The partial destruction of the Dongyuan Huaying Heaven by Gu Xichen’s minor display of power immediately slew over ten billion guardian celestial beings, and completely wiped out an elite corps of Immortals whom Grand Master Xuandu, Yunzhongzi, and Zhao Gongming had painstakingly recruited over several millennia.

This act not only sent the myriad guardian heavens howling in rage but also instilled in those three old Daoists a bone-deep hatred for the protectors of the heavens.

Both sides were convinced the other had orchestrated a scheme involving self-inflicted harm, driving them to the brink of madness with this profound enmity.

That very night, following the clash, Gu Xichen’s divine sense, which blanketed the entire Sanlian City, perceived three figures infiltrating the city like phantoms. The countless restrictions and formations within the city offered no obstacle to these three shadows; aided by a foot-long Taiqing Talisman held in their hands, they easily reached the depths of Sanlian City.

His divine sense followed the trio to a district, watching as the three disguised figures approached the encampments of the disciples from the Kunlun and Zhongnan Sects.

Daoist Xiaozhang and Daoist Zhengyi, awestruck and respectful, welcomed Grand Master Xuandu, Yunzhongzi, and Zhao Gongming into their quarters. The core disciples of both sects bowed deeply to the three old Daoists, fervently chanting praises to their ancestral grandmasters.

The three elders assumed the solemn and dignified air of venerable predecessors. After meticulously briefing the assembled Daoists, they transformed their appearances and melted seamlessly into the ranks of the two sects’ disciples. Gu Wuchen noted that Daoist Xiaozhang and Daoist Zhengyi seemed newly injected with adrenaline, their very essence vibrating; they bustled about, shrilly directing their disciples into frantic motion.

Gu Xichen smiled. Despite the elders employing various protective restrictions, he heard every word they instructed the disciples of the two sects. It seemed the three elders were driven to distraction; they were clearly planning a severe reckoning for the guardians of the heavens.

However, this reckoning had begun the moment the disciples of Zhongnan and Kunlun joined the celestial protectors; it was not a sudden impulse. It was simply that now, like wolves whose tails had been severed, they were even more desperate to exact revenge upon the guardians of the heavens.

Leaving a sliver of his divine sense to monitor the situation, Gu Wuchen calmed his mind and returned to his own cultivation and comprehension.

The three hundred and sixty Sea-Calming Divine Pearls were being divided and gradually absorbed by the nascent Origin Yin Profound Pearl and the Origin Yang Profound Pearl. Aided by the vast primordial power of these Sea-Calming Divine Pearls originating from a foreign domain, the transformation of the two Profound Pearls would accelerate, and their power would grow ever stronger.

In terms of primordial energy, each Sea-Calming Divine Pearl from that exotic realm was ten thousand times more potent than the natively grown Taiyin and Taiyang Profound Pearls. Yet, Gu Xichen intended for them to individually devour one hundred and eighty of these innate supreme treasures, each vastly superior to themselves. One could only imagine the might the newborn Origin Yin and Origin Yang Profound Pearls would attain once they had fully consumed and merged with the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls. ↓Zhao Gongming.00

Gu Xichen let out a strange laugh. Seizing the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls had forged a massive karmic connection with Zhao Gongming. Yet, he felt no concern about whether this karma could ever be resolved—‘At worst,’ he thought, ‘I can simply return the clone of Zhao Gongming I summoned to the real Zhao Gongming. A clone that has already attained the Great Overarching Golden Immortal realm holds immense value for an ancient Golden Immortal.’

These Sea-Calming Divine Pearls were now truly secured. Gu Xichen smiled with certainty and continued to contemplate the Wheel of Laws within that projected world. He had completely comprehended the Wheel of Faith, and now he was beginning to study another Wheel of Law—the 'Power of Flame.'

The guardians of the heavens, just as they had done with previous celestial realms, madly plundered the Dongyuan Huaying Heaven, seven P.

Then, they shattered the celestial realm and began extracting the sealed primordial power of the ancient Demon Gods, once again augmenting the demonic energy of Sanlian City. Naturally, Gu Xichen snatched the most refined and purest essence of this Demon God power, leaving behind only the dregs for Sanlian City.

Unaware, the guardians of Sanlian City rejoiced, drinking Soma wine and celebrating for ten days and nights, elated at finally sweeping through the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and seizing their immense power.

Subsequently, under the summons of giants like Great Brahma Heaven, the countless guardian celestial beings of Sanlian City collectively performed a massive sacrifice, offering all the Immortals they had forcibly enslaved as sacrificial victims to the Demon Ji).

The pretense of enslaving these Immortals had been to offer them a sliver of hope for survival. Once all was settled, the celestial guardians, with naked ambition, gleefully and without hesitation used these Immortals as offerings. It was a cruel, vast sacrifice that made even Gu Wuchen tremble.

Trillions of Immortals were slaughtered, and countless guardian celestial beings offered their own bodies within the sacrificial flames, torturing their flesh and souls through the cruelest means, harnessing the colossal demonic energy fluctuations generated by the sacrificed Immortals to inflict unending torment upon themselves.

They decapitated themselves as offerings; they ripped out their own organs as offerings; they burned their souls and bodies as offerings.

Even more frenzied, the Asuras and ascetic Immortals offered the lives of their children and kin, using this cruel and inhumane method of sacrifice to cause more light-rain to descend upon the Wheel of Heavenly Dao, thereby soliciting greater power as a reward from the Demon God.

Ninety percent of the power defying the Heavenly Dao was absorbed by the projected world; only ten percent descended upon Sanlian City.

But even this remainder of power was terrifyingly immense, allowing numerous guardian celestial beings to advance one, sometimes even two, levels of power. Great Brahma Heaven and the other two major giants had stepped onto the threshold of being Primordial Harmony level entities. Indra and the Great Celestial Gods, along with Pāpīyas and the Demon Kings, now stood at the apex of the Great Overarching Golden Immortal realm, with only a thin veil separating them from the Primordial Harmony realm.

In this vast, brutal, and bloody sacrifice, the Heavenly Emperor Indra even offered up the more than one hundred thousand children he had fathered with several thousand Heavenly Maidens over the years to the Demon God. The immense power gained through this act surpassed that of all other gods and demon kings, successfully cementing his unshakeable position as the foremost figure beneath the three giants.

Gu Xichen couldn't help but shake his head; the demonic arts practiced by these celestial protectors were truly beyond imagination.

However, when they performed the sacrifice, ninety percent of the power flowed into the projected world, and Gu Xichen’s divine sense was currently delving into the Wheels of Law within that projection. This vast, uncontrolled power, before it could even be assimilated by the projected world, was marshaled by Gu Xichen’s divine sense and channeled into his own body.

The origins of this power were bloody and cruel, but Gu Xichen had not personally executed the acts. He gained this tremendous surge of power, causing his own cultivation to skyrocket again, yet he accrued not a shred of the corresponding karma—he had genuinely seized a massive windfall for nothing.

His personal gain was equivalent to nine times the total power obtained by all the guardian celestial beings combined. Propelled by this colossal power, Gu Wuchen’s Pangu True Body and the Profound Yellow Indestructible Body divine abilities, which had long stalled, underwent earth-shattering changes, leaping forward another substantial step.

As Gu Wuchen contentedly felt the changes within himself, Sanlian City slowly pulled away from the Chaos Space and began moving toward its ultimate destination.

Amidst the cheers of countless guardian celestial beings, the gorgeously adorned Goddess Lakshmi slowly ascended to the highest tier of Sanlian City, positioning herself at the most central, highest, grandest, and most splendid altar. With an arrogant smile, Goddess Lakshmi gracefully walked to the center of the altar. Dozens of transparent crystal pillars slowly rose from the four corners of the altar, piercing toward Goddess Lakshmi’s body. These pillars, with sharp tips, slowly sank into her tender flesh. Pale golden blood trickled down the smooth surface of the crystal pillars, gradually covering the entire altar. Sanlian City shuddered violently.

The myriad guardian celestial beings fell silent, their expressions manic as they watched Goddess Lakshmi. Had it not been for the fact that she was Vishnu’s wife, and a displeased Vishnu sat atop the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird overseeing the guardians, perhaps some fearless Demon King would have dared to approach and accost the blood-soaked Goddess Lakshmi. At this moment, Goddess Lakshmi exuded a cruel beauty that held an irresistible attraction for those Demon Kings.

Great Brahma Heaven and Shiva glared fiercely at Goddess Lakshmi, who was clad only in a light gauze, then simultaneously roared, vanishing along with Vishnu. They instantly retreated into the control core of Sanlian City, transforming into three orbs of fire that enveloped the colossal crystal sphere.

Goddess Lakshmi’s body suddenly swayed. Nearly half the blood within her had been drawn out by the crystal pillars of the altar, flowing through the countless demonic runes across the platform and spreading in all directions. In agony, Goddess Lakshmi softly chanted an arcane spell, and large quantities of fresh blood continuously regenerated within her body, gradually flowing out.

Demonic runes, fine as a spider's web, covered the entirety of Sanlian City, and Goddess Lakshmi’s blood flowed along these runes, gradually permeating the entire city.

A strange wave of magical power rippled outward. Seven-colored divine light flickered in Goddess Lakshmi’s eyes, and then her entire form dissolved into a ball of seven-colored light that enveloped the vast Sanlian City. The pale golden blood surged into the sky like an endless tide, accompanied by intoxicating fragrances and myriad illusions. Sanlian City instantly transformed into a single, incomparably massive bead of blood, rising slowly surrounded by countless phantoms.

In a flash, Sanlian City vanished from the boundless Chaos Space. The next instant, Sanlian City arrived in a strange dimension.

Here, the sky was clear and bright, bathed in the blazing sun high above. Strange light saturated the void, and under its illumination, not the slightest shadow existed. The numerous gods and Asuras simultaneously looked down at their feet, finding no shadows there either.

There were no clouds overhead, but beneath their feet stretched an endless expanse of white, billowing clouds extending in all directions. Even the guardians with the keenest eyesight could not discern where this continent formed of white clouds ended.

Great Brahma Heaven and the other three giants appeared on the walls of Sanlian City. With their strength nearing the Primordial Harmony level, they fully unleashed their divine senses yet still could not discern the extent of this white cloud expanse. With their power, their divine sense could instantaneously cover any celestial realm in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, yet they could not penetrate the boundary of these white clouds, indicating this void was vastly, vastly larger than the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Vishnu sighed softly: “The Thirty-Three Heavens of the Ancient Celestial Court truly lives up to its reputation!”

As the words left his mouth, the pale golden blood waves outside Sanlian City shattered violently. The seven-colored divine light slowly retreated to the altar, gradually coalescing into the graceful figure of Goddess Lakshmi. Her face was deathly pale; she swayed a few times and then collapsed heavily onto the ground.

Vishnu was about to rush forward to support her when a sandalwood-colored divine light flashed nearby, and an exquisitely beautiful Heavenly Maiden was already at Goddess Lakshmi’s side, helping her. But Vishnu saw clearly: the fingers of this maiden gently swept across all the meridians on Goddess Lakshmi’s body. He even sensed that this maiden emitted a subtle aura, probing the internal energies of Goddess Lakshmi.

Vishnu snorted coldly, strode forward, roughly shoved the maiden aside, and drew Goddess Lakshmi into his embrace. “Goddess Guangyan, no need for your services!” Vishnu glared fiercely at the maiden whose beauty rivaled Goddess Lakshmi’s, yet possessed a stronger allure.

Goddess Guangyan, Youli Po Shi, cast a submissive glance at Vishnu, subtly lowered her head, and retreated a few steps, stopping exactly beside the Heavenly Emperor Indra. Indra roared with laughter, throwing an arm around Goddess Guangyan’s waist and murmuring something close to her ear.

Goddess Guangyan giggled sweetly, leaning in as if to kiss Indra. Her crimson lips lightly brushed across Indra’s cheek, and she whispered a phrase.

Great Brahma Heaven and Shiva, possessing excellent hearing, caught the private exchange between Goddess Guangyan and Indra: “Akshmi’s magic is entirely depleted... Just as Your Majesty predicted, forcing the activation of her innate divine ability to bring the entire Sanlian City to the Thirty-Three Heavens has exhausted all her divine power. It will take at least three years before she recovers even a sliver of strength!” Great Brahma Heaven and Shiva nodded with satisfaction.

Seeing the familiar behavior between Goddess Guangyan and Indra, Vishnu was about to strain his ears to eavesdrop on their conversation when Goddess Lakshmi sharply pushed him away, preventing him from clearly hearing what Indra and Goddess Guangyan had said.

Giving Vishnu a sharp glare, Goddess Lakshmi patted her body where his large hand had touched it and stated coolly: “Provide me with an absolutely secure secret chamber; I require deep seclusion for recovery. Do not disturb me for a year!”

Great Brahma Heaven gestured emphatically toward Shiva with his fingers. Shiva showed Great Brahma Heaven three fingers. They exchanged a knowing look, their smiles filled with secrecy.

Vishnu’s face darkened as he glanced at Great Brahma Heaven and Shiva. He then looked back at Indra.

Indra, Vishnu’s brother by birth, lowered his head, appearing absorbed in examining the color of the sandalwood powder painted on Goddess Guangyan’s bare feet. Vishnu’s expression grimaced, and he nodded thoughtfully. He summoned his personal divine generals and ordered them to escort Goddess Lakshmi to his divine palace to rest.

Gu Xichen’s divine sense observed all of this. He pondered for a moment, leaving his true body in the quiet room to study the mysteries of the projected world. He merged his Three Corpse Primordial Spirits into one, transforming into a Rakshasa demon several yards tall, gnawing on a pig’s trotter, and followed the Corpse Emperor and others onto the city walls.

As the guardians of the heavens drew nearer to their ultimate objective, their internal conflicts intensified and grew more severe—a development Gu Xichen was quite pleased to witness. When Sanlian City was first constructed, a bloody slaughter had erupted between the gods and the demons. If such a conflict could erupt among the three major giants—Great Brahma Heaven, Shiva, and Vishnu—it would be the most delightful scenario.

From the faint signs Gu Xichen had detected, Great Brahma Heaven and Shiva seemed to be at odds with Vishnu, while Indra also appeared to harbor ambitions of establishing his own faction. Furthermore, the other Demon Kings, Rakshasa Kings, and Yaksha Kings seemed unimpressed with the rule of the gods. Very well, Gu Xichen thought, let the storm rage more fiercely, and he smiled triumphantly.

Only tens of millions of miles ahead, shrouded in a cluster of green-blue clouds and rosy mist, a magnificent archway, tens of thousands of miles high, stood erect—a structure of gold and jade.

Even from this distance, Gu Wuchen could clearly see the grand archway without expending any magical power, and on the archway’s tablet, he could discern three glowing, ancient tadpole-like divine characters—The South Heaven Gate!

This was the South Heaven Gate, the portal to enter the Thirty-Three Heavens of the Celestial Court. In ancient times, the four brothers of Mo Li guarded this place. The Monkey King also caused destruction here during his rampage in the Celestial Palace. The countless celestial soldiers and generals accompanying Gu Xichen had passed through this archway countless times, oblivious to their past.

The South Heaven Gate, perhaps even more famous than the Celestial Court itself. How many turbulent stories had unfolded around this gateway?

Gu Xichen seemed to glimpse figures entering and exiting this portal—some ethereal, some mighty, some divine, some authoritative—and he seemed to witness endless clashes of swords, blood, and gore. He thought he could hear the sounds that once shocked the entire Three Realms emanating from this gateway in the ancient past. The pivot of the Three Realms, the seat of supreme authority for the Three Realms.

Here, the granular laws of the Heavenly Dao were concentrated: heavenly thunder and earthly fire, blazing flames and freezing ice. The various divine generals and celestial sovereigns were all manifestations of the Heavenly Dao, representatives of it. This Celestial Court, this gateway, embodied the visible face of the Heavenly Dao.

For all beings in the Three Realms, for an incredibly long time, the Celestial Court symbolized the Heavenly Dao.

To control the Celestial Court was to confront the Heavenly Dao directly! The Thirty-Three Heavens of the Ancient Celestial Court was the direct shortcut to the Heavenly Dao.

Great Brahma Heaven, Shiva, and Vishnu gazed at the South Heaven Gate with fervent light in their eyes. To control the Celestial Court was to directly seize a portion of the Heavenly Dao’s power, directly grasp a portion of the Heavenly Dao’s laws. With their cultivation and insight, they might even break through to the Saint realm! Once they controlled the rules of the Heavenly Dao for this universe, “...even if the two Buddhist Saints return, what fear would we have of them?” the three giants roared with laughter.

Indra and the other gods, along with Pāpīyas and the Demon Kings, looked toward the South Heaven Gate with even greater greed. Although prohibitions placed by the Great God Haotian and other supreme beings before they left this universe prevented any vision beyond the South Heaven Gate, this could not stop their frantic longing and dreams. To control the Heavenly Dao, to become Saints, to achieve eternal, undying existence, free from all future calamities. From then on, they could indulge in everything to their hearts' content!

Women, fine wine, absolute power—a mere command could cause billions of heads to roll. This was the true majesty befitting these Great Celestial Gods and Great Demon Kings.

Of course, the spatial capacity of this universe could only sustain a limited number of Saint positions; to achieve Sainthood, they would have to compete with countless others!

Gu Xichen watched these excited gods and demons and suddenly let out a strange laugh. He suddenly roared at the top of his lungs: “Charge, brothers! The chance for Sainthood is before us! Controlling the Celestial Court increases the hope of achieving Sainthood by at least tenfold! For the Saint position, charge!”

Heaven knows, this shout was uttered by Gu Wuchen using nothing more than his raw vocal cords, without employing any divine ability or magic power whatsoever.

Yet, this single shout caused the countless warriors of the gods, demons, and non-human races within Sanlian City’s nine hundred and ninety-nine layers of gold, silver, and iron to erupt in unified cheers and charge forth. Dark clouds and fierce winds, mixed with golden auspicious clouds, swept out. In the blink of an eye, at least ten million warriors from every single city layer surged out. Across the nine hundred and ninety-nine layers, over ninety million, exceeding ten billion, warriors swarmed out. Chhht! A crisp sound. As these warriors rushed out of Sanlian City, a faint silver light suddenly flashed in the empty void ahead.

The figures of the various troop contingents instantly halted, then their heads flew toward the sky. Over ten billion columns of blood shot straight up, and a deluge of blood rain poured down, followed by countless bodies crashing heavily, piling up into a mountain of gore before Sanlian City.

The cold light flashed and vanished, and over ten billion warriors of all contingents were completely annihilated, their bodies and souls severed, not even a trace of lingering soul escaping.

The void ahead remained empty, offering nothing for divine sense to detect any danger, no matter how far it probed. Even the three giants, Great Brahma Heaven and the others, could not discern what had attacked the guardian celestial beings. The hearts of the guardians of the heavens bled; over ten billion elite warriors—gone in an instant!

Even the warriors killed by Gu Xichen’s Chaos-Opening Divine Thunder numbered no less than this amount, but at least they were instantly reduced to dust, which was not visually as shocking. Now, however, a single silver flash turned over ten billion warriors into a pile of corpses before Sanlian City. This mountain of corpses and sea of blood filled the air with a stench that was visually overwhelming. Goddess Guangyan, Youli Po Shi, standing beside Indra, cried out in shock, rolled her eyes, and fainted. Indra hurriedly caught Youli Po Shi, eagerly leaning in to administer artificial respiration.

But Tianhou* stepped forward abruptly, snatched Youliboshi's hair, and hurled her out. Indra let out a wry chuckle directed at Youliposha, then addressed Kubera beside him with cold authority: "My brother, dispatch the fastest Yakshas under your command to scout the area!"

Kubera pondered for a moment, then immediately designated two Yaksha Great Generals standing nearby—one named Feng Huotui and the other Mojingzi—who shot out from the Three-Linked City.

The Yaksha demons were already renowned throughout the Three Realms for their swiftness, especially Feng Huotui and Mojingzi. As generals deemed worthy by Kubera, the master of the Yakshas and God of Wealth, their speed far surpassed that of ordinary Immortals and Celestial Gods. Their forms were but a flash; when they reappeared, they were already outside the Southern Heavenly Gate.

Just as Kubera was about to cheer and boast about the might of his subordinates, a faint flicker of firelight suddenly appeared near the two Yaksha Great Generals.

Silently, without a whisper, the two Yaksha Great Generals dissolved into wisps of black smoke, their souls utterly incinerated by that burst of light. Kubera froze, rooted to the spot, unable to move.

The guardian Celestials simultaneously fell silent, their bodies taut. They finally sensed the profound, murderous aura emanating from the ancient Heavenly Court. Gu Xiechen nodded inwardly.

Utilizing the sacrifices of the warriors from the various departments just moments ago, he had managed to discern the subtleties of the protective barriers outside the Heavenly Court. From the aura he perceived, he understood that these barriers had been reinforced by the combined power of the Three Pure Ones, the two Sages of Buddhism, and Nuwa—six Saints in total. This Tian Jinzhi (Heavenly Restriction) ensured that anyone below the Saintly realm who entered the grand formation would instantly turn to ashes.

Outside this restriction blessed by the six great Saints, there lay another layer, even more exquisitely crafted—that must have been the direct handiwork of Patriarch Hongjun.

How could these ancient Great Divine Powers have allowed others to benefit from their legacy for free? Before departing this universe, they had made every conceivable arrangement. Anyone seeking to seize their foundation would likely have to pay for it with countless lives.

After a brief contemplation, Gu Wuchen smiled and settled onto the city wall, deciding to observe what plans these guardian Celestials might devise. Great Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu exchanged glances; they had indeed reached a decision. With casual gestures, they assigned an army of the dead, drawn from the legions of Yama, the God of Death, to probe the mysteries of the restriction. Yama’s expression immediately soured, and the commander of that specific undead unit nearly collapsed from fear. However, the myriad Demon Kings applauded, eagerly pressing Yama to issue the order immediately! Confronted by the grim faces of the three giants and intimidated by the endless threats of the Demon Kings, Yama stamped his foot in fury.

With a wave of his hand, the army of the dead charged out from the Three-Linked City.