Boom, boom, boom...
A chain of violent explosions ripped through the air. The Five Divine Halls were blasted to smithereens amid flames that soared into the sky.
The Five Elements Great Mage stepped through the void, walking forward one step at a time. Though a layer of soot covered his face, his body was entirely unharmed.
The Tribulation Fortune Altar received him inside.
The Five Elements Great Mage laughed. "Although the Five Divine Halls are extraordinarily profound, the principles governing their operation are precisely what I understand best. My methods are a perfect counter to them. This task was far easier than I had originally anticipated!"
As he spoke, a note of self-satisfaction slipped into his voice.
Bing Saichuan glanced at him and said evenly, "That is only natural. The formation techniques you employed are none other than the arrangements my Immortal Ancestor Giant Sun has been making all along."
The Five Elements Great Mage froze, his expression shifting as he fixed his gaze on Bing Saichuan. "What do you mean by that?"
Bing Saichuan looked at him, a meaningful smile surfacing in his eyes. "Why do you think you were able to break into Longevity Heaven? Your inheritance — didn't it contain a few supremely important phrases? Do you remember those phrases? Didn't you find them utterly baffling? Try reversing their order, and then read only the final character of each sentence."
The Five Elements Great Mage felt a jolt of alarm.
He had been born an independent cultivator. The turning point of his life was inheriting a mysterious true transmission of formation arts from a rogue immortal, which had led to all of his current achievements.
Ever since I obtained the true transmission, I've practiced it tirelessly and kept it secret. How does Bing Saichuan know its contents? And how is he so intimately familiar with the critical incantation specifically marked within the transmission — the one I've never been able to make sense of... Reverse the order, then read the last character of each sentence...
"Hmm? 'Listen to Bing Saichuan — attack Heavenly Court'?!" The Five Elements Great Mage blurted out in shock, staring at Bing Saichuan dumbfounded.
Bing Saichuan steered the Tribulation Fortune Altar forward as he spoke slowly. "Even if a Ninth Transformation Venerable does not specialize in the Wisdom Path, at that level they have achieved comprehensive understanding across all domains. Leaving behind various plans to influence the future is no great difficulty for them."
"Back then, after Immortal Ancestor Giant Sun toured Heavenly Court, he laid out preparations for precisely this assault. How to cleverly breach the Five Divine Halls was one part of those plans."
"However, if he had openly developed these methods, he would inevitably have left traces for Heavenly Court to detect. So he secretly left behind an inheritance, completely severing ties with Longevity Heaven — neither interfering with the other, entirely independent — and allowed independent cultivators to inherit it. Because you are not of the Giant Sun bloodline, even though you reached the Eighth Transformation, Heavenly Court never anticipated that your methods would perfectly counter the Five Divine Halls. And they certainly would never have connected it to our grand plan for this sudden assault on Heavenly Court!"
At this point, Bing Saichuan paused briefly, then continued. "Mage, this epochal battle surrounding Fate Gu is far more complex than you imagine. Ordinary Sixth and Seventh Transformation cultivators do not even qualify to participate. Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals are almost all mere pawns. Some Eighth Transformation cultivators chose to remain on the sidelines — they perceived something and had the wisdom to know their place. Others joined the fray without truly understanding the situation."
"The true face of this great war is Immortal Venerables and Demon Venerables from successive eras clashing across time itself!"
The Five Elements Great Mage listened in a daze, murmuring, "Clashing across time... a confrontation of Venerables?"
Throughout human history, ten Venerables had appeared in succession. Each one was invincible in their own era — the absolute pinnacle and greatest pride of the human race.
Bing Saichuan's revelation shook the Five Elements Great Mage to his very core.
He could not help but feel utterly insignificant. The small measure of smugness and pride he had felt moments before had been completely swept away.
Seeing the shock on the Five Elements Great Mage's face, Bing Saichuan offered some reassurance. "However, rest assured. Among all the Venerables throughout history, none was more protective of his descendants and subordinates than Immortal Ancestor Giant Sun. The Ancestor even had a nickname — they called him the Protective Venerable."
"Every Venerable in history has left arrangements behind, seeking to exert their influence at this critical juncture. But through the ceaseless erosion of the River of Time, most of these arrangements have been altered. Ninth Transformation Venerables certainly cannot account for everything — they all make mistakes. Many arrangements have been utterly transformed by the vast passage of ages."
"A significant portion of them were discovered and modified by later Venerables."
"Immortal Ancestor Giant Sun came after Yuan Lian and Dao Tian, with only You Hun and Le Tu succeeding him. Later-positioned Venerables naturally hold the greater advantage in strategic placement of this kind. Our current assault on Heavenly Court — sweeping through like an unstoppable force — is proof of that."
Bing Saichuan's words left the Five Elements Great Mage stunned speechless.
Bing Saichuan then let out a soft chuckle. "So, what is Long Gong worth? Can he compare to the arrangements of Immortal Ancestor Giant Sun? You need not worry so much — you must have absolute confidence in our victory! This time, our Longevity Heaven will definitely seize Fate Gu!"
"Seize Fate Gu?" Only now did the Five Elements Great Mage learn the true purpose of Longevity Heaven's assault on Heavenly Court.
"That's right." Bing Saichuan nodded, admitting it openly — at this point there was no need for concealment. "Heavenly Court came to seize our Fortune Rival Heaven Gu. Why should we not seize their Fate Gu in return?"
"Why is Heavenly Court the foremost power of humanity? Fate Gu plays a pivotal role in that. If we of Longevity Heaven obtain it, we will surely be able to challenge for the throne of the greatest power in the human race!"
The Central Hall.
Ziwei Fairy watched the approaching Tribulation Fortune Altar, her expression grave. "They're breaking through!"
Beside her, Old Man Zheng Yuan shared her deep concern.
Though the Central Hall was the core of the entire Immortal Gu House, its defenses were remarkably thin. Who would have imagined that the Central Hall of Heavenly Court could be attacked by enemies?
True, this Central Hall had once been assaulted — and even destroyed — by three great Demon Venerables in succession. But afterward, the Heavenly Court Gu Immortals chose not to bolster its defenses. Against a Venerable, no amount of reinforcement to the Central Hall's defensive power could possibly stop them. So there was simply no point.
Now it seemed that when Immortal Venerable Giant Sun toured Heavenly Court all those years ago, he must have spotted this very vulnerability. Longevity Heaven's surprise assault had truly caught Heavenly Court off guard, plunging Ziwei Fairy and the others into a position of deep disadvantage.
"It seems the true vulnerability was not in our defenses, but in our thinking," Ziwei Fairy murmured with feeling. Then she suddenly froze. "I seem to have overlooked something important. What is it..."
"How long until Fate Gu is fully restored?" At that moment, Long Gong asked.
Manipulating the Central Hall, Ziwei Fairy probed the conditions within the Great Refining Formation behind the hall. Her heart grew heavier still. She promptly replied, "At least six more hours."
"Six hours..." Long Gong felt a faint stirring of joy. "My lifespan is nearly spent, but heaven still shows me mercy. Six hours is not long — I will live to see the fully restored Fate Gu. Leave the rest to me."
Ziwei Fairy said worriedly, "Lord, your wounds haven't yet..."
Despite the best efforts of the Heavenly Court's healers, Long Gong's injuries remained. These were the result of being besieged by a group of Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals from the Eastern Sea, and they could not be healed in a short time.
Long Gong smiled faintly. "A man on the verge of death can afford a few lingering wounds. Besides, I have my killer move — Dragon Ascension. In these final moments of my life, across the vast Five Regions, who can stand against me?"
His expression was utterly calm, yet it radiated absolute confidence and overwhelming dominance!