Chapter 304: The Fury of the Netherworld
At the gates of Jing Provincial City, the Great Xia Dynasty's nearly one hundred thousand soldiers gathered here, with the military forces using the main general's seal as a medium to mobilize the Human Path's fate to bless themselves, faintly resonating with the damaged Mortal Path Array above the firmament.
These soldiers were the last bastion of Great Xia's presence in the three states, and now all had been deployed to suppress this border.
High above, the Female Emperor Xia Yunqiu stood in the sky, gazing at the spot where Shen Yuan and the twenty-six Void Refining True Monarchs had vanished, a trace of unease in her eyes.
Twenty-seven Void Refining True Monarchs represented the pinnacle of combat power in this realm. Even during the golden age of cultivation ten thousand years prior, few powers could boast so many at the Void Refining Stage.
Moreover, these Void Refining True Monarchs had all weathered the three-thousand-year period of Spirit Energy depletion, and their deep reserves were not to be underestimated.
In such circumstances, even if Xia Yunqiu had great faith in Shen Yuan's strength, she couldn't help feeling a touch of trepidation.
On the other hand, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau's Superintendent was quite calm. As one of the first to pursue the traces of the Supreme Taoist, he knew all too well that Shen Yuan was far from being as simple as the current life Earth Immortals spoken of in legends.
Each incident, each ancient legend, all seemed to hint at a realm for Shen Yuan that was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
If someone told the superintendent at this very moment that Shen Yuan was a reincarnation of someone from Highest Heaven, he wouldn't be the least bit surprised.
Glancing at Xia Yunqiu, the superintendent said with a smile,
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Since the Taoist has chosen to act, he must be confident in his ability to suppress all enemies. Rather than worrying about the Taoist's safety, Your Majesty would do well to consider the aftermath and some things related to the Taoist."
A flicker of doubt crossed Xia Yunqiu's eyes, and after a long period of thought, she asked,
"Does the superintendent mean the Taoist's relatives in the secular world?"
The superintendent nodded, "The Supreme Taoist seems to have used some method of reincarnation to evade the periods of Spirit Energy depletion, allowing him to roam freely in this life. After this recent reincarnation and cultivation, he still has relatives left in the secular world.
Through investigation, the relationship between the Taoist and some of the relatives isn't good, but his blood sister has a close relationship with him."
"Xue Mingzhi's Xue Family, aware of this relationship with the Taoist, has long since arranged for people to secretly protect the Taoist's small family clan. As for the Taoist's legitimate sister, she was led onto the path of cultivation personally by the Taoist's disciple who received master's personal coaching—Gong Buyu from Rongcheng's Fine Jade Grotto Heavens, a year after the Taoist vanished.
The presence of cultivators from both the Imperial Court and Rongcheng's Fine Jade Grotto Heavens in Wenn City over the years is for this reason."
Xia Yunqiu hesitated, "Since the Xue Family is already protecting them and there are Imperial Astronomical Bureau cultivators stationed in Wenn City, wouldn't my rash arrangements cause the Taoist's displeasure?"
"Before today, most powers were unaware of the karma the Taoist left in the secular world, and even if they found out, they wouldn't rashly provoke him. However, after today's events, once the major powers are suppressed by the Taoist, unable to confront him directly, they may choose to seek revenge in the shadows.
Though it's only a possibility, we must not be careless. Bringing the Taoist's relatives from Wenn City into the Imperial Capital is the best choice."
"Besides, this action serves to relieve some of the Taoist's concerns and to continue a semblance of connection between the Taoist and the Great Xia Dynasty. Even if the Taoist learns of it, he'll most likely not make much fuss about it."
The superintendent lightly stroked his beard, smiling cheerfully as he looked at Xia Yunqiu.
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Xia Yunqiu furrowed her brows in thought. Before she could reply, a thunderbolt suddenly exploded in the distant sky.
What had been clear skies turned overcast in an instant, and gales tore trees up from the ground, casting the world into an apocalyptic vista.
With another thunderbolt, pale lightning ripped through vast swaths of space, and a series of disheveled figures tumbled out of the void.
Upon closer inspection, these figures were none other than the various Void Refining True Monarchs who had previously pressured the Imperial Court at the gates of Jing Provincial City.
With their Golden Body Manifestations shattered and their Sect-suppression Taoist Devices broken, these Void Refining True Monarchs no longer possessed their once invincible and arrogant demeanors.
Their eyes were all fixed on that figure standing between heaven and earth, robed in white like an immortal, reflecting a uniform sense of panic.
Only those who had been taken into the Square Inch World by Shen Yuan knew what horrors they had encountered in that small world.
A single blow, imbued with the might of world creation, had shattered all their means of resistance.
The Golden Body Manifestations, Sect-suppression Taoist Devices, and Wondrous Tao Divine Powers that they had once been so proud of were as fragile as paper against that Divine Power.
What was even more terrifying: the Divine Power, holding supreme heavenly authority, not only broke their means of resistance but did not kill them. Instead, it used the rhythmic cadence of world creation to destroy their mana channels.
This meant that if they couldn't find a way to quell the force of that rhythm, their bodies would fail to retain any Divine Skills or mana, like sand flowing through an hourglass.
If they avoided confrontation with others, they might live out their natural lifespan.
But if they attempted to cultivate or duel with others, their hourglass-like bodies would hasten their fall from the Void Refining Stage.
Once they fell from the Void Refining Stage, their already limited lifespan would undoubtedly be exhausted, leaving them to face the fate of dying both physically and in their cultivation paths.
"Such a ruthless tactic!"
The Void Refining True Monarchs harbored deep resentment, but when their gazes fell upon the figure in front of Shen Yuan, they stiffened.
They saw a figure clothed in a purple and gold Taoist robe kneeling before Shen Yuan, none other than the former head of Little Clarity Void Grotto Heavens, Ziyang True Monarch.