Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 207 - 200: The Three Emperors Feign Defeat at the Western Heavenly Gate

Chapter 207: Chapter 200: The Three Emperors Feign Defeat at the Western Heavenly Gate

But at the Western Heavenly Gate, the situation was extremely urgent. It was fortunate that Yuan Hong had the Primordial Golden Dou in hand and had also borrowed the Golden Dragon Shears from Wu Zhiqi. With these two Magical Treasures, his display was ferocious, forcing the Heavenly Court’s multitude to retreat step by step.

"Ziwei Great Emperor has arrived!"

"Qinghua Great Emperor has arrived!"

"Longevity Emperor has arrived!"

"True Martial Emperor has arrived!"

Officials chanted loudly as the four Great Emperors, each leading their troops, charged toward the Western Heavenly Gate. Seeing Yuan Hong, Qinghua Great Emperor’s anger didn’t need stating -- meeting one’s enemy made one’s blood boil. Last time, though his own Cultivation Level was that of a Primordial Golden Immortal, he suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Yuan Hong. Had it not been for the intervention of the other Emperors, he might have fallen at Water Curtain Cave. This time, with Yuan Hong coming to him, how could he let the opportunity to defeat him pass?

Thirty Great Luo Golden Immortals set up the Myriad Immortals Formation -- a condensed version of the one at Water Curtain Cave, but its power was undeniably formidable. After all, it was an esteemed formation created by the Tong Tian Sect Master. Now, the "myriad immortals" within this formation were but a symbolic number.

The Heavenly Court’s masters all stepped back as one. With the four Emperors here, why crowd around? Better to watch from the side and save some energy.

Yuan Hong retracted both the Golden Dragon Shears and the Primordial Golden Dou, baring his teeth in a strange laugh and said, "Defeated minion, you’ve come to seek out this General again?"

Upon hearing this, Qinghua Great Emperor’s face turned as black as a charcoal stick, and the surrounding Immortals, having heard it as well, couldn’t help but glance at him. His defeat to Yuan Hong at Water Curtain Cave was common knowledge. Yuan Hong truly had no filter, poking at Qinghua Great Emperor’s sore spot in front of everyone. No matter what, the man was a dignified and noble Heavenly Court Eastern Great Emperor, second only to one, superior to thousands!

"Yuan Hong, the scoundrel, cease your mad ravings!" Qinghua Great Emperor thundered, his face beet-red as if he were a cherry date.

"Heh, if you’re displeased, shall we fight again?" Yuan Hong smiled and said.

Now, Yuan Hong’s Cultivation Level had reached that of a Primordial Golden Immortal, only slightly inferior to that of his pinnacle in Ancient Times. His combat strength and experience were something that Qinghua Great Emperor could not match. Qinghua Great Emperor, in his Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm, had fought and lost to him before; now with Yuan Hong further advanced, although Qinghua Great Emperor had practiced day and night without fail, he still wasn’t confident of victory over Yuan Hong.

Since his defeat by Yuan Hong, Qinghua Great Emperor was no longer as haughty as he used to be.

Though Qinghua Great Emperor was extremely displeased, he didn’t dare confront Yuan Hong alone; with the Heavenly Court filled with Immortal Officials, should he be defeated again, it would be too great a loss of face. How could he show his face to others after that?

"Stop this pointless chatter. The Jade Pool is in grave danger; we must break through the Western Heavenly Gate quickly!" Qinghua Great Emperor commanded.

The other three Emperors nodded, and their subordinates launched their attacks at the Myriad Immortals Formation, while the capable Immortal Officials of the Heavenly Court also deployed their Magical Treasures to strike it. With a wave of the Primordial Golden Dou towards the sky, Yuan Hong instantly captured a Daluo Golden Immortal, raining down blows with his rod, bursting the crown of the head and unleashing a brilliant burst of peach blossoms. The Primordial Spirit didn’t even have a chance to escape before it was shattered as well.

For the Sect Founder, killing a Daluo Golden Immortal wasn’t so simple. However, Yuan Hong had the Primordial Golden Dou, a renowned treasure capable of capturing all things. Once captured, escape was difficult. Throughout history, only Lu Ya had managed to escape from it. Such was the power of this Magical Treasure. If Wukong hadn’t obtained the plain-colored Cloud Boundary Flag first last time, the battle with the Three Pure Ones might not have been so straightforward!

"Scoundrel, cease your violence!" Qinghua Great Emperor roared angrily, being the first to rush into the fray.

A Yin Yang Mirror was raised, its black and white radiance manifesting, shaping the Tai Chi Diagram as it suppressed downward.

Yuan Hong again waved the Primordial Golden Dou, and with no other option, Qinghua Great Emperor could only pull back the Yin Yang Mirror. But the Tai Chi Diagram still descended, and with a flash of golden light from the Primordial Golden Dou, it swallowed the Diagram, grinding it to dust.

Ziwei Great Emperor withdrew a jade flute, crystal clear, with droplets of water adorning it as if it had been fashioned from freshly cut spring bamboo.

He lifted the jade flute and played. The sound ebbed and flowed as if it were towering mountains and vast rivers, yet also like thunderous coastal waves.

"I’ve long heard of Ziwei Great Emperor’s profound mastery of music; truly remarkable!" Yuan Hong commented with a laugh.

Ziwei Great Emperor’s Cultivation Level was profound, but he seldom engaged in combat. Now that he had, it was clear he was exceptional, his musical prowess transcendent, and the sounds he produced were filled with a tempest of murderous intent! Yuan Hong wielded the Heaven-reaching Rod, tearing through the void, and with successive strikes, shattered the musical onslaught, preventing it from approaching.

Ziwei Great Emperor swept his large sleeve and brought forth an ancient zither. With slender fingers gracing the strings, he gently plucked them, and the music of "Ambush from All Sides" flowed forth, enchanting as if amidst verdant mountains and hills, yet the hidden murderous intent within made hearts shudder.

During the era of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Kongming’s "Ambush from All Sides" with the Empty Fort Strategy frightened away Sima Zhongda’s grand army. Henceforth, the piece was passed down through the ages, with various musicians memorizing it.

Yuan Hong raised the Golden Dragon Shears, transforming them into a colossal dragon, which with a fierce bite and undulating tail, sent the void trembling and wild winds howling. Ziwei Great Emperor’s hair fluttered in the tumult, yet he stood tall and unmoving, his zither playing unceasingly, its sound sharp and piercing. Now the zither music no longer carried a gentle fierceness but an unmistakable intent to kill, as waves of sound transformed into Divine Swords that fiercely assailed their target, displaying unparalleled sharpness.

Although Ziwei Great Emperor appeared as gentle as a scholar, his execution of his abilities was sharp and vivid, drawing gasps of awe.

The Golden Jiaojian scissors tore and bit incessantly, barely holding against the sound wave Divine Swords. As the swords stabbed into the dragon’s body, they rang out with a series of metallic clangs, sparking off fireworks, each as large as a bowl, as if brilliant fireworks were blossoming.

Later generations wrote a poem to attest to this, which went, "Bo Yikao of Ji Clan mastered musical rhythms, his elegant harp became a weapon of slaughter. Renowned in Middle Ages for sealing gods, today he’s honored as a Great Emperor in the Central Palace."

Ziwei the Great Emperor had not yet used his full strength, but had a common man faced him, he would have likely been slashed off his horse in an instant. His actions were merely to seal the Jade Emperor’s retorts and prevent the Jade Emperor from using his inaction as an excuse for incrimination. After all, this time the Demon Tribe was openly hostile to the Heavenly Court; as a Great Emperor, it would have been indefensible not to act.

The True Martial Emperor from the Northern Region, renowned as the Demon-Quelling Great Emperor for repeatedly suppressing upheavals in the Demon Abyss, also joined the fray. His power speaks for itself. He executed the Demon-Quelling Divine Fist—a mighty fist print with a thousand li radius, embodying justice and dominance, yet it also flowed with the mystical essence of the Taoist Faction.

"Among these four emperors of the Heavenly Court, only Wen Zhong and Lv Dongbin are useless; this True Martial and Ziwei are not to be underestimated. I wonder what skills that old fellow from the Southern Extreme holds?" Yuan Hong pondered inwardly while launching his Innate Divine Ability, matching fist with fist, fiercely clashing with the True Martial Emperor.

Yuan Hong, even during Ancient Times, preferred this straightforward, forceful style of fighting. His body was strong, his power unrivalled, and his ferocious Innate Divine Ability enabled his arms to contract mountains and capture the sun and moon. Such a brutal combat style was perfectly suited for General Yuan!

With the Golden Jiaojian entangling Ziwei the Great Emperor and Yuan Hong having to contest the True Martial Emperor, he soon found himself at a disadvantage.

Suddenly, Ziwei the Great Emperor spat out a mouthful of blood and exclaimed, "How formidable these Golden Jiaojian scissors are, truly living up to their reputation!"

This was blood that Ziwei the Great Emperor had deliberately forced out with Mana, feigning injury from the Golden Jiaojian to retreat whilst plucking the ancient harp, as if he feared the Golden Jiaojian. The Immortal Officials also knew of the fearsome Golden Jiaojian, but never expected it to be so powerful as to injure Ziwei the Great Emperor!

A slight movement stirred in Yuan Hong’s heart, as he thought, "It seems that the Great Emperors of the Heavenly Court are united in appearance but divided at heart. This Ziwei Great Emperor clearly doesn’t wish to aid the Jade Emperor, taking to the field only to feign defeat and save face. Heh, I’ll accept this favor!"

Ziwei the Great Emperor’s defeat seemed sudden, but the True Martial Emperor saw clearly and quickly understood the intent. He communicated through a mental message, "Take me with the Primordial Golden Dou!"

Yuan Hong thought, "As expected! Since True Martial is also gifting me face, I’ll accept it."

Yuan Hong was dealing with the Heavenly River Great Emperor’s Primordial Golden Dou when, with one twist, he ensnared the True Martial Emperor. The True Martial Emperor let out a loud cry, conjured a Xuan Wu turtle shell, but Yuan Hong’s Golden Jiaojian struck it, sent it flying, and then a staff blow descended onto the chest of the Great Emperor.

"Pfft!"

The True Martial Emperor, though not gravely hurt by this staff blow, stomped on the void with both feet and flew sideways, blood spurting from his mouth.

"The renown of General Yuan, the Divine Monkey from Ancient Times, is indeed well-deserved!" said the True Martial Emperor as he retreated, his robe soaked with blood.

Ziwei the Great Emperor, witnessing this scene, couldn’t help but smile knowingly. True Martial had indeed understood!

The Longevity Emperor was slightly stunned and cried out, "You wounded my Dao brother, a crime unforgivable! Demon Monkey, surrender your life!"

The Longevity Emperor, once a disciple of the Lord of Primordial Beginning and a contributor to the sealing of the gods, appeared to be an honest man at a glance, but was in fact very cunning—one might suspect that not a single eyelash of his was straightforward.

The Longevity Emperor then unleashed his most proficient Magical Treasure, the Everlasting Vine.

The Everlasting Vine, refined from the essence of myriad woods, was extremely potent, endlessly generating, uncuttable by blade, indestructible by force—once deployed, it would cling like bone-piercing maggots, being immensely troublesome!

"Emperor Ziwei is indeed cunning; with this feigned defeat, the Eastern Extreme’s Heavenly River Great Emperor will struggle alone. The Jade Emperor surely can’t sit still and will have to reveal his trump cards. Now we shall see just how profound the Jade Emperor’s backing truly is. Heh heh, this battle will cost some face!" The Longevity Emperor inwardly calculated, understanding the situation clearly.

Although he hadn’t communicated with the two other emperors, the three Great Emperors were in perfect unspoken accord, understanding each other’s thoughts without words.

Yuan Hong laughed loudly, "Can your Everlasting Vine withstand my Golden Jiaojian?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Golden Jiaojian were raised, and with a "snap," they cut short the Longevity Emperor’s Everlasting Vine. The Longevity Emperor was slightly taken aback and then was struck in the chest by a punch from Yuan Hong. He spat out another mouthful of blood as he flew sideways, shouting, "The Long-Armed Ape is indeed extraordinarily gifted, no falsehood in his renown!"

With three "defeated" Great Emperors, Yuan Hong could finally focus on confronting the Heavenly River Great Emperor.

Staff in hand, he charged forth, entwining himself in a fierce battle with the Heavenly River Great Emperor.

As for the fate of the Heavenly River Great Emperor, please listen to the next part for the explanation. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)