Chapter 547: Granting You All Destruction

This ancient hall possessed such majestic grandeur, yet it was so colossal that its entirety could scarcely be glimpsed in a single glance.

It seemed as though a rolling mountain range, or a peculiar small-scale world, or perhaps even a gargantuan fortress.

Silently, it suspended within the void, so immense that even the fissure in the heavens—itself already broad enough—could hardly accommodate its passage.

This massive, somewhat tower-like palace was divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower; its upper tier was a circular array floating at its summit, composed of neither metal nor stone, with a gateway standing before it, its purpose unknown, as if a great door barred by an invisible wall was the sole path forward.

The middle level was adorned with countless strange carvings and statues, resembling the miraculous shrines of countless legends incessantly praised by common mortals.

A faint golden light flowed, and its central portion suddenly opened wide.

In the next moment, golden clouds drifted, and countless golden, square flying objects floated upon the sea beyond the rift, their golden light flashing so intensely that nearly the entire ocean was reflected in gold.

"Hmph... truly a tedious world." Within the foremost strangely shaped flying artifact, a young man clad in silver armor spoke, a touch of arrogance upon his face as he surveyed the vast sky before him, which seemed reflected by a peculiar surface of water.

His appearance was ancient and peculiar, with two golden lines on his brow, lending him an extremely divine and strange air.

Beside him stood a man dressed in a white robe and a square hat; unlike him, this man bore only a single golden line upon his forehead.

With a flick of his finger, a translucent horn cup, resembling colored glass and radiating shifting light, was lifted as if by a singular power and slowly flew into his hand.

He took a light breath, seeming able to discern the scent of the entire world's spiritual energy and analyze it in detail, before letting out a sneer: "Not even lower-grade; those living here are nothing but a pack of ignorant monkeys."

"If the mission assigned to us by the clan is merely to deal with a pack of monkeys who don't even reach the lower tier..." He swirled the crystal-clear liquid in his cup, a cold smile playing on his lips, "I fear this expedition will be quite dull."

The man in the white robe asked respectfully, "Then what shall we do now..."

He waved his hand dismissively, sneering, "Go, deliver the message to them. While the Hidden Heaven Palace has yet to pass through the rift, we might as well enjoy a good show."

...

Within the Ziyun Mountain branch of the Haotian Academy, the old Principal, Gu Tingyun, had gathered the vice-principals, elders, and heads of various clans to discuss the broadcast of the upcoming tournament.

"Head of the Tang Clan, what are your thoughts?"

"I believe... we can offer our full support to this broadcast."

"Hmm..." The head of the Wang Clan said, "In fact, our clans could also jointly host such tournaments in the future. It's just like... the Prodigy Trials our seven great clans used to hold together. Yesterday, I already received an invitation from Mount Yuxu over at the Jiuhua City shop."

"I support the broadcast as well. It is high time those brats in the clan see the heroic bearing of masters from all over the world, so they might stop being so arrogant and short-sighted all day long."

Just as the discussion was growing lively, thunder suddenly rent the sky, and lightning cracked across the clear firmament!

"What is happening?!"

Gu Tingyun's expression darkened: "The formations within the Haotian Academy showed no reaction at all. Who could it be?! To be able to bypass these formation restrictions so easily!"

Suddenly, the heavens seemed to be torn open, and high above, the manifestation of a magnificent and colossal palace appeared!

The phantom of that gigantic palace hung high in the sky, surrounded by countless streaks of pitch-black lightning, looking as though it were a timeless, immortal temple of the gods existing only in legends!

At this moment, the peaceful atmosphere of the entire Haotian Academy was instantly shattered, replaced by a suffocating pressure so heavy it was overwhelming.

"They are here..." Vice-Principal Xiao pointed toward the sky in terror, "It is them! I saw it in the Heavenly Ruins; they are the enemies the immortals once encountered. They have come!"

"Quick! Vice-Principal Zhang, Elder Yu, lead the people to evacuate the disciples immediately!" Gu Tingyun remained calm amidst the peril, shouting in a cold tone.

At this instant, countless people stood beneath the cold, grim sky, the pressure—far more terrifying than heavenly wrath—nearly forcing them to their knees upon the ground.

The spiritual beasts reared within the Haotian Academy all fled back to their dens, shivering in fear.

The students of the Haotian Academy, those favored children of heaven, raised their eyes to the sky.

There seemed to be a bleakness identical to what the ancient immortals felt when facing the end of days.

From atop that palace suspended in the air, whether phantom or reality unknown, a voice suddenly echoed: "I am the vanguard commander under the command of the Divine Lord of Taiwei. Today, I grant you destruction!"

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the sky above the Haotian Academy.

It was arrogant enough to evoke laughter, yet at this moment, no one dared to laugh; standing beneath this sky, everyone felt for a fleeting second that they were but a lowly ant.

"The divine army of my clan will arrive shortly, but several of my superiors intend to grant you time to mount a futile resistance."

"In three months, you shall be completely erased from this place. We do not accept surrender; fight to the death. To amuse the lords with what little miserable, pitiful strength you have is your best choice!"

...

According to legendary records, the land of Lingzhou, in an immensely distant and ancient epoch, once possessed a civilization unattainable by the standards of today, a time when cultivators could move mountains and fill oceans, capable of anything.

The outstanding among them could even endure the True Tribulation, soaring to the legendary upper realm, ascending to immortality, and achieving eternity.

Yet no one ever knew why that era, existing only in myth, suddenly vanished into oblivion, causing countless powerful techniques and cultivation methods to be lost entirely; the path leading to heaven seemed sealed from then on, and since then, not a single person on the Lingzhou continent had managed to ascend.

Had the various ancient clans not been able to find traces of their existence within the ruins, perhaps this period of history would have long been lost to the river of time, forgotten by all.

But some were destined never to erase that fragment from their minds.

The tall figure clad in a broad black robe slowly drew out a somewhat yellowed ancient jade, gently extending a right hand that was withered, almost like a hideous claw; beneath the black cloak, a somber red light seemed to flicker.

"How many... thousands of years has it been?" it spoke, as if its rusted brain could no longer remember the years.

Engraved upon the blade of the sword were two extremely intricate ancient characters: Luo Tian.

If anyone from the ancient clans of Lingzhou were present, they would recognize that these characters were remarkably similar to the ruins of a certain place that had been most thoroughly destroyed, known as the Luo Tian Immortal Realm.

"The present time is not for you to indulge in reminiscence," the cold shadow in the sky spoke chillingly.

"The ancient invaders have descended once more..." His voice grew increasingly dark, a trace of unprecedented coldness entering his tone.

Another voice carried a somewhat complex meaning: "The appearance of that shop has disrupted our entire plan to cross the Sea of Bitterness and reach the other shore. I fear it cannot be avoided..."

.