HSSB848: A battle between Exalts
Currently, the south and the north were shockingly divided into two separate, distinct worlds by a formless boundary between the mountain range that served as the boundary between the eastern Vast Heaven Territory and the northeastern Sky Heaven Territory.
To the south of the mountain range, the sky was green with streams of clear qi surging, shooting into the horizon.
A towering tree soared up to the heavens, nine branches expanding towards the surroundings and extending amidst s.p.a.ce.
Their dense leaves were clearly manifested of bolts of green thunder that flickered with dazzling radiance.
A surging vitality which nourished all things and a terrifying force which destroyed all lifeforms simultaneously manifested, suffusing s.p.a.ce.
Meanwhile, the heavens and earth were completely purple to the north of the mountain range.
There was nothing else that existed there at all aside from thunderbolts.
The north of the mountain range was submersed entirely in an ocean of thunderbolts.
Two figures could respectively be seen at the centre of the ancient tree with nine branches in the south and the centre of the ocean of thunderbolts in the north.
About their bodies flickered seemingly eternal, inextinguishable radiance that resembled the numerous stars in the skies up above.
Their inner universes merged perfectly with the external universe, just as though they were integrated entirely with neither being separable from the other.
The universes formed of their bodies resembled actual universes with their own starry skies.
The clear qi and the purple thunder collided unceasingly before being extinguished together. Afterwards, more of these two forces would be born as they were continually in a stalemate.
The purple thunder possessed greater might while the clear qi was produced more quickly. Just looking from this, the two were evenly matched.
Still, the concepts of the forces unleashed by the two experts vaguely seemed connected in some areas.
A voice resounded from amidst the ocean of thunderbolts to the north, “In coming here personally, you are determined to go all out in extermination?”
The figure on the nine-branched ancient tree to the south said in an indifferent tone, “If not for so many people unlawfully abetting this secretly, it would not have dragged on all the way till today.”
“First not speaking of how everyone ultimately originates from the same source, being related in that aspect, just based on such thoughts and actions of yours alone, are you turning traitor on Daoism?” The voice amidst that ocean of thunderbolts was like a low boom as it shocked the heavens and earth.
The figure on the ancient tree said in a neutral tone, “How is that possible?”
The other party drew closer with every step, “If not for that, what are your intentions in this stubbornness of yours?”
An indifferent voice resounded from the ancient tree, “I just believe that the Earth Sovereign’s stance is right, that I should support and coordinate with what he believes.”
The other party was momentarily silent before he slowly said, “The Earth Sovereign did not say anything regarding this matter.”
“Whether what that la.s.sie did is right, thinking from a long term perspective, we are all clear on it!”
A tall figure slowly walked out from amidst the ocean of thunderbolts.
There was a jade belt at his waist and a purple crown on his head as he was an authoritative-looking white-haired old man with a face that was purplish-red in colour.
With every stride of his, a boom like explosive thunder seemed to resound between the heavens and the earth, causing even the very s.p.a.ce to quake as a result.
The dimensional s.p.a.ce and environment of the World beyond Worlds were far stabler as compared to lower worlds as it would not be possible to easily destabilise them.
Having been able to cause such an obvious change between the heavens and earth, the strength of this purple-crowned old man was definitely no ordinary thing.
Gazing at the ancient tree of nine branches to the north, he roared in a deep tone, “Return! Even though this is the boundary between the two territories, if you really want to quibble regarding it, this is the land of my eastern Sky Heaven Territory.”
The person on the nine-branched ancient tree seemed wholly unaffected as his tone remained indifferent, “In the past, you only secretly provided a.s.sistance and abetted her. Are you openly protecting this woman today?”
The purple-crowned old man’s expression did not change, “So what? Rather than providing a.s.sistance here, do you think I would instead help outsiders in dealing with our own side?”
“If they had gathered sufficient Heavenly Essence Rocks, you and I may not be able to live in peace now. We are all beneficiaries here. And rather than helping, you are instead retaliating?”
A furious look surfaced on the purple-crowned old man’s face as he said this.
The figure atop the nine-branched ancient tree gradually became distinct as the figure of a scholarly-looking middle-aged man was revealed, garbed in the green robe of a scholar with a refined bearing.
He said slowly, “Calamity exists alongside fortune, within fortune is concealed calamity. Something that may appear right in the long term could immediately bring about a disaster in the short term.”
“Without a present, how can we speak of the future?”
The scholarly-looking old man sighed, shaking his head.
That purple-crowned old man said coldly, “There is no absolute right in this world. Here, we can only follow our hearts. We follow what we believe, and no one will be able to cause the other to budge.”
“This old man does not care about the matters of the younger generation. That la.s.sie’s fate will have to depend on herself. Still, if you wish to personally act, you must first ask permission from the sabre in this old man’s hand!”
While he had not unsheathed his weapon or made a move, the thunder light that surrounded the body of this purple-crowned old man had already started gradually transforming into numerous blades that sliced apart the heavens and earth.
“While it would not be easy for me to obtain victory over you, it would be even more difficult for you to defeat me. You would only be able to seek a draw at most if we battled.”
As the purple-crowned old man acc.u.mulated his power, not even releasing it, the surrounding s.p.a.ce had already begun to distort and s.h.i.+ft.
The scholarly-looking middle-aged man said calmly, “We all hail from the same source but different lineages, knowing each other’s foundations. I am indeed slightly inferior to you in terms of combat prowess. Still, your sharpness is too exposed, this actually diverging from what is right. For you to break through bottlenecks, you would inevitably lack sufficient strength, finding it more difficult.”
The purple-crowned old man said, “True, despite being younger than this old man, you have already reached similar heights to me. Still, if you want to say big words, you should wait till you have really caught up with and surpa.s.sed this old man.”
The scholarly-looking middle-aged man nodded, “Alright, but let me advise you. You can protect her for a time, but you cannot protect her for a lifetime.”
“It may be fine that you are protecting her now, but if you continue abetting her, your northeastern Sky Heaven Territory might wholly suffer a huge tribulation.”
Saying thus, the scholarly-looking middle-aged man turned and left.
That nine-branched ancient tree that obscured the sky to the south gradually turned into an illusory shadow and finally vanished.
The purple-crowned old man said quietly, “This old man does not need you to worry for me on what I will be doing next.”
When the scholarly-looking middle-aged man’s departing figure was nearly out of sight, he said, “My disciples are merely following my orders. I have to ask of you not to make things difficult for them.”
The purple-crowned old man said, “This old man will naturally not act to make things difficult for them. However much these juniors fight amongst themselves, this old man will not care about it. However, for those who dare to trespa.s.s on my northeastern Sky Heaven Territory, whatever fate befalls them was asked for by they themselves.”
The scholarly-looking middle-aged man’s figure disappeared.
The purple-crowned old man continued standing where he was atop s.p.a.ce as he was silent.
After a long time, he sighed slowly towards the heavens and shook his head before turning and entering the dimensional pa.s.sageway, arriving in the foreign dimension.
After entering, the purple-crowned old man’s originally creased brows eased, yet quickly furrowed up again, “That la.s.sie’s already gone? Then, who was it who engaged in a great battle here with the children of the eastern Vast Heaven Territory?”
His gaze swept the area, directly penetrating through s.p.a.ce and falling on Yan Zhaoge.
“This old man is Liu Zhenggu. Who might you be?”
Yan Zhaoge smiled and bowed, “I am Yan, surnamed Yan Zhaoge. Greetings to the Eastern Exalt.”
Liu Zhenggu, the monarch of the eastern Sky Heaven Territory, the Palace Lord of Green Sky Mountain’s Grave Thunder Palace, the Northeastern Exalt of the World beyond Worlds’ Ten Exalts.
“Yan Zhaoge? This name sounds rather familiar…” Looking at Yan Zhaoge, Liu Zhenggu’s gaze suddenly flickered, “Wait, your appearance…”