Chapter 1236: There is no turning back

The Celestial Sect of Wonders' exploits were beyond expectations even for Yan Nanlai.

Although he was heading speedily for the distant horizon, Yan Nanlai's Awareness was paying attention to the battlefield behind him as well. He has a rough estimate of the strength of the Hades masters who pursued him from Mount Baiyun as well.

Especially Zhanming, who was of Cardinal Tribulations Beginning Stage. He previously participated in the Battle of Mount Baiyun as well; thus, Yan Nanlai was fully aware that the demonic powers of this Hades was so strong that he could more or less match up against the White Tiger Grand Sage. The gap, if it existed, was microscopic; he has the ability to go up against the White Tiger Grand Sage, and as for the actual result, it could only be determined by an actual duel.

The events of the battle thereafter proved Yan Nanlai's hypothesis as well.

Ningfeng and Juanlong, meanwhile, displayed extremely strong fighting prowess as well, superior to the Lu Yuan Grand Sage and the Royal House Lord of the Northern Tribes.

However, after that, the strength Shi Tianhao demonstrated - suppressing Ningfeng and Juanlong, resisting Zhanming - caused Yan Nanlai to feel slightly astonished.

Although the distance was already rather great, Yan Nanlai still sensed that Concept - suppressing the Heavens, and all Ways returning to their root.

Compared to others, as the current Sect Leader of the Great Void Sect, Yan Nanlai understood more about this power Concept. The many historical records in the Great Void Sect allowed Yan Nanlai to confirm immediately that it was the aura radiated by the fusion of the ancient Heaven's Gate's City in the Sky and the Celestial Sky Formation, despite having never seen it with his own eyes before.

"Looks like the City in the Sky has indeed not been shattered completely back in those days..." Yan Nanlai pondered silently. "By the looks of it, the previous power that helped Xiling City to weather the blow is probably not the White Tiger, but the aid of this Shi Tianhao and the City in the Sky."

Yan Nanlai raised up his head, gazing into the sky. "Senior Kuang, back then, you misjudged too..."

Thousands of thoughts flashed past in Yan Nanlai's brain in an instant. After sensing that in the battlefield behind, Shi Tianhao, the White Tiger Grand Sage and the others have the upper hand and the three Hades Beasts were unable to continue the pursuit, Yan Nanlai immersed his mind completely in the ritual for the Blood Soul Pacification Spell.

After constant calculations by his secret technique, Yan Nanlai gradually pinpointed the direction and distance, speeding towards the coordinates of the Emperor of the Dead and co.

At the same time, as one of the Great Void Sect masters who could control the Supreme Heavenly Mirror, he could clearly sense that at this moment, the Supreme Heavenly Mirror was being constantly shaken. The situation was growing more and more critical.

However, as he was flying, something suddenly clicked in Yan Nanlai's heart, to see the Void in front of him abruptly ripped, revealing a figure.

It was a middle-aged Daoist priest, clad in a black Taoist robe. His complexion resembled jade, with a meter-long beard. His demeanor and bearing were rather outstanding; it's just that his complexion was an extreme pale white, giving him an eerie, sinister feeling.

Seeing this person, Yan Nanlai instantly frowned slightly. "Nether Priest."

The man was none other than the Emperor of the Dead's third disciple, Nether Priest. He was a Cardinal Tribulations Beginning Stage cultivator, and has studied under the Emperor of the Dead for many years. His Abhijnas and Mana were astonishing; although he was unable to draw on the power of the Netherworld Sea now, his powers and abilities were not to be underestimated either. Blocking Yan Nanlai's path now, however, what drew the most of Yan Nanlai's attention was a scroll in his hands.

Seeing that scroll, Yan Nanlai's pupils instantly contracted slightly. "Life and Death Book!"

The Life and Death Book resembled a typical, ancient scroll or book. However, despite appearing ordinary, daunting waves of power leaked from it.

The Nether Priest gazed at Yan Nanlai calmly. "The current Sect Leader of the Great Void Sect? I, Nether, greets you."

Yan Nanlai was well aware that, having activated the Blood Soul Pacification Spell, although he could pinpoint the Emperor of the Dead and Yan Xinghe's position with its power, vice versa, the Emperor of the Dead, who has turned Yan Xinghe into an Evil Soul, has also used this trace to spot the happenings here.

When Yan Nanlai sensed the position of Yan Xinghe's Evil Soul, simultaneously, Yan Xinghe could also sense the approximate location of Yan Nanlai.

Yan Xinghe, now an Evil Soul, could not be rendered immune to the Blood Soul Pacification Spell. As long as Yan Nanlai was willing to sacrifice his own life, he could bring Yan Xinghe to hell with him without even seeing his face.

The Emperor of the Dead was aware of this as well, and was making preparations for it mentally. To him, the best-case scenario would be Yan Nanlai being trapped at Mount Baiyun by the Hades Tribe.

After sensing that Yan Nanlai has successfully sortied from Mount Baiyun and started to use the Blood Soul Pacification Spell, the Emperor of the Dead immediately activated his back up plan and sent the Nether Priest to come and intercept Yan Nanlai with the Life and Death Book, so that he would be unable to close in or to complete the spell.

Unlike the previous attempt at testing the waters, right now, the Emperor of the Dead was conducting the magic ritual himself. The Evil Soul of Yan Xinghe has also started to shake the Supreme Heavenly Mirror; they were in a phase where they cannot be disturbed or interrupted.

After experiencing the previous wave, inside the Black Sea, the Tai Yi Holy Man and the others also realized that something was wrong and started to devise solutions.

The Emperor of the Dead was tempted to use a simplified ritual, which can be stopped at any time, to draw in and kill Yan Nanlai first and eliminate the threat. However, that might allow the Tai Yi Holy Man inside the Black Sea to make more preparations, and thus make it more difficult for him to seize the Supreme Heavenly Mirror successfully.

The Emperor of the Dead will never underestimate the power of Great Void Sect cultivators.

What's more, the Emperor of the Dead has been on the watch for Lin Feng all the while. Right now, Lin Feng has rushed to Mount Baiyun's aid and going up against the Hades Tribe; for the Emperor of the Dead, his largest worry was finally neutralized and he could throw away the restraints and go all out.

However, the Emperor of the Dead could not predict or control the exact events and developments in the battle between Lin Feng and the Hades Tribe. Even for him, it was hard to estimate when, and how, this great battle of Mount Baiyun will end.

Especially since he could indistinctly feel that Lin Feng's Heaven-Destroying Sword has not yet been unleashed.

To prevent further trouble as a result of further delay, the Emperor of the Dead has to seize the opportunity at hand and unleash the full power of the magic ritual.

Although there was a certain risk due to the presence of Yan Nanlai, the constantly changing situation still prompted the Emperor of the Dead to make a swift decision.

At this moment, the Nether Priest was intercepting Yan Nanlai with the Life and Death Book in order to eliminate this potential threat

The Nether Priest gazed at Yan Nanlai silently. "The descendent of Yan Xinghe..."

Shaking his head, he did not speak any further and flipped the esoteric Life and Death Book in front of him. Instantly, the brilliant radiance flickering on the scroll became a huge pillar of light, which shot out and transformed into a gray world of the dead. Every single page was like a separate dimension; every single page seemed to record the fate, the life and death of countless souls.

This gray world seemed to be connected, but also in opposition to the entire Greater World. It even drew on part of the strength of the Greater World, as if it was the true final resting place for the billions of life forms of the Greater World.

Although Yan Xinghe escaped from Mount Baiyun, he has been injured as well. The situation was even better than what the Emperor of the Dead and the Nether Priest have expected.

The Nether Priest did not say any more empty words, unleashing the immense power of the Destiny-realm magic treasure, the Life and Death Book, straight away, blasting towards Yan Nanlai.

Yan Nanlai's expression was calm as he spoke emotionlessly. "Arrived?"

The gaze of the Nether Priest flickered. Raising his head, he looked towards the horizon in a different direction, to see the Void crack and streaks of purple-gold radiance glowed.

Amidst the kilometer-long purple-gold radiance, a vague shadow surfaced. The vast, heavy, domineering, and powerful aura within seemed to bear an entire empire, the fate of an entire nation.

Countless runes and patterns danced, radiating towards all directions along with the purple-gold radiance. The massive shadow within the light gradually revealed its true form - a swath of palaces that resembled an entire city.

The Great Hall, the side halls, the garden, the pavilions, the towers. Together, they formed a Palace that seemed to be the abode of a Celestial King of the Heavens, shining like the sun and radiating the aura of a sovereign.

The Destiny-realm magic treasure forged by Emperor Tai, and that later fell into the hands of the Great Zhou Empire - the Imperial Palace of Emperor Tai!

The domineering, commanding aura caused even the Nether Priest, who was armed with the Life and Death Book, to frown. "The power aura is complete, the Concept is perfect, this feeling...the Imperial Palace of Emperor Tai has been restored completely?"

Within the Imperial Palace of Emperor Tai, a middle-aged man clad in the imperial dragon robe sat on the throne. The sovereign of the Great Zhou Empire, the Zhou Emperor, Liang Pan.

"Leader Yan, please take your leave first." Liang Pan said quietly.

Yan Nanlai's gaze fell on the commanding Imperial Palace of Emperor Tai. After examining it, his gaze became deep and profound as he nodded. "Sorry to trouble you."

The Zhou Emperor, Liang Pan, replied indifferently, "The War of the Two Worlds is a crucial affair. The Great Zhou, naturally, should contribute and fight for the Human race."

Yan Nanlai did not speak any further as his body became flowing light, shooting into the horizon. Now, however, the Nether Priest's gaze was no longer on him at all, instead diverting the entirety of his attention to the Imperial Palace of Emperor Tai in front of him.

The Imperial Palace of Emperor Tai shined with glory and splendor, boundless and infinite. Its immense power, commanding the world and ruling all under Heaven, expanded outwards; the entire world was trembling, as if it was going to kneel before this celestial palace.

The pages of the Book of Life and Death were flipping constantly. Streaks of light flashed, as if it was on the alert for the strength of this opponent as well.

Its reputation was indeed remarkable. Even the Book of Life and Death, a Destiny-realm magic treasure as well, felt pressure when facing this First Treasure of the Emperors of Man, restored to its peak.

The Great Zhou Emperor, Liang Pan, and the Imperial Palace of Emperor Tai have engaged the Nether Priest and the Life and Death Book. Yan Nanlai, meanwhile, continued towards the location of the Emperor of the Dead and the Evil Soul of Yan Xinghe through the guidance of the Blood Soul Pacification Spell.

However, Yan Nanlai was not relaxed at all. Although the Emperor of the Dead himself was conducting the ritual and could not divert his attention, there were still many masters under his command, far more than just the Nether Priest.

However, at this moment, the sword has already been drawn. There was no turning back for Yan Nanlai.

Flying speedily, he suddenly halted. His gaze penetrated the Void, staring towards the distant, almost invisible horizon.

Yan Nanlai took a deep breath as his hands switched through arcane gestures. White clouds appeared, forming two currents of air, one black and one white, that swirled constantly around Yan Nanlai.

At the same time, streaks of golden light surged forth from Yan Nanlai's body. Buffeted by the black and white currents, they gradually coagulated, becoming a strange rune.

The drop of blood that was guiding the way for Yan Nanlai previously merged into the strange rune. Instantly, a blood-red layer emerged on the surface of the rune, appearing eerie and also sorrowful.

Yan Nanlai continued casting the spell. However, at this instant, the Void quaked violently as blood clouds emerged, covering the sky and blotting out the sun.

The blood clouds cracked open; from within, thick, pungent Unholy Blood Rivers flowed out. Along with the rivers of blood, copious amounts of Blood River Primordial Water rained down, bringing a terrifying rain of blood to the world.