When everyone heard that long-missed voice, they shuddered from head to toe.
The Heavenly Emperor, who had not appeared in all these years, had unexpectedly issued an oral decree of succession at this very moment.
He wanted Li Yan to take over as the next Heavenly Emperor?
Everyone turned to look at Li Yan.
Faced with this sudden burden, he felt countless eyes fixed on him.
In front of everyone, Li Yan said,
"Me, the Heavenly Emperor? Forget it."
When Purple Micro Star Lord, Xuan Yue War Marshal, and Youdu Houtu heard Li Yan refuse so readily, the three Immortal Emperors were stunned.
"Why refuse?"
"This is the Heavenly Emperor's sacred decree. Saint Li, you can inherit the Heavenly Emperor's will—and even his peerless arts."
"If Saint Li becomes the new Heavenly Emperor, I, Xuan Yue, will accept it wholeheartedly."
Li Yan knew that status came with responsibility. He did not want to exhaust himself managing the Old Heavenly Court.
He had helped the Old Heavenly Court only because there was something in it for him.
What he liked best was freedom, looking after only himself.
If he became the Heavenly Emperor, he would have to deal with a mountain of trivial matters every day. That would be like choosing to lock himself in a cage.
Seeing that Li Yan was adamant and unwilling to shoulder the responsibility,
the three Immortal Emperors looked at one another.
"What should we do?"
"The Heavenly Emperor spoke just now, then fell back into a deep slumber. But he has already named Saint Li as his successor."
At that moment, the thoughtful Youdu Houtu, a kind-faced elder woman, considered the matter and made a suggestion.
"Saint Li probably dislikes being bound. We can simply make him a promise."
"He won't have to worry about most of the trivial matters. He can even hold the title in name only."
"After all, White Jade Capital is the common enemy of both him and us."
After hearing Youdu Houtu's suggestion, they had no other choice.
Everyone had already been won over by the many methods Li Yan had used against Longevity Siming.
At present, Saint Li was the only one who could unite the Old Heavenly Court.
With his current prestige, all it would take was a rallying cry, and millions of immortals would become his blades, striking wherever he pointed!
Xuan Yue War Marshal planted his battle-axe heavily on the ground and said with a stern expression,
"You all saw Saint Li's prestige in the Abyss of the Netherworld. The immortals may refuse to accept one another, but none of them would dare defy Saint Li."
"Indeed. At this point, only Saint Li's name can rally the immortals," Purple Micro Star Lord chimed in.
After discussing the details, the three Immortal Emperors once again extended an invitation to Li Yan.
The three spoke with Li Yan privately through voice transmission.
"Saint Li, even if you never want to be the Heavenly Emperor, could you agree for now?"
"Our morale is high. We should press our advantage, rally our forces, and fight White Jade Capital to the bitter end."
"If you inherit the Heavenly Emperor's legacy, you can also open the Heavenly Emperor's Armory!"
Hearing the three Immortal Emperors take turns persuading him—and promise that he would not have to worry about anything once the matter was settled—Li Yan began to consider it.
All he had to do was serve as a nominal Heavenly Emperor and command the Old Heavenly Court's three factions.
They were Purple Micro Star Lord's constellation immortals, Xuan Yue War Marshal's Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals, and the Netherworld wardens under Houtu's command.
These three factions rarely saw eye to eye. Only the Heavenly Emperor could command all the immortals.
Now that Li Yan had the Heavenly Emperor's recognition, all he had to do was say the word, and the immortals would gather under his banner.
Li Yan pondered. The Heavenly Emperor's Armory had caught his interest even more.
His attention was fixed on that treasure.
"When can you take me to see this Heavenly Emperor's Armory?"
The moment Li Yan said this, the three Immortal Emperors fell silent.
Well.
Saint Li really didn't stand on ceremony. He was blunt and straightforward, and all he wanted was the Heavenly Emperor's treasure.
But since he had already been named the next Heavenly Emperor, the armory should belong to him.
Xuan Yue War Marshal cupped his fists. "Saint Li, you have the right to open the Heavenly Emperor's Armory, but..."
"Back then, the Heavenly Emperor fought a fierce battle with White Jade Capital, and the armory was scattered across the mortal world."
"If you want to find the armory pieces scattered across the mortal world, I'm afraid..."
Li Yan had been full of excitement, but the thought of having to search for the scattered armory immediately doused his enthusiasm.
But just then, the Ancient Dragon King's voice rang out from within the Coiled Dragon Pillar.
"The Abyss of the Netherworld is being severed from the Immortal Cultivation Realm."
The Ancient Dragon King's voice interrupted everyone's discussion.
Everyone looked toward the towering pillar before them. The Ancient Dragon King's body and soul resided within the Coiled Dragon Pillar.
"What do you mean, Dragon King?"
Li Yan raised his head and looked at the pillar before him.
In his weak voice, the Ancient Dragon King slowly explained,
"Just now, as I held up the Abyss of the Netherworld to keep this place from slipping into a chaos rift..."
"I discovered that a fallen dragon was using my secret spatial art to cut the Abyss of the Netherworld away."
In simple terms, a fallen Ancient Dragon outside was casting a spell.
It was separating the Abyss of the Netherworld from the Immortal Cultivation Realm. If the fallen dragon truly severed the connection between the Abyss of the Netherworld and the outside world...
Then the Abyss of the Netherworld, this secret realm, might be lost forever in the chaotic void!
If the Abyss of the Netherworld were a grain of sand and the chaotic void a vast sea,
then what their enemy was doing was tossing that grain of sand into the heart of the ocean. The chance of it washing back to shore from that boundless sea would be next to nothing.
Once the Abyss of the Netherworld was cut off from the outside world, it would be like a grain of sand sinking into an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep, forever unable to find its way home.
The three Immortal Emperors smiled bleakly.
"White Jade Capital has too many tricks up its sleeve."
"They can't get in, and they don't want us to get out."
"They're forcing us to charge out and fight them to the death."
Only two paths lay before them now.
They could charge out of the Abyss of the Netherworld and fight White Jade Capital, which had already set an ambush.
Or they could sit inside the Abyss of the Netherworld and wait to die, waiting for the passage to the outside world to be severed and the Old Heavenly Court to be banished into the chaotic void.
Xuan Yue gripped the long handle of his battle-axe until the veins stood out on his hands. "Our brothers have recovered somewhat. Why don't we charge out?"
"I, Xuan Yue, would rather die in battle than be banished in humiliation and lost in the chaotic void!"
Purple Micro Star Lord counted on his fingers, then sighed. "If we go, we're as good as dead. But I agree with Xuan Yue. We should charge out and fight."
"After tens of thousands of years in captivity, I don't want to be trapped any longer."
"Saint Li, take the throne as Heavenly Emperor and lead us in one more charge!"
Even a clay figure had a spark of temper, and immortals had blood in their veins too.
Now that they were surrounded and hunted down to this point, how could they not fight back?
"Surrender, and they'll take us to be refined into pills anyway. What else is there to say?"
"Saint Li, issue a sacred decree in the Heavenly Emperor's name!"
"Saint Li, say something! Do we fight, or do we die?"
As the crowd gathered around him like stars around the moon, Li Yan watched without a word as everyone declared their stance.
He understood now what it meant for the Immortal Cultivation Realm to fight to the death: either you died, or I did.
There was no room for negotiation. White Jade Capital was determined to drive the Old Heavenly Court into a dead end.
Just as all the pressure fell on Li Yan, he suddenly proposed,
"Actually, I have a brilliant suggestion—and no one has to die."
Before you continue