Just Because You Haven't Heard of It, Does That Mean the Heavenly Court Doesn't Exist?

The Fairy Boxing rained down upon him with crackling pops. None of his defensive techniques worked in the slightest; it was as if the opponent could see right through his weaknesses, every single punch striking right where he was most vulnerable, leaving him writhing in pain. The onlookers in the crowd had no idea that the identities of the two combatants atop the Altar of Heaven had quietly escalated, but all of them could see that Zhu Yunwu was being beaten even more miserably than before. Zhu Yunwu earnestly studied his master's moves, feeling that he was gaining tremendous insights—perhaps this was his master's true intention all along. Seeing that his defensive arts were useless, Zhu Tian switched tactics and adjusted his posture so that taking the beating wouldn't hurt as much. What Zhu Tian found most baffling was that he kept feeling an uncanny familiarity with the opponent's moves, as if he had been thrashed in this exact same manner back in the ancient era. Yet when he searched his memories carefully, none of the opponents he recalled matched. How strange. The pain wrenched him back from his recollections to face reality. He couldn't go on like this. He had to pull back, put some distance between them, and regroup. He deliberately feigned an opening to lure the Immortal Fairy into attacking. Sure enough, the Immortal Fairy took the bait and struck at the vulnerability. Zhu Tian seized the moment and leaped to the right. The Immortal Fairy had anticipated this long ago and likewise hopped to the right, continuing to pummel Zhu Tian. She had thoroughly figured out all of Zhu Tian's attack patterns ages ago. After attempting to break free eight or nine times, Zhu Tian finally flew gasping into the air, putting distance between himself and the Immortal Fairy. Looking down at her, an inexplicable trace of dread welled up within him. This was not fear born from the beating he had just endured, but a primordial terror handed down from the ancient era, buried deep within his soul. Zhu Tian's gaze turned chillingly cold. Twisting his plump, rotund body, he shifted his footwork and flapped his four wings. It sounded like musical instruments harmonizing in unison, carrying an indescribably coordinated beauty—as though hundreds of people were performing an ensemble with different instruments, functions, and rhythms, yet once played together, it produced an absolute harmony, as if it was meant to be this way all along. This was one of his ultimate arts, terrifyingly powerful, which could barely be executed at the Nascent Soul stage. Monstrous waves surged atop the Altar of Heaven, like the ancient world-extinguishing deluge. The floodwaters carried the intent of corrosion and obliteration; even touching a single drop would make skin sizzle and smoke, and if one were unfortunate enough to be swallowed by the flood, not even bones would remain! "Summoning a deluge... What dance is Zhu Yunwu performing? Does anyone recognize it?" "It seems to be the legendary Immortal-Perishing World-Extinguishing Dance! It's Supreme Zhu Tian's exclusive dance, known to Zhu Tian alone! That is no ordinary flood—it is the deluge of the ancient era, which once destroyed several stars!" "It looks like Supreme Zhu Tian truly values this disciple of his." "This Young Cult Master Lu is no simple figure either. From start to finish, he's been suppressing Zhu Yunwu in combat. The reputation of an ancient genius is truly extraordinary." Hearing the chatter below, Lu Yang grew a little nervous. "This dance is called the Immortal-Perishing World-Extinguishing Dance... Could it be that a half-immortal once died to this move?" The Immortal Fairy waved her hand dismissively. "The name just sounds intimidating, but it's really nothing special. "When Immortal Ying Tian gave lectures back then, he said that as a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator or half-immortal, setting aside the actual might of your moves, their names must always sound overwhelmingly powerful to people. He called it 'gaining the upper hand by seizing the momentum.' "This Immortal doesn't buy into that nonsense. Being practical and effective beats everything else. As for names, just make one up casually." Lu Yang: "..." The world-extinguishing deluge coalesced and swirled in midair. The faster his four wings flapped, the more floodwaters were generated. In the end, the flood grew so vast that it blotted out the sun and sky, heavier and denser than storm clouds. If it poured down, it would inevitably submerge the entire Altar of Heaven. The deluge covered so vast an expanse that even trying to take flight and escape would be futile! "Go!" Zhu Tian flapped his four wings, and the force sustaining the world-extinguishing deluge vanished, sending it crashing down upon the Altar of Heaven with a torrential roar. The Immortal Fairy showed no trace of fear. She tapped a point in space with her index finger, producing a soft pop. The moisture in the air vanished instantaneously, as if an invisible giant hand swept upstream, wiping away every trace of water above the Immortal Fairy's head, including the world-extinguishing deluge. "Water Avoidance Art." "How is that possible?!" Zhu Tian's eyes widened to saucers. The signature art he was so proud of had been neutralized just like that? Water Avoidance Art? That spell had been lost to time ages ago, known only to ancient cultivators. Could his opponent truly be from the ancient era? "Not good!" Above the Immortal Fairy wasn't just the world-extinguishing deluge—Zhu Tian himself was there too! Zhu Tian felt the moisture within his own body vanishing at an alarming rate, shriveling him up until he looked like a corpse dead for a whole year. If he forced himself to move, his entire body would fall apart. "La—Spring warmth brings blossoms and awakens all living things—" Zhu Tian burst into song. This was the Spring Song of the Four Seasons Songs. Spring symbolized rebirth and revival, capable of restoring his condition. After his revival, it had taken him a mere two hundred years to return to his peak condition, and the Spring Song had played an indispensable role in that feat. "He does have a knack for singing," the Immortal Fairy muttered. Back then, Zhu Tian had often sung before opening an altar to preach the Dao to liven up the atmosphere. She soared into the air, riding clouds and mist, and continued the magical duel against Zhu Tian aloft. Fairy Boxing was endlessly unpredictable and all-encompassing. Zhu Tian's myriad attacks were all deftly dismantled by the Immortal Fairy through ingenious methods. Fairy Boxing originated from various herbal boxing arts. Herbs were medicine, but they were also poisons; in the Immortal Fairy's hands, they could be interchanged at will. Even setting aside the fact that Zhu Tian had forgotten the Immortal Fairy and was unfamiliar with her fighting style, even if he hadn't forgotten, fighting the Immortal Fairy at the same cultivation level back in the ancient era would still have resulted in him getting beaten black and blue. "Enough!" Zhu Tian could no longer contain his fury. Withdrawing his strand of divine sense back into his true body, he bellowed fiercely, brutally cutting the contest short. The Nascent Soul stage was simply too distant in his memory; he had long forgotten what methods could be employed at that level, and he couldn't defeat Young Cult Master Lu. Zhu Tian, colossal as a mountain, flapped his four wings and whipped up a violent gale, descending onto the Altar of Heaven. The howling tempest sent the onlookers staggering and tumbling, with no small number swept clean off their feet. Ten Tribulation Transcendence stage Demon Emperors followed close behind, surrounding Lu Yang. Zhu Tian wore a cruel sneer, looking at Lu Yang as though he were already a corpse: "We roamed the ancient era unhindered and never once heard of any Heavenly Court! You junior concocted a nonexistent Heavenly Court and parade around as some Young Cult Master Lu, sullying the reputation of antiquity. Do you hold this ancient cultivator in such contempt?! "Out of pity for how hard cultivation is, We refrained from exposing your identity. Yet time and time again you cause trouble at the founding ceremony of the Demon Empire! Where do you leave the dignity of the demon race? Where do you leave the dignity of the Demon Domain?!" The moment Zhu Tian uttered those words, the crowd below erupted into an uproar. No one had anticipated that Supreme Zhu Tian would reveal such a shocking secret. "There was no Heavenly Court in antiquity? Does that mean the Heavenly Court Cult is fake?" "Then this Young Cult Master Lu is actually..." "How could that be? If the Heavenly Court Cult is fake, could Dou Tianzun defeating the Great Yu cultivators be fake as well?" "Why couldn't it be? Maybe it was an act staged internally by the Great Yu cultivators to divert the world's attention!" "What kind of exalted figure is Supreme Zhu Tian? He surely wouldn't lie about something like this!" Mu Baiyi and Shi Huagu exchanged a look, doubt taking root in their hearts. The Heavenly Court Cult was fake? How was that possible? Then who was the person cooperating with them, and what was their background? Yet Supreme Zhu Tian's words stood right before them, making it impossible not to believe. "Could it be that we've been duped?" Right as the crowd buzzed with discussion, a clear, chilly voice echoed across the entirety of Demon City. The clear, cold voice seemed tinged with amusement, laughing at the folly of the world, laughing at Zhu Tian's ignorance. "Zhu Tian, just because you haven't heard of it, does that mean the Heavenly Court doesn't exist?" "Who speaks?!" Zhu Tian looked around nervously, extending his divine sense to scan the area. The voice sounded so familiar it made his skin crawl. A black-robed figure soared forth and landed lightly upon the Altar of Heaven, shielding Lu Yang behind her. "Who are you?!" Zhu Tian reacted as if facing a mortal foe, an ominous premonition seizing him as he glared fixedly at the figure in black. The black-robed figure threw back her hood, revealing an exquisitely peerless countenance. She looked at Zhu Tian with a faint smirk, her gaze brimming with disdain and contempt. "One of the Heavenly Court Cult's Four Imperials: the Great Emperor of Southern Nirvana, Jiang Lianyi."