After the Skyfall

Chapter 950 The Heavenly Emperor Returns
"I wonder what business the Celestial Clan has with me?"

When Shadow King met the Boundless God General, he was somewhat puzzled. He wondered why the Celestial Clan had specifically named him, since he had no connection with the other party whatsoever.

"By order of Taiyi, I have come to pay my respects to the Shadow-Clad Heavenly King. I wonder what the relationship is between the Shadow-Clad Heavenly King and the Azure Orchid Heavenly King?" Wujue Divine General said calmly.

Upon hearing this, the Shadow King asked, "Why do you ask that?"

"My Celestial Clan wishes to kill this man," said the God General Wujue.

Shadow King paused for a moment, then said seriously, "Although I have a past relationship with Azure Orchid King, as we were once the commanders of the Imperial City Guard, we have parted ways. If the Celestial Clan wants to kill Azure Orchid King, I will not interfere and will keep this matter a secret without revealing a single word."

He expressed his opinion without hesitation.

Although he didn't know how Qinglan Tianwang had offended the Celestial Clan, he wouldn't mind secretly helping her if they wanted to kill her, because he also hated this woman.

"Thank you for informing me, Heavenly King. I shall take my leave now." After saying this, General Wujue bowed and turned to leave.

"and many more."

Shadow King thought for a moment and said, "If the Celestial Clan really intends to make a move, we need to be careful. Azure Orchid King and Li Yan King are Daoist partners and have a close relationship. They have also secretly allied with several other Heavenly Kings and their power is considerable. Even if the Celestial Clan has extraordinary combat strength, we must act cautiously."

He hesitated for a moment, then revealed some key information.

Because he sensed that the other party's intention to kill Qinglan Heavenly King was genuine, and it didn't seem like they were just trying to trick him into revealing information. Moreover, the Celestial Clan had already killed one Feather Heavenly King, so it was possible for them to kill another one.

This is very much in line with the style of the powerful clans in the Celestial Realm.

Upon hearing this, Wu Jue Shenjiang quickly departed with this important news.

After he left, Shadow King couldn't help but ponder what the other party's unusual behavior meant.
Afterwards, Wu Jue Shen Jiang found Man Shi Tian Wang and inquired about his attitude.

Although a Heavenly King could ignore a Heavenly General, the Heavenly Gods were too powerful and stationed nearby. Normal people would give them face unless it was something too outrageous.

soon.

Wu Jue Shen returned with the message and told Li Yi about the two men's attitudes.

"Do both Shadow King and Barbarian Stone King want Azure Orchid King to die?" Li Yi laughed. "Although I don't know if it's true or not, the fact that Shadow King was willing to reveal a lot of information about the other party shows that there must be some conflict between them."

"Hua Qing, after your death, your subordinates have split into several factions. There is the Empress faction, which took away ninety palaces. There is the rebel faction, Qinglan Heavenly King and Liyan Heavenly King. There is also the neutral faction, Manshi Heavenly King and Yingyi Heavenly King. However, you can at least make contact with these two. Perhaps your title of Emperor Hua Qing can still be put to good use one last time."

Hua Qing remained silent.

He also realized that Yingyi and Qinglan had divided up the Imperial City Guards, and that Manshi had also gathered some of his men to claim territory and become kings within the Imperial City. As for the other Heavenly Kings who had previously served him, they had naturally scattered completely.

As for loyalists, not a single one can be seen.

Or perhaps he has already died in the purges and rebellions; at least for now, we don't see his imperial faction stepping forward.

Was I really that bad when I was alive?

How come he was abandoned by everyone as soon as he died?
In some mortal worlds, when a country falls, loyal ministers and generals die for their country, and then there are restorationists who lie low for decades. Why do I have nothing?

Seeing that Hua Qing was silent, Li Yi did not continue the conversation.

After all, anyone returning to the capital would find it hard to bear seeing such a scene, especially since he had previously vowed that as long as he appeared in the capital, he would be able to return home in glory, and the Heavenly King, who was loyal to him, would bow down in obeisance.

Indeed, people shouldn't frequently enter a state of fantasy, as it can easily cloud their judgment of reality.

As time goes by.

The last imperial palace in the distance has changed again. The power of the Heavenly Emperor near the palace has begun to dissipate because the Heavenly Kings have set up a great formation to isolate the spiritual energy of the imperial palace, making it impossible for the power of the Heavenly Emperor to be maintained. In addition, the Heavenly King soldiers bombard it day and night.

These last few lines of defense were eventually worn down.

"The power of the Heavenly Emperor outside the Imperial Palace has dissipated, and we can approach the Imperial Palace now."

"It's finally a success. It wasn't in vain that I sat here for three years."

"Take action, attempt to enter the Imperial Palace, and see what treasures Emperor Huaqing left inside."

The Heavenly King, who had been waiting nearby, was excited at this moment.

They brought their elite troops and set out together, none of them willing to give up this opportunity, wanting to be the first to gain the benefits.

"The Imperial Palace was breached too early; only ten days have passed, and the Divine Might Heavenly King's reinforcements haven't arrived yet." Li Yi also appeared in the sky immediately. He looked around and couldn't help but frown.

“Taiyi, even if the Divine Might Heavenly King doesn’t arrive, we can’t miss the opening of the Imperial Palace. We must seize the Heavenly Emperor’s Weapon inside,” said the Cold Mountain Heavenly King earnestly.

Li Yi nodded: "Since we can't wait for reinforcements, let's act together with these people. However, King Hanshan should be careful. There are more than twenty kings here. Although their strengths vary, it would be a bad thing if they were to target us. But if we really encounter a life-or-death crisis, I will not hesitate to use the power of the Heavenly Emperor to wipe out all the kings in one fell swoop."

He was also prepared to fight to the death.

Hanshan Heavenly King nodded: "That's right. Although the power of the Heavenly Emperor is precious, your life is more important."

If Li Yi hadn't had such a trump card, she wouldn't have dared to take such a risk. "Let's go."

With a shout, Li Yi led eight divine generals, a dragon maiden, and Han Shantianwang toward the imperial palace.

As he approached, more and more Heavenly Kings appeared around the Imperial Palace. He did not recognize these Heavenly Kings; he had only seen the Azure Orchid Heavenly King before.

It was only for a short while.

The twenty-two Heavenly Kings and hundreds of divine generals had already reached the vicinity of this imperial palace.

At this moment, the gates of the imperial palace were tightly closed, with flowing light emanating from them and imperial aura permeating the air. Although there were no remnants of a killing formation, the gates still blocked the steps of these Heavenly Kings.

Because they sensed danger.

"Li Yi, do not approach the palace gate. There is a Heavenly Emperor's will sealed there. Although so many years have passed and the spiritual energy has been isolated, that Heavenly Emperor's will is probably almost obliterated, but it still has the potential to bloom. Although it is useless against the Heavenly Emperor, it can still destroy the Heavenly King."

Hua Qing was also awakened at this moment. Upon seeing Li Yi's actions, he immediately warned him to be careful.

"Are there any secret passages or shortcuts?" Li Yi asked.

Hua Qing said, "Yes, but do you dare to take the back path in full view of everyone? If you dare, then I don't mind. I can guide you. I suggest you stay here for now, and after the gates of the Imperial Palace open, follow my correct route to collect the Time Emperor Furnace and the Heavenly Venerable Token."

"The Imperial Palace is a self-contained space. When these people first enter it, they will definitely lose their way for a short time. That will be the best time for you to make your move. Now I will give you the map of the Imperial Palace. Be careful not to go the wrong way. Some spaces are extremely dangerous. Even a Heavenly King can perish if he accidentally enters one."

“Okay, that’s settled then.” Li Yi nodded, and then a star map appeared in his mind.

In this star map, there are two routes: one leads to the location of the Imperial Furnace of Time, and the other leads to the location where the Celestial Venerable's Token is stored.

But as time went on, Hua Qing began to mark dangerous areas and valuable locations on the map.

For example, the 100,000 jin of Nine Heavens Divine Water was accumulated over countless years after he became the Heavenly Emperor, or it might be some special treasure trove containing Heavenly King-level puppets, which could boost combat power in a short period of time after obtaining them.

Some places are even more outrageous, actually sealing away a Heavenly Venerable's killing intent. Although it is weak, even the Heavenly Emperor would suffer a great disaster if he broke in. I really don't know why Hua Qing collected this thing.

As he gained more and more information, Li Yi gradually developed more confidence and assurance.

But at this very moment,

A Heavenly King deployed his Heavenly King Soldiers to launch a probing attack, which struck the gates of the Imperial Palace.

But the next moment.

A cold and terrifying will briefly revived, and the world instantly changed color as a suffocating and terrifying power condensed on that door.

"Not good! It's the remnant spirit of Emperor Hua Qingtian awakening, instinctively trying to kill the invaders." The Shadow-Clad Heavenly King recognized the aura and was immediately alarmed. He led his heavenly generals in a swift retreat, not wanting to be targeted by this remnant spirit.

"Damn it." Qinglan Heavenly King was also terrified, fearing that he would be targeted by Hua Qing's lingering will.

The other Heavenly Kings also scattered like birds and beasts, unwilling to withstand the counterattack of this force.

However, with the resentment resurfacing, the remaining power of the Heavenly Emperor had to be released. A flawless imperial light instantly traversed tens of thousands of miles, heading straight for Li Yi.

"Hua Lü, you damned old Bi Deng, are you taking your lingering resentment out on me?" Li Yi was so frightened that his hair stood on end, and he couldn't help but curse.

The speed was too fast; he couldn't react in time. Was he going to be killed by this old man again?
"Bullshit, it's coming for me. It sensed my primordial spirit returning, so its lingering will, carrying a ray of imperial light, wants to return?" Hua Qing immediately realized the reason.

"Too easy." King Hanshan was also greatly surprised at this moment.

With so many people here, including hundreds of celestial generals, why did this lingering remnant spirit target Taiyi after its resurgence? This is incredibly unlucky.

She couldn't block that imperial light, nor could she withstand it.

Moreover, under these circumstances, Li Yi didn't even have the chance to use the power of the Heavenly Emperor.

Could it be that this direct descendant who has just returned to the Celestial Clan is destined to die here simply because of bad luck?

The other Heavenly Kings in the distance also witnessed this scene. While they were relieved, they were also secretly delighted.

Unexpectedly, it was that member of the Celestial Royal Family who stepped in dog poop and was targeted by the remnant spirit of the Heavenly Emperor. He's doomed now. Even a Heavenly King wouldn't dare touch this imperial light, let alone someone who's just a Heavenly General.

"As expected, arrogance always brings disaster. Even the remnant of Emperor Huaqing can't stand the Celestial Clan's arrogance within the Imperial City." Many Heavenly Kings thought to themselves.

Using the remnant spirit of the Great Emperor to repel the Celestial Race is a good thing for everyone at this moment.

Just when everyone was hoping to see Taiyi, the royal family member of the gods, die, something unexpected happened.

Li Yi, who was enveloped in the imperial light, not only did not perish, but was also completely unharmed. He was bathed in it, and his whole body radiated a wisp of the aura of the Heavenly Emperor, as if the Heavenly Emperor had been reborn. At this moment, the young man returned.

This scene left everyone, including the Heavenly King, speechless.

(End of this chapter)