Chapter 169: Chapter 144: The Means of the Twelfth Realm, The Death of Princess Consort Ning, The Might of the Sun Crown

The power of the Dragon Race’s Manifestation Jade self-destructing was no less than that of an Eleventh Realm True Man detonating their Qi Sea. A pillar of light shot into the heavens, piercing through Yunxiao and tearing a massive hole in the sky.

Any Cultivator below the Twelfth Realm dared not face the power of the Manifestation Jade’s self-destruction head-on.

RUMBLE.

The sea of clouds roiled and billowed, with air currents that seemed to part the heavens. Lu Mingyuan looked up.

The moonlight distorted slightly.

An old fisherman with a wizened face and white hair appeared in the void, sitting cross-legged atop a cloud. Amidst the whistling, destructive winds that swept across the sky, a faintly twinkling star suddenly traced an arc, falling into the center of Changle Palace.

Upon closer inspection, the twinkling star was actually a fishhook.

“A Great Yan Tributor is taking action.”

Luo Ying recognized him at a glance.

“He’s a Great Yan Tributor?” This was the first time Lu Mingyuan had seen the old man, and he didn’t recognize him at all.

Luo Ying nodded. “He is indeed one of the Four Great Tributors of Great Yan, the Fisherman.”

“The Fisherman. What a plain and simple name.”

A rare look of gravity appeared on the usually calm Luo Ying’s face. “That’s just a moniker. His Daoist title thunders throughout the Central Plains World.”

“What is it?”

“Qingxu True Monarch.”

The air fell silent for a moment. Just then, the fishing rod began to tremble violently, and the extremely long line shook along with it. A slender beam of profound light surged down the line and into the old man’s hand.

A sharp glint appeared in the old fisherman’s murky eyes.

Suddenly, a massive vortex formed over Changle Palace, and an immense, malevolent aura spread through the void.

The old fisherman felt a powerful force emanating from the other end of the line. He gripped the fishing rod tightly, refusing to let go. Moments later, the vortex grew larger and larger, churning like a waterspout and kicking up astonishing waves of energy.

His old eyes narrowed, and he released one of his hands.

The unseen Spiritual Qi of the world surged rapidly, coalescing into the shape of a finger. Rosy light filled the sky as the finger turned pure white, resembling a colossal Spirit Needle.

SHK!

The sound of rending air rang out as the condensed finger pierced the energy waterspout and plunged into the massive vortex.

A dark red Dragon Shadow Jade Crystal, radiating a terrifyingly violent aura, was suspended in the massive, dark vortex. The roar of a dragon echoed from it, its Dragon Shadow submerged within.

ROAR!

A heaven-shaking roar echoed as a vast Dragon Shadow began to rise.

The vast Dragon Shadow revealed a ferocious head with horns and snake-like pupils. A single eye was as tall as a person, making any human before it seem utterly insignificant.

This was actually a savage Dragon Spirit that had been in Cultivation inside the jade for three thousand years.

ROAR!

The Dragon Spirit let out a furious roar, clearly unwilling to submit. It struggled, trying to escape.

But with a flick of the old fisherman’s rod, it was struck with what felt like Divine Power and smashed aside. Following a thunderous impact, its illusory form dimmed considerably, clearly having sustained a heavy injury.

SWOOSH!

In but an instant, the savage Dragon Spirit was reeled in by a line as thin as a hair and left dangling against the starry sky. Then, it was tossed into the fishing basket on the old man’s back. The basket was like a thousand-year-old glacial pool, instantly suppressing and sealing the scorching jade crystal within the spirit.

In an instant, the destructive power vanished.

The blast had revealed a barren clearing, with only a few protective shields of golden, tadpole-like script still remaining.

The moment the explosion occurred, everyone had summoned their power to resist and protect themselves from harm.

The handful of Great Scholars present turned pale and staggered to the ground.

They had used their Divine Techniques to protect the many students and scholars behind them, and had already reached their limit.

Master Jiang Shan, on the outskirts, was in much better condition. He had no adverse reactions, and his string of Buddha Beads had protected most of the people behind him, including the Palace Maids and eunuchs.

Lu Mingyuan recovered from the tense atmosphere.

His Primordial Qi Perception swept across the surroundings.

He found the situation to be grim.

Any Cultivator present at the Eleventh Realm was mostly unharmed, but the others weren’t so fortunate. Most were gravely injured, and the death toll was not small. For those below the Tenth Realm, there were no survivors.

Fortunately, the more powerful individuals had immediately protected those around them, so the overall casualties were not too severe. Of the several hundred people, the survival rate was around seventy percent.

But in one location, the situation was utterly disastrous.

Within a ten-meter radius of the explosion’s epicenter, where the grand palace once stood, basically no one survived—not even an Eleventh Realm Cultivator. Only one person remained standing.

A Literary Seal engraved with the character “Li” and a golden sword tassel from a sword hilt fell to the ground simultaneously, their light completely extinguished.

“My wife…”

Lu Yunqing stood frozen, his face a numb, empty mask.

It was obvious that the Eighth Prince, Lu Yunqing, was at the center of this disastrous explosion.

Seeing this, the onlookers could not bear to look directly at him.

Having guessed what happened, they all fell silent.

Although Lu Yunqing had survived, Princess Consort Ning had died to protect him, her body and soul obliterated.

The “Li” Literary Seal was a protective talisman from Li Sheng, while the golden sword tassel was a life-saving treasure from the Military Saint’s daughter.

A single Protective Talisman was clearly not enough to save his life, so Princess Consort Ning sacrificed herself, giving the chance to Lu Yunqing. Her very Divine Soul was ground to dust by the lingering power of the Dragon Spirit.

The once-harmonious Changle Palace, filled with pleasant chatter and laughter, was gone.

In its place, only ruins remained.

「In the void above.」

A white streak of light shot across the sky like a meteor.

The figure of a White-robed Celestial Master abruptly appeared. The young Celestial Master held an ancient Sun Dial, his Spiritual Sense sweeping across the surroundings. His usually flippant face was uncharacteristically devoid of a smile.

He rubbed his chin and said, “A True Dragon’s Manifestation Jade self-destructed. No wonder.”

Xu Changqing’s gaze fell upon the Chief Minister of the Cabinet below, his expression questioning. “Prime Minister, shall I begin?”

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Celestial Master,” Yuan Xuangang said calmly.

Xu Changqing’s gaze sharpened. He stood firm in the void, his white robes fluttering in the evening wind. Golden Taoist Qi appeared between two of his fingers and flowed into the ancient Sun Dial.

DONG!

A Dao Bell rang out, long and deep.

Everything between heaven and earth fell still.

CRACK!

A loud crack emanated from the Sun Dial as ancient markings on its surface appeared, glowing gold.

Illusory golden markings, corresponding to the twelve celestial divisions of time, instantly enveloped the world.

Everything within a radius of several hundred meters was bathed in a dazzling golden light.

An immense Sun Crown appeared between heaven and earth.

CLICK!

CLICK!

CLICK!

The markings on the Sun Crown began to spin backward, as if guided by an invisible hand. In that moment, time and space seemed to reverse. The destroyed palace halls, the scattered bowls and chopsticks, the rubble of red walls, the very plants and trees that had been turned to dust—all of it reappeared.

Golden Light filled the sky.

In a matter of breaths, a complete Changle Palace once again stood on the clearing. The surroundings reverted to their state from a stick of incense ago.

All who witnessed this were utterly stunned.

“That’s a Taoist Sect Immortal Artifact—the Ascension Sun Crown!”

“I never thought I’d live to see such an Immortal Artifact.”

“This artifact can reverse time and restore all things, but it cannot restore a person’s Three Souls and Six Spirits. To do so would be to defy Celestial Dao Reincarnation.”

Many looked toward Lu Yunqing, their faces filled with pity.

Inanimate objects could be restored, but how could a dead person be so easily resurrected?

If a single soul or spirit fragment remained, perhaps a Taoist True Immortal might truly have a way.

If the Divine Soul is utterly destroyed and all Three Souls and Six Spirits have scattered, then not even an Ancient Immortal, a Great Power, or a Saint Ancestor Master could bring someone back from the dead.

…

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