Chapter 834 - 833: Forcing the Court

Chapter 834: Chapter 833: Forcing the Court

Zhong Shan looked up at the Great Celestials in the sky.

"So, will you join the Great Yan Sacred Court, or will you retreat now?" Zhong Shan asked the twenty-one Great Celestials.

Hearing Zhong Shan's words, the Great Celestials' eyebrows twitched, their eyes filled with hesitation and regret. If they had acted decisively at the start, they wouldn't be in this mess. Now, how could they proceed?

The Great Yan Sacred Court clearly had the strength to contend with a Great Celestial. Additionally, there were the ten Great Buddhas, and what seemed like ten Great Celestials among the newcomers. On the surface, they were evenly matched with the twenty-one rogue Great Celestials.

However, the rogue cultivators knew better. These major factions usually had well-equipped members, unlike their own shabby gear. The difference between having a Great Celestial artifact and not having one was stark. The old man in the Eight Trigrams robe had demonstrated that difference clearly—Dong Jianfeng, the most respected among them, had been subdued just by responding to the old man.

Yet, the rogue cultivators were unwilling to retreat. They clearly awaited the arrival of other forces.

As the stalemate continued, the old man in the Eight Trigrams robe suddenly frowned.

"Eh?" The old man let out a curious sound.

Then, he reached out his hand.

"Whoosh!"

A flash of light came from the Yin Yang Hall of the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, and a circular drawing fell into the old man's hand.

"A fragment of the Taiji Diagram?" The old man's eyes lit up.

A fragment of the Taiji Diagram? Everyone's eyes turned to the old man holding the Taiji Diagram.

"A fragment of the Supreme Saint's treasure?" Almost everyone raised an eyebrow. But it was, after all, just a fragment.

The old man in the Eight Trigrams robe examined the Taiji Diagram with a mix of curiosity, nostalgia, and longing, his expression complex.

Zhong Shan watched the old man closely. The Taiji Diagram was useless to him now; the Mud Bodhisattva had once told him clearly that this treasure could no longer communicate between the Yin and Yang realms. As such, it was just an ordinary treasure to him.

But the Taiji Diagram had been heavily sealed by Zhong Shan. Outsiders shouldn't have been able to sense its presence, yet this old man in the Eight Trigrams robe had detected it. It seemed he had found it by intuition.

Everyone turned to Zhong Shan.

"Sacred King of Great Yan, how did you obtain this fragment of the Taiji Diagram?" the old man in the Eight Trigrams robe asked, puzzled.

"And whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?" Zhong Shan inquired.

"You can call me 'Laojun,'" the old man responded promptly.

As expected, it was the Supreme Old Lord.

"The Lord of the Netherworld gifted it to me," Zhong Shan replied solemnly.

"To think the legend of the Taiji Diagram in the Netherworld was true, even if it's just a fragment," the Jade Emperor remarked with some surprise.

Clearly, the Jade Emperor and the Plague God had heard of the Taiji Diagram during their time in the small world, but they had never encountered it. This fragment had been left by the first Lord of the Netherworld and had been hidden there all this time.

Laojun's face shifted, a deep longing in his eyes.

"Sacred King of Great Yan, this fragment of the Taiji Diagram may only be at the level of a Celestial artifact, but it is extremely important to me. Would you be willing to part with it? Of course, I won't let you go empty-handed. I'll give you this purple-gold gourd and ten Nine-Turn Golden Pills in exchange. What do you say?" Laojun asked, looking at Zhong Shan.

Truth be told, Laojun didn't need to speak so politely. He could have taken it by force, and who would dare stop him? But considering Zhong Shan's connection with the Ninth Princess, Laojun couldn't bring himself to act so ungraciously.

Zhong Shan weighed the offer in his mind. The Taiji Diagram was indeed a powerful artifact, but if it was only a fragment and not useful in its current state, trading it for the gourd and the pills could be beneficial. After all, the gourd had already demonstrated its incredible power.

"I understand the value of the Taiji Diagram fragment to you, Laojun. I am willing to make this exchange," Zhong Shan said, making his decision.

Laojun's face lit up with gratitude. "Thank you, Sacred King. This means a great deal to me."

As Laojun handed over the purple-gold gourd and the ten Nine-Turn Golden Pills, the tension in the air seemed to dissipate slightly. The other Great Celestials, however, were still restless, not willing to let go of the opportunity so easily.

"In a short time, he has already allied with two factions. There might be other familiar forces around here as well," the Taichu Sacred King mused.

"How is that possible? A closed small world, managing to connect with two Great Thousand World factions is already impressive. How could there be more?" Sima Zongheng doubted.

"Sacred King, the other two Sacred Courts and the three great dojos of our Fengzhong Territory have all entered," someone reported.

"Let's go. The other factions have entered as well. It's time for us to go in," the Taichu Sacred King commanded.

"Yes!" The ministers responded.

With that, they stepped forward, following the Taichu Sacred King towards the Immortal World.

Zhong Shan looked at the twenty-one Great Celestials above, frowning at their persistence.

"Sacred King, heroes from all factions are gathering, and various forces are entering our Great Yan," Shui Jing reported solemnly.

Heroes gathering? Everyone is coming?

The Jade Emperor glanced at Shui Jing in mild surprise. How did he know?

Before long, a fierce wind swept in from the east, and a group of ten men in white armor, exuding a murderous aura, appeared in the sky.

"Fengzhong Territory's Taiji Sacred Court?" a Great Celestial suddenly recognized them.

"Shui Jing, raise the banner of our court," Zhong Shan ordered.

He was tired of always announcing their name himself.

Shui Jing acted quickly, and in no time, a large banner formed by a spell was raised, displaying four characters:

Great Yan Sacred Court!

The ten men in white armor saw the raised banner, and one of them took out an imperial decree.

"Sacred King of Great Yan, receive the decree!" the leading man shouted.

Zhong Shan sneered, "Just say what you have to say!"

"The Taiji Sacred King of Fengzhong Territory decrees that the Sacred King of Great Yan can be a worthy vassal. You are hereby summoned to submit and join the Taiji Sacred Court. If you agree, fulfill the duties of vassalage. If you refuse, you will be considered an enemy of the Taiji Sacred Court and will be destroyed!" the leading man proclaimed loudly.

Submit? They wanted the Great Yan Sacred Court to become a vassal? If not, they would destroy it?

The ministers of the Lingxiao Heavenly Court were furious, glaring at the group.

"Whoosh!"

Another fierce wind blew, and ten men in golden armor appeared from the southeast.

"The Taiyi Sacred King of Fengzhong Territory decrees that the Sacred King of Great Yan can be a worthy vassal. You are hereby summoned to submit and join the Taiyi Sacred Court. If you agree, fulfill the duties of vassalage. If you refuse, you will be considered an enemy of the Taiyi Sacred Court and will be destroyed!"

Another ten?

Two Sacred Courts from Fengzhong Territory wanted to make the Great Yan Sacred Court a vassal? They expected Zhong Shan to bow and submit? Refusal meant destruction?

Before the surprise could settle, ten Great Buddhas arrived from the west.

"The Burning Lamp Master of Fengzhong Territory decrees that the Sacred King of Great Yan can be a worthy creation. You are hereby summoned to submit and join the Burning Lamp Dojo. If you agree, fulfill the duties of master and subordinate. If you refuse, you will be considered an enemy of the Burning Lamp Dojo and will be destroyed!"

As if on cue, ten men in Daoist robes approached from the northwest.

"The Snake Empress Master of Fengzhong Territory decrees that the Sacred King of Great Yan can be a worthy creation. You are hereby summoned to submit and join the Snake Empress Dojo. If you agree, fulfill the duties of master and subordinate. If you refuse, you will be considered an enemy of the Snake Empress Dojo and will be destroyed!"

Fengzhong Territory had now sent forces from four factions, totaling forty Great Celestial-level experts, all demanding submission or threatening destruction.

And it wasn't over yet. Another force was approaching from the south.