Volume One: The Cloudmist Immortal Palace Arc Chapter 135: Bringing It to an End

Chapter 135: Conclusion

Zhou Hao and Yu Nan stood back-to-back, caught in the encirclement of the tridents as a three-thousand-meter-high wall of waves threatened to swallow them. Atop the crest, a maiden with fluttering robes held a long trident, her blue eyes filled with an indescribable, bone-chilling coldness and lethal intent.

"Strike!"

Zhou Hao unleashed the Yellow Gourd. It spun rapidly in the high sky, the spout spewing brilliant silver light. The surrounding void seemed to collapse, revealing the phenomenon of a fractured sky where invisible sword energy crisscrossed as if paying homage to the King of All Swords.

Luo Tianyi looked on in confusion. Deng Tulang was dead, so how could Zhou Hao still control the Void-Slashing Gourd to unleash sword energy of such magnitude? Zhou Hao was merely a lowly Golden Immortal; the gap between a Golden Immortal and a Great Immortal was as vast as heaven and earth, something no magical weapon could bridge. When he fought Luo Tianyi’s true form in the Great Immortal’s cave, it was only because Deng Tulang’s immortal consciousness had possessed Zhou Hao, granting him the late-stage Great Immortal cultivation of the gourd’s original master.

But now? By what right did this Golden Immortal brat manage this? How did he do it?

"Slash!"

A sharp cry brought Luo Tianyi back to reality. As the waves surged and a myriad of tridents rained down, countless sword shadows cascaded from the fractured void like a torrential downpour, crashing into the waves. A dense symphony of clashing metal rang out across the cosmos. One by one, the tridents were shattered by the sword shadows, and the wave, as if wounded, retreated rapidly in all directions, forced back by the onslaught.

"Where does your power come from?" The tide dissipated. Luo Tianyi remained a thousand miles away, her face as cold as frost, roaring the question that burned in her heart.

Zhou Hao replied calmly, "It wouldn't hurt to tell you. When you swallowed me, I escaped into the gourd. To be honest, I knew you would reappear."

"How is that possible?" Luo Tianyi was stunned.

"Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. Strictly speaking, the moment the Rain Lake leader produced the Sea-Suppressing Pearl, I knew you would emerge. Senior Deng Tulang once told me that during your duel, you lost the Sea-Suppressing Pearl, and he suspected you had a contingency plan. As expected, your remnant soul had attached itself to the pearl, hoping to use the leaders of the four factions to assist in your resurrection," Zhou Hao explained slowly.

"Fortunately, the senior also taught me how to subdue you. Once the gourd captures your Sea-Suppressing Pearl, your power will be greatly diminished. While the pearl doesn't grant you power directly, it allows you to unleash a strike at the level of an Immortal King under your control—but doing so would leave you incredibly weak, a risk you would never take, especially since the opponent wouldn't be worth it. Unfortunately, you forgot that the Void-Slashing Gourd once defeated you at your peak. When the senior sealed you back then, he left a method within the gourd specifically designed to restrain your remnant soul. I only need to release the gourd, and it will naturally counter your offensives until you are thoroughly eradicated!"

Luo Tianyi listened in silence for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Fine technique. A fine technique indeed."

Yu Nan stood beside Zhou Hao and asked, "What’s wrong with her? She can still laugh after hearing all that? Is she insane?"

Zhou Hao said, "You’re asking me? I’m a man; how would I know what you women are thinking? You should know that yourself."

"Why didn't I notice before that you were so annoying?" Yu Nan pouted.

"Are you angry?" Zhou Hao asked, feeling guilty.

"A little," Yu Nan replied nonchalantly.

"Don't be angry; I was just joking."

"Hmph, who told you not to answer my question properly? But you’re right, you really don't know what we women are thinking."

"Yes, yes, I’m just a blockhead. Please, spare a blockhead your magnanimity; we still have to fight the enemy together," Zhou Hao urged.

"Oh my, you’re a grown man and you’ve even learned how to act coy? Hahahaha... how shameless!" Watching Zhou Hao’s flustered state, Yu Nan giggled uncontrollably, pointing at him.

"You’re laughing. You’re laughing, so you’re not angry at me anymore," Zhou Hao chuckled.

"I wasn't really angry at you; I was just teasing you," Yu Nan said, her eyes darting to the side.

"Yu Nan, I have something to tell you!" Zhou Hao leaned in close, looking at her.

"Y-you... speak." Yu Nan reflexively blushed. As their eyes met, looking at the handsome youth’s face, she felt an inexplicable urge to hold him close.

Zhou Hao gazed at Yu Nan at such close range, her bright, immortal beauty reflected in his pupils, which seemed to light up. As the books say, a peerless beauty with a radiant glow.

"I like you!"

Yu Nan’s pupils dilated as if struck by lightning. Those four simple words were more deafening than a temple bell. Her heart wasn't just fluttering; it felt like it was about to leap out of her chest.

"Huh?" Yu Nan was speechless, her mouth agape as she managed only a single syllable.

"Do you know? From the moment we met, got to know each other, and became friends, these few decades—though a mere blink of an eye to those in the Immortal Realm—have felt very long to me, coming from the mortal world. Over these years, you’ve changed my initial perception of you. From having no feelings for you to finding you annoying, and then slowly growing to admire your bold, honest nature—I believe you are a kind girl, and one day you will surely find a home worth entrusting your life to." Zhou Hao slowly backed away, speaking earnestly.

Yu Nan, who had just been caught in a conflict of panic, confusion, and joy, lowered her eyes and bowed her head upon hearing these words, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Zhou Hao, I’m actually a little angry now. But... but... I’m so sad. Why is love so bitter? Why do I still harbor fantasies about you? Weren't we supposed to slowly let go of your place in my heart?" Yu Nan felt a sense of loss.

Zhou Hao did not realize that his words were a heavy blow to Yu Nan, who had intended to forget her love for him, only to have those feelings stirred up once more.

"Do you take me for transparent?" In the distance, Luo Tianyi had regained her composure, but her mood had turned foul after overhearing their conversation.

She was a proud woman of noble birth and great strength, yet in the face of love, she had lost completely. Even an Immortal King could not change the mind of someone who did not love them!

"Luo Tianyi, today, let me use the Void-Slashing Gourd to send you on your way!"

Zhou Hao walked through the air, moving further from Yu Nan and closer to Luo Tianyi. Behind him, a great sun rose, making him look like the son of the sun descending. Within his eyes, Golden Pupils of Truth emerged, flowing with divine radiance.

"Does a grain of sand dare to compete with the moon?"

Luo Tianyi sneered, waving her trident. Three flood dragons emerged, roaring and clawing as they charged at Zhou Hao.

The latter pointed forward, and the gourd above his head spun dizzily. A sword beam shot from its mouth, forming a blade that spanned the sky, cutting horizontally through the dragons from head to tail.

The sky was filled with scales and severed limbs; dragon blood fell like a torrential downpour. Faint roars echoed from the void, but in the blink of an eye, everything vanished like smoke, returning to normal.

"Aren't you the Dragon King? Is that all you've got?" Now it was Zhou Hao’s turn to mock Luo Tianyi.

Luo Tianyi did not speak; she simply threw her trident into the void, where it turned into a beam of light and vanished.

Following this, Luo Tianyi formed hand seals, chanting as if reciting an ancient incantation.

"This guy... is she using her trump card?" Zhou Hao narrowed his eyes, sensing danger.

Sure enough, a moment later, Luo Tianyi split into four avatars. These four avatars were of different colors, their bodies veiled in hazy light, appearing around Zhou Hao, each less than a thousand meters apart.

"This move is called: The Four-Element Killing Formation!" Luo Tianyi herself was not among the four; she stood in the distance, explaining.

"You said earlier that the Void-Slashing Gourd would restrain my remnant soul. Well then, I shall kill you using the techniques of the four major factions: Wind, Fire, Water, and Thunder."

As she spoke, the hazy avatars revealed their true forms—the four leaders of the major factions. Beneath them, four demonic beasts—a dragon, a bull, a tiger, and a roc—let out ear-piercing shrieks, their demonic aura soaring to the heavens.

"It’s actually the combined formation of the four factions, the Four-Element Killing Formation!" Zhou Hao’s expression changed. In this state, he could no longer rely on the Yellow Gourd to fend them off.

In the north, Rain Lake leader Yu Linling looked pale, his eyes vacant like a puppet. He stepped on a ghostly blue dragon, holding a large blue trident.

In the east, Wind Desert leader Feng Boding also looked pale, devoid of any blood. He stood on a grey-scaled roc, leaning on his sword.

In the west, Thunder Mountain leader Lei Nu, with his massive frame, sat atop a purple lightning bull. Though dead, he remained imposing, holding a heavy hammer that could grow or shrink.

Finally, in the south, Fire Plain leader Huo Hua, handsome and heroic, sat upon a gold-patterned flame tiger, his right hand holding a blade, his eyes hollow.

The four surrounded Zhou Hao, and a massive amount of energy began to converge upon them.

"Kill him!"

Luo Tianyi extended a fair, jade-like hand and pointed at Zhou Hao. The four leaders raised their weapons to the sky, and instantly, four beams of light erupted from them, connecting together.

As the beams intersected, thunder rolled, and lightning struck down. It felt as if a white mountain was crashing down on Zhou Hao’s head, but it was merely a bolt of lightning.

With no time to think, Zhou Hao gripped the Yellow Gourd, which expanded a spherical light barrier to withstand the lightning.

With a loud crack, the barrier was pierced. The gourd absorbed all the lightning, but the violent force was still reflected back onto him. He nearly died from the pain.

The sound of shattering bones echoed; Zhou Hao’s ribs were all broken, his chest caved in, his Golden Immortal body as fragile as paper.

"What a formidable Four-Element Killing Formation!" Zhou Hao coughed up blood.

"Zhou Hao... what happened to you? Don't scare me! I'm sorry, just now, I... I... it's all my fault, I caused this." Not far away, Yu Nan was jolted awake by the thunder, snapping out of her despair. She rushed to Zhou Hao’s side and helped him up.

Yu Nan was overcome with guilt, her words tripping over themselves as she sobbed. Where was the spirited, radiant youth from moments ago? His chest was sunken, his ribs shattered, his face deathly pale, and blood poured from his mouth like a fountain.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I won't die yet. This is the Four-Element Killing Formation. Luo Tianyi has poured Great Immortal-level energy into them. I can't resist it with my current cultivation. Yu Nan, please help me hold them off; I need to kill Luo Tianyi!" Zhou Hao slowly detached himself from Yu Nan’s support and stood up on his own.

"I'll help you heal first. Your injuries are too severe." Yu Nan’s eyes were brimming with tears, and she placed a hand on Zhou Hao’s chest.

He felt a warm current wash over his entire body. His injuries mended, the bleeding stopped, and in the blink of an eye, he was restored to his former state.

Whoosh!

Before Zhou Hao could thank her, a demonic wind whipped up above his head—a black tornado descended, cutting like wind-blades and frost-swords, causing immense pain.

"Zhou Hao, get out of the formation! I’ll handle them!" Yu Nan pushed Zhou Hao away, and a coat of flames erupted around her.

At this moment, Yu Nan’s aura shifted. She grew to ten feet tall, draped in a coat of fire. Her eyes were devoid of joy or sorrow. Facing the four-element attacks of the killing formation, she blocked them with her bare hands. Her giant flame hand was like ten suns melting everything. Despite the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, she suppressed them all with a simple wave of her hand.

On the other side, Zhou Hao finally closed the distance to within a hundred meters of Luo Tianyi. She looked like a harmless girl of sixteen, but no one could have guessed that she was a heartless, cruel creature who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

"Oh my, I’m so scared. Are you going to use that gourd to capture me?" Luo Tianyi feigned coyness.

"You’re right, you are a monster. Today, I shall act on behalf of the heavens and subdue you!" Zhou Hao raised his hand, and a silver light appeared at the mouth of the Yellow Gourd, shattering the surrounding space and drawing in invisible sword energy.

Void-Slashing Sword Energy!

Luo Tianyi’s expression shifted. She said coldly, "Let’s see then. I haven't spent these thirty thousand years doing nothing. Let me experience just how strong the Void-Slashing Sword Technique—one of the four great sword arts of the Immortal Realm—really is!"

Aooo!

Luo Tianyi looked up, transforming into a giant dragon over a hundred feet long. Its body, forged as if from blue sapphire, was filled with breathtaking power and beauty. Even Zhou Hao couldn't help but marvel. The dragon was truly a favorite of heaven and earth; its very form was a testament to creation. In the vastness of the Immortal Realm, there were countless immortal beings, but those comparable to the dragon could be counted on one hand.

Around the giant dragon, cracks spread through the void as sword energy gathered fiercely. Beneath the dragon, the white-clad youth hovered with his gourd, facing it without fear.

The blue giant dragon Luo Tianyi had become roared again, causing ripples in the void as it surged toward Zhou Hao. Facing this ultimate move, he remained motionless, while clear sword humming echoed from above.

The invisible sword energy swept everything away, forcing the ripples in the void to change direction. The giant dragon opened its mouth to breathe, and gusts of cold wind swept through the dark universe. The dragon’s breath turned into snow and mist, instantly freezing the rippling void. For ten thousand miles, the space turned into a world of ice sculptures. From afar, this part of the starry sky looked like a frozen lake.

Zhou Hao was also trapped in this "frozen lake," unable to escape, and even the Yellow Gourd was not spared.

The giant dragon lowered its head, looking at Zhou Hao, who was frozen solid like a statue. It laughed, "This dragon-breath freezing is truly powerful. A single strike, and it’s done. It seems that while the Void-Slashing Sword Technique is strong, it depends on who is wielding it."

"I’m sorry to disappoint you."

The sound of ice cracking rang out. The Yellow Gourd vibrated, and the silver sword light at its mouth split into thousands of threads, spreading outward and finally shattering the tranquil "frozen lake."

The giant dragon’s expression changed, its pupils shrinking as if it had foreseen the future. It rushed to distance itself from Zhou Hao, but it was too late. The latter broke through the ice, clutching the Yellow Gourd, and used the "Immortal Path of the Void" to fly straight into the giant dragon’s mouth. He then catalyzed the Void-Slashing sword energy from within. In an instant, the giant dragon’s body was sliced into thousands of pieces, flesh and blood flying everywhere, leaving no corpse behind.

"So cold, so cold, so cold!" Zhou Hao had finally slain Luo Tianyi, but he had suffered from the cold energy invading his heart and soul. If not for the fact that Huohuo had tempered his soul, he would have been a frozen corpse by now.

In the distance, Yu Nan had also resolved the Four-Element Killing Formation. In the face of Great Immortal-level power, a formation maintained by external forces was meaningless. Yu Nan had crushed them with one hand; the four leaders and their mounts were reduced to ash by her Rakshasa fire.

"Luo Tianyi’s aura has vanished. Could Zhou Hao have... won?" Yu Nan looked toward the battlefield. It was a sea of white, biting with cold. Even she couldn't see Zhou Hao, only sensing that Luo Tianyi’s massive Great Immortal aura was gone.

With a whoosh, Yu Nan returned to her normal size and flew toward the battlefield as a streak of fire.

Everything she saw was frozen. For ten thousand miles, it was a single color. It was hard to imagine how this was achieved. She could clearly see the sky fractured and cracks in the void intersecting, but at this moment, they were all solidified, frozen in place.

As Yu Nan moved forward, she finally saw the remains of the giant dragon slain by the sword energy—it was well and truly dead.

With a wave of her hand, Yu Nan’s crimson flames swept over the dragon’s body, burning it to nothing.

Using her Great Immortal senses, she spotted the familiar white-clad figure three thousand meters away. Zhou Hao was lying on the ice, curled up, his breath extremely weak.

Yu Nan felt a surge of panic. In one step, she reached Zhou Hao’s side, picked him up, and fled the frozen space.

Clouds rolled, a rainbow bridge spanned the heavens, and immortal energy permeated the air. A floating platform in the sky served as the background—this was the gateway between the mortal world and the Immortal Realm.

In the center of the platform stood a stone tablet a zhang high, with three crimson characters carved in dragon-like calligraphy: Ascension Terrace!

The Ascension Terrace had always been a public area, managed by the Sixteen Immortal Palaces to welcome beings ascending from the mortal world. Usually, it was deserted, but now several figures were lingering there.

"I sense that Zhou Hao is in danger. His aura is very weak. I have to go save him." Huohuo had been waiting peacefully with Xiao Shanshan and the others for Zhou Hao and Yu Nan to return in triumph, but her intuition told her that Zhou Hao was in trouble.

As Huohuo prepared to leave, Elder Guo said, "Wait a little longer. Zhou Hao has the Purple-Gold Vermilion Fruit, and I can feel it moving toward us. Since we agreed to meet at the Ascension Terrace, it’s best not to move around."

Huohuo didn't argue, simply nodding and gazing into the distance, her heart burning with anxiety.

"Huohuo, don't worry. Everyone will be safe. I trust my senior sister, and you should trust Zhou Hao, shouldn't you?" Xiao Shanshan smiled like a flower, patting Huohuo’s shoulder.

Huohuo lowered her head and murmured an acknowledgment, but Xiao Shanshan’s brow jumped. She looked up immediately, a sense of danger filling the air.

"I never imagined the Yunmiao Immortal Palace would have such a grand plan, keeping an expert Great Immortal secretly protecting their disciples." Before the speaker appeared, their voice was heard—a familiar tone, cold and noble.

On the Ascension Terrace, Elder Guo, the Turtle, the Green Snake, Xiao Shanshan, and Huohuo stood shoulder to shoulder, looking toward the same direction in the distant sky.

There, a cluster of colorful clouds drifted over, carrying three figures. The one in the center was the one who had spoken.

The eyes of an immortal, commonly known as the Thousand-Mile Eye, could observe all things for a thousand miles, so Elder Guo and the others recognized who was in the middle at a glance.