Chapter 1697 — Yours Truly Raises the Standard of Revolt

Once his Dao tree descended, he could take a step ahead of everyone in Miluo Palace and brand his own Dao upon this cosmos's ultimate void!

That was the first move!

If he branded his Dao before all others, then before this cosmos collapsed he might well cultivate his fourth Dao fruit!

"With the descent of Miluo Palace, the collapse of this cosmos is inevitable, and I fear it will come even faster than the collapse of the sixteenth epoch. Not everyone has hope of cultivating another Dao fruit in this cosmos, but I certainly can."

The Lord of the Lingguan Hall was in excellent spirits. This was precisely why he had braved the peril of offending the Seventh Young Master, Shen Mu, to descend to this place!

At last the Lingyuan heavens were wholly transformed into energy and vanished. The Lord of the Lingguan Hall felt a mighty, boundless power of the Dao surge into him from his Dao tree, Dao flower, and Dao fruit, and his body and mind were filled with ease. He summoned Heavenly Venerable Xu and said, "These ten years I have enjoyed your care, and I have repaid you by raising the Dao of Youdu you cultivate by no small measure. Today my work is complete; I shall go to the void of your cosmos and attempt to brand my Dao there, and establish my ultimate Daluo Heaven."

Heavenly Venerable Xu bowed in thanks.

Over these ten years the Lord of the Lingguan Hall had instructed her in how to cultivate, and she had profited greatly; her cultivation and strength had advanced by leaps and bounds, far surpassing what they had been.

"Cultivate as I have taught you, and attaining the Dao will be no difficult matter."

With his Dao tree standing behind him, the Lord of the Lingguan Hall instructed her: "If the Heavenly Emperor comes asking, tell him plainly that I have gone to brand the ultimate void. When I attain the Dao in this world, I shall possess two Dao flowers and three Dao fruits. I need only divide my mortal body, and I can become five Dao-attainers to aid him."

Heavenly Venerable Xu was struck with awe: "Five Dao-attainers?"

The Lord of the Lingguan Hall rose into the air, one step to each heaven, and after thirty-six steps he stepped into the ultimate void.

"This young cosmos has scarcely a handful of Dao-attainers. A pity that six billion years of history should produce such trash."

The Lord of the Lingguan Hall sensed the ripples of Daluo Heavens coming from the ultimate void, and made out how many there were; he could not help shaking his head.

He seated himself and began to lodge his own Dao there. Even the cold, silent wind of the ultimate void could do nothing to him. He had attained the Dao in a past cosmos, not in this one, and so he still needed to brand his Dao upon the ultimate void before he could bring his cultivation and strength to their fullest.

In ordinary times he might have chosen to cultivate in the world, to cultivate another path different from that of the previous cosmic epoch; that was the orthodox way of cultivation in Miluo Palace.

"But the Seventh Young Master is in this cosmos, and he will not permit me to cultivate in the orthodox way! After all, that is the Seventh Young Master..."

The vast army of the Heavenly Court pressed on, drawing ever nearer to the Yuan Realm, but along the way its baggage and supplies were consumed in enormous quantities; even the Heavenly Court's terrifying wealth could hardly sustain it.

More crucially, Jingping had severed all the spirit-energy translocation bridges linking the Heavenly Court, stripping it of its rule over the myriad heavens and worlds. Without the resources of the myriad heavens and worlds behind it, the Heavenly Court's expedition against Jingping found even the consumption along the road hard to bear.

Meng Yungui was ordered to go to the Southern Heavens and strip them of the wealth of their great heavens. Yan Yazi, a disciple of the Heavenly Venerable of Fire, hurried out to welcome him and entertained him in person; having received the Heavenly Emperor's decree, he at once ordered the great heavens of the Southern Heavens to send in their wealth of every kind.

Meng Yungui waited in the Southern Heavens for more than ten days. Yan Yazi had made everything ready, and hundreds of cargo ships were drawn up in a line along a tributary of the Heavenly River.

Yan Yazi respectfully saw Meng Yungui off and said in a low voice, "This humble official has heard that the Celestial Master is of the human race and fond of rare treasures. Celestial Master, that last small boat is a gift from this humble official."

Meng Yungui boarded, feeling considerable contempt for Yan Yazi. Coming to a tower ship, he gave the order: "Open the holds and inspect the supplies. Not an ounce short."

The divine officials aboard opened the holds. Meng Yungui looked in and was struck dumb: the holds were packed full of humans, the old among them and the young and strong.

Meng Yungui's mind went blank. Yan Yazi hastily smiled apologetically: "Rest assured, Celestial Master, I would never give short weight! Every human in the Southern Heavens over forty years of age has been sent here! These are only two hundred ships; more slave ships will come in an unending stream..."

Meng Yungui seized him by the collar and hauled him up, his voice hoarse: "What I want is supplies!"

"Celestial Master, this is the supplies."

Yan Yazi struggled once and could not break free, and said in a fluster, "In the time of the Fire Bandits, humans were sacrificed at seventy, but that is an old calendar. Now the Ancestral God King has laid it down anew: at forty they may be sacrificed! Rest assured, Celestial Master, they are all most willing!"

He turned his head and called into the hold, "Are you willing?"

The humans in the hold answered with one voice, "Yes, my lord, we are willing!"

Meng Yungui's hands lost their strength and he set Yan Yazi down. He patted his shoulder and murmured, "Yan Yazi, you have done well, done very well..."

The supply fleet set out. Meng Yungui stood at the prow, clenching his fists again and again, and again and again letting them go; again and again he turned his head to gaze back at the long line of ships, and again and again he turned away.

"I will deliver these kinsmen to the Heavenly Court's army with my own hands, deliver them there myself, as rations for the Heavenly Court's gods and demons..."

His mind was a blur, when suddenly a voice echoed in his head like a nightmare.

"I have a dream... Heh, and it is this cruel..."

He spat out a mouthful of blood, yet his color improved greatly.

Yan Yazi watched the supply fleet recede into the distance and was about to go back and prepare more slaves when Meng Yungui's voice suddenly came: "Yan Yazi!"

Yan Yazi hurriedly turned, smiling apologetically: "Celestial Meng..."

A flash of light passed and pierced him through the brow!

The world before Yan Yazi's eyes collapsed, and darkness slowly closed in. He heard Meng Yungui's voice come, and there was joy in it.

"Yours truly... has turned rebel!"