Chapter 895 — All Is Lost

The Molten Lava Earth Lord pointed a finger at the ground. Demonic qi surged beneath it, and then the ground vanished, revealing a vision of Youdu.

Shen Mu looked over and saw that before the Earth Lord's true body, another "Imperial Heaven Venerable" had descended. That majestic fleshly body, though it could not compare to the Earth Lord's, was still exceedingly vast—roughly one-tenth the size of the Earth Lord. It was the same with the "Imperial Heaven Venerable" in Xuandu. The true bodies of the Heaven Lord and the Earth Lord were truly vast; only a handful of ancient gods could truly rival them.

The "Imperial Heaven Venerable" in Youdu likewise possessed layer upon layer of Heavenly Palaces, and those palaces formed a boundless Heavenly Court, magnificent and grand. The Divine Treasury and Heavenly Palaces of the "Imperial Heaven Venerable" were constructed from the runes of the Great Dao of nearly every ancient god.

Thus, when the Heaven Lord and the Earth Lord saw such an "Imperial Heaven Venerable," they could not help but be thrown into confusion. The ancient gods had no such thing as cultivation realms; they were born this strong.

They too could cultivate and raise their power, but cultivation only deepened their comprehension of their own Great Dao—it could not free them from their own limits. The Earth Lord, for instance, could not comprehend the Heaven Lord's Great Dao. Later-born beings and demigods, however, labored under no such restriction—yet they were innately countless times weaker.

Even with the Divine Treasury cultivation system and the Heavenly Palace cultivation system, they could never catch up to the ancient gods. After all, no matter how much later-born beings and demigods comprehended, they could not surpass the ancient gods born of the Great Dao. A Great Dao arrived at through comprehension would always be inferior to the true Great Dao.

But the Heaven Lord and the Earth Lord knew there was one exception.

In the early years of Longhan, at the Grand Gathering of the Jade Pool, the Hao Venerable spoke of the eighth realm of the Divine Realm of the Imperial Heaven Venerable—and that eighth realm was the realm called the Heavenly Court. The Heavenly Court was the key by which later-born beings and demigods could surpass the ancient gods! The Heavenly Court encompassed the ancient god system—thirty-six Heavenly Palaces and seventy-two Treasure Halls. One who successfully cultivated the Heavenly Court could stand on equal footing with beings like the ancient god Heavenly Emperor!

For a long time, there had been no record or legend in the world concerning the realm of the Heavenly Court. Those who held power in the Heavenly Court did not wish others to know of this realm, and the ancient gods helped conceal it as well. Because this realm was too terrifying!

The Heaven Lord and the Earth Lord also knew that for a long time, those who held power in the Heavenly Court had been searching for all manner of Imperial Throne cultivation methods, precisely in order to forge the Heavenly Court cultivation method.

But gathering all thirty-six Heavenly Palaces and seventy-two Treasure Halls was exceedingly difficult, and the rulers of the Heavenly Court had never achieved much. Imperial Throne powerhouses were never numerous in any era, and moreover the cultivation methods of the thirty-six Heavenly Palaces and seventy-two Treasure Halls required different attributes.

Gathering them all was naturally fraught with difficulty.

Yet the two "Imperial Heaven Venerables" that had suddenly appeared in Xuandu and Youdu had given them a genuine fright. "No, no!

" Shen Mu counted and said, "These two Imperial Heaven Venerables—the number of Heavenly Palaces behind them is wrong! The one in Xuandu has eighteen Heavenly Palaces, and the one in Youdu has twenty. They are not at the complete Heavenly Court realm!

They are not invincible!

" The Molten Lava Earth Lord calmed down and nodded. "Within Youdu, I can fight them! They have not obtained the Divine Son of Youdu, nor have they thoroughly studied the Great Dao of Youdu. " The Heaven Lord's clone said dejectedly, "I am nearly studied through.

The one who has come this time is none other than that rebellious son of mine. With him coming here, I fear the omens are dire. But before he has studied me through, that rebellious son will not strike at me.

He wants to surpass me, replace me, be stronger than me. Until he can do that, he will not touch me.

" Shen Mu steadied himself, paced back and forth, then suddenly looked at the Great Brahma Heaven King Buddha and said, "King Buddha, you are a member of the Heaven Alliance.

Will the Imperial Heaven Venerable who entered the Buddha Realm strike at you? " The Great Brahma Heaven King Buddha shook his head. "Strike at me? That is unlikely—after all, I am an elder of the Heaven Alliance.

But my Imperial Throne True Scripture must be handed over. Mu Venerable, the Heavenly Court will not move against the Earth Lord and the Heaven Lord for the time being. The one they mean to move against this time, I fear, is the Origin Realm.

" Shen Mu's expression changed drastically, and he blurted out, "You mean to say that an Imperial Heaven Venerable like this has descended into the Origin Realm as well? " The Great Brahma Heaven King Buddha sighed. "The Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign of the Origin Realm is dead yet not gone; she must be eliminated. And beyond the Origin Realm, there are the Four Emperors—in the Eastern Heaven, Western Heaven, Southern Heaven, and Northern Heaven where they dwell, I fear an Imperial Heaven Venerable has descended in each. Jingping lies in the Origin Realm, once content to hold its own corner; now it is as precarious as a stack of eggs.

Whether to destroy Jingping is, to this weapon, no more than the effort of blowing away a speck of dust. " Shen Mu's hands and feet went cold, and his voice came out hoarse. "What do we do?

" He looked at the Heaven Lord. The Heaven Lord's clone sighed and said nothing. He looked at the Earth Lord. The Earth Lord avoided his gaze and remained silent.

He looked again at the Great Brahma Heaven King Buddha, who shook his head. He looked at the Crimson Emperor and the Great Sun Star Lord.

The Crimson Emperor said, "We are already dead; we are of no use at all. My Chiming era is, I fear, utterly finished. . . " Shen Mu was dazed and numb, and he slumped down onto the ground. The most perilous situation was not that of the Heaven Lord and the Earth Lord, but that of Jingping.

Until the Heavenly Court had fully deduced the Great Dao runes of the Heaven Lord and the Earth Lord, it would not move against them; otherwise the losses would be too great.

But dealing with the Origin Realm was, for them, incomparably easy.

Jingping, an inconspicuous little place in the Origin Realm, could not escape this calamity.

"Son of the Shen family, we can scarcely save ourselves; we cannot help you much. " The Molten Lava Earth Lord said, "Youdu is still fairly stable. The Youdu Venerable has already set out for Jingping to bring back the true Imperial Heaven Venerable.

With me and the Youdu Venerable there, his safety can be assured.

Do not remain in Jingping—it is too dangerous.

Go to Youdu, and we will plan at leisure. " Shen Mu's mind went blank.

The Heaven Lord said, "You may also come to my Xuandu.

That rebellious son will not move against me for the time being.

The Buddha Realm is closed to you—it is still hunting you.

" Shen Mu's heart was in utter turmoil. Suddenly, hope kindled in him. "That's right—the Heavenly Emperor, the ancient god Heavenly Emperor! He is also a leader of the Heaven Alliance!

And the Moon Venerable, and Lady Tianyin, and the remnants of Kaihuang—they can help Jingping!

There is still hope! " "You are the Divine Son of Youdu.

The Heavenly Court must not get its hands on you.