Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1886 Chapter 504: Emerging from Seclusion, Contending for the Throne! (Part 4)
Previously on Follow the path of Dao from infancy...
"The other Immortal Dynasties are just the same, curse it all, how could our Immortal Dynasty possibly stand against these Ancient Demons on its own!"
"This time, they're coming in full force; there's no way to push them back. The powerhouses of the Southern Domain have all converged at the Heavenly Palace, yet the Ancient Demon Emperor hasn't shown himself. Should the Emperor of the Emperor Jiang Clan strike, who can say how much longer our Immortal Dynasty's Yan God Array will endure!"
All these soldiers bore expressions brimming with sorrow and rage.
The Yan God Array confines itself to the Immortal Dynasty's capital, shielding merely this territory, erected through tremendous sacrifice. Throughout the years, its mere preservation and fueling have devoured half the Yan and Chu treasuries, designed to thwart any Emperor's assault on the Immortal Dynasty Palace and the direct slaying of Emperor Chu.
Yet despite this, the mighty formation can scarcely hold out; it fails to offer real protection against an Emperor.
"Is the Supreme intending to let our Immortal Dynasties wear down the Ancient Demons' might first, before the Heavenly Palace steps in?"
A general couldn't restrain himself and voiced the thought.
Such words amounted to outright sacrilege, making many courtiers pale, though none dared to challenge them, merely glancing covertly toward Emperor Chu on high.
Emperor Chu remained stoic in visage, though his features darkened somewhat. The notions these soldiers grasped, he had long pondered himself, and given his decades of insight into that Supreme, it seemed all too likely the foe planned to exploit this crisis, compelling the Seven Immortal Dynasties to reveal their utmost power prior to any aid.
"Blast it, failing to ascend as Emperor ultimately turns one to ashes!"
Emperor Chu's hand balled into a fist ever so slightly. Across all these years, his deepest longing had been to cross that threshold, yet its difficulty rivaled climbing the heavens, surpassing even the wild chance of some commoner from Yan and Chu vaulting straight to his throne!
"Third Brother!"
Abruptly, Emperor Chu murmured.
These words left the entire court frozen in shock, soon replaced by looks of utter disbelief.
Third Brother? Hadn't Emperor Chu's Third Brother perished eons ago?
As the assembly reeled in confusion, the ever-present guard shadowing Emperor Chu for years pivoted his gaze, a faint stir breaking his serene composure.
He dipped his head modestly, poised for Emperor Chu's following command.
"I require your intervention."
Emperor Chu uttered quietly, "Support Shangguan Hong and Yuan Xinggang, keep them at bay; right now, I'm calling the ancient emperors of the other six dynasties to the Heavenly Palace for an audience with the Supreme."
While he declared this, a burst of radiance flared from his form, his incarnate projection materialized for an instant, then vanished in a flash.
The guard inclined his head once more, "As you command."
With those brief syllables, his silhouette wavered and melted away into the Immortal Dynasty.
The old struggle for the crown had been brutally fierce; Emperor Chu had granted him renewed existence, binding him through the years to stand vigil over this sibling.
Indeed, aided by the other, he had progressed from peak Immortal King Realm to Quasi-Emperor.
Once the guard vanished, the court erupted in chaos, myriad faces twisted in astonishment.
Particularly the veteran officials, their gazes overflowing with incredulity.
That guard turned out to be the Third Prince, presumed lost forever, whose talent once shone without limit and who vied strongly for the imperial seat?!
From his former dazzling poise and vibrant zeal, he now appeared utterly transformed, beyond recognition—no soul could connect the mute, phantom attendant to that prodigious Third Prince of old.
Altering his presence and looks posed no challenge for him.
"All of you, regardless, we shall endure—no matter the cost, a century, well, under ninety years remain—once the True King emerges, that marks the moment the Ten Thousand Clans strike back!"
Emperor Chu's eyes roamed the chamber, his tone grave and resolute.
His incarnation, alongside those of the six dynasties' ancient emperors, journeyed to the Heavenly Palace, seeking to implore it for a handful of Quasi-Emperors as reinforcements.
...
Time raced onward.
The lesser Immortal Dynasties across the Southern Domain lay in ruins, landscapes scarred by desperate flights and widespread misery.
Beyond the Southern Domain, cracks began forming in the Northern Domain's barriers, isolated Ancient Demon incursions ravaging and slaughtering far and wide.
Solely the Western Regions, bolstered by its formidable might and the guardianship of the Heavenly Emperor Clan plus Saint Clans, mounted a fierce stand against the Ancient Demons, free so far from any disorder.
The turbulent reports from every domain inevitably filtered to the Immortal Immortal Emperor and the Star Empress, yet upon hearing the Emperors' accounts of the strife, they deemed a century's defense feasible—especially since rallying the clans' forces demanded time—and this opening salvo of doom would instill in each the dread of oblivion, forging deeper solidarity when the Ten Thousand Clans rallied as one in purpose and will!
Thus, weighing all angles, they upheld the century-long pact for the interim.
Should any domain teeter on true collapse, they would promptly convene all for the True King trials.
At present, losses mounted in each domain, yet stayed within tolerable bounds.
Thirty years, then fifty.
Domains fought tooth and nail to repel the onslaught, enduring decades of brutal clashes with the Ancient Demons, a peril of utter demise that knit together even the most fractious great clans in fragile unity.
All yearned in suspense, all lingered in anticipation, awaiting the True King to spearhead the Ten Thousand Clans' legions to deliverance.
The century elapsed in a mere instant.
As a wave of Daoist Charm stirred within the silent Abyss, legions stirred from slumber, whether deep in seclusion or contemplation—at this juncture, every being roused.
Even the secluded ones were dragged forth.
Though some shunned the trials, preparations for war loomed, rendering the Star Empress's summons unyielding.
In the Heaven Tower.
Ancient Demons across the tiers stood rigid as murals, moments suspended in stasis, warriors locked mid-clash, unresponsive before the Star Empress's call to assemble rang out.
After eight centuries of gestation, the True King trials now sought to crown ten True Kings.
"Hmm?"
Li Hao sensed the Daoist Charm's pulse delving into his spirit's core, his eyes snapping open, followed by the Star Empress's directive echoing from the Heaven Tower's pinnacle.
"A hundred years? Already..."
Li Hao blinked in mild surprise, then inwardly exhaled with quiet gratitude.
Thank goodness, thirty years back, he had at last scarcely merged the seven Realm Hearts.