Translator: AnubisTL
Great Wilderness Domain, Xuan Prefecture.
At the heart of the domain stood the Imperial City, a palace complex of unparalleled extravagance.
Above, floating jade pavilions and celestial halls drifted amidst swirling clouds, their ethereal beauty radiating an otherworldly aura.
This was the Imperial City of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, a powerful immortal dynasty that had reigned supreme for countless millennia. Only such a glorious and prosperous empire could command such a magnificent palace complex.
The city exuded an air of tranquility and harmony. Graceful palace maids glided through the halls, their faces betraying no hint of the panic that should have gripped a dynasty on the brink of collapse.
Peaceful times, merry songs and dances!
It was as if the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty still reigned supreme over the Great Wilderness Domain, its immortal dao unchallenged, and external threats were mere illusions.
Boom!
Suddenly, the most majestic palace in the Imperial City crumbled to the ground in a thunderous roar.
A shrill, piercing voice echoed through the ruins:
"His Majesty has passed away!"
Like a stone dropped into a still pond, the announcement sent ripples of shock through the once-tranquil Imperial City.
The sudden death of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty's current ruler was like a taut string snapping, scattering the jade beads strung upon it.
"No! Your Majesty!"
From the inner palace, a figure soared into the sky, hurtling toward the collapsed palace.
The woman's skin was as white as snow, her features as exquisitely carved as fine jade. Her demeanor was utterly enchanting, and the tearful corners of her eyes made her appear particularly vulnerable and moving.
A young man in a Python Robe rushed frantically from the palace chambers. "Impossible! Father Emperor cannot be dead! He was invincible throughout the Great Wilderness Domain! Who could possibly kill him?!"
The Imperial City trembled. The ancestral seat of the imperial family, which had stood for countless years, had finally reached its end.
No matter how powerful a mortal might become, they would inevitably succumb to time, defeated by the relentless march of years.
Even the peerlessly mighty rulers of Immortal Dynasties could not defy the passage of time.
Time is a blade that fells Heavenly Prodigies; on the path to immortality, even the most enchanting beauties sigh in vain!
The news of Wang Chengdao's death was the final straw that broke the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty.
Boom!
At the border of Xuan Prefecture, the wind and clouds churned as several formidable qi mechanisms erupted into existence.
Multiple nascent soul realm cultivators were performing rituals, attempting to shake the Grand Formation that protected the entire Imperial City.
The heavens and earth shifted color as terrifying qi mechanisms surged forth, causing the entire Imperial City to tremble violently.
A gray-robed cultivator, his body radiating chilling yin energy, strode through the air. His skin was deathly pale, and his face appeared sickly, as if he had spent years dealing with yin corpses.
This was Shi Jiuyin, the ancestor of the Yin Puppet Sect!
"Wang Chengdao, you old ghost, are you truly dead? If so, I'll personally handle your funeral!"
From the northern reaches of the Imperial City, a figure with a massive, ink-black sword strapped to his back soared into the sky. His voice was cold as ice: "Hmph, Wang Chengdao, you wouldn't meet your end so easily. I refuse to believe it!"
This man was Gui Li, the demonic path cultivator who had single-handedly founded the Ghost Sword Sect.
"The time has come. Today, we'll shatter the Dragon Transformation Grand Formation. Even if Wang Chengdao faked his death, we'll ensure his annihilation today!"
"The Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty must fall!"
"..."
In rapid succession, six old monsters with nascent soul realm cultivation appeared. The most powerful among them was a white-robed elder riding a green ox, who had already reached the mid-nascent soul realm, his aura overwhelmingly potent.
As the six nascent soul realm cultivators launched their assault, the very foundations of the Imperial City trembled.
In addition to these powerhouses, numerous core formation realm cultivators surrounded the area, continuously activating Restriction-Breaking Talismans to weaken the deeply rooted Dragon Transformation Grand Formation.
Under this relentless onslaught, a breach was torn into the ancient formation, and the gap continued to widen.
Until now, the formation had shown no signs of activation, yet it was so easily breached.
"Intriguing," Gui Li murmured, narrowing his eyes. "Is that old ghost Wang Chengdao truly dead? Why hasn't he emerged even now?" He slowly drew the ghost sword from behind him.
The sect master of the Ghost Sword Sect directly slashed his sword through the breach in the Dragon Transformation Grand Formation.
Boom!
A streak of purplish-black sword qi slashed diagonally outward, shattering the Imperial City's palace walls and deepening the breach in the Grand Formation.
"Whether he's dead or not, another test will reveal the truth!"
Shi Jiuyin's smile was malevolent. He clapped his hands, and yin corpses began crawling out of the earth one after another.
These corpses had been refined and nurtured for at least a century, and they incorporated the subtle techniques of puppetry, making them hybrid creations—corpse puppets. Even a single one of these creatures could send a foundation establishment realm cultivator into a cold sweat.
Under Shi Jiuyin's command, these dozens of corpse puppets moved with an eerie semblance of consciousness, crawling through the breach in the Dragon Transformation Grand Formation and into the Imperial City.
The scene was terrifying and shocking, as if the underworld itself had come to life.
"Ahhh! Help me! Save me!"
Some palace maids were so terrified that their legs went weak, leaving them rooted to the spot, unable to move.
Though most of them possessed cultivation, they had spent their entire lives confined within the palace walls and had never witnessed such a horrifying spectacle.
Soon, a cold corpse refinement puppet seized a palace maid who had collapsed to the ground, paralyzed with fear.
Just as the corpse puppet was about to devour her, a pale yellow liquid suddenly seeped from beneath her pink and white palace robes.
After years of living in the majestic Imperial Palace, she had been so terrified that she had lost control of her bladder.
In the next moment, a pillar of light shot skyward from the depths of the Imperial Palace.
Boom!
Instantly, many people's attention was drawn to the commotion deep within the palace.
"This is... teleportation energy? Someone is activating a teleportation array?!"
"Ha! Wang Chengdao, you old ghost! You're not dead after all! Are you trying to use us to break the Dragon Transformation Formation so you can send your orphaned heir away?"
In the Dao of Formations, there's a well-known rule: only one formation can function within the same terrain.
Since the entire Imperial City was protected by the Dragon Transformation Grand Formation, it should have been impossible to activate any other formations within this area.
"What a clever tactic! They activated a teleportation array the moment the Dragon Transformation Grand Formation was breached, intending to escape!"
"I never imagined there was such a skilled formation master hidden within the Imperial Palace. This is truly an impressive feat!"
Despite these remarks, the nascent soul realm cultivators present were all ancient monsters with decades of experience. How could they possibly stand idly by?
"You won't get your way! I'll do exactly the opposite of what you want!"
Gui Li, wielding his massive black sword with one hand, slashed another sword strike toward the pillar of light in the sky.
Sword qi surged through the Imperial Palace once more, aiming to disrupt the teleportation array.
To eliminate a threat completely, one must strike at the root. Who knew what kind of figure Wang Chengdao was trying to teleport away? To prevent future troubles, it was best to eliminate the threat now and avoid any lingering worries.
However, just as the teleportation pillar was about to be severed, a cold, authoritative snort echoed through the air.
"Hmph!"
As the sound faded, a resplendent golden true dragon soared into the sky, its lifelike form appearing almost alive.
The golden dragon spiraled upward, its massive body forcefully intercepting the incoming attacks, ensuring the teleportation array remained intact and operational.
Beneath the true dragon, a majestic figure rose into the air, his hands clasped behind his back. Clad in a dragon robe, he exuded an aura of profound wisdom and martial prowess.
Though nearing the end of his years, not a trace of age showed on his face; his bearing remained as imposing as in his prime.
This man was Wang Chengdao, the current sovereign of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, a ruler of unparalleled ambition and might.
Wang Chengdao stepped forward, his foot landing firmly on the golden true dragon's back. Alone, he faced six formidable cultivators in the nascent soul realm.
An ordinary person would have long since succumbed to panic in such a situation, but Wang Chengdao stood as steadfast as a mountain, his expression calm and serene. He surveyed the six powerful cultivators as if they were mere subjects of his Immortal Dynasty.
"Which of you rebellious ministers dares challenge the Emperor to battle?"
Though a ruler on the brink of defeat, his arrogance remained utterly undiminished.
Hearing this defiant challenge, the demonic path patriarchs present could no longer restrain themselves.
"Wang Chengdao, your time has come! Prepare to meet your end!" Gui Li, sect master of the Ghost Sword Sect, his eyes flashing with malice, drew his ghost sword and charged forward.
Buzz!
The spiritual energy in the heavens and earth surged violently, and the light dimmed as if the world itself were darkening.
"Rebellious ministers must be purged!" Wang Chengdao murmured, a magnificent longsword appearing in his hand as if from nowhere.
Imperial dragon qi continued to surge from the blade of the sword in his hand.
The ancestral imperial sword, wielded by Wang Chengdao, radiated an awe-inspiring aura as it clashed head-on with Gui Li's ghost sword.
Boom!
The clash between the ghost sword and the imperial sword unleashed a shockwave so powerful that it shattered the magnificent palace complex in the sky.
Immediately afterward, the ancestral imperial sword trembled, unleashing a torrent of imperial dragon qi from its blade.
The sect master of the Ghost Sword Sect, a formidable figure in his own right, was sent flying backward by the force of the strike!
Crash!
The sect master of the Ghost Sword Sect, sent hurtling through the air, smashed through an entire palace, reducing it to rubble.
Wang Chengdao, still gripping the ancestral imperial sword, didn't pursue. Instead, he swept his majestic gaze across the remaining five nascent soul realm cultivators.
"I've heard rumors of a dragon vein beneath the Imperial City," a figure clad in blood robes sneered from the sky. "Wang Chengdao, you can only wield imperial authority by borrowing power from this dragon vein."
The lifelike golden true dragon hovered majestically, but everyone understood it was merely a manifestation of the imperial dragon qi drawn from the dragon vein, not a true dragon.
Such powerful beings as true dragons could never exist in the mortal realm.
"You dare defy me?" Wang Chengdao roared, his voice resonating with imperial authority. "Come forward, and I will strike you down!"
The Blood Spirit Sect Ancestor chuckled. "Everyone, let's attack together! Whoever kills Wang Chengdao gets the ancestral imperial sword!"
His words ignited a frenzy. Even the nascent soul realm ancestors of the righteous path showed signs of eagerness.
The ancestral imperial sword was a magical artifact left behind by the Grand Ancestor Emperor of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty. Nurtured for centuries within the dragon vein's imperial dragon qi, it had likely approached sentience!
This was undoubtedly one of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty's most precious treasures. Mastering it would grant an immeasurable boost to one's power.
As the five nascent soul realm old monsters attacked simultaneously, the spiritual energy in the world seemed to vanish into a momentary vacuum!
"Kill!"
Facing five formidable enemies, Wang Chengdao remained defiant, single-handedly confronting their combined killing intent.
In that instant, the entire Imperial City was thrown into chaos. Overwhelming shockwaves surged outward like tidal waves.
A golden true dragon soared into the sky, its scales shimmering with spiritual light. Outside the city walls, core formation true lords dared not approach, their hearts pounding with dread.
A pack of wolves devouring a tiger!
Against so many powerful opponents of the same realm, even Wang Chengdao, for all his might, stood no chance.
Not only was he in his twilight years, but even in his prime, he could never have withstood such a coordinated assault by multiple nascent soul realm experts.
"I refuse to yield!"
"How dare you, treacherous ministers, seize the ancestral imperial sword!"
With these final roars, the Imperial City, now a battlefield, was once again rocked by a cataclysmic explosion!
Boom!
A terrifying aftershock of spiritual energy swept through the city, reducing its red walls and golden tiles to rubble.
In the ensuing silence, the ancestral imperial sword soared into the sky, its momentum unstoppable like that of a true dragon.
Before the eyes of all present, the golden blade cleaved through space and vanished without a trace.
"Damn it! That old ghost Wang Chengdao would rather die than let us have the ancestral imperial sword!"
"This is the symbol of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty. Only a prince who wields the ancestral imperial sword can inherit the throne. What a pity... such a near-sentient magical artifact."
"Forget about that for now! Scour the entire Imperial City! I want to know who that old ghost Wang Chengdao sent away in his final act!"
"Could it be the Crown Prince? But isn't he just a four spirit root waste?"
"..."
Amidst the murmurs of the nascent soul realm cultivators and the ruins of the Imperial City, the once-mighty Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, which had dominated the Great Wilderness Domain, was declared utterly annihilated!
Henceforth, the Great Wilderness Domain would turn a new page in its history.
(End of the Chapter)
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