Upper Realm.

Suddenly, voices echoed one after another: "Found him!" "Find Zhong Wuwang for me!" "I found him too!"

"We've locked in his location, he's on Star Shuttle Mountain!"

"Quick! Quickly notify the three ancestors!"

...

Over nineteen hundred Heavenly Gods stood at the edge of the Upper Realm, gazing downward, ceaselessly searching day and night, monitoring the mortal world, finally tracing the whereabouts of Zhong Wuwang, and couldn't help but be thrilled beyond measure.

Immediately, a Heavenly God informed Yang Bi, who was in the midst of cultivation. Upon hearing the news, he quickly inquired: "How did you discover Zhong Wuwang?"

A Heavenly God replied: "The Innate Dao Embryo itself is a minor True God, connected mysteriously to the Outer Heaven True God. Zhong Wuwang's use of the Innate Dao Embryo dimmed the moonlight slightly, revealing his whereabouts!"

Yang Bi's complexion changed slightly, and he promptly ordered: "No one is allowed to contact the Lower Realm! Convey my orders immediately! Forbid all Divines in the Upper Realm from notifying the Lower Realm!"

These Heavenly Gods were each the Sect Master from different Families. Although once possessing high authority, they frowned upon receiving this command.

The ancestors of the Thirteen Families appointed a junior to lead the Thirteen Families, and it was tolerable. However, now even the distinguished ancestors were being governed, causing some dissatisfaction. Yang Bi indeed had great talent. In the underworld where various forces acted independently, he managed to organize the chaos swiftly once he arrived.

Within the Thirteen Families in the mortal world, entangled interests existed, but internal grudges were plenty. Once he entered the mortal world, he soon subdued the Sect Masters of various Great Families, making them willing to obey orders.

However, there were only thirteen Sect Masters in the mortal world, while the Upper Realm had over nineteen hundred Sect Masters!

Uniting all these individuals in thought and action was indeed challenging.

Yang Bi also knew his influence was insufficient, finding it difficult to enforce orders. After giving his command, he promptly went to Jade Sky Heaven to meet the ten ancestors, bowing respectfully: "Zhong Wuwang intends to lure out the snake and find the location of our Upper Realm. There are surely powerful individuals hiding at Despair Slope, waiting for information. Once our realm is located, they will strike. Please, all ancestors, issue an order to forbid all Upper Realm Divines from passing messages to the three ancestors Yan, Gu, and Fei!"

Xia Gongjin said: "Yang Bi, I trust your calculations are thorough, but how do you know that transmitting a message will alert Despair Slope?"

Yang Bi replied: "Does the ancestor know how many Heaven Listeners exist in the Yin Yang Two Realms?"

Xia Gongjin responded with a laugh: "No idea. How could one possibly count them all?"

Yang Bi said: "I had someone tally them. There are one hundred and four major districts in the Yin Yang Two Realms, each with ten thousand Heaven Listeners, totaling one million and forty thousand. If a Heaven Listener perishes, a new one immediately takes its place, maintaining the number at one million and forty thousand. They are dispersed across each district, gathering information, covering almost every place in the Yin Yang Two Realms. These Heaven Court beings must currently be monitoring the skies, trying to locate our Upper Realm. Sending a message will be detected."

Upon hearing this, the ten ancestors each parted the clouds and looked down, their expressions turning grave.

Indeed, just as Yang Bi anticipated, the Heaven Listeners everywhere were gazing at the sky in a peculiar stance, as if struck by an immobilization charm, remaining motionless, not even blinking.

The ten ancestors gasped in shock.

At this moment, a wisp of Incense Fire Qi flew from the Upper Realm towards the Lower Realm.

Yang Bi's face turned pale, and he exclaimed, "Who is using incense fire to send a message?"

Gao Xuan, Zhang Longhu, and other ancestors' faces changed dramatically, and they flew out of Jade Sky Heaven, shouting: "Prohibit sending messages with incense fire! Cut it off quickly!"

Their voices, infused with Mana, spread across the vast expanse of the Upper Realm within moments.

The wisp of Incense Fire Qi heading towards the Lower Realm ceased immediately.

Gao Xuan, Zhang Longhu, and others glanced nervously downward, attempting to detect any disturbances in the Lower Realm.

Yang Bi's face was ashen, his Qi-Blood flowed back into his heart, leaving him breathless.

He quickly calmed himself, speaking solemnly: "Fellow ancestors, let us prepare for the worst. Please, all ancestors, bring forth the Immortal Artifacts! Let our venerable ancestors be ready to raise the True King Nine Halls at any moment."

The Yang Family's ancestor, Yang Yingning, spoke hoarsely: "Yang Bi, is it truly this serious?"

Yang Bi said: "Better to be prepared than caught off guard."

Yang Yingning was about to say more when Xia Gongjin interjected: "Brother Yang, nothing more needs to be said. Let's prepare."

Li Zishi glanced at the errant Heavenly God, wanting to reprimand him, but thought better of it, realizing that a scolding was futile, and immediately moved to prepare.

In the past, when the True King crossed the west to the West Bull New Continent, many Immortal Artifacts were brought along, and among the Chinese migrants were forces from the Buddhist and Taoist lineages. To establish a foothold on the new continent, they too brought several Immortal Treasures. After the True King Era ended, most of these treasures fell into the hands of the Thirteen Families.

Each of the Thirteen Families controls one or two treasures. Aside from the Heavenly Net Blood Transformation Divine Sword, they also possess the Taiyin Demon Extinguishing Shuttle, Green Sun Umbrella, Purple and Green Dual Qi Ring, Heavenly River Star Sand, Sun and Moon Bead, among others.

Each of the ten ancestors prepared an Immortal Artifact, ready to raise it at any moment, prepared to fight a life or death battle with the invaders.

The other over nineteen hundred Heavenly Gods were also ready to mobilize their Mana at any time, to activate the True King Nine Halls in the Western Capital, preparing to raise these halls.

These nine great halls are Immortal Artifacts used by the True King for Demon Refining, possessing immense power!

"Yang Bi, if Despair Slope truly seeks us out, ordinary cultivators, even immortals, are by no means our opponents."

A Heavenly God spoke to Yang Bi, "Why make such a fuss and be so tense?"

The other Heavenly Gods nodded in agreement; they were all past sect masters of the Thirteen Families, each exceptionally talented and unmatched in the world.

Even though they had aged to death and their physical bodies decayed, after years of incense worship, their golden bodies even surpassed their physical forms!

Along with ten ancestors poised to step into the Immortal Realm at any moment, and with so many immortal artifacts and the True King Nine Palaces, they even felt they could invade Despair Slope!

Yet Yang Bi was so cautious, overly tense in their view without necessity.

"We formed the Upper Realm to last over six thousand years, not to evade the pursuit from Despair Slope, but to sweep it clean!"

A Heavenly God from the Zhai Family couldn't help but complain, "Yet now we hide here, fearful and hesitant—when will we attack Despair Slope?"

Yang Bi said gravely, "Our enemy is strong and we are weak, we must wait for the right moment, find a flaw in Despair Slope. The weaknesses of our Upper Realm are clear; last time, Chen Shi easily probed them. But we know nothing of Despair Slope's weaknesses. Only by fully understanding Despair Slope can we know how to defeat it."

All the Heavenly Gods sneered.

"Yang Bi, wait for how long? Until you grow old and die too, becoming like us?"

A Heavenly God from the Gu Family said, "By then, you will also enter the Upper Realm and continue waiting here."

Yang Bi nodded lightly, "If necessary, then we'll keep waiting. We've waited over six thousand years, a century more doesn't make a difference."

A Heavenly God from the Ma Family sneered, "Left waiting, right waiting! If we knew we were to keep waiting, why did the Thirteen Families elect you to lead? Couldn't we wait ourselves?"

Yang Bi said, "That's why we must obtain the Innate Dao Embryo. With this embryo, the Upper Realm might grow stronger, giving us the power to contend with Despair Slope."

The Heavenly Gods began to chatter, some saying the Innate Dao Embryo was merely superficial, beaten into retreat by three ancestors. Others said even with the embryo, Yang Bi would keep waiting; he was too afraid to confront the enemy, while some said even True Kings failed, so Yang Bi should be commended for his broad perspective.

After a long silence, there was still no movement.

"Was Yang Bi mistaken?"

A Heavenly God suddenly laughed, "Maybe Despair Slope never intended to deal with our Upper Realm; maybe they haven't even noticed us? Would you pay attention to something unseen and untouchable? I think Yang Bi is overly worried."

His words received much agreement.

Yang Bi felt a tinge of sorrow; at such a young age he had to manage these millennia-old ancestors, indeed a minor figure, his cultivation slightly lacking. If he could lead with a Mahayana Realm or even Immortal's realm, these elders wouldn't question him so much.

"Chen Shi, perhaps you were right. All great powers return to oneself. If one isn't strong even among their own, they can't stand firm."

Juzhou Province, Star Shuttle Mountain.

Zhong Wuwang raised a hand, snuffing out three sticks of incense, laughing, "The Yin Yang Sun Moon Ring probably really defected... Indeed, the first to find me was the Fei Family's ancestor. Brother Fei, since you are here, why not show yourself?"

Fei Zichong, with his white hair, stepped forward, walking on blue clouds leisurely, "Zhong Wuwang, today you are cornered. You don't deserve the Innate Dao Embryo; it's better to relinquish it willingly. I'll find it a new master."

Zhong Wuwang said, "Upon acquiring the embryo, shouldn't it be returned to its original owner?"

Fei Zichong remained silent.

Zhong Wuwang laughed, "Then how are you different from me?"

Fei Zichong snorted, "You are cornered..."

Zhong Wuwang shook his head, "It's you who is cornered. I've been waiting for you all to err, and finally, I've waited long enough."

He smiled, "I know the person who ordered you to kill me, he won't make mistakes, but there are too many people in the Upper Realm. With more people comes confusion, making coordination impossible and prone to errors. My Feng Immortal from Despair Slope should have already arrived at the Upper Realm."

As he thought this, suddenly an elderly man with a tall stature appeared in the Upper Realm. He wore a green robe with a white lining, long clothes with wide sleeves, and had a peach branch inserted in his hair, seemingly just broken from a tree. There were peach blossoms on the branch, three in full bloom, and six or seven buds yet to open.

The Heavenly Gods of the Upper Realm stared, dumbfounded, at this suddenly appearing old man, clueless to his arrival and entry!

"Fellow Daoists, Feng Ruotong, a Qi Refiner from pre-Qin, salutes you."

The old man smiled widely, bowed, and cheerfully said, "You occupy nature's spiritual energy, causing True Gods to dim their sight ahead of time—this is a crime. Why not return your cultivation to the world?"

Everyone felt a chill, Xia Gongjin secretly wielded the Taiyin Demon Extinguishing Shuttle, Zhang Longhu activated the Green Sun Umbrella, Zhai Zhongming sparked the Purple and Green Dual Qi Ring, other Heavenly Gods each marshaled their Divine Power, and the True King Nine Palaces took flight.

The old man, Feng Ruotong, scanned around with a smile, "Seems you aren't willing. Then, I have no choice but to personally send you back to the Dao of Heaven and Earth."

Baozhou Province, Chen Shi was climbing a newly risen mountain, searching for temples within, when the sky suddenly turned fiery red. He looked up to see the sky crack open with a snapping sound, revealing the grand imagery of the Upper Realm.

Then, a head of a Heavenly God as large as a small mountain tumbled down from the Upper Realm, dragging thick smoke as it plummeted towards the earth.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.