Neither the Eternal Clan nor the Ji clan had ever truly taken the Heavenly Court seriously, nor had they believed it could shake their standing in any way.
The crux was that the foundations and strength of the two sides were simply not on the same level.
The disparity was far too vast. Just as they had envisioned before, it was an overwhelming, one-sided crush.
Yet Lu Yuan was different. In a short span, he had grown to such a terrifying height that he could directly slay powerful figures in the Immortal Realm.
They knew that if this were allowed to continue, even their own formidable heritage might prove inadequate to withstand him.
Once a true supreme powerhouse arose, his rise could shake the entire cosmos.
Thus, in the eyes of the two great factions, Lu Yuan had always been the sole individual worthy of serious consideration.
They cared nothing for the Heavenly Court itself, but because it had been founded by Lu Yuan, matters took on an entirely different weight.
To destroy the Heavenly Court was, in essence, an act of retribution against Lu Yuan. They had intended to do so before, but had been delayed by other plans that required execution.
Now, watching the members of the Heavenly Court choose to step forward and resist despite knowing their strength fell far short, the experts of the two great factions found it quite amusing.
All they thought of now was using absolute might to crush these overconfident fools.
With cold, aloof expressions, the four Heavenly Rank Immortals took a single step forward.
Overwhelming auras roared and churned around them in continuous waves, and a dreadful power surged forth. Below, the mountains and rivers shuddered; high above, the clouds shattered into nothingness.
Jiang Huanyun, Zhu Qingyu, and the rest felt an excruciating pressure bearing down upon them. They wanted to react, only to find themselves utterly helpless. A single Heavenly Rank Immortal was already more than they could manage.
With all four acting together, the terror multiplied. Those present were simply too weak. Compared to existences of such caliber, they were truly little more than ants. How could they hope to resist?
Before the enemy even struck, some of the Jiang clan youths were already coughing up blood.
Such frightening might had been unleashed without a single blow yet being delivered.
The observing beings of the various races understood immediately: the two great factions had no intention of holding back.
"Everyone, strike together again! Give it everything you have!" Jiang Huanyun shouted.
He knew that under these circumstances, there was only one thing they could do: combine the strength of all present to hold out for as long as possible, even if it were only for a single fleeting breath.
Relying on individual strength was completely futile.
As soon as his words fell, no one hesitated, and the exotic beasts joined in without a second thought.
They channeled their internal power and directed it toward the void.
There were thousands of them, each possessing respectable cultivation. By uniting and pooling their might into one cohesive force—further bolstered by Jiang Huanyun and several nearby experts—even an ordinary Creation Immortal would have found such a collective defense a troublesome obstacle.
Boundless radiance converged once more, enveloping Mount Tai just as it had moments before.
The difference this time was that every single defender poured out their utmost strength, knowing that only by doing so could they buy even the slimmest chance.
Yet as the Heavenly Rank Immortals sensed this surge of energy, they could not help but chuckle.
Indeed, before reaching the Heavenly Rank Immortal realm, no one could truly comprehend how mighty this level was. After all, it stood merely a single step away from the ultimate peak of the Immortal Realm. In their eyes, the crowd before them was just a swarm of ants trying to mount a defense.
Could ants hold back their might? It was plainly impossible.
Having exhausted what little patience they had, the Heavenly Rank Immortals thrust down their palms in unison.
Rumble!
Deafening roars erupted in an instant as terrifying energy surged outward. In a mere breath, the combined arts erected by the crowd were shattered to pieces.
Mount Tai's Jade Emperor Peak trembled violently, completely unable to endure the impact. It seemed poised to split apart at any moment.
Fortunately, this was Mount Tai, and the peak managed to hold its ground.
Even so, Zhu Qingyu and the others coughed up mouthfuls of blood, and several defenders blacked out on the spot.
That power was simply too overwhelming—a gulf that numbers alone could never bridge.
Jiang Huanyun fared little better. His face was deathly pale, and he had sustained severe internal injuries.
He had known that even if they pooled all their strength, stopping four Heavenly Rank Immortals was impossible. Yet he had never anticipated the gap would be so insurmountable.
The enemy had not even begun to take the fight seriously, yet they were already this formidable.
*Is the outcome truly set in stone?* Jiang Huanyun thought, a trace of despair surfacing within him.
Yet at that moment, despite feeling the crushing hopelessness, Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and the others said nothing. Bruised and bleeding, they struggled back to their feet to face the four Heavenly Rank Immortals in the sky.
They began to circulate their internal strength once more. Though grievously hurt, not one of them backed down.
*Indeed. We resolved long ago to stop them with our lives,* Jiang Huanyun thought, inhaling deeply.
Without another word, he stepped forward to stand alongside the others. However, their numbers were far fewer than before; the pressure radiated by the four Heavenly Rank Immortals had been so overwhelming that many had fallen unconscious, naturally diminishing their combined strength.
Even so, there were still those who chose to fight on.
"They really are somewhat unusual."
"To think they still insist on holding out at a time like this."
A faint smile appeared on the face of the Ji clan Heavenly Rank Immortal. The scene before him had caught him somewhat off guard; he had not expected these people to mount another stand.
Yet precisely because of this, his excitement grew.
If the enemy had simply yielded and bowed their heads at the first strike, it would have been dreadfully boring. He was just about to toy with the Heavenly Court's defenders a bit longer when the Heavenly Rank Immortal of the Eternal Clan stepped forward, shook his head, and spoke flatly.
"Stop wasting time. We must wipe out the Heavenly Court today. Once that is done, we can deal with those so-called ordinary mortals."
His meaning was simple: it was time to get serious, lest unnecessary delays invite unexpected complications.
Hearing this, the Ji clan Heavenly Rank Immortal narrowed his eyes slightly before nodding in agreement.
Indeed, they had far more important matters to attend to afterward, and they could not afford to waste any more time.
With that, the four powerhouses took another step forward. Tremendous auras swept outward from their bodies once more, accompanied by torrents of terrifying energy and boundless light swirling endlessly around them.
It was an utterly suffocating spectacle. Nearly every living being present was crushed beneath the weight of this aura, while the various races watching from the distance could not stop themselves from trembling in dread.
Chapter 540