CHAPTER 352: CHAPTER 40 HEAVENLY COURT LAYOUT

Human Clan Sacred Land, Chen Capital.

"Master, Sister Hong Chou has been on her journey for over three years now, and she has yet to return! Could something unexpected have happened?" Luo He, dressed in a white Daoist robe, anxiously looked at Fu Xi sitting on the throne.

"Luo He, how many times have I told you not to be anxious over such matters! As for your sister, before she left, I made a divination for her. Although she will encounter calamity, she is destined to meet a benefactor and turn misfortune into good fortune! There is no need for you to worry!" Fu Xi glared slightly at Luo He, speaking with a hint of reproach.

Just as Luo He was about to say something, a servant hurriedly came to report that Aoguang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, was visiting.

Fu Xi quickly ordered that Aoguang be invited in.

The dignified Aoguang entered the grand hall, bowed to Fu Xi, and said, "Fu Xi Your Majesty, my respects to you!"

As both were sovereigns, there was no need for kneeling; a bow was the highest etiquette between them.

Fu Xi stood up, quickly approached Aoguang, and greeted, "Fu Xi has seen Fellow Daoist!"

As Fu Xi’s disciple, Luo He naturally stepped forward to greet, "Junior Luo He pays respects to Your Majesty, the Dragon King!"

Aoguang, looking at the white-robed youth before him and thinking he was Fu Xi’s son but didn’t resemble him, asked curiously.

"Ha ha ha, Fellow Daoist, you amuse me!" Fu Xi laughed heartily and said, "This is my young disciple, named Luo He!"

"Oh? Indeed a talented young man!" Aoguang laughed heartily.

Luo He smiled faintly without being servile or overbearing, "Your Majesty, the Dragon King, you flatter me!"

Fu Xi led Aoguang to his seat, asking with curiosity, "May I inquire the purpose of Fellow Daoist’s visit this time?"

With a slight smile, Aoguang replied, "Fellow Daoist, I have come for two matters. One is to present the Innate Jianmu on behalf of Emperor Gouchen to fellow Daoist Fu Xi! The other is to offer an apology to fellow Daoist!"

Fu Xi was startled, thinking, "What is this all about? Offering the Innate Jianmu makes sense, but why offer an apology?"

With these thoughts, Fu Xi asked puzzledly, "Fellow Daoist, what is this apology about exactly?"

Aoguang was also startled and asked, "Has Miss Hong Chou not yet returned?"

Seeing the surprise on Aoguang’s face, Fu Xi closed his eyes and quietly began to calculate.

The Heavenly Secret was clear, and the enmity between Hong Chou and the East Sea Dragon Clan was quickly deciphered by him.

With a wry smile and shake of his head, Fu Xi said, "Fellow Daoist Aoguang, the matter of Hong Chou is due to her own fate, you’re not to blame! But how is the Third Prince of the Dragon Clan? Is he unharmed?"

Aoguang waved his hand and said, "My son is unharmed, you need not concern yourself about him!"

At this point, Aoguang took out a piece of wood about an inch long from his sleeve and tossed it to Fu Xi, saying, "This object is the Innate Jianmu! With this, fellow Daoist’s grand endeavor is poised for success!"

Fu Xi looked down and saw that the piece of wood in his hand was verdant, with a faint green glow flowing on it and a vibrant life force emanating from it.

Fu Xi, overjoyed, accepted the Jianmu, bowed to Aoguang, and said, "Fu Xi thanks fellow Daoist for this gift!"

Then, he bowed towards the direction of Penglai Island in the East Sea and instructed Luo He to take good care of Aoguang. He immediately flew out of Chen Capital and headed straight for Zhou Mountain.

After about a quarter of an hour, Fu Xi arrived at the broken Mount Buzhou — now Zhou Mountain — on its summit. Sighing, he said, "Such a proud and naturally majestic Mount Buzhou has collapsed overnight! The decree of Heaven, the decree of Heaven!"

Fu Xi tossed the small piece of wood he held in his hand to the top of Zhou Mountain and looked up to the sky, shouting, "Now, Fu Xi of the Human Clan constructs a passageway against the current, henceforth allowing All Immortals to travel freely among the Four Great Continents, witnessed by the Heavenly Dao!" After saying this, he patted his chest and spat out a mouthful of golden light-filled Essence Blood at the Jianmu.

"Phew!"

Upon receiving Fu Xi’s Essence Blood, the Jianmu instantly burst with vitality. The short piece of wood took root directly on the summit of Zhou Mountain and then grew wildly.

In the time it took for a pot of tea to brew, a towering ancient tree, lush and imposing, rose into the firmament, exuding dignity and vicissitudes, suppressing all, like a Banished Immortal from the Nine Heavens, filled with imposing majesty. On the trunk, thousands of zhang thick, was the weathered texture of ages, with some branches cracked yet still emanating a faint light, ceaselessly absorbing the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi.

"Boom!"

The Heavenly Dao sensed this, and boundless Qingyun appeared, bestowing Infinite Merit.

Half of it fell directly onto the Jianmu, and after clouds and mist tumbled, the Innate Jianmu that previously covered the sky turned into a green transparent passageway in the blink of an eye, ethereal and invisible to mortals, perceived only by Cultivators who had realized the Immortal Dao.

The remaining half turned into three rays of light, one portion returned to Fu Xi, another to the East Sea Dragon King Aoguang, and the last streaked straight towards the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Actually, the one who was most pleased with the establishment of the Inversion Tunnel was Hao Tian. With the Inversion Tunnel completed, there will only be more and more Immortals in the Heavenly Court in the future, and that is what he cares about.

Fu Xi stared blankly at the Innate Jianmu, ignoring the Infinite Merit entering his body.

After a long time, feeling the surging power of an Early Quasi-Saint cultivation, he sighed heavily, "Alas, it seems that a new era of disasters and tribulations has arrived!"

When Fu Xi returned to Chen Capital, Aoguang had already left.

Fu Xi summoned Luo He to the grand hall, gave him detailed instructions, and then ordered him to ascend the Inversion Tunnel and head to the Heavenly Court alone.

...

In the resplendent Palace of the Polestar, Hao Tian was discussing important matters with his ministers when suddenly a golden-armored general entered the hall. Upon a closer look, who else could it be if not Li Jing?

Li Jing, clad in golden armor, stepped into the grand hall and knelt on one knee, saying, "Reporting to Your Majesty, a White Robed Taoist has come through the Inversion Tunnel! He claims to be a disciple of Emperor Fuxi and has come to the Heavenly Court to request an audience with Your Majesty. He bears important news entrusted by the Emperor himself!"

Hao Tian was stunned, not expecting that the first person to come to the Heavenly Court through the Inversion Tunnel would be a disciple of Fuxi. But as unexpected as the news was, an audience was still necessary.

"Li Jing, go quickly and welcome the Taoist into the hall, and be sure not to neglect the proper etiquette!" Hao Tian waved his hand, commanding.

"At your behest!" Li Jing respectfully bowed and exited the grand hall.

After a short while, Luo He, dressed in a moon-white Daoist robe, strode into the hall from outside.

"Huaxia’s Luo He pays his respects to the Jade Emperor! May the Emperor live forever!" Luo He bowed deeply and spoke politely.

Hao Tian casually sent forth a Qing Liu to lift Luo He and asked with interest, "Your name is Luo He, are you truly a disciple of Fellow Daoist Fu Xi?"

Luo He smiled faintly at the question and said, "I would not dare deceive Your Majesty!"

Seeing Luo He’s reaction, Hao Tian indifferently touched the dragon-carved throne and asked, "What business brings you to the Heavenly Court?"

Luo He’s expression became serious as he said, "My Master was observing the stars one night and noticed several stars in the Western Extreme Firmament had dimmed and were covered with filthy energy! Thus, he dispatched me and my senior brother to West Niu Hezhou to investigate..."

Roughly the time it takes to burn one incense stick passed as Luo He recounted, without omitting a single detail, all the bizarre events that had taken place in the Four Great Continents over the past few years.

At first, Hao Tian and the rest took it as a jest. In their minds, what significant events could possibly occur within the Human Clan? Surely just matters beyond human capacity! In due course, couldn’t they just dispatch a few Heavenly Soldiers and Generals to the Lower Realm, and wouldn’t everything be easily resolved?

However, as they listened to the accounts of the Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers Map, the destruction of the Four Great Continents, and the piercing of the Heavenly Court, they could no longer remain seated, and their expressions grew increasingly grave.

When Luo He finished relaying everything, a terrifying silence hung over the Palace of the Polestar. Every face was stern, every brow furrowed deeply.

The overwhelming pressure in the air was nearly suffocating for Luo He.

"Luo He, I ask you this! Everything you have just reported, is it all true?" Hao Tian tapped the Dragon Desk before him, questioning with a heavy tone. His piercing gaze bore down on Luo He, his imposing aura pressing onto him.

Bearing the immense pressure, Luo He wiped the fine sweat beading on his forehead and replied, "Every word Luo He has spoken is true!"

"Swoosh!"

In an instant, Hao Tian retracted his aura, and the frequency of his fingers tapping on the Dragon Desk quickened. It seemed that each tap was carefully calculated, each thud resonantly striking right above Luo He’s heart.

In a moment, Hao Tian looked at the assembled ministers and said, "I wonder, what do My beloved subjects think of this matter?"

As soon as Hao Tian’s words fell, Beidou, clad in a bright red Daoist robe, leapt out, saying, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this matter is related to the safety of both the Heavenly Court and the Huaxia Divine Land. We should investigate thoroughly before drawing conclusions!"

Li Jing, in golden armor, pondered for a long while before stepping forward, "Your Majesty, in the opinion of your humble general, the words of Beidou Star Lord are sensible! However, if that Li Qianqiu acts while we are investigating, won’t we be at a disadvantage?"

Hao Tian’s brow furrowed slightly, and he looked up to ask, "Then Li Aiqing, what strategy do you propose?"

Li Jing said, "In my opinion, if Li Qianqiu wishes to destroy the Four Great Continents, he will surely try to entangle our Heavenly Court, so we cannot attend to other matters. Therefore, I suggest we immediately strengthen the Heavenly Court’s defenses and covertly dispatch experts to West Niu Hezhou for surreptitious investigation! Once the time is right, the heavenly army can descend to the Lower Realm directly and crush the rebellious forces of West Niu Hezhou! This way, the Huaxia Divine Land will be at peace!"

"Well said!" A glint appeared in Hao Tian’s eye as he scrutinized Li Jing for a while before responding, "I didn’t expect Mr. Li to have such refined thoughts, I am most reassured!"

"I also agree with General Li’s statement!" Beidou chimed in, his eyes narrowing to slits in agreement.

"Mr. Li, I now command you to form a Vanguard Team immediately and head to West Niu Hezhou for investigation. This is a Geng Metal Talisman; with it, not only can you summon the Western Sacred Beast, the Geng Metal White Tiger, of Quasi-Saint Late Stage, but you can also mobilize the Heavenly Court’s million Geng Metal Celestial Immortals! Today, I grant you control over it!" Hao Tian’s expression grew serious as he waved his hand, sending golden light towards Li Jing.

Li Jing reflexively caught the golden light and found himself holding a shining golden seal etched with a lifelike fierce tiger, brimming with Geng Metal Power.

"At your command!" Feeling the endless sharp aura within the seal, Li Jing shuddered with energy and accepted his orders.

(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)