Chapter 583. The Celestial Court Must Not Fall, Is the Outcome Already Decided?

Only a little over a dozen beings stepped forward, but every one of them had reached the Immortal Realm, and several were Grotto-Heaven Immortals.

They had chosen to stand with the Celestial Court.

No one knew precisely why. Perhaps they believed the Celestial Court did not deserve to be destroyed. Or perhaps they considered the Eternals and the Ji Clan traitors for allying with the Extracosmic Heavenly Demons.

Whatever their reasons, they had stepped forward despite their fear.

Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, and the others were both surprised and heartened. They had never expected any of the Outer Cosmos beings to stand with the Celestial Court. The reason mattered little. Their willingness to appear at such a moment already said enough.

Of course, a dozen Immortals could do little to change the outcome. The two factions had deployed four Celestial Seat Immortals, and no one present could withstand them once they attacked.

Even so, the Celestial Court's members were glad. At least they would not face this battle alone.

"Interesting." A Celestial Seat Immortal of the Eternals narrowed his eyes. "Is there anyone else? Step forward. I want to see how many allies this so-called Celestial Court has."

The sight of others supporting the Celestial Court displeased him, but it would not change the outcome. He simply wanted to kill everyone who dared resist the Eternals and the Ji Clan. Only then would he be satisfied.

Silence settled over the world once more. No one else spoke or stepped forward.

"Good. Since there's no one else, then..." the Ji Clan's Celestial Seat Immortal began, leaving the sentence unfinished as his gaze descended upon Mount Tai.

Terrifying power erupted from him. Thunder ravaged the sky, and the earth trembled as though Mount Tai itself were about to split apart.

"Everyone, circulate your power!" Jiang Huanyun ordered.

The Celestial Seat Immortal was about to unleash his strength without restraint. Although Earth and the surrounding region remained protected by the power of various laws, they might not be able to endure it. The Celestial Soldiers and Celestial Generals on Mount Tai were particularly vulnerable. Their cultivation was not high enough to face such pressure head-on, and their physical forms might shatter beneath it.

They had to act now.

Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, Golden-Winged Great Peng, the other mutated beasts, and the starfield experts who had stepped forward all released their power. Their combined strength formed an immense barrier extending for thousands of miles, intended to offset the Celestial Seat Immortal's pressure.

"Ants trying to shake a tree. How ignorant."

The Ji Clan's Celestial Seat Immortal sneered and took a step forward.

Rumble!

Power erupted from him like a volcano, tearing cracks through space. The barrier formed by Jiang Huanyun and the others shattered in an instant.

Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, Young Celestial Master Chunyang, and many others coughed up blood, their faces turning deathly pale. The disparity was simply too great. Even their full strength had accomplished nothing.

Only Jiang Huanyun and the dozen or so experts from the other races fared slightly better, owing to their higher cultivation. Even they were not left unscathed.

"So this is the power of a Celestial Seat Immortal. No one can stand against him."

"The Celestial Court will be destroyed this time."

"The outcome is already decided."

The distant onlookers murmured among themselves, their expressions conflicted as a sense of impending doom settled over them. They knew that once the two factions finished dealing with the Celestial Court, they might be next.

Perhaps intervening now could still change something, even if it offered no hope of survival. Yet they lacked the courage to act, clinging to the possibility that the Eternals and the Ji Clan might overlook them afterward.

The enemy was simply too powerful.

Ice Fairy and the others looked up, despair showing on their pale faces. They had prepared themselves for this, but witnessing a Celestial Seat Immortal's strength firsthand still shook them deeply.

There was no resisting such power.

What were they supposed to do now? Wait for death, then watch the Celestial Court fall and the five supercities follow?

"Children, don't give up! Even if there is no hope, we must endure until the final moment!"

Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and the others had arrived on Jade Emperor Peak. These elders had retired long ago and passed their authority to the younger generation, but when the Celestial Court faced its greatest crisis, they refused to hide behind those children.

They believed they could still contribute, however little. More importantly, they would not allow the younger generation to face this alone.

Even if their presence changed nothing, so what?

The uncertainty in Zhu Qingyu and the others' eyes vanished at the sight of them, replaced once more by resolve. Together, they turned toward the figures in the sky.

Jiang Huanyun and the other stronger elders drew deep breaths. The outcome might remain unchanged, but at least they would know they had done everything they could. The Jiang Clan disciples shared the same resolve.

Only several thousand people remained on Jade Emperor Peak, accompanied by beast kings such as Peacock King and Golden-Winged Great Peng. Anywhere else, this would have been a terrifying force.

However, they were fighting Celestial Seat Immortals today.

"Good. At least you have some courage."

The Ji Clan's Celestial Seat Immortal smiled more broadly. Nothing pleased him more than crushing another person's resolve piece by piece. It allowed him to savor the feeling of absolute dominance.

He said nothing further. The other three Celestial Seat Immortals stepped forward beside him, their patience exhausted.

Those below hardly warranted their personal intervention, but that did not matter. They wanted to crush everything before them.