The Great Heavenly Venerable (Continued)

Many people coughed violently. But many more prayed and worshipped with even greater fervor and devotion.

She glanced at the city, consumed by fanaticism, which continuously supplied her with Curse Power that was now insignificant to her. With a slight push of her toes, she was already hundreds of kilometers away.

The structure of the space had become unstable due to her breathing.

She ignored everyone. She ignored the two somewhat familiar long-haired priestesses in the crowd, who seemed to be important female characters from the original story, and she ignored the Sun Palace, which was filled with excitement at her return—she simply headed west. Her first step reached the Bohai Sea, her second crossed the Capital City, and her third brought her to the skies above the Duguang Wilds.

She saw the Sea-Calming Divine Needle extending from the depths of the earth, reaching straight into the clouds. Hundreds of meters in length, this thing rooted deep in the earth resembled a colossal tower reaching to the heavens.

The Sea-Calming Divine Needle, it stabilizes the sea of clouds.

At the very bottom of this tower, Luo Hao, now dressed in a new set of court lady's attire, was waiting for her on the tower's foundation.

—The trip to Takama-ga-hara took me about six hours.

—Can I break through the Heavenly Court in a single day?

She descended before Luo Hao, and as she descended, the Sulfur permeating the air ignited in the intense heat, transforming into vast, burning clouds that stretched out in all directions.

"So, you intend to die with dignity," Miss Surtr said softly. Her voice transformed into a blazing wave of fire, igniting mountains and burning plains. With just one sentence, about a third of the uninhabited area spanning hundreds of miles was filled with flames.

"I never surrender." Around Luo Hao, all the divine authority she had usurped appeared and flickered like phantoms, granting her power and elevating her to her best state ever. Her blood and energy burned fiercely, and within the time Miss Surtr had deliberately given her, she unleashed countless self-destructive, life-or-death secret techniques. Incomparably powerful Curse Power swirled around her, transforming into several meters of light that blocked the flames. Yet even so, Laevateinn's flames still eroded and burned against the light surrounding her body.

The momentary burst of power she gained from exhausting all her strength was reduced to mere fuel in the face of the inextinguishable flames.

So, with a mixture of worry and excitement in her eyes, she gently shook her head.

"In this era, is meeting an opponent like you my fortune or my misfortune?"

This is a question she asks herself; she doesn't need to answer it.

So Miss Surtr did not answer her on this topic.

"Are these your last words?" The girl's fingertips pressed against the handle of Laevateinn. "If you need an epitaph, I can erect a monument just for you."

Luo Hao did not answer.

She simply raised her hand, unleashed a palm strike, burning away all her vital energy and spirit to seize power. She transformed into an exceptionally noble and magnificent phoenix, trailing nine-colored light, and swooped down upon her only adversary.

The final move of the Twelve Divine Palms of the Flying Phoenix is the Great Phoenix Without Heaven.

Accompanied by a sharp sword light, the phoenix and its aura turned into ashes, completely swallowed up in the burning fire domain, leaving no trace behind.

Luo Hao is dead.

They died completely, without even the right to be included in a side story or epilogue.

With her death, the Sea-Calming Divine Needle, having undergone a blood sacrifice, transformed into a path to heaven—the gates of the Heavenly Court unfolded beyond the clouds. For since ancient times, it has been said that the mortal rulers of this land died in a way that shook the heavens.

The Sea-Calming Divine Needle did not become the Jianmu Tree.

However, in this basin plain located in Shu region, which is believed by the world to be the Duguang Wilds Plain, it can be regarded as a replica of Jianmu Tree.

Then the door opened.

The moment the gate opened, Surtr, surrounded by burning clouds and scorching Sulfur, arrived before the gates of Heavenly Court.

The gates of Heavenly Court are shaken by the influence of mortal legends. No matter where one ascends to Heaven, the gate one arrives at will be the most famous South Heaven Gate in the stories and legends. And since it is the most famous gate, it is naturally the most powerful, the most solid, and the most fortified.

Miss Surtr was prepared for a tough battle before she could finally step into the inner sanctum of the Heavenly Court.

However, when she arrived at the South Heaven Gate, she was greeted only by silence, coldness, and a pile of rubble.

She saw the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals lying dead and scattered on the ground.

She saw that the fatal wounds of these mythical creatures were all inflicted by their own hands.

—It was suicide.

—At the time of suicide, he dissipated his divine power.

She noticed that these dead Heavenly Soldiers and Generals still retained their human form.

"You've come." A voice rang out, and she slightly subdued her flames. Before her eyes stood a golden-armored Divine General guarding the very center of the South Heaven Gate. He had a red face, three eyes, wielded a steel whip, and stood atop a halo of wind and fire. If Miss Surtr's understanding of traditional mythology was correct, then the one appearing here should be the highest guardian deity of Daoism.

"Jade Pivot Fire Mansion Heavenly General, Wang Lingguan," she said calmly. "You knew I was coming."

"Indeed." The Divine General exuded murderous intent, but seemed to have no intention of attacking her. "When that monkey returned, it conveyed everything it knew to the Great Celestial Venerable. And we are also fully aware of what you did in the Eastern Seas Divine Realm."

"So?" Miss Surtr pressed her finger on Laevateinn.

However, this highest-ranking guardian deity of Daoism stepped aside to make way for her.

"Go straight ahead from here, and the highest point is the Lingxiao Palace. Go, the Great Celestial Venerable awaits you."

Miss Surtr raised an eyebrow. She noticed star-shaped markings crawling beneath the round collar of the King's Spirit Officer's armor.

So she remained silent, helping Laevateinn past the guardian deity. Only in the brief moment their bodies crossed did she whisper a question.

"Why?"

"God has his own way of dying." — That was the response she heard.

So she continued forward, and as she took her fourth step, she heard the sound of a steel whip shattering a skull, and the clatter of uncontrolled divine power spreading everywhere.

She hesitated for a moment, then took a light breath.

Then, exhale.

The undying fire, restrained slightly out of politeness, dissipated outwards in the name of respect. The flames swept over the remains of the celestial army, igniting them and spreading to the foundations of clouds and the ground paved with jade. From the first day of the Thirty-three Heavens, the undying final fire burned with her progress.

Combustion.

In the midst of burning, the starlight, unable to find a vessel, was banished. It rose into the void and vanished into nothingness.

So she moved forward, and kept moving forward.

From the Six Heavens of Desire Realm to the Eighteen Heavens of the Form Realm, she traversed palace after palace and grand hall.

She saw celestial soldiers fall to the ground in droves, saw masterless divine power spilling everywhere, while the vibrant starlight was bound within the empty shells of divine bodies. She saw many magnificent palaces destroyed by war. She saw imposing celestial generals, after slaying the Witch God or Heavenly Official within the palaces, nail themselves to the very gates of the palaces.

She continued upwards, into the Four Heavens of the Formless Realm. She saw many distorted, twisted, corrupted god remains with hundreds of hands, thousands of eyes, and countless mouths. And around these god remains, there lay corpses of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, dozens or even hundreds of times more.

They were all dead. Both the killers and the killed, not one was left alive. There were no shouts of battle, no fighting. Everything had been settled before she even arrived.

Further up, Four Heavens of the Chosen, more and more distorted and twisted deities appeared, becoming so numerous and well-known that she could discern their distinctive features— the Star Lords of the Heavens, the various divine officials. All the named deities were buried here.