“Fly into the sphere before it’s too late!” Ba Shifang shouted. Without waiting for anyone else to react, he flew into the Planetary Purgatory.

There was a moment of silence, but the other immortal monarchs followed him, even the sword monarchs. If the monarchs of the Immortal Court trusted him because they were allies, the sword monarchs charged into the sphere because Meng Tingfeng took action and followed Ba Shifang’s words.

They didn’t trust Ba Shifang, but they had more trust in Meng Tingfeng. Even if Ba Shifang was his son, Meng Tingfeng wouldn’t offer them as sacrifices to the Immortal Court. Not to mention that Yujiao said empress, meaning an expert in the Demon Emperor Realm, was present. A sense of dread filled them soon after they acted, causing them to move even faster.

Strangely, Donghai Longzi didn’t pursue. If anything, he retreated.

Before they could ponder on the abnormality of the situation, the monarchs already entered the Planetary Purgatory, and not a moment too soon. A small blue spark appeared right where they all once stood. The spark burst into a blazing blue flame with a white center.

The blue blaze incinerated the true immortals unlucky enough not to make it inside the Planetary Purgatory. That one attack killed over twenty of them, even if they had been part of a formation. Those true immortals who made it to safety all ventured deeper.

The sword monarchs, who stayed at the edge of the sphere, ready to escape at a moment’s notice in case this was a plot by Ba Shifang to trap them, also flew deeper into the sphere. Even inside, they couldn’t help but sweat from the fiery heat of the flame.

The flame engulfed the Planetary Purgatory, intent on incinerating it to ashes. However, the planet-like sphere held strong against the flames, unyielding and refusing to melt. The blue flames roared as if in anger as it grew and multiplied until it engulfed everything, turning the planet into a blue star.

A lot of things happened. In reality, all of this occurred within a minute.

The heat eroding the Planetary Purgatory increased, causing the monarchs to venture deeper inside. Unlike Yujiao, still trapped in the center of technique, none of the monarchs felt the binding gravitational force. With a moment of peace, they gathered together to discuss their next plans.

“I never expected that Demon Empress Bluefeather would be present and lurking about,” a monarch from the Immortal Court said.

“The question is whether she’s been lurking in the shadows all this time or not. Personally, I feel that it is the former since she only appeared when that silver dragon called out,” a sword monarch said.

“If that’s the case, why take action now?” Meng Tingfeng asked. “I didn’t expect a demon emperor to personally oversee the Human Refinement Plan. If she really is, why didn’t she stop us, or at least take away everything before we destroyed it?”

“Perhaps she arrived later, after we already discovered and destroyed it,” an immortal monarch suggested.

“Then the problem is why?” Meng Tingfeng asked. “Perhaps this isn’t the only realm they’ve captured. Maybe the Demon Clan had already secretly started their plan and took over more realms.”

At this, everyone’s expression sank.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Ba Shifang said, choosing this moment to speak. “The issue we should be discussing is how to flee unscathed. Don’t forget, there are still many true immortals inside the Hundred Pill Realm. If Demon Empress Bluefeather focuses on them, we won’t be able to protect them.”

Although the rate at which cultivators successfully overcame their Immortal Ascension Heavenly Tribulation has increased, it didn’t mean that the loss of a true immortal was nothing to the Immortal Court. A single true immortal still represented countless resources and power.

Meng Tingfeng crossed his arms, hands still gripped around his sword. “I just tried to contact the Numinous Sword Sect, but my message has been blocked. Originally, I wanted to stall for reinforcement, but it seems like that is impossible. And if we wait for them to notice the abnormality, our bones might already turn cold by then.”

“Actually, that’s not impossible,” Ba Shifang said. He raised his arm and showed the violet-gold Xiyi Talisman in his hand. “I already contacted the Immortal Court and explained the matter. They’ve dispatched an immortal emperor to assist.”

Meng Tingfeng and the other sword monarchs stared at the Xiyi Talisman. Of course, they knew about the Xiyi Talisman. Although information had been blocked while the Huang Realm upgraded to the Primordial Realm, that blockage disappeared and the Numinous Sword Sect redoubled their efforts to secure information, especially after the Jade and Numinous Conference.

They just never expected what they thought to be a little trinket used to control the information of the Primordial Realm to actually have substance. If it could contact the Primordial Realm through Demon Empress Bluefeather’s jamming, the Numinous Sword Sect would have to reassess its threat level. But for now, the Xiyi Talisman’s reliability gave them greater confidence.

“That’s great,” a sword monarch said. However, the monarchs of the Immortal Court didn’t look as happy.

“The situation isn’t as hopeful as it seems,” an immortal monarch said. “Although Grand Elder Zhang will be dispatched, it will still take some time to arrive. The demon empress will have more than enough time to do many things before reinforcement arrives.”

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The overall mood lowered, but Ba Shifang wasn’t done with the bad news. “You forget, it’s not just the time needed for Grand Elder Zhang to arrive, but whether or not our shield can withstand the demon empress’s flames. This technique takes a significant amount of qi, and few besides Grand Elder Nine Heavens can use it at will. Even I have to use a pill prepared by him. Once the qi runs out, the technique will collapse. By then, we might be as helpless as the true immortals.”

Of course, that wasn’t entirely true. As long as the conduit Ba Shifang carried with him to help supply the energy, the Planetary Purgatory could last until an overwhelming force shattered it, but neither Ba Shifang nor Tianyi’s conduit would take such an action. If anything went wrong, it would leak too much information to the Numinous Sword Sect.

“Then what should we do?” a sword monarch asked. As a sword immortal, he didn’t fear death, but that didn’t mean he wanted to die.

“What about your Descending Immortal Embassy? I heard that it was able to block an immortal emperor’s blow years ago.” Said immortal was a sword emperor from the Numinous Sword Sect, but every one of them selectively decided to forget that little fact.

An immortal monarch shook his head. “At its core, it’s an immortal boat. Its defensive ability is not that strong. At most, it can withstand three blows. It’s fast, but I don’t think it’s faster than a qingluan.”

Although not a phoenix or a Vermillion Bird, qingluan was still one of the most powerful species among the Demon Clan. As an avian demon, she boasted exceptional speed, even if it wasn’t her strongest attribute. At the very least, an immortal emperor would have to comprehend a law suitable for movement or possess an immortal body comparable to her to be able to contend with a qingluan’s speed.

Silence filled the air as they reached another dead end. None of them suggested using the Descending Immortal Embassy as bait while they escaped. Ignoring the fact that whether or not all of them would agree or if Demon Empress Bluefeather would fall for such a low-level trick, the force behind them would severely punish them. They might even be executed to calm the hearts of the other true immortals.

“Shifang, how long can your technique last?” Meng Tingfeng asked.

Ba Shifang threw an annoyed glance. Still, he answered. “For a few hours.”

“And how long will it be for your grand elder to arrive?”

“At least a day.”

Meng Tingfeng sunk into silence. Even a blind man could see he was contemplating on something important. “I’ll delay her. You and the others escape while I attract Demon Empress Bluefeather’s attention.”

Upon hearing this, Ba Shifang couldn’t help but be moved. It seemed as if Meng Tingfeng was sacrificing himself from the group, but coupled with his earlier actions and words, Ba Shifang almost believed that he was really Meng Tingfeng’s son.

As a clone, he had no father or mother, but his main body was different. It was likely that Meng Tingfeng wasn’t his father, but Xi Tianyi’s father.

Involuntarily, Ba Shifang felt some fondness for Meng Tingfeng. However, he also felt a sense of sadness because he knew this affection was not truly meant for him. Simultaneously, he envied Tianyi for having a father willing to sacrifice himself for him.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Meng Tingfeng said. He gave a calm smile. “I have a trump card that will help me escape. With you guys here, I can’t use it at all.”

Ba Shifang snorted. “Who needs you to be a hero? Are you trying to brag or something about how powerful you are? Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

He stared at the trapped Yujiao. Even now, the blue flames still continued to burn the Planetary Purgatory. “Before talking about escaping, how about getting rid of this scourge that caused all this?”

At Ba Shifang’s words, all of them stared at the jade-horned dragon with unkind eyes. Logically speaking, it was impossible to blame Yujiao for Demon Empress Bluefeather’s appearance. She should have always been watching, but in this tense situation, finding an outlet to vent on was better than nothing.

Yujiao, who had been struggling to escape all this time, naturally noticed the hostile gazes. He moved his lips, but there was no noticeable movement because of the gravity binding him.

Originally, it was Ba Shifang in charge of attacking him since none of the other monarchs’ attacks would pierce the Planetary Purgatory, but now that all of them were inside it, that no longer applied. Filled with frustration, reason, duty, and many other motivations, all of them attacked Yujiao. Coupled with Ba Shifang’s own involvement, the magnitude that the dragon had to endure increased.

The only one who didn’t take action was Meng Tingfeng. It was not out of pity or empathy, but because he was saving his strength. No matter what Ba Shifang said, he had already made up his mind to delay Demon Empress Bluefeather so that Ba Shifang and the other immortals could escape.

Under all the pressure, Yujiao’s previously serene eyes rippled. He never expected that Ba Shifang’s technique could withstand Demon Empress Bluefeather’s assault, and by the clues, he discovered it could last for a long time. Long enough for the immortals to slay him, as they were attempting to do now.

The silver dragon continued to struggle for hours. He never stopped even as more and more scales on his body cracked. Blood continuously poured out from his cracked scales, and finally, he stilled. The eyes filled with emotion fell silent, like a pool of stagnant water.

Yujiao sighed. “I had wanted to keep this a secret longer.”

None of the immortals attacking him heard his whisper except Ba Shifang. Before he could react, Yujiao already took action.

A golden light full of compassion and mercy erupted from Yujiao’s body. It illuminated the entire Planetary Purgatory. Were it not for the blue fire wrapped around it, the golden light would have shone through it too, but even so, Demon Empress Bluefeather and Donghai Longzi noticed the change.

The golden light dyed the silver scales gold. Not only that, but the cracked scales returned to their previous pristine sheen, cracks vanishing. Aside from his jade-like horns, no trace of his previous appearance could be seen. It was as if Yujiao had always possessed golden scales and not silver scales.

Yujiao’s body coiled in the center of its prison, the gravitational force seemingly losing its effect. He opened his jaws and spat out a round object. At first glance, it appeared akin to a dragon pearl, but closer inspection revealed its gnarly features. It was not a pearl but a seed.

“Bodhi seed!” Ba Shifang said upon recognizing it, and he wasn’t the only one.

Coupled with the golden light, he and the others naturally discovered Yujiao’s connection to Buddhism. Now, it was a question of whether the Demon Clan had allied themselves with the Buddhists. If that was the case, their previously discussed plans could no longer be carried out.

However, that was a thought for after as Yujiao took action. The bodhi seed shimmered with a resplendent light, one that eclipsed the light Yujiao exuded. Soon, it filled the entire Planetary Purgatory and even showed signs of piercing the blue flame engulfing it.

Then the Planetary Purgatory shattered, like a planet collapsing.