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Chapter 28: Fall of Violet Manor
🕑 Added 2022-09-14 13:00:09 +0000 UTCTaiyi furrowed his brows. "What Does Daoist Tongtian want in return?"
He wasn't supposed. Tongtian wasn't part of the Heavenly Court, and she wouldn't help for no reason, nor was he delusional. For her to offer aid, she must have a reason.
"I just want to save one person," Tongtian said.
Did she have a relationship with one of Violet Manor's immortals?
Whatever the reason, Taiyi agreed. It was not bad to exchange the life of one person for a swift end. However, there was a caveat. "As long as that person is not Dong Wanggong, you can save anyone you want."
A smile blossomed on Tongtian's face, causing Taiyi to become dazed. He only broke out when Yuanshi coughed into his fist and glared at him.
Taiyi glared back, but Tongtian saw none of this. "The Ten Thousand Immortals Formation is impressive. By utilizing the strength of ten thousand immortals, the formation can display power far greater than the limit of the Quasi-Saint Realm. However, the consumptions need to be bored by the people within the formation and cannot be easily replenished."
Taiyi nodded. He knew this already.
"In addition, everyone inside will obtain great power surpassing most Quasi-Saints. I'm sure you have already experienced this fact yourself," Tongtian continued. "But how can a powerful formation be without weakness? Since all the immortals inside share equal power, then they are only as strong as their weakest link."
"The formation is not perfect, and Dong Wanggong must have only taught them the formation recently, and there are many weak points. As long as you kill two or three of the immortals and prevent them from sealing the gap, the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation will naturally collapse on its own," Tongtian finished.
Taiyi furrowed his brows, but her words did make sense. "Please enlighten me on the formation's weakness."
Tongtian pointed out several weak points. Unlike Heavenly Court, Violet Manor barely had enough Profound Immortals to form the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. Naturally, there would be those that aren't as accomplished in utilizing the formation, forming friction.
Taiyi nodded and returned to command the Starry Sky War Array. Despite his personal feelings, he wouldn't bet on Heavenly Court's future on Tongtian's words alone. He needed to test it out.
He commanded the Starry Sky War Array to descend again. Last time, they only managed to shave off a small percentage of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation's energy, but they also received several injuries on their side. But this time, Taiyi targeted about a tenth of the weak points listed by Tongtian.
Taiyi also ordered the Celestial Army to target other random points to hide his probe. After a brief clash, the Starry Sky War Array ascended again. Under Taiyi's observation, he noticed that the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation did seem weaker despite the briefer clash between the two.
Ruthlessness flashed in Taiyi's eyes as he said, "Immortal Emperors, obey I, Eastern Emperor's command. Unleash the Ancient Annihilation Constellation."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The three hundred and sixty-five stars started to form into a specific pattern. A colossal humanoid with skin full of starlight emerged. He stood in the Starry Sky and held a bronze bell in his hand.
Dong Wanggong sensed an ominous premonition and clutched the Ten Thousand Immortals Book. He commanded the immortals to raise the defense of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation to the absolute limit.
But Taiyi's next attack shocked him.
Not because of how powerful it was, but because of where he attacked. Taiyi attacked five places, and those five places were the most significant weak points of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. Once the five immortals anchoring those points fell, the formation would follow.
"STOP HIM!!!"
The aura of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation rose at a staggering rate, but it was too late. The Chaos Bell smashed into the formation, and Dong Wanggong sensed one of the Profound Immortal's death. Following that, the flow of energy within the formation started to shriek like a broken record.
Just the loss of a single Profound Immortal caused the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation to lose almost five percent of its power.
Taiyi raised the Chaos Bell and attacked again, only with far more ferocity. Dong Wanggong wanted to stop this, but he was helpless. Two more Profound Immortals died, but the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation didn't just lose fifteen percent of its power, but twenty. Only three of the ten thousand immortals had perished, but the formation was already tethering on the brink of destruction.
"Attack, destroy the Starry Sky War Array, and kill Taiyi!" Dong Wanggong roared. He could already see it was too late. Before the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation could break, he wanted to make Heavenly Court pay the price.
The white pillars encircled the Ancient Annihilation Constellation and attacked with reckless abandon, but with the weakened power, it couldn't deal a fatal blow to Taiyi and the Celestial Army. The star colossus attacked again and destroyed another Profound Immortal, causing the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation's power to drop by another ten percent.
Dong Wanggong attacked even more madly, but the final knife came from the most unexpected source. At least for him.
One of the nine largest pillars, one formed by a Quasi-Saint, lost its pure white and immortal-like aura. Shedding that skin, the pillar turned into a mixture of red, black, yellow, green, and white. It split into a separate formation, one that Tongtian recognized.
The Five Feathers Element Formation.
The mixture into five and swirled around in the shape of feathers. At the center, Kong Xuan flew off into the distance, towards the Undying Mountain in the South.
"KONG XUAN!!!" Dong Wanggong roared. Not only did Kong Xuan's departure cause the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation to fall apart, but Dong Wanggong felt his connection with the Five Element Tree disappear. "If I live through this, I will chase you done even into the chaos!"
"Haha, Dong Wanggong, you should worry about your life first!" Taiyi's voice echoed from the star colossus's lips as it didn't even bother to use the Chaos Bell anymore and smashed its palm down.
All the immortals under its path died, from Profound Immortals to Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament; none were spared. One of the fingers poked towards the Shangxia Ancestor, who defended with all his might. Even so, he still spat out a mouthful of blood and was heavily injured.
"Wait, wait! I'm willing to surrender to Heavenly Court!" Shangxia Ancestor called out.
With Shangxia Ancestor as the precedent, more and more immortals and even Quasi-Saints surrendered.
"Your Majesty, Eastern Emperor, we were deceived by Dong Wanggong!"
"Yes, yes, we didn't have the meaning of going against Heavenly Court, but Dong Wanggong forced us!"
"Yes, what head of male immortals? He's just a bandit! Your Majesty, please uphold justice and punish Dong Wanggong!"
Dong Wanggong's daoheart almost broke. He was the leader of Violet Manor, but nothing seemed to go his way. The only time of glory was directly after the Dao Ancestor's second sermon, where he and Xi Wangmu entered the Quasi-Saint Realm.
After that, Di Jun established Heavenly Court, and the Demon Clan directly attained five Quasi-Saints, becoming the number one force in the Great Desolation. Dong Wanggong thought that at least they were still stronger than the Titan Tribe, but less than a day later, he discovered how laughable his thoughts had been.
The Titan Tribe possessed the Pangu Genesis Formation that could easily defeat Heavenly Court. Had it not been for some restriction, Heavenly Court might have perished. If Heavenly Court had perished, that would have also meant Violet Manor was next unless Dong Wanggong surrendered.
How could he be willing?
So, Dong Wanggong played the long game. He wanted to wait for Heavenly Court and Titan Tribe to deplete each other's strength. The moment both sides reached their weakest state, Violet Manor would strike.
Unfortunately, reality was cruel. Shangxia Ancestor led an impatient faction and attacked the remaining members of the Hundred Tribes for a short-term gain. Worse, Shangxia Ancestor showed signs of becoming the decision maker.
He thought Kong Xuan had been his most loyal ally, but he was the one to deal the fatal blow at the critical moment, ruining any and all chance Dong Wanggong had of reversing the situation. Now, Shangxia Ancestor and all the immortals were condemning him.
Dong Wanggong felt a hand above his. He turned around to see Xi Wangmu smiling gently at him. He raised his other hand and covered hers.
"Have you said your last words?" Taiyi asked as he stared down at the head of male and female immortals from the Ancient Annihilation Constellation.
"Taiyi, I'll tell you right now, don't think you'll meet a good end either. I curse you; I curse you and Di Jun to not have a good fate!"
Dong Wanggong took out the Nine-Dragon Cane, but he didn't attack Taiyi with it. Instead, he waved it, and a golden sphere covered Xi Wangmu and sent her away.
"You?!" Xi Wangmu cried out, but she didn't get a chance to finish. The golden energy of the sphere interacted with the silver mirror floating around her, activating it.
The Ancient Annihilating Constellation frowned and reached out to Xi Wangmu, who was shuttling through space.
"Your opponent is me!" Dong Wanggong said as he smashed the star colossus's hand. His full-powered attack had actually shifted the hand's trajectory.
Taiyi frowned as he stared at Dong Wanggong. Dong Wanggong was covered in a bright aura radiating pure yang energy. The power he displayed eclipsed that of an early Quasi-Saint and even showed signs of reaching the Peak Quasi-Saint Realm.
However, such an increase in strength had a price. Dong Wanggong was using his foundation, the first strand of Yang Qi in heaven and earth, to boost his strength. After this, whether he survived the battle or not, he would die. But Taiyi didn't look down on him; instead, he had a trace of respect in his eyes. Certainly more than Shangxia Ancestor and the rest of the cowardly immortals.
Three hundred and sixty-five stars shone brilliantly as the Ancient Annihilation Constellation dispersed, returning to its former form. Taiyi turned towards the rest, "Go, prevent anyone from escaping."
With the rest of the demons gone, Taiyi faced off against Dong Wanggong alone.
"Can you let her go?" Dong Wanggong quietly asked.
"I cannot," Taiyi succinctly said.
Dong Wanggong nodded and didn't say anything else because he knew it was useless. The best way to guarantee Xi Wangmu's safe passage was to cause chaos to the demons, and what better way than to kill their leader, Taiyi?
They exchanged countless moves, and it became apparent that Dong Wanggong held the upper hand, but Taiyi didn't fret. He just focused on defending using his Chaos Bell no matter how crazy Dong Wanggong became.
Finally, the two stopped. Dong Wangong's body had turned translucent and seemed to be able to disappear at any moment. He looked at Taiyi, then in the direction of Heavenly Court, and finally at the chaotic boundary where he had listened to the Dao Ancestor's sermon in Violet Heaven Palace.
"I'm unwilling, unwilling!"
With those words, Dong Wanggong turned into a wisp of golden light that soon dissipated, leaving behind the treasure he had left. Suddenly, space opened, and a hand reached out to grab the Nine-Dragon Cane.
Taiyi knew this was the Dao Ancestor's hand, so he didn't say anything and stored the rest of the treasures. Then, he glanced at the restrained remnants of Violet Manor.
"Eastern Emperor Taiyi is mighty," Shangxia Ancestor said at this moment. He, along with the other immortals, could not withstand the Starry Sky War Array without the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation.
A few Profound Immortals, Sky Immortals, and Earth Immortals escaped, but Taiyi didn't care. Compared to them, he had already trapped the strongest people of Violet Manor, including Xi Wangmu.
"Eastern Emperor, are we going to return to Heavenly Court now?" Shangxia Ancestor tentatively asked.
Taiyi nodded. "We are, but you aren't. A subordinate should follow their leader."
With Taiyi's words, the Celestial Army started to kill the remnant immortal with reckless abandon.
"Ahh, Taiyi, you bastard, this isn't what you promised!" Shangxia Ancestor shouted.
"Didn't we already promise to join Heavenly Court?"
Taiyi sneered. "When have I ever promised you anything? The Heavenly Court doesn't need traitorous bastards like you."
The only one that didn't shout was Xi Wangmu. Her hatred-filled eyes glared at Taiyi, and she used her Kunlun Mirror to resist with all her might. Unfortunately, Taiyi wouldn't let her go, no matter how much he respected Dong Wanggong.
He didn't want to leave any hidden dangers, especially with the Titan Tribe eyeing them. But at this time, a voice called out.
"Daoist Taiyi, did you forget our promise?"
Hearing the pleasing, bell-like voice, Taiyi stopped. He turned to see Tongtian and Yuanshi watching in the distance. "How could I? Who do you want to save?"
Tongtian smiled and then looked at Xi Wangmu, causing her to freeze.
"Impossible, anyone but her," Taiyi immediately said.
Tongtian's smile disappeared. "I recall Daoist Taiyi said that I could save anyone but Dong Wanggong. Are you going back on your words, Eastern Emperor Taiyi?"
Taiyi frowned and hesitated. At this moment, Ji Meng spoke up. "You mustn't, Your Majesty!"
"Quiet!" Taiyi said with a glare. He turned to look at Xi Wangmu, who had turned remarkably docile. She had her head lowered and didn't dare to look at him. He snared. "Alright."
Tongtian regained her smile. "Thank you, Daoist Taiyi."
Xi Wangmu didn't dare delay and flew towards Tongtian and Yuanshi. She couldn't guarantee that Taiyi wouldn't go back on his words, so she chose to fly towards Tongtian and Yuanshi.
"Thank you, fellow Daoists, for saving my life," Xi Wangmu said with cupped fists and a bow, seeming overly courteous.
Tongtian raised an eyebrow. She refused to believe that Xi Wangmu hadn't noticed her interaction with Taiyi before he started to strike the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation's weak points. She'd be surprised if Xi Wangmu were as grateful as she claimed, but Tongtian didn't care.
"I didn't save you for no reason," Tongtian said.
Xi Wangmu looked up, and her eyes connected with Tongtian's. "Please speak. If you want, I am even willing to be your servant."
This time, Tongtian really frowned. "Just hand over your Kunlun Mirror, I don't need you to serve me."
Xi Wangmu only hesitated for a moment before she handed the silver mirror to Tongtian. "Daoist Tongtian, just a single innate spiritual artifact isn't enough to repay this lifesaving grace. Please let me become your follower."
"I said there is no need," Tongtian said, raising her guard.
She didn't bother to pay attention to Xi Wangmu anymore and flew away with Yuanshi. Xi Wangmu chewed the bottom of her lips, and a flash of cruelty entered her eyes. She decisively followed after Tongtian and Yuanshi.
Tongtian continued to ignore her. She returned to Kunlun Mountain now that she had accomplished her goal, but Xi Wangmu followed her there too. Xi Wangmu couldn't enter Kunlun Mountain because of the arrays, so after a time, she settled down on a spiritual mountain west of Kunlun.
The essence wasn't as abundant as Kunlun Mountain or Penglai Immortal Island, but it was still bountiful. She even entertained a few guests, such as Daoist Burning Lamps, and taught him the method of Three Corpses.
Later, the mountain would become known as West Kunlun.
