The sudden arrival of Grand Empyrean Jiu Di did not startle the Immortal Emperor. Confidence shone in his eyes as he stood upon the severed head of the Immortal Ancestor, gazing up at Jiu Di’s approach. “Jiu Di! You have indeed come!” the Immortal Emperor said with a faint smile.

Grand Empyrean Jiu Di’s expression was grave as he fixed his gaze upon the Immortal Emperor, his eyes lingering on the severed head beneath him, a trace of complexity in his gaze. “The Immortal Ancestor’s head… countless eons ago, I served beneath his banner. Even I, Lian Daozhen, have witnessed several Immortal Emperors rise and fall. Yet you, in your generation, have shown yourself to be a ruler of ambition and grand design! By exploiting the Imperial Preceptor’s desire, you gained control of this Immortal Ancestor’s head. Given enough time to fully absorb it, to merge it into your very being, you could indeed become the foremost Grand Empyrean of our Immortal Clan! But alas, that opportunity is not yours to seize.” Jiu Di’s voice was tinged with the weight of ages. As he spoke, he took a step toward the Immortal Emperor. In that instant, the woman formed from the merging of the Twin Grand Empyreans also stepped forward, her entire being suffused with a violet aura. Three Grand Empyreans prepared for war within the Forbidden Palace!

Undaunted by the Twin Empyreans and Jiu Di, the Immortal Emperor’s confidence remained unshaken. He raised his right hand, and as his adversaries approached, he struck the Immortal Ancestor’s head beneath him. “Eight Extremes Dao, Extreme Fire Dao!” With that strike, golden light erupted from the Immortal Emperor’s entire being, as did the head of the Immortal Ancestor. This blinding golden radiance drove back the encroaching violet hues. The head then opened its mouth, uttering the Immortal Emperor’s voice! “Eight… Ex… tremes… Dao… Im… mortal… Fire… Dao!” Though fragmented, the incantation was complete. Nine plumes of emerald smoke, each thicker than a man, materialized from thin air, encircling the Immortal Ancestor’s head and the Immortal Emperor above it, spinning nine times before rushing toward the Twin Empyreans and Jiu Di.

The Forbidden Palace reverberated with a deafening roar. Within the Immortal Ancestor’s right eye, Wang Lin, concealed within the Preceptor’s body, saw everything with startling clarity, unnoticed amidst the chaos. Yet Wang Lin did not act rashly. He waited, sensing that the situation was far more complex than it appeared. Jiu Di’s arrival signaled a shift in the balance of power. Until he fully grasped the nature of these new events, Wang Lin would remain hidden. As the emerald smoke dispersed, the Twin Grand Empyreans retreated, their faces ashen, their bodies wreathed in fading violet light. Jiu Di also stepped back, his expression grim. They had faced not the Immortal Emperor, but the Immortal Ancestor himself. It was the Immortal Ancestor’s power that had forced them back despite their combined assault!

“It is not the Immortal Ancestor’s full power, only a tenth of it!” Jiu Di exclaimed, his eyes flashing. As he spoke, a series of thumps echoed from within his body. His aged features rapidly transformed, morphing from those of a wizened elder into the visage of a middle-aged man, his bearing heroic and imbued with a regal aura. Jiu Di had long maintained his aged appearance, only revealing his true form when unleashing his full might.

“It has been some time since I have seen you thus, Jiu Di,” the Immortal Emperor mused with a smile. “Even so, you are no match for me!” With that, he settled into a cross-legged position upon the Immortal Ancestor’s head, placing his hands upon its temples. “With my blood, I summon the Ancestral Spirit!” The Immortal Emperor bit his tongue, spitting forth a mouthful of blood.

In that instant, the Immortal Ancestor’s head shuddered. Golden light soared skyward, coalescing into a colossal, ethereal figure within the Forbidden Palace. The figure, clad in imperial robes, was none other than the Immortal Ancestor himself! Its head was real, its body an illusion. Its golden eyes blazed as it raised its right hand, grasping a gargantuan golden sword that materialized out of thin air. As the sword materialized, Wang Lin felt an instinctive dread.

“Under the Immortal Ancestor’s blade, countless celestial spirits were shattered and obliterated. Only those deemed worthy were sealed into continents. Now, you two dare to defy Immortal might! Begone, before this sword finds its mark!” the Immortal Emperor’s voice thundered. The golden blade descended upon Jiu Di and the Twin Empyreans.

Silence reigned, yet the very fabric of the heavens seemed to warp and twist. The Forbidden Palace threatened to split asunder. Jiu Di’s countenance changed drastically. He wove hand seals, summoning a white sun. The white sun and the violet sun hung high above, and from the former, a white wolf emerged, howling at the descending golden blade. Simultaneously, the Twin Empyreans wove their own seals. An expanse of violet bamboo sprang up, engulfing the world, transforming the landscape into a bamboo forest. As one, the bamboo stalks lunged upward like a thousand swords, striking at the descending golden blade.

“Dao Yi, Wu Feng, if not now, then when will you act?!” Jiu Di roared. To the Immortal Emperor’s left, the very fabric of reality froze. Grand Empyrean Dao Yi stepped forward, his expression grim. He raised his right hand, pointing a finger at the Immortal Emperor. His finger held the very essence of his Dao – the unification of all things.

To the Immortal Emperor’s right, storm clouds swirled and lightning flashed as the bald-headed Grand Empyrean Wu Feng emerged. Without hesitation, he clenched his right fist and unleashed a punch. Wu Feng, who had once conquered the nineteenth level of Empyrean Tribulation, sought to understand the Dao through martial prowess. His fist contained his full strength, his understanding of the universe, and the totality of his belief! Four Grand Empyreans attacked!

Wang Lin, within the Immortal Ancestor’s right eye, witnessed it all, his soul shuddering. He had not anticipated such a turn of events. The emergence of Dao Yi and Wu Feng made him realize that this palace was nothing more than a chessboard. The Grand Empyreans, himself, and all others present were merely pawns.

The golden sword crashed against the combined might of the Twin Empyreans, Jiu Di, Dao Yi, and Wu Feng, unleashing a cataclysmic explosion. Dao Yi staggered back, while Wu Feng’s body groaned and cracked under the pressure. The Twin Empyreans and Jiu Di fared slightly better, but even they were forced to retreat. Yet their combined force was not to be underestimated. No Grand Empyrean, save for the most powerful among the Ancient Clan, could withstand their combined attack! Moreover, the golden sword was merely an illusion, containing only a tenth of the Immortal Ancestor’s true power. It shattered, its fragments swirling past the Immortal Ancestor’s fading form and falling to the earth. The Immortal Ancestor’s phantom vanished entirely, leaving only his real head floating in the air. The Immortal Emperor coughed up blood and glared at Dao Yi and Wu Feng!

“If my appearance was not enough, then what of Dao Yi and Wu Feng? Are we enough for you now, Immortal Emperor?” Jiu Di asked coldly. “What is it that you four seek?” the Immortal Emperor said, his face growing dark.

“Release Wang Lin! And I will speak again!” The Twin Grand Empyreans declared, their eyes fixed on the Immortal Emperor. “I desire the Immortal Emperor to reseal the Immortal Ancestor’s head. This head suppresses the spirits of the Immortal Clan’s seventy-two continents. It is of great import, and not something the Immortal Emperor should possess,” Jiu Di said, his eyes lingering on the floating head. “My thoughts align with Jiu Di’s. Immortal Emperor, maintain the balance of power among the five Grand Empyreans. There is no need for redistribution!” Dao Yi’s face was drawn with concern. “My idea is the same!” said Wu Feng.

The Immortal Emperor laughed, a cold and bitter sound. He raised his hands, and as Dao Yi and Wu Feng’s expressions changed, he slammed them into his chest, spewing forth a torrent of golden blood. The Immortal Ancestor’s head pulsed with golden light, emanating from its eyes, its mouth, its ears, its nose – every orifice. This light expanded outward, forming a golden wave that forced Jiu Di and the others to retreat. The Immortal Emperor’s features twisted in fury. He would not compromise, even if it meant unleashing the Immortal Ancestor’s power to temporarily hold them at bay and forcibly absorb the head. Should he succeed, he would face the four Grand Empyreans without fear. Yet as he pulled the golden power into himself, he felt a barrier preventing its absorption.

“It is a seal from the Mourning Clan! That damned Imperial Preceptor! He used his divine merging to allow the Immortal Ancestor to speak, imbuing the head with a layer of seals from generations of the Mourning Clan! But such a seal will not deter me! I am the Immortal Emperor! I cannot remove the seal under normal conditions, but with the head under my control, I can!”

“Even if I dissolve the Mourning Clan’s seals, that Preceptor is as good as dead! No matter!” The Immortal Emperor resolved. The situation was dire, and he had no time to waste!