Chapter 1015: Immortal Lineage Battles the Four Sovereigns of the Heavenly Court

"A provocation? Or something else entirely?" Ao Ling’s words cast Lu Yang’s thoughts down a fresh path.

"Fearing to show one's face implies that the bearer of the Fruit of Time is weaker than the immortal receiving the message. The two are highly likely locked in a blood feud of life and death."

"Who could that receiving immortal be? Emperor Zhongtian?"

"Emperor Zhongtian and his peers have been relentlessly gathering the four immortal fruits to unlock the boxed world and venture into the realm beyond. The Great Qian forces ought to desire the Fruit of Time above all other immortals."

"Or perhaps... is the bearer of the Fruit of Time calling out to the mastermind behind the scenes?"

At this juncture, Lu Yang's countenance grew slightly more solemn. If it were the latter, the identity of this bearer of the Fruit of Time was all but obvious.

Yet, it all remained mere conjecture, devoid of any tangible proof.

"Come to think of it, it has been quite a while since I last traded blows with a nascent form of the Immortal Fruit. Junior Sister Mengmeng, shall we exchange a few moves?" Ao Ling looked toward Yun Mengmeng, wetting her lips, her eyes dancing with eager anticipation.

Ao Ling was a martial fanatic at heart; otherwise, she would never have condensed a nascent fruit like 'Survival of the Fittest,' which grew stronger the more she was struck.

Back when the Immortal Fairy was but a half-immortal, Ao Ling had clashed with her, deeply understanding the sheer might of the nascent Immortal Fruit. Finding a fitting opponent now, she naturally yearned for a trial.

"Shall we give it a try then?" Yun Mengmeng, thin-skinned and easily embarrassed, found it difficult to refuse Ao Ling's request.

"Since the two of you are going to battle, why not call upon one more person?" The Immortal Fairy loved nothing more than a bustling crowd.

"Another person?" Ao Ling wondered blankly. Who else was there to call?

"Wait here." With a mere stir of her divine intent, the Immortal Fairy summoned Bu Yaolian, who was currently chanting Buddhist sutras to the livestock in the slaughterhouse.

As Bu Yaolian's body flew uncontrollably toward Tianmen Peak, he instantly knew it was the Grand Chief calling for him.

"Grand Chief."

"Allow me to introduce him; this is the Fourth Chief of our Immortal Lineage," the Immortal Fairy explained to Jin Caiwei, who was the only one present unfamiliar with Bu Yaolian.

"Fourth Chief, you have pondered the nascent form of the Immortal Fruit for so long, surely you have reaped some harvest."

Hearing the Grand Chief hold him in such high regard, Bu Yaolian offered an embarrassed, sheepish smile. Indeed, ever since receiving the Grand Chief's guidance, he had cultivated diligently, becoming exceptionally proficient in employing the nascent Immortal Fruit.

"It is merely a bit of insight gained from cultivation, nothing more."

"Then it is the perfect time to display it to everyone. Go and practice with Lianyi."

"Oh." Bu Yaolian nodded submissively out of habit, before the Grand Chief's meaning suddenly registered in his mind.

"Huh?"

Jiang Lianyi let out a soft smile. Truth be told, it had been a long time since she last battled a nascent form of the Immortal Fruit; this was indeed a rare opportunity.

"Look at that, how perfect. The Third and Fourth Chiefs of our Immortal Lineage against the two Heavenly Kings of our Heavenly Court Sect."

The Immortal Fairy was exceedingly pleased with her own arrangement.

Judging by the expressions of certain individuals, Lu Yang could sense that the Fourth Chief was not particularly thrilled with the Fairy's arrangement.

"Come, come, come, all of you go fight inside Little Yang's sword," the Immortal Fairy chimed, acting as the organizer to usher everyone along.

A clash between half-immortals could only unfold within places like a minor world; if they fought directly upon Tianmen Peak, the peak would be leveled to the ground in mere moments.

Lu Yang drew forth the Qingfeng Sword, inviting the crowd to enter its minor world.

The minor world within the Qingfeng Sword remained as it always had, lush with verdant trees and carpeted in green grass, a testament to the refined taste of its previous master, Wu Yao.

"A minor world inside a sword!" Jin Caiwei had not expected Lu Yang to possess not only an immortal sword, but one containing its own inner world. This was a portable minor world, far more valuable than those immovable secret realms.

He was a mere Deity Transformation cultivator yet possessed such a treasure, while she, a half-immortal, had nothing to her name.

"Senior Sister Ao Ling, please guide me!" Yun Mengmeng clasped her hands in a formal salute, her posture impeccable—the result of her mother-in-law's strict teachings since childhood.

"Senior Lianyi, please guide me!" Bu Yaolian was also well-versed in ancient etiquette, flawless in his courtesy.

Boom—

Strictly obeying the teachings of the Immortal Fairy, Yun Mengmeng and Bu Yaolian seized the upper hand at the very start of the battle by detonating themselves directly. The grand commotion caused the entire minor world to tremble slightly.

Amidst the smoke of the self-detonation, the cries of a dragon and a phoenix echoed through the nine heavens, shattering the thick fog.

A black dragon and a golden phoenix soared across the sky, resembling yin and yang in perfect harmony; the worldly idiom of 'dragon and phoenix bringing prosperity' could find no better depiction.

Facing half-immortal opponents, Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi dared not be careless, instantly assuming their true forms of dragon and phoenix.

"Again!"

Confronting Ao Ling's true dragon physique, Yun Mengmeng harbored not a shred of fear, detonating herself once more to deny Ao Ling any room to breathe.

Bu Yaolian, however, felt a tinge of dread facing Jiang Lianyi. He was still a ghost, devoid of a physical body, while Jiang Lianyi, as the ancient ancestor of the Phoenix Clan, was the most powerful entity among them. A gentle flap of her wings unleashed the boundless, terrifying Nirvana True Flame.

This was the fire of pure Yang, the ultimate bane of his existence!

Yet Bu Yaolian had no other choice; fleeing was out of the question.

Then battle it is!

Bu Yaolian's gaze turned resolute, his shift in mindset occurring in a single breath as he, too, began a sequence of continuous self-detonations!

The four half-immortals engaged in a fierce battle within the minor world. The realm shook and swayed as if gripped by an earthquake; rivers flowed backward, and mountains shifted places. Lu Yang watched his perfectly fine minor world turn into a ruinous wasteland in the blink of an eye, his heart aching terribly.

At this moment, Lu Yang fully understood why the Great Xia Empire decreed that grand cultivators must clean up the remnants of their battles.

"They are fighting decently well." The Immortal Fairy gazed at the four half-immortals above, reasonably satisfied.

It was only through combat that one could grow their experience and deepen their understanding of a nascent fruit.

"Though it still feels like something is missing." Glancing sideways, the Immortal Fairy spotted the solitary Jin Caiwei and suddenly realized.

"Ah, I see. The little tiger doesn't have an opponent yet. Little Yang, go spar with the little tiger. It just so happens your body refinement technique has made some breakthroughs."

Now, the number of people who were not particularly thrilled with the Fairy's arrangement increased by one.

"Me?"

Jin Caiwei was still looking up at the sky watching the battle, failing to register the Immortal Fairy's words at first. Once the good news sank in, a smile involuntarily tugged at the corners of her lips.

No, no, I must not laugh.

Realizing she was smiling, she hastily fought to suppress it, lest her joy appear too obvious.

"It might indeed be a bit difficult for you alone, but you have this Fairy."

"Can the two of us combined still fail to defeat a little tiger?"

Seeing Lu Yang still harbored worries, the Immortal Fairy could only analyze the forces of both sides to put his mind at ease for the fight.

"Look, the average strength of our Immortal Lineage is that of a half-immortal, right? And the three of them, as the Four Sovereigns of the Heavenly Court, also average out to half-immortals."

"This is a half-immortal faction fighting a half-immortal faction. It's perfectly fair."

"Then what can you do to help me, Fairy?"

"Wave flags, shout cheers, and give you spiritual support!"

"..."

Fairy, I revived you out of the goodness of my heart. Why must you harm me so?

According to unofficial histories, the Pillar Minister of State, Lu Yang, controlled the imperial court, disrupted state affairs, and monopolized all power under the pretext that the Emperor was too young to understand governance. Under the guise of amusement and play, the Emperor ordered three Great Generals to eradicate the Pillar Minister and his faction.