Chapter 953 - 414: Scheming Against the Evergreen Immortal Venerable

Chapter 953: Chapter 414: Scheming Against the Evergreen Immortal Venerable

After instructing Gu Xuening on various matters, Li An easily passed through the array set up by Xu Ao, and sneaked out of this mountain range.

Although this place was also under the jurisdiction of Yunluo Palace, it was in a relatively peripheral area. After all, even though Xu Ao had a notable status, he did not dare to go too far by bringing outsiders into the core area of Yunluo Palace, so it didn’t take Li An much effort to leave through the heavy defenses of Yunluo Palace.

"The Tenth Heaven."

One of the most important purposes of Li An’s visit was to obtain news about the Evergreen Immortal Venerable from Yunluo Palace.

Coincidentally, Xu Ao happened to be one of the people in charge of this matter.

Xu Ao was very enthusiastic towards Gu Xuening, and during their conversations, he seemed not to keep much about the Evergreen Immortal Venerable and the Longevity White Mist confidential. Instead, he seemed somewhat deliberate, as if probing Gu Xuening’s intentions.

Li An had long vaguely guessed that Xu Ao might have some covetous intentions towards Gu Xuening and that he had likely discovered some secrets about her. However, Li An was not worried, letting Gu Xuening draw out a lot of secrets from him.

It was indeed true that Yunluo Palace had been sending people to investigate news about the Evergreen Immortal Venerable, the most important location being Cyan Ridge Mountain in the Tenth Heaven!

The true form of the Evergreen Immortal Venerable might be there.

"Why not kill two birds with one stone..."

Li An was pondering, and had already formed a rough plan.

He swiftly left the Deceit Realm, and within a few days, he had already seen the Eleventh Heaven.

As a Taiyi Golden Immortal, Li An’s cultivation was exceptionally strong, rendering him nearly invincible among those of the same tier; discovering him below the Daluo tier was extremely difficult, thus making his journey quite smooth.

Upon stepping into the Eleventh Heaven, he witnessed a battlefield in disarray, with countless corpses piled upon the ground, the stench of decay drifting across the heavens and earth with the wind, unattended. Cold crows cawed relentlessly in broad daylight, reveling in this rare feast.

The Heavenly Court’s defenses in the Eleventh Heaven had barely held for half a year.

Growing increasingly urgent, he quickly headed towards the Tenth Heaven.

...

At this moment.

At the border where the Tenth and Eleventh Heavens intersect.

The thirty-three heavens of the Immortal Realm are like pomegranate seeds, adjacent yet isolated, making it difficult to traverse the boundaries. The Dao Sect had long prepared for the possibility of the Eleventh Heaven’s defense line being breached, and at this boundary, there was another line of defense.

At this moment, within an Immortal City.

"Keep holding on; not everyone has retreated from the Tenth Heaven, and the defense line is still incomplete!"

"In the Eleventh Heaven, we have already lost over seventy million cultivators, all the essence and blood of major sects. Can we hold on in this war?"

"The master of the Heavenly Court, the Human Race Great Saint, and Xiang Yuntian and other Daluo Golden Immortals are still recuperating. Once they leave seclusion, the strange disaster will naturally be resolved!"

The half-year-long battle felt like an eternity for immortals with long lifespans. The brutal fighting continued day after day, and many people’s initial fervor had cooled, leaving them contemplating the course of this war.

At a comprehensive disadvantage.

Fortunately, Purple Fairy and Shangguan Xiaoxiao were like stabilizing forces, as the Heavenly Court always held hope in them, allowing most people to persist.

"Elder Li, do we have reinforcements? If not, I’m afraid we won’t hold on..."

A Taiyi Golden Immortal stood up, saluted Dao Sect Elder Li Nianxue sitting at the head, and said, "The array in the Immortal City consumes massive amounts of Immortal Crystals daily; even supporting one battle is difficult. Moreover, the resources such as talismans, puppets, magical treasures, and immortal elixirs on various fellow Daoists are also nearly exhausted, with several severely injured. If the enemy attacks, we fear that we can hold on for only one more day!"

In reality, they had been fighting for far too long, and if Dao Sect Elder Li Nianxue had not personally been stationed there, this Immortal City would likely have already collapsed.

"There are no reinforcements,"

Li Nianxue’s long skirt, already stained with blood beyond recognition, made her seem like a blooming flower of blood. Her face remained resolute, but deep fatigue and worry flickered in her eyes.

After half a year without a single day’s respite, the numbness of battle, the forgetfulness of self in killing, she had never felt fear, but now the deteriorating situation made her feel that the morale on the Heavenly Court’s side had plummeted from what it was at the onset of the war, becoming increasingly fractured.

The main reason is...

Not a single battle had been won by the Heavenly Court in this half year.

Sacrifices hadn’t brought victories; deaths couldn’t halt the enemy. The Eleventh Heaven had been leveled, leaving behind millions of corpses...

Now, the Heavenly Court desperately needed a great victory to lift spirits.

But where was such a victory?

She deeply understood how disparate the strengths of the enemy and themselves were. Over this half year, the Dao Sect had almost emptied out, with all elders and elite disciples dispersed everywhere, unifying the strength of the earth. The Heavenly Court truly had no additional strength to muster.

From the Daluo Golden Immortals to the lower battlefields, all were at a disadvantage.

The lack of a complete collapse, avoiding a rout from countless defeats, was due to An Li’s exhaustive efforts and the desperate efforts of Daluo Golden Immortals like Ye Tiancan and Biyao Fairy.

"Tonight’s final battle, I will cover the retreat. The rest of you, orderly retreat into the Tenth Heaven."

Li Nianxue calmly spoke.

Upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions changed, understanding the meaning behind Li Nianxue’s words.

She was prepared to die in battle.

"Elder Li..."

"If Elder Li does not leave, how can we justify our retreat?"

Others began to speak out.

But Li Nianxue shook her head, "My decision is made. Everyone, even though the Eleventh Heaven has fallen, the Tenth Heaven remains in our hands. Over there, arrays have been set up using mountains and rivers, with many defenses, but it still requires your assistance and defense. You have faced the Deceit Realm the most; you cannot die here."