Chapter 571: The Shallop That Blocks the Path

There was something akin to a sacrificial Dharma altar constructed somewhere in the palace. The altar was nine feet tall corresponding to the nine heavens. The rest of the palace was arranged according to the twelve divisions of the day, and in accordance with the stars dotting the celestial sphere. It gave it quite a lasting charm.

At present, red silk divided the entire white jade altar, forming internal, center, and external altars. Each altar was separated by a formation and covered in talisman papers. The lamps of the formation were lit. Its complex grandness gave one a feeling of profound abstrusity.

The Emperor, dressed in a robe embroidered with the pattern of a five-clawed True Dragon, was standing in front of the altar, staring at the forest-like lamps together with several of his cabinet ministers and eunuchs. The talisman papers were everywhere, as were the gleaming red silk strands. The Emperor had adopted a grave expression. Yesterday, the Azure Place had issued a decree that there would be an immortal descending to aid the imperial family. The news made them feel both expectant and apprehensive.

The Emperor, who was especially anxious about the situation in Qiao Province, burnt incense and fasted with a sincere heart. He dared not make any delay.

“I wonder which Immortal will descend?” Awaiting the auspicious moment, the emperor appeared to be talking to himself but also asking the ministers and eunuchs next to him.

There had been many immortals from the Azure Place who had come here over the years. The ancient immortals all wore masks and were identified by their numbers. They were no strangers to the imperial family and government. Naturally, there was curiosity and speculation about the immortal who would be assisting them.

An imposing-looking minister with a short beard said, “We will naturally receive a solution to our problem if it’s Progenitor Doumu, Immortal Taiyi, or the like who is descending. However, the situation in Qiao Province isn’t significant enough to affect the operation of the world. They might not be able to come. Perhaps it would be immortals such as Yun Zhongzi or Bluecloud Progenitor who will make an appearance.”

“Having any immortal is better than having none at all. I reckon those monarch-defying traitors in Qiao Province would not dare defy the Azure Palace!” The eunuch standing beside the Emperor appeared agitated, but he was actually feeling relieved.

The Emperor gave a gentle nod, his mind at ease once more.

He never expected that Qiao Province would put up such a fierce resistance. When he sent his first envoy, his intention was purely to give the province a rough wake-up call. When the first envoy died, he had assumed it was due to an encounter with a monster in the “Blight of the Immortals” or was struck by lightning. Now he found the issue pressing enough to request the help of the immortals. With their interference, the issue would likely be solved quickly.

Who gave these people such courage that they dared to resist the imperial family this way? Were they not afraid of the retaliation of strong masters?

The chiming of a clock was soon heard. The time had come.

The Emperor straightened his attire before slowly going up the steps as he recited the scripture for inviting the arrival of deities. He walked along the path formed by the red strands, concealing the figures of the world.

When he arrived at the top of the altar, he took out the yellow prayer papers and green ceremonial papers and chanted under his breath, respectfully welcoming the immortal from the Azure Palace.

The yellow prayer papers suddenly caught fire and burned with a scarlet flame. The flames only licked the paper, but not his fingers.

The fire burned fiercely, its flames rising. A dim green light floated in midair in front of the altar and then gave way to a green gate engraved with mysterious runes.

The green gate was old and simple. It appeared to have been carved out of stone. Every rune seemed to be harboring the great secrets of heaven and earth.

The green gate opened gradually with a creak, revealing tens of thousands of rays of light. The light filled the Emperor’s vision but it didn’t hurt his eyes.

The Emperor, ministers, and eunuchs all held their breath as they focused their gaze on the golden glow. They watched as an immortal in a large black robe stepped out of the gate and walked down the steps.

The mask fastened over the immortal’s face was majestic and solemn. It was impossible to tell his age. His appearance was the most common sight in Taoist temples.

“Heavenly Primogenitor!”

The Emperor and his ministers drew a sharp breath. They never expected that the Heavenly Primogenitor would be the one to come!

They knew the titles of the immortals in the Azure Palace did not necessarily correspond to their strengths. Even so, they had only heard of one immortal who bore a title related to the Triple Purity: “Primogenitor Lingbao”, the master of the Azure Palace. Now that they had come face-to-face with “Heavenly Primogenitor”, they could not help but let their imagination run wild from shock.

According to myths and legends, the position of Heavenly Primogenitor was superior to the position of Primogenitor Lingbao. It was the chief of Taoism, the beginning of everything, and the Seed of All Karma!

The Emperor took a deep breath and made a solemn salute even while wildly speculating in his mind. “We welcome thee, Primogenitor.”

There was more excitement over the arrival of the Heavenly Primogenitor than the other immortals

The ministers and eunuchs echoed the words of the Emperor.

“We welcome thee, Primogenitor.”

…

In a certain secret room, the only source of light was the single candle placed in the center.

More than ten people were gathered around the candle, with their faces hidden in the dark.

“What should we do now? We’ve received news from the other side that the Azure Palace has sent one of their immortals to escort the imperial envoy here,” a hoarse voice said.

“Humph! What else can we do? We either do it right or not do it at all! We’ll deal with this envoy the same way we dealt with the previous two!” A gloomy voice responded resolutely.

A hesitant old voice spoke. “That’s an immortal from the Azure Palace that you’re talking about…”

The powerful Azure Palace was steeped in great mystique. A mere mortal confronting an immortal was something that was sure to shake one’s self-confidence.

“So what? Are you saying that we should give up and let all our hard work go to waste? Even though the Azure Palace is powerful, records from past years clearly indicate a disparity in strength among immortals. We’re not completely helpless against some of them!” Another voice that sounded damaged spoke up.

“Since our affairs are yet to be exposed, the Azure Palace will not pay too much attention to us. They are unlikely to send a strong immortal here. All we have to do is sink the fleet of ships coming here, and they’ll be forced to wait a whole year to pass through the Blight of the Immortals. By then, our plans will have long come to fruition and we’ll have reaped the results of our hard work. What do we have to fear?”

The idea of benefits was enough to move their hearts, and desire had clouded their vision. When everyone heard this, they fell silent.

A sharp voice broke the silence after a short moment. “Whatever the case, this old man here has never heard of the Azure Palace, nor do I believe that there are immortals in this world! You’ve all secretly moved your family and relatives here. What are you afraid of?”

“Then let’s just deal with this envoy like we did the previous two but request ‘his’ help this time. We mustn’t be careless when dealing with an immortal,” said the hoarse voice, the first one who had spoken.

“That’s right. Either way, the one that Azure Palace has sent is a random, out-of-nowhere immortal called Heavenly Primogenitor. It’s not an immortal on par with Progenitor Doumu or Immortal Taiyi. What’s there to fear? With those two working together, they’ll definitely be able to cause the fleet of ships to meet a ‘sea accident’ and sink in the Blight of the Immortals!” the low voice added.

The group gradually came to a consensus. After some time, someone asked:

“What’s the current situation on the other side?”

…

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The seawater was an indigo blue hue, undulating gently. Its surface reflected the lightning flickering in midair, creating beautiful, dreamy waves. The place was shrouded with a dense fog as if harboring incredibly terrifying monsters.

A fleet of ships sailed in strict accordance to the results of Taoist auguring, bobbing up and down on the sea surface.

On the largest ship, many of the sailors were staring at the seemingly endless body of water, the fog that had cut off their vision, and the incessantly flaring green lightning. It felt as if heavy stones were weighing down on their hearts. The scene appeared severely violent, yet gave them an indescribable feeling of deathly stillness and isolation.

This feeling was common among those sailing on the Blight of the Immortals.

Several sailors who had nothing better to do began whispering among themselves. “Have you seen him? The immortal aboard this ship?”

Being ordinary citizens, they were full of curiosity about the Azure Palace.

“How can ordinary folks like us see an immortal? He has been cooped up in his room all this time. The food is only set down outside his door. Not even the imperial envoy has seen his face,” said one of the sailors, sighing.

The other sailor was also feeling regretful. “I wonder which immortal it is…”

“Either way, he can’t be a real immortal! How can a genuine immortal descend on earth?” said another sailor, curling his lip.

“Humph! Have you seen true immortals? Those storytellers have once said that true immortals are also lovers of beautiful women and wine.” Another sailor retorted.

Their arguments came to an abrupt end as they stood upright and made respectful bows. “Sir Envoy.”

The figure stepping out of the cabin was none other than the square-faced imperial envoy, Zhang Yuquan. He was in his forties, precisely at the peak of his vigorous youth. He had just stepped into the Exterior realm, making him strong enough to replace any of the governors of Qiao Province.

He had become nervous ever since their ships entered far into the Blight of the Immortals, afraid that he would meet the same fate as the previous envoys. He was sure that the governors likely had people backing them to put up such strong resistance. They might not compromise on this matter!

“I can only rely on the immortal…” He turned to look at the cabin, the mask of Heavenly Primogenitor appearing in his mind.

Even though Heavenly Primogenitor had yet to display his strength, he gave others the impression that he was a bottomless abyss.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept over Zhang Yuquan, so cold that he shuddered. The sailors and soldiers aboard the ship were worse off; they were all shivering.

It was uncertain when the brutal sea breeze had turned into sinisterly cold gusts of wind. The undulating indigo blue sea suddenly became calm, making the seawater seem like a massive sapphire.

The water appeared to be boiling but it was not hot. Gray bubbles floated up to the surface. The bubbling was so monotonous that it was terrifying, bringing with it the swirling of dense Yin Qi.

Goosebumps broke out on everyone but Zhang Yuquan. They felt as if invisible evil spirits were hiding all around them, weaving in and out of the walls of the ship, killing without leaving traces.

No one dared to speak, fearing that a scream would escape their mouth the moment it opened. The sinister coldness grew stronger and stronger, to the point that some of them felt like someone was breathing down their necks.

Zhang Yuquan took a deep breath and then threw a punch. Green lightning gathered around his fist like the blossoming of flowers, sending sizzling sounds resounding through the air. The sound turned into a forest of thunder that lashed out at the gloominess of their surroundings.

However, the coldness seemed to engulf his lightning and he brought no significant change. The sinister deathly stillness was so strong that it could almost be condensed into a tangible substance. It was as if it could quietly suffocate a person to death!

Right then, some distance from the vanguard of the fleet, a shallop emerged from the depths of the thick fog. The lone passenger was a person dressed in a snow-white robe with a long sword balanced across his knees. Though he had long, white hair, he did not look old.

He came floating on the shallop with carefree ease, his eyes only partially open. He was restraining his breath, revealing no sign of abnormality, like a blade hidden in its sheath. With his appearance accompanied by lightning, dense fog, and waves, he seemed like the protagonist – the center of everything!

“This momentum… this grace… this feeling…” Zhang Yuquan’s pupils shrunk in shock. He could tell just how fearsome this newcomer was. Even more terrifying was the fact that the sinister feeling and invisible evil spirits were difficult to counter!

“Primogenitor!” Zhang Yuquan suddenly remembered the immortal from the Azure Palace and subconsciously turned to glance behind him.

It was at this very moment that he felt a scorching heat!

The cold wind abruptly became warm as Yin turned into Yang. There was an inexplicable change in the Yin and Yang between heaven and earth.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!”

Blood-curdling screeches resounded one after another as incorporeal shadows emerged from their hiding spots in the cold gloominess. They remained intact even after withstanding the lightning and Yang Qi several times but the cold Yin had turned into a pure Yang. This left them no space to avoid the attacks. Sizzling sounds reverberated as if they were dumped into an oiled wok. Then, they disappeared in a flash.

It was only then that Zhang Yuquan realized that “enemies” had been lurking on the ship for a while now.

A sullen humph rang out from within the fog. The eyes of the white-robed swordsman on the shallop flew open. With a burst of his breath, he unsheathed his sword and slashed the fog and lightning cleanly apart.

However, his vision was suddenly filled with a fair and powerful palm. It was simple, unadorned, and aged. The print on this palm was dark and muddled while the front was faint and indistinct as if it was a shattered world.

The feeling of boundlessness surged in his face as the palm fell. Darkness descended around him as if the world was within the palm itself and would collapse because of this.

The swordsman felt as if the void around him was contracting, and the world was becoming smaller. The airflow was disrupted and disappeared without a trace, resulting in a feeling of lonely helplessness against the destruction of the world.

With his mind resisting, he sent Sword Qi coursing through his body and forcefully removed the feeling from within him. He pointed his sword upward and became one with it, radiating bursts of radiant sword light while turning the darkness into vortices. This way, he was able to eliminate the terrifying force of the palm.

The surging tide turned into a water sword that pierced the air.

Clank!

The fair palm slammed onto the long sword without any ado. The swordsman only felt the indescribable force weighing down on him.

The flesh between his thumb and forefinger split open and his arm broke. Both of his feet sank into the shallop. He watched helplessly as the long, powerful palm pushed his sword backward until it made contact with his forehead.

“How could such a terrifying force exist?”

It split his forehead open, sending his brain oozing out of the wound. He could see the faint outline of a majestic-looking man wearing a mask.

The man was nearly seven meters tall, with his force interweaved with the Dharma and Logos. He gave off an impression of indomitability; that he had control over everything under the sky. It was as if he was a true immortal!

“Heavenly Primogenitor?”

“Heavenly Primogenitor!”

Darkness gradually enveloped the swordsman’s vision.