bookbashuk Chapter 28 A Sage Falls, Heaven and Earth Grieve. Heavenly Punishment Descends.
Chapter 28 A Sage Falls, Heaven and Earth Grieve. Heavenly Punishment Descends.
Just as the torrent of stars was about to engulf Jieyin and Zhunti—
The primordial world suddenly changed color.
Dark clouds appeared out of nowhere, covering the sky and obscuring the sun, moon, and stars. Thunder rumbled, but no lightning flashed; only heavy, muffled sounds, as if the heavens were weeping softly.
The fierce winds raged, shaking the mountains and turning the rivers upside down, shrouding the entire world in an indescribable darkness and sorrow.
Immediately afterwards, a torrential downpour of blood began.
The rain, crimson as blood, fell on the grass and trees, causing them to bow their heads. It fell on the rocks, making them weep.
A sense of sorrow welled up in the hearts of countless beings, as if they had lost a dearest loved one, and they couldn't help but shed tears.
A sage has fallen; heaven and earth grieve together!
At this moment, two saints perished simultaneously, filling the entire primordial land with endless sorrow. While all living beings wept, they were also deeply shocked.
Saints are supreme beings, and all those below them are mere ants—this is an immutable law that has been deeply ingrained in the minds of all living beings and is unbreakable.
Yet this powerful being was actually killed by Haotian using the Zhou Tian Star Array!
This completely overturned everyone's understanding.
Even a sage... doesn't seem invincible?
---
In the starry sky, Yuanshi Tianzun held the Pangu Banner, gazing at the blood-soaked rain, his fingers involuntarily tightening around the banner pole. His face was ashen, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.
Although he, Jieyin, and Zhunti were on different paths and could not work together, they were all sages and had coexisted for countless years. Now, seeing the two of them perish, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow for their passing.
"What a Haotian..." Yuanshi muttered to himself, his voice tinged with a mixture of fear and disbelief.
Just then, several figures appeared in the starry sky one after another.
The Supreme Being arrived riding a blue ox, his face solemn, his gaze sweeping across the broken ancient stars.
The goddess Nuwa arrived riding on a cloud, her eyes filled with disbelief.
The Master of the Heavenly Sect stood with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed.
The Three Pure Ones and Nuwa, the Four Sages, gathered together, yet none of them uttered a word.
Blood rain continued to fall, landing on them before silently sliding off.
After a long silence, Lao Tzu sighed softly and said slowly, "Haotian, your actions... have gone too far."
Haotian stood at the center of the formation, a few drops of blood staining his imperial robes, yet he remained oblivious. Hearing Laozi's words, he smiled slightly, cupped his hands, and said, "Senior Brother Taishang, they attacked first. I was merely retaliating."
"Take it back?" Yuanshi Tianzun sneered. "You just killed him! Is that what you call taking it back?"
Haotian said calmly, "If they hadn't coveted the Chaos Bell and hadn't taken advantage of the situation, I wouldn't have resorted to such drastic measures. You reap what you sow; you can't blame anyone else."
The Tongtian Sect Leader suddenly spoke: "Haotian, do you know that sages are immortal? Jieyin and Zhunti will soon be resurrected. At that time, they will surely seek revenge on you. Although you killed them once, it was with the power of burning the stellar essence. Will you be able to do that again next time?"
Haotian stood with his hands behind his back, his expression unchanged: "Brother Tongtian, rest assured, since I dare to do it, I am not afraid of them coming. If they come once, I will fight them once. If they come twice, I will fight them both."
Upon hearing this, all the saints fell silent.
They noticed that although Haotian was not damaged, the ancient star was severely weakened—no, severely weakened was not enough to describe it.
Of the 365 ancient stars, only one-tenth remained; many smaller stars were reduced to dust and could never be reassembled.
Even the main stars such as the Sun, Moon, and Ziwei, although not completely destroyed, have had their size and Daoist aura greatly reduced, to less than one-tenth of their former size.
Seeing this, the saints couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Although Haotian won, the price was not small. If such methods could be used at will, he would be terrifying. Now that the ancient star has suffered heavy losses, the strength of the Heavenly Court will also be greatly reduced.
Moreover, Haotian forcibly burned the star's essence, causing damage to the ancient star. How could the Heavenly Dao let him off the hook? That massive amount of karma would surely entangle him. Even if Haotian didn't die, he would have to replenish the ancient star's essence for the rest of his life, and would no longer be able to cause trouble.
The Primordial Celestial Venerable's mind raced, and he had already considered everything thoroughly. He put away the Pangu Banner and said coldly, "Haotian, I have remembered what happened today. After Jieyin and Zhunti are resurrected, they will settle accounts with you. The Chaos Bell is yours."
There's nothing we can do about it. Although the primordial stars have suffered great damage to their origins, Haotian still has thirty-three heavens! If Haotian were to strike again, even he wouldn't be able to withstand it!
Most importantly, Lu Ya has already been sent back to the Heavenly Court by Haotian using the Zhou Tian Star Array, and the Chaos Bell has also fallen into Yaochi's hands. How easy would it be to snatch it back?
Let's wait and see. After Haotian suffers the backlash, or when those two from the West come to retaliate, it won't be too late for me to make my move and fight for it.
Haotian cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Yuanshi."
Yuanshi Tianzun snorted coldly and his figure disappeared.
Laozi glanced at Haotian, hesitated, then shook his head and rode away slowly on his green ox.
The Tongtian Sect Leader, however, showed a greater appreciation for Haotian, and said with a smile, "Junior Brother, you have quite the courage. If you have the chance in the future, you must come and visit Biyou Palace."
Haotian smiled and said, "Definitely."
With a wave of his sleeve, the Tongtian Sect Leader also disappeared into the starry sky.
Nuwa, however, did not leave immediately. She looked at Haotian with a complex expression, and after a long while, whispered, "Haotian, Lu Ya…"
Haotian understood her meaning and said calmly, "Lu Ya has already submitted to the Heavenly Court, and I will appoint him as the Sun Star Lord. Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not make things difficult for him."
Nuwa nodded, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes: "So be it."
She paused, then continued, "The Chaos Bell..."
"The Chaos Bell is a treasure of the Heavenly Court," Haotian said calmly. "I will handle it properly."
Nuwa remained silent for a moment, then turned and left without saying anything more.
In the starry sky, only Haotian remained.
The blood rain gradually stopped, the dark clouds slowly dispersed, but the sorrow between heaven and earth still lingered.
Although those two saints will be resurrected, it won't be that quick. The traces of their fall remain in this world, lingering for a long time, shaking all living beings in the primordial world.
Haotian looked down at his palm. In his palm, the three-colored primordial primordial energy was still slowly circulating, radiating an eternal light.
"A saint, immortal and indestructible?" Haotian muttered to himself, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips. "Then kill them until they dare not come again."
As for the backlash of fortune and being entangled in karma—could that possibly affect the body transformed from the primordial ancestral energy? Just kidding.
However, this thing still has an impact on the fortune of the Heavenly Court.
At that very moment, countless rules began to coalesce in the primordial world.
A suffocating atmosphere suddenly descended, heavier than the blood rain just now, as if an invisible giant hand had grasped all things in heaven and earth.
The power of the rules slowly formed a vertical line, which gradually opened to both sides—and a vertical pupil appeared!
Those vertical pupils were filled with the destructive power of the rules, brimming with an aura of annihilation, coldly surveying the vast land.
This is divine punishment!
Haotian's massive undertaking finally triggered divine punishment upon the world. The great powers and sages of the primordial world were not surprised at all—burning the origin of ancient stars and causing countless stars to shatter, such overwhelming karma could not be tolerated by the Heavenly Dao.
Haotian smiled slightly.
His body shone brightly with starlight, and the Daoist aura of the ancient stars emanated from within him. Countless rays of primordial light, of the same origin as the ancient stars, burst forth from his body, precisely connecting with the countless ancient stars in the sky, and began to transmit their primordial energy.
In an instant, the origin of the ancient stars rapidly recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye!
In the blink of an eye, the origin of the ancient star had been restored to its original state—no, it was even stronger than before!
The moment the Eye of Heavenly Punishment opened, a hint of confusion flashed in its eyes.
Then, it slowly closed, and the strange phenomenon disappeared.
The divine punishment came, but... it's gone now.
~~
Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, in the depths of chaos.
Two beams of golden light condensed from the void and gradually transformed into human form.
The Guide and the Zhunti reappeared, their faces as pale as paper and their breaths extremely weak.
Saints are immortal and indestructible. After being killed, they need to reassemble their true spirit in the world and be resurrected with the help of the power of the Heavenly Dao.
This process is not without cost. Even if one is resurrected, their cultivation level will be greatly reduced, requiring a long period of time to recover. Moreover, if one is resurrected too many times, they are more likely to be assimilated by the Heavenly Dao and become a part of it.
"Haotian!" Daoist Zhunti gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment. "If I don't avenge this, I, Zhunti, swear I will not be a saint!"
The Guide sighed and patted his shoulder: "Junior brother, calm down. Although Haotian is strong, he has paid a heavy price this time. The origin of the ancient star has been greatly damaged, and he is burdened with karma. Heavenly punishment will surely come. Whether he can survive the heavenly punishment is still unknown. Even if he survives, it will not be too late to settle accounts with him after you and I have recovered our cultivation."
Zhunti took a deep breath, suppressing his anger: "Senior brother is right. But... the Chaos Bell ultimately fell into Haotian's hands."
"The treasure will be obtained by the destined one," the guide said. "Moreover, Haotian is blessed with the authority of the Heavenly Emperor. Although the ancient stars are damaged, there are still thirty-three heavens. Even if we try to snatch it from him, we may not succeed. It would be better to wait and see."
Zhunti gritted his teeth and finally nodded.
The two transformed into two golden rays and fled westward.