After years of searching through both the Heavenly Dao’s records and East Emperor Gong’s secret investigations, the Jade Emperor finally found a barely suitable ancient spirit beast to place in Li Changshou’s hands.

As expected, it was the Heaven-Howling Divine Dog.

This Heaven-Howling Divine Dog was rather special, not an ordinary creature.

Their clan wasn’t created by natural heaven and earth but was specifically born to assist powerful beings. They possessed strong innate talents and divine abilities, capable of serving as fierce beasts in battle or transforming into treasures and weapons. However, their cultivation required constant guidance from other beings; otherwise, they couldn’t even awaken their spiritual intelligence.

The Celestial Dog clan was a “masterpiece” created through divine abilities by Primordial Beings in ancient times.

After careful consideration, Li Changshou handed the Heaven-Howling Dog, still just a “furball,” to Princess Longji to secretly deliver to Yang Jian, as a gesture of goodwill.

Originally, Immortal Cloud Flower and Longji were close friends, so it made perfect sense for Longji to do this.

Additionally, Longji’s secret appearance and show of goodwill would send Yang Jian a message, making him believe his mother’s imprisoned life was truly miserable, adding more pressure on him.

More importantly, Longji was Yang Jian’s cousin.

By showing goodwill to Yang Jian early and befriending him, she could help ease his emotions after he completed his final trial, preventing an irreconcilable situation between both sides.

Longji’s delivery of the Heaven-Howling Dog went very smoothly, and her meeting with Yang Jian didn’t cause any ripples.

After this meeting between cousins, Yang Jian began treating himself more harshly, leaving traces of his blood-soaked battles across various Great Thousand Worlds.

The Eight-Nine Mystic Art had countless wonderful uses.

Everything seemed to be under Li Changshou’s control, but as the saying goes – the Dao has fifty paths, and heaven can calculate forty-nine. Even the Heavenly Dao couldn’t achieve absolute perfection, let alone Li Changshou.

Ninety-eight percent certainty wasn’t just empty talk.

Just a few years after Longji met Yang Jian, an unexpected variable that Li Changshou hadn’t anticipated suddenly appeared.

[Yang Jian’s cultivation speed suddenly surged, breaking through multiple levels within months!]

In the Grand White Palace, Li Changshou, maintaining his elderly immortal appearance, frowned as he stared at the scene in the bronze mirror.

To his right, the Jade Emperor’s avatar Quandong sat in a circular chair wearing full battle armor. Behind them stood Princess Longji, Ao Yi, and Golden Peng.

Because this Understanding Emperor had let slip his identity again, all three now knew Quandong’s identity and showed proper respect.

Especially Longji, who stood obediently behind her father, barely daring to breathe.

[Continued in next section due to length…]

The Jade Emperor had come to terms with this – as long as this avatar didn’t wander around monitoring the celestial army and officials, didn’t conduct regular assessments, and didn’t flirt with Chang’e in the Moon Palace, it generally wouldn’t cause problems. It made it convenient for him to openly do things he wanted to do.

For example, openly slacking off.

These five figures, along with the “outside observer” Ling’e watching through cloud-mirror art on Small Qiong Peak, all gazed at the scene displayed in the bronze mirror.

In the starlit void, bolts of blue-green divine lightning crashed down frantically while gusts of heavenly wind howled ceaselessly;

A figure that seemed somewhat small before the tribulation lightning stood facing the wind and thunder. Though only slightly more imposing than an ordinary person, his frame now carried a mountain-like weightiness!

Yang Jian!

He had fully absorbed that drop of Gong Gong’s original blood essence and was now forcefully crossing his Golden Immortal tribulation!

“How many years has it been? Yang Jian’s cultivation speed is truly astonishing.”

Li Changshou sighed softly, while Quandong beside him deeply agreed.

After all, in the recent fifty years—the fifty years since Yang Jian left Jade Spring Mountain for outside trials—the Jade Emperor had been spending his free time watching the bronze mirror in the Grand White Palace.

Just now, he had been so engrossed in watching the live broadcast that he even rewarded Yang Jian with a celestial dog.

Time had passed in the blink of an eye, truly bringing imperceptible changes.

However, the price of the Jade Emperor’s slacking off was that Li Changshou, an ordinary authority deity, had to work himself to exhaustion both mentally and physically.

In recent decades, the Jade Emperor had even developed a habit of casually asking about everything.

[What do you think, Changgeng?]

What else could he think?

When wasn’t he just sitting and watching?

With the Great Canonization Catastrophe approaching, Li Changshou couldn’t neglect his cultivation. Though heavenly court affairs kept him busy, he still had to dedicate seventy percent of his energy to cultivation.

Beyond that, he needed to regularly meet and converse with his junior sister, occasionally lecture on the Dao, chat to relax his tense mind, and give his junior sister some… small rewards.

The balance between work and rest, after all.

Outside the heavenly court, there were quite a few matters requiring his attention.

The fires of war between the Immortal Alliance and Incense Fire Divine Countries would ignite every few years;

The Three Thousand Worlds had partially entered an era of chaos, with the Netherworld repeatedly seeking aid from the heavenly court, requesting temporary support from civil officials as there weren’t enough judges in the Netherworld.

The casualties among living beings were quite severe.

The only thing that comforted Li Changshou was that both the Enlightenment and Severing sects remained restrained, which helped maintain stability in the Central Divine Continent.

Although friction between immortal sects continued, there hadn’t been any direct warfare between the two schools’ subordinate sects, still within the normal chaos of the catastrophe.

The Primordial World seemed to be gradually moving toward chaos, but Li Changshou could sense that within this chaos lay a certain order.

The order was established by the Dao Ancestor and the Six Sages.

As long as the Sages didn’t move, the world wouldn’t fall into complete chaos.

Of course, the other thing that comforted Li Changshou was that Ling’e had been diligently cultivating all these years, her determination to seek a long life growing ever stronger.

This gave Li Changshou a subtle feeling…

That all his exhaustion outside was worth it.

After all, in this world, only they as senior and junior disciples could truly rely on each other; the Small Qiong Peak his junior sister guarded had become the place where her senior brother’s dao heart found refuge.

In a pure and sacred way, of course.

Looking at the bronze mirror, the lightning gradually faded as the heavenly tribulation passed.

Yang Jian’s figure flew away swiftly, not lingering to comprehend post-tribulation insights, quickly leaving this remote and desolate place – his vigilance was truly commendable.

The scene in the bronze mirror moved accordingly, as True Lord Yuding secretly followed.

The Jade Emperor’s avatar spoke gravely:

“The Eight-Nine Mystic Art, Ancestral God’s origin blood essence, divine weapons refined by the Grand Supreme Elder, and abilities gained from battles with demons and fiends…

Changgeng, when do you plan to close the net of your arrangements? And how will you close it?”

“Please rest assured, Your Majesty, this minor deity has made preparations.”

Li Changshou took out a scroll from his sleeve and respectfully handed it over; the Jade Emperor’s avatar’s eyes lit up as he received and read it at length.

Li Changshou glanced back at Golden Peng, Ao Yi, and Longji, sighing:

“I originally planned to let Yang Jian undergo trials for a hundred years, but seeing the current situation, we must intervene ahead of schedule to slow his cultivation progress somewhat.

At this point, such obsession will gradually cause his dao heart to lose control;

If the obsession isn’t removed and his dao heart isn’t stabilized, the higher his cultivation realm, the more likely he is to fall into the demonic path.”

Hearing her master’s words, Longji couldn’t help but show concern.

Having just had one interaction with Yang Jian, she cared quite a bit about this cousin.

She softly asked, “Master, should we remind Yang Jian of this matter?”

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, then asked: “When you went to give him the dog—ahem, the unique heavenly dog divine hound, how many times did Yang Jian mention his mother?”

“Once.”

After careful recollection, Longji gave this answer, adding: “He seemed to only mention it casually, without showing much emotion.”

“Then we indeed need to close the net,” Li Changshou’s eyes showed no more hesitation as he rummaged in his sleeve and took out a row of jade talismans, suspending them before him.

Seeing Ao Yi and Golden Peng’s puzzled expressions, Li Changshou voluntarily explained:

“Yang Jian’s personality is somewhat introverted. The more he pretends to be calm like this, the deeper he has buried this matter, and the greater its impact on him.

After all, if one has truly let go of many things, they wouldn’t be so cautious, and would at least ask a few questions about Immortal Cloud Flower’s current situation.”

On the other side, the Jade Emperor’s avatar Quandong showed sudden understanding.

Quandong asked: “Changgeng, what have you written here?

Never mind, just proceed, I shall watch from the side!”

“Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!”

Li Changshou cupped his hands, looking at the row of jade talismans floating before him, and smiled:

“Then, I shall begin the arrangements.”

Quandong made a gesture of invitation, and Li Changshou carefully identified and confirmed before simultaneously crushing three jade talismans on the left.

In that instant!

Jade talismans shattered simultaneously at True Lord Yuding’s and Baize’s locations.

Baize opened his eyes in the depths of the Reaching Heaven Palace’s main hall, giving a single command. Dozens of black shadows who had been waiting approached him as Baize activated the teleportation formation beneath him.

They had been waiting for long!

True Lord Yuding frowned slightly in some Great Thousand World, watching Yang Jian hundreds of miles away in the forest, sitting cross-legged and absorbing insights from crossing tribulation, concern in his eyes.

Subsequently, True Lord Yuding actively led Yang Chan away from this place, planning to send Yang Jian a message talisman three days later to guide him to a certain location.

At the same time, in some corner of the Three Thousand Worlds.

The Western Teaching’s sage disciple Virtual Bodhisattva, looking much thinner than decades ago, slowly opened his eyes.

Virtual Bodhisattva looked at the faintly glowing jade talisman in his hand, examining the few sentences that appeared in his mind and couldn’t help but snort coldly.

“Unnecessary…”

After speaking, Virtual Bodhisattva’s form gradually faded, preparing to seek Yang Jian’s traces three days and three hours later.

In the Five Continents of the Primordial World, at the Grand White Palace of the heavenly court.

Li Changshou’s palm swept across the large bronze mirror before him, its images gradually blurring before quickly becoming clear again, now showing three areas, three scenes—

First, Baize and his people arrange something in a mortal village.

Second, Yang Jian quietly cultivating in the forest, though obviously from a different angle than the scene True Lord Yuding had provided earlier;

Third, above the East Sea, a hundred thousand Celestial River troops under Bian Zhuang’s leadership, practiced new battle formations with bean soldiers…

Li Changshou closed his eyes in thought, organizing his entire plan arrangement.

Yang Jian’s growth trajectory, the opportunities and trials he had arranged time and again, and the hardships Yang Jian had encountered on his own, all projected in Li Changshou’s mind.

The test questions have been set, now let’s see if you can pass.

Yang Jian.

…

Grand White Golden Star.

In the Primordial World, in a rather peripheral Great Thousand World, in a humble mortal village.

In the deep of night, candlelight flickered in the village, and one could hear occasional laughter.

Yang Jian, who had just finished eliminating demons and was preparing to leave, didn’t appear to receive these mortals’ praise and worship;

He waited half a day on the hillside outside the village, confirming whether there were any survivors.

Now, Yang Jian stood under the starry sky, looking up at the stars, unconsciously searching for that star spoken of in legends.

The time seemed wrong, as night had just fallen.

At his feet, a white puppy barely half a foot tall was gently rubbing against his cloth boots.

A gentle smile appeared on Yang Jian’s lips as he levitated the small dog into his palm, transformed it into a jade pendant, and placed it in his bosom, then his figure leaped up and headed toward the horizon.

Not riding white clouds or relying on magical treasures, yet able to cross the cosmos at such speed with just his physical body – Yang Jian, having just crossed the Golden Immortal tribulation, had indeed made another leap in strength.

Whoosh—

A beam of green light shot from the void, and Yang Jian became alert, actively meeting the green light, reaching out to pluck a jade talisman from within it, clasping his hands, and bowing to the talisman.

Only his master, who had been hiding nearby all along, could find him…

Though Yang Jian couldn’t be certain of this, and in these years he had survived several near-death experiences on his own, with his master never appearing.

But Yang Jian could feel that his master wasn’t far from him.

Additionally, some opportunities that seemed perfectly reasonable at first glance and had no problems even upon closer inspection made Yang Jian feel they had come to him too easily.

As if the path he walked had already been laid with many benefits by someone.

Who could have done all this?

It probably wasn’t his master, as his master usually acted alone and only had one or two friends like Grand Supreme Uncle. Arranging these opportunities would require countless people.

It must be those forces who wanted him to rise quickly to achieve some purpose.

He wasn’t a fool – how could he not know that from birth, he had been caught up in the struggle between the highest powers in this world?

Thinking this in his heart, Yang Jian activated the jade talisman in his hand and saw its contents.

Demons were causing trouble in some Great Thousand World, seemingly cultivating using mortal souls, requiring his immediate attention.

Not much different from the content of his master’s previous jade talismans.

Yang Jian didn’t hesitate, materializing the Three-Point Double-Edge Spear behind him as he crossed through the void, hurrying toward the location his master had given.

But this time was different from previous times.

When Yang Jian arrived, the demons had already taken the people and livestock from a remote village, leaving only faint demonic energy lingering in the empty village, dispersing in the wind…

Yang Jian searched carefully but couldn’t find any traces at all, only concluding that these demons were extremely skilled at concealment.

After searching thousands of miles in all directions for half a day, everywhere was peaceful, with quite a few qi cultivators in the area…

With no choice, Yang Jian returned to the village, this time finding two children wandering at the village entrance;

Upon questioning them closely, he learned these mortal children had been playing in the mountains, thus escaping this disaster.

Immediately, Yang Jian took them to a nearby town to settle them, spending some spirit stones to place them in an inn where qi cultivators gathered, and frightened the innkeeper a bit.

After sending the siblings to a room, Yang Jian patted their heads, told them not to wander around, left a jade talisman bearing his energy, and then turned to leave.

Just as he left the room, Yang Jian heard the younger girl sobbing inside.

“Brother, what should we do now…

Did Mother and Father abandon us?”

“It’s alright, I’ll protect you. Didn’t the immortal go to help us find Mother and Father?”

Yang Jian’s footsteps halted, his expression growing somber. He slowly closed his eyes, trying to calm his dao heart, but those scenes he had deliberately buried deep kept surfacing in his mind.

On the street, two small figures wrapped in a blanket, enduring sleepless nights.

With a bitter smile, Yang Jian shook his head and continued searching for the demons his master had mentioned.

But…

He couldn’t find them, couldn’t find them anywhere.

That faint demonic energy seemed to deliberately provoke his mind – every time he thought he had found a clue and gave chase, it was all in vain.

Yet persistently, those scenes kept surfacing in his mind – the tragedy at the Yang mansion, the blood splashing everywhere when the celestial soldiers shattered that figure shielding him…

After several fruitless searches, a hint of killing intent flashed in Yang Jian’s eyes. With a low roar of anger, his left foot stomped the ground, and the wasteland mountain beneath him collapsed with a boom, solid rock shattering to powder!

In the dust cloud, Yang Jian stood in mid-air, closing his eyes to try to restore his mental peace, when suddenly he heard a somewhat familiar voice:

“Yang Jian, you finally couldn’t hold back.”

That Western Teaching elder?

Yang Jian opened his eyes to see an almost transparent figure standing before him – it was Virtual Bodhisattva’s divine will manifestation.

“Get lost.”

“Hehehe,” Virtual Bodhisattva’s divine will drifted gently, “Do you truly want this poor Daoist to leave? Then why not raise your spirit spear against me?

Yang Jian, you’re a clever person, surely you’ve also harbored thoughts of using others’ power.

But now this poor Daoist needn’t waste effort – just telling you one thing will make you rush headlong, desperate to save your poor mother from the heavenly court.

The heavenly court is probably going to erase your mother.”

“Nonsense!”

Two divine rays burst from Yang Jian’s eyes, “How could I be fooled by you!”

“Is it truly foolery?”

Virtual Bodhisattva’s voice penetrated Yang Jian’s dao heart, the final syllables echoing throughout his spirit platform.

“Think carefully – your mother is nominally a princess of the heavenly court, sister to the Three Realms’ ruler, yet she was merely the Jade Emperor’s mortal sister during his tribulation.

She privately married a mortal and bore a son and daughter. More ironically, this mortal had already started a family and had children.

What is this?

Humiliation! Back then, countless qi cultivators mocked the Jade Emperor – it was quite the spectacle!

If you hadn’t become Yuding’s disciple and an Enlightenment Sect disciple, making the heavenly court wary, could your mother have lived until today?

But now things are different, Yang Jian.”

Yang Jian’s fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on his neck, his forehead flickering with dark red light.

Virtual Bodhisattva continued:

“Now the heavenly court has gained power, and the Great Canonization Catastrophe will lead to its great prosperity. You, a third-generation Enlightenment Sect disciple, are no longer in their eyes.

Never mind you – what of your master?

These past days, word has spread through the heavenly court about moving your mother to be imprisoned in the mortal realm.

If some accidents were to occur during this process, if some demons suddenly appeared, the death of some celestial soldiers wouldn’t matter. If your mother were to die in the chaos, the Jade Emperor and that Grand White Golden Star could shed a few fake tears and gain some reputation…”

Whoosh!

Yang Jian’s spear thrust forward without warning, instantly shredding Virtual Bodhisattva’s divine will!

Virtual Bodhisattva left only a soft sigh, unable to say more as his divine will completely disperse.

Yang Jian stood in the night sky, dark clouds hiding the moon and dimming the stars, his chest heaving as he continuously suppressed his dao heart.

The Western Teaching had ill intentions. He must consider the Enlightenment Sect’s legacy and his master’s position. He couldn’t make things difficult for his master, couldn’t…

Slowly exhaling, Yang Jian put away his spear and turned to head toward the town where the siblings were. But after taking just two steps in the air, his figure suddenly turned back, kneeling and prostrating to the night sky, forcefully kowtowing three times.

“Master! Your disciple is unworthy! Please take care of those children!”

After speaking, Yang Jian rose tall, blood light surging in his palm as his form transformed into a cloud-piercing grey hawk, shooting toward the Five Continents!

In the direction where Yang Jian had just knelt, True Lord Yuding stood with hands behind his back, frowning, unable to hold back a soft sigh.

“Master,” Yang Chan asked with concern, “My brother…”

Yuding said calmly: “Don’t be afraid.”

After speaking, Yuding brushed his sleeves and left with Yang Chan.

Baize’s people would go arrange for those children;

The villagers would also return to their village after several days.

…

‘Mother.’

‘Heavenly Court!’

These words tumbled in Yang Jian’s heart as he rushed forward.

Storms raged in his dao heart – he had wanted to forcefully suppress them and maintain calm, but those childhood scenes crashed like a mountain flood, breaking the dam he had built over many years!

Though his Eight-Nine Mystic Art allowed swift flight through the void, it still had limits.

The path to the Five Continents seemed too distant.

Stay calm, he must stay calm now – with his current strength, he still couldn’t shake those great powers and great divine ability users. He must find ways to use everything at his disposal to negotiate with the heavenly court.

But what could he use?

Without his master’s protection, he had only a spear, a suit of armor, and himself alone.

Gradually, despair arose in Yang Jian’s heart, but this despair instantly transformed into anger, becoming fuel for his forward charge!

Seven days later, he saw the Five Continents bathed in the sun star’s radiance, with only one thought remaining in his heart!

Charge in!

To the heavenly court!

Even if it cost everything, he would pull her out from under that mountain!

East of the East Sea, at the edge of heaven and earth, a streak of blood-colored light shot extremely quickly through this area, toward high heaven.

But this light had barely traveled a few thousand miles when a transparent barrier appeared in the sky, forcefully blocking it.

With a boom, Yang Jian’s figure immediately retreated, his gaze still clear, himself still relatively calm.

He looked toward the azure sky ahead, at that light barrier he had cracked, and at the rows of silver-armored celestial soldiers gradually appearing behind the barrier…

A trap?

Yang Jian’s pupils constricted as he suddenly realized that the celestial soldiers appearing here to block him only corroborated that Western Teaching elder’s words!

The heavenly court had a Grand White Golden Star, calculating everything, and balancing heaven and earth.

He had probably long been targeted by Grand White Golden Star…

The matter of his mother being erased wasn’t false!

The celestial soldiers put away their weapons, that light barrier dispersed, and a golden-armored celestial general stepped forward, declaring loudly:

“Might you be the Enlightenment Sect disciple Yang Jian?”

“Correct!”

Yang Jian said coldly.

The golden-armored general said: “We received orders from Star-Lord Grand White to stop you here. The Star Lord said to tell you not to ruin yourself, to cherish your prospects…”

Yang Jian said coldly: “What if I insist on ruining myself today?”

That golden-armored general’s face was expressionless as he raised his treasure sword, golden light flashing.

Ripples appeared layer by layer in the cosmos above the East Sea as row after row of ‘celestial soldiers and generals’ appeared here, mostly strong men holding shields or female immortal soldiers holding bows and arrows.

No, they weren’t living beings but divine ability dao soldiers!

Yang Jian immediately identified these figures’ identities.

The celestial soldiers and generals who had just stopped him quickly retreated as the dao soldiers in the sky had already surrounded the area for dozens of miles, leaving no gaps;

These dao soldiers even formed battle formations, steadily locking onto Yang Jian.

Among these dao soldiers were some beings with powerful auras, seemingly similar to the dao soldiers but giving Yang Jian a faint sense of pressure.

He had fallen into such an ambush without any awareness…

That golden-armored general had retreated a thousand miles away, his voice drifting over again:

“Defying the Star Lord’s orders means life and death are uncertain. Yang Jian, today you are given one more chance to retreat.”

“Give me back my mother…”

Yang Jian said softly, then showed a fierce expression, gripping his spear tightly, his gaze penetrating a thousand miles, making that golden-armored general unconsciously step back.

“Give me back my mother!”

The golden-armored general roared: “Formation, rise!”

Pillars of light lit up in the sky above the East Sea, forming a heaven-and-earth prison!

Yang Jian knew there was no retreat today, his eyes almost spitting fire as his figure was about to soar upward!

“Wait!”

Another light shout was heard, and Yang Jian’s movement paused, as did the dao soldiers being controlled from afar by the celestial soldiers on all sides.

Yang Jian frowned slightly, showing disbelief as he turned to look behind him.

There, a young Daoist with delicate features wearing a long robe approached slowly, carrying a spear.

From Mount Qianyuan, under Grand Supreme, Spirit Zhenzhu!

Yang Jian’s eyes showed some astonishment as he asked softly: “Senior Brother, you mean to stop me?”

“Yes,” Spirit Zhenzhu pressed his lips together, gripping his spear tightly, seeming unwilling to say half a word more.

Yang Jian also fell into silence, staring at Spirit Zhenzhu’s figure, several times gripping the shaft of his Three-Point Double-Edge Spear tightly, then several times loosening his grip.

“Why?”

Yang Jian’s voice trembled slightly.

Spirit Zhenzhu said: “Master’s orders.”

“My actions today have no connection to the Enlightenment Sect.”

“You are an Enlightenment Sect disciple – how could there be no connection?”

Yang Jian closed his eyes, letting out a soft breath, neither crying out his difficulties in anguish nor speaking half a word more about his convictions.

Gripping his spear tightly, his eyes showed no more hesitation, only determination.

“Let us fight.”

Whoosh—

The Fire-Point Spear in Spirit Zhenzhu’s hands erupted in blue-white flames as his figure shot straight up, almost instantly erupting to his maximum speed!

Yang Jian immediately shifted to the side, narrowly brushing past Spirit Zhenzhu’s spear, actively yielding the first move.

Then, Yang Jian left an afterimage in place as his figure vanished with a swoosh, reappearing ten zhang before Spirit Zhenzhu, swooping down like a celestial hawk with his spear striking heavily!

Spirit Zhenzhu, wrapped in fire light, moved as swiftly as a ghost, not dodging at all but charging to meet Yang Jian head-on!

The countless dao soldiers around shouted in unison as the prison formation grew more solid…

After a moment of intense battle, Spirit Zhenzhu’s figure was sent flying outside the formation’s range, face pale and eyes tightly closed, a bloody hole in his shoulder that had caved in significantly.

Defeated, eliminated.

But following this, those dao soldiers showed no more restraint as hundreds of ‘experts’ hiding among them surged forward together, surrounding Yang Jian completely, imprisoning him from all directions!

Fight!

Yang Jian raised his spear and charged into the mass of dao soldiers. The continuous boom of explosions rang out as dao soldier after dao soldier was smashed into gray powder, but their numbers were endless, showing no sign of stopping.

And those ‘special experts’ mixed among the dao soldiers kept hindering Yang Jian, preventing him from truly charging back and forth through their ranks.

At the heavenly court’s East Heaven Gate.

The sound of war drums echoed for tens of thousands of miles as squad after squad of celestial soldiers poured forth, arranging lines of dao soldier defenses outside the gate.

In the Grand White Palace, Li Changshou revealed a slight smile, shaking his whisk as he rode clouds out together with several figures behind him.

Li Changshou said: “Longji, you go wait in front of the East Heaven Gate first.

If Yang Jian can charge to your position, speak as your master instructed.”

“Yes,” Longji saluted with clasped hands, taking up her treasure sword and urging her divine abilities as she hurried toward the East Heaven Gate.

Behind Li Changshou, Ao Yi, Golden Peng, and Xiong Lingli stood quietly. Except for Xiong Lingli’s small face full of tension, as she tried hard to appear fierce, Ao Yi and Golden Peng remained calm and composed.

They would simply follow orders.

…

Yang Jian was caught in bitter combat.

He had thought long and hard on his way here, pondered for a long time, and finally made up his mind, knowing today would inevitably bring bitter fighting with his chances of victory being very small.

He didn’t believe in miracles, nor did he believe in so-called destiny, only believing in the spear in his hands, needing to fight his way to his mother’s side.

But Yang Jian had never imagined that just facing the heavenly court’s dao soldiers would leave him in such a desperate state.

The formation’s suppression contained all the aftershocks of his attacks;

The dao soldiers feared no death, waves of immortal power impacting his stable mystic body.

Especially those ‘experts’ skilled in combined attacks mixed among the ordinary dao soldiers – they caused him no small trouble, even leaving many wounds on his mystic body.

The Eight-Nine Mystic Art excelled at defense, making the physical body like a spirit treasure – cultivators of the same realm had almost no chance of breaking through without powerful treasures.

This showed just how formidable their combined attacks truly were.

Figures, figures, and more figures.

The dao soldiers were endless, inexhaustible, but his blood essence and energy were being constantly depleted.

Focusing on physical cultivation made it difficult to restore energy with pills. Yang Jian kept calculating in his heart while charging forward, bringing with him sky-full of figures and the flying ash of exploded dao soldiers as he advanced step by step toward the East Heaven Gate!

Finally, after who knows how long, the space before Yang Jian suddenly cleared.

Had the dao soldiers retreated?

The already somewhat numb Yang Jian immediately charged forward several hundred zhang but was quickly blocked by a light barrier as another huge batch of dao soldiers swarmed forward.

After finishing one batch, there was another batch.

Night and day alternated continuously.

Fighting for over ten days and nights, alarming experts in all directions, but none could approach within tens of thousands of miles of the heavenly court’s East Heaven Gate.

Large numbers of high-level Dragon Clan experts hidden beneath the East Sea also spread their pressure outward in all directions.

Throughout the massive battle, Yang Jian’s figure never fell.

His robes were untainted by blood yet broken everywhere;

His spirit spear showed no cracks, but his palms trembled slightly.

Advancing bit by bit, swinging his spear time after time, Yang Jian finally reached the East Heaven Gate, no more than a thousand zhang from those white jade gates.

Behind him lay thirty-nine lines of dao soldier defenses he had broken through, over sixty formations he had personally destroyed.

The figures before him suddenly cleared, and Yang Jian’s tightly wound heartstrings relaxed just slightly before his figure suddenly staggered.

He supported himself with his spear, barely maintaining his position without falling from the sky, but his footing was unsteady as his legs gradually bent, slowly losing strength.

Limit…

This was his limit.

Yang Jian sighed inwardly, but his gaze and dao heart showed not the slightest wavering.

He leaned on his spear and took a breath, his figure trying to stand again but only managing to barely arch his back.

“Yang Jian!”

An urgent cry came from ahead as Yang Jian’s nearly exhausted divine sense perceived Longji, whom he had met once before, approaching on clouds with a treasure sword in hand.

Had she also come to stop him?

As large numbers of dao soldiers were about to encircle from behind, Longji immediately called out: “All of you, withdraw!”

Groups of dao soldiers stood motionless on the cloud paths like wooden people.

Yang Jian smiled bitterly in his heart – he had ultimately involved others.

Longji moved forward wanting to support him, but Yang Jian raised his hand to stop her.

He lay in the air gasping for breath, searching within himself for remaining strength.

“Yang Jian, why do you do this to yourself?”

Standing three zhang away, Longji cried out trembling: “There are many things you haven’t seen or heard, don’t understand the inside story of, you’re just being used.”

Used…

Yang Jian closed his eyes, and slowly opened them, his forehead flickering with light red radiance as his figure changed from bent to kneeling, right hand gripping the Three-Point Double-Edge Spear tightly, his voice changing from weak to gradually stronger.

“In this… in this world…

Whether living beings are weak or strong, they are controlled by some force.

The Heavenly Dao, the heavenly court, or so-called destiny and fate.

Living beings inherently face many hardships, some are born to face cruel hell, but they must move forward, pushed forward by that force.

I am just the same.”

“Yang Jian…”

Longji wanted to move forward again, to support Yang Jian’s swaying figure that still tried to stand steady, but her steps halted as she unconsciously stopped several zhangs away.

Yang Jian leaned on his Three-Point Double-Edge Spear as strands of power grew within his already exhausted mystic body.

The power of a living being’s origin.

He changed from prostrate to stooped, then slowly tried to straighten his back;

The trembling of his hands grew increasingly faint, but his hoarse voice remained continuous.

Yang Jian said:

“This force might be hatred, might be longing for mother, is the gradually deepening self-blame in my heart, is the calculations of the great sects’ struggle, is the great catastrophe of heaven and earth.

They seem to tell me constantly – quickly go save your mother, quickly go save your mother.

Yet completely ignore my thoughts.

They just treat me as a chess piece, pushing forward, blocking backward, constantly manipulating.

This is this Primordial World, a Primordial World that has long lost its vitality!”

Longji didn’t know how to answer, could only watch the figure before her, watch him straighten his chest and step forward again.

Ahead, the East Heaven Gate loomed in the distance as huge patches of gray clouds swept in.

Yang Jian gritted his teeth as streams of primal force squeezed out from his four limbs and hundred meridians, the pain no different from having his bones scraped and marrow extracted!

But his expression remained normal, not even grunting, only advancing, only roaring.

His voice grew stronger, his words more urgent as waves of energy poured from his body and the clouds beneath his feet solidified again!

“Ahead might be mountains of blades and seas of fire, might be Yang Jian’s hell!

There might be battles reaching heaven, I might exhaust all my strength!

I might use up everything only to step into the next hell.

But today!

Today!

Even if there is no light visible on the road ahead!

Even if I must die before the mountain imprisoning Mother, letting those calculating from behind succeed!”

Yang Jian’s eyes were full of brightness as what seemed like a vertical crack appeared on his forehead, blood light pouring from within, illuminating his handsome yet pale face to appear so stern!

Long ji’s dao heart trembled as she gripped her treasure sword.

Yang Jian held his spear reversed behind him, head high and chest out as he looked ahead, looking toward the huge patches of gray clouds pouring from the East Heaven Gate. His figure had already passed Longji as his words seemed to speak to her yet also seemed to cry out to the heavenly court ahead.

“Coming here was my own decision!

The path was my choice, the heavenly court is what I choose to charge! Hell is what I choose to enter!

The force pushing me forward can only be the choice I made, none can interfere!

I, Yang Family’s Second Son, Yang Jian!

Today I have come here, wishing to take back my birth mother, to seek justice from the heavenly court for my father’s tragic death!

Those who wish to stop me are all my enemies.”

As his words fell, thunder crashed in the sky!

War drums sounded from all directions as clouds gathered layer upon layer, three layers above, three layers middle, three layers below!

Countless celestial soldiers and generals revealed their figures upon the clouds, countless gazes and divine sense locking onto Yang Jian.

Yang Jian spoke not a word as the red light retreated from his forehead while he craved strength, called for strength, and squeezed strength from his mystic body and primordial spirit!

Boom boom boom—

That was the sound of the celestial soldiers’ drums as various phenomena manifested everywhere.

Yang Jian silently took out the only thing his father had left behind, a scholar’s headband, which he wrapped around his head.

Just at this moment, amid the heavenly thunder!

A golden light split the sky as pressure descended from above, bringing waves of wind that made Yang Jian’s tattered robes flutter toward his side and back.

The golden light condensed as that white-haired, white-robed elder revealed his figure, holding a whisk while sitting cross-legged on clouds, eyelids half-lowered as his gaze fell downward.

“Yang Jian, do you know your crime.”