenly Sovereign’s divine ability. In Qin Mu’s eyes, it was quite crude—it should have been the earliest version of the Purple Firmament Azurefall Art’s divine ability. However, in the eyes of other gods in the Heavenly Court, it was still a rare and remarkable art.
Earlier, Yun Jianli had said that the greatest strength of Yun Heavenly Sovereign’s Purple Firmament Azurefall Art was its ability to change.
This technique could progress with the times. Every generation of the Yun clan had integrated the Dao techniques and divine abilities of their era into it.
But now, Yun Jianli was using the most primitive version of the Xiao Han Nine Heavens, likely as a way to honor his ancestor.
Even though it was an extremely ancient divine ability, this move still revealed many extraordinary qualities that were truly impressive.
Qin Mu could see that Yun Heavenly Sovereign had already attempted to incorporate Heavenly Dao runes into this move. Moreover, these Heavenly Dao runes were structured using mathematical principles. Of course, they were much cruder than the Heavenly Dao runes organized by the Dao Sect of the current Heavenly Court, but in that era, they were no small feat.
“So, during the Xiao Han Heavenly Court period, Yun Heavenly Sovereign had already begun studying the Heavenly Duke with the Dao Ancestor. The Dao Ancestor helping the Heavenly Court use mathematics to analyze the Great Dao of the Ancient Gods was actually a plan set in motion by Yun Heavenly Sovereign hundreds of thousands of years ago!”
Qin Mu’s heart stirred. He curled his palm inward, forming half of the character “Mao,” and used half a move of the Heavenly Seal divine ability to clash head-on with this attack.
From Yun Jianli’s move, he suddenly understood many things that had previously been unclear to him.
The Dao Ancestor had always maintained an ambiguous attitude, and it was unknown which faction of the Heavenly Court he belonged to.
He was a member of the Heavenly Alliance, helping the Heavenly Court gather data on the Ancient Gods and organize their Great Dao runes. At the same time, he knew the true identity of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor and had done many things for him.
But if all of this was part of a plan he had set with Yun Heavenly Sovereign hundreds of thousands of years ago, then it could be explained.
Yun Jianli’s move was truly vast in its divine power, but when faced with Qin Mu’s half-move of the Heavenly Seal divine ability, it could not withstand it. The Xiao Han Nine Heavens shattered into pieces.
This was inevitable. Yun Heavenly Sovereign had died at the end of the Dragon Han era, over four or five hundred thousand years ago.
Using a divine ability from hundreds of thousands of years ago to fight against a divine ability of the present would certainly be easily broken.
Yun Jianli was not surprised by this. However, after the Xiao Han Nine Heavens came another Xiao Han Nine Heavens. But this time, when he executed the move again, it was no longer Yun Heavenly Sovereign’s original divine ability.
Instead, it had integrated the latest and most complete Heavenly Dao researched by the Dao Sect of the Heavenly Court. The Xiao Han Nine Heavens now resembled nine layers of Purple Firmament Heaven, nine Heavenly Palaces, each with a Heavenly Emperor seated within!
Moreover, the range of Yun Jianli’s divine ability had shrunk countless times. Earlier, his Xiao Han Nine Heavens move had covered an area of several li, appearing to have immense power, but in reality, its strength was dispersed.
Against ordinary people, it would certainly be terrifying, but against a powerhouse like Qin Mu, it was flashy but impractical.
Now, the range of this move was only one zhang square, and its power was highly concentrated, extremely formidable, forcing Qin Mu to take it seriously!
Yun Jianli’s earlier divine ability and this one were now worlds apart!
Qin Mu was visibly moved. Yun Heavenly Sovereign’s Purple Firmament Azurefall Art had truly grasped the essence of change. Besides absorbing the research of the Heavenly Court’s Dao Sect, this move also bore the characteristics of the techniques and divine abilities of the Kai Huang era.
The hallmark of Kai Huang era divine abilities was that they did not seek to have an overwhelmingly grand aura. Instead, they did their utmost to control the power of the divine ability within a small area, striving to break through a point to shatter a surface, minimizing environmental damage while killing the enemy, and achieving maximum power with minimal loss!
Yun Jianli’s move had precisely achieved this.
“The Yun clan’s divine abilities are indeed very strong.”
A sharp light gleamed in Qin Mu’s eyes. The Overlord Body Three-Dan Art activated, and surging energy within his body mobilized: “But I am stronger!”
His martial Dao spirit exploded forth. He threw a punch, and his immense power pierced straight through the Xiao Han Nine Heavens!
The moment their fist seals clashed, two massive waves rose from the Jade Pool behind them, surging into the distance.
The towering waves even carried the giant divine turtles of the Jade Pool into the sky. These turtles bore divine mountains on their backs, upon which stood many palaces and halls where the divine maidens of the Jade Pool resided.
The turtles swam through the waves, struggling to steady themselves. The divine mountains on their backs shook as if in an earthquake. Many divine maidens walked out of the palaces to look, only to see two figures of youths shuttling across the sea surface between the two great waves, clashing at lightning speed. Yet their techniques and divine abilities were terrifying beyond measure!
Before the winding corridor and pavilion, Qi Jiuyi was startled awake by the auras of the two. He snapped out of his infatuation with Yun Chuxiu and looked toward the two figures in the Jade Pool.
“Yun Jianli’s skills are stronger than before.”
Qi Jiuyi’s expression changed slightly. He had crossed hands with Yun Jianli and knew well how powerful and terrifying he was.
This eldest son of the Yun clan, though sickly, was exceptionally gifted. His cultivation was outstanding among the younger generation of the Heavenly Court, and his divine abilities were terrifyingly strong.
Back then, when he fought Yun Jianli, he lost on the first move. Yun Jianli gave him time to rest, and then they fought a second time. He lost even more decisively. The third time, he lost even faster.
Qi Jiuyi had studied under Red Emperor Qi Xiayu and Black Emperor Yin Chaojin, mastering the ultimate arts of two Emperors, but he couldn’t last a single move against Yun Jianli. From then on, he was completely convinced of Yun Jianli’s superiority.
“I was defeated by Sect Leader Qin in the lower realm, and I recognized my weaknesses. I also learned the fruits of the Yan Kang Reformation from Xu Shenghua. I thought I could stand shoulder to shoulder with Yun Jianli, but now it seems I still lack some refinement. The key is entering the Dao.”
Qi Jiuyi watched the two in the sea. At that moment, Yun Jianli suddenly pressed his palm onto the sea surface. The sea trembled, and the towering waves calmed down. The great waves that had been rising high on the sea suddenly became utterly still, leaving only the divine turtles that had been riding the waves still in the air.
Those divine turtles carried divine mountains and sea islands on their backs, their limbs slowly paddling through the sky to keep from falling.
The sea surface below suddenly exploded. Seawater shot into the sky, and instantly, banners made of seawater stood upright on the sea.
Various runic patterns and textures appeared on the banners. Different textures together formed the images of three hundred and sixty different orthodox gods!
Earlier, Yun Jianli’s divine abilities had excelled in smallness, but now they were about largeness.
The banners of the three hundred and sixty orthodox gods covered an area of a hundred li, forming a massive battle formation.
“Yun Jianli’s technique has reached completion…” Qi Jiuyi was somewhat disheartened.
Once this formation was set, Yun Jianli suddenly retreated, evading Qin Mu’s attack like a startled swan. The next moment, he crashed into a massive banner, and his figure vanished into it.
“Mo——”
A resonant voice came from within the banner. A towering orthodox god stepped down from the banner’s surface. It was Tai Yi, one of the three hundred and sixty orthodox gods!
This Tai Yi orthodox god had no face—no eyes, ears, nose, or mouth on its visage, and no hair on its head. All four sides of its head were blank. It was also known as the Northern Pole Tai Yi Emperor Lord, the Tai Yi Lord, the chief of all stars.
At this moment, Yun Jianli had transformed into the Tai Yi Lord, as if the Tai Yi Lord himself had descended. Behind him hung a purple star, and every move he made carried boundless divine power, crashing down upon Qin Mu!
That divine power carried the Dao resonance of the Great Dao of heaven and earth, as if the divine ability were naturally formed, with immeasurable might.
In front of him, Qin Mu appeared pitifully small and insignificant. Yet the force of Qin Mu’s strike was astonishingly great, actually managing to block the Tai Yi Lord’s divine ability.
The two, one huge and one tiny, clashed on the sea surface, exchanging blows with fists and feet, fighting until heaven and earth shattered.
Suddenly, the Tai Yi Lord was blasted apart by Qin Mu. Its massive body shattered piece by piece. The Tai Yi Lord flew backward, its physical form continuously disintegrating, and crashed with a boom into another banner.
The banner exploded, and mist filled the air. From within the mist, another orthodox god stepped out. This ancient god had a bird’s head and a human body, holding a scroll in one hand and a brush in the other. It was the Wen Chang orthodox god, also known as Wen Chang Emperor Lord.
This ancient god’s words became law.
The powerful side of Yun Heavenly Sovereign’s technique was finally being displayed through Yun Jianli.