Chapter 1653 — The Twilight of That Heavenly Venerable
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
He smiled faintly: "You could not hold your temper, and you destroyed your own wings. Huotian Zun defected to me, finally allowing me to crush you. The nine Heavenly Venerables of the Longhan era were each heaven-sent geniuses—you underestimated Huotian Zun far too much. Every one of the Longhan Nine Heavenly Venerables is beyond comparison with the likes of Zushen Wang and Xutian Zun! All I need do is hold you off, and Huotian Zun will clip your wings and slay Zushen Wang and Xutian Zun! From that battle onward, I hold the upper hand!"
Haotian Di said calmly: "Taishang Huang, you have said too much. With your wisdom, you surely must have considered that the Third and Fourth Young Masters of Miluo Palace still support me."
Taichu shook his head: "In the art of strategy, I am more skilled than you. You are too young. How could the Third and Fourth Young Masters not know of your wolfish ambition? They need to support someone who can contend with you on the stage, to facilitate their plan of entering the world. With me contending against you, they are only too happy to see it. You cannot borrow any power from the Third or Fourth Young Masters—if you do not believe me, try it."
Haotian Di wore an amused smile, clapping his hands in admiration: "Well said, well said! Unfortunately, Taishang Huang, you scheme too much, you scrape by ignobly—and yet in the end, you have still grown old."
He spoke leisurely: "My stripping of the fiefs—on the surface it seems I monopolize power and slaughter meritorious ministers, a foolish act. But what I seek is the eternal stability of my realm for a million years, ten million years, even a hundred million years! Kill one Huotian Zun, and my foundation of rule is shaken?"
He was unconcerned: "It cannot be shaken. Enfeoffing vassals—that is what would shake my foundation. You think that with Huotian Zun dead, Mutian Zun would dare rebel? Even if he did, I have ample means to handle him. At worst, I can borrow a few Dao-achievers from the Zuting Jade Capital. The Zuting Jade Capital has nothing else, but it has no shortage of Dao-achievers from the prehistoric universe."
He revealed a mocking expression: "The Third and Fourth Young Masters have no choice. Only by relying on my power do they have a chance, any hope, of entering the present universe. Because they know that neither you nor Mutian Zun can match me!"
Taichu laughed heartily: "Yin Tianzi, Dongdi Qinglong—killed by borrowed blades. Zushen Wang and Xutian Zun—dead. What forces do you have left?"
At that moment, Dongdi Qinglong happened to flee to this very place. Hearing their conversation, his heart turned cold once more: "I died again? How did I not know... Better hurry and run!"
Haotian Di smiled as he looked at his father, and said with sympathy: "Taishang Huang, you truly have grown old."
He sighed.
At the same time, an incomparably violent upheaval erupted. Huotian Zun fought against Zushen Wang and Xutian Zun with all his might, battling until heaven and earth split asunder. Zushen Wang pushed Tiangong's physical body to its utmost limit, forcibly breaking through the flame wheel behind Huotian Zun's head.
But the moment he broke free, Huotian Zun struck with a palm. He stood upon Tiangong's physical body, and at that very moment when Tiangong's body was extricating itself from the flame wheel, there was no time to block.
Zushen Wang could only activate the Heavenly Dao treasures he had painstakingly refined to resist head-on. Within Huotian Zun's strike were hidden twenty-eight layers of Dao realms, each layer of Dao fire stronger than the last. By the twenty-eighth layer, all the Heavenly Dao treasures Zushen Wang had painstakingly refined were burned into molten copper and liquid gold!
"Zushen Wang, are you even worthy to share my name?"
Huotian Zun sneered coldly. His primordial spirit pressed down from the Heavenly Court, driving Xutian Zun back again and again, unable to resist.