Chapter 452: This Heavenly Court Sect is Highly Likely to Be a New Demonic Sect

The Emperor of Xia dismissed the eunuchs and palace maids, leaving himself alone with the five great immortal sects to deliberate in this very place.

Within the grand, sprawling palace, there were now only six souls, rendering the vast space remarkably hollow.

"Daoist Yun, it has been a long time."

"The Palace Master is far too polite."

"Daoist Qiu, I hear you were a firsthand participant in the events of Hanshui City?"

"I was merely fortunate enough to survive."

The six exchanged brief, courteous pleasantries, save for the Abbot of the Hanging Temple, who remained silent, currently bound by his cultivation of the Vow of Silence.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, the Emperor of Xia declared the day's purpose: "The matters of Hanshui City are likely known in broad strokes to the five of you by now. Had it not been for the ultimate emergence of an unpredictable figure, I fear the destiny of our realm would have been seized by the Great Yu."

Initially, Yun Zhi had intended to convene a meeting of the righteous path, but upon learning of the Hanshui City incident, the Emperor of Xia had preempted her, gathering the five here first.

In terms of the ultimate outcome, it made little practical difference.

A shadow of resentment flickered in the Emperor's eyes; the theft of the state's destiny was a matter of monumental gravity. He feared their Ancestor would have to intervene personally to reclaim it, and should the Ancestor make a move, all subsequent plans would be thrown into chaos.

"Old Qiu, you experienced the events of Hanshui City yourself. Walk us through what happened," the Sect Master of the Prison-Suppressing Sect spoke. He possessed a rugged, imposing frame, with faint traces of ink peeking from his neck, wrists, and ankles, signifying that his entire body was covered in battle runes—the hallmark of mastering the Path of Battle Runes.

Qiu Jin'an, having finished managing the aftermath in Hanshui City, had arrived at the palace for this very council.

"My journey to Hanshui City was entirely accidental. I was ambushed by treacherous individuals and afflicted with a curse. Needing the realm's destiny to dispel it, I traveled to the nearest city, Hanshui, to seek its aid."

"At that time, Hanshui City was plagued by a ghostly calamity, engineered by cultivators of the Great Yu, though no one could discern it then."

"Immediately afterward, Wu Youdao made his appearance. Utilizing the conceptual power of the Tribulation Transmutation Stage, he sealed all communication from Hanshui City and ran rampant within its walls."

"Wu Youdao, that sixth Emperor of the Yu Dynasty?" a woman interrupted Qiu Jin'an's narrative at just the right moment. She was Luo Hongxia, the Palace Master of the Laurel Immortal Palace.

"Yes, it was he. He possesses the countenance of a sovereign, and during our clash, he even deployed the Qi of Dragon and Tiger. He was exceptionally difficult to handle. It was only by joining forces with Governor Lu of Huang Province that we managed to force a stalemate."

"Just as the battle reached an impasse, a man wearing a white paper hat appeared. The martial prowess he displayed was virtually identical to my own."

"Virtually identical to yours?" The Sect Master of the Prison-Suppressing Sect expressed slight astonishment. He knew Qiu Jin'an's strength well; to be on equal footing with Qiu Jin'an meant the individual could not possibly be an obscure nobody.

"Although that man never revealed his identity from beginning to end, his method of execution strongly resembled those of the Nine Underworlds Sect. And within the Nine Underworlds Sect, the only one capable of matching me is their Sect Leader!"

"Afterward, I investigated him and discovered that his shadow has been cast across all of Huang Province in recent years. Utilizing the art of cloning, he committed crimes everywhere and was wanted by the local authorities. However, because he relied on his intellect to commit these deeds, his true cultivation was never fully exposed, which led the provincial government to underestimate his strength."

"The three of us joined forces, and just as we were on the verge of defeating Wu Youdao, Venerable Profound Thunder emerged. What brought even greater despair was that the Sect Master of the Corpse-Driving Sect had been possessed by Venerable Shaman Priest. This meant Hanshui City was suddenly facing the threat of three Tribulation Transmutation Stage experts."

"Venerable Shaman Priest went so far as to utilize the identity of the Corpse-Driving Sect Master along with the Great Seal of Huang Province to temporarily sever Governor Lu's control over the realm's destiny."

"Just as I was preparing to fight to the death, the figure of a female cultivator appeared. Her true strength was ambiguous, her true form indistinct. She proclaimed herself the Supreme Heavenly Exalted One of the Heavenly Court Sect—Exalted Dou. Relying on the unowned destiny of the realm, she faced all three adversaries alone, crushing Wu Youdao and his companions with absolute dominance!"

"Regrettably, Wu Youdao and the other two managed to escape in the end."

Despite having already read the report submitted by Governor Lu, hearing Qiu Jin'an recount the events once more still left the Emperor of Xia profoundly shaken.

To face three opponents single-handedly and utterly crush them meant that Exalted Dou's true realm of cultivation far exceeded that of Wu Youdao and his peers.

At the very least, she was a Half-Immortal!

"What kind of faction is this Heavenly Court Sect? Why have I never heard of it before?" The Sect Master of the Prison-Suppressing Sect voiced the question that lingered in everyone's mind.

The assembled masters searched their memories thoroughly, but after much thought, they could only recall references to a 'Heavenly Court' within ancient texts. Yet, the recorded versions of the 'Heavenly Court' were far too numerous, and the historical community had always found it difficult to determine whether it truly existed.

What was the relationship between the ancient Heavenly Court and this Heavenly Court Sect?

"I, too, have never heard of them. Judging by the reactions of Wu Youdao and his companions, they were equally ignorant of the Heavenly Court Sect."

"However, observing the reaction of the Nine Underworlds Sect Leader beside me, he seemed to possess knowledge of the Heavenly Court Sect's existence."

"He was also astonished when Exalted Dou appeared, but his reaction was laced with more pleasant surprise. Afterward, he even informed me that Exalted Dou is an unspeakable, monumental figure who could casually toy with stars as if they were beans."

"Toying with stars... is Exalted Dou a figure from antiquity?" The Emperor of Xia tapped the table rhythmically.

Those seated here were at the apex of power in the cultivation world; few matters remained secret to them. They all knew that the stars in the sky had long since vanished, replaced instead by Yun Zhi's Golden Core.

In other words, no one in the current era of cultivation could achieve the feat of manipulating stars like beans.

Exalted Dou could only be an ancient figure.

Since the appearance of cultivators from the Great Yu and Great Qian dynasties, even more ancient cultivators were now revealing themselves, and they were ancient almighty beings at that.

One could only wonder which ancient powerhouse she was. Even if too much ancient history had been lost to time, an immortal name of a cultivator at this level should not have been forgotten!

"More and more factions are embroiling themselves in this struggle for the great era," the Sect Master of the Prison-Suppressing Sect lamented.

Qiu Jin'an nodded in agreement: "I hold the same view. I suspect this Heavenly Court Sect is connected to the ancient Heavenly Court. Though there are many versions of the ancient Heavenly Court, one detail remains constant: the Heavenly Court was the ruler of the ancient era!"

Possessing exceptional erudition, he was particularly well-versed in ancient lore. Making a bold hypothesis, he sought to verify it carefully: "Extrapolating further, the objective of the Heavenly Court Sect may very well be to restore the rule of the ancient Heavenly Court. This would explain why Exalted Dou intervened against Wu Youdao—their interests clashed."

Luo Hongxia followed Qiu Jin'an's line of reasoning to analyze further: "The Sect Leader of the Nine Underworlds Sect is acquainted with Exalted Dou of the Heavenly Court Sect, which indicates a connection between the two sects!"

The Sect Master of the Prison-Suppressing Sect also seized upon a clue to analyze the Heavenly Court Sect: "A faction possessing a figure like Exalted Dou must be immensely powerful, yet we knew nothing of their existence. This implies that the Heavenly Court Sect has always operated in the shadows until this first public appearance, where they announced their presence to the world with absolute strength!"

The Abbot of the Hanging Temple wished to speak as well, but bound by his Vow of Silence, he could not. It was the Emperor of Xia who voiced the conclusion on his behalf:

"This Heavenly Court Sect is highly likely to be a new demonic sect. Originally, with the eradication of the Immortal Sect, only three of the four great demonic sects remained. Now, with the addition of the Heavenly Court Sect, they are once again the four great demonic sects!"

The company nodded in unison, in complete agreement with the Emperor's conclusion.

At that moment, Qiu Jin'an noticed Yun Zhi, who had remained silent throughout the discussion, and inquired: "Daoist Yun, you are immensely knowledgeable and possess the highest cultivation among us. What are your thoughts regarding this Heavenly Court Sect?"

Yun Zhi swept her gaze across the gathered assembly and spoke placidly: "I am the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Court Sect."

The second update will be posted before eleven o'clock.