Hunting the Little Celestial Venerable

Hu Zhuojun wanted to catch up to the two of them, but Xu Ying and the Little Celestial Venerable moved faster and faster, and before long she lost all sight of them. Feeling a sense of loss, she suddenly saw Sect Master Yuan Gongtong limping and staggering toward her. Hu Zhuojun hurried forward to support him. Severely wounded from the Little Celestial Venerable's beating, Yuan Gongtong trembled all over. His beard bristled and his eyes glared with fury as he barked, "Now you come to support me? Where were you earlier? I got beaten into the dirt outside Tushita Palace by the Little Celestial Venerable and had to watch helplessly as you ran off with the Divine Marquis! I shouted until I was hoarse, and you didn't even turn your head!" Hu Zhuojun felt a prick of guilt and said, "The Divine Marquis grabbed me and took off—could I have resisted him? Master, how did you survive... I didn't mean to curse you to death... I really don't have any designs on inheriting the Linglong Heavenly Sect, you're overthinking it! What your disciple meant was, hurt this badly, how did you make it through the Immortal Dao anomalous zones alive?" Yuan Gongtong raised a fist, about to rap her on the head a couple of times, when Hu Zhuojun hastily blurted out, "Master, you don't know, but the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis is actually a twin!" Just as she was about to recount her discovery, a voice suddenly drifted over: "The Purple-Robed Divine Marquis isn't a twin; they're quadruplets. There are four brothers in total, and I have already suffered at their hands." Startled, Hu Zhuojun looked toward the voice and saw Li Pingsheng walking over alongside five elderly men. Upon seeing these five elders, Yuan Gongtong forcefully suppressed his injuries, straightened his back, and shielded Hu Zhuojun behind him, his eyes flashing sharply. He let out a hearty laugh. "The Five Elders of the Five Extremes Sect appearing all together! You slipped silently into the Ancestral Court—surely you haven't come merely as spectators?" The five elders beside Li Pingsheng were none other than the Five Elders of the Five Extremes Sect from the Longxing Great World, every one of them possessing extraordinarily formidable cultivation and might! Under normal circumstances, Yuan Gongtong would have had no reason to fear them; even if he couldn't defeat them, he could easily escape. Now, however, heavily wounded by the Little Celestial Venerable, encountering the Five Elders here filled him with dread. In the past, experts of the Five Elders' caliber would have been discovered long before penetrating so deeply into the Ancestral Court. But now, with many Ancestral Court masters' attention drawn to the duel between the young elites of the Ancestral Court and Weixu at the Lihen Plains, the powerhouses from the heavens had actually managed to slip all the way into the heartland! Cold sweat broke out on Hu Zhuojun's forehead. Lowering her voice, she murmured, "Master, the Little Celestial Venerable hasn't gone far. I'll go fetch him..." "No need to look for him." Yuan Gongtong's expression grew solemn. "Their target in coming here was never me. It was the Little Celestial Venerable all along." The Five Elders came to a halt. One white-haired elder smiled and said, "Old Devil Yuan of the Linglong Demonic Sect is hardly enough to warrant all five of us mobilizing together. That's right—our objective this time is indeed the Little Celestial Venerable." Another elder robed in azure chuckled. "Someone else will eliminate the Little Celestial Venerable, but before doing so, pruning his claws and fangs along the way isn't a bad idea either. Old Devil Yuan of the Linglong Demonic Sect may clash with the Little Celestial Venerable on paper, but in truth, he is more loyal than anyone. Ah well, we'll kill you first, then go kill the Little Celestial Venerable!" Yuan Gongtong burst into uproarious laughter, his aura surging as he swept his gaze across them. "Just the five of you think you can kill the Little Celestial Venerable? Daydreaming fools!" The Five Elders exchanged glances, all smiling in unison. Yuan Gongtong's eye twitched as suspicion seized him. "You five aren't the only ones who entered the Ancestral Court?" The white-haired elder chuckled. "To deal with the invincible Little Celestial Venerable of the Demonic Realm, relying solely on the five of us would be looking down on him. That is why this time, the strongest beings in all the heavens and myriad realms have entered the Demonic Realm together, all to send the Little Celestial Venerable on his way!" Yuan Gongtong's face drained of color. "Before sending him on his way, we'll send you first!" Just as the Five Elders were about to strike, chills ran through their hearts. Turning around in unison, they saw four figures walking out of an Immortal Dao anomalous zone—tall, short, fat, and thin, each distinct from the others. The auras radiating from these four figures were so immense that even the space within the anomalous zone warped around them. A deep, booming voice echoed out: "You want to kill Yuan Gongtong? Have you asked us Four Sages?" "The Four Sages of the Demonic Realm!" Alarmed, the Five Elders hastily leaped back. The white-haired elder laughed loudly. "You four old ghosts! Out of respect for you, we Five Elders shall spare Old Devil Yuan's life!" Li Pingsheng scampered off as well, calling out loudly, "Four Sages, I am a junior! You cannot lay hands on a junior!" Yuan Gongtong breathed a sigh of relief and urgently shouted, "Four Sages, quickly go rescue the Little Celestial Venerable! Experts from the heavens and myriad realms have infiltrated the Ancestral Court and plan to ambush him!" "It's not that we don't want to save him..." A bitter laugh drifted from the Immortal Dao anomalous zone as the Four Sages of the Ancestral Court staggered out. A moment ago, their auras had shaken the heavens and earth, but now they appeared utterly battered and spent. Yuan Gongtong looked closely and saw that the Four Sages were in an even worse state than himself, every one of them severely injured, supporting one another just to stagger out of the anomalous zone! The four smiled wryly again and again. "We challenged the Little Celestial Venerable and were heavily wounded by him. We can barely protect ourselves right now—how could we possibly save him?" When the Four Sages joined forces, their combined might rivaled an Immortal King, forcing the Little Celestial Venerable to go all out. And going all out meant he couldn't pull his punches, resulting in all four of them being severely wounded, each suffering injuries worse than Yuan Gongtong's! A chill gripped Yuan Gongtong's heart. He consoled himself, "It's fine, it's fine. The Little Celestial Venerable's cultivation is extraordinarily profound, and our Ancestral Court still has other powerhouses. Besides the Little Celestial Venerable, there's True Lord Yan, ranked second, and Perfected Cangyue, ranked third..." The Four Sages exchanged glances and said, "Even if the Little Celestial Venerable finds himself outmatched, they can rush to his aid. There is no need for us to worry." Hu Zhuojun summoned her courage and said, "Master, Four Sages, the powerhouses from the five great worlds slipped into the heart of the Ancestral Court without anyone noticing or sounding an alarm. Isn't that strange? Doesn't this mean someone within our Ancestral Court is aiding them from the inside?" Yuan Gongtong and the Four Sages froze. Hu Zhuojun continued, "I feel that if anyone goes to support the Little Celestial Venerable, the first one to arrive will most likely be the traitor..." Yuan Gongtong and the Four Sages' expressions changed drastically. Struggling to their feet, they moved to search for the Little Celestial Venerable. Hu Zhuojun quickly said, "Master, Four Sages, your injuries are too severe—please don't push yourselves! I will go find the Little Celestial Venerable!" Yuan Gongtong shook his head. "Though you are exceptionally perceptive, your cultivation is still shallow. By the time you get there, you'll likely only be collecting his corpse..." Hu Zhuojun's eyes suddenly lit up, and she smiled. "My cultivation may be shallow, but the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis's cultivation isn't! I'll go find the Divine Marquis and have him accompany me to look for the Little Celestial Venerable!" Yuan Gongtong and the Four Sages nodded. "We can only treat a dead horse as if it were alive." Hu Zhuojun immediately returned to the Lihen Plains, found the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis Chu Tiandu, and tugged him along, saying, "Come with me quickly to rescue the Little Celestial Venerable!" Chu Tiandu hastily asked, "What happened to the Little Celestial Venerable?" Hearing his voice, Hu Zhuojun found it oddly familiar. Suspicious, she reached out and snatched the mask off his face. Chu Tiandu was startled and quickly snatched it back, putting it back on. Seeing his true face, Hu Zhuojun froze in shock, stammering, "Y-You're... Repent!" Chu Tiandu nodded repeatedly, swallowing his tears. "Lady Zhuojun, please, don't say another word. I'm already repenting." Hu Zhuojun was still somewhat dazed as she muttered, "You impersonated the Purple-Robed Divine Marquis and used the Eight Desolations Sun Refining Furnace to defeat Weixu's powerhouse Nalan Du... Can an imposter's cultivation and strength be this terrifying as well...?" Chu Tiandu hurriedly urged, "Lady Zhuojun, saving the Little Celestial Venerable is what matters. Let's go quickly, and we can discuss the rest on the way!" Hu Zhuojun snapped back to her senses and hastily agreed. Chu Tiandu summoned a painted pleasure boat. The two boarded, and the boat shot through the air. Hu Zhuojun was still somewhat in a haze, constantly glancing at Chu Tiandu. After a moment, she couldn't help but ask, "If you aren't Chu Tiandu, could you be his twin brother? But you two don't look alike—you look better than him, while he's a bit tanned." Chu Tiandu felt quite smug inside: *Xu Ying might be stronger than me, but I have a fairer face!* Hu Zhuojun said, "You definitely aren't named Chu Tiandu, right? What's your real name?" Chu Tiandu stammered, at a loss for words. After a moment, he hedged, "Chu... Chu Tian... Chu Tiancheng!" Hu Zhuojun sighed. "I knew it. You admired Chu Tiandu so much that you changed your name so it differs by only a single character. My senior brother Yu Youchen was defeated by Chu Tiandu and spiraled into despair for two years before recovering from the blow. If someone as dim as him could pull through, you definitely can too." Chu Tiandu begged for mercy, "My good aunt, I really have repented!" The pleasure boat sped in the direction Xu Ying and the Little Celestial Venerable had gone. Chu Tiandu said, "This path leads to the Dao Comprehension Platform, where my master often preached the Dao back then! Let's head there first!" The boat hurtled like wind and lightning toward the Dao Comprehension Platform. Suddenly, a voice called from ahead: "Why did the Purple-Robed Demonic Marquis flee without fighting when facing my challenge? This concubine is quite heartbroken." "Hua Cuoying of Weixu?" Chu Tiandu swiftly hurried to the prow, only to see brilliant light flare before the boat as a Twelve-Storyed Mansions manifested in the void. Hua Cuoying's Primordial Spirit then flew out of the void, barring their way forward. Chu Tiandu called out in a clear voice, "Hua Cuoying, I have urgent business to attend to. I'm afraid our duel will have to be postponed for a few days." Empowered by the Twelve-Storyed Mansions, Hua Cuoying's Primordial Spirit stood vast and boundless like an immortal, with the tiered mansions floating behind her. The twelfth-story doors of the divine pavilion opened, and Hua Cuoying's true body pushed them open and stepped out, smiling. "That won't do. Today is such a fine occasion—how could the Divine Marquis refuse?" Hu Zhuojun's heart stirred, and she whispered, "The powerhouses from the five great worlds might have joined forces with Weixu!" Hearing this, Chu Tiandu's heart clenched. Just as he was gritting his teeth to accept the battle, a woman's voice drifted up from below, laughing: "Found you, Sister Cuoying!" Taken aback, Hua Cuoying looked down and saw a Xuanwu Divine Turtle carrying the colossal Penglai Immortal Mountain on its back, speeding in their direction. Above Penglai Immortal Mountain hovered a girl in palace attire, smiling brightly as she gazed toward her. "Chu Xiangxiang? How is she here?" Hua Cuoying was shocked. Chu Tiandu was also taken aback. *How could Penglai Immortal Mountain appear in the heart of the Ancestral Court?* It was one thing for experts of the five great worlds to sneak into the Ancestral Court, but for a target as massive as Penglai Immortal Mountain to pass silently through the Chaotic Star Sea and reach the heartland without alerting anyone made Chu Tiandu immediately believe Hu Zhuojun's words. There truly was an insider aiding the heavens and myriad realms within the Ancestral Court! Chu Xiangxiang soared into the sky, brimming with excitement. *The Divine Mother was right! Taking this route was completely safe, and it even lets me fulfill a wish of mine!* Adorning her body, pearls, jades, crowns, and hairpins chimed crisply—each an exquisitely tiny magic treasure crafted for her by Zhu Bibi! In her last duel against Hua Cuoying, she had suffered due to magic treasures when the Twelve-Storyed Mansions shattered all the artifacts she carried. Naturally, she had come to settle the score today! Hua Cuoying hadn't taken her seriously at first, but she was soon startled. Chu Xiangxiang's assortment of trinket treasures was far more potent than before, filling the sky with dazzling radiance and shadowy treasures that shook the firmament incessantly! She had no time to deliberate, and the treasures adorned upon her own palace robes flew forth to clash with Chu Xiangxiang! Yet in the very next moment, her treasures shattered one after another, unable to stall the assault in the slightest! Hua Cuoying summoned the Twelve-Storyed Mansions, bringing it crashing down with a cold sneer. "Chu Xiangxiang, it seems you haven't learned your lesson!" The instant the Twelve-Storyed Mansions unleashed its power, Chu Xiangxiang giggled. The cloak behind her surged with tremendous force as more than two hundred magic treasures were activated to their peak. Treasures large and small glittered like stars, erupting with radiant immortal mists to fight the Twelve-Storyed Mansions to a standstill! *Buzz!* Behind Hua Cuoying, the Yellow Court Nuo ancestor cave-heaven whirled and roared, causing her divine sense to skyrocket! "Immortal Dao Primordial Spirit!" Hua Cuoying summoned her Primordial Spirit. Enhanced by the Twelve-Storyed Mansions and the Nuo ancestor's divine sense, it resembled a supreme True Immortal, as if she could turn her hand to suppress heaven and earth and reshape the primordial chaos! Her divine sense vibrated, her words almost commanding reality itself! "You think I fear you? Heavenly Dao Primordial Spirit!" Chu Xiangxiang's divine might erupted, making her look like a God King wielding the Heavenly Dao! The two women clashed furiously, turning the skies dark and the earth dim. Chu Tiandu stared wide-eyed, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead. Neither woman was weak in the slightest; in fact, both seemed even a notch more formidable than him! *My title as the Ancestral Court's number-one expert might be slightly inflated. But then again, they rely on magic treasures, whereas I don't use any. All things considered, I'm still stronger.* As Chu Tiandu comforted himself, a voice called out: "Young man, why haven't you left yet?" Chu Tiandu looked toward the sound and saw a middle-aged woman on Penglai Immortal Mountain looking his way. Chu Tiandu hastily spurred the pleasure boat forward toward the Dao Comprehension Platform, thinking to himself, *Who is that woman? Aren't the immortals of Penglai supposed to be heretical false immortals? Why would she help me instead?* The Dao Comprehension Platform of the Ancestral Court. Xu Ying had heard this name before; Li Pingsheng's challenge against Chu Tiandu had taken place right at the Dao Comprehension Platform. Following the Little Celestial Venerable here, Xu Ying couldn't help but feel stirred. The Dao Comprehension Platform was a jade terrace jutting into the air, its four sides carved with natural Dao patterns, hanging quietly beyond the cliff. In the air, an extraordinary aura of the Great Dao of heaven and earth converged from all directions, seeping into the patterns of the platform. It was precisely the continuous accumulation of the Great Dao's aura permeating the jade stone over countless days that had formed these Great Dao markings. Standing on the jade terrace, Xu Ying sensed the lingering auras of cultivators tall and short, male and female. Their cultivations had once shaken antiquity and modern times alike; all had come here to comprehend the mysteries of heaven and earth and grasp the Great Dao. However, those cultivators were ancient, having attained enlightenment here untold tens of thousands of years ago, leaving behind their imprints. Amidst those thousands of auras, Xu Ying acutely caught a trace of a familiar breath. It was his own aura! In his first life, he had comprehended the Dao here and left behind his own imprint! "If I teach you the Six Secret Depositories of the Human Body, there might be flaws or oversights," the Little Celestial Venerable said. "But if you teach them to yourself, there will be no omissions." The Little Celestial Venerable continued, "The Dao Comprehension Platform holds the imprint you left behind. You need only comprehend it yourself." Puzzled, Xu Ying asked, "Teach them to myself?" "Try, and you shall see," the Little Celestial Venerable replied. Half-convinced, Xu Ying sat cross-legged on the Dao Comprehension Platform and began sensing the imprint left by his past self. Across a gulf of forty-eight thousand years, two identical figures seemed to overlap as one. Behind Xu Ying, haloes of cave-heavens gradually lit up one by one. Standing on the platform and watching the seated Xu Ying, the Little Celestial Venerable couldn't help recalling the past. It was right here that he had met the Xu Ying of bygone days. He had witnessed the transcendent, godlike youth commune with heaven and earth, comprehending the shattered Great Dao of the Ancestral Court. A thousand clouds of dawn connected to him; ten thousand Daos resonated with him. That scene was something he could never forget in this lifetime. Suddenly, he snapped out of his memories and looked around. Unbeknownst to him, figures had gathered across the heavens and earth, dotted here and there. In the brief moment his mind had wandered, one powerful figure after another had appeared in the vicinity of the Dao Comprehension Platform! "Hua Zhengyun of the Five Extremes Sect from the Taishi World greets the Demonic Realm's Little Celestial Venerable." A sprightly old Daoist in azure robes, horsehair whisk resting in the crook of his elbow, bowed with a smile. "Zhao Ke of the Five Extremes Sect from the Jianwu World greets the Demonic Realm's Little Celestial Venerable!" "Ding Zhen of the Five Extremes Sect from the Yongkang World greets the Demonic Realm's Little Celestial Venerable!" "Liu Fei of the Five Extremes Sect from the Yuanshuo World greets the Demonic Realm's Little Celestial Venerable!" Voice after voice rang out in orderly succession. They hailed from different worlds, yet every one of those worlds had a Five Extremes Sect. And they were the sect masters of those Five Extremes Sects!