Chapter 2677: Curtain Falls
The night was thick, and on the sea surface, waves churned several zhang high.
Cultivators from the Heavenly Realm Faction surged out from all directions, chasing the Green Pear Garden flying above the water.
A large group of cultivators from the Thunder Realm drew upon the power of heaven and earth, transforming it into lightning, ready to attack the Green Pear Garden.
"Don't strike! Can't you see that Lianxi the Great Palace Master, Yuzhen the Superior Master, and the others are all inside the Green Pear Garden?"
Cultivators from major forces like the Judgment Hall and the Talisman Spirit Realm quickly intervened, forcing the Great Saints of the Thunder Realm to retract their Sacred Arts, their hearts filled with frustration.
Michael had long since ordered the Heavenly Camp to act, but the Camp Master refused.
The Camp Master believed that there were as many as seven hostages inside the Green Pear Garden, each of noble status. Once the Heavenly Camp struck, they could indeed destroy the Green Pear Garden in an instant, but the seven hostages would also fall.
This would not only cause discord and turmoil within the Heavenly Realm Faction but also damage the reputation of the Heavenly Camp and the Heavenly Realm.
In the end, it was because the Heavenly Camp had never taken Michael seriously, so naturally, they would not follow his orders.
"Roar! Roar! Roar..."
Suddenly, a dense mass of dark clouds surged across the sky, with countless lightning bolts flashing within, bringing down a torrential downpour.
Dragon roars rose and fell from within the clouds.
Then, a dense swarm of dragons flew out, each one erupting with the might of a Great Saint. Some had massive bodies, like mountain ranges crossing the sky. Others radiated golden light, their five claws treading on golden clouds.
Ao Yi, the number one expert of the Heavenly Dragon Realm, stood atop a five-clawed golden dragon in human form, looking down from above. His voice was deep and resonant: "Whoever dares to pursue further, the Dragon Clan of the Heavenly Dragon Realm will fight to the death with them."
Countless dragons flew across the sky, the scene resembling ten thousand dragons marching to war, their momentum vast and awe-inspiring, startling many cultivators from the Heavenly Realm Faction.
"Don't fear him, keep chasing!" Michael shouted loudly.
Ao Yi was furious. He let out a dragon roar, transforming into a five-clawed golden dragon several hundred li long, diving down from the sky. He extended a massive claw, striking toward Michael's head.
How could Michael be a match for Ao Yi?
"Boom!"
With a single clash, Michael let out a muffled sound, his body plunging into the sea, splashing up a large wave.
In another direction, a divine temple radiating brilliant starlight burst forth from the void.
Qing Sixue stood atop the temple, hands clasped behind her back, her gaze sweeping arrogantly. She raised her voice: "Whoever dares to pursue the deputy hall master of the Truth Divine Temple, the cultivators of the Truth Divine Temple will fight them to the death without end."
The Great Saints of the Truth Divine Temple stood on the steps outside the temple, like a host of divine beings, their battle intent blazing.
Soon after, cultivators from the Five Elements Temple, the Western Buddha Realm, the Thousand Star Civilization, and the Kunlun Realm arrived one after another, welcoming the group from the Green Pear Garden.
Such a formation finally forced the cultivators of the Heavenly Realm Faction to stop completely.
Zhen Yuan, representing the Five Elements Temple, spoke: "Who can take charge among the Heavenly Realm Faction?"
Guna the Fairy, the Camp Master of the Heavenly Camp, the Great Palace Master of the Order Hall, and more than a dozen figures stepped forward one after another, their gazes sharp, showing no intention of compromise.
Tonight, the Heavenly Realm Faction had suffered heavy losses, with no fewer than ten Supreme Realm Great Saints having fallen.
More importantly, the authority of the Heavenly Realm as a ruling world had been challenged. If they could not kill Shu Qianchi and keep the cultivators in the Green Pear Garden, who would fear the Heavenly Realm in the future?
Would the allies of the Heavenly Realm still obey orders as before?
They had to fight to the end.
Zhen Yuan said, "Let tonight's matter end here. Otherwise, the Red Dust Assembly will turn into an internal conflict of the Heavenly Court, and we will all become sinners of the Heavenly Court."
The Great Palace Master of the Order Hall replied, "How many cultivators from the Heavenly Realm Faction have fallen, and you want us to stop? Zhen Yuan, do you think that's possible?"
"Everything is your own doing. Think about who caused tonight's tragedy. It was Peach Blossom, it was Yin Yuanchen." Zhen Yuan, rarely showing a stern expression, spoke with sharp words.
Peach Blossom killing Shu Yong was something the Heavenly Realm cultivators could not deny.
It was the source of all conflict.
The result that "Yin Yuanchen is Peach Blossom" pushed the entire Heavenly Realm Faction into an irredeemable situation, completely losing their moral high ground and becoming passive.
All of this was thanks to Zhang Ruochen.
It was precisely because of this that the Five Elements Temple, the Western Buddha Realm, and the Truth Divine Temple could brazenly step forward and support the cultivators in the Green Pear Garden.
Guna the Fairy tried several times to speak but couldn't find the words.
This matter truly couldn't be argued. They couldn't just lie with their eyes wide open and tell the world's cultivators that Yin Yuanchen's actions were his personal behavior. But earlier, Yin Yuanchen had clearly acted on behalf of the Heavenly Realm Faction against Shu Qianchi.
Guna the Fairy couldn't bring herself to speak, but Michael was burning with rage and unwilling to stop. He snorted coldly, "It's true that Yin Yuanchen attacked Shu Qianchi earlier. But he is not Peach Blossom. On what basis do you accuse Yin Yuanchen of being Peach Blossom? Did he ever admit it?"
Another Supreme Realm Great Saint from the Heavenly Realm Faction added, "Peach Blossom is an assassin of the Heavenly Assassination Organization. Killing Shu Yong is indeed infuriating. But assassins kill because they are hired by employers. The assassin is hateful, but the employer is even more so. Who knows if the one who hired the assassin to kill Shu Yong wasn't a cultivator from the Book Realm? Or perhaps from your Five Elements Temple?"
"Since you refuse to reason, then let's fight. Tonight, we'll carve out a path through battle." Zhen Yuan said.
The two sides were at daggers drawn, and an internal conflict that would be recorded in the history of the Heavenly Court was about to erupt.
"Stop!"
The Red Dust Peerless Building appeared in the sky, with its red walls and glazed tiles, spiritual mountains and flying waterfalls, like a celestial jade palace.
The master of the Red Dust Peerless Building, Zhuang Tai'e, stood in the sky. He waved his brush and drew a line.
Between the two camps, a river of ink appeared, separating them completely.
"All of you, retreat. Tonight's matter ends here." Zhuang Tai'e's voice reached the ears of every cultivator.
The cultivators of the Heavenly Realm Faction were extremely unwilling, but seeing the ink river stretching before them, they knew that with their cultivation, they could not cross it.
...
At the Colorful Cloud Villa.
The Divine Ancestor of the Thousand Star Civilization gazed at the Red Dust Peerless Building suspended in the void, a smug smile spreading across his aged face: "The Heavenly Palace has finally stepped in to stop all this."
"How could it not? If this battle truly breaks out tonight, the entire Heavenly Court will be in chaos." The Hall Master of the Truth Divine Temple said.
The Divine Ancestor of the Thousand Star Civilization, quite elated, said, "At least we have conveyed our stance. Hao Tian should understand what lies behind this. This... Shu Qianchi, he really has some skill."
To be praised as "having some skill" by a figure of the Divine Ancestor level was naturally because he had seen through certain things.
The various secret arts Zhang Ruochen had displayed could deceive cultivators in the Saint realm, but how could they fool the few ancient gods in the Colorful Cloud Villa?
The Hall Master of the Truth Divine Temple had already guessed something. He shot a glare at the silent Yunshen Daozhu, who sat like an old monk in meditation, and snorted lightly.
...
The Dragon Lord of the Red Dust Peerless Building had stopped the conflict, leaving the fury of the Heavenly Realm Faction cultivators with nowhere to vent. So, they all rushed to the residence of the Blade God Realm cultivators.
Because they had heard news that Chi Kunlun had already slain over a dozen top-tier Great Saints of the Blade God Realm, including Yu Ze, who could no longer bear it and chose to strike.
With Yu Ze dead, the secular top experts of the Blade God Realm had almost all fallen.
Chi Kunlun stood atop a pile of corpses, continuing to call out: "Is this all the Blade God Realm has to offer? I am not here to slaughter today; I only want to fight with you, to seek justice for the Kunlun Realm cultivators who died at your hands."
The cultivators of the Blade God Realm all hid within their residence, many injured, and no one dared to strike anymore.
This Chi Kunlun was quite peculiar. His combat power fluctuated wildly, sometimes killing, sometimes not. When strong, even facing dozens of Great Saints in a siege, he could defeat them.
When weak, dueling a single Great Saint of the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm, he couldn't kill them with one punch.
Michael, Guna the Fairy, the Great Palace Master of the Order Hall, and others arrived one after another, followed by a large group of Heavenly Realm Faction cultivators surrounding Chi Kunlun.
Having just suffered a major loss at Ao Yi's hands, Michael was eager for a great battle to restore his lost dignity. He stepped forward and shouted, "A cultivator from the Hell Realm dares to be so arrogant in the Heavenly Court? Do you really think no one in the Heavenly Court can deal with you?"
Chi Kunlun glanced at him with a smile and said, "Someone like you? You really can't deal with me."
"What did you say?"
Michael spread all twelve wings, countless lightning bolts flying out from his feathers, covering the sky and earth. His face twisted with rage.
Chi Kunlun, fearless, laughed and said, "With a temperament and cultivation like yours, I could take on ten of you and still win, like slaughtering pigs and dogs."
As an expert on the *Red Dust Peerless List* and the Great Palace Master of the Freedom Hall, when had Michael ever been so belittled and insulted?
He kicked back with his right leg, leaned forward, and brought his hands together, condensing all the lightning in the sky between them into a river of lightning, attacking Chi Kunlun.
"Before the battle even begins, your heart is already in chaos. Someone like you can only bully low-realm cultivators. Against a top expert, you wouldn't even know how you died."
Chi Kunlun shook his head, performed a Space Displacement, and vanished from his spot.
The next moment, he emerged from behind Michael and struck out with a casual palm, aiming for the top of Michael's head.
Michael was no weakling; he immediately devised a countermeasure and tried to dodge.
But to his horror, he found that space had frozen solid, and his entire body was immobilized. Forced into a corner, he had to gather all his power into his back, avoiding the vital point of his head, and bent over to take the hit.
"Boom!"
Chi Kunlun's palm struck Michael's back, sending him crashing to the ground like a starving dog pouncing on food, smashing a human-shaped pit into the earth.
"Pathetic..."
"Stop!"
A divine voice came from afar.
Chi Kunlun's ears bled from the divine sound attack. His body felt as if struck by lightning, and he went limp, kneeling on one knee to the ground, his face twisted in pain.
Two gods descended from the sky.
One was Wuma Jiuxing of the Blade God Realm.
The other was a god from the Heavenly Palace, with an aged face, wearing a white divine robe.
Wuma Jiuxing looked at the corpses strewn across the ground, frowned slightly, and turned to the god from the Heavenly Palace, saying, "A cultivator from the Hell Realm comes to the Heavenly Court and slaughters wantonly. According to the Heavenly Laws, how should this be handled?"