Chapter 968: The Fall of the Taiji Sacred Court

In front of the Hall of Longevity, Zhongshan released the two true dragons within him, causing an endless flow of fortune to gather once more.

King Qiming of the Taiji Sacred Court felt his eyelid twitch—something was terribly wrong.

It really was Zhongshan—there was no mistaking it. Only Zhongshan could command the fortune of Great Zheng, and it turned out he was still alive!

An immortal? Zhongshan?

What a joke! Was Zhongshan's power merely that of an immortal? King Qiming hadn't been to the Nuwa Realm, but he knew full well what had transpired there.

Just how powerful was Zhongshan?

In a desperate situation, Zhongshan had summoned the power of the Heavenly Dao, destroyed the plum blossom eyes of Snow Plum Ancestor, shattered the Jiugong Tuitian Turtle Shell Map, destroyed the Snow Plum Sword, and even severed one of Snow Plum Ancestor's arms. Each piece of information flashed through King Qiming's mind, causing his eyelid to twitch again.

Ancient immortals may have pride, but that didn't mean they weren't afraid of death!

Yet, at this moment, King Qiming didn't feel overwhelming fear.

Because King Qiming knew one thing—though Zhongshan was indeed incredibly powerful, he was still an immortal. Speed would always be his limitation. If King Qiming wanted to escape, Zhongshan couldn't stop him—unless Zhongshan invoked the full power of Great Zheng and merged with the true dragons. But alas, Zhongshan hadn't done that; instead, he had just released the true dragons from his body upon returning.

"Zhongshan, the Holy King, I've long admired your reputation!" King Qiming said in a deep voice.

Zhongshan looked at King Qiming coldly and responded indifferently, "Were you the one who just tried to kill my ministers?"

"Today's events—tomorrow, the Taiji Holy King will surely provide you with an explanation. But since you've just returned, I won't disturb your reunion with your ministers. Let's meet on the battlefield tomorrow!" King Qiming said.

With that, he subtly shifted his body, ready to leave with his subordinates.

But to his surprise, none of the immortals under his command moved. Their eyes were vacant, as if they hadn't understood King Qiming's intentions.

King Qiming's brow furrowed, and a wave of panic surged within him. He could see clearly that Zhongshan hadn't made a move, yet all his subordinates had been subdued?

How could this be?

"Great Zheng is no longer the Great Zheng of the past. This is not a place where you can come and go as you please!" Zhongshan said in a stern voice.

King Qiming's eyelid twitched even more violently. Were his subordinates really being controlled?

Not only King Qiming, but all the officials in front of the Hall of Longevity were now gazing at Zhongshan with immense admiration. They could see clearly that not a single one of the immortals around King Qiming could move.

Was the Holy King truly this powerful?

Panic crept into King Qiming's heart—this situation was far too bizarre. How had his subordinates been controlled?

Fearing to stay any longer, he flicked his sleeve and shot towards the distance at high speed.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion echoed as King Qiming was forced to retreat. The enormous form of Baxie Tianwei suddenly blocked his path. Baxie Tianwei's ferocity was equally overwhelming, having devoured the Taiji Holy King and Yan Hui within the Nuwa Realm!

Seeing Baxie Tianwei, King Qiming instinctively backed away, not daring to engage.

"I told you, since you've come, you shouldn't think of leaving!" Zhongshan said once more.

Zhongshan's voice carried a chilling undertone.

"Zhongshan, what do you intend to do?" King Qiming tried to maintain his composure.

"Nothing much—just to 'expose your soul to the sun and hang your corpse for the world to see,'" Zhongshan said in a deep, resonant tone.

Although Zhongshan admired King Qiming's abilities, he couldn't let him go. He intended to use King Qiming's death as a warning to all the powerful figures in the world.

To console the ministers of Great Zheng with his death, and to make a clear example of Great Zheng's justice through his execution!

"You dare!" King Qiming exclaimed in shock.

"What would I not dare?" Zhongshan replied with a cold smile.

"Whoosh!"

King Qiming's body shuddered suddenly, and a chill ran down his spine.

"A Celestial Demon—it's a Celestial Demon! Invisible and formless? Is this the Formless Celestial Demon? How could you possibly control a Formless Celestial Demon?" King Qiming cried out in terror.

"You don't need to know!" Zhongshan responded coldly.

The massive form of Baxie Tianwei flickered and appeared beside King Qiming. But King Qiming didn't dare to clash with Baxie Tianwei; he quickly attempted to flee. However, just as he began his escape, he was forced back in fear, shivering once again. Another Formless Celestial Demon.

No matter which direction King Qiming turned, it seemed to be filled with Celestial Demons. It was as if the Formless Celestial Demons had sealed off every escape route.

"Ah!"

King Qiming went mad with fear. How could this be happening?

The Formless Celestial Demons were invisible and formless, completely undetectable by sight or spiritual sense. They could only be felt once they had already entered one's body. Normally, only the masters of Celestial Demon sects could capture and tame a single Formless Celestial Demon, and that alone was a tremendous achievement.

But what was happening here?

King Qiming realized with despair that it seemed as though the entire area was filled with Celestial Demons—ten thousand, a hundred thousand, even millions?

The thought was too terrifying. Everywhere he turned, he sensed Formless Celestial Demons. Just as he forced one demon out of his body, another, or even ten more, would invade.

It was too horrifying! Was this the 'Celestial Demon Realm'?

"Boom!"

In a moment of distraction, King Qiming was finally caught by Baxie Tianwei, who wrapped him up in one massive tail. The other tail, tipped with the deadly purple Zhuxian Sword, was poised right in front of King Qiming's face.

King Qiming was immobilized!

Caught in Baxie Tianwei's grip, King Qiming gave up resisting. He knew full well that he was no match for the formidable Taiji Saint King, who had been devoured by Baxie Tianwei in the Nuwa Realm—so what chance did he stand?

"Zhongshan, you'd better release me! Otherwise, the Taiji Holy King will march his army here and utterly destroy your Great Zheng!" King Qiming shouted in desperation.

Now, King Qiming could only rely on the Taiji Sacred Court as his final card.

"Am I supposed to fear your Taiji Sacred Court? Or are you unaware that the Taiji Sacred Court no longer exists?" Zhongshan's eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"What—what do you mean?" King Qiming's face changed dramatically.

In the realm of the living, Zhongshan had returned, the true dragons had emerged, and infinite fortune had gathered once more.

In the underworld, at Changjing, in front of the Undying Hall, Zhongshan stood with his ministers, gazing at the sky. Countless streams of fortune filled the entire capital. The dragon roars echoed to the heavens, and the heavy weight that had burdened the ministers' hearts was finally lifted.

This was because some of the fortune above Changjing had now enveloped all the ministers, restoring the feeling they had once known.

At that moment, Yi Yan approached Zhongshan and said, "Holy King, the signal has been sent out!"

"Good," Zhongshan nodded.

In the realm of the living, to the northwest of Fengzhong Territory, not far from the Taiji Sacred Court's capital:

Luo Xingchen, who had been missing for a long time, stood atop a towering mountain. Before him lay a life plaque, which suddenly shattered with a loud crack. Luo Xingchen's eyes narrowed, flashing with a firm resolve.

Reaching out, Luo Xingchen drew a longbow and pulled out the most precious Purple Gold Divine Arrow.

His gaze was fixed directly on the capital of the Taiji Sacred Court.

"If the Holy King can severely injure an Ancestor Immortal and survive, then I, Luo Xingchen, with my time-manipulating powers, must succeed in ambushing an Ancient Immortal. If I fail, I would have no face left to return to the Holy King!" Luo Xingchen muttered to himself.

In front of the Hall of Longevity:

"What—what do you mean?" King Qiming's face changed drastically.

There was something off in Zhongshan's tone, but what exactly was it?

"Buzz!"

King Qiming's body trembled, and his eyes widened in disbelief. "You… my fortune? My fortune? Has the Holy King… died?"

How could this be? How could the Holy King be dead?

"Did you kill the Holy King? Was it you?" King Qiming screamed as he stared at Zhongshan.

Zhongshan didn't respond to King Qiming anymore; there was no need. The Taiji Sacred Court had already collapsed, and with Luo Xingchen there, not even the heirs of the Taiji Sacred Court would survive.

As for King Qiming before him, a man already destined to die, there was no point in wasting words on him.

"Tianlao!" Zhongshan called out calmly.

In the distance, a figure flickered and appeared.

"Holy King!" Tianlao responded with respect.

"Take care of these people. Expose their souls to the sun and hang their corpses at the South Heaven Gate," Zhongshan ordered.

"By your command!" Tianlao immediately replied.

"You can't do this, Zhongshan! You can't!" King Qiming cried out in terror.

Zhongshan, of course, ignored him. King Qiming had to die, and so did all his subordinate immortals. Zhongshan needed to give the ministers an explanation and a clear message to the world.

Baxie Tianwei naturally assisted Tianlao, and in his curiosity, Tianlao worked with Baxie Tianwei to deal with the condemned prisoners.

After giving his orders regarding King Qiming's fate, Zhongshan turned to face his ministers.

"My beloved subjects!" Zhongshan called out.

"Holy King!" the ministers immediately responded with deep bows.

At that moment, the ministers couldn't help but admire Zhongshan's immense power. The once-arrogant King Qiming had been effortlessly neutralized by the Holy King. Zhongshan was indeed the strongest, the invincible one!

"Your efforts have not gone unnoticed by me. Today, you are all weary. I grant you permission to rest for two days. We will convene in the Hall of Longevity for the morning court two days from now," Zhongshan announced.

"Yes!" the ministers responded, their excitement palpable.

With the Holy King's words, everything was settled!

The ministers departed, leaving only Lin Xiao, Shui Wuhen, and Shuijing behind.

"Holy King, you've finally returned!" Shui Wuhen said, his voice filled with emotion.

Lin Xiao and Shuijing both nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it's been tough on all of you over these years," Zhongshan acknowledged.

"It wasn't tough at all. Waiting for the Holy King's return made everything worthwhile," Shui Wuhen replied.

"Your hair has grayed a bit over the years. Go home and get a good night's sleep, rest for the day, and tomorrow evening, come to my study," Zhongshan said.

"Yes!" the three responded in unison.

They had been tirelessly managing the affairs of Great Zheng for years, and their minds and bodies were truly exhausted. Now that Zhongshan had returned, they could finally relax.

After seeing off the ministers, Zhongshan made his way to his study alone.

On the desk in the study lay a jade slip.

Zhongshan sat down and gently picked it up.

"Zhongshan, you're finally back! I've been bored to death for over a hundred years with no one to talk to!" A woman's grumbling voice echoed through the study.

"Well, I'm back now. You've gotten pretty powerful while I was gone. When I left, you could only create high-level Celestial Demons, but now you can even create Formless Celestial Demons?" Zhongshan asked with a smile.

There was nothing in front of him, but Zhongshan could see a woman sitting cross-legged on the desk.

"Of course!" the woman responded with a self-satisfied tone.

Zhongshan glanced at the jade slip in his hand and said, "This is the information gathered by the Shadow Guard. However, I suspect they didn't see as much as you did. Tell me, what's been happening in the Lingxiao Heavenly Court over these years?"

"Naturally, nothing in the Lingxiao Heavenly Court escapes my eyes!" The woman proudly tilted her nose upward.