Undying Life

Chapter 1012: Chapter 1012: Even Saints Cannot Act Recklessly in the Celestial Court!

*Reng* was defeated!

Zhong Shan didn't know what *Reng's* original form was, but he was well aware of the identities of *Mei* and *Liang*: Mei was the ancient beauty Baosi, and Liang was King Dizang. Given this, *Reng* couldn't have been much weaker. Yet, in just two incense sticks' worth of time, *Reng* was defeated by the Jade Emperor—even while facing *Mei* and *Liang* simultaneously. This spoke volumes about the overwhelming strength of the Jade Emperor.

As *Reng* was flung out of the black hole, the Heavenly Dao once again enveloped him, working to heal his severe injuries.

*Reng* was defeated! With one Grand Immortal down, the outcome of the battle seemed inevitable. Almost everyone could see that the Jade Emperor had triumphed over *Reng, Mei,* and *Liang*. It was now only a matter of time before the final victory was secured.

But would Saint Mitian simply stand by and watch?

Saint Mitian's clenched fist from earlier tightened once more. With a slight wave of his hand, two of the Heavenly Daos separated from the chaotic amalgam of Dao energy.

*Mei* and *Liang* also withdrew from the battlefield, and the black hole in the sky began to slowly dissipate.

The Jade Emperor stood within his white Heavenly Dao, his gaze coldly fixed on Saint Mitian.

Saint Mitian shook his head slightly.

"*Reng, Mei,* and *Liang*—you truly don't make things easy for me. I always end up having to deal with everything myself," Saint Mitian said, shaking his head in apparent frustration.

Indeed, as Zhong Shan recalled, it seemed that Saint Mitian had always had to step in personally to resolve the situations involving his servants.

"With the body of a saint, you bully those who are not saints. You truly have no regard for your status," the Jade Emperor mocked, his words dripping with sarcasm.

The Jade Emperor was taunting Saint Mitian, accusing him of lacking the dignity befitting a saint.

"Your sharp tongue will only serve you if you live long enough to use it," Saint Mitian replied coldly.

With that, Saint Mitian finally made his move.

As his right hand swept forward, an immense wave of white light gathered from all directions, shaking the void as if the very fabric of reality was collapsing.

With his hand forming a fist, Saint Mitian extended his index finger, pointing it directly at the Jade Emperor. As his finger thrust forward, a massive ethereal finger appeared in the sky.

The finger wasn't overwhelmingly large, but when it touched the Jade Emperor's Heavenly Dao, the Dao suddenly rippled, as if under extreme pressure, forming waves that threatened to tear it apart.

"Boom!"

At the point where the white Heavenly Dao and the giant finger collided, a vast black hole appeared once again. The enormous Heavenly Dao seemed to be pushed back by the force of the finger.

The Jade Emperor extended both hands, pushing against the massive finger from within his Heavenly Dao.

But the finger was too powerful—after all, this was the strength of a saint, not something a mere Grand Immortal could contend with.

Under the tremendous force, the Jade Emperor's Heavenly Dao was pushed back toward the Celestial Court, specifically in the direction of the Lingxiao Hall.

The sky was filled with swirling clouds of fortune, and as the Jade Emperor was pushed back by the immense force, a golden dragon of fortune suddenly materialized around him. The colossal dragon began to frantically draw power from the sea of fortune clouds, channeling it into the Jade Emperor's body.

"Roar~~~!"

With a thunderous roar, the golden dragon's power caused the Jade Emperor's Heavenly Dao to swell, growing three times larger. The resulting force surged back against the saint's finger.

"Boom!"

The entire sky above them turned into a massive black hole, tearing a rift in the void that was ten times larger than before.

As the black hole gradually dissipated, the scene revealed itself once more.

The Jade Emperor's imperial crown was slightly disheveled, but the massive finger that had threatened him was now gone, erased by the tremendous force of the clash.

Breathing heavily, the Jade Emperor coldly stared at Saint Mitian. The impact of Mitian's casual strike had been overwhelming, a true display of the power of a saint. This was the might of a saint—a level of strength far beyond what mortals could comprehend. Even the formidable Jade Emperor was unable to withstand it head-on.

On the other side, Hao Meili showed a trace of anxiety, while Zhong Shan narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

The Four Continents—this was an enormous domain, far larger than his own Fengzhong Territory. The Jade Emperor ruled over the Four Continents, and yet, in this battle, he had only drawn upon the power of the sea of fortune clouds. He had not yet fully mobilized the forces of the entire world, particularly the power of the common people. Why hadn't the Jade Emperor called upon the power of the people? Was he truly that confident? But just moments ago, he had been unable to match Saint Mitian.

"Is that all you've got? Do you have any other tricks?" Saint Mitian sneered, clearly confident that victory was within his grasp. The earlier clash had allowed him to gauge the Jade Emperor's strength, and he was certain that even if the Jade Emperor tapped into all the power of the Four Continents, it would be futile against him.

"Mitian, have you really not noticed anything yet?" The Jade Emperor suddenly smiled faintly.

As he spoke, the Jade Emperor even withdrew his Heavenly Dao, slowly descending from the sky toward his Nine-Dragon Throne.

Noticed something? Many of the gods were puzzled, but some, including Zhong Shan, began to understand.

The Celestial Court was vast and powerful. Despite the intensity of the battle, and the fact that the black hole had been close enough to the Celestial Court to cause space to tremble, none of the structures within the court had collapsed. The spatial ripples had dissipated before reaching the court's buildings. It was as if some mysterious force was protecting the Celestial Court.

"The Celestial Court?" Saint Mitian said in a low voice, his tone now tinged with suspicion.

The Jade Emperor had already landed before the Nine-Dragon Throne, but instead of sitting, he stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the sky.

"Yes, the Celestial Court—the only one in the mortal realm. This is a place where even a saint cannot act recklessly!" The Jade Emperor declared solemnly.

"Boom!"

As the Jade Emperor finished speaking, a thunderous noise echoed through the sky as a massive Heavenly Dao shot up from the Southern Heavenly Gate, much like the one that had trapped King Dizang earlier. It appeared suddenly and with great force.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" From the eastern, western, and northern gates of the Celestial Court, additional Heavenly Daos rose, one after another. Then more and more appeared, surrounding the Celestial Court.

One, two, three, ten, forty—forty-nine in total!

A total of forty-nine Heavenly Daos suddenly encircled the Celestial Court. Each was a different color, a unique manifestation of the Dao. It was as if forty-nine Grand Immortals were guarding the Celestial Court.

These Heavenly Daos emerged, interconnecting seamlessly and transmitting power among themselves, forming what appeared to be an enormous Heavenly Dao array.

Saint Mitian's Four Ghosts Heavenly Dao Formation now seemed almost insignificant in comparison. While power is not always determined by numbers, the sheer scale of the forty-nine Heavenly Daos protecting the Celestial Court demonstrated its immense strength.

The sight of these forty-nine Heavenly Daos, towering and majestic, left no doubt in anyone's mind about the formidable power and grandeur of the Celestial Court.

As the Heavenly Daos emerged one by one, Zhong Shan felt a sense of deep shock. Is this the true foundation of the Celestial Court?

Hao Meili smiled faintly, while many of the Celestial Court's gods displayed expressions of surprise. Despite having served in the Celestial Court for so many years, few had imagined that such a formidable defense—a guardianship of forty-nine Heavenly Daos—existed.

Outside the protective array, Saint Mitian watched coldly, having already retracted Reng, Mei, and Liang into his grasp.

"Heavenly Dao guardianship? So this Celestial Court was indeed crafted by Hongjun, infused with his very essence!" Saint Mitian remarked in a deep, resonant voice.

"It was indeed created by Daozu Hongjun. The Celestial Court is the Celestial Court—here, not even a saint can act recklessly!" the Jade Emperor responded solemnly.

Not even a saint can act recklessly within the Celestial Court? If these words had been spoken at any other time, they might have been met with scorn, but now, with forty-nine Heavenly Daos standing as guardians, the Jade Emperor's declaration felt justified.

The Jade Emperor feared no one—not even a saint—as he gazed boldly at Saint Mitian.

"What arrogance! Hongjun's creation? Let's see how the dead Hongjun can stop a living saint!" Saint Mitian retorted coldly.

With that, he extended his hand, unleashing a powerful strike. The void trembled as a black hole formed, ripping through the Heavenly Dao guardianship surrounding the Celestial Court. Though the Heavenly Daos defended the court, the saint's power was simply too overwhelming.

Saint Mitian's immense strength tore open a large breach in the Heavenly Dao formation. Amidst the tense gazes of the gods, Saint Mitian stepped through the breach, entering the Celestial Court.

The gods were filled with concern, but the Jade Emperor remained stoic, his expression as cold as ever.

As Saint Mitian stepped within the boundary of the Heavenly Dao formation, something extraordinary happened.

"Hum~~~~~~~"

The entire Celestial Court began to tremble.

Then, behind the assembly, the massive Lingxiao Hall suddenly quivered.

From the location of the Lingxiao Hall, yet another Heavenly Dao emerged.

The fiftieth Heavenly Dao.

No—this didn't seem like an ordinary Heavenly Dao.

While the other Heavenly Daos, though colored, were somewhat translucent, the Dao that now encased the Lingxiao Hall was solid, as if it were made of marble. This solid Dao shot up into the sky.

This Heavenly Dao did not exude the overwhelming pressure typical of such forces; in fact, it seemed almost gentle. Yet this seemingly weak Dao caused Saint Mitian to halt in his tracks as he stepped into the Celestial Court.

In that moment, the entire Celestial Court experienced only a minor tremor, but outside, the world was shaking violently—so much so that it felt as if the entire Four Continents were trembling.

In Xiniu Hezhou, at the Great Thunderclap Temple, the recently returned Amitabha Buddha was speaking to a group of Buddhas when the ground suddenly shook. Amitabha looked up toward the Celestial Court.

In Beiju Luzhou, at Saint Corpse Mountain, Sa was in seclusion. The tremors prompted him to step out of the Biyou Palace, his gaze fixed in the direction of the Celestial Court.

To the east, across the Eastern Sea, in the territory of the Great Qin.

In Xianyang, the holy capital of the Great Qin, Ying Zheng halted his court assembly and led his ministers outside, all of them looking westward toward the Celestial Court.

Further north, in the land of Lu, Confucius stood atop a high mountain, gazing out across the Four Continents. Though he did not move, his attention was clearly drawn to the events unfolding.

The appearance of the solid Heavenly Dao brought subtle changes to the Celestial Court. Saint Mitian, staring at the Dao, was visibly shaken by its presence.

As everyone looked up, they noticed faint shadows emerging on the surface of this solid Heavenly Dao.

The shadow took the shape of an elderly man in Daoist robes. Although the man's face was indistinct, he exuded an aura of timelessness, as if he were the embodiment of the passing ages.

"Hong... Jun..." Saint Mitian called out, his voice carrying an emotion that was difficult to describe—a mix of shock, reverence, and something deeper.

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