Chapter: 4203 – The Return of Imperial Dust
One hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred Heaven-Earth Altars were spread across the universe. Every major world and primary star had one, and some high-level, eternally enduring great worlds had even built multiple.
Over thirty thousand years, the various resources of the universe had been nearly exhausted.
Each altar was like a massive divine temple, majestic and comparable to a planet. The armies formed by cultivators of various clans stood beneath the altars, like specks of dust.
Four main altars were located respectively in: Paradise Realm, Ten Thousand Bone Cave, Wuding Divine Sea, and Eternal Heavenly Kingdom.
The main altar in Paradise Realm was guarded by the Divine Corpse of Heavenly Duke, one of the Nine Ancestors of Ten Thousand Generations.
After the Heavenly Palace battle ended, Gai Mie and Meng Ge led a large force of powerful experts to Paradise Realm to attack Heavenly Duke.
Compassionate Honored One and Mortal Dust had arrived even before them.
When Heavenly Mother and the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable appeared at Lihen Great Stone, Heavenly Duke sensed something was wrong and immediately abandoned guarding the Paradise Realm main altar, fleeing first.
After a brief battle, the Divine Realm cultivators were completely cleared out. The Paradise Realm main altar was entirely taken over by the Heavenly Palace deities and the Paradise Realm army.
As early as thirty thousand years ago, Shang Tian had moved Shangqiu beneath the main altar, taking up permanent residence there.
The cultivators from various clans who built the main altars numbered in the billions. Most spent their entire lives there, generation after generation doing the same task.
Shangqiu.
Shang Tian received the distant visitors—Compassionate Honored One, Mortal Dust, Gai Mie, Meng Ge, Xiang Chunan, Peacock Heavenly Queen, and others. He did not hold a grand banquet, only offering each a cup of clear tea as they discussed the war situation.
In the hall, Shang Tian used divine qi to manifest a cosmic star map.
The star map marked the positions of all one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred Heaven-Earth Altars. Those already fully completed emitted black light, numbering over eighty thousand.
The remaining altars almost all emitted red light, indicating they were still under construction.
A few emitted green light, representing altars that had been destroyed and needed rebuilding. The universe had never lacked ruthless characters daring to oppose the Divine Realm.
However, most of these ruthless figures were secretly supported by major powers like Heavenly Mother, Dark Sovereign, Fengdu Dadi, Chi Yao, Yan Wushen, and Gai Mie.
For instance, the Totem Old Clan Emperor, Zhenyi Old Clan Emperor, and Immortal Music Master secretly supported by Chi Yao all had irreconcilable hatred for the Divine Realm. Mingye Divine Venerable, Heqing Divine Venerable, and others working for Gai Mie also operated in secret, constantly causing destruction and delaying the construction speed of the Heaven-Earth Altars.
Shang Tian said, "Heavenly Venerable and Heavenly Mother going to Eternal Heavenly Kingdom is extremely dangerous. Clashing repeatedly with Sovereign of Fate and Eternal True Ruler undoubtedly escalates matters to the highest level. I can already sense the aura of the final decisive battle. We must prepare for the worst."
"Heavenly Venerable has been dueling with Eternal True Ruler for several days now…"
Mortal Dust spoke softly again, "The situation might not be as bad as we imagine."
Shang Tian and Compassionate Honored One knew the true identity of the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable, so they understood the deeper meaning of Mortal Dust's words. Being able to duel with Eternal True Ruler for days without defeat meant Imperial Dust's cultivation had undoubtedly taken another great leap forward.
Shang Tian's face showed no joy, his worry undiminished: "Eternal True Ruler is certainly terrifying, but the Seventy-Two Layer Tower is even more fearsome."
"As long as it meets everyone's expectations, the power of all living beings can shake any powerful enemy." Compassionate Honored One spoke meaningfully, then added, "The Myriad Realms Grand Formation of the Heavenly Court Universe has already been activated."
She knew that the most powerful aspect of Imperial Dust's number one under heaven was his ability to gather the power of all living beings, channeling hundreds of rivers into the sea, encompassing myriad forms with divine power.
With Imperial Dust's appeal, with the reverence and following of themselves and others, if all living beings united, not to mention the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, even the Divine Realm itself could be shaken.
"Hua!"
Guna Divine Venerable flew in from another Heaven-Earth Altar in Paradise Realm, like a beam of white light, landing at Shangqiu and entering the divine hall.
She was very tall, her skin like porcelain and jade, her divine armor still stained with blood, pairs of wings on her back. She bowed to Shang Tian, who sat at the highest seat, and said, "I am late. Please forgive me, Shang Tian and all seniors."
Shang Tian said, "What happened at the Heaven-Earth Altar near the Radiant Divine Temple?"
"It has been taken. All those who sided with the Divine Realm have been imprisoned in the Judgment Palace." Guna Divine Venerable's brows were tightly furrowed, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Shang Tian said, "If you have something to say, speak freely."
Guna Divine Venerable said, "More and more deities are siding with the Divine Realm. Those below the divine realm are actually even more numerous, just powerless to oppose us. If even the Radiant Divine Temple is like this, what about other great worlds and other forces? This is a huge hidden danger. If it erupts, I dare not imagine the consequences."
Everyone present fell silent.
Clearly, they all understood the fundamental situation.
Fortunately, the top-level cultivators of the Heavenly Court Universe were still clear-headed, having long seen through the true face of the Divine Realm.
Guna Divine Venerable said, "They don't fully trust the Divine Realm either, and they know the Divine Realm might have ulterior motives. Actually, the most fundamental reason is that they don't understand the meaning of opposing the Divine Realm. Fighting desperately, even if they win, so what? In the end, they will all die in the Great Calamity."
"Since that's the case, why not go with the flow, live more easily, enjoy the present, and cherish the last moments?"
"Great Brahma Heavenly King, Compassionate Honored One, you both have great wisdom and great dharma power. Can you give us an answer?"
The Great Calamity had always been an insurmountable hurdle for all cultivators. Even those present, including half-ancestors, had surely felt lost before. Facing Guna Divine Venerable's question, the images of Zhang Ruochen appeared in the minds of Great Brahma Heavenly King and Compassionate Honored One. This was an answer that only an ancestor could find, and among the ancestors, they only trusted Zhang Ruochen.
"Hua!"
Without any warning, a powerful surge of spiritual power swept through the space. None of the deities present were mediocre, yet all their expressions changed drastically.
The next moment, the main Heaven-Earth Altar erupted with brilliant divine radiance, lighting up mysterious symbols one by one, slowly beginning to rotate.
"Boom!" Energy exploded.
A beam of light a hundred miles in diameter shot straight into the sky, breaking through space, connecting to the mysterious and profound Divine Realm.
The billions of cultivators still busy at the altar were stunned.
The surrounding heaven-earth energy rose, and they felt extremely comfortable in their limbs and bones.
"The main altar has activated! It's crazily absorbing the earth vein energy of Paradise Realm. Not just earth vein energy, but heaven-earth energy."
Besides the main altar, all other Heaven-Earth Altars built in Paradise Realm were activated by the invisible spiritual power.
The deities had already walked out of the divine hall, standing atop Shangqiu.
Some looked at the Divine Realm at the end of the main altar's light pillar, some gazed at Lihentian, some peered into the starry sky.
In the starry sky, other light pillars also shot up, extremely bright. Clearly, the Heaven-Earth Altars across the universe were fully activating.
Gai Mie summoned the Demon Ancestor Ziwu Halberd and said, "The spiritual power storm that activated the Heaven-Earth Altars originated from Eternal True Ruler. There's nothing to discuss. Let's destroy the main altar first!"
In his sea of consciousness, a phantom of the Heaven-Earth Altar appeared.
It was as if the Heaven-Earth Altar had given birth to a soul spirit, invading Gai Mie's sea of consciousness.
Could a half-ancestor's sea of consciousness be breached so easily? "An ancestor's methods?"
Gai Mie's heart sounded an alarm, and he immediately used a soul attack technique to slash at the altar phantom in his sea of consciousness.
"Chi chi!"
The divine martial mark between his brows suddenly ignited, violently jumping, then left his body and flew toward the light pillar above the Heaven-Earth Altar. The playfulness had long vanished from Gai Mie's eyes, replaced by coldness. He stepped on space rules, chasing after the divine martial mark.
He failed to catch it.
With a bang, his body collided with the altar's light pillar. The next moment, as if struck by a palm from a half-ancestor, his body flew backward like a meteor, crashing through mountains.
When Gai Mie stood up again from the ground, the half-ancestor flesh on his chest and right shoulder had been burned away, turning into hot liquid. The wounds seemed to drip molten lava.
"Paradise Realm cultivators, hear my command: destroy the main altar!" Shang Tian had long prepared for this and issued the order.
Gai Mie quickly healed his injuries and stopped him, saying, "There's something wrong with this Heaven-Earth Altar. Don't act rashly!"
Before he finished speaking, Shang Tian's divine martial mark was taken away. He used every means possible but couldn't suppress it.
Inside the main Heaven-Earth Altar, billions of divine martial marks and qi seas flew toward the light pillar and disappeared. Of course, this included the divine seas and divine sources of many deities.
Gai Mie and Shang Tian could use their powerful cultivation to suppress their divine seas and divine sources, preserving their cultivation, but other cultivators couldn't.
At this moment, who knows how many billions of Paradise Realm cultivators lost their cultivation.
Who knows how many cultivators who tried to attack the Heaven-Earth Altars were struck by lightning from the Divine Realm, reduced to ashes.
This tragic outcome occurred at all Heaven-Earth Altars.
"I thought that by controlling the Heaven-Earth Altars, we had grasped the Divine Realm's vital point, enough to negotiate with them and gain some initiative. I didn't expect a ninety-sixth-level spiritual power ancestor to be so terrifying. How can we have any power to resist him?" Peacock Heavenly Queen said.
Although these words boosted the enemy's morale and diminished their own, no one could refute them.
They couldn't even destroy the Heaven-Earth Altars with a thought, couldn't even preserve their own cultivation. In the face of absolute cultivation, all their arrangements and schemes seemed so ridiculous.
Meaningless.
The Divine Realm's layout was the true layout, starting from ancient times.
Gai Mie and Shang Tian, these two cosmic giants with hearts as firm as rock, also had their morale drop after losing the divine martial marks they had relied on for years of cultivation.
At this moment, everyone realized that the Divine Realm had never taken them seriously.
Because from the very beginning, the Divine Realm had tied a rope around their necks. They were like oxen and horses, unable to break free, only able to obey orders.
If the oxen and horses didn't obey, there was no fodder.
If they didn't obey, they couldn't continue absorbing heaven-earth energy to cultivate, or even completely lose their hard-earned cultivation of many years.
Meng Ge suppressed the urge to destroy the Heaven-Earth Altar and said, "The trend of the world ultimately depends on the battle at the ancestor level."
"Look, that's the Yellow Spring Star River! The star river is rising!" Xiang Chunan, standing beside Meng Ge, pointed beyond the universe, his eyes nearly popping out in shock.
They had heard of ancient powerful beings who could cut the Yellow Spring Star River with a single sword strike. They had also heard of the Nether Ancestor using great divine power to change heaven and earth.
But truly seeing such great divine power, they could understand how shocking it was.
The ancestor divine radiance erupting from Eternal True Ruler changed the trajectories of stars in the universe, as if lifting the Yellow Spring Star River, scattering the rolling demon clouds in the star sea.
No need to guess; those rolling demon clouds must be Heavenly Mother.
This scene was too shocking.
Half of the Hell Realm's heaven-earth power was being manipulated.
A million stars exploded, releasing an earth-shattering storm of destruction. Even deities, if placed there, would surely be instantly reduced to ashes.
An invincible, unparalleled aura swept through the star sea, clearly sensed by those in Paradise Realm, making their legs tremble involuntarily.
Such power, such divine ability, was not much weaker than the Nether Ancestor's "Change Heaven and Earth" thirty thousand years ago.
"Ninety-sixth level is ninety-sixth level. This is a cultivation realm surpassing the ultimate ancestor!"
"How can we still fight the Divine Realm?"
"Back then, who knows how many cultivators from the Hell Realm participated, how many methods were used, to drive the Yellow Spring Star River to crash into the Heavenly Court Universe. Eternal True Ruler did it with a raise of his hand!"
A sense of powerlessness struck every cultivator's heart, a bitter emotion of their own insignificance and lowliness extinguishing their fighting spirit and battle intent.
Compassionate Honored One and Mortal Dust still looked at the starry sky, the floating clouds not blocking their eyes. There was still expectation in their hearts.
Sure enough, a moment later.
At the star city position where the raised Yellow Spring Star River was located, the light greatly intensified.
A jade-white heaven-earth divine tree grew out, getting higher and higher, its emitted aura growing stronger and stronger, pressing the entire Yellow Spring Star River back.
All stars returned to their proper positions.
"Jade Tree Ink Moon! Jade Tree Ink Moon!" Xiang Chunan was like he had taken chicken blood, veins bulging on his face in excitement, shouting several times in a row, "I knew it! I knew it! Big Brother would definitely make a move. It's him, it must be him!"
The deities present were shocked by the terrifying scene in the universe, but they didn't show much joy. After all, over the past thirty thousand years, Zhang Ruochen had occasionally made moves against the Divine Realm.
But that Zhang Ruochen was too cold and ruthless, striking once and leaving, appearing and disappearing mysteriously. Every time he acted, his goal was extremely clear.
Gradually, everyone felt he might be some ancestor in disguise.
Corpse Nightmare, Dark Sovereign, White Jade Divine Emperor—all were possible.
Compassionate Honored One, Mortal Dust, and Shang Tian had a different thought, because they saw that in the distant depths of the starry sky, the one who made the move was the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable.
The three exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
The cosmic situation was about to undergo earth-shaking changes.
After delaying for thirty thousand years, Imperial Dust had finally abandoned the identity of Life-Death Heavenly Venerable and was about to return to his true self.
This also showed that he already possessed the strength to confront the Divine Realm.
"Imperial Dust has finally returned!" Compassionate Honored One uttered this sentence.
"Honored One believes he is the real Imperial Dust?" Guna Divine Venerable was both surprised and curious.
Compassionate Honored One said, "The Imperial Dust who appeared before only knew conquest and destruction. But this Imperial Dust is protecting. The two are completely different!"
The distance was too far. Cultivators below the Heavenly Venerable level couldn't know that it was the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable who used the divine ability. They could only infer through the divine ability, aura, and behavior.
Mortal Dust put his palms together and said, "Kindness is a cheap thing, not worth much. But if it's exposed and you want to keep it, the price is huge! Other than the Buddha, only the real Imperial Dust is willing to bear such a price."
"If it were another ancestor and Eternal True Ruler, they would never expend great dharma power to stabilize the star sea."
Xiang Chunan was ecstatic, saying, "My feeling won't be wrong. This is the intuition brought to me by the Heart of Truth! Honored One, Master Mortal Dust, you also think Big Brother didn't die, that he has returned, right? Right? Haha!"
"Boom!"
Xiang Chunan stomped the ground, shot up through the clouds, and rushed toward that distant, shattered starry sky. Danger was already thrown to the back of his mind.
Hearing the three's certainty, the deities present couldn't stay calm! If Imperial Dust truly hadn't died and had returned powerfully, possessing cultivation strength to duel with Eternal True Ruler, how exciting would that be?
The Heavenly Court Universe, Sword Realm, and Hell Realm would unite under his leadership, definitely having a fighting chance against the Divine Realm.
This might be the best answer to counter the Great Calamity!
Imperial Dust had returned. The Divine Realm hadn't won yet.
Shang Tian roared, his beard and hair flying, fighting spirit returning to his eyes as he stared fixedly at the Heaven-Earth Altar.
When it came to the last resort, he would definitely, like Yan Huanyu, Meng Naihe, and the Twenty Heavens of yesteryear, charge forward without hesitation.
Even if it meant self-destructing his divine source, he would destroy the main altar.
Even if the price was the destruction of the entire Paradise Realm.
"Is it Master?"
On the North Marsh Great Wall, Hanxue was dressed very thinly, holding a sword as she gazed into the deep sky.
Due to years of cultivation under the sundial, she was no longer young. She appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, her eyes full of the depth of having experienced countless vicissitudes.
Not far away, a Heaven-Earth Altar hung suspended between sections of ancient Great Wall.
She believed that only the real Master would respect life so much, would heal the wounds of the universe.
This was the Master's unique gentleness, just like that winter of hunger and cold in Lin'an City when she was young. It was the Master who led her out of the ice and snow and suffering, giving her another choice in life.
At that time, the Master was just a big boy, like sunlight shining into the desolate cold night.
"Jade Tree Ink Moon, Vanishing Star Sea, Taiyin and Sun. Master might really not be dead."
Qing Gou, beautiful like a fairy in a painting, stood on the ten-thousand-mile blue waves of Wuding Divine Sea, behind her a tall and majestic Heaven-Earth Altar.
She had extremely high comprehension, personally taught by Zhang Ruochen in the Wuji Divine Dao.
"The Yellow Spring Star River was forced to bow its head. In this world, besides Master, who has such boldness?" Beneath the Heaven-Earth Altar of Jiannan Realm, Ye Luochen had lost his youthful appearance, looking thirty or forty years old, half his face covered in beard, his face full of determination and vicissitudes.
Master had returned. This sword of his finally knew where to point.
Qing Su, who had heard the news of Divine Ancestor Divine Lord's death, stopped on her way to Huangdao Great World, looking at the magnificent yellow-brown star river, tears streaming down her face.
The towering Jade Tree Ink Moon illuminated her gloomy heart. The Vanishing Star Sea stabilized the pass, bringing infinite hope to people.
Not only Zhang Ruochen's disciples, but from the North Marsh Great Wall to the Demon God Realm, from the Dark Abyss to the Santu River Basin, who knows how many cultivators' emotions were stirred, their feelings overflowing.
And those transcendent existences at the Heavenly Venerable level and above, who could use divine thoughts to see, knew that the one who used this move was the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable.
The scene of the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable using the supreme divine abilities of "Jade Tree Ink Moon" and "Vanishing Star Sea" to suppress the Yellow Spring Star River left even those with extraordinary mental fortitude with blank minds.
What was all this? Chaotic, completely chaotic!
Beneath the Hell Realm's main altar, on the wilderness not far from Ten Thousand Bone Cave.
Void Heaven's eyes narrowed into slits, his face wrinkled like a steamed bun, as if holding something back. After a long while, he said to Nutian Shenzun beside him, "You saw clearly just now, right? Was it the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable who used that divine ability?"
"I saw clearly. It was him." Nutian Shenzun said.
Void Heaven said, "This Life-Death Heavenly Venerable knows everything. Ancestors are different. He used Myriad Forms Formless so easily back then."
"Doesn't that exactly prove it's him? If it were another ancestor, who could easily manifest others' divine abilities? He taught you Sword Twenty-Six, didn't he?" Nutian Shenzun said.
A large number of powerful experts from the Hell Realm had gathered here, forming the Fate Twelve Phases Divine Formation, ready to destroy the main altar at any time and march on Eternal Heavenly Kingdom.
Besides the seven great experts, Jue Miao Zen Maiden, Qi Daren, Gong Xuanzang, Wuwo Lamp, and Shi Tian each presided over one phase.
Such a Fate Twelve Phases Divine Formation could even resist the Heaven-Earth Altar's theft of divine martial marks. But whenever they tried to destroy the Heaven-Earth Altar, an invisible, terrifying aura surged from heaven and earth, making them dare not act rashly.
If they really provoked that Immortal of the Divine Realm, or if the Seventy-Two Layer Tower flew over, they didn't think the Fate Twelve Phases Divine Formation could withstand it.
Ultimately, it was because Heavenly Mother and the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable hadn't given orders. Only ancestors could make the most accurate decisions.
The Jade Tree Ink Moon, thousands of billions of miles high, wasn't far from them, only tens of light-years away.
"Senior Void Heaven, can't you see that this is the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable's most fundamental power, which is why he can stabilize the star sea and suppress the Yellow Spring?" Jue Miao Zen Maiden held prayer beads, smiling slightly.
Of course Void Heaven could see. But he didn't believe it, didn't want to believe it. He completely couldn't accept it.
Besides Void Heaven, Undying War God also couldn't accept this result: "You don't think the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable is Imperial Dust, do you? Imperial Dust has fallen. This was confirmed by the ancestors of the Divine Realm and the Nether Ancestor faction. If he were Imperial Dust, how could he hide his identity for thirty thousand years? How could he forcefully take Feng Caiyi's treasures and not show any mercy when hitting her? Where is Feng Caiyi?"
"Forget about her! That Life-Death Heavenly Venerable has taken plenty by force. My Heavenly Mechanism Brush was taken by him!" Void Heaven was very angry, wanting to find someone to complain to.
Especially when he thought that the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable might be Zhang Ruochen, he became angrier and more bitter.
Undying War God said urgently, "Forget about her? She is the hall master of the Destiny Temple. She cultivates the Fate Twelve Phases. She controls the Fate Esoterica. She abandoned a large group of people and ran away. How can the Fate Twelve Phases Divine Formation be formed?"
Blood Absolute Clan Leader stepped forward and said, "Since we can't destroy the Heaven-Earth Altar anyway, why don't we also go over there and say a few words? No more discussion. It's a waste of time. It's decided!"
Pairs of eyes stared at him!
They felt that Blood Absolute Clan Leader had suddenly become exceptionally tough, his back very straight, his voice extremely loud.
Among those present, many were his seniors, and many had cultivation far surpassing his.
Blood Absolute Clan Leader suppressed the joy in his heart, looking around with some contempt: "Do you all think I don't have the qualification to command you? Thirty thousand years, Imperial Dust has finally returned. He is dueling with a ninety-sixth-level spiritual power Eternal True Ruler. Although he is now the undisputed number one in the world, the situation is still dangerous. Shouldn't we go to support him?"
Everyone present clearly knew that if the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable was really Imperial Dust, the happiest person would be Blood Absolute.
Blood Absolute Clan Leader could still stand here, already very restrained in his inner emotions. This person was the ancestor's maternal grandfather. Couldn't he show off a little?
"Haha!"
Blood Absolute Clan Leader soon burst out laughing, unable to hold back, seeming to have aged many years. He urged, "Let's go quickly! If you're not going, I'll go first! You're not afraid of being caught in the ancestor's battle, are you?"
"Don't be too happy too soon."
Void Heaven snorted coldly, somewhat unable to stand Blood Absolute's excitement and smugness, as if Blood Absolute had broken through to ancestor. "Is it Imperial Dust?"
"He's different from the Imperial Dust who appeared before. Much stronger!"
"Jade Tree Ink Moon and Vanishing Star Sea can stabilize the star sea. This is not something ordinary ancestors can do. It's definitely an ancestor's most fundamental power. Maybe Imperial Dust really didn't die."
At the top of the World Tree, Yanluo Outer Heaven, all cultivators were discussing. Some were ecstatic, some were eagerly anticipating, some were worrying about gains and losses.
Yan Wushen stood outside the Heavenly Venerable Hall, the Ji Character Azure Dragon coiled around the divine hall behind him. "This is getting very interesting!"
Yan Wushen touched his chin with his finger, his gaze fixed on the glazed Divine Hall above. He was extremely curious about what expression Lady Shiji had in the hall at this moment. And Corpse Nightmare should also be very surprised!