To Each Their Own Fortune

Within the Inner Hall. Lu Boyuan and the Cold Lizard were desperately fleeing for their lives. Danger lurked at every turn along the way. Among these perils, the Five-Colored Immortal Wind was merely a trifling hazard. They had been forced to unleash a joint secret technique. Even so, both man and lizard were covered in wounds. Lu Boyuan's Daoist robe was almost entirely dyed crimson with blood, though fortunately most of his injuries were only skin-deep. From time to time, they looked up at the sky. Ziwei Palace was drawing ever closer to the massive rift in the heavens. The fluctuations radiating from the spatial storm made their scalps tingle with dread, leaving them in no frame of mind to tend to their wounds. *Boom!* A secret realm disintegrated. The resulting shockwaves roared outward in all directions. "Watch out!" Lu Boyuan yelled a warning. The Cold Lizard reacted just as swiftly. Coordinating with the joint secret technique Lu Boyuan cast, it spat out a burst of frigid light—directed straight at themselves. The cold light washed over them, condensing into a solid coffin of ice that sealed them safely inside. The next instant, the shockwave crashed upon them. *Bang!* The ice coffin was sent flying far into the distance. A chorus of sharp cracks rang out as fractures webbed across its surface, and a moment later it shattered into countless shards, some stained with fresh blood. Two figures shot out from the debris. Lu Boyuan and the Cold Lizard were in a wretched state, but fortunately their lives were in no danger. Moreover, riding the momentum of the blast, they successfully broke through the Inner Hall and plummeted without stopping toward the Outer Hall. Only then did they have the leeway to observe their surroundings. The immortal palace was sundering the void, carrying a might that could eradicate heaven and earth. Watching the spectacle above, the lingering terror in their eyes remained palpable, their spirits shaken. Turning their gaze, the cyan platform beneath the spatial storm came into view. Seeing the silhouettes upon it and the struggle underway to cross the void, both froze in astonishment. Both possessed brilliant minds. Confronted with such a scene and connecting it with the anomalies throughout the immortal palace, they could deduce a great deal without needing to know the true purpose of the Reception Platform. Man and lizard exchanged a look of utter shock. "It was I who held you back," the Cold Lizard said with deep remorse. Had Lu Boyuan been there in time, he too would have stood a chance to claim a spot on the cyan platform. To help it find spirit herbs to restore its strength, Lu Boyuan had braved immense perils to venture into the ancient medicinal garden alongside it. Although they had successfully obtained an immortal herb, he had suffered injuries and depleted his strength, leaving him unable to ascend the platform. The sole opportunity for ascension in the cultivation world across countless millennia had been lost because of this! Lu Boyuan did not complain. Gazing at the cyan platform, he shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. There may still be variables ahead..." Before his voice had faded... *Thud!* A dark shadow crashed heavily onto the ground. Their attention drawn away from the cyan platform, Lu Boyuan and the Cold Lizard were startled by the noise. Turning to look, they saw only a plump, rounded ball of feathers. A closer look revealed that it was Feather Demon King, reverted to his true form. Lu Boyuan considered his own strength inferior to Feather Demon King's, yet the demon king appeared far more miserable than either of them. Feather Demon King's demonic form was normally magnificent, rivaling that of a divine bird. Now, however, his plumage was completely smeared with filth and gore, stripped of all luster. Patches of feathers were missing here and bald spots bared there, dripping with blood in a gruesome sight. Worst of all were his wings, hanging limp and broken. The left wing in particular had suffered shattered bones and severed sinews, snapped into several segments and held together by only a strip of flesh. When had the dignified master of Tianyao Mound ever been reduced to such a pathetic state? Feather Demon King rolled several times on the ground before unsteadily rising to his feet, only for his figure to suddenly freeze. Six eyes met. Feather Demon King smoothed down what little remained of his feathered crest and greeted them with an air of composure, while his gaze naturally drifted toward the scene on the cyan platform. After staring for a moment, Feather Demon King's expression shifted slightly, a look of profound regret flashing in the depths of his eyes. Though he had harvested a great deal this time, missing an opportunity like this could never be compensated for, no matter what. Had he not succumbed to the lure of the immortal herbs in the ancient medicinal garden and sustained such grave injuries, he would certainly be among those standing upon the cyan platform right now! Yet others had met an even grimmer end. Burst after burst of bloody light erupted intermittently throughout the Inner Hall of Ziwei Palace. Those who had not yet fled would never leave, perishing here along with the treasures they bore. To each their own fortune—it was ever thus. *** Up on the cyan platform. Old Demon Ye, Bai, and Qingjun stood to one side. Daoist Zhenyi, Daoist Canghong, and Demon Monarch Tongyou occupied the other. None of them spoke. Maintaining a firm footing here was already an immense challenge, and with further perils looming, they had no intention of fighting among themselves. Qingjun and Bai paid no heed to outside matters. Controlled by their power, Jade Bone was guided slowly toward the spatial storm. Since their own strength could not slay the devil Jade Bone, they would borrow external force! Old Demon Ye watched Daoist Zhenyi and the other two with cold eyes. As Jade Bone struggled, it shrieked madly, doing everything in its power to entice and tempt them. If anyone were swayed, they would have to get past Old Demon Ye first. *Rumble...* The firmament trembled. Ziwei Palace soared higher and higher. Its shadow engulfed more than half of the Inner Hall. Everyone was stunned by this magnificent sight, staring blankly as Ziwei Palace tore through the void. This secret realm, once regarded as the foremost treasure land of the Beichen Realm, was departing from them forever. The immortal palace had descended into the mortal dust, and now the day of its return had finally come! At last, Ziwei Palace soared past the cyan platform and grazed the edge of the spatial storm. *Boom!* The shockwaves were practically tangible, forming a colossal halo of light visible to the naked eye as it rippled outward into the surroundings. From their vantage point, they could only glimpse the indistinct edge of Ziwei Palace's Inner Hall, yet they could easily imagine the terrifying destructive power unleashed by the clash between the immortal restrictions and the spatial storm. Under the impact, the Outer Hall collapsed at an accelerating pace. The fury of the tempest raging around the cyan platform intensified by several tiers in an instant. The first to show signs of faltering was Demon Monarch Tongyou. His conduct had always been prudent, acting only after thorough planning and rarely taking reckless gambles. After a brief hesitation, he glanced at the others on the platform and leapt off, choosing discretion over valor. *Boom! Boom!* Deafening crashes drowned out every sound in the world. Their hearts pounded in time with the tremors, their expressions taut with anxiety. In the end, Jade Bone failed to break free from their control. Flailing in futile struggle, it flew toward the spatial storm. Its furious roars were reduced to barely audible murmurs. Against the vast spatial storm, its silhouette looked as insignificant as an ant. Unexpectedly, Jade Bone's skeleton was extraordinarily resilient. Even at such close proximity to the spatial storm, battered by the shockwaves, it did not immediately disintegrate into ash. Had the devil Jade Bone not been suppressed by the Demon Binding Rope and the Heart Demon Puppet Seal, it likely could have emerged alive even if cast into the spatial storm. Qingjun shifted her hand seals, willingly destroying her puppet. With Jade Bone's plight compounded, its destruction was only a matter of time. At that moment, another person dropped out from the cyan platform. Daoist Canghong's most vital protective magic treasure had been severely damaged by Old Demon Ye earlier and had yet to recover. Having experienced the might of the spatial turbulence up close, he knew his chances were slim. With an inward sigh, he chose to give up. Only Daoist Zhenyi remained! "Old ox-nose, aren't you going to scramble down yet? Do you truly wish to die here?" Old Demon Ye taunted. With his thousand-year scheme on the verge of fruition, he suddenly felt inclined to converse. "Back then, this Ye regarded you as my lifelong nemesis, never expecting you would go off to become the leader of the Celestial Alliance. Search your own heart: you prided yourself on boundless compassion, on sheltering the common folk—did you never once find yourself intoxicated by power? If offered the chance to become the Alliance Leader of all Beichen, surely you wouldn't have stood aside either, would you?"