Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 634: Arrival of the Emperor

Within the Great Dao Celestial Army, An Yao was surrounded by an endless throng, supported by countless admirers!

The battle unfolded under the brilliant lights of the Thunder Department, a spectacle surely mirrored in the Great Dao Celestial Army's own realm.

The audience was vast, extending far beyond the Heavenly Palace of the Celestial Court, encompassing esteemed Immortals from all quarters!

As expected by Yun Xiao, the most distinguished spectator from the Great Dao Celestial Realm was also present in person to witness the birth of the champion of the Immortal Tournament.

Before Yun Xiao made his entrance, the Longevity Immortal suddenly sensed something, his face solemn as he declared loudly, "The Emperor arrives!"

In the Celestial Court, there was but one Emperor!

At this proclamation, all the Heavenly Officers present wore solemn expressions, turning respectfully towards the east.

A holy light shone forth, illuminating the scene with a procession led by celestial cranes and auspicious lions, surrounded by celestial dances and songs, with glimmers of dawn's light flickering through.

A radiant beam descended from the heavens, landing beside Empress Zhao. The celestial cranes and auspicious lions transformed into a celestial throne of clouds to receive this radiant light.

Yun Xiao glanced over and saw upon the cloud throne, an elderly figure dressed in white, with white hair and white eyes.

This elder was unlike any Yun Xiao had seen before: ethereal and immaculate, exuding an aura of sanctity and divinity—almost the perfect embodiment of a celestial being as mortals might imagine!

He was pure, radiant, and perfect!

And though he bore the visage of an elder, his demeanor carried a sense of compassion, holiness, and justice, embodying supreme benevolence!

His presence, unlike the overwhelming spectacle of the Chaos Sovereign, commanded a profound reverence!

After all, he was the Celestial Emperor of this vast Great Dao Celestial Realm!

"All hail His Majesty's sacred presence."

At that moment, the Immortals gathered at the venue bowed in reverence.

The pure-white elder smiled and nodded.

His gaze fell on Yun Xiao and An Yao, his expression warm as he spoke, "Both of you are jewels of the Great Dao Celestial Realm, the twin marvels of the Celestial Court, a blessing for all paths!"

"Thank you for your praise, Emperor. The path of immortality is boundless, and we, mere mortals, tread it cautiously, daring not to presume," Yun Xiao replied.

"Well said, I feel the same," An Yao chuckled in agreement.

The Celestial Emperor cracked a smile in response.

Seeing this, the assembled Immortals joined in the laughter, filling the surroundings with a joyful atmosphere, a stark contrast to the tense anticipation that had preceded the final fight.

Yun Xiao managed a laugh too, but as he observed the exalted Emperor, his heart churned with tumultuous undercurrents.

"Don't be fooled by the old man's saintly demeanor, as if he were a god among the clouds; his incense aura is the most exaggerated I've ever seen," Blue Star remarked coolly.

"I've cracked it—the foundation of the Celestial Court is indeed rotten, and rotten to the very core," Yun Xiao thought to himself with a silent sigh.

A dynastic regime, where the supreme ruler at the pinnacle became the most unscrupulous criminal—what hope could there be for the integrity of the entire system?

The flower of the Thunder Department, riddled with flaws, officials covering for each other, the transmission of incense, people like Cao Shuo branded as pariahs...

Even the venerable Longevity Immortal, stationed at the Ascension Pool, stewing up ascenders who dared to complain, one batch after another...

All these issues stemmed from the radiant, saintly Celestial Emperor!

A crooked beam would lead to crooked rafters!

"Do you mean to say his incense has reached such exaggerated levels?" Yun Xiao asked.

"Terrible enough to make one nauseous," Blue Star grimaced.

"Could you elaborate?" Yun Xiao's voice was chillingly cold.

"Remember the Great Horned Immortals?" Blue Star asked.

"I do."

"If the incense value of the Great Horned Immortals were 100, what do you guess this old man’s would be?"

One thousand, 5,000, 10,000?" With each guess, Yun Xiao's heartbeat intensified, as each number represented the dire fates of countless beings.

"100,000." Blue Star didn't beat around the bush, directly quantifying with a stark comparison.

"100,000..."

A fierce blaze surged within Yun Xiao, scorching his throat and mind, rendering him speechless for a moment.

All had already occurred, and he lamented the Creator Immortal's too-late rebirth.

He had anticipated that the Celestial Emperor would be extreme, but the brutal reality had exceeded even his imagination.

"Under the celestial ladder of immortality, where power disparities are vast, those devoid of the moral path who gain extraordinary power can easily unleash uncontrollable human disasters—a common sight in today’s realms," Blue Star stated flatly.

"Did I cause this?" Yun Xiao asked.

"Blame you? You are the creator of it all; without you, not even life itself would exist. It's just that the Six Ancestral Gods who now govern the heavenly path each have their flaws," Blue Star said with a cold laugh.

"That's beside the point."

Before Yun Xiao stood not the Six Ancestral Gods, but both the Emperor of the Celestial Court, and a Chaos Spirit that also unreasonably sought his destruction!

"Lu Yao, step onto the arena."

Under the watchful eyes of endless Immortals, the Longevity Immortal began to urge action.

The Emperor had arrived—how could he be kept waiting?

As the Longevity Immortal descended, the venue fell into utter silence, the eyes of top Heavenly Officers all around were stern—this was not an occasion for cheers and encouragement.

The high-ranking figures of the Immortal Sword Court, Imperial Treasury, Thunder Department, and Martial Department all watched the arena, their expressions inscrutable.

This battle carried a deeper significance, symbolizing a confrontation between the old and new forces of the Celestial Court, with outcomes that would undoubtedly be profound.

"The rise of An Yao is like another Chaos Sovereign; he's hidden his depths well, never losing a match. Such an Anima Immortal is truly unfathomable," Gu Suwan said, genuinely anxious for Yun Xiao for once, her eyes trembling and her heart pounding fiercely.

"But Lu Yao has also been astonishing time after time," Yun Yin remarked.

"That may be true, but it's not An Yao I'm worried about—it's the Chaos Sovereign..." Gu Suwan said, her voice trembling.

"..." Yun Yin fell silent.

What tactics might the Chaos Sovereign have passed on to An Yao?

He too knew the terror of the Chaos Sovereign!

For a moment, even he, the Eight Paths Cloud and Thunder General, felt his heart race with anxiety.

The death of a son, an undying hatred!

The more he hated, the more anxious he became, the more he feared Yun Xiao's defeat. Should that come to pass, no one in the Great Dao Celestial Realm could ever hope to control the Chaos Sovereign and his disciple again!

At this moment, the Immortals of the Thunder Department were thankful to the Chaos Sovereign for attempting to deal that deadly blow to Lu Yao, for if those three powers were united, it would have spelled utter despair...

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On the fighting platform, when Yun Xiao's gaze landed on the young man whose hands were in his pockets, one foot forward, the other back, shoulders hunched, spine curved, and head tilted—a clear underdog—his world narrowed to just the two of them.

One was as ethereal as the Emperor of the Celestial Court, while the other seemed a mere street rat. Aside from Nine Kites, no one would believe their appearances could possibly clash.

Fortunately, in the merciless paths of celestial combat, looks did not matter.

Victors were often glorified, while even the most handsome of the fallen were left in dismal, ugly defeat.

An Yao stretched lazily and grinned, "This righteous fury of yours, I've crushed countless like you. Compared to them, you're just another archetype."

"That just shows you don't know me," Yun Xiao replied.

What An Yao saw was only his facade, not the greedy, wrathful, and foolish spirit born from the mortal realm!

"Ha! Got any more hidden traits?" An Yao shrugged and clutched his forehead, almost laughing in spasms. His languid, content demeanor, yet with a strategic air, spoke of immense self-confidence.

Yun Xiao knew all this was granted by the Chaos Spirit!

The Chaos Spirit, masquerading as a so-called System, was now a mere unconscious tool in his mind.

Armed with this System, An Yao had grown strong without effort, his arrogance soaring to the heavens.

The world of life-and-death struggles, love, and hate was, to him, merely a game he could never lose!

Yun Xiao stared coldly at his smug game-playing demeanor, recalling the brutal slap from the Chaos Sovereign that had subdued him, a surge of malevolence rising within.

His greed, wrath, and foolishness were being called righteousness?

Yun Xiao couldn't help but laugh internally at the irony.

"Let him witness the merciless slayer of the celestial path, the one who devours without a trace of what was consumed!"

True brutes did not prey on the weak or the poor, but feasted upon the pseudo Immortals, the hypocrites, and the falsely ordained!

With a metallic ring, Yun Xiao spoke no further; his left hand brandished the Prison Warden Sigil, and his right hand unleashed the Heaven Burial Sword Soul!

Clad in azure and violet, Yun Xiao's aura surged wildly, brimming with a lethal intent so sharp it was startling!

Although the Heaven Burial Sword Soul held only four Sword Prisons, the deathly power it radiated did not lose out to the Prison Warden Sigil.

Everyone remembered how his sword triggered seven rings in the Sword Suppression Gate.

"The dual mastery of sword and sigil, both at the upper echelon, his swordsmanship and sorcery are unparalleled—this boy truly has the perfect potential for both!" the Taisui Sage lamented.

"Yet the path of the Anima Immortal is profoundly unpredictable, life and death, victory and defeat, all hard to foresee..." The Longevity Immortal squinted.

The moment Yun Xiao released his sword and sigil, it instantly tensed every Immortal present.

Only An Yao responded with a silent chuckle, clapping vigorously. "What perfect innate talent for dual mastery of sword and sigil, born for battle, the protagonist is indeed you!"

"Oh." Yun Xiao responded coolly.

Suddenly, he commanded the Heaven Burial Sword Soul and the Prison Warden Sigil to fly off the battle platform, sending the sword before the Moon Sword Goddess and the sigil before Gu Suwan, where they hovered in the air.

"Master, foster mother, keep these safe for me. If they drift an inch away from you, consider me defeated," Yun Xiao stated evenly.

His words first silenced the crowd momentarily, then stirred a flurry of whispers.

Without letting the Immortals speculate further, Yun Xiao turned a cold gaze towards An Yao, his lips slightly curling as he slowly said, "To defeat you, I won't be needing them."

JustLivingJL's Thoughts

"If the incense value of the Great Horned Immortals were 100, what do you guess this old man’s would be?"

One thousand, 5,000, 10,000?" With each guess, Yun Xiao's heartbeat intensified, as each number represented the dire fates of countless beings.

"100,000." Blue Star didn't beat around the bush, directly quantifying with a stark comparison.