Return to the Imperial Court

Ling Xi nodded, temporarily suppressing the turmoil in her heart as she turned her gaze toward the sky, where the plundering formations continued to revolve slowly, constantly eroding the origin of this world.

“Our priority is to deal with the trouble before us.”

She exchanged a glance with Ye Lingxiao. The two of them rose into the air at the same time, their Emperor’s might and quasi-Emperor pressure spreading outward as they prepared to destroy the formations.

However, the formations were exceedingly strange, deeply entangled with the natural ley lines of the Canglan Realm.

The two of them tried several times, but found the matter rather troublesome. They did not dare to unleash their full power.

At that moment, Gu Changge, who had been standing quietly to one side, swept his indifferent gaze across the entirety of the Canglan Realm.

His divine sense was like invisible mercury, instantly permeating every corner of the world. From the shattered Imperial Pass to the most insignificant blades of grass and living creatures, every secret was laid bare before him.

The origin of this realm had not yet been drained too severely. Its foundations remained intact. Compared with the Xuanhuang World before it, it had been far luckier.

He came to this conclusion in his heart.

Once again, he brought two fingers together and lightly pointed at the complex plundering formations in the sky.

“Disperse.”

There was no violent surge of energy, nor any dazzling clash of divine light.

At his soft command, the strange formations began to collapse and vanish soundlessly, starting from the very root of their structure. Their core Dao patterns melted away like snow beneath the sunlight.

Their entanglement with the laws of the realm was severed with ease, while the small amount of world origin they had plundered was refined into pure essence and returned to the Canglan Realm like spring rain.

The entire process was quiet, swift, and effortless.

As the formations disappeared completely, the invisible oppression that had long shrouded the skies of the Canglan Realm abruptly vanished.

The flow of spiritual energy throughout the world became smooth and lively. The barren mountains and rivers faintly echoed with the soft murmur of returning vitality, and even the light seemed to grow brighter and warmer.

The entire ruined world seemed to have finally cast off its heavy shackles, letting out a relieved and joyful sigh.

As Ye Lingxiao, Ling Xi, and the others sensed the subtle yet positive changes taking place throughout the world, their respect for Gu Changge’s peerless methods deepened until they revered him almost as a god.

Deep within the Imperial Court of the Canglan Realm, inside a solemn and stately great hall, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was difficult to breathe.

Led by several Great Saints, all the Imperial Court’s core members had gathered there.

Every face was filled with unprecedented anxiety and despair. Their brows were tightly furrowed, their expressions panicked, and even their breathing was cautious and heavy.

Earlier, Emperor Lingxiao and several quasi-Emperors had sensed a crisis beyond the realm and hurriedly departed.

Immediately afterward, a heaven-destroying battle had erupted in the direction of the Imperial Pass!

The shockwaves of a battle at that level had caused even the souls of these Saint-realm cultivators to tremble.

What frightened them even more was that the ancient quasi-Emperors sleeping throughout the various regions of the Canglan Realm had all been awakened. Carrying their clans’ imperial armaments, they had broken through the pass and rushed out.

Some imperial armaments belonging to immortal sacred lands had even revived of their own accord, tearing through the void and heading straight for the edge of the world!

Such a formation had never been seen since time immemorial!

Everyone’s heart sank. They had once considered leading their forces to offer support. Even if they had to fight to the death, they were willing to ease the burden on the Emperor.

Yet before they could depart, they had been sternly stopped by the Emperor’s divine thought:

“This battle is beyond your ability to participate in. You would only be throwing your lives away. Guard the Imperial Court!”

They did not dare disobey the Emperor’s command, but could only remain trapped within the Imperial Court.

As they watched helplessly while the battle grew more and more intense, the torment and despair in their hearts deepened by the moment.

This unprecedented upheaval spread throughout the entire Canglan Great World.

Countless living beings fell into endless unease. The people were terrified, unaware of when this catastrophe would end or whether they themselves would survive it by sheer luck.

They could not see the actual situation on the battlefield at the Imperial Pass. Yet the terrifying fluctuations sweeping across heaven and earth, along with the mournful cries of the world’s spiritual energy, all foretold that the end was near.

What shattered their hearts most was that Emperor Lingxiao’s aura, which had been vast and overwhelming when the battle first began, gradually weakened.

“The Emperor’s aura, and the auras of the several quasi-Emperors, are growing weaker and weaker…”

An elderly Great Saint’s face was deathly pale. His voice trembled as he closed his eyes in despair.

Everyone could clearly sense those auras, which had been like pillars of jade supporting the heavens and protecting this realm.

One after another, they were dimming like candles flickering in the wind, as if they might be extinguished completely in the very next moment.

The entire Imperial Court, along with the various sacred lands of the Canglan Realm, was enveloped by a silent grief and the deathly stillness of those awaiting their final judgment.

Just then, the terrifying fluctuations sweeping across the entire Canglan Realm suddenly came to an abrupt halt, as though an invisible hand had snuffed them out in an instant.

Heaven and earth fell into an eerie calm. The silence was so complete that everyone could hear the beating of their own hearts.

“The… the fluctuations have stopped?”

Someone spoke in a trembling voice, his tone filled with confusion and disbelief.

“Did we… win? Or has the Emperor already fallen, and the battle is over?”

No one could answer. They stared at one another, their eyes filled with fear and hesitation.

They did not dare hope for victory, yet neither did they dare face the truth of the Emperor’s death. All they could do was hold their breath, desperately sensing every change in heaven and earth as they awaited the unknown outcome.

At that moment, a vast and boundless Emperor’s might, filled with infinite vitality, suddenly erupted from the direction of the battle and swept across the entire Canglan Realm.

That Emperor’s might was even purer and more complete than it had been at the Emperor’s peak, instantly filling every corner of heaven and earth.

“It’s the Emperor! The Emperor is still alive!”

A Great Saint abruptly raised his head. An unbelievable radiance burst from his eyes, and his voice trembled with excitement.

“Not only has the Emperor’s aura returned, it’s even stronger than before!”

“Did we win? Or…”

Someone still could not bring himself to believe it, afraid that this was merely an illusion born of despair.

“There are the auras of the several quasi-Emperors as well!”

Immediately afterward, an indescribable yet gentle and mighty vitality spread silently through the world, like the first ray of light at the dawn of creation.

It soothed the wounds of heaven and earth and mended the shattered laws.

“It’s over?”

“That feeling that the sky was about to collapse has disappeared?”

Someone cautiously poked his head out and looked at the peaceful world outside, his eyes filled with disbelief.

“Did we survive?”

The bewilderment and uncertainty of those who had narrowly escaped death spread through the hearts of countless living beings.

They did not know what had happened at the edge of the world. They only knew that the calamity threatening to destroy everything seemed to have passed.

Some began to sob quietly. Others stared blankly in every direction. More still turned toward the edge of the world and prostrated themselves in devout worship, offering thanks to the unknown savior.

After experiencing such a violent shift from profound grief to overwhelming joy, the entire Imperial Court sank into an anxious yet expectant wait.

After eliminating the formations, Gu Changge brushed off his sleeve as though he had merely completed an insignificant task and spoke indifferently:

“The matter here is settled. Let us return.”

Ling Xi, Ye Lingxiao, and the others respectfully acknowledged his words.

A flash of light passed, and the group vanished from above the devastated battlefield, reappearing inside the great hall of the Imperial Court without a sound.

Their sudden appearance sent a violent tremor through everyone who had been anxiously waiting there.

The first person to enter their sight was Emperor Lingxiao, his black hair cascading like a waterfall, his figure tall and straight, and his Emperor’s might vast as the sea.

Standing beside him was a white-robed woman with an unfathomably deep aura, cool and ethereal, along with several young people whose cultivation levels were impossible to discern but whose bearing was extraordinary.