Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 966 Acting as Heaven's Shepherd

"No, his Heavenly Emperor Dao Fruit was not forged with the human way, there is still a problem."

The Lord of Flint was the first to see the problem, and the flame of civilization was rekindled, with the faint phantoms of all people appearing within the flames.

The master of the treasure seal also manipulated the veins of mountains and rivers, commanding all spirits to manifest, and together with the fire of civilization, evolved the Central Plains civilization that has been passed down from generation to generation, in an attempt to suppress the opponent.

"Hahahaha! The three of us have always harbored ulterior motives, and our destruction of humanity and the world far surpasses that of other living beings. Now you dare to use the order of humanity to imprison me? If I am a heretic, then what are you two accomplices?"

The Emperor's Dao Fruit emanated a perfect and precious light. He placed it above the treasure that resembled both a whip and a stick, and then solemnly bowed to the void.

In an instant, a terrifying force descended from the sky. The flame of civilization and the blockade of order all solidified, shattered, and dissolved within three zhang in front of him, transforming into countless streams of light that surrounded him.

As he once again brandished the treasure that resembled both a whip and a stick, heavenly might descended continuously, and the perfect Heavenly Emperor Dao Fruit gradually disappeared, some dissipating into nothingness, while others merged into the treasure, completely transforming its appearance.

Judging from its design, it resembles a combination of a scepter, a shepherd's staff, and a whip.

"Acting as shepherd on behalf of Heaven?"

Upon seeing this, the Lord of Flint and the Lord of the Seal immediately knew the final choice of their colleague.

Chu Tai, who was digesting the power of the Dao Fruit within the Heavenly Cauldron, also turned his head, his eyes showing obvious shock.

He then silently sensed the heavens he had sealed, but did not notice anything wrong.

Instead, it was True Lord Qing Shi, True Lord Hun Yuan, and True Lord Yu Li who were the first to notice something was wrong. True Lord Qing Shi and True Lord Hun Yuan set off to try to find out what was going on, but were stopped by the Heavenly Demon Lord.

"It's really you."

Qing Shi Zhenjun's face turned ashen, and Hunyuan Zhenjun frowned: "Why did you do this?"

"I've simply stepped into the position the story had prepared for me, why are you all so surprised?"

The Heavenly Demon waved his hand, and an invisible blade of light fell from the void, slashing towards the two True Monarchs.

The flashing blade did not stir up wind or thunder, nor did it reveal its sharpness; all it displayed was the merciless might of heaven.

Under this flash of light, everything becomes meaningless, vanishing like bubbles in an instant, and the opponent doesn't care at all whether it will harm anything.

Qing Shi Zhenjun and Hun Yuan Zhenjun quickly intervened, and at the same time, they also discovered that there seemed to be the power of the Great Luo Heaven supporting the Heavenly Demon Lord, offsetting the backlash from heaven and earth.

This move greatly shocked True Lord Qing Shi, but he quickly realized that his former comrade had probably become a puppet of some Dao Lord, or had been promised some benefits by the other party.

Although he was puzzled as to how the other party had circumvented so many restrictions, he could only force himself to continue intercepting them.

When the primordial Qi manifests its Dao fruit, countless auspicious clouds surge forth from the void, spreading out layer upon layer like brocade. Within them, countless auspicious energies surge, swirling up precious light and transforming into tassels and hanging pearls.

Above the auspicious clouds, five-colored rays of light flowed, supporting jade stamens and golden flowers, scattering countless starlight fragments.

In the darkness, the divine power of the immortals blessed him, helping him to offset the backlash from heaven and earth.

Qing Shi Zhenjun breathed a slight sigh of relief. He could feel that the blessing he received was not as strong as that of the Heavenly Demon Dao Lord, but it was not too weak either, enough for him to go all out for a while. He looked at Hunyuan Zhenjun beside him.

The Primordial True Lord, who had been with the Emperor for millions of years, radiated boundless light. Yin and Yang energies surged and circulated endlessly. The central Tai Chi arc transformed into a golden bridge spanning the void, pressing down on the Heavenly Demon Lord.

While the two True Lords were locked in battle with the Heavenly Demon Lord, the Heavenly Demon Lord's eyes widened, and he laughed maniacally: "Acting as the Heavenly Shepherd? What a fine Acting as the Heavenly Shepherd! I never thought you'd come full circle and return to your original position!"

An indescribable, terrifying power emanated from the Lord of the Demonic Path, blocking the Shepherd's Staff's attack on the Lord of Flint and the Lord of the Seal.

The methods of the Demon Lord are extremely destructive; they are pure power that crushes all things, a terrifying violence that even the heavens cannot withstand.

Logically speaking, his actions should have caused a backlash from heaven and earth. However, just as True Lord Qing Shi and True Lord Hun Yuan received the help of the immortal destiny, the Lord of the Demonic Path also received some support, partly from the demonic path and partly from the Holy King's Great Path.

This discovery drove the Demon Lord even more insane. He reached out and grabbed, causing countless stars within the Starry Sky Layer to shift out of place. Apart from the 365 main stars and some constellations with second-rank cultivators guarding them, which barely managed to remain still, he grabbed tens of thousands of stars near the Central Plains, kneaded them into a ball, and then unleashed them.

This move distorted the void and disrupted the order of time, forcing even the Buddhas and demons on the side to retreat.

Chu Tai then struck the Eastern Emperor Bell with a mighty roar, protecting all living beings in the Great Heaven.

Faced with the attack that temporarily halted the flow of the River of Light and caused the Central Plains to begin collapsing inward, the aura of the heavens emanating from the man holding the shepherd's staff became increasingly evident. Standing in the center of the shattered world, his voice was indifferent, as if it came from the distant rules themselves.

"All the changes in the world are within my control. How could mere stars possibly get close to me?"

With a wave of his staff, the stars reappeared, time returned to normal, and the void became calm, as if nothing had happened. However, the Demon Lord couldn't help but take three steps back, causing the entire Central Plains to shake, the seas to surge, and many islands to collapse.

“A barbaric person who only knows how to destroy heaven and earth.”

As he spoke, he gently waved his staff, and the collapsed island was restored, the vanished creatures returned, and the damage caused by the earthquake disappeared.

However, the Lord of Flint and the Lord of the Seal trembled violently, spitting out blood. The light of the incomplete Earth Emperor and Human Emperor Dao Fruits that they had been struggling to maintain within their bodies dimmed considerably, as if some of their power had been extracted.

"When did you steal our symbols?"

The Lord of Flint was pale, and looked at the person above with a look of horror.

The Lord of the Seal was even more vulnerable; his power continued to dissipate, and fine cracks gradually appeared on the symbol of the Holy King's Path, which was formed from all his power. "Haha, why do you think I haven't obtained your symbolic meaning? From this moment on, the Holy King's Path has completely fallen into my hands. I am the new Holy King, the God King, and the Emperor!"

As the Emperor finished speaking, the Demon Lord laughed loudly: "You dare to call yourself a Holy King? You were just a clerk in the past, and now you want to call yourself an emperor? You even want to rule humanity with the Heavenly Dao? Do you really think I'm dead?!"

The Demon Lord pressed down with his palm, and beneath his five fingers, the void shattered, all things collapsed, and the void shook, forcing the Empress to take a step back.

But the Demon Lord himself took two steps back abruptly, and before taking the third step, he forced himself to stop, his body swaying.

Such a violent scene shocked even the Buddha-Demon Lord, but when the Demon Lord made his move, he had already struck out with a palm, attempting to attack the Emperor from behind.

In response, the Emperor simply waved his staff, causing the Pure Land to dissipate, the primordial energy to surge, and all mental changes to subside. A power similar to that of the Demon Lord of the Monarch Dao appeared on the staff, which directly knocked the Demon Lord of the Buddha Dao away.

Then, the Emperor turned around and struck the Celestial Cauldron with his staff. The light of the ideal kingdom, the brilliance of the divine order, and the blessing of the Holy King's Great Way were all easily shattered by it. However, as a bell rang, the Emperor paused for a moment.

The next moment, Chu Tai's golden bell hammer, the Demon Lord's fist, and the Buddha Demon Lord's three-colored lotus all landed on the Emperor at the same time.

"ridiculous!"

The Emperor merely chuckled, and with a flick of his shepherd's staff, three streams of light appeared.

The first transformation into the Hetu diagram instantly created a dense array of stars, filling the void with talismans and the flow of Yin and Yang trigrams, easily trapping the Buddha and the demon. No matter how wondrous their methods of "transforming into earth," "wisdom," and "as desired" were, they were utterly useless before the Hetu diagram, the supreme treasure that forms the foundation for the operation of heaven and earth and all phenomena. On the contrary, the boundless Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, as the stars returned to their positions, drawing upon the power of the celestial bodies, trapped the Buddha and the demon lord in place.

The five-colored stone solidified, its mysterious light stabilizing the universe. The five colors solidified in the void. Although the golden bell hammer contained the power of multiple Dao fruits, guided by [Gouchen (Dunyi)], blessed by [Immortal (Supreme Saint)], [Eastern Lord (Azure Emperor)], and [Heavenly God (Heavenly Immortal)], and projected by [Chengtian], all the phenomena of the Eastern Land could not be shaken before the five-colored stone. All changes and powers became like insects in amber. If it were not for the protection of the Eastern Emperor Bell, Chu Tai would probably have been fixed in the void.

Finally, the Celestial Cauldron manifested, blocking the path of the Demon Lord. Smoke and clouds surged on the cauldron, and boundless radiance flowed. No matter how the Dao Fruits of [Violence], [Order], and [Exploitation] shook, they could not break through the radiance of the ideal state. In fact, under its radiance, [Violence] became the foundation of [Order], and [Exploitation] was destroyed by self-distortion. The Demon Lord himself was also trapped in countless phantoms of truth, goodness, and beauty.

Chu Tai, who had broken free from the offensive, looked back at the Emperor. At this moment, the Emperor was about to seize the power of the Lord of Flint and the Lord of the Seal when four sword lights suddenly appeared in the void, crisscrossing up and down, their fates shifting, trapping him in place.

Chu Tai flicked his long sleeves, sweeping the Lord of Flint and the Lord of the Seal aside.

Just as the two were about to express their gratitude, the Eastern Emperor Bell shook gently, creating visible ripples. The light of time stopped, the void solidified, and Chu Tai's golden bell hammer slammed into the crown of the Lord of Flint, shattering his physical body. Then, the Heavenly Cauldron absorbed him into its contents.

The flint fell into the cauldron, and the corresponding concept was quickly absorbed, becoming part of the ideal state.

Such a fitting change made Chu Tai somewhat suspicious of one of the reasons why the Lord of Flint betrayed him back then. Could it be because his corresponding Dao Fruit was too close to the Ideal Kingdom, causing him to worry about being absorbed or falling from his original position?

Despite the distracting thoughts that crossed his mind, Chu Tai's subordinates acted swiftly, aiming the golden bell hammer, stained with the blood of the Lord of Flint, at the Lord of the Seal.

Realizing what had happened, he was horrified and hurriedly begged for mercy: "I know that guy's true nature is..."

Before he could finish speaking, he followed in the footsteps of the Lord of Flint and was directly sealed into the Golden Bell Hammer by Chu Tai. Then, Chu Tai struck the Eastern Emperor Bell fiercely, cooperating with Jade Calendar True Lord to force the Emperor to retreat continuously, while simultaneously reawakening the Lord of the Demonic Path and the Lord of the Buddha-Demon Path.

Chu Tai had already seen through the true nature of the Emperor. With the Lord of Flint and the Lord of the Seal under his control, and by looking back through the [Primordial Beginning], he also understood some of the other party's methods.

At this moment, the Emperor is, to put it bluntly, the embodiment of the Holy King's Path.

The staff in his hand was originally a scepter symbolizing power, or a symbol of the power of an early Holy King. However, as time went by, many of the traditions of the Holy King's Way became unsuitable for the modern era, or were swallowed up by other expanding Holy King's Ways. Their symbols were gradually lost, or only the staff retained them, making its symbolic meaning more and more prominent, transforming from a symbol of the power of a certain Holy King into a symbol of the entire Holy King's Way.

During this process, there were also things similar to the treasures in the Emperor's hands, but they were all assimilated by the Emperor, allowing them to gradually rise from the original second rank to the first rank, becoming one of the most representative things on the Holy King's Path.

Its early meaning should be the remnant of the ancient Holy King's Way, a symbol of the original Holy King's Way, corresponding to past systems, symbols of power, and contracts of order.

From a certain perspective, the concepts of "same as seal" overlap somewhat.

However, the scepter is different because it symbolizes many aspects of the Holy King's Way, which are not simply imprinted and passed down under the current imperial system. The scepter has a certain ability to reproduce the Holy King's Way of the past.

Moreover, this ability has now reached its peak as he acts as the shepherd of Heaven, enabling him to project those first-grade treasures.

Of course, such projections are bound to have limitations, and their existence cannot be too long.

However, for a first-rank cultivator, a moment can also be eternity. Just like the Lord of the Demonic Monarch and the Lord of the Buddha-Demon Monarch, once the other party seizes an opportunity, they will be immediately sealed in place. Unless there is external intervention, it will be difficult to escape in a short period of time.

At the same time, the Emperor should have a stronger restraint on humanity. The fact that the Lord of the Demonic Path and the Lord of the Buddha-Demon Path were so easily affected is to some extent because they possessed the corresponding humanistic order.

This can be seen from the fact that Jade Emperor was able to easily break through some of the Emperor's methods, forcing him to defend again and again.

However, it is difficult for Jade Emperor to gain the upper hand against God. Or rather, he is only gaining an early advantage by launching a preemptive attack. Once the time drags on, God will inevitably find a way to restrain him.

After all, just as the Emperor had said before, he had already mastered all the Great Paths of the Holy King.

He always manages to find a way to control Yu Li.

But that won't work now. The escape of the Demon Lord and the Buddha Demon Lord has forced the Emperor to borrow more power from the heavens.

Chu Tai was the first to sense something was wrong and hurriedly shook the Eastern Emperor Bell, trying to strengthen the concept of the [Gate] and suppress the downward flow of the power of the heavens.

But in the next instant, Chu Tai was surprised to find that the power of the heaven did not originate from the Eastern Pole Chenguang Great Heaven, but from the Immortal Manifestation Dao Transformation Great Heaven. A trace of the heaven's great power emerged from somewhere in the Great Heaven and fell on the Emperor. Then the Emperor used this to connect with the Eastern Pole Chenguang Great Heaven and draw down more power.

"found it!"

The moment the power of the Immortal Manifestation and Transformation of the Great Heaven was released, the Heavenly Emperor, who was sitting in the Three Pure Ones Heaven, also opened his eyes. A ray of brilliance emanated from his body. Within the Immortal Manifestation and Transformation of the Great Heaven, many post-saint emperors extended their senses, and countless principles manifested, covering the surroundings.

(End of this chapter)