Chapter 959: Subduing Demons and Exorcising Devils

Confronted by the cyan pillar of light unleashed from afar by Luo Hongxia, the invaders seemed shielded by an invisible barrier that completely deflected the assault.

"So, we have been discovered after all."

Another invader materialized, a mocking smile playing on his lips; since the denizens of the Celestial Palace had spotted them, there was no longer any need for concealment.

It mattered little, for their original intent had always been to cause a grand upheaval; their schedule had merely been moved forward.

"Who are you!" Luo Hongxia arrived like a gale, clutching the Light-Confining Treasure Box, her eyes fixed firmly on the duo.

Judging by how effortlessly they had brushed aside her attack, both were at least in the mid-stage of the Tribulation Transmutation Realm.

Infiltrating the Celestial Palace without a word of greeting clearly signaled their hostile intent.

"Run, Senior Sister Jinghong!" Sensing the imminent clash, Lu Yang grabbed Jinghong, who had yet to react, and pulled her aside to ensure they would not be caught in the crossfire.

"A mere Soul Integration cultivator has the audacity to demand our titles; the cultivators of later generations truly lack all sense of decorum." The smiling invader opened his eyes a fraction, casting an ominous red glow from his pupils upon Luo Hongxia.

Luo Hongxia’s body shuddered as if she had been plunged into an endless abyss of purgatory, the overwhelming stench of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood rushing over her.

"Why should two esteemed figures bully a junior? Does it not demean your own status?"

A silver-haired elderly matriarch suddenly appeared, interposing herself before Luo Hongxia; with a gentle tap of her staff against the ground, the illusion before Luo Hongxia instantly vanished.

"Grandmaster Fang."

This was indeed one of the foundational pillars of the Celestial Palace, Grandmaster Fang Ci, a figure of such immense seniority that even Master Jie Sha of the Hanging Temple would have to address her as a senior upon meeting.

"As masters of the Tribulation Transmutation Realm, you two are certainly no nameless vagabonds; hiding your identities disgraces the dignity of your realm. Who exactly are you, and what business brings you to our Celestial Palace?"

"We are subordinates of the Central Heaven Emperor, tasked with the duty of vanquishing demons and exorcising devils; we come to your palace merely to borrow the Primordial Tree."

"You are the Demon-Vanquishing Divine Lord and the Devil-Exorcising Divine Lord?!"

The Great Qian Dynasty was a realm where the Path of Incense flourished; from the Qian Emperor, the Central Heaven Emperor, down to the various cultivators, all were more or less bound to the power of incense, and to enjoy such offerings meant fulfilling the corresponding duties.

For instance, vanquishing demons and exorcising devils to safeguard the peace of a region.

Another example was Lord Shanhe who had appeared in the Eastern Sea; because he fought across all frontiers to expand the territory and enjoyed the incense of mountains and rivers, he earned the title of Lord Shanhe.

Though the Demon-Vanquishing Divine Lord and the Devil-Exorcising Divine Lord were not as powerful as Lord Shanhe, they were nonetheless renowned deities of their era, standing at the mid-stage of the Tribulation Transmutation Realm.

"Borrow the Primordial Tree?" Grandmaster Fang sneered; sneakily infiltrating the Celestial Palace hardly looked like an attempt to borrow anything.

"I am afraid you two will be disappointed; the Primordial Tree cannot leave the Great Snowy Mountain, so it cannot be taken away."

"No matter, no matter," the Demon-Vanquishing Divine Lord chuckled, "even a deceased Primordial Tree possesses the efficacy to strengthen the soul, which will suffice for our needs."

They had chosen not to claim the Primordial Tree during the early periods of the Great Qian, Great Yu, or Great Xia because its years of growth were limited then, and its quality insufficient; now that three hundred thousand years had elapsed, the Primordial Tree must have surely transformed into an immortal entity, fit to be offered to the Emperor.

The so-called Laurel Celestial Palace was, in their eyes, nothing more than a sect that had preserved and nurtured the Laurel Primordial Tree on their behalf.

"You court death!" Grandmaster Fang was furious; the Laurel Primordial Tree was the very foundation of the Celestial Palace, and having heard from Luo Hongxia that the tree had even birthed spiritual awareness to become a true living being, how could she allow any harm to come to it!

The staff in her hand transformed into a jade dragon residing high in the heavens, breathing forth bitter frost to freeze the two Divine Lords into icy statues!

The Devil-Exorcising Divine Lord sighed: "The cultivators of later generations truly do not know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth, daring to raise their hands against us. Demon-Vanquisher, show her some color so she may learn how to respect her seniors."

The Demon-Vanquishing Divine Lord excelled in capturing and slaying all manner of mythical beasts.

He manifested into a hundred-zhang giant, wielding a divine halberd as he smashed down toward the jade dragon; the jade dragon roared, its icy breath freezing the Demon-Vanquishing Divine Lord into a massive block of ice.

Yet the ice shattered almost immediately, and with a furious swing of the divine halberd, he locked in fierce combat with the jade dragon.

"Late-stage Tribulation Transmutation!" Grandmaster Fang’s heart sank; through that brief exchange, she discerned the realm of the Demon-Vanquishing Divine Lord, and judging by how the Devil-Exorcising Divine Lord had commanded him just now, it was highly probable that the Devil-Exorcising Divine Lord’s cultivation surpassed his companion's!

Was it a distinction of strength within the late-stage of Tribulation Transmutation, or perhaps... a Half-Immortal?

As the two great Tribulation Transmutation figures clashed, the entirety of the Great Snowy Mountain quaked, and even the subterranean Hall of Sinners trembled violently.

"It is finally beginning, rather swift indeed." Qu Ling wore a smile of a scheme successfully executed.

She had been sentenced to life imprisonment, never to leave the Hall of Sinners; if she wished to escape, she had to find another path.

Just as she could glean outside news from newly incarcerated prisoners, she could likewise have those who had served their sentences carry messages out.

For instance, a prisoner released not long ago for the crime of theft; she had disclosed the method to breach the sect’s grand protective array to that individual, instructing him to take this information to the highest-tier auction in the black market, preferably selling it to top-tier factions like the Great Qian Dynasty, the Heavenly Court Sect, the Demon Realm, or the Dragon Palace.

The sole condition for auctioning the method of breach was to cause a massive uproar in the Celestial Palace, granting her the opportunity to flee.

...

Grandmaster Fang was merely at the mid-stage of Tribulation Transmutation and was no match for the late-stage Demon-Vanquishing Divine Lord; the Divine Lord swung his grand halberd, as if returning to that invincible era, the downward strike bearing enough force to shatter the jade dragon into two pieces!

Grandmaster Fang hastily chanted a spell to halt the halberd, but a rushed spell could hardly withstand a fully charged strike of the divine weapon.

Yet, suddenly, an overwhelming sorrow welled up from within the Demon-Vanquishing Divine Lord’s heart; past memories flooded his mind, bringing an uncontrollable grief that drained all strength from his body. With a loud clang, the divine halberd dropped straight to the ground, and he covered his face, weeping bitterly.

"Why is it that the Devil-Exorcising lad got promoted while I remain in the same spot? Is it simply because he bribed the superiors? And then there is Lord Shanhe; I finally resolved to bribe him, and he guaranteed my promotion, so how did he just die out of nowhere... No, wait, who is playing tricks on me!"

A petite figure hovered in mid-air, looking down upon the Demon-Vanquishing Divine Lord with utter disdain.

"Coming to my Celestial Palace wishing to kill Xiao Ye, yet you have the gall to ask who I am; are all you old fossils so utterly shameless?"

Upon seeing that petite figure, an irrepressible terror spread through the hearts of the Demon-Vanquishing Divine Lord and the Devil-Exorcising Divine Lord; a cold chill rushed from the soles of their feet straight to their crowns, their bodies trembling like chaff, unable to summon even a shred of resistance.

Who was this petite figure, and why did it feel as though her body contained an infinite, terrifying power that could crush them thousands of times over with a single thought?

It was exactly like standing before the Emperor himself!

"Has Senior Zhui Yue finally completed the prototype of the Dao Fruit?" Lu Yang breathed a sigh of relief; they would finally no longer need to scurry about the Celestial Palace like rats crossing the street.

Senior Sister Jinghong reverted to her original appearance, shyly and hastily withdrawing her hand from Lu Yang’s grasp.

Recalling the events of moments ago made her cheeks burn, leaving her unable to look Lu Yang directly in the eye.

To divert her attention, she covertly conveyed the current events to the pitch-black ancient ring.

An ancient voice echoed from within the pitch-black ancient ring: "Had I known the Seven Emotions Dao Fruit possessed such utility, I would have formed the Seven Emotions Dao Fruit instead."

The Immortal Fairy arched her brow; why was this girl named Jinghong speaking to a ring, was there someone inside it?