Chapter 364: Striking at the Heart

Chapter 364: Striking at the Heart

Starheaven City.

This city was once a crucial stronghold of the Celestial Pivot Mansion and the most important barrier protecting the Imperial Capital.

Over the course of millions of years, the Xingchen Imperial Court has faced numerous rebellions, but all the rebel forces were stopped at the gates of Starheaven City, unable to make any headway.

But now.

This crucial stronghold has fallen into the hands of the Taixuan Empire.

Simultaneously.

This former gateway to the Imperial Capital has become a powerful weapon against the Xingchen Imperial Court.

Now.

The Taixuan Empire has summoned many powerful forces, and for a time, Starheaven City is teeming with mighty warriors.

Yin-Yang Holy Land!

Void Sanctum!

Feather Transformation Holy Land!

Divine Wind Imperial Dynasty!

...

Numerous large and small factions have sent their strongest representatives.

And the representative of the Taixuan Empire, of course, is Nangong Chuan.

"Thank you all for coming today. Nangong Shen is deeply honored!"

"Duke Chuan, you're too kind!"

"Nangong Sage, you're being too modest—"

Faced with Nangong Chuan, all the assembled powerhouses offer a warm smile. After all, the man before them is a prince of the Taixuan Empire and a Saint at the peak of the Ninth Heaven, just one step away from the Great Saint realm, making him one of the top-tier existences among the powerful.

At this moment.

A voice rings out.

"Divine Martial Empire's Yun Wang Gu Xiu, along with his master, Great Saint Huang Jie, have arrived!"

Upon hearing this, the entire hall falls silent, and all eyes turn to the entrance as the voices of Gu Xiu and Great Saint Huang Jie echo through the air.

"Greetings, Yun Wang!"

"Greetings, Great Saint Huang Jie!"

Everyone bows in respect.

Yun Wang Gu Xiu!

Great Saint Huang Jie!

There's no need to elaborate on Gu Xiu. He is the direct son of Gu Qingfeng, a man of noble lineage.

After all, Gu Qingfeng is the only supreme powerhouse in the current Age of Decline who can repel a Higher Demon Emperor, making his son truly extraordinary.

Then there is Great Saint Huang Jie.

His appearance has been widely known for some time. Great Saint Huang Jie has never hidden his movements, and with the Divine Martial Empire now under close watch, his presence is no surprise.

Even Nangong Chuan now greets Gu Xiu and Great Saint Huang Jie with a polite bow.

"Yun Wang, Senior Huangji!"

"Duke Chuan!"

Gu Xiu nods in acknowledgment.

At this moment, all eyes in the hall are on him, but Gu Xiu remains calm, showing no change in his demeanor.

Nangong Chuan then speaks up, "Since Yun Wang and Senior Huangji have arrived, please take your seats."

Once the two are seated, Nangong Chuan looks around at the gathered crowd and gets straight to the point.

"I won't waste time with pleasantries. The purpose of the Taixuan Empire inviting all of you here today is to deal with the Xingchen Imperial Court and the Evil Spirits behind it."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions become more serious.

The Xingchen Imperial Court.

This is the problem they now face.

Fu Shenjun speaks up, his voice grave. "Does the Taixuan Empire have any information about the Evil Spirits behind the Xingchen Imperial Court?"

"We have indeed gathered some information", Nangong Chuan replies, looking at Fu Shenjun and nodding without any hesitation.

"I suspect that the Evil Spirits behind the Xingchen Imperial Court are of the same origin as those that brought down the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed.

Yang Yingtian, a Saint from the Divine Wind Imperial Dynasty, frowned deeply. "Duke Chuan, are you suggesting that the Evil Spirits behind the Xingchen Imperial Court are the Deceptive Heavenly Emperor?"

"Exactly as Saint Yang Yingtian said!"

Nangong Chuan nodded.

Grand Daoist Taiyuan said, "If it truly is the Deceptive Heavenly Emperor, should we inform the Ancient Qin Family? After all, they have been tracking the Deceptive Heavenly Emperor for a long time, always wanting to slay it. If the Ancient Qin Family could lend a hand, our Eastern Domain might suffer fewer losses in this battle!"

"I have already sent a message to the Ancient Qin Family, but with the current situation in the Central Domain, where demons run rampant and many ancient Evil Spirits have awoken, they are hard-pressed to spare any hands. Ultimately, the five domains of the Desolate Ancient Era rarely interfere in the affairs of other major domains. For the Ancient Qin Family to lend a hand, we would need to offer something that truly interests the Desolate Ancient Era's noble families. Otherwise, it’s impossible!"

Nangong Chuan shook his head.

In the end, everything boils down to interests.

Without any stake in the matter, the Ancient Qin Family would not intervene to help the Eastern Domain.

While they are all part of the human race, in the end, it’s all about interests.

Even the many forces gathered here are here for the sake of their own interests.

As for the so-called greater good of the human race, it’s not that it doesn’t exist, but it’s not a significant factor.

Nangong Chuan's words resonated with the others.

Even Grand Daoist Taiyuan didn’t say much more.

Mentioning the Ancient Qin Family was just a casual suggestion.

Deep down, he didn’t believe the Ancient Qin Family would send anyone.

"The current situation in the Eastern Domain can only be resolved by the forces of our Eastern Domain. Now, with all the major armies gathered here, if we can overwhelm them with sheer force, there’s a good chance we can destroy the Xingchen Imperial Court. The only variable is the Evil Spirit that brought down the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

Nangong Chuan paused and looked at the powerful figures present.

Most of the top-tier experts from the Eastern Domain were here, including nine Great Sage-level experts and twenty-three Saints.

Among them was an Imperial Great Sage, an ancient existence who had reached the peak of the Great Sage realm.

In terms of strength, they were far from weak.

"From what I know, the Deceptive Heavenly Emperor suffered severe injuries at the hands of the Ancient Qin Family, losing much of its power. It may not have fully recovered yet. Therefore, our chances of winning this battle are actually quite high!"

"Today, I have invited all of you here in the hope that our various forces can work together, to avoid being picked off one by one by the Evil Spirits!"

"After all, only by working together can we maximize our strength!"

Nangong Chuan continued.

His words made the others nod slightly.

Everyone had their own interests, and if they couldn’t unite, fighting separately would benefit no one.

"I have no objections to Duke Chuan’s proposal. The Taixuan Empire is a Primeval Era dynasty, and Duke Chuan is the initiator of this matter. Why don’t we have the Taixuan Empire take charge of the command, and the rest of us will follow your lead!"

At this moment, Gu Xiuping spoke up, taking the lead in stating the Divine Martial Empire's stance.

Regarding the position of supreme commander, Gu Xiuping had not the slightest interest.

In his view, the position of supreme commander seemed important, but it was just that—a facade. To truly command the coalition through this position was an impossible task. At most, it would make issuing orders more convenient.

Instead of wasting time vying for the position, it was better to do a favor and let it go.

As expected,

Nangong Chuan's face broke into a smile upon hearing Gu Xiuping's words, followed by a show of modest refusal.

"Although Taixuan Empire initiated this matter, the forces behind each of you esteemed Daoists are formidable. It would be inappropriate for Taixuan Empire to take the lead!"

"Duke Chuan is too modest. I, Yun Wang, also support the proposal, and so does Void Sanctum!"

Grand Daoist Taiyuan spoke, clarifying Void Sanctum's stance.

With Divine Martial Empire and Void Sanctum taking the lead, the other forces did not have much to say and immediately voiced their agreement.

To them, the position of supreme commander was not crucial. Moreover, with other forces already voicing their support, expressing a different opinion at this point might offend Taixuan Empire. It was not worth alienating a powerful empire over a mere title.

Seeing this,

Nangong Chuan half-heartedly accepted and promptly took on the position for Taixuan Empire.

Then,

Nangong Chuan's expression turned serious. "Since everyone agrees, I will not decline further. Now that the matter is settled, let's focus on dealing with the Evil Spirits!"

With that,

Nangong Chuan waved his sleeve, and a grand aura flowed, instantly forming a virtual representation of the Celestial Pivot Mansion before everyone's eyes.

The scene depicted in this virtual representation was that of the Celestial Pivot Mansion.

"Currently, within a thousand miles of the Imperial Capital of Xingchen Imperial Court, there is a massive congregation of Evil Spirits. To prevent them from fleeing, I propose that Starheaven City serve as the primary base, with heavy defenses set up along the route to intercept any fleeing Evil Spirits.

Twenty-three Saint-level experts can be divided, with six remaining to maintain order and prevent the Evil Spirits from making a desperate move.

The remaining seventeen Saint-level experts and nine Great Saints will directly strike at the heart of the matter, targeting Lu Zhen and the Deceptive Heavenly Emperor for elimination."

"The rest of the army will serve as a distraction, keeping the other Evil Spirit forces at bay to provide cover for us!"

Nangong Chuan had already planned this out. Now that they were discussing the main topic, he had nothing to hide and directly laid out his plan.

Upon hearing his words,

Everyone exchanged glances and finally nodded in agreement.

"Then let's proceed as Duke Chuan suggests!"

---

After leaving Starheaven City, the numerous experts returned to their respective forces and made the necessary arrangements.

Back at the Divine Martial Empire, Gu Xiuping summoned Yan Yun and others, instructing them to hold the rear, gather the army to resist the Evil Spirit forces, and buy time for everyone.

Gu Xiuping himself also remained to defend the rear.

After all, the Divine Martial Empire lacked top-tier combatants. As one of the nine Great Saints, Huang Jie could not stay to hold the line.

Therefore,

Gu Xiuping had to remain.

Huang Jie was well aware of his disciple's strength. Although Gu Xiuping was at the peak of the Dao Palace Ninth Level, he possessed the Indestructible Divine Body. In a real battle, he could hold his own against Saint-level experts.

If he revealed all his trump cards, even defeating a Saint-level expert would not be a problem.

However, for added security,

Huang Jie left the imperial edict, which he had originally entrusted to Yan Yun, in Gu Xiuping's hands, to serve as a last resort.

With an imperial edict capable of delivering a blow comparable to that of an Empire Aspirant, combined with Gu Xiuping's strength, holding the rear would not be an issue.

Three days later.

Led by the Taixuan Empire, all the major forces marched toward the Xingchen Imperial Capital.

As everyone had expected, the previously defeated Evil Spirits now put up a fierce resistance, as if sensing their impending doom, they were fighting a desperate last stand.

"Hmph, these Evil Spirits are just making futile resistance!"

Yang Yingtian sneered, and with a wave of his hand, he annihilated numerous Evil Spirits. In an instant, all the Evil Spirits within a thousand feet were wiped out.

This was the power of a Saint Realm cultivator.

Moreover, Yang Yingtian was not an ordinary Saint; he was a Seventh Heaven Saint. Dealing with these ordinary Evil Spirits was effortless for him.

Other Saint Realm cultivators also joined in, slaying all the Evil Spirits that stood in their way.

The reason for this was to conserve the peak strength of the Great Saint Realm experts so they could focus on Lu Zhen and the Deceptive Heavenly Emperor.

Strictly speaking,

Their main target was the Deceptive Heavenly Emperor.

As for Lu Zhen, to be honest, the various Saints and Great Saints did not take him seriously.

No matter that Lu Zhen was the ruler of the imperial court, it did not change the fact that he was only a Half-Saint.

No matter how strong a Half-Saint might be, he was still just a Half-Saint, and in front of a Saint, he was no different from an ant.

Soon,

The Imperial Capital came into view.

A powerful Evil Spirit aura blotted out the sky, causing everyone to look grave.

At this moment,

The void trembled.

A majestic figure clad in imperial robes slowly emerged from the space, with what appeared to be a Bone Throne made of piled-up bones behind him. Below, numerous powerful Evil Spirits emitted their formidable auras.

Among them,

Lu Zhen was clearly present.

"You have finally arrived, making Me wait for so long!"

The Deceptive Heavenly Emperor's lips curled into a strange smile, his crimson eyes scanning over everyone, his powerful aura making the others frown.

"Deceptive Heavenly Emperor!"

Nangong Chuan spoke gravely.

Then,

He looked at the other Evil Spirits, his heart growing even heavier.

Thirteen Evil Spirits.

Each one was at least at the Mid-Cataclysm level, with three of them having reached the Upper Cataclysm level, plus the unpredictable Deceptive Heavenly Emperor.

This scene

Made Nangong Chuan feel extremely troubled.

"You Evil Spirits have harmed humanity and slaughtered an entire region, drawing the wrath of heaven and man. Today, we have come to exterminate all of you!"

Yang Yingtian's expression was cold, and he then turned to look at Lu Zhen.

"Lu Zhen, you disgrace the title of imperial ruler. By now, you have willingly fallen and allied with the Evil Spirits. How will you face the ancestors of the Lu family in the netherworld?"

"Victory or defeat, there's no need for empty words!"

Lu Zhen remained calm, and Yang Yingtian's words did not stir even a ripple in his heart.

Once he had made his decision, Lu Zhen would not regret it.

"There's no need for so much talk, just kill him!"

At this moment, a Great Saint could no longer hold back and launched a palm strike at Lu Zhen. The full power of a Great Saint's attack caused the void within a hundred miles to collapse instantly, a destructive force that could shatter heaven and earth, creating an immense spectacle.

However,

At that moment,

The figure who had been sitting on the Bone Throne suddenly moved. He lightly tapped the void with his right finger, and ripples of mysterious energy spread out, sweeping through the surroundings.

The terrifying force of the Great Saint's attack vanished the instant it touched the ripples.

At the same time,

A terrifying pressure surged from all around.

Everyone, including the Great Saint Huang Jie, changed color when they felt this overwhelming pressure. (End of Chapter)

Chapter end