Chapter 1491 — The Lament of the Fallen Heaven
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 5
The reforms of the Kaihuang era were an attempt by the Acquired Way to overcome the Innate Way. That age yielded fewer fruits than Jingping's, it is true, yet the seed of the Acquired overcoming the Innate had already been sown; only, the Kaihuang era lasted too briefly — the seed sprouted, but never grew. The greatest achievement of the Kaihuang reforms was in fact not Kaihuang's sword art, but a reform of the Heavenly Court realm carried out by Kaihuang's First Heavenly Master, the Woodcutter Sage, master of Wentian Pavilion.
Though the Woodcutter Sage was a man "without the strength to truss a chicken," the least of the four Heavenly Masters, his wisdom surpassed all others. The Seventy-Two Treasure Halls that support the Thirty-Six Heavenly Palaces came from his hand: seventy-two kinds of Acquired Way to ease the pressure upon the thirty-six Innate Ways, and to lessen the harm the Heavenly Court realm inflicts upon the mortal body.
By his improvements, the Heavenly Court realm formed of the Seventy-Two Treasure Halls supporting the Thirty-Six Heavenly Palaces should, in theory, possess dharma power more deep and vigorous than the traditional Heavenly Court realm, greater combat strength, and no hidden troubles. Yet the Woodcutter Sage never proclaimed this method far and wide; few knew of it, and the only one to receive his complete transmission was Jiang Baigui, teacher of the former Emperor Jingping.
Whether Jiang Baigui ever mastered it, no one could say. What Hong Tianzun obtained was only a fragment from the Woodcutter Sage's early work, and one riddled with no small hidden dangers — an outdated method.
Even so, that fragmentary method was enough to let the Artifact Yutianzun hold out far longer in the Heavenly Court realm, and to raise his combat power to a terrifying degree! The Artifact Yutianzun stood toe to toe with Lord Heaven, nearly his equal in raw strength — such fighting power truly opened the eyes!
Add to that Hong Tianzun's own arts and divine powers, which came from the Way of Heaven yet were not confined to it, and with him as the chief attacker against Lord Heaven, supported by the three Tianzun — Langxuan the Divine Emperor, Qiang Tianfei, and Shi Qiluo — Lord Heaven once more fell to the disadvantage! Hong Tianzun struck fast against fast, sparing nothing; he could feel his own power ebbing, and he had to end this quickly!
Lord Heaven strove to move, strove to shrink his form, yet wounds multiplied across his body.
But cracks too appeared all over the Artifact Yutianzun's body, his skin bursting open, the grain of his muscles shattered — at any moment he might be crushed by the Heavenly Court! Suddenly the Artifact Yutianzun landed a blow upon Lord Heaven's brow, shaking his primordial spirit violently!
Qiang Tianfei seized the moment to drive the God-Slaying Terrace; two blades of saber-light stabbed into Lord Heaven's brow, and at the same instant her divine consciousness erupted, crashing into his.
At that same moment, Langxuan the Divine Emperor's divine consciousness also rushed straight into Lord Heaven's brow, battering it to the verge of shattering!
Shi Qiluo saw his chance and hastily took command of the other two Artifact Yutianzun, shrank their forms, and with a howl sent them charging into Lord Heaven's brow. The two Artifact Yutianzun, three-headed and six-armed, spun furiously as they advanced, countless fists and feet and divine powers pouring down like rain, hammering Lord Heaven's primordial spirit.
Divine consciousness is the mind; the primordial spirit is the soul.
Lord Heaven's divine consciousness was all but shattered, and Shi Qiluo had beaten his primordial spirit until his heavenly soul and earthly soul were nearly torn apart!