With the Sun Palace destroyed, the Five Spirit Temple lay next in their path. And beyond that stood the Central Grand Hall, where Duke Long, Fairy Zi Wei, and the others had taken their positions.
The Gu Masters from Eternal Heaven attacked with vicious momentum, their assaults wild and merciless, heedless of casualties. The pressure they exerted left the Heavenly Court immortals feeling the strain.
"We can't let them rampage like this any longer." Duke Long turned to face Fairy Zi Wei. "Have they all been brought over as I ordered?"
Fairy Zi Wei's expression was somewhat grim. "Only two could be dispatched."
Duke Long paused briefly before understanding dawned. "I suppose Cang Xuanzi didn't move out? No matter — when it agreed to relocate to the Heavenly Court, it had already made an arrangement with Immortal Venerable Yuan Lian. The two that were dispatched should be powerful enough to hold off the Fortune Altar for a time."
The Five Spirit Temple was already visible in the distance when suddenly a violent sandstorm erupted, forming vast waves of sand that blocked the Fortune Altar's path.
ROOAR!
A tiger's roar shook heaven and earth.
The sand parted to both sides, revealing a massive, mottled tiger as large as a small mountain.
The tiger's aura was overwhelming, its entire body appearing as if forged from metal — golden skin, silver fangs, and a pair of eyes like crystalline rubies that radiated fierce light. Yet the marking on its forehead was not the character for "king," but rather the character for "sand."
The Five Elements Grand Magician looked back in surprise. "The Heavenly Court has Legendary Ancient Desolate Beasts hidden within it too?"
"Naturally." Bing Sai Chuan's expression was calm. "The Heavenly Court possesses three Legendary Ancient Desolate Beasts in total. This one appears to be a great tiger, but it is not a tiger — it is a Sha Bi. This is a monster that takes shape by condensing from a Sha Sea Spring. With the decline of the Qi Path, the Sha Sea Springs have long since vanished, and so this is the only Sha Bi remaining."
"It was cultivated in ancient times by the Heavenly Court's great Qi Path master, Seven Sha Primordial Lord. After reaching the Eighth Transformation, Seven Sha Primordial Lord roamed the world, seeking out Sha Sea Springs everywhere to extract Sha Bi from them. He extracted a total of ninety-nine Sha Bi, forming a vast army of terrifying might. These Sha Bi could be combined with his immortal-path killing moves, adding countless miraculous effects, making him virtually unstoppable in that era."
"But now, only this one remains. This particular Sha Bi was among the last to be extracted, numbered ninety-five. It was known by that number ever since, until Immortal Ancestor Giant Sun was invited to visit the Heavenly Court and, upon seeing this Sha Bi, gave it the name Sha Bi Ninety-Five."
"So there's such a history behind it. No wonder Your Excellency knows every detail like the back of your hand." The Five Elements Grand Magician couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
He looked behind him and saw Sha Bi Ninety-Five stirring up a sky full of yellow sand, locked in fierce combat with the "Fortune Altar." The sheer scale of the battle was staggering, revealing combat power at the Peak Eighth Transformation level!
Bing Sai Chuan continued his analysis. "Sha Bi Ninety-Five inhabits the Eternal Sand Cavern and was dispatched by the Heavenly Court. Azure Jade Crane Ruan Dan will likely come as well, but I'm afraid Cang Xuanzi won't be joining the battle."
The Five Elements Grand Magician asked, "So Ruan Dan and Cang Xuanzi are the other two remaining Legendary Ancient Desolate Beasts?"
At the same time, he felt a trace of puzzlement. Why was Bing Sai Chuan so certain that Cang Xuanzi wouldn't join the fight? Could it be that the Heavenly Court had planted spies among the enemy as well?
Bing Sai Chuan replied, "Correct. Ruan Dan is an Ancient Azure Jade Crane, cultivated by the Immortal Crane Sect, who independently created the Dan Path and has resided in the Heavenly Court for years to practice. As for Cang Xuanzi, it is that Azure Sky Vine. This vine possesses tremendous power and boundless wondrous effects — it sprouts over three hundred years, flowers over three hundred years, and fruits over three hundred years. The fruits it produces are Azure Sky Fruits, which dissolve within a blessed land and can expand the sky inside one's Immortal Orifice. Because of this, the Azure Sky Vine has earned the title of the Tenth Sky Under Heaven!"
"The Tenth Sky Under Heaven..." The Five Elements Grand Magician's heart trembled slightly. Suddenly, he understood and pointed toward the front-left. "That massive pillar of green vine stretching up into the clouds?"
The Heavenly Court was a labyrinth of palaces, and among them stood a colossal green vine that connected earth to sky, towering even above the Heaven Monitoring Tower behind the Central Grand Hall — utterly impossible to miss. The Five Elements Grand Magician had noticed it the very first moment he had broken into the Heavenly Court.
"Correct. The Azure Sky Vine was personally brought in by Immortal Venerable Yuan Lian. It has an agreement with Yuan Lian and occupies a very special position within the Heavenly Court — it is exempt from military orders and royal decrees, only needing to offer a batch of Azure Sky Fruits once every thousand years."
Hearing this, the Five Elements Grand Magician felt his horizons expand. He had never imagined that an Ancient Legendary Desolate Plant in this world could refuse to bow to the Heavenly Court's authority.
But upon further thought, he came to understand.
The Azure Sky Vine's utility was far too unique — the only one of its kind in the world. With these Azure Sky Fruits, the Heavenly Court could continuously expand the skies within their Immortal Orifices, greatly bolstering their foundations. Rather than saying the Azure Sky Vine refused to bow to the Heavenly Court, it was more accurate to say that the Heavenly Court needed to utilize it, and therefore tolerated it.
Meanwhile, at the Central Grand Hall.
"Something's wrong!" Fairy Zi Wei suddenly furrowed her brow. "This Fortune Altar is a fake."
"Oh?" Duke Long turned his gaze.
Fairy Zi Wei commanded the Central Grand Hall, constantly monitoring the entirety of the Central Continent through the layered palaces and countless Immortal Gu Houses. Naturally, she maintained heightened vigilance over the battle within the Heavenly Court.
With the Heaven Monitoring Tower unable to be deployed, Fairy Zi Wei activated another Immortal Gu House, releasing a beam of glazed rainbow light.
The rainbow light swiftly pierced through the sky and struck the "Fortune Altar" head-on.
The "Fortune Altar" flickered and wavered, revealing its true form.
It was a four-legged beast with purple fur.
Its frame was enormous — a full thirty percent larger than Sha Bi.
It resembled a mink, its entire body covered in lustrous, smooth purple fur. A pair of eyes glittered with the radiance of amethyst. Behind it trailed a dog's tail.
"Ah! Finally figured it out, you Heavenly Court idiots! Hahaha..." The great purple mink laughed heartily, its voice dripping with mockery.
"You're... Immortal Venerable Giant Sun's Dog-tail Life-extending Mink, Mao Li Qiu?!" Sha Bi Ninety-Five was greatly startled and spoke in a human voice.
The purple mink's expression darkened abruptly, and its body shot forward like a bolt of purple lightning.
BOOM.
Sand burst in all directions as the Dog-tail Life-extending Mink pinned Sha Bi firmly beneath it, baring its fangs with a vicious expression, its voice low and menacing: "Remember — call me Master Mao!"
Sha Bi Ninety-Five roared in fury, growling, "When it comes to age, I'm your grandfather!"
It struggled with all its might, but the Dog-tail Life-extending Mink didn't budge an inch.
Sha Bi Ninety-Five was secretly shocked. "How can this beast possess such terrifying strength? But do you think I'm so easily subdued?"