Heavenly Balance, Severing the Sky

The Imperial Court's operations regarding the Yunhuang Immortal Dynasty were overseen by two Immortal Emperors: Tianheng Zhenyue and Tianheng Duanqiong.

Chengluan knew even less about Tianheng Duanqiong, only aware that his combat style revolved around severing, and his most feared ability was known as the Thread of Heaven.

It could effortlessly slice through anything—space, time, laws, and karma.

The two halves severed by the Thread of Heaven were incredibly difficult to mend. At the very least, Chengluan had never heard of anyone fully recovering after being struck by it.

Even reversing time through the laws of time could hardly piece back together an object cut by the Thread of Heaven.

And once they finished dealing with the Yunhuang Immortal Dynasty, one of the targets they were considering next was the Zichen Immortal Dynasty.

Gu Changyuan withdrew his divine sense and proceeded to search through Chengluan's storage space, pulling out the various items he carried.

Secret cultivation manuals, medicinal pills, spiritual materials, magical artifacts, treasures, and several jade slips used for transmitting Imperial Court intelligence.

Watching the wealth he had painstakingly accumulated over tens of thousands of years being taken away piece by piece by Gu Changyuan, the expression on Chengluan's face was truly a sight to behold.

Anger, humiliation, heartache, and helplessness eventually melded into an ashen, deathly numbness.

After all, he had already been captured, his memories had already been extracted, and his belongings had already been stripped clean.

He was now just a broken pot; they could smash him however they pleased.

Gu Changyuan stored everything away in his own storage space. Then, without any hesitation, he extracted the memories of the other two Immortal Kings, confiscating their supplies one by one, leaving nothing of use behind.

Finally, he cast a faint glance at the seven despairing Immortal Kings bound in place by black iron chains. Without uttering another word, he turned and left the God-Binding Coffin.

As for Tianheng Zhenyue's abilities, Gu Changyuan ran through them a few times in his mind using Chengluan's memories and did not find them particularly troublesome.

The Immovable King Domain could suppress laws, space, and time. If so, he simply wouldn't use laws; he would just compete against the opponent with pure physical strength.

Tianheng Zhenyue primarily cultivated the Great Dao of Mountains, rendering his physical body virtually indestructible, but it was not without a countermeasure.

One could strike at his divine soul, bypassing his physical defenses to attack his spirit directly and finish him off from the inside.

Tianheng Zhenyue's physical body was indeed tyrannical, but his divine soul defenses were relatively weak. This was an unavoidable shortcoming for all cultivators who specialized in the physical body.

Perhaps their divine souls had protective restrictions, but in this aspect, Gu Changyuan didn't feel he was inferior to the opponent.

Alternatively, he could choose to meet him head-on, just like Mu Qinghe, relying on the ultimate contract's death-substitution ability to trade injuries directly.

Even if heavily wounded or killed, he could resurrect and repeatedly wear the opponent down.

In the end, the competition would come down to who could hold out longer and whose foundation was deeper.

Therefore, Tianheng Zhenyue's greatest threat was his unfathomable Immortal Emperor cultivation base.

As for Tianheng Duanqiong, his abilities were much trickier.

This kind of ability, which involved conceptual severing at the level of laws, was indeed without a direct solution.

However, the stronger the ability, the more restrictions it had.

The attack range of the Thread of Heaven was linear; it wasn't a wide-area or domain-type attack. It was just a single line.

As long as one wasn't on that line, they wouldn't be cut.

Even if the opponent could release numerous Threads of Heaven at once, as long as it wasn't a domain-wide area severing, Gu Changyuan was confident he could find a flaw if there was even the slightest gap.

Having finished his mental calculations, Gu Changyuan had already returned to the skies above the Yunhuang Dynasty.

The Grand Ancestor of Yunhuang and several other ancestors hastily bowed and saluted, their postures even more respectful than before.

Their previous respect for Gu Changyuan stemmed from his strength and status, and because the Yunhuang Dynasty needed to rely on the Celestial Sacred Land; it was a respect based on calculated interests.

Now, this respect was layered with heartfelt gratitude.

Gu Changyuan looked at them, knowing what they wanted to ask.

Just as they said, these three Imperial Court Immortal Kings came to the lower realm to teach the upper realm's Immortal Dynasty a lesson by wiping you out.

Gu Changyuan's tone was flat; he neither exaggerated nor deliberately downplayed the situation.

But rest assured, they are already under my control.

My God-Binding Coffin can fabricate their auras and karma. Their subsequent karmic movements will continue to operate along their original trajectories.

So, for this period at least, the upper realm will not notice anything amiss with the three of them.

A look of immense relief washed over the face of the Grand Ancestor of Yunhuang, and the expressions of the other ancestors were much the same.

Thank you for your assistance, Holy Lord.

The Grand Ancestor bowed deeply, his tone solemn.

Gu Changyuan waved his hand.

It is nothing. Since you have joined the Sacred Land, I naturally won't let the Imperial Court do anything to you.

I still have some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave.

With a flash, Gu Changyuan vanished from the sky above Twilight Cloud City.

The next instant, Gu Changyuan's figure appeared in the sky above the Zichen Imperial Palace and descended into the palace courtyard.

Sensing his familiar and formidable aura, the Grand Ancestor of Zichen and the other ancestors of the royal family immediately rushed over, bowing respectfully.

Holy Lord.

Gu Changyuan nodded slightly. Without exchanging pleasantries, he got straight to the point.

Just now, the Imperial Court sent down a Heaven Guard and two Immortal Kings to eradicate the Yunhuang Dynasty. They have already been subdued by me.

The brow of the Grand Ancestor of Zichen twitched violently.

A Heaven Guard.

The Imperial Court had sent a Heaven Guard to the lower realm.

He was well aware of the status of Heaven Guards within the Imperial Court; they answered directly to the Immortal Emperors.

Every Heaven Guard was an elite carefully selected from among the Immortal Kings, possessing strength far exceeding their peers.

For the Imperial Court to send a Heaven Guard to the lower realm meant they were no longer satisfied with dispatching ordinary Immortal Kings for missions. It showed that their focus on the lower realm was increasing.

From their memories, I learned that after those above finish dealing with the Yunhuang Immortal Dynasty, the Zichen Immortal Dynasty is among their next targets, and the probability is quite high.

Gu Changyuan looked at him, his tone remaining calm.

If you manage to establish contact with the upper realm's Immortal Dynasty during this time, remember to warn them to take precautions.

Gu Changyuan had his own calculations. Since he had already conquered the lower realm's Yunhuang and Zichen Dynasties, the upper realm's Yunhuang Immortal Dynasty and Zichen Immortal Dynasty naturally fell within his targets for control.

Warning the Zichen Dynasty in advance so they could notify the upper realm's Immortal Dynasty to be on guard was not only to reduce unnecessary trouble but also to lay the groundwork for bringing these two upper realm Immortal Dynasties under his command later.

Therefore, reminding them to take precautions was highly necessary.

The face of the Grand Ancestor of Zichen turned somewhat pale under the moonlight. He knew very well the striking power of the Imperial Court. Although the upper realm's Zichen Immortal Dynasty was slightly stronger than the Yunhuang Immortal Dynasty, the difference was limited.

If the Imperial Court truly locked onto the Zichen Immortal Dynasty as its next target, with their current strength, they would have absolutely no power to fight back.

The only good news was—they were not entirely isolated and helpless.

Thank you for informing us, Holy Lord.

The Grand Ancestor's voice was low and solemn.

When we next establish contact with the upper realm's Immortal Dynasty, I will certainly report this matter truthfully.

Gu Changyuan nodded.

Over these past few decades, the five great families of the Central Continent and the Star Clan had also successively established brief connections with their corresponding immortal families in the upper realm to exchange information.

Through the messages transmitted from the Lower Realm, several immortal families in the Upper Realm learned of Gu Changyuan's existence. They were made aware of the three great factions under his command: the Heavenly Monster Pavilion, the Heavenly Demon Sect, and the Heavenly Human Pavilion, along with his thirty-three disciples who possessed heaven-defying talents.

They also learned that their lower realm branches had joined the Heavenly Human Holy Land.

After understanding the full scope of the situation, the immortal families of the Upper Realm approved of the actions taken by their clansmen in the Lower Realm.