Nuclear-powered Sword Immortal

Chapter 579: Chapter 571 The Trend of the Times

Gu Jinlai had underestimated Immortal Wu Zhong and Immortal Wunian.

Or perhaps, he had overestimated Xuan Yue.

Xuan Yue intended to deal with Immortal Wunian and Immortal Wu Zhong himself, but...

In two battles, he faced two defeats.

If it weren’t for the fear that Gu Jinlai would go back on his word, they wouldn’t have hesitated to kill. Xuan Yue would already have become a corpse by now.

Seeing the severely wounded Xuan Yue returning, even Gu Jinlai was somewhat at a loss for words.

However, Gu Jinlai’s decision to no longer pursue the matter with Immortal Wunian and Immortal Wu Zhong did not mean that Lin Yuan was willing to let things go.

After the two left, Lin Yuan pleaded guilty and left for some time.

He only returned after Gu Jinlai was back in Star State.

As for what he had done, whether Immortal Wu Zhong and Immortal Wunian were alive or dead, Gu Jinlai did not intend to delve into it.

...

The battle at the Sanqing Preaching Platform in Moon State spread rapidly across the entire Qiantian.

Everyone knew that Gu Jinlai not only succeeded in inheriting the Aries Star Lord’s legacy, obtaining a Heavenly Dragon of the Earthly True Immortal Level, but his own battle power had also become so strong that he could defeat two enemies alone—the Abyss Lord Lin Yuan and a residing True Immortal.

And this battle was witnessed by countless people, leaving no room for deception.

With the deterrence from this battle, the subsequent tasks that Gu Jinlai aimed to carry out with Lingxiao Palace to cleanse the entirety of Qiantian faced no obstruction whatsoever.

After sending Hong Ye with the Heavenly Dragon Wood to Island State and letting Emperor Master Tai Yuan personally visit Zhenbei City, receiving the support of these two great forces, other powers quickly pledged their fealty.

The very few who thought of bargaining were met by the mighty army of Demon God Warriors led by Gu Chifeng, Gu Luochen, Gu Qingmei, and others from Lingxiao Palace.

From time to time, there was also the presence of Mystic Bird Fighting Machines piloted by Heavenly Monarchs like Zhang Lihuo.

Throughout Qiantian, the winds of change were stirring, rapidly reshuffling the power structure.

...

The True Immortal Palace.

The news from the Sanqing Preaching Platform was immediately conveyed to this power.

After all, many of the Primordial Spirit True Monarchs from the True Immortal Palace, who feared the name of the Abyss Lord, had deserted Venerable Xuan Tian to side with him, with some even being present at the scene.

"A Heavenly Dragon, the Strongest Void Immortal, and a residing True Immortal?"

Venerable Xuan Tian, who had completed Qi Refining and God Transformation and entered the Heavenly Master Domain, looked at the intelligence with an unchanged expression: "Truly worthy of the person who rose rapidly in five years, unified Tian Nan, and established the feat of Lingxiao Palace."

"Palace Master, Lingxiao Palace is now in its heyday, and Master Gu has exhibited unparalleled strength. Many in the palace say that... he is stronger than the great Emperor Tianji himself... he aims to unite Qiantian... Some people in the palace believe that we cannot stop him, and they have already fled from the True Immortal Palace to offer their services to Lingxiao Palace..."

The Primordial Spirit True Monarch who brought the news reported with a worried face.

"Your name is Leng Chenfeng?"

Venerable Xuan Tian looked at the Primordial Spirit True Monarch.

He...

Was very young.

Probably around fifty.

For a Primordial Spirit True Monarch, this was akin to just being in one’s twenties in human years.

"Yes, Palace Master."

Leng Chenfeng replied respectfully.

Because he did not fit in well, he was isolated and neglected in the True Immortal Palace until Venerable Xuan Tian took charge and promoted him, entrusting him with heavy responsibilities.

"You didn’t leave."

Venerable Xuan Tian calmly said, "You should also go to Lingxiao Palace."

This statement made Leng Chenfeng slightly stunned: "Palace Master, what did you say..."

"I am willing to integrate the power of the True Immortal Palace and accept your allegiance to unify Qiantian, to end the wars. Since Master Gu’s Lingxiao Palace is doing it better than me, why should I obstruct? Moreover, this is the trend of the times."

Venerable Xuan Tian said: "Pass my command, the True Immortal Palace as a whole shall surrender to the Lingxiao Palace."

Leng Chenfeng was at a loss upon hearing what Venerable Xuan Tian said.

Was their Palace Master really about to pledge allegiance to Lingxiao Palace?

But then he started thinking about something else.

If they didn’t yield, what else could they do?

The strength of the Palace Master of Lingxiao Palace was fearsome, capable of defeating both the Abyss Lord Lin Yuan and a residing True Immortal single-handedly.

Even if their Palace Master had advanced to the Saint Realm and harnessed the power of the Divine Weapon Sky Extreme Sword, at most he would possess the strength of an Earthly True Immortal. He might be able to defeat the Heavenly Dragon, but against the Abyss Lord, the chance of victory was exceedingly slim.

Not to mention going against that residing True Immortal.

Under such circumstances, the Palace Master surrendering to Lingxiao Palace seemed...

Like the most correct choice?

Only...

"That Master Gu seems to have ...not completely fallen out with Lin Yuan. If Lin Yuan seeks revenge over the affairs of Immortal Wushi, he is unlikely to spare you..."

Leng Chenfeng voiced his concern with a trace of worry in his eyes.

"When did I say that I would submit to Lingxiao Palace?"

Venerable Xuan Tian lifted his head, with a look that seemed to traverse the void and gaze into the distance: "Gu Jinlai... his Lingxiao Palace has done well, preserving the safety and stability of the Qiantian Earth. Qiantian, I’ll let him have it. But should a day come when he forgets his initial promises and becomes like certain others, gripping tightly to power, uncaring for the lives of all living beings, then I, Venerable Xuan Tian, shall become his final nightmare."

Leng Chenfeng gave him a strange look.

Although he had a lot of trust in his own Palace Master.

But...

One was barely reaching the battle strength of an Earthly True Immortal, while the other was powerful enough to suppress a residing True Immortal?

Saying something like that...

Isn’t that inappropriate?

However, he immediately thought of Venerable Xuan Tian’s rate of growth.

To this day, he is not even forty!

Not yet forty and he already has such cultivation. If he continues to grow...

At that moment, a chill ran through his heart.

"Go then, all of you, surrender," Venerable Xuan Tian waved his hand dismissively, standing up and slowly descending from the high platform where the throne of the True Immortal Palace Hall Master was located.

He had not wanted to manage the True Immortal Palace for several months now.

To unify Qiantian...

His original intention was also to inherit the legacy of Master Wushi, to unify Qiantian and then gather more strength to guard it, ensuring its safety and security.

Now that Gu Jinlai has taken over this troublesome affair, it could not be better.

In this way, he could finally calm his mind and devote all his time and energy to the confrontation with the Sky Extreme Sword.

Or perhaps...

"Heavenly Master of Libra," he muttered the name to himself.

Then, facing forward, he strode step by step out of the palace: "I do not wish to die, who can stop me from living? No one! No one can!"

He marched forward with fearlessness and pride, disappearing from Leng Chenfeng’s view.

It took a while for the Primordial Spirit Monarch to come back to his senses.

When he realized that Venerable Xuan Tian seemed to have truly left, he couldn’t help but feel sentimental, "The True Immortal Palace, such a vast foundation, the Hall Master abandons it just like that..."

Such magnanimity...

He felt ashamed in comparison.

However, after his moment of sentiment, he also gathered his spirits.

The True Immortal Palace, after all, is one of the largest forces in Qiantian. If he could really lead the True Immortal Palace to join Lingxiao Palace, it would also be his capital for promotion; he still needs to properly integrate it.

...

On the other side, Gu Jinlai naturally did not know that the True Immortal Palace had crumbled without a fight.

After returning to Star State, he immediately started working on the construction of the Grotto Heaven.

After careful selection, he eventually set the site for the Grotto Heaven at Canglang Mountain along the banks of Tianhe.

The population density here was not high, but it was conveniently located at the center of Qiantian Earth, more than three thousand li from Star State and just over four thousand li from the Central State Imperial City.

It was the most suitable place for constructing the Grotto Heaven.

The construction of the Grotto Heaven involved many materials, and even though this Grotto Heaven was only for the collection and storage of Spirit Mechanisms and spanned just over a dozen li, the total amount of resources required still reached a level hard to measure even with a Supreme Taoist Device.

Gu Jinlai had brought quite a few top-notch materials from the Holy Dynasty, but these top-notch materials couldn’t even suffice to construct a corner of the Grotto Heaven.

However, the Aries Star Palace, in a way, was a Grotto Heaven itself.

It was, in fact, a movable, small-scale Grotto Heaven.

Jin Haoran, Liu Yuxi, Lin Yuan, along with the Saints, Devas, and Primordial Spirit Monarchs they brought, enthusiastically joined the construction of the Grotto Heaven under Gu Jinlai’s permission, showing no hindrance whatsoever to Gu Jinlai’s efforts to unify all Qiantian.

...

Time passed swiftly, and half a month had already gone by.

The Grotto Heaven construction was well underway.

But at the moment, Gu Jinlai was not monitoring the progress of the Grotto Heaven project.

He was on a parade ground, judging the extremely evil ones in front of the many new forces that had sworn allegiance to Lingxiao Palace.

These people, who usually threw their weight around in their own little realms, were beyond the reach of Daqian law.

Sometimes when the forces above them were unstable, they could manage things throughout, continuing to survive.

This time when the War God led the Demon God Warriors to their doors, knowing they could not resist, they thought to do as before—submit first to save their lives, even at the cost of a considerable price.

But what resulted...

Any person of ill repute, regardless of their identity, was directly apprehended by the Demon God Guards, brought together, and delivered before Gu Jinlai.

Following a round of very brief trials, these individuals were blasted into char.

This scene repeated time and time again—intimidating the new adherents and making them realize Lingxiao Palace operated under fundamentally different rules compared to other forces.

After the judgments were concluded, Gu Jinlai seemed to sense something.

"They’ve arrived."

Suddenly, he activated his spiritual energy and sent a message to Xin Tianqi, Lu Zhanxian, and others such as Zhang Lihuo, Zhou Yi, Zhang Yukan, Si Tianyan who were tens of li away: "My forces from the Holy Dynasty have arrived. I will introduce them to you. For a long while to come, you will need to work together."

Upon receiving the message, Zhang Lihuo, Zhou Yi, and the others did not dare to delay and quickly converged towards Gu Jinlai’s location.

When they arrived at a plaza specially constructed for the docking of warships outside Lingxiao Palace, the Blue Sky Warship, spanning hundreds of meters in diameter, had already broken through the clouds, bringing winds like a hurricane as it approached rapidly.

With Gu Jinlai rising into the air to guide, the warship smoothly touched down after a short while.

Once the warship landed, figures emerged one after another.

Apart from those guarding like Liu Feiyun, Su Yu, and others, Chao Jiuyin, Xia Zhongzheng, Jin Hui, Yan Xingchen, including Zhao Yushu, Jin Sixian, and a host of others appeared.

Saints, Martial Saints, Devas, Heavenly Monarchs, Great Heavenly Masters...

Everything that was necessary.

Following behind them were more than six thousand newly initiated Heavenly Masters, who had all embarked on the path of Heavenly Master.

Upon seeing Gu Jinlai, they naturally bowed in unison: "Greetings to Ancient True Immortal."