After the Skyfall

Chapter 985 God Emperor's Command
Half a year later.

In the Celestial Realm, on the shores of the Sea of ​​Return to Nothingness, within the City of Sunset.

Li Yi led Xiang Xiangzi, Xuan Yuezi, and the nine dragon maidens out of the Heavenly King Palace. Although half a year was not a long time, several hundred years had passed inside the Emperor Furnace of Time.

During this period, Li Yi not only studied but also cultivated himself, trained the Dragon Girl, and guided Xiang Xiangzi and Xuan Yuezi in their cultivation.

Although their levels of understanding had not changed much.

However, his aura as a Heavenly King became increasingly composed, his strength improved considerably, and his application of the power of creation became increasingly refined.

Not only him, but Xuan Yuezi and Xiang Xiangzi are now also genuine Heavenly General-level combatants, and have mastered the Five-Colored Divine Light Technique. Their combat power is extraordinary, and they are qualified to lead the nine dragon maidens.

For the next period of time, Li Yi intended to travel around the Heavenly Realm, but things did not seem to go as smoothly as he had imagined.

His expression shifted, and he looked in the direction of the World Ship docking station.

Before anyone knew it, a small border ship had been waiting there for quite some time.

With the appearance of Li Yi.

Several beams of divine light immediately flew towards this side.

"Greetings, Heavenly King Taiyi." Leading the group were Heavenly King Hanshan and Heavenly King Heibing, clad in battle armor, valiant and extraordinary, like noble female war goddesses, their bodies radiating divine light.

"I didn't expect you to arrive in Sunset City so quickly. I thought it would be several years before you came." Li Yi's expression shifted. "But speaking of which, how did you Heavenly Kings know I was here?"

"Reporting to Heavenly King Taiyi, the Celestial Race has its own intelligence channels," said Heavenly King Hanshan. "But I wonder why Heavenly King Taiyi suddenly left the Boundary Ship and went far away alone?"

They were all very surprised, having no idea how Li Yi had left the World Ship without anyone noticing. If they hadn't received intelligence, they would still be completely in the dark.

Li Yi said, "I have some personal matters to attend to, so I'm leaving early."

The two Heavenly Kings suddenly understood and did not ask any further questions.

Because they knew that Li Yi had cultivated in the Heavenly Realm as a human before joining the Celestial God Clan, it was natural that he would have some ties to the human world, which was not surprising.

"King Taiyi, the three God Emperors have issued an imperial decree, requiring you to return to the Celestial Clan immediately, as there is an important matter to discuss." King Hanshan said solemnly at this moment.

"I've only been out for a year, and the three God Emperors have already issued an imperial decree ordering me to return?" Li Yi's expression turned strange. "Did they say what it was about?"

Could it be something about the Heavenly Emperor's weapons again?

Hanshan Heavenly King said, "It is said to be about the Heavenly Venerable's Secret Realm."

"The Celestial Venerable's Secret Realm?" Li Yi had some knowledge of this matter when he studied various things about the Celestial Realm before. He asked, "The Celestial Venerable's Secret Realm should not have been opened yet. Why summon a Celestial King like me?"

"I don't know the reason. The Heavenly Emperor's decree did not explain it." King Hanshan shook his head.

After thinking for a moment, Li Yi felt that he could not refuse the matter, so he immediately said, "Since it is the order of the three God Emperors, then I will naturally obey the order."

He then looked at Xiang Xiangzi and Xuan Yuezi: "Will you two fairies come with me to the Celestial Clan, or will you travel alone?"

“Of course I’ll follow you, Taiyi. Without your protection, it’s not easy to venture into the Heavenly Realm,” Xiang Xiangzi said, showing that she was quite self-aware.

Li Yi nodded and said, "Alright, those two fairy maidens will come with me to the Kingdom of the Gods. That's my territory, and it'll be safer for you to cultivate there."

Afterwards, he led everyone directly onto his own World Ship.

"Taiyi Heavenly King".

Upon boarding the celestial vessel, the other three Heavenly Kings and numerous divine generals all bowed respectfully.

"No need for formalities, hurry back to the Kingdom of the Gods, don't keep the three God Emperors waiting," Li Yi said.

Everyone obeyed the order.

Immediately activate the Boundary Ship and return to the Kingdom of the Gods without stopping.

"Taiyi, how did you come to have the identity of a Celestial God?" Xiang Xiangzi was very curious on the way and found an opportunity to ask him alone.

Xuan Yuezi, who was standing to the side, said, "Have you forgotten that Taiyi has always had a special bloodline? Now that he has entered the Heavenly Realm, he must have traced the source of this bloodline."

"I know about the Celestial Race. They are an extremely powerful race in the Celestial Realm, with a Celestial Venerable overseeing them. Their ancestral land is in the Seventh Heaven."

Knowledge about the various powerful species in the Celestial Realm immediately came to her mind, showing that the hundreds of years she spent in the Imperial Furnace of Time were not wasted.

“I advanced to the Heavenly King realm by relying on the bloodline of the Celestial Clan. Now that the God Emperor within the Celestial Clan is calling, I have no choice but to obey,” Li Yi said. “This can be considered as having both advantages and disadvantages. If the two fairy maidens cultivate in the Celestial Realm in the future, whether they want to be independent cultivators or join a certain force or sect, they should think twice.”

The two nodded slightly and made a note of it.

It took several months for the Jiezhou to turn back.

When that heavenly gate, reaching to the heavens and the earth, reappeared before him, Li Yi understood that he had arrived at the Kingdom of the Gods.

As the border boat came to a stop.

Li Yi traveled with five guardian kings, numerous divine generals, ten dragon maidens, and two fairy maidens.

Such a grand display makes him seem like a direct descendant of a superstar.

"Heavenly King Taiyi, the Divine Emperor has ordered me to wait here." At this moment, a middle-aged man in heavy armor, leading a group of heavenly generals, blocked Li Yi's way.

Li Yi's expression shifted: "What's the rush? You don't even have time to return to my territory?"

“This matter is of great importance, and I dare not be careless. I request that Heavenly King Taiyi accompany me to the Imperial Palace,” the middle-aged man said. Li Yi thought for a moment, then glanced at Heavenly King Hanshan: “I would appreciate it if you Heavenly Kings could return first. I would also appreciate it if you Heavenly Kings would take care of the two fairy maidens beside me. They are my relatives and friends, so please do not neglect them. If they have any needs, please do your best to meet them.”

"Rest assured, Heavenly King, leave this matter to me," Hanshan Heavenly King nodded.

After making the arrangements, Li Yi left with the group of armored soldiers.

The middle-aged man leading the group was quite powerful; he was also a royal king. He led Li Yi straight ahead and soon entered the royal territory.

At the very top of the sky in this place stands a magnificent imperial palace, resembling a sun lying horizontally, vast and boundless, connected by a staircase leading to the heavens.

Each step is as massive as a mountain, and looking up, it seems like a ladder to heaven.

"Is the visitor the Heavenly King Taiyi?" Below the steps, there were Heavenly Kings stationed. They were the Divine Emperor's Guards. One of the commanders greeted Li Yi immediately upon seeing him and then bowed.

Li Yi is renowned among the Celestial Clan, a direct descendant of the royal family, and wields the Heavenly Emperor's Weapon. Unlike ordinary Heavenly Kings, he deserves everyone's respect.

"It's me," Li Yi stated, revealing his identity. "When will the God Emperor summon me?"

"Now."

The Heavenly King immediately said, "Please, Heavenly King Taiyi, accompany me to the Imperial Palace."

Li Yi nodded.

The commander then took over the work from the previous Heavenly King and led Li Yi toward the Imperial Palace.

soon.

Li Yi entered the main hall of the imperial palace. This place was a secret realm in itself, magnificent and grand. On both sides were thrones carved from divine jade, and giants hundreds of feet tall were already seated, seemingly waiting for his arrival.

He glanced at it.

He vaguely recognized these giants: the Son of the God Emperor, the Dragon God King, and the Tomb King. Weren't these the people who challenged him back then?

"King Taiyi, please take a seat." A goddess several hundred feet tall emerged from the depths of the imperial palace, smiling as she gestured for Li Yi to sit down.

Li Yi remained silent, nodded slightly, and revealed his true form. His divine body, a full eight hundred feet tall, appeared, crackling with lightning and exuding divine might. After taking his seat, his eyes, filled with divine light, scanned the imperial palace.

"His strength has increased again? His divine body is now eight hundred feet tall." The other Heavenly Kings gasped in shock upon seeing this.

How long has it been since the last competition at the Heavenly God Platform?

More than a year.

Could the Heavenly King Taiyi's strength really improve further?
Even if one were to wield the Heavenly Emperor's weapon, it wouldn't be this exaggerated. After all, every step forward after reaching the Heavenly King level is fraught with difficulty, let alone such a significant change in just over a year.

What a monster.

Several people had this thought involuntarily in their minds.

Little did they know that Li Yi had spent hundreds of years in the Imperial Furnace of Time, and with the blessing of the power of creation, he was naturally going to hone himself, nurture divine blood, and fill the Mysterious Gate.

As long as the blood of the Celestial Venerable does not run dry, Li Yi's progress will not stop.

"I wonder why the three God Emperors summoned me here by imperial decree?" Li Yi asked curiously.

"Regarding the matter of the Heavenly Venerable's Secret Realm." The one who spoke was Tomb Heavenly King, a veteran direct descendant Heavenly King who had come a long way on the path to becoming an Emperor. However, he did not make a move on the Heavenly God Platform last time, so his strength was unknown.

Li Yi said, "The Heavenly Venerable Secret Realm is managed by the God Emperor. What does it have to do with us Heavenly Kings?"

"King Taiyi has only recently returned to the Celestial Clan, so he may not know that the Celestial Venerable Secret Realm has opened, and there are quotas for Celestial Kings from various clans to enter. In order to compete for the opportunities in the Celestial Venerable Secret Realm, each clan will send its strongest Celestial King to participate." King Mu said, "Within my clan, within the Celestial King Realm, who does not know the strength of King Taiyi?"

"Without the participation of the Heavenly Venerable, our clan's chances of winning in this Heavenly Venerable Secret Realm are probably not high. That is why the three God Emperors issued an order to summon the Heavenly Venerable Taiyi back."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi's face showed no joy; instead, his heart sank.

So it turns out they wanted to be the first to stick their neck out.

This is a big problem.

It's important to understand that fighting other powerful races in the Celestial Venerable Realm is quite different from fighting within the Celestial God Clan.

The competition within the Celestial Race is at least aboveboard, free from conspiracies and treachery. However, it's a different story outside. Powerful figures from various races are watching him closely, and they all know that he possesses a Celestial Emperor's Weapon.

Nobody knows what will happen then.

As for the opportunities within the Heavenly Venerable Secret Realm, Li Yi was not very interested, because he had the Heavenly Venerable Token and could plan for them slowly after he became a God Emperor, so there was no need to rush.

However, his performance last time caught the eye of the three God Emperors, and if he did not obey their orders, he might anger them.

Moreover, as a direct descendant of the royal family, he enjoys royal treatment. Today, he is involved in a struggle for opportunities between the clan and outsiders. If he backs down, given the character of the Celestial God Clan, he will likely be despised by everyone.

"I'm stuck with this," Li Yi thought to himself.

He had actually considered this possibility, but he didn't expect things to happen so quickly. If he encountered the Heavenly Venerable Secret Realm again in a few thousand years, he would probably have become an emperor by then, so what would he have to fear?

I need to develop myself gradually; getting involved prematurely would be more harmful than beneficial.

However, for now, he can only take it one step at a time. If he is really summoned by the God Emperor, there is nothing he can do but obey. He has witnessed the power of the God Emperor and will not tolerate the slightest disobedience.

(End of this chapter)