Volume One: The Celestial Palace of Mist Chapter One Hundred Thirty-One: The Reappearance of Luo Tianyi

Chapter 131: The Reappearance of Luo Tianyi

The sky was clear and pure, without a single cloud for thousands of miles. The vast earth beneath seemed to have lost its color entirely.

This once magnificent paradise, famed for its breathtaking mountains and rivers, now appeared sickly and lifeless. Many of the beautiful immortal mountains stood barren and desolate; the ethereal mists that once enveloped the landscape had vanished. Even the mighty waterfalls, once as vibrant as torrents from the Milky Way, had dried up completely.

Beneath the vast sky, on this abruptly empty land, stood what was once the towering Immortal Mountain bearing the name of the Yunmiao Immortal Palace. Now, only a shimmering layer of ice crystals reflected the sunlight across the ground.

Hidden beneath layers of ice crystals was an invisible barrier. Inside this barrier, five figures sat cross-legged beneath a purple tree, as if centuries had passed. Purple, shimmering leaves blanketed their bodies. Among them, a figure in red garments possessed a slender, graceful form. Her eyes were closed, framed by long lashes, and her delicate face bloomed like a radiant rose. On her forehead glowed a crimson, diamond-shaped mark, pulsing with life as the barrier around them began to warm.

Outside, two forces faced each other in tense opposition.

Roars of carved beasts and the growls of tigers resounded; eleven supreme immortals stood proudly atop their mounts. At their head was a figure clutching a ghostly blue pearl, his cold eyes fixed emotionlessly on the opposing side.

Opposite him, a young man in white robes stood poised, his attire fluttering lightly in the breeze, exuding an otherworldly grace. Above his head hovered a yellow gourd, its mouth emanating a sliver of silver light, reminiscent of a sharp celestial sword. Beside him stood an elder, also clad in white, with white hair and beard, a purple divine halo radiating behind his head.

"Heh, what a memory lapse of mine! I almost forgot we still have a trump card!" Old Guo suddenly exclaimed amidst the standoff, slapping his forehead.

"We'll use this little guy as a shield and see how they react!" Old Guo said as he lifted a figure into view. The man wore blue robes and appeared utterly limp, his head drooping. His tall, slender frame had grown even more gaunt, resembling little more than skin and bones. This was the second-in-command of Rain Lake, who had previously fought Old Guo wielding a great halberd.

Since being captured by Old Guo, the second-in-command's hard-earned immortal power had been drained away. Without a swift recovery, he risked a catastrophic decline—from a supreme immortal down to a golden immortal.

"Impressive, Old Guo. Truly, the older the ginger, the spicier!" Zhou Hao nodded appreciatively, giving Old Guo a thumbs-up.

Surprisingly, the four major factions showed little astonishment. Particularly, the Rain Lake chief kept his gaze fixed unwaveringly on Zhou Hao’s head, as though the second-in-command was invisible.

"That gourd is powerful. I underestimated its strength. We must act together and use the Sea-Calming Pearl to suppress that gourd!" Rain Lake’s chief, Yu Linling, whispered through spiritual transmission to the ten other supreme immortals.

They all responded silently in unison, each unleashing a palm strike that erupted with brilliant immortal light, magnificent and overwhelming. The radiant beams shot toward Yu Linling’s back, each palm representing the strength of one immortal. Instantly, a formidable aura radiated from the Rain Lake chief, as grand as the blazing sun rising over the sea.

Yu Linling then cast the pearl forward, clasping it tightly with both hands. His middle and index fingers pressed forward, sending forth a bolt of electric light aimed directly at the Sea-Calming Pearl.

"What is that?" Zhou Hao watched the eleven's coordinated move with a growing sense of danger.

In midair, as the electric bolt struck the Sea-Calming Pearl, the miniaturized star sea inside began to reverse. A tremendous force erupted from the pearl, causing the surrounding void to wail and tremble, threatening to shatter. The pearl shot toward Zhou Hao, surrounded by rippling circles of ghostly blue waves, like thunder shaking the ground, plunging this small world into chaos.

Heaven and earth resonated; the sky cracked with black, web-like fissures. Thunder and storms descended like hundreds of black dragons piercing the heavens and earth. The ground cracked deeply, mountains collapsed, ravines plunged hundreds of feet, and molten magma surged from beneath the earth’s surface. The entire miniature world descended into apocalypse. The Yunmiao formation barely had time to activate before being overwhelmed by this destructive force.

---

"It seems they’ve decided to risk everything. Then let’s start by turning on their own!" Old Guo squinted, watching the sudden calamity unfold. He tossed the limp second-in-command of Rain Lake toward the arrogant demonic pearl as if discarding trash.

The poor man was instantly reduced to ash upon contact with the pearl’s ghostly blue ripples. His immortal soul tried to escape but found the ripples were black holes from which there was no escape. He screamed for help, but his comrades remained indifferent. The world filled with his anguished cries briefly before his soul was swallowed whole.

Thanks to this sacrifice, Zhou Hao and Old Guo gained precious moments to flee. Zhou Hao also focused on gathering strength to withstand the next blow; otherwise, death would be certain.

Given the current power of the Sea-Calming Pearl, the Yunmiao Immortal Palace stood no chance—it would be uprooted entirely. Escape was the only option.

"Zhou Hao, this move alone can wipe out a great immortal. Let’s see if you can withstand it. If not, you die—and the precious gourd will remain in the hands of the four great factions," Yu Linling’s cold voice echoed through the realm.

Zhou Hao and Old Guo continued their desperate flight as the enormous blue pearl relentlessly pursued them. The ghostly blue ripples grew fiercer with each passing moment. The Yunmiao Immortal Palace teetered on the brink of collapse, with disciples and elders falling like leaves in a storm. After today, this immortal palace would be no more.

"It looks like there’s only one way—mutual destruction. I cannot protect the Yunmiao Immortal Palace, nor its people, not even myself." Staring at the smoke and destruction beneath his feet, Zhou Hao closed his eyes and opened them again with resolute determination.

"You intend to die with them?" Old Guo asked.

"Yes," Zhou Hao replied firmly.

"The fall of Yunmiao is inevitable. You are young and full of potential. Why not endure this, escape, and seek revenge later?" Old Guo sighed.

"I’m unwilling. Truly unwilling. They’ve destroyed the Yunmiao Immortal Palace. My master took me as his disciple, taught me the path of cultivation and enlightenment, treating me like a son. Even when he was killed, I couldn’t avenge him. I cannot accept this—I simply cannot. Only death can repay such a debt!" Zhou Hao’s eyes blazed as if ignited by a hundred thousand thunderbolts.

"In this world where the strong rule, weakness is the original sin. Worse, you carry a treasure that makes you a target. No matter your resentment, it’s meaningless. Preserving your life is paramount. Listen to me—escape from the Yunmiao Immortal Palace now!" Old Guo urged.

"Alright, Old Guo. Wake up Huohuo, the turtle, and the others. We’ll leave together," Zhou Hao nodded and suddenly reminded Old Guo.

Old Guo said nothing but looked into Zhou Hao’s eyes. "Boy, don’t fool me. You want to send me away so you can unleash that gourd’s power against the Sea-Calming Pearl. Why won’t you listen? With your current strength, you can’t possibly contend with a divine artifact powered by eleven supreme immortals! It’s certain death."

Zhou Hao lowered his head but soon lifted it again. "Fine, Old Guo, I’ll follow your plan. First, we evacuate the turtle and the others. There’s time ahead. The humiliation I suffer today, I will repay with blood against the four great factions."

With that, the two descended to the ground, swiftly using earth teleportation to reach the outside of the invisible barrier. Old Guo closed the barrier and found all five inside had awakened, their realms each greatly advanced.

"Meow! Where are we? Is this the end of the world? What the heck, are we dead and in hell?" The turtle blinked at the desolate surroundings, asking three questions in a row.

"The twelve head leaders of the four great factions invaded the Yunmiao Immortal Palace, breaking through the gates with the lost Sea-Calming Pearl once belonging to the Dragon Queen Luo Tianyi. Now, they’re using the pearl to target my yellow gourd. Just the ripple from the pearl has destroyed the palace to this state," Zhou Hao explained briefly as he led the group toward the palace gate, which no longer required a token.

"Try to escape? You won’t get far," Yu Linling sneered. The Sea-Calming Pearl immediately blinked and shifted, closing the gap between him and Zhou Hao to a hair’s breadth.

---

"It’s coming for me! Old Guo, take them away! Run as far as you can!" Zhou Hao shoved Old Guo aside and flung the turtle and the green snake from his embrace as the ripples neared behind.

The yellow gourd shielded Zhou Hao from the Sea-Calming Pearl, and the ghostly blue ripples could not immediately tear through his body.

Even so, Zhou Hao felt the devastating power of the ripples close at hand, waves of pain crashing over him, nearly causing him to lose consciousness.

Refusing to wait for death, Zhou Hao chanted the gourd’s spell. White light burst from its mouth, gathering countless void sword energies into a formidable sword light storm, slashing toward the Sea-Calming Pearl.

Yet, for the first time, the void sword light failed. The ghostly blue ripples absorbed it completely. In a faint haze, a massive dragon’s head emerged from the pearl’s surface.

The dragon opened its huge maw, revealing razor-sharp teeth like blades and swords. With a resounding dragon roar, it swallowed Zhou Hao and the gourd whole.

This scene was witnessed by the four great factions, as well as Huohuo, the turtle, Qing She, Yu Nan, Xiao Shanshan, and even some Yunmiao disciples and elders who had barely survived.

"Zhou Hao!" Huohuo looked on in anguish, desperate to fly toward him but was stopped by Old Guo. Eventually, unable to bear her pain, Old Guo knocked her unconscious.

"Zhou Hao…" Yu Nan murmured, staring at the frozen scene—the white-robed youth being swallowed by the giant dragon. Then, something seemed to ignite within her. The crimson diamond-shaped mark on her forehead, which had faded with her enlightenment, suddenly reappeared. A pillar of fiery light soared into the heavens.

"What is this? The power of a great immortal!" Even Old Guo was shocked, gazing at the red-clad woman beside him.

Fiery flames engulfed Yu Nan’s entire body, her pupils burning red. The diamond mark on her forehead blazed into a towering pillar of fire. Centered on her, the earth was scorched for miles, a sea of flames swirling like a queen descending upon the world.

Yu Nan’s gaze grew fierce. She looked at the ghostly blue dragon head on the Sea-Calming Pearl, which struck a palm downward. The flaming palm imprint descended from the sky, crushing toward the dragon head. Yet, the pearl seemed sentient, evading the blow that could shatter sun and moon. However, behind, the world suffered, reduced to void!

Far away, the eleven leaders of the four factions felt the unprecedented aura of a great immortal emanating from Yu Nan. They were shaken to their core. Yu Linling hastily retracted the Sea-Calming Pearl, but then, something unexpected happened.

The massive dragon head hovering on the ghostly blue pearl defied his control. It bit down, severing Yu Linling’s head. The other ten immortals scattered in fear; the pearl was too eerie.

After biting off the Rain Lake chief’s head, the ghostly blue dragon head replaced it. Strangely, the dragon head transformed from a mere energy form into a physical entity. At the junction of the dragon head and neck, a large blue pearl was embedded.

“Yu Linling,” the dragon head twisted its neck and then spoke, as if talking to itself or to an absent presence: “Hahaha, in the end, I have won. Deng Tulang, you never expected I had a hidden ace. A remnant soul of mine resides within this Sea-Calming Pearl, to reveal my true form today. I, Luo Tianyi, shall never die. Hahahahahaha…”