Undying Life

Chapter 1011: The Heavenly Emperor

The Celestial Court fell into a deep silence as the tension between the Jade Emperor and Saint Mitian escalated. The sheer audacity of the Jade Emperor, daring to mock a saint with the words "lackey of Heaven's Will, shallow and narrow-minded, unworthy of great responsibilities," was shocking to all present.

The Jade Emperor remained cold and unyielding, while Saint Mitian, though a being of immense cultivation, was clearly enraged—not merely by the Jade Emperor's taunts, but by the evaluation given by Hongjun. It was Hongjun's opinion that truly stirred Saint Mitian's anger.

From within the hazy veil that obscured his face, two beams of cold light shot out from Mitian's eyes.

"Hongjun's evaluation? None of that matters. What matters is that I am still alive, while he is dead!" Saint Mitian said in a low, resonant voice.

"Dead? Even in death, Hongjun was the First Saint, and that fact will never change—just as you, Mitian, will never change," the Jade Emperor retorted, his voice equally stern.

"How dare you speak to me in such a tone! Are you not afraid of death?" Mitian asked coldly.

"Afraid of death? Saint Mitian, you've come all this way with the intent to kill me, haven't you? To turn me into the final puppet, the 'Liang'? What else would you have me do?" the Jade Emperor replied icily.

Liang? Zhong Shan glanced at the Jade Emperor in surprise. Could it be that the Jade Emperor was the embodiment of the Liang?

Saint Mitian looked at the Jade Emperor and was silent for a moment before he sneered, "Heaven's Will endures. All beneath the saints are mere ants. You, a mere Sacred King, are incredibly arrogant!"

"Sacred King? Mitian, you're mistaken. This is not the Holy Court, but the only Celestial Court in the mortal realm. And I am its Heavenly Emperor—the only Heavenly Emperor under Heaven!" the Jade Emperor declared with a cold authority.

The Celestial Court? The Heavenly Emperor? Zhong Shan's eyes narrowed as he observed the exchange.

"Hahaha, the Celestial Court? The Heavenly Emperor? You? Do you truly believe yourself worthy? Wasn't all of this just part of Hongjun's grand design? If Hongjun hadn't been so obstinate after the birth of the Great Zhou Celestial Court, creating this so-called Great Hong Celestial Court, the past rebellion against Heaven wouldn't have ended in such a catastrophic defeat. After taking over an empty Celestial Court, you dare call yourself the Heavenly Emperor?" Mitian's voice dripped with disdain.

"You can try me if you like," the Jade Emperor replied calmly.

You can try me if you like? The atmosphere grew tense once more. The Jade Emperor appeared completely unafraid—why was he so confident?

Zhong Shan watched the Jade Emperor with a puzzled expression. Was the Jade Emperor relying on Taishang? No, that couldn't be it. Taishang had already left the Celestial Court to return to the Eight Sceneries Palace in the Thirty-Six Heavens. Furthermore, from what Zhong Shan knew of the Jade Emperor, he was not the type to rely on others.

"Arrogant!" Saint Mitian shouted coldly.

As he spoke, Reng and Mei, Mitian's two formidable servants, once again merged with the Heavenly Dao. King Dizang, who had been injured earlier, seemed to recover instantly with a gesture from Mitian, and with a single step, he merged with a crimson Heavenly Dao.

Three distinct Heavenly Daos materialized before them.

One was black, one green, and one red. These were not isolated strands of the Heavenly Dao, but a combined force, intertwined and vast as a nebula. The void trembled with their presence. Even without Mitian making a move, the overwhelming aura they projected was one of absolute invincibility.

Under the clear skies, the entire world seemed to bow in submission.

Within the Celestial Court, every celestial maiden and soldier who had not made it to Lingxiao Hall fell to their knees, their souls instinctively compelled to submit.

Zhong Shan, now fully possessed by the true dragon spirit, stood in front of Hao Meili and the others, shielding them from the immense pressure.

However, at the entrance of Lingxiao Hall, despite witnessing this display of power, the assembled gods showed no fear. Instead, a few among them suddenly stepped forward.

A gaunt man in yellow robes, a noble man in purple robes, and a transcendent man in white robes stepped forward.

The man in yellow robes declared, "Your Majesty, Gou Chen requests to join the battle!"

The man in purple robes followed, "Your Majesty, Zi Wei requests to join the battle!"

The man in white robes added, "Your Majesty, Zhen Wu requests to join the battle!"

These three figures stood with unyielding pride, showing no fear even in the face of Saint Mitian. Their demeanor was resolute and defiant, ready to confront whatever challenges lay ahead.

Hao Meili whispered to Zhong Shan, "I've only seen them once before. They usually don't attend court, so they must have been summoned by the Heavenly Bell. That's Emperor Gou Chen, Emperor Zi Wei, and Emperor Zhen Wu!"

Reng, Mei, and Liang, Zhong Shan thought, noting the formidable presence of these three figures, who were clearly at the Grand Immortal level and closely bonded with the Heavenly Dao. Despite the terrifying power of Mitian's forces, these three Emperors showed no signs of fear, indicating their own immense strength. Even Nezha and Erlang Shen, who stood with dark energy swirling around them, lacked the courage to step forward.

The Celestial Court's foundation was indeed profound.

From a distance, Saint Mitian watched coldly.

The Jade Emperor, seated on the Nine-Dragon Throne, gazed thoughtfully at Reng, Mei, and Liang. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if calculating something, before he turned his attention back to the three Emperors before him.

"For this battle, I will go myself!" the Jade Emperor declared in a deep voice.

I will go myself? The Jade Emperor was going to fight personally? The three Emperors looked up at him in surprise.

"Your Majesty, such small matters don't require you to personally intervene," Emperor Gou Chen said, slightly taken aback.

"Aren't you in the middle of refining the 'Sealing Merit Heaven Technique'? Isn't it said that you cannot act during this time?" Emperor Zi Wei asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Sealing Merit Heaven Technique? Zhong Shan's eyes flashed with curiosity. What kind of technique is that? Could it be something like the Buddhist practice of closing one's mouth or refraining from action for a period of time?

"It's time to unseal it," the Jade Emperor said suddenly, rising to his feet.

The moment the Jade Emperor stood, an overwhelming force burst forth, shooting skyward as if tearing through the very fabric of space. A visible surge of immense power rushed straight to the heavens.

In that instant, the Jade Emperor seemed to transform into the sharpest of swords, his aura piercing and unmistakable—a blade aimed directly at the heart of the sky!

A formidable presence erupted from him, causing the assembled ministers to take a few steps back in response.

"Your Majesty?" Emperor Zhen Wu murmured in surprise.

"Return to your ranks!" the Jade Emperor commanded.

"Yes!" Gou Chen, Zi Wei, and Zhen Wu, the three Emperors, responded in unison, stepping back to stand behind the Jade Emperor.

The Jade Emperor stood tall, his gaze cutting through Reng, Mei, and Liang, focusing directly on Saint Mitian.

"Mitian, you wish to refine me? Let's see if you have the ability!" the Jade Emperor said with a resolute tone.

As he spoke, a dense white mist suddenly surged around him, and a massive Heavenly Dao began to form.

The Jade Emperor's Heavenly Dao was a milky white, slowly taking shape. As it did, the entire Celestial Court seemed to tremble. The celestial maidens and warriors who were kneeling in reverence shook with fear, while small stones and debris on the ground began to levitate in the vibrating air.

The Jade Emperor stepped forward, his body ascending into the sky.

"Roar~~~!" A mighty dragon's roar echoed from the sea of fortune clouds, shaking the heavens and earth. The colossal golden dragon of fortune roared as it flew into the Jade Emperor's Heavenly Dao.

White, black, green, and red! Four distinct Heavenly Daos glowed brightly, their vibrations producing an earth-shattering rumble.

"The Four Ghosts Heavenly Dao Formation? Reng, Mei, Liang? Come on, let's see what you've got!" the Jade Emperor called out from within the white Heavenly Dao.

With this resounding shout, the four Heavenly Daos began to converge, or rather, collide with each other in a cataclysmic clash.

The Jade Emperor stood alone against Reng, Mei, and Liang—three formidable Grand Immortals. As the four Heavenly Daos converged, the tension in the Celestial Court reached its peak.

"Boom!" The collision of the four Heavenly Daos erupted in a deafening explosion, so loud that it seemed to deafen all who heard it. In the Celestial Court, the kneeling warriors and maidens clutched their heads in agony, rolling on the ground as blood poured from their ears—a truly harrowing sight.

The gods of the Celestial Court, however, were protected by the three Emperors—Gou Chen, Zi Wei, and Zhen Wu—and were unharmed. Yet they watched the clash of the four Heavenly Daos with a mix of awe and concern.

They revered the Jade Emperor, an emperor bold enough to stand against a saint, to challenge the very authority of the heavens. For tens of thousands of years, the Jade Emperor might not have seemed overly forceful, but this moment alone was enough to overshadow all his past actions.

The Jade Emperor's divine might, facing three Grand Immortals and challenging Saint Mitian, was something that filled the gods with admiration.

But they were also worried. After all, a saint is the most powerful being in the world—could the Jade Emperor truly hold his own against one?

In the sky, the four Heavenly Daos collided, unleashing an explosion of radiant light. The clash seemed to merge the four Daos into one, their colors blending and flashing intensely.

At the center, the figures of the combatants were no longer visible. All that remained was a massive black hole, as if the combined Heavenly Daos had ripped through the fabric of space itself.

The black hole, though high in the sky and not directly threatening those below, was nonetheless awe-inspiring. Its edges rippled with waves of spatial distortion, indicating the immense forces at work within.

The Jade Emperor's strength was not just formidable—it was unprecedented, even among Grand Immortals. The sheer scale of the battle drew the attention of everyone present, their eyes fixed on the black hole.

The gods of the Celestial Court watched intently, as did Zhong Shan and, from a distance, Saint Mitian.

The black hole was mesmerizing, its depths unreadable, yet impossible to look away from. Zhong Shan was the first to break free from its hypnotic pull. As an outsider, he had the advantage of detachment and quickly turned his gaze toward Saint Mitian.

Though the saint's face was obscured, Zhong Shan could sense his emotions. Saint Mitian's right hand clenched slightly, an almost imperceptible sign of tension—a rare crack in the calm demeanor of a saint.

The battle before him had sparked a flicker of agitation in Saint Mitian—what did that imply?

Could it be that the Jade Emperor was holding the upper hand in this one-against-three battle? Was the Jade Emperor, who had honed his sword for tens of thousands of years, now unleashing a force that could even challenge a saint?

"Zhong Shan, who do you think will win?" Hao Meili asked after watching the battle for a while, her voice tinged with concern.

Although Hao Meili often acted indifferent toward the Jade Emperor, they were, after all, of the same bloodline. In this critical moment, she naturally hoped for the Jade Emperor's victory.

"The outcome is still undecided," Zhong Shan replied, shaking his head.

After all, Saint Mitian had not yet intervened directly—nothing was certain.

"Who has the upper hand right now?" Hao Meili asked, frowning slightly.

"The Jade Emperor seems to be suppressing Reng, Mei, and Liang," Zhong Shan observed.

"Good!" Hao Meili said, a trace of relief in her voice.

Perhaps the Jade Emperor's overwhelming power had become too much. After about two incense sticks' worth of time, Reng was forcefully expelled from the black hole, his body covered in wounds.

Reng had been defeated!

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8