This Heavenly Court Cult Is Highly Likely a New Demonic Cult!

The Great Xia Imperial Palace. Emperor Xia dismissed the eunuchs and palace maids, holding a council here with the leaders of the Five Great Immortal Sects. In the vast palace, there were only six people, leaving the hall feeling remarkably cavernous and empty. "Fellow Daoist Yun, long time no see." "Palace Master Luo is too courteous." "Fellow Daoist Qiu, I hear you were involved in the events at Hanshui City from beginning to end?" "I was fortunate enough to survive." The six exchanged brief pleasantries, with only the Abbot of the Hanging Temple remaining silent, as he was cultivating Silent Chan. Seeing that everyone had arrived, Emperor Xia introduced the day's topic. "Regarding the incident at Hanshui City, I assume the five of you are already broadly aware of what transpired. If not for an unforeseen figure appearing at the very end, I am afraid Great Yu would have seized the power of national destiny." Yun Zhi had originally planned to convene a conference of the righteous path, but once Emperor Xia learned of what had happened in Hanshui City, he acted first and summoned the five of them together. In terms of the result, there was not much difference. Emperor Xia's eyes flashed with indignation. The theft of the power of national destiny was an earth-shattering matter; the Old Ancestor might have to take action personally to retrieve it, and once the Old Ancestor stepped in, all subsequent plans would be thrown into disarray. "Old Qiu, you experienced the events at Hanshui City firsthand. Tell us what happened," said the Sect Master of the Prison Suppressing Sect. He possessed a rugged build, with slivers of tattoos visible at his neck, wrists, and ankles—meaning his entire body was covered in war tattoos, the hallmark of having brought the war tattoo cultivation method to great attainment. Qiu Jin'an had already wrapped up the aftermath in Hanshui City before arriving at the imperial palace for the council. "My journey to Hanshui City was purely accidental. I had been ambushed by villains and struck with a curse. Needing the power of national destiny to purge it, I went to the nearest city, Hanshui City, to seek its aid. "At that time, Hanshui City was suffering a disaster caused by ghostly apparitions, orchestrated by Great Yu cultivators, though no one saw through it back then. "Immediately afterward, Wu Youdao appeared on the scene. Using the rule powers of the Tribulation Transcendence stage, he cut off all communication from Hanshui City and wreaked havoc throughout the city." "Wu Youdao, that sixth Emperor Yu?" a woman interjected at an appropriate moment in Qiu Jin'an's account. She was Luo Hongxia, Palace Master of the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace. "Yes, none other than him. He bears the countenance of an emperor, and when we fought, he also used Dragon-Tiger Qi. He was formidable to deal with. It took the joint efforts of Provincial Governor Lü and myself just to barely fight him to a draw. "Just as the battle reached a stalemate, a man wearing a white paper hat appeared. The combat prowess he displayed was virtually equal to mine." "Virtually equal to yours?" The Sect Master of the Prison Suppressing Sect was somewhat surprised. He knew Qiu Jin'an's strength well; someone on par with Qiu Jin'an could not possibly be an unknown figure. "Although that man never revealed his identity from start to finish, judging from his fighting style, he closely resembled someone from the Nine Nether Cult. And in the Nine Nether Cult, the only person capable of matching me is their Cult Master! "Afterward, I investigated him and discovered that his traces have been all over Huangzhou in recent years. Using avatar techniques, he committed crimes everywhere and was placed on Huangzhou's wanted list. However, because he relied on his intellect to carry out his deeds, his true cultivation was never revealed, so the Huangzhou authorities severely underestimated his strength. "The three of us joined forces and were on the verge of defeating Wu Youdao when Venerable Xuanlei appeared. What was even more despair-inducing was that the Sect Master of the Corpse Driving Sect had been possessed by Venerable Wu Ji. That meant Hanshui City was facing the threat of three Tribulation Transcendence experts. "Venerable Wu Ji further used the identity of the Corpse Driving Sect Master along with the Great Seal of Huangzhou to temporarily strip Provincial Governor Lü of his control over the power of national destiny. "Just as I was preparing to fight to the death, the figure of a female cultivator appeared. Her strength was unknown, and her true identity was unknown. She claimed to be the Supreme Grand Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court Cult—Dou Tianzun. Relying on the unowned power of national destiny, she fought one against three and crushed Wu Youdao and his two accomplices in overwhelming fashion! "Regrettably, Wu Youdao and the other two managed to escape afterward." Although he had already received Provincial Governor Lü's report on what had happened, hearing Qiu Jin'an recount it again still left Emperor Xia deeply astonished. Crushing three opponents at once in a one-on-three fight meant Dou Tianzun's true realm was far above the three of them. At the very least, a half-immortal! "What kind of faction is this Heavenly Court Cult? Why have I never heard of it before?" The Sect Master of the Prison Suppressing Sect voiced the question on everyone's mind. Everyone racked their brains, but after thinking for a long time, all they could recall were ancient texts that contained descriptions of a 'Heavenly Court.' However, there were far too many conflicting versions describing the Heavenly Court, and historians had never reached a consensus on whether it had ever truly existed. What was the relationship between the ancient Heavenly Court and the Heavenly Court Cult? "I had never heard of it either," Qiu Jin'an said. "Judging by the reactions of Wu Youdao and his two companions, they hadn't heard of the Heavenly Court Cult either. "However, judging by the reaction of the Nine Nether Cult Master beside me, he ought to have known of the Heavenly Court Cult's existence. "When he saw Dou Tianzun appear, he was also surprised, but mostly thrilled. Afterward, he even told me that Dou Tianzun is an unspeakable grand figure who can casually toy with stars like beans." "Toying with stars... Is Dou Tianzun an ancient figure?" Emperor Xia tapped the table rhythmically. All those seated here were at the apex of power in the cultivation world; hardly anything remained a secret to them. They all knew the stars across the sky had disappeared, replaced by Yun Zhi's Golden Core. In other words, no one in today's cultivation world could toy with the stars like beans anymore. Dou Tianzun could only be an ancient figure. Ever since cultivators from the Great Yu and Great Qian dynasties began emerging, even older ancient cultivators had now shown themselves—and an ancient almighty being at that. They simply didn't know which ancient almighty being it was; even if much of ancient history was lost, the venerated name of a cultivator at that level should not have been omitted! "More and more factions are getting involved in this struggle of the Golden Age," the Sect Master of the Prison Suppressing Sect lamented. Qiu Jin'an nodded. "I share the same thought. I suspect this Heavenly Court Cult is connected to the ancient Heavenly Court. There are numerous versions of the ancient Heavenly Court, but one detail remains constant: the Heavenly Court was the ruler of the ancient era!" He was remarkably erudite and particularly well-versed in ancient lore. Making a bold hypothesis while seeking careful verification, he continued, "Deducing further, the objective of the Heavenly Court Cult may very well be to restore the rule of the ancient Heavenly Court. That also explains why Dou Tianzun attacked Wu Youdao—their interests clashed." Luo Hongxia followed up on Qiu Jin'an's analysis. "The Nine Nether Cult Master knows the Heavenly Court Cult's Dou Tianzun, which indicates a connection between the two cults!" The Sect Master of the Prison Suppressing Sect also grasped a clue in analyzing the Heavenly Court Cult: "With someone like Dou Tianzun among their ranks, the Heavenly Court Cult is bound to be exceptionally powerful. Yet we knew nothing of their existence, meaning they have been operating in secret all along—until now, making their first appearance to proclaim their presence to the world with absolute power!" The Abbot of the Hanging Temple wanted to speak as well, but cultivating Silent Chan forbade him from uttering a word. In the end, Emperor Xia voiced the conclusion for him: "This Heavenly Court Cult is highly likely a new demonic cult. Originally, with the fall of the Immortal Cult, only three of the Four Great Demonic Cults remained. Now, with the addition of the Heavenly Court Cult, there are still Four Great Demonic Cults!" Everyone nodded in unison, agreeing with Emperor Xia's conclusion. At this moment, Qiu Jin'an noticed Yun Zhi, who had remained silent the entire time, and asked, "Fellow Daoist Yun, you are erudite and knowledgeable, and you possess the highest cultivation among us. What are your thoughts on the Heavenly Court Cult?" Yun Zhi scanned the room and said calmly, "I am the Cult Master of the Heavenly Court Cult." "!!!"