Chapter 217 - Yun Xiao On Top of Divine Dawn
An army of several hundred million demons swarmed like a dark cloud over the Heavenly Realm! Amidst the sinister fog, countless insects, beasts, plants, and resentful spirits with ghastly faces howled and wailed, their presence chilling to the bone.
Ghouls and ghosts, stirring trouble in the hearts of men!
On another front stood the Violet Sky Immortal Army, with their millions of well-trained soldiers clad in violet magic armor. They shone like the rising sun, their divine radiance and formidable presence like a breath of fresh air!
To the uninformed, it might seem like these two forces, one a several hundred million-strong horde of demons and the other a majestic army, were bitter enemies. But, surprise, they were actually allies. Whether it was the swirling demon cloud or the floating ranks of the Immortal Army, their destination was the same—the Heavenly Realm.
The Violet Sky Immortal Army alone was renowned, on par with the Nine Heavens Immortal Army of the Heavenly Realm!
The shadow of this imminent disaster loomed over the Heavenly Realm and the Divine Dawn Immortal Empire, heavy like a mountain range pressing down on every soul.
In the streets and residential areas of the Heavenly Realm, cultivators stepped outside their homes, looking up at the sky, their eyes brimming with worry.
"Rumor has it, the other four Immortal Empires are about to join the fray against our Heavenly Realm."
This news spread among the ranks of the Nine Heavens Immortal Army and the cultivators of the Heavenly Realm.
The children, with confusion in their eyes, asked their parents, "Dad! Mom! Why is the whole world against us?"
"Aren't those who follow the right path supposed to have more support, and those who lose it, less?"
"Are we the baddies..?"
"But demons harm people, don't they? Yun Xiao fought them honorably in the War of Immortals!"
"Why can't the other humans of the Divine Continent stand with us, in a fair and square fight?"
These questions, not even their parents or elders could answer.
They bowed their heads, silent for a long time.
"War is a gamble, they've bet that the Demon Continent will win! Just like we bet on the demons winning the War of Immortals a few days ago..."
That was the only answer the parents could muster.
"If the Demon Continent wins, our Heavenly Realm will fall, and we'll lose our homes, right?" the child asked.
"Yes."
"Then... Dad, will I die?" Fear and a deep longing for the world flickered in the child's eyes.
"I promise, as long as I'm alive, nothing will hurt you!" The man held his child, his heart full of unsaid words, all converging into this simple assurance.
"Where is the Empress? Why hasn't she spoken out yet? Is it true, as the rumors say, that she's lost in love, drowning in her own desires, blind to the plight of her people? Is she feasting and reveling while the enemy stands at our gates? Is she a negligent ruler?" The child parroted what he'd heard. He was young, but he understood more than most. These troubling thoughts confused him.
"Listen, son," his father said. "Remember this: in times of war, all the conspiracy theories you hear are just the enemy's ploy to weaken our spirit. After all, a hated enemy deserves no mercy or compassion. The more you lose the will to fight, the happier the enemy. They don't have to lift a finger to fool us!"
"Really...?" But no matter what his father said, the boy couldn't shake the feeling that the recent explosive revelations and gossip about the Divine Dawn Empress didn't seem like mere fabrications.
And he wasn't the only one in the Heavenly Realm feeling this way. Confusion led to hesitation, and hesitation meant weapons stayed sheathed.
Fortunately, at that moment, news spread like wildfire. Yun Xiao, in front of the Sword Dao Monument and in the presence of the Violet Emperor, had slain a thousand Violet Sky Sword Cultivators and defeated Sword Saint Yu Qian!
Yun Xiao and Divine Dawn! These names once again echoed throughout the Heavenly Realm.
Seeing the lifted spirits of their parents, the children couldn't yet grasp the depth of their love for their nation and people—a force beyond anything. But at least, the children's fists were now clenched...
Suddenly—
DONG DONG DONG! Three thunderous bell tolls suddenly reverberated through the Heavenly Realm! The urgent, fierce sound of the bell was like blazing fire, igniting the blood of the Nine Heavens Immortal Army and the cultivators of the Heavenly Realm!
Millions of heartbeats synchronized with the bell.
"The Primordial Bell?" Yun Xiao, returning from the Sword Dao Monument, saw a gigantic white bell rising into the sky, appearing above the clouds of the Heavenly Realm! Its three rings ignited something in Yun Xiao, setting his blood ablaze!
"Is she about to make a statement to the world before taking action?" Yun Xiao hovered in the air on his sword, with Nangong Xi and his two other aunts beside him, all gazing upwards.
There, atop the Primordial Bell, stood a young girl in a golden-red dragon robe and a crown adorned with nine pearls. A blood-red thunderous net spread from the bell, captivating millions of onlookers.
Even from the Ancestral Temple, all the demons looked up to the highest point in the sky!
Now, she no longer hid her face. She was Chen Xi, the Divine Dawn Empress!
"All hail our Empress!"
Seeing her, the confused eyes of the Heavenly Realm's inhabitants finally glimpsed the first ray of dawn in a dark future!
Humming resonated through the air!
In the next instant, centered around the Primordial Bell, the Primordial Array spread out from the direction of the palace, instantly sweeping across the entire realm. It was like a protective charm descending upon every citizen of the Heavenly Realm!
The only place left untouched by the Primordial Array was the Ancestral Temple.
From that moment on, to reach any other part of the Heavenly Realm from the Ancestral Temple, one had to pass through the Primordial Array!
The several hundred million-strong demon army and the millions of soldiers from the Violet Sky Immortal Army, too, would need to break through this formidable array to descend.
This vast and domineering thunder-fire array was a relic of ancient human civilizations, rumored to be created by Immortals during their earthly visits, with the Primordial Bell as its activating core.
The War of Immortals battlefield was actually a part of the Primordial Array. And this array was the pride and faith of tens of millions of souls residing here! It was the Divine Dawn Empress who had awakened it! How else could the Divine Dawn Empress, a stranger with an unknown origin, replace Ye Qingtian as Emperor?
In ancient times, when the Heavenly Realm was the capital of the entire Divine Continent, as per the ancestral rules, ringing the Primordial Bell meant ruling the entire Divine Continent, not just the original Azure Leaf Immortal Empire.
The Divine Continent had only one Heavenly Realm and only one Primordial Array!
This was all a part of the Divine Dawn Empress' power play. From the moment it was activated, the Demon Continent could no longer rest easy.
And now, the activation of the Primordial Array, especially with the deliberate exclusion of the Ancestral Temple, was a move that shook the very soul of everyone who witnessed it!
"War is upon us!"
Before this moment, rumors swirled that the Violet Sky and Demon Continent armies were only pressuring the Divine Dawn Empress to execute Yun Xiao to make a statement.
The Azure Leaf faction's remnants were everywhere, spreading vile rumors about Yun Xiao!
Now, as the grand array unfurled, thunder and fire swept through the Heavenly Realm, searing every heart, burning those deceitful words to ashes!
BOOM! Just then, the Primordial Bell let out a deafening clang, shaking the streets, stone slabs, and palatial structures of the entire realm!
"I am the Divine Dawn Empress, heed my call!" Her majestic voice, accompanying the bell, resonated throughout the Heavenly Realm.
"We heed the Empress!" In the streets of the Heavenly Realm, countless people who had been hiding emerged under the protection of the Primordial Array, their eyes blazing as they looked toward the palace of Divine Dawn.
Above the skies, the Divine Dawn Empress proclaimed, "In ancient times, the Divine Continent was peaceful and prosperous. But since the Demon Continent's rise, our lands have faced endless turmoil and suffering. In the great war between humans and demons, a billion Sword Cultivators met their end, bringing disgrace upon our race for generations.
"To this day, the Divine Continent still suffers under the scourge of demons. In just one region, hundreds of thousands of innocent lives fall victim to them yearly! Places like the Heavenly Realm and the Violet Sky Imperial Capital may thrive, but who knows of the suffering in the mortal lands?
"Previously, the Ye Royal Family ruled, noble clans flourished, colluding with demons, betraying their own for gain, indulging in luxury while ignoring the people's plight. The Violet Sky Immortal Empire, recognizing demons as allies, poisoned our people. The Divine Continent's illness has festered for generations!
"Now, demons attack our hearts, not needing an army. They consume human flesh, drink human blood, and devour human souls. The current population of the Divine Continent is barely a tenth of what it once was. If this continues, within generations, our human race in the Divine Continent will be extinct, reduced to dust and ashes, leaving only mournful spirits and eternal regret!"
The Divine Dawn Empress' words, like enlightening nectar, poured into the souls of millions!
Generations of indoctrination by noble clans had left many cultivators in the Heavenly Realm unaware of the true state of the mortal world.
Even when confronted with the brutal truth, many still couldn't believe that the friendly demons could be so cruel!
Ye Qingtian and the Violet Emperor had lulled the noble human class into a false sense of peaceful years.
But when the Divine Dawn Empress used the Primordial Bell as her clarion call, and the declaration of war as her decree, officially announcing her intentions to the world, every word she spoke carried the power to spread across the Divine Continent, conquering the opinions of the noble clans in every Immortal Empire!
The proclamation shattered any well-meaning notions the citizenry had about the demons. Why didn't they have any allies? Who was really at fault? These questions were answered in the first half of her war proclamation.
Millions in the Heavenly Realm, overwhelmed with sorrow for their race, had eyes red with fury! Without confusion, their battle spirit surged like a tidal wave!
And at that moment, the woman in the dragon robe above the clouds, her presence blazing with thunder and fire, swept across the heavens!
DONG! The Primordial Bell rang out once more! Accompanied by the bell, her majestic voice rose again!
"Today, the Demon Continent's several hundred million-strong army and the Violet Sky's millions of treacherous pseudo-demons approach, yet they have not struck. Instead, they seek to dissolve our spirit and push me into an abyss of sin with their deceitful words. Their wicked ambitions must awaken the world! I am born of heaven's decree, bearing the mandate of the Primordial Mother to descend among mortals, to slay demons and eradicate evil as my sacred duty!
"You, the people of the Heavenly Realm, living in the most prosperous land of the Divine Continent and enjoying the highest privileges, must lead our race! Now, as the enemy stands at our gates, we are the first to face the brunt! Glory to those who die in battle, shame to those who cower!
"The weight of an individual is light, but that of an Empire and race is heavy! As cultivators, we shall wrap our corpses in horsehide and die for our land! So, at this moment, on the 29th day of the 10th month in the 379th year of the Divine Continent's New Origin era, I, leading 58 million devoted soldiers of the Heavenly Realm, declare to all cultivators, regardless of gender or age, that we officially wage war against the Demon Continent and the Violet Sky Immortal Empire!"
The Divine Dawn Empress waited not for the Demon Continent or Violet Sky's response! Nor did she deal with Yun Xiao! Before the enemy could strategize and demoralize the Heavenly Realm, she, with her extraordinary resolve, took the initiative and declared war!
Had the enemy struck first, the Heavenly Realm would have been cast as the invaded. But her declaration of war ignited the fiercest fire in the hearts of the Heavenly Realm's cultivators, pushing their spirit and combat strength to their most explosive limits.
These two segments of the war proclamation shook the souls of the Heavenly Realm. Looking around, a fiery zeal surged through thousands, setting the streets ablaze with fervor.
From that moment on, any false rumors vanished like smoke under the scorching sun! Whether children, adults, or the elderly, as pioneers of the human race in the Heavenly Realm, anyone fearless in the face of death was a warrior.
The chaos wrought by demons was something they hadn't truly experienced. But now, with the enemy at the gates and peaceful years gone, if they fell now, who would pave the way for their land and race?
It was a battle with their backs to the river. No retreat!
Beneath the Heavenly Realm lay the countless lives of ordinary beings!
Just as millions of Heavenly Realm cultivators and soldiers of the Nine Heavens Immortal Army were set ablaze with passion, suddenly, four masked figures in black, from different directions, stood behind Divine Dawn!
"They're four of the Nine Divine Guards!"
"They've always followed Her Majesty, her most loyal and trusted aides..."
What were they doing there at this moment?
DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! To everyone's astonishment, the Primordial Bell rang four more times! After the fourth toll, the four Divine Guards reached up and removed their masks. Too far for most to see clearly, the identities of the figures behind the Divine Dawn Empress were a mystery, but their voices were unmistakably familiar to man. They were all famous!
One of the elderly figures stepped forward, amplifying his voice through the Heavenly Realm's Primordial Bell, thunderously declaring, "I, from the Spirit Treasure Immortal Empire, pledge to follow Divine Dawn's lead, to slay traitors, exterminate demons, purge the mortal world, and restore peace and prosperity to the Divine Continent!"
"It's the Treasure Emperor!"
His proclamation sent shockwaves through the Heavenly Realm.
Another ruler of an Immortal Empire, serving as one of Divine Dawn's Nine Divine Guards for so long—what did this signify? It meant that the Spirit Treasure Immortal Empire had never wavered, never been swayed by Violet Sky. The Treasure Emperor had long decided to fight for the human race!
"And there's the Clear Emperor, Martial Emperor, and Desert Emperor!"
The Emperors of the other four great Immortal Empires were all Divine Dawn's Nine Divine Guards!
"We, representing the four great Immortal Empires, will follow the Heavenly Realm's lead and also declare war on Violet Sky and the Demon Continent!"
Their mere presence and revelation at this moment, regardless of the size of their armies, would drastically alter the significance of this battle! Before, the Heavenly Realm stood alone, a solitary hero. But now, united with five Immortal Empires, who could say they had no allies? This was not just the Divine Dawn Empress' ambition; it was the collective will of the human race!
At this moment, the real irony lay with the Violet Sky Immortal Empire. The Divine Dawn Empress' words had ignited hearts, and the actions of these other four Immortal Empires bolstered everyone's conviction!
Previously, they were resigned to a noble death, with little hope for victory. But now, they were filled with thoughts of triumph! The Heavenly Realm was thoroughly ablaze with fervor! The spirit of battle boiled over!
"Wow, she's incredible..." Yun Xiao stood nearby, gazing up at her magnificence, utterly awestruck. He had once been a ruler of a small nation, but as he embarked on the path of cultivation, he increasingly became a lone swordsman. The way the Divine Dawn Empress rallied the cultivators of the Heavenly Realm, almost doubling their combat power, was something Yun Xiao could not achieve.
She was a born sovereign of the people, and Yun Xiao knew he was not. Watching her golden-red dress flutter in the sky, and the fiery determination in the eyes of that young woman, Yun Xiao felt a stir of emotion.
"Aren't you the one who prefers plain, real mortals over heavenly fairies?" Blue Star teased.
Yun Xiao paused, then shook his head. "It's just admiration."
"Admiration is also a feeling," Blue Star said.
"Is it?" Yun Xiao himself couldn't quite grasp these feelings. His relationship with her was more complicated than with Zhao Xuanran, his fellow disciple, shaped by three dual cultivation sessions. He hadn't liked her at first; it was merely a mutual benefit.
But now, he felt this young woman had taken up a significant space in his heart, yet he was still puzzled. It seemed there was a barrier between them, unknown and unspoken. Even though the blood-pumping declaration of war excited him, it didn't change his resolve.
"Your mission is complete, now rest; it's my turn," Yun Xiao muttered to himself. He entered the palace, standing beside the dragon throne, waiting for her to descend.
The Divine Dawn Immortal Empire had developed a three-part strategy against the enemy—declaration, action, and finally war! Thankfully, the first part had gone off without a hitch. Chen Xi had managed to seize the initiative away from the demons by declaring war first. Now, it was just a matter of keeping this momentum going!
"Here she comes!"
BOOM! The palace doors shut. Candles blazed, and electricity coiled around! The woman in the golden-red dragon robe and the crown with nine pearls, dragging her bright red dress, approached him with a cold, predatory gaze, like a white tiger opening its jaws at Yun Xiao...
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